Why go to church if God already loves you?

If God is already in a good mood with you: why bother coming?

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus gives five great speeches. The previous one, ch 18, was about life in God’s community: …the church …the people gathered around His Word.

But, by ch 21, we see that the very people who should be enjoying that community …are the ones who end up opposing it.

If God’s Gospel is that He has forgiven you unconditionally …then:
For what reason would anyone resist it?
How could so many people be offended by it?
Why doesn’t everyone just come to enjoy it?

Those are the questions Jesus now answers in Matthew 22:1:

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,

And in this parable he says three things:

1) God makes his grace clearly visible to everyone
2) Those who wilfully reject his grace will go to hell
But 3) God will not give up chasing you down for heaven

So, first: 1) God makes his grace clearly visible to everyone

Just look at vv. 2-3:

 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast,

God gives you His grace…
…through a visible, public, means,
…in a visible, public, place,
…by visible, public, servants.

God’s grace is an incredible party…
…that He has paid for
…and His Son deserves.

You don’t need to earn your way into getting a ticket.
You don’t need to be good enough to justify your presence.

This amazing grace has a visible public means… …a free and open call that you are invited.

The amazing grace has a visible public place… …Jesus repeatedly says in Matthew

“repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near“

The party gets into full swing on the final day… …but the pre-wedding drinks have started now… …as people gather around this free and open call.

And this amazing has visible public servants… …both every Christian who is sent to privately gossip the Gospel …and those with a public call who are sent to put their necks above the parapet in a more public way.1) God makes his grace clearly visible to everyone

But… in this story, Jesus shows us four rejections of God’s means of grace:

That is Jesus’ second and very serious point:

2) Those who wilfully reject his grace will go to hell

Just look at the end of v. 3:

but they would not come.

Or more literally: they were not willing to come.

It is exactly the same Greek word that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 2:4, which people translate as

[God] …desires all people to be saved

People don’t desire to come.
God does desire them to be saved.

People aren’t willing to come.
God is willing for them to be saved.

This is the context for what Jesus says in v. 14:

For many are called, but few are chosen.

To be chosen means to cling to the means of grace… …the Word of Christ: — because God has chosen people to be saved in Him.

Calvin was wrong that this verse is about the secret will of God that is not revealed to us. No, Jesus entire point here is that the Gospel is a visible, public, open call. So trust what God says — the Gospel reveals who are called.

The reason people reject the Gospel is not because God is unwilling: But because they are unwilling. That’s exactly what Jesus says.

But that unwillingness to hear the Gospel is often hidden behind a rejection of the place or people that God has appointed to give you His Gospel.

Just look at v. 5:

But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,

I don’t want to be there in God’s Church, where He promises Jesus is present through His Word. No, I want to be building my business… …I want to be sorting out my kids …I want to be doing something practical. Useful.

It sounds very polite. It sounds very middle class. It sounds very responsible.

But it is a rejection of God’s Word: that’s why people don’t come to church.

They just can’t be bothered hearing what God has to say… …and it’s often glossed over with polite excuses:
—Ah, well, I can read the Bible at home.
—I’ll listen to the sermon on YouTube.
—I’ve got my own private faith.

God gave you the church, other people, to meet with… …not for His own sake! Do you think He needs us to turn up here every week??!

He gave you the Church for YOUR sake. Jesus promises — He gives you a cast iron guarantee — to be present amongst us as we gather around the Gospel.

You and I need that.

We are physical people. We need to meet together physically. To encourage each other. To help each other. …to speak the Gospel to each other.

This is not my opinion. If you think you don’t need that: then you are not believing what Jesus is saying. You are rejecting His Word — His means of grace.

The other proxy for rejecting God’s Word… …is rejecting His servants. V. 6:

while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

Why do they do that? Because Jesus promised that those who are called to speak Christ’s word actually personally represent Him. So when people are angry with Jesus… …they get angry with His servants.

All of us as Christians experience this. If you merely say you’re a Christian in some places… …people react. And you have almost certainly noticed… …that socially, when you start sharing the clear Lutheran gospel: people respond. And they do so strongly.

If you are publicly called to represent God’s Word for the church… …those reactions will be even more intense. Personal attacks. Lies. Bitterness. False accusations. Attacks online. Attacks offline.

Jesus says… this is what rejection of the Gospel looks like: When you reject the Gospel message.. …but use the servant as a proxy for doing so.

The final rejection is more subtle, and more awful, than the previous three put together. Vv. 11-13:

But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. ¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This is a shocking picture — deliberately. The sheer stupidity of it. The waste.

To get that far, all the way to the end, …and yet still be thrown out of the party.

And it’s here that is Jesus most explicit… …that the only alternative to the party — is hell itself.

Jesus is a vivid and at times frightening preacher. He’s talking about what happens when you confuse the means of grace with the place of grace or the servants of grace.

The means of Grace is God’s Gospel.

The church is the place where you know you will receive the Gospel. —But the church itself is not the Gospel.

The minister of the church is the person you know who will always tell you the Gospel. —But the minister himself is not the Gospel.

Many evangelical churches today …mix the means of grace with the place of grace.

They treat church unity as separate to God’s Word:
— “there’s so many different opinions on the Bible”
— “everyone has their own interpretation”
— “what unites us is the sincerity of our faith”

That sounds perfectly nice. But where does that make you look? Where does this encourage you to rest your assurance?

It can’t be in what God’s Word… …because that’s just a matter of interpretation.

You look to this social community of mixed opinions to feel safe. Until one day, you drop dead. Where have you been looking? You’re not clothed in God’s Word, in Jesus. Your trust has been in the community of the church.

Many Lutheran churches today …mix the means of grace with the servants of grace.

They treat the pastor as though the means of grace can ONLY come through him.

People explain the pastor’s authority with all sorts of nonsense:
— “my authority comes from the apostolic succession”
— “I’m a genuine pastor because someone ordained me”

Or they talk as though the church depends on the pastor:
— “The pastor has God’s authority & gives it to the church.”

This is entirely backwards. Where does it make you look? It doesn’t point you to the Gospel for assurance. You’re feeling secure because of the the apostolic succession, or the ordination ceremony, or the colour of the robes.

Until one day, you drop dead… …and where have you been looking? …what have you been clothed in? In God’s Word? In the pure Gospel of Jesus?

No, your trust has been in church history and ceremony.

Be warned: 2) Those who wilfully reject his grace will go to hell

But, here’s the promise, here’s the assurance Jesus gives you: 3) God will not give up chasing you down for heaven

The king is persistent in chasing people for the feast.
He prepares it fully, because of the Son, not because of us.
He pleads with people to receive it through his Word.
He places His Word in the church so you can find it.
And he calls people to preach it and clear away the errors.

God is so hungry for you to join His banquet, He’s given you three gifts so you’ll get there:

The means of grace is God’s Gospel in Word and Sacrament

The place of grace is God’s Church gathered around this Word and Sacrament

The servants of grace are those God has called through the Church to publicly give Word and Sacrament

Three distinct, but complementary gifts. Don’t confuse them: the church isn’t the means of grace; the pastoral office isn’t the means of grace.

But, each one has a promise attached:

For the means of grace — the Gospel in Word and Sacrament — God promises this in Isaiah 55:10-11:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

God has assuredly promised that Jesus will always give His grace whenever His Gospel is heard. Open the Bible, listen to a podcast, simply remember your Baptism… …and God promises His Spirit will be at work.

For the place of grace — the Church gathered around Word and Sacrament — Jesus promises this in Matthew 18:20:

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

God has assuredly promised: Jesus will always be present wherever people meet around His Gospel. Come to church, chat over coffee, sing and say the liturgy… …and Jesus promises He is here with us as we do so.

For the servant of grace — the Servant called to publicly give Word and Sacrament — Jesus promises this in Luke 10:16:

 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

God has assuredly promised: Jesus will always be dealing with you personally whoever is speaking His Gospel purely for Him. Listen to my sermons, invite me over to talk about Scripture, receive the Sacrament at church… …Jesus promises He is the perfect one you’re relating to not the flawed and failing Pete Myers.

3) God will not give up chasing you down for heaven

And the place you know for sure He will always meet you is the means of Grace: The public, visible, Gospel through which the Spirit gives grace.

But, we are all weak.

We can’t give the Gospel to ourselves.
We can’t create and sustain faith.
We can’t keep ourselves free from all the wrong ideas that attack us from every side.

So, He gives you the Church — gathered around these means …so that you know Jesus is with you.

And He gives you His called Servant to preach these means clearly …so that you know you’re personally dealing with Jesus.

Why go to church if God already loves you?

Because, 1) God makes his grace clearly visible to everyone

Jesus has justified everyone… we receive it as we hear and trust that message in faith.

God gave us the church as the place to receive and nurture that faith.

God gave us the pastor as the shepherd and guide to protect us from error of faith.

2) Those who wilfully reject his grace will go to hell

We see that as people just straight up reject the declaration that God has unconditionally forgiven everyone.

We see that as people ignore the place where he gives us his unconditional forgiveness of everyone.

We see that as people get angry and bitter and hostile toward the servants who preach to us that He has unconditionally forgiven everyone.

But, we also see it all over the place as people confuse the means, the message, of Grace …with the vehicles God has given to deliver it.

But, be assured of this:

3) God will not give up chasing you down for heaven

The king sent servants, and when their message is rejected… …he sent some more, then he sent some more …and then again he sent some more.

When the servants are attacked, the king sends his troops, to clear the way for the next ones.

Do you want to have faith? Because that’s what God wants to give you. So he’s given you His means of Grace… a place to receive it… and a servant to preach and share it.