Text-Acts 20, Luke 14
(As always, this is my perception of what I heard, mixed in with somewhat accurate notes I took while Pastor Frank preached.)
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Story:
Many years ago, in another part of the world, there was a severe snowstorm. The pastor of the local church couldn't make it to the service, so he asked a board member, John England, to preach the message. Mr. England had never spoken before. One little boy came to the altar to receive Jesus. His name was Charles Spurgeon, known now as the greatest preacher who ever lived.
Our one great purpose in life could be to speak one time to one child.
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Martin Luther said something like this-"A religion that does nothing, serves nothing, costs nothing,....suffers nothing,...is a worthless religion."
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In Luke 14, we read the story of how the Pharisee's set Jesus up to fail the religious law.
One of the Pharisee's invited Jesus to his home on the Sabbath supposedly for a meal. There was a man there who had dropsy and they were watching Jesus to see what he would do. Dropsy swells a person's body up because there is too much fluid in ones tissues. Jesus asked them if it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath. "If your donkey or ox (transportation or livelihood) got stuck in a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you get it out?" Then He healed the man and they didn't know what to say.
When He came into the house, He watched them choose the best seats. He then proceeded to tell them that it is better to take a lesser seat and be moved to a place of honor then to assume the seat of honor and be asked to moved to a lesser seat. He was speaking to the guests.
Then He spoke to the host. He told them to not just invite the important people but to invite those who are needy-the ones who could never pay them back.
He told the story of a man who was preparing a great supper and invited special guests to come. But they gave him ill-devised excuses-"I need to check out a field I just bought."(How many people buy a field they didn't check out first?) " I need to try out my oxen." (How many people buy a team of livestock without checking them out first?) "I'm getting married." (There would not be two major feasts going on at the same time in the same town.)
In other words, their excuses were nothing more than lies.
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There are three characters in this story: Jesus, the man with dropsy who could die in a few weeks, or the Pharisee.
Find yourself in this story. You are definitely not Jesus.
Are you the man desperate for a touch from God, or are you the Pharisee?
If you are making excuses about your life with God, you are lying, just like a Pharisee.
A Pharisee assumes a position he does not have.
We are not standing here today because we have something great to give. We are here today because of the grace of God. We are saved by grace. It is the gift of God lest anyone should boast.
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The man who was asking everyone to come to his party wanted every seat to be filled. When those who were initially invited found more important things to do, he invited those who were poor, crippled, lame, and blind. He invited those who knew they had nothing to give...those who were empty enough to be given to.
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If we just have on a religious looking garment, we are a Pharisee.
If we know we need His garment put on us, then we are a guest at His feast.
#1- It is important to have a personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus.
#2-It is important to be consistent in our commitment to Him.
How do the godly live? Before we can invite people into our church, we need to make sure we are consistent in our walk with Christ. Paul shed tears and had many trials. (Acts 20:19) No one said it was going to be easy. Paul didn't run from his troubles. He was committed and was interested in relationships with people.
#3-It is important to be filled with compassion.
Ps. 126:6 says that he who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Compassion tells people that there is room at the table for them.
If I am going to touch people's lives, then I am going to have to have something to give them.
What can I sow into their lives? What will I bring back as my harvest?
If we are going to invite people to come and dine, we must first come and dine.
We must know what we are inviting them to.
#4-It is important to be comprehensive in our approach.
Where there is one prejudice, there is every prejudice. If we can live and tolerate a racial prejudice, then we are tolerating every other prejudice.
Do we really love Jesus?
I would rather have a church that looks more like Heaven than the community.
The church has to be a refuge place-a point of origin-where strongholds are broken.
If we pray and turn from our wicked ways from this point of origin, then God will heal our land and the earth will yield its harvest.
May this place be a place of origin, where the new thing He is doing, starts here.
May a point of origin happen in my life that is not the normal.
Fix your marriage! That's not the norm.
Fight for your children! Don't give up!
Keep praying, doing, and fasting.
What would happen if we didn't start the service until every seat was filled?
Paul taught publicly and from house to house.
We don't just invite people to our public meeting to meet God with us,
but we also go to where they are and bring God to them.
Be the point of origin.
Nothing happens but by prayer and intercession.
Healing, revival, restoration of homes....these kinds of things happen when human need meets the supernatural power of God.
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This sermon really hit home with me in several areas.
I have really been thinking about the seats. There are all kinds of seats.
There are seats in friendships. Sometimes we want to have the best, closest, most comfortable seat in our friendship with someone.
Sometimes, we just want to appear as if we have the best seat, but really don't want to pay the price that comes with the privilege of sitting there.
Suppose there is someone in my life who refuses to even say 'hello' to me.
I realize that my desire for them to not snub me has more to do with what I want from them than any love I have for them. I am not feeling that they are rejecting my love, for if the truth be told, I am lacking in love for them. I am merely wanting to not be snubbed. Why is that?
So, therefore, when I am wanting an 'hello', I am wanting a seat at their table. But they have not invited me to dinner. They don't want me around their table.
And who am I to think that they would want me to be around their table? Do I love them? No. And I am not proud of that. I am sad about that.
If I find that I want the warmth of respect from people I don't even like, then truly, I am lacking in love for them, and my desire for their acknowledgment is total selfishness on my part. God forgive me. God, please cleanse me and fill the cold places in my heart with Your love.
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