Self Control That’s Different

Posted on April 26, 2016 by dkoop

Dare to Be DifferntWe live in an instant gratification generation.  We want what we want and we want it now!  It’s normal to give in to our cravings.

I love ice cream, and if it’s in the freezer, I know that it’s for dessert, but I want it and I want it now! And so, I eat it.   I do the same with cookies and pie. I lose control with sweets.

How normal is it for a boyfriend and a girlfriend to be doing things that the bible says are for marriage? But they don’t care, they want it and they want it now!

How normal is it to want something we can’t afford, but we want it and we want it now so we charge it!?

A lack of self-control gets dangerous when we are willing to trade something great in our future for something easy now.

There’s a story that illustrates this better than any other in the Bible, about two brothers, brothers Esau and Jacob. Esau was the older brother and he was a man’s man. Jacob was the younger brother and he was a momma’s boy.  In Biblical times the oldest son would have what was known as the birthright.  Since he was born first, he had a tremendous advantage. Upon his father’s death, Esau would get two thirds of the inheritance.  He would rise into the position of power, like the executor of the estate.

So, one day when Esau was out on a hunting trip, he came home hungry. Momma’s boy Jacob, was in the kitchen making some stew. Jacob tricked his older brother into giving him his birthright. Here’s the literal story from Genesis 25: 29-32:

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country famished… The older brother comes in, ‘I’m hungry!’  He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of your red stew, I’m famished!’ Jacob, the younger brother, he replies, ‘Hey, hang on a second! First, sell me your birthright!’   Esau the older brother, he says “Look, I’m about to die!”

Let’s stop here. Do you think he was about to die? No, he could have lived off of his own fat for at least three hours, or three days, he wasn’t about to die! But at the moment, he feels like he is.

And then he asked this question that seemed so ridiculous.  Esau said: “What good is the birthright to me?”

‘I’m so hungry; I really desire that bowl of stew! What good is this birthright to me?’

Then Esau, the older brother, does something that we would all say is so foolish. How in the world could anyone be so short-sided, so foolish? He traded his birthright.  The blessing, position, prestige and wealth: an amazing future for stupid bowl of stew?

Sadly, its normal for people to do this all the time.  Every day, people are silly enough to trade a great future for an immediate desire.

I’m sure you know someone who derailed their life with a desire that went unchecked and unmanaged. What happened? They locked in on this desire, and they forgot about everything else that mattered, because at that moment the bowl of stew was so important.

It could be a young girl who just feels like, “The clothes I get, they make me happy.” She gets a belt to go with the shoes that matches the hair clip that she got and then she buys more and more and sinks into debt and wakes up one day in $37,000 of credit card debt. And she wonders, “How in the world did I get here?” One bowl of stew at a time.

It could be the man that really loves his wife, loves his children, loves his God, but he meets someone at work, they flirt, they have lunch and he lusts for her.  In that moment, he focuses in on the stew and he forgets about his love for his wife, kids and his God.  He trades the ultimate: family, love, trust and commitment, for the immediate: an affair, just a silly as a bowl of stew.

It could be the young girl, she really wants a godly husband and she really wants to be loved and she wants to love. She meets a guy, and he’s a pretty good guy, and she says, “I love you” to him and he says “I love you” to her and then he says, “but if you really love me you would.”  And she doesn’t want to because she wants to try to please God, but she really wants to be loved and so she does. She trades the ultimate: virginity, purity, a gift that can only be given once for the immediate, a boyfriend’s supposed love. He dumps her and she feels cheap and used because she traded something that mattered for a silly bowl of stew.

It could be a man that really loves his family. He wants to be a good dad and says, “I’m going to love my family by being a great provider.” So, what do he do? Works late, overtime, weekends and says, “I’m going to give them more than I had!”  He works hard rises on the ladder, makes more to get his family a bigger house and nicer cars. And then, one day he wakes up and his children are 24 and 27 and he realizes he doesn’t know his kids and they don’t know him!  What happened? He traded the ultimate, family and relationships for accomplishments and stuff!  A silly bowl of stew.

Who would be so dumb to trade their birthright for a bowl of stew? You could. That’s what I want to ask you, and I pray that you would be honest enough to be truthful and search your heart.

What’s your bowl of stew?

What is your desire or desires, that if left unchecked and unmanaged out from the direction of the Holy Spirit, could take you into a place where you literally short circuit God’s long term plan for something as simple as a bowl of stew.

It’s normal to want what we want now not later, and we’re willing to trade the ultimate for the immediate.

How can we be different?

I love what Paul writes in Galatians 5:16-17,

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And what does the Spirit do? He gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.

If your seeking nothing but your silly bowl of stew. Throw that thing down, call it what it is, it’s a bowl of stew. Seek God, open up His word, become passionate about Him, about His kingdom, and He will change you and mold your heart and give you His desires.  His desires become your desires because you desire what He desires, He will give you the desires of your heart. You will have less desire for only the temporary things of this world, because He’s transforming you. You’ll be different!  You’re not living for what everyone else lives.

Paul goes on to list in Galatians 5:22 the fruit of the spirit or what our lives produce as we live for God, ”The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF CONTROL.” 

This is so powerful. When the Holy Spirit changes your heart, rather than wanting more things of this world you start desiring to be generous and to forgive, and to bless people, love people and to go the extra mile, to be kind, to worship God, and to do all of these things that normal people don’t do, because God is changing your desires. The challenge is that as you grow closer to God; your stupid bowl of stew will pop up somewhere and if you’re not prepared, you may compromise all of the blessings of what God wants to give you in the future, for a temporary meaningless bowl of stew, which is exactly what Esau did.

Think about this, what have the scriptures and the people of God been saying for thousands of years? “We serve the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.” Who was Jacob? The younger brother. Who should it have been? Who would it have been? Who could it have been if he hadn’t been so short-sided, that he traded his birthright for a bowl of stew? If he had of done what’s right, we would have said to this day, “We serve the God of Abraham, Issac, and Esau.” But, because of unchecked desires, Esau traded the ultimate for a stupid bowl of stew.

Who would do that?  I could, you could.  I want to be different and have self-control that’s different.  I’m going to follow Jesus, seek Him, and live for a greater future.  I hope you will join me.

Darrell

For more about Dare to Be Different, go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

 

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Forgiveness That’s Different

Posted on April 23, 2016 by dkoop

Dare to Be DifferntIn what ways do you try to be on good terms with God?  I used to think, “If I go to church, if I’m a good person, if I try really hard, God will be happy with me. If I make a mistake, hopefully my good may outweigh the bad.”  For me it was about how I performed, which is what religion is all about.  Thankfully I discovered something way different and much better!  Today, I would like to share this with you.  I’ll start with the normal view of trying to be right with God, and then I’ll share a Different view of forgiveness from God. Let’s start with normal.

Religion is our normal attempt to reach God.

Every world religion has its own set of external, man-made, religious rules of trying to please God. What is religion? It says, “If we behave this way, if we believe this way, if we do these things and not these things, then we can perform our way to God.”

Pick your rules. Yours might be, “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I don’t chew, and I don’t run with girls who do! Therefore, I must be right with God!”

Or it could be, “I pray this way and kneel in this direction,” or “I go to church on this day,” or “I was baptized this way,” or “I don’t see this type of movies,” or “I do these religious behaviors.” And religion is externally focused, it’s if I behave the right way, then I might please God.

The problem with religion is that it always leads to one of two destinations, pride or despair.

I bet you know some prideful, holier than thou religious jerk?  They would say, “I’m right, you’re wrong. I do it right, you do it wrong. I have these beliefs and you don’t.”

Unfortunately, I have been this way.  While in seminary, learning the bible, the Greek and Hebrew I became prideful. I thought I should only listen to Christian music, avoid rated R movies and look down on others who did live in this way.  I was so prideful that when I met Niki and she listened to country music, I didn’t think I should date her.  How stupid I was!

Religion, also leads to despair.  You think, “I’m not good enough. Other people get it right, but not me! I can’t even make it to church two weeks in a row. I’m not supposed to say a bad word, but every time I get in rush hour traffic in Austin, I let them fly! I tried to pray, I can’t even pray for 30 seconds and my mind wanders. I’m an ADD prayer. I’m obviously not good enough.” Despair.

When I was younger, I lived in despair.  I often felt unworthy or ashamed.  I lived in guilt from the things I thought and did.  I couldn’t seem to do things right or measure up to others or the standards I had set in my own mind.

And that’s what religion does, it makes your proud or it makes you feel in despair. And that is man’s normal approach to God.

I want to share something very Different.  It’s not religion, but it is Jesus the Christ.

Christ is God’s Different way to reach us.

The Apostle Paul contrasted religion verses something revolutionary, a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In Philippians 3: 4-6, he offered his own religious resume, and it was spotless. He said:

4  though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!  5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6  I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.  Philippians 3:3-6

“What does all of that mean?” He was saying, ‘I was raised by the best, in the best religious lineage, with the best religious education, mentored by the best; and followed the best religious behavior.’

Translated to our world today, what he was saying is:

“I was born in a seminary presidents home, tutored by nuns.  I went to a Christian school, graduated at the top of a Bible school. I only listen to K-love Christian radio. I was baptized by Billy Graham in the Jordan River, with the Pope doing things with his hands nearby.

Paul’s saying,I did it all! You can’t get more religious than what I did. I had it all.   The he says something surprising in verse 7:

7  I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done Philippians 3:7

What? All that religion is worthless?  And now he’s about to say the most Different thing ever:

8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:8a

.. He just switched gears. I’m not talking religion. I’m talking about a relationship with the Son of God.

…For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. Philippians 3:8b

Now, what I’m about to tell you is going to be shocking.  The Greek word translated as rubbish is the word, skubala.

Rubbish is a wuss way to translate skubala, it realy is. It can be translated as “rubbish” or “garbage.” But what it really is, “it’s human or animal waste”.  The King James translates it accurately as “dung” but it’s not really dung in the English language. The English equivalent for the word skubala is a bad word or a cuss word. There could be a bumper sticker that says, “Skubala Happens!”  All of this outward effort at religion, I call it skubala.

For a lot of people, they say, “I’ve got my religious beliefs. They’re neat, they’re organized!” Basically, what you have is a very organized pile of skubala.

Some would say, “I’ve got more religion than others.”  I’m not so sure that’s a good thing, you just have a bigger pile!

Have you met someone that is so proud of their pile they put a little flag in it?  It’s little flag in their pile to distinguish it from other piles. For some it’s a Baptist flag, a Pentecostal flag or a Methodist flag. They’re proud of their pile but it’s still a pile!

I know some people who claim to be more creative than others and make their own pile!  They pick a little bit of Christianity, a little bit of Buddhism, a little bit of New Age and mix it all together. They say, “I’ve got my own religion!” Great! It’s a pile of combined poop!

Here’s the deal; take your pile, whatever it is, you can put sprinkles on it, you can baptize it, you can bronze it, it’s still a pile!  That’s what religion is, it’s our external attempt to please God. And Paul says, it’s a pile of skubala.

Then he goes on to say this, he just calls it what it is:

“I consider all of this skubala, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8b

Not gain religion, gain Christ…  Now, don’t miss this:

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:9

Being right with God through faith?!   Being right with God through Christ?!  What he just said turned the religious world from which he came upside down. They’d say, ‘That’s heresy, you can’t say that, that’s Different!”

You want to know the purpose of the law? The purpose of all the rules is to show you, you don’t measure up. You’re not good enough and you never will be. If you’re ever bored wonder, “Do I measure up?” Just go take a quiz on theTen Commandments and ask yourself; Have I ever put anything ahead of God? Commandment 1, I have. Have I ever told a lie? Yes. Have I ever stolen anything? Yes.  What does that make me? A lying, thieving, idolater!  Don’t you feel better about yourself?

But thankfully, there is another righteousness, and this is really Different!. Being right with God is about faith in Christ and Him alone. Not religion.

  • Religion says it’s about what I do. God says it’s about what Christ did
  • Religion said that if I work really hard he might love me; God says that because He loves you, you work really hard because he does love you.
  • Religion says it’s about me; God says it’s about Christ.

I believe that and I have not been the same!  Good bye despair, I don’t have to measure up.  Good bye pride, it’s not about me.  If you want to be on good terms with God and receive forgiveness, hope, peace, joy and eternal security.  Place your faith in Christ and not in religion. Then you’ll be different!

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

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Dare to Be Different

Posted on April 22, 2016 by dkoop

Dare to Be Differnt

When I look back to the first significant portion of my life, I was driven to be like everyone else; especially those I thought were cool or popular.  If you looked at the way I lived, I was really striving to try to fit in, to try to be like other people. If you would have called me different, that would have been an insult, because I didn’t want to be different.  And so, I did what normal people did, lived how normal people live, and I ended up where normal people end up, which was in the middle of a life that was really hurting.  When I was sixteen years old I had the courage to do something that was different, because normal was hurting. I decided to pick up the bible and started to read it.

What I found was that the teachings of Jesus were so different than the normal life that I was used to, that it hooked me. There was like this spiritual force drawing me toward God, which I later found out was called The Holy Spirit.  And I struggled to follow God.  But some days, I still tried to fit in with others around me.   But when I was serious about following God, people thought I was different!

Do you know someone that is different in a good way?  It’s refreshing to be around them.  Do you know somebody who is different in an odd way?  Those who are just strange or annoying?  What I want to share is about being different in a God way.

Here’s what Jesus said, that captured my heart in Matthew 7:13-14,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (NIV)

Think about this; wide is the road which the majority of the people travel. Unfortunately, in the crowd, that’s where I often find comfort. I’ll think, “Look at all of the people doing what we are doing, going where we are going, living how we’re living; we’re normal!  We must be good because this is what the majority of the crowd is doing and the majority of the people are going.”

Unfortunately though, Jesus said, “Many (the normal) are on the road that leads to destruction.”

I discovered that if my life looks like everybody else’s life, if I’m doing what everyone else is doing that may not be a good thing.  I may be on the broad road that leads to destruction.  Which road are you on?  When you leave the normal road to get on the narrow road where the few are, the normal people will think you’re different.  As you follow Christ you will be different.

I want to invite you to follow the teachings of Jesus and lead a different life. Because even if we take the Bible aside and just look at this practically, wouldn’t you agree that normal is not working? Think about it, what is normal in your schedules today? Overwhelmed, rushed, stressed, panicked, never enough time for what’s truly important because we’re overwhelmed with the urgent and missing out on the quality.

What is normal when it comes to money today?  It’s the pursuit of material things which never makes us happy. Normal is broke, debt and financial fear.  Normal is fighting about money.

What’s normal when it comes to work? Working for a paycheck, doing something you don’t really like just to get by. Normal is feeling like there’s got to be something more but you just can’t quite find what it is.

What is normal in relationships?  Hopping from bed to bed with different people until you finally do get married. And then, seven years into marriage, since things aren’t going along well, normal for more than half of the people in our country today is divorce. Normal is not working.

If you really believe there is something different and better than the normal life where the majority of the people are traveling, you’ll have to leave the broad road and get onto the narrow road where people will call you different.  Like me you can decide to follow Jesus and live for him.  It’s different, but you will have what few have; peace, joy, security, a sense of fulfillment and an eternal destiny.  Will you join me?

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

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Reply if you Please

Posted on March 23, 2016 by dkoop

RSVPjpgImagine that your dad is rich, fabulously rich. He’s hosting a Superbowl party at his house. The food will be awesome.  Steak, lobster, and a full buffet. He has a mega family room with two giant screen TVs – one on each end of the room. In case the game is boring, your dad’s pool, jacuzzi, and pool table in the rec room will be available. This is a party you won’t want to miss. Question? If it was OK with your dad, would you invite a friend?

Now some of you wouldn’t ever want your fabulously rich dad to throw a Superbowl party. Instead, the idea of a great party for you would be a cookout on a private beach or in your beautiful backyard garden. Or maybe your idea of a great party would be a formal wedding reception with a band and an exquisite meal. You design your party! The point is that your dad throws it and it’s the best party you could ever imagine. Question? If it was OK with your dad, would you invite a friend?

Inviting people to a party is a no-brainer if it’s a great party. And that’s exactly what God is asking us to do with our non-Christian friends. He’s throwing a big party for His Son. You are invited. And you’re invited to invite others, too!

Let me set the stage for this scripture. It’s toward the end of Jesus’ ministry on this earth. For three years, He had been in public ministry. Yet, during this time few Jewish people had accepted Him. In fact, the religious leaders challenged Jesus. “You’re not who you say You are.” Jesus told this story to warn these religious leaders of the judgment to come if they would not honor the Son of God. Matthew 22:1-2.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

The King? God the Father. The son? God the Son, Jesus. The wedding? God’s Son, Jesus, the Bridegroom, being fully and finally united with His Bride, the Church. That will be a party that you don’t want to miss!

Many people totally misunderstand what it’s going to be like with God in the life to come. It’s not going to be boring. God likes parties! He’s throwing a party in honor of his Son. God is happy and proud of His Son. Remember when Jesus was baptized? The Father’s voice came out of heaven and said, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” The Father’s pleasure continued when Jesus died and rose again to purchase His Bride, the Church, for Himself. One day, as it says in Revelation 19, there will be a marriage supper in heaven. The Father is so proud that He’s going to throw a party to celebrate His Son’s marriage to the Church – to all believers everywhere! Yes. There’s a time for reverence and silence before God. But there will be lots of joy when God throws a party for His Son. Be there!

Every Christ follower has the incredible privilege and responsibility to invite your family and friends to that unimaginable party! If you do, one day, they’ll walk up to you with a huge smile and a heart filled with gratitude and say, “Thanks. This is awesome!”

This story teaches us some important truths about inviting people to that party.

When inviting people to the party…

As we invite others we will experience some rejection.  

There will be some stubbornness. Look at v. 3.

3  When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

His servants are witnesses, people like you and me who are called, equipped, and qualified by God to invite our family members and friends to the party. But many people we know are unwilling. They’re stubborn.

These verses are teaching us that the Jewish people were the first to be invited. Christ came to this earth as a Jew. John 1:11 says that Jesus came to His own people, but His own people did not receive Him. A few did, of course. But the Jewish people as a whole rejected Christ and His message of grace.

It’s the same today. Why won’t our friends come to Christ? Often, it’s self-righteousness, and religious pride. By nature, we think too highly of ourselves. That’s why we tend to devalue Christ and His cross. This is why God by His power must break our stubbornness.

Invite people to the party and you’ll know rejection in the form of stubbornness.  Also there’s busy-ness. Others have been too busy to come. Look at vv. 4-5.

4  “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’
5  But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 

Again he sent out other servants saying, “come the the banquet!”

Notice what these servants were to tell those who were invited. “Everything is ready.”

We don’t have to make ourselves ready for the party. We don’t have to get busy trying to establish our own righteousness to earn our salvation and rewards from God. In fact, God’s Word forbids this. It tells us that our salvation and everything that comes with it is already prepared and ready because Christ has done it all. He met every condition for our salvation. IN fact, on the cross He said, “It is finished!” All we have to do is come.

But some don’t come, do they? Many would rather chase after the things of this life. They are indifferent. The wedding is no big deal. The farm and business demand attention. These people were preoccupied with their profits. In other words, they were willing to give up the beauty, grandeur, and honor of being invited to this party for the sake of their everyday, mundane, self-serving lives. They were not concerned about the king’s desires, but only about what they thought was in their own best interests.

That’s the way it with people today. They think, “How’s that Jesus stuff going to help me in the here and now? I have kids to raise! I have a degree to earn! I have a business to run! I have a movie to watch! Don’t bother me with an invitation to a party that isn’t going to happen for a long, long time – if it’s going to happen at all!”

Invite people to the party and you’ll know rejection in the form of busy-ness.

Thirdly, there is abusiveness. Some have persecuted those who have invited them to come. Consider v. 6

6  Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

This was aimed right at the Jewish religious leaders. Prophets had been persecuted and killed for their message of repentance to the Jewish people. Telling people to repent and get ready for the party is never a popular message. And Jesus is looking into His own future here, too. He knew that a cross was coming. He knew that the religious leaders would mistreat Him and, with the Romans, kill Him.

The result? God’s wrath poured out. You won’t come to the party honoring My Son? You dare dishonor Me and My Son that way? Destruction’s coming!

7  “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town.

Jesus’ words were prophetic. In AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. The Temple was demolished. More than 1,000,000 Jews who had crowded into the city died. As a political entity, Israel ceased to exist.

If you’re here today and you have rejected the invitation to the party – if you are not a passionate follower of Christ – then you have to know that there is a limit to God’s patience. There will be dreadful destruction of those who do not honor the King’s Son, Jesus!

Now, if you’re headed to the party and you’re inviting others, there’s a possibility that abuse will come.

I was reading this past week about a young Pakistani girl named Saleema. She a Christian who was arrested for inviting a friend to the party. Her friend trusted Christ, converting to Christianity. After that friend started following Jesus, she was killed by her own family for her faith in Jesus Christ. Because Saleema had shared her faith with that friend, she was also charged with the death of her friend.

Saleema is now 18 years old and has been passed from court to court – going higher each time in the Pakistani judicial system. She has been in a care facility for some time, and a recent report said she is in great pain. Saleema has unable to attend court because of health problems due to police beating and torture.  She is unable to stand and walk. Her back, hip and ankles are sore and full of pain. Pray for her and others all over the world who are suffering abuse simply for inviting people to the party.

This is very rare in our culture. What’s the worst thing that happens when we start sharing our faith? Someone might decline your efforts or even raise their voice at you. Is that so tragic? Is that a soul-shattering event for you? In our area, the worst case scenario is that someone will say, “Go away.”

Some of us are so paralyzed by rejection that we aren’t even trying. Some of us are just cowards when it comes to thinking of new ways of reaching people. Don’t ever give up on inviting people to the party! If a teenage girl in Pakistan is willing to go to prison for inviting people to the party, then surely we can face a little rejection here, can’t we?

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad. For great is your reward in heaven.”

When inviting people to the party…
We will experience some rejection.

Everything is ready. Everyone is invited, and some will respond!

8  And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor.
9  Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10  So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

The Jews for the most part rejected Jesus. So, God sent the good news out to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Other people were brought in. This is great news for most of us here! We who were not God’s chosen people became God’s chosen people and were invited to the party! This was God’s purpose from the beginning. God is calling out a people from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.

Notice who comes to the party: people both evil and good. God is making no distinction between open “sinners” and the “morally correct.” Everyone is invited. It does not make any difference whether people have a respectable reputation or are a dishonorable one. No matter who they are, if people have a need, whether they are of good reputation or not, they are invited. “Whosoever will may come,” says God’s word.

We are to go to the highways, to find people, and to invite them to the celebration. If we keep inviting, people will respond.

The reason that some will respond is because the gospel – the good news about Jesus – has power. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

I recently heard Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham talk about outreach. He says he’s fascinated with power – with motorcycles and guns. He said, ” I love anything that is loud and blows smoke.” He went on: “But nothing has power like the gospel. There is no greater high than to lead a man or woman, a boy or a girl to Jesus.”

Our responsibility? You can see it in verse 9.

NOW GO….

Wherever people are, that’s where we are to go. We don’t wait for people to come to us. We go to them. When we wake up, we think, “I’m on mission. I’m going out to school, to work, to play. I wonder who needs to be invited to the party today? Lord, show me. I’m a missionary cleverly disguised as a student, cleverly disguised as a homemaker, cleverly disguised as a businessman.”

“Go.” Sounds like the great commission, doesn’t it? Matthew 28:19 says, ” Go and make disciples of all nations.” That command is for every disciple. Are you doing something to obey that command from Jesus? Is He the Lord of that part of your life? When was the last time you talked to someone about their need for Christ? Our responsibility? To go…

To INVITE.

Find the people who will come. Don’t give up! Don’t call yourself a passionate follower of Jesus unless you are seeking to find the lost! Every believer at The Ridge Fellowship ought to be living an intentionally contagious Christian life – building authentic relationships with people outside the family of God and communicating our faith to them. You haven’t found someone who will say “yes” to the invitation? Find someone who will! Don’t quit!

If you consider the percentages in the parable of the sower, 1 out of 4 will respond. But keep this in mind. Some leaders say that it takes seven hearings of the gospel before someone responds. Some math person can help me with the math on this. If 1 of 4 responds and it takes 7 hearings for that 1 to respond, then I shouldn’t get discouraged. People will come if we just looking for the responsive ones. My responsibility? To go. To Invite.

I love what football great Reggie White said, “I’m just a nobody tellin’ everybody about Somebody who can save anybody!” Go! Invite!

When inviting people to the party… We will see some respond. We must also….

 We must help people dress rightly. vv. 11-12

11  “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.
12  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.

This person was not a party crasher. He was one of the many who were invited. He came. However, he was not dressed appropriately – he wasn’t wearing the right clothes!

You might be wondering, “How could the king expect these people from the byways and highways to come properly dressed? They had been rounded up from everywhere. Many had come from the streets. They wouldn’t have had the clothes for a royal wedding.” But think with me. The rest of the dinner guests were dressed in the right clothes. A possibility… the king himself had made provision for the wedding clothes.

History confirms it. In Christ’s day, to enter into the presence of a king, you were sometimes supplies with the clothes from the king himself. People who wished to be in the King’s presence were often required to wear a robe sent to him by the monarch. So, in this story, the wedding outfit was available to everyone.  But one CHOSE to not wear it.

Here’s the point. Spiritually speaking, if we want to be dressed for this heavenly party we must put on some new clothes. Isaiah 64:6 says that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. But God knows that we won’t be able to come to His party clothed that way. We need forgiveness and a righteousness that isn’t our own. He provides it. When Christ died on the cross, He took our sin, our rebellion, our dirt and gave us His holiness, His submission, His clean-ness.

The old hymn says, “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” To be dressed rightly means that we are covered by His blood! When that happens, it’s joy! we’re ready for the wedding! It’s party time!

Listen to Isaiah 61:10. “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness.”

When we are covered by His blood, we are made righteous in God’s sight. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

One day, when our family members and our friends and our co-workers are standing before the King, if they are not covered by the blood, if they are not clothed in His righteousness, they’ll hear something like, “How did you get in here?” And they’ll be speechless.

Most everyone here knows people who are thinking that they are going to the party one day because they are good people. “I believe in God. I say my prayers. I go to church. I do good deeds. I give money to help people.” But on that day, those clothes will be seen for what they are – filthy rags. Don’t let your family members, your friends, your co-workers die dressed wrongly!

Do we do good works? You bet! But our good works are merely evidences of the fact that we are saved, kept, blessed, and qualified for Heaven based on the righteousness of Christ. God says that we must have a righteousness that we cannot produce. He tells us that our works are not good enough to save us, keep us, make us holy, or earn His favor. We need Christ!

We must help people be dressed rightly!  How? By the righteousness of Christ.

We must remember that the stakes are high. vv. 13-14

13  Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

This is a terrible picture. This man, clothed in the wrong garments, was tied up so tightly that he couldn’t even offer any resistance. And then he was thrown into hell.

Three images of hell are used here: Outer darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Outer darkness – outside the party, away from the brightness and the glory and the joy and the presence of God forever. Weeping – forever sorrowful about rejecting Christ. Gnashing of teeth – eternal regret: “Oh… wish I’d given my life to Jesus!” This is the future of everyone who will not be clothed in the righteousness of Christ!

The stakes are high! Everyone you know is going to spend eternity in either heaven or hell.

Look at the next phrase. “Many are called.” The general call of the good news goes out to the many. That means that everyone who hears the good news is responsible to come to God seeking to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. All who refuse shall perish, and they will have no one to blame but themselves.
Last phrase. “But few are chosen.” I want my friends, my relatives to be part of the few. Out of this mass of fallen people God has sovereignly and graciously chosen His own. He sent Christ to die for them and secure their salvation. He sends His Holy Spirit to give them spiritual life and bring them by our witness to faith. All who flee to Christ do so because God has sovereignly called them and given them life. These are the chosen.

When inviting people to the party… We must remember that the stakes are high.

The Titanic disaster is a tragic story with a sobering application for us today. What would you have done if you had been in a lifeboat?
Like some of you, I am concerned about the spiritual temperature in our church. This is the constant concern of any church leader. What can we ask God to do and what can we join Him in doing that will ignite a fire in our church? Go deeper? Have more worship? Less Worship? More Communion? More fellowships? Quit talking about money?  What can we do for renewal?

Churches do all kinds of things to renew themselves. Most don’t work well. I’ve seen what works. My life has revolved around Christ and His Church since He called me to ministry in 1991. I’ve been active in churches since my youth. I read about churches. I get involved in coaching and talk to pastors about churches.  Churches that are on fire – that are experiencing renewal – are churches where people are being invited to the party. When we reach those who are outside Christ, then dusty old saints start asking the question, “What are we going to do to help these people grow?” A batch of freshly redeemed people gives a spiritual energy injection to any church. There’ll be too much work to do to fight over internal issues and petty stuff.

That’s why we want to identify, equip and train people to invite others to the party. Our dream is that we will see a growing number of new Christ followers coming into this family of faith. If you’re heart is beating just a little bit faster because of what you’ve read today, then join me and pray.  Invite some friends, family or neighbors for Easter at The Ridge Fellowship.

Darrell

http://www.RidgeFellowship.com

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