2819 Church - ENTRY & END TIMES | The Wedding Banquet | Matthew 22:1-14 | Arik Hayes

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

In Week 7 of “ENTRY & END TIMES,” Arik Hayes breaks down the Lord’s weighty parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14.

All right, family, welcome to 2819 Church, man. We'll continue to say it because it continues to be true. We are a house of prayer, presence, and proclamation, man. I just want to send a special shout out to the overflow. We see you. We're planning for you. Actually, probably about 45 more days. We won't have that overflow anymore.

You're gonna be in here with us. Come on. I'm gonna say welcome to our online community, our digital disciples from all over the world, all over the country. And even though it's supposed to, we wanna keep saying this to you. We're lovingly going to give you a rebuke now.

If you're within 15, 20 minutes of us now, you shouldn't be a digital disciple. You should be with us. If you're within 15 to 20 minutes of us, Metro Atlanta, 30 probably, come join us, okay? Because we love you. All right, we also want to welcome the unbeliever. Listen, I never want to try to force a reaction, but it is your temperature. When believers that are concerned with the mission of God hear about unbelievers, they

want them to come. But when church people that are disconnected from the mission of God, they have unbelievers come in, they think they're going to mess up the church. They're going to mess up our program because they don't know what to say. They don't know how to dress. They don't know how to act. They don't know the church lingo. I believe that stinks in the nostrils of God, man.

Because you cannot disconnect the mission of the Great Commission from getting in front of unbelievers and preaching the gospel in the hopes that the Holy Spirit will prick their heart the same way it pricks yours and bring them into the kingdom while we are occupied and advancing it. So welcome to the unbeliever. I always want to make sure I give an honorable mention to our pastor. He's not here today. I just want to honor him. Listen, and this is why. So, yeah, you have an appreciation.

I have a different appreciation. One, because he does this every Sunday. I probably do it three or four times a year. Anybody that stands here, it is taxing on the soul. You probably will come by an attack of the enemy of sorts, but you also get to be used by God in a way that's just beautiful. Right? Because if you stand in this pulpit and you handle it right, you'll know that you don't deserve to be here. You realize you're just someone he uses to bring glory to himself.

If you notice that in the Bible, God is good at using a small amount of people or somebody that you don't think should have been used so that they don't get the glory that he does. Right? You know, that's actually… I'm not wearing the message. That should actually help you with your insecurity. Oh God, I don't know. I'm not big enough, strong enough, tall enough, pretty enough, fine enough, whatever.

Well, great. You out here trying to change that. No, I'm going to use that. No, come to change that no I'm gonna use that no come over no I'm gonna use you Moses said you want me to go I have a speech impediment God let me bring my people. As if God forgot the memo when he chose her. Come on. Come on. Wow.

Think I flipped through his notes? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I sent you to speak, but you have a speech impediment. I messed up. Let me tear this up. Jesus. Oh my God. Do you think our God is forgetful? No, no.

These are things you're going to use to tell your soul to speak truthfully. Do you think he forgot how you were designed? You think he doesn't know what's in your closet that you haven't dealt with yet? You think he's somehow unaware? Me and my wife, I'll get to the sermon. Amen. Right. So she does the majority of the laundry, right?

And she has a special way that she does laundry. She only wants certain things, touching certain things in the laundry, right? All the ladies, y'all with it, right? They with it, babe. She watching, right? Right? They with it, babe. She watching, right? And not that she's wrong, but I'm like, throw it all in there together. Right? Right?

Don't try to kick me off the stage. You hear what I'm saying? Right? Because I'm concerned with the strength of the detergent. I don't know if I'm going to win the ladies over with this one, but it's still true. Because if the detergent is strong enough, it's all going to come out clean. All right, 50-50 mixed reviews here. All right. Let me go where I'm really going. Right?

I don't care what you're dealing with. What harassment of the soul? What sin has entrenched itself in your very soul and you feel like it just won't let it go. You pray, you cry, you pray, you cry, you pray, you cry, you wish it would go away, you wake up, it's still there. air, the blood of Jesus can still watch you white as snow. We're on week seven of Entry and End Times, and I have the privilege and honor of bringing you this sermon that for the time being will title The Wedding Banquet. Let me pray for us. Holy Father, I thank you for being gracious and good to us and giving us a kingdom that will not fail, giving us access to the blood of Jesus that always washes clean. Forgiving us

brothers and sisters in the body of Christ to encourage us and to lock arms and do to one another's with. Even for your holy scriptures to be able to remind us of your truths that of ways you have moved with your people in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and even right now. God I decrease that you may increase here, that your love for humanity may be shown. And that the truth of your character will be shown as well. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

You mind just staying here brother? Cool. The wedding banquet. So probably every time I come up here I probably end up mentioning that I do pre-marital. I do the pre-marital class. So if you are in a long-term relationship or serious relationship and you're looking to get married, I think you should, when things open up again, it gets filled so quickly. Things open up again to come and take it, right? We talk about the truth of the gospel and love and relationships, and it's amazing man and um Actually, I had the chance to

do a wedding here recently And it's a private wedding by the way hey If you know that you want to get married and you found the one you feel like the Lord and and probably some community has a Group, right? Don't you sit here waiting till you save? $35,000 go into debt and wait another year and a half and try not to fall in the city before you get married I'll say it again Don't you let the worldly pressure of you need and having the best dress, say yes to the dress,

and have somebody come in and fix food that people really ain't gonna like. They always talk about your rubbery chicken anyway. Everybody knows that wedding food usually isn't good, and you feel like you need all of that, and you gotta buy a ring that's like $16,000 or more and the rockin' nuts you got to impress all these people and now you're over here you're not honoring God with your bodies and you're delaying for because of worldly pressures and it has nothing to do with

what God has called and he is the one that instituted marriage. I'm trying to. I want to set some couples free there. You can have a private ceremony, honor God, do what you do, come back and do a public one for everybody else, a year, five years, ten years, a destination, or just save the money and put it down on the house. Cuz I'm gonna tell you something, I'm married almost 10 years, been my wife, been together 12 years, it'll be 10 years married November 7th Lord willing. Right, I'm gonna tell you right now. we have wonderful family thank you amen she's watching hey baby I love you okay listen you have people that support you and love you and most of you will right I'm gonna tell

you when you down in the trenches it is just you and that person and God. Trying to invite somebody, I want to make sure that Shenequa from the third grade we have spoken in so many years. You don't put that over honor and God. you don't put that over honor and God. Right? But even now, man, I kind of see that in America, the wedding is really just turned into an industry of sorts. Right? It's less about the family, it's less about the union, it's more about the show, it's more about the drapes, it's more about It's more about the drapes. It's more about just things that don't matter, man.

But not so in God's day, right? So we're going to jump into something. It's actually the wedding banquet, right? But give you a little even when it comes to the Scriptures. This right here is the third of three parables that Jesus dropped on the head, like back to back to back, right? And it started with Jesus coming into the temple, teaching, and the religious leaders of the day, they essentially got upset because he was taking the clout, he was taking all the attention, They essentially got upset because he was taking the clout He was taking all the attention and they said by whose authority do you teach? They challenged his authority, okay And this is the third one at the evidence his his authority was challenged and And this is the third one after his authority was challenged. And it's already been revealed, the cat is out of the bag. They know, the religious leaders of the day,

know that after the second parable, that Jesus is talking about them. So it's already out of the bag, okay? But then he comes back, keeps his foot on his neck there, and it says chapter 22, verse one. And it says, and again Jesus spoke to them in parable saying, verse two, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

Take that down, listen. who gave a wedding feast for his son. Take that down, listen. So because what we do when it comes to weddings has kind of decreased in, I would say in importance or significance, like for instance, have you guys ever seen like a Nigerian wedding? Yes sir. Yes sir.

Yes sir. I wanna go, I don't really know, I know like one guy that happens to be Nigerian. I don't really know. I know like one guy that happens to be Nigerian. I want to know a young brother that's Nigerian. I just want to go to the wedding. Or even the Middle Eastern brothers. Like y'all seen it?

And they like dance. They're holding it like it's dope. Pastor Kenning liked to dance. He knew what was going on, right? Like you've seen it and it's so festive, right? They're not showcasing necessarily the dresses. They're showing the family to come around. So I struggled to find something in our culture where it would even replicate what they were

doing there. But think like a royal wedding, because again, this is a king who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. So I'm saying maybe Kate Middleton and Prince William back in 2011, or maybe Harry and Meghan Markle. It's a royal wedding. So think like great banquet hall. Like the kind of you walk in and like even when you have hard-bottom shoes on like you hear you hear it echo like with nobody in there it's just grand

verse 3 says and the king he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Say would not come. Take that down. Listen family. This doesn't happen Think about it. It's a king You've never even heard of someone sending out invites

RSVPs you expect them people to come? It's a wedding feast and absolutely no one shows up. You wouldn't do that to somebody who's just regular. This is a king. There's another thing here, right? So we don't really know what kingship is like here on our earthly because we vote people in and vote people out. Whether you like them or you love them, in and out, you know, you vote them. You have power to do so. Not so with the king. If you live somewhere and there's a king, you do your best to honor the king, lest you find yourself on the other side or the bad side of the king So the king invited them and they would not come not could not come

It's a parable So what are you doing there come into the text with me what what's the king and the son just sitting there It's a parable. So what are you doing there? Come into the text with me. What is the king and the son just sitting there? Waiting. Waiting. People were invited.

We're expecting them to show up waiting. What was his response? Verse four, and again he sent other servants saying, my God, tell those who are invited, see, see I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast. How much humility as a king do you display there? You're a king!

They spurned your request! I'm not coming! Isn't that like at the height of disrespect? And check me out, it's just not me. You're spurning my son. Now keep it apart. You can deal, especially me, you can deal with some disrespect by yourself. Deal with it.

Let your child be standing there. That's a different level. I can't even necessarily explain it. It just puts some additional pressure on the situation. Didn't respond like that, man. See what you're missing with me? See what I have prepared for you? You're not eating like this at home. I know you're not. You don't have a feast at home. I know you don't. I'm the king. Come celebrate

with me. Come enjoy this moment with me. I prepared it just for you. I'm the king. I can eat like this anytime I want. But this is a celebration. Even told on the menu, man. Just come check us out. Verse 5, we'll do 5 and 6 together. It says, but they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm and another to his business. And While the rest seized his servants Treated them shamefully and Killed them right so cats out of the bag even after the end of the the last parable right so the King is God

This is Jesus speaking the Son is him Right and the people that were invited they were the religious leaders that you listen to the people that came to challenge his authority Okay were invited, they were the religious leaders that you listen to and the people that came to challenge his authority, okay? And while that is the case, right, they did reject the offer of Christ. Can we talk about America for a second? Isn't that us? Now before we get to the treating them and killing them, right, aren't we just busy with our own business? Aren't we just going to work and getting degrees and going to work out and scrolling on social media and chilling with them and doing whatever and just ignoring the call from God at times, as if the breath that you're

using to even enjoy those things didn't come from God. And that's the thing, we don't necessarily think, we don't treat that as sinful right we'll get to the next verse and that absolutely is Right, but it is sinful when you're designed and you're called to come and have a feast with the Father Verse 6. So while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and then killed them. I'm going to slow down right here. If you seized the servant, that's bad enough. Already serious reproach there. If you just treated them shamefully and just disgraced them and sent them back, that's

bad enough. But now you killed him. How evil and demonic can you be when I offer you to come and have a feast with me? He didn't even say, show up and do no work. Just come and sit down. I have prepared the feast, egg, salvation for you. They said, no. They either ignored them and they killed the servants. Some ignored, the rest killed. This is the king's response, verse 7. It said, the king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned

their city. Take that down. Listen, can you give me grace to grow as a preacher? Can you do that for me? I'm gonna be very honest with you. Well you said yeah, right? So if you judge me that's on you, right? I don't really like preaching this. I feel sometimes it makes the gospel a little less palatable But the truth of the matter if you reject Christ there is wrath stored up for you

If I do not give you the whole gospel I Bastardized the gospel and I do you harm And I I love you too much for that There was wrath stored up for you if you reject Jesus That is the gospel. Come to the wedding feast. There's an offer for you. There's a seat at the table for you.

If you reject him, there is hell to pay. That is the gospel, beloved. If I give you all grace, that's part truth. If I give you all wrath, still part truth. It's grace and truth meet at the cross where Jesus is. Beloved, you don't have a more important decision to make. No look at me. You don't have a more important decision to make. You don't have a more important conversation.

You don't have anything on your agenda or your to-do list that is more important conversation. You don't have anything on your agenda or your to-do list that is more important than this. You don't have a relationship that tops this. Listen, I love my wife. I love my children. The gospel trumps them every time. I Love you you love me some of y'all known me for 10 years. I love elder miller. I jump over the table for him It comes to the gospel it trumps that love I love pk. You love pastor Kenny People know me for a decade. I love we cried together. We've done ministry together Seen Frank for 10 years used to be on the praise team for like two or three years.

We've done battle, war, praise. Listen. We're here under the banner of the gospel. That's what pulls us together. If we ever lift one of us over the gospel, you know what that turns into? That turns into idolatry. And that may sound harsh. No, that is what keeps the family together.

So when you see somebody get out of line, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Come on back over here. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, come back over here. It's the gospel, it's the cross. Are we going to go 8 through 11? Then the king said to his servants the wedding feast is ready Lord have mercy, but those invited were not worthy

Hmm king has another plan go therefore to the main roads and Invite to the wedding feast as many as you can find. And those servants went out into the roads, some of y'all go already, in the roads and gathered all whom they found both good and bad. Say good and bad. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. Listen, listen, listen. Some of y'all know where I'm going. Listen, listen. He grabbed the good and the bad. He was rejected over there. He says, I know some people that will accept me, right?

Anybody glad that he went another route and he was accepted by people, by people that were not originally invited to the party. Grabbed the historical context. The kingdom of God, Israel, and Jewish people. They had no idea what they had. But the king, God, and out of the sunset, okay, I'll find me a people that want to come and eat with me. Going to the main way. Fine, but, but, but can you people don't look like, bring them.

They don't really talk like, bring them. Or they from Philly in New York, bring them. Their little ruffler on the edges, bring them. Their little vibe, bring them. But they smell like the club. Bring it. Yeah. Oh, they got a past.

Bring it. Oh, my. Come on. Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Bring it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. My kid. They got X, Y, Z affliction. Bring it. Yeah. They want to come eat with me? They wanna come to the wedding feast? They wanna honor me and my son?

Bring them. Jesus, Jesus Christ. And he said, so the wedding hall was filled with guests. Everything's looking good now. He was rejected, people spurned. Now we have guests that for all intents and purposes were grateful to be there, because they realized they didn't even get the original invite. I don't even belong in the room with the kid. along in the room with the kid.

I ain't never seen nothing this nice. I ain't never ate this good. A seat for me? Absolutely. A drink for me? Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. You know what that smells like?

Grace. You know what comes out of your heart gratefulness Alright family, I'm about to take a shift on you though. We're going to take it together though, alright? Alright man, we got the guest in there. Everything looking good. Verse 11 it said, But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man, say a man, who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment and he was speechless. Say speechless.

Verse 13. It says, 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 For many are called but few are chosen I Think my sister said and I agree the word is good by itself. All right, check me out No wedding garment. Okay. This may sound harsh. Naturally, someone's gonna sound harsh period, but let me do a little explaining of the culture. Back then in the Jewish days, when you were invited to a wedding, quote into research, the king would also provide wedding garments for you. And the type of garment would reflect the glory of the king.

So not only do you get an invite, you got a wedding garment. So, not only do you get an invite, you've got a wedding garment. So when he asked him, where is your wedding garment, he was speechless, which indicates he either rejected the wedding garment or he thought he'd get in there another way. I come to tell you today, the believer is clothed in righteousness by the blood of Jesus, bathed with the manuers' blood on the cross of Calvary, because Christ provided the way. Jesus said, I am the way, not anyway, be way, be true, be alive. No one coming to the Father but by me. So I don't care where they started and what they look like, I got the right wedding garment for them. I provide. I declare righteous. I am the King he satisfies his own requirements for righteousness in Jesus Christ. We just have to believe in him and we are righteous.

Jesus is the way. He is the truth and he is the life. I'm going to stay here. He is the way. He is the truth. And he is the life. I'm going to stay here. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. In light of this truth, to come and grow your or go and try to grow your spirituality in any other way. In light of this truth seems foolish and even worse, it will lead you to damnation.

And this was their problem, man, the religious leaders. God came in a way that they did not like, they did not expect, and they rejected the son and that means they rejected the father. And there is wrath stored up for you if you reject the son. That's what all this is about, man. All these songs, all these sermons, all the merch, all the online, the dope creative team, dope worship team. That's what this is all about. It's all about this, man. We doubling down on this. Clothing righteousness.

How can you give just a little more, a little more, right? As far as God's concerned with clothes, even before we go and see him, we'll get clothed in a glorified body. that also he provides. All of your striving, cut it out. Come into the wedding feast and honor the son. Honor the son, love the Father. Believe, excuse me, unbeliever if you're in here, if you're listening, hear overflow, record it alive. We can't apologize for this because it's the truth of God's Word.

We didn't come up with this plan of salvation. We are charged, however, with communicating it. Believer, this is the same message you are to communicate as well. Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. Even if you've got to do it with tears in your eyes. Anybody with a soul doesn't want somebody with that sentence. You don't want them going there. This gives you motivation, and it gives you the urgency of spreading the gospel. Hey, man, come eat with me and my father.

And also escape wrath. Both are true. I'm gonna close right here by your heads. I'm not gonna try to coax anybody, man. I believe this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Believers if you don't mind, start praying with me. If there's anybody who is not a believer and you want to be saved, throw your hands up. Throw your hands up so I can see you. Overflow, throw your hands up. I see that hand over there.

Lord, I pray you would meet them where they are, God. Meet them where they are, God. Meet them where they are, God. That you would save them, God, through faith in Jesus Christ. They will come to the knowledge of you. Bring them into the kingdom, God. Do faith in Jesus Christ. Wrap your arms around them, oh God. Do your supernatural work as only you can.

As you've already saved many of us, God. It's not something that can be conjured up. We need your Spirit, oh God, to do the work in the souls of men and women so that the outcome will be salvation. Lead them into your truth and your Word, God, around people that believe in you, that they can withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one until they meet you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

One more. If you are a Christian, because I've been there, if you are a Christian and when you think of Jesus coming back, fear grips your heart. Like a party gets unsettled and you're scared. It's quite possible because you're not all the way in. Can I tell you a quick story? I think it was like March 4th. It had been 10 years. It was 10 years since I moved to Atlanta, right?

And I was saved, but I just wasn't all the way hand to the plow the way I felt like the Lord wanted me to. Okay, now ironically, it actually involved me moving from Durham, North Carolina, leaving my then girlfriend, now wife, coming down to Atlanta, finding a job, and being at then Victory Church, ATL, and now 2019 church, right?

Because I'm more in alignment with what he assigned me to do. So now when I think about him coming back, I want to see him so bad. I want to see him so bad. So if you're a believer and fear grips your heart and you think of Jesus coming back, something is off. I'm not saying you went out and out this crazy rebellion, but I'm going to guess there's a little bit of rebellion somewhere because the lover of our soul is coming back to get us. So if that's you, raise your hand.

Raise your hand. Raise your hand. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Stand up. I'm going to pray for you right now. Stand up.

Stand up. I see you, fam. Stand up. I see you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We going all in on this kingdom thing, boy. We going all in on this thing, boy. Everything we got because he's paid for it.

Yeah. Yeah. Enemy don't like that. He don't like that. Because if he can keep you one in and one out, he can almost neutralize your effectiveness in the kingdom. Pray a team. Pray with me.

Holy Father, I thank you for today. Thank you for your gospel. I thank you for these few that have raised their hand and stood up. You know the thing or things that are impeding their soul from going all in. Whether it's fear, whether it's a love of someone or something or some lifestyle or some vice or some idol or something or God or something demonic God I pray God I pray God that by your might and your spirit that you would shatter it that you would give freedom

that you would give freedom. I feel like even that freedom may just come in the form of truth over believing a lie. God, you are greater. You are better. You are more fulfilling. You are truth. You are light. You are life. You are good. You are light. You are life You are good. You are holy

You are righteous. You are trustworthy You are king Glory to the Lamb of God Pray God you would flood their souls with that truth Until it breaks anything under it They were walking your glory and walking your light have your way I plead the blood of Jesus over them God I pray that you would keep those until they fall asleep or you crack the sky to come and get us have your way have your way God love on your people God give us the grace to love on your back with the love

that you deserve and you shown on Calvary freedom in the name of Jesus freedom in the name of Jesus break in the name of Jesus I got a break in the name of Jesus. Break in the name of Jesus. Break in the name of Jesus. Freedom in the name of Jesus. Do your work, Holy Ghost, as only you can. Do surgery in the hearts of men But you only cut to heal So Jesus name I pray and Jesus victorious name I pray For you always cause us to triumph in Christ. Always. Jesus, stand and pray. Amen.

Amen.