My dear friend, I am so thankful
to have you here. I just am blessed so much. Would you please come? May God
be with you, my dear friend and brother. Good morning. Good morning. Good to see everybody. We'll be turning to Luke 14.
I want to thank you all for having me down again. We're put up in
a very nice room. We've been fed very well. Enjoyed
our time with you, the whole time we've been here. And we're
thankful. I'm glad the family got to come down with me. And I want
to send you a great hello from your brothers and sisters in
San Diego that ain't here with you already. Some of them come
up and I'm happy. Luke 14. I was looking at Psalm
23 this morning. We've been going through the
names of the Lord. And I thought, I may preach from that. And there
in Psalm 23 is all of the names of the Lord. Those seven names
we typically look at. It's all there. The Lord provides. He's our rest. He's our banner. He's all of those things. And
it's right there in one Psalm. And I thought, Lord, we'd have
to just turn a whole lot. And I'm going to have to do some
explaining and show you these things. And that can get kind
of complicated, can't it? It's early morning, everybody
might have had a late night, you slept in, had a big breakfast.
And I think, I'm going to stay in one place, and I want to have
a simple message. And I thought, what better message
can I have than what the Lord gave? I want to read you one
of His sermons. He went to a supper, went to
a dinner party, and He spoke to these people and taught them
some things and gave them the gospel two or three different
ways. And I just want to read that to you. We'll stay right
here in Luke 14 this evening. This is our Lord's Sermon. This
is the only potentate, the authority, the only authority, the King
of Kings, the Lord of Lords, that God had in a body and He
gave us a message. Simple question, but it's hard.
Would you hear Him preach? Would you hear a word He had
to say? Or would you care for something else? Would something
else be more important to hear? or do and to hear what God has
to say. I remember my favorite musician. I saw a video of him. He was
on someone's back porch. He was at somebody's house. This
wasn't a great big stadium with 40,000 people in it. He was at
their home. He was on the back porch. About
15 people sat around. A small group just like this.
They sat around and he started playing. Oh, he started singing. It was just like the record.
It was wonderful. And I wanted to hear it so much
on YouTube. It's a live one. And then people
started talking, and they started singing along. And I said, hey,
when's Timmy coming over? And I was yelling at a computer
screen, hush! Stop! If I was there, I'd have
smacked them! This is free! I want to hear him sing these
songs. And this is intimate. What do you think was happening
this morning? Exactly. Between God and His people, this
is an intimate concert. He's speaking. If He's pleased
to be with us, it's going to be a one-way conversation from
Him to the hearts of His people. Would you hear it? Yes. Or something
else more important. Luke 14, verse 1.
And it came to pass, as He went to the house of one of the chief
Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, they watched Him. You ever have somebody just stare
at you? How you doing? And they just
keep looking. You got something on me? You okay? That's like
Job's miserable comforter, isn't it? For days, just come up and
look at you. Watching. It's just odd. Verse
2, And behold, what was they looking at? And behold, there
was a certain man before him which had the drop. See, that's
a great swelling of the feet and the limbs, sometimes of the
face and the head. And in those days it was deadly. They brought
this man here. Now you think, here's a chief
Pharisee. This is a big league. If they
had TVs back then, he'd have been on TV and every household
would have known him. He'd have been famous. And here's this
sick man. This undesirable disease in his
home. Do you think he was there by
accident? Absolutely not. They staged that
man. They brought him there because they tried to trick him, and
they tried to catch him up in the words. And like it looked
last night, they brought that woman that was caught in that very
act of adultery to pin him and paint him in a corner. And now
they said, well, let's just be quiet. We'll have a seat, man.
We know he's compassionate. And I'll tell you what, they
knew he was able. They said, this is the Sabbath day, and
we're going to get him. They knew he was going to heal
this man. They knew. Well, it ain't knowing a thing,
it's knowing a person. Verse 3. And Jesus answered and
spake unto the lawyers and the Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful
to heal on the Sabbath day? Is that legal? And they held
their peace. They just sat there and watched
him. And he took him and healed him and let him go. And answered
them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into
a pit and will not straightway put him out? on the Sabbath day. It's so easy for our natural
state to look at this and say, this is how we accurately apply
the law. This is the gospel. That's what
he's doing. Did he heal men? Yes. Did he
do it on the Sabbath day? Yes. Did they watch him? Real
weird static? Yes, it is. But this is the gospel.
This man with the drop seat, he's like cattle. God owns him. He bought him with a price and
he healed him. That's what it shows. Right off
the bat. Verse 6. And they could not answer
him again to these things. Is it legal? They had no words. Now these religious folks, these
pharisees, they sought to strangely stare at him, to trip him up,
and they cannot. So the Lord's going to give them
a lesson in humility. This is probably the first time
they've experienced a little bit of it. He's going to explain
to them what they're going through right now. And to all the people
there. There's a whole lot of people
at this big supper. Here's a parable of good instruction.
Good common sense. And it's not too common to the
self-righteous. Verse 7. And he put forth a parable
to those which were bidden. When he marked out how they chose
out the chief rooms. Who sat where? He was watching
them too. They thought they was watching
him. The Lord watches everything and He sees the heart. That's
what He's looking on. He looks on the heart. Verse
7. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, and
he marked out how they chose a cheap room, saying unto them,
Thou art bidden of any man to a wedding. Set not down in the
highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him. Don't you go take the best table
there is and the best seat. Because maybe, just maybe, somebody's
a little higher ranking than you are. They've never heard
such things. This is one of the cheapest of
the Pharisees, isn't it? Somebody might outrank you. Verse
nine, and he that bathed thee, and him come say to thee, give
this man place, and thou being ashamed to take the lowest room. Don't put it on yourself to take
the biggest room there is and the best table and the best seat
in the house, because you're going to have some shame whenever
you walk down that lower room. Verse 10, but when thou art bidden,
go and sit down in the lowest rooms. You take the lowest position. You go wash the feet. That when
they, he bathed, he come, He may say unto thee, Friend, is
that a capital F in your Bible? Friend, go up high. Then thou shalt have worship
in the presence of them that sit at meet with thee. He ain't
telling them where to sit at a dinner party. You get that?
Our great Redeemer is sitting at the lowest seat possible at
that very moment. He's here on this earth. He spoke
these words, and soon, this friend of sinners, this friend that's
closer than a brother, that capital F friend, is going to be exalted.
When this world's done, we're going to sit and eat and worship
with Him at that wedding supper. That's what we're going to do.
Here's what the Lord said, verse 11. For whosoever exalts himself
shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. putting on airs and letting everybody
know who he was. He went through crowds, didn't
he? He made himself unappealing, made himself unaware. But the
Father's gonna glorify him. He prayed there in John 17, he
said, Father, I've glorified thee on the earth. I've finished
the work thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. You're gonna glorify me as you
had glorified me before. Paul wrote it this way, he said,
who being in the form of God, thought it not proper to be equal
with God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
And being found in the fashion of a man, he humbled himself,
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore,
because of that, God also hath highly exalted him. Friend, thou good and faithful
servant, You come sit here. You come sit at my right hand.
And giving him a name which is above everything. That's the
king. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, God
in human flesh, has a word for the head of that house. That
one that bid. His host at this gift. Verse
12. Then said he also to him that bade him, when thou makest
a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren,
nor thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid
thee again and recompense be made thee. This doesn't mean to never have
your friends over. Don't ever have the folks from
work over dinner. That's not what he's saying. He says you don't
feed someone that's a peer or greater than you in the expectation
that they'll have you over for dinner. I ain't gonna have you
over to my house and give you a cheese sandwich hoping you'll
have me over for lobster. That's quid pro quo. This for
that. Well Lord, now I'll accept you,
but you take me to glory for eternity. That's not the gospel. That's not the gospel. That's
not grace. Not indebting God to you or one
to another. Here's the grace. Here's the
good news. Verse 13. But when thou makest a feast,
call the poor, those that cannot buy anything, those that have
no possessions, they have nothing in their hand, and the maimed,
those wounded, broken hearted, Those lame. Those that can't
work. Those that can't even make money.
And the blind. Those that can't even see the way to get to your
dinner party. Call them. Christ instructs this
one that bade him. He says, let me tell you how
to proper supper. You make a feast. You make it. You pay for it. You plan it out. You make the
feast. And then you call those that have absolutely nothing
to bring to it. Those that are wounded, contrite
of heart. Those that are lame. Those that can't bring themselves.
Those that can't see the way and have no idea what the way
even looks like, you call them. And what's the result of having
a feast and calling these kind of people to it? Verse 14, And
thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou
shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Resurrection of
the just? What? You mean the Bible's not
teaching us about home economics here? You mean he's not teaching
us how to entertain guests in our home? Of course he's not,
is he? He's telling this pious rebel that puts on garments and
has titles out in the streets and sits in the highest room.
He's putting on airs. He tells him how God saves sinners.
This is preaching. You ever ate a meal? God will
take what you do three times a day and show you how He condescended
to save sinners, to save His people. That's simple, isn't
it? I want to be simple. I want to
be plain, so a child can understand what I have to say. What happens when Christ speaks,
when He preaches in power? He's given a general call here.
There's a whole lot of people there, all kinds of them, but
He effectually spoke to one of them. Three times a week, John gets
up here and preaches. The gospel goes out. That's the general
call, what we're about to see. Coming in heat. The Lord's giving
them, here's the gospel, here's the gospel, here's the gospel,
and every nook and cranny that he can fit it. Everyone around
there. He gives that general call. Just
like at our Lord's baptism. He brought him up out of the
water and the heavens opened. And the Lord spoke from heaven.
He said, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. Do you need
more gospel than that? How are you going to make God
happy? You better be in His Son. His Son is all the things He's
pleased in. This is my Son in whom I'm well pleased. And on
that Mount of Transfiguration, the Lord had His apostles with
Him. And He come and He said, This is my Son in whom I'm well
pleased. And a command came with Him.
God, salvation is a command. And He said, Here ye Him. You
listen to Him. That's all the one I'm pleased
in, you listen to Him. Not anybody else. He's the potentate.
He's the King of Kings. He's the Lord of Lords. Hear
Him. And they heard Him. Didn't they? It says in verse 15, And when
one of them that sat at meat with Him heard these things,
He said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the
kingdom of God. Someone heard. Whole mess of
folks there. Someone heard. Blessed is he
that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. What's he saying? That
one speaking to him, he's the bread. You're the bread of life. The one speaking to him, this
is the kingdom of God. It's the Godhead in a body right
in front of him. And to be with him, to feed on
him, to live on him, that's a blessed man. That's a blessed man. People wake up, they got the
nerve to walk through this nation every day. Hey, oh, have a blessed
day. How's your day? Oh, I'm blessed. Put on bumper
stickers and have it on lots of places, everything else. To
be in Christ is what blessed is. Amen. To know Him, to feed
on Him, to have to have Him, to eat, to live. I need Him. And then to have Him. If you
need Him, you have Him. And that's blessed. That's what blessed
is. He heard everything in this chapter so far. Christ heals
the death that we are. He heals our dropsy, our swelling,
our puffing up. That's what that fellow was.
The Lord took all his puffiness out of him. That's another of
that next year. He strips us down, Donny, and
sends us on our way. He's our rest. He's the humble
one that shall be exalted. And this is good news for poor,
maimed, blind, and lame people. He's the resurrection. He's the
resurrection. What does the Lord do to those?
There's one fellow there. What does the Lord do to those
He reveals Himself to? Those that He gives life to?
What does He do with them? Verse 16, and He said unto him.
He said unto him, dwell on that. You think about that. Some folks
say, well, I read the Bible in a year. That's too fast. You
didn't soak it up. That's too much. He said to him, all these people at this feast,
All these big religious folks. I've been going to church my
whole life. Wearing fancy garments and so educated and knowledgeable.
They can quote more scripture to you than I can. One man heard
and the Lord spoke to one man. What if He'd speak to one person
in here today? Just one. And then for me, what
if only one of you showed up today? This whole place is crickets. And one person said, I tell you,
they don't care if they're on the left, middle, or right. I
don't look that way. I ought, out of a debt of gratitude, to
stand up and give it all I have. And I said, well, I guess we'll
just try again tomorrow. Absolutely not. If my Lord would go down
and speak to one, what a privilege it would be for me if He allowed
to speak through me to one. Amen. Verse 16, He said unto
him, This whole parable, everybody knows, spoke to one person. He
said unto him, a certain man made a great supper and bathed
many. A certain man is Christ. He made
a great supper. He bathed many. Now this isn't
speaking of the Lord's table. He hasn't instituted that yet.
And this isn't speaking of that great marriage supper of the
Lamb. We read about it in Matthew 22. This is the Gospel message
for that day. Whatever Sabbath day that was.
whatever it was, June 17th, I don't know, whatever it was. That was
for that day. And that's what the message is for our day. This
message that the Lord, that He preached, the sermon He preached,
is for right now, you and me. Christ is that certain, man.
He's speaking of this message in our day. In this parable,
the Gospel Feast, this publishing of the bread of life, that we
must eat to live, this blood atonement He made, Human body
that we must drink to never thirst again. Taking His obedience as
our obedience. Taking His sacrifice as our sacrifice. Taking His faith as our faith. Faith of Christ. This great supper
is the gospel of the grace of God. He bathed many. It goes out. It goes out. And
that's supper. It's supper. It's the last meal
of the day. because we are in the last days. Nighttime is about
to fall. It's about to be dark. Everybody
that's ever been on this earth is about to go to sleep. It's
urgent. It's urgent, people. This is
a great supper because of who it was that purposed to make
it. The one that planned it. It's great because he planned
it. It's great because he's the one that made the supper. It's
great because he paid for all the ingredients. It was great
because of the price of that payment. His blood, that Calvary,
that's what it paid. God turned His back on God. That's
an expensive supper. We are bidden to eat and live
because the Son of God willingly laid down His life for sinners.
He did it with joy. Well, that crushes me every time
I say it. Many were bidden. Some will say,
well, for 4,000 years, Abraham, the Lord spoke to him, and there
was one nation, On this earth it came from Him that the Lord
spoke to. That's true. Israel, they went through the
desert. They went all over. Everything was given just to
the Jews. That physical nation. They had the prophets. They had
the sacrifices. They had the tabernacle. They had the law.
They had the orders of the priest. Everything. Sent just to them. That sound special? They did
not care. The old hat. We know that. We'll check in
once a year. We'll go down there twice a year or so. Easter, we'll
show up then. They didn't care. They despised
the gospel of grace and the Lord turned them from it. But now
don't read these passages and say, well, we're just categorizing
nations of people. This is what this means and this
is what that means. This is for me and you today. That's what he's talking about.
This is what happens in Rescue, California every Friday night
and twice on Sunday. This is the meal that goes forward.
Until the last seat is taken. This is what happens in every
town where God sends one of His servants. Happens to you in New
Jersey. Every week and twice on Sundays. Until the last sinner
is brought to Christ's feet. And God speaks through His servant. A prophet will not promote himself.
The Lord said that. I will. John Reeves is God's ascension
gift to rescue California. He won't boldly say that, I'll
say it for him. Clay Curtis, God Almighty, rose from the grave,
and the gift he gave to Ewing, New Jersey, was Clay Curtis.
He gave you to me, my pastor. How would we treat such a gift? What if the president gave you
a gift? Eh. Well, you better be careful. You better watch it. The King
has given a gift to rescue California, New England, New Jersey, and
places all over this nation. Luke 14, verse 16. And He said
unto him, A certain man made a great supper and bade many,
and sent his servant at supper time to say... He gave him a
word to say to them that were bidden. Here it is. Come, for
all things are now ready. Amen. That's my only message. We'll look at a whole mess of
different texts, awesome things to teach people. The Lord has
children and they ain't slothful. He's going to train them up.
They ain't just going to sit and play video games with glory for eternity. That ain't going to happen. He's
going to train His children. But the message of that, no matter
where we are in the text, is come, all things are now ready. Come, because everything is ready
right now. There's nothing to be done. You
ain't going to get there and have to shove coal to keep the
place warm. There's nothing to be done. Don't bring anything to this
feast. You leave your almonds. You don't have to bring your
almonds to Egypt. You don't have to bring nothing. Everything's provided. You don't
have to observe the ceremonies of men. You don't have to wash
your hands before you eat. Now my children, whenever we
go home to eat, you've got to wash your hands before you eat.
But to this supper, you don't have to clean yourself up. You
don't have to put on a tie. You don't have to tuck your shirt
in. You don't have to bring nothing in your hand. Come. Everything's
ready. A certain man has made all by
himself a great supper. Everything is finished. Come
or you're going to starve to death. Come and drink or you're
going to die of thirst in the wilderness. Come. Come to him. That's it. That's my job. That's
the mission of this body of believers. It's John's mission to say, but
for the folks that he's gathered here in this local assembly,
that's your job. To tell everybody in this county,
and by any means the Lord opens up, come, everything's done,
it's finished. Now come on. Amen. We have a certain man, and we're
to give it our all to tell others of this great supper. There's
the purpose of this great certain man. That's the sending forth
of His servant, declaring, come, the supper's ready, and you don't
have to do anything. Then, there's a response to this general call
of the gospel going forth. Verse 18, and they all with one
consent began to make excuse. One consent, all in agreement,
in solidarity, all began to make an excuse. Did they have different
excuses? They sure did, but the heart looks on the heart. And he said,
they all had the same consent. Well, it sounds so much different.
It don't matter, the motive's the same. I want you to hear
these excuses the Lord gives us as examples. I can add, we've
been around this for a few days, a few years. I can give you a
laundry list of nonsense that you'd laugh at. The excuses people
come up with. I'm just gonna give you what
he gave. And you see, these aren't ridiculous. I want to ask you
a question after we look at it. Verse 18. And they all with one
consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, to this
servant, I bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and
see it. And he said he did. I pray that he'd have an excuse.
I know some folks that's bought some houses over the internet.
They didn't have the internet back then. They didn't have Zillow
and Redfin and all these things. Realtor.com. I know some people
that's bought a house. My friend bought a house over
the internet. And he saw it on there. He didn't go see it in
person, but he bought it. Boy, he showed up, and it smelled
funny, and there was a train like four feet from his back
fence that run every 30 minutes all night. Horn blowing. He was not happy. And I said,
you ain't mad at that realtor. You ain't mad at the people that
own that house. We're mad at you. You's the fool. What's wrong
with you? People say, I can't come to this
great supper. I can't come to Christ that saves sinners and
that's the bread of life because I've got to buy a piece of land
and I ain't never seen it. Some stranger came and said,
I've got a piece of land. I've got ocean property in Arizona. And he said, well, I believe
you. And then how nicely, I pray that you have me excused while
I spit in your face and believe some stranger that sold me a
piece of land I ain't never seen. Is that brutal? You wind up in
the hands of an angry God. And I ain't being mean about
it, I'm begging. Come, the dinner's ready. I don't want that every
man to be saved. Another said, I have bought five
yoke of oxen and go to prove them. Go to prove them. Go see
how they do. I want to see if they're hot.
I bought some oxen. Maybe one's got a leg shorter
than the other one. It can't get pulled to the left all the
time. I bought an oxen, maybe it's blind, maybe it's sick,
maybe it's got some disease in its stomach, but I bought them
and I can't go see it for any good. I pray thee, have me excused. I've actually heard people say,
I can't go to worship because I've got dogs to take care of. Another said, I've married a
wife. and therefore I cannot come." No husband or wife should ever
be forbidding to a spouse to come to Christ. If they forbid
you, they say, now honey, you ain't going down there to hear
that gospel. You say, I'm going down there to hear a person. He's my husband. You go hear him. If they ain't
fighting you, then you encourage them to be tender to come with
you. But now this is the head of the house. Until just recently,
My lifetime has changed. Now, honey, not mean and not
forceful. Honey, that's where God preached. We're going to go. I've come
to Christ. And I said, what's got into you?
It's not what, it's a who. And that may be appealing for that
spouse. So they may hear it too. That may be the means the Lord
used. But he said, I've married a wife and therefore I cannot
come. You tell her to get in the carriage and go with you.
Come on, honey. We're going to the supper. And
if you had a new bride, wouldn't you want to take her to a big fancy
dinner? I thought this morning I was walking laps around that
motel. I'd like to take you to a fancy dinner, and I can't swing
it. And if somebody big, high up said, hey, you bring your
wife, come on. You have good food up there,
let's go. That's just foolish. That's part of Christ's terms
of surrender. He said, if any man come to me and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sister, yea, his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. I ask you the question, what's
a good reason to refuse to come to Christ? You got one? Is there a good one? Is there
a good reason not to bow to Him now? I mean it. It's supper time. Darkness is approaching. The
end is near. You give me one reason why we
shouldn't turn to the very one that's life Himself. There ain't
one. And what good excuse do I have
not to attend where his gospel is preached? Well, it's hard,
Kevin. I care for your souls. John cares
for your souls as one that must give an account. He has to tell
you the truth. I got to tell you the truth.
This is important. It's eternal life and death. It ain't just
life and death. Eternal life and death. It's important. It's not that these people bidden
could not come. It's not that they couldn't come
with the land and the oxen and the wives. It's not that they
could not come for whatever excuse you can dream up and stick in
a sentence. Why don't they come to Christ?
Why don't they come to the public worship of the Lord's Son where
He's lifted up? It's not that they could not
come, it's that they would not come. Brethren, they can't come. They
are lame. They are maimed. We're going
to see that. They physically can't. Boy, they get lowered
through the roof. Better have some good friends
to bring. You can do something. If you need it, like that woman
with the issue of blood. There were throngs around him. And
people get, me too, get so upset if everything doesn't stay perfect
in the worship of God. They were crowded up against
him. Here's this sick woman that crawled on her hands and knees.
You figure how many times her fingers got stepped on. She said, oh
my finger, I can't go no more. She drove to Christ, I got to
touch Him. If I can touch Him and His garment, I'm going to
be bruised, I'm going to be banged up. That walk of faith, buddy,
you're going to have some rocks and cows and some birds and thorns
sticking in you and everything else. But if you need Him, you'll
go to Him. He'll draw you. Amen. He'll bring you. Verse 40 says, I'm sorry, John
5, 40, it says, You will not come to me that you might have
lives. It didn't say you could, it said you won't. Verse 21. So that servant came and showed
his Lord these things. He gave an account of what I
told him. What did you tell him? Exactly
what you told me to tell him. Then the master of the house,
being angry, said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets
and the lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor, the
maimed, the haught, and the blind. We heard that before. A few verses
up. Why was he angry? When I was
just busy, I was busy. You didn't kiss the son. He said
in Psalm 2, kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish from
the way. When his wrath is kindled but
a little, but a little. That's his only begotten son.
You won't come? Fine. He's angry. You'll have to deal with it.
And he says you go and bring hither, bring in hither the poor
and the maimed and the haught and the blind. A natural man doesn't like that.
Those that cannot come on their own, there's an effectual call. Those that are wounded, lame,
blind, haught, the Lord comes to break them. There's an effectual
call. You pick them up, take them by
their beds, do whatever it is, carry them, put them on their
back. Well, I'm poor. Well, get in the car with me.
You can ride on my horse or camel. We'll get you there. If you have
a need, it'll happen. The Lord will make it happen.
Religion don't like that. The actual man doesn't like that.
And people didn't try enough. They didn't clean up after they
saw the cup. They didn't do something. You know what religion says? The
Pharisees and the scribes murmured and said, this man receiveth
sinners and eateth with them. Who do you think you're going
to be out with this great supper? That purpose of supper, that
made the supper, that sent his servant out to bid people to
come, that brought them in. You're going to be eating with
him. Harlots, a term that's almost
a Disney character nowadays, isn't it? What if it's just,
I mean, somebody that's swelled up, dropsy, and sores all over
them, and a leper? Well, we won't go around somebody
if they sneeze a little bit. What if there's lepers in here?
They need saved, don't they? Do they need Christ? Sure do. They say, he doesn't just receive
sinners, he eats with them. What good news it is if you're
a sinner? He ain't just gonna allow me to be on the property.
He's going to sit down and have dinner with me. He's going to
commune with me, speak comfortable to my heart. He's going to feed
me, nourish me, provide for my young. Verse 22, And the servant said,
Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded. And yet there's room. I've been asked all the time for Calvin's
my whole life. Arminianism is all door and no
house. And hyper-Calvinism is all house
and no door. And sometimes people ask me positions,
my post-millennial position. If I gotta Google it, I ain't
gonna give you an answer. If you need a thesaurus or an
abacus to go to church, don't go there. Go somewhere else.
Our Lord talks about having supper. We can get that, don't we? He
says, there, there's room. I'm to go and say, come, Supper's
ready. Did God elect the people? You
bet He did. And it's a bold-faced lie to
say He didn't. Does He effectually put it in
the hearts of His people to save them and draw them to Christ?
He absolutely does. Do I know who they are? I do
not. So I stand up and say, Come! It's ready! And there's still
room. What's that mean? The sun's still
shining in. Are we still here on this earth?
A faithful pastor I was in his kitchen one time, me and Euster.
And I said, well, won't that be something when that last sinner
is called to know Christ and this world is over. It's done.
Walled up, throwed away. It's all going to burn. Gold's
going to burn. The elements are going to burn. It's all done.
And he said, Kevin, you might preach to him. That made me want to crumble
up in a ball on the floor and cry. And at the exact same time,
I said, Buy me a satellite. We're telling everybody. Let's
get this over with. I'm tired of this world. I'm
tired of the sin I live in. Preach to everybody. There's
still room. There's still room. Today's the
day of salvation. Come so you don't starve to death.
Today's the day of salvation. Come so you don't die of thirst
in the wilderness. Come right now. Everything's ready. You
ain't got to know. Verse 23, and the Lord said to
the servant, go up to the highways and the hedges and compel them,
come in, that my house may be filled. Compel, constrain, show
necessity. Necessity. This is necessary. Eternal life
and death. And if God makes you realize
that, He'll be life to you. You rejoice. You talk about what
you rejoice in and you do what you want. If I really want to
go eat at McDonald's, I'm going to go eat at McDonald's. If I
really want to go fishing, I can get a cane pole and some shoestring
and make a hook out of a soda can. I'll go fishing. If you
really want to come to this supper, you'll come. And tomorrow morning when you
wake up and you're hungry, you'll come. Like those folks we looked
at last night. They was there in the morning.
early at the temple waiting for this man that spoke like no man
ever spoke to hear Him. We'll quit pretending like we're
hungry. We'll have a snack and we'll go around and get some
hors d'oeuvres and we'll show up and we'll eat. Is everything ready? He said you go compel them. You
show them this necessity. That's what the Lord instructed
us to do. All of us. We preach the gospel. Today,
I'm standing up here, I'm the rusty pot that the noise comes
out of. I'm the jawbone of an ass. We preach the gospel. We take this word and send it
forth. He said, you go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. Go tell them what's done. Go
tell them what's finished. And he that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved. Do you believe there's a supper
there? Well, yeah, that makes sense.
Are you going to eat it? You obey Him? What did He say?
Take, eat. This is my body. Well, I believe
that's your body. I had a Big Mac on the way over.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth
not shall be damned. He said that my house may be
filled. May be filled. There'll be no empty seats in
glory. There won't be. Won't be missing
a one. And there won't be somebody standing there that happens to
slip in. They won't be. He says in verse 24, For I say
unto you that none of these, those men which were bidden,
shall taste of my suffering. My old, fleshly, sinful Pharisee
that I was born as, says you need to come. Oh, that so and
so ought to be doing this. So and so ought to be doing that.
I'll apply it to all of them. That law of grace will be applied
to other people. If I can apply it to me. Lord,
don't let me be one of those that's bidden and didn't come.
I can't walk unless you make me walk. I can't heal my own
wounds unless you're the Lord that healeth. Give me a desire. I can't be hungry unless you
give me hunger. I can't be thirsty unless you
make me thirsty. Make me, bring me, carry me. I need you because
I'm hungry. Are you hungry? If you are, He
made you hungry. And He'll fill your bellies.
Come to Him. Everything's done. Supper's ready.
Amen. I'm a pretty big fan of lobster. That blows lobster right out
the window. I think of the king. The king
who sat on his throne and said, you go get it. You go fetch.
You go fetch my fiddle chef. Don't ask him, go get it. And
that's what the Lord does to us. Goes and gets us. brings us to His table. Hallelujah! What a Savior, huh?
Could you stand with me and let's sing that? Hallelujah! Fort 175,
what a Savior!