HOW IS YOUR WEDDING GARMENT COMING ALONG?
Key Passage: Matt 22:1-10
Present theme: Lifestyle of service – expecting eternal reward.
Background to this passage: Matt 21:43
· Israel rejected the offer of the Kingdom.
· It is given to a nation, bringing forth fruits.
· Titus 3:14 “acquire the habit of” good works – so not unfruitful.
· 1 Pet 2:9 “we” (those who believe) are: a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.
· vs12 gentiles behold your good works and glorify God.
1. Invitation to Royal Marriage Feast
a) To Israel:
· Response – would not come, made light of it, ill-treated the servants.
· Example: John Baptist – beheaded; Jesus – crucified; James – killed with sword.
· Acts – beaten, imprisoned, stoned.
· vs 7 City of Jerusalem destroyed by Romans 70AD.
b) To Christians:
· Matt 28:19,20 Go … all the world. Teach, disciple.
· Acts 1:8 Jerusalem – Judea – Samaria – uttermost parts.
· “Highways” = routes going out from Jerusalem.
Message to unsaved:
· Acts 16:31 “Believe of the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”.
Message to believers:
· “another nation”
· “bid to the marriage feast”
· Reward in next 3 parables:
* Enter into marriage feast (joy of Lord).
* Made ruler of many things.
· How many Christians make light of this fact today?
· How many Christians are even interested?
2. The Wedding Garment
Rev 3:18 Buy gold tried in fire and white raiment so you are clothed.
Rev 2 and 3 Subject under discussion = overcoming.
(Only Christians are in a position to be overcomers).
Rev 16:15 Watch, keep garments, so not naked and ashamed = being overcome.
NOTE:
All Christians:
· are not separated from the love of Christ.
· have the righteousness (singular) of Christ because of what Jesus did.
Yet, we can appear before Christ naked and ashamed.
or Rev 19:7-8 We can make ourselves ready or “put on” a robe.
· Fine linen = righteous acts (plural) of saints (not Christ).
· ie by habitually living righteously by His grace, through faith and obedience, we weave our wedding garment!
· If we do not do this, the linen will not be there.
Col 3:10-15 (You) “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ, clothe yourselves.
Rom 13:14 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ – make no provision for the flesh.
Eph 4:22 “Put off” – old way of life. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. “Put on” – new nature, “new creation man”.
3. Appearing Without a Wedding Garment
Greek means:
· “Friend, what are you doing here without a wedding garment, knowing that a wedding garment is required and you have deliberately refused to provide one for yourself.”
· Man was speechless – there was nothing he could say.
4. Outer Darkness
Is not the same as “hell”.
Matt 25:30 Unprofitable servant cast to ‘outer darkness’. Gnashing of teeth Þ great grief.
Means:
· Place of darkness just outside light (of marriage festivities).
· Servants of the Lord which are excluded from the radiance of the banqueting house experience great regret.
Verse 14:
· Many called (saved) “kletoi”.
· Few are chosen, “called out”, “ekletoi”
· ie removed from the first group (from among the saved).
· In tabernacle – Holy of Holies – 10 x 10 x 10 = millennial reign. Rev 20:4
· This realm was lit by the Shekinah glory of God.
· When the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, everybody else went back outside to the courtyard. Lev 16:17
· The Holy Place – 20 x 10 x 10 = ‘church age’, 2000 years.
· When that which is perfect is come, that which is ‘in part’ shall be done away. 1 Cor 13:10
We have the responsibility:
· to prepare ourselves.
· to clothe ourselves.
· “put on” the nature and lifestyle of Christ.
· not “as eye service”, not “performers”.
· but as an outflow of the new creation man (the life of Christ within).
· with a healthy respect for the day of reckoning. Heb 11:26
· and the offer of the Kingdom – to ‘a nation’ bringing forth ‘Kingdom fruit’.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Remember to make sure you have enough time for the last two questions – “what does this mean for me?” and “what will I do about it?”
1. If you could choose one unusual thing to do (or redo) for your wedding feast, what would you do?
2. Why is this banquet being held?
3. What do you learn about those who were first invited?
4. Who did the king eventually invite?
5. What was the problem with the one guest? (vs 11-12)
6. What does this mean for us?
Break up into pairs/triplets to look up one reference per group:
Rev 19:7-8
Col 3:12-15
Rom 13:14
Eph 4:22-24
7. a) How prepared do you feel for the wedding banquet?
b) What would you like to do in response to this parable?