Luke 14:18-24

When I was growing up, our pastor often used some strange sermon titles, especially for the Sunday night service. He would announce in the morning that he would be speaking, for example, on the pig with a permanent wave. That would be his sermon title for Sunday night. and you would spend the afternoon trying to figure out what text is he going to use to preach on this subject. And of course, the pig with a permanent wave ended up being on the prodigal son. And he said when the prodigal son decided he was going to leave and go back home, that was a permanent wave. He gave those pigs goodbye. Now, when he spoke on our text this morning, I vividly remember him saying that he was going to speak on two morons and a hen-packed cousin. That was the sermon title for this sermon. You know, why would you buy land, sight unseen? Why would you buy oxen you had in trijects, see whether they would do what you want them to do? Can’t you get your new wife to go with you to the wedding feast? I mean, what’s the problem here? So that’s when I grew up. That’s how this was described. Jesus has been speaking here about going to feast and going humbly to feast so that we don’t try to take the best seats and so forth. And then he has transitioned, as we said last week, because he’s very good at this, talking about something. physical, like going to a feast, and then transferring this to the spiritual realm, and he talks about this great wedding feast or a great feast that is given by the Lord, the king. And, of course, this has to do with the gospel, and all the benefits and blessings associated with Christ, his son, and the gospel. So he focused here. your attention, your attention on these things about the gospel feast. For physical, material things are often used in scripture to portray for us something spiritual, and that’s what Jesus is doing here. Now, coming to the gospel feast involved, as we saw last week, believing on Jesus Christ, and receiving all the spiritual blessings associated with the Satan. For Christ is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, according to 1 Corinthians 1.30. But today, we want to talk about the response to the gospel that we see in this text. Now, you find that me find that we want to talk about the response to the response to the gospel to the gospel that we see in this text. Many reject the gospel here in verses 18 through 20. The general call to all who hear the gospel is spoken of here. When we use the word general call, we mean the outward call that’s given when the gospel is preached by the minister or by Christ as he speaks here. Not the inner call of the Holy Spirit or Christ. or Christ, of course, using his power to draw a person to salvation. But they hear the message of the gospel. And we talked about God’s servant or God’s servants. In Luke, it’s singular because it speaks, I believe, about Christ himself. And in Matthew, it’s plural because I think he’s including the apostles and those. gospel preachers who would come. So God’s servant calls people to come to this great gospel feast that’s provided by the king, which is God the Father. Now, the gospel comes with the divine command. You’re to repent and you’re to believe in Jesus Christ. Jews and Gentiles alike. are called to come. But there’s a particular emphasis here, as we said last week, on sins. Or when he talks about going out and calling in those over on the streets and so forth, he especially mentions the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind. As Jesus once put it, they that are whole need not a physician. but those that are sick. For I am not come to call the righteousness through patterns, but sinners. So we have the general call here of the gospel going out. And you’ll notice that many who hear the gospel refuse to obey. And we have three examples set before us in this text of scripture. When the search of scripture, servant announced that the king’s command to come to the feast, people refuse to come. All with one accord or consent began to make excuse. Now we should see that these are vain excuses that people make for not obeying the gospel command. You’re admonished here to beware of having this same. manner yourself when you hear the gospel. Not to react in the same way these three people did. Some rejected completely and offered no excuse. They despise the gospel. But many people will give you an excuse of why they can’t come. And that’s what we find here in our text. We have a vivid picture of how people make these vain excuses in rejecting the gospel call. And we need to consider this. The first man is mentioned in verse 18. Now this man’s heart was so much upon enlarging his land holdings that he didn’t have time, he tells us, or the gospel. Verse 18. here the first said unto him, I bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. Now what we have pictured here for us is a man who is full of this world’s interest. That’s what he’s concerned about. He pictures those whose hearts are full of this world. They were busy adding house to house and field to field, to gain more and more property and land and possessions in this life, and therefore they have no time for the gospel. Their primary concern is all connected with this life. It is no wonder that his ears are deaf then to the gospel call. The care of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, Jesus said when the seed was sown among thorns. He might have waited to look at this land and gone to the feast, but his heart is too enamored with his possessions to give the things of God the priority that should be given to them in this life. How many there are who are just like him who neglect the soul and their pursuit of more worldly possessions? You remember that Elisha’s servant Gahazi put his focus on acquiring wealth and not serving the Lord. And therefore, you know, Elijah had to say, is it time to receive money and to receive garments and olive yards and vineyards and sheep and oxen and maimed servants and maid servants? Where he was thinking about not serving with Elijah enriching himself. Remember how he went after Naman, the Syrian, who had got cured of his leprosy, and decided to take something from him wealth-wise, where Elijah would not, where the gospel goes freely, and the healing that comes with it that goes out freely, that he did take it, and he was rebuked and ended up with the leprosy that was upon Naiman, it became upon him in his house, from that point on. We see the second man here in verse 19. A very similar situation. Another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them, I pray thee have me excused. Here the cares of the world consume any interest in the things of God. It’s hard to manage your earthly affairs. so that they don’t divert your attention away from spiritual things. It could easily do so. And for many people, it does curtail any spiritual pursuits. How many are diverted from coming to Christ by worldly employments. Earthly cares leave them no time for the things of God. They’re just too busy for it. Now you can make your attention to your spiritual concerns an excuse for neglecting private and public worship. How many are so engrossed and running their business that the Lord’s Day is not on. Think about that. You know, Jesus, the Jews in the days of Nehemiah, we find him rebuking them. Because in those days, saw I, in Judah, some treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses as also wine, grapes, figs, and all manner of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold uh, Vittles, the Amiah 13, 15. They didn’t care that was the Sabbath day. They were going to make their money. They were in their businesses. There are many who are in the restaurant business. And Sundays is one of their big days. And therefore they keep open on this on the Sabbath day instead of devoting it to the Lord. because that’s the day they can make money. Sundays are often their busiest in most profitable days. How many are like the Jews in Amos’ day whose minds are occupied with worldly things while they sit in the service? You remember what he said. God says to them about the he rebukes them for this. This is what they’re saying. When will the new moon be gone that we may sell corn? And the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat, making the EFA small and the shekel grate and falsifying the balances by deceit. They want to make money and they’re going to even cheat to do it. And that’s what they’re thinking about while they sit in the services there in worship. So here’s the second man. He’s much like the first. And then the third man, we see in verse 20 in his excuse. And another said, I have married a wife, therefore I cannot come. He pretends he cannot come. When in truth, he will not come. Why not bring his wife with him? He couldn’t prevail on her accompanying him. Why didn’t he just come by himself? Here is an example of how one’s wife or close relatives may prove a hindrance to your salvation. Should you love husband or wife more than the Lord? Beware of a husband or wife who draws your heart away from the things of God. Remember Jezebel in Scripture? Turned. Ahab’s heart to bail worship and provoked him to do more evil than any other king before him. She was an instigator in his evil doings. Remember King Solomon and how he got into trouble. He married all these foreign wives. They turned his heart toward foreign gods. These foreign people that he was marrying all worship different people. God’s. And so he set up a little worship center for each of them outside, you know, the Jerusalem area there, close by the temple. But so they’re all worshiping and his heart was turned where he engaged in worship with them. And God himself into trouble, you’ll recall. Endeavor to bring your opposing or hesitating spouse. along with you to the gospel feast. Paul puts it this way in 1. Corinthians 7, 16. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? At any event, don’t let those near and dear to you turn you away or keep you from responding to the gospel call. So we see the third man here. Now notice all these men do not deny that they ought to come to the feast. But they think they have a good excuse for not coming. They hear the gospel, they hear the gospel call. They may even feel the weight. of that call upon them, but they make excuse. It’s just not that important to them, you say. So many who hear the gospel refuse to obey it. Now, let me say this. The general rejection of the gospel that we have in these three individuals really relates to the Jews in general. A careful reading of the context reveals that the ones here who were called it first to come were Jews. The gospel is proclaimed to the Jew first, Scripture says. And then later to the Gentiles. Jesus came unto his own and his own received him not. John 1, 11. Isaiah 53, one says, who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Then he goes on to say about Christ. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Verse 3 of Isaiah 53. Paul put it this way in the book of Acts chapter 13 verse 46. It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, speaking to the Jews. But seeing you have put it far from you, judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo we turn to the Gentiles. So this is exactly what the parable reveals to us here as we go along. find many reject the gospel. In particular, he’s talking about the Jews, but generally we can see this being true of a lot of people even in our own day. Secondly, you find God has a people who will receive the gospel. Now let’s look at verses 21 to 24 real quick this morning as well. So that the servant came and showed his Lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind. The servant said Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant go out into the highways and hedges compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say I knew that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my sacrifice. Now there are two groups of people here. Those who were in the city, the streets and so forth of the city, the maim, the halt, the blind, and so forth. And those that are way out in the countryside, so to speak, in the hedges and so forth, the distance away. And we see here the Lord’s response to the rejection of the call to come to the gospel feast. He’s rightly angry that his call has not been heard and heated. Matthew’s Gospel says, but when the king heard thereof, he was wroth, sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city, of course this speaks about Jerusalem in 70 AD being destroyed as it’s very clear. well the king’s call here is equivalent to a royal command. It ought to be obeyed. And the ingratitude of those who reject the gospel call provokes the Lord. So he better not pronounces doom upon them. That were first being. bidden to the supper, as we see in verse 24. And God shuts, if you would, the door of mercy. He says here that they will never be able to come. He shuts out any mercy that they could have pursued. But there’s no remedy here left to these who refuse to come. He turns from them. Like Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentils, and found out, of course, that he could not inherit it. Even though afterwards he was eager to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. And it was gone forever. It was no place or repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. The same is true regarding the hope of salvation. Despise the gospel. And you may find that you have no place for repentance either. Notice also the call is extended to others to come to this gospel feast. Well, the self-righteous Jews, they wouldn’t come. And so the Lord here sends his messengers to call the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind. These people here portrays. the despise the dregs of society, if you would. Not that they are dregs because of their condition, but they represent sinners. People have things wrong with them, so to speak spiritually. And we find that the harlots and the publicans and the lower classes, they don’t claim to be righteous. but they are invited here to the feast. And so they’re encouraged to come. God especially wants them to be called to the feast. Verily, I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you scribes and Pharisees and the religious leaders, he tells the people. The gospel has its greatest success. success among those who are the least likely, you would think, to embrace it. And yet they are brought to submit to Christ and believe the gospel. Still there’s more room. He can still bring in more gas that we read about. And so the master sends them out into the highways and the hedges. Go a distance away. Go out there and find some. more people. Bring them to the feast. And of course, these are some distance away, as I’ve mentioned. This speaks of the Gentiles. The Gentiles are far away from Israel. They’re out there. But they are also included in the gospel call here. And so it was necessary that the Word of God, Paul says, should first be spoken to you Jews, but seeing you have put it from you, judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life. Lo, we turn to the Gentile. That’s exactly what we find here, as I mentioned that verse before. So God here is determined to fill his peace with guests. And if those first bid won’t come, he will find some who will come. And so the gospel goes out to the most wicked of society, the sinners. also to the Gentiles. Now notice here that Christ ministers must urgently call people to salvation. See, he says, compel them to come in. Despite those who have refused to heed the gospel, ministers are bound here to persevere and bringing people to the feast. If the first people won’t come that we witness to, then go to others and try to persuade them to come. Now, if those who we are dealing with in this world, as we deal with them, we want to somehow, from a human perspective, persuade them the best we can, present to them the best we can, present to them the gospel in such a way, that it’s persuasive to them. You remember Agrippa? As he listened to Paul, he said, almost, I’ll persuade it’s me to be a Christian. Paul was using all the urgency that he could and talking to him about your need of salvation. You don’t want to perish. You don’t want to be in this situation. You want to come before God into judgment and be cast into hell and so forth. And so he presents it in a way that, you know, he’s persuasive. Now, obviously, we can’t truly change any hearts. Only God can do that. But from a human perspective, we should try to present to the people as best we can can, the message of the gospel and the urgency of the urgency of obeying it. Press upon them the danger of rejecting the message. Remember Apollos, we read about him in the Bible. book of Acts chapter 18 that he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. He mightily convinced them. He was using all his skills that he could to bring them to the truth and try to persuade them. So obviously the granting of salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we should do everything humanly possible that we can to persuade people to come to Christ. And when you read some of the great evangelists in their work, you know, they would put the message out there in such a way that was as persuasive as they could be in trying to reach people. with the gospel. And that’s what we should do as well. So let me say this. Many people reject the gospel. They come up with all these flimsy excuses. Two morons and an hen-packed cousin, as we see here. But you find that God always has a people who will receive the gospel. They may be the most unlikely people, yet God has a people. Our duty is then to continue to give out the gospel, not knowing who he’s going to call, and not to think, well, this person will never believe. We don’t know that. You know, even though they may be living a very evil lifestyle, we don’t know whether or not they are going to believe because I don’t know what God’s going to do. And so our duty is to present. sent the gospel to all men everywhere and called them to repent. That’s what the scripture tells us. That’s our duty. And then we just have to wait on the Lord to work. And he will fill up his feast one way or another. He has a people who will come. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we are grateful for this opportunity to think about. our witness. Think about those who need the gospel, to ponder how effective we are in trying to reach people. Bless us, Lord, in our efforts. And we pray that you give us fruit for our labors. Encourage us, Father and our witness that we may not flag in it. We may not become discouraged. But realize you’ll have a people, you’ll have someone who will believe if we just consistently give out the gospel of Christ. Encourage us, Father, and bless us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. With Thanksgiving. Let’s stand for the benediction this morning. Brother, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with your spirit. Amen.