Welcome To Fathers Banquet

Welcome to the Father’s Banquet

This fasting week is not only about abstaining, but about feasting with Jesus.

The Holy Spirit invites us to the Father’s table, because:

Refreshing is nowhere else, Strength is nowhere else, Pleasures are found only in His presence

The banquet of God is not temporary. It never ends. The bread never ends. The river never runs dry.

Earthly celebrations exhaust us, but the heavenly banquet renews us.

What Happens in a Feast?

Every feast involves: Arrangement and preparation- Invitation- Food- Proper clothing

God also prepares His feast in the same way.

The King is God the Father, The Son is Jesus, The Bride is the Church

The Servants are messengers of the Gospel, ministers, evangelists, even angels

The invitations go out, but many respond wrongly. Some ignore the call because they are busy with work and life, others reject it arrogantly, and some even mistreat the servants. The King declares the feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy, so the invitation is extended outward to anyone who will come.

The Invitation: Matthew 22:1–13

The invitations go out, but many respond wrongly.  Some -

Ignored the invitation- Busy with work and other tables

Arrogant rejection- Mistreated the servants, insulting and even killing them. 

The king responded in judgment. Then he declared the wedding feast ready but those invited not worthy, so the servants were told to go to the highways and invite as many as they found. If people inside the church do not listen, then go outside and bring the invitation to those who never knew Him. 

The wedding attire

The wedding hall was filled. Yet when the king came in, he saw a man not dressed appropriately in wedding clothes. The king asked how he came without wedding garments, and the man was speechless and without excuse. The king commanded he be bound and thrown out.

“Many are called but few are chosen” mean that those who are chosen are those who respond to the invitation and then allow themselves to be clothed by God, not insisting on wearing whatever they want or doing whatever they want. Those who live according to their own desires, distracted are called but not chosen ones because they did not obey or submit.

The blessed or cursed by the company you keep

Psalm 1. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. To put it in a different point of view: blessed are those who walk in the counsel of the Lord, who stand on the word of God, and who sit or rest in the presence of God. The blessing is not about bank balance. It is about taking advice from the Holy Spirit, standing on what God has said, and living from that truth. The opposite is also sobering truth: cursed are those who walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers.

Proverbs 1: 8-15-“my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths.” The instruction was strong: do not walk on the road with them, keep your foot away from their path, do not even step there, and do not even entertain it if it does not stand on the word of God or what the Holy Spirit says.

If sinners entice you, do not consent. People can be tempted, how voices can try to pull you in with what feels right, and how the enemy plans to divert directions of people’s lives away from God’s plan. 

Certain thoughts or actions, tolerated or allowed, drag a person to a point of no return. Like a fish nibbling on bait on fish hook, thinking it can make a quick get away not realising the nature of the trap. The sermon then connected this to Isaiah 5:20–21, warning “woe” to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light, bitter for sweet, and who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight. The flesh may say something is good while God says it is not, and the warning was against relying on what seems right to our own eyes, especially when important decisions are before us.

no one has attained full wisdom, and anyone claiming to be perfectly wise is a liar, because all of us need the word of God and the Holy Spirit daily. A person who says, “I am a fool and I need wisdom,” will continue to grow, but a person who says, “I have reached it,” will be brought down. So let us humble ourselves now to receive the gift the father bestows. 

The Father bestows restoration

Luke 15 shows the prodigal returning to the father and confessing, “I have sinned. I am no longer worthy.” The father does not respond with condemnation, but with grace. He embraces him, kisses him, and immediately calls for the best robe. The kiss reflects affection and acceptance, and the embrace reflects belonging, protection, and provision. The son acknowledges his sin and unworthiness, and the father answers by restoring him completely, clothing him with a robe, placing a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. This is full restoration, from top to bottom. The contrast is clear in Judas, who outwardly kissed Jesus while his heart was turned toward money.

Acknowledgement brings grace. The Father restores identity. God does not ask a person to change first and then come, but calls them to come as they are, in humility, so that He may clothe them. Clothing is humility and love, and God is the one who removes the old, taking away guilt, shame, and former ways, and replacing them with what is new.

Longing is necessary to enter the banquet. Without longing, prayer becomes a checklist, and people remain outside the banquet hall. But when the celebration of the Lord is truly experienced, the temporary highs of the world grow dull. Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, and those who sit at the Father’s table return strengthened, filled, and renewed.

What happens at the banquet?

Psalm 23 shows what happens at the table. Prayer becomes being with Him in that banquet place, where the soul is drawn back when other things take over. “The Lord is my shepherd” is the voice of a sheep, fully dependent and without defense. Protection is found where the Shepherd is, and for the sheep, the Shepherd becomes Father, crying out “Abba.”

Psalm 23 unfolds the blessings of remaining at His table: belonging, rest in green pastures, and the Spirit working while we rest in Him. Life outside the banquet brings striving, but life in the Father’s house teaches that you work from rest, releasing control as God ordains steps and handles what you cannot.

He leads beside still waters, bringing stillness and true refreshing. He renews strength through what the world cannot give. Even in the dark valley there is celebration because He is with us. He sets a table before enemies, so taunts lose their power. He anoints with oil, like a shepherd covering sheep to protect from gnats, bites, insects, and infections, healing and guarding them. The cup overflows with endless favor, love, and provision. This is the dwelling place of the soul: the house of the Lord forever.

Exhortation

The enemy will always offer other tables, other celebrations, other distractions, but they lead only to emptiness and destruction. Today the Father is calling you back. Do not trust your own way or your own wisdom. Ask Him, “Lord, what do You want?” His invitation is open, His banquet is ready, and His presence is life.

Come now. Come with humility. Come with longing. Let Him remove the old and clothe you with truth, love, and holiness. Step into the Father’s house and feast with Him, because the refreshing you are searching for is found only at His table.