Wedding Garment 1983

In from Matthew chapter four, starting at verse 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, the money, epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them.

And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the 10 cities and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain and when he sat down, his disciples came to him and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, blessed are the poor and for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Now, these multitudes that came to Jesus with their sick bodies and their twisted minds and their troubled consciences and their confusion and their pain and their anguish.

We're not mainly what you'd call the cream of the crop. They were really the first to admit that their lives were a mess and that they were what the Pharisees would call sinners, but somehow they recognized that Jesus, a welcome, they knew that they could bring to him their, their sin and their trouble and their anguish and that the life that was flowing out of Jesus' hands and across his mouth. Was divine forgiveness and although they didn't understand that it was coming from an atoning shedding of blood flowing back really from the future, they knew that it was all right to come and so they did.

And Jesus healed them. Cast out their demons. Broke their chains.

Relieved their consciences with forgiveness. And then every time he would do this, he would follow these signs of healing and blessing. With teaching, he would begin to teach them about the kingdom of God.

And whenever Jesus taught about the kingdom of God, he taught. About righteousness. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

They shall be filled. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly father was perfect.

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. So the door of the kingdom is open. Come as you are.

Bring your sin. Bring your trouble. Bring your pain.

Whatever it is. It's bogging you down. Bring it.

But understand. That when you walk through the door of the kingdom. You are entering into the realm of righteousness.

And you are now going to begin to walk in righteousness. Now, don't misunderstand me. Everybody gets nervous when we talk about righteousness.

We're not talking about works righteousness. We're saved by grace. We're saved by the blood of the lamb.

But after having received salvation, we now walk in righteousness. We now grow in righteousness. Otherwise, our salvation.

Turns out to be. A sham. From Matthew.

22. Again, Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son. And sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast.

But they would not come. Again, he sent other servants saying, tell those who were invited. Behold, I have made ready my dinner.

My oxen and my fat calves are killed. And everything is ready. Come to the marriage feast.

But they made light of it. And went off one to his farm. Another to his business.

While the rest seized his servants and treated them shamefully. And killed them. The king was angry.

And sent his troops to destroy those murderers. And burned our city. Then he said to his servants, the wedding is ready.

But those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the streets.

And gathered. All whom they found. Both bad and good.

And so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came to look at the guests. He saw there a man who had no wedding garment.

He said to him, friend. How did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants.

Find him hand and foot. And cast him into the outer darkness. There men will weep and gnash their teeth.

For many are called. But few chosen. Everybody's welcome to this wedding feast.

Doesn't matter how bad they've been. What kind of sins they've committed. That's all right.

Come as you are. But everybody who responds to that invitation. Is given by the king.

A wedding garment to put on. And this wedding garment the king gives them to put on. Is not made of cheese cloth.

It's absolutely beautiful. And as a sign of honoring the king. Of accepting his hospitality with gratitude.

Every guest puts on this wedding garment the king provides. Now the king comes in and sees this guy with no wedding garment. He's not going to put on that thing.

He's going to wear his own clothes. And the king has this man cast out. And so for us.

Again today the door of the kingdom of heaven is wide open. And what a wonderful thing that. Even though we know very well that our lives have not been what they should be.

We've been a mess. Even when we've walked around with a Christian icing on the on top. We know what goes on inside in our hearts.

And the Lord says come. Come as you are. Welcome.

But he also gives to each of us. A wedding garment to put on. And it's a garment made by God himself.

It's God's work. All we have to do is put it on. And it's a garment.

Of righteousness. Now. We 20th century Christians.

Really get nervous when we hear that word righteousness. Satan has put all kinds of negative connotations on that word. Whenever we hear the word righteousness.

We think of self-righteousness. This lady who walks around with a righteous nose in the air. And this man who thinks he's more righteous than everybody else.

I don't want to be thought of as righteous. But the word righteous is found in the lips of Jesus many times. And it's all from scripture.

And he says clearly unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. You won't enter the kingdom of heaven. Abraham believed God.

And it was accounted to him for righteousness. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Paul says in Romans 14. The kingdom of God is not food and drink.

But righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. And in 2 Corinthians 5, I guess. For he made him to be sin who knew no sin.

So that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Now this robe of righteousness that we are given to wear. And expected to wear.

Is threefold. Let me just back up a little bit again. Because people get nervous about this whole idea of works righteousness.

We are not saying we earn our salvation. Salvation is a gift. But once we enter the kingdom of God.

We put on this robe. And if we don't. You know we don't stay in the kingdom.

Now this garment is threefold. It's a righteousness of the heart. A righteousness of the tongue.

And a righteousness of deeds. First of all. The wedding garment is a righteousness.

Of the heart. And I'm going to turn to Luke 11. 37.

He was speaking. To a Pharisee and was asked by the Pharisee to dine with him. And so he went in and sat at table.

The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. The Lord said to him. Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish.

But inside are full of extortion and wickedness. You fools. Did not he who made the outside make the inside also.

But give for arms such things as are within. And behold everything is clean for you. And all the emphasis of Jesus teaching is constantly inside.

Create in me a clean heart of God. And renew a right spirit within me. Behold thou desires truth in the inward parts.

And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. Nothing is covered that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light.

And what you whispered in the private rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. So to have a clean righteous heart. Simply means.

That I prepare the way of the Lord in my heart. I begin to dump out the things he puts his finger on. Righteousness of the heart means that I no longer walk up to somebody with a smile.

On my face. While I'm burning inside with bitterness and resentment toward that person. I don't cover something.

That doesn't mean I have to punch him in the nose. But it does mean that I have to start dealing with this. You don't walk around hiding things.

Unrighteousness of the heart is a heart that covers things up. I no longer say behind somebody's back. That which I'm unwilling to say to their face.

And every time I do it. God begins to deal with me. He puts his finger on that.

Calls me to repentance. Come on, clean up your heart. Open up the windows.

Open up the doors. Let the light come in. And so we read in First John.

Chapter one, verse five. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you. That God is light.

And in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him. While we walk in darkness, we lie.

And do not live according to the truth. We walk in the light as he is in the light. We have fellowship with one another.

And the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. And to walk in the light is simply to be open. No longer covering.

No longer deceiving and dissembling with our hearts. And every time God lays his finger on it, he does. These things that I've been hiding.

These twisted ways I've been somehow deceiving people. So that they don't really see how I feel. Know what I'm really thinking.

God calls me to open up. Walk in the light. Come out in the light.

Confess it. It doesn't mean we have to take our dirty linen. And show it to the whole world.

But at least we better take the dirty linen. And take it out and open it up before God. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.

And the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just.

And will forgive us our sins. And cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Secondly, the wedding garment is a righteousness of the tongue.

Back into the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 5, verse 33. Again you have heard that it was said to men of old.

You shall not swear falsely. But shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn. But I say to you, do not swear at all.

Either by heaven, for it is the throne of God. Or by the earth, for it is his footstool. Or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.

Do not swear by your head. For you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply yes or no.

And anything more than this comes from the evil one. Matthew 12. Either make the tree good and its fruit good.

Or make the tree bad and its fruit bad. For the tree is known by its fruit. And the fruit Jesus talks about here is the fruit of our mouth.

For the very next words are. You brood of vipers. How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good. And the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you.

On the day of judgment, men will render account for every careless word they utter. For by your words, you will be justified. And by your words, you will be condemned.

It's not an accident. That the one public sign. That the early believers were now filled with the Holy Spirit.

Was that they began to speak with new tongues. This unruly member of our body now begins to manifest the glory of God. Now, to speak in new tongues does not just mean they spoke in other languages.

We need to understand and keep reminding ourselves we can speak in tongues. And we can prophesy and we can cast out devils with our mouths. And still end up in hell.

To speak in a new tongue means basically two things. First of all. It means that the tongue begins to clean up its act.

One thing that begins to happen as God's spirit moves on our lives. Is that every time the tongue. Gives itself over to its old ways.

You know, I'm complaining and complaining and complaining. Nothing's right. Or I'm cynical.

Always throwing out cynical remarks about everybody and everything. God begins to put his finger on this. Or I exaggerate.

Or I flat out lie. Or I gossip. Or I slander.

Now the Lord begins to deal with this. I no longer get away with it like I did before. Now that the spirit of God has begun to move on my life.

He absolutely requires that my tongue begin to clean up its ways. And if I'm walking around. Praising the Lord and doing all this stuff.

And still undermining everybody else with my tongue. Then all my praise has become a sham. The wedding garment of righteousness on the tongue.

Means first of all the tongue cleans up its act. And secondly that the tongue. Begins now to give itself over to the glory of the Lord.

Interesting you know. We don't have any hesitation at all about you know. Using our tongue to do all kinds of things.

Complain and gripe and lie and exaggerate. But we very very hesitant to use the tongue. To speak the name of Jesus.

Oh I mean in church it's okay. Sing it in a hymn. Say praise the Lord.

When we're with believers or in a bible study. Or a home fellowship. But out in the world.

Out where everybody's moving around. Where we work in the neighborhood on the streets. To speak the name of Jesus.

We're very very cautious. So now the tongue gives itself over to the service of God. And it begins to proclaim the kingdom.

And it proclaims the name of Jesus. With boldness. Grant thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness.

While thou stretchest out thy hand to heal. And signs and wonders are performed. In the name of thy holy servant Jesus.

The righteousness of the tongue is twofold. It's a tongue that starts cleaning up its act. And it's a tongue that begins to speak.

The things of God. Just all the time. It's free.

That doesn't mean I have to ram the gospel down my next door neighbor's throat. Every five minutes. But as the opportunities come.

They present themselves. And I know that's an opportunity. I go in with it.

The wedding garment is a righteousness of deeds. And surely if I'm proclaiming Jesus all over the place. And I'm not doing what we're now called by the Lord to do in Matthew 25.

My proclamation of Jesus becomes like a noisy gun or a tingling cymbal. Reading now from Matthew 25 verse 31. When the son of man comes in his glory.

And all the angels with him. Then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations.

And he will separate them one from another. As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep at his right hand.

But the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand. Come oh blessed of my father.

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you. From the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food.

I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me.

I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous.

Notice that the righteous will answer him. Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed thee. You're thirsty and give thee drink.

When did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee. You're naked and clothed thee. When did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee.

And the king will answer truly I say to you. As you did it to one of the least of these. My brother.

You did it to me. Then he will say to those at his left hand. Depart from me you cursed.

Into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.

I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. Naked and you did not cloth me. Sick and in prison and you did not come to me.

Then they also will answer Lord. When did we see thee hungry or thirsty. Or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison.

And did not minister to thee. Then he will answer. Truly I say to you.

As you did it not to one of the least of these. You did it not to me. And they will go away into eternal punishment.

But the righteous into eternal life. And as a little parenthesis here. For those who may be familiar with some literature.

That's been going for the last hundred years. In which this passage is applied only to those. Who remain after the rapture.

Doesn't apply to us. Throw that idea out of your head. In the name of Jesus.

This applies to everybody. Jesus spoke this to all of us. It applies to us.

I don't care where you think the rapture is going to come. If it's going to come tomorrow. Or in the middle of the tribulation.

Or before the tribulation or after the tribulation. Jesus is very clear about this. What he's saying to us is.

To put on a garment of righteous deeds. By. Showing his mercy.

To those people. This world shoves aside and neglect. And you don't have to go to Calcutta.

Or Somalia. Or El Salvador to find those people. They're there.

But they're also here. All we have to do is open our eyes. As the spirit opens them.

And we will begin to see them. Here's an old woman who sits. In a dingy nursing home.

Staring at the walls every day. There's an old man who rocks in his rocking chair. In the kitchen of a house.

Nobody ever visits. Children. That never have one soul.

Take them by the hand. To show them anything good. But.

Somebody at the place where you work perhaps. Who nobody ever talks to. They can't stand him.

They have to eat their lunch alone. When they go to the water fountain. Everybody leaves the water fountain.

They never get invited to anybody's place for lunch. They're alone. And you can go on and on.

The people, young or old. Rich or poor. Who are really despised and rejected.

And forgotten by the world. And the Lord is calling us. To do.

Just what he says in Matthew 25. A kind word. Invitation to dinner.

A listening ear. Two dollars. A letter.

A phone call. A visit. And you say, well, that's just.

That's just child's play. Those are peanuts compared with Jesus talking about. Start with that.

And the big things will follow. And so today. The Lord opens wide the door of his kingdom.

And says to each of us again. Come on in. You know, you've messed up this week.

And I know what you did. I know your works. But I love you.

And I want you to come and eat my body. And drink my blood. My body given for you.

My blood shed for your sins. Welcome. But as you come to the door into my kingdom today.

I'm asking you. To put on the wedding garment. Of righteousness.

Righteousness of the heart. That cleans out the filth and the obstacles. And prepares the way for the Lord.

Righteousness of the tongue. That cleans up its act. And begins to serve the glory of the kingdom.

At the name of Jesus. Righteousness of deeds. For I was hungry and you gave me food.

I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Naked and you clothed me.

Sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. So as we come.

To the table of the Lord. Let's come clothed. With the wedding garment.

Let's wear it. And let's wear it well.