Back to the Future: Service and Mission
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Sermon Reflections: Back to the Future: Service & Mission
Date: 21 January 2024
Speaker: Pastor Leedah Wong
Sermon Text: Luke 14:12-24
Sermon Reflections: Back to the Future: Service & Mission
Date: 21 January 2024
Speaker: Pastor Leedah Wong
Sermon Text: Luke 14:12-24
Sermon Preamble
We are continuing our mini-series, “Back to the Future,” with the idea that sometimes we must go back to go forward. God’s basics are a firm foundation that we must revisit wherever God is leading us in the future. In this message, we are looking at service and mission. In the Great Commission, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a). However, much of the American Church falls short of evangelizing all nations. Instead much of the church is focused on training people how to make a Sunday morning production, taking care of church facilities, teaching, and listening to sermons. However, the Church falls short of living with radical generosity towards the poor, evangelizing ethnic neighbors, and reaching a post-modern world. The Church is supposed to be like an aircraft carrier ship (not just a cruise ship). The aircraft goes on a mission and then returns to the ship to prepare for its next mission. In contrast, a cruise ship produces shows to keep people happy. The Great Commission commands followers of Christ to engage in service and make others disciples. When you are engaging in service and making disciples of others, it encourages you. Service includes loosening the chains and untying the cords and yoke of injustice, sharing your food with the hungry, and sheltering the poor wanderer. Then your light will shine like the noonday (See Isaiah 58:6-10). Pastor Leedah Wong is the pastor of a church that meets in his family home. In the family home, they invite refugees, the homeless, and single moms. Every step to love the poor is a step closer to God. Joy, peace, laughter, purpose, and meaning in life come from Jesus. Jesus washed the feet of the poor. This house church, Restore 22 (R22), lives out the instructions in Luke 14:12-24: When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.
Be Blessed: Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind who cannot repay
“12 Then Jesus turned to his host. ‘When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,’ he said, ‘do not invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors, for they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.’” (Luke 14:12-14). Jesus is eating at the house of a Pharisee, and people were picking the best seats of honor to sit. Jesus begins teaching about the upside down Kingdom of God principles. Jesus said, when you give a banquet, do not invite only your friends, relatives, or rich neighbors, because they may invite you back. That will be your only reward. For additional blessings for the righteous, invite those who cannot repay you.
Some of you are already actively engaged, but others of you are on the sidelines. Retired seasoned saints are not off the hook. Older saints can still bear fruit. “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green” (Psalms 92:12-14). When you share with an older saint, you both bear fruit and stay fresh and green.
The Kingdom of God includes those who are poor, for God is also with the poor
“15 Hearing Jesus teaching about caring for the poor, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, ‘what a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!’” (Luke 14:15). The Kingdom of God includes those who are poor, so followers of Jesus must minister to the poor, who cannot repay us. Jesus replied to the man sitting at the table with a teaching parable. In view of your ultimate reward from God, you should do well to those who cannot repay it, and without expecting a reward. Jesus proclaimed His own mission for service to the poor as a model for the followers of Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” (Luke 4:18).
Jesus taught another parable about serving the poor. “34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40). On the day of judgement, God is not going to say, take your inheritance because you went to an HBCU, worked for a good tech company, have enough in retirement, spend your savings because your children have good jobs and your grandkids are competing in sports at the highest level. Nor is God going to reward you because you listened to sermons, sang in the Choir, ran church production praise and worship, taught bible study, attended church, or tithed. These are all good things, but on the day of judgement God will say welcome to the Kingdom because you served “the least of your brothers and sisters.” Serving others is not something we do as a supplement to our Christian life. It is core to it.
Jesus replied to the man at the table: the parable of the excuses for declining banquet invitations
“16 Jesus said to him: A man prepared a great 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.’ 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 just got married, so I can’t come’” (Luke 14:16-20). The one who had invited many to a great feast was reminding them that the banquet is ready. The rich invited guests all made excuses declining to come to the banquet that emphasized an invitation into the Kingdom of God. We often discover in our post-modern world many care little about following Jesus. Just as a host may be snubbed, God’s gracious invitation may also be snubbed.
Their excuses for not coming to the banquet are weak. One man’s excuse is that he must inspect a field that he had recently purchased. The second excuse is just as weak. Would anyone have purchased oxen without first examining them? In biblical days, marriage was not an abrupt decision and unexpected factor between the first invitation and the reminder. Excuses related to materialism got in the way of honoring an invitation already extended and accepted.
Jesus teaches a parable to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame from the streets
21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and 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 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 14:21-24). This banquet parable is about a host who invites those who cannot repay, because that is what God does for us. The poor, crippled, blind, and lame on the streets and alleys of town are the homeless people. Jesus is telling us to invite people we typically would not invite into our home.
An illustration of God’s grace about caring for us occurred in September 2017, when a teen tossed fireworks into the Oregon woods, while hiking on a trail. The fireworks started a fire that burned more than 48 thousand acres. The court ordered the teen to pay over $36 million in restitution to cover damages. Even with a payment schedule, this teen will never be able to pay it back. Despite my sins, I do not owe God $36 million. Instead, the Gospel of Jesus Christ treats me as if I lived Jesus’ perfect life, and the gospel treats Jesus on the cross as if Jesus lived my sinful life. Christ’s righteousness becomes mine. Not only did God forgive me of my debt, but with Christ’s righteousness being given to me, it is like God let me out of jail, and then gave me a congressional medal of honor.
We love others who cannot repay us as an outward expression of love from God that we cannot repay
We go and love others as a sign that we have experienced God’s radical or extreme love that we cannot repay. Serving others that cannot repay us is an outward manifestation of an inward reality. The inward reality is that God loves and gives to us in such a way that we cannot repay. God gives us forgiveness and freedom from shame. God gives us unending compassion and patience. God gives us provision for your needs, gives us freedom from sin, addiction and victory over temptation. God’s love for us exceeds our sins. God gives us peace and the presence of God. God gives us strength and perseverance. God gives us answered prayer. God gives us guidance for everyday and clarity in confusion and conflict. God gives us a promise of exaltation no matter how low we are brought. God has given us a resurrected Christ that proves we have eternal salvation sealed by the Holy Spirit that Satan can never take away.
We will never repay God for what God has given us. As a response, we must do the same for others who cannot repay us.
Application: Tangible steps towards loving the poor – Apply the principles of the banquet to yourself
Before we apply the banquet principles to others, let us apply the banquet biblical principles. The banquet begins with you. The banquet illustrates that God wants all our parts. God wants the parts of you that are poor, crippled, blind, and lame. The parts of you that feel sad, disappointed, anxious, and lonely are invited to the banquet of God. The undesirable part of us that gives in to lust when we want to escape is invited to the banquet of God. The part of us that gets angry, worries, and loses our temper is invited to the banquet of God.
This parable teaching is not just a reminder to invite the poor and crippled neighbor to God’s banquet, but also to invite the parts of your heart that are poor and crippled to God’s banquet.
Someone far from God may object that they cannot come to God’s banquet because of the things they have done. As followers of Christ, our response should be, “No, let me tell you the gospel of what Jesus did on our behalf.”
Application: Coming to the banquet of God unifies you with God.
“11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Imagine that you have a dream in which you are climbing a high mountain. The valley below is where you grew up and where you experienced pain and made mistakes. You are trying to leave this place by reaching the summit, where you’ll be with God. As the summit comes into view, the wind rising from the valley brings with it the sound of a child crying out in distress. You realize you have to go back down and help the hurting child. Following the child's cries, you arrive at the very home you tried to leave behind. You open the door and look inside. Sitting in the corner on the floor is your own wounded child-self, that part of you that feels powerlessness, brokenness, and shame. You sit down next to the child on the floor. For a long time you say nothing. Then a most amazing thing happens. As you are putting your arms around this child, you see Jesus appears and does the same, suddenly realize you are on the lofty summit of union with God!
Application: R22 House Church illustrates the banquet of God for those who cannot repay
R22 House Church provided funds to a homeless person to help her with a respite hotel stay. The reward that this church receives is that this homeless person teaches them about grit, resilience, and laughing with big joyful laughs.
R22 House Church provided support to a mother of 4 children who came to California after an abusive relationship in Georgia. Her testimony is that the R 22 House Church feeds her, prays for her, and supports her. Help has included rent and essentials, help in getting into school, and sharing messages about God that is helping her navigate her life journey.
R22 House Church provided support to a family of 7 that had to flee for their lives when the Taliban took over because the father worked for the U.S. government. The father was captured and released for a ransom. The R22 House church gave funds to the family for economic empowerment. In person support continues for the father, the wife, and the 5 children. Just as this man was hated by the Taliban, the biblical scripture of Zaccheus comes to mind. Jesus went to the home of Zaccheus for a meal. (See Luke 19: 1-9).
At the end of our lives, we are going to be glad for the lessons we practiced from Luke 14:12-24
At the end of our lives we are going to think: we are glad we missed athletic games to serve others as a family, we are glad we gave money away, we are glad we didn’t just have family and friends over, but hosted people that could never pay us back. We are glad we didn’t just join the “social club” parts of the America church, but joined the counter cultural revolution of Jesus at total risk to ourselves.
When we give ourselves away, we get more of God in return. God invites us to a banquet.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-It has been said that goodness is our most sophisticated rebellion against God. In what ways might you believe being a good person is good enough to get into heaven?
-How does the gospel correct our thinking about inviting the poor, crippled, lame, and blind?
Be Blessed: Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind who cannot repay
-Where are the poor located near you? How is God calling you to support the needs of the less fortunate people in your community?
The Kingdom of God includes those who are poor, for God is also with the poor
-Why is serving others an essential core to our Christian life, not just something we do as a supplement?
Jesus replied to the man at the table: the parable of the excuses for declining banquet invitations
-What excuses have you or others given when God invites you to live out the banquet of God?
Jesus teaches a parable to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame from the streets
-Why does Jesus say that the Kingdom of God has to do with our love for those who cannot repay us?
We love others who cannot repay us as an outward expression of love from God that we cannot repay
-Why can’t we repay God for God’s love?
-What are the inward realities of love from God that we cannot repay?
Application: Tangible steps towards loving the poor – Apply the principles of the banquet to yourself
-What parts of yourself in your heart may be covered by sin and, therefore, need to accept the invitation to the banquet of God?
Application: Coming to the banquet of God unifies you with God.
-How does the banquet of God provide unity with God and with others in service?
Application: R22 House Church illustrates the banquet of God for those who cannot repay
-How does R22 House Church apply the principles of Luke 14:12-24?
-Which living examples most resonate with you?
-Why is personal contact important with others who cannot repay?
At the end of our lives, we are going to be glad for the lessons we practiced from Luke 14:12-24
-How will you apply Luke 14:12-24 to parts of yourself as well as loving others?
We are continuing our mini-series, “Back to the Future,” with the idea that sometimes we must go back to go forward. God’s basics are a firm foundation that we must revisit wherever God is leading us in the future. In this message, we are looking at service and mission. In the Great Commission, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a). However, much of the American Church falls short of evangelizing all nations. Instead much of the church is focused on training people how to make a Sunday morning production, taking care of church facilities, teaching, and listening to sermons. However, the Church falls short of living with radical generosity towards the poor, evangelizing ethnic neighbors, and reaching a post-modern world. The Church is supposed to be like an aircraft carrier ship (not just a cruise ship). The aircraft goes on a mission and then returns to the ship to prepare for its next mission. In contrast, a cruise ship produces shows to keep people happy. The Great Commission commands followers of Christ to engage in service and make others disciples. When you are engaging in service and making disciples of others, it encourages you. Service includes loosening the chains and untying the cords and yoke of injustice, sharing your food with the hungry, and sheltering the poor wanderer. Then your light will shine like the noonday (See Isaiah 58:6-10). Pastor Leedah Wong is the pastor of a church that meets in his family home. In the family home, they invite refugees, the homeless, and single moms. Every step to love the poor is a step closer to God. Joy, peace, laughter, purpose, and meaning in life come from Jesus. Jesus washed the feet of the poor. This house church, Restore 22 (R22), lives out the instructions in Luke 14:12-24: When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.
Be Blessed: Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind who cannot repay
“12 Then Jesus turned to his host. ‘When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,’ he said, ‘do not invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors, for they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.’” (Luke 14:12-14). Jesus is eating at the house of a Pharisee, and people were picking the best seats of honor to sit. Jesus begins teaching about the upside down Kingdom of God principles. Jesus said, when you give a banquet, do not invite only your friends, relatives, or rich neighbors, because they may invite you back. That will be your only reward. For additional blessings for the righteous, invite those who cannot repay you.
Some of you are already actively engaged, but others of you are on the sidelines. Retired seasoned saints are not off the hook. Older saints can still bear fruit. “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green” (Psalms 92:12-14). When you share with an older saint, you both bear fruit and stay fresh and green.
The Kingdom of God includes those who are poor, for God is also with the poor
“15 Hearing Jesus teaching about caring for the poor, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, ‘what a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!’” (Luke 14:15). The Kingdom of God includes those who are poor, so followers of Jesus must minister to the poor, who cannot repay us. Jesus replied to the man sitting at the table with a teaching parable. In view of your ultimate reward from God, you should do well to those who cannot repay it, and without expecting a reward. Jesus proclaimed His own mission for service to the poor as a model for the followers of Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” (Luke 4:18).
Jesus taught another parable about serving the poor. “34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40). On the day of judgement, God is not going to say, take your inheritance because you went to an HBCU, worked for a good tech company, have enough in retirement, spend your savings because your children have good jobs and your grandkids are competing in sports at the highest level. Nor is God going to reward you because you listened to sermons, sang in the Choir, ran church production praise and worship, taught bible study, attended church, or tithed. These are all good things, but on the day of judgement God will say welcome to the Kingdom because you served “the least of your brothers and sisters.” Serving others is not something we do as a supplement to our Christian life. It is core to it.
Jesus replied to the man at the table: the parable of the excuses for declining banquet invitations
“16 Jesus said to him: A man prepared a great 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.’ 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 just got married, so I can’t come’” (Luke 14:16-20). The one who had invited many to a great feast was reminding them that the banquet is ready. The rich invited guests all made excuses declining to come to the banquet that emphasized an invitation into the Kingdom of God. We often discover in our post-modern world many care little about following Jesus. Just as a host may be snubbed, God’s gracious invitation may also be snubbed.
Their excuses for not coming to the banquet are weak. One man’s excuse is that he must inspect a field that he had recently purchased. The second excuse is just as weak. Would anyone have purchased oxen without first examining them? In biblical days, marriage was not an abrupt decision and unexpected factor between the first invitation and the reminder. Excuses related to materialism got in the way of honoring an invitation already extended and accepted.
Jesus teaches a parable to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame from the streets
21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and 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 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 14:21-24). This banquet parable is about a host who invites those who cannot repay, because that is what God does for us. The poor, crippled, blind, and lame on the streets and alleys of town are the homeless people. Jesus is telling us to invite people we typically would not invite into our home.
An illustration of God’s grace about caring for us occurred in September 2017, when a teen tossed fireworks into the Oregon woods, while hiking on a trail. The fireworks started a fire that burned more than 48 thousand acres. The court ordered the teen to pay over $36 million in restitution to cover damages. Even with a payment schedule, this teen will never be able to pay it back. Despite my sins, I do not owe God $36 million. Instead, the Gospel of Jesus Christ treats me as if I lived Jesus’ perfect life, and the gospel treats Jesus on the cross as if Jesus lived my sinful life. Christ’s righteousness becomes mine. Not only did God forgive me of my debt, but with Christ’s righteousness being given to me, it is like God let me out of jail, and then gave me a congressional medal of honor.
We love others who cannot repay us as an outward expression of love from God that we cannot repay
We go and love others as a sign that we have experienced God’s radical or extreme love that we cannot repay. Serving others that cannot repay us is an outward manifestation of an inward reality. The inward reality is that God loves and gives to us in such a way that we cannot repay. God gives us forgiveness and freedom from shame. God gives us unending compassion and patience. God gives us provision for your needs, gives us freedom from sin, addiction and victory over temptation. God’s love for us exceeds our sins. God gives us peace and the presence of God. God gives us strength and perseverance. God gives us answered prayer. God gives us guidance for everyday and clarity in confusion and conflict. God gives us a promise of exaltation no matter how low we are brought. God has given us a resurrected Christ that proves we have eternal salvation sealed by the Holy Spirit that Satan can never take away.
We will never repay God for what God has given us. As a response, we must do the same for others who cannot repay us.
Application: Tangible steps towards loving the poor – Apply the principles of the banquet to yourself
Before we apply the banquet principles to others, let us apply the banquet biblical principles. The banquet begins with you. The banquet illustrates that God wants all our parts. God wants the parts of you that are poor, crippled, blind, and lame. The parts of you that feel sad, disappointed, anxious, and lonely are invited to the banquet of God. The undesirable part of us that gives in to lust when we want to escape is invited to the banquet of God. The part of us that gets angry, worries, and loses our temper is invited to the banquet of God.
This parable teaching is not just a reminder to invite the poor and crippled neighbor to God’s banquet, but also to invite the parts of your heart that are poor and crippled to God’s banquet.
Someone far from God may object that they cannot come to God’s banquet because of the things they have done. As followers of Christ, our response should be, “No, let me tell you the gospel of what Jesus did on our behalf.”
Application: Coming to the banquet of God unifies you with God.
“11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Imagine that you have a dream in which you are climbing a high mountain. The valley below is where you grew up and where you experienced pain and made mistakes. You are trying to leave this place by reaching the summit, where you’ll be with God. As the summit comes into view, the wind rising from the valley brings with it the sound of a child crying out in distress. You realize you have to go back down and help the hurting child. Following the child's cries, you arrive at the very home you tried to leave behind. You open the door and look inside. Sitting in the corner on the floor is your own wounded child-self, that part of you that feels powerlessness, brokenness, and shame. You sit down next to the child on the floor. For a long time you say nothing. Then a most amazing thing happens. As you are putting your arms around this child, you see Jesus appears and does the same, suddenly realize you are on the lofty summit of union with God!
Application: R22 House Church illustrates the banquet of God for those who cannot repay
R22 House Church provided funds to a homeless person to help her with a respite hotel stay. The reward that this church receives is that this homeless person teaches them about grit, resilience, and laughing with big joyful laughs.
R22 House Church provided support to a mother of 4 children who came to California after an abusive relationship in Georgia. Her testimony is that the R 22 House Church feeds her, prays for her, and supports her. Help has included rent and essentials, help in getting into school, and sharing messages about God that is helping her navigate her life journey.
R22 House Church provided support to a family of 7 that had to flee for their lives when the Taliban took over because the father worked for the U.S. government. The father was captured and released for a ransom. The R22 House church gave funds to the family for economic empowerment. In person support continues for the father, the wife, and the 5 children. Just as this man was hated by the Taliban, the biblical scripture of Zaccheus comes to mind. Jesus went to the home of Zaccheus for a meal. (See Luke 19: 1-9).
At the end of our lives, we are going to be glad for the lessons we practiced from Luke 14:12-24
At the end of our lives we are going to think: we are glad we missed athletic games to serve others as a family, we are glad we gave money away, we are glad we didn’t just have family and friends over, but hosted people that could never pay us back. We are glad we didn’t just join the “social club” parts of the America church, but joined the counter cultural revolution of Jesus at total risk to ourselves.
When we give ourselves away, we get more of God in return. God invites us to a banquet.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-It has been said that goodness is our most sophisticated rebellion against God. In what ways might you believe being a good person is good enough to get into heaven?
-How does the gospel correct our thinking about inviting the poor, crippled, lame, and blind?
Be Blessed: Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind who cannot repay
-Where are the poor located near you? How is God calling you to support the needs of the less fortunate people in your community?
The Kingdom of God includes those who are poor, for God is also with the poor
-Why is serving others an essential core to our Christian life, not just something we do as a supplement?
Jesus replied to the man at the table: the parable of the excuses for declining banquet invitations
-What excuses have you or others given when God invites you to live out the banquet of God?
Jesus teaches a parable to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame from the streets
-Why does Jesus say that the Kingdom of God has to do with our love for those who cannot repay us?
We love others who cannot repay us as an outward expression of love from God that we cannot repay
-Why can’t we repay God for God’s love?
-What are the inward realities of love from God that we cannot repay?
Application: Tangible steps towards loving the poor – Apply the principles of the banquet to yourself
-What parts of yourself in your heart may be covered by sin and, therefore, need to accept the invitation to the banquet of God?
Application: Coming to the banquet of God unifies you with God.
-How does the banquet of God provide unity with God and with others in service?
Application: R22 House Church illustrates the banquet of God for those who cannot repay
-How does R22 House Church apply the principles of Luke 14:12-24?
-Which living examples most resonate with you?
-Why is personal contact important with others who cannot repay?
At the end of our lives, we are going to be glad for the lessons we practiced from Luke 14:12-24
-How will you apply Luke 14:12-24 to parts of yourself as well as loving others?
Posted in Back to the Future
Posted in disciple, Matthew 28:19, Luke 14: 12-24, Isaiah 58:6-10, great commission, Psalm 92, Luke 4:18, Matthew 25:34-40, parable, banquet, repay, poor, lame, blind, crippled, homeless, unity with God, Ephesians 4
Posted in disciple, Matthew 28:19, Luke 14: 12-24, Isaiah 58:6-10, great commission, Psalm 92, Luke 4:18, Matthew 25:34-40, parable, banquet, repay, poor, lame, blind, crippled, homeless, unity with God, Ephesians 4
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