Dare to Celebrate Pastor Jon Fulton August 17, 2014 Series: Truth or Dare

1. Dare to Celebrate Pastor Jon Fulton August 17, 2014 Series: Truth or Dare

2. “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ~~Luke 14:11

3. 15 Hearing this [Jesus’ lessons about humility and invitations], a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet* in the Kingdom of God!” 16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great… (cont’d) ~~Luke 14:15-24

4. …feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ (cont’d) ~~Luke 14:15-24

5. 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and… (cont’d) ~~Luke 14:15-24

6. …said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges… (cont’d) ~~Luke 14:15-24

7. …and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’ ” ~~Luke 14:15-24

8.  The great banquet representsthe messianic banquet because God’s kingdom had now come—it’s a present reality.

9.  The first invited guests are the Pharisees and Israel’s elite and they refused to come. It depicts how they rejected the Messiah and His teachings.

10.  The second group of invited guests were outcasts of society which represents the common folk of Israel. It depicts how the common Jew readily accepted the Messiah and His teachings.

11.  The third group of guests weren’t even invited. They were the distant outcasts and broughtin as guests. It depicts how the Gentiles, who didn’t even believe in God, readily accepted the Messiah and His teachings.

12. 1. Dare to Respondto your invite to the Great Banquet.

13. “There is no good excuse for forfeiting one’s soul (9:25).”

14. Luke uses the Greek ἀναγκάζω (anagkazō) to describe what Jesus is asking of the servants. It means “to compel” or “to strongly urge upon” or “to press upon”; and to such an extent that a negative response or excuse will not be accepted.

15. 2. Dare to See your worthiness at the Great Banquet.

16. 3. Dare to Value your position at the Great Banquet.

17. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. ~~Matthew 19:30

18. 4. Dare to Prove yourself at the Great Banquet.

19. 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. ~~Luke 14:26-27 (NLT)

20. You must love Jesus so much, that by comparison, it would appear that you hate everyone else (even your own life). And that deep love will require you to be burdened with some suffering.

21. The confusion is due to Jesus’ use of a Semitic idiom. To love one person more than another is described in OT language as “loving one and hating another” (cf. Gen 29:30–31, RSV).

23. Dare to Celebrate Pastor Jon Fulton August 17, 2014 Series: Truth or Dare