Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me, if you would, to the modern book of Matthew. I'm going
to start with Matthew this morning, Matthew 22. Matthew chapter 22. I would like to consider the
first 14 verses of the book of Matthew, chapter 22, and I've
entitled this message, the kingdom of heaven is like. What the kingdom of heaven is
like. Let's read these verses, and
then we'll ask our Lord's blessing. Matthew 22, 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 and sent forth his servants to call them that
were bidden to the wedding. They would not come. Again, he
sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden. Behold,
I have prepared my dinner. My oxen, my batlings are killed. All things are ready. Come to
the marriage, come to the marriage. But they made light of it, went
their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise, And
the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully
and slew them. But when the king heard their
love, he was wroth. And he sent forth his armies,
and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then
saith he to his servants, The way is raised, which were bidden,
were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways,
and as many as you shall find, give 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 saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not
having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. and said
the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away,
cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen." Let's pray. Our Father, this morning, we
thank you for the blessed privilege to be able to be assembled in
the presence of our Lord and Savior, and to look into your
Word. I pray you bless the Word today.
Bless the preaching. Bless the hearing. Lord, bless
those that have been mentioned, those in our congregation and
those without our congregation. I pray that you would comfort
them by your Spirit. Bless, I pray, the Word. of the
salvation of your people, the comfort of those that you've
everlastingly loved, for Christ's sake. Amen. What the kingdom of God
is like. That statement, when the Lord
made that statement in verse 2, the kingdom of heaven is like
That just stirred my heart. I thought, here it is going to
be from the mouth of Him who speaks in parables. That's what
He said. Jesus answered and spake unto
them again by parables. Now we know why. He's going to
say something to His people. He's going to set something forth
that is to many who in themselves are wise and prudent, and he's
going to reveal this unto babes. It's hidden, Poussin. Lord, reveal
this to me. Lord, open my eyes. Lord, teach
me. This statement right there, the
kingdom of heaven, I'm going to tell you that it actually
sets forth the present gospel state of the Church, what's actually
going on right now, how the Lord is calling out His Lamb. Now,
when we say the Kingdom of Heaven, I do understand there is a time
that we'll all be all that the Lord has called out of darkness,
everlastingly loved, regenerated by grace. There is a place that
we're going to be called Heaven. That statement right there, the
kingdom of heaven is life. It's talking about what's going
on right now. And this day of grace, where
men are still actually breathing, where God's people are being
called out of darkness, the kingdom of heaven right here is concerning
the unveiling of that which Almighty God has eternally purposed, and
also in this passage of scripture we're going to find the end. What will happen in the day of
judgment? The kingdom of heaven is life
unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son. Now this
is what's going on right now. This is what's happening right
now. We're having, for all that God has everlastingly loved and
regenerated, we're having a marriage feast this morning. We've come
together and we're going to feast on our blessed Lord and Savior. We're going to eat of Him. The
kingdom of heaven is like a marriage prepared by a certain king. Now
we know that this certain king right here is a picture of the
Father. We know that the marriage that
he purposed in the marvelous union between the Son of God
who undertook on himself the sin of the Father, willingly
took our nature, made flesh and vitally, perfectly, eternally,
divinely united with all that the Father had given him. This
marriage took place before the foundation of the world. His bride is spoken of when he
says, according as he have chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love. Oh, there is a day coming in
which it will all be brought forth, openly displayed, openly
manifested, but the bride, the Church, was eternally presented
by the Father to the Son. The Son eternally, everlastingly,
before the foundation of the world, received and stood for
all that the Father had given Him in effecting grace, and the
bride herself was sanctified, set apart, that she should be
holy and without blame before Him in love by the Spirit of
God. Now I'm telling you, when I say
that this is an eternally settled issue, all the names of God's
people were written in the Lamb's Book of Life when? Before the
foundation of the world. Now we're just watching this
wonderful union unfold. We're watching it as the Lord
Jesus Christ calls out those that the Father eternally gave
him, that he eternally stood for, that he eternally answered
for, that he was the eternal surety for. And I, the Lord said
of his bride, will betroth thee unto me forever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto
me in righteousness, in judgment, in lovingkindness, and in mercies. This is a settled issue. There's
nothing that's taking God by surprise. Known unto the Lord
are all of his works. How long? From the beginning.
He declares from the beginning things it shall be." Now, in the perfect knowledge
of Almighty God, and obviously in His permissive will, the bride
of the Church, the elect, was involved in the fall of Adam. She fell All mankind by one man's disobedience. Many were made sinners. All of God's elect fell in Adam's
rebellion. The scripture sits forth, she
walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh In
the children of disobedience, we all, Paul said in Ephesians
2, were by nature children of wrath, even as others. Every
one of us. There's not one of God's elect
that ever came into this world any differently than any other
son of Adam. Isn't that wonderful? Just hearing
those two words. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ. To realize
that he who would not leave his own to themselves, declared also
the means by which he would call his own out of rebellion. This is wonderful. I know this. I'm absolutely convinced of this. God has a people and he's going
to save them. They're going to come to him.
All that the Father had given me, Christ said, shall come to
me. And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast him out.
How, Lord, are you going to call him? I'm going to call him through
the preaching of the gospel. So this morning I stand here
as many men, by the grace of God, do, standing in pulpits,
preaching the gospel, knowing assuredly that Almighty God is
going to bless his word. to accomplish the purpose for
which He sent. As I said a minute ago, this
is not easy. I know this. I know it. Who knows it might
be today. If God Almighty might take the
blessed Word of the Gospel of His Son, and bless it, and one
of His own might be called out of darkness. Somebody may be
sitting here this morning, sitting here for years and years, And
then God Almighty opened their heart just like He did Lydia's.
And she then, Lydia then attended to the words spoken by Paul.
Someone may say, first time. I just heard. I've heard this
all my life. I've come, I knew the difference
between Calvinism, Arminianism. I never had a heart fire. Never
had a heart fire. And Almighty God, I believe God
saved me. I just, oh, I pray the Lord might
be pleased. Here's the way, though. Here's
the way I want to pause you now. Verse 3 to 8. He sent forth his
servants to call them that were bidding to the wedding, and they
would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying,
Tell them which are bidding. Behold, I have prepared my dinner.
My ox and my fattens are killed. All things are ready. Come into
the marriage. They may lie nothing. It went their ways, one to his
farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants
and treated them. Spice was sleuthic when the king
heard it. He was wrong. He sent forth his
armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their cities. Then
saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which
were bidden were not worthy. I don't doubt at all, at all,
that there is absolutely concerning the nation of Israel, I don't
doubt that they are vitally involved in what was said right here.
I don't doubt that. When it says over here, it says
that they, verse 8, they which were bidden were not worthy.
I can tell you, look at Acts 13.46 just for a minute, talking
about them being unworthy. Acts 13.46 sets forth this truth. concerning the nation of Israel.
Then Paul in Barnabas waxed bold and said, it was necessary that
the word of God should first have been spoken to you. But
seeing you put it from you, judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting
life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Now I know, I know that Almighty
God had a remnant. within the Jewish nation, Paul
said, I'm going. God has not forsaken all of his
people. In Israel, no. There were some
elect in the nation of Israel, but by and large, the nation
of Israel to whom was given the covenant and the promises, by
and large, that nation refused to hear. and shamefully disregarded
the Lord Jesus Christ, made light of it. He came unto his own,
and his own received him not. Scripture sets forth when they
made light of it. In verse 5, Matthew 22, made
light of it, went their way, one to his farm, the other to
his merchandise. The book of Luke expounds also. Luke chapter 14. I'll show you
what the scripture says. Luke 14, verse 15 to 21. Speaking of this, it's great
supper. It's marriage supper. Verse 15
of Luke 14, And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard
these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat
bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain
man made a great supper and bade many sent his servant at supper
time to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things
are now ready. And they all with one consent
began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have
bought a piece of ground. I must need to go and see it.
I prayed he had any excuse. Another said, I have bought five
yoke of oxen. I go to prove them. And others
said, ìI married a wife, therefore I cannot come.î So that servant
came and showed the Lord these things, and the master of the
house, being angry, said to the servant, ìGo out quickly into
the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the
poor, and the maimed, and the haught, and the blind.î Oh, how easily man by nature
It's just too busy. Jeff just gave me an article. Brother Scott wrote it. I'm going
to try to see if I can print it up for us all to enjoy and
read it. Too busy. Too busy. Come to the supper. Well, I bought
a piece of ground. I just can't do it. I got married. I just can't come. I bought some
cattle. I wish I could be there. I heard it said, if you're too
busy to worship God, you're just too busy. Give up something, but not the
worship of God. Not the worship of Almighty God. If you're too busy to forsake
the hearing of the gospel of God's grace, you're too busy The Lord is prospered! Support
it! Give! As God has prospered a
man, let Him give! Let Him support it! Pray for
it! Encourage God's people! I just
can't believe that. Man, I've done the excuses that
I've heard in many. I just... But thanks be unto Him who will
never leave His home to perish in their sins. I saw him back
in Matthew 22. He said, It's ready to come.
They made light of it. They were just too busy. They took his servants and they
treated them spitefully, slew them. The king heard thereof,
angry, angry. He told his servants, in verse
9, Go ye into the highways And as many as you find bid to the
marriage, so these servants went out into the highways and gathered
together, all as many as they found, this is it, both bad and
good. And the wedding was furnished
with guests. Interesting, interesting passage
of scripture right there. He guided them. Bad and good.
He said, you go out and you invite all that you find. And you bid
them. You bid them to come to this
marriage feast. Bid them to come. Bid them to
hear. Bid them to assemble themselves together. Bad and good. There's a scripture. Turn back
to Matthew 13. It gave me some understanding
on this. Matthew 13, verse 47 to 49. This gave me really some light
on that scripture. Matthew 13, verse 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of
every which when it was full, they drew to shore, and set down,
and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall
it be at the end of the world, the angels shall come forth and
settle the wicked from among the judged." Now listen, let
me tell you something. People are always, I know what
they say. Those that stand for and preach
and you that believe the gospel of free grace. I know what they
say. Well, you guys are just trying
to narrow everybody out. You know, you're just looking,
you're just looking, you know, you're trying to make this thing
so narrow, you know. No, let me tell you what we're
doing. What we're saying is this. I don't know who the sheep are.
I mean, after the Lord calls them out of darkness, I've got
some hope for myself, for you, that there's an evidence, there's
a believer. I'm telling you, as I've said
before, a believer looks like, acts like, talks like a believer. I'll tell you the number one
evidence that I've seen of a believer. They're the ones that struggle
the most. They're the ones that strive to enter into this great
gate. They're the ones that make their
calling and election sure. They're not the ones that are
so arrogant and walking around bragging on what they've done.
I've done this, I've done that. Every believer I know is a poor,
and a halt, and a man. And they say this, if I've got
any hope. It's because God's done something
for me. What else do I have but His mercy? I am what I am by
the grace of God. That's how a believer talks.
Man, when you find somebody and they're just so, they're so spiritual,
they're so, you know, don't stand by me, I'm holier than thou.
That's scripture. I paraphrased it, but that's... I know. At this age, before the
judgment of God, I want men to come. I want my kids. I want my kids to come. I want God Almighty to save my
grandchildren, my children, my neighbors. I want God to have
mercy on your kids. I want Him to. I want God to
have mercy of the hearing of the gospel
of God's grace. So what do we do? We look up. We look, we stand,
we preach, we put an article in the newspaper, invite people
to come. Come here. Go into the highways
and invite bad and good. How do I know who they are? The
Lord said in the last day, I'll separate them. Lord, you want
us to separate the tarrys? Lord, I think there's some tarrys
in this church right here. You want us to rip them up? No,
you leave them alone. You don't know who they are. You preach
to them. And in the last day, I'll separate
the sheep from the goats. I pray that Almighty God have
mercy on us. In this day of grace, what do
we do? We preach and pray that the Lord
have mercy. But then, in the day of judgment,
The scripture sets forth that the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking, says in verse 11 of
Matthew 22, and the king came in to see the guest. We're all going to stand before
God. We're all going to stand before
Him. I know right now, I know that He knows. I know he knows,
he knows his own. I know my sheep, I know them. What we do is we pray, seek,
ask. Bind him hand and foot, take
him away and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Boy, how many times has our Lord
made that statement out there. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. I don't know the depth of it,
but I can tell you this. He's telling us something that's
just going to be an eternity of judgment. Many are called. Few are chosen. The scripture sets forth concerning
not only this parable, but in the day of judgment. There was
something there in the midst of all the guests that only the
king saw. No indication whatsoever that
anybody else saw it. But there was one that was sitting
there that didn't have on a wedding garment. I'm not saying that he didn't
have on a garment. What he had on was, without a
doubt, a garment of his own provision. The scripture sets forth that
man, by nature, can weave himself a garment. It's just filthy rags. Self-righteous, filthy rags. Adam and Eve, what did they do?
In the day that Adam rebelled, Eve rebelled against God. They
knew, they knew that they were naked. Now what did they do?
They made themselves a garment. Took some fig leaves, sewed them
together to cover themselves before God. My friend, there
it is. but one wedding garment, and
it is the wedding garment of God's provision. No man has the
ability to weave himself a wedding garment that will stand before
God. Isaiah 61, Isaiah 61 verse 10, listen to this, when I'm
talking about the Lord Himself provides the garment, I will
greatly rejoice, Isaiah 61 10, in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God, 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
as a bride adorning herself with jewels. robe his people in the righteousness
of Christ. I don't have that ability. That's
why whenever we tell people, Christ alone is our hope. Come unto me, he said. Those
words ring true in him saying this, don't come to anything
else that you can do. Anything that you can do, anything
that you think that you've done in order to robe yourself in
a righteousness before God is filthy rash. There is nothing
else, not by works of righteousness that we've done. I'm telling
you, friend, how can you hither not having
a wedding garment. I'm speechless. What are you
going to say in the day of judgment? There's one thing that's going
to happen. Let me tell you what the scripture says for it. It's
going to happen to every person that rests in their in their
own salvation, their own provision, their own work, their own obedience,
their own... One thing. Find him. Hand and foot. Take him away. And cast him into
out of darkness. We've been in a nation of teeth.
Many are called. Few are chosen. Many are invited. to come and hear. Many hear the
outward sound of the preaching of the gospel. A man's refusal
to come is his own fault. A man or a woman that hears the
gospel of God's great grace and says that, I'll not have this
man to rule over me. He's going to put you in hell.
I'm not going to listen. you're going to perish. I think
about a man or a woman leaving this world, every time I look
at the obituaries, that's the first thing that goes through
my mind. What did that person think of Christ? Men can talk about and make all
kinds of flowery remarks and this and the other, but when
a man stands before God, and he has not on the wedding garment,
He is not robed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
has no hope. Oh, may our Lord bless these
words, many are called, few are chosen. Men will say, well, there you
guys go again, trying to push men out. Who said this? Who said this? That's my question. Who said
this? Argue against Him? Argue against
Him before whom we must stand? I'm telling you, a believer hears
these words, and he says within his heart, Lord, teach me again. Tell me one more time how you
put away my debt. Tell me one more time, Lord,
comfort me. Comfort me according to your
grace and mercy and compassion. Lord have mercy on this sinner,
for Christ's sake.