You ARE Invited...Are YOU Making Excuses?

You ARE Invited...Are YOU Making Excuses?
by David Brenneman

"But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;  and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’  But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’  And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’  And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.  For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’ ” Luke 14:16-24.

Ever since He arose from the dead the invitation has been decreed, sent out, to one, to all. 

We celebrate the birth of Jesus this time of year...the beginning of the invitation being written on the hearts of mankind. 

The Scriptures say that everyone will be without excuse in the day of judgment.  Everyone will have had their own unique encounter with the Savior, it will only depend on whether or not they say yes to His invitation for salvation or not.

There's no hidden fees or exclusions...the free gift of salvation is open to all who would ask. 

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

The lies of the world will go on and on about everything you're going to lose.  They will indeed gladly help you create your own excuse for rejecting the pleading of God towards you in Christ Jesus. 

The choice you make...the decision decided upon...has eternal ramifications for you. 

Take a good look at the headlines of the last week alone.  Many people all thought they had a tomorrow.  Many went to sleep the night before thinking about what they believed with complete certainty would be going on in their days ahead.  Now their eternal destination has been established. 
From very young to very old no one knows when their time on Earth is up.  The facts for all who don't accept the free gift of salvation is that their lives ended because they absolutely wouldn't have asked and their continued life wouldn't help anyone else to find it.

Many today are all looking at their wares.  Their possessions.  Their status.  Their money.  Believing that they have no need for any relationship with Jesus.  Believing that they would be made to live a life they would never ever enjoy.

Oh the truth that is hidden from their eyes! 

Consider this from Jesus: "Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.  And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’  Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ Luke 12:15-20.

Everyone who rejects the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone...is guaranteed to never see Heaven.   There's no scales of good vs bad to determine entry through Heavens gates.  There's no hoping that the good outweighs the bad.  Likewise there's no party going on in Hell.  There's no big kegger going on for those who wake up in Hell.

“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.  Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’  And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—  for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’  But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’  But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31.

The greatest gift you can receive this year isn't wrapped in paper with a bow. 

The greatest gift was when Jesus shed His blood on a cross for you to make it possible for you to be with Him forever. 

But you still need to ask Him to become the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life. 

Sin, Hell, death, all the painful things related to it are entirely real.

Forgiveness, Heaven, life, all the rewards of a life given to Christ amounting to everything worthy is possible only through a life in Christ for those who ask Him to save them. 

Which gift will mean more for you in eternity?  The free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ or the lies of the world that only end in eternal separation from God in a painful tormented way?

The choice is yours...

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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