A. I like to play golf, but I make no claims of being a good golfer.
1. I get to play 3 or 4 rounds of golf a year.
2. One of the best parts about golfing is being out in such a well-manicured green space.
3. If you play early in the morning when the dew is still on the ground, then you get to watch the water spray up behind ball as it makes its way to the cup and leaves a line in the dew.
4. Another great thing about golf is taking a nap while you watch it on TV on a Sunday afternoon.
5. If you have ever wondered why the commentators speak in such hushed tones, it’s to keep from disturbing the nappers, not the golfers.
B. You might recall that one of the resources for this series is Max Lucado’s book “When Christ Comes” and in it, Max shares a personal story that vey well illustrates our lesson for the day.
1. Max was thrilled when he was invited to attend the Master’s Golf Tournament – not as a player, but as a spectator.
2. A ticket to the Master’s is very hard to come by, so he was thrilled.
3. The invitation came from a golf pro named Scott Simpson.
a. Each player in the contest is given a number of passes, and Scott offered two of his to Max and his wife.
b. So, off they went to Augusta National Country Club in Augusta Georgia, where the annual event takes place.
4. Because there is so much history in that contest and that place, Max was like a kid in a candy store; he was thrilled by everything around him and just couldn’t get enough.
a. But it wasn’t enough for him to see the course and walk the grounds, he wanted to see the clubhouse and be with the players.
b. So, Max headed for the clubhouse, but he wasn’t allowed to enter.
c. A guard stopped him at the entrance.
5. Max showed him his pass, but the guard shook his head “no.”
a. Max told him he was a friend of Scott Simpson, but that didn’t matter.
b. Max promised to send his eldest child through college, but he didn’t budge.
c. “Only caddies and players are allowed in there,” the guard explained.
d. Caddies at the Masters are required to wear white coveralls, and Max’s clothes were not even close.
6. Max left, figuring he’d never see the clubhouse.
a. He had made it all the way to the door of the clubhouse, but he had been denied entrance.
C. Many, many people fear the same will happen to them, not at Augusta, but at the door of heaven.
1. Do you fear being turned away at heaven’s door?
2. That’s a legitimate fear, don’t you think?
3. We’re talking about the most important moment of our lives.
4. This cartoon about Peter playing an April Fool’s joke on someone at the gates of heaven made me giggle.
a. Can you imagine getting to the front of the line and giving your name only to have Peter say, “Sorry, your name is not on the list. Then after your reaction, saying, “April Fools! Just kidding!”
5. To be turned away from seeing golf history is one thing, but to be refused admission into heaven is quite another.
D. That’s why some people don’t want to discuss eternal questions, because it makes them nervous.
1. They may be God-fearing and church-attending but they are still nervous.
2. Do we need to spend the rest of our lives wondering if we will be turned away at the door?
3. Is there a solution for this fear?
4. The good news is that: yes, there is a solution for this fear, and no, you don’t have to worry the rest of your life.
5. According to the Bible, it is possible to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life.
6. Listen to this truth written by the Apostle John in his first letter: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 Jn 5:13)
E. So, how can any of us know for sure? The surprising answer is that it has to do with the clothing we wear.
1. Jesus explained the matter in the parable we listened to as our Scripture reading.
2. Jesus told the story of a king who planned a wedding party for his son.
3. Invitations were sent, but the people “refused to come” (Mt 22:3).
4. The king being a patient man, sent another invitation.
5. This time the servants of the king were mistreated and killed.
6. The king was furious, as you can imagine he would be.
7. The murderers were punished and the city was destroyed, then an invitation to the wedding was extended to everyone.
F. The explanation and application of the parable is not complicated.
1. God initially invited Israel, His chosen ones, to be His children, but they were unfaithful and not only refused, but they also killed His servants and crucified His Son.
2. The consequence was the judgment of God upon His people, and so, Jerusalem was burned and the people were scattered.
3. God then offered another invitation, this time the wedding was opened to everyone - both Jews and Gentiles.
4. This is where we, non-Jews, appear in the parable.
5. We are the beneficiaries of God’s broad, all-inclusive invitation.
6. Someday, when Jesus’ second coming takes place, we will stand at the entryway to the King’s castle, ready to attend the wedding.
7. But the story doesn’t end there.
a. Standing at the doorway is not enough.
b. Receiving the invitation is not enough.
c. A certain wardrobe is required.
8. The parable ends with a chilling paragraph, let’s begin with verse 10: “So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 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.’ ” (Mt 22:10-13)
G. Jesus loved surprise endings, but this one not only surprises, it frightens!
1. Here was a man who was at the right place, surrounded by the right people, but dressed in the wrong garment.
2. And because he wore the wrong clothing, he was cast from the presence of the king.
3. Isn’t that amazing, God is concerned about the clothes we wear!
4. The Bible tells us explicitly about the wardrobe that God desires.
5. Look at Romans 13:14: Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
6. Additionally look at Galatians 3:26 and 27: 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.
H. You see, this important clothing we are talking about has nothing to do with our physical garments, like dresses and jeans and suits.
1. God’s concern is with our spiritual garments.
2. God offers a heavenly robe that only heaven can see and only heaven can give.
3. Look at the words of Isaiah in Isaiah 61:10, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”
4. Do you remember the words of the father when the prodigal son returned in the Parable of the Prodigal Son?
a. He wanted his son to have new sandals, a new ring, and what else? New clothes.
b. “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.”
c. No son of his was going to be seen in shabby, muddy rags.
d. The father wanted the son to have the best clothing available.
e. Our Heavenly Father wants us to have the same.
I. And so, this discussion of clothing has nothing to do with what we can buy at the store, rather, it has everything to do with what God gives us when we give our lives to Him.
1. When a person becomes a follower of Christ, when faith is expressed, and a person repents and is immersed in water, then a wonderful miracle of the soul occurs.
2. The grace of Jesus is poured out and that person is placed “in Christ.”
3. The apostle Paul described himself as “a man in Christ” (2 Co 12:2).
4. He described his colleagues as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus” (Ro 16:3).
5. The greatest of promises are extended, not to the wealthy, or the educated, or the famous, but to those who are “in Christ.”
6. Romans 8:1 contains this promise: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
7. In 1 John 2:28, the apostle John urges us to “continue in him (in Christ), so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”
J. So, what does it mean to be in Christ?
1. It means that we wear Christ as our outer clothing.
2. Why do we wear clothes? To keep warm? Yes. But also because there are parts of our body that we want to hide.
3. The same is true with our spiritual lives.
4. Do we want God to judge us by everything we have done in our lives?
a. No, if he did then we would be fearful and ashamed and none of us would be acceptable.
5. Let’s imagine how a person who isn’t wearing the clothing of Christ appears in the eyes of heaven.
6. For the sake of discussion, let’s envision a good and decent human being; we’ll call him Danny Decent.
a. Danny, from our perspective, does everything right.
b. He pays his taxes, pays his bills, pays attention to his family, and pays respect to his superiors. He is a good person.
c. In fact, were we to dress him, then we would dress him in white – or maybe have him wear a white hat like the good guys in the old western movies.
8. But heaven sees Danny Decent differently.
a. God sees what you and I miss.
b. As Mr. Decent walks through life, he is imperfect.
c. Every time he sins, a stain appears on his clothing.
d. For example, he stretched the truth when he spoke to his boss yesterday – that stains.
e. He fudged on his expense report - another stain.
f. The other guys were gossiping about the new employee and rather than stop them or walk away, he chimed in - stained again.
g. He got angry and used foul language – another stain.
h. From our perspective, these aren’t big deals, but our perspective doesn’t matter.
i. God’s perspective is what matters, and what God sees is a man stained with sin.
9. Unless something different and transformational happens, Danny will be the man in the parable, the one without the proper wedding garment.
a. The proper wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ.
10. If Danny Decent faces Christ wearing his own decency instead of Christ’s righteousness, then he will hear what the man in the parable heard: “You are not dressed for the wedding…throw this man out.”
K. But what happens if Danny Decent changes his clothes?
1. What if he agrees with Isaiah, who said, “Our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6)?
2. Suppose he confesses his faith and puts on Christ in baptism?
3. If he does that, then here is what happens: Jesus, in an act visible only to the eyes of heaven, removes Danny’s robe of stains and replaces it with Christ’s robe of righteousness.
4. As a result, Danny Decent is clothed in Christ, and therefore is properly dressed for the heavenly wedding.
5. This concept of changing our spiritual clothes shows up in some of the hymns we sing:
a. Like in Rock of Ages it says: “Weary, come to Thee for rest, naked come to Thee for dress.”
b. And in the hymn On Christ the Solid Rock I stand there is the line: “Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”
L. Ultimately, God one requirement for entrance into heaven is being clothed with Christ.
1. Listen to how Jesus describes the inhabitants of heaven: “They will walk with me, dressed in white for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels” (Rev. 3:4-5).
a. Listen to the description of the elders: “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads” (Rev. 4:4)
b. And what is the clothing of angels? “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 19:14).
c. So, in heaven all the inhabitants of heaven (the saints, the elders, and the armies of angels) are described as dressed in white.
2. But how would you suppose that Jesus is dressed? Will He also be in white?
a. You’d think so - He is certainly worthy to wear a spotless robe, but that isn’t how He is pictured.
b. Look at Revelation 19:11ff, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one know but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God” (Rev. 19:11-13).
3. Why is Christ’s robe not white? Why is His garment dipped in blood?
a. Because He changed places with us.
b. He took off our coat of sin and gave us His coat of righteousness.
c. Then, He put on our sin-stained coat and wore it on the cross.
d. As he died, his blood flowed over our sins - they were cleansed by His blood.
4. Because of this, when Christ returns, we have no fear of being turned away at the door, as long as we stay clothed with Christ.
5. In 1 John 1:7, John describes this great news: If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son purifies us from all sin.
M. Let me end this sermon by telling you the rest of the story of Max Lucado at the Master’s that we began with.
1. The day prior to the Master’s tournament, the golfers play an exhibition round on a par-three course that at Augusta Country Club.
2. It is customary for the golfers to give their caddies the afternoon off and to invite a friend or family member to take his place.
3. Well, guess what? Scott invited Max to be his caddie for the day.
a. Scott explained to Max: “Of course, you’ll have to wear the white coveralls of a caddie.”
b. And, of course, Max didn’t mind.
4. That afternoon, when the round was over, Max made his way to the clubhouse.
a. He came to the same door and walked past the same guard into the golfer’s inner sanctum.
b. What made the difference?
c. Why was he turned away one day, but then welcomed the next?
d. Simple, he was wearing the right clothes.
N. Are you wearing the right spiritual clothes?
1. Have you been clothed with Christ in baptism?
2. Have you been baptized into Christ?
3. If not, then let me ask you the question that Ananias asked Saul of Tarsus after Saul had seen the risen Christ and had fasted and prayed for three days.
4. Ananias said: “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16)
5. None of us will receive entrance at heaven’s gate without being clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
6. And the only way to be in Christ and to be clothed with Christ is to profess our faith, repent and be baptized into Christ in the watery grave of baptism and rise to walk in newness of life.
7. Then we will be “dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne.”
Resources:
When Christ Comes, Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, 1999.
