Gospel—Wally Dear
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Good evening.
One and all. It's so nice to see everyone here tonight. We hope that.
Everybody's here.
With a singing voice, we've got something to sing about.
So we're going to sing about the good news.
And then we're going to talk about it.
But before we talk about it, we're going to ask the Lord for his help.
So we want to sing first. You know, it tells us, I believe in Psalm 100, that we ought to be coming into His presence with singing. As I look around this hall here tonight, I see so many faces.
That our happy faces and the reason is because you got a happy heart, you got Jesus in your heart. You know all is well for time and eternity. You're looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus.
I know I am. It rejoices my heart to know that his coming is at hand. But as I look around here tonight.
I see that not everybody seems to have a happy face.
And I'm just wondering if maybe there's somebody here who, when they hear about the fact that Jesus is coming rather than.
Causing you to rejoice. It strikes terror into your soul. I used to be in that category.
And I understand something of how you feel.
Because I knew that if the Lord Jesus was to come.
I wasn't prepared, I was not ready and we're going to sing hymn here about being ready.
It's #22 #22 The heavenly Bridegroom soon will come to claim His bride and take her home.
To dwell with him on high, trim your lamps and be ready for the bridegroom's night. Perhaps we could stand as we sing #22.
The Heavenly.
Way lay in the cry every time I say it's blood from home. See you in the black.
So perhaps you could sing also number.
15-O blessed gospel sound, yet there is room that can remain seated #15.
Oh, blessed Gospel.
Let's go on the game now, where you here?
I don't know if it's raining tomorrow. I'm tired of a relationship and I'm.
Glad that you're beautiful right now.
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We sang about a marriage feast.
And I'd like to turn to a passage.
That describes.
A marriage feast.
And.
It's found in.
Matthew, Chapter 22.
Matthew.
22.
So I'm just going to read the first part of the chapter and.
That which applies to this marriage feast. Matthew chapter 22, verse one.
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.
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.
The remnant took his servants and treated them spitefully, 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. 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 he 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.
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 hit her 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.
Here we have.
A king.
And he's preparing a wedding.
For his son.
His son is so important to him.
And I do believe that the King here represents God himself.
And the sun.
God's Son.
The Lord Jesus.
And you know, it tells us here that this certain king.
He sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding.
And the response is absolutely.
Horrific, it says here. And they would not come now you know when.
A royal wedding takes place.
00:15:02
There are great preparations.
Much.
Expense I looked up about royal weddings and I believe.
When Charles and Diana were married, the cost of the wedding was over $100 million.
And there's been royal wedding since that have cost 40.
$60 million.
These are very important occasions.
And I believe that in this situation.
The King.
Is so.
Shall I say, enamored with his son, that he wants to put on the very best?
Event.
That could happen.
You know the Father loves the Son. It tells us this. I believe in John chapter 3.
And he's given all things into his hand.
Because the Sun has perfectly honored his father.
You know the Lord Jesus could say I do always those things that please the Father.
Every thought, every word, every action was in perfect harmony.
With his father.
And so his father sought.
To honor him because.
The Sun had honored the Father.
And you know, it goes on to say that he that believeth on the Son has everlasting life.
And he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God.
Abides on him. We don't like to think about the wrath of God, but you know we have the wrath of God in this account.
As wonderful as the account is God reaching out to those who do not deserve to be present at an event like this.
I believe this is the grace of God in this chapter. Here if we back up into the previous chapter we have the story of the the husbandment and how that the owner of the vineyard let out.
The Vineyard.
To husbandmen, and then went away into a fire country.
And in verse 34, the previous chapter, it says, when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruit of it. And the husband took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants more than the 1St, and they did unto them likewise the last of all. He sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence.
My son, but when the husbandmen saw the son.
They said among themselves, This is the air. Come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him.
And so on.
Well, we know that God in the Old Testament, it tells us, I believe in Isaiah, that a vineyard was planted and you know, the Lord looked for good grapes from this vineyard, but it only brought forth wild grapes.
What a terrible yield.
When instead of nice juicy sweet.
Grapes.
Sour, bitter, wild grapes. Well, you know, I do believe that this is a picture of man's condition under the law.
God gave man the law.
The 10 commandments.
As a test.
To see.
If indeed.
His performance was acceptable.
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What? God already knew what the outcome of the test would be, but He wanted to prove to mankind.
That man is a total failure.
But.
Man presumes to be able.
To please God.
Based on his own merit, I mean all the children of Israel, he said. All that the Lord has said we will do.
But it didn't happen that way.
Man, you might say, was put on the stage.
The curtains were opened.
Now God sits back to observe the performance.
And the performance is absolutely.
It's horrible.
So what does God do?
You might say.
The curtains close on the 1St man. The 2nd man, the Lord from heaven, is introduced.
And we find out.
His performance is absolutely perfect.
It's awesome.
And so man is in the audience looking.
At what's taking place.
You know there once tonight.
We need to be.
Allowing God to have his way and do it his way.
And.
Realize that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.
To all those that believe.
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Praise God, the law came by Moses, but the law could only condemn.
That made demands.
On mankind that he could not perform. It was like telling somebody in the hospital room is paralyzed from the waist down.
I'd like you to take some laps around.
Hospital here, he says. I can't do it. Paralyzed him helpless.
And yet, man, you know he seeks on his own.
To attain God's standard of holiness.
But thank God.
For the plan of salvation. Oh the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh the grace.
That brought it down to man, the mighty gulf that God's expanded Calvary. So what happens in the Old Testament? You might say God is passive. Man is put on display.
Turn over to New Testament.
You find out that God is active.
And man is passive.
And perhaps we'll talk more about that.
But I do believe what we have here in this portion.
In Matthew 22.
In contrast to the law.
We have the grace of God.
And the focus is on the sun. Now we have a similar feast. I believe it's over in Luke chapter 14, you know, and it speaks there about how a certain man, he made a great supper and he bade many, well, I'm sure this was a great supper too, but perhaps over there in Luke.
Chapter 14.
My emphasis be on.
The blessing that God has for those that.
Respond in a positive way to the invitation and come to the feast and they find out.
This feast is out of this world. It's so wonderful. Well, I believe there was a great feast here too. But I think the emphasis in this portion that we're reading here is on the sun. God's desire is.
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To honor the Son. It tells us that in John chapter 5, God would have all men to honor the Son as they honor the Father.
Because he that honors not the son, honors not the father who sent him.
And.
We're going to find out what happens here. It says they would not come. You know, the Lord Jesus came into this world. He tells us that he came unto his own. And how was he received?
It says they received them not.
But you know the Lord.
He gives man.
Opportunity to repent. You know, he's long-suffering. He's very patient, long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. And so it tells us here in this verse four again, he sent forth other servants so he doesn't give up.
He had every right, you might say, just to.
If I could say it this way, pull the plug and.
But you know, we find that the Lord, He is full of compassion, tells us that, and He's plenteous in mercy.
And he's.
Gracious, And he's ready to forgive, and he's ready to pardon me. We have a wonderful God. And so the message goes out again. Tell them which are bidden. Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed. All things are ready. Come unto the marriage.
Now we know.
The Lord Jesus, He preached the gospel before he went to the cross.
The Gospel of the Kingdom.
And.
But then he went to the cross, and he laid down his life, and he shed his precious blood.
And he died, and we've had so much about that in this conference. And it's really important to focus on what Jesus did at Calvary because when we consider what he endured and the suffering that he.
Endured, we come to realize that there's nothing left for me to do. All I need to do is to accept the work that He has accomplished and put faith in His precious blood.
We need to cast our deadly doing down down at Jesus feet and stand in him and him alone, gloriously complete. And so when the invitation went out.
Originally, there's no mention of all things already.
But now the Lord Jesus.
Has gone through the cross.
He's laid down his life.
He was buried, but he rose again.
It tells us He was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Now the invitation is a little fuller. It says all things are ready. Come unto the marriage, I believe, as a result of His death and resurrection.
But notice what it says verse five. But they made light of it and went their ways.
One to his farm, another to his merchandise.
These pursuits were of more importance than showing honor to the King and to his son by responding to the invitation.
And coming to the feast.
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It's so sad.
And how many there are today?
The invitation goes out.
Whosoever will may come.
And yet we find how many are not interested, They're too busy.
They've got social events.
They've got business.
They've got some kind of a construction project taking place. Don't have time?
To be present at this wedding. The fact is, they're saying they don't have time for God.
And that's the most serious.
Situation when we leave God out of our lives.
We're going to find out.
We're going in a downward spiral, things might be.
Looking pretty good for a time, but you know God has his ways.
And I think of that man over in Luke's.
Gospel, you know, he was a successful farmer and the crops just accumulated and accumulated and he's wondering what am I going to do Well, I.
I'll just tear down my barns and I'll build greater barns and I'll fill them up with these crops, and then everything's going to be nice for the future. I'll just take my ease. I'll eat, drink, be merry. That's what he thought about the future.
But he didn't consult God. He left God out of his thinking.
Is there anybody here tonight? You got big plans?
Of what you plan to do in the future. But have you consulted the Lord? Is God in your plans? You know He wants you to be happy.
He wants you.
To be successful.
Because he loves you.
And you know it, just there's a verse comes to mind.
With respect to happiness.
Some, perhaps have been.
To Boston.
And about 35 miles South of Boston, there's a little community, it's called Plymouth.
And Plymouth.
Is where the pilgrims purportedly landed after a grueling, torturous.
66 day trip across the ocean. They were seeking religious liberty.
It's kind of interesting that at the same time they were looking for that liberty, King James, who was in power at that time, he made a decree. We need another translation of the Bible. And so we got this Bible in our hands. Many of us do. It's the King James Version.
But in any case, the pilgrims, they made it across.
And so you go there to Plymouth and they have this.
Concrete.
Coppola.
Like a structured concrete structure, and then there's a gradient fence and you walk up to the grating.
And there's a big hole down there, and you look down in the hole.
And.
Has anybody ever seen this?
OK, I see a hand over here.
On the other hand, all right, well, it's not a big attraction, but when you look down in that hole, there's a stone slab, and on that stone it's imprinted 1620 and so tradition has that. That's one of the stepping stones that the pilgrims.
Stepped on as they landed. But 16201620, you know what it brought to mind? Proverbs 1620. So I'd like to just turn over there to Proverbs 1620.
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And the whole verse, of course.
Is good, but I'm thinking particularly of the last half of the verse.
Proverbs, 1620.
What does it say?
Whoso trusts in the Lord, happy is he happy?
Is she?
It's so simple and Edward Whoso is the same as whosoever it takes in You, me, anybody else, you want to be happy.
You need to put your trust in the Lord and I speak to my own heart sometimes.
I'm not as happy as I know I should be and I'm wondering what is it?
That's causing this. What's the problem? I know the Lord wants you and he wants me to be happy.
And I begin to analyze the situation.
And you know, I find out that.
I'm doubting the word of God. Doubting it.
That's not good to doubt God's word.
Now I know if one allows.
Sin, disobedience makes 1 unhappy. And you know, it's been said that faith is salvation.
Obedience is happiness, but really faith and obedience, they go together because if you look up in the Greek.
There's a Greek word that means both faith and happiness, and sometimes in our Bible instead of.
Believing they put obeying and sometimes it's the other way around using that word. So if there is faith, I do believe it ought to be manifest through obedience.
But to doubt the Word of God is what is going to bring unhappiness. You know, somebody said one time, you should never, ever put a question mark.
Where God has put a period.
I just read that verse to you.
Whoso trusts in the Lord, happy is he, period.
But I tend to maybe want to put a question mark there. That's what happened back in the Garden of Eden. This is what Satan is up to tonight. He wants to sew in your mind a seed of suspicion as to the goodness of God. He wants you.
To doubt that the Lord really cares for you like a brother was saying here.
He was saying, you know.
Difficult things happen in our lives. Well, why did this happen? I thought you liked me.
I thought you loved me.
And if you really love me, why would I be in this trial?
I want to tell you something. Everything that happens in the life of the believer is an expression of the Father's love for you and for me.
And even in the life of the unbeliever, the Lord allows things that are very, very difficult.
In order to bring blessing.
I visit a man years ago, I remember down in Florida.
Went to a prison there with Paul Rudd I believe.
And.
So I'm walking down the island. Here are these.
Like cages. And there's men in these cages.
So there was one man standing right by the bars.
And.
I'm looking at him, you know, and he seemed to be happy. I'm thinking, what's going on here? I don't expect to see happy people in prison.
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And then I looked in the back and there's this little table in the back.
And on the table was one of these.
Then then they'd come to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior in the prison.
And he was so thankful for that experience because he said if he hadn't ended up in prison, he would still be out on the street doing all kinds of bad things and ruining himself. But when he came to the prison, there was a chaplain that came and.
Give him the gospel, shared Christ with him, and he got saved.
So in that case, you know God allowed that prison experience.
To bring good in the end.
But don't let Satan deceive you. That's what he is up to. He is the great deceiver.
And Eve, we know she took up the fruit.
And she was deceived.
Eve deceived.
She thought that the devil had something better to offer than God himself.
She found out.
He's a destroyer, and we know that Adam, he ate of the fruit too. And by one man's disobedience, sin comes into the world. And death by sin. Death passes upon all men. Death is the king of terrorism. Why is it in the world? It's because of sin.
God had made it plain you can eat of any tree in this garden, except for that one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And that's the very tree.
Of which they ate.
That was the first commandment that God ever gave to man, the first commandment, and he broke it. He failed. And so Satan acquires writes over the 1St man.
And as part of Adam's race, we are all.
Bound by Satan's captive chain.
Born in sin.
Sinners by nature and practice, we need deliverance.
And God has provided deliverance to His own dear Son and the work He accomplished at the cross of Calvary well we find here.
They just make light of this invitation. I receive an invitation to a wedding. It was last.
Well, I guess it was early part of the summer. Maybe it was last spring. Anyway, the wedding was last month.
And.
How rude would it be to basically tear up that invitation and toss it into the garbage? Not interested. You know, it was my own grandson.
Wouldn't do something like that. Many here have received invitations to a wedding. A wedding is supposed to be a happy event, and especially this event where the father is celebrating his son. And the response on the part of these people is absolutely repulsive.
They got excuses, Excuses and.
As we read on verse six, it says the remnant took his servants and treated them spitefully.
And slew them. I think that these servants, they continue to invite even though people were making excuses. And the more they invited, the greater the opposition grew to that invitation.
And what we have here is what happened in the book of Acts. You know, the gospel went out.
To the Jew first, but then it went to the Gentile. But in the very place where Jesus was crucified, the gospel, the good news of saving grace, was published. This is how God works. He gives man opportunity to repent.
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And of course, we know what happened at Jerusalem. We know what happened to Stephen. They picked up stones and they killed them.
And I believe there were others that were persecuted at that time.
The Spirit of God had come down.
And you know man would not receive Christ in his humiliation.
He went back to the glory. The Spirit of God came down to announce his exaltation.
And they pick up stones to cast at those servants. Man does not want Christ, whether it be in humiliation or glorification. Exaltation doesn't want them.
All kinds of excuses though, isn't there for not coming to Jesus. It's so sad.
One time we were visiting on an island.
And.
We were staying at.
A place there we didn't know how to get there so.
Was about 8 miles on boat to the silent. So we see these people and they get big backpacks, you know and.
So we asked him, can you tell us how to get to this? There happened to be a lighthouse or a lighthouse was. Well, yeah. And so they put down the backpacks and they get out of math and they showed us, which is very kind of them. We really appreciated that.
So then they pick up their backpacks and they start away. But I had a gospel track. I said, folks, listen, you gave us a good steer. I'd like to give you a good steer as well. Here's a gospel paper message of God's love.
Oh no, we can't accept that. We already got too much weight. We can't.
What an excuse. See, I mean, people have all kinds of phony excuses, but there's not one good excuse for not coming to Christ.
Well, says the king heard thereof, He was wrought, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. I believe this speaks of what happened at Jerusalem AD 70. Titus with his armies rolled in there and just leveled that place. Jerusalem really came under the government of God.
And the Jewish economy was squelched.
And Jews were scattered.
Throughout the world now.
We know God is going to pick up with the Jew again, but we see what's happening here.
You know God is not mocked. Well then, it says they say.
To the servants, he says, the wedding is ready. They which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find bid them to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, gathered together, all as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was furnished with gas. Now I believe this is the gospel, the grace of God, the good news, the glad tidings going out.
To the Gentiles beyond the bounds of Israel.
And there were those that responded and they came. And it tells us both bad and good. You know, from outward appearances, people can be good looking and perhaps go to church. And they seem very, you know, upright living people.
But there's others. You might say they're living in the gutter and they're involved in all kinds of vices. They're bad.
But no matter what, it's good or bad, they're invited. And it says in verse 11, when the king came in to see the guest, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. So I suppose all these guests now they've come in to the wedding and the feast is prepared, all things are ready, and they're sitting down at these tables.
And now the king, he comes in and he looks around.
And the king has provided a wedding garment that is suitable.
00:50:10
To his.
Position and to the position of his dear son. And what a beautiful garment I would take it to be a wedding garment made by the king.
And he sees this person without a wedding garment, so you might wonder.
Why I put on this coat? Because I probably wouldn't be wearing this coat. But now I want to put in this coat because I want to make a point here.
All right, so you see the difference here.
OK, we'll just say the wedding garment was like this that the king provided.
Now here's somebody.
That's one of these times.
This person stands out like a sore thumb, so to speak, easily.
So.
Evident.
Conspicuous.
And the king sees this.
He says, Friend, how canest thou in hit her not having a wedding garment? Now he takes this man up on his profession because he comes to the feast and it might appear as though he has some respect for the son, and I suppose he likes the food.
But there he is without the wedding garment. And the king says, friend, he takes him up on his profession. But really he is an enemy of the king. He is an enemy of the King's son because.
He comes with a garment of his own providing.
With no regard for what is proper and.
What is?
Really.
Suitable.
And so he comes with this. I don't know.
If he went to a clothing store, he had this hanging in his closet.
But anyway, he comes.
And what is the King's response?
Well, we see the response of this man.
When the question was put to him, he had no answer. That says 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.
So what made the difference?
The wedding garment.
You know, there were those that came into the feast, I suppose there were religious people, You're religious people. There were those that were poor, those that were rich.
Those that.
We're old and young.
Those that were.
Well, from various walks of life.
But it wasn't a question of what.
One's performance was before they came to the wedding feast. What really counted was did they have on the wedding garment.
And you know, the wedding garment, I believe is Christ and the only way to be truly acceptable.
To the sun and to the king. I think here we have really referenced to the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom truth here, but it's Christ. This is how God accepts.
The Sinner who is willing.
To give up his own ideas.
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Shed his own trappings, his own thinking, forsake it and accept God's way.
God clothes one with the garments of salvation, covers one with the robe of righteousness.
It's beautiful to see how the king, he takes everything in his own hands.
To supply what's needed. Rhymes. You know, the prodigal son. You know when the prodigal returned and he was repentant. And what does the father do? He covers them with kisses. And then he calls for the best robe to be put upon him. Puts a ring on his finger, shoes on his feet. He asked for the fatted calf to be killed. It brings him into the house. And what is the son doing? He's just allowing his father to.
Smother him with his kindness.
But that's how the grace works.
I think it is a Samaritan too. He went to the man that was.
Half dead, he pours in the oil into wine, trades places with them on the beast, takes them to the end. The Samaritan is doing everything for the man.
But that's what grace does, you know, Grace makes everything of Christ in nothing of ourselves. And this is what God wants. He wants us to honor his Son and to be saved, not by our own performance, our own effort.
But by his grace, for by grace are you saved through faith.
Not of yourselves out of works.
It's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Well, perhaps we could.
Sing a hymn enclosing it.
I see that clock gives me a couple extra minutes here.
Let's say number.
16 #16.
Whosoever.
Community of Vanceboro driving by the service station.
Here's this car with big sign on the back of the car. Bold letters. I could read it from a long ways away and this is what it said. Please do not go to hell.
I never saw a sign like that in my life.
That's what God's desire is for every one of us, that we might be.
Saved.
And we might not perish.
That we might be in the enjoyment of eternal life. Know it and enjoy it. Because if you perish, you know it tells us here. That man, he was found hand in foot, cast into outer darkness. I believe that's hell. It's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And that's not a lifetime sentence.
01:00:23
That is an everlasting sentence. You know we hear about people.
That get a lifetime sentence and we feel so sad and people that have those kind of sentences they often they live in hope that maybe.
In time it'll be changed, but you know.
Jose Paris have no second chance.
And tonight is your opportunity to decipher Christ. We're going to pray. And as we pray, you can ask the Lord Jesus to save you.
I know prayer isn't what saves, it's faith and but you can express to the Lord.
What's on your heart? And He'll listen, and it's putting confidence in His person and His precious blood, and you can enjoy a full and free salvation.
Tonight.