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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

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This week we're going to dig into one of the greatest sermons ever preached by the Prince of Preachers, the one and only Charles Spurgeon. The sermon is entitled Compel them to Come In, and he delivered the sermon Sunday morning, december the 5th of 1858. And just in case you wanted to feel bad about yourself, he delivered this sermon perhaps the best one of his career at the ripe old age of 24. So keep that in mind as we're going through all the content this week. If you're not familiar with this sermon, I would highly, highly suggest that you find it online and read it in its entirety. Again, the name of the sermon is Compel them to Come In.

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Now, the crux of the sermon is the parable of the great banquet, as told by Jesus and recorded in Luke 14, verses 12 through 24. Now, right from the beginning, I'll just tell you this might be a mistake, but I'm feeling froggy. So, out of respect for Pastor Spurgeon, I'll read this passage in the King James Version. Then said he also to him that bade him, when thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. And when one of them that sat at the meal with him heard these things, he said unto him Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him A certain man made a great supper and bade many and sent his servant at suppertime to say to them that were bidden, come, for all things are now ready.

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And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse. The first said unto him I bought a piece of ground and I must needs go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. And another said I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused. And another said I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and shewed his lord these things.

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Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind. And the servant said Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and 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, for I say unto you that none of these men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. So there's a lot there, and there's a lot that we can dig into, but for today let's just see if we can summarize, and I really like how Trent C Butler summarizes this parable in the Holman New Testament commentary the banquet host must represent God.

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The banquet is the inauguration of his kingdom. The original hosts are the upper-class Jews, who were so tied to their social status, financial, business and family matters that they snubbed God. God rejected them and turned to the very ones. The Jewish leaders looked on with contempt to find adequate guests for the heavenly banquet. Those who think they have a place reserved and assured in the heavenly feast find themselves on the outside looking in, just as the poor and needy previously stood at their windows looking in on their banquets.

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So, guys, as it pertains to this parable, one of the things that sticks out the most is just how ridiculous the excuses are that come from the people who were invited initially Like are you really telling the host that you made a huge financial commitment to purchase land that you haven't even seen yet? Do you really expect the host to believe that you simply forgot that you had a previous engagement, specifically your own wedding? I mean, come on, the host was certainly well within his rights to be very perturbed by the rudeness made evident in these excuses. However, the host in this case God still has a banquet to fill, he still has provision that needs a destination, he has seats and he still wants to put butts in them. If those that he initially invited do not find his banquet which is his kingdom worthy of their time and attention, then he will now extend the invitation to whomever he pleases.

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But, as we see in the parable, we don't see him just casually send out another round of fresh invitations to fresh potential guests. No, we see him send his servants out a couple of times and he says compel them to come in. We'll end today with the very first line of Spurgeon's sermon compel them to come in. We'll end today with the very first line of Spurgeon's sermon compel them to come in. I feel in such a haste to go out and obey this commandment this morning by compelling those to come in who are now tarrying in the highways and hedges that I cannot wait for an introduction, but must at once set about my business. Come back here tomorrow and we'll dig into that business.