We make the flimsiest of excuses to live our own lives. But the only true way forward is with Christ first in everything and we need to set the plan for our lives accordingly.
Previously we looked at the first half of Luke 14 which deals with Jesus having a meal with the Pharisees. It was a trap - they wanted to see if Jesus would heal a man who was there on the Sabbath. He healed the man, and Jesus answered what was in their hearts – is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? Jesus pointed out to them that they would rescue an animal on the Sabbath.
As the people gathered for the meal, Jesus saw them jostling for position. But you have God as your heavenly father and the life of Christ within you, and it is God who will exalt you if you humble yourself. We saw that we should love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly. Woe betide us if we puff ourselves up.
God will honour your stand as a Christian in your place of work. He’s been there all the time, and takes notes. We work as unto God – in all that we do. He’s sorting things out for our future.
In verses 12-13, Jesus says we should not invite those who will invite us back, but should look to those who blind, halt, maimed etc. We should see people as people. Visitors are welcome for who they are and we want to help where we can.
Luke 14:15
My words today will be directed at everyone. This first part may be to do with those people who currently are making an excuse for not becoming a Christian.
Then I will preach to certain individuals God wants to speak to specifically.
Luke 14:15 – 20
Three excuses. It’s odd the way we cling to flimsy excuses. Who would buy a piece of land without having seen it? Who would buy oxen without knowing their strength? Any excuse!
There has been an invitation to you. Jesus is talking here to the Pharisees and is highlighting the fact that they’re being invited to know Him, but in time the Gospel would go to the Gentiles.
God has been clear on you weighing things up as regards becoming a Christian.
Luke 14:21 – 24
Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead to purchase a people – the Church. And one way or another, God is adding people to His Church. It’s important to those of you who have been weighing things up over the last months to stop making excuses.
You could say from this that God will not always knock at the door of your heart. I’d rather say that God is faithful, and has been nudging your thinking. Some of the excuses you have come up with are so flimsy, it’s ridiculous.
The house of the person giving the dinner party will be filled. Nothing will hinder what God will do for His people and the people He gave His life for. I want to make sure that anyone here is clear that God is being faithful to you in pointing out time after time that now is the time for you to get serious with Him. The invitation has gone out. Three of them came back with flimsy excuses – to do with possessions, with outward wealth, and with the question of what you value most. What is the most important thing in your life?
When Jesus said these words to the people around the meal table, the Pharisees and so on, it was clear what He was saying. The faithfulness of God is that He speaks clearly to you. This hits at the priorities in your life, how you spend your time, your ambitions. But it’s narrowing down to you as an individual.
Luke 14:25 – 27
Why does it use the word 'hate'? I thought the Bible said to honour your father and mother. In this context, 'hate' questions who is the number one in your life. Is it your children, your wife, your husband, yourself?
Jesus is continuing from what He spoke of earlier. He had spoken of those who made excuses because of wealth or natural associations. Now He is saying that we have to be open before God: He should be the number one in our life. Some of you are fed up with your own life, and God will use these words to sort things out.
Now is the time for Jesus Christ to come first. It may be that I’m more concerned about father, mother, children, brothers, children, than Jesus Christ. It may be that I’ve decided to postpone things for a few years, assuming that God will keep me alive to that point when I might think about Him. A flimsy excuse!
How do you hate your own life? For those who are aware of what sin can do in a life, of what it is to be so fed up with yourself, at the things you think and do wrong ... for you it’s not difficult to hate your own life. And it’s when you reach the position where you know you can’t fulfil the law of God, that there is inside you something which takes you the wrong way. We realise as the Holy Ghost convicts us of sin, that our lives stink, and we realise that the only way forward is with Jesus Christ.
There are pressures we’re all facing, and God is asking where we are with the priorities in our lives. What is your current excuse? “I’ve bought some land, bought some oxen, married a wife and involved with the family, involved in sorting things out for myself. I’m more involved with these things than with God.”
Jesus was direct – you can’t be my disciple unless there is nothing in the way of Me. This is a God of love speaking. It’s not a tyrant’s diktat. It’s a God of love.
Luke 14:27 – 30
In a natural sense, we make plans. If we’re going to build a house we want to know we have the funds. You’d plan things so you could finish the house. Now Jesus is asking, "What is the plan?" What is the plan of your life? If I handed out sheets of paper and asked you to write down the first things you want to happen, what would it be? What should be first? The first thing needs to be Jesus Christ first in my life. What I want to do in my life is what God has called me to do. In terms of number of years, I haven’t got much of a life if you compare it to eternity, so I want to fulfil Your purposes in my life.
Luke 14:31 – 32
We’re very good at making plans. True, we need to make plans. We’re good in the natural things. You draw up a business plan. If you’re building, you weigh up what it will cost. You weigh up the odds if you’re going to war. In the natural that’s what you do. So how does that transpose to your relationship with Him? You plan in your life. What’s the plan with Jesus? Well, the plan is Him first, whatever He wants.
Luke 14:33
That’s pretty definitive. You can’t be a disciple of Jesus Christ unless everything else is secondary. “That seems hard.” No.
There are people here now to whom God has been pointing this out. He has been calling you to the ministry of God. He has been faithful in talking to you over the last weeks. And the challenge to you is this verse above. God has been speaking to you specifically. You know He has been talking to you. On the one hand are all the temptations, and on the other hand is what God wants you to do. What is holding you back? Now is the time to address it.
Luke 14:34 – 35
If you dig out the Dead Sea area, apparently it’s full of a number of minerals, and you have to isolate the salt if you want it. What’s the use of what is left?
It’s time for those of you whom God is calling to say, “You have been faithful to me. You have given me those abilities.” God will make provision for you. Get on with it. That’s the requirement. And to everybody, looking at the priorities in our lives, as He sat at the dinner table with the Pharisees and as He talked to the multitude, He wasn’t trying to be a dictator – He was talking about the secret of life. The way forward is Jesus Christ first in my life. Very specific.
Ephesians 2:19 – 22
We all need to take our place in the building fitly framed together, growing to a holy temple in the Lord. Jesus Christ first in my life, and the place I have in the Church of God, reaching out to other people, going out to people in need.
Ephesians 4:14 – 16
Christ is the head. This is His church. I’ve been appointed pastor. That means I’m a servant of all, under Him, who is the shepherd of this church. And if He is lifted up, He draws people to Himself.
So today, the challenge to your heart is whether Jesus Christ is first in your life. Are you sitting there with the excuses, or are you listening? There’s a time when He speaks by His Holy Spirit. There are some here today for whom this is a specific direct challenge to go with God 100%, fulfilling the ministry He has given you to do.
We each have our part to play, in the body of Christ.
Luke 14:11, 33
He that hath ears to hear let him hear.
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