The kids are going to go out to Kids Church now, and the rest of us are going to pick up Bibles.
If you haven't got your Bibles open, grab a Bible, turn to Luke 14, and I'm going to pray.
Gracious God, we thank you for the privilege of joining together as your people.
Lord, as we look at your Word now, I pray that we might have ears to hear.
We pray also for our young people departing from us now to their program.
Lord, I pray for them too that you might pour your Spirit out amongst them and upon their hearts and their minds
so that they might have ears to hear and willing hearts to obey.
I pray that for ourselves too, Lord, and we ask for your sake. Amen.
The radio station Today FM used to have what was called the annual celebrity party.
I don't know if they still do. I haven't listened to Today FM for a while, but it was an annual celebrity party.
It was a little misleading though because although there was a couple of famous people, you know, 15-minute fame kind of people there,
the bulk of the party goers were average Joe blows like me.
Not the rich, not the famous.
Those who never really get a chance to mix it with a high life of the famous people.
Apparently it was a great party, an enormous party, a lot of people there, heaps of drink and fun and food and average people like me were there.
It was advertised as the party to beat all parties, the party that everyone wanted to be at.
And one year in their promotion for this celebrity party, they had a guy ring up pretending to be Kerry Packer
to the radio station wanting to buy tickets for this party.
He was promptly told that no amount of money could buy him a ticket to the party.
It was invitation only and he wasn't invited.
Luke 14, Jesus tells the story of the greatest party of all times.
It's a party that we've been all invited to, a party that we have to RSVP for.
It's also a party that no amount of money can purchase a ticket for.
This party is invitation only.
I think it's a surprise to most people to discover that Jesus liked to party as much as anyone else.
He often saw Jesus attending weddings and dinner parties.
But what is really surprising is that he actually describes heaven as a party, as a great banquet,
which is a little bit different from the popular notion of hymns and harps and halos.
It is a big banquet.
And so Jesus is at this dinner party.
He's at a dinner party with some of his disciples and he leans across to the host of the party
and tells him who he should invite to his parties.
It's there in verse 12.
So have a look at Luke 14, verse 12.
When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives or your rich neighbours.
If you do, they may invite you back and so you'll be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed.
It's an amazing thing.
He leans across to the host of the party and says,
don't invite people to your party who you want to be there.
Invite everyone else.
Don't invite your friends, your neighbours, your rich.
In other words, what he's saying is,
I want you to live a life.
Remember Jesus talking about discipleship here.
I want you to live a life where you do things and don't expect to be repaid for it.
But he's so different than us, isn't it?
I mean, isn't it good to be able to do things and get some sort of recognition for it?
It's so much easier to pick up your cross and follow Jesus when there's a crowd clapping,
acknowledging you picking up your cross.
It's so much easier being humble when you can tell people that you've been humble
so they can pat you on the back for being humble.
And Jesus says, don't invite the people who are going to pay you back.
Invite, in fact, he says, the poor, the sick, the crippled, the outcast,
the people who were the outcast in first century Palestine.
Invite those people, the ones who can't pay you back.
Why does he tell us to do that?
Well, that's how God treats us.
It's how God treats us.
This is God's attitude.
The invitation that God gives us to have a relationship with him
and to spend eternity at his banquet table in heaven
is to everyone who doesn't deserve it, everyone who can't pay him back.
God invites the sinful people of this world.
He invites those who live life as if he doesn't exist,
those who go about their daily routine of life
and give no acknowledgement to God whatsoever.
Don't give him a second thought.
Reality is what he's saying is that everyone who dines for eternity
at God's table in heaven will not deserve to be there.
There won't be a single person there who will deserve it,
who would have earned it, who would have bought their way there
simply just because they're there,
because they have accepted the invitation
to join with God for eternity
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Well, that must have been a party clangor.
But Jesus didn't stop there.
He reclined back in his chair,
started to tell a story about a particular party.
It went something like this.
There was a rich man who organised a party
and he invited heaps of people.
And then when it came time for the party,
he sent his servant out to get them to come on in.
What we've got to realise,
this is a party in first century Palestine.
Parties took a lot longer to organise back in those days.
Nowadays, quick text message,
and you've got, you know, put on food,
and you've got a bunch of teenagers home in no time at all.
But it was different back in those days.
Significantly different.
Kid comes home, wants to have a party.
You know, yes, certainly,
the food's out there in the paddock.
You've got to go and chase it down
and kill it and slaughter it
and do all that sort of stuff.
It takes a while.
So what they used to do
was they put out the first invitation first.
So out you go, invitation to everyone.
We're going to have this great party,
a big banquet.
This is not necessarily just two hours' worth of,
you know, dinner time.
This could go on for days and weeks.
Out goes the first invitation.
People go, yeah, I'll be there.
Sounds like a great idea.
Then the servant gets and does all the preparation.
He slaughters the cows,
picks the carrots,
barbecues the meat,
puts the drinks with the sterly straws in them,
all set aside.
Desserts are cooling in the fridge.
It's ready to go.
Goes around, brings in the party goers,
and what he discovers is
those who said yes to start with
are now saying no.
And what he gets faced with
is a bunch of excuses.
Verse 18,
I have just bought a field
and I must go and see it.
What an idiot.
He's just bought a field
and now he must go and see it.
He's just bought himself a farm, right?
He's just bought himself a business,
hasn't looked over the books,
hasn't seen whether or not
the paddock actually exists or not,
but I've got to go and see it now.
I can't come to your party.
I can't wait, you know,
a couple of days or anything.
I've got to go and see it now
because I might not be there in the morning.
Verse 19,
I've just bought five yoke of oxen
and I'm on my way to try them out.
This guy has just bought a secondhand tractor,
hasn't even seen it,
doesn't even know if it's got all of its wheels
attached to it,
whether there's a motor there,
a transmitter,
got no idea whatsoever.
He's bought it
and he's got to go and try them out now
when the party's on.
He can't wait a couple of days
because they might get lonely tonight.
Number three,
verse 20,
I've just got married so I can't come.
Well, that's pretty self-explanatory.
You know,
you get married,
you don't go to parties anymore,
you know,
got other things on your mind,
don't go and worry about that.
You see,
what it's saying here is
all these people who were initially invited
have changed their mind.
They signed up to it,
they thought it was a good idea
and then when push comes to shove,
don't want to be part of the banquet.
And what Jesus is faced with here,
what he says is,
is that they are just excuses.
And in actual fact,
Jesus is saying these excuses
are both laughable and pathetic.
They are laughable and pathetic,
even good things like buying a field
and buying a bunch of cows
and getting married,
even good things.
When it comes up against
the greatest thing of all,
they can be but distractions
from the greatest and the best thing,
an invitation to party with God for eternity.
So he wants to make it clear
that every excuse that we make
to put off an invitation
of a relationship with the God of this universe
is pathetic,
it's laughable.
There is nothing more important
for yesterday,
today and always
than to know the one who gives us life,
who has control of eternity
in the palm of his hand.
Anything that puts that relationship
to one side
and makes it less important,
the number one priority
is a pathetic excuse.
And I think we've been challenged
about this as we've journeyed
with Jesus to Jerusalem,
haven't we,
over the last few weeks?
When Jesus describes
about what it means
to be his disciple,
what does it mean
to walk with Jesus
along this road to Jerusalem,
into Jerusalem,
to pick up our cross,
to walk outside of Jerusalem,
to die with Jesus
out there on the place
of the skull?
And how often
do we make excuses?
What this passage is saying
and the next one,
this whole collective passage
is saying here,
which is the whole point
of this travel narrative,
do we actually trust Jesus
with our life?
Do we really trust Jesus
with our life?
Jesus is not asking us here,
do we go to church,
we part of a Bible study group,
do I arrange the flowers
at church,
do I,
he's asking,
do I actually trust him
with my life?
Or am I still making excuses?
I've come up with all sorts
of excuses over the years,
so I've been faced
with all sorts of excuses,
I've made excuses myself.
One of the classic ones
is I'm too smart
to be a Christian.
A Christian is just made up
for dumb people
who need some form of crutch,
but I'm too smart.
I've heard that one,
I've heard it,
the most clearest excuse
in that regard
that I heard
came from a 16 year old
and it was in the middle
of a scripture class,
this kid said to me,
the Bible's full of mistakes
and Christianity's all flawed.
And, you know,
very authoritatively said that
and I said,
so tell me where?
He goes,
well,
you haven't got a Bible.
Unfortunately,
I had my big Bible bashing Bible
at the time
and I threw my Bible,
which just landed perfectly
on his desk
and slid into his lap
and it was just,
you know,
just a great effect.
And I said,
so show us where the,
you know,
show us where the mistakes
all are.
And he goes,
well,
I don't know exactly
where they are,
I've just heard
it's full of mistakes.
Well,
who told you?
Well,
I don't know where
I heard it from.
I've heard it from someone.
I said,
is the person reliable?
I don't know,
I don't know who it was.
And I said,
so in other words,
you don't really know,
do you?
And he goes,
no,
you're right,
I don't really know.
Or the other one I've heard is,
I'm too good looking
and too cool to be Christian.
Like being a Christian
is going to spoil my image
because clearly Christians
are the people
who tuck their ciglet
inside their undies
and we're the guys
who wear the sandals
on outside of our socks
and dagginess
has nothing to do
with Christianity.
It's in your jeans,
not in the type you wear
but in your mum and dad
so blame them for that.
Or I'm too involved,
I'm too involved
in the opposite sex
or with family
or friends,
you know,
what would those people think?
I'm too involved
with all these other relationships
to actually give
great consideration
to the best relationship
at all,
a relationship
with a guy
in this universe
or I'm just too busy.
I'm too busy with my work,
I'm too busy with my hobbies,
I'm too busy with my clubs,
I'm too busy with my study,
I'm just too busy
with life itself
to give a thought
for the one
who gives me life itself.
How do your excuses stack up?
In Jesus' story,
and this is,
you've got to read this one here,
not one of those
who are invited to the banquet
got a taste of the banquet.
Verse 24,
I tell you,
not one of those men
who are invited
will get a taste
of my banquet.
Not one.
What Jesus is saying
is if we continue
to reject the invitation
of our relationship
with him,
if we continue
to make our excuses,
if we continue
not to trust in Jesus,
then he will end up
treating us
for eternity
the way
that we have treated him
in the short span
of our lifetime.
Away from me,
I never knew you.
Away from me.
What Jesus wants
to make very clear
for us here
is that it is
the most important decision.
It's what we do with Jesus.
It's the most important decision
in our life
and that is why
Jesus wants us
to be so,
so clear
about what we are doing.
So clear
about what we are doing
when we sign on
to follow Jesus.
I want to say
that as well
by way of encouragement,
I have been amazed
recently,
the last two weeks
have been the most
difficult ministry years
of my,
ministry weeks
of my life
and yet
in amongst that difficulty
I have been rejoicing
consistently
of those
who have been coming
to Christ
in our midst.
God has been good.
The evil one
would want to distract us
from the main game
and Jesus keeps
encouraging us
with those
who have come
to Christ.
Praise God.
God has been good.
But he wants to make
us very,
very clear
what we are signing
on for here
as his people.
Jesus says
if you want to follow him
it's going to be tough.
It's going to be tough
because you die to yourself
and you rise to me.
It's going to be tough
because you take up
your cross
and you follow me.
It's going to be tough
following me
on this road
to Jerusalem
and outside of Jerusalem
to the place
of the skull
so you better get ready
for it.
You better get ready
for it.
He says
you've got to realise
that you are sheep
amongst ravenous wolves.
You've got to be ready
for it
because I'm getting you
to carry your cross
as well
as much as I'm carrying mine
and you need to count
the cost.
It's no good
RSVPing for heaven
signing up
for a gentle Jesus
meek and mild
and then realising
that Jesus
is more than meek
and mild.
Jesus is a king
who demands
my allegiance
and then realising
you've signed up
and you've made a mistake.
And so Jesus
uses two illustrations
to make the point.
He says
you don't go
building a building
if you haven't got
the money
to finish the job.
You look like an idiot.
You don't just
get the foundations
and you go
okay well
where's the rest
of it going
to come from now?
And he says
you don't go
picking a fight
with a guy
who's bigger than you
if you're going
to lose.
You know
I don't go
walking around
picking fights
with you know
two foot tall
sorry
two meter tall
two foot tall guys
I'll pick fights
with those guys
two
you know
two meter tall
bodybuilders
you don't pick
fights with those guys.
In other words
he says
think about
what you're committing
to
and this is
a significant
warning for us
I've said this
before
from the pulpit
that it's easier
for us to be part
of the Anglican Church
of Australia
than it is to be part
of the kingdom
of God.
That what Jesus
demands in terms
of discipleship
is not what
is demanded
in terms of
the Anglican Church
of Australia.
It is much
harder
to be part
of the kingdom
of God
than it is to be part
of Sir Paul's
Chatswood.
And let's be
frank about this
even the rich
young ruler
would be welcomed
amongst us.
He would be
included
given a position
of leadership
and frankly
right now
the Sydney
Diocese
could do
with his money.
And he even
came running
up to Jesus
with the all-important
question
what must I do
to inherit
eternal life?
If he came up
to me
and said that
it would be
vastly different
than what happened
when he said
it to Jesus.
He walked away
sad
because he wasn't
prepared
to trust
Jesus.
He wasn't
prepared for
Jesus to be
number one
he trusted
his money
more.
If he ran
up to me
I would have
had him
praying the
sinner's prayer
before he
caught his breath
and I would have
had him baptised
before he filled
out a follow-up
card.
Jesus was a
magnet to
people like
him
people who
want Jesus
for all that
they could get
out of him
but not prepared
to give Jesus
everything.
Verse 25
tells us
that there
are a great
number of
people who
were travelling
along the
road with
Jesus
but he was
never fooled
by the
crowds.
Jesus always
made a distinction
between the
crowds and
his disciples.
He was never
fooled by the
crowds.
Just because
they were there
he didn't think
for a moment
that they
were his
true
disciples
and so
he told
them what
it meant
to be
his
disciple.
And so
here's the
question for
you.
Do you
want to be
a disciple
of Jesus?
Do you
want to be
a true
disciple of
Jesus?
Do you
want to be
at his
banquet table
whatever that
is for all
eternity in
heaven?
Do you
want to be
there in
the end?
Jesus?
Well then
you need to
do this.
You need to
put your
hands up
like this.
Both of
your hands.
Come on.
I'm not
going to be
the only
idiot here.
Everyone's
got to do
this.
And you
need to
get behind
your ears
and you
need to
do this.
Because
Jesus says
this in
verse 35
he who has
ears to
hear let
him hear.
You want
to be my
disciple?
Listen up.
Okay?
You don't
need to keep
doing that.
Listen up.
Jesus says
three things
in this
passage.
What it
means to
be his
true
disciple.
Jesus said
first of
all you
cannot be
my
disciple
if you
love
other
people
more
than
you
love
Jesus.
Have
a look
at verse
26.
If anyone
comes to
me and
does not
hate his
father and
mother,
his wife
and
children,
his brothers
and sisters,
even his
own life,
he cannot
be my
disciple.
Now if
you had
an argument
as a
family on
the way
here today
you'd
think these
are great
words but
that's not
quite what
Jesus is
saying.
The point
is that
the relationship
that Jesus
calls us
to is an
exclusive
relationship.
Jesus says
the first
thing that
has to
happen if
you're going
to be
his disciple
there is
no more
important
relationship
than your
relationship
with Jesus
and as
C.S.
Lewis says
when you
put the
first things
first everything
else doesn't
become second
it actually
becomes
first.
when God
is first
you will
love your
wife,
your husband,
your children,
your friends,
your neighbour
like you
will not
love them
now.
What Jesus
is saying
is that there
is no
competitors
for this
relationship.
He says
it won't
be our
parents,
it won't
be our
wives,
our husbands,
our brothers,
our sister,
our children,
our boyfriend,
our girlfriend,
our best
friend,
our work
colleagues,
it won't
even be
ourselves.
He says
there,
I won't
even love
myself.
I won't
live for
my security,
for my ease,
for my comfort,
my pleasure.
Nobody
will be
competing
with Jesus
for our
love,
our affection,
our allegiance.
Jesus
will be the
one who
sets the
agenda for
my life.
He'll be
the one
who I
love,
who I
will serve
like no
other.
We will
do what
Jesus wants
us to do
before what
our friends
want us
to do,
even before
what my
boss wants
me to
do.
It means
when Jesus
speaks to
us through
his word,
as our
dearly loved
friend,
as our
king,
we will
listen and
we will
obey.
We will
listen and
we will
obey.
Do you
trust Jesus
enough to
do that?
Do you
trust him
enough to
do that?
Jesus
also said
that you
cannot be
his
disciples.
Number
two,
if we
are
people
who
love
safety
more
than we
love
Jesus.
Verse
27,
anyone
who does
not carry
his cross
and follow
me
cannot be
my
disciple.
Amazing
verse.
Jesus
calls us
into a
relationship
that is
actually
worth
dying
for.
He
calls us
into a
relationship
that is
actually
worth
dying
for
and
that
means
it's
everything
to live
for.
When
something
is worth
dying
for,
it is
everything
to live
for.
You
see,
the decision
is now,
tomorrow,
the day
after,
the next
day,
take up
my cross
and follow
Christ.
Even if it
costs me
my friends,
it costs
me money,
people think
I'm an
idiot,
even if it
costs me
my life,
no matter
what,
I'm going
to follow
Jesus.
Do you
trust
Jesus
enough
to do
that?
Third
thing,
Jesus
also said
that you
cannot be
my
disciple
if you're
a person
who loves
things
more than
you love
Jesus.
Have a
look,
verse 33,
in the
same way,
any of
you who
does not
give up
everything
he has
cannot be
my
disciple.
And
I've
spoken
on this
one a
number
of times
lately,
and I'm
going to
consistently
do it,
because
the world
in which
we live
wants us
to love
things.
You
turn on
the TV
and every
ad is
telling
you that
your life
is
meaningless
unless
you buy
this,
fill in
the blank,
whatever the
product is.
You know,
a bowling
ball,
a backing
clinic can
lift a
bowling
ball,
I mean,
that's the
meaning of
life.
You know,
everything.
And what
Jesus is
saying here
is that
he is the
one who
determines
our future,
our goals,
our plans,
our security,
and even
our spending.
Do you
trust
Jesus
enough to
do that?
do you
love
Jesus
more than
anything
or anyone
else?
I'm not
asking you
are you
a member
of the
Anglican
Church?
I'm not
asking you
whether you
go to
Bible
study.
I'm not
asking you
whether or
not you
arrange the
flowers at
church.
I'm asking
you,
do you
trust
Jesus
more than
anything?
Maybe you
know the
Christian message
well.
You pray
regularly,
you can
memorize
important
Bible
verses
and it
hasn't
changed
your
priorities.
It has
an impact
on the
way you
treat
people,
even the
way that
you treat
God.
Or even
the way
that you
day by
day go
about your
business and
even plan
your life.
How many
of us
here
prayerfully
considered
our last
purchase?
Okay,
that might
be a bit
harsh.
How many
of us
here
prayerfully
considered
our last
holiday?
How many
prayerfully
considered a
career change?
Because
all of
those
decisions,
I
significantly
consider
and take
into
consideration
the thoughts
of and the
words and
wisdom of my
lovely,
dearest
wife,
Natalie,
but if I
considered
Jesus to
be the
most
important,
wouldn't I
be prayerfully
considering those
decisions with
him as well?
Wouldn't he
have something
to say about
my spending,
my leisure,
my time?
how many
people have
got an
ache in
their gut
right now?
When you
realise what
Jesus is
calling us
to as we
walk along
that road of
discipleship to
Jerusalem with
him.
Jesus
wasn't
fooled by the
crowd who
followed him
around,
who only
followed him
because of
what they
could get
out of
him.
He wasn't
fooled then
and he
certainly isn't
fooled now.
What I'm
calling us
to do here
is the
very thing
that Jesus
called his
disciples to
do 2,000
years ago in
clearing up
their misconceptions
of what it
meant to be
his disciple.
He called
them to a
life of
radical
discipleship.
Actually,
let me
retract that.
No,
he didn't.
He called
them to a
life of
following him,
the radical
king.
That's the
key.
The key
is not
our life,
but the
king who
we follow,
the radical
king.
And what
the radical
king offers
us,
what the
radical king
offers us
is an
eternal
banquet with
him,
the greatest
thing you
could ever
possibly have
or imagine,
and he
says,
follow me.
Follow me
all the way
there,
me the
radical
king.
And when
you stuff
it up,
as you
will,
keep looking
to me,
the radical
substitute
king who
sacrificed in
your behalf
because you
failed to
follow me,
the pace
setter.
So let us
be a people
who in
the power
and the
comfort of
the gospel,
in the
power of
the indwelling
spirit,
with the
great king
Jesus before
us,
decide today,
tomorrow,
the next
day,
10 years
time,
30 years
time,
to get on
that road,
to stay on
that road to
Jerusalem,
to get to
Jerusalem,
to pick up
our cross,
and to walk
with him to
the place of
the skull,
and there with
him die to
the old life,
and with him
rise to a
new life.
Amen.