The Invitation | Matthew 22:1-14

Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.

I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.

Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.

This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.

Let's dive in together into God's Word.

Well, good morning, everyone.

It is great to be here with you as we are almost done with January of 2025.

Didn't that just fly by real quick?

I don't know about you. I feel like I blinked, and it was just here we are at the end.

Today, we're doing a message titled, The Invitation.

If you want to turn your Bibles and be proactive, go ahead and do so.

You can turn on your ESV Pew Bible.

It's going to be page 983.

It is the parable of the wedding feast.

But before we begin here,

when was the last time,

I don't know if my handwriting is visible to be seen here,

when was the last time you received a letter or an invitation to a birthday party?

Maybe the last time you received an invitation to a wedding.

You think of the last time that happened.

When we get these invitations,

this is just an example.

It's not an actual party,

but it's a representation of what we're going to go over today.

And I want you to think for a moment how exciting it must be to receive an invitation

that someone thought with intentionality

to invite you to a birthday party,

to a wedding anniversary,

or a wedding celebration.

Maybe it's some sort of,

someone got a promotion.

Maybe it's something completely different.

Or maybe it's a baby shower.

We can think of all these events where we receive these invitations.

Sometimes they're really simple.

Or sometimes they're very over the top and fancy.

I know we've gotten those before.

And the feeling that we have when we receive an invitation

is something that is something that's significant.

Maybe it's that milestone celebration.

Did you feel nervous the last time you received an invitation?

Maybe you felt excited that someone did think with that intentionality,

with you.

And what I want us to think about

when we think of these different emotions that we have

when we receive different invitations,

let us think of the greatest invitation that we have,

and that's to come to the feast.

Or in this case, it is to come to the wedding feast.

Because God invites us,

as we can see here as a realistic example,

God invites each and every one of us to come to the feast,

to taste and see that the Lord is good,

or just as Jesus said in the Gospel account,

to come and see.

Let us turn to Matthew 22, verses 1-14,

Matthew 22:1–14

whether that be your ESVP Bible or your Bible of choice,

your mobile device.

And we see that Jesus is telling a parable

about a king who sends out invitations.

So let's read together.

And again, Jesus spoke to them in parables,

saying,

Would they come?

They would not come.

And again, he sent other servants, saying,

Tell those who are invited,

See, I have prepared my dinner,

my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered,

and everything is ready.

Come to the wedding feast.

But they paid no attention and went off,

one to his farm, another to his business,

while the rest seized his servants

and treated him shamefully and killed them.

That's a pretty drastic scene here,

if you think about it.

Killing the messengers here.

The king was angry,

and so he sent his troops

and destroyed those murderers and burned the city.

Then he said to his servants,

The wedding feast is ready,

but those invited were not worthy.

Go therefore where?

To the main roads,

and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.

And those servants went out into the roads

and gathered all whom they found,

both what?

Good and bad.

So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in

to look at the guests,

he saw,

and this is interesting,

I always thought this was a very interesting part of the parable.

He saw there was a man who had no wedding garment.

He just invited everyone to the feast,

and there's this guy who has no appropriate clothing.

And he said to him,

Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?

And he was what?

He was speechless, right?

Then the king said to his attendants,

Bind him hand and foot,

and cast him out into the outer darkness.

In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

It kind of ends, really.

You're like, what just happened here?

You have all these people at the wedding feast,

and there's this one guy there,

doesn't have the proper clothing,

and you just throw him out, right?

But we'll see in just a moment here.

Cast him into outer darkness.

In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

I've always, even as a kid,

I never liked that kind of imagery, right?

The gnashing of teeth.

And verse 14, it ends by saying,

For many are called, but few are chosen.

And I want to go to this next slide here,

because when we're reading this specific parable,

like many parables,

you'll find, first off, there's a list here,

and second off, I was very thorough in my notes.

Full disclaimer, you'll see probably the most footnotes references

I've probably ever done in a sermon before.

And we're not going to go through all the footnotes.

That's for you in your own study.

But the thing that we find here

is that there's the king that represents God.

And the wedding banquet represents the kingdom of heaven.

Then we go on to the Son, Jesus Christ.

And the servants, which represents most specifically the prophets,

but also later the apostles.

Remember how there was mentioning of the murders that happened?

Think about that.

The invitation then is an invitation to come to the wedding banquet,

to come to salvation.

And it's very important to note,

we see that this wedding feast

is a representation of the biblical account.

The entire narrative,

all jam-packed into a few verses here.

The first invitation is a representation of Israel

to the people of God.

And the second invitation,

remember what the verse said,

to everyone good and bad.

The second invitation then is to all people.

And then we have the guests,

all who responded.

Isn't this interesting?

And we think for a moment that there's finally the wedding clothes,

Christ's righteousness.

When we think of how we become Christians,

we put on the new clothes, right?

The new identity in Christ.

Think about that.

It's as though you're putting on the wedding garment for this great feast.

Do you realize that when we look at the entire biblical account,

it's a love story between God and his people,

and it goes all the way until there's the wedding feast,

there is the amount of time where eventually not enough time will happen,

and there will finally be judgment representing what's happening in this great wedding.

Just like how we,

some of us may know,

and this is,

it's simple,

but it's complex.

When we think of Christ being the bridegroom and the church being the bride,

the representation of the marriage that will happen.

Do you see it?

And then finally you have outer darkness,

which is the final judgment.

And you'll see in your notes here,

that section,

if you want to pull out your notes real quick,

that Jesus speaks in parables,

which are simple stories revealing deeper spiritual truths.

The king God prepares the wedding banquet,

for his son,

Jesus Christ.

The king's servants,

the prophets and apostles invite guests,

Israel,

the people of God,

but they refuse.

Okay.

A second invitation shows God's patience,

yet some guests make excuses,

and others kill the servants.

Do you see how it's kind of showing the whole narrative within scripture?

The invitation then is opened up to anyone willing to come,

both good and bad.

It shows that the gospel invitation is greater than the first invitation.

And one guest is found without wedding clothes,

which symbolizes the lack of Christ's righteousness,

which is no different than when we find,

Lord,

Lord,

when did we,

when did you ask,

when were you hungry,

and we didn't feed you?

Right?

In those verses where it says,

Lord,

Lord,

and God said,

the Lord,

Jesus says,

I never knew you.

The difference between authentic and inauthentic faith,

those that truly believed in Christ,

and those that didn't.

And this is a parallel with that.

So,

symbolizing lack of Christ's righteousness,

in other words,

it's a works-based system that he followed.

He is speechless.

He is shocked at the fact

that he gets called out.

The improperly clothed guest is cast out into outer darkness,

and this foreshadows the final judgment

to those who lack true salvation.

And then finally,

many are called and few are chosen,

shows that the invitation is available to everyone.

And so this goes into,

what can we learn from this?

Right?

We can see here,

as I mentioned,

it's part of the narrative of Scripture.

It shows to,

what we can learn is that God's invitation

is for the good and the bad,

as it were.

We think about it,

we need to see that this invitation,

just as I showed the letter,

salvation is free for all who believe.

And it's the question

of whether or not you are going to respond

to the invitation or not.

So we have to think

that every moment and every day of our lives

is an opportunity for us to respond to God's invitation,

come to the Lord,

and respond to it.

We then also have this idea

that we must wear the right garment,

Christ's righteousness.

So what does it mean?

Do I need to change my clothes

and just put on a coat and tie,

or I need new jeans or some shiny shoes?

What does that mean?

We're talking about that

when we believe in Jesus Christ,

we put on the new self.

There's a verse that's in Revelation,

blessed is the man who washes his robes,

representing how sin gets washed away

by believing in Christ.

And that kind of imagery

is the kind of imagery we can think of

when we are putting on the new self,

talking about transformation

that comes from the Lord,

being restored unto Him,

being reconciled unto Him,

and realizing it's not about the shirt that I wear,

but it's about whether I believe in Jesus Christ or not.

And upon that belief,

when you put on the new self,

are you going to grow in Christ?

Are you going to act upon what you are learning?

That's the question that you have to think about.

We cannot...

It also goes to show us,

when we look at the man

that didn't have the proper clothes

and the people that did,

is that it has to do with,

are you relying on your own works

or your own merits?

Or are you trusting what has been done for you?

In a simplistic way,

it would be said,

what can you do

versus what has been done for you?

And we believe as Christians

that Christ died on the cross,

He was buried,

and He was raised on the third day.

It was in accordance of the Scriptures

to fulfill the prophecies

and to show it's not about what we can do,

it's about what has been done for us.

And we respond by receiving that invitation, right?

We respond to the invitation,

being saved by grace through faith.

We need the new clothes that God provides,

and it's the putting on of the new self.

And I want you to ask yourself for a moment,

what does it look like

to put on the new self?

Realize there is inner transformation

when we think of the attributes of the new self.

Laying aside the former things

and the former darkness,

the sin that once existed,

all of these things.

How many of you have had that one shirt

or that one pair of pants

you just refuse to get rid of?

Right?

Think of it like that.

You got to get rid of it.

You got to move on to what,

in this, in the spiritual sense,

I have them too.

The one that God provides.

And to put on the new self

is to exhibit Christ-like qualities.

Living and loving like Jesus.

Sharing in the gospel and your testimony.

When we studied Colossians,

there are specific attributes.

When we think of our Advent season,

we think of the peace that surpasses all understanding,

the inexhaustible, inexpressible joy,

the love that comes from Christ,

the hope that's in Him.

That should shine for others to see.

Right?

Just like that song.

Hide it under a bushel?

No.

I'm going to let it shine.

And then we go into that next point,

which says that rejecting God's invitation

has consequences.

It's just like rejecting any invitation.

Right?

Are you going to go to the birthday party or not?

You know?

I get it.

Sometimes we don't like the people who are there,

so we reject it.

But when we think of spiritual matters,

when we're thinking of this invitation to salvation,

you have a choice

on whether or not you're going to respond

or not to respond.

That is a decision that only you can make.

And I pray that if you haven't responded to the Lord,

that you will.

That you'll respond to this invitation.

Because we don't know how long our life will be.

So take every moment and think for one moment or one day.

Do you believe in Jesus?

Do you follow in His footsteps?

Have you responded to the invitation?

Have you put on the wedding clothes?

Are you ready to partake in the feast?

I mean, when we think of a feast,

it sounds like a wonderful time.

If you guys can ever think of those commercials

where it shows a Thanksgiving

and the turkey looks just right.

You've got that fancy cranberry sauce,

the mashed potatoes.

You guys are going to probably be hungry in this, right?

But you get that image, right?

Of a Thanksgiving celebration, right?

Now, we think of that being like a feast in the physical world.

But in the spiritual world,

it's something that's in abundance.

And then finally, it says that many are called

and few are chosen.

Now, we must keep in mind that the call for salvation,

to be chosen is to respond to that invitation.

Response involves receiving this gift of salvation

and living it out.

Let us have not just faith,

but a living and active faith.

Let us be like the soil that receives the seed in the ground,

but let us grow having those deep roots

and growing to the point where we bear fruit.

It helps us understand.

Learning these parables helps us understand

the simplistic, but the deep truths of how our God works.

Isn't it remarkable?

We can look at plants that grow in the ground

and think of how we should be like a plant

and grow and be cultivated.

Much like when we ever,

if you ever go to a wedding celebration,

a reception,

you can think of this parable

about the invitation.

And ask yourself,

have you, again,

have you responded by receiving salvation?

Are you living out your faith?

Let your light,

the light of Christ,

shine for others.

We now go to the next,

which is the application.

And it's how can I apply

and live out these verses?

And it's very important.

No matter where you're at

in your life journey,

I pray that you come to know

who Jesus Christ is.

That you receive that gift of salvation.

And upon receiving that gift of salvation,

may you grow in him.

And may you be moved

to do good in the name of Christ.

And so here we see

there are specific

people.

Maybe you identify with one of them.

Maybe you have been invited

and you haven't responded.

Maybe you identified with the unwilling.

This is a call for you to,

if you're either of those,

to respond to the invitation.

If you have been invited,

respond in faith.

If you have been unwilling,

let this be a call for you

to be open to receive

that free gift of salvation.

Let's face it.

There are many people

who have been invited.

Have they all responded?

And there are some people

that are unwilling.

Even for us as Christians,

we should pray for those

who are unwilling.

For a changing of the mind.

A softening of the heart.

Much like how we were praying

earlier

for these terrible things

that happen in the community.

We have got to pray

for the hearts

and the minds of those

that do

naughty or evil things.

Right?

I can say that as a parent.

Right?

Don't be naughty, kids.

We pray for hearts

to be changed.

And so,

for the invited

and the unwilling,

it is respond

to the invitation.

No matter what

your background is,

even if you've said no

up until this point,

you can still respond.

Don't wait

until it's too late.

God welcomes you

to his feast.

And ask yourself

the question then,

what if today

is the day

that you respond

and say yes

to the Lord?

What if you say yes

to God's invitation

and trust in him

for salvation?

Well, then,

there's the gathered

and the unworthy

to return

to the banquet.

Some of us

have been gathered.

We might have walked away.

Some of us

have been unworthy.

I want you to know,

specifically,

it doesn't change

God's ongoing invitation

for your life.

God's call

for your life.

Like I've mentioned before

and I'll mention again,

man

will fail you.

People will fail you.

But God

will never fail you.

And our faith

should be much stronger

and much deeper

than what man does.

We place our trust

in the living God,

the firm foundation

for our lives.

And so,

perhaps you identify

with one of those two.

Remember,

when we read that,

it is the good

and the bad

that we're invited.

Think about that.

The good

and the bad

were invited.

Maybe it is time,

maybe you identify

or maybe you know someone

that it's time

to step back

into

the body of Christ.

To step back

into church.

Maybe it is time

to ask God

for healing.

But in any case,

I want you to know

that God loves you.

No matter what

people have done

or what people

are doing

or even what people

will continue to do,

God is our constant

and he will never

abandon you.

So come to the feast.

Return to the banquet.

And then finally,

for the guests

and the unprepared,

we can think of

what that means, right?

Those who are wearing

the wedding clothes

and those that are not.

Examine your garment.

It is the call

for us to not

to rely on our own works

or on our own merit

to save us.

It is what Christ

has done for us

and us responding

to that.

To be clothed

in righteousness,

to be clothed

in Christ,

to put on that new

identity,

that new self.

It is saying yes

to Christ

and believing in him

and be saved.

Sometimes

we get too much

into the groove.

Sometimes people

forget

that it's about

us believing in Christ.

Sometimes we

focus more on

rituals

or we focus more

on routines

rather than

who Christ is.

And I pray

that doesn't happen

to any of us.

let us focus

on the death,

burial,

and resurrection,

the power of the gospel,

the transformation

that comes from him

rather than just

rules and regulations

because there is

freedom

that is in Christ.

Think about that.

Sometimes it's good

to examine

your garment

and especially,

most especially

if you're unprepared.

Maybe you've been

invited

but you didn't

really get it.

Maybe you didn't

realize that you

do have to believe

in Christ.

Maybe you were

told something

contrary that

you know,

it's about how

much money I

donate,

it's about how

many times I

pray,

how many times

I read certain

literature and

books.

No.

It is about

what Christ

has done for you.

I pray

that if you

identify as a guest

or unprepared

and you do

examine your

heart,

examine your

garment,

that you do

have a genuine

and authentic

faith in Jesus.

And then finally,

for the servants

and for the chosen,

it's to extend

the invitation

to other people.

When we think

about this,

just like the

king's servants

went out into

the world,

we too are

called to go

out and to

invite others

to the wedding

feast.

And I want you

to really think

about that.

Maybe you identify

with the servant

or the chosen.

Let us tell

our friends,

our family,

even our

neighbors,

about the

invitation to

the feast,

that they too

may come and

see that the

Lord is good,

or that they

may experience

his love

and hear from

the word of

God.

I pray that

if you are a

servant or you

identify with

the chosen,

that you will

extend that

invitation to

others.

Ask yourself

then the question,

who do I know

who has not

been invited?

Or who do I

know maybe

has been

unwilling?

This is a

question that

you can answer.

Think of those

who are in

need.

Think of those

who are yet

to be invited

or those that

maybe they just

need you to

show up.

Be present

with them.

Be authentic

with them.

Not saying

go in,

guns a-blazing,

you know.

It's all about

relationships.

It's all about

that.

We cultivate

healthy

relationships.

So who do

you know

that needs

to hear

of God's

invitation?

Only you

can answer

that.

And in all

of this,

I want us

to remember

this parable

of the

wedding feast.

The king

wants to put

on a

wedding feast

for the

son and

sends out

all these

invitations

which shows

the old

covenant,

how it was

with the

Old Testament,

with all

the laws,

but yet it

was rejected.

And then the

invitation happened

where it was

for all people

good and bad.

May you

receive that

invitation.

May you

respond by

saying yes

to Jesus

Christ.

And upon

that,

may you

grow and

be like

the chosen

and like

the servants

to extend

the invitation

to others.

Let's pray

together.

Lord and

Heavenly Father,

we thank

you that

we've had

this opportunity

for us to

go over

this amazing

and well

connected

section of

verses from

the Gospel

of Matthew.

I pray,

Father,

that our

minds are

open to

you,

our hearts

are open

to love

like you

and that

we will

be transformed

in knowing

you,

growing in

you,

and doing

good in

your name.

I pray,

Father,

for anyone

who may

have been

invited but

hasn't responded

yet.

I pray that

there will be

a response.

I pray for

those who

might feel

unworthy or

they might

have left

the feast

as it were.

May they

return.

to the

table.

And I

also just

pray that

there will

be healing.

There will

be restoration.

You are the

God of

miracles and

just as this

parable has

shown how

connected

everything is

within the

context of

the biblical

narrative,

we pray that

we can receive

this parable,

that it will

help us grow

in you and

motivate and

move us to

act upon it.

Let lives be

transformed.

Let minds be

changed.

Let hearts be

softened.

Let growth

happen here.

And let us be

moved to live

and love like

you.

It is in the

name of

Jesus Christ

that we pray

and we all say

together,

amen.

Amen.

Thank you for

listening for this

week's message from

Ontario Community

Church.

I pray that you

are encouraged and

strengthened in your

walk with Christ.

For more sermons and

resources, visit

OntarioCommunityChurch.org.

May God bless you as

you live out his

grace and truth

every single day.

God bless you as