Series: “Summer Stories” Sermon: “The King’s Banquet”

Sermon – The King’s Banquet
Impact Church London
Aug. 21st, 2022

Recap: Why Parables?

Matt. 13:10-15
“And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given… For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” 

Last Week: “I Was Afraid:”  Don’t bury your talents in a fearful approach to God. He’s looking for a return from what he has put in your life because he knows how valuable and powerful what he has put in you is. He wants you to believe it too!

Sermon: The King’s Banquet: Matthew 22:1-14 

Jesus is speaking after being questioned by the religious leaders.

Sermon: The King’s Banquet (line upon line format) 

Scene 1 .  “The Realm”

Matthew 22:1-2
“And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son…”

God has a kingdom and He is a great king. “The king arranged a banquet for his son…”

Colossians 1:16-17 (NKJV)
“…All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

Psalms 2:8  (NKJV)
“Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

Scene 2. “The Request” 

Matthew 22:3 (NKJV)
“…and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.”

So God had to start over, building a people of faith. He called Abraham the father of faith and initiated a relationship with humanity by grace. 

Genesis 15:6  (NKJV)
“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Romans 4:13-16 (NKJV)
“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith…  Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all…” 

Scene 3. “The Rejection” 

Matthew 22:4-6 (NKJV)
“Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.”

After Abraham God sent his prophets to cry out to the people, “God is inviting you to his great feast with a promise of salvation for all who believe.” But, they didn’t listen.  

Scene 4. “The Ready Table”

Matthew 22:4
“I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatted cattle are killed and all thing are ready”

You don’t need to provide your own cattle, oxen, or sacrifice.

Hosea 6:6 (NKJV)
“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

Isaiah 1:11 (NKJV)
“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.”

God has his own lamb, oxen, sacrifice and fatted calf. 

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV)
“Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

John 6:54 (NKJV)
“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 7:38 (NKJV)
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”

Matthew 22:5 (NKJV)
“But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.”

These represent ignoring the call, being busy with own works, rejecting God’s provision.

Acts 3:13 – 15 (NKJV)
“…But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”

Scene 5. “The Response”

Matthew 22:7-10 (NKJV)
“But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV)
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate;”

God took the Gospel outside of Abraham’s natural family, sharing the invite with the whole Gentile world! (His family was always those of faith!) 

Acts 28:25-28 (NKJV)
“…Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!”

Happily ever after?  There’s a twist:

Psalms 34:8 (NKJV) 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good..!”

Scene 6. “The Required Clothes”

 Matthew 22:11-13 (NKJV)
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

God’s grace has made all that he is and has available to all. But he does insist that when you are enlightened, you partake of it on the basis of the recognition of the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ, God’s fatted calf, and not your own. 

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NKJV)
“4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Hebrews 10:26-27 (NKJV)
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

If you sin the unforgivable sin of rejecting Holy Spirit’s testimony of Jesus, you’re stuck, there’s nothing left. Clothing matters! 

Isaiah 64:6
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Zechariah 3:4
“He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”

Isaiah 61:10 (ESV)
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Romans 13:14 (NLT)
“Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Scene 7.  “The Regaled”

Matthew 22:14 (NKJV)
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Romans 10:13
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 3:16 (NKJV)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” 

Few are chosen… 

Ephesians 1:11 (NIV)
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will…” 

Ephesians 1:4-6 (NKJV)
“…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”

Summary

The King says, “come!” Come and drink the water he will gives and you will never thirst again. Eat the living bread that came down from heaven, and you will live forever.

 1 Corinthians 5:7b-8 (NKJV)
“For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

The King’s Banquet is open, his banner over us is love, and today he is saying, “Come!”