TRANSCRIPTION 🔗
WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.750 --> 00:00:04.230
Church,
2
00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:10.950
every one of us knows what it's like to long for God's comfort
3
00:00:11.851 --> 00:00:17.550
while quietly hesitating at the changes his love calls us to make.
4
00:00:18.630 --> 00:00:24.420
We cherish the rest of Psalm 23, we cling to the peace of
5
00:00:24.840 --> 00:00:30.000
Philippians 4, we even hope in the promises of Isaiah
6
00:00:30.661 --> 00:00:36.390
25. But when the King gently calls us to grow, to
7
00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:41.880
repent, to release old patterns, to put on the
8
00:00:42.030 --> 00:00:46.740
garment of righteousness, something in us pauses,
9
00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:51.660
resists, whispers, "Maybe later."
10
00:00:52.890 --> 00:00:57.660
And here's the danger. We can begin to treat God's
11
00:00:58.110 --> 00:01:03.630
preceding grace, his invitation, his welcome, his open
12
00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:09.360
door, as if it were permission to stay exactly as we are.
13
00:01:10.350 --> 00:01:16.080
We can assume that because God invited us, God is already
14
00:01:16.740 --> 00:01:22.711
satisfied with us. But the collect we prayed this morning prays that
15
00:01:22.801 --> 00:01:28.650
God's grace would precede and follow us, not
16
00:01:28.740 --> 00:01:34.590
to keep us comfortable, but so we may continually be given to good
17
00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:40.170
works. In other words, grace doesn't simply open the
18
00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:44.070
door. Grace transforms the guest.
19
00:01:45.330 --> 00:01:51.120
Across our scriptures this morning, we see God exposing a reality that we cannot
20
00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:56.040
afford to ignore. The King who invites
21
00:01:56.160 --> 00:02:00.720
freely also inspects thoroughly.
22
00:02:01.891 --> 00:02:06.780
He welcomes generously, but he transforms relentlessly.
23
00:02:07.711 --> 00:02:12.990
He calls us to his table, but he demands that we wear the garment of
24
00:02:13.141 --> 00:02:18.270
kingdom righteousness. God's preceding grace
25
00:02:18.421 --> 00:02:24.210
opens the door to the royal banquet, but his pursuing grace
26
00:02:24.270 --> 00:02:29.550
demands that you put on the garment of kingdom righteousness.
27
00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:36.270
Before we talk about this garment, we need to face a deeper truth.
28
00:02:37.320 --> 00:02:41.400
That is, you cannot wear what you have not received.
29
00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:48.000
You cannot put on righteousness until you first admit you have
30
00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:53.730
none. And the only reason any of us can even come near the
31
00:02:53.820 --> 00:02:59.130
banquet hall is because the King moved toward us when we were
32
00:02:59.250 --> 00:03:05.010
moving or not moving toward him. So let's begin where
33
00:03:05.160 --> 00:03:10.921
scripture begins, with the breathtaking, undeserved initiative of
34
00:03:11.070 --> 00:03:14.160
God's preceding grace.
35
00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:20.851
Load full transcript
Isaiah reveals a millennial feast that is nothing less than
36
00:03:20.910 --> 00:03:23.851
extravagant. We read it this morning.
37
00:03:23.970 --> 00:03:29.760
Rich food, aged wine, choice meats, a table
38
00:03:29.910 --> 00:03:33.060
overflowing with abundance that we did not earn.
39
00:03:33.720 --> 00:03:39.451
And Jesus, he picks up this same imagery in Matthew chapter 22.
40
00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:45.390
He says, a king preparing a royal wedding feast for his son.
41
00:03:46.230 --> 00:03:49.921
But here's the tension that is in this text.
42
00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:54.930
Everything is ready, but nobody wants to come.
43
00:03:56.370 --> 00:04:01.320
The dignitaries shrug, the privileged ignore the summons.
44
00:04:01.770 --> 00:04:07.171
The invited guests treat the king's invitation like we treat junk mail.
45
00:04:08.070 --> 00:04:12.601
And what does the king do? He does not cancel the feast.
46
00:04:13.260 --> 00:04:19.110
He escalates the invitation. He sends his servants into the
47
00:04:19.201 --> 00:04:25.170
crossroads, to the forgotten, the unworthy, the bad, and the good, to
48
00:04:25.260 --> 00:04:29.970
people who never imagined that they would be welcomed in a palace.
49
00:04:31.020 --> 00:04:36.990
That is preceding grace. Grace that finds you in
50
00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:42.000
your poverty, summons you in your unworthiness, and invites you to a
51
00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:44.850
feast that you could never afford.
52
00:04:46.440 --> 00:04:52.410
Jesus's message is for those who walked in this morning convinced that your
53
00:04:52.531 --> 00:04:58.201
past disqualifies you, your failures feel too heavy, your history
54
00:04:58.710 --> 00:05:03.360
feels too messy, your shame even feels too loud.
55
00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:08.820
But preceding grace means God invited you.
56
00:05:09.990 --> 00:05:15.720
Before you cleaned up, before we even repented, before we even
57
00:05:15.841 --> 00:05:21.091
realized that we were starving. Come to Christ as you are.
58
00:05:21.180 --> 00:05:27.000
But we have to understand, the King loves us too much to allow us
59
00:05:27.060 --> 00:05:29.610
to stay as we are.
60
00:05:30.960 --> 00:05:36.540
Preceding grace gets us in the door, but once we step inside his
61
00:05:36.630 --> 00:05:42.360
kingdom, once we sit at his table, once we taste the goodness of
62
00:05:42.451 --> 00:05:44.910
God, that's when the battle begins.
63
00:05:46.290 --> 00:05:51.330
Because the moment that we enter the banquet hall, the world starts
64
00:05:51.451 --> 00:05:57.360
pulling at our sleeves. Old habits begin
65
00:05:57.451 --> 00:06:02.550
to whisper. Old sins start to call our name.
66
00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:06.630
Enemies begin to circle the perimeter.
67
00:06:06.750 --> 00:06:11.880
So the question becomes, who keeps us from drifting back?
68
00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:18.240
Who guards us when fear arises? Who chases you when
69
00:06:18.330 --> 00:06:23.460
temptation hunts you? That's where pursuing
70
00:06:23.580 --> 00:06:29.250
grace comes in. Grace that doesn't just welcome you but
71
00:06:29.401 --> 00:06:34.350
tracks you, protects you, and refuses to let you go.
72
00:06:35.370 --> 00:06:41.010
Let's look at Psalm 23 and Philippians 4, where God reveals the
73
00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:46.050
relentless guardrails of his pursuing grace.
74
00:06:46.951 --> 00:06:52.831
In Psalm 23, David moves from the pasture to the banquet hall.
75
00:06:53.640 --> 00:06:59.070
"You prepare a table before me," he says, "in the presence of my
76
00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:05.130
enemies." Not in the absence of my enemies, but in their presence.
77
00:07:05.250 --> 00:07:09.451
David is eating while danger watches.
78
00:07:10.320 --> 00:07:13.980
He is feasting while threats breathe around him.
79
00:07:14.010 --> 00:07:18.690
He is anointed while adversaries glare through the window.
80
00:07:19.020 --> 00:07:24.811
But how does he stay calm? How does he remain faithful?
81
00:07:24.960 --> 00:07:27.960
How does he stay seated at the table?
82
00:07:28.081 --> 00:07:31.290
This is where David gives us the secret.
83
00:07:31.290 --> 00:07:37.170
"Surely," he says, "goodness and mercy shall follow me all
84
00:07:37.230 --> 00:07:42.901
the days of my life." In our English translation, follow is too
85
00:07:43.020 --> 00:07:48.720
soft. In the Hebrew, that word literally means to chase, to hunt,
86
00:07:49.140 --> 00:07:54.841
to pursue with intensity. David is saying God's goodness and
87
00:07:54.930 --> 00:07:58.081
mercy are not strolling behind us.
88
00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:03.061
They are hunting us down with holy determination.
89
00:08:04.170 --> 00:08:07.770
It's typical of every parent who has children.
90
00:08:08.130 --> 00:08:13.890
When a child is racing off out of their protection, we naturally chase after
91
00:08:13.980 --> 00:08:19.201
them, not knowing what has their attention, but knowing that they're in danger, so
92
00:08:19.260 --> 00:08:22.440
we do everything we can to bring them back.
93
00:08:23.610 --> 00:08:29.460
When fear tries to pull us off the path, goodness runs after us.
94
00:08:30.030 --> 00:08:35.581
When temptation tries to lure us away, mercy hunts us down.
95
00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:42.030
When anxiety tries to choke out our joy, pursuing grace
96
00:08:42.151 --> 00:08:46.980
grabs us by the soul and drags us back to safety.
97
00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:52.110
Paul then picks up this theme in Philippians chapter 4.
98
00:08:52.170 --> 00:08:58.050
He says, "Do not be anxious about anything." A better translation is
99
00:08:58.170 --> 00:09:04.056
simply have no anxiety. That's not a suggestion, it is
100
00:09:04.116 --> 00:09:09.426
a command. Have no anxiety. Instead, pray.
101
00:09:10.056 --> 00:09:15.336
Instead, give thanks. Instead, lift up your requests to God.
102
00:09:16.236 --> 00:09:21.726
And when we do, the
peace of God will guard our hearts
103
00:09:22.146 --> 00:09:27.546
and minds. Guard, not soothe, not comfort,
104
00:09:28.296 --> 00:09:32.346
guard. Paul uses this military term.
105
00:09:32.736 --> 00:09:37.446
It's as if a soldier is standing at the door of your mind,
106
00:09:38.286 --> 00:09:43.476
keeping anxiety out, keeping kingdom confidence in,
107
00:09:44.346 --> 00:09:50.165
and that pursuing grace, grace that refuses to let us fall back
108
00:09:50.257 --> 00:09:54.156
into the darkness that God has pulled us out of.
109
00:09:55.086 --> 00:10:00.876
So preceding grace opens the door, and pursuing grace keeps us from
110
00:10:00.996 --> 00:10:06.666
wandering back out. But there is one moment in the banquet hall, a moment that
111
00:10:06.816 --> 00:10:12.516
every soul must face. Because the king does not simply
112
00:10:12.576 --> 00:10:17.856
prepare the feast, he does not simply protect the guest, he eventually
113
00:10:18.696 --> 00:10:24.606
steps into the room. He inspects, he evaluates,
114
00:10:24.666 --> 00:10:27.876
he searches every face,
115
00:10:29.076 --> 00:10:34.986
and the one question that he is asking above all others, "Did you
116
00:10:35.076 --> 00:10:37.836
put on what I provided?"
117
00:10:39.066 --> 00:10:44.796
That brings us to our final point. Matthew 22 takes a dramatic turn.
118
00:10:45.066 --> 00:10:50.496
The hall is full, the feast is ready, the guests are seated, but when the king
119
00:10:50.616 --> 00:10:56.466
enters, he sees a man who is present, but not transformed.
120
00:10:57.396 --> 00:11:03.306
He is in the right place, but he is wearing the wrong garment.
121
00:11:04.836 --> 00:11:09.666
The king asks him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?"
122
00:11:10.386 --> 00:11:15.366
Notice in your text that this man is speechless. He is not confused.
123
00:11:15.876 --> 00:11:20.196
He is not uninformed. Speechless. Why?
124
00:11:20.976 --> 00:11:26.916
Because in ancient royal custom, the king provided garments at the door.
125
00:11:27.876 --> 00:11:33.246
Just like when we walk in and receive a bulletin, someone would be at the door with
126
00:11:33.306 --> 00:11:36.576
the garment appropriate for the banquet.
127
00:11:37.446 --> 00:11:43.326
So this individual accepted free food and fine wine, but he deliberately
128
00:11:43.386 --> 00:11:49.176
refused to put on the royal garment provided by the host.
129
00:11:50.196 --> 00:11:51.277
He didn't forget it,
130
00:11:52.536 --> 00:11:58.356
he refused it. He wanted the king's table, but without the king's
131
00:11:58.446 --> 00:12:04.296
terms. He wanted kingdom privileges, but without kingdom standards.
132
00:12:04.356 --> 00:12:08.496
He wanted grace without obedience.
133
00:12:09.516 --> 00:12:15.216
And Jesus says the king responds with judgment, "Bind him,
134
00:12:16.115 --> 00:12:20.976
her, hand and foot, and throw him into outer
135
00:12:21.546 --> 00:12:22.446
darkness."
136
00:12:24.486 --> 00:12:28.926
On its face, this looks like cruelty, but it's not.
137
00:12:29.616 --> 00:12:35.226
It is the rightful judgment of a king whose holiness cannot be
138
00:12:35.316 --> 00:12:41.257
mocked, because the garment represents the righteousness of Christ,
139
00:12:41.436 --> 00:12:46.777
death, burial, resurrection, and the transformed life that
140
00:12:46.926 --> 00:12:52.206
flows from true conversion. Paul echoes this in the
141
00:12:52.267 --> 00:12:58.176
Epistle in Philippians 4. He says, "Think about what is true, what is honorable,
142
00:12:58.236 --> 00:13:03.786
what is just, what is pure, what is lovely, what is commendable, and keep
143
00:13:03.966 --> 00:13:09.907
on doing the things that you have learned and received." In other
144
00:13:09.966 --> 00:13:15.396
words, you cannot eat with the king while wearing the rags of your old
145
00:13:15.486 --> 00:13:20.977
life. You cannot claim grace on Sunday and walk in
146
00:13:21.096 --> 00:13:26.376
gossip and compromise and unrepentant sin Monday through
147
00:13:26.466 --> 00:13:31.686
Saturday. The king expects his guests to wear
148
00:13:32.736 --> 00:13:38.676
what he provides. So the question before us is not did we receive the
149
00:13:38.767 --> 00:13:44.646
invitation, not did we enter the hall, not are we seated at the table.
150
00:13:44.706 --> 00:13:50.046
The question is far more urgent. Are you wearing what the
151
00:13:50.166 --> 00:13:55.507
king provided? Are you living the life that rightfully
152
00:13:55.566 --> 00:14:00.907
reflects the king? Because the feast is ready, the king is present, and the
153
00:14:00.966 --> 00:14:06.786
inspection has begun. Family, we have heard the invitation
154
00:14:06.876 --> 00:14:12.096
of grace, felt its protection, and stood beneath the gaze of a
155
00:14:12.246 --> 00:14:18.066
king who inspects. And as we have already prayed the collect
156
00:14:18.186 --> 00:14:24.157
earlier, let us pray it again. Lord, let your grace
157
00:14:24.336 --> 00:14:29.977
always precede and follow us so that we may continually be
158
00:14:30.066 --> 00:14:35.586
given to good works. Walk away today, family, not merely
159
00:14:35.646 --> 00:14:41.436
invited, protected, but transformed, clothed in
160
00:14:41.466 --> 00:14:46.566
what Christ has provided, covered in what he has purchased, and
161
00:14:46.626 --> 00:14:49.716
committed to what it is he commands.
162
00:14:50.526 --> 00:14:56.106
In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.