Three Who Are Rejected
(Message delivered by Pastor at the RELC 10.30 am Service, Apr 25, 04)
Text: Matt. 22:1-14
This week our text brings us to Matt. 22:1-14. V. 2 says, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.” This king is God the Father and Jesus is His Son. The marriage refers to all who are saved and become His bride. Paul says in II Cor. 11:2, “For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Rev.19:7 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
Now the king has killed oxen and fatlings to entertain his guests which reveals the riches of heaven, but they made light of it and went their ways. One said he had bought a farm. Another his
merchandise. These are the rich and powerful but they are rejected.
But what surprises us is the reaction in some who took the king’s servants and killed them. What do you think the king would do? The king sent for his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. This is the same as given in a parable before this where the king’s Son is killed. This referred to Jesus and the accusation was levelled at the chief priests and Pharisees. Our Lord applied this to himself how He would grind the Pharisees to powder.
Jesus had cast out a dumb and deaf devil from a boy. The Pharisees out of spite commented that Jesus had done this by the power of Beelzebub the Prince of devils. Jesus using irrefutable logic
toppled the Pharisees’ comment for even the Devil’s house, divided against itself, cannot stand. What the Pharisees said was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit because they spoke against their
conscience. Their sins will not be forgiven, neither in this world, neither in the next. These are the proud and self-conceited, the second group rejected by our Lord.
By way of application, we have a group of church leaders who boast they have discovered mistakes in the Bible. This has aroused our indignation to defend the Bible, God’s Holy Word to be 100% perfect without any mistake. The Bible declares of itself, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserved them from this generation forever” (Ps. 12:6,7). Moreover three times it is declared in the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” For those church leaders to speak against the Bible in the face of God guarantee is no less proud and conceited than the Pharisees.
Now the dinner began after the seats were all filled. The king came to check up on the guests if every one had put on his wedding garment. To his surprise one was discovered and he was speechless.
This is the third type to be rejected. We have those who are rich and powerful. Then the proud and conceited, and now the happy go lucky. This man not wearing the king’s wedding garment is one whose philosophy of life is enjoy yourself for tomorrow you die. A Chinese proverb says, Womanising, gambling, drinking, smoking. If anyone here does not repent of his sins it will be too late.
Who are those called to the king’s wedding dinner and are blessed? Those who humbly repent of their sins and thank the Lord for their salvation. None of us qualifies for the Wedding Feast. Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” May the Lord have mercy on us.
THE GOSPEL OF LIFE:
Chapter I
John 1:14-18
The Word of God Became a Man
The Word of God came to man in the form of messages spoken by the prophets. After this the spoken messages of the prophets were written down and became books of the Old Testament. Now, the Word of God came personally by becoming Man. That is what is meant by the Word was made flesh, or the Word became incarnate (a Latin word meaning in the flesh).
God is not satisfied that the prophets should speak His Word, as a King is not satisfied that his ministers represent him. God wants His own Son to come into the world to speak to us, as a King sends his crown prince to represent him to his people.
In this way God is more fully and gloriously revealed when we see Him, and hear Him, the Declarer of His Word. (Jn 1:18) Prophets were holy men, but Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God! While prophets spoke the truth, they might lack grace. (Compare John the Baptist’s ministry with Christ’s. Jesus Christ is Truth and Grace personified!)
John is the last prophet that stands at the dividing line between the Old and the New Testaments. He both closes the O.T. chapter and opens up the New.
Now, John the Apostle chimes in at v.16 to add his testimony. The Apostle is overwhelmed by the graciousness upon graciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is overwhelmed by the new law of Grace not fully experienced by those under the law of Moses. How is John thus overwhelmed? By the Son of God who came, and by his personal contact with Him. This fact is further attested in I John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have handled, of the Word of Life …..”
Hebrews 1:1 seems to sum up the words of this paragraph, “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
John 1:19-34
The Herald of the Word in Word and Action
John the Baptist was a true prophet because he preached not himself, but Christ. Read this long passage how he exalts Christ, how he points you and me to Christ for salvation.
John the Baptist was a true prophet because he did not impersonate Elias (Greek spelling for Elijah) who is the prophet to herald Christ in His Second Coming. Nor did John impersonate Christ
for he denied he was That Prophet (v. 21). That Prophet was Christ whom Moses predicted in Deut. 18:15 and is further identified by Peter at Pentecost to refer to Christ (Acts 3:22).
If John the Baptist is a true prophet then what he says is true. What he testifies of the Christ is true.
What are the signs of the true Christ? That He is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. The Lamb which is sacrificed from the dawn of history is the only means of reconciliation between God and fallen man (Gen 4:4).
Christ is the True One because on Him descended from Heaven the Spirit like a dove. This happened on Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, which is recorded in greater detail in Matt. 3:16. Here B.B. Warfield observes the Triune God to be in full manifestation: “God in Heaven (speaking), God on earth (standing), and God descending from heaven to earth.”
As to Jesus’ baptism, it is unique, quite different from ours. Ours is in witness of repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). Jesus’ baptism is one rather of commissioning like the washing of the Priest in the O.T. (Ex. 29:4) before He enters into His public ministry (Scofield).
To fulfill all righteousness: “To offer His Father full obedience, while the particular reason was to consecrate baptism in His own body, that it might be common between Him and us” (Calvin).
The Golden Gate viewed from Gethsemane
