Participants: C. A. Murray
Series Code: 14SCM
Program Code: 14SCM000021S
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00:39 Here in two minutes, and we're moving into the next program.
00:44 And the Lord has been with us every single step of the way. 00:48 We're being blessed by the Holy Spirit. 00:52 I tell you, I still have not gotten over Walter Pearson's 00:56 message. It touched my heart so much. 00:59 Are you with me on that? 01:01 So good to see him preaching again! 01:04 You don't know how many times I've called him on the phone, 01:07 I've said: "Walter, are you ready yet? " 01:09 "No, not yet. " 01:10 "Are you ready yet Walter? " "No, not yet. " 01:13 We had him lined up to come out a year ago 01:16 and he wasn't quite ready to come and to do an Anchors 01:19 at that time. So that's when I did the Anchors that I did 01:24 was to fill in for Walter. 01:27 Now he came today, and what a blessing it was. 01:32 Amen! As he said: "I'm not able to run up and down 01:36 the platform, but the Holy Spirit can speak. " 01:39 And the Holy Spirit spoke through our friend 01:42 Walter Pearson. Keep him in your prayers. 01:45 And keep all of us in your prayers. 01:48 Well, we're having a wonderful time in the Lord 01:51 and our speaker for this particular hour 01:55 is my good friend Pastor C.A. Murray. 01:59 Now you know all about C.A. Murray 02:01 so I don't have to tell you too much. 02:04 He's a good man. 02:06 He... His wife Irma keeps him on the straight and narrow. 02:11 And I enjoy teasing with him a little bit 02:16 because he is fun to tease. 02:21 You know the Lord says: "Whom the Lord loveth 02:24 He chasteneth. " 02:26 And whom Gilley loveth he teaseth. 02:29 So if you find that I'm teasing you, you know I love you. 02:33 And I truly do love C.A. Murray. 02:37 I've talked about the unity of our team here. 02:41 We don't have to say it too much... you can feel it. 02:44 You really can. You can feel the unity 02:47 of our group, and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. 02:52 Before he comes, Reggie and Ladye are coming 02:56 and they're going to bring some music to us. 02:59 And I'm watching for them to appear any moment 03:02 from behind the screen. 03:05 So... I will keep talking until they do. 03:08 Are they here? OK... Reggie. Here's Reggie. 03:13 Reggie, you made your first trip to Israel last year. 03:17 Oh yes I did! Did you enjoy that? 03:19 It was really a life-changing experience for us, it truly was. 03:23 Now we had been years ago - yeah. We were doing some videos 03:26 there, but we didn't get a chance to really travel and tour 03:29 with a professional tour guide. Right. It truly, Mr. Jim, 03:33 was a life-changing experience for us. Wow! Wow! 03:35 Well we're going back this Fall. You're going; 03:37 you're going to have a bus along at the same time we are. 03:40 And we're all going together in November. And I'm just 03:44 hoping as many of you as possibly can will go with us 03:49 in November. November is the right time. 03:52 November 16th as a matter of fact. 03:54 That's exactly right... that's exactly right. 03:57 So we're looking forward to that, and we're also looking 04:00 forward to your music. Are you going to sing for us? 04:03 We are. We're going to do a song called Above All. 04:05 Above All. This is a song that a friend of Ladye Love's 04:08 wrote several, several years ago. And you know, you think 04:11 about we were doing the patriotic things - yeah. 04:14 Above all powers, above all kings, 04:17 above all nature - yes - and all living things. 04:20 All right. God is above all of that. 04:22 That's a great song. God bless you as you sing. 04:24 We also have some guests are going to join us, too. 04:37 Aren't these singers great that have been here today? 04:40 They are so amazing. 04:42 I mean, you just got a little bit of what all they do. 04:44 They are so talented, and we have the privilege of 04:47 singing with them sometimes in Nashville. And they're just 04:50 great. I wish you could know their whole resumes. 04:52 Go to their websites; they have great things that they are doing 04:55 in their own rite. But they love the Lord... 04:57 the most important thing. 05:20 Above all powers, 05:24 above all kings, 05:28 above all nature 05:31 and all created things. 05:36 Above all wisdom 05:40 and all the ways of man... 05:46 You were here before the world began. 05:53 Above all kingdoms, 05:57 above all thrones, 06:01 above all wonders 06:04 the world has ever known. 06:09 Above all wealth 06:13 and treasures of the earth... 06:19 there's no way to measure 06:23 what You're worth. 06:28 Crucified, 06:32 laid behind a stone. 06:36 You lived and died 06:40 rejected and alone 06:43 like a rose 06:46 trampled on the ground 06:51 You took the fall 06:55 and thought of me 06:59 above all. 07:11 Above all powers, 07:15 above all kings, 07:20 above all nature 07:23 and all created things. 07:28 Above all wisdom 07:31 and all the ways of man... 07:37 You were here 07:40 before the world began. 07:46 Crucified, 07:50 laid behind a stone. 07:54 You lived to die 07:58 rejected and alone 08:02 like a rose 08:05 trampled on the ground 08:09 You took the fall 08:13 and thought of me 08:18 above all. 08:23 Crucified, 08:27 laid behind a stone. 08:31 You lived and died 08:35 rejected and alone 08:39 like a rose 08:42 trampled on the ground 08:47 You took the fall 08:51 and thought of me 08:55 above all. 08:59 Like a rose 09:02 that was trampled on the ground 09:08 You took the fall - You took the fall - 09:13 and thought of me - and thought of me - 09:20 above 09:24 all. 09:38 Amen! 09:47 Amen and amen. 09:55 Shall we pray? 09:58 Gracious heavenly Father, we just praise You and thank you 10:02 for the occasion that has called the saints of God 10:05 to the house of prayer today. 10:08 We thank you Lord for sermons preached with power, 10:13 music sung with pathos, 10:17 and for the over-arching presence of Your Holy Spirit 10:20 in this house. We pray now that that same Spirit 10:25 would work in the heart of speaker and hearer. 10:29 Do a mighty work, Lord, so that Your words 10:32 are spoken and Your words are understood 10:36 and we can together take one more step 10:40 along that road that leads to glory. 10:45 We praise You, Lord, and we thank you. 10:49 In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. 10:53 We want to consider this afternoon 10:58 the parable as found in Matthew chapter 22 11:02 often called the Parable of 11:06 the Great Wedding Feast. 11:10 So I invite you to turn with me to that 11:14 dare I say incredibly pregnant passage. 11:20 I hear the pages turning which is music to the ears 11:23 of any preacher. 11:30 I should have you to know that the last 1/3 of the gospel 11:35 of Matthew marks a subtle-yet-significant 11:40 change in the gospel narrative. 11:44 There is a change in the tenor, the texture, the tomber, 11:48 the tone, the taste... even the flavor of the ministry 11:52 of Jesus Christ of the words as written by Matthew 11:58 of the fortunes and fate of the Jewish people 12:03 and perhaps even the world. 12:05 You can see it, you can sense it. 12:08 There is this change in the way Matthew attacks 12:12 his scripture. He moves the first twenty or so 12:16 chapters along at what I was telling Irma the other night is 12:20 a bucolic pedagogical jog. 12:24 Basically he is loping along 12:28 just moving along at a nice, slow teaching jog. 12:33 Matthew we call the textbook of the New Testament. 12:36 Most scholars agree: if you want it short, if you want it 12:39 concise, if you want it with no frills, 12:41 you get that story from Matthew. He's a tax collector. 12:44 He's a CPA; he's an accountant. 12:48 Doesn't give you too much... just the facts. 12:50 So if you want facts, you go to Matthew. 12:53 If you want a little ice cream or sauce on your story, 12:58 you go to Luke. Luke gives you a little bit more. 13:00 So Matthew's moving along at this little bucolic, pedagogical 13:04 jog, and then for some reason 13:08 beginning at chapter 21 13:13 starting with that seminal event, the... what we call the 13:16 triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem 13:22 things begin to heat up just a little bit. 13:26 The jog becomes a sprint. 13:29 The analog becomes digital. 13:31 The mpeg becomes jpeg. 13:34 It's all compressed: the time, the tenor, 13:38 the space, the events. What was hazy in the first 13:42 twenty chapters now becomes boldly defined 13:46 in the next eight chapters. 13:48 Matthew and Jesus - if I can use a very unbiblical term - 13:52 up the ante in the next eight chapters of the book of Matthew. 13:56 You can see it; you can feel it; you can almost smell it. 13:59 There is this change. Some- thing big is about to happen. 14:03 And so Matthew finds a whole new gear 14:07 and indeed Jesus finds a whole new gear. 14:10 The "exigency" if I can use that term, the urgency, 14:14 the energy of the work of God is increased 14:17 and you feel it in Matthew chapter 21. 14:20 You see it in the social intercourse between Christ 14:23 and His disciples. 14:25 The way Christ now deals with His enemies 14:28 begins to change. His preaching begins to change. 14:32 His teaching begins to change 14:34 and even His parables begin to change. 14:37 The parables prior to Matthew 21 14:40 have some amount of flame to them, but things really get 14:45 heated up in the parables after Matthew chapter 21. 14:52 The tone of everything changes. 14:56 Now you may ask why, and it is a good question. 15:00 The answer is very simple: 15:02 it was because time was running out. 15:07 Time was running out on the Jews, 15:10 time was running out on Christ's earthly priesthood, 15:14 time was running out on the temple, 15:17 time was running out on the sanctuary service, 15:20 time was running out on the sacrificial system, 15:23 time was running out on the Jewish people, 15:26 and time was running out on the Jewish nation. 15:30 One week - eight chapters - eternal destiny, 15:35 all compressed into the last third of this book 15:42 of Matthew. They are all inseparably interconnected. 15:49 So you can't really get the full weight of Matthew 15:52 chapter 22 if you separate it from Matthew chapter 21 15:58 because as it were Christ is firing the last bullet 16:04 in a series of rapid-fire practical parables 16:07 that are very pointed, the edge is strong, 16:11 the meaning is plain because Christ has but three more trips 16:16 into the temple. These are His last three times 16:20 that He gets to meet with people in the temple 16:22 and talk with people in the temple. 16:24 The leadership: the Pharisees on the right, 16:28 Sadducees on the left, 16:32 Herodians in the middle. 16:34 All of them despising each other, 16:38 hating each other's politics, 16:40 but united by one self-same, 16:45 indissoluble bonding agent. 16:48 They were sealed by the fact that regardless of their 16:54 theology or their ideology 16:58 they all wanted Jesus dead. 17:04 From the day He raised Lazarus from the dead 17:07 they were concocting ways to put Him to death. 17:13 So He spoke in parables. He couched the truth 17:17 in language that only those who He wanted to understand 17:23 would indeed understand. 17:25 But now Jesus is coming to the end of His ministry. 17:30 Things are beginning to wind down and wrap up 17:33 and Christ doesn't have time any more for platitudes 17:38 or illusory speech 17:40 or esoteric language or secret codes. 17:44 Now Christ is laying it out, putting it on the table. 17:49 These days were serious days in the land of Israel. 17:53 And I would dare say these days are serious days 17:56 today in the United States of America and the world. 18:01 And the reason you sat here through 19 sermons 18:04 and when we are done about 22 meetings is because 18:08 like those days these days are serious days. 18:14 And I think we've all been possessed of the thought 18:18 that these days are indeed the last days. 18:24 We don't know how many more days there will be, 18:28 but I think you can agree with me 18:31 that there are more days in the rear-view mirror 18:35 than there are in the windshield. 18:38 Christ is indeed coming very, very soon. 18:45 We see it in changed tactics by the Lord. 18:51 The trajectory of His speech now changes. 18:54 Jesus takes the wraps off now. 18:58 Jesus, who really eschewed popular acclaim 19:03 for so many, many years, now allows things to happen 19:08 that must have excited and confused His disciples. 19:13 There in chapter 21 Jesus does some things that 19:17 might appear a bit puzzling. 19:19 Matthew says in Matthew 21 19:22 that as they approached the city 19:26 Jesus' attitude began to change. 19:29 He goes into the city and He tells the disciples 19:32 "I want you go to in and get Me a donkey 19:36 and bring the donkey and the colt to Me. " 19:40 Number one: Jewish kings 19:44 always rode on donkeys. 19:48 So Christ was now changing His tactics. 19:52 Whereas before He always tried to keep it rather hush-hush 19:57 about His kingdom... sometimes even healed people and He said: 20:01 "Don't tell anybody. Just go and show yourself to the priest. " 20:04 Now He is specifically requesting a donkey and the colt 20:09 of a donkey. Jewish kings always made their triumphal entry 20:13 into a city on the back of a donkey. 20:16 So Christ is saying: "I'm about to announce something 20:21 that before we have kept secret. 20:24 I'm about to let the world know that a King is coming. " 20:28 Amen? King is on His way. 20:32 So it is an allusion to kingship. 20:35 And if that was not enough, 20:37 Jesus says: "If anyone says anything to you, 20:40 if anybody gives you any static, 20:43 if anybody gives you a hard time, 20:46 tell them Kurios sent you. " 20:51 Kurios is a New Testament word, a Greek word, for Lord. 20:54 This is the first time, brothers and sisters, 20:57 that Christ refers to Himself as Lord. 21:01 And so He says: "If anybody gives you any heat about 21:05 taking these donkeys tell them God wants them. 21:10 Tell them God has need of them. " 21:14 And so Christ is now announcing His Lordship. 21:18 Before this time His preferred self-designation 21:21 was Son of Man. You see that in Matthew chapter 1 verse 1, 21:25 Mark chapter 2 verse 10. And over and over again 21:27 Christ has called Himself the Son of Man. 21:29 But now He's saying: "If anybody gives you a hard time, 21:32 tell them God wants it. " 21:34 "Tell them God is requesting the donkey. " 21:38 "If anybody accosts you, tell them this is being requisitioned 21:42 by God. " And so this kingly entry into Jerusalem 21:48 marks something very very special in the life of Christ. 21:53 It is recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 21:56 They all talk about it. 21:57 It launches a portrayal of a fascinating series of events 22:02 that are intriguing, and a number of parallels 22:06 and parables that are types of the second coming of Jesus 22:09 Christ. So Christ arrives in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon. 22:15 We are given to understand that He makes His way to the 22:17 temple on Sunday evening, but He doesn't do anything. 22:21 He just looks around; He just takes in the sights 22:25 and the sounds and the smells of the temple. 22:31 Perhaps He was remembering that day at age 12 when He 22:35 first walked into that temple. 22:37 And Ellen White says He looked at those same sights 22:40 and tastes and smells and goings on 22:45 and the Holy Spirit revealed to Him 22:47 that all of that was wrapped up in Him. 22:52 Perhaps He was taking a 22-year trip back 22:56 trying to remember the day when the vision came to Him 23:02 that He would have to sacrifice His life for these people. 23:07 That the burden of sin cleansing was going to have to be upon His 23:12 shoulders. And so that Sunday evening is just a little 23:16 trip down memory lane. Christ just views the temple. 23:23 Monday morning He returns. 23:27 This is the beginning of the last week of His life. 23:31 This time something else happens. 23:34 Monday morning He returns and we are given to understand 23:38 that for the second time in His ministry Christ 23:41 cleanses the temple. 23:43 This time is not passive; this time is not just looking. 23:47 This time He is active and aggressive. 23:50 Again He alludes to His Lordship, 23:54 and look at the language as found in Matthew 21. 24:00 Christ says: 24:03 "My house... My house 24:09 shall be a house of prayer. " 24:10 Now if you go to John chapter 2 you find that 24:13 at the first cleansing of the temple... And by the way, 24:16 it's only mentioned in the book of John... 24:18 Jesus said: "Don't make My Father's house 24:23 a house of merchandise. " 24:26 You see the difference? Subtle but very real. 24:30 Now those who understood what He was saying 24:31 realized "My Father" and "Mine" is pretty much the same. 24:34 But in case you didn't get it, in John 3-1/2 years earlier 24:39 "Don't make My Father's house a house of merchandise. " 24:43 In Matthew 3-1/2 years later 24:46 "Don't make My house a house of merchandise. " 24:51 You see the difference? Why the change? 24:55 Because time was late and Jesus had but 2 more trips 24:59 to this temple before He would make His trip to the cross. 25:05 So now it's "My house... My house. " 25:09 "Don't make My house a house of merchandise. " 25:12 This final week Christ is doing His very best 25:17 to try to get into the hearts and heads 25:21 of those who have rejected Him for 3-1/2 years. 25:25 Let me give you just a little back story. 25:28 You may not know this 'cause you have to read Desire of Ages 25:29 very carefully to find this out. 25:31 But I thought it very interesting. 25:33 Three and a half years earlier when Christ cleansed the temple 25:36 there were a lot of men there who were buying and selling. 25:39 And Ellen White says they were pretty upset 25:43 at their squeamishness... 25:47 their sheep-like attitude... 25:51 in letting this guy run them 25:54 from their money and their commerce. 25:57 And Ellen White says they held commune among themselves 26:00 and they said: "You know, we were really wimps 26:03 three and a half years ago, but if He ever comes back here 26:08 again, let Him try to run us out of here the second time. " 26:12 "Our house. We got permission from the priest. 26:16 We're making a lot of money; we've got a lot of commerce 26:19 going on, so if He comes back here and ever tries that stuff 26:22 again... see what'll happen to Him. " 26:25 Three and a half years later Christ comes into the same 26:30 courtyard, and Ellen White says it's basically a barnyard 26:33 of traffic. Everything is going on. 26:37 Cows and sheep and bickering and dickering 26:40 and money changing is going on. 26:43 And Christ turns over tables and raises a cord 26:48 and those men who had all of those big thoughts 26:52 and big talk about how they were going to stand up to Jesus... 26:57 Let me give you the reading from Desire of Ages page 590. 27:01 Ellen White says: "Again the piercing look of Jesus 27:05 swept over the desecrated court of the temple. 27:08 All eyes were turned towards Him. 27:12 Priests and rulers, Pharisee and Gentile 27:16 looked with astonishment and awe upon Him who stood 27:20 before them. With the majesty of heaven's 27:24 King, divinity flashed through humanity... " 27:29 Get this line... 27:31 "investing Christ with a dignity and glory 27:35 He had never manifested before. 27:39 Those men saw that day 27:44 in the eyes and countenance of Jesus something that 27:48 humanity had never seen before. " 27:53 Ellen White says that "a level of divinity 27:58 leaped and lept out of Christ 28:01 that had never happened before. " 28:03 And all of those promises that we are going to stand up 28:07 and stand our ground and stay put 28:10 went to the wind. And the Bible says 28:13 they ran like the temple was on fire. 28:18 And indeed... the temple was on fire. 28:21 Ellen White says: "Those standing nearest to Him 28:23 drew as far away as the crowd would permit. " 28:26 She says: "The displeasure of His countenance 28:30 seemed like a consuming fire 28:35 as He cleared the temple, and Pharisee 28:39 and money changers and businessmen 28:42 and traders fled from the presence of God 28:45 just like they had done the first time. " 28:50 And what is interesting: Ellen White says: 28:54 "As they ran from the sanctuary... " 28:58 as they were running out of the sanctuary... 29:02 "there was a crowd of people running into the sanctuary. " 29:07 The parallel to the second coming. 29:10 You see, the same glory that will cause some people 29:14 to run away will be irresistibly attractive 29:20 to those who waited for Jesus. 29:23 Some will be saying: "Fall on us, rocks, 29:27 and hide us from the face of Him... " 29:31 Others will be saying: "Lo, this is our God! 29:38 Long we have waited for Him; now He will save us. " 29:42 So some were running out and some were running in. 29:46 What is sad, and I've read this many times 29:48 in the Desire of Ages but I caught it just this week 29:52 Ellen White says that some of those who were running in 29:58 listened to the reports of those running out. 30:05 "You don't want to go in there. " 30:08 "It's crazy in there. " 30:10 "There's some guy in there throwing stuff around, 30:13 light-flashing eyes. You don't want to go in there. " 30:17 And Ellen White says sadly some of them turned around 30:20 and missed their blessing and missed their salvation. 30:23 So you've got to learn... you've got to know Jesus for yourself. 30:27 Amen? You can't take the report of others on Jesus good or bad. 30:33 You've got to know Him for yourself! 30:35 The Bible says "Those in Thessalonica were more 30:37 noble than those in Berea... " Flip it: "Berea more noble 30:40 than those in Thessalonica 30:41 because after they heard the Word 30:43 of God preached they... " Yeah, you've got to study 30:48 the Word for yourself. 30:50 Why? Because it's late. 30:56 Heard a story years ago about a young girl 30:58 who used to stay up and listen to the clock strike twelve. 31:01 You've heard this story many times. 31:02 One, two, three... twelve gongs every night. 31:06 Then she'd go to sleep. 31:08 One night she listened for twelve gongs and she heard 31:11 twelve gongs and the clock struck thirteen. 31:16 And she ran into her mother's bedroom and said: 31:18 "Mommy, mommy. It is later than it's ever been before! " 31:27 Brothers and sisters: it's later than it's ever been before. 31:34 It's horribly late. 31:39 And so some ran out and some ran in. 31:43 And those who were running in didn't belong there. 31:47 The temple was not for crippled people. 31:50 I thought it was very inter- esting that the Jewish temple - 31:52 and having been to the temple 31:56 going to Jerusalem - you know if you were sick 32:00 you couldn't go to the temple? 32:03 If you were crippled, you couldn't go to the temple. 32:05 If you were lame, you couldn't go to the temple. 32:08 That woman with the issue of blood could not 32:10 go to the temple, and the priest wouldn't come to her. 32:15 The woman that was bent over for eighteen years 32:17 couldn't go to the temple 32:18 and no one would go to her. Where else should you go 32:22 if you're sick? 32:27 That's why I cannot understand why people have complaints 32:30 with individuals who are hypocrites and in the church. 32:36 Where is a good hypocrite going to go? 32:47 If you're a hypocrite, you ought to be in a church! 32:54 How are you going to get... I'm going to invent a word... 32:58 "unhypocritical? " 33:01 You can't stay home and be a hypocrite. 33:04 To be a hypocrite you have to be with somebody. 33:07 You know, you can't be a hypocrite by yourself 33:09 because hypocrite is pretending you are something you are not. 33:14 Amen. And the only way you can pretend you are something 33:16 you are not... you've got to have somebody to pretend to. 33:21 So you can't be a hypocrite by yourself. 33:24 So you might as well be a hypocrite in the church... 33:26 at least your hypocrisy counts for something. 33:33 And maybe, just maybe... just maybe 33:39 the Spirit of God can get through and change you. 33:45 Don't worry about hypocrites in the church. 33:46 Christ can take care of them. 33:54 And so Christ cleans the temple 33:58 and sick folk come in. 34:01 And when those scared rabbits returned to the temple 34:05 Ellen White says some hours later they hear the words 34:08 of peace and love and they hear and see 34:12 Christ healing everyone there. 34:15 And instead of joining in the song of rejoicing 34:20 their minds are convinced He has got to die 34:25 and He's got to die now. 34:31 Now I need to preface this and remind... I know my time is 34:35 going. This, by the way, is not the sermon. 34:40 This is just the ecclesiological obiter dictum 34:43 from Matthew chapter 21. 34:45 The sermon is actually Matthew chapter 22. 34:47 We haven't gotten there yet. 34:53 We're on the way. 34:56 So Matthew chapter 22 does pick up the narrative 35:00 with Tuesday night. Now remember it is Tuesday night. 35:03 In 72 hours, Christ will be hanging from the cross. 35:07 This is His last trip in the temple. 35:10 Last time. And Christ "takes off the wraps" as it were. 35:16 He's in the most important building in the most important 35:20 nation with the most important message in the world. 35:24 The Sanhedrin has already voted that He must die: 35:28 "We've got to find a way to silence Him, and we've got 35:33 to make it soon. " 35:35 And Jesus - knowing what He is facing - 35:39 is giving it His last, best shot. 35:43 And so His words, brothers and sisters, 35:46 His teaching now has a new urgency, a new energy, 35:52 because in approximately sixty hours He'll be hanging 35:56 from a Roman cross, dying for your sins and for mine. 36:02 And even those people who are wracking their brains 36:05 trying to find out a way to put Him to death. 36:14 So that's the background of chapter 22. 36:20 You cannot separate 21 from 22 36:23 because the parables now begin to change. 36:27 And even the Parable of the Ten Virgins 36:30 which is not truly a parable because Ellen White says 36:33 that happened about Tuesday evening. 36:35 It was more of a "storacle" than a parable because 36:38 it really happened. Christ was sitting on the 36:40 western slope of the Mount of Olives 36:42 and the disciples were watching as the sun went down. 36:45 They actually saw this wedding party going in. 36:47 So it was a parable; it was also an object lesson. 36:51 He said: "See that party there? Let Me teach you something 36:55 about that. " And He went through the story of the 36:58 Ten Virgins. It really happened; it wasn't a story 37:01 as stories are just made up. 37:04 So this now is the last time Christ gets to tell 37:08 a true parable in the temple, 37:13 and the "pit-bull" priesthood is still trying to trap Jesus 37:17 in His words so they can find a legitimate reason to kill Him. 37:23 First the Herodians, Romans collaborators, 37:26 who like to play buddy-buddy with Rome. 37:29 Then the Sadducees, Roman sympathizers 37:33 whose mindset was "They're here, we're here. 37:39 Can't we all just get along? " 37:42 And the Pharisees who are Roman haters. 37:45 And Christ was trying to win them all. 37:48 So I don't know just what He said to them 37:54 but I know what came forth in the parable. 37:56 And I don't want to just examine the parable and part 37:59 the parable. What I want to do to show you 38:01 the urgency of the times is compare this parable 38:04 in Matthew 22 with a similar parable 38:07 found in Luke 14. They are close but they are not the same. 38:11 And the dissonance is the difference. 38:14 This parable - number one - was delivered three days 38:18 before Christ went to the cross. 38:20 The parable that is somewhat the same called the Parable of 38:23 the Great Supper in Luke: kind of the same... 38:29 but Christ changes the parts of the parable. 38:32 The Parable of the Great Supper in Luke was given in the house 38:35 of a Pharisee. 38:37 The Marriage Feast was given in the temple court. 38:40 The Parable of the Great Supper was given some time before; 38:44 the Parable of the Marriage Feast given some sixty hours 38:48 before Christ was to go to the cross. 38:50 And it is important to recognize that as important and wonderful 38:55 as it is to eat dinner with a person - and that was 38:57 a Near East obligation - the idea of a marriage 39:00 was much more important. 39:03 It's one thing to turn down a dinner invitation 39:06 but a marriage invitation... much more important. 39:10 And we see how hard Christ is striving now to win these people 39:14 who simply don't want to give their hearts to Him. 39:18 So this story is much stronger as a marriage invitation 39:22 is stronger than a regular dinner invitation. 39:26 Christ is in the one place that will give Him maximum access, 39:30 maximum exposure. He's in the temple 39:33 at Passover time. The whole world is there! 39:38 Number two: The first - Luke 14- is just a banquet. 39:44 It is given by an ordinary man, a wealthy man to be sure, 39:48 but it is a banquet given by a plain citizen. 39:52 The parable in Matthew chapter 22 is given 39:56 by a King in honor of His Son's wedding. 40:01 Much more important. 40:03 You get an invitation from C.A. and Irma Murray to go to 40:06 dinner and you get an invitation from the White House 40:09 the White House is a little bit stronger, wouldn't you think? 40:12 I know... the politics notwithstanding. 40:17 The White House... not a particular person. 40:24 So that's a little bit stronger. And so a wedding invitation 40:27 is much stronger in the Middle East than a mere 40:30 dinner invitation. A dinner invitation you can kind of... 40:33 "Can't make it, " but a wedding invitation... 40:36 and a wedding invitation given by the King 40:39 in honor of His Son... you've got to think before 40:42 you just rip that up and throw it in the trash. 40:47 So Christ has upped the ante, 40:49 He's changed the goal, 40:52 He's changed the parts of a parable because time is short. 40:56 And so the King? Obviously, is Father, God. 41:00 His Son in whom the invitation's name is given 41:04 is Jesus Christ. Three: the occasion of a marriage 41:09 is a permanent union of two entities. 41:12 Here's why you don't want to parts parables too much. 41:15 Because the invitees are you and I. 41:20 We're invited. But in a secondary sense 41:24 we are also the bride. 41:27 Amen? The church is the bride. 41:29 And who is the church? We are the church. You are the church. 41:33 So you've got a dual application even within the parable. 41:38 We are invited but we are also the one that Christ is marrying. 41:42 The Jewish nation now is being invited 41:45 and Christ is hand- delivering the invitation. 41:49 Do you follow me? 41:51 Number four: the first parable's emphasis was on the flimsy 41:56 excuses. That's the one given at the Pharisee's house. 42:00 You find that in Luke 14. 42:02 The emphasis was on the flimsy excuses. 42:06 And I took a little time to study this. 42:09 The first excuse was: "I've bought some land 42:14 and I need to go see it. " 42:17 Excuse me? 42:21 Who buys land and doesn't know what you're buying? 42:25 You could be buying swamp or desert! 42:29 "I've bought some land; I need to go check it out. " 42:33 Flimsy! The second one: "I've bought some oxen 42:39 and I need to go test them. " 42:44 So you buy a car and you don't even know if it has an engine? 42:52 And I really like the third one: 42:55 "I got married. " 42:58 Period. 43:01 There's no "and I need to... " Read it. 43:06 "I got married... 43:08 you know what I need to do. " 43:16 So he doesn't even bother add- ing anything to the statement. 43:20 "I got married... excuse me. " 43:27 But Ellen White says they were all flimsy excuses. 43:31 They disrespected the invitation, 43:40 and the dissonance I say again is the difference. 43:43 The truth is brothers and sisters... here is the truth... 43:45 Here is the truth ladies and gentlemen: 43:48 we are too late in earth's history for excuses. 43:53 It's too late for us. There are no excuses you can give. 43:58 If you don't make it to heaven, what excuse can you give? 44:03 "Well I went to church last Sabbath and the pastor didn't 44:05 say hello to me 44:13 so I stayed home. " 44:16 "Well I went to church and someone did say hello to me 44:19 but they didn't say it nicely 44:24 so I stayed... " Who are you hurting when you stay home? 44:32 "Oh I can worship the Lord in my house. " 44:35 Not with that attitude you can't. 44:43 God's blessing is in the church. 44:47 And as great as it would be to watch this on television 44:51 it's nothing like being in the building. Amen! 44:55 Amen! That's why the Bible says: "Forsake not 45:00 the assembling of yourselves together, and so much more 45:05 as you see the day approaching. " 45:09 We need each other. Amen! 45:11 I used to tell my churches from the smallest to the biggest 45:16 "Like it or not, all I've got is you... " - 45:26 um-hmm - 45:28 "and all you've got... " Amen! 45:35 And Christ designed it that we need each other. 45:40 That's why I was so glad to hear Elder Bradshaw say it, 45:44 Walter Pearson say it, and Ty say it: 45:47 "We've got to love each... " "You don't have no choice... 45:48 you have to love me. " 45:53 Have no choice. 45:57 Amen. Amen. Have to love me... 46:01 if you're going to make it to heaven. 46:07 We are far beyond... Forgive my pejorative English: 46:11 the one thing we ain't got time for 46:15 is excuses... 'cause there are no excuses. 46:20 Hebrews chapter 1... Hebrews chapter 3 verse 2: 46:25 "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? " 46:30 I like this from the New Living translation. 46:33 "What makes us think... " um-hmm... 46:37 "What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent - 46:41 make excuses - to this great announcement of salvation? " 46:47 Romans chapter 13 verse 1- again, Living Bible - 46:50 "The coming of the Lord is nearer than when we 46:54 first believed. " 47:00 So the first parable focused on excuses, as poor as they were. 47:05 The burden of the second parable - Matthew chapter 22- 47:09 is preparation. 47:13 And I've heard a number of speakers speak about 47:15 preparation. This parable also talks about 47:20 preparation or the lack thereof. 47:25 No excuses... only time to get ready. 47:28 Matthew 24:44: 47:30 "Be ye also ready. " 47:37 The Bible... Let me show you something very interesting. 47:39 These parables are fascinating studies. 47:41 The Bible says if you read the parable 47:43 that the master sent his servant 47:46 to call those who were already invited. 47:50 That puzzled me. Call those who were invited? 47:52 Invited... what do you need to be called for? 47:54 You already got invited. 47:56 But I found out in the Middle East - and this is why 47:58 taking trips to Israel is so fulfilling because as you 48:01 talk to people you get a little insight into the culture - 48:04 evidently in Jewish times and even to today 48:09 when a very-high-class wedding was to take place 48:13 an original invitation was sent out, 48:16 the RSVP's were sent back, 48:19 and then a secondary invitation went out 48:23 usually hand-delivered or delivered by a messenger 48:27 himself. That's part of a custom. 48:30 So when the Bible says he... inviting those who are called 48:33 I looked up the word called. The called really means 48:36 reminded. So evidently the parable is saying 48:42 "You already got your invitation; 48:44 you already RSVP'd, 48:48 this is simply a friendly re- minder so you can be prepared. " 48:52 My doctor does that all the time. 48:54 They'll call and they'll say: "Tomorrow is your appointment. 48:56 You've made your appointment, you've signed, 48:58 we're just reminding you so you don't miss it. " 49:00 Well praise God that in His mercy 49:03 God sent us a reminder, and the reminder's name 49:07 was Jesus Christ. Amen! 49:09 The call to the Jewish people was already made in the 49:12 Old Testament through the prophets. 49:14 Hebrews 1:1 says God was very kind 49:18 in the past and in diverse manners spoke to us 49:21 through the prophets... Now speaks to us through? 49:25 Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ is hand delivering 49:30 the reminder. He's saying: "Don't forget you've got an 49:35 appointment with destiny. " Amen? Amen! 49:38 And He's doing it in the temple where He can get the most 49:41 traction where the most people can hear Him. 49:44 The invitation is hand-delivered by Jesus Christ Himself. 49:50 The first call delivered in the Old Testament times 49:53 and now Christ delivering this second call to the Jewish 49:57 people. Matthew chapter 24 says 50:01 Christ has since then sent any number of reminders. 50:05 We've talked about them. I heard Jim talk about them 50:08 and others talk about them: earthquakes, wars, 50:11 rumors, famines, pestilences... 50:13 the preponderance of murder in this world. 50:17 And I think that may be the clearest statement that Christ 50:20 is coming soon: man simply has no respect 50:26 for life. And it starts off with a hellish 50:32 Darwinium dictum that says "Daddy was a gorilla; 50:36 Momma was a chimpanzee; and God is out of the picture. " 50:41 And now we're left with murder and no respect for life. 50:45 Those are reminders, ladies and gentlemen, 50:47 that Jesus is coming soon. 50:50 Then Christ sends us the Holy Spirit: John 16:13. 50:54 He says: "When the Spirit comes He's not going to talk about 50:56 Himself. It's not His job. He's going to testify of Me. " 51:05 So Christ is reminding us: "It's time to get ready... 51:08 time to get ready... time to get ready. 51:10 No excuses. No time to reject the offer of 51:14 salvation. " The Jewish leaders did not want 51:18 Christ and they persecuted everybody who did. 51:21 So this parable has a secondary facet. 51:24 I've got to move fast... the clock is my enemy 51:27 'cause I want to close with a quick story. 51:29 The secondary facet of this very wonderful parable 51:31 is a man who slips into the wedding improperly attired. 51:38 Doesn't have the wedding garment on. 51:40 And the Bible says before the party actually begins 51:43 the King makes an inspection. 51:46 That inspection, ladies and gentlemen, 51:47 is the Investigative Judgment. 51:49 That's why Jesus says in Revelation 22:12 51:52 "Behold I am coming quickly and My reward is... " 51:55 So Christ has already made up who is going to get the goodies 51:59 when He comes. 52:02 The Bible says: "How'd you get in here without the proper 52:06 attire? " That wedding garment is obviously the righteousness 52:10 of Christ. Cannot be bought; cannot be bartered; 52:14 cannot be stolen; cannot be earned. 52:17 It is a gift. 52:20 And that is why... that is why 52:24 when the parable ends 52:28 the consequences are so stark. 52:31 If you look at the first parable, 52:35 the guy is simply sent away from the supper. 52:38 He goes to bed without any food. 52:41 But look at the conse- quences of this new parable. 52:44 The Bible says, one, the King sends an army 52:47 and destroys the people, 52:50 and this man is cast into outer darkness. 52:53 You know what outer darkness is a code word for? 52:56 Second death. 53:00 Second death. 53:02 Why such harsh punishment? 53:06 Because time is running short 53:08 and Christ is trying to get them to understand 53:12 "You don't have time to make up a decision. 53:15 You don't have time to play. 53:16 There's only time to get right with Jesus. " 53:21 Powerful parables! And Christ is upping the ante because He 53:25 knows... He knows in less than sixty hours 53:29 He'll be hanging from a cross 53:30 and the same streets that echoed with loud Hosannahs 53:36 to the King will echo in just two days with 53:39 "Crucify Him! Let Him be crucified. " 53:46 Brothers and sisters, time is running out on us too. 53:52 We don't know how many days. 53:54 We don't know how many hours. 53:57 We don't know how many minutes. 53:58 All we know is that Jesus is coming soon. 54:06 And so Christ says we have got to be ready. 54:11 I'm going to jump over something, 54:12 and I want to close with a story that really touched my heart. 54:15 It is very, very true. I've talked with the people 54:17 who are part of this story. 54:20 A mother and three sons were members of the church. 54:25 And something happened and it happened so long ago 54:28 that they don't really remember what... what it was. 54:33 But the mother was so upset she left the church 54:36 and took her three boys with her. 54:39 And for years - decades - they were out of the church. 54:43 And so much time had elapsed 54:45 that they couldn't remember the original infraction. 54:48 All they remembered is: "We're not members 54:50 of that church any more. " 54:54 And before the mother passed 54:59 she came to her senses 55:02 and re-joined the church. 55:08 But her legacy was being played out 55:11 in the lives of those 3 boys who had grown up without God. 55:17 And the two oldest sons started families of their own 55:22 realized you know we don't even remember what it was that pushed 55:27 us out of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 55:29 "We ought to go get right with God; 55:31 we ought to give our hearts to the Lord. " 55:33 And since they lived fairly near to each other, they began 55:36 to go to church together, they began to study together, 55:38 they began to worship together. And they joined the church 55:41 and were baptized on the self-same Sabbath. 55:45 But there was that younger son who had really taken it hard. 55:50 He was drinking and smoking and living a horrible life. 55:53 And so they decided: "Before it's too late, let's fly 55:56 to where he lives and try to get this young boy... " 55:59 Young son... he was the young- est son but he wasn't a boy, 56:01 he was a man... "back into the church. " 56:04 And so they flew and they decided to spend one weekend 56:06 with him. Got to the house and the son said: 56:09 "Listen, I know why you're here. I don't want to hear it. 56:12 I don't want to be part of it, and if you're going to talk that 56:14 religion garbage you can just turn around and get on a plane 56:16 and go back home. " 56:19 So they said: "No, we're just coming. We haven't seen you 56:21 in a while. We're just coming to try to be with you. " 56:24 So they waited one full day before they even brought up 56:27 the name of Jesus. And as the name of Jesus came out of 56:31 one of the boys' mouth that youngest son began 56:33 to curse and swear and scream "I don't want to hear it. 56:35 It's garbage. I'm not part of that. 56:37 I don't want to hear it. " And they waited another full day. 56:40 This time they took him out to a restaurant. 56:43 They figured he wouldn't curse and swear and scream 56:45 in a restaurant. Public place? 56:47 And so they said: "You know, we've given our hearts to the 56:49 Lord. You oughta. " And as they said Lord 56:52 in a public restaurant cursing and screaming like 56:54 you never would believe. 56:58 "I don't want to hear it! " 57:01 When they got him home that night they said: 57:02 "You know we're leaving in the morning. 57:04 I don't know if there's anything we can say. " 57:08 So they said: "You know, Momma gave her heart 57:11 back to God before she died, and we are back in the church. 57:18 When we get to heaven Momma's going to see 57:22 us two and you know she's going to ask for the baby boy. 57:26 What shall we tell Momma? " 57:28 And that broke his heart. |
Revised 2022-05-16