Terri Barney: She has a couple of numb spots on her lips and right ear.  Most sensation should return over the next two months, so we will see how she is doing in October and November.  The good news is that the nerves affecting her smile and eye are okay and she has feeling over most of her face.  She is resting at home now.  She will not make it to chuch this weekend, but should be able to be there the week after.  The healing process on the incisions will take two or three weeks.  Thanks again for your prayers.

8.17 K.P. Yohannan cancelled

Updates on Infrastructure / more info sheets as we ran out last week.

Matthew 22:1-14Rejection of the King

Part 4 The King’s Invitation

As we continue begin Matthew 22 we find Jesus continuing in a series of parables that were given to to EXPOSE

The DELIBERATE UNBELIEF and REJECTION of the AUTHORITY of Jesus by the chief priests and the scribes

1.) The parable of the two sons (21:28-32)

2.) The parable of the householder (21:33-46)

3.) The parable of the marriage feast (22:1-14)

KEY INSIGHT: This third parable moves into events prophetic and future.  KEY INSIGHT: We want to remember that a parable is the use of familiar, every day, earthly things to teach a heavenly truth. 

The kingdom of heaven is like this.  In this particular parable He’s going to use a royal wedding feast

 The preparation for such a royal wedding feast was something that the Jews were familiar with.

1And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,

BROAD STROKE: The whole of human history is quite simply the account of God drawing out a bride for His son.

As we head into this parable you and I need to remember that we are not just getting invited – we’re getting married…… we are the Bride of Christ!

3and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

KEY INSIGHT: The Royal Invitations in Biblical times and cultures came in to parts

The 1st - asked guests to attend.

The 2nd - announced all was ready.

EXAMPLE: Esther 5:8; 6:14

KEY OBSERVATION: This was a special invitation from the King Himself!

The Jews were highly honored in being chosen out of all the nations of the earth by the King of the Universe to attend the wedding of His Son.

NOTE WELL: These listeners would be able to see that Jesus was actually describing the history of their nation

The True and Living God had already INVITED them

He spoke directly to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob 

He spoke directly to Moses and to millions of them as they were encamped by Horeb.

He gave them the Law and gave them a beckon call to walk with Him.

 As time went on He sent the prophets to them.

 

Despite the ministry of the prophets they turned away and worshiped other gods.  

Then He sent John the Baptist  

Finally He sent His son.  

WE DON’T WANT TO MISS the Heavenly Truth concerning the nature of God that is pictured in the parable  

The beautiful picture here in this parable is that by the third appeal we’re getting a picture of the grace of God.

The picture of God continually calling, and calling, and calling.

  

Perhaps you can see that same process in your life

That same procession of events and invitations from God –

Before you were saved it probably wasn’t just one incident.

It wasn’t with me.

I remember God

stirring my heart before coming to salvation.

sending people across my path.

the point where He finally broke through.  

For most of us there was a continual process of invitation followed by invitation. 

We found ways to turn it off or shut it out BUT some way or other GOD just keeps inviting.

 THAT is what Jesus pictures for us in this parable! 

It happens on a personal level.  

It certainly happened nationally for Israel.  

The invitation continued.  

For those of you who don’t know Jesus this morning - you’re in this process.

Two, three weeks ---- a year.  Maybe you’re backslidden and you’ve been fighting Him off and you sense the reminder of the invitation….. That the wedding is ready!

BY THE WAY ---- we didn’t know you were coming.

Your mom didn’t call ---- Your Wife/Husband didn’t call

 

This is the chapter that we were at this morning.

So you better listen up, ok? God’s grace calling, drawing.

 

NOTICE: they WOULD NOT COME…. Were not willing 

It doesn’t say they COULD not come…. It says they WOULD not come.

This is VOLITIONAL.

TWO points here!

1.) There are some who say that if you are not PREDESTINED to be saved that you are PREDESTINED to NOT be saved.

IF that were the case God the Holy Spirit would have said – They COULD not come

Because God had DECREED that they NOT come.

2.) This is VOLITIONAL.

A choice is being made

Something is PREFERRED above responding to the invitation of the King.

4Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’

KEY OBSERVATION: The feast is prepared  

In those days you couldn’t put it back in the fridge.  

Everything’s ready. Everything’s killed.  

The Kings Actions were met with Reactions!

5But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

 NOTICE the two attitudes in their rejection of the invitation.

One is that of indifference and the other is of hostility.  

NOTE WELL: The same is true concerning people who reject Christ

There are those are INDIFFERENT to the Gospel while others are HOSTILE towards the Gospel.

THE INDIFFERENT RESPONSE ---- 5But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,

Went off >

They “went their ways” ---- not the “King’s way”

Interesting: Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;

WHY did they go THEIR own way rather than go the KINGS way?

They paid no attention >

KJV – made light of the invitation

There are those who make light of God’s love for them

Ameleo = careless; negligent

They simply could not care less about the invitation

BECAUSE they CARED MORE about other things

one to his farm, another to his business

Considering material things more important.

Considering temporal things more important than eternity.

And it’s the same today, isn’t it?

WHAT is that you CARE about?

It says a lot about the reality of your professed faith

Matt. 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Col 3:1-2 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

“Carnal men, love Carnal things!”

They are “Earth-bound!”

Jesus said that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches will choke out heavenly concerns in your life

Are you more concerned w/your home or business than w/the things of God?

2 Tim. 4:9-10 NLT Timothy, please come as soon as you can. 10Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life

THE HOSTILE RESPONSE ---- 6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

A couple of things here

1.) Have you ever been amazed at how HOSTILE some people can be at just the mention of the name of Jesus

2.) There are those who can not be content with merely rejecting the invitation ---- or even voicing their contempt for the invitation or the Name of Jesus.

They MUST destroy the messengers in hopes of preventing the invitation from ever being announced again.

HENCE the history of those who have died for no crime other than proclaiming faith in Jesus and inviting others to believe the Gospel.

The FIRST of them was a young man named Stephen.

He was the first of SIX MILLION who were murdered for the sake of the Gospel in the first 300 years of Christianity.

CRUCIAL INSIGHT: There is HOPE for even one of those murderers to finally respond to the Gospel.

1 Tim 1:12-16 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,

13though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

KEY INSIGHT: Jesus is speaking of the fact that

Titus Vespasian would come in 70 AD and under him the Roman Legion destroyed the city of Jerusalem.

KEY OBSERVATION: phrases his troops and their city their city - These men who rejected the invitation with great hostility had their own city…. Jerusalem

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!

The armies of Rome are referred to as the troops of the king 

The Roman Emperor Vespasian thought he was sending his armies against the Jews; but he was unconsciously, working out the eternal purpose of the most high God.

As He did w/both Assyria and Babylon.

Is.10:5-6 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”

Jer.25:9-10 behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

As Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD, the INDIFFERENT perished alongside of the HOSTILE.

Different postures ---- but SAME judgment!

WE DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS:

The man or woman who NEGLECTS the invitation because they are more careful about temporal things will perish with the man or woman who reacts violently against the message and the messenger!

The guy who responds to you saying ---- “Well I’m glad for you…. Thanks for sharing but I believe we’ll all find our own spirituality…..

Will face the same eternity in hell as the man or woman who tortured and murdered Christians.

8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

INSIGHT: WORTHY was a term commonly used in the market place.  

Axios = deserving or comparable 

It was used when they weighed things in the market place. When you put enough weight on one side to make them even that was axios.

  

ESSENTIALLY the king says to his servants that those who were bidden were not worthy

= they didn’t weigh as much as this great invitation.

 By the way none of us are worthy.  

We’re going to see that as we move on in the parable.

 None of us are as weighty or worthy as the invitation that has been given to us to be sons and daughters of God.

 The wedding is ready but they that were bidden were not worthy.

9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10And 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.

They went out and gathered everybody.

The good, bad and the ugly.

I’m glad it says the bad and the good.  

That is the DEMOGRAPHIC of the Kingdom of THIS King!

  

I was the bad.

Raise your hand if you were the good. I’m just curious.

 REMEMBER - those who were bidden were not worthy

CRUCIAL: THIS is a picture of ISRAEL in it’s rejection of the King’s Invitation and the rejection of the King’s Son.

11“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

KEY INSIGHT: In the wedding of a king – or an extremely wealthy man - he was the one who provided the garments for each guest at the wedding.  

In other words they didn’t get bums off the street and bring them in the way they were dressed.

 They were all supplied with a garment for the wedding feast.

 Evidently this man came and said - “Oh no I don’t need a garment because the clothes I have on are good enough.”  

THIS is a beautiful picture of Revelation 19 – where we read of the white robes for the wedding feast of the lamb.  

Those robes were PROVIDED

They are actually clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

 BY FAITH in Christ ---- Each of us has been provided with the ONLY garment that is acceptable at the wedding feast of the Lamb - and that’s the very righteousness of Christ.

 HERE’S THE PICTURE

Anyone who tries to come into the wedding feast with their own garments ---- their own righteousness ---- will be confronted by the righteousness of God.  

And He will say, “How is it that you are here without the proper righteousness. The proper attire.”

 THAT is why Paul the apostle would write -  

(Phil 3:9 KJV) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 

NOTE IT WELL: This individual is depicted as speechless. There’s no answer.

There’s no excuse at that time.  

People make lots of excuses now but there is no utterance, no excuse at that point in time.

 At that time you will finally realize that

God IS Holy, just as the Scriptures declare You are NOT righteous enough to enter in to His presence. You MISSED the opportunity to receive the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ.

 

13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  

What kind of torment must there be for the weeping and gnashing of teeth to be audible.  TO THE BELIEVER: This scene should be a source of encouragement to those of you who are saved  

Praise the Lord for

His persistence in extending the invitation

The righteousness that He’s given us.  

TO THE UNBELIEVER: If you are not saved and think you’re getting in heaven because of your own righteous deeds – you need to know that you’re not getting in by your righteousness.  

It tells us plainly and simply in Isaiah 64:6 that all of our righteousness is like filthy rags.

 The problem is that no matter what we have performed religiously or outwardly

Jesus says in our hearts we’ve sinned  

Our hearts are the problem.  

We were born in sin.  

We came out of the shoot BENT upon sinning  And if we try to come into the Kingdom with our own righteousness, we will be cast into outer darkness.

 There is no getting into this wedding feast except in the righteousness of Christ ------

Which God will freely provide to those who TRUST in Christ and what He did on the cross as their only means of salvation.

 

This man had no excuse because the same garment that was supplied to all the others - who were also not worthy – was offered to him

They got to enter in simply because they had been provided with the garment acceptable to the King.

This man was worse than those who had refused the invitation

For while he professed to accept it, he still rejected the King in his heart.

He essentially insulted the King to his face

I’ll take the invite but I’ll come in on MY own terms!

God has His foes without and within the Church!

 14For many are called, but few are chosen.” 

“Called” - not, “the called”

He was speaking of the Jews

He was speaking of this man w/o the robe; and those who were “called” to the feast but rejected the invite.

“Chosen” - All who responded, good and bad

All who received the wedding garment