ALL THINGS ARE NOW READY

Luke 14:1-24; Matthew 22:1-14

This morning our brother Sunday and his family have invited us to a banquet on behalf of their son David who is being dedicated to God today. We pray that David will a man after God’s heart in Jesus name. Our Saviour Jesus Christ used to be invited to banquets and dinners. Christ honoured those invitations. He was invited to the wedding in Cana of Galilee and He went, and there He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). He went to dinner in the house of Zacchaeus and the result: Zacchaeus was converted (Luke 19:1-10). Matthew the publican invited Him to dinner in His house and He went. Many publicans believed in Him (Matthew 9:10-12). Simon the Pharisee invited Him to dinner and He went. There the sinful woman got converted (Luke 7:36-50). Obviously Jesus attended many other meals and dinner invitations. In most of these dinners He would be a guest speaker. We see some wonderful teachings and miracles of conversion and provision from those dinners!

My Prayer is having honoured this invitation today, Jesus will work miracles in your life in Jesus Name.

(Baby Dedication ceremony script

1. Introducing the baby and his family.

 2. Pastor explains the significance of Baby Dedication. He leads into the importance of God’s Word being a lamp to our feet and a light to our path as we seek to raise our children in accordance to God’s will. 3. Pastor directs the parents to read the following portions of scripture as a pledge to God as they dedicate their child and themselves to Him. Almighty God, we give our child to You for all the days of his life. (I Samuel 1:11) We will show her/him how to love God with all of her/his heart, soul and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5) We will teach him about the Lord, both at home and as we go, in the morning and in the evening. (Deuteronomy 6:7) We will train her/him up in the way of the Lord so that she/he will not depart as she/he grows older. (Proverbs 22:6) We thank God for our child. He is a blessing from the Lord. (Psalm 127:3)

4. Pastor addresses the church and charges them with the duty of helping these families in growing their children up in Christ. Then, the pastor asks the church to stand as they read the following portions of scripture as a pledge to help nurture these little ones.

Church Reads Responsively: We will love you as God has loved us. (1 John 4:11) We will encourage you to love others and do good deeds in the name of Christ. (Hebrews 10:24) We will rejoice with you in times of rejoicing. (Romans 12:15) We will help you through difficult times and carry your burdens. (Galatians 6:1-2) We will pray for you throughout your life. (I Thessalonians 5:17)

You are a blessing from the Lord. (Psalm 127:3)

5. Pastor closes in a prayer of dedication looking forward to the day these children receive Jesus as Lord.

Adapted from Kyle Meadors Script 2008}

In our message today Jesus was in the house of one the chief Pharisee to eat Sabbath meal. As soon as He got there opportunities presented themselves for Him to teach, preach and heal. He taught them many things about inviting the poor and needy to dinners. He taught them humility when invited to dinner. He then gave a parable about the greatest invitation even given. That is Jesus himself is now inviting many people to His own dinner! He says to us, “All things are now ready!”
Today God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are inviting us to partake inthe greatest supper, the Marriage Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ ( rev. 19:7-9).

Christ’s Great and Outstanding Invitations

                           i.            Come, For All Things Are Now Ready (Luke 14:16-17)

                           ii.            Follow Me… and I Will Make You…(John 1:43; Mat. 4:19; 9:9; Mark10:17-21)

                           iii.            Come and See (John 1:37-39)

                           iv.            Come Unto Me All Ye Who Labour and Are Heavy Laden (Matthew 11:28-30)

                           v.            Come And Dine (John 21:15 

All things are ready. This is a parable – a parable is a familiar story the Lord is using to teach us great spiritual lessons. So what are those things that are ready for us?

                    (i)            Come for your Salvation is now ready

                  (ii)            Come for forgiveness of your sins is now ready

                (iii)            Come for your Restoration is now ready

                (iv)            Come for your deliverance is now ready

                  (v)            Come for your healing is now ready

                (vi)            Come for your provision is now ready

              (vii)            Come for the price for all these has been paid for you (Isaiah 55:1-3)

In that parable the Lord is that certain man. He was the one who has made a dinner. And we are the ones who are invited. He calls us “come unto me all you who are weary and heavily burdened...”

He wants to give our souls rest. He wants to save us. He wants us to become God’s Children He wants us to be born again. It is the will of God to give us rest even while we are still here on earth.

If we follow Christ, we will find rest for our souls. If obey the call of Christ to come after Him, I will show you what He will do for us (Psalm 23:1-6):

                    (i)            He will not permit us to come to lack or want

                  (ii)            He will lead us to green pastures and still waters

                (iii)            He will restore our souls and lead us in the paths of righteousness

                (iv)            We will not fear evil for He is with us

                  (v)            He will comfort us with His rod and staff.

                (vi)            He will prepare table for us in the presence of our enemies

              (vii)            He will anoint our head with the oil of gladness, oil of joy and of the Holy Spirit.

            (viii)            He will cause our cup of blessings to overflow

                (ix)            He will cause his goodness and mercy to follow us all the days of our lives

                  (x)            He will cause us to dwell in His house for ever

Christ is calling us to day. He says come and dine. He says come and find rest for your souls. He says come and receive forgiveness and be free from all your sins. He says come and find rest for your souls. He knows that if we remain in sin, it will bring ruin to us. He wants to free us from that shackles of Satan and sin.

He wants to fill us with the joy of the Holy Ghost.

You can respond to the Lord’s invitation now. You can receive forgiveness now. You can be saved now. You can be made pure and holy now. You can be filled with the joy of salvation and the peace of God that passes all understanding will fill your today.

Varied Human Responses to Christ’s Invitation

           i.            I Have Bought A Field and I Must Go and See It (Luke 14:18)

            ii.            I have Bought Five Yokes Of Oxen and I Must Go and Try Them (Luke 14:19)

           iii.            I Have Married A Wife, and I Cannot Come (Luke 14:20)

            iv.            The Rich Ruler Walked Away In Sorrow (Luke 18:18-25)

              v.            But Simon Andrew/Matthew Followed Christ (Mat. 4:18-19)

              vi.            Zacchaeus Followed Christ immediately (Luke 19:1-10)

Even though the invitation of Christ is so wonderful, there are many, many people who will still not respond to that call. And they have many reasons why they will not come to Christ. In Christ’s story one has bought a field and must go and see it. His farming is to him more important. In our day because of their work people will not come to Christ. Some it will be because of their business. For some it will be because of their education, they are too busy studying and researching to come to Christ. For some it will be because of their family ties, their wives, their husbands, their children (Luke 14:20).

Especially in danger are those who are rich (Luke 18:18-25). It is very easy to allow the deceitfulness of riches to prevent them from responding to the invitation of Christ. They would rather listen to their fellow rich men than respond to Christ. Some would feel that it is below them to communicate with people of lesser means.

Some will not come because they are being deceived by their little knowledge which they call philosophy or science.

We know there are many excuses in the bible. People always give reason for not doing something they know they should do – Adam, (Genesis 3:11-13); Naaman – (2Kings 5:10-14); family responsibility (Luke 9:59-62); Felix (Acts 24:25). For many others it will just be the deadly pleasures of sin (Proverbs 9:13-18; 6:24-35). It does not matter how strong the excuses of people are, the Bible declares that no excuse is acceptable (Roman 2:1; Prov. 11:21).

But it is good to know that people like Simon, Andrew, Mathew, and Zacchaeus responded to Christ’s invitation, and their response brought great changes in their lives.

If you respond to the call of Jesus today it will change your life forever.

Saul of Tarsus was an arch enemy of the Church, but when he encountered Christ, he accepted the call of Christ and his life was changed forever. He became one of Christ’s greatest apostles (Acts 9:1-6, 10-16).

 

Dangers of Rejecting Christ’s Wonderful Invitation

       i.            Those Who Reject Christ’s Invitation Barred From Life Eternal                   (Luke 14:24; John 3:3)

        ii.            The Rich Ruler Went Away from Eternal Life Sorrowful (Luke 18:18-25)

         iii.            Judas Iscariot Went On To Commit Suicide (Acts 1:16-20)

Physical burdens can be heavy, but there is nothing heavier than the burden of sin. Sin will torture you both mentally and physically. Sin will deprive you of peace, deprive you of sleep and deprive you of rest.

You can put a physical burden down. But you cannot put down the burden of sin. It sticks with you. It follows you. It troubles you. It disturbs you. It worries you.

 Even if you try to forget it by filling up your diary with activities, by occupying your mind with noble things, or with recreation, or by getting involved in church or social activities, it pops up again and again to torment you. You may try to quieten your mind by believing the lie that sin has no consequence but that will only amount to self-deception.

And sin it is not removed by it will stick with you till you die. And when you cross over to the other side of eternity, it will follow you till it brings you to the Great White Throne Judgement where God is the Judge. There the books will be opened and you see a long list of all the sins you have accumulated. The verdict will be very clear. It will be awful. It will be piercing. “Depart from me you worker of iniquity” to the fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.

Benefits of a Positive Response to Christ’s Invitation

          i.            You Receive The Gift Of Salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)

           ii.            You receive The Power/Right To Be A Child of God (John 1:12)

           iii.            You Have Peace With God (Romans 5:1-2)

            iv.            You Will Be Counted Among The Blessed (Psalm 32:1,2; Rom.4:6-8)

              v.            You Will Now Be led By the Holy Spirit Of God (Rom.8:14-17)

               vi.            You Will Not Be separated From The Love Of God (Rom.8:31-39)

But when you accept the invitation of Christ to come and have rest for your soul, then you are forgiven, you are pardoned. You receive the gift of salvation You have peace with God (Romans 5:1-2; Romans 16:20). The burden of sins will be lifted from you. Your record with God will be clean. Your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20:12-15).

All these priceless gifts which cannot be bought with money are readily yours when you come to follow Christ. You can come to Jesus today if you have not.