Randy Alcorn told story about his friend Ruthanna Metzgar, a professional singer. She had been asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man, and they were invited to the reception. It was being held on the top two floors of the Columbia Tower in Seattle - the tallest skyscraper in the Northwest - and there would be magnificently carved ice sculptures; beautifully decorated tables filled with the choicest of foods; and a professional orchestra dressed in elegant white tuxedos. At the start of the reception, the bride and groom came to an elegant glass and brass staircase where someone ceremoniously cut a satin ribbon at the bottom of the stairs, and wedding party ascended followed by their guests. This wasn’t just a reception… this was an event!! And Ruthanna and her husband were excited to be there!
As they made their way to the top of the stairs, there stood a maître d’ holding a bound book. He asked: “May I have your name please?” “I’m Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband Roy.” He searched the M’s. “I’m not finding it. Would you spell it, please?” So she spelled her name slowly. But, after searching the book, the maître d’ looked up and said, “I’m sorry ma’am, but your name’s not here.” Now, she’s a bit worried and she said “There must be some mistake. I’m the singer!” The maître d’ answered, “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. Without your name in the book you cannot attend the banquet.” Then he motioned for a waiter and said, “Show these people to the service elevator, please.” And so the Metzgars followed the waiter past the ice sculptures, the beautifully decorated tables filled with the choicest of foods, and the orchestra – dressed in white tuxedos who were preparing to perform. But Ruthanna and Roy were NOT allowed to take part because their names were not in the book.
After they’d left the event, Roy reached over and touched his wife’s arm. “Sweetheart, what happened?” And she replied: “When the invitation arrived, I was busy. I never bothered to RSVP. Besides, I was the singer. Surely, I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!” And then … she started to weep. (Randy Alcorn, "50 Days Of Heaven", p. 23)
She hadn’t done what she should have done to be allowed to attend the reception. Her name was not found written in the book. She had been invited/ called… but she had not been chosen.
In our story today, Jesus tells a parable about a King who gave a wedding reception for his son, and the parable ends up practically the same as it had for Ruthanna and her husband. A man comes to a reception, but he doesn’t do what he was supposed to do, and the King shows him the door. 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.’
He had been invited/called… but he had not been chosen.
Now let’s take this parable apart a little bit at a time. 1st – this parable tells us about the wedding feast for the Son of the King. I wonder what that’s all about? Well, we don’t really have to wonder, because in Revelation 19:6-9 John tells us “I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure" — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.’ And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’”
The wedding feast Jesus referred to, is the great event at the end of time when all the saints (that’s you and me) are gathered in heaven to meet Jesus. We (Christians) are the bride, and Jesus is the groom - and we are going to have a party! A big and exciting party. A party like you’ve never seen on earth. And NOT just a party… but an event! That’s what Jesus is talking about!
But then, at the end of the parable, Jesus says something interesting: “For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14
That’s an interesting statement by Jesus. And there are many folks who read that verse and believe that the only way you get into heaven is to be chosen. You can’t just decide to get into heaven… you have to be chosen. You don’t get to chose – only God can make that choice. I mean – that’s what it SEEMS to be saying!
The teaching is called “Pre-destination. Essentially (according to this teaching) your DESTINATION (heaven) has been PRE-determined ahead of time by God. There was a famous theologian named Martyn Lloyd Jones who put it this way: “A man does NOT become a Christian by MAKING A DECISION. He is made a Christian by God, who had marked him out before the Foundation of the world and sees to it that he is born again and that he believes in Him." What he’s saying is: YOU can’t DECIDE to be saved - or to go to heaven - because God has already decided that!
Now, let me RE-emphasize: According to this teaching of predestination you can’t do anything to become saved - God has already PRE-DESTINED you to heaven or hell and YOU don’t have a choice in the matter.
Well, as you can imagine, there’s a few problems with this teaching. First, there’s II Peter 3:9 that says “The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” BUT pre-destination teaches: Many WILL PERISH – because they CAN’T REPENT. It’s impossible for them to choose to repent because their destination has already been decided.
Then there’s John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.” BUT pre-destination teaches that many CAN’T CHOOSE TO BELIEVE. They've already been predestined to heaven or hell - and so they will perish, if they have not been chosen. And many will not have everlasting life no matter what they believe.
BUT the biggest problem with this understanding of "Many are called, but few are chosen - is this: the parable Jesus told defies the very idea of pre-destination. Jesus tells us that the king invites people to His party but a lot of people didn’t want to show up. They CHOSE NOT TO SHOW UP! “(The King) sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they WOULD NOT COME.” (Matthew 22:3) They had DECIDED they didn’t want to be there. (Some ignored the king) “they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,” (But others) seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. Matthew 22:5-6
And the King is furious. He destroyed the murderers and burned their city, and everyone else pretty much gets UN-invited… they just don’t get to come to the banquet. Instead the King ordered his servants to gather anyone and everyone. There were good people and there were bad people who came, but when it was all said and done - the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But there was this one guy who didn’t wear the required wedding garment and the King throws him out on his ear. Now, on the face of it, this reaction by the King seems a little unfair. I mean – after all – in the parable - the guests don’t seem to be wealthy people. This 2nd batch of people were literally standing on the street corner. And it’s reasonable to believe that (at least some of them) didn’t have the resources to get a good suit of clothes. But the King kicks this man out of the banquet anyway… and he’s not particularly nice about it.
So the question that comes to mind is… what in the world happened here?
Well, according to "Barnes New Testament Notes" who commented on this verse: “Anciently, kings and princes were accustomed to make presents of changes of raiment to their friends and favourites. To refuse to receive (this gift) was an expression of highest contempt.” So, if the King wanted you someplace (like a wedding) and you couldn't afford the proper garments... He would supply you with the proper garments. In this, the King probably not only invited this guy to the reception, He supplied him with a tux! But then man CHOSE not to wear garment… he REFUSED to wear it. And in so doing he showed contempt for the King. He probably thought: "I don't want to wear what you've given me. My own garments will be just fine thank you."
So Jesus says: “Many are called (invited) but few are chosen.”
In the parable Jesus told us - those who were CHOSEN in this parable had already made a choice. They had already made a decision. Some accepted the invitation and wore the garments God supplied, and… others DIDN’T. Many REJECTED waht the King offererd them It was a free gift to be offered a place athis wedding banquet and they turned it down..
You se, Matthew 22:14 is NOT a verse about pre-destination - it’s a verse about CHOSING your own destination! There was an old black preacher once said “Jesus - he votes for us, and Satan - he votes against us. Then we vote ... and we break the tie.”
One preacher on the internet said it this way: “‘Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen’; Those initially invited were “called”; Those – good and bad – were called; But only those who were PREPARED for the feast were chosen.” https://saralandchristians.com/sermons/2021/6/21/few-are-chosen-matthew-221-14
Now catch that last phrase… “those who were PREPARED for the feast were chosen.” The decisions these folks made were the groundwork for God CHOOSING them.
Now, this next part really isn't found in today's text. You get this one for free - it won't cost you a thing. Do you remember why Ruthanne Metzga and her husband couldn’t get into the reception? That's right - their names were NOT in the book. Well, it just so happens, that in Scripture there's a BOOK! It's called the "Book of Life". Revelation 20:14-15 tells us that (at the end of time) “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Now, this BOOK OF LIFE… is mentioned several times in Scripture: The first time is in Exodus 32:32 which says that “The LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.” The Israelites were God's chosen people and their names were written in God's book, but God was saying that if they decided to follow sin rather than Him... He'd blot them out of His book.
And in Psalm 69:28 David pled with God to “Let (David's enemies) be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.” David was pleading with God that since these enemies were not righteous people, they didn't deserve to be in God's book - they should be blotted out.
And in Revelation 3:5 Jesus makes a powerful promise: “The one who conquers (the ones who chose me, and follows me and live their lives to honor me) will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will NEVER blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”
People are going to make decisions - you're going to make decisions. And those decisions will lead to you name either being in the Book of Life... or not. And so, when we come into that great wedding banquet at the end of time, God's going to look through that book ... and you're name better be there. Because, if it's not, you don't get in!
But somebody did get into that banquet, though he didn't get to stay long. Do you remember why the one man was kicked out of the banquet? He wasn’t wearing the proper wedding garment. He knew of the garment the King had supplied, but he thought his own clothes were good enough. One man noted that the universal religion of mankind is: "We do good things; we develop a good record - a good record of righteousness and good works and give it to God, and then he owes us." (Tim Keller) Because my good deeds have bought me a place in heaven. And, quite frankly, if I have that "good report" - if I've done all those good deeds and righteous things - God Himself couldn't keep me out, because I've paid for my ticket. I deserve to be in heaven. There are people who think that way - if I could just do enough good things, God will accept me.
But that's pretty dangerous. The Scripture says our good deeds aren't good enough. As Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags." Your self-righteous deeds won't solve your problem of your sin. You see, the only garment that’s going make any difference is that garment which God supplies. So that when you come to that great wedding banquet in the sky you'll be accepted. But what is that garment that God will supply for us? Well, that would be JESUS. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us. Only the blood of Jesus can clothe us and cover our sinful past.
So the question then becomes: HOW do I “put on Christ?” How can I put THAT garment on? And you what? The Bible tells us. In Galatians 3:26-27 we're told “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
You see, once you believe in Jesus, repent of your past sins, confess Him as your Lord and Savior, and you allow yourself to be buried in the waters of baptism - that's when you're clothed in Christ. And the thing is this - that water is not magical. There's nothing in that water that makes the difference. It is your decison to put on Jesus. You want to die to your past. You died with Christ (if you will) and then you allow yourself to be buried in a watery grave, and rise up from that water to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4)
And you've been clothed with Christ, and you're acceptable at the wedding feast of the Son of the King.
Here's the deal - it is dangerous to think that you can get by with your own righteous deeds. God loves it when we do righteous things - it's just that those deeds don't make a difference when it comes to belonging to Jesus.
INVITATION
