7/17/12. Lk 14:15-24. GOD’S HOUSE WILL BE FULL-devotional

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF   Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Luke 14:15-24
Key Verse: 14:23

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”

Dear Lord, thank you for a new day of hope and possibilities. Thank you for your word that helps us to grow closer to you. Help me and my family to love you and to grow in you. Work through us to make us into a source of blessing to NIU Students and to the people of DeKalb. Help us to find rest in you and to invite others to find rest in you also. Help me to be better father, nurse, shepherd of your flock, churchman and nurse. I pray that you may be with me in Uganda. Help me to see and rejoice in the work of God. Make me into a source of blessing and fan the flames of world mission in my heart. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto and practice. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Excuses, Excuses (15-20).

Verses 15-20, “When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

At Jesus’ mention of a banquet and the resurrection, someone remarked about the blessedness of eating in the kingdom of God. He was correct. Most people would have agreed with that man. But Jesus knew that their knowledge did not affect their lifestyle. Jesus told a story of a man who invited many people to a great banquet. However, when the time came for the guests to come, they made various excuses. They were too concerned with their own affairs and were not ready to attend the great banquet.

The question is, “Are you accepting the invitation, and making your way to enjoy the feast the feast in the kingdom of God?” Many people pride themselves at being spiritual. They may even believe in Jesus and enjoy taking about spiritual things. But they do not make it “over the hump” to actually accept the invitation and dwell with the Lord at the wedding banquet of the Lamb. They keep Jesus and life with Jesus at arms length, making excuses as to why they cannot make Jesus their all in all. I need to repent of any excuse making. I need to make Jesus my all in all. I must accept the wedding banquet of the Lamb and dwell their. There is no better life. There is no better way. How foolish to live in excuses. We must just accept and come to Jesus. I pray that God may work in the hearts of people of DeKalb and the students of NIU to accept Jesus’ gracious invite.

Part 2: Go Out To The Country Roads (21-24).

Verses 21-24, “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
The responses of the invited guests were an af

front to the host. He ordered his servant to bring the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to the banquet. After this was done, there was still room. The master told his servant to compel still others to come until his house had no more room.
This reveals God’s heart. The owner of the banquet became angry. God does become angry with holy anger when we receive the grace of God and do not respond to that love by coming to Jesus. God does not get angry often. In the Old Testament he got angry about once every 20 years. That is not bad. Anyway, we need to care about the heart of God and how to please the Lord, by responding appropriately to the grace of God.

I learn here, that though people may reject the invitation to the kingdom we must not be discouraged and give up. If some people reject, then we can go to others. There are others who are ready to give their lives to Jesus. We just need to find them. God has recently led Rob to our fellowship. Steve S. has accepted Jesus and is growing spiritually. I need to continually reach out to new people. I was not reaching out for a while because the past church paradigm, I felt, it did not have much to offer people in terms of ministry. One person actually told me years ago, “I did not come here to hear you yell at your kids.” I was letting him get a little too close to daily life in a family with five young kids. Now that my kids were getting older, they have more of a sense of independence and sometimes there was an unwillingness among us in regards to ministry. How could I invite people to participate in such an atmosphere? But now, as I worship on Sundays with Kishwaukee Bible Church and have become part of morning prayer with willing men of the church, I feel that I have something to invite people to and they can be a part of without strife present. I feel that God is forming Christian Koininia where can we can all enjoy the banquet with Jesus. I need to go an invite people to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Not one of the invited guests would get a taste of his banquet. There will be no room in heaven for those who put the things of this life ahead of God’s kingdom. I take this to mean that it is a very serious thing to reject the invitation of God. It is not just something that we can dismiss and walk away from without consequences. The consequence is that we will not be allowed into the banquet of the kingdom of God. This is serious.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for inviting me to the banquet in your kingdom. Help me to seek your kingdom first and encourage others to do the same.

One Word: Will you be at the banquet? By the grace of God…yes!