January 11, 2024 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends. Today we are considering a very important question—What is reality?—especially the reality when it comes to our salvation. Some say there is something called “Love Reality,” and while there is a love that is real, it is important that we understand that true love, the true reality of love, only comes from God, and it is defined in His Word.
Now, in First John chapter four, verses seven to eight, we read: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
God is indeed love, and nowhere is His love revealed more clearly than in the plan of salvation.
The book of Matthew records a fascinating parable of Jesus—it’s about a wedding and proper wedding attire. In Matthew twenty-two, we read that a great wedding was arranged by the king. There’s a lot of excitement as the king prepared this celebration for his son. In verse three, we read that, “He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding.”
Now, Sadly, those receiving the invitation weren’t excited about coming. Can you imagine a king inviting people to a wedding, and they didn’t come? We should keep in mind that this parable has meaning for us today—Jesus is calling us to His wedding feast. Are we coming?
Receptions can be a challenge. If you’ve ever prepared one, you know. We’ve had two wedding receptions in our home, and one at the church, and I’m glad people came to the wedding receptions for our daughters.
But in this parable not only did the guests not show up, but they didn’t even appreciate the king’s generous invitation. They made light of it and went their ways.
In the parable, those receiving the wedding invitation seized the king’s servants, treated them cruelly, and killed them. When you go out as God’s co-laborers, be prepared to be refused, to be tormented, to be shunned, and maybe even killed. Through the years, many Christians, including Seventh-day Adventists, have been martyred for their faith.
But we do not need to be afraid of the future. We are assured of Christ’s presence until the very end of time. And anyone who has been watching current events will know that prophecy is being fulfilled just as God foretold. We are not living in normal times.
Returning to the parable, when the king heard how his servants were treated, he was furious. He sent out his armies, destroyed the murderers and burned up their city.
Then the king started over. He told his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. . . . Go into the highways and as many as you find, invite them to the wedding”. Many people came—both bad and good—and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Today, as God’s message is proclaimed, there will be people who aren’t aligned with God’s holy Word but will be part of those who come. To the very end of time there will be the good and the bad, the wheat and the tares. But there will be a shaking, and in fact, I believe the shaking has begun.
There’s only one way you and I can prevent ourselves from being swept up with erroneous ideas and cultural implications that push against God’s Word. There’s only one way from being shaken out, and that is complete reliance upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We must receive Christ’s justifying power, His sanctifying power, His reviving and reforming power.
The Bible is filled with beautiful promises showing what Jesus can and will do for us when we accept His robe of righteousness: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name”.Philippians two, verse five encourages us to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” And Revelation 3:18 tells us exactly who we are and how we are to be remedied from the terrible curse of self-centeredness: “Buy from Me gold that you may be rich; white garments that you may be clothed; anoint your eyes with eye salve that you can see. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent.”
Returning to the parable, we see what happened next is a fascinating explanation of Christ’s ministry. In verse 11, we read that when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment. “Friend,” he asked, “how did you come in here without a wedding garment?”. The man was speechless. This poor fellow, even though he’d been given a perfect suit, didn’t accept and wear it.
The King not only invites us to the wedding of His Son; He also provides the right clothing as a gift. When Christ provides His robe of righteousness, it’s a perfect fit, and it fits everyone! We just need to accept it and put it on.
That magnificent book, Christ’s Object Lessons, delves deeply into the parables of Christ. There we read that the wedding garment represents “the pure, spotless character which Christ’s true followers will possess”.
Please notice—it’s not our character; it’s Christ’s character. “It is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Savior”. Do we really believe this?
On the following page we read this wonderful promise: “Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet [or prepared] to appear in God’s presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us. All our righteousness are as filthy rags. By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments”.
Don’t fall for the trap that people set up when they say, “It’s not possible to keep the commandments, it’s not possible to live a perfect life.” It’s true that you can’t live a perfect life on your own—there’s no possible way! But with the robe of Christ’s righteousness covering us and His power living within us, we are able to follow where He leads.
And then something else happens. Sanctification starts to move in—and that is Christ’s righteousness. “When we submit ourselves to Christ the heart is united with His heart; the will is merged in His will; the mind becomes one with His mind. The thoughts are brought into captivity to Him. We live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. . . . Righteousness is right-doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine”.
We read further that “It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those who obey His commandments. Take heed, lest you be found at the king’s feast without a wedding garment”
Are you willing to receive from the hand of Christ His covering garment that will enable you to be a co-laborer with heaven? Accepting the beautiful gift of Christ’s robe that covers and transforms us into His image is foundational to becoming a follower of Christ.May each of us be so filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that people will say, “Those Seventh-day Adventists, they know Jesus. He lives in their hearts, and they are the greatest proclaimers of Christ’s righteousness.”
I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father in heaven. Thank you for the righteousness of Christ, for His grace and His provision for eternal life as we lean completely on the righteousness of Christ. His justifying righteousness, His sanctifying righteousness. Thank you for all that is provided for us to have eternal life through the wonderful love, grace and power of Jesus Christ. We ask all of this in the name of the all righteous One who provides us with every opportunity of eternal life through His power, and that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.