I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:
4 sermons cite this verse
… sitting down and feasting with people like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Jesus said, I tell you, in Matthew 8, verse 11, I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. And you'll be looking across the table, and oh my goodness, that's Adam and Eve right over there. Did you see Noah? Noah's right there. And that's Moses over there. And then later on, you'll be walking around and bumping into people and getting to know people. Gideon and Esther. And then later on, it's Ruth and Mary and Peter and James and John and all these people you're familiar with from the Bible. The fellowship we'll have with them, amazing. But not just them. How about well-known Christians throughout the church age Like Abraham Lincoln and C.S. Lewis William Tyndale, Charles Spurgeon, Fanny Crosby, Billy Graham Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, Pastor Chuck Smith, Charlie Kirk And all your precious loved ones Who have preceded you into glory Imagine the stories you'll share the laughter, the fellowship, oh my goodness, my heart overflows with anticipation at it all. …
… You know what the Bible said? It said in Matthew chapter 8 and verse 11, and he glimpsed in and he said, Jesus is speaking. He said, I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. My Lord, have mercy. We're going to sit down with the saints, Peter, James, and John, and Matthew, Mary, the mother of Jesus. I'll eat lunch with her and then go have dinner with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then I'll get with my people and grab my grand babies. And I don't know. I don't understand the age thing. I don't know how all that's going to go. God's got it out. If he, if he made this world like we've got it, imagine one where he is really, really eliminated because the Bible tells us more of what's not going to be in heaven than it does what will be in heaven. And I tell you what's not going to be in heaven, neither shall there be any more crying, any more sighing, any more dying, neither shall there be any more pain, neither shall there be any more sorrow for the former things have passed away and behold, all things will be new. …
This should make us long for heaven, where they spend their time so joyfully and gloriously. The saints especially have reason to be earnestly breathing after that happy state, where they may in so joyful a manner praise God. 3. This may put natural persons upon reflecting on their own state, that they have no part nor lot in this matter. You are an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. You are not one of the people of God. You do not belong to their society, that are to spend their eternity after that joyful manner, which you have now heard. You have no right nor portion in heaven. If you hereafter come and offer yourself to be admitted into this blessed society, in your present state; if you come and try to be admitted, you will be thrust out; you will be driven away. If you come and knock, and cry to be admitted to the wedding, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, all will be to no purpose! You will hear no other word except Depart! You shall be shut out into outer darkness. You shall not be permitted to sing among the children, but shall be driven out, to howl among dogs. Rev. xxii. 14, 15. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city; for without are dogs,” &c. You are m danger of spending eternity, not in joyfully singing praises, but in a quite contrary manner; in weeping, in wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and blaspheming God because of your pains and because of your plagues. You shall see others coming from the east and the west, and sitting down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God; taking their places among that blessed, happy society, and joining their voices in their heavenly music. Cut you see your lot; yon shall have other work to do. Isa. lxv. 14. “Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart; but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit.” …
Another inference, only to be hinted at, is that the needs of the Church in all ages will be the same and the supplies for the Church's needs will never vary. There will still be the table—and the table with the same items upon it—bread, still bread—nothing more than bread for food. Still wine, nothing less than wine for drink. The Church will always need the same food, the same Christ, the same Gospel. Out, you traitors who tell us that we are to shape our Gospel to suit this enlightened 19th Century! Out, you false-hearts who would have us tone down the everlasting Truth of God that shall outlive the sun, moon and stars to suit your boasted culture which is but varnished ignorance! That Truth of God which of old was mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, is still mighty, and we will maintain it to the death! The Church needs the Doctrines of Grace today as much as when Paul, or Augustine, or Calvin preached them! The Church needs justification by faith, the substitutionary Atonement, regeneration and Divine Sovereignty to be preached from her pulpits as much as in days of yore! And by God's Grace she shall have them, too! Lastly, there is in this Truth, that Christ has brought all His disciples into the position of table companions, a prophecy that this shall be the portion of all His people forever. In Heaven there cannot be less of privilege than on earth. It cannot be that in the celestial state, Believers will be degraded from what they have been below. What were they, then, below? Table companions. What shall they be in Heaven above? Table companions and blessed are they that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God! "Many shall come from the East and from the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of God." And the Lord Jesus shall be at the head of the table! Now, what will His table of joy be? Set your imagination to work and think what will be His festival of soul when His reward shall be all before Him and His triumph all achieved! Have you imagined it? Can you conceive it? Whatever it is, you shall share in it—I repeat those words—whatever it is, the least Believer shall share in it! You, poor working woman, oh, what a change for you, to sit among the princes of Christ's palace of Glory, near to your Lord, all your toil and needs forever ended! And you, sad child of suffering, scarcely able to come up to the assembly of God's people—and going back, perhaps, to that bed of languishing—you shall have no pains there, but you shall be forever with the Lord! In the anticipation of the joy that shall be yours, forget your present troubles, rise superior to the difficulties of the hour and if you cannot rejoice in the present, yet rejoice in the future which shall so soon be your own! …