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1:00I love that about our church. Last week, I preached from Matthew chapter 21, and just to kind of bring you back to where we were at the beginning of Matthew 21, we find Jesus in his last week of his life on earth. It begins with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem with people capturing. Casting down palm branches and proclaiming, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Obviously, a messianic greeting to him. Jesus goes into the temple, runs out the money changers, he begins teaching in the temple, which challenges the authority of the chief priests, the Jewish leaders. And they become increasingly hostile toward him as the people of Israel flock around Jesus and his miracles and his teachings. So they come and they challenge his authority. Jesus responds with a series of three parables. And each of these parables all have a common theme: judgment on the nation of Israel for rejecting Christ.

2:20The first parable I taught back in November, the parable of the two sons, about one son who said he would refused to obey his father, then he went and obeyed him anyway, and another son who said he would obey and he disobeyed. And the Pharisees quickly pointed out that it was the son who was obedient that did the will of his father. The second parable was about last week, some vine dressers who murdered the owner's servants and even his only son, and the vineyard was taken from the vine dressers and given to others who would render. The fruits of the vineyard to the owner in their season.

3:05This final parable focuses on a king as an invitation that is sent out to his son's wedding and his desire to see his son receive the honor that is due him. In this parable, we see different responses of the king's subjects and ultimately the consequences of not responding properly to this gracious invitation. Let me read in our text today in Matthew chapter 22, we'll be in verses 1 through 14. And Jesus answered and spake to them again by parables and said, The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent out servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious, and he sent out his armies, and destroyed. Those murderers and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. And the king said to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

5:30In this third series of parables on the judgment that would befall Israel for rejecting Christ, we see three different responses of the king's gracious invitation to honor his son at his wedding, namely his feast. The first group who is invited to come refused with responses ranging from indifference to hostility. And then the King graciously extends a broader invitation to anyone, really, and the parable quickly focuses on the one guest who's not wearing a wedding garment and is abruptly cast out of the feast. Well, the main point that I want you to remember from this parable is this. There are many responses to God's broad and gracious invitation into his kingdom, but the only right response is to accept God's provision of Christ's righteousness in place of our own. Let me say this again: the only right response to God's invitation to his kingdom is to not try to gain entry by our own good works, hoping that we're good enough, but only by covering our sin, our filthy rags, with the righteousness of Christ, which God provides himself, just as the king does for his guests at the feast. The outline today that I will follow has three points. I've got some R's in there for you, for those of you who love the alliteration. First, we'll look at refusing God's invitation. Secondly, we will look at the results of Israel's rejection. And thirdly, again, refusing Christ's righteousness. You see, those who spurn the gift of salvation and cling to their own good works will spend eternity in hell. The only way, the only right response is to trust in the righteousness. Of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He gives to us when we trust in His work on the cross instead of our own works to please Him. So, first, let's look at refusing God's invitation.

7:50Verse 1 in our passage begins like this: And Jesus answered and spake to them again by parables and said, The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come. Now, there's not much interpretation needed for this parable since Jesus tells his listeners right up front that the story is an illustration of the kingdom of heaven. But I'm going to give you the interpretation anyway because it's easy. Jesus has done that for us. The king is God the Father, and the son who's being honored at the banquet is a picture of Jesus Christ, who came unto his own, but his own did not receive him. Israel held the invitation to the kingdom, but when the time actually came for the kingdom to appear, they refused to believe it. Now, the marriage for the king's son and the associated wedding feast was understood by the Jewish leaders who heard this parable in those days to be a grand banquet given at the Messiah's coming. And the invited guests represent God's chosen people themselves, Israel, who had already been called by him. The servants in this parable represent the many prophets that God sent throughout the ages. We read from Isaiah this morning.

9:27And eventually, John the Baptist, who came in Jesus' time, announcing that the long-awaited Deliverer, their Messiah, their king, had come. John proclaimed, This is my, or God actually proclaimed at John's baptism of Jesus, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. So the king had invited these people to the wedding. Now, the narrative is pretty straightforward in the parable and would have been straightforward to people of those days, but it's a little confusing to us because weddings are a bit of a different affair today. There are some ancient Jewish customs we may not be aware of today, so I'm going to review them briefly. Marriages in those days were arranged, especially when royalty was involved. The king had already invited his guests probably months before. And now he was sending his servants out. They didn't have email or telephones. His servants went out to let the invited guests know that the time of the wedding and the feast was at hand. Now, in those days, weddings were even more an elaborate celebration than today, if you can believe that. They were anticipated for months. They lasted for days, culminating with a feast that was an all-day affair. So, the story about the wedding of the son of the king, our story paints a picture of an event that would be so opulent and wonderful that everyone would want to attend. And they'd be envious of those who were invited. Did you get an invitation? Yeah, I got an invitation. Did you get one? Yeah, I got one too. Ooh, aren't we important? This would have been a grand affair that you did not want to miss.

11:23This is why it's so unexpected and really unthinkable that Jesus' version of the story has the invited guest not willing to come. This would be unthinkable to miss this special event of the year. Notice they're not unable to come, they're unwilling to come. So, this is quite disrespectful to the king in our parable, and any king would rightfully chastise his subjects for such a rejection of his invitation. But this king is gracious, and so in verse 4, we see the king.

12:00Reminds them. And in this section, we see the range of rejection of the invitation. In verse 4, it says, Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding. But they made light of it, and they went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. So this gracious king, instead of immediately chastising his people, he sent out a reminder. He sent out more servants to plead with his subjects that he's already prepared the food. I've killed the oxen and the fatted calf.

12:48It's waiting for you. Please come to the wedding. But their response this time is even more shocking. They respond with really a wide range of rejection from indifference. Nah, I've got better things to do. Let me tend my farm. Let me take care of my business. Just too busy for the king and his wedding feast. That's astounding. But it ranges from indifference to outright hostility by abusing and killing his servants. I mean, does this sound familiar? Did we talk about this last week? The wicked vine dressers who killed and abused the servants of the The vineyard owner. So eventually the king's patience gives way to anger, and we see, secondly, the results of Israel's refusal of their king. The parable continues in verse 7: But when the king heard about it, he was furious, and he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. He is furious, and rightly so. This is the righteous indignation of the king who expects his loyalty from the people that he protects and provides for.

14:12In like manner, God rightly deserves our devotion and attention. God is our creator and our sustainer, the giver of life and all good things. He rightly deserves our devotion and submission. Not only this, but as we saw in the parable last week, God had prepared a special land for Israel, flowing with milk and honey, populated with vineyards and fields already planted, cities already built, and he brought them to it for them to be stewards of his land, his word, his law, and eventually they would bring forth their deliverer, his only son.

14:55But Israel rejected God's word and his prophets, whom God. God had graciously sent through the ages to call his people to turn from their indifference and their hostility toward his prophets. So the king now sends his soldiers to kill these disrespectful subjects who have dishonored him so, really for dishonoring his son. So the two results of Israel's rejection of God's invitation is first judgment upon themselves, judgment on the nation of Israel. The king sent his armies to destroy these people and burn their cities. Now, the most obvious interpretation of this part of the parable is a prophecy of the coming destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in 70 AD, resulting in the destruction of the second temple, and much of the city was destroyed. About 25% of the Jewish population were killed, the rest enslaved or taken into activity. And it would be the end of Jewish sacrificial worship. In Matthew chapter 24, just a couple of chapters further from our text here, Jesus told his disciples when he left the temple for the last time, he said, Truly, I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another. Everyone will be thrown down.

16:25So, this judgment on the nation of Israel and its leaders was imminent. Would we know now it would occur just 40 years hence from the time of Christ? Like the vine dressers in the previous parable, they had been chosen from among other nations to be stewards of God's word, his law, his Messiah, and they had rejected him. God is patient, but he will not tolerate wickedness forever. His judgment will come upon those who reject his offer of salvation. And consider what salvation cost Jesus. Is not this judgment well deserved? The writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 10, verses 29 through 30, says this: Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, a common thing, and insulted the spirit of grace? For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And again, the Lord will judge his people.

17:39So the first result of their rejection would be that judgment on the nation of Israel. And the second result of Israel's rejection of their king is a more positive one because God would extend his gracious imitation to the Gentiles. In verse 8, Another surprising thing happened, something that would have been unimaginable to the listeners. The king, in our parable, can't have an empty banquet hall during the wedding. He can't cancel the wedding. So in verse 8, then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you can find, invite them to the wedding.

18:28So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. So we have now that since Israel has rejected their king, he has deemed them unworthy to be stewards of his kingdom. So as we discussed last week, God temporarily removes them from that privileged position and for a time grants that to the church. In doing so, God graciously extends the wedding invitation to anyone and everyone, total strangers, both good and bad. This refers to the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. In Acts chapter 13, we find Paul and Barnabas in Pisidian Antioch, where the Jewish leaders strongly opposed them as they were preaching and establishing churches. And the Apostle Paul's words in Acts, Chapter 13, verse 46, echo strongly the king's estimation that those invited to the wedding were not worthy. Paul said this in verse 46. He says, We had to speak the word of God to you first. He's speaking to the Jews who opposed him there in Pisity and Antioch. We had to speak the word of God to you first.

19:54Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. So the gospel message, as Jesus taught, would be made available to the Gentiles, to everyone beyond Israel. And then the passage reads, As many as you find, invite to the wedding. God had predicted long before that he would extend his invitation to the kingdom, to all nations. In the book of Hosea, Hosea 2:23, the prophet Hosea writes these words: He says, I will say to those who were not my people, You are my people. And they shall say, You are my God. So God would call a people who were not his own people to him. And he prophesied this. This was not a surprise to God. This was part of his plan. Jesus made the invitation himself in John chapter 7, verse 37.

20:55We read there, On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried. Out saying, if anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Notice the people who came were both bad and good. Now, from our perspective, God calls the morally evil and the morally good alike. But we know, Scripture says, that we're all equally unworthy in ourselves to come to the king's feast. God extends his call to the evil and the good, the bad and the good, because both are equally in need of salvation, and neither of them are righteous enough to earn it.

21:45Well, let's move along to verse 11, where we'll see what happens when you refuse Christ's righteousness. Verse 11, but when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. Jesus ends his parable with this image. The king comes into the wedding hall, happy to see all these guests enjoying the feast, honoring his son, and immediately focuses on one person who's not wearing a wedding garment. Now we're going to spend the rest of our time talking about this missing wedding garment. Garment. It captures our attention, especially today. To us, this is a curious thing that the king would be so distracted, what to us today seems like a meaningless fashion choice. So let's talk about this for a moment. Since these guests were all invited at the last minute, one question you should have in your mind, I know I did, how did any of them have a wedding garment? I mean, we don't walk around today and certainly didn't then wearing wedding clothes, which were obviously fine and ornate.

23:08What are these wedding garments anyway? Well, I spent some time researching this, and one scholar really summed it up like this: It was the custom in ancient Near Eastern weddings that guests would wear a garment that symbolized their respect for the host and for the occasion. Often the host would provide a rack of such garments at the entryway for the guests who had not brought theirs. Not to be wearing a wedding garment then, when one could have chosen one on the way in, was a sign of disrespect for both the host and the occasion. So the answer to the mystery of where the wedding garments came from is obvious. The king provided them. He provided the wedding garments to all his guests as they arrived to set the proper environment for the honoring of his son. Such an important occasion. And to refuse to wear what the king provided was inexcusable.

24:08This demonstrates the presumption of self-righteousness, thinking that we belong in the kingdom because of our own merits, of our own good deeds. To insist on covering ourselves with our own garments, our own righteousness, is to be clad, as Isaiah said, in filthy rags. This was Jesus' way of teaching the inadequacy of self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is equal to filthy rags. From the very beginning, God has provided a covering for our sin. Adam and Eve, after their sin in the garden, tried to cover their shame by making their own coverings of what?

24:54Fig leaves. They made their own clothes with what they found growing there in the garden and sewed them together. But not permitting them to provide their own covering for their sin, God took away their self-made garments and replaced them with his own provision for their covering. What was that? The skins of an animal. An animal which had just been alive but now has been sacrificed and shed its blood to cover the sins of the first man and woman.

25:30God would provide that covering. Not allow us, not allow Adam and Eve to cover themselves with their own feeble attempts, with their own big leaves. Admission to the kingdom of heaven requires that we trust in God's righteousness, not our own. In verse 12, so he, the king, said, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Notice how graciously the king speaks to this man. Friend, he's asking if there's some explanation, some possible explanation, allowing for the possibility that guests maybe didn't get a set of clothes when he walked in.

26:18But this man is speechless. He has no explanation for his failure to wear the garments provided to him by the king. If he had not received any, now would be the time to speak up. But the implication is clear. He simply refused to put them on. You can almost picture this man shrugging his shoulders as he's speechless, communicating, what's the big deal? I just thought I'd do my own thing, man. I'm just here for the food anyway. All right, so.

27:00This man is coming to the king on his own terms, in his own clothing. Paul was grieved over Israel's self-righteousness. And we read in Romans chapter 10, Paul says this, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. And here he says in verse 3, for they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

27:38For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Israel, we all try to come to God on our own terms, thinking that somehow we'll be good enough. The final shocker in this parable, when this man is confronted about his lack of wedding garment, is that he's thrown out because he simply wasn't dressed properly. And it is shocking, and it was supposed to get their attention. Verse 13: the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This guest thought he could come to the wedding on his own terms in his own. His own clothing, symbolizing that he thought his righteousness, symbolized by his own clothing, was good enough. For his refusal to accept the king's wedding garment, the improperly attired guest is thrown out into the darkness. And so, for clinging to our own works, to their own works, the filthy rags of earning their own salvation, there will be many who will meet a fate worse than this. Those who try to come to God on their own terms face a day when they too will be taken away in humiliation before the host of heaven, bound like a criminal, and cast out to the place described with weeping and gnashing of teeth, hell itself. The lesson of the wedding garment is that to be admitted to the kingdom of heaven, we must come to God on his terms, not ours. You know, since Cain's first attempt to please God by offering a sacrifice of his own choosing, men have been trying to come to God on their own terms for all of human history. They may fellowship with believers, join the church, give generously, and even be able to discuss some deep theology, but like tares among the wheat, they freely coexist with. God's people. But like the king walking into the banquet hall, God will immediately see that they are clothed in their own garments and not the pure garments of Christ's imputed righteousness. You see, in this parable, there is a picture of the only right response to God's invitation. Did you see it? It's there in verses 10 and 11. The wedding hall is filled with guests. What are they wearing?

30:34Well, they're wearing the wedding garments provided by the king. How can we say this? Because in a feast with so many guests, the king was focused on the one guest not wearing a wedding garment. So the other guests were obviously wearing their wedding garments, the ones the king gave them as they came into the feast. Remember, they had been called off the highway. They did not get an invitation months in advance. They had just found out moments before. Just as the king gave his guests their wedding garments, so also does God provide, does God give Christ's righteousness to those who place their faith in him.

31:14Theologians call that imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness. This is God's declaring a believer righteous by crediting Christ's perfect righteousness to their account, making one standing. Right before God instantly. It's not something you earn, it's something that you're given. To impute is to ascribe something to someone else. The doctrine of imputed righteousness addresses the believer's legal standing before God. Because of sin, we are not capable in any work that we do of meeting God's perfect standard. However, we are justified, we are counted righteous through faith in Christ. Paul says, again in Romans, this time in chapter 4, Paul says, to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.

32:30The prophet Isaiah foretold this in Isaiah 61. In verse 10, he says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself out with ornaments, and a bride adorns herself with jewels. Even Isaiah, 800 years before Christ, Coming knew that Christ would give his robes in exchange for ours.

33:12This parable ends with Jesus summing up the lesson of the parable in one sentence. All, for many are called, but few are chosen. Verse 14, for many are called, but few are chosen. This tells us that while many are invited, only few respond in genuine faith. Christ concludes the parable with the sad fact that many are invited, but few respond properly. In other words, many people hear the call of God, but only a few heed it.

33:53In one sentence, Christ sums up the lesson of the parable and also demonstrates this scriptural tension and balance between God's election and man's response. While this parable focuses on man's response, let's not overlook that it's very clearly presented here that the way of salvation, the way to heaven, the means of coming to the wedding feast is by invitation only. No one comes to the king's feast unless you're invited. You just don't decide. One day on your own to go to the palace and walk in and start eating.

34:35No, you have to be invited by the king himself. Many are called. Theologians refer to this as the general call, the calling to everyone who will hear, calling them to repentance and faith. But few are chosen. This is what we call the effectual call, the call which results in the effect of repentance and faith for those whom God has granted the gift of faith to believe in the atoning work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This true believing faith results in Jesus taking your sin and your punishment upon himself and in return putting his righteousness upon you so that God sees you as righteous. He declares you righteous.

35:27In 2 Corinthians 5.21, this singular verse sums up what we call the substitutionary atonement. Paul writes, He made him, He made him to new, let me try again. 2 Corinthians 5:21. He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. This is the great exchange in 1716. Salvation. Christ takes our sin and we receive His righteousness. This is the only way we are made acceptable to God.

36:15When we, the unworthy, accept the invitation and show up to the wedding, we're supposed to cast off the filthy rags of our own works, our own attempts to do what is good enough to be granted entrance into heaven. And we're to put on this special garment as we come in the door. And it's something that the Lord will provide for us only if we choose to accept it. You know, I'm reminded there are many places in the New Testament where putting on clothing was used as a symbol for new life in Christ. First, in Galatians chapter 3, just a few here. In Galatians chapter 3, we read, So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith. This is Galatians 3, 26 through 27. So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Colossians 3. Since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self, therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and over all. These virtues put on love. We're putting off our filthy rags and putting on those virtues, the righteousness of Christ Himself. Not through our own works, He puts it on us. And lastly, Ephesians, you were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Well, just as the king provided wedding garments for his guests, God provided the garments required for his kingdom. Our wedding garment that we are supposed to wear is the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness of Christ. And unless we have it, we'll miss the wedding feast.

38:27When the religions of the world are stripped down to their basic tenets, we either find man working his way toward God, hoping that he is good enough to get into heaven, or we find submission to the cross of Christ. Christ taking our sin and giving us his righteousness so that God declares us righteous. The cross is the only way to salvation. Rejected by Israel is extended to everyone. How will you respond? How have you responded? With indifference? Just too busy for that. With hostility?

39:17Or are you confident that your own deeds, your own works, are good enough? I'm better than that other guy. I'll make it. Or will you, as Paul wrote in Romans 10, will you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead? For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. I hope you will accept the king's invitation by rightly responding, by also accepting his garment of Christ's righteousness that comes with it. Let's pray.

40:03Lord, we thank you for your goodness. Lord, your graciousness to us, that though we are unworthy, that we clothe ourselves in filthy rags, help us to cast off those filthy rags, our own attempts to gain heaven with our own righteousness, hoping to be good enough. Help us to put on the clothing that you've made to cover our sins, the work of your Son on the cross to atone for our sin. and not our own feeble attempts. Lord, we thank you for your love in providing our redemption. And we ascribe all honor and glory to you, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.