Wedding Clothes
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
In this series we’ve been lookin at the story of a prodigal father who is always generous, never judges. It sure seems like there is no condition under which the father would turn away the son.
Does that mean there’s not judgment? Not quite.
There is a moment in this story that is a bit touch and go, when the son might have said no:
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Notice, the son is there to make an offer—I would like to work for you.
Partly because he doesn’t feel worthy to be his son
But we’ve also seen that people try to hold onto their independence.
Maybe he doesn’t want a father, maybe he still wants a boss or a landlord
He’d have to go back to wearing Daddy’s clothes.
Everyone would know he was a trust fund baby.
What if he refused? What if he insisted on being treated as an employee?
Obviously that doesn’t happen, but we see that situation addressed in another parable.
Matthew 22:1-14
Matthew 22:1-14
This parable maps on pretty well. The king has subjects who are far away. He wants them to come to his palace to share in a feast, just like the father wants his son to return.
Some of the guests refuse and commit murder, so they get killed.
Then he sends for others, and they come just like the son.
Now, in the prodigal son he is offered clothes and invited to a feast.
Those clothes represent his status as a son.
In this case, a guest comes in and he wasn’t wearing wedding clothes.
The king throws him out. Would the father have thrown out the son for not wearing the clothes?
God’s kingdom is a wedding—a FEAST with a PURPOSE.(Matthew 22:1)
We often think of Heaven as a cruise buffet, but it’s not—its a destination wedding.
It has a purpose. And if you’ve ever been to a wedding, you know that
A wedding is only as good as its GUESTS.
You’ve all been to bad weddings. It’s always because someone lost focus.
Good guests focus on THE COUPLE, not THEMSELVES. (Galatians 3:26-29, Philippians 3:7-9)
Have you ever seen the person who forgets it’s not their wedding?
Maybe they wear white, they try to dominate the dance floor, they try to do a ten-minute comedy set at the microphone?
They’ve forgotten who the wedding is about. They’re concerned with making themselves look good.
If you think heaven is a party about you, you’ll miss the point.
This wedding has a theme, and the theme is Jesus:
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. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The theme of this wedding is Jesus, and you have to dress to match.
Imagine someone in the wedding party who decided not to match the theme because it didn’t flatter them.
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
This would have been an issue for the son. The robes he was offered were daddy’s robes. He was going to have to submit, to no longer be the center of his own household.
There’s another challenge to being a good guest:
Good guests GET ALONG for the sake of THE COUPLE. (Colossians 3:5-14)
Have you ever come to a wedding and seen THAT person there?
If you really love the couple, you’ll get along with the rest of the wedding.
You can’t choose who your kids marry, and you can’t choose who Jesus marries either.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
The son is going to have to love with his smug, “I-told-you-so” older brother.
That could make him refuse to be part of the family.
Now we have to add all this up:
God’s kingdom is a wedding.
A wedding is only as good as its guests.
Good guests focus on the couple and get along with each other.
What has to happen if there are people who refuse to go along with the wedding?
Imagine:
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
The problem isn’t that God only chooses a few. The problem is that only a few are willing to celebrate at the wedding.
Bad guests have to LEAVE before the wedding can START. (Matthew 22:13-14)
