Living Waters Christian Fellowship - Lake Nacimiento - California

15  Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, Blessed is he who shall eat
bread in the kingdom of God!

16 Then He said to him, A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,

17 and sent his
servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’

18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must
go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’

19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test
them. I ask you to have me excused.’

20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

21 So that
servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go
out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’

23 Then the master said to the
servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24 ‘For I say to you
that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’

25  Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and
said to them,

26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My
disciple.

Introduction  
It is urgent that people come into the Kingdom of God, and have their lives changed for the better.  If not, bad things continue to happen in the world.  Jesus describes it like being invited to a supper.  It should be our highest priority to honor that invitation.  Trying to get home for supper - briars and bees.

1. Jesus invites us to His supper in the Kingdom of God v15-16    Rev 3:20

15  Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God! 16 Then He said to him, A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,

Revelation 3:20 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

He is so gracious and kind - has our best interest at heart - wants to bless us and spend time fellowshipping with us.
Amazing.  Amazing invitation, grace.

2. There are wonderful benefits Jesus offers us in coming to His supper

A life of being loved and of loving Him and other people - love x5

3. Jesus makes a point of inviting those not normally invited  v21

21  ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the
blind.’

Everyone is invited to come and sit down with Him in the Kingdom of God, no matter who they are, where they are from, what they have done, or what’s wrong with them.

4. But some have made excuses to not come v18-20

 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must  go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’

 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’

 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

(How many times has that been said?)  What’s the problem?  They are devaluing the invitation, and disrespecting the Master of the Feast.  Wrong priorities.

5. It is troubling to God that some would not value His supper more than anything else v21, 24-27

 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry,

 24 ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’

25  Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,

 26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own
 life also, he cannot be My disciple.

 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Jesus does not really mean that we are to treat our families with hatred.  His first commandment is to love Him, and the second is to love one another.  What He means is that our love for Him should be so profound and all consuming that it makes all other loves a distant second, sometimes even taken as hatred when we have to put Him first in our lives.

I’m sorry, my new bride whom I love.  I know you have made special plans for us next weekend, but something bigger has come up.  The Master has invited us to His feast, and we must go.

6. If some refuse to come, others will be invited  v21-24

 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his  servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and
 the blind.’

 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’

 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may  be filled.

 24 ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’

7. It is urgent and imperative that we respond to God’s invitation  v23-24, 2 Cor 6:2, 1 Thess 2:11-12

 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may  be filled.

 24 ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’

2 Corinthians 6

2b  Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

1 Thessalonians 2

11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,

 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

When God gives you an opportunity, take it, and make the most of it.  Live in a way that reflects the price paid for your salvation.  When He says, Come, for all things are now ready, we need to jump on it.  Not a take it or leave it deal.

8. We also urge others to respond  v21-23

 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his  servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and  the blind.’

 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’

 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may  be filled.

9. If our ministry is not accepted by some, we turn our focus on those who are receptive  v21-23

 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his  servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’

 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may  be filled.

Mom and Dad did this in Brazil - focused on the most receptive.

Mark 6

11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.

10.  No excuses - Jesus must be far and away our top priority  v25-27

25  Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,

 26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own  life also, he cannot be My disciple.

 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Conclusions  Jesus, His supper, His Kingdom must be our top priority in life. Love x5.

Application  9/11 happened because some people have refused to come to Jesus and let Him change their lives.  What would our world be like if everone loved God and each other?  Love x5

What is the collateral damage of not coming to Jesus?  Oppression, aggression, violence.

What is the outlook for the future?   Missionaries or military?

Can we see how imortant this is?  Even urgent, compelling, mandatory if humanity is going to survive.

Come, for all things are now ready.