Eagle Of Salvation

I hear the storm
The thunder rumbles in the distance
The clouds have gathered
The sky grows dark
Will it rain down judgment?
For it is judgment we surely deserve
Your judgment, O Lord, will surely cover the earth as water

In Your wrath, remember mercy

Pour out Your mercy, O Lord
On those who seek Your face
Pour out Your grace, O Lord
On those who reach for You with both hands
Cry out to God, you who hunger for righteousness
Lift your face to heaven and implore, you who thirst for truth

O Lord, let Your holiness cover us as the wings of an eagle

The Great Eagle of our salvation
Carry us away
Away from Babylon and home to Zion
Carry us home to Your Holy Mountain
To the place where You dwell

"LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2)

"LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;" (Psalm 15:1,2)

"Send forth your light and your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell." (Psalm 43:3)

"But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time." (Rev 12:14)

"One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock." (Psalm 27:4,5)

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)

"On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.'" (John 7:37)

Cold Love Of Daughter Babylon

"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matt 24:10-13).

The word translated as "false prophets" is the Greek word PSEUDOPROPHETES: PSEUDO=false, PROPHETES=prophet.  For a long time, my understanding of a false prophet was someone who falsely claimed to receive visions and messages from the Lord.  And indeed, this is not an inaccurate understanding of a false prophet.  But a more comprehensive understanding of what is meant by "false prophet" in this context, is someone who, in God's name, teaches what is false.  Jesus is telling us that during the time immediately preceding His return, many people would teach God's word in error and deceive many people.  And because people would be taught God's word in error, they would turn away from the true Gospel of repentance and denial of self, and would betray and hate each other. 

The word translated as "lawlessness" is the Greek word ANOMIAN, which means "transgressing the (God's) law; disobedience."  Because people are being taught God's word in error, disobedience to God's laws would increase.  The backsliding of God's people would be perpetual: "Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return." (Jer 8:5); "'You who have forsaken Me,' declares the LORD, 'You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of relenting!'" (Jer 15:6).

The word translated as "love" is the Greek word AGAPE.  I had always assumed that this verse was saying that in the end times, brotherly love towards your fellow man would decrease.  But I continued to see regular examples of this type of love every day, so I was still waiting and watching for it to grow cold.  But then a few weeks ago, as I was meditating on this verse, God impressed upon my spirit to examine this verse to see what type of love Jesus was talking about.  There are four words in the Greek language for love:  EROS, PHILEO, STORGE and AGAPE (for a fuller explanation see "The Offensive Builder").  PHILEO is used to mean a sentimental brotherly type love towards your fellow man, so that's not the kind of love Jesus is saying would grow cold.  AGAPE is used to mean a love that transcends human emotion and circumstance and is centered on actively doing what God prefers.  AGAPE is a love that is centered upon God's will for mankind, that is why it is almost exclusively used when talking about the love of those within the church.  That is the kind of love that Jesus said would grow cold:  a love based on what God prefers, what God wills and what God chooses. 

We claim to be a nation of Christians, but for the most part, we are just a nation of heathens in perpetual backsliding, with a love based on what we prefer, what we will, and what we choose.  Just as God chastised ancient Israel for being consumed with idolatry, consumed with distraction and consumed with themselves, so God chastises us.  God says of us, "No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, 'What have I done?' Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle." (Jer 8:6).  We should be sitting in the dust dressed in sackcloth, heaping the ashes of our iniquity upon our heads, crying out to God for mercy, crying out to God in repentance, but instead, we have mounted upon our steeds of arrogance and rebellion, charging forward into battle to "make America great again."  Sadly, I don't think America will ever be great again because America is "Daughter Babylon" who sits in the dust.

"Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon;

sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans!

For you shall no more be called tender and delicate...

Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen.

I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.

Our Redeemer—the LORD of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.

Sit silently, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans,

For you will no longer be called The queen of kingdoms...

Yet you said, 'I will be a queen forever.'

These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them.

Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely,

who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me;

I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children':

These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day;

the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure,

in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.

You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, 'No one sees me';

your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,

and you said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me.'

Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away.

A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom;

a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you." (Isaiah 47:1-11)

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly... and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority... They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.

Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray... For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 

For if they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: 'The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.'" (2 Peter 2)

Spiritual Flower Bed

When we first bought our house, it had been sitting vacant for almost a year and a half.  The flower beds in the front were a hot mess.  There was an overgrowth of vines that crawled across the sidewalk leading up to the door.  The weeds had taken over any ornamental plantings and were 2 to 3 feet high.  The neglect of any type of maintenance was obvious.  It was apparent to anyone with eyes that there was a lot of work that needed to be done.

When I started working on clearing it all away, I started with the big stuff first.  As I worked my way down to the smaller weeds, the work began to get more and more tedious.  There were times in which all the little green shoots seemed overwhelming, like there was no end to them and I would never get done.  But I finally got them all cleared out and the surface was nice, rich, dark compost.

About a week later, I saw some shoots coming up from a place where I cleared away one of the big bushes.  The shoots were coming up because I didn't dig the plant up by the root.  So, I commenced to dig it out.  It was hard work, but I finally managed to get it all.  A few weeks later, I noticed a few green shoots here and there, randomly dispersed on the surface of the soil.  I didn't have time to weed the bed, so I left them, intending to get them later.  As the weeks passed, I walked past the bed at least two times a day, noticing the increase in the green shoots, each day telling myself I would work on it tomorrow.  What started out as a few green shoots, were now taking back over my flower beds.  Besides that, there were several vines that had begun to grow again that I thought I had removed the first time I cleaned the bed out.

So once again, I worked on the seemingly endless little green shoots that had turned into significant sized weeds.  And once again, I pulled up the vines.  After a few weeks, the vines and the green shoots reared their ugly heads again.  This time I cleared them away as soon as I saw them and it was a lot less labor intensive than the other two times.  I also added more mulch to the beds.  Because of the mulch, it took a lot longer for any of the green shoots and vines to appear again, but eventually they reappeared.  No matter what I do, the vines and green shoots will eventually reappear.  The only way to keep them out, is to do regular maintenance.

The spiritual applications of my flower bed are the same for any of us.  Whenever we go for a significant amount of time without Bible study and seeking God's presence, we get an overgrowth of the thorns and thistles of the world.  The neglect of any type of maintenance is obvious, and it is apparent with anyone with eyes that there is a lot of work that needs to be done.  If we go long enough, the roots grow large enough and deep enough to where they are difficult to remove:  roots of bitterness, rebellion, resentment, lust, worldliness, addiction and pride, to name a few.  Cutting off these types of issues at the surface will only cause them to shoot back up later.  They must be taken out by the root.

Likewise, once we get to the point in our spiritual maturity to where we have overcome the big stuff, but are now working on all the little flaws within our own character, it can seem overwhelming and tedious.  It can seem like there is no end to our own imperfections.  But eventually, you get to a point to where you can see more of the rich, dark soil of a fruitful, obedient heart.  But just like my flower beds, the vines of our fallen nature and the little green shoots from the weeds of our flawed perspective will appear again.  And if we neglect the personal maintenance of Bible study and seeking God's presence, they will eventually begin to grow deeper roots and spread, and we will find ourselves starting all over again.  Until Christ returns, no matter what we do, the vines and shoots will eventually reappear.  And just like my flower beds, the only way to keep them out, is to do regular maintenance.

"The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature. But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8:14,15)

"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended, receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it will be burned." (Heb 6:8)

"The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." (Gal 6:8,9)

Teach Me

Teach me how to love
Place the blood of Christ upon the lintel of my mind
And the doorposts of my heart
Cover me with the wings of Your grace
Do Your mighty work in me, Lord
And free me from the curse of flawed reasoning
And the bane of distorted perspective.

Teach me how to love:

To love the unlovely
To love the broken
To love the jaded
To love the proud
To love the misguided
To love the misunderstood
To love the ignorant
To love the stubborn
To love those who fail
To love those who make excuses
To love those who don't listen

Teach me how to love all these

Because this is who You love
When You love me.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same." (Luke 6:32,33)

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Cor 13:1-3)

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. It does not delight in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13:4-8)

"A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another." (John 13:34)

I Speak

Hold me close, Lord.
Show me the way;
The way to Your holy mountain.
Don't let me fear any potential mistakes I may make,
Just let me live in the sweet moment of Your grace.
Father, I seek Your face.
Tell me what I need to hear,
And help me die to the things I want
That serve only as hindrances and stumbling blocks in my path.

My child, I speak.

I speak through your circumstances.
I speak through those whom I have put in your path.
I speak in your dreams.
I speak through your children.
I speak through My written word.
Yet you say, "speak", as though you cannot hear.
You say, "speak", as though I am not always by your side.
You say, "speak", as though My love for you cannot withstand the storm.

The thorns and thistles of your life choke out My voice,

Yet you cling to them like roses.
You smear the ashes of old wounds on your face,
When I long to anoint you with the beauty of obedience.
I am the Good Shepherd.
Let Me cut away the thorns,
Let me wipe away the ashes,
Then you will see clearly the path to My holy mountain.

I am always speaking,

But you must be still and listen.
Quiet your spirit,
And you will hear My voice.

"..to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3)

"And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." (Luke 8:14)

"And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still, small voice." (1 Kings 19:11,12)

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress." (Psalm 46:10,11)

"Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell." (Psalm 43:3)

Balm Of Gilead

As I quietly watch this country self-destruct, I diligently continue to be about my Father's business, working in His fields, sowing and watering.  The only thing I pray for this country now, is what He spoke to me to pray over a year ago when I cried out to Him for a word to share with the church after the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage:   Repentance.
(*see July 2, 2015 Wood Knocks)

I watch the snowball effect of God's judgment upon our country play itself out.  I watch as we swirl the toilet bowl.  I watch, I sow, I water and I pray.  It has been roughly a year since I cried out to God for a specific word to share with His church.  Over the last few days, as I watch Americans turn on each other and hold on tight to their own reasoning and opinions, I have cried out to God once again for another specific word to share.  All last night and today, He answered that prayer by impressing three words upon my spirit:  Balm of Gilead.  So I turned to Jeremiah Chapter 8, to see what God has to say to us, and this is what it said:

Say to them, ”This is what the LORD says:

"When people fall down, do they not get up?

When someone turns away, do they not return?

Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding?

They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right.

None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, 'What have I done?'

Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.

Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons,

and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration.

But my people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’?,

when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped;

behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?...

From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain;

prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.

'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.

Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?

No, they have no shame at all;

they do not even know how to blush.

So they will fall among the fallen;

they will be brought down when they are punished," says the LORD.   

"I will take away their harvest," declares the LORD.  

"There will be no grapes on the vine.

There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither.

What I have given them will be taken from them.

Why do we sit still?

Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities and perish there,

for the LORD our God has doomed us to perish

and has given us poisoned water to drink,

because we have sinned against the LORD.

We hoped for peace but no good has come,

for a time of healing but there is only terror...

For behold, I am sending serpents against you,

Adders, for which there is no charm,

And they will bite you," declares the LORD...

Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away:

'Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?' 

Why have they aroused my anger with their images,

with their worthless foreign idols?

The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved. 

For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken;

I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.

Is there no balm in Gilead?

Is there no physician there?

Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?" (Jeremiah 8:4-22)

So many of us seek God with a divided heart without even realizing it.  Scripture says the human heart is deceitful above all else, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?" (Jer 17:9).  We try to heal our wound with our own excuses.  But the only balm that can cure our wound is repentance.  We claim to be "One nation under God", but "The Lord says: 'These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.'" (Isaiah 29:13). 

 

All of us, from the least to the greatest must rend our heart before God, seeking Him while He may still be found, asking Him to show us any way within us that is contrary to Him, bringing to our mind anything in our past or present that we need to repent of, allowing Him to wash us clean with His abundant forgiveness.  Come out from this world and be separate, love others even when they don't deserve it, grab a hold of the hem of His garment and find shelter from the time of tribulation.

"Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6,7)

"If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:6-10)

 

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?  I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." (Jer 17:9,10)

The Offensive Builder

The other day I found myself in a fretful situation, in which I asked myself, "How much of God's truth do I speak?"  Immediately after I thought it to myself, I cringed in horror at such a thought.  The reason I thought this to myself is because I wrestle with the issue of truth.  I wrestle with it because speaking truth is part of my spiritual gift, but truth can be offensive, especially when it shines light into an area of a person's life that is devoid of truth.  Sometimes I imagine God handing out spiritual gifts, and when He gets to me He says, "Here, I'm giving you a gift that will make people hate you.  Enjoy."

The Apostle Paul tells us at Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love, and at Ephesians 4:29 he says to, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen."  So I found myself asking God, "How do I speak something that is offensive, in love?  How do I build someone up when I speak truths that are challenging to their faith, which they will most likely perceive as meant to tear them down?"  His answer to me about this seeming paradox, was for me to examine the scriptures more closely. 

Ephesians 4:15 says, "But speaking the truth in love, we should grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ."  The Greek word used for "love" in this passage is AGAPE.  There are four words in the Greek language for love:  EROS, STORGE, PHILEO and AGAPE.  The word EROS was used to mean a physical or sexually intimate love.  It is where we get the word "erotic" from.  The word STORGE was used to mean the natural affection among family.  The word PHILEO was used to mean a sentimental type of love or a kindly disposition towards something.  All three of these words infer a love based on natural attraction.  However, AGAPE is a love based on choice, rather than natural inclination.

In ancient Greek, the verb form of AGAPE, which is AGAPAO, was used as meaning "to prefer", as in, a willful, purposeful love, rather than fleeting emotion.  Throughout the New Testament, AGAPE is used to denote the kind of love that is kindled by the Holy Spirit, or literally "what God prefers, what God wills, what God chooses."  Therefore AGAPE can be understood to mean "a love that transcends human emotion and circumstance and is centered on actively doing what God prefers." 

Therefore at Ephesians 4:15, when Paul says that we are to speak the truth in AGAPE to help someone mature spiritually, he is not referring to speaking in a pampering, indulgent or patronizing way.  He is not referring to speaking in a way that spares someone's feelings by compromising God's very real contempt towards sin.  He is referring to speaking truth in a way that is not influenced by personal opinions or feelings and is centered upon God's will for mankind.  And God's will for mankind is for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), and for all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).  Thomas Aquinas beautifully defines AGAPE as, "to will the good of another."  And when you will the good of another, you tell them the truth that will save them, even when it hurts.

Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen."  The Greek word translated as "building up" is OIKODOMEN, which literally means "the act of building or constructing a home or dwelling place".  Therefore the figurative meaning in the context of this verse would be, "constructive criticism and instruction that builds a person up to be the suitable dwelling place of God, i.e. where the Lord is 'at home'" (HELPS Word Studies 3169).

I have found that when I find myself frustrated when seeking God on a matter, sometimes it's because I'm not asking the right questions.  In this case, what I perceived as a paradox with my spiritual gift was simply me not asking the right questions.  Now, when I properly ask, "How much of God's truth should I speak to bring a person to repentance and build them into a suitable dwelling place for the Holy Spirit?" 

I can easily answer, "All of it."

“Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances." (Matt 22:16)

"'Teacher,' they said, 'we know that You are honest and are swayed by no one. Indeed, You are impartial and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.'" (Mark 12:14)

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16,17)

"Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Pet 3:9)

"This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim 2:3,4)

Banquet Of Scraps

The other day, when I was talking to someone about how scripture says Christians are to forsake the desires of the world and die to self, their disregarding response was, "Well, I will never be like you."  Implying that my level of commitment was not only something that they didn't think Christ required of them personally, but was also way more of a commitment than they were ever willing to make themselves.  What this person was basically saying was that they will never pursue Christ in such a way that would require them to make major changes in their life towards a radical faith and commitment because, in this particular case, this person has no desire to forsake the world. What this person fails to realize is that Christ calls all of us to the same standard of righteousness and commitment.  He calls us all to radical pursuit.  Indeed, we all have different parts to play in His kingdom, but His command to be willing to forsake everything to follow Him, applies equally to us all.

Most Christians in this day and age are content with spiritual scraps, when God has offered them a banquet feast.  Jesus speaks a parable to this effect at Luke Chapter 14, and although He is primarily alluding to the Jewish nation forsaking their Messiah and thus some of them losing their place in His kingdom, this parable can also be understood in a Christian context as well.  Jesus is Savior of us all and His commandments and the gist of His teachings apply to all of those who choose to be part of His kingdom.

At Luke 14:15, a man tells Jesus, "Blessed, happy and fortunate is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  And Jesus responds to Him with a parable about a man who gives a great banquet.  In the parable, a man planned a large banquet and sent out invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to contact each of the invited guests, telling them that everything was ready and the meal was about to start.  But verse 18 says, "But without exception they all began to make excuses."  One after another, the guests made excuses for not coming.  One had just bought a piece of land and said he had to go see it (verse 18). He made tending to his home and possessions priority over God's kingdom.  Another had purchased some oxen and said he was on the way to yoke them up and try them out (verse 19).  He made his work and personal projects priority over God's kingdom.  Another gave the excuse that he was newly married and therefore could not come (verse 20).  He made his family priority over God's kingdom.  Jesus said when the master of the house heard their excuses, "Then the master of the house became angry" (v. 21), and told his servant to go out at once and gather the poor, the blind and the lame to fill his house.

After telling this parable, Jesus turns to the crowd and says, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, in the sense of indifference to, or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God, and likewise his wife and children and brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life also-- he cannot be My disciple.  Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26,27 Amplified).  Being confronted with the stark reality of what it truly means to be a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ, is a game-changer for most of those who have long-claimed Jesus as Savior, but have never truly understood what it means for Him to be Lord of their life.

To drive home the point of His parable about the banquet feast, Jesus then tells the crowd the Parable of the Builder who did not count the cost of his endeavor, and thus, wasn't able to finish.  Jesus then concludes these teachings by saying, "So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has, cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:33 Amplified).  Notice who Jesus is addressing in Luke 14:26,27,33-- "If anyone comes....Whoever does not persevere....So then, any of you....."  Anyone, whoever, any of you---  Jesus is addressing us all.

Unfortunately, as we see in the Parable of the Banquet, and many other of Jesus' parables, not all will be willing towards complete surrender.  In the Parable of the Banquet, they had excuses.  In the Parable of the Builder, he didn't count the cost and was unable to finish.  In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:11-15), some weren't receptive (the hard ground), some weren't committed (the stony ground), and some succumbed to distraction (the thorns).  The thorny ground represents those who seem to receive the Word, but their heart would rather pursue worldly riches, pleasures, desires and lusts, "And as for what fell among the thorns, these are the people who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked and suffocated with the anxieties and cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not ripen or come to maturity and perfection." (Luke 8:14).  For those among the thorns, the things of this world take their time and attention away from radical pursuit of Jesus and His Word, and they end up making excuses for why they are unable to attend the banquet.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-- a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions-- is not from the Father but is from the world. The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God remains forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." (Rom 12:2)

"You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4)

”On hearing this, Jesus told him, 'You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.' But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. Seeing the man's sorrow, Jesus said, 'How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 18:22-24)

"So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." (Rev 3:16,17)