THE TABLE IS SET!

Written by FAVORED1 on September 8, 2010 – 10:06 am -

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

(Matthew 22:1-14)

“The Table is Set”

Good Morning Beloved!

I love how Jesus used parables to illustrate His point. Our Lord is a great teacher. He knows how to help His students understand even the most mysterious truths of the ages. He used simple stories to show them what they need to know. He still does that today. Many in the body of Christ are using multi-media to do the same. Film, television, radio, Internet can all be used to “show” the Gospel to those who either have never heard it, or cannot understand it. As J. Vernon McGee used to say it, “puts the cookies on the shelf where the kids can reach them”. I’m noticing a disturbing trend. There are actually some people who name the name of Christ as their personal Lord and Savior trying to “sanitize” the scriptures. To smooth it out, glossing over the parts that don’t quite “fit” in with cultural trends. “Taming” Jesus. Jesus is humble, but He’s also Sovereign. Meek, but not weak. His Word was not designed to ignore sin, He came to save us from it. He never called wrong right, but He came to ransom His life, so that we could receive His righteousness. In this parable we see a great transition. The people were invited to a party. Who doesn’t like parties? This was the party to rival all parties. The King (whose invites are NEVER turned down) was excited to bless his guests. Those that He favored to come into His presence, but when He sent for them… they all had excuses. Some of them were so angry at his invite, that they killed the Kings messengers. That really ticked off the King and he had the murderers killed. Then he told his messengers to go out and get everybody that would come. All of the “undesirables”. Our God “is not willing that any should perish, but that all might come to repentance”. Here’s the thing. If I were to think like the enemy for a moment, I would probably do exactly what he is doing now. A “little leaven levels the whole lump” and it is truly the “little foxes that destroy the whole vine”. It doesn’t start out as anything major. Just a little doubt here, a little lie there. Very subtle. Slowly drifting away from the truth and inerrancy of the scripture until, what is spoken is pretty much unrecognizable to what the Bible actually said. It is bad when those who don’t know that Bible and have not trusted in God, try to detract from its worth… it is downright tragic when those who are in positions of leadership within the Body do it. I believe that some of them are not even aware. When we love someone, or have great respect for them or their work, it can be hard to separate what they do, from who they are. We believe that if we tell them that some aspect of their life is in error, that we are not loving them. In all actuality the reverse is true. If they die, and their soul is lost, and we did not try to warn them, the Bible tells us that their blood is on our hands. Judgment? No. Loving. Yes. We love them enough to want to see them make it into the Kingdom of Heaven. We love them enough to want them to see the blessing of God on their life. We love them enough to want them to live in peace with the Creator of the Universe. A little sex, a little violence, a little rebellion is not worth missing out on that big blessing! The invites have gone out, the table is set, and our Heavenly Host is ready… Let’s get dressed and get ready to PARTY!

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of Truth and the body armor of God’s Righteousness. For shoes, put on the Peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the Shield of Faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on Salvation as your helmet, and take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

[Ephesians 6:10-18]