Put the robe on

I’ve been studying Matthew 22:1-11 this week.  The chapter starts with a parable about a wedding feast.  Parables are not true stories but stories Jesus would tell to make a point.

Jesus is telling this story to a crowd of Jewish Pharisees and scribes who don’t want anything to do with him. They think they are good enough and that they don’t need Jesus.

Verses 1 & 2  - “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.”

Who does the King represent in this story?

God is the King and he prepares a wedding banquet for his son.

Who is his son?

Jesus.  Jesus is telling the story about the big wedding feast that God is preparing for him.  The Bible refers to this in the book of Revelation.  What happens at the end when Jesus comes back? There is basically a big wedding feast; a big party. Who gets to go to that party?  People who have placed their faith in Jesus.

Verse 3 - “He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.”

So who is Jesus talking about here?  Who refuses to come?

The people he is teaching right now.  These Jewish Pharisees and scribes don’t want to come. In fact, they are actually planning to kill him.

Verse 4 - “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’”

This king appears to be quite a generous guy.  He sends out the invitation. The people refuse him. And he invites them again.  He is kinder than I would have been. 

What happens next ….

Verse 5 - “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.”

These are people who don’t want to come.  They don’t care about the King’s son.  They don’t care about the party at the end.  They are going off and do their own thing.

Verse 6 - “The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.”

Any idea what Jesus is referring to here?

In the Old Testament, the prophets would come and say repent and sometimes the people would actually kill them.  Jesus had a relative that was killed recently. Who was that?  (John the Baptist)  And Jesus is about to get killed.

Verse 7 - “The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”

The King is mad and rightly so.  They’ve killed his servant and refused to come to the wedding feast.

Verse 8 - “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.”

This is a key part.  Jesus said - Those I invited did not deserve to come. They weren’t worthy to come to the feast. 

Why is it that they aren’t worthy? What have they done?

They refused the King’s invitation to the wedding party for his son.  They didn’t want to be bothered. They said, “We don’t need your party.”  We’re good enough. It is because of this attitude that the king says they aren’t worthy.

If you find yourself thinking I want Jesus. I want to be there with the King’s son. I want to be at the wedding party at the end.  Then that is a good sign that you aren’t one of the unworthy ones that are spoken about here.  If you love Jesus then you aren’t unworthy.  Even Christians make mistakes.  Our mistakes don’t disqualify us.

The only people who are unworthy are the ones who have chosen not to have anything to do with Jesus.

Verse 9 - “So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.”

Wow – what a generous king!  Invite them all in. They can all come.

When you were reading about the first guests, were you thinking about all the wealthy people being invited?  Here the king says – go and get everyone.

Verse 10 -“So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

What – both bad and good?

They were all invited to the wedding party.  The king doesn’t have a problem with bad people. (The way society views people as bad)  Who do you think are bad people?  thieves, liars, murderers…  What does it take for me to be called a thief?  Did you ever take someone else’s pencil and not give it back.  You knew it wasn’t yours….  does that make you a thief?

I am still trying to figure out how that works? The king and his son are going to have a big party at the end and bad people are going to be there.  When I have a party I don’t usually invite bad people.  I don’t want my house trashed.  I don’t want my stuff broken or stolen.  I just don’t want “bad” people in my house.  Not this king.  He said bring them all in.

Verse 11 - ““But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.”

So the king comes in and sees all the people.  Does he say, “hey, why are there bad people in my house?”  No.  He knows they are there. 

What is the one thing he spots?

In that culture, when you went to a wedding, there were special clothes you would wear – especially if it is the king’s wedding party.  In fact, some kings actually provided the clothes for the guests to put on.

All the people put the robes on – good and bad.  That is all except one guy who said, “I’m not going to wear this thing. I don’t need this robe. I’m fine the way I am.” And so he is at the party without the robe.

That is the thing that the king spots.

What is this robe?

Remember this is a parable and the robe symbolizes something.

All the people wearing the robes all look the same. The good and the bad.  It doesn’t matter that they are bad. It looks like they have never sinned. They look like the righteous.

Except the one man. Look how the king responds to the attitude the man has who thinks he doesn’t need the robe.

Verses 12&13 - “He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

This is an image of hell.  This person can’t come into heaven. He isn’t clothed the right way. He is a bad person. He can’t come to the party. He will ruin the party. He must have the robe to come to the party.

All of these robed people who are at the party, is it because of anything special they have done?   No.  They simply accepted the invitation to come and put on the robe.

Jesus says in verse 14,“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

God says to the whole world, “Come to my party.”

Some people say, “No, I don’t want to come.”

Some say, “I’ll come but I’m not wearing your clothes, I’ve got my own righteousness. I’m good enough.”

Still others accept the robe from the king and put it on and go to the party.

The robe symbolizes the offer of salvation.  It is a free gift offered to every person.  You simply have to choose to accept it from God. Once you accept the gift of salvation, his robe of blood covers your sin.  The fun part about this robe is once you put it on, it doesn’t come back off.  Your name is now written in the Lamb’s book of life and you are going to the big party with Jesus.

In summary, God has sent you an invitation for the wedding feast. What choice will you make?

Will you ignore it because you have better things to do?

Will you get mad at the person who delivers the invitation.

Will you try to come without your robe?

Or, will you accept the invitation, put on the robe, and party with Jesus.

 

Ok – now that you’ve read it.  This is my lesson for Junior Church on Sunday.  What do you think?

Post-election reaction

I Peter was written about 60 years after the death of Christ.  It is a letter from Peter to the believers who had been dispersed throughout the world and were under intense persecution.  Peter, himself, had been beaten, threatened, punished, and jailed for preaching the Word.  He knew what it took to endure without bitterness.  He never lost hope and he remained true to his faith.  He lived an obedient and victorious life. 

The world was in a terrible mess during Peter’s lifetime.  Nero was the reigning power in Rome and was responsible for the persecution that was taking place.  Despite the circumstances, Peter exhorted the people to “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”  (1 Peter 2:17)

If those Christians in the first century found a way to show honor to Nero, then surely I can find a way to obey God by honoring our President.  His religious views and different than mine.  His values are different than mine.  But I am commanded in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 to pray for my leaders.

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

God’s judgment is coming to this country.  We (as a country) have made wrong choices.  We slaughter the innocent.  We live immoral unholy lives.  We are no different than Sodom and Gomorrah.  (See Genesis 19 for how that turned out.)

It is time for God’s people to ban together and pray like we’ve never prayed before.  It is time for us to reach out to the lost.  More than ever, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.  We need to persevere.

“Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.”  (Romans 12:11-12)

Our all knowing heavenly Father was not taken by surprise by our election.  He loves us with an everlasting love and yearns for each of us to humble ourselves and pray.   

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”     (2 Chronicles 7:14)

WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)

A local church is advertising a Thanksgiving dinner.  The following is an excerpt from the announcement that appeared in their bulletin:

“Due to limited space, we must limit reservations to our church family, instead of including guests.”

Do you see anything wrong with this idea?

They are having a Thanksgiving dinner that is just for their church members.  It is an exclusive dinner.  No guests allowed.  Is that what Jesus would do?  Is that what Jesus would ask us to do?

How do you align that philosophy with the commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”? 

How does that fit with the parable of the sheep and the goats from
Matthew 25:35.  “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in” 

This parable gets pretty intense when you read the end of it.  Here are verses 40 – 45. 

“’The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

What do you think? Is it OK for a church to have a members only Thanksgiving dinner?  Am I blowing this out of proportion?  Perhaps you don’t see a problem here.  After all, they just want to have dinner together…

What if in John 6 when Jesus was teaching the crowds and it dinner time came Jesus had said, “We have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.  That should be enough for me and the disciples to each get a bite.”  Was that what Jesus said?  No!  He gave thanks and God blessed what they had and they fed 5000 people that day.  They didn’t have to turn anyone away and all they had was 5 loaves and 2 fish.

Do you think that this church is afraid of running out of food?  Have you been to a church dinner lately?  There is usually lots of food left over and lots of people who have eaten way too much. Do you think it is because of space/seats?  If so, then the church members should be rejoicing over the problem and should be the first ones volunteering to give up their seats for the guests.  You never how one small act of kindness can impact another person. 

When we accepted Christ, it became our mission to reach out into the community and bring others into the church and into faith with Christ.

2 Peter 3:9 says that God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

In Matthew 28, Jesus gives us the commission to go and make disciples.

1 Corinthians 11:1 tells me to be an imitator of Christ.  Am I doing what Jesus would do?

If I know of somebody in need, then it is my responsibility to show them Jesus.  That can be through my actions, through my words, or even through a simple invitation to Thanksgiving dinner. 

If I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, I have to open my eyes to the poor, to the needy, and to the suffering.  I need to look in my own community and in the world.  And then I need to allow my heart to be broken by the things that break the heart of Jesus.

So what do you think?  Is a members only dinner appropriate for a church family? 

Take a look a the video below and think about how it relates to this scenario.

No Condemnation

Our memory verse at church this week is Romans 8:1.  “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.“

Some translations let out the last part - “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.“

I think this part is important and here’s why.

When we come to Christ and accept him as our Savior, we are to come in repentance.  The Biblical definition of repentance is a change of direction.  It involves turning our backs on our previous lifestyle and moving in the direction that would be pleasing to God.  This is what the second part of this verse means – not walking according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

When you accept Christ you are a new creation.  The old is gone, the new has come.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I have had times in my life when I have experienced guilt over past sins.  I look at things in my life and think how in the world could I have done that.  I know better.  I deserve to feel guilty.  So I beat myself up with guilt and condemnation.  Is this what God wants me to do?  No!  This doesn’t come from God.  God says “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  So why do I feel this way …. because I am trusting my feelings rather than God’s truth.

If there are unconfessed sins in our life then a feeling of guilt can come from God. This is the Holy Spirit convicting your heart and trying to get you to rectify your relationship with God.  1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 

Jesus said, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned." (John 3:17-18a)

The devil wants to rob you of God’s peace and joy.  He comes with false guilt.  When you are feeling guilty, examine your heart.  Ask yourself if you have repented of that sin.  If you have sincerely confessed that sin and repented, (turned away from it) then stand on the promises of 1 John 1:9 – that God has forgiven and cleansed you and that there is no longer any reason to feel guilty.

We can't change our past, but we can learn from our past and learn to meditate on God's truth. The promise of Romans 8:1 to be free from condemnation is for every Christian.  Don't let the power of other people's condemnation rob you of God's peace. Fix your eyes on Jesus and walk with Him. 

Think about the life of Paul.  He was persecuting and killing Christians.  Then God got ahold of him.  Paul repented and was saved.  After that he went on to found many of the New Testament churches.  Paul knew what he was before and knew the sins that Christ had forgiven him of.  He didn’t let his past interfere with his present. Instead he allowed God to change him and use him.

I have talked with some people who have insisted that a Christian needs to make restitution for past sins.  Some believe that repentance requires undoing all the wrong we have done.  If our salvation required our undoing all our past sins, then we would never be saved.  There is a place for restitution. As the Spirit of the Lord leads you, your heart will want to make right some of the wrongs you may have done.  However, it is important to realize that repentance doesn’t require restitution.  If I could provide restitution for my sins, why would I need the blood of Jesus?  Jesus shed his blood and died to take away my sin.  My forgiveness is in His hands.  When God forgives me of my sin, that sin is forgotten.  It no longer exists.  (Psalm 103:12)

So, my forgiveness is based on my repentance.  My salvation comes from the blood of Jesus.  It is by His grace that I am saved. I can’t do any of it for myself. Don’t let anyone convince you that restitution is a part of it.  Good deeds do not remove sin. 

Abide in Christ.  Continue in a close walk with Him.  Live according to the Spirit and not the flesh.  Put on the full armor of God. (Ephesians 6)  Never let the devil make you feel guilty over past sins because: There is therefore no condemnation ….

Challenges Ahead

I’ve been working on this idea for awhile but just couldn't seem to get it to say what I wanted.  Here it goes ….

Sometimes it feels like I am just going through the motions. I do the same thing day after day.  I get up.  I get cleaned up and I drive to work.  I work on pretty much the same thing every day and then I drive home.  I eat dinner. I work on a few things and I go to bed. Then I get up and do it all over again.  Day after day like a lab rat on a wheel. Life is pretty predictable.  It sort of reminds me of the movie “Groundhog Day.”

Life can be really mundane and boring.  It grinds away at me.  People are mean and swear at me every day.  Sometimes it seems like I am a punching bag.  Life is vicious.  It doesn’t kill me quickly but gradually wears away at me.

I feel insignificant.  I feel dissatisfied. My soul desperately wants to run from the urgent things and focus on important things.  I just don’t know how to make it happen. I know this isn’t the abundant life that Jesus promised.

When I am discontented, I begin to think through some more deep and difficult questions.  Questions like: Is this what I am supposed to be doing?  Is this where I am supposed to be?  Why am I here?   Is there more to life than this? Is what I believe about eternity really true? Is it really worth it?

Are these times in my life dangerous?  They cause me to question, but they can also cause me to be dissatisfied with the status quo.  They are the enemies to my settled beliefs.  They make me uneasy.  They stir me up.  They make me think.  They may even make me angry.  However, these are the questions I must ask myself if I am ever to become the person God has created me to be.

Only after asking the difficult questions and coming to grips with my beliefs and my answers to those nagging questions can I move on.  Only after becoming dissatisfied with the way the world is and the way my life operates can I change my perspective on it.  It can make me a change agent for others who are aimlessly going through the motions.  It can lead me on a mission to help others discover why they are here, why they are alive, what it is all about.

I needed to come to the place in my life where I owned my own Christianity.  It isn’t my parents’ faith and it isn’t my culture’s faith.  It is my faith.  It is my commitment to Christ.  It was (and is) my struggle to own my own beliefs that lead me to realize that they are worth fighting for. I had to start to honesty living what I say I believe.  My faith has become real, living, and active.  It effects what I do and say every day.  It effects every decision I make and how I treat others. 

I no longer live life as a spectator but as an active participant with a role to play.  I have a story that is worth sharing with others.  I never know who I might impact and who they might turn around and impact.  I will never know the impact my faith can/will have on the world around me.

Take the challenge.  Have the courage.  Throw yourself whole-heartedly into your Christian life.  Imagine, dream, work, pray, serve, and live a radical life. There are challenges ahead but none that can’t be conquered. 

Henry Varley inspired D.L.Moody by saying, “The world has yet to see what God can do with one man fully consecrated to him.”  Moody replied, “By God’s help I aim to be that man.”

What’s stopping you?  Do you want to be that person?  Listen to your heart.  Act in obedience.  Live with a strong commitment to your faith. Dare to be different than those around you.

 

I’ve been greatly impacted by the book Honestly: Really Living What We Say We Believe and some of these ideas are from that book.

Thankful

There could only be one possible topic for this post.  A lot has happened in the last week. 

First of all, thank you for any prayers you might have offered on our behalf in the last couple of weeks. My husband has had several job offers and now needs to decide which one to accept.  Lord thanks for your provision.  Now please grant him wisdom to make a good decision on the position to accept.  We want to look at what would be best for our family not just the job that pays the most.

I had a car accident last week.  I am thankful that it was very minor and that no one was injured.  Cars can be fixed. Lord protect me as I travel each day.  (I drive 100 miles round trip each day.)

It looks like our house plans are moving along.  We should be able to close on our loan by the end of the week.  We should have our building permit by the first of the week.  Lord thanks for my parents and their patience as we’ve gone through all of these plans.  Thanks that we could live in their house.  (We’ve been there since the beginning of June!) 

Our daughter is doing well in college and she is coming home on Friday for her fall break.  We are excited to spend some time with her.  Lord thanks for giving us such a wonderful child.  Thanks that she loves you and desires to serve you.  Protect her and guide her in the way you want her to go.

I am thankful for my job and for the people I get to work with.  I did talk to one other lady this week who is a Christian.  She was glad to talk to me as she doesn’t know of any other Christians in the school.  Lord make me a light in the darkness.

As you may recall, we moved in June and so we’ve settled into a church and just moved our membership.  We are excited to be a part of this body of believers. Lord thanks for this small independent church.  Thank you that the pastor preaches the Word and stands for the truth.  Lord, bless this congregation and provide for our needs.  Help us to seek your face above all else. 

Those are the major things in my life that come to mind today as I think about what I have to be thankful for.

What do you have to be thankful for today?

I am reminded of a joke a friend told me the other day.  Some say their cup is half full and others say their cup is half empty.  I’m just thankful I have a cup.

Desires of your heart

I was reading Psalm 37 and read over a familiar verse.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4)

This got me to thinking about two things.

1. How do I delight myself in the Lord?

I think God desires me to totally trust him.  I am not to live in fear.  The more I trust God to care for me, the more I can ignore the stress of life and the hardships that come with daily living. I will have no need to fear bad news because I have trusted God with my life, my family, and my future.  (Easy to say, hard to live out …)

I’ve had to learn to trust God one problem at a time.  I was not able to just “jump” into trusting God with everything.  I am still learning to daily trust God with each detail of life.  I can’t just say I trust God when I see that I have no other options.  It should be my first choice. 

It is a moment by moment commitment of my life and my will to God.  I need to daily come to His feet and listen.  I need to get away from work and distractions and concentrate on the Word.  I need to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit.  In order to delight in the Lord, I need to do what pleases Him.  I need to know His Word so well that it is the first thing that comes to mind when faced with a challenge.

Think about it this way.  When I delight in something, my thoughts are constantly turning towards it.  I think of it early, often, and late.  It makes me smile to think of it.  It cheers me up when things aren’t going my way. 

“In your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11)

2. What are the desires of my heart?

If I delight myself in the Lord, He will help me see my true desires.  When I think I know what I want in life, I present those ideas to the Lord.  I wait for an answer from Him.  I pray for peace as I move forward on an idea.  One important point is to keep seeking the Lord.  As I keep in the Word, God will reveal what the desires of my heart should be. 

God wants my greatest passion to be knowing Him and loving Him.  My relationship with Him should take precedence over everything else in my life.  He wants me to completely commit my life to Him so that my thoughts, goals, and lifestyles are shaped by His will and the things He loves.

The funny thing is, as I commit my life to Him, His desires become my desires.  Things I never thought I wanted, start to come up.  God reveals what my deepest desires are and they may be things that I’ve never even thought about.  My heart and my desires change to reflect what God’s desires for me already were.

 

Some other verses to consider:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:21)

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  (Matt 6:33)

“The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  (Prov. 16:9)

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will”  (Romans 12:2)

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  (Phil. 2:13)

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. “ (Psalm 1:1-3)