Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20091118.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part LIII: Christ's Identity As God's Savior By His Teaching On Those Included In The Kingdom
(Luke 14:1-24)
  1. Introduction
    1. If Jesus is truly a righteous and holy God's Savior of the world, we should expect Him to be unbiased in claiming who would be INCLUDED in His Messianic Kingdom for their true faith in Him!
    2. Luke 14:1-24 teaches who would be included in Christ's Kingdom, and it works to validate Jesus as God's true Savior, and to provide rich application for us as believers today (as follows):
  2. Christ's Identity As God's Savior By His Teaching On Those Included In The Kingdom, Lk. 14:1-24.
    1. Jesus revealed that lowly people would be included in God's Kingdom by faith in Him, Luke 14:1-14:
      1. The event in Luke 14:1-6 focused the attention of Jesus' audience on the value of even lowly people:
        1. One day as Jesus accepted a chief Pharisee's invitation to dine in his home on the Sabbath, He entered the house only to be confronted by an entrapping situation, Luke 14:1-2: the Pharisees had planted a man with dropsy in the room to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath Day.
        2. Aware of their motive, Jesus asked the Pharisees a question that voiced what was on their minds, whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, Luke 14:3. Apparently disarmed by His candidness given the tense situation, they remained silent, Luke 14:4a; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 242.
        3. Accordingly, caring for the afflicted man, Jesus healed him, explaining to the Pharisees' humiliation that He was right to heal this man on the Sabbath since they would help their beasts out of a pit on that day even if it took more physical exertion than He had exerted to heal the man, Luke 14:4b-6.
      2. This event opened an opportunity for Jesus to teach His audience to be lowly, not proud, Luke 14:7-14:
        1. Seeing how the Pharisees had chosen the chief seats at the dinner for themselves due to personal pride, Jesus spoke a parable to teach them the need to become more humble, Luke 14:7.
        2. It told how a man who chose a lofty seat could be humiliated by being asked to sit lower, but how one who had taken a lower seat would be honored in being directed to move higher, Luke 14:8-10.
        3. This parable explained the principle that to exalt one's self for personal interests leads to abasement, but that humbling one's self leads to being honored, Luke 14:11.
        4. Additionally, Jesus directed the host not to invite his friends, relatives or wealthy, influential neighbors who could repay his invitation to feed his own selfish interests, but to call the poor and oppressed who could not repay him, and he would be recompensed by God, Luke 14:12-14.
    2. Hearing Jesus speak of God's reward in the Kingdom, one of the Pharisees present at the meal suggested those who would eat bread in God's Kingdom would be blessed, Luke 14:15.
    3. Jesus knew this Pharisee thought only his elite group would be in the Kingdom, so He again taught of the need to aspire to lowliness as all such who trusted in Him will be included in His Kingdom, Lk. 14:16-24:
      1. Jesus responded to the Pharisee's remark with a parable about a man who set a banquet table and who had invited many people to attend his feast, Luke 14:16-17.
      2. However, all those initially invited found excuses not to come, typical of the Pharisees who did not truly believe in Christ, and who had worldly motives for not following Him, Luke 14:18-20.
      3. Accordingly, the master directed his servant to bring in the poor, maimed, halt, blind and even the homeless out in the highways and hedges to come to his banquet, Luke 14:21-23.
      4. These folk were included where the original, proud folk were excluded (Luke 14:24) similar to how God will exclude proud unbelievers but include poor, oppressed believers in the Kingdom.
Lesson: Those INCLUDED in the Messianic Kingdom will be ANY -- be they poor, maimed, homeless, etc. -- who BELIEVE in CHRIST, for entrance there is by GRACE, not by PROUD SELF-MERIT.

Application: (1) Jesus is TRULY God's Savior of the world, for He RIGHTEOUSLY saves ALL men REGARDLESS of HUMAN RANK, INFLUENCE or WELFARE who BELIEVE in Him for salvation, John 3:16! (2) May we likewise VALUE and ASSOCIATE with those who TRUST in Christ though they be of low degree, for OUR participation in God's Kingdom is based on GRACE! (Romans 12:16)