Luke 14: 15-24

Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/June 22, 2014

The BigFeast

The Big FeastSermon NotesJune 22, 2014

I. IntroductionA. The Stories of Jesus

B. Stories in the Bible1. Old Testament2. New Testament

II. ParablesA. Allegory vs One Point

B. Historical Context

III.Luke 14:15-24A. Host

B. First Guests1. Field (Luke 14:18)2. Oxen (Luke 14:19)3. Wife  (Luke 14:20;

Deuteronomy 24:5)

C. Second guests1. Streets and Lanes

(Luke 14:21)2. Highways and Hedges

(Luke 14:23)

THE BANQUET OF THE KINGDOMBefore we leave this passage we must note that verses 1 to 24 have all to do with feasts and banquets. It is most significant that Jesus thought of his kingdom and his service in terms of a feast. The symbol of the kingdom was the happiest thing that human life could know. Surely this is the final condemnation of the Christian who is afraid to enjoy himself.

There has always been a type of Christianity which has taken all the colour out of life. Julian spoke of those pale-faced, flat-breasted Christians for whom the sun shone and they never saw it. Swinburne slandered Christ by saying,

" “Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilaean,! The world has grown gray from thy breath.”

Ruskin, who was brought up in a rigid and a narrow home, tells how he was given a jumping-jack as a present and a pious aunt took it away from him, saying that toys were no things for a Christian child. Even so great and sane and healthy a scholar as A.B. Bruce said that you could not conceive of the child Jesus playing games when he was a boy, or smiling when he was a man. W.M. Macgregor, in his Warrack Lectures, speaks with the scorn of which he was such a master, about one of John Wesley’s few mistakes. He founded a school at Kingswood, bear Bristol. He laid it down that no games were to be allowed in the school or in the grounds, because, “he who plays when he is a child will play when he is a man.” There were no holidays. The children rose at 4 a.m. and spent the first hour of the day in prayer and meditation, and on Friday they fasted until three in the afternoon. W.M. Macgregor characterizes the whole set up as “nature-defying foolishness.”

We must always remember that Jesus thought of the kingdom in terms of a feast. A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms. Locke, the great philosopher, defined laughter as “a sudden glory.” There is no healthy pleasure which is forbidden to a Christian man, for a Christian is like a man who is forever at a wedding feast.

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Luke 14: 15-24From the book “The Gospel of Luke”

By William BarclayPg 192-195

The Jews had a series of ever-recurring conventional pictures of what would happen when God broke into history and when the golden days of the new age arrived. One of these was the picture of the Messianic banquet. On that day God would give a great feast to his own people at which Leviathan, the sea monster, would be part of the food. It is of this banquet that the man who spoke to Jesus was thinking. When he spoke of the happiness of those who would be quests at that banquet he was thinking of Jews, and of Jews only, for the average, orthodox Jew would never have dreamed that gentiles and sinners would find a place at the feast of God. That is why Jesus spoke this parable.

In Palestine, when a man made a feast, the day was announced long beforehand and the invitations were sent out and accepted; but the hour was not announced; and when the day came and all things were ready, servants were sent out to summon the already invited guests. To accept the invitation beforehand and then to refuse it when the day came was a grave insult.

In the parable the master stands for God. The originally invited guests stand for the Jews. Throughout all their history they had looked forward to the day when God would break in; and when he did, they tragically refused his invitation. The poor people from the streets and lanes stand for the tax-gatherers and sinners who welcomed Jesus in a way in which the orthodox never did. Those gathered in from the roads and the hedges stand for the gentiles for whom there was still ample room at the feast of God. As Bengel, the great commentator, put it, “both nature and grace abhor a vacuum,” and when the Jews refused God’s invitation and left his table empty, the invitation went out to the gentiles.

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IV.What does this mean in 2014?A. The invitation

B. Good things can be bad things

C. Never too far away from God

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IV.And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtorsA. Acknowledge my sin and thank God for forgiving me

through Jesus’ sacrifice on the crossB. Forgive and release others for their sins against me

1. Acknowledge that someone sinned against me and hurt me

2. Give the memory of the violation to God3. Cut them loose from all debt they owe me4. Acknowledge that bitterness has NO HOLD on me5. Lavish love on them and pray for God to bless them

V. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evilA. Put on the whole armor of God (Put on the Lord Jesus Christ)

1. The belt of truth (Mentally accept God’s truth over lies I have been hearing)

2. Breastplate of righteousness (Thank Jesus for giving me His righteousness which enables me to boldly enter His presence)

3. Shoes of preparation (readiness) of the Gospel of peace (Take time to digest the scriptures - committing them to memory)

4. Shield of faith (Step out on God’s truth for my situation)5. Helmet of salvation (Thank God that He has saved me

and remember that I am different than the world. Satan has no power over me except the power I give him by believing lies.)

6. Sword of the Spirit (Apply the Word to the lies I hear, and the situations I find myself in today.)

B. Run to the Lord for protection (You are my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!)1. I set my mind on things above, not on things of the earth2. God has set His love upon me3. He knows my name and will never leave me or forsake

meVI.For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the

glory foreverA. Make your faith declarationsB. Return to praise

This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea

Life Group Questions for June 22, 2014

Message = The Big FeastIce  Breaker:      Tell  about  the  best  meal  you  ever  ate.  

Read  Luke  14:  15-­‐‑24.

1. What  impacts  you  about  this  passage?

2. The  banquet  suggests  an  invitation  to  something  monumental  and  exciting.  The  original  invited  guests  rejected  the  invitation.  How  do  you  think  you  can  relate  this  message  to  the  people  of  21st  century  America?

3. The  three  excuses  for  not  aDending  are:  business,  stuff,  and  family.    Do  these  three  things  ever  come  between  you  and  God?    Please  explain.

4. Does  the  king  reject  the  original  invited  guests,  or  do  they  reject  the  king?  What  do  you  think  about  this?

5. What  does  this  parable  say  to  the  American  philosophy  prevalent  in  today’s  society  that  most  people  will  go  to  Heaven?

6. If  you  were  an  average  religious  Jew,  how  would  you  have  responded  to  this  parable  the  first  time  you  heard  it?

7. Pray  for  one  another.

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Prayer Guide

I. Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your NameA. Picture Calvary and thank God you can call Him

Father by virtue of the blood of JesusB. Hallow (lift Him above everything in your life) the

names of God corresponding with the five benefits in the New Covenant and make your faith declarations

II. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done (God, what are you doing? How can I (others) get in on what You are doing?)A. Myself

• Give me awareness of how to meet others’ needs today• I choose to take the initiative to love others

B. My family (spouse, children, other family members)

C. My church (pastor, other leadership, faithfulness of people, the harvest)

D. My nation (city, state, and national political and spiritual leaders, the harvest)

III.Give us this day our daily breadA. Believe that God desires to provide for meB. Be specificC. Be tenaciousD. Talk openly about my worries and give them to HimE. Today’s needs - Tomorrow will care for itself

This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea516

Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.

LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.

BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:

INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:

ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.

These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.

Enjoy!

Benefit Sanctify

Spirit

Soundness

Success

Security

NameJehovah-TsidkenuJehovah-M’Kaddesh

Jehovah-ShalomJehovah-Shammah

Jehovah-Rophe

Jehovah-Jireh

Jehovah-NissiJehovah-Rohi

MeaningJehovah our righteousnessJehovah who sanctifies

Jehovah is peaceJehovah is there

Jehovah heals

Jehovah provides

Jehovah my bannerJehovah my shepherd

Day One1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.

2. Slowly  read  Luke  14:  15-­‐‑24.

3. In  what  way  have  I  rejected  Jesus  lately?    Write  down  in  this  space  where  you’ve  rejected  Him  and  ask  Him  for  forgiveness.

Memorize  Luke  14:  25-­‐‑26.    Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  you  insight  into  the  meaning  of  this  verse.

Memorize  Luke  14:  25-­‐‑27.  Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  you  insight  into  the  meaning  of  this  passage.

Memorize    Luke  14:  25-­‐‑27,  and  James  1:  27.  Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  you  insight  into  the  meaning  of  these  passages.

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And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” And the slave said, “Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.” And the master said to the slave, “Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.”

~Luke 14:21-24, NAS

The parable speaks with stinging indictment against the average religious Jew. Many of them rejected Jesus and His message. As a result, He went after the tax collectors and sinners. And, adding insult to injury, He even opened His doors to the Gentiles - something absolutely unthinkable to this original audience.

Jesus actually tells the religious of His day that their rejection of Him will lead to the Holy Spirit pursuing the Gentiles of Rome. We cannot overstate how offensive this must have been to the average Jew. We struggle to find a contemporary example that would help us grasp this stunning rebuke.

Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, has come to His people - and they have rejected Him. He speaks with rightful indignant tones in response to their rejection.

Father, help me to daily receive Your invitation to the Great Banquet.

Day Five

Day Five1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Meditate  on  Luke  14:  26-­‐‑34.

3. Take  time  to  pray  for  your  priorities  and  ask  God  to  show  you  where  you’ve  placed  other  things  in  front  of  Him.

4. Finish  your  Bible  memorization  today.

Day OneWhen one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;

~Luke 14:15, 16, NAS

In Jesus’ day, most Jewish people possessed a smug sense that all of Abraham’s descendants were going to go to Heaven. It’s one of the salient similarities between the Jews of Jesus’ day and the average American of today.

Most Americans believe in Heaven and feel fairly certain that they will go there someday. The number who believe in Hell is much smaller. Most people do not even think of that destination.

Jesus told us how to get to Heaven. It was a narrow, but delightful and desirous way, but it was nonetheless thin, intolerant, and based on a person, not a formula.

The parable of the Great Feast is a slap in the face of Jewish arrogance and smugness. The average Simon on the street would probably think he was going to Heaven. He would think his chances were better than those of Jacob down the street because Jacob was a tax collector. The Pharisees were the guys Simon would say had a free ticket to Heaven. If anyone was going to end up at the pearly gates, it was those Pharisees!

Yet, this parable was spoken against the average Pharisee and even against the smugness of the average Simon. The parable ends all guess work about who goes to Heaven.

Father, I pray for those in my life who do not know You, but think they are going to Heaven anyway.

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Day Two1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Slowly  and  carefully  read  Luke  14:  15-­‐‑24  again  today.

3. Meditate  on  what  impacts  you  about  this  passage.

4. Pray  for  people  on  the  highways  and  hedges  of  your  life  that  you  have  perhaps  not  noticed.

5. Continue  memorizing  and  meditating  on  the  scriptures  for  this  week.

Day FourAnother one said, “I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.”

~Luke 14:20, NAS

Jesus made some surprisingly strong statements about people placing family over God. Later in this chapter, Jesus says, If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26, NAS).

Of course, Jesus is using what is known as rabbinical hyperbole - where a rabbi would use exaggeration to make a strong point. He basically tells the people that their great love for their family must look like hate in comparison to their love for God. He challenges them to love God more intensely than anything on this earth - including family.

All three of the excuses are for good things. There is nothing sinful about business, owning some new oxen, or getting married. Yet, when invited to the most important thing in all the universe, they are rather silly.

God invites me to something awesome, overwhelmingly important, and eternal. My daily choice is to receive the invite. My daily challenge is to push away the good when it crowds out the holy.

But, there must not be any law given about what is Holy. The Holy Spirit must give us clarity and God’s wisdom about our priorities.

Father, show me where I place business, stuff, or family above You.

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Day Twoand at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’

~Luke 14:17, 18, NAS

First, let’s consider this - these people are being invited to a feast, and, a feast with a KING! This is not an invitation to come to the dentist to get three root canals. This is not an invitation from a friend to move eight rooms of furniture to a new home. This is not an invitation from crazy aunt Edith who always serves up cold turnip greens and cottage cheese. This is an invitation to eat really well and with someone important!

Yet, the excuses make the invitation seem pedestrian and common. The first one invited tells the inviting slave that he has bought a piece of land and he needs to go look at it.

Umm. Won’t that piece of land look the same way tomorrow?

Of course, the inviting king is God and the slave is anyone sharing the Gospel with people. The invitees are the Jews.

Notice that the king doesn’t exempt people from the party. They excuse themselves. He does not condemn them. Their own priorities condemn them.

The first rejection comes from someone who places business before God. Have you chosen business or busy - ness above Him?

Father, show me where I’ve placed my job and making money above You.

Day Four1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Slowly  read  all  of  Luke  14  today.    Write  down  what  challenges  you  about  this  chapter.

3. Take  time  to  ask  God  what  excuses  you  have  made  lately  to  reject  Him  by  placing  other  things  in  front  of  Him.

4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

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Day Three Day Three1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Meditate  on  Luke  14:  15-­‐‑24.

3. Bring  at  least  three  friends  or  loved  ones  to  the  Lord  and  ask  Him  to  bring  them  to  repentance  and  faith.    Ask  Him  to  show  you  how  you  can  boldly  love  them  and  speak  the  words  of  Jesus  into  their  lives.      

 4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  

week.

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Another one said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.”

~Luke 14:19, NAS

This man who was invited to feast with a king has decided that stuff is more important. He has jut bought five yoke of oxen. That’s equivalent to a gigantic tractor today. He’s movin’ on up, getting more stuff, and the stuff is big and exciting, and the stuff is apparently starting to own him.

The first man excused himself to spend more time with his new land. It’s a focus on business and the expense of his spiritual life.

This man too, has become vexed by his belongings. He would rather till up a new field than spend time with the king at a free feast. He’s been invited into relationship with God, but he declines in favor of more stuff, more money, and more prestige.

Imagine, choosing against the most kind hearted, gentle, loving king in order to work harder. The king is not only good, He is a great conversationalist, and his guests are good hearted people too.

But the oxen are calling my name! The temporary has overwhelmed my sense of the eternal. The relatively worthless has preoccupied me away from a relationship that could bring great transformation, freedom, and joy to my life.

Father, show me where I am pursuing the worthless instead of the treasures of Heaven.

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