Proper Attire Required
/There are several kingdom of God parables in the book of Matthew. The word parable comes from a compound Greek word paraballo, when the word is separated into its two parts, it’s para, which means side and ballo, where we get our English word for ball, but ballo means to throw— the idea is to throw along side, so two thoughts are placed side by side for comparison. The kingdom of God is God’s heavenly kingdom and is also referenced in the word as the kingdom of heaven; therefore, the words kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably. The kingdom of God is like…. Each parable contains a hidden measure of truth regarding a specific aspect of God’s kingdom.
These comparisons help our physical minds perceive spiritual truths. The world we live in is temporary. The life we live now is an interview for an eternal position. The temporary kingdoms built on earth by temporary physical lives will one day be abolished and all the industrious efforts of the work that was employed in the physical realm will be judged. The work for eternal purpose will last and be rewarded. Whereas, the work for self gain and pleasure will incinerate and evaporate into a vanished wisp. It takes time for these thoughts to permeate into our spirits, that deep place where we are one with God. Our soulish man is a close neighbor to our renewed spirit that has become one with God. The soul is also a close neighbor to these members that engage the physical realm, and here, in the physical, our self breathes, feels and lives it’s temporary life. Self is connected to this temporary, physical realm as long as he remains in this earthly house.
True believers love God; however, there remains a danger of also loving self. Self can battle against the Spirit of God within us and bring us towards an even greater danger, a love for the world or the things of the world. For, we are told: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). The love of the Father in the life of the believer will produce the Jesus diet in the child of God— what is the Jesus diet you ask: Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:34). A good prayer would be, “Lord please don’t let the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches get in the way of my eternal reward.”
God’s goodness gives us the parables to enlighten the eyes of our understanding on this side of heaven, so we can more properly navigate the journey, so we can make it to the destination and receive a lasting reward when we get there: eye hasn’t seen, ear hasn’t heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man— the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.
The parables like: goats and sheep and tares and wheat and the separation of fish remind us that narrow is the way and few there will be that journey the path towards eternal life. Parables of the treasure and pearl direct the work of our lives, only when we slow down enough to ponder what the king is saying will we perceive the value of eternal life in His words. A merchant sails the seas in a quest for the best of pearls. He is driven as he crosses every ocean and scours every cove for goodly pearls and then one day, he finds the pearl and realizes that every other pearl he ever saw, ever handled, ever thought was beautiful was meaningless in comparison— now that he found this pearl. Oh how he wishes he would have found this pearl sooner. He could have saved so much time, he could have worked so much more efficiently, he could have saved himself so much stress, but what’s important now is that he found the pearl! It is the treasure in a hidden field, and it’s so brilliant, valuable, precious and real, he begins a “going out of business sale. Everything must go!” All else must take a back seat to this pearl, to this treasure that he found. His family will think he’s lost his mind: Father, mother, brother, sister, even spouses may say he’s gone too far, but if they get in the way of this endeavor, it is they who must go, not the pearl, not the treasure. He will cling to the pearl and the treasure like it is his next breath and heart beat that will oxygenate his cells. It is life, it is reality, everything else was a mirage, how could have he been so blind for so long, how could have he wasted so much time, but what is important is that he finally found it and now nothing else, nothing else will do!
And so he immerses himself in this new industry he has found. He partners with a land owner who is also the son of a mighty king. He is offered an opportunity to put his hands to the plow, put a hammer to a nail, engage in an investment opportunity and join in this endeavor. Graciously, he is given a certain value by the landowner with which to start his investment plan. And the landowner goes away on a long journey but will one day return to assess the work that was done. His work will be inspected, it will be scrutinized. Every angle, cut and measurement will be evaluated and that which was handled with great care and excellence for the right purpose, with pure motive of what was best for king and kingdom, will be gloriously rewarded; whereas, all else will vanish like a flitted wisp of an extinguished candle— that portion of the work will be consumed by the fire of God. There will be no residual or evidence that it ever existed. It will not make it into the next life.
In the parable of the wedding feast is the invitation, the opportunity to be able to participate in the joy of the king. The landowner has returned. The goats and sheep, tares and wheat, the fish in the net—it’s all been separated. The work has been assessed, the rewards are ready and they will be distributed at the banquet. Won’t you come and partake of this most joyous occasion of the king? Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye… You are invited to the most glorious banquet ever experienced by the human creation. Join the festivities, no really, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!!
P.S. RSVP by faith— proper attire required!
So let’s start there—
You’ve been called but you must be dressed for the occasion
V 12, …Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless
Isaiah, come let us reason together though sins be scarlet they can be made white as snow
Speechless- to close the mouth with a muzzle— talk time is over
Connect thoughts of the light w this parable—how did they get there knowing they weren’t saved—then the videos
Talk about those videos that describe people going towards the light and then realizing that once they got to the light, they found out that they were rejected. Imagine that moment, the human spirit rushing through a tunnel towards the light, every second drawing you closer to the light and the closer to the light the greater your heart fills with hope, and then to hear, how did you get here friend? You don’t have the right covering. You clothed yourself with the things the world had to offer. You chose your way and rejected my invitation. I never knew you: cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth— speechless
Only God can judge me
So what is this wedding garment. Its not made by Armani, Perry Ellis or Calvin Klein. It’s the apparel that the Father has been weaving since He found Adam and Eve naked in the garden and hiding within the trees— the skins of an innocent animal, skins representing a sinless sacrifice that would be fulfilled in His sinless Son— Jesus is His name.
Galatians 3:27 KJV For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:27 NIV/NASB …for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
II. The problem is you can’t just try to get in any way you want to
You have to have your name written in the book, you have to have on the right attire, and you have to go through the right door to get in:
John 10:7-11 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
“But I didn’t know screams a voice out of the throes of Hell,” That’s not true ma’am or sir. You did know. You knew, but you didn’t care. I know you knew because the Spirit has been calling since the beginning. 6 times in this story the word call or bidden was used, each time, it’s the same Greek word in all cases kaleo, where we get our word call. The Spirit is calling, wisdom is calling
Proverbs 8:1-8
In Verse 3 of the parable, the king sent His servants. He’s been sending His servants. He sent Wisdom, you heard the concern in her voice, He sent Enoch, He sent Noah, He sent Abraham, He sent Moses, He sent, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Nehemiah, He sent John the Baptist, He sent Jesus man, He sent Peter, James and John, He sent Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Matthew, Mark and Luke. He sent all them and He’s sending me and He’s sending you. He’s sending people all over the world. The problem isn’t that no one knew, the problem is that they didn’t care
Matthew 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Make light of- to be careless of, to neglect. I don’t really have any regard for that, because it’s not really relevant to me.
One went to his farm and the other to his merchandise. “Okay, it’s not really that I didn’t know, and it’s not exactly that I didn’t care. If I’m really honest, I was just really, really busy and compared to what I had to get done… I mean come on man. Little Jimmy had baseball, Billy Jiu Jitsu and Sally had dance and soccer. Both Tommy and I worked. It was really busy.
I want to spend a little bit of my time on the merchandise word. The Greek is Emporia. Ever heard of Drug Emporium
noun, plural em·po·ri·ums, em·po·ri·a [em-pawr-ee-uh, -pohr-]. /ɛmˈpɔr i ə, -ˈpoʊr-/.
a large retail store, especially one selling a great variety of articles.
**a place, town, or city of important commerce, especially a principal center of trade: New York is one of the world's great emporiums.
Ezekiel 27:1-3 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.
Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen…
Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
She’s got people trapped and many of those people are people that say they love the Lord, but they don’t even realize that they are serving self and serving her and it’s a little bit harder to see than what people are willing to admit.