What Not To Wear

What not to wear.

The Learning Channel, (TLC) has a program where a person gets picked to come on their show and

receive $5,000.00 to use on a complete fashion makover. There is one catch: The person selected is always completely ignorant of fashion and one of the worst-dressed people you would ever meet. Either their clothes are too baggy, too tight, too short or seriously out of style. Often it is all of the above. Yet, in every instance, this person believes their clothes actually look good on them. Once they get on the show, the hosts, Clinton and Stacy, poke fun at them for their dreadful taste in clothes and throw away the person’s entire wardrobe, (if you can call it that.) Finally, the humiliated guest learns the guidelines of shopping for the right clothes that look good on them and how to resist the temptation to stop buying what not to wear.

A person reveals a great deal about themself by the clothes they wear. In the parable of the Wedding Banquet, someone also revealed alot about their character, not only by what he chose to wear, but by what he chose not to wear.

In Matthew 22:1-14, there is a parable of a king who

invited everyone, both good and bad, to a wedding banquet for his Son. As a result, the wedding hall was

filled with guest, some were poor, some unattractive, some blind or lame, some mentally challenged and some

were socially awkward. Verses 11-13 states:

But when the king came in to see the guests,

he noticed a man 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, were there will be weeping

and gnashing of teeth."

I. Why did the king, who represents God in

this parable, utterly reject the guest at

the royal wedding just because he wasn’t

wearing wedding clothes?

1. The king was sovereign and could do anything he

wanted without reason or motive. He owed no one

an explanation. God is like that. He can save

or send to hell whom he wishes.

2. The man apparently did not fear the King.

Surely he noticed that he was the only guest at

the wedding without wedding clothes. If he had

any concern about possibly offending the King

with his attire, he would have chosen to dress

like the other wedding guest.

Psalms 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the

beginning of wisdom". Obviously this man failed

to have fear or respect for the King, who had the

authority to accept him or destroy him.

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but

cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the

One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Matthew 10:28

3. The King has the right to have a well dressed

crowd at his son’s wedding, which was the most

important event and celebration of that day.

4. It is believed that a King, when inviting many

people to a very formal event, would also provide

the proper garments for free to all his guests.

All they had to do was accept and put on the

King’s generous provisions.

5. The man’s neglect showed clear disrespect to the

King, his son, and all the other wedding guests.

So what they say must be true. What a person

wears or choses not to wear speaks volumes.

II. What does this parable teach us today about God?

1. The clothes in this parable represent a spiritual

quality of the individual at the wedding.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory! For

the wedding of the Lamb has come and his bride

has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and

clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands

for the righteous acts of the saints.)"

Revelation 19:7-8

2. Even though everyone is invited to heaven, they

must wear "robes of righteousness". Since we do

not possess our own "robes of righteousness",

we are to put on the righteousness that is in

Christ. "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord

Jesus Christ..." Romans 13:14.

When it comes to robes of righteousness, we can

only receive them from God. We can not buy it,

make it, or fake it.

3. To wear your own clothes shows that you trust

in yourself and not Jesus. We can not be saved

by our works, Eph. 2:9 The man in that wedding

assumed that his own clothes were good enough

to be in the presents of the King. He as

sadly mistaken.

A man once said that he was going to get into

heaven by the "skin of his teeth". He will