Message:
Summer can be a very busy time as we try to squeeze in vacation, visits to family and friends and respond to all those invitations.
For most of us the wedding invitation is still one of personal importance and can sometimes cost us more than just a wedding gift.
In some cases a wedding invitation can pose a significant effort as well as an expense if it is far away and requires an airplane ticket, hotel and meals.
It is always an honor to be invited to share in the joy of the couple and in the hopes and aspirations that their union will bring. The honor is that we are present as God binds two people into one relationship.
It is an even greater honor to be a member of the bridal party. For the ladies this represents a lot of planning, time, effort and expense. But all of it gladly made to see someone you care about become a bride.
Our Heavenly Father wants to invite you and me to a wedding. It is not a regular invitation and it is no ordinary wedding. The flight is paid for and the destination is Heaven. The reception is to take place on earth.
God our Father wants us to join Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb – with His son Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately there are many who will not R.S.V.P. instead they will ignore this open and free invitation and some will treat it with contempt.
The invitation is to Jew and Gentile, sinner and Saint and those gentile nations who oppose the word of God.
This wedding is one of the great signs that our God loves us and wants us to be with Him and Christ forever more.
In Matthew 24:3 the disciples asked Jesus “what shall be the sign of thy coming?
Jesus went into a lengthy description of events and signs that would occur in the future. The description of these things were very unsettling.
But then Jesus put it in imagery that they could all understand in Matthew 25.
Here Jesus likened His coming to a wedding.
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
All the virgins had a lamp and all fell asleep but only half fell asleep with jars of oil ready to fill their lamps. The oil represents our spiritual readiness. When Jesus returns to take His people to heaven, we must be ready.
Matthew 25:6- 13 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute. Our relationship with God must be our own and it must be one that finds us living with the Holy Spirit in us as the oil of our lamps.
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus or are you trusting that your church membership will compensate for a lack of oil?
It does not matter who you associate with at church, getting into Heaven is not a matter of knowing the right people but it is a matter of knowing the right person – Jesus Christ.
We must know Jesus personally, deeply and truly.
Often at the wedding reception the Maid of Honor will give a speech and relate some close personal experiences that made her and the Bride true friends.
Can you recall what drew you and Jesus together?
Luke recalls a similar parable that Jesus shared in Luke 14:15-24. This account concerns an invitation to a royal wedding not just any wedding but still people made excuses not to attend.
Such a response infuriated the King and He then extended the invitation to anyone who would like to go.
This parable demonstrates how the Jewish people – God’s chosen people were the first to be given the invitation but they found many reasons to refuse. Because of their failure to recognize the Bride Groom as Jesus the Messiah we were extended the invitation in their place. Even though we were not royal subjects and just commoners we are invited.
But don’t despair for the Jews, God will give them another opportunity and very soon as the Last Day’s described in Revelation tell us that 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be seeking God’s chosen people to turn to Jesus during the Tribulation period.
Once all the guests are invited from every nation, tribe and tongue and they have their invitations in hand with their jars of oil at the ready the wedding will begin.
Rev 19:6-9
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Saints ready yourselves for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, tell all you know that this is an open invitation to all who desire to celebrate with Jesus as the Bride of Christ.
Pray we will keep our garments white and our jars of oil full just in case we are invited to the wedding this summer.
I look forward to seeing you at the reception – Amen.
