Accept the invitation and wear your Sunday best

Been invited to a banquet recently? My family and I have been invited to a number of these special occasions and we made sure we put together our "Sunday best" (not sure if this term has lost its meaning, but you know what I mean) and attended. Had a great time and photos. I am reminded of a song we used to sing in my school days called the "Banquet" song, or sometimes referred to as the "Cannot Come" song. You can listen to it here. This is very much related to this parable that Jesus shared in this chapter.

Matthew 22:2-3

The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

It goes on to say that more information on the food being served was shared and still they rejected the invitation and in fact some killed the people carrying the invitations. Jesus was obviously speaking about those carrying the gospel message. This made the Jewish leaders very angry and two arms of the Jewish faith came to have intellectual debate with Him and they marveled at His answers. They knew they were no match for Jesus' wisdom.

Are you still thinking about the invitation? Think no more. Accept it and wear your Sunday best. He is coming soon.

Father, I accepted your invitation to the "Banquet" in 1976 and have never regretted it. It has been a wonderful journey with You.

Some of you are struggling with the fact that Jesus is God. This was also the case with the Jews in Jesus' days. Read the discourse here with the best minds of the Holy Scriptures. They had nothing to say when Jesus used scripture to show who He is:

Matthew 22:40-46

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT! ACCEPT HIS INVITATION, GET DRESSED, AND COME TO JESUS!

Comments

My Journey of Faith

Sreedhar standing to the left of his grandfather in the center Almost 55 years ago a son was born to a Hindu family. The parents were 2nd generation Malaysians raised in a rubber estate near a small town called Sungei Petani in Northern Malaya at that time. This first child was given much love and care by their parents and had the privilege of growing up in 3 different states of Malaysia, most of which was in Petaling Jaya. He was blessed with his first domestic airplane ride when he was 10 years old, and made his first trip by airplane to Bangkok at the age of 11. In the mid 1970's the family moved to a large house in a relatively exclusive neighborhood in Petaling Jaya. This was a result of the favor his father, aged about 35 at that time, had in the workplace,. As a result, this son grew up in a mostly multicultural environment with Indian, Chinese and Malay children. In the process, his perspectives became cosmopolitan and racially neutral. On...

The commands are clear

Crossing of the Red Sea in the history of mankind was a spectacular event. The next spectacular event is the interaction with God on Mount Sinai. Cloud and smoke and ground of sapphire. Exodus 24:10, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. The sight and sounds must have been pretty amazing. This is where Moses gets the commandments from God. Exodus 24:12, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” There is such clarity in what God was doing here. The record makes clear the full situation as it happened after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea. Important details are captured and presented for us to read thousands of years later. This is preserved and taught until today just like the days of Moses. Father, we h...

Creation is a love story

Our children have been home schooled for many years of their lives. Many of our relatives, friends and neighbors looked at us and probably spoke privately about how crazy we were to do that. Some asked directly about two things. How do they learn socialization skills and are you qualified to teach all the subjects? If you want me to answer these questions, please contact me directly. One of the things I am very grateful for is the blessing of my children learning creation science and the issues with evolution. They would not have learned that in regular school. Psalms 104:24 O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions— This chapter is full of the presentation of creation science. It is simply so amazing. God created the universe, the earth and all living things. Every detail was considered, including the ecosystem. God has thought of everything. Every little detail is there for a reason. The sky, water, mountain...

Rags to riches need something else

Can the impossible become possible? I have read many stories of rags to riches and have been naturally impressed by everything that has been said. It required great persistence, hardwork, endurance and something else. That something else is what differentiates between one rags to riches story, and the many other rags to rags stories. Unfortunately, we do not hear or read many of the latter. The successful ones had a "good break" that is a gift from God. Psalms 126:6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. The people of Israel could only dream of being released from captivity. That is how this chapter started. Yes, the sowing of seed is needed. Hard work cannot be missed. But, along with the hardwork is the weeping. Weeping before God. He alone provided the deliverance when the people cried before God. Father, my heart's desire is to see all saved. Hear my cry O Lord fo...

It is premeditated

Have you ever found yourself in a corner? I am sure you know what I mean. Yes, this term comes from war campaigns, and widely used chess games. You pray that you are able to get out of it. David was also in a corner. He was about to go to war with his own people with the Philistines, but God provided a way out. 1 Samuel 29:9, Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ He is given favor to live among the Philistines, but in this major campaign against Saul and his army, David's loyalty was not tested. God orchestrated a way out for David. Yes, God made a way when there is no way. Father, I will always look to you for your directions in everything that I do.

Historians must tell the whole truth

I love the way history is recorded so that we can see what happened, and possibly learn from it. However, many historians do not speak up and get heard. Perhaps they feel that they are in a dying profession where the future prospects are poor or even dead. The Bible records history like no other. This statement provides some background to the historical account of how King Ahab died. 2 Chronicles 18:6, But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?” Jehoshaphat is a Godly king. He becomes great friends with the king of Israel. Perhaps there was some move to reunite the two kingdoms. However, this was not to be. Ahab had 400 prophets tell him that he will win a battle. When a prophet of God was called, he surprisingly gave the same message. However, he also delivered the bad news. He gave the background to the whole thing that happened in heaven. This prophet was like Hanani. He was prepared to suffer the consequences for d...

Sreedhar's Journey

Search This Blog