Thanks, Jonathan, and thanks to Fiona again also for music this evening.
We're continuing in the parables of Jesus and Luke's Gospel,
and you might like to turn to Luke chapter 14 and just have your Bible open as we go along.
It's a great parable, and it's a great invitation.
And I just want to start by saying that this parable is for us today.
It was spoken, of course, by Jesus all those years ago and written down.
But the parable is for us today.
The invitation, in fact, still stands, and you're invited to come to the great banquet.
What does that mean?
Well, with God's help, I'll try and explain the best I can as we go along.
But the main point to say is that you're invited to come.
And if I can do anything at all this evening, I just want to make that the main point,
invite you to come and to put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus.
So if you're here in the church this evening or you're listening online,
and you haven't yet accepted that invitation, then here's an opportunity to do so this evening.
One day, of course, it will be too late, but now is the day of salvation.
Now the invitation still stands.
And if you're here this evening and you're already a Christian,
you've accepted that invitation and you've trusted in the Lord,
well, I hope that also in this passage you'll find a lot of encouragement
and by way of challenge too.
And I think there's some really deep theology in this passage as well.
And so I think there'll be something for everyone here in this passage this evening.
So let's dive right in.
And the first question to ask really is, what are we reading about here?
And the first thing to note was that Jesus was at a dinner and he was speaking about a dinner.
And so I think the words of Jesus must have been especially relevant to those who originally heard Jesus.
He was speaking to people right where they were at.
He was speaking about a dinner and they were sitting at a meal table.
But we also note that all was not well at the table.
And you can read about this if you just glance back to the beginning of chapter 14.
Jesus was in the house of a ruler of the Pharisees.
And all the guests present were Pharisees and lawyers.
And you can see that there was some unrest at the table,
particularly about who would get the most important seats at the dinner.
And you can just imagine the sort of thing that was going on here.
One guy is maybe just a bit annoyed that someone else got the most important seat.
Why should he get the important seat?
That should be me that's sitting there next to Jesus.
And so you can imagine the sort of thing that was going on in that occasion.
People were trying to get the most important seat.
And the whole thing was pretty sad.
And so Jesus deals with the problem directly.
And he reminds them that God's way is so different from the ways of the world.
Now the way of the world is me first.
But Jesus reminded them it's totally different in God's kingdom.
Remember how Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death.
Even such a death as the death of the cross.
And what humility that was.
And as followers of Jesus, this is to be our way as well.
Not me first.
But rather we're to be others first.
And how important is that in church life as well?
And how sad when that humility is lacking.
Jesus is our example.
But Jesus is far more than just our example.
And when we think of his atoning death on the cross,
we remember that what he did was not just an example for us to follow,
although certainly we are to take up our cross and follow him.
But Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins,
to take the punishment that we deserve,
to pay the price that we could never pay.
He was buried and rose again from the dead on the third day.
And he's risen, ascended to the Father's right hand.
And one day he will return in glory and in judgment.
But for now the call goes out to all to come to him
and to accept the invitation by faith.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
And those who accept the invitation will not perish,
but will have eternal life.
And Jesus reminds the people at the meal
about the kind of people who are on God's guest list.
It's not our rich neighbours or our own friends and relatives,
but the poor and the crippled and the lame and the blind.
And those who have no way of returning the favour.
And what a difference that is.
How different is God's kingdom to the way of the world?
The world says meek is weak,
but God says the meek shall inherit the earth.
We're going to look at the parable of the banquet itself now,
but you can see what I'm getting at with these words of introduction.
A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
And this parable about an earthly banquet
speaks of a heavenly banquet.
An entrance to it is by faith in God,
the one who has issued the invitation.
So let's just take a minute to identify the main characters in the parable.
Who do they refer to?
Well, first of all, there's the master of the house.
And the master of the house is God.
The gospel invitation is sent out by the servant.
And he goes out to invite people to come in.
Now, who is the servant?
Well, I think when it comes to this question,
there are quite a range of opinions.
There are those who refer to the servant as the prophets,
or perhaps John the Baptist,
or the evangelists, or the apostles.
And maybe the servant refers to us as believers,
or to Jesus himself.
In the Bible, especially in the book of Isaiah,
Jesus is spoken of as the great servant of the Lord.
And you might like to turn to Isaiah 42.
And we'll just read a few verses from there
where Jesus is spoken of as the servant.
Isaiah in chapter 42.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights.
I have put my spirit upon him,
and he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged,
till he has established justice in the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his law.
And then if we turn over to the New Testament as well,
in Philippians chapter 2,
and some really well-known verses there.
Philippians chapter 2,
and starting at verse 5.
Philippians 2 verse 5.
Have this mind among yourselves,
which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow in heaven
and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
So you see how the interpretation fits here.
On the one hand,
we as believers in the Lord Jesus
are called to go out into all the world
and to preach the gospel.
We are ambassadors for Christ.
So I think it's fair to say
that all of the views I just mentioned
about the identity of the servant in this parable
are correct.
Ultimately, the Lord Jesus
is the great servant of the Lord,
the one who is fully God and fully man.
The word became flesh
and dwelt among us,
and who during his earthly ministry
pursued his goal of calling people
out of darkness
and into his glorious light.
But right down through the Bible history,
we can see that the Old Testament prophets,
people like John the Baptist
and the apostles,
all were in a very special way
called to speak God's word
and to invite people to come to him.
But what about us today?
I mean, none of us here are apostles
or prophets,
as Elijah was a prophet
and Peter was an apostle.
Peter and John were among the 12 apostles.
But those of us who are believers
in the Lord Jesus
are sent ones.
We are sent out with the gospel.
That's what the word apostle means
in the original.
We are not apostles with a capital A
as the 12 apostles of the Lord,
but certainly with a small a.
And we have a great commission
and we are called to go
into all the world.
We are servants
and we are called to go out
and to invite.
We may be unworthy servants,
but we can do what we can.
We can serve the Lord
and preach the gospel
and invite people to come in
and as our text says,
to compel people to come in.
And so there's the master of the house,
there's the servant
who goes out with the invitation to all,
to the streets and lanes
and to the highways and hedges.
And finally,
there are two groups of people.
The first group are those
who accept the invitation
and come to the great banquet.
And then there's a second group
are those who reject the invitation.
And we'll see that they make excuses
and they turn down the invitation.
They reject it and they rubbish it.
And they are ultimately excluded
from the banquet.
And ultimately, of course,
in the teaching of the parable,
remembering that there's a heavenly meaning
in the story,
those who reject the invitation
will not be in heaven.
They will not take part
in God's heavenly banquet.
But just as in Jesus' day,
there were those who accepted
the invitation
and those who rejected
the invitation.
Even so,
when the invitation is given
nowadays,
amongst those who hear it,
some will accept it
and others will reject it.
But we're reminded
the invitation is very great
and it's an invitation
to eternal life.
And how wise it is
to take it
and to accept it
right now,
well, there is time.
And to enter into God's banquet
and to his kingdom
and ultimately
to have that hope
and assurance
of a place
at God's banquet
in heaven.
And so with these things in mind,
let's look at verse 15
of our text.
And this is a really key verse
to our understanding
of what follows.
We read that
one of those
who reclined at table
with Jesus
made a comment.
And the comment
he made
was in response
to Jesus' teaching
about the sort of people
who are on God's guest list.
And this man
made a comment
at the dinner
and he said,
blessed is he
who shall eat bread
in the kingdom of God.
I guess we all make
all kinds of comments
at dinner tables
and we talk
about all sorts
of things
at home
or families
and we're out
with friends
for a meal.
Sometimes there's silence
at the table
as is in the case
when Jesus healed
the ill man
over in chapter 14
and verses 4 and 6.
But on this occasion
at the meal,
this particular Pharisee
who also
must have been
an expert
in the law,
he made a serious comment
to be sure
we don't really know
what the man's thoughts were
but we can only guess
if his words
were truly genuine
or whether
there was a hint
of hypocrisy
in what he said.
And so we're left
with many questions.
And when he said,
blessed is he
who shall eat bread
in the kingdom of God,
was he
somehow presuming
that one day
he would make it to heaven
when in fact
he had no right
to expect this?
Was it just a sort of
a pious comment
by a Pharisee
seeking to impress
the other Pharisees
and lawyers
at the meal?
Or was this man
really genuinely
longing to be present
with the Lord
in heaven
and to partake
of the heavenly banquet?
We just don't know
for sure.
But what we do know
is that Jesus
told this parable
in response
to the man's comment.
Jesus said
in verses 16
and 17,
the man once
gave a great banquet
and invited many.
And at the time
for the banquet
he sent to his servant
to say to those
who had been invited,
come
for everything
is now ready.
The banquet
described here
would have been
a formal dinner,
a great feast
and the invitation
went out.
In fact,
I don't know if you
spotted this
but there's a double
invitation here,
a two-part invitation.
Firstly,
in verse 16
we read that
many were invited
and then in verse 17
there's a command,
come for all things
are now ready.
And when you think
of this
it makes perfect sense.
In Jesus' day
there was no such thing,
certainly we're talking
about a formal banquet,
there's no such thing
as fast food.
Animals would have
had to be slaughtered
and roasted
and so this would have
taken quite a bit
of time.
And also it's such
an obvious thing
to say
but people didn't
have watches.
So their sense of time
would have been
quite elastic
and of course
they didn't have
the sort of
communications networks
that we have today.
But can you see
the two parts
of the invitation here?
Firstly,
in verse 16
the many are invited
and secondly
the call went out,
come for all things
are now ready.
It was a two-part invitation.
There's another
really great example
of this in the Old Testament.
If you know your Bible well
you'll remember
in the book of Esther
Queen Esther invited
the king and Haman
to a banquet
and remember
the banquet was announced
and that was the first part
of the invitation
in chapter 5
verse 8
but it wasn't until later
chapter 6
verse 14
when the king's servant
brought Haman
to the banquet.
So it's the exact same thing
is happening there.
There's the initial call
that goes out
and then
the second part
has basically come
where all things
are now ready.
So the master
of the house
gave the invitation
to the servant
and the servant
went out
to bring the people in.
But the astounding thing
is that despite
the kindness
of the master
and his generosity
and gracious invitation
to come to
such a lavish banquet
there are many
who declined
the offer.
And not only so
but they did it
in such
an ungrateful
manner.
We read that
they all alike
with one accord
made excuses
and three excuses
are mentioned
in verses 18 to 20
and we'll look at
those just now.
If you're taking notes
the heading here
is
silly excuses
verses 18 to 20.
the first two excuses
have a sort of
formality
attached to them
request to be excused
whereas the third
excuse
while seemingly
quite plausible
is just downright
blunt
and no hint
of politeness
in it at all.
All three excuses
are lame excuses
and quite ridiculous
to the point
of being absurd.
When you think about it
no wonder
that the master
of the house
was angry
as we read
in verse 21.
I guess
in everyday life
we all have excuses
for various
things
that we don't
want to do.
Maybe like me
you could write a book
on excuses
that you've used
in the past
but as we look
at the excuses
in the parable
the amazing thing
is
although the lifestyle
and culture
of the time
the parable
is written
is vastly different
from our own day.
The excuses given
for not taking seriously
the call
to faith in God
are much the same.
And in our text
here in Luke 14
clearly those
mentioned
considered
other things
more important
than coming
to the banquet.
Now here are
the excuses.
Excuse number one
I've bought a piece
of ground
and I must go
and see it.
And so we wonder
why the man
didn't go
and see the land
first
before
he bought it.
Would you really
buy some land
without first
viewing it?
I think that's
certainly possible
but it's certainly
not a wise
thing to do.
Excuse number two
I've bought
five yoke
of oxen
and I'm going
to test them.
and he was
actually on
his way
to test
the oxen
and again
beggars belief
why the man
would not have
tested the oxen
first
for their usefulness
before he brought
the animals.
How foolish
or maybe
just how ridiculous.
And so you get
the impression
that the man
was speaking
as he was walking.
I don't know
if he would even
have stopped
for a moment
to speak
to the servant
out of courtesy.
He made his
excuse
and he was off.
He was going.
And then excuse
number three
I've married a wife
and therefore
I cannot come.
And this excuse
is really the most
blunt of the three.
It's abrupt
and the man
doesn't even
say please
can you have me
excused.
He just
rejects the invitation
outright.
That said
at first glance
this excuse
might seem
to be plausible
at least
on the basis
of the Old Testament.
If you know
your Bible well
you remember
in Deuteronomy
24
verse 5
a man
who just got
married
was exempt
from military
service for a year
and also
from other
certain responsibilities
in business.
But even so
the excuse
is quite ridiculous
and the banquet
has nothing
to do with
military service
and in any case
the man's wife
would have been
most welcome
to come to the banquet
as well.
And so there are
three silly
excuses here.
But what about
here and now
today?
I preached on
this passage
in Peebles
a few months ago
and in such
a rural
and farming
community
I guess
there may have
been some
people
in the church
who would be
in the business
of buying land
and buying animals
but I expect
for us here
today
in the big city
as none of us
will be
I think
anyway
going out
to buy land
or five yoke
of oxen
tomorrow morning.
But in fact
regardless
of our culture
or location
people have
many many excuses
for not accepting
God's invitation
and the excuses
are essentially
the same
as the ones
we just read about
although the culture
of the day
was very different
from ours
and none of those
excuses
that were made
or can ever
be made
are valid.
There are many
things that are
important in life
our families
our friends
our employment
our homes
our families
are very dear
to us in fact
and other things
are necessary
our work
and a home
to live in
but there's nothing
more important
in all the world
than how we respond
to God's invitation
and you can accept
it or you can
reject it
but by putting
it off
till another time
because you're
too busy
or now's
not a convenient
time
it's just the same
as rejecting it
and rejecting
the invitation
comes with
consequences
as we'll see
in a moment
in the following
verses
but my first point
was to
draw your attention
to the silly
excuses
of the parable
and now
in verses
22 and 23
we're looking
at surprises
and we see
that the master
of the house
is angry
because the
excuse is given
by those who
rejected his
kind invitation
and no wonder
and so he sends
the servant
out again
this time
in great haste
and you can
almost imagine
the servant
being driven out
by his master
into the city
and after all
the banquet
was ready
and there was
no time
to lose
time was short
and there was
a certain
urgency
about the matter
and he says
go out quickly
but here the
surprising thing
is that he
didn't say
go out quickly
to the rich
and to the
important people
to the people
of high standing
and the wealthy
influential
but he says
bring in the poor
and the maimed
and the lame
and the blind
and how interesting
that is
those who
in effect
had nothing
at all
to give in return
were invited
but we need to be
careful here as well
not misunderstand
what's being said
remember there's a
heavenly meaning
in the parable
and so the poverty
and the blindness
spoken of here
doesn't refer
to physical
disability
but rather
to spiritual
condition
in other words
those who are
spiritually blind
those who are
poor in spirit
those who are
crippled spiritually
and unable
to straighten
themselves up
again
and so the servant
goes out
at the master's
command
into the streets
and lanes
of the city
and yet
there was still
room
and so the master
sends them out
again
this time
to the highways
and hedges
with the command
compel them
to come in
the streets
and lanes
probably refer
to cities
and towns
whereas the highways
and hedges
the rural areas
the countryside
areas
and we can see
here clearly
I think that the gospel
is to go out
to all people
in every place
the gospel
is to be preached
everywhere
to all nations
in fact
in the cities
and in the streets
and lanes
in the countryside
everywhere
and people
are to be compelled
to come in
how are we going
to compel people
to come in
we're not going
to use force
and certainly
we're not going
to use the sword
or persecution
but a genuine
concern
and courtesy
and love
were to compel
them to come in
but that's not
the end of the story
point number one
was that there were
silly excuses
point number two
there were surprises
and my final point
number three
there is still room
verse 22 says
master it is done
as you commanded
and still there is room
there is still room
there is a great banquet
and you are invited
to come
and there are still
spaces at the table
and that's the good news
the Lord says come
for all things
are now ready
there is so much
more that could be said
about this parable
but for now
it's time to draw
things to a close
and just very
brief thoughts
by way of conclusion
three brief thoughts
there is an invitation
to be accepted
and there is a warning
here as well
to be heeded
and there is a mission
to be accomplished
first of all
there is an invitation
to be accepted
and that's very clear
I think from this passage
this evening
wouldn't it be great
if someone here
or if you listen
to a recording of this
wouldn't it be great
if someone accepted
God's invitation
to come
maybe you don't feel
very good
or worthy to come
maybe you don't feel
very religious
all I can say
is the invitation
is addressed to you
personally
and maybe the concerns
of life
have taken first place
in your life
and maybe over many years
in fact
your career
and your job
your professional development
your home
and family
and a hundred other things
have got in the way
your business of life
and all the things
that you need to do
or you want to do
you're so busy
that you don't have
time for God
maybe the Lord
is saying to you
this evening
now is the time
to put first things first
and no excuses
there are other things
of course
that are really important
in life
but this
takes a priority
this is the first thing
and this is the most
important thing
maybe you don't feel
worthy enough
to come to the Lord
well
all I can say
is that this parable
is for you
who did the master
of the house
invite
those who are
spiritually poor
and maimed
and blind
those are the ones
who are welcomed
with open arms
to come
to the banquet
there's a
kindness
and a graciousness
in this invitation
that he would invite
people like us
to come
to the great banquet
to come
into his kingdom
and that's the good news
you see
secondly here
there's a warning
to be heeded
a warning
to the religious
and that might seem
like a
quite a strange
thing to say
but remember
when Jesus spoke
the words of this parable
who was he speaking to
he was speaking to
people who were
very very
very religious
there were people
who were
known to be
very religious
and outstandingly
so in fact
they were Pharisees
the people
looked up to them
as religious people
but we have the benefit
of hindsight
today
and we have the whole
Bible
in our hands
and we know
that on the part
of the Jews
there was a rejection
of the gospel
they were the ones
who first were invited
and they rejected
the invitation
and then what happened
next
they were cut off
for a season
and you can read
all about that
in the book of Romans
particularly
from 9 onwards
chapter 11
as well
and so the invitation
has gone out
to the Gentiles
first
the invitation
has gone out
to the prophets
now in Jesus
the second invitation
is given
the religious elite
the Jews
rejected
the invitation
now the gospel
has gone out
to the Gentiles
there's some deep
theology
in these things
and it's good for us
to think about it
and to ponder
God's plan
and his amazing ways
what does this mean
for us here today
here and now
of course it's not
a bad thing per se
to be religious
but the fact is
it's possible to be
very very religious
and yet not to be
on the road to heaven
and that's just a plain fact
and read about that
through the Bible
and through the history
of the church
there's so many examples
of that
the Pharisee
who was sitting
at the table
with Jesus
of all people
could have sung
the words of that
really old hymn
that we very occasionally
rarely sing these days
when the trumpet
of the Lord
shall sound
when the roll
is called up
beyonder
I'll be there
but did he really
make it to heaven
we don't know that
and
you can see
he can be very
very religious
and yet not
on the road to heaven
what can we do
about this
or what can be done
about this
well I believe
the first thing
is this
to take heed
to the warning
here in this parable
and secondly
to pray
and to ask
for God's help
that we may be assured
that we are
really trusting
in Jesus
not in anything else
not in our good works
not in who we are
the good things
that we have done
we are trusting
in Jesus alone
for salvation
and how important
this is
to
take such great care
if we find ourselves
drifting or wavering
in our faith
I was thinking
of an illustration
of this
and a few months ago
I remember
there was that story
in the news
and there was
a P&O ferry
that
had gone adrift
it was
I think
going from
Cairn Ryan
over to Larn
and it lost
all power
in the engines
and here's this ferry
sort of drifting
drifting along
I thought
how good
an illustration
is that
anyway like us
as Christians
at the time
we're sort of
drifting
an action
needs to be
taken
just supposing
the
captain
of that vessel
had said
to the first mate
on the boat
you know
we've lost
all power
in the engines
but not to worry
we'll just
we'll drift along
and a few hours
we'll drift
into Larn
everything
will be okay
well I think
you know
if the first mate
was
in any way
good at his job
he wouldn't be
too happy
with that
he'd be
saying
no no
we need
to
put the
maide signal
out
we need
to get
the
we need
help
and of course
there was a
good outcome
to that
story
and you remember
that
after about
an hour
adrift
in the Irish
sea
ferry
got in
tow
tugboats
were sent
out
from
Belfast
and so
there was
a good
ending
and the
boat
got safely
into
the dock
but if
we're
in our
Christian
faith
if we're
drifting
if we're
wavering
if we're
not the
Christians
we used
to be
we're
going
back
instead
of going
forward
take heed
to the
warning
is what
this parable
says
don't go
on drifting
at the
end
you know
just like
the boat
you could
be dashed
on the
rocks
to use
the
illustration
but take
action
take the
warning
and pray
to God
for help
there's an
invitation
to be
accepted
there's a
warning
to be
heeded
and thirdly
and finally
there's a
mission
to be
accomplished
the man
at the
table
with
Jesus
said
blessed
is
everyone
who
will
eat
bread
in the
kingdom
of
God
let's
just
suppose
for a
minute
that
this
man
spoke
these
words
and he
spoke
them
really
genuinely
and let's
just suppose
for a
moment
and this
actually may
have been
the case
that the
man was
genuine
and like
so many
other of
the Pharisees
and his
expression
was a
real expression
of faith
in the
Lord
and he
had every
right to
say this
because he
was trusting
in the
Lord
and he
was actually
on the road
to heaven
and he
would eat
bread in
the kingdom
of God
and this
evening I'm
speaking
of every
reason to
believe to
genuine
Christians
and those
of you
here this
evening who
I know
and as a
matter of
fact some
of the
most
sincere and
outstanding
Christians I've
ever known
have been
members of
this church
some
are now
with the
Lord
but
I just
want to
encourage you
this evening
if you're
on the
road if
you're trusting
in the
Lord and
going on
with him
that there's
a lot of
encouragement
here in
this parable
for you
as a
reminder that
there's a
mission to
be accomplished
those who
have never
heard the
invitation might
hear it
and the
great commission
of course
still stands
and people
need to hear
the life
changing message
of the gospel
and we're
facing a
task
unfinished
the great
commission
still stands
go therefore
and make
disciples of
all nations
baptizing them
in the name
of the
father and
of the
son and
of the
holy
spirit
teaching
them to
observe
all that
I've
commanded
you and
behold I
am with
you always
to the
end of
the age
what does
that mean
for us
well I
quoted an
old hymn a
few moments
ago and
here's another
verse from
that hymn
when the
trumpet of
the lord
shall sound
the words
are archaic
I know but
the sentiment
of this hymn
is absolutely
spot on
let me
labor for
the master
from the
dawn till
setting sun
let me talk
of all his
wondrous love
and care
then when
all of
life is
over and
my work
on earth
is done
and the
role is
called up
yonder
I'll be
there
do you
get it
it's old
language but
it's absolutely
right
let us
labor
for the
master
let's go
on trusting
in the
lord and
doing what
we can
in his
service
there may
be only
so much
that we
can do
in our
own life
situations
or our
sphere of
influence
but we
can pray
and we
can do
what we
can and
surely the
lord will
bless it
I'd like to
finish just
with a
very short
prayer
maybe you've
heard a
sermon like
this and
it's such a
clear gospel
sermon
such a
clear invitation
I don't
know if
anyone here
this evening
may want to
respond to
the teaching
of this
parable
the bible
that we
have read
respond to
the lord
and trust
in him
I'm going
to just
pray this
short prayer
and if you
can use some
of the words
in this
prayer that's
great
it's not
a sort
of a
magic
formula
if you
pray this
prayer then
you're a
Christian
certainly not
saying that
in any way
at all
but if you
can take
the sentiment
of the
words expressed
here
then our
heart's desire
in prayer is
that you
would come
to know
the lord
and put
your faith
and trust
in him
so let's
pray together
I'll just
pray this
very very
short
prayer
and if
you can
use it
then please
do take
it
and use
it
lord
jesus
christ
i admit
that i'm
weaker
and more
sinful
than i
ever before
believed
but through
you i'm
more loved
and accepted
than i ever
dare to
hope
i thank you
for paying
my debt
for bearing
my punishment
for offering
me forgiveness
for inviting
me to your
feast
and i turn
from my
sin
and receive
you as
my savior
amen