Text: Matthew 22: 1-14
Matthew 22:1-10 KJV
“And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
The Jew Unbelievers:
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
The Gentile Believers:
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.”
The Divine Terms and Conditions:
Matthew 22:11-14 KJV
“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
It is not enough to get into the wedding feast (to be born-again and attend a church); there is decorum (etiquette) that is expected of us in the Kingdom of God. And it is something that cannot be overlooked nor played down. We are dealing with a very serious God, and He wants us to be serious about what He expects of us. God says: Do not just do what I have asked you to do but do it correctly.
On the day of accountability, we would really have nothing to say to justify our non-compliance to the instructions of God. When God asks why have you not done this and that, you will not have an answer. See in the scripture read – The man was speechless.
God is good, but He is not safe. He will do everything to bless us, and He is abundantly patient, but it is not safe to test that patience. The sons of Aaron had no time to reconsider (Leviticus 10). Ananias and Saphira learnt it too late (Acts 5: 1-11). Herod must have realised it whilst the worms were eating him alive (Acts 12: 21-23).
There is going to be a day of reckoning – when we are called to give account. There is a day of Judgement!
The man was judged for his willful non-compliance:
“Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Someone might be thinking to themselves, wow, that is such a harsh judgement. At least he responded to the invite when others did not?
Read:
James 4:17 AMPC
So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him, it is a sin.
The man knew what was expected of him but chose not to comply. In that, he sinned.
Maybe he was thinking like some of us do when given instructions or how we are responding to divine structure and processing in our God-ordained church: our response is: “I will decide what I want to do and how I want to do it”. By knowing what we ought to and not doing like the word of God says, we are sinning.
Imagine the giver of the divine instruction and structure of the Church, the one Who called you and me to member our church – God Almighty visiting you whilst you were doing things your own way – what excuse or explanation will you give to Him that would suffice? Will the same reasons you give to your pastor or family unit leader suffice? Will God overlook what you are doing?
I believe this message is for everyone, including myself – We need to do a deep search of our hearts, do a proper evaluation of our acts and attitudes – would we be ready when the Lord shall come? Would our garments be right, would it still be white and would our head have oil when the Master Jesus returns?
As a leader in the church, I have seen people whose the wrong attitude towards the things of God only made them attractive to Satan. Prayer of healing and deliverance is not working for them. Covenants in the house seem not to be manifesting. Instead of being in the assistance, they are in the resistance. The pain of a pastor is when such members continue to pose instead of coming clean. Posing when you are in need is pride, and God resists the proud. It is the humble that God pours grace upon continually.
James 4:6 TPT
“But he continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, “God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.””
Any continued wrong attitude against and towards the divine is an entry point for and an invitation for the demonic.
There is no vacuum in the spirit. There is no middle ground when it comes to choosing between the divine or demonic. You are either for God or for Satan. You are either with God or against God.
The first revelation you must have before you can qualify to rule by higher revelations (by the correct and continued relationship between you and Jesus) – is the revelation of your church membership.
Psalm 68:6 KJV
“God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains: But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”
Have you allowed God to set you in your church family – have you settled your church membership – are you going through the process to shape you so you can fulfil your divine destiny, or are you rebellious?
What does the Bible say about rebellion?
1 Samuel 15:23 Expanded Bible
23 ·Disobedience [Rebellion] is as bad as the sin of ·sorcery [witchcraft; divination]. ·Pride [Stubbornness; Arrogance; Presumption; Insubordination] is as bad as ·the sin of worshipping idols [idolatry]…
What does Satan want to cut people off from through their wrong attitude?
Hebrews 12:22-24 NLT
“No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.”
Do you know every time we gather as a church, even right now, that is our reality?
Psalm 84:7 AMPC
“They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.”
From one church meeting to another, it is from strength to strength experience. Our inner man is being strengthened, increasing in victorious power for excelling in life and the calling Amen!
⁃ To have more and be more begins with Doing more.
⁃ We must get it right first before we can get better.
⁃ Doing less gives rise to having less and being less. May that not be our portion in Jesus Name.
God is not mocked!
Galatians 6:7 KJV
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
God is All-knowing – Omniscient.
God can be everywhere and anywhere at the same time – Omnipresent.
He knows who we are, where we are and what we are doing per time. Maybe if we live conscious of that reality, we will be mindful of what we are doing and the how before God, even if no man sees us.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Are you going to continue to follow God with a crowd mentality or will be
choice chosen son and daughter that you are supposed to be?
I am asking under the anointing:
Will you open up your life to God and let God search you thoroughly?
Psalm 139:23-24 AMPC
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Job 34:32 Expanded Bible
Teach me what I cannot see. If I have done wrong, I will not do it again.’
I want us to pray that scripture in Job 34:32 and also decide “I will not do it again” whatever wrong I have knowingly been doing – No more! Holy Ghost taking hold with us – we will make all effort to comply with divine instructions, we will no longer intentionally violate divine terms and conditions. (Pray with understanding and Pray it in the Spirit). Let the Holy Spirit reveal where we are missing it, where we are giving advantage to the adversary, and where we are not maximising our relationship with God. Anywhere we need to repent, let’s repent now!
In Jesus Name, we have prayed.
If you need counsel, and you are in the church has ordained for you to be a member of, make an appointment to speak with your pastor, and it shall be well with us in Jesus Name.
We will get it right, and we will keep getting better in Jesus Name. Amen!
The Message Bearer
Cornelius Bella
corneliusbella 