Cheapskate Repentance (Part 2)

Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author, Dr.

Mike Abendroth. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the

Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the scriptures, verse by verse, with No Compromise.

Now here's where the rub comes, and I know this is where it creates an uncomfortableness. Here's the uncomfortableness.

Man must repent. Man cannot repent unless God grants the gift of repentance.

Why is one saved and another's lost? Well, humanly, one repented and the other one didn't.

But divinely, God is the one who makes the difference. Arminianism says the ultimate reason is man said no.

And Paul says the ultimate reason is God says yes. That's the rub.

Go to John chapter 6, if you would, please. John 6, the drawing influence of the Holy Spirit.

Preached one passage that Steve already preached and preached now quickly a passage that I think he certainly wants to preach.

Are you up to John 6, 41 yet? Okay, let me tell the congregation how it should be preached right now.

All right. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Steve said he's taking notes.

I'm only going to hit the highlights, so I'll let Steve unpack it. Because you know how Pastor Steve preaches, right?

You want me to describe Pastor Steve's preaching? Are you ready? Beep, beep, beep, beep.

He just backs a truck up and unloads the riches of God's grace, and that thing just comes into your life like a flood or a dumpster, dump truck, one of the two.

I didn't mean dumpster. I meant dump truck. Sorry. Okay, back to my notes. Good thing

Ben's not here videotaping this thing today. But just quickly,

Steve will go through it a little bit later. So the Jews, John 6, 41, grumbled about him because he said,

I am the bread that came down from heaven. They said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?

He's just a regular guy. How does he now say? How does this guy say? I've come down from heaven.

Jesus answered them, do not grumble among yourselves. No one, no man can come to me.

Every man is spiritually impotent unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on that day.

Does man really have the ability and the power and the strength and the courage and the fortitude to repent outside of the influence of God the father,

God the son, and God the spirit? Is God really trying to convert people and he just can't get the job done because his arm is too short to save?

Ask yourself the question. Out of all the billions of the people on earth today, if Jesus is really trying to save them all but they just don't want, how weak is

Jesus because the majority of people, matter of fact, most everyone isn't a Christian.

When I say most everyone, I'm talking about percentages. Of course, God is saving people all over the place.

But if the percentages are there, why are there so many people who aren't saved? Is the reason because God is too weak to do it?

I'm trying to convert people, I'm just coming up short. The hymn writer

Top Lady, and you know some of Top Lady's songs. A doctrine which represents omnipotence itself as wishing and trying and striving to no purpose.

According to this tenant, God in endeavoring is trying to convert sinners. May by sinners be foiled, defeated and disappointed.

If you take a look at the passage there, draw, John 6, 44. To draw, it means to drag.

God has to do something to the sinner to make him willing. Remember John 5, I'm not willing to come to you that I have life.

John 6, the father has to do something to that unwilling John 5 person to get him to come.

And what does the text say here? He draws, he drags, he attracts, he hauls.

A fisherman drags a net, that's the word there. Paul and Silas being dragged by a mob.

Rich men drag poor people into court, same word. And the thing that's being dragged can't stop itself from being dragged.

Now let's go to Luke chapter 14 as we wrap this morning up. Man is responsible to repent.

Man can't repent, so what has to happen? And I want you to see the graciousness and the love of God who invites and calls unworthy sinners to dine with him.

Jesus is a friend of sinners. He calls sinners from every walk to be his eternal banqueting guests.

The compassion of God. Ever think about this? The creator of the universe would want fellowship with me.

God wants fellowship with me. If you're a Christian, God wants fellowship with you. How does that work in light of my past?

How many times did I have to spit in God's face for him to be angry with me? And God says, no, I want fellowship with you and I'm going to make it happen.

Luke 14. Don't you love this passage? I don't know who you had over for Thanksgiving, but I guess it was probably friends and not a bunch of sinners.

Let's find out. Luke 12. He said also, excuse me, Luke 14, 12. He said also to the man who had invited him, when you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.

But when you give a feast, invite the poor and the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you.

See where this is going? For you will be repaid at the resurrection. Now let's see how

God fills his banquet hall. How do you fill your Thanksgiving table? Let's see if it's the same way God fills his banquet hall.

Verse 15. When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said, blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.

I see, Jesus, where you're going. You're saying a bunch of Gentiles are going to have fellowship with you, but I want you to know as a

Jew, all us Jews are in too. Don't forget us good

Jews, Jesus. We're Jewish, you know. We promised the kingdom, the feasts.

Jesus, you're going to say the Gentiles are invited and I need to kind of carve out a piece for us good

Jews again. The Jews are going to make it. And now Jesus is going to test the sincerity and the integrity of that man's comment.

Verse 16. Here's the test. And when Jesus tests you with parables, you better buckle up.

And he said to him, a man once gave a great banquet and invited many.

Remember, there are punch lines to parables. A man gave a great banquet, invited many.

And at the time for the banquet, he sent his servants to those who had been invited to come for everything now as ready.

There's a huge banquet. And back in those days, they didn't have iPhones and all kinds of calendars. And so you did the double invitation.

We do that kind of today sometimes. We say we're going to have the Christmas party.

We announce it two weeks early on BBC Announce. And then the day of, we say what? Don't forget the

Christmas party's later today. So back in those days, we're going to have this huge feast. By the way, people were super poor back then.

They didn't hardly have any food. They didn't have a variety of food. And now there's going to be a huge production put on.

And this is the feast of all feasts. We told you a couple of weeks ago it's going to come up. And now everything's prepared.

Don't forget. Make sure you show up. A big to -do. This is Middle Eastern RSVPing.

The double deal. People had big meals back in those days.

Not for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for celebrations of children, weddings, victories with war, victories in war.

And I don't know if you've been to Israel with us. We hope to go back in 2015. But when you wake up and you get kind of the breakfast spread of the

Middle Eastern breakfast and fish and bread and olives and cheeses and honey and dates and figs, like those kind of things for breakfast.

Now remember, here's the big picture. God is calling sinners to fellowship with Him.

God is saying, I'm going to throw a big party for you because I want to be with you.

This is celebration language. Calling sinners to the heavenly feast.

Often doesn't God describe the joy of heaven as those reclining together and eating because we kind of get the connection.

I mean, what's the best of best in life? It's when you have your family all together and you just what?

Okay, I'll say it. You just pig out. Here's the best of best that life has to offer.

You just put your calorie counter away. You put the Lose It app away or MyFitnessPal away.

And you just think, I'm just going to eat. Guilt free. Pass that food over here.

This is the best. With friends and family, you're just eating. We can't really describe heaven, but if food with family is good, if fellowship with the ones you love the most, surrounded by a bunch of cheese fondue and chocolate or something,

I don't know what you like to eat, if that's good, how much greater is heaven going to be?

If the President of the United States invited you to have a meal at the White House, my guess is it's going to be pretty good.

So what is heaven going to be like? Joy and pleasure and satisfaction.

No calories too, I'm just thinking. It's going to just be better. Nobody had watches back in those days.

We're going to have a huge feast. Now it's a reminder, today's the feast. Everything's ready. This is going to be good.

Verse 17. Who does this? Who's so gracious back in those days to have this huge feast for people who...

And at the dinner hour, He sent His slave to say to those who had been invited, verse 17, Come, for everything is ready now.

Everyone must repent. Everyone must believe. Everyone must come to Christ.

The banquet's ready. Eternal riches are for you. Christ Jesus has died on the cross for sinners like you.

He's been raised from the dead. Come and feast. Reminds me of Isaiah 65.

I have spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people.

It's not a secret deal. It's not a hidden deal. Here's the feast.

And Israel only had herself to blame. And if you won't come, you only have yourself to blame.

Verse 18. Luke 14, 18, But they all alike, every one of them, began to make excuses.

Literally, that Greek word means to be left aside. To beg off. I'm just begging off. Here's an excuse. Now start thinking about it.

Before you got saved, and even the people you preach to now, you must repent, and here's the riches of forgiveness, and here's who

Jesus is. Eternal life with him. Fellowship with God. And you preach that to them, and what do they say?

They're full of these exact same excuses, aren't they? No, you know what? I think illicit sex is better than heaven, and I'm willing to go to hell for it.

They might not say that, but that's what they mean. And by the way, these excuses here aren't really like that.

These aren't people saying, I'm sorry, later today I've got to go murder some people. I'm busy. These are just these carcinogenic excuses.

The banquet's been prepared. Salvation has been accomplished. Look at the first excuse found in verse 18.

Possessions. I've got necessities to go on. I've got material things that I need to take care of.

Business comes before pleasure, you know. Best regards, count me as excused.

The first said to him, I bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.

Can't wait just a few hours to go check out your field? You really buy things without looking at them?

Maybe he was trying to twist this verse in Deuteronomy 20. Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it?

Let him depart and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man dedicate it. So if you build a house, you should dedicate it.

And by the way, I bought a house. I've got to go dedicate it. You know, I have to do what the Scriptures say. Excuse number two.

By the way, as I'm reading these things, if you're a Christian, you had excuses just like this, and so did

I, but God has overcome these things. He's the one that gets credit for it. And another said, I have bought 20 ,000 pounds of oxen.

Five yoke. Ten of those. And I go to examine them. Please have me excused.

You really have to go now? It's the banquet. This is not some kind of buffet.

What are some of the buffets people like to go to today? This is not like the Golden Corral. What's the best restaurant around here?

Anybody? What's your favorite restaurant in Worcester? Sole proprietor.

What else? O 'Connor's? Moe's? Kind of interesting group here.

This is not... I'm sorry, since we're friends, I'll say it. This isn't Moe's. Even though you can have it as favorite.

But this is fine food and dining. This is the kind of dining, there are so many forks and spoons, if you're

Mike Abenroth, you just wait for other people to pick them up first because you don't know the right etiquette. Nah, you know what?

I've got to get that thing at work done. I have to go live my life for a while. School.

Excuse number three comes up. First excuse is kind of material. Second excuse, it's kind of material stuff too.

Now what about family? You know, family first. Family, God, and then country. And another one said, he gives really a blunt answer.

I have married a wife, therefore I cannot come. I can make all kinds of comments.

But it is laughable. Here's the feast. By the way, if I could make my wife's day, it would be, you know,

I just got invited by the president of the United States to have dinner with him. I get to take one person. Steve and I are going to have a great time.

Wouldn't our wives be thrilled? It's the banquet. Back in these days, they're not getting all the great cheeses and all the great olives and all the great fish.

These people are living on barley cakes and little fish butter. He says in the

Greek, I'm in a state of being married. Not really a sophisticated answer.

Deuteronomy 24 does say, when a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any other duty.

He shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken. But wouldn't the wife be happy?

I can't go serve in the army, but I'll make my wife happy. Take her out on the town. So cheer up a bride.

These veiled excuses aren't good enough. God is calling sinners to repent and they're just full of excuses.

And every excuse is essentially John chapter 5. I won't come. I refuse to come.

I won't come. I have something better to do. I'm not going to come. Yet not one of these said with their words,

I won't come. But that's exactly what they meant. R. Ken Hughes says, why is it that when

Christ offers forgiveness, peace, eternal life, and an eternal feast, so few respond?

The hardest people, listen, the hardest people to reach are those who say, blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Now here's the great news. God could stop there. I've invited you. My son has done all this work.

The banquet's prepared and you won't come. So that's what I'm going to do is just leave it at that. Payday.

But the kingdom of God and heaven will not lack people. So the servant came, reported these things to the master.

Then the master called off the banquet. Heaven's closed. The master of the house became angry and said to his servant, go out quickly to the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the crippled and the blind and the lame.

Jesus is a friend of sinners. And Old Testament might have prevented these exact kind of people from coming near the temple, but they can come to heaven through the finished work of Christ Jesus.

You break this down and say to yourself, I've insulted the son of God.

And what does he do? Wipe out the earth? No, go track down a bunch of sinners. Fill it with the people who are unlovable.

Fill it with the outcast and the lepers. Look at the text.

The poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. Boy, he had some good servants, didn't he?

Verse 22, the servant said, Sir, what you commanded has been done. Still there's room.

We went every nook and cranny. There's still more room at your banqueting table. You've got so much.

You've prepared such a great feast. You're such a God with arms wide open, magnanimous grace, lavishing grace.

There's still more room. Jesus is a friend of sinners. Master said to the servant,

Go out into the highways and the hedges. And now here we come to our text. Man must repent.

Man cannot repent. Enter God, the Savior, and compel people to come in that my house might be filled.

Urge them, force them, press upon them. One man said the word compel means whether by force, threats, or by persuasion, entreaties, or other means.

Inward compulsion, outward compulsion. What are we seeing here? We're seeing the effectual call of the

Holy Spirit. We're seeing regeneration. Give them a new life, and then they'll want to do it.

Fill that house up. Load it up. One man said grace abhors a vacuum. God has done so much gracious things.

Fill that thing up. No place will be vacant. These people are going to say to you exactly what these other folks did.

You're going to go out there and say, come, the banquet's ready. Nah, I'm busy. Compel them. Well, come on, the banquet's ready.

I'm married. No, you come anyway. You do not take no for an answer. And when the

Father has chosen someone in eternity past, and the Son has died for them, and the Spirit of God in time goes to get them, the

Spirit of God will not take no for an answer. Aren't you glad? Think about your own life. Was there a time where you said, no,

God, stiff arm to God. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to believe. I'm not going to be some kind of freak and born again and all these things.

I've got my own life to live, my own sin to live, and God wouldn't take no for an answer because Jesus is a friend to sinners.

No excuse is good enough, and God is going to fill up that table.

Verse 24, for I tell you, none of those men who are invited shall taste my banquet.

Of course, the context is Israel. Oh, there's going to be a future for Israel, but these people right here, they're not going to taste.

Certainly shut out for now. God's mercy is going to go for the lower status, the

Gentiles. Kind of reminds me of Hosea 2, and I will sow her for myself in the land.

I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who are not my people, you are my people, and they will say, you are my

God. I'm too busy to be a

Christian. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save. That was lost. I won't take no for an answer.

Yeah, but how will this affect my job and my wife? She's not a believer. God won't take no for an answer.

Yeah, but I'm really a good person. God won't take no for an answer. You must repent, and you can't repent, and so God has to step in, and he will grant you repentance.

Friends, I have people in my life who say no to Jesus. Now, if I'm waiting for them to come up with a notion that they should repent and believe in their own strength, friends, it's never going to happen.

They're going to bust hell wide open. But if I present the gospel to them and I tell them who

Jesus is, and I implore them to believe, and whether it's friend or foe or relative or loved one or child or anyone else, and I preach the gospel,

I know that they can't repent. I know that they must repent, and I know when God the Father has chosen them, the

Son has died for them, the Spirit is going to come and compel them to come in. He won't take no for an answer.

Thomas Watson speaks of the captain who's the victor, Jesus Christ. In all our fears, let us comfort ourselves with the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ's blood.

Christ died both as a purchaser and a conqueror. As a purchaser in regard of God having by his blood obtained our salvation, and as a conqueror, the cross being his triumphant chariot wherein he has led hell and death captive.

You must repent. You can't repent. God compels you to come in.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life -transforming power of God's Word through verse -by -verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please, come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 8 .30 and 11 a .m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p .m.

We're located on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org

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