if you will, and open them to the book of Matthew.
As we continue both our training and our discussion and our building up of our skills and our understanding of evangelism.
One of the principles that we need to understand is the opposite of what we've usually been told in life.
The saying typically goes, it's quality, not quantity.
And in some scenarios in life, that is true.
Quality does matter.
But when it comes to evangelism, specifically in the realm of contacts and reaching people,
It's quantity, not quality.
At least in view of we are not the judges of quality.
As we open our Bibles to Matthew chapter 22, this might, this illustration might help us.
Jesus tells His disciples, especially those like Peter, that once were fishermen for actual fish.
It's how they made their living.
And Jesus will describe to Peter that, will make you fishers of men.
Well, when we say that Peter by occupation was a fisherman, we don't mean that Peter was involved in what the guy on the right hand side is doing.
The guy on the right hand side in this slide is standing on a boat on a lake by himself with one hook in the water.
Now I love.
appreciate Jay and Joe and some of the other fishermen here in this room, and that's a great enjoyable relaxing way to fish, but that is not how to make a living.
If you want to make your living as a fisherman, you need to have the other boat.
because the other boat is a commercial fishing boat.
And in a commercial fishing environment, you don't send one hook into the water with the exact right perfect bait for the exact right perfect catch to make sure that you get the
exact right perfect bite.
You let down a net.
and you utilize the principle of quantity over quality because there is a place in the cycle where quality will be derived, but it's not at the point of catching.
It's not at the point of contact.
It's later on that quality is measured.
So as we're going through this lesson and we're establishing this principle of it's quality not quantity, we're understanding it from the perspective of when a commercial
fisherman or a fisherman of souls goes out to fish, he's not looking for the one perfect bite.
He's looking for as many opportunities to find the right fish as he can get.
So consider Matthew chapter 22.
Matthew chapter 22, Jesus provides a parable that helps us to understand this idea.
Beginning in verse one, and Jesus answered and said to them again by parables and said, uh
as Jesus is providing us this picture, as He's showing us a picture of the kingdom, He's also providing us a picture of God.
God here represented as the head of the kingdom.
oh
The one who is the father, the king, who has a son and desires to bring those into the marriage feast of the son, he is going and he is ascending God.
The king sends his servants on a mission.
If turn to Matthew chapter 28, you will observe that Jesus carrying out God's commands and God's will sends his servants.
Matthew chapter 28, beginning in verse 18, Jesus came and spoke to them, the them is his disciples.
He spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
Go...
Therefore, and make disciples, now notice a couple of things of interest.
He does not say, make disciples of those whom you deem to be worthy and qualified and meaningful and appropriate and perfect candidates.
He didn't send his disciples to do that.
He said, rather go make disciples of all nations.
It's quantity, not quality.
He says, make disciples.
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age." Jesus sends out his disciples because God is a sending God.
If you turn over to the book of Mark, Mark chapter 16, Mark records similar.
A similar message from Jesus nearing the time of His departure and ascension back into heaven.
We read in Matthew chapter 16 beginning in verse 15, and He, Christ, said to them, go in all the world and preach the gospel to who?
To the select ones who you deem to be worthy, to the ones who appear to be the most willing to know.
Go in all the world.
preach the gospel to every preacher.
He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Consider what John writes in John chapter 20.
John chapter 20 beginning in verse 21 we read, so Jesus said to them again, peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I send you.
Jesus makes it clear that he had been sent by God the Father.
and that he was sending his disciples because he had been sent by God the Father.
We should understand.
that God is a sending God.
Verse 22, and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.
If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
Jesus sent his disciples out that people might have forgiveness.
Yet Jesus recognized that there would be some who would be candidates for forgiveness and others who would disqualify themselves from forgiveness.
It is not as though there was an offer of universal salvation without condition.
But there was a universal message and a universal hope and a universal promise and a universal solution for sin if individuals were willing to obtain it, accept it, and be
obedient to it.
But it was not the role of the disciples.
to measure the quality of whether or not someone was worthy to hear the gospel.
Rather, it was their responsibility to preach the gospel to the entire world.
You turn to Acts chapter 1.
Acts chapter 1 and in verse 8, Jesus says as He is preparing to ascend back to the Father, but you, the disciples, the apostles standing there, shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria.
uh
and to the end of the earth.
As we consider the role and responsibility of Christians to reach those who are lost in the world, we are to be focused on quantity because our mission is the entire world.
It does not mean that when we find someone who will listen, we don't...
transition to focusing on quality.
It does mean that as we're reaching for contacts, as we're reaching for opportunities, as we're seeking to bring in the fish, we want as many fish as we can possibly get so that
when we go check them out at the shore, we have the good fish that we need, okay?
Consider Jesus the Savior sent.
And because he did that because he was sent.
15 times from John chapter 5 until John chapter 20, Jesus says, the father sent me.
Why?
Because God is a sending God.
God has something he desires to see accomplished.
God desires that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And yet the only way that someone is going to come to repentance, that someone is going to be obedient to the gospel, is if they hear the gospel.
So God is focused on a universal proclamation, not a limited proclamation.
But then consider.
as well as you look at the fact that Jesus sent his servants, you see examples of this in Luke chapter nine, as Jesus sends out the 12.
You see examples of this again in Luke chapter 10, where Jesus sends out the 70.
You see examples here in this exact parable where the king sends out his servants, but notice the parable again.
Let's go back to Matthew chapter 22.
Matthew chapter 22, as we look at this text,
next.
You'll notice that verse 3 says, sent out His servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come.
Again, He sent out other servants saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready, come to the
wedding.
But they made light of it.
Go down to verse 9, Therefore go into the highways.
He tells His servants now, after these others have refused, go into the highways, and as
many as you find, invite them to the wedding.
Here in this parable we have a picture of the king who's been refused by those who are the select ones.
So the king tells his servants, you go out and you find anybody.
You go to the highways, the byways, you go to the sides of the road and if someone is lame, you pick them up and carry them.
but you fill my feast." Consider that as we look at this text, we look at verses three through verse 10, we also learn that God is a summoning God.
He is one who calls people to something.
He is one who summons them to what they should be doing, though they are often not doing it.
Consider verse 3 once again.
He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come.
Again, he sent out other servants saying, Tell those who are invited.
See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, my fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.
Come to the wedding.
But they made light of it and went their way, one to his own farm and another to his business.
And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully,
and killed them.
But when the king heard about it, he was furious.
He sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
Therefore, go into the highways, as many as you find, invite them to the wedding.
So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
To consider what Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
Paul writes concerning his time in Thessalonica.
And he writes, choose you, uh that God chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth to which he called you by our gospel.
for the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is pointing out as he writes to Thessalonica that God desires for them to share in the glory of Christ.
God desires for them to share in His glory.
God desires for them to participate and partake of the glory that He has prepared for them, so they've been called.
But Paul doesn't identify that those in Thessalonica were called by a still small voice in the night.
He doesn't identify that they were called by a feeling or a nudge in their heart or their mind.
He does not identify that they were called because they had observed some great miraculous deed.
No, rather Paul says, you were called by the gospel.
God, as He summons individuals to His glory, as He summons them to participate and partake of Christ's glory, He calls them by the gospel.
Now the king, as we go back into our text, He called some initially.
You notice there in verse three and verse four, some were called, specific individuals were called.
If you were to understand the parable itself and Jesus' point behind it, you would have understood that these in view in the parable are the Jews.
These are the ones who should have heard,
the call, the summoning to the kingdom.
They should have been aware of the message that was coming.
They should have been awaiting the arrival of the Messiah.
They should have been anticipating the message of God, and they should have been willing to hear it, to be obedient to it, to understand it.
But when the call came, they were busy.
One of them had a business to run.
One of them had a field to take care of.
One of them had cares of this world to deal with.
And so, they didn't listen.
As a matter of fact, when the second wave of servants came, they made light of it.
You can't possibly believe that the kingdom has come.
You can't possibly believe that it is time for the feast.
We're not coming.
But then some went so much further.
They not only made light of it, they killed the servants who came bearing the invitation.
as Jesus pictures the Jewish nation so overrun with self-interest.
that they would take the servants that came, inviting them to the Master's feast.
and kill them.
You see the picture of the nation that would kill the very Son of God.
And yet, some are called, and those few that are called reject the call.
But the king is not deterred.
for he sends his servants back out." And there in verses 9 and 10, you'll notice as we read, the king says, therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find.
invite them to the wedding.
So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together all.
Notice the descriptors.
Notice the use of the universal affirmative.
They didn't go, well, I'm not sure about that guy.
That guy, the way he's dressed, nope, not bringing him.
No, the command had been to go out and to bring in all that they find.
And so that's exactly what they did.
They gathered together all whom they found, both good and bad, those who were uh acceptable-looking and those who were unprepared.
Those who were willing came.
and they gathered all into his feast.
But then notice as well that God is a sentencing God.
Yes, he's a sending God.
Yes, he's a summoning God, but he is also a sentencing God.
As I mentioned, it is not our role in the point of discovering contacts and reaching out to people with the gospel.
It is not our role to predetermine who to preach to.
It is not our role to predetermine who will hear and who will not, but there is a measurement of quality.
And you'll notice as you go into the text, verse 11, but when the king came in and saw the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
Now, if we were to think of this maybe from our terms, our modern day, we would go, well, this is kind uh of unfortunate and maybe just a little bit judgmental.
After all, he sends his servants into the highways, he sends them into all the places where people were not.
uh
thinking, know what, if I get up today I'm probably going to a wedding feast.
Make sure and have my wedding garment with me.
You know, there's a high possibility that as they went through the highways they found some people who didn't own a wedding garment.
So why is the parable seeking to criticize the ones who didn't have a wedding garment?
You're missing the picture.
The king provided the wedding garments for all those who were in attendance.
The king who prepared the feast, prepared the food, prepared all the things that were necessary, all you had to do was arrive and a wedding garment was given to you to wear.
And so all those in the highways, all those who were the poor, all those who would normally not have had the wedding garment.
Matter of fact, if you were here just a few weeks ago, you remember that Louis Rushmore showed us one of those garments that was a wedding garment that men would wear in India.
Here's the point.
The wedding garment was not missing because it was unavailable.
The wedding garment was not missing because the individual didn't have access to one.
The wedding garment was not missing because the individual was unable to afford one.
The wedding garment was missing because the individual refused to wear the wedding garment that had been provided.
The king comes in and you'll notice if you look back at the text, when the king came in to see, that's the idea of to inspect.
This is his feast, this is what he has prepared.
This is what he has had in mind and this is what he has been planning.
He has spent a great deal of time, effort, money, and energy in order to prepare this feast and it will be right.
There are some individuals in life who I know who are very good at getting things perfectly right because they have an eye for is it perfect or is it not quite perfect.
And I'll be honest with you, I make their life a struggle.
because I'm more of the move hard and get it, move fast and get done.
And they're more of the slow down and get it perfect.
As a result of that, things I do may not always be perfect, but they'll get done.
Now, I have a son back there shaking his head.
Yes.
Now you look at this and the king,
He wants perfect.
He wants it exactly the way he planned it to be.
So he comes to inspect the guests.
As he comes to inspect the guests, he sees a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
Verse 12, so he said to him, friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?
and he was speechless.
You see here the inquiry.
The king doesn't jump to conclusions, but he holds him to account.
How is it that you came in without the appropriate garment on?
How is it that you have arrived here and that you are attempting to participate in this marriage feast and yet you have refused the garment?
that would have you prepared for the feast.
Here's the thing, when it comes time...
to reach individuals with the gospel.
And when you sit down and you study the gospel with them, I can assure you of this, they will understand what the gospel actually says.
because the gospel is so simple.
You have to try hard to misunderstand it.
You have to intentionally misunderstand it to get it wrong.
or you have to understand it and then refuse to obey it.
As the king inquires of the man, you'll notice that his response was to be speechless.
He had no justification for his state.
He had no ability to say, look, here's why I'm not wearing the wedding garment.
He is without excuse.
But then consider verse 13, then the king said to the servant, to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into outer darkness, there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
God, who is a sentencing God, provides not only the inspection, the inquiry, but the indictment.
God has set expectations.
God has set barriers and conditions on salvation.
And one of those conditions is we have to do it His way and not ours.
So as we examine our own lives, as we examine what we are to do, and as we consider how we are to reach those who are lost and how we are to reach those who are contacts and build
those contacts, we need to understand its quantity, and I see I'm still saying it wrong, its quantity and not quality.
Because inside that quantity are those who we would have thrown back, we would have rejected, yet they will hear, believe, obey God, and be faithful to Him.
And yet there are those who we think this is the perfect person and they will discern themselves to be unworthy of the gospel call and refuse.
But then consider verse 14, that God is a summarizing God.
As you look at the text, Jesus concludes the parable, for many are called, but few are chosen.
Some come to the text and they say, well, that's because God predestined those who would be saved and that means that he chose those in advance regardless of.
what they do, these are saved and those are lost.
No, that's not what the text says.
If you go back to the parable, the ones who heard the call initially, they were called, but they were not chosen.
But who was the reason they weren't chosen?
They were.
for they refused to hear and obey the call.
And the man who came and heard the call and arrived at the wedding feast and yet refused the wedding garment and refused to be prepared for the feast, who caused him to be in that
state?
It wasn't the king who called him.
It was the man who refused to heed the call.
When God says, many are called, but few are chosen, the ones who are not chosen.
are not in that state because God didn't desire for them to repent and to be saved.
The text of Scripture is very clear about that.
God desires all men everywhere to repent.
There's no one outside that category.
But those who will not hear and will not be obedient to the call of the gospel have chosen themselves to be removed from the salvation which God offers.
Matthew chapter seven.
Jesus, as He concludes or comes near to concluding the Sermon on the Mount, will say, "Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
One of the reasons why there are so few who find the narrow gate is actually in the very next breath that Jesus breathed as He said, beware of false prophets who come to you in
sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Jesus says there's going to be many who go forth who do not tell people the truth.
And there are many who will cause others to be devoured and destroyed and suffer destruction because they will not tell them the truth.
They will not preach the gospel that originates with God.
They will only preach the doctrines that originate with men.
So as we examine our mission, our mission is to call many.
Our mission is to consider not just those who we interact with, not just those who we meet on a day-to-day basis, not just those who we understand where they're at to be possible
contacts.
but for us to be liberal with the contacts that we think we can reach.
For us to look at that card that we've discussed so many times in recent weeks and go, you know what, there's 10 spots on here.
That's not enough, I need a few more cards.
Because I'm going to stop fishing with a hook and I'm going to start fishing with a net.
Many are called.
But if we consider the question, if we call many and the result is we get few, what happens if we call few?
What will we get?
Historically, the evidence is none.
Turn to John chapter 3.
In John chapter 3
Jesus speaks to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a teacher of the law.
He was one who should have been anticipating the arrival of the kingdom.
And as a matter of fact, Nicodemus will say to Jesus, Rabbi, verse 2, we know that you are a teacher come from God.
by the way, they knew he was sent.
For no one can do the signs that you do unless God is with him.
Jesus answered and said, Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
when Jesus interacted with Nicodemus and Nicodemus begins the conversation by saying, know that you are sent from God.
Jesus immediately follows it up with not an answer, not a discussion about whether he was or not, but the message he was sent with.
You must be born again.
Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
Jesus answered, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Twice Jesus has spoken to this teacher and given disqualifying statements.
There is someone who measures quality.
There is someone who determines entrance.
And it's the one who gave the message.
It's the one who gave the commandments.
It's the one who said, by my words, you will be judged.
John chapter 12.
Nicodemus said to him, How could a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born again?
Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born again.
The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.
So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said, how can these things be?
Jesus answered, are you a teacher in Israel and you do not know these things?
Here were the select few.
Nicodemus was on the Sanhedrin.
He was one of the seventy.
He was a teacher in Israel.
And Jesus says, you don't know this?
It is not self-evident that those who claim to be teachers from God know what God has to say.
It is not self-evident that those who claim to be speaking on behalf of God are actually declaring God's message.
So then what must we do?
We must measure the message that we hear against the originator and his message.
So if we open up the Word of God and we find that what someone has told us about salvation isn't found anywhere in the book, maybe we should have some pause about the teacher we're
listening to.
If we open up the book and we examine the book and we find what God says we must do,
we can have assurance that when we do it, we will be right in the eyes of God.
Go down just a few verses.
Jesus provides an example from Moses' life and from the time of the early Israelites of those who were willing to not understand how God was going to save them, but trust and
believe and obey anyway.
And you read there in verse 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might believe.
He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." And notice the
condemnation, and this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.
Jesus identifies to Nicodemus that there are those who will refuse the light, they will refuse the message, they will refuse the truth, not because God does not love them, not
because God did not send His Son on their behalf.
but rather because their deeds are evil and they don't want the light shown on their evil deeds.
You turn back to Genesis chapter 1 and you read in the creation account.
that God said to God, let us make man in our image and after our likeness.
When God created humanity, He created every single human who would ever live to be valuable because they're made in the image of God.
So as a result, we should understand its quantity, not quality.
Every person is worthy of hearing the gospel.
Every person should be on the list of people we need to reach if they're lost.
Because God so loved the world and everyone in it.
It doesn't matter their nationality and it doesn't matter their color.
It doesn't matter their background and it doesn't matter their stature.
It doesn't matter how old they are or how young they are.
It matters that they're a part of the human race made in the image of God and that Jesus Christ came that they might be saved.
If you're here this morning and you're outside the body of Christ,
If you're outside of the place where salvation is found, if you're outside of the place for which Christ shed His blood, that's the church.
then you need to change that.
Because there is coming a day where the king will inspect those who arrive and claim they're ready for the feast.
And some of them, it will be determined they are not.
If you're here this morning and you're outside the body of Christ, we encourage you to open up the book and study it.
And if you perhaps are like,
the Ethiopian eunuch as he was traveling and he had the book open and he was studying it and he was asked, do you understand what you read?
He said, how can I unless someone guide me?
If you would like more guidance as to what God has to say, this is the assurance we can give you.
We won't tell you anything that you can't read for yourself.
Because it is not by false prophets that you will be saved, and it is not by man's doctrine that you will be saved.
It is by the Word of God.
for the power of God to salvation is the gospel.
If you have need of the invitation, why not come forward now as we stand?