“When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’ Jesus replied: ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’” Luke 14:15-20 (NIV).
When Alta Lynn and I lived in Arkansas, we had a favorite restaurant we would go to for special occasions. The restaurant was called The Hamilton House on Lake Hamilton, and it was about 50 minutes away from our house. We didn’t go there because it was convenient, you always had to have a reservation, it was located on a lake, off the main road, people would boat up to it, on holidays it was always packed out, and you usually waited a long time for a table if you had no reservation.
Why did people pack out that restaurant? It wasn’t the convenience of the location, not the price–it was a little expensive. What was the reason? The food–the food was amazing and the setting was great.
There is a spiritual hunger in every human heart that longs to be filled, like a physical hunger. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (NIV). That hunger can only be satisfied by a relationship with the One True God. People all the time try to satisfy that hunger in other ways, but those other ways are false gods that do not satisfy. Only the Lord can give forgiveness of sin, unconditional love, and a purpose for living.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE A BANQUET
Jesus told a parable that compared the Kingdom of God to a banquet feast. The church is a place where the spiritually hungry can be fed on a regular basis. It’s not all about the location or the convenience–it’s all about the food. The spiritual food that nourishes our soul.
The church is compared to a banquet where nourishing food is served. One of the Core Values of Crestview is the Bible. It is only by being fed by the Bible, the word of God, will our spiritual hunger be satisfied, It's how we will build our spiritual strength. “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (NIV).
Have you ever gone to church where you barely made it there, not real sure you wanted to be there, maybe even had a bad attitude, but something happened –maybe there was a baptism, maybe there is a song that you sang, or maybe a prayer that was prayed, a verse that was read from scripture–and you felt that you were strengthened, nourished by God's presence and God's word. And then when you left you were so glad you came after all, because you've been fed.
DON’T MAKE EXCUSES SPIRITUALLY
“At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’” Luke 14:17-18 (NIV). All these guests had already agreed to attend the banquet. The host expected them to be there. A last-minute cancellation was an insult. The first excuse we see is a business excuse. They had bought a field they had to go see it. God invites people to come to His table but a lot of people have excuses–I'm busy right now, I'm out of town a lot. But God invites us to come to His banquet to make sure we don't lose our spiritual focus.
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’” Luke 14:19-20 (NIV). We all know what it's like if we get a new car or a new computer or some new tool–we can't wait to see it work. Well, this guy had five yoke of oxen so he basically had 10 oxen altogether and this was his excuse. This excuse was based on what was most important in his life. The kingdom of God changes someone so that our greatest love and priority is the Lord Jesus Christ.
WE SHARE THE GOSPEL
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’” Luke 14:21 (NIV). As God’s servants we are challenged to go out and invite people to God's Kingdom. Some people may give shallow excuses, but we've got to keep inviting them because the Lord doesn't want anyone to perish.“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.’” Luke 14:22-23 (NIV). We invite people by loving them, praying for them, caring for them in Jesus name as we share the love of Christ. We share the Gospel, the Good News however we have opportunity.
There's a hunger in people that only Jesus can satisfy. If we have experienced the feast, the banquet table of God's grace–it is wrong if we do not share it. At the Lord banquet table of grace–the plates are always full and everyone is welcome.
