Spirit and Truth Ministries
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INVITED TO A WEDDING—YOUR OWN!
Don Hawley
October 3, 2001
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Once the initial shock of September 11 wore off, I found myself in a strange frame of mind. In spite of the horrors of the Attack on America, the impending war, my wife’s continuing illness, my own emergency room visits due to heart troubles, and other obvious problems, I realized that I was filled with—joy! Not merely peace, but actual joy.
Such an irrepressible bubbling up of happiness probably also took Peter and Silas by surprise as they sang in prison. At first I thought I might be a little out of sync with reality, or ought to experience guilt for feeling happy in the midst of pain—with so much more yet to come. Finally, I realized my emotions were legitimate because, not only have I been invited to a special wedding, but also that wonderful event is close at hand! That is no doubt the most important message to come out of the horrors of September 11.
Some of us have waited so long for the Bridegroom to come, that it is hard to accept the reality of what lies just ahead. But the promise is about to be realized.
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest while linen. (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)
“And the angel said, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. ’ Then he added, ‘These are true words that come from God.’” Rev. 19:6-9
Some, after reading the above text, are going to proclaim, “But that clearly states the wedding won’t actually take place until the “bride has prepared herself.” That is true. For that very reason we need to review an important passage concerning the wedding of the Lamb. Christ himself is talking about the preparation.
“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. But they all refused! So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked. Everything is ready. Hurry!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store. Others seized his messengers and greeted them shamefully, even killing some of them.
“Then the king became furious. He sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’
“So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.
“‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ And the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matt. 22:2-14
There are so many lessons to be learned from this segment of Scripture, but let us glean only a handful.
1. The wedding has been ready for a long, long time—overdue. The problem rests not with the King or his Son, but with the bride.
2. The King is very angry about how the bride has snubbed his son, the Bridegroom.
3. Many we take for granted, as guests at the wedding, won’t be there. And many we cannot now picture as attendees, will be.
4. Attendance at the wedding banquet depends on one condition, and one alone. The crucial requirement is the wedding garment the King has provided at such cost, the righteousness of his Son. Those professed Christians who still think they somehow will work their way to the Kingdom, just won’t make it.
5. Notice that “the man had no reply.” Today we have a thousand excuses for not being what we should be in Christ, but when we look into the eyes of the King we will be struck dumb.
6. The King is going ahead with the wedding at a time of his own chosing. We have little time to get ready.
7. The Bridegroom will not settle for a sleazy woman in a nice wedding gown.
THE PREPARATION
Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear recognize that the wedding is close at hand, so time for preparation is short. The key question, then, is how do we prepare? Again a certain passage of Scripture provides the answer, and even though it is a familiar one, we need to examine it once again. Our eternal life is at stake.
“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids [or virgins] who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish took no oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept. At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!’
“All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked! Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Sir, open the door for us! But he called back, ‘I don’t know you!’
“So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.” Matt. 25:1-13
THE ONE CRITICAL FACTOR
Again, there are so many lessons in this passage, but let’s note a few.
1. I think “bridesmaid” is better termed, as in some translations, “virgin” or “maiden.” Obviously, this text is talking about the bride herself.
2. When Christ comes he will recognize two groups, and two only—the sheep and the goats. That designation will already have been made prior to his Second Coming. The virgins, professed Christians, will decide for themselves which group they want to be with.
3. “Midnight” might be an apt description of our present world and what lies ahead.
4. At the proper time, the Bridegroom will come whether the church is ready or not. He does not have to wait until we do our little manmade thing to “finish the work.”
5. All were raised from sleep by a “shout.” The church has been asleep for centuries, but events are shouting at us today.
6. Some perceive the shouting to portend only evil days ahead; others anticipate an age of peace and tranquility on earth. Hopefully, many will now focus on the wedding. The message for our day is, “Stay awake and be prepared.”
7. This is for eternity. We do not want to hear Christ say to us, “I don’t know you.”
8. The final preparation hinges on only one factor—the oil, which represents the Holy Spirit.
THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Although since Pentecost we’ve been in the special dispensation of the Holy Spirit, his ministry largely has been spurned. Millions of Christians know little about him except that he is the third person of the Godhead. The devil is determined to keep the oil out of our lamps until it is too late.
We won’t take time here to describe the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but plenty of material is available to those who seek. You need to ask yourself, “Do I have an adequate supply of oil?” That can be ascertained by posing the following questions, and giving an honest answer.
1. Do I truly understand that it is through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that I am made ready for the wedding? Am I on intimate terms with the Spirit, or do I actually fear him.
2. In addition to my baptism by water, have I also received the baptism of
the Holy Spirit?
3. Do I believe that the spiritual gifts outlined in the Bible are still effective today?
4. Do I know what my personal spiritual gifts are?
5. Am I allowing the Spirit to use those gifts through me in ministry?
If you cannot give an honest “yes” to those simple questions, then may I urge you to set everything else aside until you can? It is the oil, and the oil alone that permits us to be ready to meet the Bridegroom.
DUAL CITIZENSHIP
American Christians are to hold dual citizenship, one passport for the United States, and another for the Kingdom of God. In this time of crisis we owe a patriotic duty to our nation, a duty that I fear many Christians do not comprehend. At the same time, our higher focus must be on our duty for the Kingdom.
As a result of what happened on September 11, even the politicians have given up their petty squabbles to unite for the good of the nation. The church also needs to give up its petty squabbles to unite for the Kingdom of God.
Since 1947 I’ve been watching for the sign that the final movements are underway and that the wedding feast is close at hand. I saw that sign on September 11; all men everywhere agree that the world changed forever on that date. In the midst of trouble, with more to come, I have joy in the Lord. I’m excited! I want out of here, now!
“Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” Rev. 22:20.
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