Hi, friends. I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles.

Each month here on Let's Read the Gospels, we read all four books. It takes about 30 days. So by the end of this month, you have heard all four books in the Gospels.

So go ahead and make sure you're subscribed and join us as we read the Gospels together. Here's how it works. I'll read three chapters to you today.

And you can listen or read along in your own Bible, and then I'll pray, and that's it.

So today is August 8th, day 8, and I'll be reading Matthew, chapters 22 through 24. And this month, I'm reading from the message.

Matthew 22.

Jesus responded by telling still more stories. God's kingdom, he said, is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son.

He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests, and they wouldn't come. He sent out another round of servants instructing them to tell the guests,

look, everything is on the table. The prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast.

They only shrugged their shoulders and went off. One to weed his garden, another to work in his shop.

The rest with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.

Then he told his servants, we have a wedding banquet all prepared, but no guests.

The ones I invited weren't up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.

The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone. They laid eyes on good and bad regardless.

And so the banquet was on every place filled. When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed.

He said to him, friend, how dare you come in here looking like that? The man was speechless.

Then the king told his servants, get him out of here fast, tie him up and ship him to hell and make sure he doesn't get back in.

That's what I mean when I say many get invited only if you make it.

That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging.

They sent their disciples with a few of Herod's followers mixed in to ask, teacher, we know you have integrity.

Teach the way of God accurately are indifferent to popular opinion and don't pander to your students.

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