B-A-C
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- Dec 18, 2008
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There is a theme in the new testament of Jesus reaching out to people. Calling people. Trying to reach people, and asking His disciples to do the same.
Rev 3:20; 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Jesus is knocking at the door of people's hearts. But it's up to us to open the door. Some people refuse to open the door.
In both Matthew and Luke, Jesus says He is reaching out to the lost in Jerusalem, to cover them, to protect them...
Matt 23:37; "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Luke 13:34; "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
... but they were unwilling, they would not have it. Some people refuse Jesus.
Jesus sends His disciples out to spread the gospel.... He tells them if they accept your message, that's great, but if they don't wipe the dust off your feet and let them be.
Jesus doesn't tell His disciple to beg people to be saved. Just give them the message and move on.
Matt 10:14; "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.
Mark 6:11; "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them."
Luke 9:5; "And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
Luke 10:11; 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'
They actually did this in one case at least.
Acts 13:51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Some churches teach a doctrine called "irresistible grace". They believe people cannot say no to God if He offers them salvation. But the Bible teaches just the opposite over and over again.
People can and do resist the Holy Spirit.
Acts 7:51; "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
The main verse used in "irresistible grace" doctrine is...
John 6:44; "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
But it doesn't say no one "will", it says no one "can". The choice is still up to them. Just because they hear the gospel doesn't mean they will accept it.
Rom 10:14; How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15; How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16; However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17; So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Rom 10:18; But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."
Some churches preach, well God must not want everyone to be saved, because everyone doesn't hear the gospel. Verse 18 above says the gospel has gone out to all the earth,.. to the end of the world.
So everyone has heard the gospel, why isn't everyone saved? I personally don't know of anyone, not one single person... who has never heard of Jesus. Now many of them aren't Christians even though
they've heard the gospel. Some haven't heard the "real, full, truth" of the gospel, and perhaps that is true, because many of them don't want to.
Even the apostle had hard hearts and unbelief at times.
Mark 16:14; Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Mark 16:15; And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Mark 16:16; "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:17; "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Jesus is trying to reach people. The 'Great commission' (really our ONLY commission) is to share the gospel with others. I've done many times in my life.
Some receive it, some reject it. Even some of my very own children reject it. ... but they've heard it, more than once.
Matt 22:2; "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
Matt 22:3; "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
Matt 22:4; "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'
Matt 22:5; "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
Matt 22:6; and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
Matt 22:7; "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
Matt 22:8; "Then he *said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
Matt 22:9; 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.'
Matt 22:10; "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
Matt 22:11; "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
Matt 22:12; and he *said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless.
Matt 22:13; "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Matt 22:14; "For many are called, but few are chosen."
A lot of people were invited to this wedding. Some people believe this is just the Jews... but even if it is, that doesn't affect the point of this story.
Because the people who invited were "unwilling to come". Notice is doesn't say the king wouldn't let them come, it doesn't say the king didn't offer them an invitation. (in fact He did).
It says they were "unwilling" to come. Just like Jerusalem was "unwilling" to accept Jesus. Over and over again in the Bible, Jesus is offering an invitation, He is standing at the door
of people's hearts waiting for them to 'open the door'. But many are unwilling.
In the story of the wedding feast above... one man appeared to be willing, he showed up at the wedding (which is more than the original "invitees" did) but even though he came
to the wedding, he wasn't really dressed for it. Many even today who think they will be attending the wedding aren't really prepared for it.
There is more to say on this... there are more scriptures that support this. But I'm out of time right now.
Rev 3:20; 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Jesus is knocking at the door of people's hearts. But it's up to us to open the door. Some people refuse to open the door.
In both Matthew and Luke, Jesus says He is reaching out to the lost in Jerusalem, to cover them, to protect them...
Matt 23:37; "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Luke 13:34; "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
... but they were unwilling, they would not have it. Some people refuse Jesus.
Jesus sends His disciples out to spread the gospel.... He tells them if they accept your message, that's great, but if they don't wipe the dust off your feet and let them be.
Jesus doesn't tell His disciple to beg people to be saved. Just give them the message and move on.
Matt 10:14; "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.
Mark 6:11; "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them."
Luke 9:5; "And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."
Luke 10:11; 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'
They actually did this in one case at least.
Acts 13:51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Some churches teach a doctrine called "irresistible grace". They believe people cannot say no to God if He offers them salvation. But the Bible teaches just the opposite over and over again.
People can and do resist the Holy Spirit.
Acts 7:51; "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
The main verse used in "irresistible grace" doctrine is...
John 6:44; "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
But it doesn't say no one "will", it says no one "can". The choice is still up to them. Just because they hear the gospel doesn't mean they will accept it.
Rom 10:14; How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15; How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16; However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17; So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Rom 10:18; But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."
Some churches preach, well God must not want everyone to be saved, because everyone doesn't hear the gospel. Verse 18 above says the gospel has gone out to all the earth,.. to the end of the world.
So everyone has heard the gospel, why isn't everyone saved? I personally don't know of anyone, not one single person... who has never heard of Jesus. Now many of them aren't Christians even though
they've heard the gospel. Some haven't heard the "real, full, truth" of the gospel, and perhaps that is true, because many of them don't want to.
Even the apostle had hard hearts and unbelief at times.
Mark 16:14; Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Mark 16:15; And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Mark 16:16; "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:17; "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Jesus is trying to reach people. The 'Great commission' (really our ONLY commission) is to share the gospel with others. I've done many times in my life.
Some receive it, some reject it. Even some of my very own children reject it. ... but they've heard it, more than once.
Matt 22:2; "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
Matt 22:3; "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
Matt 22:4; "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'
Matt 22:5; "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
Matt 22:6; and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
Matt 22:7; "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
Matt 22:8; "Then he *said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
Matt 22:9; 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.'
Matt 22:10; "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
Matt 22:11; "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
Matt 22:12; and he *said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless.
Matt 22:13; "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Matt 22:14; "For many are called, but few are chosen."
A lot of people were invited to this wedding. Some people believe this is just the Jews... but even if it is, that doesn't affect the point of this story.
Because the people who invited were "unwilling to come". Notice is doesn't say the king wouldn't let them come, it doesn't say the king didn't offer them an invitation. (in fact He did).
It says they were "unwilling" to come. Just like Jerusalem was "unwilling" to accept Jesus. Over and over again in the Bible, Jesus is offering an invitation, He is standing at the door
of people's hearts waiting for them to 'open the door'. But many are unwilling.
In the story of the wedding feast above... one man appeared to be willing, he showed up at the wedding (which is more than the original "invitees" did) but even though he came
to the wedding, he wasn't really dressed for it. Many even today who think they will be attending the wedding aren't really prepared for it.
There is more to say on this... there are more scriptures that support this. But I'm out of time right now.
