Luke 14:1-24, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

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Luke 14:1-24 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

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Luke chapter 14 hear the word of the Lord One Sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the
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Pharisees They were watching him carefully and behold There was a man before him who had dropsy and Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees saying is it lawful to heal of the
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Sabbath? Or not, but they remained silent Then he took him and healed him and sent him away and he said to them
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Which of you having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day? Will not immediately pull him out and they could not reply to these things
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Now he told a parable to those who were invited when he noticed how they chose the places of honor saying to them
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When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast do not sit down in a place of honor Lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him and he who invited you both will come and say to you
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Give your place to this person and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place But when you are invited go and sit in the lowest place so that when your host comes he may say to you
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Friend move up higher Then you will be honored in the presence of all who's all who sit at table with you
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For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself Will be exalted
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He said Also to the man who had invited him When you give a dinner or a banquet
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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
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But when you give a feast invite the poor the crippled the lame the blind and you will be blessed
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Because they cannot repay you you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things
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He said to him blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God But he said to him a man once gave a great banquet and Invited many and at the time for the banquet
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He sent his servant to him to say to those who had been invited come for everything is now ready
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But they all alike began to make excuses the first said to him I have bought a field and I must go out and see it.
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Please have me excused Another said I have bought five up yoke of oxen and I go to examine them
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Please have me excused and another said I have married a wife therefore I cannot come so the servant came and reported these things to his master then 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 the crippled the blind and lame and the
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Servant said sir What you commanded has been done and still there is room and the master said to the servant
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Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in That my house may be filled for I tell you none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet
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May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Well Have you had your fill of parties?
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For the last few weeks couple months Thanksgiving is long gone. Now. The Christmas parties are over Hopefully you've cleaned up for many
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New Year's indulgence Now it's time for ads in case you haven't noticed
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Thick many ads for Nutrisystem or exercise machines Peloton, whatever.
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So I've got a bicycle thing weight loss plans. There's new workouts Because people are eager to lose weight the weight they gained from all the parties and dinners and feasts they had but but it won't be too long until we have
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Super Bowl parties and Valentine's dinners and so the cycle continues
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Chinese New Year is late this year, February 16th, and it's celebrated by guess what a party feasting first a reunion dinner on Chinese New Year Eve The night before and then various treats on the day and actually for the next 15 days now it seems to be a universal human trait to celebrate
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With eating almost every culture I know of has feast celebrations with with parties with Gather together party tasty food and drinks now something to that instinct to party
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Even though every culture I know has it some something that's kind of sinful. It's carnal
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It's something that no real Christian would indulge in John Wesley the founder of the
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Methodist established a school for boys in England in which he made a rule of no games
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No holidays that every Friday the school the students were to fast until 3 in the afternoon 19th century
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Presbyterian scholar a B Bruce said that he could not conceive of the child Jesus playing games
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Think Jesus played any games as a boy or the grown Jesus smiling
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Today I think the pendulum has swung to the other side with popular pictures of Jesus being of him smiling or even laughing out loud a popular way to attract people to Christian gatherings is
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To is by being with food advertised the food you have I'd love to say we that that's a sign of progress that we made progress that now we're we're finally growing out of that unnatural and really unbiblical
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Objection to the creation and all its pleasures That was it was really a part of the platonic dualism of the
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Greek and Roman culture that Christianity just got so mixed up in and that we've
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Grown past that and become more more biblical in our worldview. And so we aren't anti material anymore
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We aren't even we aren't Gnostic anymore. I Like to say that but I have a feeling that the real reason we have pictures of Jesus making him look like, you know now he looks like a friendly surfer dude the pictures and we have lots of desserts at our church meals and we rarely call for a church fast
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I think the real reason is probably because not because we've grown more biblically spiritual but because we're
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We're kind of self indulgent we can't imagine our Christianity making us part with some pleasure the pleasure of the table
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You know television Movies, whatever the bedroom we might even we might even feel it.
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We might feel a little guilty about that Like the way we feel bad about the five or ten pounds we gained over the past month or so And so we're susceptible to switch to someone selling the idea
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That we really do need to swing the pendulum back to the other side There may be
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Wesley and a B Bruce were right and we need we need to buckle down Wipe that smile off our face and endure through more overly long sermons and You know get rid of the musical instruments and sing a cappella psalms only and forget about the feasting and the embrace routine fasting
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That after all we still suspect in the back of our minds is what it really means
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To be a serious Christian No more fun and games no more treats no more self -indulgence
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But the fact is, you know, we really can't stand the idea of doing that all the time
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And so we will so we will become the pendulum we'll swing from one extreme to another from times of feasting and fun and then
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Serious times fasting from holiday parties. We just had to maybe 30 days in January with no desserts no sodas only
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Christian music and Soon, they'll start selling the idea of Lent again and many will take the bait thinking that you know
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They can get through 40 days and get through 40 days without a trip to Dairy Queen. I think maybe
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I hope There may be 40 days without Facebook something like that and they can diet for a while to lose five pounds
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They can stop the social media for a few weeks if they've gotten hooked on it Before they of course the
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The ideas after that 40 days or whenever is over. He'll go back to it.
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They can live for short stints. They think In what they think is the kingdom of God before going back to the world
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For a short while they can endure denying themselves what they really enjoy
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For what for what they think they should endure That will be their
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New Year's resolution. They'll seek first the kingdom of God Until the
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Super Bowl our Valentine's Whatever comes around the problem is That they don't know that the kingdom of God you see here is a party
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Here Jesus is invited to a dinner to a party and he takes this opportunity to teach us about Parties and about how the kingdom of God itself is a party
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We continue where we left off in Luke last year This is really not a break in Luke. So we're the ideas flowing from where it was before in chapter 11 verse 20
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Jesus had said that if he's cast out demons by the finger of God, which he has Then the kingdom of God has come past perfect tense in chapter 13
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Just before the chapter just before this he says that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed Beginning size tiny doesn't begin as overwhelming invasion that they were expecting in their time many still expect today that it's like a little leaven and love and a lump of It's a little leaven and a huge lump of dough the dough being the the world
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Therefore he said in chapter 13 Again, just before this that we must strive and must agonize
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To enter the kingdom of God by the narrow door He said you will find it and in many even many of the physical descendants of Abraham Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the prophets they will see
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Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the prophets they will see them feasting The physical descendants of them will see the feasting in the kingdom of God.
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They'll see the feast And they'll see them with oddly enough. He says just before this
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With strangers with Gentiles You know, they thought it was them.
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They thought they were invited the party just because of family connections But he says no, they'll be out and they will see them the feast of the kingdom of God with Gentiles the nations all reclining together
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For dinner at a party while they are cast out with that From chapter 14 where we are now in Jesus is literally invited
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To a party and he tells us three things about the party. That is the kingdom of God first What are we having?
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What's what what's this party about? What's the draw here? And second, where do we sit and third who's invited?
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Well, I hope you're not tired of parties because here we are invited to one What are we having at this party?
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Is it a pizza party? Are there just snacks or is there a full dinner? It's not a keg party.
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Is it surely not maybe a wine tasting maybe a water turned into wine tasting part
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Well, he had one of those already Yes, it's a dinner party here in Luke chapter 14, but that's not really the main draw of the kingdom of God Here Jesus is invited to a dinner on a
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Sabbath Probably probably after they met for worship in the synagogue and you know They said like many of some of you will say let's where we're gonna eat next
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After this, they said to Jesus coming to our house. He's all right He went with them to this dinner party.
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Now the host you notice he isn't just a Pharisee He calls him a ruler of the
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Pharisees. Otherwise, this is a big a big man big shot somebody Probably a member of the
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Sanhedrin and so we'd end up being one of the men who eventually condemned Jesus to death Now some people call parties for ulterior motives
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No parties are supposed to be enjoyable social occasions But some people call them maybe to sell Tupperware or make it make contacts for their business
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Start talking to you about their life. You have enough life insurance Gossip maybe they just want to talk about other people.
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They saw maybe find sexual encounters Here's the real purpose for this party is to give the Lord Jesus. You're under the lizard eye
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What's up with this guy? Check him out to see if they could find something to accuse him of and then it probably wasn't an accident that there was a man there and notice that He's apparently he's placed right in front of Jesus because it says he's right in front of him
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They you know, they maybe they had little place cards here. You sit here. Mr Man with a disease right in front across from Jesus The disease he is
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Disease he has is called you call it dropsy and in Greek It's a word has excess of water probably retaining excess fluids.
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Remember Luke is a doctor So he's kind of interested in these actual you can imagine when he's he's investigating these stories.
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He asked probably Penetrating question. What exactly did this man have that he healed up and he here at the same time.
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Oh, yeah dropsy Jesus has healed before the Sabbath Even recorded even in the
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Gospel of Luke So they here they wanted to see if they could set him up if he would do it again
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We don't know anything about the man except that he has this disease with fluids coming out of him Which probably made him then considered unclean
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There's no reason to think that he was in on this plot That he was part of the scheme to try to trap
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Jesus most likely He was just involved invited there with the lure, you know, hey come to our dinner party
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You might get healed and the draw for him then What this party was about for him was healing
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Now Jesus's miracles are tokens There are symbols of the kingdom of God that it has come and this is what it does
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What is it? Like where God rules, right? That's what the kingdom of God is That's where God rules if the kingdom of God is a party.
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What are we having? What's what's bringing us to this party healing? Yeah for this man, certainly if God rules there and you have what called dropsy
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Or maybe cancer or maybe heart disease or psychiatric problems or kidney failure or Or maybe you're dead or maybe worse far worse
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You're sinful You're estranged from God Well, the kingdom of God is healing and he heals all that But first what about the trap the
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Pharisees and what Luke here calls the lawyers Luke is writing for Gentiles So he what's what it's what he calls describes the
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Bible scholars In verse in verse 3, they were looking to see what Jesus would do. We've heard you heal on the
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Sabbath You know, you're not supposed to do that According to them healing was strictly forbidden on the Sabbath Not that the
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Old Testament prohibits it let's make it clear here Not that it was against the letter of the law.
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That's what some people's idea of they think Well, it really was against the letter of the law and here Jesus is showing us this
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Sometimes we can break the letter of the law if somehow we're keeping the spirit of it according to our feelings
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That's some people's idea of Jesus today That he was this revolutionary Overthrowing all the laws of the
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Old Testament and making everything acceptable as long as we say we're doing it in love
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You know, the Bible condemns fornication premarital sex, but we all we know now thanks to that smiling hippie
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Do Jesus as long as we're doing it in love, it's all perfectly fine. That's some people's idea
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No, that's not what is going on here There actually was no command in the old
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Old Testament prohibiting healing on the Sabbath Okay, keep that in mind that's why
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Jesus asked him Responding to their provocation to their trap. There's this man put right in front of him with his disease
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He asked him notice. Is it lawful and he's talking to these what
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Luke calls here lawyers, but they're scribes They're Old Testament scholars According to God's law the the
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Torah the Old Testament What we call the Old Testament particularly the Pentateuch is it lawful love by the law of Moses to heal on the
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Sabbath Is it what's what's the Word of God say? That's what he's asking
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Well, they would say no But not that any provision of the Old Testament law prohibited it but because their tradition reasoned that Healing was practicing medicine
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Which it is for most people which was work and That work was prohibited
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So it was their tradition that prohibited healing on the Sabbath not God's law
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What Jesus is teaching here is first What we now call
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Coming in, you know celebrating the Reformation sola scriptura is
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It lawful according to God's law The Word of God scripture to heal on the
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Sabbath. Well scripture doesn't prohibit it now their tradition does
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But here which is the ultimate authority? He implies by the way, he asked the question.
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Is it lawful according to God's law to heal on the Sabbath? He implies that if they can show him that healing is prohibited by God's law on the
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Sabbath not just their tradition Then he won't do it on the Sabbath.
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Maybe wait for the Sun to go down and do it Then he implies he implies that but they can't show him that you know, they can't say, you know the verse here
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They can't so they remain silent They're probably racking their brains wait, is it there say something a
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Leviticus or Deuteronomy and they can't think of it But they know they can't quote any verse of Scripture prohibiting it.
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So while the Word of God cannot be broken tradition can and that is the definition of sola scriptura
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By the way, many people get that wrong many people confuse that and we'll be that's part of our next
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Sunday school series What's sola scriptura about Scripture alone is the infallible guide not tradition?
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Now their tradition says don't heal because of their own reasoning don't don't practice medicine on the
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Sabbath But the Lord Jesus sees this poor man There's nobody who's being used by the somebodies to trap him
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But he sees him before him and in need and so at the end of verse 4 Says he took him and healed him and sent him away
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Now, why did he do it? Just to flout their traditions to offend them
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They made the party about Trapping Jesus, but here Jesus shows what the kingdom of God a party that party is about in verse 5
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Which of you having a son or an ox that has fallen to a well on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out
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That's Jesus saying why he did what he did wasn't just to offend these religious hypocrites
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It's it's in that question Son or ox falls into a well
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You're gonna pull him out. Why will you pull him out that same reason why you will pull him out? Is the same reason
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I healed this man? Of course, you're gonna rescue the son or the ox because you have mercy on them
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Even if it's a Sabbath on October 14th 1987 18 month old
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Jessica McClure a little toddler, I guess If in Midland, Texas fell down a well in her
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Aunt's backyard and the first responders from the fire department hoped to free her in just a few minutes But the ground all around the well was like solid rock and so they couldn't get to her
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She was 22 feet below ground and those of you are probably my age or older. I remember the story. Well Because this is this is big news
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That's that's the amazing thing that happened This is just one girl in a country of this about 250 million people
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One girl falls down a well and the entire country just like stopped and watched obsessed for 58 hours over two days as They worked to get her out, you know, the president commented on it.
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Everybody was just watching this this thing Because this girl found out a well
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There's a lot of negative things to say about the culture of our country and somebody even scoffed It was just too trivial for all that attention.
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It's only one life, but no, that's a good thing It's a good thing the whole country wanted that girl out of that Well, the girl falls down a well, we all want to get her out.
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It's mercy and now now Put it this way if she had fallen down on the
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Sabbath Should we rescue her or should we just say hey, Jessica we'll get to you in 24 hours
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Mr. Sabbath can't do anything now. No, of course not. Yeah mercy That's what the kingdom of God is about That's the draw
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It's not pizza or a Super Bowl or a game or something like that a new year.
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It's God's mercy Not about tradition the kingdom of God is not about tradition our rule keeping our being so disciplined
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You'll leave your son to wait until the next day rather than pull him out on the Sabbath It's about mercy.
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That's what the that's what we'll be feasting about That's what will be the draw mercy
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Well speaking of parties big events dinners get -togethers Where do you sit?
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Who gets to sit at the head of the table or maybe it the host right hand?
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Or maybe the next in line at his left hand Or like in some places you have a big pulpit chair cost maybe thousands of dollars gets to sit on the platform facing everybody else
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Some people will go to an event just to be one of the somebodies who are noticed who are up on the platform to be seen
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And so about that starting in verse 7 Jesus gives notice Luke calls it a parable It's a parable.
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It's not just a bit of wise advice to keep you from being humiliated You know as people you don't want to be the one that the host has to ask, you know,
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I'm sorry We don't have enough room for you here at the grown -up table. Can you go sit with the kids, please the kids table? You don't want to be that Embarrassed like that.
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It's not just that it's a parable Because it's it's more than just a shrewd about more than just a shrewd ploy to avoid being embarrassed
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It's about the kingdom of God Jesus has come for dinner at the house of a ruler of the
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Pharisees and everybody who is anybody is There and they're all jockeying to be seated next to the host or maybe next to Jesus, you know in the head table
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To be seen as someone of rank I'm gonna be one of the cool kids If they were at an evangelical conference today
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They'd want to be part of the panel this ask questions sitting up there on the platform with you know Not just any riffraff asking questions here.
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Everyone chose the place of honor So Jesus says to them beginning of verse 8 When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast do not sit down at a place of honor
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Lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him and he invited both of you will come and say to you give
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Give your place to this person and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place
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But when you are invited go and sit in the lowest place. So when your host comes he may say to you
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Friend move up higher then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you in other words
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Go sit at the children's table Take the low place Don't use a wedding reception or a
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Super Bowl party or a Chinese reunion Union dinner or church service To grab attention grab recognition to sit on the platform in the big pulpit chair to be the ho at the host right hand
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To be at the head table. The kingdom of God is not for those who grasp glory after all
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Who's the host as? We've been seeing in Sunday schools bodies been showing us in Philippians 2
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Jesus the Eternal Son Did not grasp for equality with God He didn't try to hold on to glory the privileges the esteem that he was due as God Prominent place he was there already
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But he humbled himself He was he said of himself meek and lowly of heart and he wants people at his party like him meek
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So in verse 11 Remember, this is a parable about the kingdom of God Everyone There everyone who exalts himself
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Everyone who tries to grasp for rank and privileges and being seen being one of the cool kids one of the somebody's
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Everyone who is like that Will be humbled by who
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You notice that grammatically. That's a that's a passive sentence. They will be humbled who is doing the humbling
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Passive sentence, but the subject is unspoken. It's it's assumed. Who are we to assume is doing the humbling?
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This is a typical Jewish way of avoiding overusing the name of God. It was a what they call it the divine passive Passive in order to avoid say
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God did it but God is doing the humbling. God will humble everyone who exalts himself
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Satan is a self exalter Jesus is a self humbler
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God the Father is a self exalter humbler and a self humbler exalter
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Last Monday night New Year's Day Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl Georgia linebacker
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Davin Bellamy shouted at Baker Mayfield the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma the winner of the
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Heisman Trophy The flamboyant young man that many had predicted would lead
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Oklahoma past Georgia Who himself had proclaimed? Taunting the
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Georgia defense in the second quarter of that game as his team Mayfield had led his team like almost 21 points ahead.
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It's shouted to them. The game is over Well it when the game was really over He was defeated
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And so the Georgia linebacker shouted to him repeatedly humble yourself humble yourself
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The loss may have humbled him already The advice is good for anybody not just for taunting defeated
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Heisman Trophy winners because we will all have to humble ourselves or God will humble us
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Guess who's coming for dinner? Jesus is He's hosting a party the kingdom of God What are we having?
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What's the draw? mercy Where do we sit? With the meek
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Well now well who's invited Well, Jesus had asked the Pharisees in the
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Bible scholars whether it was biblical to heal on the Sabbath and then told those wrangling to Get the best seats the seats of honor.
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He told them To humble themselves and now in verse 12, he turns to the host and he tells tells him
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Who to invite? When you give a dinner or a banquet do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relative or rich neighbors
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Lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid Now this man is probably thinking you know, wait talking about That's exactly why
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I invited these people I did so that I would be repaid You know so that when that other big shot over there has a reception
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He'll invite me and he'll have me sit in a place of honor It's all goes around But Jesus said when you give a feast invite the poor the crippled the lame the blind the nobody's the losers
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Those who can't do anything for you, you know Even if they invited you over you probably have a decent chair to sit in and they wouldn't have anything decent to give you
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The host there probably thinks Why in the world would I do that? Well, that's the problem
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You're only thinking about What's in the world? Jesus is thinking, you know, like what he did when he talked about Pray in private where only the father sees you fast in private when only
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God sees you give in private When only God can see Jesus here is thinking about what
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God sees so invite these nobody's and Then you will be blessed.
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He says in verse 14, you'll be blessed Because They cannot repay you
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This man's probably thinking what bizarre way of thinking is that how are they good? How am I gonna be blessed if they can't repay me?
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I Mean I invited these people so I would be blessed by them repaying me What are you talking about Jesus?
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Well, he's talking about those who who want their blessings to come from God Not just rich somebody's who can invite you back over because you live by faith faith in God who you believe sees you and Who rewards you when no one else can?
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you believe You really believe in this God who sees you you will be repaid He paid by who?
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It's another passive sentence another divine passive by God God will repay you and he says when at the resurrection of the just That's the that is the resurrection to the just mean or the righteous those who are made right with God How they made right with God by the way, but in this passage
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They have faith don't they that they believe in the God who sees them when? When no one else does
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It's through faith because they believe in the one who sees them even when no one else in the world does They're made right with God.
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They're one of the just the righteous through faith Those are resurrected and after resurrection
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They are repaid for everything that they gave in this life out of faith in God Every cent they gave when no one would know about it every prayer they pray
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Because they really believed not because they were showing off Every time they skipped a meal because they were just too consumed with seeking the face of God to worry about eating
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Every time they drove a church bus or or van to pick up noisy kids or play ball with them So they could hear the gospel or stood out in the parking lot for I don't know how long yesterday with a torch to get
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The ice melted so we could have water today They could have something more than just hanging out on the street
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Every hot dog or pizza pizza served to people who the world considers. Nobody's people who can't do anything for you
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We can't pay you for that But you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous
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Somebody Who's the somebody at the dinner? Here's this maybe he wants to be seen for how pious he is or maybe he wants to politely defuse the situation
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I mean think about this Jesus has stepped on every toe here They came to Jesus to watch him carefully
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He offended them about the Sabbath and now he's directly directly confronted them about who they invite to parties
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So tension is in the air and so this somebody says blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God There was probably a chorus of a man's a man's
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Rising from the table. Everyone could agree with that Nothing to argue with about that. Is there? But Jesus responds
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Speaking of a party Who's invited? You you guys invite each other
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You know next week you'll be at his house You don't invite the unemployed nobody's hanging out on the street with their sagging pants
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Maybe with a 40 ounce bottle of beer and a brown bag. You don't invite those they're losers I'm gonna invite them.
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Are you? Jesus said a man once gave a great banquet and invited many
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Notice, that's what he invites another parable about the kingdom What are we having at the party mercy?
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Where do we sit with the meek? Who's invited? many and And every day a rich powerful man would invite guests to his party
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If you're gonna give out a big party say I'm gonna have a party At some time in the future some, you know when something happens not give a precise time
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Maybe when my son gets married or when the harvest comes in in the fall When I get back from my trip and then when it's all ready and prepared then
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I'll have a party and you were invited It's like asking for an RSVP today a commitment to come
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I'm having a party sometime and you're invited now if the invited person says, yes,
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I'll come Then later the host would send out a second notice Probably with a servant like that to send us like a no say hey announce the precise time for the party the banquets ready time to come
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Now if you said yes to the first invitation It was extremely rude
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Not to show up when the exact time is announced No excuses were acceptable.
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You made your commitment already. You see you're supposed to be there Whatever you're doing you got a drop and you got to go to the party you committed yourself to that matter
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If you didn't know the time that's your problem So here the man and I'll play in the great banquet and he invited many and they said yes, we're coming
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So in verse 17 when it came time for the actual party He sent his servant to say to those who have been invited come for everything is ready table set
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We're ready come come so they're supposed to come They said they would come they had made their commitment.
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They had sung. Oh lamb of God. I come I come It they said the prayer they said the right words.
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Maybe they'd even been baptized But when the time came for them to actual actually come to the party into the kingdom of God to seek it first found excuses
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Invited many Many are called Many hear the gospel
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God commands all people Everywhere to repent that's many many say they believe
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But they don't all come Some make excuses in verse 18 one said
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I bought a field and I must go out to see it There's nothing wrong with buying a field.
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Is there? Real estate Here they use it for farming. It's the way to make a living.
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It's a way to feed your family Maybe for us it's like having a career. It's a business a job. It's the way to pay the bills
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I've got to keep my business open on a Sunday morning. I can't come to church because I've got to make money Right, that's a priority, isn't it?
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Isn't it a valid reason to skip a party? Not if the party is the kingdom of God Another said in verse 19,
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I have bought five yoke of oxen five pairs, you know, that's ten oxen I go to examine them.
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You need to examine your oxen. Don't you your equipment your stuff? It's like buying a new car
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You put the money down but you want to you want to take it on a test drive first before the deal is finalized, right?
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You've got to have your stuff. Don't you your nice new car your devices?
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You've got to try out that Apple X or 10, whatever they call it that's a reason not an excuse, isn't it?
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Not if your things are keeping you from the kingdom of God Another said in verse 20,
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I've married a wife and therefore I cannot come now. He's confident He is a solid reason you notice the other two guys asked, please.
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Excuse me. This guy just states it You know, this is I married a wife. I can't come You don't have to be excused he just states, you know, it can't be done as If everybody knew that getting married having the relationship is more important than going to the party
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Even if the party is the kingdom of God Well, we haven't changed at all about that. I we today we're just sure
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You're absolutely certain even many Christians that the relationship is the most important thing in life
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Seek that first Marriage can be redefined Church commitments can be forgotten.
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The Lord can be compromised for the sake of the relationship and many Christians churches
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Just accept that here this man even had a scripture he could use He probably thinks to back himself up Deuteronomy chapter 24 verse 5 when a man is newly married
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He shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken
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All right, that settles out then That's true for the army or jury duty or anything else in this world
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But this what Jesus is talking about is the kingdom of God when he said seek it first He didn't mean seek it second
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After you've got the relationship settled He didn't mean seek first The boyfriend the girlfriend and then the kingdom of God will be added to you
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No All these are excuses to avoid having to come to the kingdom of God Even if it is a party so in verse 21 the the master of the house, that's the host symbolizing
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God himself became angry God's angry even with the guy who you know has says he got to stay with his wife
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The many invited ducked out of coming They wanted the career the Cadillac the cuddling
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First so he sends his servant out to invite many others You know many
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I should say more Many many are invited now. He wants more mini
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Go out quickly to the streets and laying to the city and bring in the poor and the crippled and the blind and the lame
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First in the city bring the losers go get the low Go get the letdowns
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What is the switch foot song beautiful letdown puts it? The painfully uncool the church of the dropouts the losers the sinners the failures and the fools
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Who's invited to this party? many You could even say all are invited.
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God commands all people everywhere to repent but here who is effectively invited Otherwise who is invited?
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Who will come? the poor the crippled the blind the limping the losers the failures the divorced the broken
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You know the pants saggers the sinners Those who know they are sinners and that nothing in their hands they can bring
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But only to the cross They cling That's who's invited
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The servant said that's been done But there's there's still room Now in the original context of this parable
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The many who were invited the many in the city. Remember there's this city He invited the big shots in it.
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They didn't come now. He's invited the losers in it, but the city The many there that was israel
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They were invited to god's kingdom By by moses by the prophets and they swore they would come
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They rsvp their commitment to come But now with jesus
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When the kingdom comes They had excuses You know, they got a business to run
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They got cars and gadgets to get they got the relationship to take care of They were the big shots they were the rulers among the pharisees
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They're the type that's invited to all the big banquets who try to weasel their way into high -profile seats But when it comes to the kingdom of god the feast that jesus hosts
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They got other things to do So he invites the lowly first the lowly
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Of israel the meek Like the prodigal son who has to eat pig slop the lepers
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The outcast tax collectors like zacharias who's not too proud to climb a tree to see jesus the crucified thief next to him
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They'll come But there's still room so in verse 23
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Go out to the highways go out of the city To the highways the hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled
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Go out of the city out of israel in other words to the gentiles To macedonia to rome to ethiopia to china to america
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Invite them And notice this invite them to the same feast to the kingdom of god What was originally prepared for israel invite them to this.
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It's not a different offer. It's not a different banquet. It's not a different gospel It was what was prepared and offered from the beginning now
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Go out and bring all kinds of people many Into it go out to north hills apartments in danville to old farm in yanceyville
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Don't expect them to come to us Go out Go out to the school bus stops to the front doors to main street in danville
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October 31st handing out tracts with candy go out compel them With all the force
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Of your faith and your reasoning and your passion Now not with the force of the state, of course not not with a sword or with laws
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Intimidation with police to compel bodies to do what we want them to do But with the force of god's word and his spirit to compel hearts
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To believe to believe as freely and as passionately as you do now Go out and compel people to come in to the kingdom of god to seek it first with their hearts, too
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So that god's house god's kingdom will be filled with many they may be
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The many who are a letdown Well from the world's point of view But from god's point of view
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What a beautiful letdown they are well go Go get them
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Guess who's coming to dinner Jesus is But none of those jesus has in verse 24 or 4 who were originally invited the somebodies the winners the big shots
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Those who had excuses those are better things to do than to come into god's kingdom. None of those will taste jesus's banquet
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So now who's invited The meek Who know they need mercy?
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There will be many of them from all kinds of people The question now the question for you is
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Are you one of them Are you coming? Or are you making excuses