Trey H. Little

Sermon Text:  Luke 14: 15-24 

February 20, 2011

Albany, Texas

“Regrets Only”

How are you doing today?  Are you excited about being here today or are you simply here because of your “drug problem”?—you are here because someone “drug” you here!

What if I told you that everyone that is here this morning is going to receive a special gift for being here?  Would that peak your interest?

Well, I don’t want you to be distracted for the remainder of our time together this morning so I will just go ahead and tell you that I don’t have a surprise for you this morning.  But, let me say this, the Lord may!

Turn with me to Luke 14: 15-24.

            Some of you may have heard the story about Bill Jones.  Bill went into a bus station in Athens, Georgia to buy a ticket to Greenville, South Carolina.  As he paid for his ticket, the clerk said:  “The bus is a bit behind schedule.  Have a seat, and it will be along shortly.”  Off in the distance, Bill noticed one of those novelty machines that claim it can tell you everything about yourself.  Bill, having some time to kill, decided he would give it a shot.  So he pumped in a quarter and the machine started to buzz and hiss and the lights started flashing and then it spit out a slip of paper that said, “Your name is Bill Jones, you are 35 years old, you are from Athens, Georgia, and you are waiting for a bus to Greenville, South Carolina.”  Bill was amazed—in fact, he wondered if it could do it again or if it was just some sort of fluke.

            So in went another quarter—and again, the machine started to buzz and hiss and the lights were flashing and out comes another slip of paper that said, “Your name is Bill Jones, you are 35 years old, you are from Athens, Georgia, and you are waiting for a bus to Greenville, South Carolina.” 

            Well, now Bill was really baffled.  He began to wonder if the machine was some sort of “candid camera” trick.  He wondered if the machine could see him.  So he put in another quarter, except this time he turned his back to the machine.  Buzzing, hissing, and flashing lights and a slip of paper with the same message!

            He couldn’t stand it anymore.  As he was looking around he noticed a drug store across the street.  He quickly walked over to the store and purchased a pair of those glasses with the big nose and mustache attached.  He bought a set of false ears and teeth.  He bought a cape.  And he bought a cane and even began to walk with a limp—at this point, even his own mother would not have known him.

            He hobbled back to the bus station and straight to the machine and pumped in the fourth quarter.  The machine buzzed and hissed and the lights flashed and spit out the message:  “Your name is Bill Jones, you are 35 years of age, you are from Athens, Georgia and while you were fooling around, you missed your bus to Greenville, South Carolina” (Brian K. Bauknight, ‘I Hate to Miss the Party’).

             “While you were fooling around you missed your bus.”  What a pertinent statement as it relates to our Gospel reading this morning.

            Jesus said, “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.  At the time of the banquet he sent his servants to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’”

              Now in order for us to understand this parable, we need to know that there were actually two invitations that were sent out for a banquet.  The first one was sent to announce the party. This invitation would be much like a “Save the Date” card—we want the people to know they are on the list and to save the date for the party.  But what was a little different than now is that the exact hour of the banquet was not announced until the day of.  So the guest would have responded to the first invitation—“Yes, I will join you for the feast.”  But then, when the day of the feast rolled around—and when all was perfectly prepared—the host would send his servants to all of the guests who had accepted the invitation to tell them the banquet was ready—it was time to show up.

However, when the servants went out to tell those who had RSVP’d “Yes” it was time to come—they received REGRETS ONLY.

Verse 18 says, “But they all alike began to make excuses.”

The guests decided that other matters were more important at the time—the “great banquet” was no longer something they were excited about being a part of—but instead wealth, work and a wife were top priority.  The host was being snubbed.  The host was being “better dealed.” 

Excuses—excuses—excuses!  Some of us would rejoice at this text and claim that it is biblical support for our own excuses.  Because you see, whether we choose to admit it or not, we are full of them.  Sure, many of us have accepted God’s invitation for salvation—we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior—we have RSVP’d “yes” for our “ticket” to heaven.  But when it comes to true fellowship with Him—when it comes to sitting at the table with Jesus—when it comes to making Him the host of our lives—we seemingly have more and more excuses.  In Jesus’ story, people turned down the invitation to the banquet because the timing was inconvenient.  All the servants heard were “Regrets Only.” 

What is the Lord hearing from us? 

I came across an old list the other day—actually it was a list that would make it possible for all to attend church on Sunday in order to fellowship with the Lord—it was designed to pave the way for a “No Excuse Sunday.” 

Cots will be placed in the Narthex for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.”  Visine will be available for those with tired eyes—from watching television too late on Saturday night.  We will have steel helmets for those who say, “The roof would cave in if I ever came to church.”  Score cards will be available for those who wish to keep count of the hypocrites present.  There will be 100 TV dinners for those who cannot both go to church and cook Sunday lunch.  We will be a “Seasonal Church”—we will have “Camouflage Sundays” during hunting seasons and “Team Jersey” Sundays during football season—for those that say that church cuts into them enjoying the “seasons.”  There will be reserved seating for you and your relatives for those who think they can’t make it to church because they have guests in town.  We will have multiple ministry opportunities available for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to get any work done.”  Finally, the sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the church without them.

 Friends, when the Master heard the excuses—the word said, “Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”  He then sent them “out to the roads and country lanes.”  The Master desired for His house to be full—and if the previously invited guests would not accept His invitation and hospitality then He would find the ones who would.  That is a sobering thought, isn’t it?

            Early in his ministry, Donald Grey Barnhouse developed a way of presenting the gospel using this parable.  He did so by asking the question, “Suppose you should die tonight and appear before God in heaven and he should ask you, ‘What right do you have to come into my heaven?’ What would you say?” 

He learned from experience that there were only three answers a person could give.  One could say “I’ve done the best I can, and I’ve never done anything particularly bad.”  A second group of people could respond with silence—they wouldn’t have a thing to say—they would stand speechless before God—as if they had been caught red handed—REGRETS ONLY.”  However there is a third possible answer.  If God demanded of you, “What right do you have to come into my heaven?”  The response, “None at all, so far as I am concerned. But Jesus died for my sins and by His inviting grace I dare stand before you.  I COME AT YOUR INVITATION!” (The Gospel of Matthew, James Montgomery Boice, p. 471).

Friends, the invitation is out there—your name is on it.  The question is, “How will you respond to God’s grace in Jesus Christ?”  Will you “Come to Him?”  Or will today be filled with only regrets?

“While you were fooling around, you missed your bus…”  What a convicting statement as it relates to how we choose to respond. 

AMEN.