Jesus replied: “A
certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the
time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited,
‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses.” (Luke 14:16-18a)
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36)
In
Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Shane noted “many have not taken their seat at God’s
table” and have instead presented God with excuses for their absence. It’s
interesting that the Luke 14 passage does not take time to discuss whether or
not the excuses are valid. The parable ends with the final pronouncement of the
Inviter: I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. (Luke 14:24)
During
the sermon our pastor showed a cartoon picture of a frog in a pot of water. The
pot of water was on a stove, warming to the boiling point. The frog was leaning
back, smiling, and appearing as if it had no worries in the world. It seemed to
have no consciousness of the perilous position that its life was in. Pastor
Shane shared that those who reject the invitation to come to the banquet of the
Lord, too, are living in peril of losing their souls: they aren’t aware that the time they have for joining the banquet is limited, and they don't realize the spiritual danger that is part and parcel of a life lived without Christ.
We are finite beings. Time moves on.
Each of us has the opportunity, right now, to sit and dine as invited guests of
our Lord. He has already made provision for us. All we have to do is show up. Why wait?
The table of the Lord is
set for you today! Will you respond to His invitation right now?
All
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,
Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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