This invitation is extended to you to make sure that you weren’t missed. God is giving a banquet in heaven for His Son, Jesus Christ, and He wants you to come. However, you must respond to His invitation; otherwise, there won’t be a place for you. Also, proper clothing is absolutely required. No one shall be admitted without it.
In case you’re having difficulty believing that you won’t be admitted without the right clothes, Jesus Christ said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son…and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” (See the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 2 and 10b-13.) It would seem then that one of the lessons that Jesus wanted everyone to learn from this teaching is to make sure that they are properly clothed when they go to God’s banquet.
The Bible speaks about the proper clothes. In Psalm 132:9 it talks about being “clothed with righteousness.” “Righteousness” is the proper clothing for God’s banquet. Righteousness means right standing with God, or in other words, God isn’t holding anything against you. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that all of man’s good deeds are as filthy rags to God. If this is so, then how can you get clothed with righteousness for the banquet?
What needs to happen is an exchange. That’s why your response is necessary. Jesus Christ wants you to exchange with Him the value of your deeds (which are filthy rags in God’s sight) for the value of His good deeds. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we could obtain God’s righteousness (the proper clothes). It says that anyone that believes in Jesus Christ shall not be ashamed before God. Also, Jesus said, “… whoever comes to Me, I will never cast out” (John 6:37), so it doesn’t matter how bad your previous deeds were. Jesus Christ wants to give you eternal life (John 10:28), if only you will receive it from Him.
Perhaps you thought that the king in Jesus’ teaching was cruel for casting out the man who wasn’t properly clothed. However, the king wasn’t to be blamed. The custom of that time was that wedding garments were supplied by the king to anyone who didn’t have them, so the man had no excuse for the way he was dressed. Apparently he chose to not accept the king’s garments, but to enter the banquet with his own clothes. Therefore, he received the consequences of his own choice when he found out too late that his own clothes weren’t acceptable to the king. Like the king, God has provided for you the proper clothing for His banquet in heaven. This is the clothing of righteousness, found only in Jesus Christ. Will you now choose to accept it from Him? You can respond by praying the following prayer.
God, I’m sorry for all of my past deeds which were not pleasing to You. I now want to live with Your help as You want me to live. I acknowledge that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to this world, and that He died for me in my place as my substitute. I believe that after He was buried, He was raised from the dead and is now seated at Your right hand. I receive Your clothing of righteousness by trusting that Jesus Christ alone makes me right with You.
Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that You are my Lord and Savior. I give You my sins and receive from You in exchange Your right standing in God’s sight. I now want to live as You want me to live. Thank You for giving me the help to do so.
If you prayed the above prayer and meant it in your heart, then you’re going to be at God’s heavenly banquet for Jesus Christ (mentioned in Revelation 19:7-9). In the meantime, you can find out more about the teachings of Jesus Christ to help you live now by reading the Bible. Start with the New Testament since it tells us about Jesus Christ and His teachings. Read a little every day. Ask God to help you to understand it and He will. He wants you to understand the Bible because your life will be better when you live it as He planned it for you.
We care about you. Contact us if you acknowledged Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior as a result of reading this. Jesus Christ said, “Whoever therefore shall confess (acknowledge openly) Me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).
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