The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Block Party • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Marred Identity
Marred Identity
This Wednesday is our summer kickoff block party. Our goal this morning is to prepare our minds and hearts for this event.
I want to take you back to trunk or treat of last year and after the event was over then I shared with the church how many people came to trunk or treat and how few church attenders we had present at that event.
I want to prepare us for Wednesdays block party and encourage us to be fully present this coming Wednesday night.
Everyone good with that?
I remember my early days of serving in Rockaway Beach. Amy and I got here and jumped in. We started by serving at a vacation Bible school. I will never forget meeting kids that were walking down the street and inviting them to VBS.
They came!
Imagine with me as a student growing up in Rockaway Beach. Steven and Misty Mills know it better than I do because they grew up here even before I got here.
Students would share stories with me.
They would say things like, Pastor Jonathan we were skating downtown and the cop came up to us and started getting on to us for skateboarding. The cop would tell us to stop skating and we would talk back to him and then he would tell us that we were a bunch of nobodies and would never amount to anything. He would say things like your parents are drug addicts and you are going to be drug addicts too.
I like to try and put myself in their shoes. What is it like to grow up in Rockaway Beach?
Yes we are breaking down the walls of stigma of our area but there is still some underlying things that people say about Rockaway Beach.
Randy Odom shared with me that he told a friend that he was coming to Bridge of Faith and they said to him. Good They need you out there.
Randy’s response was shhhh they don’t need me. I NEED THEM!!
Imagine with me what it was like many years ago. Leaving Rockaway was hard. Going to Branson, kids felt like outcast. Kids felt like they didn’t belong. Kids were labeled as the kids from Rockaway or the 561. They were never thought to be kids on any of the sports teams in Branson. They were the trouble makers in school.
They didn’t fit and their identity was marred.
Keep thinking about not being wanted anywhere. Think about not being wanted in the grocery store, the classroom at school, maybe even at home, or struggling to find a church that wants you.
Some of you may feel this way today.
15 When one of those who reclined at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “The one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God is blessed!”
The message of the Kingdom is that you are invited here. You may not belong anywhere else but you belong here. Jesus over and over invites us into the His kingdom.
To the person who doesn’t fit at the grocery store, you belong here!
To the mom who feels that they are failing, You belong in the Kingdom!
To the student who feels like they don’t have friends, You belong in the kingdom
To the dad who feels they can’t provide enough for their family, you belong in the Kingdom
16 Then He told him: “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many.
17 At the time of the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
Notice this man is throwing the banquet. The man has means. He can throw a banquet for his friends.
He has material wealth and the ability to do this.
He is providing perhaps the oxen and fattened cattle. STEAK!
Also see the number of invites that have went for them to come into the Kingdom.
He sends his slave to tell those who were invited.
We see at least two invites. He says go tell those who were invited…
The invitation that you belong in the Kingdom. The Kingdom is for you. Come to the dinner banquet.
Come to the wedding feast!
Not just a soft invite but twice come into the Kingdom.
You are wanted HERE!
18 “But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’
20 “And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’
Some start to refuse the invitation to the banquet. I have bought a field and have to go out and see it.
This is a lame excuse because you normally wouldn’t buy a field without seeing it first.
Again this person appears to have material wealth because they have just bought a field.
The second one has a lame excuse as well.
I have just bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to try them out.
You don’t buy oxen without test driving them first as well.
Notice again the material wealth that is present here.
The third excuse is a little better but still not great
Deuteronomy 24:5 in the Old Testament says that once a man is married he should stay home for a year to bring joy to his wife. This is referring to military service.
Marriage is not an ends in its self. Marriage is to reflect the Kingdom of God and even in marriage community should still be present!
Many marriages fail because they believe that marriage in itself brings joy and happiness. Once you are married you will feel fully whole and know what it means to be fully human.
This comes through knowing Jesus and belonging in the Kingdom.
21 “So the slave came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame!’
The banquet is going to happen regardless of if people want to come!
So He instructs his slave to send out another invite.
Go into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.
You bring the outcast of society to the banquet.
Can the people described afford a ticket to the banquet?
They can’t repay for the cost of the banquet.
These are the the people that are not wanted anywhere else in society.
They believe they don’t belong or fit in anywhere.
Many of them have been kept from worshipping in the temple because of these conditions.
Go invite them! Go get the ones that no one else wants! Go get them! God invite them!
22 “ ‘Master,’ the slave said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’
I did this and there is still room!!!!!!!! I love the Kingdom of God because when you think they world is falling a part and all hope is lost, then Jesus says there is still room for more salvation in the Kingdom! I invited all the unwanteds and there is still room for more.
23 “Then the master told the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and lanes and make them come in, so that my house may be filled.
Then he goes into the major roads outside the city and the hedges alongside them in which those who are down and out might find shelter.
This is a greater area and might not be easy to find people here. The master keeps searching. The master keeps sending his slave to go to the hard places and find more
So that my house might be filled!!
24 For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will enjoy my banquet!’
Those who refuse the invitation will not enjoy my banquet.
The goal in life is not more material possessions. More fields, more oxen, or marriage of itself.
The Goal in life is the Kingdom of God! Pursue the Kingdom.
This Wednesday is Summer Kickoff party
Let me first extend an invite to you the church family to come to the banquet this Wednesday. (Weather permitting)
We will provide dinner for everyone. We will eat together.
We have some shoes from Convoy of Hope to give away. We will have more bombas socks to give away. We will need people to help with this area. We have some random sizes and shoe styles.
You can make people feel wanted by giving out shoes.
We will have Christian T-shirts to give away.
The thrift store will be opened
We will have yard games.
You can hangout with families and make them feel wanted by playing yard games with them.
We will have Andy’s frozen custard that will be passed out.
Get to know someone that you don’t know and if they share a struggle they are dealing with then pray with them.
Then invite the family to church on sunday and tell them that you will save a seat for them and then have them sit with your family.
The temptation is to set up formal tents that says come and meet me so I can invite you to church.
This format focuses more on the people under the tent then it does the people coming to the tent.
The parable of the banquet is that all who come to the banquet get to hang out and party together. They all get to be together.
The one who has and the one who has not come to the banquet together.
Don’t go into the block party thinking my community really needs me. Come with an attitude that I need my community.
The woman who had been bleeding for over 12 years I think it was longed to touch Jesus. The community doesn’t need you the community needs Jesus.
Some have a marred identity that Jesus wants to restore. They have been told that they are worthless and have zero value in our community and in their families.
Jesus says stop! you just got a couple of invites to come have steak with me!
Come enter into the Kingdom!
The goal of the block party is not how many people show up but the goal becomes inviting people into the Kingdom and those who are invited one day are the ones that are inviting others.
That is a measure of success.
