Express Newspaper – Finding Faith Article
By Pastor John Snyder, House of the Lord Fellowship
Saturday, March 2017
Jesus shares with us a parable about a great banquet in Luke 14:16-24, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper’.”
In this Biblical parable, Jesus is inviting everyone to be saved and enjoy the blessings of Heaven for eternity. Jesus makes salvation available to all that will believe and receive His call to repentance. Though God makes His Kingdom available to all, it is still our choice as to whether we enter in or not. Our natural stubbornness and rebellious tendencies block out our ability to receive God’s gift of salvation, forgiveness, freedom, and wholeness. To respond to God’s call, we must humble ourselves and be willing to surrender ourselves to Him and receive Him as our Lord and savior. Many times people make excuses and dismiss the invitation. God is asking us to join Him, become His children, be born again, and be Heaven bound. God is not going to force us to receive Him. He calls out to us like He did 2,000 years ago, so that we can enjoy all the benefits and blessings of knowing Him.
Matthew 4:17 says, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’.”
Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In John 10:9 Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
Romans 10:13 “For Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Matthew 18:3 Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The great supper has been prepared, our name is on the guest list; we just need to respond to enjoy the fullness of Heaven and join the Kingdom of God for eternity.
