The Great Party

[0:00] Thank you so much for your invitation and it's great to be amongst you today.

[0:10] ! I've been a Baptist minister for 40 years and I trained in Oxford and then I was a minister in Cambridge for a few years.

[0:28] We went to Ipswich, we went to the New Forest and then finally, because we were fed up of the ponies, we moved to Orpington where I've been minister in the last 16 and just this last year retired.

[0:47] But you know, there's no retirement in God's service and I think of myself now as a freelance minister. I go, I think I've preached more since I retired than before I retired actually.

[1:06] And it's great to be here with you. And before I became a minister, before I trained to be a minister, I trained to be a lawyer, a barrister in London for a couple of years.

[1:23] So I came from law to grace, which is always a good thing to do. And I've learnt over the years how good it is to go to parties.

[1:36] Do you like, do you like a good party? I've learnt over the years.

[2:10] Do you like the best things? Music, absolutely. A party without music, it would be really dead, wouldn't it? Thank you so much.

[2:20] We've got music up there. Oh, yeah, over here. Music and something else as well. Yes. Yes. Now that's, that's great to hear in a Baptist church.

[2:35] Well, well done. And there's some drinks here as well. You have to choose whether they're alcoholic or, I guess that's water in there.

[2:50] Yes. Jelly. Who likes jelly? Jelly. I think it's disgusting.

[3:02] Yeah. Okay. I think there's jelly up there somewhere. Yeah. What else about a party? What makes the greatest party?

[3:14] Sorry? Absolutely. That's one of the best things, isn't it? Meeting one another. Meeting, meeting friends.

[3:26] Having fun with friends. Absolutely. Sometimes you go to parties and you don't have the right people there. Anything else?

[3:41] Ice cream. Yes. Absolutely. Food. I want food. Absolutely. Goodness me. Food.

[3:51] We've got to have food, haven't we? At a party. Yeah. You can tell that I like my food. Anything else in the party that you would especially want there?

[4:05] What about a bouncy castle? No? Oh. I like bouncy castles. And decorations and presents for people and all sorts of things.

[4:24] The greatest party. We love parties. Oh, yes, we do. Well, that story that we heard. Can we see the next picture?

[4:35] That story that we heard that Jesus told was of the great, great party that everybody is invited to.

[4:48] You are invited to the best party ever. And it's the kingdom party. It's the party of the kingdom of heaven.

[5:02] And it says RSVP with love from Jesus. What does RSVP mean? Oh, yeah. We've got the French here.

[5:14] I knew that you were posh at Herne Hill. It means you've got to respond, doesn't it? It means let's have a response.

[5:28] Jesus invites us to the best party ever. And, you know, when I think of heaven, I think that it's not up there in the clouds.

[5:45] I think that it's going to be here on the earth, redeemed and restored to what God intended it to be. And that everything that's good and wonderful and lovely about God's creation will have a place in eternity in heaven.

[6:09] Will have a place at the best party ever. And Jesus wants not just a select few people to be there.

[6:21] He wants every person to be there who would respond to him. So whether we're young or old, whatever culture or background that we have, Jesus invites us to the greatest party ever.

[6:43] The banquet of the kingdom of heaven. And that's the story. That's the parable that Jesus told in Luke chapter 14.

[6:56] And he wants you to say yes. And if you haven't yet said yes in your life, to his invitation to be at the greatest party ever, make this the day.

[7:16] Say yes to Jesus. That you might be at the greatest party with me. But the trouble was, and Jesus says this in his story, the trouble was this.

[7:31] People began to make their excuses. In the parable, he says that one said, I've just gone and bought a field.

[7:44] I can't come to the party. And another person said, do you remember? He said, I've married a wife, and I can't come to the party.

[7:59] And another person said, I've just bought some cows, some oxen, and I can't come to the party.

[8:11] And I was thinking of some other excuses that people made today about responding to the invitation that Jesus gives.

[8:22] Some people might say, about God and about Jesus. Some might say, well, I'm not really interested. And some people might say, you know, I just don't believe in God.

[8:40] I was listening to the radio in the car coming over. I listen sometimes to LBC on the radio. And people were phoning in because it was about the Pope's funeral.

[8:52] People were phoning in and saying, it's all a load of rubbish. Some people were saying, I don't believe in God. That's my reason. I'm not interested.

[9:06] Some people say, it'll be so boring. Now, sometimes I think Christians and churches have given the impression that being a Christian or that coming to the kingdom of heaven is boring.

[9:23] It's the greatest party ever. And some people say, well, I'm just so busy right now with one thing and another.

[9:35] I'm just getting married. I've just bought a house. I've just got a new car to use 21st century equivalents. I just can't fit it in right now.

[9:49] And there are some other boxes there. Can you think of other excuses that people might make about coming to the party? Yeah.

[10:02] That's a really relevant one for people today, isn't it? I'm just, hey, yes. I've got too much homework.

[10:14] Yeah. Absolutely. Hear that? Teachers here, if your teacher's here, don't give Kate so much homework. Yes.

[10:29] I've tried it before. Yes. Absolutely. I've tried it before and the church let me down. I've tried it before and the church is full of hypocrites.

[10:45] I've tried it before and it just didn't do anything for me. Yeah. People say that, don't they? Because they don't say it, they're thinking it and feeling it.

[10:56] And Jesus is always saying to people whatever excuses they come up with and sometimes members of our family and sometimes friends that we have and that we love.

[11:10] And Jesus is saying to them and he's saying to you and me, put the excuses aside, believe in me, come to me, discover that the way to live life, the way to enjoy the fullest, abundant life, is to come to me and come to the party of the kingdom of heaven which starts now and goes on forever.

[11:42] R.S.V.P. Let's put the excuses aside and be able to answer people too that come up with excuses as we speak to them and invite people to the party, the greatest banquet.

[12:09] Jesus says, tell them, come, everything is ready. Because it's not boring, it's not irrelevant, it's not just pie in the sky when we die, it's for us today, for every one of us.

[12:38] Come to the party, everything is ready. And so, because of the excuses, Jesus said, a second set of invitations was sent out to all the people, all the people of other cultures and other backgrounds, the people that weren't kind of religious, the people of the highways and the byways and every nation.

[13:18] The invitation was sent out to all people, including you and me. And I've got a little, I've got a little game, really, to kind of illustrate the point.

[13:32] And he is here. My game is here. His name, his name is Gus Guts.

[13:46] Okay? And we've got a picture to go with Gus Guts. And the game is called Bag It or Bin It. And it's this.

[14:00] You've got to put your hand down Gus's throat and go down into his stomach and pull out what's inside of him.

[14:16] If you trust me, that is. So, who's going to have a go at Bag It or Bin It? Thank you so much, Kate.

[14:26] You're being great this morning. Thank you. So, Kate, if you've ever wanted to do this, you can stick your hand down somebody's throat and pull out what's inside.

[14:40] Just one thing. Okay? What does it say? Love. Okay. Love. Thank you. Bag It or Bin It?

[14:51] Bag It. Oh. Where's the center of the church? Kind of there? Bag It.

[15:04] May love be at the center of our church. Yeah, let's see what's inside Gus's guts. There are a few more. I'll come to you.

[15:17] Yes. Come on. Come on. Let's see what's inside of Gus's guts. What's inside of Gus's guts and what's inside of us.

[15:31] Oh, what does that say? Well done. Fantastic. It says, well done. It says equality. Equality.

[15:44] Wow. Bag It or Bin It? At the center of our church, let there be a sense of equality for all people.

[16:00] equality at the center of our church. Let's see what's inside. Yes. Thank you so much. What's inside of Gus's guts and what's inside of us.

[16:14] What are our attitudes? Fantastic. Well done. Pride. Oh. Thank you so much. Pride.

[16:24] Pride. Pride. Bin It. Really? Can I hold you to that?

[16:38] Bin It. Let's bin it. From our church and from our lives. Let's bin the sin of pride.

[16:50] What's inside of Gus's guts? Yes. Yes. Thank you so much. You're trying not to look at me.

[17:02] Wow. Thank you. It's really relevant for our church, I think. Racism. Burn it.

[17:14] Burn it. Destroy it. Bin it. Let it have no place within Hearn Hill Baptist Church and no place within our lives and no place within our nation or our community.

[17:33] Racism. Let's bin it. Wow. I've forgotten how many are there. What's inside of Gus's guts?

[17:47] Oh, it's fun, isn't it? Kindness to one another.

[18:01] The fruit of the spirit of kindness. Should we bag it or bin it? Oh, let's bag it.

[18:12] In our lives and in our church. Let there be kindness at the center.

[18:23] Let's bag it always. Can I feel in his tummy? See what else is there? I think there's something else.

[18:34] Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Let's see. Patience.

[18:48] Yeah. Yeah. Patience. Shall we?

[19:00] Some of us are not good at being very patient, are we? Sometimes we lose our temper too quickly, even with those that are closest to us and those that we love most.

[19:19] Should we bag it or bin it? Let's bag it. Let there be patience at the center of our church and in our attitudes and in our lives.

[19:36] And what do you think? No? Okay. Let's see what's inside of Gus Guts.

[19:47] Put your hand right down into his stomach. That's right. And pull out his innards. That's right. Pull it out. Yeah.

[19:58] That's great. Yeah. What does that say? Yeah. Hey. Snobbery. When people look down upon other people for whatever reason.

[20:18] Oh, sometimes people are real snobs, aren't they? What do you think about in our church? Should we bag it or bin it?

[20:31] Bin it? Let's bin snobbery. Let snobbery have no place within Hearn Hill Baptist Church and no place in our lives.

[20:47] One more, I think. One more. I've forgotten what it was. Hypocrisy.

[20:59] When people say one thing and do another, when people pretend. Should we bag it or bin it?

[21:14] Let there be no place for hypocrisy within our church, at Hearn Hill Baptist Church, and no place in our lives.

[21:26] Let's bin it. Because a second set of invitations goes out. And Jesus says, it goes to the highways and the byways and the streets and the lanes and invite them to come in.

[21:47] people of all classes and all races and all cultures and all backgrounds and all genders.

[21:59] Invite them. Invite them to come in. Because Jesus said, those who were first invited won't, with their excuses, won't have a place in the kingdom of heaven.

[22:12] But those people who are invited from the world, they'll be welcome and they'll enjoy the greatest kingdom party that will be out of this world.

[22:36] Do you want a place in the kingdom party? Yes, Lord Jesus. I'll be there.

[22:49] I'll be there. Let it start. Let it start today. Let it start today in our lives and in our church.

[23:06] Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this invitation to the greatest banquet ever.

[23:22] We pray that we would be certain and assured of our place at the party and that we would be confident in our invitation to others and that those things that we have binned would be truly binned from Hearn Hill Baptist Church and from our lives and those things that we have claimed to be at the center of our church would always be true.

[23:58] for we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you, just that.

[24:11] Let's pray.