Author: BTP

“For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper” (Luke 14:24).

This is a very solemn verse, for it tells us that if people have heard the gospel and rejected it, they will not have another chance after the Lord comes. There are some today, even some true Christians, who teach that after the Lord comes, those who have been left behind will have another chance. But this verse, and others as well, make it clear to us that there will not be another chance for those who have rejected the gospel.

Think how awful it will be, especially for some who have grown up in Christian homes, suddenly to realize that the Lord has come, and that they have been left behind because they were not saved. There will be no hope then, and they will know with certainty that they must face certain judgment. The thought of this ought to frighten everyone who is not saved, and also ought to encourage all true believers to tell others about the importance of being saved.

“And another angel came out…he also having a sharp sickle…And another angel…cried with a loud cry…saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe” (Revelation 14:17-18).

Revelation is largely a book of judgment, and here we find some of the judgments being executed by the angels. The grapes represent some of those who will fall under the judgment, and it says here that “her grapes are fully ripe.” What does this mean?

It means that God does not execute judgment until the evil has reached its highest point. When we look at the world today, we may think that things could not possibly get any worse. Yet some of us were saying that thirty years ago, and yet it has gotten worse—much worse! It is possible that the moral state of this world could get even worse than it is now.

In our verses today and yesterday, we see the two things that have to happen before the Lord comes. First of all, God’s house must be filled, and secondly, the evil in this world must reach its height. We can pray that the Lord will come soon, for it is hard to imagine what the world would be like if things got much worse.

“Yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled” (Luke 14:22-23).

The great supper that is recorded in Luke 14:16-24 is a picture of the gospel going out. Many who have been invited have refused the invitation, and now, as the time comes to an end, the Lord is telling His servant (the Holy Spirit) to go out wherever He can, and bring people in. As we saw yesterday, many in so-called Christian countries have rejected the gospel, but now God is bringing the gospel out to many different places in this world. Thankfully, many of them believe the gospel, and come to Christ.

God’s house must be filled, and when many who have heard the gospel in countries that have an open Bible and easy access to the gospel have turned away from it, God will fill His house with others. But God’s house will be filled! Are you part of the number that will fill it?

“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:28-29).

In the days when our Lord was on earth, there were many in Israel who prided themselves on their national heritage, but refused to believe on the Lord Jesus. Our Lord told them that the day would come when many others outside of Israel would believe and receive the blessing, while they would be thrust out.

In the same way there are many in so-called Christian countries today who attend “church,” who call themselves Christians, and who expect to end up in heaven. Yet, when the true gospel is presented to them, they will not believe. Sadly, they will find in a coming day that many will be in heaven who have not had the benefit of a Christian heritage, yet have believed on the Lord Jesus. It will be a shock to many who grew up in Christian countries to be “thrust out,” having relied on “living a good life,” yet never having accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior?

“Thy wrath lieth hard upon Me, and Thou hast afflicted Me from My youth up” (Psalm 88:7).

In the gospels, we get the record of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus; in the Psalms we get His feelings during those awful sufferings. His sufferings from the hands of man were terrible, but His sufferings from the hands of God were infinitely worse. Here in our verse today the psalmist is referring to His sufferings at the hands of God.

Of course, it is not the Lord Jesus speaking directly here, for the psalms were written long before He came into this world. But sometimes the Spirit of God led those who wrote the Old Testament to write far beyond their own experiences, to speak of the Lord Jesus. In this way we know something of the feelings of the Lord Jesus when He suffered. David was not afflicted from his youth up, but the Lord Jesus was. David never felt the wrath of God the way the Lord Jesus did. Those old inspired writers realized this, and when they asked the Lord what it meant, they were told that they were writing for a people later on. That means you and me.

When we think of all that the Lord Jesus did for us, how it should make us thank and praise Him for what He endured!

“There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him” (Romans 10:12).

In these two verses we find two things where there is no difference. First of all, we are all sinners, no matter what race or nation we belong to. We all need a Savior, and none of us can get saved through our own efforts. We have all come short of the glory of God.

Secondly, there is also no difference as to who can be saved. God is reaching out to everyone in this world, telling them that He loves them, and wants to save them. The Lord Jesus Christ has died for all, and His blood has power to wash away the sins of anyone who comes to Him. If we call upon Him, He will surely hear us and save us, no matter who we are.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34).

This verse is not hard to understand, for what we value is what we think about. When we talk to others, it is not long before we know what they value. Many times I have tried to speak to people about where they were going to spend eternity, and sad to say, much of the time they simply changed the subject. They did not want to talk about what happens after death; most people wanted to talk about the things of this world, for that is what they valued.

What is most important in your life? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, or are you not interested in that subject? A poem expresses it well—

To lose my wealth is much;
To lose my health is more;
To lose my soul is such a loss,
That no man can restore.

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20).

If you read the parable connected with this verse, you will find that a wealthy farmer thought that he had enough stored in his barns for many years. However, God told him that his soul would be required of him that night; that is, he would die. Then who would get all those things that he had stored up?

Many people today are like that farmer. They make sure that they have everything to make themselves comfortable in this world, yet make no plans for what happens after death. God calls that kind of a person a fool, for we are in this world only a few years, but all eternity stretches ahead of us after death. It is much better to be rich toward God than to be rich in this world. Even as Christians we can go after the things of this world, and neglect the true riches. Everything we have in this world we must eventually leave behind, but spiritual riches are ours for all eternity.

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:2).

This is a very solemn verse, for it tells us that everything that has been done in secret shall eventually be brought to light. Last week in our area, a young man was killed in a car accident. It seems that another car came around a curve, and was driving in the wrong lane. The young man who was killed swerved to avoid a head-on collision, lost control of his vehicle, and landed in the ditch. He was killed instantly. The driver of the other car (who was at fault for being on the wrong side of the road) simply drove off. Since it happened on a country road in the middle of the night, no one saw him. Of course, the skid marks on the road made it clear to the police what had happened. The driver who was at fault may never be found out in this world, but God knows about it, and will bring it all to light.

However, this verse also works in the opposite direction. The immediate connection in Luke 12 is referring to evil things, but the verse also applies to good things. If you have done something for the Lord, perhaps no one knows about it, and you never got any thanks for it. Never mind; the Lord noticed it, and will reward you in a coming day.

“Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me. And he was sad at that saying” (Mark 10:21-22).

The young man in this story thought he was doing everything right, for he was trying to keep the law of Moses. However, as the Lord Jesus said to him, he lacked one thing. He thought he could earn his way to eternal life by doing what was right, but he was not willing to give up everything and follow the Lord Jesus. His riches meant more to him than the Lord Jesus, and he went away very sad. He was also not willing to give his wealth away to the poor.

The Lord Jesus was proving to him that he could not be saved through his own efforts, no matter how hard he tried. The only way to be saved is to come to the Lord Jesus and accept Him as our Savior.