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So we have been journeying as a church through the book of Matthew. It's the first book in the second half of the Bible, the New Testament, and we come today to Matthew chapter 22.

And before I start, just a simple story. A little girl went to a wedding ceremony for the first time, with her mom. She asked mom, “Mom, why is the bride all dressed in white?” The mom thought for a while and said, “Mmmm, well, white is the color of joy. She's dressed in white because she's so happy she's going to get married.” Then she asked the mom again, “Then why is the groom all dressed in black?”

Today we're going to hear a story about a wedding, and also about dressing. And this is the story given by Jesus. Matthew chapter 22: “And again, Jesus spoke to them in parables”. [Matthew 22:1] Now for some of you who are new with us, just to set this in context - Jesus was speaking to “them”. Who are the “them”? Well, this is the group of religious leaders who were envious of Jesus, and hated Jesus, and wanted to kill Jesus. So they tried to corner Him with difficult questions. And instead of being trapped, Jesus turned the tables around, and began to expose their wickedness. He did this via some stories; a trio of parables, a trio of stories. The first story was the story of the two sons. The second story was the story of the vineyard. And today we learn of the third story, a story of a wedding feast.

Now a parable is a story, an earthly story, that teaches us heavenly truths. So this is not just a story that we may learn about for interest’s sake, but this is a story that is meant to teach you spiritual realities about God's Kingdom.

So He spoke to them in parables saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” [Matthew 22:2] So think about it - the Kingdom of God is likened to a wedding feast; not an ordinary one, but a royal wedding feast. The king wants to honor his son, so he sets out a lavish feast to celebrate the marriage of his son. “[A]nd he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast.” [Matthew 22:3] And you would think that all invited should come. If I am invited for our President's child's marriage, I would go. It's an honor to be there, it's a privilege to be there, and that will be quite natural.

However, the twist is that they would not come. Now, in China - I'm a Chinese, so I'm more familiar with the Chinese culture and tradition - in China, if the Emperor calls you to come, you don't come, you are going to die. Your head will roll. And I would have thought, “Wow, these guys are really brazen and brave not to come!” But they did not come.

Well, perhaps they did not hear the invitation properly. So the king “sent other servants saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”” [Matthew 22:4]

The king is almost saying, “Hey you don't want to come ah? Let me show you the menu. It's roast ribs or prime ribs, whatever. I've all this good stuff, beef wellington. Hey, come to the wedding feast!” But, again, in our Singaporean lingo, they simply bo chap (colloquial for cannot be bothered). The Bible says: “they paid no attention” - can't be bothered – “and went off, one to his farm, another to his business.” [Matthew 22:5] It's as if they heard a wonderful invitation: “Come to the joy, to the feast, to the celebration of my son's wedding”, and they say, “I can't be bothered with that. Nothing to do with me.”

Wow, that's rude. But not just rude - there were others who “seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.” [Matthew 22:6] Now, that is unreasonable; that is wicked. I mean these servants are not asking them to pay money, like the last vineyard parable. These servants are merely inviting them to a joyous occasion. But instead of honoring the king's invite, they can't be bothered, and some even treated the servants despitefully, shamefully as a kind of insult to the king, and then killed the servants. It was bold rebellion against the king.

“The king was angry and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good.” [Matthew 22: 7-10] These were not originally part of the guest list. But they went out, and invited everyone in the highways and byways of life, both bad and good, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

This parable is meant to teach you and me about the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. It's meant to teach us spiritual lessons. And actually, this is a very appropriate story, because in Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible, we read: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” [Revelation 19:9] So the Bible tells us right at the end, there will be a kind wonderful celebration, there will be a joyous occasion like that of a marriage feast, a marriage supper. The Lamb here, of course you know, refers to Jesus; He's called the Lamb of God. He's the One who will sacrifice His life in order for us to be saved. So the Lamb is resurrected today. The Lamb is awaiting the union with His bride, which is the Church of Jesus Christ, the people of God. But at the end of time, there will be a great celebration. And so this story Jesus gave before He went to the cross is a very appropriate one.

There are some lessons I’d like us to walk away with today. Three things. Number one, I’d like us to see that the Kingdom of God is one of great joy. It's very obvious; that's the whole idea of giving this setting of a marriage feast, a wedding feast. Like I said, a wedding feast is a happy occasion. Of all human social events, the one you would like to go most - unless you have to give the ang pao (colloquial for red packet or envelope containing a monetary gift ) a lot – but the one you like to go the most will be the wedding. A funeral will be the most difficult one. But a wedding - hey, everybody's celebrating. It's one of joy, especially for a royal wedding. I think that's the idea when Jesus gave this detail that the wedding celebration is one of pleasure, of joy, of delight, of wonderful food and pleasantries provided. And that is the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is one of joy. Paul says in Romans 14: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking”. [Romans 14:17] It's not about food and drinks. It's deeper, and it's about righteousness, about peace, about joy. Joy is found in the Kingdom of God. Do you know that? Because many of us are finding, or looking to find, joy in the kingdoms of this world. You're looking to have joy in your job. You're looking for joy in your relationships. You're looking for joy in some possessions. You're looking for joy in some bank account. But the Bible tells us joy is found in the Kingdom of God. No relationship will ultimately give you ultimate joy. No relationship, no boyfriend, no girlfriend, no husband, no wife. I've been married for - how long? 19 years now; great wife. We have a good marriage. But I can tell you I know deeply, my wife knows deeply, that our joy, our ultimate joy, cannot be found in Jason or in Winnie. We are made for greater things, we are not made just for money or for a car, or for a house, or for a person, human being. We are made for God. We have a huge longing in our heart that only God can fill. You see, we are made by God and we are made for God. And you will never really, really be happy until you know God, until you're part of the Kingdom of God.

You see, we are made for God. Adam and Eve were made for God, but Adam and Eve sinned against God. They chose to rebel against God. They disobeyed his commandment and since then, sin has come into the human life. We are now cut off from God; we are alienated from God. And so that source of joy, God, we are far from Him. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore [Psalm 16:11], but now we are not near God. We are far from Him, we are His enemies. So man cut off from God has desperately been searching for the secret to happiness, but you cannot find it in the kingdoms of this world. It is found in the Kingdom of God.

And that's why Jesus came. Jesus came to die on the cross so that in His dying, He pays for your sins. He atones for your sins. He cleanses you of sin. So that an alienated people, sinful people, might now be reconciled with God. And when you are reconciled with God, in the Kingdom of God, you find the joy of God. And that's why you read in the Bible that when this Ethiopian eunuch came to know Jesus, he came to understand that Jesus Christ is the suffering servant who died and paid for his sins, he went away rejoicing. [Acts 8:39] He now knows his sins are washed, and he has a relationship with his Creator God.

Jesus came to bring joy. The first miracle Jesus did on earth, the first recorded miracle He did on earth is? Turning water to wine. It's a symbol of joy. The first thing He said in the Sermon on the Mount is not curses and woes, but He spoke about the Beatitudes, the “blessedness”-es. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are meek. He's talking about joy. Our Savior Jesus came to bring joy.

See, many people think Christianity is a killjoy. Many people think God is a killjoy. “Don't be a Christian. So stupid, go church. Cannot go clubbing, pubbing. Cannot go watch this and that. You are so stupid to read the Bible, so small the words, book so thick. You are so stupid to pray before your meals. You are so -” And then everybody says becoming a Christian is like a straitjacket. Restrictive, boring.

Oh no, if you really know Christ. I've known Him for many years now. I say, I believe the Kingdom of God, I experience knowing God is my ultimate joy. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. [John 10:10] He's not here to kill your joy. He's here to tell you your counterfeit joys, so that you may go to the ultimate joy - relationship with God, relationship with Himself, that's life, that's joy.

The wedding feast is a picture of the joy in the Kingdom of God. And that is the point - He invites, today. I'm like one of the servants. I'm like, inviting you: “Friends, don't just come to this church service. Come to this wedding feast.” Repent of your sin, believe in Jesus Christ that you might have real joy.

However, not everybody would come. And that is clear in this story where we see secondly, obvious point - the rejection of God's Kingdom. There are people who will not come. Strange! It's a royal feast, it's a happy occasion, it's an honorable wedding, but they would not come, they bo chap (colloquial for cannot be bothered). They will not pay attention. They're too busy with their farm, they're too busy with their business, they will not come.

Worse still, there are people who would kill, who would kill God's messengers. They would be so upset with the King and His servants that they want to silence them. You say, “This is ridiculous. Why would anyone do this?” Well actually, this is not ridiculous, because this has happened in history. Jesus is speaking here somewhat prophetically, isn't it? He said in Matthew 23: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” [Matthew 23:37] Actually, you think about it - why would they kill the prophets? The prophets are preaching a message that would call sinful people back to know God and joy. But they would not appreciate it. It's okay if you don't appreciate it, but worse than that, they silenced, they killed God's messengers. So if you think this wedding feast story is too absurd, oh no, it is actually a good picture of what really takes place. Israel rejected God, killed His prophets, because they were not willing. [Matthew 23:37] They will not listen. And the reason why they will not listen, the reason why Jesus came to His own and His own received Him not? It's a matter of the heart. The reason is because they “loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” [John 3:19]

One of the scariest realities I often say in this church is for you to come to church, hear God's Word and will not be willing to come to Christ. Because in your thinking, your works of darkness, your sinful life, brings you greater joy than coming to the light and into the Kingdom of God. Don't be foolish, don't make a bad deal in your life. I know sin warps our thinking. But may you ask God for mercy to give you the right biblical thinking today, to realize that sin is fruitless, it's empty, it's killing, and repent of that and come and believe Jesus who died and rose again to save you from your sins.

So these people killed the servants; Israel killed the prophets. And so we read: “The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burnt their city.” [Matthew 22:7] Again, a prophetic reference, I think, to the reality that would take place as spoken in Matthew 24: "Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” [Matthew 24:2] Jerusalem will be destroyed. When? AD 70. Some 30 plus years after Jesus spoke those words, a city that refused repeatedly the Word of God and killed the prophets and the Son of God, they will be destroyed.

And it's because “the wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy”. [Matthew 22:8] So now that Israel, now that Jerusalem will be destroyed, God says the Gospel invitation, the invitation to the wedding feast will now be extended beyond the original list. “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.” [Matthew 22:9-10] So God's focus was originally on Israel, but because they rejected God's Word, God extended an invitation to all of the world; to the highways and byways of life.

There are some of you who say, “I will never believe in Christianity because it's an ang moh (colloquial for western) religion.” Actually, where got ang moh, wu moh, boh moh (colloquial plays on other phrases with similar sounding last words), here, there. It was never about that. It all started in Israel; it's a Middle Eastern origin actually. But of course, today it's a worldwide faith, because God said: “[B]e my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [Acts 1:8] And that's why the Gospel is preached everywhere and people of all tribes, all races, all languages are invited to the wedding feast.

“So the wedding hall was filled with guests.” [Matthew 22:10] What a sight that would be. You know, when you think about heaven, sometimes you think you'll be walking there alone; very scary, don't know anyone here or not. No, it will never be like this, alright. Heaven will be a heavily populated place, there'll be a lot of people there, it'll be fun there. I just hope I see you there. I really hope. “Eh, eh, John where are you? Cannot find John ah, siao liao (colloquial expression used when things are going badly). He was in church what!” “Yeah, he was in church, but John, actually ultimately heard those words, but he was not willing.” I hope that would not be true of any one of us. Don't reject the Kingdom of God. Today you hear about God's Kingdom, today you are given this invitation, may you humbly repent and believe.

Finally - you always love to hear me say finally right? So finally, we see in this passage, not only a rejoicing, a rejecting, but there is a requirement of the Kingdom of God. To enjoy the feast, there's only one condition. There's only one thing. You must be handsome? Nope. You must be tall? Nope. You must be smart? Nope. You must be from Singapore? Nope. There's only one condition. Interesting, isn't it? Only one thing. And if you don't have this one thing, you cannot come. All are invited, but there's one condition. What is it? You need to have the right dress code. The dress code is that of a wedding garment.

“[W]hen the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.” [Matthew 22:11] Now, he came with his own garment; I'm sure you know he didn't come naked, but he came with his own clothing. He did not want to take up the king's provision of a wedding garment. I mean it's likely that this being a royal feast, the king really wanted everything swee swee (colloquial for perfect), homogeneous, beautiful, all dressed in maybe red and white, and then someone come in, in blue and purple. “You are an eye sore! No, no, no, everybody's got to dress the way I have provided, I am the king.” But this fellow comes in with no wedding garment. He sticks out like a sore thumb. “And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.” [Matthew 22:12] Don't know what to say. “Uh oh. Uh, uh, I, I, I thought I could come in like this.” “Oh no, I told you very clearly.”

“Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” [Matthew 22:13] Here, I think Jesus is weaving the earthly story into a description of hell. There's no question here. A place of eternal torment, a place where there is darkness, where there is weeping, where there's this gnashing of teeth, a place of unimaginable pain and suffering. So there will be people who think that they are fit to enter the Kingdom of God, but they will be shocked because God, seeing that they have no proper wedding garment, would say, “I never knew you”, and they'll be cast into the outer darkness.

Now you say, “Then what is this garment? Where to buy? Giorgio Armani or CK or whatever - where to buy this garment?” Well, let me tell you - first of all, there are many ways to read the Bible, right? There are many motifs, many themes, many ideas. You can look at the Bible as a story about the temple, the dwelling place of God. You can look at the Bible as a story about sacrifices from the beginning to the end. Another way of looking at the Bible is that it's a book about garments. It's a book about clothing, it's a book about covering. Many of you read fashion magazine. Can I recommend you read this Bible? It's one of fashion, of the right fashion, the real important fashion, important garment.

Why? You recall right in the beginning, when Adam and Eve were made, they sinned against God. And immediately they knew that they were? Naked. And they were? Ashamed. Prior to that, they were naked, and not ashamed. No problem. I mean, now of course, we talk in very different ways now, but they were naked and not ashamed. But after they sinned against God, instinctively they felt shame. So the very first thing they did was to hide from God, and then they look for covering. Now in those days there's no concept of clothes. Adam and Eve did not have Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein; no such fashion guys. So instinctively they said, “I'm naked, I need to cover myself.” So they grab some fig leaves, sew them together and cover themselves. “Oh, I hope this works.” It didn't work.

Then the next covering we read about is God, in His amazing mercy, provided for them coverings. Not fig leaves, but coverings that were made from animal skins. Now it may not be very explicit, I acknowledge that, but many scholars, commentators read into this and suggest that that's a picture of God saying, “I'm going to provide man a proper covering; I provide. They made for themselves fig leaves, it doesn't work. But I will provide for them this covering.”
And this covering requires the death of someone. In this case it's pictured in a death of the animal. Blood must be shed; the animal dies, a life must be paid, and then – “This covering I will give to Adam and Eve.” So that's in the beginning. The story of the Bible begins with the need for covering, an inadequate covering, and then God's provided covering through sacrifice.

Then you go forward a little bit, to maybe a third of the Bible, and we read of the next statement: “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” [Isaiah 64:6] Isaiah is saying that man, actually every religion - let me put it this way - every religion that hopes to teach you to get right with God, teaches you to try to do good, be good, don't do so many bad things, be generous, be abounding in righteous deeds. Because the righteous deeds are like a garment that you will hope to put on, on the Day of Judgment before God. But you know what God says? All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. Eee (colloquial expression to convey disgust)! Dirty, unacceptable!

So you could say the Bible is a book about garments. But, like fig leaves, these will be rejected. But like the animal skin, God provides a covering. Isaiah 61: “[H]e has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” [Isaiah 61:10] Now, notice this is not – “You make this garment, and robe yourself”. It is His, it is God's. And this must be provided; it is not made by ourselves, it's given by God. It's a garment that clothes you and gives you salvation. It's a robe that wraps you, and you may be righteous.

And then, of course, you fast forward to the day of Jesus. He spoke about the need for a wedding garment at the wedding feast.

And then now we go to the end of the Bible and again, it's a fashion story, it's a garment story. Because in heaven above, we read: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.” [Revelation 7:9] You say, “White robes I also can buy what.” Oh no, no, no, this white robe special. Because in verse 14: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” [Revelation 7:14] So there's only one way you can stand before God - when you’re robed in the blood of the Lamb. This has to be provided by God.

And then right at the end of Revelation we read: “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come”. [Revelation 19:7] This is a time for great rejoicing! This is a time where the Son is honored and praised, and His bride has made herself ready. How is she ready? Oh, she has this garment. She's clothed with “fine linen bright and pure”. [Revelation 19:8]

This is the story of the Bible, story of covering. Since man sinned against God, we now need a covering, we now need a garment. And Jesus died, so that you may have this garment. The story of the Bible is about how we can stand before the Holy God. Got to have the garment from above.

I could end the sermon right here actually, but I think this one last verse is an interesting twist. It might confuse you. So if you're confused already ah, you say, “Pastor Jason my limit 95%. I si (colloquial for die) already. You talk, talk, some more I'm going to die, I'm going to be lost.” So then you sleep first. I always say that.

For those who say, “I'm still okay, can go on” - alright, this is the last thing I would say. Verse 14: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” [Matthew 22:14] I got to put this in, because Jesus added that as His comment on this parable. Now I find it strange because we would have absolutely no problem if Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are saved.” Makes sense, this whole parable is about that what. They invite, but not many people come, and only those who come are saved. I understand that. Or it might be easier if we hear, “For many are called, but few believed.” Okay, because they rejected but some believed.

But do you know Jesus actually turned this parable upside down, and said few are chosen? Because all along, as we read this story, it's really about Israel's rejection of God. It's from man's point of view. But right at the end, He gives you God's point of view. Not man's point of view, but God's point of view. God chose just a few.

Whoa. You see, it's so natural for us to assume that it’s all about man's choice. Now let me undeniably say - yes, it is about man's choice. Let's not dilute it. We are all responsible to make choices of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. And if you reject Jesus, you reject Jesus. But don't forget the other aspect, where it is said: God chose some to be saved, but not all are chosen to be saved. If anybody is saved, it's because he chose to accept the wedding invitation and God chose Him to be saved.

So, one day, when we die, and when we go to heaven, I don't think any one of us in heaven would say, “You look at us so kiang (colloquial for smart), so smart. I knew heaven is real, I knew God is real. You see, that's why I believe, because I'm smarter than everyone else.” In Heaven, we would say, “For many were called, but few were chosen.” We, we, blessed to be chosen by God. All glory be to God. Let us rejoice in the Son, not in ourselves.

Well, the point today, I suppose - friends, you have been invited to Gospel Light this morning, many of you. “I'm getting baptized, would you come?” “I'm getting baptized, would you join me?” I'm glad you came on the invitation of your friends. But I, let me tell you, a far greater invitation is given to you today. God has given His Son to die for your sins, to provide you this robe of righteousness. There's only one way for you to be able to stand before God. Will you today in - accept this invitation?

Let's bow for a word of prayer, together.

The wedding hall will be filled with guests. What a day that will be. A day where God is glorified, a day where the Son is celebrated, a day where we will be humbled before God for His grace. A day of wonderful delight and celebration.

Question is, will you be there? There is no question there will be this marriage supper of the Lamb. But again, will you be there? Will you stand before God with this wedding garment of righteousness?

Today, 17th November 2019, might be the day you're given this invitation to the wedding feast the first time in your life. Do you realize that this could be one of the scariest days of your life, or the best day of your life? Because if, on that day where Jesus returns, you stand before Him, He says to you, “You heard My invitation but you would not come.” That will be the day you're ushered into the world of outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth, where there will be no reprieve, no return. It will be a day where you will suffer forever and ever because you have sinned against the Holy God and you will not repent and believe His Son. I pray that will not happen to any single one of you here.

But this day, 17th of November could be the greatest day of your life as you hear the invitation, and you repent and believe in Jesus Christ. So my dear friends, whether you've been in church first time or umpteenth time, my question to you is: have you received and accepted this invitation? Have you repent, do you repent and believe in Jesus Christ? Jesus paid it all. Would you come to Him today?

Right where you are, you can make the decision, that choice, you can pray and you say, “Lord, have mercy on me to save me. I believe in Your Son, I believe in what He has done. I believe He is the Messiah, the Lamb of God. I turn from my sin, I receive Him, I believe Him to be my Savior.” May this day be the greatest day of your life.

Father, thank You for Your Word and we pray that You work in hearts, that men and women would repent and believe. Bless each one. We thank You, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

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