Good morning.  This morning, we are going to finish our series that asks the question, “Why?”  Why do we do what we do here at Fly Branch Church Of Christ.  We have just about worked our way through our service, and today, we come to the end.  Quick review: Week 1, why do we spend time in worship each week?  Week 2, why do we take communion each week?  Week 3, why do we take up an offering each week?  Week 4, why do we help support missions?  Week 5, why do we have a sermon each week?

Now, stay with me for just a short time.  This morning is going to be a short and sweet thing, so that we can get to the main thing.  This week, we end our “Why?” series with the question of, “Why do we offer an invitation each week?”

Prior to Nellie and I getting married, and most of you did this as well, we invited as many people as we could to our wedding.  We obviously wanted our physical families to be there and to share in our special moment.  We wanted our spiritual families there.  And at that point, there were 3 churches that we knew people from, and we wanted them to be there.  We invited friends, and other family.  Our postage bill was outrageous, but we were so excited that we were willing to pay the price.

But, when it came time for the wedding and we looked around, only about half of the people we invited actually came to the wedding.  Of course, they all had their excuses.  “It’s too far away,” or, “I just don’t like weddings,” or, “I can’t come to a wedding this close to Christmas.”  And still others had prior engagements that they just couldn’t get out of.
I can’t help but to compare this to the parable that Jesus told of the great banquet that we find in Luke 14:16-24.  If you have your Bibles with you, you can go ahead and turn there.  Again, it is Luke 14:16-24.  Now, in this passage, Jesus tells us a parable, or a story about a great banquet that went terribly wrong.

Listen to His parable, Luke 14:16-24 says, “1”

Now, before we take a look at today’s question, let’s begin with a word of prayer.  Let’s Pray!

So, why do we offer an invitation each week?

Well, when the word of God is shared, it clearly communicates a message, and usually it tells us of something that we need to do.  And then it demands a response.  In this parable that Jesus tells, it talks about accepting or rejecting the invitation.  People need a chance to accept or reject.

The question is, what are you going to do with Jesus?  Accept Him, or reject Him?  Invitations are all through the Bible especially in the New Testament.

John wrote in Revelation 19:7-9 about the invitation and this is what he said, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.  Then the angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!  These are the true words of God””

In Acts, chapter 2, Peter offered an invitation at the day of Pentecost.  The scriptures mention that 3,000 men came forward and were baptized.  But how did they know when to come?  Well, Peter probably asked if anyone would like to come to Jesus and be baptized.

In fact, if we look at Acts 2:37-38 we see these words, “…when the people heard all of this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.””

And in verse 41, we see the response.  “…those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”

You see, the invitation was offered and there were some who definitely accepted the invitation.  But it is also clear that there were some that didn’t, for reasons that we may never know.

It is the same when we offer the invitation time here each week.  There are some that will answer the invitation and will come forward, and there are those who don’t for some reason or the other.

So, why do we have it, and who is the invitation time meant for?  Let’s spend the time that we have together this morning to answer this question.

First of all, during the invitation time, it is especially good if you are already a Christian?  Maybe you have a serious prayer need in your life and you need the entire church body to pray for you.  Or, maybe you just want somebody, me, one of the other leaders, or another member here at church to pray with you.  You may be going through a sickness or a trial or battling something in your life.  You may just need encouragement.  Whatever it is, you just need someone to pray with you.  If that describes you, then the invitation time is for you.

So, the invitation time is for those who are already Christians, but are in need of some extra prayer.  But that’s not all.

Invitation time is also for immersed believers to become a member of this church.  You want to be a part of this congregation.  You like the church, you like the people who are here, and you like everything that you see about the church.  If you are a Christian, an immersed believer, we give you the opportunity to come forward and place your membership here with us.

So, if you are here today and you have a desire to place your membership with us here at Fly Branch Church Of Christ, then the invitation time is for you as well.

Now, the invitation time is for Christians who need a little extra prayer with something that they are dealing with or going through.  It is also for those that are already Christians to have the opportunity to come forward and place their membership with us here at Fly Branch.  But, there is one other group that I would like to address this morning.

Today I want to talk about the most important reason that we have an invitation each week, and that is for those who are not Christians to have the invitation to salvation.

The evangelist Knowles Shaw baptized more than 11,000 people before his tragic death in a train accident.  His last words were, “…it is a grand thing to rally the people to the Cross of Christ.”  Well, that is exactly what the invitation time is designed for.  It is done as a way to rally people to the cross.

The end result of hearing God’s Word should be an invitation for people to accept Christ for salvation.  This can be some of the most exciting times in the church.  It is also an exciting time in Heaven as well.  In Luke 15:7 it says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

You see, it is the most important moment of the service for the sinner or for those outside of Christ.  It is the opportunity for them to enter into, or restore their relationship with God.

Peter on the day of Pentecost preached before thousands of people.  When he finished the preaching, they were cut to the heart, and asked Peter, “What shall we do?”  Well, that should be the reaction to any Biblical message.  What shall we do?  The Bible lays it out in such a simple way.  We are to believe in God and His Son Jesus.  Later on, Peter also says that he who does not believe is condemned already.

So, when it comes to accepting this invitation, there are a few things that we have to do.  One, we have to have sorrow for what we have done and we must want to make a change.  That is what we call repentance.  In other words, we need to turn our backs on sin, and turn our faces toward Christ.

Then we need to confess before others Jesus as the Christ.  Romans 10:9 says that, “… if you confess with your mouth that, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved.”

After that, you have to be baptized, which means to be immersed, or to be put completely under the water.  Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Everyone is looking for a spiritual experience.  Baptism is the ultimate spiritual experience.  Baptism is something that you do, but it is something that is done to you as well.  You are receiving, because that is when God’s Spirit comes upon you.  Baptism is your way of symbolically participating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Baptism is central to the gospel story.

So, that is who and what the invitation is for, mainly being so that people will come to Christ.

But one more question, “Is the invitation time open only on Sundays following the sermon?”  And the answer to that question is “No!”  It is open at any time.  Even after we leave those doors, and the lights are turned off, the invitation is still there, most just a call or a visit away.

Most ministers while they are serving in churches will be called out at all kinds of hours because people have thought about their salvation and are ready to accept Christ, and they wanted to be baptized right now.  In fact, when I was baptized, it was not at a church service, the decision did not come right after a sermon on Sunday morning.  It came during the week, one evening, and my minister met me at the church, and with a couple of the elders, I was baptized.  So, the invitation is always open.

However, just as we read in our scripture earlier, people will make all kinds of excuses not to accept Jesus, they make all kinds of excuses not to be a part of the church, and they will make all kinds of excuses not to go forward for prayer.

I’m amazed at how many people go through life without ever stopping to think about their relationship with God.  They have time to work 40-50 hours a week.  They have time to go on family vacations.  They have time to raise their kids and have fun and play games.  They have time to go fishing, hunting, shopping, to the movies, and many other things, but they don’t have time for the most important person in the whole world.  They don’t have time for God.

And in all of this, God is saying, “Come on now, let’s talk about this.  Let’s put aside the sins and the mistakes of the past!  Let’s talk about the future.  Let’s talk about the things that are truly important!”

The scripture says in Isaiah 1:18 to, “Come NOW! Come NOW and let us reason together!”  You don’t know how many people have said to me, “Josh, someday, I’ll give my life to Christ.  Someday, I’ll make my peace with God.  Someday, when my life isn’t so crazy and hectic, I’ll get back to church.  Someday, when I straighten my life out, I will start going to church.”

But more often than not, that “someday” never comes.  You know why?  Well, number one, because people who procrastinate about their relationship with God have their priorities out of whack.  And secondly, because God’s promises are not for “someday,” they’re for “today.”  They are meant for right now!  Isaiah 55:6 says “Seek the Lord while He may be found!”

The implication is that if you don’t look for Him now, you might not find Him later!  And II Corinthians 6:2 says, “Today is the day of salvation!”  Not tomorrow, not someday, but today!

There’s a scene in the movie Rocky 3 where Apollo Creed is training Rocky Balboa for his return fight with Mr. T.  Rocky is having a hard time getting up for the fight.  His mind is on a million different things.  And Apollo says to him, “What’s the matter with you?  This guy will kill you to pieces!  We’ve got to get down to some serious training!”

And Rocky said, “I can’t today, Apollo, maybe tomorrow.”  Apollo got up in his face and said, “THERE IS NO TOMORROW!  THERE IS NO TOMORROW!”

Well, I believe that is what God would say to some of you today.  “There is no promise of a tomorrow.  There is no guarantee that you’re going to get a second chance at this.  So take me up on this offer today!”

Now, the final thing I want to mention, is that we offer an invitation each week so that we have the opportunity to answer, and so that we can have the rewards that are waiting for us when we leave this earth.  Some of those rewards include forgiveness, freedom, and an intimate relationship with an all-powerful God who answers prayer, and having your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  But the greatest of these rewards is being in Heaven with God for all of eternity.

I love Psalm 103 because it lists all of the rich rewards we have in this life when we give ourselves to the Lord.  Verse 2 says, “Forget not all His benefits.  Who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion?”

Those are the blessings that God wants to give to every single person in this room today.  Is there a better time to come back to the Lord than right now?  Is there a more golden opportunity than this?

No there isn’t.  Hebrews 3:7-8 says, “TODAY, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.”

Remember, there is no guarantee of a tomorrow.  Now is the time to make things right.  Now is the time to give your life to Christ.  Now is the time to make your peace with God!  Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.  Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.

So, will you accept this personal invitation from God?  I can’t answer that question for you, only you can.  But I sure hope you do.

As we approach the invitation time today, it is simple.  You have heard why we offer an invitation each week, so today’s invitation is a no excuse Sunday.  If you want to give your life over to the Lord, then there should be no excuses.  If you want to be a part of this church, then today is a no excuse Sunday.  If there is something that you need some extra prayer with, then today is your day, nothing to hold you back.

If you have any decision that you need to make, then this invitation time is for you.  TODAY, is your day, no excuses.

Let’s Pray!