Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
The parable of the wedding feast which Jesus told in Matthew 22:1-14 gives us a preview of what everyone’s reality will be like when you come face-to-face with the judgement seat. The parable seems to suggest the main character; the king, will only greet guests who wear the appropriate garment to the wedding feast. And the rest of us, who are not in the wedding garment, he instructs his servants to cast into the darkness where there is gnashing of teeth.
Even though the parable may sounds like a fairy tale, there is a real end time message embedded in there. Further, Jesus did not tell parables because he likes them. He told them to simplify His message.
However, the main point of the parable is this: Many are invited to the wedding feast, but only few will be chosen to partake in the main course. Here is the parable:
Matthew 22:1-14 New Living Translation (NLT)
Parable of the Great Feast
Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
“So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
“The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 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?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
There is so much trouble in the world; one can hardly keep up with the frequency of troubling events that keep popping up.
Here in the USA we have more than our fair share of problems.
But the world does not have to exist in a continuous state of unrest. If its citizens could find it important to set their differences aside and see each other as human beings, rather than non-entities, then this wretched world would be a better place.
Still, I am aware that it will take more than spoken and written words to change the world. It will take a revival, but revival cannot happen without willing hearts.
Therefore, I am suggesting people everywhere embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ and apply them to their lives. A good place to start is Matthew 5:38-48:
Teaching about Revenge
“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you got sued in court and your shirt got taken in the process, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Teaching about Love for Enemies
“You have also heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Many people turn to God in times of need, but in times of plenty they do not think God is necessary. For those people God is the last resort. Quite the contrary, Jesus demands that His followers depend on God for everything, including provision and security. Not only when their backs are against a wall but also when things are going good..
Therefore, one should avoid using God as last resort.The practice is dangerous and seldom bears the desired fruit in a timely manner. If anything, it is akin to a soldier waiting until he or she gets caught in a fire-fight before putting on the armor. Further, God do not work according to man’s timing. The Bible says: “A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). Therefore, your last-minute request for deliverance may not be forthcoming according to your timing.
Let’s suppose Daniel waits until the guards threw him into the fiery furnace or the den of hungry lions before he starts reaching for God’s protection. What do you surmise would have happened to him? Do you think the Book of Psalm would have been in existence, if young David had put off trusting God until he confronted Goliath? Not a chance. Instead, David, who was not a stranger to adversity, challenged and defeated the mighty philistine. He knew God was his helper, and God never fails.
So, despite the critics, good things do happen when people trust God, but one should not wait until the last-minute to do so. The Psalmist said: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, (Cloth yourself in His armor and leave the rest to Him) and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:4-6).
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