Symbolic Clothing

Book of Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 6, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. I'll turn over to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 22. Matthew chapter 22 and verse 1, And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding.

They would not come. And he sends other servants, and he bids them to come, and so on. And verse 5, it says, They made light of it.

They went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. The remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them. So we'll go down to verse 8. Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready.

But they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good.

And the wedding was furnished with guests. When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he said unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Revelation chapter 7. Final reading, Revelation chapter 7 and verse 13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these, or who are these, which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." I remember when we were working, we actually went for a visa to move from Canada to the USA. It wasn't a problem for me, it was a problem for my wife, and she was the one who needed the visa.

And so we went for the interview in Ottawa, or Montreal actually it was. And they said, Just, it'll be quick, just wait maybe a week to 10 days, and you'll get it. Well, we went there with just a few clothes, and 7 to 10 days turned into almost 2 months.

But we couldn't leave Canada. We had to stay there, at least for her. And so I remember having to get clothes, and I went to a Goodwill.

And I went through there, and I'm telling you, I'm sure you've probably been there, Goodwills, Salvation Armies, whatever. And I thought, you know, like hundreds of shirts, hundreds of shirts. And I went down the racks, and I'm looking at all kinds of styles, colors, types, and everything.

I soon realized that such a big collection for maybe a man that was a little bit too big for most of them, and I had very limited ability to get shirts that I want, and pants, forget it. What I was looking at as I looked at all these clothes, all of them, I realized there's a lot of variety of clothing. And people were just giving it away.

Some of it still had tags on it. Clothing is a big deal, you know, in our world. I mean, look at the secular world, even.

I mean, I was in Goodwill, but you've got some, maybe some of you girls might know some of the names. Maybe you don't, but, I mean, you've got for shoes, you've got Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin, those red-soled shoes, hundreds of dollars, maybe $1,000 for shoes. And you've got Versace and Chanel and Tom Ford for men and suits.

I mean, you're talking a big, big box. That's the secular world. Interesting, though, in the Bible world that clothing is seen so often.

Right back, you go back to the Garden of Eden, and you have Adam and Eve, and they're trying to, they make fig leaves for clothing. And God says no, and he clothes them with the skin of an animal, showing them right at the beginning the importance of being clothed, not their way or our way, but his way. And then you go right through the Bible, and you can see the Israelites and how they had garments with a ribbon of blue at the bottom, marked them out.

And you remember the woman with the issue of blood, she's looking at, if I can but touch the hem of his garment. She says, I'll be fit for heaven, and it won't just be a color on a garment, but it'll be a savior from heaven. And then you move on a little bit further, and even throughout the Bible in different places, and you remember that John the Baptist had a garment of camel's hair.

And when you come to the end of your Bible, you have this crowd of people, and their robes are made white. White, and the blood. That's a paradox.

Blood doesn't make white. Blood stains, but not when God does it. The blood of Christ, you've been hearing, cleanses, makes white.

The death of Christ gives, when a person trusts Christ as their savior, they get a righteous standing from God. It's called justification, and God justifies the sinner, and clothes him with a garment of righteousness and salvation. So, you got dressed.

Everybody here got dressed for the conference. And maybe before this conference came, you think, what am I going to wear? What am I going to wear? Some of us don't have a lot of choice. But other people, they have a great choice.

Maybe you took time. But I want to ask you this. We are all going into eternity one day.

Every one of us. Just two destinations. It won't be a matter of which conference am I going, what place am I going to, what store am I going to, how will I dress for here, how will I dress for there.

It's a matter of eternity. And either heaven or hell. Now, let me ask everyone here, what are you going to wear? Because the Bible we read in Isaiah 64, it's very clear.

All our righteousnesses, the best that we have, the best things we can do, the good things we try to do, in terms of what we are before God, is actually filthy rags. Unacceptable. Rejected.

Not possible to get in. Keeping us at a distance. Keeping us away from God.

A garment that is really full of sin and filth. And if you're not saved in this meeting, you're going to go to bed with that tonight. You're going to crawl into bed.

You're going to be asleep tonight. You're going to wake up tomorrow morning. You're going to start another day, if you're able, if you're alive.

We always eject that possibility, that tonight you will die. That some of you may not make it home from this conference. It's possible.

Why does that seem so foreign? It's happened to other people today. It happened to a girl in a bathtub, we were hearing about. It happens in such unexpected ways.

And I want to tell you, that if you are in your sins, out of Christ, under the wrath of God, you are going to wear that and bear that forever. Clothing. One garment.

The Bible speaks of one garment. One garment that remains always new. One garment that you never need to change, you never have to change, you never will change.

One garment that is absolutely vital and necessary. When we come to this man in this wedding, he's invited. So many people were invited.

A lot of people, it says they made light of it. I don't know, maybe there's someone tonight, I hope you're not. But there's certainly a lot of people that are making light of it.

Greatest invitation you could ever have. Greatest opportunity ever given. That God himself from heaven has opened his doors, as it were.

At the expense of his own son. Not only making a marriage for that son, as the parable tells us. But literally at the expense of that son who has died.

And he's offering this for you. And there are people that they make light of it. It's not that important.

I don't need it. Other things in life are more important. Maybe even you're thinking, if you're not saved here, you're thinking of something that you're going to do tomorrow.

That even maybe going through your mind, that is more important than what you're hearing now. I don't know. But this man comes.

And he goes to this wedding. And as he moves in, it's obviously there's very little concern for this man. Where he is.

What he's not wearing. Now keep in mind, this garment of salvation, as it were, this wedding garment. Was first and foremost provided by God.

That's the picture. It's provided by God. The second thing is, it's universal.

You know, when I went through that Goodwill store, there were very few garments that I could get. Very few shirts I could get. But this, one size fits all.

For whosoever. It doesn't matter if you're short or tall. If you're a man or a woman.

It doesn't matter. This is a universal garment. Because God is giving it to the sinner at his expense.

It's provided. But the problem is this. You have to come to the point where you recognize, what I have is unacceptable before God.

That what I am is unacceptable for God. That what I'm wearing is in his sight. In terms of what I've done.

What I am. Unacceptable. Sinful.

Wicked. Rebellious. Unrighteous.

Ungodly. Unholy. And you know, there's a very, very, almost a chilling statement.

That comes at the end of the book of Revelation. That reminds us of the truth of exactly what I'm saying to you right now. That as we come to the end of this book of Revelation.

Where we read about different types of clothing. It begins with the Savior himself. The Lord Jesus.

And it says, he's girt all the way down to the foot. With a garment. In righteousness, he walks among the churches.

And he looks and he sees. And we move through. And we see this group of people.

That these are they which have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. But it takes us to the end and it says this. Let him that is unholy be unholy still.

Let him that is unrighteous be unrighteous still. Do you understand what makes a meeting like this? What makes life so important? And it's this. If you die in your sins.

What you are, you will be forever. It is unchangeable. God is offering you now.

A change as it were. Of garments. A change of position.

That this man was. He didn't have any need as far as he was concerned. He was mingling.

He was moving among the guests. And he thought what is the big deal. I don't have on a wedding garment.

And I don't know what salvation or in Christ mean to you right now. But I can tell you this. One day.

He and it will mean everything. And this man. He's able to get away.

Moving and mingling among the guests. But everything changes in a moment. When the king comes in.

And then this man is fully exposed. You know it's just like Adam and Eve. They were okay as long as they had the fig leaves on.

Adam was okay with Eve. Eve was okay with Adam. They were okay in the garden.

Until God walked in. And then when God moved in. When God came in.

They tried to hide. What will it be? I was sitting there as Brandon was speaking. And I was trying to think just for a moment.

What will it be? When sinners. People that we know. Stand before God.

In their sins. Absolutely. Without anything.

An entire universe. Has fled away. And one human being.

Stands before God. Absolutely exposed to the wrath of God. No hiding place.

No pretenses. Nothing. When I think about these individuals.

Who are in heaven. I think of who they are. How they got there.

And what they are wearing. It says. These are they which were clothed.

They had washed their robes white. In the blood of the lamb. They had been changed from what they were.

They are in heaven now. They are before the throne. The conditions of where they are.

Absolutely the best. None better. Read the list there.

No night there. No hunger. Below them there has been a world.

That has been blighted. In hunger. There is a world now.

Where the waters have been polluted. In the tribulation. It says they don't thirst.

There are men that have been scorched. And just ahead. The bible tells us about a lake of fire.

And yet it says. No heat for them. They are absolutely comfortable.

There is a world that is crying out. Rocks fall on us. Save us from the wrath of the lamb.

And here is a group of people. That will never be hurt by the second death. Eternal life everlasting.

Can I ask you really. If there is someone in this meeting right now. And you are in your sins.

All you have is filthy rags. All you have is the stain of your own sin. And you sit there.

Why would you not. Is there nothing appealing about that to you? Is there nothing real about that to you? Does every single thing. That I have just spoken on.

And what you have just heard. Does it escape you? Is it not important to you? Is there no reality about this? I will tell you. Salvation is real.

And it is forever. And human beings will literally be catapulted. From time into eternity.

And they will be lost forever. Meanwhile there are people. Those of us that have been saved.

We have recognized this great truth. We have seen what we are. And we have seen what Christ has done.

And we have bowed to that wonderful truth. And thank God for his son. And for Christ dying for me.

And we have clothes and robes of salvation. Garments of salvation. You know what it says of the nation of Israel? It says when they went through the wilderness for 40 years.

For 40 years. It says their shoes never had to be replaced. Their garments never waxed old.

That was a tremendous miracle. I will tell you a greater miracle. I have got a garment that will last a lot longer than 40 years.

It will last forever. And it is literally a robe of salvation. That the Lord Jesus was able to give me.

And you know why? Because he was stripped. With his garments. Because men flipped a scarlet robe and a purple robe.

And they mocked him. And they stripped him. And he was willing to do all that for me.

They gambled. Can you imagine that? They gambled for his garment. A robe.

Let us not rend it. Let us cast lots. Can you imagine? The robe that they put on him.

After they had beaten him. After they had punched him. After they had scourged him.

After they had whipped him. They took that robe. A robe that was now marked with the blood of Christ.

Marked with the sweat of the Savior. And here are soldiers. And they are gambling.

Gambling for this piece of cloth. While the owner of it is on the tree. On the cross above them suffering.

You know I almost wonder if that is almost like the gospel. We are preaching the gospel. We are telling you about a Christ.

Who we are setting before your eyes. Who has been crucified. One who has suffered.

One who has bled. One who has died. And there are people in meetings like this.

And maybe someone tonight in this meeting. And you are looking at the other objects of life. And while the Christ has died.

That means nothing to you. I think as I close. My mind goes to funerals.

You ever notice when you go to a funeral. The body is usually well dressed. They will ask for a suit of the individual.

If it is a man. They will ask for one of the nicest dresses. If it is a woman.

And they dress up the corpse. And they dress up the body. But that doesn't matter.

Clothing doesn't matter. Not now. It is too late.

What matters is this. The best that we can do. The best that man can do.

Is embalm and clothe a body. But we can do nothing. To prepare a soul.

For eternity. And I will tell you what. Thank God.

Christ has done everything. To prepare. To make ready.

To make right. And if you were to trust him tonight. As your savior.

If you were to take that place. As one who has nothing. Nothing but sin.

Nothing but emptiness of soul. Nothing but under the judgment and wrath of God. And thank God for his son.

And depend on him. And that death. That work.

That man. Of Calvary. You would be clothed right now.

And ready. And right. Made for heaven.

Made right. Can you imagine that in a moment of time? Just like that. Greatest marvel I know of.

No. Greatest marvel there is. Even if I didn't know of it.

It's the greatest marvel there is. Saved. Saved.

How I love to proclaim it. And if you trusted Christ. It would be your favorite word.

And Christ. Would be the most wondrous of all persons. Because he could become yours.

Trust him. And you will be saved. Let's pray.