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Last week at the first seven verses of Matthew 22 What we saw is the parable known as the parable of the wedding feast. In this parable that Jesus is telling there's a king who has a son that is getting married and the king is going to throw a big wedding feast and.
And he invites the whole country to attend this feast as The servants go out what they find is that most of the people don't want the first group that Servants talked to our indifference. They can make it to the wedding, but they don't really want to be there.
But the second group is even worse. These are the ones who are hostile to the invitation. This grand wedding feast has been prepared and they Don't want to attend. They despise the king so they treat his servants the messengers poorly and they even kill some of the messengers.
In this parable that Jesus is telling God the father is The king over the land and he is throwing a feast for his son Jesus and the servants are all Christians down through history and even us who are given the responsibility to proclaim the message of the gospel of the kingdom and the invitation goes out the response to the message is often indifference or even hostility.
Now this morning as we continue this to Sunday sermon, we are going to see the remainder of the parable in verses 8 through 14. Once again, the big idea is this. You are to understand that the invitation to the king of future feasts most often falls on deaf ears.
The invitation to the king's future feast most often falls on deaf ears. But as I already mentioned last week, we saw the first way how. That way how is through showing indifference or hostility to God's glorious future.
Now before we begin let's begin by reading verses 8 through 14 and then we will jump into the text. Matthew 22 verses 8 through 14. Then he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready. But those invited were not worthy.
Go therefore 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 bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to look at the guests He saw there a man who had no wedding garments. And he said to him friend. How did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants Find him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness in that place.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For they are called but few are chosen. So here's the second way how? The second way how you were to understand that the invitation to the king's future feast most often falls on deaf ears is this through receiving Acceptance from I mean a minority of people.
Receiving acceptance through a minority of people and we'll see this in verses 8 through 10. What we saw in the first point is The rejection by many who refused to come to this grand future feast. But God still desires to have a people in.
So let's read about this in verses 8 through 10. Then he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready. It was invited. We're not worthy. And so go to the main 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 bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. So what we see here is that the same servants he said Who were rejected he sends out again.
They have this grand Wedding feast planned but at this point many have not come because the first ones invited have largely Rejected the opportunity to feast with the king. As I mentioned the first ones invited were the Jews God's chosen people.
They had all these promises that were theirs through the promises that God made to Abraham David and through the New Covenant. Found in Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31. God made all these promises with the people of Israel.
But they didn't want these grand promises instead They chose their own idols over him. The rejection of God's plan as to how one enters the kingdom Disqualified them what verse 8 says is that this is what made them unworthy to attend this brand of future wedding feast.
You don't get there through your own merits. You get there through God's way. Through repentance and faith as we saw two weeks ago in the previous two parables that Jesus told. Most of Israel Rejected God's plan as to how to enter this kingdom.
A small percentage believed, but most did not. Now as we talk about the rejection of Israel. This does not mean that God is done with Israel. Some Christians try to say That since Israel largely rejected their Messiah at his first coming.
This means their promises are removed and given to a new people the new people being the church. This is known as replacement theology. But replacement theology is non-biblical. The Old Testament predicted the rejection of Israel, but the Old Testament also predicted its restoration.
After the Messiah was largely rejected. There will be a group of Israelites in the end times who will receive their Messiah in the end times. There will be a substantial number of Jews who believe that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed The Christ at his first coming.
We don't know the exact number of Jews that believed in him. But to guess I'd probably say less than 10 was a very small number. And the percentage of believers was smaller among the leadership than it was.
For the common people the leadership of Israel largely rejected Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea. How much. But as we think about the future restoration of Israel? What what percent of the Jews in the end times?
Will believe in Jesus as their Messiah. This is what Zechariah chapter 13 verses 8 and 9 say in the whole land declares the Lord two-thirds shall be cut off and perish and one third shall be left alive and I will put this third into the fire and Refine the one as one refined silver and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name and I will answer them. I will say They are my people and they will say the Lord is my God. One third of Israel in the end times will believe in Jesus as the Messiah. And what's interesting is that what this text is telling us is That the two-thirds who do not believe are going to die During the final seven-year tribulation.
Which means that God is supernaturally keeping these ethnic Israelites alive. He will keep them alive during the tribulation and they will be Sustained until the end and then when Jesus comes back, you know what the scripture says they will lick look on him whom they have pierced.
They will look on the one whom they have pierced as Zechariah 12 10 says. This is the future of Israel. This is not referring to the church. The church is gone at this point as the church will be raptured.
The group described here is Israel and they will move their people rejected the Messiah long ago. But now in the end times they have received him. But even with this mass conversion in the end times the vast majority of Israel down through history Rejected the Messiah.
They rejected the invitation to this future grand wedding feast if most of Israel God's ancient chosen people are Not going to attend the wedding feast. Then there is only one thing left to do and that is to go to the rest of the world the Gentiles.
The Greek word for Gentiles is ethnos. Meaning the nation's the invitation is supposed to go to the nation's. Probably everyone in this room is a Gentile. The invitation to enter the kingdom God's way and to be at the grand feast is being removed From the rebellious Jews and being offered To the nation's.
This is what Jesus is communicating in verse 9 when he says. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find when Kings Invited people to their son's wedding feast. They invited their own country their countrymen.
But now that their own countrymen aren't coming in large numbers. Most are indifference. Most are hostile. Now that they're not coming the invitation goes to everyone else. A number of years ago I used to do street evangelism to Somali Muslims in Minneapolis.
And I did this with a friend of mine. At this time there was a great famine in Somalia in East Africa. And one of the Somalians we got to know pretty good. His name was Robly. And he told us about a fundraiser to help with this famine back in their home country and We knew we needed to be there my friend Brad and I.
So we showed up to the venue and we learned fast that we were given the wrong information. There was not a fundraiser going on at this facility, but rather a wedding. And when we learned of this we started to walk away.
But the man at the door Would not let us walk away. He insisted that we stay for the wedding the Somalian wedding. So two white men walk in and they put us at the back table. To say we stood out would be an understatement.
We watched the ceremony and didn't understand a word. Since it was in Somalian and once the ceremony was over. They brought the food out for us to eat. And we ate Somalian food. We were not invited to this wedding, but this man Insisted that we come sit at the table and share in this grand celebration.
It was truly a unique experience. What happened to us that day is similar to what's happening here in in our text the king tells his servants to invite a new people a People who were not invited at first.
The servants are told To go to the main roads. They're told to go to the main roads because that's where the Gentiles are. And and there's still a small percentage of Jews that they're trying to reach.
Yes, but the main road takes them to the nation's and They're invited to the wedding feast, but this feast was first prepared for another people. It was prepared for Israel and how these people are described in verse 10 is interesting.
What Jesus says is that the servants sent out by the king gathered all whom they found both bad and good. So who are the bad and the good? No one who is invited to this grand wedding feast is invited because of their moral achievement.
The consistent testimony of Scripture from the very very beginning is that every human is fallen and in need of a Savior. Romans 3 23 says that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. As those who grow up in the north where people tend to be polite we can lose sight of how corrupt Humans really are.
And that John just mentioned, you know, the government in Guatemala. Don't take your stuff. You don't have it. You don't have to have a reason. They'll just take it. There's lots of places like that around the world where it's barbaric there are in fact villages on planet Earth.
Where it's okay to have cannibals. In other words if foreigners come to these lands, it's okay for the people to eat the foreigners. I mean think about that. People are not inherently good. The reason we are deceived into thinking that people are good is because our culture is a Christianized one.
Over a hundred years ago a group largely made up of Scandinavians and Germans Came to Minnesota and Wisconsin and the people who came here were Christians. Danes started this church in 1881. It was the Christians that influenced the culture more than anyone else.
Hear the word, Minnesota nice. Where did that come from? Christianity's influence on this region. So people tend to be polite. People tend to be nice. People don't want to hurt others feelings. So we can think well, you know what?
Maybe people are really good. You haven't seen Some of the darkest places on planet Earth. To see what humanity is really like without the influence of Christianity. And as we understand the total depravity of mankind, we must understand that no one can earn heaven from one's own achievement.
In God's plan of redemption for humanity the Jews were invited first. But not because of their moral fitness to be in the kingdom. They were invited before the nations because God in his wisdom chose them as his people.
He chose a nation a small nation. In fact, a very small nation to bring salvation to the world. In John 4 22 that verse says. Salvation is from the Jews and it's from the Jews because God chose one nation on the earth to bring salvation to the world.
As we understand the depravity of humans. Who are the good ones that Jesus is talking about in this parable? Who are being invited to the feast. One commentator answers this well. Among the ancient Jews were those who lived exemplary Upright lives who were helpful to their neighbors told the truth never used the Lord's name in vain.
Never cheated in business and never committed adultery or murder or theft. So as the servants go out. They're not looking for the Gentiles. Only they're also looking for Jews who have not yet rejected the invitation to attend the grand feast and what they find is That there are both Jews and Gentiles who were people who were considered to be upstanding citizens.
They're not saved. But they pay their taxes. They're law-abiding citizens. They're good neighbors. But who are the bad described in the middle of verse 10. These were the ones who wore sin on their sleeves.
These are the ones whom everyone in the community knew were sinners the drunkards the prostitutes. The gluttons the thieves and many more. So there were those who lived clean lives and those who were considered taboo among both Jews and Gentiles.
But both have the same problem. Both are destined for hell unless something happens. They need a Savior. The call is for upstanding citizens and the taboo of society to put their trust in Jesus. What Jesus is communicating through this parable is that a small percentage of Jews would make the feast.
And there would also be Gentiles. The nation's. As Jesus said at the end of verse 10 the wedding hall was filled. Yes, I once had a professor who said something sobering he said. We will be surprised to find out who is in heaven and who is not.
Now in our text Jesus is going after Israel to whom the kingdom was offered first. Saying most of Israel will not be at this future grand feast, but think about the church. Think about those who grew up in the church.
Who think that because they have a long history in the church and still identify as a Christian that somehow? They have a special status. But somehow they will be in this kingdom. There will be people who signed a card who will not be at the grand feast.
There will be people who are baptized. Who will not be at the grand feast? There will be people who walk forward at a Billy Graham crusade who will not be at the grand feast. Sometimes people make Official commitment to Jesus, but it was a commitment.
That was not genuine at the final judgment. Your credentials as a Christian won't. There will be pastors and Seminary presidents who will miss out on the grand feast. Those who had lots of education prestige and power who will miss out.
Because none of those things will matter none of the credentials will met. Think of how credentialed the Jewish leaders were. Their credentials weren't going to get them there. Jesus was unimpressed and he had no problem telling them that the door to the kingdom of heaven would be shut in their faces.
We will be surprised who is there and who is not. The thief on the cross will be there. Well many people who had lots of credentials as Christians will not. The path is narrow and Few travel down the path.
Jesus told us it would be this way. Matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 14. But Christ is going to fill his kingdom as the invitation goes out as people receive this invitation. Expecting his terms for entering.
People will only enter based on his finished work at the cross. So understand that the invitation of the King's future feast most often falls on deaf ears. Secondly, how is through receiving acceptance from a minority of people?
The third way how you are to understand that the invitation to the King's future feast most often falls on deaf ears is this. By trying to enter the wrong way. And we'll see this in verses 11 through 14.
Let me read those again. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there was a man who had no wedding garments. And he said to him friend. How did you get in here without a wedding garment?
And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. What we read is that the king comes into the wedding hall to see the guests.
Who came from far and wide to feast with the king to celebrate his son's wedding? But when he comes in a man catches his attention and the man he notices misses something that everyone else has. This man did a wedding garment in ancient times.
When kings threw a wedding feast they would provide a garment for the guests to wear. So that everyone would wear what he prepared and if someone didn't have it Everyone would notice it. As you read this some might think that the king was discriminating against the man, but this is not the case.
What is happening is that the king has given garments for everyone to wear and this person has chosen not to wear the garment. Provided by the king and in so doing he is despising the king's authority.
This man is insulting the king and he stands out like a sore thumb and as the king approaches him the reader of this is surprised To see how the king treats him. The king shows him kindness. He says friend How did you get in here without a wedding?
What the king does is show the man undeserved kindness. Jesus did this to Judas when Jews when Judas handed over Jesus to be arrested. You know what Jesus said to Judas. Matthew 26 50 said that Jesus said to him friend Do what you came to do.
Called Judas friend. What we see in these examples is the kindness that God shows even to the condemned. In Ezekiel 33 11 the Lord says I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. When God judges someone he does not laugh as he does it.
He does not get some twisted pleasure but at the same time He never has regrets when he brings judgment. Upon a person he is satisfied with his justice. It is truly amazing that the Lord shows kindness even to those who spurned him in the worst ways as The king asked the man.
He does not have the proper attire how he got into the wedding hall. The man is not able to answer and The king knows what he must do. The king's kindness is not going to keep him from doing what is right and just verse 13 tells us What he does he he tells Find him hand and foot and Cast him into as all the wedding wedding guests celebrate with the king and enjoy the feast.
This man Who got in but did not belong was taken far? And he will forever be filled with regret and sorrow For missing out on this grand piece. What verse 13 is describing is eternal punishment? Hell is being described in this verse we get two images for hell outer darkness and That it's a place Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Outer darkness described the place that's far away That is far from the celebration. It's a place where people are cast out and weeping and gnashing of teeth is describing the English of pain that people in hell experience.
I've also heard described as Gnashing of teeth as anger at God. For sending people here two weeks ago. I shared the story from the pilgrims progress the story that concludes the book. In the final episode the character whose name is ignorant remember the names fit the person ignorant comes to the gate of the celestial city and he is rejected and The reason he is rejected is because he doesn't have the certificate to get in.
He doesn't have what he needs to get in. He didn't listen to what the king said as as to how to get in and what happened needed to happen. Ignorant was rejected. Because he was ignorant of the true way About how to enter he tried to establish his own way.
He thought that his own righteousness would get him there. In our text in this parable this man thinks that his own garment will get him there but the mistake he made is That he didn't take the king his garments the garment that everyone to receive who came to the wedding feast.
He did not receive it and this was horrible For him to do this. To not do it the king's way. This garment that this man needs can only come from the king and once he rejected his garment. It makes entrance impossible as Romans 10 3 says for being ignorant of the righteousness of God and Seeking to establish their own.
They did not submit to God's righteousness. This is the story of life. People do not receive the provision from God for one to receive salvation and that provision is Jesus Christ. He is the only provision the only way for one to receive entrance.
As the next verse says in Romans 10 4 for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. The only way is to be clothed with with the righteousness of Christ. At the final judgment, there will be many people who appeal to their list of works in order to enter God's kingdom.
As we read earlier in the call to worship on that day. Many will say to me Lord Lord. Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And Jesus says many will say this but this is how he will respond.
Then I will declare to them. I never knew you depart from me you workers of lawlessness. When people try to establish a righteousness of their own what they are doing is going down the impossible road.
It cannot be done. No one will be in heaven based on their own merits. They have a key that doesn't unlock the door to the kingdom of heaven. When you stand before the throne and Jesus asks you, why should I let you into my kingdom your response should be?
Only because of what you did for me. That's the key That unlocks the door to the kingdom of heaven. But what many people are gonna find? Is that they are gonna rely on their works. And you know what scripture says about the works of man?
Apart from God Isaiah 64 6 says that those works are filthy. Because the works done by unbelievers. None of them. No matter how good they are. No matter how much they help people. They are not done for the glory of God.
And anything not done from the glory of God is sin. That's why they're filthy rags. The works are done for one's own glory. But to have a certain appearance with people to be seen as a good person. Who doesn't want to be seen as a good person most people do right?
But what we need to understand is that no one is good. And that only through Christ will one receive entrance into this future kingdom. And just as ignorant was rejected and just as this man in our parable who does not have the wedding garment.
So will many others be rejected from entering this future feast to these people? I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness. So understand that the invitation to the king's future feast most often falls on deaf ears.
In this text we've seen three ways how over the last two Sundays. Let me list those for you. Through showing indifference or hostility to God's glorious future. Through receiving acceptance from a minority of people and.
Lastly as we've just seen through trying to enter the wrong way. This parable from Jesus Pictures the world we live in. God has sent his messengers to invite people to the grand future feast that he is throwing for his son.
But the message mostly falls on deaf ears and this is how the text closes in verse 14 Jesus says many are called. But few are chosen. The invitation to receive salvation in Christ to enter this grand future kingdom is.
To everyone the invitation is to the world but few receive it and Only those called by the father receive it. As Jesus said in John 6 44. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him.
While most do not receive God's invitation for salvation. It is those who are drawn by him who receive it and they are the ones Who will fill the wedding hall at this grand future feast? Jesus has his people.
He has them he's not gonna lose it. John chapter 10 verses 27 28. My sheep hear my voice. I Know them and they follow me. And I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Many are called. Few are chosen. And the few who are chosen will be at this grand future feast. With Jesus at the head of the table and with his people feasting with him. Where there will be fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
And what a day that will be. Now next Sunday the topic of taxes comes up. Which is it? You know tax day is usually a day right for everyone not a fun topic but so interesting what Jesus says as he talks about our responsibilities to human government and He gives us instructions about how to live as kingdom citizens in a foreign land.
But at this time, let's bow our heads in prayer father. Your word is so clear that it's only through your son. That one will enter the kingdom. And Everyone else will be rejected. Doesn't matter how many good things they've done.
Nothing that is done on one's own merit will do any good At the final judgment. I just want to say thank you for making your words so clear So that we know. And my prayer is that everyone here would Understand this and trust Christ completely for their salvation.
So that they will be at this final piece this grand.