Good evening. Turn, if you would,
to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13. Christ is our righteousness,
our remnant. He's everything, our remnant. We are clothed in His righteousness. Clothed in His righteousness. Romans 13. We'll be looking at verses 8
to 14, but our text will be found in verse 14, so I'd like us to
read the context. Romans 13, 8. Oh, no man anything
but to love one another. He that loveth another hath fulfilled
the law. For this, thou shalt not commit
adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt
not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and if there
be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this
saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love
worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law. And that, knowing the time that
now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our
salvation nearer than when we believe. The night is far spent. The day
is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the
works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let
us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness.
not in chamberling and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but
put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof." Last week we looked at how Christ
is the bread of life. And we looked at how during the
time when the Bible was written, and for the ancient Israelites,
bread was a staple, an absolute staple. Without bread, they wouldn't
live. It was something that was in their diet constantly. And
actually, in the ancient times then, it was extremely important
to have bread. And we looked at how Christ is
our spiritual food. how he's our spiritual food and
and we feast upon him as the bread of life when we hear the
gospel preached proclaim and when we read scripture we feast
upon Christ we who believe he is the bread of life for us he's
he's the one the scripture is where we receive all our spiritual
nourishment just like when we sit down and eat a meal we receive
nourishment for our body the scriptures strengthen the inner
man Right? The new creature within us. We're
born again of the Holy Spirit of God. And so scriptures strengthen
the inner man. We feast upon Christ when we
hear him preached and when we read the scriptures or when we
study the scriptures. We feast upon Christ who is the
bread of life. Now two things are of utmost
importance for we as humans, right? Food and clothing. Food and clothing, those are
the two most important things in physical life for us. If you stop eating, you're gonna
die. If we didn't have clothing, we'd
freeze to death and we'd just, the elements, we'd be in trouble. We have clothing, it keeps us
warm, covers us. So two things that are vital
for us as humans is food and clothing. Food and clothing are our two
greatest needs as humans in the sense of the everyday life. Now,
the greatest need for us is Christ, of course. But in our everyday
life of toiling in this world, we need food to keep going. It's
fuel for our body and clothing to cover us and keep us warm. And we are to be content with
what God has given us. 1 Timothy says this, for we bought
nothing into this world. We didn't bring anything into
this world, nothing. And certain we can carry nothing out. Everything
we have will be left behind and will be gone. Can't take anything with us.
Despite people trying, it just doesn't work. And having food
and remnant, Let us be there with content. Let us be content
with what we have. 1 Timothy 6, verses 7 and 8. We're to be content with what
God's given us. And God gives us all we need. He gives us all
we need. Now, He gives us also, He gives
us all we have now in the physical realm. He gives that to everyone,
whether people acknowledge it or not, it's of His given. He
clothes us. spiritually in the perfect spotless
righteousness of Christ. And that's all we need to be
in his presence. That's what we need to be in
his presence, a perfect spotless righteousness. We know that we
can never manufacture that ourselves. As we know, scripture declares
that our righteousness, our personal righteousness, is like filthy
rags before the eyes of the Lord. But in order to stand before
God, we need a perfect, holy righteousness. And that's what
Christ imputes to his people. I stand before you tonight, although
you can't see this, but I stand before you clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. And so is every believer. When
God looks upon us, he sees Christ. That's amazing. That's what he
does for his people. And that's the only reason we
can be in God's presence. Is because of the righteousness
of Christ. Because he's absolutely holy. We saw that this morning,
right? He's absolutely, he's a king supreme. Here we are sinners,
we can be in his presence. It's all based upon the righteousness
of Christ. So food and clothing are what
is needed for us in the physical realm, and it's also what we
need in the spiritual realm, beloved. Food and clothing. Food to sustain us daily, and
clothing to be in God's presence. And it's all in Christ. It's
all in, he's the bread of life. We are clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. Look at our text, but put ye
on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh
to fulfill the lust thereof. So the righteousness of Christ
here is compared to a garment. Do you know that it's the best
robe? Do you know that it's the best robe? That no other robe
compares to the garment of the righteousness of Christ? Turn
if you would to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. We'll take
a look at this. The garment of the righteousness
of Christ is the best robe. It is fine linen, clean and white,
which is put on by the Father's gracious act of imputing Christ's
righteousness to his people. Look in Luke 15 here. Story we're
all familiar with. But I want us to take note of
something as we read it here. The righteousness of Christ is
the best robe, the best robe. Luke chapter 15, verse 11. And
he said, a certain man had two sons. Verse 12, and the younger of
them said to his father, give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he divided unto them his
livid. And not many days after, the
younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far
country. And there wasted his substance
with riotous living. That's a picture of us. That's a picture of us. And when he had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine in that land. He began to be in wands. And he went and joined himself
to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields
to feed swine. And he would fain have filled
his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man
gave unto him. He's eating pig food. And when he came to himself,
something happened. He came to himself. How did he
come to himself? Oh, what a picture of the Holy
Spirit drawn, a lost sinner. Oh, he came to himself, beloved.
He said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough
to spare, and I perish with hunger. Oh, he sees his need. He sees his need. I will arise
and go to my father. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of his coming. And I will say unto him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven and before it. And am no more worthy to be called
thy son. Does that sound familiar? That's
what we say. Make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose and came to his father. Look at this. But when
he was yet a great way off, his father saw him. What a picture for a woman. What a picture. And had compassion
and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said
unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight,
and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Now did the, see in
religion, man, they, at this point, right? Right? Grace is so different, full of
it. It's like night and day. Look at this. Oh, what a picture
here. But the father said to his servants,
bring forth the what? Best. Righteousness. Best. The best. Put it on. I put a ring on his hand. He's an heir. shoes on his feet. Who's doing the, who's putting
it on? The prodigal's not putting it
on, is he? It's being put on. Oh, what a picture. And bring
hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead. How
are we born? Dead in trespasses and sins. And is alive again. born again
of the Holy Spirit of God. He was lost and is found. Isn't it clear? And they began to be married.
That's what happens when the Lord saves a sinner. We rejoice,
don't we? We rejoice. Oh my, what a picture. But note there, bring forth the
best That's the righteousness of Christ. That's a picture of
the righteousness of Christ, beloved. And what a picture we
have here before us of one of God's lost sheep being drawn
by the Holy Spirit and saved and accepted by the father. The
father didn't rebuke him. He ran and put his arms around
him. And then and then the center
being clothed in the righteousness of Christ, the best robe. He who was dead is now alive. My. So this robe of righteousness
is called the garment of salvation. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
61, 10. This robe of righteousness is called the garments of salvation
in the Old Testament. And put your finger in Psalm
45, if you could. So Isaiah 61, verse 10, we'll
look at. And then put your finger in Isaiah
45. Oh, this robe of righteousness
is called the garments of salvation in the Old Testament. Look at
this in Isaiah 61, 10. I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God. Why? For he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness. As a bridegroom decketh himself
with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Note, note, he hath clothed me. I don't clothe myself. He clothed
me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness. Salvation is of the Lord. From
beginning to end, it's all him. It's all him. We are recipients. We who believe are recipients
of the mercy and the grace of God in Christ. And some commentators
call this the alien righteousness, because it's not ours. It's his.
It's his. And that's what we're clothed
in his righteousness. That's why Paul could pen. There
is therefore now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, because
he's clothed in the perfect, spotless righteousness of Christ. And every believer is. Every believer. It's wonderful. That which I need to stand in
the holy godly universe's presence, I'm clothed. Right now. Not when I get the glory. Right
now. It's wonderful. What a wonderful
Savior we have. Look it over in Psalm 45, verses
13 to 15. Look at this. Look at this here. What a picture we have of the
church in verse 14. Look at this. The king's daughter
is all glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought gold. Look at verse 14 now. She shall
be brought into the king. Now remember, we looked at the
last part of Jude this morning. Unto him that is able to present
us faultless, with exceeding joy, right? Look at this in Psalm
45, 14. She shall be bought into the
king and in remnant of needlework, the virgins, her companions that
follow her shall be bought unto thee with gladness and rejoicing
shall they be bought and they shall enter into the king's palace. Now note here. She shall be bought
unto the king, not in her sins and the guilt of that. This is
such a picture of the church, not in the rags of her own self-righteousness,
but in the remnant of needlework, which pictures the righteousness
of Christ, the garments of salvation. My, what a picture of the bride
of Christ being presented before Christ, clothed in his righteousness,
spotless, spotless, beloved. And blameless, as one commentator
put it, blameless, one commentator puts it this way, in the shining
robes of immortality and glory. This is the best robe. The righteousness
of Christ. The righteousness of Christ.
And it's imputed to us. Our sins are imputed to him and
his perfect spotless righteousness is imputed to us. Marvel of marvels. But it's so, and it's God's doing. And he does it for every single
one of his sheep, every single one of his people, every one
of them. Gilcom, it's here. Here is the
introduction of the church to Christ, her King, head and husband,
as a bride adorned and prepared for her husband, presented to
him by himself, a glorious church. or a bunch of sinners, huh? Presented
to him a glorious church without spot or without spot or any such
thing. Why? Why? Because they're all
clothed with this perfect righteousness. Isn't it amazing? Isn't it wonderful? This is Bible
truth, which we can just feast upon. It's wonderful. Turn over, if you would, to Ezekiel.
Ezekiel chapter 16. Ezekiel chapter 16. There's a
picture of the church here. Note it again. It's God who puts
this robe upon us, like the Father putting the best robe on the
prodigal when he returns. Note this here. Ezekiel chapter
16, verses 8 to 11. Ezekiel 16 verses 8 to 11. Now when I passed by thee and
looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee
and covered thy nakedness. He covers all our sins. Yea, I swear unto thee, and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord, and thou become us.
Look at this. Oh, may this be honey for our
soul. He says this to every one of
his sheep, and thou become us. When were we chosen in Christ?
For the foundation of the world, when we became his. Then washed I thee with water. I thoroughly washed away thy
blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee
also with bordered work, and shod thee with badger skin, and
I girded thee about with fine linen. There's a picture of the righteousness
of Christ. And I covered thee with silk. I deck thee also with ornaments
and I put bracelets upon thy hands and a chain on thy neck. Oh, what a scene. And note, note,
and I girded thee about with fine linen. I covered thee with
silk. It's his work. Salvation is of
the Lord. Two things are needed for we
who are sinners. We need a righteousness which
God will accept and we need to be justified before the holy
righteous God of the universe, the King of kings and the Lord
of lords in order to be in his presence. So we have looked at
how the believer is clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Now the world has its own meaning for righteousness. But what does
the scripture say about it? What does the scripture say about
it? That's what we're concerned about, isn't it? Not what the
world thinks of righteousness, but what does the scripture say
about it? This book is what we bow to. It's in here, we bow
to it, don't we? We don't want man's opinion.
We want to know what the scripture says. Turn, if you would, to
Psalm 14. Psalm 14. Now the scriptures with one voice
and in an unbending manner declare that when God looked down from
heaven upon the children of man to see if there were any that
did understand and seek after God, there was none. None. None. Look at Psalm 14 verses
two and three. Look at this. there's not so
the result of the inquiry was that they were all gone astray
and they've all become filthy and that there was none that
did good not no not one but psalm 14 2 and 3 the Lord look down
from heaven on the children and to see if there were any that
didn't understand and seek God they are all all all gone aside
They are all together become filthy. There is none that do
it good, no not one. And in Romans, Paul pens this
in Romans 3, 10 and 11, I'll read this. As it is written,
there's none righteous, no not one. None. There is none that
understand it. There is none that seek it after
God. So the scripture declares, scripture declares that there's
none born of Adam's seed who are righteous before God. None
born of Adam's seed who are righteous before God. That in their natural
state, our natural state, the scripture declares us unrighteous
before God. And that's the best of us and
the worst of us. All. All. What then is the righteousness
of the scripture? And who is the righteous man
before God? The answer is clear. There's
only one who's righteous. Christ. Say to the. Only. Only. Christ. The perfect, sinless,
spotless lamb of God. The God man. God incarnate in
the flesh. He only is set forth as being
righteous before God. He alone is the righteousness
of his people. I'm alone. There's not one stitch of our
righteousness that's our own works. That's acceptable to God. But
the righteousness that we're clothed in is the righteousness
of Christ. And we don't add one stitch to that. Not one. Not
one. It's high treason to talk of
any other righteousness before God based upon man's works. So here is the verdict upon man
born of Adam, all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. Here's the verdict. The whole world has become guilty
before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law can no flesh
be justified before God. And this is why we preach that
only in Christ and him alone is the believer made righteous
before God. Because he lived that perfect life. as our substitute. He died before God's justice
as our substitute. He's perfect, sinless. Jeremiah
says this, in his days Judas shall be saved and Israel shall
dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called
the Lord our righteousness. In myself I am wholly sinful.
All I do is sin. But in Christ, I'm all righteous. God sees me in Christ, clothed
in the righteousness of Christ, with His perfect, spotless righteousness. And did I do anything to earn
that? Nothing. I'm undeserving. And it's the
pure mercy of God that I am clothed in His righteousness. Paul said
it, I know I've said it so many times, and I will continue, you're
gonna hear it, until the Lord takes me home, I obtained mercy. And if you're saved, so be it. You've obtained mercy. We didn't
get what we deserved. So we who believe are justified
by Christ and Him alone. Now in the gospel, the gospel
we preach, His salvation in and through
the Lord Jesus Christ in Him alone. All our acceptance before
God is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord my righteousness.
The gospel we know knows no mixture. No mingling. No mingling the righteousness
of the sinner with the righteousness of the Savior. None. We're either saved by Christ
in Him alone or we're not saved. We're either clothed in the perfect
spotless righteousness of God or we're clothed in our own filthy
self-righteousness. There's no in-between. Salvations
of the Lord and the believer in Christ. Now think of this.
Think of this. If there was a mixture little
leaven, leaveneth the whole lump. How much works have to be added
for it not to be grace? Just a pinprick. Remember the analogy of the balloon?
Got a balloon full of air, tied up full of air, just a pinprick. That's what happens when you
add works to grace. It's no more grace. So salvation's all of
grace, all of Christ, all of what he does. And this is what
the believer proclaims. The believer proclaims that all
my hope of acceptance and all my hope of justification before
God is in Christ and him alone, in his perfect, complete righteousness
that I'm clothed in. What He did for me at Calvary's
cross. That's my hope. That He died
as my substitute upon the cross. That He lived a perfect life
as my substitute. That He's risen again for my
justification and glory. My hope, all my hope is in Him.
You take away Christ and I have nothing. I have no hope. Christ is my life. He's everything. And it's so for everybody. He's
everything to us. My faith has found a resting
place, not in device or creed. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock,
I stand. All other ground It's Christ in Him alone. Christ
in Him alone. And the sinner who is clothed
in the righteousness of Christ is also justified before the
Holy God of the universe. Justified by God is this, the
act of God's free grace, which He fully pardons the sinner. Oh, let us just sit there. He
fully pardons the sinner. Fully pardons the sinner and
justifies him in Christ, not based upon anything in him, in
me, based upon absolutely nothing in me, beloved, but all based
upon the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did as a sinner's substitute,
as my substitute. It's all based upon him. God
delivers the sinner from the guilt of sin, from the dominion
of sin, and from the punishment of sin is all that was demanded
of the sins of the elect was poured out upon Christ my substitute. And he died in my room and place
and for his people, for all his elect. And he justifies us before God's
holy justice. What a sinner. Whatever did he
do? And he did it willingly. There's
no other way for us to be saved. Thus in his life and in his death
he is the sinner's substitute before God. And all our acceptance
before God is in Christ in him alone. Nowhere else. Nowhere
else. The believer is accepted in Christ.
Based upon Christ's work and merit. Based upon Christ's work
and merit. We who believe are clothed in
the perfect, spotless righteousness of Christ. It's incredible. It's incredible. In the scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the gospel unto Abraham, indeed shall all nations be blessed.
or seeing that God would justify the heathen, Galatians 3.8. So
we who believe are justified by Christ's merit, by Christ's
merit. In justification, we trust in
the blood and righteousness of Christ, that it was shed for
me, for me. Augustus Toplady said this, and
I made reference to it earlier, but he wrote this, Christ's sheep
do not contribute any part of their own wool to their own clothing. They wear and are justified by
the fine linen of Christ's obedience only. He's the Alpha. He's the Omega
of our salvation. He's the Alpha. is the finisher. Jonah said, salvation is of the
Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. So again, we're clothed in the
righteousness of Christ. We who believe, we marvel that
we can approach the throne of God. But the only reason we can approach
the throne of God is based upon the righteousness and the merit
of Christ. That's all. So the believer is
acquitted from all guilt for our sins. We who are believers know we've
sinned. Christ paid it all. This is the good news. Christ paid it all for his people. We are born into this world sinners. Therefore, because we're born
into this world sinners. Is God then not not offended? Must atonement be made before
him for our sin? It must not his justice. Be satisfied. Absolutely. His justice must
be satisfied. It's unbending, isn't it? It's
unbending. How? By anything that we can
do ourselves? No. No. By anything that any of our fellow
creatures can do? For ourselves or for themselves?
No. I can't pay for my own sin, let
alone yours. How then can God be satisfied? How then can God accept sinners who are sinners by birth, nature,
and choice? Beloved only by the dying and
rising again of the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who was delivered
for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. It's all Christ. His blood alone
satisfies God's justice. His sacrifice alone atones for
my sin. And if you're a believer, you're
sin. So we are therefore justified
before God by his blood alone. So then God accepts us as righteous
based upon what Christ has done. God accepts us as righteous based
upon what Christ has done, based upon his works. You see, it's
the total opposite of religion. God says, my thoughts aren't
your thoughts. My ways are not your ways. A
man can cook up all kinds of things, right? That's not the
way of God. God accepts us as righteous based
upon what Christ has done and upon His works, not ours. God
pardons all our sins and accepts all His people in Christ and
in Christ alone. And in Christ, the believer is
righteous in God's sight. We are accepted in the beloved,
the Lord Jesus Christ, through His merit and His righteousness
alone. Accepted in Christ alone, who
is beloved of God the Father, and was so from everlasting,
and will be all through eternity. So let us remember that this
garment that we are clothed in is a costly garment. Not for
we who wear it, it's free for us, isn't it? It's free for us. The Father puts it upon us. It's free for us. It's free and bestowed upon us
by the free grace of God in Christ. But let us remember the cost,
the price paid by our wonderful Savior to clothe us in His righteousness. It cost Him dear blood. We read
that Adam and Eve were clothed by God by the death of an innocent
one. Beloved, we are clothed by the
death of the innocent one. The sinless, spotless lamb of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the just one dying for the unjust
in our place. And in order for the Lord Jesus
Christ to justify us, to sanctify us, to redeem us, he must die
shedding his perfect blood and redeeming our eternal souls.
He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Our sin is imputed to Him and
His righteousness is imputed to us. And He bears the full
wrath of God in our place. What a Savior. He did this for
a number that no man can number. And that's why we say, flee to
Christ. He's the only hope for sinners.
You have no hope in yourself. None. only hope for sinners is Christ.
Oh, may God make you willing to flee to him. The costly garment, the righteousness
of Christ in which we are clothed in is a garment that that God
is pleased with. He's pleased with the righteousness
of Christ, and he accepts we who are clothed in it as he sees
us in Christ, we who are born again by the Holy Spirit of God,
clothed in the perfect, spotless righteousness of Christ. Oh,
that grace of God in Christ towards his people. And that the perfect, sinless,
spotless one dies for we who are sinners. Turn, if you would, to Daniel,
chapter 9. The garment, this garment is
an everlasting garment. Daniel chapter nine. Look at
this verse 24. This garment is an everlasting
garment. It's the righteousness of Christ
for justification is in before God. Is only in Christ. Look at Daniel nine, 24. Daniel
nine, 24. And then put your finger in Revelation
3.18. We won't be moving around too
much after this. Daniel 9.24 in Revelation 3.18. Daniel 9, 24, 70 weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression,
to make a, look at this, to make an end of sins. Christ paid it
all. He made an end of sins. and to
make reconciliation for iniquity. And look at this. Remember the
righteousness of Christ, which we're clothed in, and to bring
in everlasting righteousness. Christ's righteousness is everlasting
righteousness. And we will be forever clothed
in that righteousness. Forever. Forever. And to seal up the vision and
to prophesy and to anoint the most holy. Then turn over to
Revelation 3.18. This garment, this everlasting
righteousness speaks of innocency, innocence and purity. Look at
this Revelation 318. Look at this. I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich in white raiment. that
thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do
not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyeslave, that thou
mayest see. It's white. It's perfect. It's
pure. This garment is pure, perfect. It's the righteousness of Christ.
And every justified person is clothed with this perfect righteousness.
Innocent, we're innocent. When we're clothed in this, we're
innocent before God. Because Christ paid everything
demanded for our sins. Psalm 26.6 says this, I will
wash my hands in innocency, so well I can pass thine altar,
oh Lord. Isaiah 1.18 says, come now, let
us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as
scarlet. Oh. That's why we say, You can
be the blackest sinner, and Christ can make you white as snow, because
it says this. Come now and let us reason together,
saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as white. Perfect. White. Pure. And we trust only in Christ and
Him alone. Titus 3 says this. But after that the kindness and
love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy,
he has saved us by the washing of regeneration or a new one
of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ, our Savior, that being justified by his grace, God's
people are justified by his grace. We should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. So may God's people rejoice.
We who are in Christ rejoice. We're clothed in this perfect
righteousness. accepted of a God. And it's all
based upon Christ. It's the opposite of what we
used to think. God's ways are not our ways. The fine linen, the righteousness
of Christ is the righteousness of saints. Turn, if you would,
to Matthew 22. Christ is the wedding garment,
spoken of in Matthew 22, verse 12. But let's look at the context
of this. And the wedding garment is imputed, the imputed righteousness
of Christ. Look at this in Matthew 22. We're
closed with this portion of scripture here. And I'll say a few comments
and then we'll be done. Matthew 22, look at this. starting
in 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, and they came
not, or they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants,
telling them which are bidden. Behold, I have prepared my dinner,
my oxen, my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come
unto the marriage. But they made light of it and
went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. There
is none that seeketh after God. None. None. And the remnant took
his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But
when the king heard thereof, he was wroth, and sent forth
his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their
city. Then say to the servants, the wedding is ready, but they
which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore, oh, here we
go. 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 were found, both bad and good. And the wedding was
furnished with guests. And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding
gown. And he saith unto him, Friend,
how comest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said
the king to his servants, bind him hand and foot, and take him
away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen.
The wedding garment is the imputed righteousness of Christ. the
imputed righteousness of Christ. Are you clothed in it? Are you clothed in it? There's
no welcome before God without it. There's no acceptance before
God without it. May God, the Holy Spirit, grant
your faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. All who believe
All who believe on Christ are clothed in the perfect spotless
righteousness of Christ. We say, what do we say? Glory
be to God.