Luke 14:15 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. 16: Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18: And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19: And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20: And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21: So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22: And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23: And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24: For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 

Introduction

While having dinner in the house of one of the chief Pharisees, our Lord addressed the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of the Pharisees. He also dealt with their teachings regarding the Sabbath and their desire for recognition. Then our Lord says in Luke 14:14, that those who serve others "will be recompensed [repaid] at the resurrection of the just [righteous]". At the mention of the resurrection, someone at the table said, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." (verse 15). This man looks forward to eating bread in the coming Kingdom of God and confident that he will be one of them. In reply, our Lord takes this occasion to issue yet another warning through a parable of the great supper. As we shall see, our Lord used this parable to illustrate the eternal truths of salvation, the consequence of despising His offer of salvation and our responsibility as believers in reaching the lost. 

There are three things I want us to consider this morning, namely, The Generous Provision, the Gracious Invitation, and the Great Commission.

The first two headings are directed to those who are still unsaved among us but the third heading will be directed to the saved among us.

I — A Generous Provision

Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 

In this parable, our Lord tells of a certain man who prepared a great banquet in which all things have been made ready. The banquet prepared by the host is for all who will accept the invitation to come. There is enough food for all who will come. There is absolutely nothing to do or to bring, all things are now ready. All that is needed has already been done. There is nothing for those who have been invited to do but to come.

So, what is that great banquet spoken of here in this parable? It is the full and free salvation God has prepared for sinners. The work of redemption has already been accomplished. Our Lord uses an analogy of a great supper as a picture of the Gospel and its blessings. It is great because God has given His best on this banquet. God is not stingy nor cheap. He sent His only begotten Son to be the Saviour of the world.

John 3:16 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.

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

The Father did not spare His own Son, but offered Him as a sacrifice for all of us.

All things are now ready for sinner's salvation. The Gospel contains a complete supply of everything that sinners need in order to be saved. Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect righteous life. He then died on the cross to pay for our sins. He rose from the dead to give us life. He ascended to the right hand of God the Father to intercede for us.

All things are now ready. Everything that you and I as sinners need has all been provided, such as, forgiveness of sin, righteousness of God, eternal life, adoption into God’s family, access to God, peace with God, and reconciliation with God. This is truly a great banquet that God has prepared for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

This reminds me of the words of Jesus Christ while he was hanging upon a cross in ...

Luke 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

It is finished! What was "finished?" It's the work of redemption. All that a holy and righteous God requires has been done. The full price of our redemption was now paid. Nothing is left for the sinner to do and to add. No works from us are demanded as the price of our salvation. 

God has already done everything necessary to make salvation available.  He did it all when He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins.  His tears, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, His  ascension, His intercession, all say, "Come, all things are now ready!" 

A boy asked one preacher, "Sir, what can I do to be saved?" The preacher replied, "Son, you’re too late." "What!" exclaimed the boy, "Am I too late to be saved?" "No, you're too late to do anything. Jesus already did it all two thousand years ago." 

D. L. Moody speaking to those who seek to be saved by their own efforts said this, "Your salvation is spelled 'Do'."  Mine is spelled 'Done'."

What a generous provision!

II — A Gracious Invitation

Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

The invitation is "Come". "Come" is one of Jesus' favorite words. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus told the disciples, "Come follow me". In Mark 10:14, Jesus told the little children "suffer the little children to come unto me”. In John 7:37, Jesus says to all who are thirsty to "Come". In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells all who are weary and heavy laden to "Come". Here in Luke 14:17, Jesus tells all who are hungry to "Come; for all things are now ready". In Mark 6:3, Jesus invites all who need rest to "Come". In Matthew 14:28-29, when Peter wondered if he could walk on water, Jesus said, "Come". In Luke 19:5, when Zacchaeus had climbed up in the Sycamore tree, Jesus said, "Come down make haste". In Revelation 22:17, ends with an invitation to "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."

1. The Simplicity of the Invitation

"Come!" It is a simple and clear invitation!  All that is necessary for the sinner is to come and rest now by faith upon who Christ is and what He did on the cross of Calvary. God has done everything necessary to provide salvation.  He is ready, but He wants you to come to Him. Anyone who will come to Jesus will be saved.

"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). 

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12: For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

2. The Urgency of the Invitation

"Now" —The time to come is now,.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Do not put it off until later; later may never come. There may never be another opportunity.

The sad part of this parable is that those who have were first invited to the banquet begin to make excuse that they cannot come. 

Luke 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19: And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20: And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

All the invitees now begin to make excuse but they are all lame excuses. Each one gave different excuse, but they were unanimous, they are not coming to the banquet. Lots of people are continually doing what the parable describes. They are invited to come to Christ, but they would not come. Why? They would not come because they don’t see their need of Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

Who are this first invitees? I believe this refers to the Jews. I agree what J. C. Ryle commentary on this passage when he wrote, "The primary object of the parable, no doubt, is to show the wickedness and unbelief of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles. Yet the parable is evidently meant to apply to the history of the Gospel offer, and the reception it meets with, in every age of the Church."

Luke 14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

We read that when this was done, and there was still room.

Luke 14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

But the master of the house will not to have an empty house. He is determined to have a full house and so we read in ...

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 

That's the Gospel! The gospel is sent to all people. The gospel is sent to people no one else wanted and to people no one else would have invited.  That is what grace does! In the Gospel, God invites to all kinds of people to come and share in the blessings of salvation. Whosoever will may come!

This is a gracious invitation and God sends this gracious invitation to you. He says in...

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Isaiah 1:18 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.

There is nothing lacking on God's part for the salvation of man. If man is not saved, the fault is not on God's side. The Father is ready to receive all who come to Him by Christ. The Son is ready to cleanse all from their sins who apply to Him by faith. The Spirit is ready to come to all who ask for Him. There is an infinite willingness in God to save man, if man is only willing to be saved.

The master of the house had prepared a great supper; the meal was ready, and he desired the house to be filled with guests, enjoying the fruit of his labor. There had been too much time, effort, and expense put into this meal for the table to be empty. He wanted the house filled with guests to enjoy His offering of grace.

III — A Great Commission

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

There are two words I want us to focus here, namely, "go" and "compel".

1. Go

The servant was commanded to GO! The word "GO" is an action word that expects and requires participation. In order to fulfill the master’s command, the servant had to actively and purposely pursue guests for the supper. Knowing where to find them was great, but that wasn’t enough. In order to hear the invitation, he had to go where they were and invite them. He had to seek them out.

We must go out and pursue those who have yet to come to faith in Christ. We cannot sit and wait for them to come to us. He commands us to go to them! We must take the Gospel to them, compelling them to believe in Christ by faith. That is the biblical model we read over and over again. Reaching our community for Christ requires some good, old fashioned work.

2. Compel

Compel does not mean use force or violence. "Compel them" underscores the importance and urgency of bringing others into God’s kingdom. The bottom line is we do need to compel people into the kingdom of God — that is, implore and do anything we can in love, to ensure their eternal salvation. Because our enemy is doing everything he can to compel them to remain out of the kingdom.

We cannot force them to convert. So, how can we compel them? 

Acts 5:20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Go and tell them all the words of life. Tell them the Gospel by way of personal witnessing. Take every opportunity to speak to someone about Jesus Christ and the salvation that He offers. We can compel them by way of Gospel tracts or by way of Christian literature or, by way of inviting them to our church services or our Prayer Meetings and Bible Studies. Compel them with the message of the Gospel.

We can also compel them by showing them love. We can demonstrate sacrifice for others. We can extend grace to them. We can display to them our unity. We can exhibit wisdom for living. We can reveal some actual personal holiness in the way we live! Lives like that are extremely compelling. Someone has said, "The greatest tool for church growth is a church full of people who live compelling lives."

Before we leave this parable, I want us to understand and see God’s willingness to save sinners. J. C. Ryle once said, "There is more willingness on God's part to save sinners, than there is on the part of sinners to be saved, and more grace to be given, than there are hearts willing to receive it."

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19: He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

We have been given the great commission to take the Gospel to the world for the salvation of men! We are to compel them not by force or violence but by the compelling truths of the Gospel of Christ. We are to persevere. We must not give up on people even they have refused to come. We must bring them under the Gospel and to Christ!

Closing Thoughts

Dear unbelieving friends, the invitation is still open. The invitation is clear and simple. God has already done everything necessary to make your salvation available.  He did it all when Jesus Christ went to the cross and died for our sins.  His tears, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, all say, "Come, all things are now ready!" There is absolutely nothing for you to do and to bring. All you need to do is come.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

God has already generously provided and now He graciously invites you to come and enjoy the blessings of salvation.

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Come to Christ. All things are now ready! Come without money and without price for God’s salvation is freely given to men; it cannot be purchased. Salvation is free not because it’s valueless. No, salvation is free not because it's valueless but because it priceless. In actual fact, our salvation cost a great deal to the One who bought it for us. 

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

Colossains 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Jesus Christ shed His blood to purchase your salvation. 

Luke 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 

Those who refuse or ignore these generous provision and gracious invitation will not taste the great blessings of the Gospel. 

Come to Christ. You will be saved from your sins and experience "all things," all these blessings, through Christ. May you do this in Jesus’ name.

Dear brother and sisters in Christ, our Lord has given us a great commission and His commission  is clear and simple ...

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

We need to go and get them. Unless we go to them and compel them to come in, they will not come. This is our marching order. Every Christian should be engaged in this work. There is still room, therefore there is work for all, and to each and all — the Master says, "Compel them to come in."

AMEN!