Turn, if you will, to Luke's
Gospel, chapter 15. We want to use just a few verses
there to introduce our message, or let it serve, rather, as an
introduction to our message, which we'll take from Revelation,
chapter 7. The title of my message is, The
Best Robe. The Best Robe. And you probably
know where I find those words and the title of the message,
from the father's words to the prodigal son. The parable, and
it's really a single parable, and our Lord illustrates it in
three ways. But what a marvelous picture
it is. Here our Lord is, and he's surrounded by publicans
and sinners. the riffraff, and they crowd
around him to hear his word, because never a man spake like
this man. He has the words of eternal life.
And as Peter said, to whom can we go? To whom can we go? Oh, what a marvelous place to
be brought to by God's grace when we realize we don't have
anybody else to go to. There's nobody else that gives
us hope of salvation except Christ. But on the outer circle, standing
further off, because they wouldn't be associated with these publicans
and sinners, are the religious leaders of the day. The religious
folk, the Pharisees, the word means separated ones. They stand
afar off, just like that one did in the temple when he looked
down at the publican and said, I'm so thankful, Father, I'm
thankful that I'm not like this man. Oh, I just can't help but
wonder how he wished he had been like that man now, like that
publican who knew his need of God's mercy. But they stand far
off, away from the publicans and sinners, and they say, this
man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. One of the few times
an accusation they said of our Lord was actually true. And aren't
you glad that it is? This man still receiveth sinners,
and he hasn't changed. Our Lord said, I'm guilty. I'm
guilty as charged." And he gave this parable and gave three different
illustrations to emphasize the truth of what they just said.
And we're familiar about the prodigal son. I've heard messages
and read commentaries about this passage in Luke 15, and they
put so much emphasis on the prodigal son, his wandering away from
home and what he encountered there. and what he experienced. But what our Lord is emphasizing
here is not so much the prodigal son, but the Father's mercy,
God's mercy and grace. We read this and we should come
away with this realization that God delights to show mercy. God's not reluctant to save. He enjoys showing mercy. Our
Lord said after each illustration in this parable three times,
There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that actually
repents. But here in Luke 15, the prodigal
is coming home. Verse 17, And when he came to
himself, he said, How many hard servants of my father's have
bread enough in despair, and I perish with hunger? I will
arise and go to my father, and say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to
be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hard servants. And he arose and came to his
father. But when he was as yet a great
way off, his father saw him because his father had been looking every
day. Every day since this young man said, give me the portion
of my inheritance and went away into a far country, the father
had been looking down that road for his son to come home. But
when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion,
and ran to him, 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, but the
father. But the father said to his servants,
bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring
on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my
son was dead, and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and
they begin to make merry. Before the son, that prodigal
son, and what he said was so. He had sinned against heaven
and against his father. And he wasn't worthy. There was
no merit in him, no reason why he deserved any mercy. He was
right in that. But before as he came down that
road rehearsing what he would say, he was going over in his
mind, rehearsing it, I'll put it just like this. I'm going
to plead just like this. Before the son could deliver
his well-rehearsed lines, he's interrupted. He's interrupted. He's cut short. Before he can
even get the words out of his mouth, his father interrupts
him with this. But the father said, oh, what
a picture that is, is it not, of God's rich grace. The only
explanation Listen, the only explanation as to why sinners
are saved, any sinner, that multitude that we read about in Revelation
chapter 7, the reason why any are there and all are there is
only this, but God, but God, God that likes to show mercy,
but God, before Adam even fell, and we fell in him. But God had
determined to save a people, a multitude of redeemed sinners.
God had exclaimed from eternity, I will have mercy. I will have
mercy. And this is what the prodigal
son demonstrates to us, a picture of God's rich, amazing grace.
But the father, but God. what rich words, but God what
blessed words of grace. He broke my stubborn will. Throughout
the great eternal age, I'll chant His praises still. But the Father
said, bring forth the best robe." The very best robe, often in
scripture, a robe is used to symbolize that righteousness
of Christ in which sinners are dressed. For example, in Isaiah
chapter 61, let me read you a verse there where we're told this.
Isaiah chapter 61, verse 10. We read, and 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's clothed me. I'm all dressed
up. And what a garment it is. And look what the prophet says.
He hath covered me. Covered me from head to foot. So covered me. So completely
does the garments of salvation. He has so covered me with the
robe of Christ's absolute righteousness that there's no blemish, no blemish,
no spot, not any such thing. 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. Zechariah, we
read again. In Zechariah chapter 3 verse
4, listen to this. Well, no, let's, verse 3. Joshua,
Joshua the high priest, not Joshua the protege to Moses, but another
Joshua. We read concerning him, now Joshua
was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel and
he answered and spake unto those that stood by or stood before
him saying, take away the filthy garments from him. Take them
all. And unto him he said, Behold,
I have caused thine iniquity to pass away from thee, and I
will clothe thee with a change of raiment. And in Revelation
chapter 19, look what we read here. Revelation chapter 19,
verse 8. We read this concerning the church
of God that John saw coming down out of heaven. And to her was
granted, was granted, was given her. Not something she earned. No, no, no. That she was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness
of the saints. This is what the hymn writer
wrote about. In that day, in that day, when
all mankind, when you and me are ushered into the presence
of God Almighty. When we stand before Him and
we realize, some will realize for the first time as horror
grips their heart, He's not like us. He's not like us. He's not like I imagined. He's
not the God that I molded in my own imagination. He's not
like that God that I was told all my life. He's like me. Oh,
no. My soul. He's the mighty God. The mighty God. The hymn writer
said, and when I'm ushered into his presence, when he shall come
with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found. Will anything
else matter? Will anything else be as important? Or when he shall come with trumpet
sound, or may I then in him be found dressed in his righteousness
alone? Faultless. Faultless. Did the
hymn writer go too far? Faultless? Should he have left
that word out? Oh, no, no, no. He was following
Scripture, because it says we shall be before the throne of
God faultless. Several times in Scripture we're
told that. Dressed in His righteousness
alone, faultless. Oh my soul, we could pitch a
tent there, couldn't we? Faultless to stand before the
throne. Turn back if you will, if you're
not already there, Revelation chapter 7. We look again at this
multitude before the throne. Verse 9, and after this I beheld
and lo a great multitude that no man could number of all nations
and kindreds and people and tongues. They stood before the throne
and before the land, clothed with white robes and palms in
their hands. What a contrast that is to chapter
6. When Christ returns, when He
says, as King of kings and Lord of lords, time shall be no more. It's done. And the heavens depart,
and He descends, and we're told there in the last few verses
of Revelation 6 that the rich men, and the captains, and the
chief men, and the mighty men, they see Him coming, and they
hide themselves. They think they're hiding themselves
from God. They hide themselves in the mountains
and in the rocks of the mountains, and in verse 16 they pray this,
fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that setteth
upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great
day of His wrath is come. It's arrived. It wasn't a fairy
tale. It wasn't an old fable. This
day has come, the day of His wrath. And they ask this question. In the light of His holiness,
in the light of who He is, in the light of His absolute righteousness,
who can stand? The psalmist asked that question,
Lord, if you should mark iniquity, who should be able to stand? And yet John says, here's a multitude
of people that do that very thing. They stand not fearful, but they
stand rejoicing. They stand in the very presence
of God before His very throne and before the Lamb. And they're
not praying, hide His face from us. They're not seeking to flee
from Him and hide. Oh no, it's their joy to stand
before Him in the very presence of God and sing salvation to
our God. A great multitude. Let's pause
and just consider that for a moment. Just looking at the multitude
as a whole. a great multitude. It's no wonder
Paul said, in looking forward to this day by faith, looking
at the unseen, he wrote in Romans 8, I suppose, I reckon, I reckon,
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
to the glory that shall be revealed in us. The very fact of this
multitude in heaven before the throne confirms to us the certainty
of Christ's promise. The promises in Christ are all
yea and amen. And the very fact, the very picture
of this multitude before the throne confirms to us, is proof
to us that what he said was so. Turn back, if you will, to John's
Gospel, chapter 10. A familiar verses, but I think
it'll be a comfort just to look at them again to be reminded
of them. The great shepherd of the sheep is speaking here. that
one to whom God entrusted the salvation of all his people,
this multitude, their salvation was put into the hands of the
great shepherd of the sheep. And in John 10 verse 16, he says,
other sheep I have which are not of this fold, not just Jews
only, them also I must bring. I like how he talks, don't you?
Then also I must pray. Oh, great shepherd, but what
if your sheep are not willing? Oh, they won't be willing. They
won't be willing, not at the first. Oh, but when I exert my
great power, they'll become willing. Ask Saul of Tarsus. Ask Zacchaeus. Ask Lazarus. They'll become willing
in the day in my power. And them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice.
And there shall be. Oh, I like God's shalls, don't
you? And there shall be one fold and one shepherd. This is what
we see in Revelation 7 verse 9. Now skip down to verse 27
of John 10. My sheep hear my voice. Do you
hear His voice? Do you know the voice of the
Great Shepherd? That proves that you're one of
His sheep if you hear His voice. And this as well, they hear my
voice and I know them and they follow me. They follow the Great
Shepherd and I give them eternal life. Oh, I give them eternal
life and they shall never perish. Not one of my sheep shall perish.
Among that multitude, before John's wondering eyes, there
was not one absent. Every one. And they were a number,
mind you, that John said, I couldn't count. I couldn't count. There
were too many beyond my calculations. But among that multitude that
no man could number, every one that God gave to the Son, every
one that He came to this earth for, every one whose sins He
bore on the cross, every one that He obtained eternal redemption
for, every one of them, without exception, without the loss of
one, they're all there before the throne. Glory to His name.
And it's His fault. It's his fault. And I give them
eternal life. And they shall never perish,
neither shall any man. You hear the great shepherd?
Neither shall any man, no one, shall be able to pluck them out
of my hand. Again, looking at this multitude.
It's the answer to the prayer of our great shepherd. Here is
our great high priest in John 17. He prays, Father, I will,
I will. This is my will. This is my testament. I will that all those whom you
have given me be with me, be with me. That's heaven. That's heaven. We hear silly,
silly people talk about heaven as, oh, it's going to be streets
of gold. I perhaps told you, I was in the presence of two
men arguing over whether the streets of gold were just pure
gold or just gold-plated. That's so important, isn't it,
Louie? That is so important. Oh no,
the heaven of heaven. And the glory of glory is this,
they shall be with me. Father, I want them with me where
I am that they may behold my glory. And this is what we read
of in Revelation 7. They stand before the throne.
And this also proves, this is proof of the success of our Redeemer. In Galatians, Paul wrote these
words. He had delivered us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us. He got the job done. Mission
accomplished, Todd. Oh, thank God, what a Savior.
And Paul in Hebrews chapter 9 wrote these words, He by Himself entered
in once into the holy place having what? Having what? Not made possible. No. Having obtained eternal redemption
for us. John wrote, the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. Imagine that. Imagine that. You know, believers,
you've been made aware to some degree of the sinfulness of your
own sin, the strength of your own sin. And John says, the blood
of Christ does this marvelous work. It cleanses us from all
sin. All the sins of all that multitude
are all gone. He bore them all away. That's
why I love these words and I quote them so often. The hymn writer
put it like this. He knew what he was writing about.
This is scriptural. Dear dying lamb, thy precious
blood shall never, never, never lose its power till all the ransomed,
every one of them, every one of them, till all the ransomed
Church of God be saved of sin no more. This multitude is the
fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah said, it pleased the Lord
to bruise him. He had put him to grief. He had
laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Why did he do all that? What's the issue of all that?
What's the fruit of all that? Was it for a maybe? Was it for
a hoped soul? Was it for a perchance? Did He
shed that precious blood? Was He put into the winepress
of God's holy wrath for people that end up in hell suffering
the same wrath for the same sins? What kind of atonement is that?
That's not a redemption. Oh no, Isaiah said this is the
outcome he shall see. He shall see. The travail of
his soul. The fruit of his sufferings. And he'll see it and be satisfied. He'll be content, because now
He looks from the throne at this multitude standing before Him,
and He knows every one of them are those He died for. Every
one of them He was made a curse for, and every one of them, without
exception, are standing before the throne. What a Savior! What a Redeemer! Isaiah chapter
42 said this, and these words shouldn't surprise us. Speaking
of our Redeemer, He says, He shall not fail. How do you like
that? He shall not fail. We're told in verse 9, no man
can number. No man can number. But the great
shepherd knew. He knew every one of them. He
always knows. He said, I know my sheep and
they know me. He knows who we are. He told
the Pharisees, you're not my sheep. That's why you don't believe
me. You're not my sheep. He said,
my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. The
great shepherd knows who they are and he knows where they are. He knows where they are and he
knows how they are. He knows how they're prone to
wonder. He knows how they're prone to leave the God they love.
He knows how they're tempted during times of great trial and
heavy heartache. forsake their only refuge. He
knows how they are. They're sheep. They wander. They
stray. Oh, but he says, they're my sheep. And I won't allow anyone or anybody
to pluck not even one out of my hand. This multitude before
the throne are the testimony of the great power and the great
grace of our God. And it requires both. to save
a sinner, to keep a sinner, to bring one to glory. It requires
great power and great grace. And our great Redeemer possesses
both without limit, without limit. This is what he said in John
6. All that the Father, all, all, there it is again, all,
all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Isn't that
encouraging? Oh, what an incentive, what a
reason to preach the gospel. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. That's successful, isn't it? And him that cometh unto me,
just like the prodigal son. The prodigal son comes back to
the father's house because he was the father's son. And him
that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. All that come,
they'll come to me in time. They'll be drawn to me. God the
Holy Spirit will draw them to me. They'll be made aware that
they're sinners. They'll be made aware and made
to cry, I have sinned. And God in mercy will say, bring
out the best robe. Bring out the best robe. Another
prodigal has come back to the Father's house. Put the best
robe. Put the righteousness of my Son on him. Cover him up with
it as we read in Isaiah chapter 61. They'll all come to me. In verse 14 of Revelation 7,
the elder tells John, these are they which came out of great
tribulation. Oh, what a... What an indication
again of God's great power and grace. They all came out. That took a miracle. That took
a miracle. They all came out of tribulation,
no matter how great it was, no matter how powerful, no matter
how severe the trial, no matter how heavy the burden, no matter
how weighty the heartache, They all came out, each and every
one. The prophet Isaiah, or rather
the psalmist said, every one of them go from strength to strength. Every one of them before, or
rather in Zion, appeareth before God. He shall give grace and
glory. God leads his dear children along,
does he not? Does he not? And aren't you thankful? Don't get nervous. I'm not going
to sing. I'm just going to read. Just read a couple of verses
of this old hymn. Do we know this one? Oh, God
leads his dear children along. Though sorrows befall us and
Satan oppose, God leads his dear children along. Though through
grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes, God leads his dear
children along. Sometimes on the mount where
the sun shines so bright, God leads his dear children along.
Oh, but sometimes in the valley in darkness of night, God leads
his dear children along. Some through the waters, some
through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the
blood. Some through great sorrow, but
God gives a song. In the night season and all the
day long, he leads his dear children along. When we see this multitude
before the throne, it reminds us that the words of Gabriel
to Joseph are absolutely so. Joseph. And we'll hear this verse
a lot. We'll see it printed on cards
and so forth. Matthew 1 and 21. Oh, but it
means so much more. So much more than most people
realize. Call His name Jesus, or Joshua. The word means Savior,
the salvation of the Lord. The same as the Hebrew Joshua.
Call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Did He live up to His name? Did
He? Did He deserve that name? He
was given that name. Because He came into this world
to save His people from their sins. Did He do it? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. He deserved that
name. He lived up to that name. And
He ever lives, He ever lives. In Hebrews chapter 7 we're told,
because He ever liveth, He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by Him. Do you hear that? Do you hear
that? Oh, is there a prodigal? Is there a prodigal son here
this morning? Is there one who's been brought
down? One who is naked before God?
One who's been stripped? Who, like blind Bartimaeus, has
thrown aside his cloak and has been brought to the footstool
of sovereign mercy? Listen to this. Bring forth the
best row. Oh, before you can say, Father,
I've sinned, he says, bring forth the best robe. Old Newton said,
it was grace that taught my heart to fear. It's grace that did
that. Grace brought me down. Grace
stripped me. Grace gets me lost so I can be
found. And grace my fears relieved. These multitude before the throne,
notice they all enjoy the same position. They all stood before
the throne. No difference in their standing.
Because they all stand upon the same foundation. The same foundation. Christ. Christ. Only one foundation
for the church and that's Christ. No degrees or rewards. None with
bigger or lesser mansions or crowns. Oh, no, no, no. That's a fig leaf of Roman Catholicism,
this rewards deal. Oh, no. They all stand before
Him in the same position, enjoying a great reward, the reward of
our substitute. And they all have the palm leaf
in their hand. A sign of victory. Victory won. They overcame the
flesh, the world, the devil. But thanks be unto God, who giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And in verse 10
we're told, they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God, which setteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. Man, can you
imagine that? Won't that be something? They
all sing the same song. What a glorious sound that will
be. They're all in perfect harmony. All sing the same glorious song
of praise to God. Not one note. Not one note in
that song about what men deserve. Not one note about man's will. Oh, we hear a lot of that today.
Hear a lot of that about man's merit and man's will. Oh, but
in glory, this multitude sing the song of praise unto their
God. Their song consists of this,
to God be the glory. He did it all. He deserves all
the praise. Now, let's look at this best
robe. for a few moments in which they stand before the throne
clothed. Clothed with white robes. It's
the best robe because it meets all God's requirements. It's
the only one that does. This robe of righteousness. It
signifies white. Perfect purity, perfect righteousness,
not man's. Oh no, no, no, no. Remember what
we read? Take those filthy rags off and
put on him a robe of righteousness. But not the best that man can
do, but the best that God can do. Moses, remind them that that
sacrifice must be perfect to be accepted, must be perfect.
When they pick that lamb, that Passover lamb, make sure they
examine it. Set it aside for a while and
examine it. Make sure there's not a spot
or a blemish, because that typifies my Son. That's a picture of my
Son. And when John the Baptist saw
Him, he said, Behold, there He is. There's the Lamb of God,
without a spot, without a blemish. He's perfect, that taketh away
the sin of the world. In Ezekiel chapter 16, After
God rescues that deserted, dying infant and brings him in and
washes him and supples him and dresses him and adorns him, we
read that his beauty was perfect. Perfect through the righteousness
of Christ. Perfect by the beauty that God,
by my beauty, that I have put upon Him. Sinless perfection. Have you ever heard people Professing
Christians talk in this life about sinless perfection. You
ever had the inconvenience of having to hear someone talk that
way? Sinless perfection? My poor grandmother one time
sent her pastor to my house to straighten me out because I wasn't
sinlessly perfect. I hadn't reached that second
stage of entire sanctification. And you know why? You know what
that was based on? And her pastor came to straighten
me out, he said, in my living room, and you know what it amounted
to? I had a TV. And that self-righteous Pharisee,
if I had to do over, I'd open the door and say, don't you let
it hit your butt on the way out, you self-righteous rascal. But
he said, if I had one of them, I'd say, what's the difference
in you and me? I was trying to be somewhat polite. He said, well,
for example, I would never have one of those one-eyed devils.
Touch not, taste not, handle not. Oh, no, no. What did Paul
write? He said, God has made Christ
to be unto us what? Our wisdom, our righteousness,
our sanctification. How more sanctified can you be
than in the person of God's Son? This robe of righteousness covers
us from head to foot. Oh, you'll never hear a prayer
in heaven like this, like David prayed. You'll never hear one. Won't that be something? You'll
never hear a prayer. My sin is ever before me. Against
thee and thee only have I sinned, O God. You'll never hear that.
You'll never hear someone say, O Father, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. for taking your great
salvation for granted. Forgive this cold, ungrateful
heart. Forgive me. You'll never hear
someone cry out like the Apostle Paul, O wretched man that I am. You'll never hear that. You know
why? Because Jude tells us, unto him that is able, to keep you
from falling, and to do what? Present you faultless in the
presence of His glory, that Him be dominion and power both now
and forever. Amen. Oh yes. Dressed up in the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, there's not a thread. There's
not a thread in that robe that's been woven by me. If so, it would be ruined. But
know the righteousness of Christ. This robe, we stand before the
throne of God, dressed in beauty, not our own. Turn, if you will,
to Galatians chapter 1. This is what Paul says in Galatians
chapter 1. Oh, what the sacrifice of our
Lord Jesus Christ. What He accomplished. Accomplished. by his death. What he actually
obtained in chapter 1 verse 20, Paul says, and having made peace
through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things
to himself, by him I say whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven. And you that were sometimes alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable Isn't that something? To present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in His sight. That's what the robe of Christ's
righteousness does. That robe that the Father said,
bring forth the best robe. The best robe. and put it upon
Him. It so covers us that we're without
fault, unblameable and unreprovable, holy in His sight, in the robe
of Christ's righteousness, all dressed up, all cozy and warm
and comfortable. Doesn't it feel good? Doesn't
it feel good to be wrapped up in the robe of Christ's righteousness?
It's the best robe because God provided it. Remember, it was
the Father that said, bring forth the best robe. It was God that
took away Adam's fig leaves, wasn't it? And clothed him in
a sacrifice that He Himself had provided. When the fullness of
the time was come, what do we read in Scripture? When the fullness
of the time was come, God, God sent forth his son, made of a
woman, made under the law. Christ didn't die to get God
to love us. Christ died because God loved
us. He loved his people with an everlasting love. Abraham
told Isaac, as they went up to the mount that day, Isaac looked
and said, Father, we have the wood for the sacrifice and the
fire, but where's the sacrifice? You remember what Abraham said?
My son, God will provide Himself a sacrifice. God will provide
the sacrifice, and He did. And God provided the sacrifice.
He sent forth His Son made of a woman, made under the law to
redeem them that were under the law. The sacrifice was provided
by God. This robe, and it was produced
by Jesus Christ. He performed it in His holy life. He was weaving a robe of perfect
obedience to God's law for His people. He lived as a substitute. Yes, I know He died as a substitute,
but He lived. That life He lived, He lived
as my substitute. And He was weaving a robe of
absolute perfect righteousness according to the demands of God's
holy law. And in death, He satisfied divine
justice by bearing our sins away, away. And this robe covers us
completely from head to foot, bringing forth the best robe.
And Christ says to every returning prodigal son, put this on. Put this on. Put this robe. of my righteousness on. It covers
you completely. Christ says, here, this is yours. This was woven, woven for you. Put this on. And the result is
this. This is what happens. When he
puts that robe of perfect righteousness on me, with his holy garments
on, I must hold it. as God's own Son. Isn't that something? Turn, if
you will, to Revelation chapter 14. Look what we read here. Here's the multitude again before
the throne. And in Revelation 14, we read
these words at verse 4. These are they which were not
defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed
from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And
in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault. Yeah,
you read it right. They are without fault before
the throne of God. The best robe is the only robe. The only robe that brings me
into the very presence of God, accepted and to be loved. That
gives me an entrance, a right into heaven. Turn back if you
will for just a moment to Galatians. Galatians chapter 1. Did you
hear what I said a moment ago? That gives me the right to enter
into heaven, into the presence of God? Is that scriptural? Oh
yes. Look what Paul says in verse
12 of Galatians 1, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made
us meet. The word meet there means the
right to. have made us worthy to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in life, who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom
of his dear Son. Therefore, John, where do these
come from? Why are they here? Oh, they came
out of great tribulation. Oh, yes, but why are they here? They have washed their robes
in the blood of the Lamb. Moses, you tell them when they
put the blood of that innocent lamb, that sacrifice, that substitute,
that's dying in their stead, tell them, Moses, when they hear
the cries in all the other houses where that blood is not, because
of the death angel that'll pass through, tell them not to be
afraid. Not to be afraid. Because when
I see the blood, don't be afraid. Because when I see the blood,
I've got to pass over you. When I see you robed in the righteousness
of my Son, I can require no more. I'm satisfied. And I'll pass
over you. And when we leave this world,
oh, what a joy. What a comfort it'll be to know
I'm robed in the righteousness of God's own Son. Are you the only reason they're
there? It's because they're robed in
that righteousness, the best robe. Paul said, this is all
I want, and this is all I need. Everything else is just filthy
rags. Throw it down, get rid of it,
and be found in Him, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless
to stand before the throne. There's only two groups of people
in this world. Those who are saved and those
who are lost. Our Lord taught in Matthew chapter
22, He said, in that day, compared to a marriage feast, the father
will come in and see one there not having on a wedding garment,
he'll say, how did you get in here? Not having on a wedding
garment. And he'll bound him hand and
foot and cast him out. Cast him out. God Almighty, The
all-knowing, all-seeing God looks down on us right now, this very
moment. Looks down on us. What does He
see? As He looks at you, what does He see? What do you see? What does He see right now? You
say, well, I hope He sees my good intentions. I hope He sees
my morality. I hope He sees... Yes, He does. And you know what He says? Filthy
rags. Oh, but He looks at others. like
these malted to before the throne. And you know what he sees? He
sees them clothed in the righteousness of his dear Son. And he's satisfied. He's satisfied. Oh God, give you grace. Give
you grace. I pray that the Lord in grace
would strip you Get you lost. Because if He does, He's doing
it that He might clothe you in the righteousness of His own
dear Son. God bless you.