I found this old sermon saved in the drafts today and thought I would post it.  The audio file of the sermon is located here on the PRV website. Blessings.

Passage: Luke 14:1-24

The Story

•    Jesus dines at the house of a Pharisees

o    While there he heals a man
o    Some folks got made because it was on the Sabbath

•    Jesus then tells two short parables

o    First to the guest of the dinner
o    The second to the host

•    First one

o    Place of honor

*    Don’t pick the place of honor
*    Let the host bring you up

o    Commentary

*    Not only is this practical advice on life, it is very important spiritually
*    The guests in the room were most likely big time religious leaders who wanted the best seats for themselves
*    Jesus is telling them that they are to the humble

•    Let God (the host) raise them up
•    2 Peter 5:5b-7 – God cares about, be kind to each other and humble
•    James 4:1-10 – submit ourselves to God, be a peacemaker

•    Second story

o    Part one

*    Turning to the host, Jesus tells him not to just throw a party for those who can pay you back

•    Invite the folks who can’t repay you

*    Again this is very practical as well as spiritual

•    Instead of being focused on what we can get out of things, we need to be concerned with others

o    Second part

*    Things shift a bit more spiritual here
*    A man throws a party and invited various people

•    Yet when the day of the party comes, the guest back out
•    So the host tells his servants to go out into the streets and bring in the poor, crippled, blind and lame
•    There is still room, so the travelers on the road and strangers are invited

*    Commentary

•    The story is talking about salvation
•    Those who were invited first were the Jewish religious leaders who had the Law and the Prophets

•    Sadly some of them refused to follow God

o    Choosing money, land and family first

•    Salvation was then extended to those the religious folks typically excluded

o    The poor, the cribbed, and the outcasts
o    The same folks invited in verse 13

•    There was more room, so God sent servants to gather those outside the city

o    These are the gentiles
o    People way outside the norm