為何沒有更多人得救？
路加福音十四章15至24節
15同席的有一人聽見這話，就對耶穌說：在神國裡吃飯的有福了！
16耶穌對他說：有一人擺設大筵席，請了許多客。
17到了坐席的時候，打發僕人去對所請的人說：請來罷！樣樣都齊備了。
18眾人一口同音的推辭。頭一個說：我買了一塊地，必須去看看。請你准我辭了。
19又有一個說：我買了五對牛，要去試一試。請你准我辭了。
20又有一個說：我才娶了妻，所以不能去。
21那僕人回來，把這事都告訴了主人。家主就動怒，對僕人說：快出去，到城裡大街小巷，領那貧窮的、殘廢的、瞎眼的、瘸腿的來。
22僕人說：主阿，你所吩咐的已經辦了，還有空座。
23主人對僕人說，你出去到路上和籬笆那裡，勉強人進來，坐滿我的屋子。
24我告訴你們，先前所請的人，沒有一個得嘗我的筵席。
信息分享
這一句話，觸發耶穌講了一個比喻作為回應。耶穌的比喻可以這樣總括地說：能夠永遠與神在一起確實是好得無比；可惜，那些獲得邀請去參加神的筵席的人，卻總是用各種藉口去推辭，實在非常可悲。
怎麼有人連神的筵席都拒絕參加？我們實在感到萬分費解。他們究竟有甚麼重要理由，要推辭赴會呢？
我要趕著去看一件珍貴的東西(18節)。
我要趕著去辦一件要事(19節)。
我要首先享受人生(20節)。
今天，當我們邀請人去接受基督的時候，豈不經常聽到他們用類似的藉口來推辭嗎？經過了二千多年，人性始終沒有多大分別，你說是嗎？
擺設筵席的主人怎麼說呢？他吩咐他的僕人說：「快出去，到城裡的大街小巷，領人來享受我的筵席」。他的僕人立即出去，積極地邀請人來。
當人拒絕去接受基督時，我們會怎樣做呢？我們是否放棄，不再嘗試邀請其他人呢？抑或，我們會說：「沒關係，我會再去邀請其他人，我相信始終有人會接受的。」然後便再接再勵地去出去邀請人赴會？
基督期望我們出去邀請任何人和所有人。誰有此榮幸，可以代表主人出去邀請人赴席呢？就是你和我了。我們究竟有沒有聽從主人的吩咐，四處向人發出邀請呢？神已擺設了救恩的筵席，等候人前來分享；讓我們加緊努力去邀請所有人去享受這筵席吧！
牢記：神不願意一人沉淪，祂只願人人悔改得救。
WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE SAVED?
Luke 14: 15 - 24
15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’
18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. 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 here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’
22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’
23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
Message
At the beginning of this chapter we find Jesus in the home of one of the Pharisees. (They were leaders of the Jewish people.) There had been quite a lot of teaching as well as a miracle (v.4). At the end of the meal one man spoke up and said, 'Well I think it would be wonderful to have the privilege of being with you for ever'.
Jesus replied with another parable which could be summered up like this. Yes it would be wonderful to be with God forever, but the tragedy is that those who are invited to God's table don't always accept the invitation.
In the story Jesus told it seems hard to believe that those invited would not come to the feast. What were their excuses?
1. I've got something else I want to see (v.18).
2. I've got something else I want to do (v.19).
3. I've got something else I want to enjoy (v.20).
Aren't those some of the excuses people use today when they are invited to accept Christ? Human nature hasn't changed very much in 2,000 years, has it?
What did the man giving the feast say? 'I want people to come and enjoy my feast … Go out and get them wherever you can.' And that is what they did.
When people refuse to accept Christ, what do we do? Do we give up trying to invite anyone else? Or do we say, 'All right, there are others who will accept' and go after them?
Christ wants us to invite anyone, everyone. Who has the privilege of inviting them? You and I do. Are we really doing it? The feast of salvation is waiting for all those who are willing to come. Let's do our part in inviting them.
REMEMBER:
God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.