Luke 14:15-24
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man 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.' "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.' " '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 make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'
Why would anyone not go for a great banguet prepared for them? Why would they want to reject such an offer, when we know anyone who acts out of his sinful nature is greedy? If he is greedy, why would he reject great food offered free for him or her? What does this great banguet represent? Certainly not food! If it is not food, then what? Think of all the excuses given by those who were invited, so that they do not have to attend the great function. Why excuses to escape eating to your hearts content? This great banquet had nothing to do with food for the stomach. If it is food for their taste-buds and stomachs freely given to them. they would not want to miss it, this I know. If it is not food, then what?
They had to give excuses to avoid the function. Note the singular "servant" in this story. The owner of the house ordered only one servant to call all of them from the streets into his house. How could one servant call all of them in? Who is is this one servant? Each individual in Christ has a responsibility towards God's kingdom. The owner of the house is God who is revealed to us through Christ our Lord. Who were those invited for the banquet initially? Those whom God had called are the invited ones. Many are called but only few are chosen in the end. Why, because there is a price to pay on your part if you are called and wanted to be chosen. You were called through the appeal God makes through the completed work of Christ on the cross. you can believe or choose not to believe His completed works on the cross.
But, God's plan does not stop there when you are chosen. It progresses on to justification. To be "justified" means to be made right.with God. To be "made right" means you have God's approval upon your life. How many of us do really have God's approval upon our lives? Very few, I would say. If they are , they probably would not be as famous as those who claim they have it too. We should seriously check if we have the approval of God? One of the deception of the Devil used is; if you are wealthy, you have God's approval. What about if, one is wealthy by his cheating, lying and evil businesses he or she is involved in? Does it also reflect that you have God's approval? "By hook or by crook" God makes you wealthy is it? What a confused person you are, if you do think it that way? You are no different from the heathens and the pagans. The heathens and the pagans practice this too. Do we as those who belong to Jesus Christ our Lord also practice and take things to be of this degrading way too? No way! The wealth you possess does not represent your walk with God. We all struggle with the sinful nature of the Devil in us in one way or another. If it is not pride and arrogance, it will be with idolatry and witchcraft, if it is not that, it will be some sexual sins, if it is not that it will be about money, greed and covetousness. If it is not anyone of these sins, it will be in some form of violence or anger or murder. If you were to open everyone's can of worms,, you will find out what struggles they had been through. No one is freed from these struggles until the Son of God sets you free. He is the Truth who will set you and me free from pleasing the sinful nature of the Devil with the help of God the Holy Spirit within. Until we learn and submit ourselves fully to Him, we will not be freed from the sinful nature of the Devil in us.
What about those who commit a crime to steal, rob, extort, cheat, and misappropriate funds? Do they also have God's approval? No. way! What about those who misuse their authority and trust given to them? Do you mean to say that God is like them. It is we who should behave like who God is revealed through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must have his divine nature formed in us, if we believe in Him. So in this great banquet, why did the invited guests give excuses. You give excuses when you know you can't meet the requirements.What requirements are there for a great banquet such as this? Here it is, said in another passage in the gospels.
Matthew 22: 1-14
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Here in this parable, the owner's servants were sent to those invited to call them in. Here is an example of those who think that they don't need Christ to be formed in them. They can go their worldly ways by obeying the sinful nature of the Devil in them and yet claim that they rightfully belong to God. They don't, they will learn it like the guest above. The Lord Jesus Christ said this. We are not saying this truth here.
Just look at this statement made by the Lord here, ""But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless". Why was the man without wedding clothes speechless? He did not know or didn't want to know the seriousness of having Christ's divine nature formed in Him to be able to attend the great banquet. He didn't care even when he was warned about it while on earth. Not only did he or she not obey God the Holy Spirit for Christ' s divine nature to be formed in him or her but went ahead and hindered others from having Christformation in them too. How rebellious towards the LORD? How preposterous? How wicked? How evil? How cunning? What a wolf? What a fox? What a dog? What a swine?
Matthew 7:6
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
This is what that "dog or pig" deserve. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Isn't God a fair and just God? He invites you and you reject Him. What do you think you deserve from Him, if you are rebellious? Watch it, even from the streets and the roads will come those who rebel against God and His Christ, who think that they knew more. They gave excuses saying that no one needs to tell them more. They knew everything. The only thing they knew was how to obey the sinful nature of the Devil in them by being greedy, covetous, proud and arrogant as they have been indoctrinated from childhood. They haven't changed a little bit. They think that they have and impose on others that they have it all when they don't. Whom are they trying to deceive? You cannot deceive Christ and all those in whom Christ's divine nature is already formed. You can lie and cheat those who do not have Christ formed in them. Let me warn you that there is a big crowd out there who do not have Christ's divine nature formed in them because they were busy filling themselves with greed, covetousness, pride and arrogance for more worldly fame, wealth and possessions. They simply give no time and obedience to God the Holy Spirit for full Christformation in them. Sometimes, they give half their time and devotion only. That too, before men only. What goes on in their secret lives, only God knows.
Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
The way to the great banquet is through the "narrow door". For there is no other way, the Lord Jesus Christ had warned us. If we have entered through that narrow door why are we still obeying the sinful nature of the Devil in us to be greedy, covetous, proud, arrogant and wicked. Why are we teaching others to become one too? Have you got no fear of God? Do you need to see God unleash his anger and wrath on you? Are you challenging God's strength and power by claiming that you are more powerful than Him? More powerful than Christ, His powerful Son? It would be better if, you change your ways now! or else let's wait and see for what's coming your way. It will surely come, this time.
Luke 13:22-30
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."
Shall I tell you why those who were invited were giving excuses not to attend the great banquet? They were giving excuses because they would have to enter through that "narrow door" to be able to be in the great banquet, they knew it. Remember, the guests without the "wedding clothes"? How did he slip past the "narrow door"? Many will try to enter and they will not be able to. Why not able to enter ? They found that giving up the sinful nature of the Devil in them and filling themselves with the divine nature of Christ instead, will require them to give up many of their pleasures and it will be a high price to pay. That's the "narrow door" and some will think to themselves that they have done much and deserve to be in the banquet. They don't. You can't buy your way through that "narrow door" because you would have to give up pleasing the sinful nature of the Devil in you when you do. You have to pay the painful price for doing that. God's disciplining will come upon you, no matter who you on this earth. Everyone of his children will go through disciplining from Him so that we could be filled with the divine nature of Christ fully. If you resists God's discipline, there will be no Christformation in you.
Heberews 12:5-7
And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
