Sermon

Who Should We Invite to Taste the Banquet?

Christ Church East Bay - Sermons

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  1. We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch.

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  5. Hello, Christchurch.

  6. My name is Karp.

  7. I am on the AV and CC Kids teams.

  8. Today's reading is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14, verses 7 through 24, as printed in your liturgy.

    Luke 14:7–24

  9. When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable.

  10. When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor.

  11. For a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

  12. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, give this person your seat.

  13. Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

  14. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you,

  15. friend, move up to a better place.

  16. Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

  17. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

  18. Then Jesus said to his host, when you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors.

  19. If you do, they may invite you back, and so you will be repaid.

  20. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.

  21. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

  22. When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus,

  23. blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.

  24. Jesus replied,

  25. A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.

  26. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited,

  27. Come, for everything is now ready.

  28. But they all, like, began to make excuses.

  29. The first said,

  30. I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it.

  31. Please excuse me.

  32. Another said,

  33. I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out.

  34. Please excuse me.

  35. Still another said,

  36. I just got married, so I can't come.

  37. The servant came back and reported this to his master.

  38. Then the owner of the house became angry,

  39. and ordered a servant,

  40. Go out, quickly, into the streets and alleys of the town,

  41. and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.

  42. Sir, the servant said,

  43. What you ordered has been done,

  44. but there is still room.

  45. Then the master told his servant,

  46. Go out into the roads and country lanes

  47. and compel them to come in,

  48. so that my house will be full.

  49. I tell you,

  50. not one of those who were invited

  51. will get a taste of my banquet.

  52. This is the gospel of the Lord.

  53. Thanks be to God.

  54. Good morning, Christ Church.

  55. It's March Madness,

  56. and there's basketball on today,

  57. so we've got to just get through this,

  58. because Duke and Baylor are playing at 1140.

  59. So, we are jumping back into the gospel of Luke,

  60. and we're here in Luke 14,

  61. Jesus' amazing parable of the great banquet,

  62. the great feast.

  63. And we didn't print verse 1,

  64. which tells us where this is taking place.

  65. It's taking place at a Sabbath feast,

  66. and it's taking place in the home of a Pharisee

  67. who was a teacher and a leader of Israel.

  68. And at that table,

  69. and with these other guests,

  70. and around this feast,

  71. Jesus tells some simple stories

  72. that on the surface also seem to be

  73. just about your common, ordinary, everyday feasts,

  74. and hosts, and guests,

  75. and invitations,

  76. and last-minute cancellations,

  77. and lame excuses,

  78. and unlikely invitations to guests

  79. who end up seeming completely unworthy to be there.

  80. And one of the things we need to know

  81. as we get into this

  82. is that Jews in the first century,

  83. they shared a biblical vision,

  84. they shared a biblical conviction

  85. about a coming feast in the future.

  86. You've kind of already heard about this.

  87. We've sung about this today.

  88. This messianic banquet,

  89. this banquet of the Messiah

  90. that would come in the fullness of time.

  91. And that's what Jesus is referring to there

  92. in verse 14

  93. when he talks about this feast

  94. that's coming at the resurrection of the righteous.

  95. And that lights off the table guests

  96. in verse 15 to say,

  97. yes, blessed is the one

  98. who will feast

  99. and eat at the feast

  100. in the kingdom of God.

  101. So Jewish people in the first centuries,

  102. they read their Bibles,

  103. they shared this belief and this hope

  104. in a future when God would put the world to rights,

  105. and he would do away with all sin

  106. and suffering and death.

  107. And he would make all things in his creation new.

  108. And when he did that,

  109. God would spread a table

  110. and he would invite everyone to the feast,

  111. not just Jews,

  112. but Gentiles as well.

  113. That part of the story

  114. tends to be forgotten quite a lot.

  115. But if you want to pull out your pew Bibles,

  116. I encourage you to turn

  117. in your pew Bibles

  118. to page 573.

  119. Page 573,

  120. you'll find this classic text

  121. from the prophet Isaiah.

  122. Page 573,

  123. Isaiah chapter 25,

    Isaiah 25 chapter mention

  124. starting in verse 6.

  125. It speaks of this feast

  126. and the prophet says this,

  127. or God through his prophet says this,

  128. On this mountain,

  129. the Lord Almighty will prepare

  130. a feast of rich food for all peoples,

  131. a banquet of aged wine,

  132. the best of meats,

  133. and the finest of wines.

  134. Now in Hebrew poetry,

  135. that sounds kind of like this,

  136. a feast of filet

  137. and a banquet of cabernet.

  138. Filet mignon,

  139. cabernet sauvignon.

  140. It's beautiful poetry.

  141. And it goes on,

  142. it says,

  143. on this mountain

  144. he will destroy the shroud

  145. that unfolds all peoples.

  146. He will swallow up death forever.

  147. The sovereign Lord

  148. will wipe away

  149. all the tears

  150. from all the faces

  151. and he will remove

  152. his people's disgrace

  153. from all the earth.

  154. And down in verse 9,

  155. it says,

  156. let us rejoice

  157. and be glad

  158. in this great salvation.

  159. And Jesus,

  160. in Luke chapter 13,

    Luke 13 chapter mention

  161. right before the text

  162. we just heard,

  163. he says this in Luke 13,

  164. he says,

  165. Abraham,

  166. Isaac,

  167. and Jacob,

  168. and all the prophets

  169. and people

  170. coming from the east

  171. and the west

  172. and the north

  173. and the south,

  174. they will all take

  175. their places

  176. at the feast

  177. in the kingdom of God.

  178. So there's this kingdom feast

  179. where all hunger

  180. and tears

  181. and shame

  182. are going to be gone.

  183. And this table guest

  184. in verse 15,

  185. he's pretty certain.

  186. You know,

  187. he says,

  188. blessed are those

  189. who eat at the feast

  190. of the kingdom of God.

  191. He's pretty certain

  192. about his future.

  193. He's super confident

  194. that he

  195. and all the people

  196. around this table

  197. with Jesus

  198. are going to be

  199. at that ultimate feast

  200. in the kingdom of God.

  201. And Jesus says,

  202. okay,

  203. well,

  204. since you brought it up,

  205. let's talk about that.

  206. You know,

  207. let's talk about

  208. who's going to be

  209. at this ultimate feast,

  210. this ultimate party

  211. and table

  212. of salvation

  213. in the kingdom of God.

  214. And so Jesus tells

  215. this story

  216. about a host

  217. who gives a banquet

  218. with some unexpected twists

  219. and surprising turns.

  220. And what Jesus is telling us,

  221. I think,

  222. is this,

  223. that we need to rearrange

  224. our priorities

  225. around this feast,

  226. that we need to invite

  227. unlikely guests

  228. to the feast,

  229. and that we need to take

  230. the lowest place

  231. at the feast.

  232. Okay,

  233. three things.

  234. I'm going in reverse order

  235. of Jesus,

  236. but that may not be wise,

  237. but here we go.

  238. Arrange your priorities

  239. around the feast,

  240. invite unlikely guests

  241. to the feast,

  242. and take the lowest place

  243. at the feast.

  244. First of all,

  245. arrange your priorities

  246. around the feast.

  247. Verse 16,

  248. Jesus replied,

  249. he said,

  250. a certain man was preparing

  251. a great banquet

  252. and invited many guests.

  253. So who's the host

  254. in Jesus' story?

  255. The host is God.

  256. And why does he invite

  257. so many guests?

  258. Well,

  259. it says in verse 23,

  260. this host,

  261. he says,

  262. I want my house

  263. to be full.

  264. He's a wealthy

  265. and a generous host,

  266. and he has a good

  267. and a gracious heart,

  268. and he wants to include

  269. as many people

  270. as he can possibly

  271. squeeze in.

  272. He likes having

  273. a crowded

  274. and a noisy

  275. and a full house.

  276. And so it says

  277. in verse 17,

  278. at the time of the banquet

  279. he sent his servant

  280. to tell those

  281. who had been invited,

  282. come,

  283. for everything

  284. is now ready.

  285. There's this interesting

  286. double invitation.

  287. The first invitation is,

  288. hey,

  289. we're having a party

  290. next Saturday night,

  291. so get ready.

  292. And everybody says,

  293. yeah,

  294. great,

  295. great,

  296. we will be there.

  297. And then the second invitation

  298. goes out on the day of,

  299. and it says,

  300. hey,

  301. the party is ready,

  302. the fattened calf

  303. has been barbecued,

  304. and it's going to be served

  305. at 6 p.m.,

  306. and your good

  307. and gracious host

  308. is waiting for you

  309. to come.

  310. So this first invitation

  311. is about the great feast,

  312. the great banquet

  313. that's coming,

  314. and the second invitation

  315. is about the great feast

  316. that's here,

  317. it's arrived,

  318. it's ready.

  319. And what Jesus is saying

  320. is that God's feast,

  321. it's no longer out there

  322. in the future.

  323. God's feast is right here,

  324. right now.

  325. Jesus is surely talking

  326. about himself

  327. and his own arrival

  328. on the scene,

  329. that God's son

  330. has stepped out of eternity

  331. and into time.

  332. God's Messiah

  333. has come from heaven

  334. to earth,

  335. and that means

  336. that God's messianic banquet

  337. is no longer coming

  338. in the future.

  339. He says,

  340. come for all is now ready.

  341. And God invites

  342. a bunch of people.

  343. He's seeking to gather in

  344. as many people

  345. as are willing,

  346. but they don't come.

  347. They refuse to show up.

  348. And this is the totally tragic

  349. and disastrous turn

  350. of events in this story.

  351. Not only do these invited guests

  352. miss out on this amazing feast,

  353. but even worse,

  354. this good and gracious host

  355. is rudely insulted

  356. and humiliated, right?

  357. And who are these guests?

  358. Who are the guests

  359. that don't show up?

  360. Well, it says in verse 18,

  361. but they all alike

  362. begin to make excuses.

  363. The first said,

  364. I have just bought a field

  365. and I must go and see it.

  366. Please excuse me.

  367. Another said,

  368. I just bought five yoke of oxen.

  369. I'm on my way to try them out.

  370. Please excuse me.

  371. Still another said,

  372. I just got married,

  373. so I just can't come.

  374. Each person in Jesus' story

  375. is a successful achiever, right?

  376. They all have enough money

  377. to at least buy property.

  378. The other has enough money

  379. to drive a tin ox-powered vehicle.

  380. Very fancy.

  381. At least one of them,

  382. one of these strivers

  383. is established enough

  384. to attract a spouse

  385. and to become newly married.

  386. All of them are affluent enough

  387. and comfortable enough

  388. to think to themselves

  389. what they do not say out loud,

  390. which is,

  391. you know,

  392. I'm not really sure

  393. I need the host

  394. and I need his feast.

  395. And just to be clear,

  396. like none of these people

  397. are anti-host

  398. and anti-feast, right?

  399. They're all glad

  400. that the host is there.

  401. They appreciate what he does

  402. for their community.

  403. They receive his invitation.

  404. They indicate every intention

  405. of being present at his party.

  406. And they seem positively disposed

  407. to come to the feast.

  408. Just like this guy in verse 15

  409. who says,

  410. blessed are all who eat bread

  411. at the feast in the kingdom of God.

  412. They hope to be there.

  413. They desire to be there.

  414. But Jesus says,

  415. none of them are found at the feast.

  416. Many who seem interested

  417. just simply won't be there.

  418. Why is that?

  419. What Jesus says,

  420. verse 18,

  421. they all began to make excuses.

  422. And anyone in the ancient Near East

  423. that's hearing these excuses

  424. would know that these excuses

  425. are lame and they are ludicrous.

  426. Right?

  427. What are the priorities

  428. that are higher than the host

  429. and higher than the feast?

  430. Well, this first guy,

  431. he bought a field.

  432. And of course,

  433. there's nothing wrong

  434. with buying property.

  435. But why does he need

  436. to go see this property

  437. if he's already bought it?

  438. And why does he need

  439. to go right now

  440. at dinnertime,

  441. at night,

  442. in the dark?

  443. Right?

  444. He's allowed a small piece

  445. of this world

  446. to get into his soul

  447. and to capture his attention

  448. and divide his heart

  449. and to become more important to him

  450. than the host and the feast.

  451. And this field,

  452. it may be a valuable field,

  453. but it's just a field

  454. and it's causing him

  455. to miss out on the greatest feast

  456. of his life.

  457. Same with the second guy.

  458. There's nothing wrong

  459. with buying oxen

  460. and going out

  461. and getting the things

  462. that you need

  463. to do your work.

  464. There's nothing wrong

  465. with work,

  466. but he basically says

  467. to the host,

  468. these beasts of burden,

  469. my work,

  470. all the things that I hope

  471. to accomplish in my life,

  472. all of them are more important

  473. to me than my relationship

  474. with you.

  475. And the third guy,

  476. the third guy's newly married

  477. and of course marriage

  478. is one of God's greatest gifts.

  479. Amen?

  480. That was a little weak.

  481. That was a little weak.

  482. But this third guy,

  483. you know,

  484. why can't he bring his wife

  485. to the feast?

  486. What's up with this guy?

  487. At least the first guy

  488. and the second guy say,

  489. please excuse me,

  490. but the third guy,

  491. he doesn't ask to be excused,

  492. he just says,

  493. I can't come,

  494. no apologies.

  495. These are to allow your host

  496. to go through

  497. all the expense

  498. and all the preparations

  499. and yet to leave him hanging

  500. with no one to partake of the food

  501. is to cause him

  502. to be rudely snubbed

  503. and humiliated

  504. and ignored

  505. and insulted.

  506. And what is Jesus

  507. trying to communicate

  508. with us

  509. about these lame excuses?

  510. Jesus is saying,

  511. you know,

  512. it's one thing to say

  513. that we believe in God,

  514. but it's another thing

  515. to act on it.

  516. Right?

  517. It doesn't matter so much

  518. what we say about God,

  519. it matters what we do

  520. in our relationship

  521. with God.

  522. All three of these people,

  523. they believe in the host,

  524. they desire to be at the feast,

  525. they accept the invitation,

  526. but in the day-to-day life,

  527. how do they

  528. and how do we

  529. rank this feast

  530. in our actual life,

  531. our actual priorities,

  532. our actual commitments?

  533. Does Christ

  534. and his gospel invitation

  535. to the messianic feast

  536. claim first place

  537. in our lives?

  538. Have we placed everything else,

  539. our fields,

  540. our possessions,

  541. our houses,

  542. our oxen,

  543. our work,

  544. our bank accounts,

  545. our spouses,

  546. and our kids,

  547. and our family life,

  548. have we placed all these things

  549. in a subordinate position?

  550. Does the kingdom of God

  551. take precedence

  552. over everything else,

  553. and have we given it

  554. our exclusive loyalty,

  555. and our wholehearted devotion,

  556. or are we allowing

  557. good things

  558. but lesser things?

  559. Good things

  560. but temporary things

  561. to cause us

  562. to miss out

  563. on the greatest

  564. and most important thing

  565. that could possibly

  566. happen to us,

  567. this feast that has come

  568. and is coming

  569. in Jesus Christ.

  570. You see,

  571. they were all guilty

  572. of accepting God's invitation

  573. conditionally,

  574. the condition being

  575. that the feast

  576. should fit in with

  577. and suit their convenience.

  578. They were honored

  579. to be invited,

  580. they had,

  581. and had nothing else

  582. intervened,

  583. they would have been present

  584. as long as it involved

  585. no sacrifice

  586. on their part.

  587. All would have been well.

  588. They would appear

  589. when it suited them,

  590. if nothing else was present,

  591. and if they felt like it,

  592. but other things

  593. were pressing,

  594. and other things

  595. did intervene

  596. and they didn't feel like it

  597. and more immediate

  598. interests busied them.

  599. And they found

  600. that feast

  601. to be inconvenient

  602. because they placed

  603. their convenience

  604. before everything else.

  605. And the people

  606. who made these excuses,

  607. they imagined

  608. that future opportunities

  609. would come

  610. and that all would be well,

  611. but what does Jesus say

  612. in verse 21?

  613. In verse 24,

  614. the servant came back

  615. and reported this

  616. to his master

  617. and then the owner

  618. of the house became angry.

  619. In verse 24,

  620. I tell you,

  621. not one of those

  622. who are invited

  623. will get a taste

  624. of my banquet.

  625. And I so wish

  626. I could soften

  627. those words for you,

  628. but I don't presume

  629. to do that.

  630. Jesus is saying,

  631. you've got to arrange

  632. your priorities,

  633. you've got to arrange

  634. your entire life

  635. around this feast.

  636. That's point number one.

  637. Point number two,

  638. not only arrange

  639. your priorities

  640. around the feast,

  641. but you've got to

  642. invite unlikely guests

  643. to the feast.

  644. Invite unlikely guests

  645. to the feast.

  646. Just before Jesus

  647. tells this story,

  648. what does he say

  649. to his host

  650. in verse 12?

  651. He says this,

  652. Jesus said to his host,

  653. when you give a lunch

  654. and a dinner,

  655. do not invite your friends

  656. or your brothers

  657. and sisters,

  658. your relatives

  659. or your rich neighbors.

  660. If you do,

  661. they may invite you back

  662. and so you will be repaid.

  663. But when you give a banquet,

  664. invite the poor,

  665. the crippled,

  666. the lame,

  667. the blind,

  668. and you will be blessed.

  669. Although they cannot repay you,

  670. you will be repaid

  671. at the resurrection

  672. of the righteous.

  673. What's the difference

  674. between these groups?

  675. We see friends

  676. and siblings

  677. and family members

  678. and rich neighbors,

  679. they all have their lives

  680. put together, right?

  681. Their lives are so put together

  682. they have the capacity

  683. maybe to invite you back.

  684. They have the ability

  685. to pay you back.

  686. These people can add value

  687. to your network.

  688. They can open doors for you.

  689. It's this supportive alliance

  690. of people

  691. that can sort of do

  692. quid pro quo.

  693. Like,

  694. if you do something nice for me,

  695. I'll do something nice for you.

  696. And Jesus raises the question.

  697. He says,

  698. but what if we live

  699. for something higher

  700. and something greater

  701. than right now payback

  702. with other people?

  703. What if we made sacrifices

  704. for a future reward?

  705. In the resurrection

  706. of the righteous?

  707. And by the way,

  708. Jesus is not telling you

  709. to stop inviting your family

  710. over to dinner.

  711. Okay,

  712. I've got a birthday party

  713. later today

  714. at my sister's house.

  715. That is okay

  716. with Jesus.

  717. He's not giving you,

  718. you know,

  719. a carte blanche,

  720. like,

  721. just stop inviting

  722. the people in your family

  723. you don't like

  724. over to dinner.

  725. He's saying,

  726. in addition to

  727. inviting people

  728. who can pay you back,

  729. what if,

  730. like God,

  731. you begin to invite people

  732. who cannot pay you back?

  733. And you see,

  734. who's on God's

  735. can't pay me back list?

  736. Well,

  737. we get it in Jesus' story

  738. in verse 21

  739. where he says this.

  740. He says,

  741. the owner of the house

  742. became angry.

  743. He ordered his servant,

  744. go out quickly

  745. to the streets

  746. and alleys of the town

  747. and bring in who?

  748. The poor,

  749. the crippled,

  750. the blind,

  751. and the lame.

  752. These are people

  753. who are clearly needy.

  754. They are unfit

  755. for this feast,

  756. right?

  757. The poor are unwashed.

  758. The crippled

  759. are hobbling in

  760. on their crutches.

  761. The blind

  762. are being led in

  763. by others.

  764. The lame can't walk in.

  765. They've got to be carried in

  766. by other people.

  767. And of course,

  768. to connect this back

  769. with the people

  770. making excuses,

  771. blind people

  772. can't even see a field

  773. even if they wanted

  774. to buy it.

  775. They can't buy it.

  776. Crippled people,

  777. they can't test oxen.

  778. They don't have

  779. that ability.

  780. Lame people

  781. typically don't get married.

  782. Poor people

  783. can't afford

  784. any of these things.

  785. None of these people

  786. are people

  787. who are invited

  788. to feasts.

  789. Yet God is inviting them

  790. to his feast.

  791. Now,

  792. if I were God

  793. and,

  794. you know,

  795. the people

  796. that I had made

  797. in my image

  798. and I invited

  799. to my party

  800. rejected me

  801. and they

  802. snubbed me

  803. and humiliated me

  804. and ignored me

  805. and insulted me,

  806. I don't really think

  807. I'd be inviting

  808. more people

  809. to my party.

  810. I would just say

  811. that's it.

  812. Party's over.

  813. But Jesus says

  814. God is so good

  815. and so gracious.

  816. God is so patient

  817. and so kind

  818. and he so wants

  819. his house

  820. to be full

  821. that he seemingly

  822. will include

  823. just about anyone.

  824. Jesus is saying

  825. that no one

  826. is too low status

  827. or needy for God.

  828. God.

  829. No one is too

  830. dirty

  831. or wretched

  832. or miserable

  833. for God.

  834. No one is too broken

  835. or outcast

  836. for God.

  837. He's saying

  838. the feast of God

  839. is going to be

  840. full of people

  841. who have nothing

  842. to offer God.

  843. God's feast of grace

  844. is not given

  845. to people

  846. who are fitting

  847. and who are

  848. worthy recipients.

  849. No,

  850. God's feast of grace

  851. is given precisely

  852. to those who are

  853. without worth.

  854. They're completely

  855. absent and empty

  856. of worth

  857. and his grace

  858. is just this

  859. incongruous gift.

  860. It makes absolutely

  861. no sense.

  862. God gives his grace

  863. to people

  864. who can never

  865. even think

  866. to repay him.

  867. And what does Jesus

  868. want us to see

  869. about ourselves?

  870. Jesus wants us

  871. to see that spiritually

  872. and morally

  873. we are the unwashed poor.

  874. that spiritually

  875. and morally

  876. we are the disabled.

  877. That we are

  878. the unfit people

  879. at the bottom

  880. of the pile

  881. and that we are

  882. the unworthy people

  883. at the end of the line

  884. and that we do not

  885. deserve to be

  886. at God's feast.

  887. But God

  888. in all of his grace

  889. he goes out

  890. into the city streets

  891. and he goes out

  892. into the country roads.

  893. He goes to the rural poor

  894. and the urban poor.

  895. He goes to everybody

  896. to gather us

  897. into his feast.

  898. And one of the ways

  899. that you know

  900. you are an unlikely guest

  901. is that you need

  902. to be compelled

  903. to come into the feast.

  904. Right?

  905. Jesus says

  906. in verse 22

  907. what does he say?

  908. Sir,

  909. the servant said

  910. what you ordered

  911. has been done

  912. but there is still room

  913. and then the master

  914. of the house

  915. told his servant

  916. go out to the roads

  917. and country lanes

  918. and compel them

  919. persuade them

  920. to come in

  921. so that my house

  922. will be full.

  923. Why do they need

  924. to be persuaded

  925. because they're surprised

  926. that they're even

  927. invited at all?

  928. Right?

  929. They know that

  930. they're undeserving.

  931. They know that

  932. they don't belong here.

  933. There must be

  934. some mistake.

  935. Like why are you

  936. including desperate

  937. beggars in your feast?

  938. You know we can't

  939. pay back this host.

  940. You know we're not

  941. fit for this feast.

  942. We're unwashed.

  943. We smell bad.

  944. We're in rags

  945. and tatters.

  946. We don't have

  947. decent robes.

  948. This gracious

  949. invitation

  950. cannot possibly

  951. be real.

  952. What have I ever

  953. done for the host?

  954. Don't you see

  955. the state that I'm in?

  956. These people

  957. have to be compelled

  958. and someone

  959. needs to tell them

  960. you know

  961. you don't have

  962. to do anything.

  963. You're just welcomed

  964. and you're wanted

  965. just as you are.

  966. You see this feast

  967. of grace,

  968. this feast of salvation

  969. in the kingdom

  970. of God.

  971. It's totally free

  972. and it's completely

  973. prepared for you.

  974. Come now

  975. for everything

  976. is ready.

  977. You don't need

  978. to do anything.

  979. You don't need

  980. to contribute

  981. anything.

  982. It's not a potluck

  983. where you bring a dish

  984. and add to the meal.

  985. It's not a restaurant

  986. where you pick up

  987. a part of the tab

  988. and you pay

  989. your share.

  990. You just receive it

  991. without giving

  992. anything for it.

  993. And this is the

  994. first acid test

  995. that you know

  996. and you've come

  997. to know how poor

  998. and how disabled

  999. and how unworthy

  1000. you are

  1001. and how good

  1002. and how gracious

  1003. and how generous

  1004. God is.

  1005. Do you have

  1006. a sense of shock,

  1007. a sense of astonishment

  1008. that God's grace

  1009. toward you

  1010. is so radical

  1011. it's almost hard

  1012. to believe it?

  1013. Do you need

  1014. someone to compel

  1015. you to come in

  1016. because you think

  1017. it's just too good

  1018. to be true?

  1019. Do you need someone

  1020. to just gently

  1021. smile at you

  1022. and take you

  1023. by the arm

  1024. and say come in

  1025. you're included

  1026. you belong.

  1027. The host of the feast

  1028. himself says that

  1029. you are wanted

  1030. and you are welcomed

  1031. in his house

  1032. and at his table.

  1033. That's the first

  1034. acid test

  1035. that you know

  1036. what grace is.

  1037. And the second

  1038. acid test

  1039. is the second test

  1040. that you've experienced

  1041. the grace of God

  1042. and that is

  1043. it has to do

  1044. with who you invite

  1045. into your life

  1046. and to your table.

  1047. Right?

  1048. Just as the master

  1049. of the feast

  1050. wants to fill

  1051. his house

  1052. and his table

  1053. Jesus also wants

  1054. us to invite

  1055. people into our lives

  1056. and around our tables.

  1057. And he says

  1058. when we are looking

  1059. for people to invite

  1060. we're not scanning

  1061. for people

  1062. who have their lives

  1063. put together.

  1064. We're not looking

  1065. for people

  1066. that we deem

  1067. to be fitting

  1068. and worthy candidates

  1069. who can offer us

  1070. something in return

  1071. people who can pay us back

  1072. people who can improve

  1073. our lives

  1074. because that is simply

  1075. not what God

  1076. has done for us.

  1077. Rather

  1078. we're to graciously

  1079. and generously

  1080. invite

  1081. the most unlikely guests

  1082. who cannot pay us

  1083. in the same way

  1084. that God

  1085. invited us

  1086. by his incongruent grace

  1087. by his uncalculating

  1088. generosity

  1089. that we could never

  1090. repay.

  1091. So Jesus is telling us

  1092. look around you

  1093. look around you

  1094. at the actually poor

  1095. and the spiritually poor

  1096. look around you

  1097. at the actually disabled

  1098. and the morally disabled

  1099. and ask yourself

  1100. what is keeping me

  1101. from inviting them

  1102. into my life

  1103. and around my table

  1104. and bringing them

  1105. into the feast of Christ

  1106. here in our community.

  1107. Jesus says

  1108. the one who invites people

  1109. into your life

  1110. and to your table

  1111. like this

  1112. will be rewarded

  1113. not by the recipients

  1114. themselves

  1115. but by God himself

  1116. at the resurrection

  1117. of the righteous.

  1118. So Jesus says

  1119. you've got to

  1120. arrange your priorities

  1121. around the feast

  1122. you've got to invite

  1123. unlikely guests

  1124. to the feast

  1125. and last thing

  1126. we got basketball

  1127. so I'm wrapping up.

  1128. You've got to take

  1129. the lowest place

  1130. at the feast.

  1131. Take the lowest place

  1132. at the feast.

  1133. You know

  1134. Lord's Supper

  1135. or holy communion

  1136. that we're about

  1137. to receive

  1138. it's given to us

  1139. by Jesus

  1140. as a foretaste

  1141. of this coming feast

  1142. in the kingdom of God

  1143. this messianic banquet

  1144. this feast

  1145. to end all feasts

  1146. where all of our hunger

  1147. and our sadness

  1148. and our tears

  1149. and our shame

  1150. will be gone.

  1151. But how are we

  1152. to approach

  1153. the Lord's Supper?

  1154. How are we to come

  1155. to holy communion?

  1156. Well Jesus indicates

  1157. that it's a feast

  1158. for the humble

  1159. and it's a feast

  1160. for the lowly.

  1161. And what does Jesus say

  1162. about the people

  1163. sitting around the table?

  1164. He says in verse 8

  1165. if you'll turn back

  1166. to verse 8

  1167. he says

  1168. when someone invites you

  1169. to a wedding feast

  1170. do not take the place

  1171. of honor

  1172. for a person

  1173. more distinguished

  1174. than you

  1175. may have been invited

  1176. so if the host

  1177. who invited

  1178. both of you

  1179. will come

  1180. and say to you

  1181. give this person

  1182. your seat

  1183. then humiliated

  1184. you will have to take

  1185. the least important place

  1186. but when you are invited

  1187. take the lowest place

  1188. so that when your host

  1189. comes

  1190. he will say to you

  1191. friend

  1192. move up to a better place

  1193. then you'll be honored

  1194. in the presence

  1195. of all the other guests

  1196. for all those

  1197. who exalt themselves

  1198. will be humbled

  1199. and those who humble

  1200. themselves

  1201. will be exalted.

  1202. By now

  1203. hopefully we can see

  1204. that while Jesus

  1205. is giving us

  1206. solid counsel

  1207. on how to behave

  1208. at dinner parties

  1209. right

  1210. he's talking about

  1211. something way more

  1212. than just social etiquette

  1213. and table manners

  1214. isn't he

  1215. what is he talking about

  1216. he's talking about

  1217. how we relate

  1218. to God as our host

  1219. and how we position

  1220. and posture ourselves

  1221. as the guests

  1222. at his feast

  1223. and Jesus talks

  1224. when he talks

  1225. he says

  1226. this is a price

  1227. a pricey feast

  1228. it's a

  1229. it's a precious

  1230. wedding feast

  1231. and hopefully

  1232. you can see

  1233. that this feast

  1234. that God is inviting us to

  1235. it's not one of those

  1236. scratch meals

  1237. where you say

  1238. come over

  1239. we'll just see

  1240. whatever's in the fridge

  1241. and in the cupboard

  1242. and we'll whip

  1243. something together

  1244. no

  1245. it's been prepared

  1246. over a long period

  1247. of time

  1248. it's been prepared

  1249. at great cost

  1250. before the foundation

  1251. of the world

  1252. the Father

  1253. and the Son

  1254. and the Holy Spirit

  1255. took counsel together

  1256. about this feast

  1257. the one God

  1258. and three persons

  1259. agreed

  1260. that they wanted

  1261. you

  1262. to come and be

  1263. at this feast

  1264. of grace

  1265. and this feast

  1266. of salvation

  1267. the value of which

  1268. is measured by

  1269. how much it costs

  1270. God to put on

  1271. and what does it cost

  1272. God for this feast

  1273. well it costs

  1274. God the Father

  1275. his most precious

  1276. and dearly beloved

  1277. and only Son

  1278. and it costs

  1279. Jesus all the glories

  1280. of heaven

  1281. it costs him

  1282. humiliation

  1283. absolute misery

  1284. and humiliation

  1285. on his cross

  1286. bearing in his broken

  1287. body the sins

  1288. of the whole world

  1289. dying in our place

  1290. taking on all

  1291. the condemnation

  1292. and shame

  1293. and wrath

  1294. and punishment

  1295. that we deserved

  1296. so that you could

  1297. be at this feast

  1298. Jesus was cast out

  1299. see

  1300. that all the outcasts

  1301. could come in

  1302. Jesus became

  1303. poor

  1304. and he became

  1305. crippled

  1306. and he became

  1307. blind

  1308. and he became

  1309. lame

  1310. so that you could

  1311. be brought in

  1312. to the feast

  1313. and not only

  1314. has God prepared

  1315. a feast

  1316. for us

  1317. at exorbitant

  1318. cost to himself

  1319. but all that

  1320. you need

  1321. and all that

  1322. you could possibly

  1323. want

  1324. is provided

  1325. at this feast

  1326. right

  1327. he has a means

  1328. to transform us

  1329. from being

  1330. absolutely unfit

  1331. and unworthy

  1332. outcasts

  1333. to coming in

  1334. in a state

  1335. of being

  1336. his precious

  1337. and his

  1338. treasured

  1339. friends

  1340. right

  1341. for all

  1342. the unwashed

  1343. poor

  1344. he's got

  1345. a wonderful

  1346. bath

  1347. in which

  1348. he will

  1349. baptize you

  1350. and make

  1351. you clean

  1352. by the blood

  1353. of Christ

  1354. and for all

  1355. those disabled

  1356. in their rags

  1357. and their tatters

  1358. he covers

  1359. our nakedness

  1360. and he gives

  1361. us a robe

  1362. the robe

  1363. of his very

  1364. righteousness

  1365. because you see

  1366. Jesus didn't

  1367. live

  1368. when he lived

  1369. his life

  1370. he wasn't

  1371. living

  1372. for fields

  1373. and for oxen

  1374. and for marriage

  1375. what was he

  1376. living for

  1377. he was living

  1378. exclusively

  1379. and holy

  1380. for the kingdom

  1381. of God

  1382. and when we

  1383. come naked

  1384. to him

  1385. when we come

  1386. in rags

  1387. and tatters

  1388. and unclean

  1389. he puts

  1390. that robe

  1391. of his perfect

  1392. righteousness

  1393. around us

  1394. and says

  1395. you're ready

  1396. now for the

  1397. feast

  1398. you see

  1399. Jesus

  1400. he became

  1401. a poor

  1402. and unworthy

  1403. outcast

  1404. on his cross

  1405. so that he

  1406. could cleanse

  1407. us and clothe

  1408. us in his

  1409. own worthiness

  1410. and so when

  1411. we come

  1412. to the Lord's

  1413. supper

  1414. when we come

  1415. to holy

  1416. communion

  1417. this is for us

  1418. a mini feast

  1419. it's a feast

  1420. that's a signpost

  1421. to that kingdom

  1422. that's already

  1423. come

  1424. and that

  1425. is yet to

  1426. come

  1427. in the future

  1428. the messianic age

  1429. that's already

  1430. begun

  1431. and that will

  1432. one day be

  1433. consummated

  1434. when Jesus

  1435. returns

  1436. and Jesus

  1437. says that the

  1438. best way

  1439. to approach

  1440. this feast

  1441. is to

  1442. humble

  1443. yourself

  1444. it's to

  1445. say you

  1446. know what

  1447. I'm going

  1448. to take

  1449. the lowest

  1450. place

  1451. I'm going

  1452. to take

  1453. the least

  1454. important

  1455. position

  1456. because I

  1457. know

  1458. that I'm

  1459. not even

  1460. worthy

  1461. to be at

  1462. the table

  1463. I know

  1464. that I'm

  1465. completely

  1466. unqualified

  1467. I'm just

  1468. a desperate

  1469. beggar

  1470. all I bring

  1471. to this feast

  1472. is my

  1473. hunger

  1474. all I bring

  1475. is my

  1476. thirst

  1477. the only

  1478. way I'm

  1479. here is

  1480. because Jesus

  1481. has cleansed

  1482. me

  1483. and he's

  1484. clothed

  1485. me

  1486. to be

  1487. here

  1488. so friends

  1489. if this is

  1490. the attitude

  1491. and the

  1492. posture

  1493. that we

  1494. take

  1495. we can

  1496. hear the

  1497. host of

  1498. this feast

  1499. say to

  1500. us

  1501. Jesus

  1502. words

  1503. in verse

  1504. 10

  1505. if you

  1506. look at

  1507. verse

  1508. 10

  1509. it says

  1510. friend

  1511. move up

  1512. to a

  1513. better

  1514. place

  1515. you see

  1516. if we

  1517. come

  1518. humbly

  1519. to this

  1520. feast

  1521. we

  1522. hopefully

  1523. can

  1524. hear

  1525. the

  1526. master

  1527. of the

  1528. feast

  1529. saying

  1530. to us

  1531. my

  1532. precious

  1533. friend

  1534. my

  1535. treasured

  1536. friend

  1537. what are

  1538. you doing

  1539. way down

  1540. there

  1541. come

  1542. move up

  1543. to a

  1544. better

  1545. place

  1546. come

  1547. sit

  1548. right

  1549. here

  1550. next

  1551. to

  1552. me

  1553. it's

  1554. the

  1555. affirmation

  1556. it's

  1557. the

  1558. honor

  1559. that

  1560. all of

  1561. our

  1562. hearts

  1563. so

  1564. desperately

  1565. and

  1566. deeply

  1567. desire

  1568. and

  1569. this

  1570. encourages

  1571. us

  1572. I

  1573. think

  1574. that

  1575. those

  1576. who

  1577. humble

  1578. themselves

  1579. at

  1580. this

  1581. feast

  1582. will

  1583. ultimately

  1584. be

  1585. exalted

  1586. by

  1587. God

  1588. and the

  1589. feast

  1590. to

  1591. come

  1592. so

  1593. friends

  1594. I want

  1595. to

  1596. reassure

  1597. you

  1598. that

  1599. the

  1600. God

  1601. of

  1602. all

  1603. grace

  1604. he's

  1605. here

  1606. and

  1607. he

  1608. himself

  1609. is

  1610. inviting

  1611. you

  1612. to

  1613. his

  1614. feast

  1615. the

  1616. feast

  1617. of

  1618. the

  1619. Messiah

  1620. the

  1621. feast

  1622. of

  1623. grace

  1624. the

  1625. feast

  1626. of

  1627. salvation

  1628. and

  1629. what

  1630. he's

  1631. saying

  1632. to us

  1633. right

  1634. now

  1635. is

  1636. come

  1637. for

  1638. everything

  1639. has been

  1640. prepared

  1641. for you

  1642. come

  1643. for

  1644. everything

  1645. is now

  1646. ready

  1647. and I

  1648. want

  1649. my

  1650. house

  1651. to be

  1652. full

  1653. in the

  1654. name of

  1655. the

  1656. Father

  1657. Son

  1658. and Holy

  1659. Spirit

  1660. Amen

  1661. Amen