"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.' '...tell those that are invited, Behold... everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." Matthew 22:2, 4 NASB
Jesus tells a story about a wedding feast that God prepares for His Son. A King sent a wedding invitation to His people and the people who supposedly belonging to His kingdom responded and declined the invitation. They were to busy. They had other interests. They had businesses, some had a farm and chose it as an excuse. Some went to the extreme and in anger beat up the courier that was delivering the invitation of God himself. The result for those that chose their own business was that they suffered a brutal final end to their life and their personal pursuit.
So the King opens the doors of the wedding feast and invites whosoever will to come.
Then Jesus puts a twist to the story and says, 'the king came in to look over the dinner guests, He saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes', and when He asked the man why...the man was speechless. A wedding crasher! With no excuse.
The wedding crasher is then removed from the wedding celebration bound and thrown into outer darkness forever.
This twist brings a severity to choices and what kind of garments we choose for our reputation.
Bible says, ' t is by faith you are saved'. You are saved from being a wedding crasher because it is faith in Jesus that clothes people with righteousness. Righteousness is a garment. Bible calls it a robe of righteousness.
Faith in Jesus' substitutionary death on a cross and resurrection. Our faith is in Jesus the life of God, giving us the robe of righteousness. The robe of righteousness is the way in to the wedding feast.
In the story Jesus tells, He says, 'the king came in and looked over the dinner guests'.
The day will soon be here that God Himself will look to each person. He will be looking at the garments. He will be looking for wedding crasher. Those that will have sewn together their own (reputation garment). To the world the garment may have many attractive attributes. However to God there is only one garment that will allow us to remain at the feast. Righteousness, the reputation of righteousness. Faith that God can see is righteousness.
Today, ask God, 'what do you say about my clothes? Am I clothed in my reputation, or in your reputation of righteousness?' The robe of righteousness. Faith in Jesus that God can see is righteousness.