Dressed for the Wedding

"When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes." Matthew 22:11
Weddings are a great event in any culture. There are expected norms of food, form, and fashion worldwide. This rite of passage may be the most prominent between birth and death.
Spiritually, Jesus gives us the same picture. One day there is going to be a wedding feast (Revelation 19:6-9) for Jesus the Lamb to His bride, the church. It is to be a great event, there is expected form and fashion, and it is a mandatory spiritual rite of passage. Jesus told stories about this upcoming wedding so that people would be prepared. Like any wedding, it isn't something that is just wandered in to.
The story Jesus tells in Matthew 22 is about a wedding feast that a king put on for his son. It is much like the wedding feast that the King of the Universe will throw for His Son, Jesus the Lamb at the end of time. He talks about the people invited and how they came to the wedding. What happened at this earthly wedding is a good picture of what that heavenly wedding is going to look like when the day comes.
Everything was made ready for the wedding and the king sent out his servants to invite the guests, those who deserved to come. That was probably the people who came across as loyal subjects to the king. The "good" people of the land. Much to the king’s surprise, no one accepted his invitation. Every person either just outright refused, paid no attention because they were too busy and preoccupied with personal things or actually attacked the servants sent with the invitation. This was unheard of. In the same sort of way, Jesus often talked about “religious” people and the Jews who had been chosen in early history to be His people as rejecting, ignoring and even killing those that God had sent to tell them how to be ready for that heavenly wedding feast at the end of time. Woe to those of us who think we don't need to respond to the King of the Universe's invitation because we don't need or want it, we're just too busy or we have no tolerance for the King.
So, the king sent out his servants again. This time he sent them to anyone they could find anywhere. It didn’t matter their station in life, their reputation, or even where they were from. The response was just what was hoped for. The wedding hall was filled with guests. In the same way, Jesus gave the opportunity for everyone everywhere to become one of His chosen ones which he now calls His Church to participate in that heavenly feast at the end of time.
Now remember, all weddings have expected form and fashion and all the guests came to the wedding feast in Jesus’ story appropriately attired, except one. This one thought he could just show up however he happened to look at the time. Just him as he was. After all, he was doing the king a favor by just coming, wasn't he? We find otherwise. Jesus tells us that when the king arrived at the wedding feast to greet the guests, he noticed the one man who was not wearing wedding clothes. The king addressed him directly, "Friend, (this was a personal king!) how did you get in here without wedding clothes?" It was unthinkable to come to a royal wedding inappropriately dressed. What was he thinking? Jesus tells us that the man was speechless. He apparently thought he was OK just like he was. He was confident in himself. Well that didn’t fly. The king had no tolerance for the man who came with his own fashion. He ordered that the man be bound hand and foot and thrown outside, into the darkness, where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth because of the separation from the king himself, his feast, his kingdom and his graces.
The Bible tells us that on that day of the wedding feast of Jesus the Lamb, the King's Son, in the kingdom of heaven there will be those who will come in their own clothes. They will be the ones that say "but Lord, didn't I speak for you and didn’t I work for you?" They will be dressed in their own righteousness/goodness which is inappropriate for the royal wedding of the King’s Son. The King will have no tolerance for those who come dressed in their own righteousness or goodness. As in Jesus’ story, they will be thrown out where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth because of separation from the King Himself, His feast, His kingdom, and His graces. So what is considered appropriate dress for the coming royal wedding of the King’s Son in the kingdom of heaven? The Bible tells us that we must be dressed in garments that are bright, clean and white (Revelation 19:8). They have been "washed in the blood of the Lamb, the King’s Son, Jesus." (Revelation 7:14). They are not "clean" by anything we have done or said. It’s Jesus righteousness/goodness that clothes us before the King. Anything else, attempting to come dressed in our own righteousness, will only result in that same question: "How did you get in here without wedding clothes?"
The difference between those who remain at the wedding feast and those who are thrown outside is how they are dressed: in garments of their own righteousness (they are good enough in themselves) or garments of the King's righteousness and salvation (Jesus goodness/righteousness in place of themselves). The garments of the Kings can only be gotten from the King himself. We can't pay the price for them. Jesus paid it with his death on the cross. "Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that we might become or be clothed in the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21) That's a guaranteed place at the wedding feast of Jesus the King's Son.
How are we dressed?

For His Name's Sake

"When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His name's sake, to make His mighty power known." (Psalm 106:7,8)
These people did nothing to encourage God's salvation. It wasn't even in their thought processes. They were totally self absorbed, even to the point of rebelling against what they knew of God. You can't get much more distant or put up a much higher wall.
God's actions are completely independent. He doesn't look for interest, for some softness of heart, or even some fleeting thought or remembrance of who He is. He acts solely because of who He is and who He is does not depend one bit on who we are and how we act. That is why He saves these people for His name's sake. That is: in order to uphold the character that His name represents. Then He also does it simply to make His power known. The whole Exodus is a tremendous display of God's power.
Praise God that His actions toward us are not dependent on us. He will call and draw us for His own name's sake. That He might be known to the world around us.
Oh God, make yourself known through me.

God's Faults?

"This is what the LORD says: 'What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? The followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.'" (Jeremiah 2:5) If you were to ask me if I find fault with God, I would definitely say no. "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless." (2 Sam. 22:31)
Yet when you look at my daily walk, there is some discrepancy in that answer. This manifests itself in the worry that my mind meddles in, the discouragement that I wallow in, the discontentment that I feed, and the frustration that influences my actions and responses.
I must find fault in God's trustworthiness (worry), that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (discouragement), His care and supply (discontentment), and His sovereignty (frustration).
Oh God, these manifestations are worthless and they make me worthless myself. Forgive my faultfinding. I want to live in light of who you are.

God's Faults?

"This is what the Lord says, 'What fault did your father's find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.'" Jeremiah 2:5

If you were to ask me if God has any faults, I would most definitely say no. David proclaims. "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless." (2 Sam. 22:31)

Yet when I think about my daily walk, I obviously find fault in God. This manifests itself in the worry that my mind meddles in, the discouragement that I wallow in, the discontentment I feed, and the frustration that controls my feelings and responses.

I must find fault in God's trustworthiness if I worry, that His is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine when I'm discouraged, His goodness, care and supply when I am discontent, and His sovereignty when I'm frustrated.

Oh God, these manifestations are worthless and I become worthless myself. Forgive my faultfinding. Restore to me the joy of my salvation; the child like faith.

You Have Never Been This Way Before

Follow. As Joshua is getting the Israelites ready to cross the Jordon River for the first time there is excitement and anxiety in the camp. After all, they had never been that way before. They were on the brink, as a nation, of changing from wanderers to conquerors. When the officers went through the camp to give the orders to the people, they told them that, "When you see the ark of the covenent of the Lord your God and the priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before."
He didn't ask them to perform any certain tasks in preparation, create any special tactics, drum up determination, talk about all the possibilities that could bring success or make a plan of action. There was nothing put on the people to do but to follow. As Keith Green says in the lyrics of one of his songs, "He'll take care of the rest, He'll take care of the rest."
I often feel that way as I walk this road with God. Help, I have never been this way before. He simply says, "Move out of your position and follow me! Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before."

Ask for eyes...

...eyes that see. Before going into the promised land, Moses had a talk with the people. He says some startling things about our eyes. 4The people, God's chosen people had seen all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 4With their eyes they saw the great trials, miraculous sign and great wonders.
The next phrase is startling..."But to this day, the Lord has not given you a mind that understands, or eyes that see or ears that hear." (Deuteronomy 29:4)
A mind that understands, eyes that see and ears that hear are not something that happens because we've experienced something amazing, they do not happen because we work hard at developing them and they do not happen just because we think it the right time.
The source for understanding minds, seeing eyes and hearing ears is God alone. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind had concieved what God has prepared for those who love him- but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. (1 Cor. 2:9,10)
"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you... (Matthew 7:7)
God desires that we understand, see and hear Him. The paragraph in Deuteronomy goes on to tell what He did to bring this about.
He led His people through the desert. The desert put them in a place for sole dependence upon God alone. Their clothes, food and water. Deserts in my life are very hard places. I don't particularly like them. But they do bring me to a place where my sole dependence in on God alone.
The outcome..."I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God." (29:6) Oh, I do want to be in that place...always. An understanding mind, eyes to see and ears to hear that He is the Lord my God.

A matter of persepective

Perspective. The twelve spies from Israel and just come back from scouting out the land. (Numbers 13) God had brought them out of slavery, across a dry path through the Red Sea, fed them with manna and birds, and was leading them daily with a cloud of His Presence and nightly with a pillar of fire. He had established these people as His own. They were now on the borders of the land He was bringing them to. Ten viewed the land as inpenetrable. "We can't...they are stronger than we are." Two knew who God was and were ready to move. "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." All twelve men had been to the same land. All twelve had experienced the same miraculous events that had brought them to this point in their journey. Not all twelve men viewed God in the same way. They way they looked at the land was a direct reflection of how they veiwed God. Either He was the Almighty or He was just Almighty sometimes and this time was just more than He could probably handle. The ten were looking at this from that second perspective.
What's my persepective on the challanges in front of me? Is God Almighty? Or is just Almighty sometimes? Either God is who He is or He isn't. There is no sometimes with God. He states of Himself, "I am God Almighty." (Genesis 17:1) One of Job's friends rightly states, "Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens - what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea." (Job 11:7-9) The seraphs in Isaiah 6:3 call out to one another, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty..." What is our view of God? That is the key to how we view the land before us.