INTRODUCTION:

1. Several important dinners are featured in Luke chapter 14.
2. Luke 14:1 says, "And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him."
3. Then in verse 8, our Lord said, "When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him."
4. Being invited to a wedding included being invited to the banquet which would immediately follow the wedding ceremony (14:8).
5. Then in verse 12, our Lord said, "When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again (invite you in return) and a recompence be made thee (and you be repaid)."
6. Then, in verse 15: "And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
7. Then in verses 16--24, we have the parable of the great supper.
8. In this parable, the "certain man" represents God, and the "great supper" represents salvation (14:16).
9. Let me emphasize that when it comes to salvation, God has invited everyone. Verse 23 says, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
10. Unfortunately, most people have rejected God's gracious invitation.
11. There are many lessons here in Luke 14. The first dinner is a lesson on humility. The second dinner provides a lesson on unselfishness. When people do things for people, oftentimes they do it with the wrong motives. They are hoping to get something in return.
12. The third dinner is a great lesson on evangelism (14:16, 17).

 

I. A LESSON ON HUMILITY (LUKE 14:1-11).

1. On the sabbath day, one of the chief Pharisees invited our Lord home to his house for dinner. Whether or not this Pharisee was sincere in his hospitality is hard to say, but Luke 14:1 says, “they watched Him,” indicating they were hoping to catch Him doing something they could find fault with.
2. This Pharisee also invited a certain man “which had the dropsy” (14:2). This is the only reference to dropsy in the Bible. Dropsy is a painful disease. Today dropsy is referred to as edema, swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body's tissues.
3. It looks like the only reason this Pharisee invited the man afflicted with dropsy was in order to see whether or not our Lord would heal him on the sabbath.
4. This was a big bone of contention with the Pharisees (cf. Luke 6:1—11).
5. “And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11; cf. 13:10-17).
6. Our Lord healed the man with the dropsy, and the Pharisees “held their peace…And they could not answer him again to these things.” (14:3-6).
7. After healing the man, our Lord gave them a parable. Scofield calls it the “parable of the ambitious guest.” It is great lesson on humility.
8. "The chief rooms" (14:7) and "the highest room" (14:8) refer to the best places at the dinner table.
9. And "the lowest room" (14:9, 10) refer to the lowest place at the table. We ought to seek out “the lowest room.”
10. Our Lord said in Luke 20:46, "Beware of the scribes, which desire...the chief rooms at feasts."
11. In our Lord’s day, ambitious people would often promote themselves by trying to get a good seat. Of course, things haven’t changed much since then (cf. Proverbs 25:6, 7).
12. There is a Bible principle taught in Luke 14:11, and elsewhere in Scripture (cf. Luke 18:14).
13. "Worship" in Luke 14:10 literally means "glory and honor," and that is how it is usually translated.
14. Albert Barnes said, "They will learn your rank by your being invited nearer to the head of the table, and it will be better to learn it thus than by putting yourself forward. They will do you honour because you have shown a humble spirit."

 

II. A LESSON ON UNSELFISHNESS (14:12-15)

1. In Luke 14:7-11, our Lord is speaking to the dinner guests -- "those which were bidden" (14:7). Then in verse 12, our Lord is speaking to the host -- "to him that bade (had invited) him."
2. Our Lord did not say that the rich should never be invited to dinner. His point was that the poor were not to be ignored (14:12-14).
3. In the context this lesson deals with the importance of hospitality, but it can also be applied to soulwinning and missions. We need to reach everyone with the Gospel (14:13).
4. Some churches are basically social clubs. Members come to see their friends but they have no interest in reaching their community (or the world) with the Gospel.
5. Some members even complain when newcomers start attending church services. Newcomers (especially if they are different) make some church members uncomfortable.
6. I heard a story about a man who lost both his legs in the Vietnam War. His parents did not know anything about his injury, and so he wrote them a letter telling them he would soon be coming home. He did not mention in the letter that he was in an Army hospital and that he lost his legs in the war.
7. In the letter he asked his parents if it would be okay if he were to bring one of his army buddies. And in his letter he mentioned this dear friend lost both his legs.
8. His parents wrote him back saying they were so happy he would be coming home but felt it wouldn’t be a good idea to bring his friend, since the man was crippled, etc. They said it would make them very uncomfortable, etc.
9. Their letter broke the soldier’s heart when he read it and he cried his heart all day.
10. Our Lord said, “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed…” (14:13, 14).
11. Luke 14:12 says, "When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee."
12. In other words, these friends and neighbors will feel obligated to return the favor and invite you to their next big dinner. A “recompense be made thee” (14:12) means you will be repaid. This is how worldly people operate. They invite people, anticipating a future "recompense."
13. This "recompense" (14:12, 14) refers to the judgment seat of Christ.
14. “Recompense” means reward, but it can also mean judgment.
15. There will be a “resurrection of the just” (14:14), and there will be a resurrection of the unjust.
16. Our Lord said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28, 29).
17. Daniel 12:2 also refers to these two resurrections -- some will be resurrected to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
18. Revelation 20 also describes these two resurrections.
19. One of the dinner guests, probably some unsaved Pharisee (14:15; cf. 14:1), responded to our Lord's warning with what could be described as a "pious platitude" (14:15).
20. One preacher said this lost religionist "expressed undue complacency" in view of our Lord's warning of future judgment (W.H. Griffith Thomas, Outline Studies in Luke).
21. Another preacher put it this way, "One of those present tried to turn the sharp edge of His words by giving utterance to a pious platitude...as much as to say, 'Oh, yes, we shall all be very happy when we get to heaven.' Jesus turned to him with a parable which had for its motive the question, Are you sure that you shall be there?" (D.M. McIntyre, cited by W.H. Griffith Thomas).
22. There have been occasions when the congregation is singing, "When We All Get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be..." and I look over the auditorium with a heavy heart because I know some of the people singing this song will never get to heaven! Sadly, some are actually heading in the opposite direction!
23. This Pharisee in verse 15 apparently thought "the kingdom of God" would be for the Jews only. Our Lord corrected those teachings in the parable of the great supper, which followed the man’s remark (14:16-24).

 

III. A LESSON ON EVANGELISM (14:16-24)

1. The "certain man" (14:16) represents God.
2. The "great supper" (14:16) is the Gospel invitation. "The poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind" (14:21) represent these despised Gentiles, whom the Jews considered dogs.
3. The "great supper" (14:16) is a glorious invitation! Our Lord said, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring" them in (14:21).
4. Some preachers do not give invitations. And some preachers criticize invitations, but there are many invitations in the Bible. The "certain man...bade (invited) many (14:16)."
5. And he sent his servant at supper time to say to them who were invited, "Come..." (14:17).
6. The last invitation in the Bible is found in Revelation 22:17, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
7. The Gospel invitation has gone out all around the world, and millions have accepted God's gracious invitation.
8. But sadly, many have responded with indifference, and even ingratitude.
9. Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
10. A preacher said, "God might have dealt with us as rebels and said, Submit! But He speaks as a father and says, Come!" (W.H. Griffith Thomas, Outline Studies in Luke).
11. "Come; for all things are now ready" (14:17b). The Bible says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2b).
12. "And they all with one consent began to make excuse..." (14:18).
13. Billy Sunday used to say, "An excuse is a skin of a reason stuffed with a lie."
14. D.L. Moody said, "If I were to go to each of you and ask why you do not accept God's invitation to the Gospel feast, you would have an excuse ready on the end of your tongue; and if you had not one ready, the devil would be there to help you to make one. And if they could be answered he is ready to make new ones. He has had six thousand years' experience, and he is very good at it; he can give you as many as you want."
15. People make foolish excuses. The first man said, "I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused" (14:18). You're supposed to look at property before you buy it, not after you buy it. This was a ridiculous excuse.
16. The second man said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused" (14:19). You're supposed to inspect oxen before the purchase, not afterward. This was another ridiculous excuse.
17. The third man said, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come" (14:20). This man should have brought his wife with him!
18. The first man placed property before God.
    The second man placed business before God.
    The third man placed his wife before God.
19. These are all legitimate pursuits -- buying property, ploughing with a new ox, and marrying a wife. But God must come first!
20. Our Lord said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
21. The idea here is that sinners find plenty of excuses. They insist that the affairs of the world are so pressing and so demanding that they cannot find time to attend to their souls.

 

CONCLUSION:

1. Sinners have many excuses for leaving God out of their lives.
2. They claim to have no time to pray, and no time to read the Scriptures, and no time for church. I recall that old song --
       The soul that had put off salvation,
       “Not tonight; I’ll get saved by and by,
       No time now to think of religion!”
       At last they had found time to die.
       And, oh, what a weeping and wailing,
       As the lost were told of their fate;
       They cried for the rocks and the mountains,
       They prayed, but their prayer was too late.
3. We need to understand that God is "angry" with excuses (14:21).
4. "For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper" (14:24). This means none of them will be saved.
5. God is "angry" at those who have slighted His gracious invitation.
   They have insulted Him by refusing His invitation.
   Psalm 7:11 says that "God is angry with the wicked every day."