The Kingdom Is A Party | Bella Vista Church of Christ

The Kingdom Is A Party

The Kingdom Is A Party
Randall Caselman
2/9/97 am

The Kingdom Is A Party

Reading Luke 14.15-35

Several years ago Tony Campolo wrote a book titled, The Kingdom Is A Party. You see, God is throwing an elaborate and festive banquet....And he invites us to join Him. He invites us to enjoy His:  Presence, Provision, Protection, Forgiveness, and Salvation.

God is the host in our reading. He has provided us with the gift of His love, mercy and grace. We must know, that the feast of the Kingdom is our life in the church of God. We have been invited to enjoy a Kingdom party......Kingdom living in the church.

Jesus says, a certain householder prepared a great feast. What we see here is a common Palestinian occurrence. A banquet was prepared, and when all was ready the invitations went out. Guest were personally summoned by servants sent to invite them to the party. However, the guest began to make excuse as to why they could not attend.
* One had purchased a field,
* Another had bought five yoke of oxen,
* Still another had recently gotten married and refused to leave his wife.

At this time in Palestine, not being hospitable was a grave discourtesy. But to refuse offered hospitality, was a deliberate insult to the host. So, this host has been insulted. Then, we see him take steps to fill the vacant spots with two other invitations.

Matthew in his recording this parable gives us more details of the other invitations.
* He says, first another invitation went out to the original guest list.
* Then the invitation went out to the highways, byways and hedges for all who will to come.

The idea of a banquet given by God was a thoroughly a Jewish concept, a Jewish idea. The Jews believed that when the promised Messiah came, a new age would dawn.

And that one of the events of this new age would be a banquet, at which all Jews would set down together with Abraham and Isaac in the new Kingdom. Jesus takes this expectation and compared the Kingdom of heaven to a party. Is it possible that we have lost sight of the fact that Kingdom living is to be a life of happiness, joy and festivity? Sometimes we place a soberness, a somberness on our religious activities that has no real scriptural basics. Here, Jesus portrays the Kingdom living as a joyous event where there is an atmosphere of:
Provision,
Fellowship,
Gaiety,
Laughter,
Communication,
Happiness,
And a feeling of well being.

This is in stark contrast of the monks of old who would dress in rags, starve themselves and walk through the streets. It is said of Pascal, that he would wear a belt of thorns so that they would constantly cause him to suffer, so that he would be reminded that he was a Christian. Does this sound like Jesus? NO, in fact just the opposite of what He taught. Jesus said, when you fast, don’t look somber, but put on make up, wash your face, comb your hair. Read it again in Matthew 6.16-18. Church, we would do well to remember that Jesus likened the Kingdom to:
* A feast,
* A banquet,
* A party.
Christianity is a life of joy. After all, Jesus did say, I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

As Christians, we must know that God has provided us with everything we need:
* Pardon of all our sins
* A clean conscience.
* Removal of all guilt.
* Reconciliation with God.
* A peace that surpasses all understanding, surpasses human comprehension.
* There is the promise that our prayers will be answered.
* And that God, as our Father, will work all things out to our benefit.
* Plus, there is the promise of an eternal life in heaven.

This calls for joy, rejoicing... This calls for a celebration...for a party...... Doesn't it? Of course! Now let’s consider the guests. Basically, the Jewish nation had rejected all of God’s overtures..... All of His invitations. They had, not once, but twice spurned the invitation to the banquet in God’s house. You see, the Jews were the original guest in this Jesus story. But they had refused the place prepared for them at the banquet table.

In Matthew’s narrative there are three refusals.... Let me read it for you. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they paid no attention and went off one to his field, another to his business. Some seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. Then he said to his servants, The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Notice this with me:
* The first invitation was the Law of Moses. The Jews refused to keep it.
* The second invitation was by John the Baptist and Jesus. They killed both of them.
* The third invitation went out from Jerusalem on Pentecost when Peter said, This is what was prophesied by Joel, that God will pour out His Spirit on ALL NATIONS....So that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.......Welcomed to the Kingdom party.

So, the invitation goes out to the whole world, Christianity is for all mankind:
* The rich and poor,
* The Jew and Gentile,
* The good and bad alike.

You see, God has visited the highways, byways and hedges with His invitation. Thank God for that this morning. This invitation includes even you and me in all our sinfulness. All of us are sinners.....Sinners in need of the blood of Christ.
* Some of us are sinners in need of the blood being applied in the act of New Testament baptism.
* Others of us are in need of the blood being continually being applied as we strive to walk in the light.

Paul concluded in Romans chapter three, that all have sinned....all have fallen short of God’s glory......that there is none righteous, no not even one.

The Kingdom of God is a banquet feast prepared for all mankind. Indeed, Indeed, the Kingdom is a party.

OK let’s look at the excuses given to this Kingdom Party
Notice the kinds of excuses WE are prone to give for not entering and enjoying the Kingdom

First, I have purchased a field and must go see it.
We know this must be an excuse. It certainly was not a reason, because no individual would buy a piece of property without first inspecting it.... Would they? Who checks out real estate after he buys it? This is a man who places business before his Christianity.... His business before the Lord...... This man is too busy. It is possible to become so obsessed with the activities of this world that we allow them to crowed out Kingdom things, like:
* Prayer
* Bible study.
* Worship
* And devotion in our daily walk.

Let me ask you this, if it were not for what we are doing here this morning, would the world know that we are Christians, that we are enjoying the blessing of the Kingdom? Is our activity here the only external evidence that we are a participate in the Kingdom Party. It is so easy to allow the things of this world take priority over the Kingdom of God. O sure, we’ve all done it.....haven’t we? Become so caught up in business that we ignore Jesus. Even around the church we do it. Preachers, elders, teachers, members get so caught up in the business of the church that we forget what HIS business is really about. Jesus is in the people business....His business is saving souls.

The second man said, I have bought five yoke of oxen and must go prove them.
I suggest that this man’s excuse is the excuse of novelty. He is obsessed with something new. This was the problem with the Athenians in Acts chapter 17. They were so caught up in listening to new things that they didn’t have time for anything else. Know anybody like this? We come to services to hear the preacher entertain us with something new. And then go home and never use it. We just come again next week to expecting to hear something new again. We attend:
* Gospel Meetings,
* Lectureships,
* Workshops,
* Seminars to hear the latest methods, but we never seem to put what we learn into practice.

Jesus seems to mention this kind of people in His parable of the sower. Some hear and obey because it is new and exciting. There is a novelty about it all. But when:
* The newness wears off,
* Trials come,
* Times get tough,
Their faith is abandoned.

The Kingdom party is not a novelty event, Folk:
* It is a way of life.
* A fight to be fought.
* A race to be run.
* A course to be finished.
* A faith to be kept.

The third individual said, I have married a wife, therefore I cannot come.
The Kingdom of God is shunned by many due to human passion. In God’s divine wisdom He created us with certain passions, drives, desires. Then He graciously provided ways for us to enjoy these desires. But nowhere are we told that human passion is to supersede God’s invitation to be His child. In fact James tells us that SIN is a result of our being drawn away by our own passions, our own evil desires and lust. Sin is a result of our not controlling our own passions.... Our own evil desires. Some are not here this morning because they have given into their desire to:  Play golf, Sleep in, Go to the mall, Watch television... etc...etc.
We must be careful here.

Well, Jesus closes this parable and leaves the Pharisee’s house where he was eating. As he walks along, He begins to expound upon this earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus says, here are the lessons from the parable. Now we must know this morning, that every Christian is a disciple. With this in mind, let’s examine Jesus' thoughts

Note our text beginning with verse 25.
* Discipleship in the Kingdom of God demands priorities.
Verse 26 says, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters; yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. This is a strange message from the lips of Jesus. Was Jesus demanding we hate family and life? NO....But, He is saying, when it comes to our love for Him, our love for others and for our own life, must look like hate. Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God must be of all consuming importance to us.

There is no more definitive statement on discipleship than this one from Jesus in Matthew 10.32-39, Listen, Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
* Passions,
* Wealth,
* Commerce,
* Career,
* Emotions,
* Human affection,
* Family,
All these thing are good and proper, but become very wrong when placed before God.

* Judas and the rich young ruler placed money and riches before the Kingdom.
* The Pharisees placed their own traditions before the Kingdom.
* Ananias and Sapphira placed their desire for praise and notoriety before the Kingdom.
* Paul said, Demas deserted the Kingdom because of he love of this world. Thou shall have no other God’s before me. We can’t get around that echoing voice as it thunders from Mt. Sinai 3500 years ago, was reaffirmed by Jesus and is distilled within the Christian system we ascribe to this morning. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Discipleship in the Kingdom demands that we follow Jesus. Verse 27 says, And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Crosses are something we die on. Jesus died on a cross. We too must die. Paul taught in Romans 6, that in the act of New Testament baptism, we crucified the old man of sin and now have been raised to a new life. We are to no longer serve Satan, but are to become:
* Instruments of God,
* Slaves to righteousness,
* Living sacrifices.

In Matthew 10.38, Jesus says, Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Like Jesus, we must die to self, we must walk as He walked..... In the light of God’s will through His word.

Thirdly, there is a price to Kingdom discipleship.
Jesus said, we need to count the cost before we involve ourselves in the Kingdom.
* Does one start a building project without first counting the cost?
* Does one go to war without considering whether he is able to win?
Verse 33 says, In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
John R. Stott said of these verses, The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half built towers the ruins of those who began to build and were unwilling to fight the fight, finish the course, and kept the faith.

A disciple is:
* One who follows Christ,
* One who is committed unquestionably to Christ as Lord and Savior,
* One who has an intense desire to please God in all He does.

The call of discipleship demands just this kind of total dedication  Excuse making has been around since the beginning....It started with Adam and Eve. But, we must know that God does not accept excuses.
* He didn’t from Cain in his being his brothers keeper,
* From Lot for his reasoning to pitch his tent toward Sodom,
* From Moses before the burning bush,
* From Nadab and Abihu for using strange fire,
* From Achan for his passion for Babylonian garments, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold.
* From Ezah for touching the Ark,
* From Jonah for not going to Nineveh as directed,
* From the Jews for not keeping the Law,
* Or from Ananias and Sapphira for their passion for money and lying to God.

And He is not accepting our excuse for not accepting the invitation the Kingdom party this morning.  Jesus is inviting, calling, tenderly calling today.

In Matthew's narrative of this parable, a man tries to enter the Kingdom party, but is excluded because he was not properly dressed. Paul tells us what the proper dress is for kingdom living in Galatians 3.26 and 27, We are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.

Will you join the Kingdom Party by faith, repentance and New Testament baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of all your sins?  Perhaps we have done this and have lost sight of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. We need to return to Kingdom living. And once again enjoy the celebration.
The invitation is yours, come to the feast!


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Bella Vista Church of Christ

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