SCRIPTURE: Matthew (NIV) 22:8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
OBSERVATION: Jesus often used parables/stories to emphasize what He was teaching. His stories were all real to life. They were not about fictional things, but things people understood from their everyday life.
In this story Jesus was emphasizing that our Heavenly Father is preparing a grand banquet in honor of His Son, and He wants the great hall full of guests. He wants heaven to be full so His invitations have gone out. But some of those invited have chosen not to come. So with urgency He tells His servants, “Go out, and invite anyone you find!”
There is only one requirement: they must be willing to come! They did not need a ticket, or to bring a gift, or even have the right clothes. They did not need to pass a test to be eligible to come. They only had to be willing to accept the invitation, to believe that it was a genuine invitation personally offered to them. A necessary wedding garment would be provided.
APPLICATION: Last Sunday night such an invitation went out to a large gathering of people invited to hear about the SOAPs. About 19,000 responded to the call to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. They provided their names and phone numbers, so now they too are receiving the SOAPs every day!
Pray with me that the SOAPs will help them grow in loving Jesus and experiencing His love and grace. Pray that the joy of the Lord will flood their hearts and homes.
If you, dear SOAP reader, have not yet asked Jesus to forgive your sins and invited Him to be the LORD of your life, pray with me…
PRAYER: Lord, I confess that I have sinned and need your forgiveness. I invite you to live in my heart as my Lord. With thanksgiving, I receive your offer of forgiveness. Amen
Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!
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