“Are you going to the wedding, Mr. Albert?” asked a Christian friend.
“Yes, I would like to,” Mr. Albert replied. “I have a Bible and craft class this afternoon, but if we leave as soon as it’s over we should be able to get there in time.”
Later that afternoon Mr. Albert said to his two Christian friends, “Have the jeep backed out and ready to go. As soon as class is over we’ll jump into the jeep and head across town.” Mr. Albert did not worry about what he would wear to the wedding. He had often been to other weddings in South America, and the people were so poor that hardly anyone except the bride and groom dressed up. Everyone else had to wear whatever they had. That was fine with Mr. Albert, because when he went to visit the Christians in poor countries he did not take a suit or a tie.
Soon the class was over. Mr. Albert called out, “Let’s go,” and the three friends drove quickly across town, planning to be right on time for the wedding. They found the right building, but to their surprise no one was there. The place was locked.
Mr. Albert chuckled to himself — how could he have forgotten? He should have remembered that his friends in South America never paid attention to the time. No one really expected you to be there at the time given.
“Well,” he said to his friends, “Let’s find some place where we can have a little supper.” So they went to a restaurant and had some hot milk, buns and yogurt.
When they were finished, they went back to the building where the wedding was to be held. Now there were two Christian teenagers there. They were both dressed in nice suits, with ties and shiny shoes. It was a cold evening with a misty rain falling, and since no one else was arriving Mr. Albert said to the two boys, “There’s a nice place down the road here that serves hot milk and buns. Would you like some?”
“Sure,” they replied. So they all went back to the restaurant for more hot milk, buns and yogurt, and they stayed there having a happy time for about half an hour.
Finally someone said, “We’d better get back and see if the wedding has started.”
Sure enough, three more guests had arrived. Each one was wearing a suit. Still, Mr. Albert didn’t think much about his own clothes. More and more guests began to arrive. The ladies had on lovely dresses and the men were wearing snow-white shirts, suits and ties, and their shoes were polished to a shine. Mr. Albert looked down at his own clothes. They hadn’t seemed so bad when he left the craft class in a hurry, but now his work pants looked wrinkled and dusty. He had no tie. His shoes — why hadn’t he thought to polish them? Finally all 200 guests had arrived. And all were dressed in good clothes ... all but two that is. Mr. Albert and one friend who had left the craft class with him in such a hurry were both in plain work clothes that were ready for a wash.
Suddenly Mr. Albert was sure that he couldn’t stay there. He felt too uncomfortable. “Let’s get out of here!” he said to his friend. His friend must have felt strange too, because they both quickly left and went around to a window and watched the wedding from the window!
Mr. Albert had felt embarrassed to stand among the others at the wedding when he and his friend were the only ones not dressed up. But if your sins have never been washed away, someday you will feel far worse than Mr. Albert felt. You will someday have to stand in the presence of a God who is light “and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:55And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:5)). The Bible says, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:1212So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)).
“My shoes never looked so dirty as when they were there with all the polished shoes,” Mr. Albert later said. And your sins will seem much worse, too, when you stand before a holy God.
God knows everything you have ever said, everything you have ever done, and everything you have ever thought. Will you feel comfortable to stand before Him? “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:1313Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13)).
If you know you would feel uncomfortable, something like Mr. Albert felt, then let me tell you that there is good news for you. The very God who knows all about you also loves you. He has made a way for you to have all your sins washed away so that you may be clean and happy standing before Him. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)).
Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and you will not only be clean from sin and ready to meet God, but you will also be welcomed into His family as one of His own children. Mr. Albert had to watch the wedding from a window, but if your sins are forgiven you will be inside God’s happy home in heaven to enjoy all the riches of God’s love.
I told you about the guests at this wedding. But I haven’t yet told you about the bride. She arrived in a beautiful white dress about 1-1/2 hours late — late for her own wedding! But it did not matter because most everyone else was late too, and there was still plenty of time in the evening for the wedding.
It did not matter if the bride was late, but it will matter if you are late in accepting the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. Someday the door of salvation will be closed forever to those who have not come to Jesus. The Bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)).
When the wedding ceremony was over a Christian friend came outside and said, “Mr. Albert, come inside and have something to eat!”
“No,” Mr. Albert replied, “I can’t come inside. Look at my shoes.”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter,” his friend urged him, “Come on in.” Since they insisted, Mr. Albert went in even though he still felt uncomfortable.
But if those had been stains of sin instead of just dirty shoes, and if he had been outside the door of heaven instead of the door of the wedding, he would not have been invited in again. Boys and girls, may you come to the Lord Jesus for salvation now so that you will never find yourself outside the door of heaven with sins that can no longer be removed. Come to Him today!