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Introduction:
There
once was a king. An exciting day was approaching for him. His son
was getting married. You can imagine what a great day this would
be for the king. He wanted to celebrate and he wanted others to
celebrate with him. So he planned a party, a great feast. He
issued invitations to the seeming worthies of his land. But a
strange thing occurred. Those whom he invited did not want to
come. Many simply ignored the invitations, going on about their
business. Some got mad at the messengers and killed them. The
king, becoming angry with these subjects, sent his army to destroy
them. However, he still wanted to celebrate his son’s wedding.
He sent his messengers to those who would seem unworthy. They went
everywhere, they found good people and bad people, inviting
everyone. The day of the feast arrived and the banquet hall was
filled. Yet again, a strange thing occurred. One person came to
the feast, but did not dress appropriately. When the king entered
the hall and saw this man, he had him bound and cast out.
By now, I am sure you realize I did not make up this story.
This is Jesus’ story in Matthew
22:1-14. However, as with all of Jesus’ stories, this story
is not about the actual events related in it. This story is about
us. We are characters in this drama. But which characters? We are
not the king, he is God, the Father. We are not the prince, he is
Jesus, the Christ. We are the ones who respond to the invitation.
How will we respond? Discussion: I. Are we ignoring it? A.
In Matthew
22:5, when the king’s servant gave invitations, many people
paid no attention. They had their own affairs to attend to and
simply did not place importance on the king’s invitation. B.
Are you
ignoring the king’s invitation? I know you are busy. You have
work to do, family to deal with, things to acquire and take care
of. You have your own fun to be had. You have the desires of your
heart to follow. God’s invitation may seem unimportant. After
all, who cares about “pie in the sky in the great by and by”
when there is so much dessert to be had here and now? C.
Or perhaps
you are not ignoring it completely, but you want to take care of
what is important to you first. Then later you will attend the
feast of the Lord. D.
But do you
really want to ignore the invitation of God? I am not sure you do.
After we notice the second response, you will learn what is at
stake if you ignore this invitation. II.
Are we
attacking it? A.
In Matthew
22:6, there were some who paid a great deal of attention to
the king’s invitation. Amazingly, they became angry. How anyone
can become angry about being invited to a feast, I will never
know. But they did. They abused the messengers and even killed
them. B.
Are you
attacking the king’s invitation? Do you hate those who proclaim
the gospel? Are you mocking those who give God’s invitation? Do
you contradict God’s message with teaching that is not in the
Bible? Are you angered by the commands in God’s invitation? Do
you lash out at those who offer the gospel invitation to you,
whether they are your parents, your spouse, your friends, your
co-workers, etc.? Do you walk out of a service like this one
berating those who have participated so you can justify your lack
of obedience? C.
If you do
any of these things, you are the characters who killed the
king’s servants. But, is your anger worth it? Does your
vehemence accomplish anything for you? Does your attack free you
from the responsibility to accept His invitation? It does not. D.
Matthew 22:7
demonstrates this. Those who ignore or attack the invitation will
be judged. The King will destroy you. The important thing to
understand is that when you do not accept the invitation of the
King, you are not just missing out on the blessing of His
benevolence. You are choosing to receive His wrath. II
Thessalonians 1:5-10 demonstrates what will happen to those
who do not accept the Lord’s invitation: flaming fire,
affliction, retribution, eternal destruction away from the
presence of the Lord. Your choice is not between doing your own
thing and doing God’s. Your choice is between blessing and
cursing, life and death, eternal glory and eternal torment. What
choice are you making? III.
Are we
faking it? A.
In Matthew
22:11-12, we find a man who has come to the feast, but does
not care about the wedding. He is not sharing in the king’s
celebration. He thought he could fake it. He wants to eat, but he
doesn’t want to do what is expected of him. Like the ones who
simply ignored the invitation, he is still striving after what is
important to himself and not striving to honor the king. B.
Are you
faking it? Are you trying to appear as though you have accepted
the invitation, but have not allowed it to change your life? Do
you “come to church”, but not worship in spirit and truth? Do
you hear the sermons, but not apply the teaching? Did you get
baptized, but are not walking in newness of life? Do you get upset
when preachers, elders and teachers say that just attending is not
enough? Do you get tired of hearing about how you need to improve
your Bible study, prayer and time with brethren? Do you get
defensive when people suggest you ought to attend the worship on
Sunday night, the class on Wednesday, our Gospel meeting or a
singing? Do you find yourself thinking, “Hey, I come to church,
what else do you expect from me?” C.
If this is
you, you need to examine your life. You are the man who came to
the feast but did not dress in wedding clothes. You obviously want
the blessing of God’s mercy and grace, but are you willing to do
what God expects of you? I fear, at times, that we spend so much
time talking about and teaching on baptism that we can get
complacent. “After all,” we may think, “I have been
baptized. I accepted the invitation. I am better than those who
ignored or attacked God’s invitation. I must be saved.” Do you
remember the great commission in Matthew
28:18-20? Jesus commanded His apostles to make disciples. How?
Simply by baptizing them? No. Coming to the feast does not make
one a disciple. Rather, coming to the feast because you have
accepted the message and been changed by it. This man heard the
invitation, accepted the invitation, but did not allow the
invitation to change him. Is this your story? D.
Notice the
end result of this attitude. In Matthew
22:13, this faker was bound and cast out. He was thrown into
outer darkness, where there would be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. His end was not better than those who ignored or attacked
the invitation. Do not be this man. IV.
Are we
changed by the invitation? A.
According to
Matthew 22:10, the
king’s slaves went to the highways, inviting both good and evil.
These accepted the invitation and were changed by it. When
invited, these people were not prepared for a wedding feast.
However, they changed. They did not come to receive benevolence
from the king, but to honor the king. They came to celebrate a
wedding. B.
God has
invited you into His kingdom. Do you realize what that invitation
represents? You and I are sinners (Romans
3:9-18, 23). We deserve nothing more than the judgment that we
read about in Matthew 22:7.
Instead, God has offered us great blessing, mercy and grace. But
the invitation expects something of us. God will not give us mercy
if we do not allow His offer to change us. We should be so humbled
by His mercy and love, that we would do anything for Him, making
Him first in our lives. What is important to Him should be
important to us. His purposes should become ours. Our lives should
be completely bound up in His will. C.
The disciple
of Christ, one changed by the invitation, is described in Matthew 10:37-39. To this disciple there is nothing more important
than Jesus. There is no one more loved than Christ. There is
nothing he will not suffer to serve God. There is no possession he
will not sacrifice to gain eternity. He will even count his life
as lost in order to serve God. No friend or family member, no
possession or material thing, no pleasure or fun will stand
between the one who has been changed by the invitation and
glorifying God. D.
The apostle
Paul, in stunning parallel to this parable, received his
invitation on the road to Damascus (Acts
9). He did not ignore it, he did not attack it, he did not
fake it. He was changed by it. This one who had been attacking the
Way of God, became its most ardent defender and teacher. His
changed life is described in Philippians
3:2-11. He counted all things to be loss because of the
surpassing value of this invitation. How much do you value God’s
invitation? Conclusion: Your story is in this parable. But, only you know whether you have ignored the invitation, attacked the invitation, faked an acceptance or truly been changed by God’s invitation of mercy. I urge you to examine your life and if you have not done so, put on your wedding garments and join us in the feast.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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