The Parable of the Great Banquet

Luke 14:16-24

16Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

“The master of the house is God, and the great banquet is the kingdom, a metaphor that was suggested by the speaker at the table. The invited guests picture the Jewish nation. The kingdom was prepared for them, but when Jesus came preaching that “the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17), He was rejected. “He came to that which was His own, but his own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).

Those who ignored the invitation to the banquet chose their own punishment—they missed out. The master respects their choice by making it permanent: they would not “taste of my banquet.” So it will be with God’s judgment on those who choose to reject Christ: they will have their choice confirmed, and they will never taste the joys of heaven.

The basic message of the Parable of the Great Banquet could be stated this way: “The tragedy of the Jewish rejection of Christ has opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles. The blessings of the kingdom are available to all who will come to Christ by faith.”

The inclusion of the Gentiles is a fulfillment of Hosea 2:23, “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).” Gotquestions.org

Advice for Seekers – C.H. Spurgeon

“Do you desire eternal life?

Then “Come; for all things are now ready.” Luke 14:17

All things are ready: life for your death, forgiveness for your sin, cleansing for your filth, clothing for your nakedness, joy for you sorrow, strength for your weakness, indeed, more than anything you could ever want is stored up in the boundless nature and work of Christ.

You must not say, ‘I cannot come because I do not have this, or do not have that.’ Are you to prepare the feast? Are you to provided anything? 

When God has provided all things, what more could you possibly provide?

All things are now ready, therefore come at once.

Just now that your heart is so heavy and your mind is so careless, that your spirit is so wandering – all things are ready now.

If the reason why a sinner is to come is because all things are ready, then it is idle for him to say, ‘But I am not ready.” It is clear that all the readiness required on man’s part is a willingness to come and receive the blessing which God has provided. There is nothing else necessary; if men are willing to come, they may come, they will come. Where the Lord has been pleased to touch the will so that man has a desire towards Christ, where the heart really hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is all the readiness which is wanted.

All the fitness he requires is that you first feel your need of Him (and that He gives you), and that secondly in feeling your need of Him you are willing to come to Him.

The text does not say, ‘You are ready, therefore come’; but it says, ‘All things are ready, the gospel is ready, therefore you are to come.’

As for your readiness, all the readiness that is possibly wanted is a readiness which the Spirit gives us – namely, willingness to come to Jesus.” C. H. Spurgeon

Revelations 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The Easy Believism Debate

Boxes of old cards, photographs, and notes are scattered around me as Dan Gibson’s classical music swirls through the air. Picking up a wedding card I read it, and then put it on an ever-growing stack. Each card and note takes me back down memory lane making this process a lengthy one. Our seven years in Haiti has turned me into a minimalist and my final project is to tackle a giant box of cards and photos.

I’ve been putting it off for a long time now; but today is the day! For one, I’ve run out of things to minimalize, and two, it’s a dreary, rainy, Saturday afternoon, perfect for this kind of job. With at least 12 years of memories stored in this particular box the task of deciding what to keep and what to let go off is not an easy one.

As I go through each item one by one, I notice a neatly typed, two page letter, addressed to me. Leaning back on the living room rug I read it through. The gist of the letter consists of warning me about the dangers of ‘easy believism’ and how people who claimed to be believers when questioned about their conversion experience did not have a real story to tell. What does God’s Word say in response to this? I wonder.

I’m quickly reminded of the words in Matthew 7:20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them, and spend the next few days thinking, studying and praying about this particular topic.

These are my findings:

When a person believes in Jesus he or she receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Ephesians 1:13

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38

And the Holy Spirit in us will be evident because the Holy Spirit produces fruit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8

Our assurance comes from believing in Jesus.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13

“It’s so simple that we’re liable to miss it, but assurance comes from believing in Jesus. This is the gospel: when we trust in His name, we cease striving to earn heaven by drawing upon our own moral bank account; instead, we withdraw on His righteous account in our place. The gospel, by its very nature, produces assurance. Because the gospel proclaims “Jesus in my place,” my assurance does not depend on how well or how much I have done. It depends on whether or not I rest in his finished work. So the question is not, “Can I remember praying a prayer?” or “Was my conversion experience really emotional?” The important question is, “Are you currently resting on Jesus as the payment for your sin?” J.D.G.

God changes us. 

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Phil 1:6

“This is how God changes us: not by browbeating us with rules, but by giving us a new heart. You no longer love dishonesty and hatefulness and immorality like you used to. You do not avoid them because of threats from God, but because these things start to make you sick.” J.D.G.

“Of course, this does not mean that you become immediately perfect, or that you no longer struggle with sin. But you stop engaging in sin willfully and defiantly. You cannot love God and love the things that grieve him. You cannot have a mouth that sings praise to Jesus with a life that openly crucifies him. It is not your mouth that best reflects your love for God; it is your life. 

And when you do start to go back toward your sin—which we all do!—Jesus protects you and renews you. In fact, one of the signs that your salvation is genuine is that even though you fall, you never permanently fall away. God brings you back, again and again. As Proverbs says, “The righteous man falls seven times, and rises again” (Prov 24:16).

Your new nature is not demonstrated by never falling, but by what you do when you fall. Salvation does not means sinless perfection, but it does mean a new direction.” J.D.G

At the end of my research I found this paragraph which I felt summed everything up: “Much of the debate over easy believism is unnecessary and is based on a misunderstanding of the Scriptures. The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Where easy believism fails is its lack of recognition that a person with faith in Jesus will lead a progressively changed life. Salvation is a free gift from God to those who believe, but discipleship and obedience are the response that will no doubt occur when one truly comes to Christ in faith.” Gotquestions.org

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them, Matthew 7:20

The Gospel

“Now that you’re not living in Haiti anymore what are you blogging about?”

I’m at a Hungry for Life staff event and the question is posed by one of Jason’s colleagues. Conversations swirl around us as my mind races to come up with an appropriate response.  “The Gospel.” I finally respond. “It’s the one thing that I feel most passionate about.”

The following days I keep thinking about it and the words Paul wrote to the Romans come to mind.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.  Romans 10:1

And you know what? I can totally relate. I have so many family and friends and acquaintances that have never personally looked to Jesus for their salvation that it makes my heart feel heavy.

The gospel is so simple.

“To believe what God says, to do what God commands, to take that salvations which God provides—this is man’s highest and best wisdom. Open your Bible. It is the pilgrim’s guide, in which God describes the glory yet to be revealed. This is the one message of the gospel, ‘Believe and live.’ Trust in the incarnate Saviour, whom God appointed to stand in the place of sinners. Trust in Him and you shall be saved.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:18

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

John 12:48

He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (Jesus)

John 1:12

But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:

John 3:14-15

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

“The method is simply a word from Him and a look from you, and all is done. You have only to trust in Jesus and you are saved; made a new creature in an instant; set on your feet again to start a new life with a new power within you, which shall conquer sin.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

“The gospel is preached to you, and God has not sent it with the intention that after you have heard it you should seek mercy and not find it. God does not tantalize, he does not mock the son of men. He asks you to come to Him. Repent and believe and you shall be saved. If you come with a broken heart, trusting in Christ, there is no possibility that He will reject you; otherwise he would not have sent the gospel to you.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

John 6:37b Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.

John 6:40 And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.

1 John 1:2-3

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

“We who bear this testimony claim to be believed. We are not liars. Not even for God’s honour would we palm a pious fraud upon you. We have felt in ourselves the healing power of Christ. We have seen it, and see it every day, in the cases of others, in persons of all ranks, and of all ages. All who have obeyed the word of Jesus have been made new creatures by his power. It is not one or two of us who bear this witness; there are hundreds of thousands who certify to the self-same fact. There are persons high and low, who could say, ‘We too are witnesses that Christ can heal the soul.’” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“Here, then, is the marvel – that those who know this do not immediately throng to Christ to obtain the self-same blessing. The behavior of those of whom we read in the Gospels was a rational one. They heard that Christ had healed many, and their practical logic was, ‘let us be healed too!’ Where is He? Let us reach Him.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“But now men seem to have taken leave of their reason. They know that the blessing is available, an eternal blessing not to be weighed with gold, nor compared with diamonds and yet they turn their back upon it!” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“I know that I, too, once belied Him; when I felt my sins to be a great burden I said within myself, ‘I will go to Jesus, but perhaps He will reject me.’ I thought I had much to feel and to do to make myself ready for Him, and I therefore did this and that, but the more I did the worse I became. I was like the woman who spent her money on physicians and did not get better, but rather grew worse. I fully understood that there was life in a look at Christ, that all I needed was to simply trust, to come as I was and put my case into His dear pierced hands, and leave it there, yet I still did not think it could be so; it seemed so simple—how could it be true? I thought when I came to Him He would say to me, ‘Sinner, you have rejected Me so long, you have mocked Me by saying prayers which you did not feel; you have been a hypocrite and joined with God’s people in singing My praises when you did not praise Me in your heart.’ I thought He would chide me and bring ten thousand sins to my remembrance. Instead of that, it took only a word, and it was all done. I looked to Him, the burden was gone." (C.H. Spurgeon)

Psalm 71:15a My mouth shall show forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day;

Spiritual Blindness

Last night as I was doing devotions together with Jayden we read part of 1 Corinthians 2, and what really struck me was verse 14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. The story that went with the Bible verses talked about God giving believers spiritual sight to understand God’s Word. This really got me thinking. How often have I gotten frustrated when the gospel seems so clear to me while others refuse to believe it? I know frustration is not the right response and as I started to study related Bible verses greater understanding dawned.  

There are people out there that have read their Bibles for years and Jesus says this about them:

 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Matthew 13:14-15

And Paul says in Corinthians:

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:4

But you know what? If you’re reading this you’re still alive and it’s not too late! It is still ‘Today’ and as I exhort you, or urge you, as the dictionary defines it, don’t harden your heart!

But exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

While it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  Hebrews 3:15

For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

We have no other hope!

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. John 6:68-69

And Paul tells us in Romans:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

And in 1 John 4:15 it says:

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

And as God’s Spirit dwells in us and we begin to follow Jesus our understandings are enlightened by the Light of the world.

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12

Ephesians 1:18

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Spurgeon explains it simply in His book ‘Around the Wicket Gate’.

“It may be that the reader feels a difficulty in believing. Let him consider. We cannot believe by an immediate act. The state of mind which we describe as believing is a result, following upon certain former states of mind. We come to faith by degrees. There may be such a thing as faith at first sight; but usually we reach faith by stages: we become interested, we consider, we hear evidence, we are convinced, and so led to believe. If, then, I wish to believe, but for some reason or other find that I cannot attain to faith, what shall I do? Shall I stand like a cow staring at a new gate; or shall I, like an intelligent being, use the proper means? If I wish to believe anything, what shall I do? We will answer according to the rules of common sense.

Evidence weighed and knowledge obtained lead up to faith. It is true that faith in Jesus is the gift of God: but yet He usually bestows it in accordance with the laws of mind, and hence we are told that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. (Romans 10:17) If you want to believe in Jesus, hear about Him, read about Him, think about Him, know about Him, and so you will find faith springing up in your heart, like the wheat which comes up through the moisture and the heat operating upon the seed which has been sown.

If you would know Jesus, get as near to Him as you can by studying His character, and appealing to His love.

Be much in reading about the Lord Jesus. The books of Scripture are the lilies among which He feedeth. The Bible is the window through which we may look and see our Lord. Read over the story of His sufferings and death with devout attention, and before long the Lord will cause faith secretly to enter your soul.

Be much in hearing concerning Jesus. Souls by hundreds come to faith in Jesus under a ministry which sets Him forth clearly and constantly. Few remain unbelieving under a preacher whose great subject is Christ crucified. Hear no minister of any other sort. Go to the place of worship to see Jesus; and if you cannot even hear the mention of His name, take yourself off to another place where He is more thought of, and is therefore more likely to be present.

If hearing and reading suffice not, then deliberately set your mind to work to overhaul the matter, and have it out. Either believe, or know the reason why you do not believe. See the matter through to the utmost of your ability, and pray God to help you to make a thorough investigation, and to come to an honest decision one way or the other. Consider who Jesus was, and whether the constitution of His Person does not entitle Him to confidence. Consider what He did, and whether this also must not be good ground for trust. Consider Him as dying, rising from the dead, ascending, and ever living to intercede for transgressors; and see whether this does not entitle Him to be relied on by you. Then cry to Him, and see if He does not hear you.”