The King & His Kingdom: #103 - The Banquet | Matthew 22:1-14

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Almighty God, you welcome you. Hey there. [00:00:06] Speaker B: If you're new to Restored Church, we want to welcome you and thank you for tuning in. You're listening to a portion of our Sunday worship gathering. We believe the church is not an event, but a family you belong to. So we would love the opportunity to connect with you. If you want to learn more about our church or if we can help you in any way, please Visit our website, www.restoredtemecula.church and click on Contact. With all that said, we, we hope you enjoy the message. [00:00:35] Speaker C: How we doing? [00:00:37] Speaker A: Great. [00:00:38] Speaker C: Great. So I was thinking about just the privilege it is to be able to gather in general. I was thinking about how if you follow the news or anything related to kind of like, Christian news, there are. We have brothers and sisters in Christ in places like Iran and Nigeria. And if they were to do something like what we're doing right now, just like, gathering outside, like, their life would be in danger. Like, it's kind of crazy to think about, right? Like, our minds. Like, if you think me, I kept [00:01:22] Speaker A: standing over here singing in the sun, [00:01:23] Speaker C: and after about two minutes, I was like, wow, I'm really getting hot. And just like, I don't know, man. Comparison can be the thief of joy, right? When you compare yourself to others and be like, I don't have as much as they have, or whatever. However, I also think that comparison can be one of those things where it can help just orient you in a way that's healthy, a little bit of perspective, and, like, what a privilege it is to be together. What a privilege it is to be not afraid to worship in public. I don't know. I'm really glad that we're here. I'm really glad that I'm here. [00:02:07] Speaker A: This morning we're going to continue on in our series. I wanted to come up with, like, a message this morning that I was talking with the staff, and I was like, hey, I think I'm going to change things up. I think I'm going to do a little bit of a shorter message and kind of make it more applicable to being outside. And so I started kind of prepping something. [00:02:21] Speaker C: And this week, and I felt like. I felt like the spirit said, I didn't ask you to do that. And I was like, okay. I was like, what should I preach? And I felt like God was like, I didn't ask you to leave Matthew. I was like, okay, so guess what we're gonna do? [00:02:36] Speaker A: We're gonna continue on in our series. In Matthew the King and His Kingdom. We're going Through Matthew, trying to learn as much as we can about the king of the universe, Jesus Christ, and what his kingdom is like. The kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. [00:02:48] Speaker C: Those two phrases are used synonymously in the scriptures. [00:02:51] Speaker A: And when we speak about the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, we're talking about what does it look like when God is ruling and reigning. So I don't know if you know [00:02:58] Speaker C: this, but it's not. [00:02:59] Speaker A: The kingdom of heaven is not just a place you can go to after you die. It's a reality that you can experience here and now. It's when God is ruling and reigning, when God is getting his way. So I don't know if you noticed, but you can experience heaven, the kingdom, your marriage, you can experience the kingdom of heaven in your job, at school, in your life, in your mind. You can experience the rule. [00:03:22] Speaker C: That breeze feels good. [00:03:23] Speaker A: You can experience the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God in all things. And that's what we've been giving ourselves over to, trying to learn as much as we can. Now, if you have your Bible, you can flip it open. We're in Matthew, chapter 22. [00:03:34] Speaker C: Been making our way through. [00:03:35] Speaker A: We're going to go through verses 1 [00:03:36] Speaker C: through 14 this morning. [00:03:38] Speaker A: But before we jump in, I wanna give you a little bit of context of where we're jumping into. [00:03:41] Speaker C: Okay? [00:03:42] Speaker A: We're still in the final week of Jesus life. We're in the final week of Jesus life. He knows he's about to go to the cross. And in the setting that we find ourselves here in Matthew 22, Jesus is in the courtyard of the temple. The temple is the place of worship. I don't know if you know this. You are in the middle of a courtyard right now. And so I want you to imagine this as we read this. Jesus, he is in the middle of a courtyard of the temple, and people are gathering around to hear him preach. And these Jewish religious leaders, they come up and interrupt him and they start challenging him. They start questioning his authority. And what he does in response is he exposes them. [00:04:17] Speaker C: I don't know if you know this, [00:04:18] Speaker A: but God has a way of revealing [00:04:21] Speaker C: the truth about us. [00:04:22] Speaker A: And that's what he does with these Jewish religious leaders. He exposes them. He exposes their incompetence, he exposes their lack of integrity. He exposes their hypocrisy. And then he uses brilliantly. There's no other teacher like Jesus. He uses parables to teach. And specifically here in this courtyard of the temple, the place of worship, Jesus, he preaches and teaches using three parables. The first one, if you've journeyed with us, we already been through this. But the first one was the parable [00:04:48] Speaker C: of the two sons. [00:04:50] Speaker A: The second one, which we've covered as well, is the parable of the vineyard owner. And today we're going to cover the third parable. [00:04:56] Speaker C: The third parable is the parable of the wedding banquet. And it's a good one. And so what I want to do is I want to pray, invite God's [00:05:04] Speaker A: spirit to teach us through his word. [00:05:06] Speaker C: And I want to ask you to join me. Let's pray together. Jesus, thank you for your peace this morning. Thank you for the sunshine and the shade and the nice, cool breeze. I'm just reminded of how much I'm so much better than I deserve. And so, spirit of God, we invite you to teach us through your word this morning. Teach us about your kingdom, teach us about your glory, teach us about your grace, teach us about your holiness. We love you, we praise you, and we pray these things in your holy and beautiful name. And all God's people said together. Amen. [00:06:07] Speaker A: Okay, so I'm going to read this parable. I'm going to interrupt quite a bit, [00:06:10] Speaker C: but I want you to get the gist of it. Let's start together. Verse 1. I'll be in the CSB. If you have your Bible, it'll be helpful. I know the screens can kind of have a glare. It says this once more. [00:06:20] Speaker A: Jesus spoke to them in parables. [00:06:22] Speaker C: Get the sense or get the picture? [00:06:23] Speaker A: He's in a courtyard just like this. [00:06:24] Speaker C: He's teaching, right? [00:06:25] Speaker A: Once more. Jesus spoke to them in parables. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. [00:06:31] Speaker C: Pause. [00:06:32] Speaker A: Okay, if you've studied any of Jesus parables, you know, there's so much symbolism here. They teach us about the kingdom. They also teach us a lot about ourselves. And here, what does Jesus say? The kingdom of heaven is like a what? A banquet that a king puts on. So there's your symbolism, right? The kingdom of heaven is like a banquet, a wedding banquet that a king puts on for his son. Now, you gotta understand, too, this is this kind of a wedding banquet, these ancient wedding banquets would've been very different than the wedding banquet that you would be accustomed to. Everybody in this room, in this room, everybody in this courtyard, you've probably been to at least one wedding in your life. And, you know, there's a lot of planning that goes into those weddings. [00:07:07] Speaker C: And it's a lot, a lot of [00:07:08] Speaker A: Money oftentimes, like a lot goes into it. Okay, these are a little different because our weddings last maybe a full day [00:07:14] Speaker C: at best, you know, maybe a couple days if we're lucky. [00:07:17] Speaker A: These ancient wedding banquets would last several days. [00:07:20] Speaker C: Okay, so just think massive celebrations. Okay, let's keep going. [00:07:25] Speaker A: Verse 3. He, the king sent his servants to [00:07:31] Speaker C: summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn't want to come again. He sent out other servants and said, [00:07:39] Speaker A: tell those who are invited, see, I've prepared my dinner, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. [00:07:50] Speaker C: Pause again. I want you to notice something. Who did the king send the servants to? [00:07:58] Speaker A: Absolutely. The people who were already invited to the banquet. He's not going out to invite people. He's sending out these servants to summon people who have already RSVP'd. They already got that ancient save the date in the, you know, where the bride's like showing off a ring and there maybe a kissy picture with blurred out background, whatever, like that save the date's already gone out. They've already RSVP'd. They've already said yes, they're coming. Right? So he's not inviting them again, [00:08:27] Speaker C: he's summoning them [00:08:31] Speaker A: now. [00:08:32] Speaker C: Again. These ancient wedding banquets, these would have [00:08:35] Speaker A: taken like kind of like hours. [00:08:36] Speaker C: They would have taken months of preparation, months of planning. And not only that, similarly, people would have had to travel. [00:08:46] Speaker A: Some people would have to travel sometimes [00:08:48] Speaker C: long distances to come to these. [00:08:50] Speaker A: The difference is they didn't have trains [00:08:52] Speaker C: and planes and automobiles. [00:08:53] Speaker A: They would have been walking. So, so many of these people, they would have had to plan and prepare to spend several days on foot just to make it to this wonderful, glorious wedding banquet celebration. [00:09:06] Speaker C: All right, so what I want you [00:09:08] Speaker A: to notice here, I want you to understand is that it took a lot of preparation both to host a banquet like this and to attend a banquet like this. And these servants of the king, they're sent out by him, right? To the people that, like I said, already are svp. These are people who already said they were coming to the banquet. And yet in verse three, it says [00:09:25] Speaker C: they don't want to come. Why keep reading verse five, Right? [00:09:35] Speaker A: So these people, they get summoned to come to the banquet that they already [00:09:37] Speaker C: said they'd be coming to. [00:09:38] Speaker A: Verse 5, but they paid those people, [00:09:41] Speaker C: they paid no attention and went away. One to his own farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his [00:09:51] Speaker A: servants, mistreated them and killed them. [00:09:56] Speaker C: Okay, pause again. [00:09:57] Speaker A: So the summons goes out and we see two response to the summons. [00:10:01] Speaker C: Did you catch what they were? [00:10:03] Speaker A: You see disregard and you see hostility, right? The disregard. They paid no attention. [00:10:09] Speaker C: They went away. And then the hostility piece. They mistreated the messengers, the servants, and then they killed them sometimes, too. [00:10:18] Speaker A: So let's break these down just really quickly. [00:10:20] Speaker C: Let's start with those who disregard the summons. [00:10:23] Speaker A: Now, again, these are people who said they're coming, they're coming to the banquet, but they don't actually come. Why? It says. It references the farm and the business. [00:10:33] Speaker C: So are these just like disgruntled farmers like Austin? Not that Austin's disgruntled, but he's a farmer. [00:10:39] Speaker A: Is it just people that are like, what's going on here? Right. [00:10:44] Speaker C: It's not limited to farmers. It's not limited to business owners. Here's what's happening. Here's the idea. [00:10:49] Speaker A: They said they were coming to the banquet, but they don't actually come to the banquet because other things were more important. Other things were more important. [00:10:59] Speaker C: Now, remember, what does the banquet symbolize, friends? The kingdom of heaven. [00:11:06] Speaker A: The kingdom of God. [00:11:09] Speaker C: Please hear me. There are plenty of people who claim Christianity. Like, they go to church, they even [00:11:19] Speaker A: get connected to the community, and yet [00:11:21] Speaker C: they don't actually embrace the kingdom. [00:11:26] Speaker A: Like, they say they're coming to the banquet, but they don't actually come to the banquet. They say that Jesus is their Lord and their Savior, but they don't actually do what he says to do. [00:11:37] Speaker C: Let me give you some examples. [00:11:39] Speaker A: They say that Jesus is Lord, but they don't actually do what he says [00:11:42] Speaker C: to do with their bodies. We talked about some of this stuff last week or two weeks ago. [00:11:48] Speaker A: They don't actually do it, he says, to do with their bodies. [00:11:50] Speaker C: Like honoring their body or sexuality or rest even. [00:11:59] Speaker A: They say that Jesus is their Lord, but they don't actually do what he says to do in their relationships. [00:12:06] Speaker C: Like, they don't honor one another. [00:12:09] Speaker A: They don't sometimes, maybe they're dishonest. [00:12:14] Speaker C: They don't tell the full truth, or they withhold the truth, or they don't forgive. [00:12:24] Speaker A: They say that Jesus is Lord, but [00:12:26] Speaker C: they don't do what he says to do with their time. [00:12:28] Speaker A: Like, they rarely pray, too busy, too much going on. They rarely, like, serve the needs of [00:12:34] Speaker C: others because they just, you know, I got my own stuff going on. Gathering for worship. [00:12:42] Speaker A: They gather for worship when it's convenient, [00:12:44] Speaker C: when it fits in their schedule. [00:12:46] Speaker A: That makes sense if the worship gathering [00:12:48] Speaker C: is for the person, but if the worship gathering is for God, it's A little different, right? [00:12:57] Speaker A: They say that Jesus is their Lord, but they don't actually do what he says to do with the gospel. [00:13:00] Speaker C: Right. [00:13:01] Speaker A: The good news about who God is and what he's done through Jesus and what that means for every area of life, the kingdom of heaven. [00:13:08] Speaker C: Like, I'll just kind of keep that one to myself. [00:13:09] Speaker A: I don't want to be awkward with people. They say that Jesus is their Lord, but they don't actually do what he says to do with their money. We talked about this a couple weeks ago, right? They might kind of give, but they're not giving sacrificially in the ways that God would model for them. Right. They don't look to help to meet the needs of other people in their community and people that are maybe having a harder time. It's like, well, if I do that, there'll be less for me and mine. And I get it. [00:13:40] Speaker C: They certainly don't. Ooh, here we go. They certainly don't. Tithe. Side note on that, it's funny because we were meeting outside this week, which, it's great, mix things up, but since we knew we had to do this and we kind of tried to get the word out, interestingly, like, many people, like, in the church have kind of been like, hey, like, they've expressed their. [00:14:10] Speaker A: It's beautiful. They express the desire for us to [00:14:13] Speaker C: have, like, a permanent gathering space. I think we all want that. Can I speak candidly to you, maybe even bluntly? We'd already have one. If everybody tithed, we'd already have one. Friends. Even a secular, non Christian, non religious, even a secular culture understands what this parable teaches. And it's a phrase that you've heard a hundred times even since you were children. Actions speak louder than. Yeah, actions speak louder than words. [00:14:56] Speaker A: The Apostle Paul put it this way. In Titus, chapter one, verse 16, [00:15:00] Speaker C: he [00:15:01] Speaker A: said, they claim to know God, but [00:15:03] Speaker C: they deny him by their works. He goes on to say, they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. That's intense. Mark Sayers, he's a pastor in Australia. Thinker, author, like a brilliant guy, way smarter than me. He puts it this way. He says, there are people who want the kingdom without the king. [00:15:33] Speaker A: They want the kingdom without the king. They want the benefits of being in the kingdom and all that it has to offer. But they don't want to bend the knee to the king in some areas. The convenient ones, the ones that they agree with, the ones that align with their worldview, yes. But when the king goes I want you to do this or I want you to stop doing that. And they disagree. [00:15:53] Speaker C: The answer is no. They want the kingdom without the King. Can I just lovingly ask you what I've been praying and asking the Spirit [00:16:01] Speaker A: to reveal to me, is that you. [00:16:06] Speaker C: Like, if you could be honest and [00:16:09] Speaker A: you could just look in the mirror, no shame, no guilt, like, just genuine. Like, what's the reality going on in me is that you. Do you claim Christianity while saying no [00:16:20] Speaker C: to the lordship of Jesus? [00:16:25] Speaker A: Is there an area of your life [00:16:26] Speaker C: that's off limits to the lordship of Jesus? Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about being perfect. You don't need me to tell you this, but nobody in this courtyard is perfect, especially the guy with the goofy face. Mic, none of us are perfect. [00:16:45] Speaker A: That's not what I'm talking about at all. We all mess up. [00:16:47] Speaker C: We all fall short of the glory of God. [00:16:48] Speaker A: We all blow it. We all make mistakes. We all sin. I'm not talking about being perfect. I'm talking about willfully rejecting what God [00:16:55] Speaker C: says to do or not do. [00:17:01] Speaker A: God says that I should honor my [00:17:03] Speaker C: body, but I'm not going to. [00:17:06] Speaker A: God says that I should forgive this [00:17:08] Speaker C: person, but I'm not going to. [00:17:12] Speaker A: God says that I should pray like I should have. That prayer shouldn't be something that I drift in and out of, but that it should be a lifestyle of abiding in God, abiding in Christ and producing much fruit. Like building my life around, engaging with God in prayer and everything that we do and say God says to do that. John 15 is like, super clear. Like, God says that I should pray. [00:17:33] Speaker C: I. I'm not going to because there's other things going on. [00:17:37] Speaker A: God says that I should share the gospel, but I'm not going to. God says that I should give generously or tithe, and I'm not going to Like. [00:17:43] Speaker C: Guys, this parable is intense. [00:17:48] Speaker A: Jesus words here are weighty. This parable, these people, they said they were coming to the banquet, but they don't actually come to the banquet because [00:17:57] Speaker C: other things were more important. It's been said that when something matters more than what matters most, that's an idol. It's a false God. And we as people, as people made in God's image. We can't help but worship. We can't help but ascribe ultimate worth to good, beautiful things. [00:18:23] Speaker A: It's when those good and beautiful things start to become God things, when they start to elevate a position higher than Jesus, that we're in trouble. [00:18:29] Speaker C: That's idolatry. [00:18:31] Speaker A: When something matters more than what matters most, that's an idol. When something matters more than what matters most, that's what we actually worship. That's our actual Lord that we are [00:18:43] Speaker C: yielding to, that we are bending the knee to, that we are submitted to, that we are following you with me. Or am I the only person in this courtyard that struggles in these things? Yeah. John Bevere says this quote, idolatry is more than worshiping statues or images. It's putting someone or something before our relationship with Jesus. If you're a note taker, here's my first point for you this morning. It's this. Idolatry will keep you from the kingdom of heaven. Idolatry will keep you from the kingdom of heaven. Now, I want you to remember there's two responses we saw here to the servants that are sent out to summon [00:19:24] Speaker A: people who said they were already coming. Hey, come two responses, right? The disregard. They paid no attention and went the other way. The second one, the hostility piece, right? They mistreated them or killed them. Let's talk. We talked about the disregard. [00:19:35] Speaker C: Let's talk about the hostility. I was thinking about this this week, [00:19:38] Speaker A: and I can honestly testify this is true. I've lost count, I've lost count of [00:19:44] Speaker C: how many times I've experienced this as a pastor. Allow me to share with you just [00:19:49] Speaker A: a little bit of behind the curtain, behind the scenes action of what it means to pastor. But I've genuinely dozens and dozens and dozens of pastoral meetings with people where literally the heartbeat behind the meeting is in love, in humility, as someone that if you're a part of this community [00:20:10] Speaker C: in some way, shape or form, to [00:20:12] Speaker A: be part of the community is to invite the leaders of the community to shepherd you and pastor you. It's like it's part of the gig. It's part of the thing. So meeting with people, shepherding people, having these conversations, these pastoral meetings and conversations with people where the whole crux and the point of the conversation is to summon them to the banquet like they said they were coming. We wouldn't be related in the way that we are spiritually if they didn't say they were coming to the kingdom, they were coming to the banquet. So the whole point is they're like, hey, I see that the banquet's going on. I see that you're outside of the banquet, come back and join us in the banquet. You know what I mean? And I've seen it. There's typically three responses. The first one, I'll Share with you. It's my favorite, and it happens often, which is awesome, is you share that. Essentially calling someone to repent, someone to turn away from ungodliness in some way, shape or form and embrace God's rule [00:21:00] Speaker C: and reign and leadership back in your life. [00:21:02] Speaker A: And so when we do that, oftentimes people will respond with, oh, yeah, I am doing that, or I am not doing that. I am missing out on the kingdom. [00:21:14] Speaker C: You with me. [00:21:16] Speaker A: And it's beautiful. There's this beautiful repentance, and it's humble, and it's like we celebrate and it's awesome. And it's like, we need that. That has to be a dynamic in our relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ, let alone shepherds in the flock of God. Right. So I've seen that happen. It's awesome. We leave those meetings, both parties feeling really great about who God is, about the value of the gospel and what it means for our freedom and our salv and our lack of condemnation. [00:21:46] Speaker C: It's awesome. That's one way that those meetings go. Another way. [00:21:52] Speaker A: We've talked about it. They disregard the invitation. They disregard the summons. [00:21:57] Speaker C: No, dismiss it. They don't want to repent. [00:22:03] Speaker A: Other things are more important. [00:22:04] Speaker C: Right. We see that. Or. [00:22:07] Speaker A: And this doesn't happen all the time, but good. [00:22:09] Speaker C: I've lost count of how many times it's happened over the last almost 20 years of ministry. [00:22:13] Speaker A: Or they get hostile. Like you can imagine. It often starts, and I'll just be candid with you. [00:22:19] Speaker C: It often starts with, you know, come to the banquet, and then you get like, the death stare. If you've married. If you're married, you know what I'm talking about. Your spouse at some time has given you the death stare. Who are you to tell me you're right? I'm like, do you realize you're. You're. You're who? [00:22:40] Speaker A: The way you're looking at me, there's like, some contention. [00:22:41] Speaker C: There's some. [00:22:42] Speaker A: There's something going on here, right? They get defensive or they get argumentative or they start deflecting. Yeah, but you did this or she did that or they did this and not did this. And it just becomes this big, like, whoa. There's like, conflict now. [00:22:58] Speaker C: And then the summons to the kingdom, [00:23:01] Speaker A: the summons to the banquet is rejected. And then what happens, guys? [00:23:04] Speaker C: Often. And I hate this, but it happens. [00:23:07] Speaker A: Is then after that meeting, just like, [00:23:10] Speaker C: slander and lies [00:23:14] Speaker A: and misrepresenting the conversation and misrepresenting the loving approach and the relationship and all the things misrepresenting the banquet itself. And then the next thing you know, like, there's these, like, kind of weird, like, divisions forming because, you know, so and so has shared. Tom is this, Or Herrick is that, or ebony's this, or your gospel community leaders that, or, like, just. You can imagine, right? And this stuff happens. Even in the body of Christ, it happens. And they start to say awful things. Like, I've literally. [00:23:45] Speaker C: I'm not gonna share that filter real [00:23:47] Speaker A: time, But I just want you to see, like, that when that happens, it can get kind of destructive. Because in those conversations and in those [00:23:55] Speaker C: moments of processing or venting now, there's [00:24:00] Speaker A: been, like, doubt that's introduced into a relationship that isn't necessary and isn't based on fact or reality. [00:24:08] Speaker C: It starts to cause unnecessary division in the church. Can I really trust Tom? Cause I heard, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Can I really trust my gospel community leader? Because I heard, da, da, da, da, da. You know what I'm talking about? Unnecessary division and doubt introduced into relationships. [00:24:28] Speaker A: And oftentimes the people that do that because they don't want to deal with the real. Like, what was the agenda of the conversation? Just, you said you were coming to the banquet. Let's go enjoy the banquet. It's awesome. We all fall short. We all find ourselves drifting outside of the banquet. Come back to the banquet. That's the crux of the conversation. And then people end up. They'll get upset, they'll leave, they'll get disgruntled, they'll gossip, they'll slander, and then they end up leaving pain. [00:24:54] Speaker C: They end up leaving poorly, and it's painful for people. [00:24:58] Speaker A: And I found myself, like, gosh, like, why does that happen? Sometimes it goes great, other times it doesn't. [00:25:06] Speaker C: Am I just the worst leader in the world? I'm not a perfect leader. [00:25:10] Speaker A: Are the leaders that I've partnered with over the last 20 years in different churches, are they just like. Are we all just, like, really missing what's going? [00:25:17] Speaker C: Like, what's happening? Like, God's like, no. [00:25:21] Speaker A: So then why, like, why the hostility? I'm just summoning you to the banquet that you rsu p ed yes to. [00:25:31] Speaker C: Here's why. [00:25:31] Speaker A: Because some people want the benefits of the kingdom without submitting to the lordship of the king. And I don't mean me. I'm just a servant. I'm just a servant. The other leaders in the church, they're just servants. Other brothers and sisters in the church that might come to you, they're just servants. God's the king, right? [00:25:48] Speaker C: Not me. I'm just a servant summoning the person [00:25:51] Speaker A: who claimed they were coming to the banquet. So I just like, this was real [00:25:54] Speaker C: for me this week. [00:25:55] Speaker A: As I'm processing this and preparing this message, I'm like, oh, my gosh, Jesus [00:26:00] Speaker C: knows what he's talking about. [00:26:02] Speaker A: This is real. And it wasn't just real for them 2000 years ago. This is real now. [00:26:12] Speaker C: You need to know something, friends. Summoning people to the banquet will inevitably put you on the receiving end of hostility. [00:26:22] Speaker A: It will inevitably put you on the [00:26:24] Speaker C: receiving end of hostility. Not with everybody, but with some. And listen, there's a reason why people respond poorly. [00:26:33] Speaker A: Hurt people, hurt people. You've heard that there's all sorts of things that have happened to people. Oftentimes it's not personal. Oftentimes it has way more to do with their relationship with their Maker than it does with you or me or anybody else. But I think Mark Sayers is right. I think some people want the kingdom without the king. [00:26:56] Speaker C: Why do I say that? Because I've seen it in my own life. [00:27:01] Speaker A: I've seen my wife come to me [00:27:02] Speaker C: and say, hey, can I talk to you about something? Yeah, babe, what do you want to talk to me about? Hey, I'm noticing some of the things that you're doing or saying or I think you're outside of the banquet, babe. [00:27:17] Speaker A: Well, you don't understand. There's. I see myself doing the same thing, and I'm like, separately, I need alone time. [00:27:25] Speaker C: Like, [00:27:27] Speaker A: we all struggle with this. Why? [00:27:31] Speaker C: Because I think we want the kingdom without the king. [00:27:35] Speaker A: We want the benefits of heaven without [00:27:36] Speaker C: submitting to the lordship of Jesus. [00:27:38] Speaker A: But, friends, it doesn't work that way. You cannot have the kingdom while rejecting the king. [00:27:44] Speaker C: Listen, you need to know, I wouldn't [00:27:47] Speaker A: be loving you if I didn't tell this to you. Summoning people to the banquet will inevitably [00:27:51] Speaker C: put you on the receiving end of hostility. [00:27:55] Speaker A: And here's the thing. [00:27:56] Speaker C: This isn't just for pastors, elders or deacons or gospel community leaders or leaders in the church. [00:28:02] Speaker A: Like, it's for every servant of the king. [00:28:05] Speaker C: If you're a follower of Jesus, you're signing up to be a servant of the king. It's the role of every follower of Jesus. Question for you this morning. [00:28:15] Speaker A: Real talk. [00:28:18] Speaker C: Do you love people enough to summon them to the banquet? Do you love him enough to go to them on behalf of the king and say, get in here. [00:28:31] Speaker A: Come on, you said you were coming. [00:28:35] Speaker C: It's not the same without you. [00:28:37] Speaker A: Everybody wants you in here. [00:28:41] Speaker C: Do you love people enough to summon them to the banquet. One of my favorite things about God is that he does, because he does it to me all the time. Alright, let's keep reading. So some people who claim they're coming to the banquet but don't actually come, [00:28:58] Speaker A: they respond to the summons with disregard and hostility. Verse 7. [00:29:03] Speaker C: So the king was enraged. [00:29:06] Speaker A: He sent out his troops, killed those murderers and burned down their city. [00:29:10] Speaker C: Okay, pause again. [00:29:11] Speaker A: I don't have time to get into this fully, but I can't not address it. [00:29:14] Speaker C: Hear me, please. [00:29:15] Speaker A: There's going to be judgment. There's going to be judgment for those who claim Christianity but don't repent. There's going to be judgment for those who claim with their words that God is their king, but their actions prove and demonstrate otherwise. [00:29:33] Speaker C: Actions speak louder than words. Let's keep reading. [00:29:40] Speaker A: Verse 8. Then he told his servants, the banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go then. [00:29:50] Speaker C: Look at this. [00:29:51] Speaker A: Go then. Where? The roads. Exit the city and invite everyone. Can you guys say everyone, everyone in the Greek? What that word means is everyone. Invite everyone you find to the banquet. So those servants went out to the roads and gathered everyone they found. Look at this. Both evil and good. It says the wedding banquet was filled with guests. Okay, pause again. Two things. [00:30:19] Speaker C: Quickly. One of them's terrifying. [00:30:22] Speaker A: You guys are having a good morning. [00:30:23] Speaker C: This is great. One of them is terrifying and one [00:30:25] Speaker A: of them is radically comforting. [00:30:27] Speaker C: Okay, the terrifying one. [00:30:29] Speaker A: The people who were busy with their idolatry, right? Busy with other things. Busy with their idolatry. The ones who claimed they were coming to the banquet but didn't. The ones who claimed to know God, but they denied him by their works. [00:30:39] Speaker C: Their window of invitation closed. If you're a note taker, the invitation of the kingdom of heaven has an expiration date that doesn't scare every single one of us. [00:30:57] Speaker A: Or at least like, put us a little bit in check. Like the holiness of God. Holy smokes. [00:31:02] Speaker C: This isn't a game. Jesus isn't an accessory I add to my life. [00:31:07] Speaker A: He's either king or he's nothing. [00:31:08] Speaker C: Like, whoo. So, like, in love. [00:31:12] Speaker A: Can I just appeal to every single one of us? [00:31:15] Speaker C: Your invitation to repent. It will not last forever. It's not a forever thing. Like, if you only hear one thing [00:31:24] Speaker A: I say today, please hear this. Jesus, the King of the universe, the Christ the Savior, God in the flesh. He's coming back. [00:31:32] Speaker C: Like, he's coming back soon. [00:31:36] Speaker A: His first coming. He came in mercy and in love. Come to the banquet. Anybody? Everyone. Whether you're good, whether you're evil. No matter what you've done, no matter what's been done to you. Come. Come embrace my leadership. Come embrace my lordship. Come embrace my kingship. Come enjoy my kingdom. Come. But it means you have to leave your kingdom behind. [00:31:56] Speaker C: Come. [00:31:56] Speaker A: He came, like, just offered himself as a sacrifice to enable that to even happen, so that he could be both just and. And loving. Like he. He came. He did that for us. The window is wide open. Anybody can come. His second coming. He's coming with a different agenda. His second coming. He's coming to judge. Did you just say you were coming, or did you actually come? Did you just use your words, or do you use your actions as well? Because actions speak louder than words, friends. It's terrifying. But the invitation to the kingdom of heaven, it has an expiration date. [00:32:39] Speaker C: That's the terrifying part. The radically comforting part, I hope you saw it. Is that the king sends his servants to invite everyone both evil and good. It says note takers. Even if you're not taking notes, listen to me. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, God desires you. No matter who you are, no matter [00:33:05] Speaker A: what you've done, he doesn't give up on you. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter what's been done to you, he desires you. Do you know, like, God's got a [00:33:12] Speaker C: fondness for imperfect people like me. [00:33:15] Speaker A: Like, a really amazing fondness. Like, have you ever been walking out in public and you see someone and you're like, they're kind of unkempt, or they're like, there's something weird about them, or there's like. Like, oh, I'm gonna kind of, like, walk. God's like, I'm drawn to you. [00:33:26] Speaker C: I want you. Why would he want to do that? Because his love is so potent, his [00:33:36] Speaker A: grace is so powerful, it can transform anyone. Some of you, you're here, you've been [00:33:43] Speaker C: following Jesus for a little while. [00:33:46] Speaker A: If everybody in the room knew all [00:33:47] Speaker C: of your history, everyone would be a little bit. [00:33:50] Speaker A: They'd treat you that way. [00:33:50] Speaker C: Oh, man, I'm not gonna. [00:33:52] Speaker A: Do you realize, like, the power of God to transform a person? It's unbelievable. Sometimes I still am like, God, I'm up here talking and preaching your word, like, I have no business doing this. And he's like, I called you to do this. I've saved you out of this. I'm empowering you to do that. Like, that's your story, too. If you're in Christ, like, listen to me, no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, the King desires you. Listen, we're in the middle of a courtyard in the middle of a neighborhood. If you're in your house right now and everyone under the sound of my voice, maybe you're in your backyard and you're enjoying your Sunday afternoon. So glad that you can hear me. But, like, literally, God knows everything about you. All of the bad stuff, all of the good stuff. The good, the bad and the ugly. He's got a fondness for imperfect people, like you and like me. So if you can hear me, God knows everything about you and still desires you. [00:35:07] Speaker C: If that's true for them, it must be true for you. You can't hide. But isn't that good news? You can't run far enough away for his love to not come and get you. You know what he does? [00:35:28] Speaker A: He's like a king who throws a [00:35:29] Speaker C: banquet for his son. And he sends out servants to go get him. Maybe, just maybe, heavenly beings, if nothing else, God's word through imperfect people is [00:35:40] Speaker A: coming at you right now to grab ahold. [00:35:42] Speaker C: Come. [00:35:42] Speaker A: Come back. [00:35:44] Speaker C: Come back. Why would he do that? Because he's crazy about you. He knows our darkest thoughts. [00:35:58] Speaker A: He knows the real desires that are [00:36:00] Speaker C: going on in us, not just the ones that we verbalize. He knows your secrets, and he invites you into his banquet anyway. [00:36:11] Speaker A: Wow. [00:36:14] Speaker C: That means he desires you, friend. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, God desires you. That's the gospel of Jesus Christ. That God would put on the flesh and the person of Jesus to live [00:36:29] Speaker A: perfectly in the ways that you and I never could. To never blow it, because we always do. To offer that record to us, to offer that report card, if you will, to us, if we'll just receive it and then yield to him as being the leader of our life. And not only did he give us the perfect life, but he willingly offered all of himself. He opened his veins on the cross. He took. He absorbed all of the punishment that we deserve. [00:36:56] Speaker C: Do you believe that? [00:36:59] Speaker A: Why would he do that? [00:37:00] Speaker C: He would do that because you're worth it to him to do that. Because he desires you. He wants you. [00:37:06] Speaker A: No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter what's been [00:37:08] Speaker C: to you, God desires you. [00:37:10] Speaker A: The bad resume doesn't disqualify you from the kingdom. You can't. [00:37:13] Speaker C: Listen, don't misunderstand this parable. There's plenty of opportunities to misunderstand it. [00:37:20] Speaker A: Your bad resume does not disqualify you. [00:37:22] Speaker C: Hopefully there's nobody over there. Stay with me. Your bad resume does not disqualify you from the kingdom of heaven. There's only one thing. Listen to me. There's only one thing that disqualifies a person from the kingdom of heaven. And it's here in these last few verses. Let's finish this up. Verse 11. [00:37:44] Speaker A: When the king came in to see [00:37:46] Speaker C: the guests, he saw a man there [00:37:48] Speaker A: who was not dressed for a wedding. [00:37:54] Speaker C: So he said to him, friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes? The man was speechless. Underline that word. Speechless. It's super important how he responds to the king. He doesn't say a word, no explanation, no reasoning, just speechless. [00:38:11] Speaker A: Verse 13. Then the king told the attendants, tie [00:38:15] Speaker C: him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are invited, but few are chosen. Little weird, A little intense, right? [00:38:34] Speaker A: Did this king, did he really just punish this guy that severely for violating [00:38:39] Speaker C: a dress code at a wedding like these? [00:38:45] Speaker A: If you're following along, the guests, all of the guests that are in the banquet, all of them, they just came [00:38:50] Speaker C: in off the street, many of them. [00:38:55] Speaker A: How are they supposed to get the clothes? [00:38:59] Speaker C: One Bible commentator says this quote, at first reading. One wonders how any of those who [00:39:05] Speaker A: accepted the king's invitation could have been [00:39:08] Speaker C: expected to come properly attired. [00:39:10] Speaker A: They had been rounded up from every part of the land, and many had been taken off the streets. Even if they had time to dress properly, they had no clothes befitting such [00:39:19] Speaker C: an occasion as the wedding of the king's son. Listen to this. [00:39:22] Speaker A: But the fact, get this. The fact that all of the dinner guests, except that one man were dressed in wedding clothes indicates that the king had made provision for such clothes. [00:39:36] Speaker C: End quote. Do you know what he's saying here? [00:39:39] Speaker A: The king provided the wedding clothes at the door. How else was everybody else dressed? The whole party, the whole banquet, everybody's dressed in the wedding clothes except for one guy. How did they get the clothes? Because they were provided for them at the door. By who? By the king. This guy just refused to put it on. You see it? In other words, this guy refused to change, [00:40:06] Speaker C: And as a result, he's banished from the banquet. [00:40:12] Speaker A: This truth has the potential to absolutely [00:40:15] Speaker C: transform your life if you let it in. [00:40:17] Speaker A: This man was not banished from the banquet because he did bad things. It said that some people were evil, some people were good. This guy was not banished from the banquet because he did bad things. This man was banished from the banquet [00:40:30] Speaker C: for one reason, because he refused to change. Can I ask you, in love, is there an area of your life, nothing's off limits. Is there an area of your life that if God had His way, he would change? [00:40:47] Speaker A: N.T. [00:40:47] Speaker C: wright says this. [00:40:50] Speaker A: We want to hear that everyone is alright exactly as they are, that God loves us as we are and doesn't [00:40:58] Speaker C: want us to change. [00:41:00] Speaker A: People often say this when they want to justify particular types of behavior, but the argument doesn't work. Actually, nobody really believes that God wants [00:41:09] Speaker C: everyone to stay exactly as they are. Listen to this. God loves serial killers and child molesters. [00:41:17] Speaker A: God loves ruthless and arrogant businessmen. God loves manipulative mothers who damage their [00:41:22] Speaker C: children's emotions for life. Look at this. [00:41:25] Speaker A: But the point of God's love is that he wants them to change. He hates what they're doing and the effect it has on everyone else and on themselves too. [00:41:35] Speaker C: Ultimately, if he's a good God, he [00:41:38] Speaker A: cannot allow that sort of behavior and that sort of a person, if they don't change, to remain forever in the party he's throwing for his son. [00:41:46] Speaker C: End quote. This parable teaches something, that if we [00:41:55] Speaker A: let it in and if we yield [00:41:56] Speaker C: to it, it will utterly transform our lives. [00:42:01] Speaker A: This parable teaches that in the end, the person who gets banished from the banquet is the person who refuses to change. The person who gets banished from the banquet is the person who refuses to repent. The person who gets banished from the banquet is the person who thinks they're just fine the way that they are. [00:42:17] Speaker C: Are. Now listen, I don't want you to misunderstand. You can come just as you are. [00:42:33] Speaker A: You can show up totally broken, totally needy, totally just like drenched in sin and selfishness and idolatry and brokenness and insecurity and doubt and all of the things, all the emotions, all the brokenness that we can experience in this life. And you could come just as you are. But listen to me. You cannot stay if you don't put [00:42:52] Speaker C: on the wedding clothes. [00:42:53] Speaker A: You cannot stay if you don't allow God to change you. You cannot stay if you don't allow God to clothe you. [00:43:03] Speaker C: Hear me? In Christ, to put him on. [00:43:13] Speaker A: Being in church is different than being in Christ. [00:43:22] Speaker C: My final point. Christ is the dress code to the kingdom of heaven. He's the dress code. If you're wearing something else, you're in danger. [00:43:36] Speaker A: If you're wearing Christ, there's no better place in all of the universe for your mind, body, soul, spirit, all of that, all the beauty and glory that you are, if you are clothed In Christ, you're living the life that God made you to live. You're fulfilling your purpose. Some of you, you're frustrated in your life right now because you're not fulfilling your purpose. You're waking up every day, you're doing things, but you're like, you're almost a slave to the things that you feel drawn to do. I have to go do this. I have to go do that. If I don't do this, then that happens. Maybe, just maybe, God didn't tell you [00:44:11] Speaker C: to do any of that. [00:44:13] Speaker A: Maybe, just maybe, he has something for you. And maybe, just maybe, the baby step in your life to fulfilling your purpose is to just do what he says [00:44:22] Speaker C: to do with the very small things. I blew it yesterday. [00:44:28] Speaker A: Started my day with Jesus. God, what do you want me to do today? He told me what to do. [00:44:32] Speaker C: You want to know what he told me to do? He said, focus on your marriage. He goes, you, marriage to Ebony and your marriage to me. What does that look like? Lord, seek ways to bring us pleasure. [00:44:44] Speaker A: Seek out ways to bring your bride pleasure. Seek out ways to bring me pleasure. That's all I want you to do. [00:44:49] Speaker C: Today went great for, like, two or three hours. And then the worries of life started to creep in. And the next thing I know, I'm [00:44:59] Speaker A: focused in on myself, and I'm not thinking about obeying the king and advancing his kingdom in and through me. Can you relate to that? [00:45:14] Speaker C: Christ is the dress code of the kingdom of heaven. Wearing anything else will banish you from the banquet. Friend, what are you wearing? Maybe it's been a minute since you looked in the mirror, and maybe this morning the spirit of God is just kind of like, nudging you. Hey, come over here and look in the mirror for just a second. [00:45:35] Speaker A: Not to condemn you, but because you're not experiencing salvation, you're missing out on the kingdom. You're missing out on the banquet. [00:45:44] Speaker C: And the banquet is awesome. [00:45:49] Speaker A: Far too many people are like the [00:45:50] Speaker C: man in this parable, friends. They're wearing their opinion, right? They're wearing their opinion. I don't need to change. [00:46:00] Speaker A: I'm fine just the way that I am. Listen, I'm a good person. [00:46:04] Speaker C: Whatever that means. [00:46:06] Speaker A: I'm a good person. [00:46:07] Speaker C: I'm not as bad as Mark. [00:46:13] Speaker A: I'm not as bad as Ty. I'm not as bad as Herrick. [00:46:17] Speaker C: I'm not as bad as Justin. So therefore, I'm pretty good. Listen, wearing your opinion will banish you from the banquet. Do you realize this is real? God has an agenda for your Life. [00:46:39] Speaker A: He's got a plan and an agenda and a purpose. Guess what? His purpose for you was established before he even formed you in your mother's womb. The question isn't, does God have a plan and a purpose and for your life? The question is, are you walking in it? And so oftentimes, in the Western world we think about my purpose is like my vocation. The thing that I'm going to do that brings me money, the thing that I'm going to do that brings me notoriety, the thing that I'm going to do that justifies me before other people to get their approval, to think highly of me. That's like number 1,000 on the list. God's way more concerned about how you're living internally, what you're worshiping. He's God, and you were made to worship him. You were made to enjoy him and [00:47:21] Speaker C: obey him and operate like Him. [00:47:26] Speaker A: God has an agenda in your life, [00:47:27] Speaker C: to hear me, to change you, to [00:47:30] Speaker A: transform you, to be like Jesus [00:47:36] Speaker C: Christ. Is the dress code of the Kingdom of Heaven, friend. [00:47:39] Speaker A: Is there any area in your life where you are refusing to change? Any area of your life you're refusing to change? [00:47:51] Speaker C: And I don't doubt, maybe some of [00:47:52] Speaker A: you in the room, you know your Bible. [00:47:54] Speaker C: In the courtyard, you know your Bible, [00:47:56] Speaker A: and you're listening to this, and you're [00:47:57] Speaker C: going, tom, I think you're misapplying this. [00:48:00] Speaker A: I think you're misapplying this parable. This parable is about me being clothed with Christ's perfect righteousness. Yeah, absolutely. It is, 100%. But he didn't clothe you with his righteousness so you could then go change back into the clothes that you came in. Of course he clothed you in your righteousness so that you would wear nothing else. [00:48:24] Speaker C: Those who refuse to change will be [00:48:26] Speaker A: banished from the banquet because Christ, and [00:48:28] Speaker C: Christ alone, is the dress code of the Kingdom of Heaven. You with me? All right, I'm gonna close with this. Ben, will you come up? You guys with me? You sweating? Great. I'm sweating. Dude. I got that waterfall thing going on on my back. [00:48:47] Speaker A: I want to conclude this because Jesus says something at the very end of this parable. He concludes the parable with a phrase that people have been arguing about for a long time. He concludes the parable with the statement in verse 14. He says, for many are invited, but few are What? Chosen. That word has led to more disagreements and debates in the body of Christ than maybe any other word. Chosen. Many are invited, but few are chosen. And it's the whole, it's the classic, like, conversation around, does God choose us or do we choose him? Who does the choosing here, Right? [00:49:24] Speaker C: You got, you don't need to. I'm not gonna get too deep into the woods with this, but we gotta talk about it. [00:49:28] Speaker A: Does God choose us or do we choose him? [00:49:29] Speaker C: You wanna know what the answer is? It's both. It's both. Okay, so that's fine. [00:49:38] Speaker A: Tom, how do we then know who the chosen ones are? It's both. But like, how do we know? Jesus says, for many are invited, but few are chosen. How do we know who the chosen ones are? Listen, the people at the banquet, they were people from all walks of life, right? The people that said they were coming actually come. So the servants go out and they just gather everyone, right? Whether they're evil or good or whatever. These people are from, they just went out and grabbed everybody. People from all walks of life. That certainly would have meant different ages. That certainly would have meant different stages of life. Some of them certainly would have done beautiful good things. Some of them certainly would have blown it in spectacular ways, done some really bad things. But they're all different. [00:50:21] Speaker C: Can we agree on that? Different people. [00:50:25] Speaker A: What does everyone at the banquet have in common? What does everybody who's in the banquet, not just who came, everybody who's inside, everyone who's in the banquet, what do they all have in common? Despite their radical differences? The king, he provided wedding clothes at the door and those people put them on. [00:50:50] Speaker C: Do you see it? [00:50:54] Speaker A: All of those people, they changed at the door. So who are the chosen? Who are the chosen ones? The chosen ones or the changed ones? They're not the people who just go to church. Maybe. They're the changed ones. Can you imagine? [00:51:23] Speaker C: This makes me emotional. [00:51:24] Speaker A: Can you imagine walking around the banquet and going like, dude, your outfit's incredible. I saw you when you were coming in the door, you looked totally different. You were like so dirty and gross and so self centered and so like trying to put yourself together and be impressive to people. But now look at you. You look incredible. Where did you get those clothes? Same place you got your clothes, brother. [00:51:48] Speaker C: From the king. [00:51:49] Speaker A: Isn't he awesome? Look how crazy awesome this banquet is. Oh. The thing that every single person inside the banquet had in common was that they changed at the door. The chosen are the changed. The chosen are the people who allow God to clothe them in Christ. [00:52:16] Speaker C: Friends, I love you. I love you. [00:52:20] Speaker A: Are there any areas in your life [00:52:21] Speaker C: that God would change anything? [00:52:27] Speaker A: Are there any areas in your life that if he had his way. If the kingdom of God invaded, if he had his way, that would change. Are you refusing to allow God to clothe. Listen to me. Every part of you with Christ, not just some parts. [00:52:46] Speaker C: Some of you are wearing, like, spiritual bikinis. [00:52:49] Speaker A: I question whether or not I should [00:52:51] Speaker C: say that, but I just did it anyway. [00:52:54] Speaker A: But you get the picture. You're covering. You're allowing him to close certain parts of you. I'm here to tell you, God doesn't [00:53:02] Speaker C: want part of you. Oh, he wants all of you. He's a bridegroom. He wants all of you. [00:53:11] Speaker A: He desires every part of you. If you're here and you're like, you know, I'm just fine as I am, [00:53:18] Speaker C: Listen, with all due respect, how prideful we are to think that. Are there areas in your life where you're missing out on his grace and his forgiveness? Because I'm here to tell you that's [00:53:34] Speaker A: what the invitation to the banquet is. It's the invitation to experience his grace and forgiveness forever, every moment and ongoing forever. His grace and forgiveness. That's what changes a person. That's what compels them to go, yeah, [00:53:47] Speaker C: I'll put on whatever you ask me to wear. [00:53:49] Speaker A: I'll do whatever you ask me to do. Because you've been so faithful, so gracious, so kind, so forgiving. When a person experiences that, you know what it does? It changes them. It changes their desires. Now, I don't want to be outside of the banquet. I don't want to pursue a different life. I just want to be in there with you. I just want your kingdom. You see, it. It's a transformation from the inside out. It's not just like behavior modification that you put on while people are watching. It's an internal transformation. Listen, if you don't change, if you don't allow God to transform you, to change you, to clothe you in Christ, [00:54:24] Speaker C: you'll be banished from the banquet. But if you do, [00:54:30] Speaker A: if you do in humility, every day you will experience [00:54:35] Speaker C: pleasure and joy that goes beyond your understanding. [00:54:41] Speaker A: You'll get a taste of it in this life and you'll partly in the [00:54:44] Speaker C: present, and you'll experience the fullness of [00:54:47] Speaker A: the kingdom of God, the kingdom of [00:54:48] Speaker C: heaven forever, where it compounds and it [00:54:51] Speaker A: gets more glorious and more beautiful and more glorious and more beautiful and more glorious and more beautiful. That's his desire for you. [00:55:01] Speaker C: I hope we're not busy with other things. Let me pray for you. Stand up with me if you're able [00:55:11] Speaker A: to. [00:55:13] Speaker C: If you're on the prayer Team, would you make your way to the front, please? If you guys want to stand in the shade, by all means do so. Okay, I want to pray over us. And I want to just invite you. [00:55:43] Speaker A: If you find yourself in a season where you're like [00:55:47] Speaker C: God, I want you to change me. There are things about me that if [00:55:53] Speaker A: you had your way, you would change. [00:55:54] Speaker C: And I want you to change me. [00:55:56] Speaker A: Or if you're like, I'm not there, [00:55:59] Speaker C: but I want you, I want to want you to change me. [00:56:02] Speaker A: Do you know what I'm talking about? [00:56:04] Speaker C: Here's what I want you to do. [00:56:05] Speaker A: I just want to pray over us. [00:56:07] Speaker C: I want to invite you to close [00:56:08] Speaker A: your eyes, enjoy the breeze, and just hold your hands out in front of you as a posture, as an act [00:56:12] Speaker C: of faith, an act of trust of like God. I want you to change me. So, Holy Spirit, I just invite you now to speak. I invite you now, Holy Spirit, to begin to tenderly, like a good father, like a loving father, speak to every single one of us and highlight these [00:56:37] Speaker A: areas that you, you desire for us to invite your leadership in. [00:56:46] Speaker C: The ways that you want to change us, to be more like Jesus. And I'm asking, Father, for an increase of faith among us, to trust you, to yield to you, to not just [00:57:01] Speaker A: have the head knowledge of oh God, God brought this to my mind, but [00:57:04] Speaker C: to actually follow through and practice repentance, [00:57:11] Speaker A: Practice coming back to the banquet. But coming back, coming inside of the [00:57:17] Speaker C: banquet means we gotta put on Christ. So help us, Holy Spirit, help us [00:57:21] Speaker A: to pursue a lifestyle of holiness that reflects Jesus. And I just pray for everybody under [00:57:27] Speaker C: the sound of my voice that there [00:57:29] Speaker A: would be two things that are abundantly clear. You are holy and you are good. [00:57:37] Speaker C: Help us to trust you, to yield [00:57:40] Speaker A: to your leadership in our lives, to embrace the gospel, to embrace the grace [00:57:45] Speaker C: and the forgiveness that's offered to us, and to experience the lifelong journey of changing more and more into the likeness of your son, Jesus. Jesus, we worship you, we love you. [00:57:58] Speaker A: We thank you for the lengths that [00:57:59] Speaker C: you've gone to God to invite us into this transforming process. It's so cheesy, but I just pray like caterpillars into butterflies, man. Change us. We pray it's in your holy and beautiful name. Amen. Alright, friends, we have some time. Feel free to move around the courtyard, okay? If you want to come forward at any time. There's trusted and trained men and women who would love to pray for you. If God's highlighting something in you and [00:58:28] Speaker A: you want to experience some breakthrough in that area. Prayer would be a really good idea. [00:58:35] Speaker C: I'm going to speak really quietly, so listen intently. How beautiful would it be if all the people who live right here, if they heard imperfect people praising a perfect savior because of what he's done in their life, how cool would it be for them to hear the praises of God from God's people? Would you lift your voice and praise him this morning? Prayer praise. That's what we're doing. Okay. [00:58:58] Speaker A: Enjoy him. [00:58:58] Speaker C: I love you. You got about 10, 15 minutes. Okay, enjoy.