LOTTERY

Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle [are] killed, and all things [are] ready. Come to the wedding. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated [them] spitefully, and killed [them]. But when the king heard [about it], he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. `Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding [hall] was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, `Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, `Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few [are] chosen." Matthew 22: 1-14.
What did the guest do to upset the king? He did not wear a wedding garment, that’s all that he did. He accepted the invitation, and he came to the wedding, but he did not comply with the wedding rules. He knew that he was to wear a wedding garment to the wedding, but he ignored the king. That's why he was speechless when the king asked him why he came to the wedding without a wedding garment. And because he ignored the king, the king ordered his servants to bind the guest and cast him into outer darkness; there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This king reminds me of another King that we all Christians knew, and His name is Yahweh. He told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of a certain tree. But Adam and Eve ignored God. They knew of God's rules, but they ignored God. We knew that we should keep the Sabbath holy, but we ignored God. Why? Because Paul told us to challenge God!
Who is Paul anyway? Jesus said, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast [it] from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than have two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast [it] from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” Matthew 18:8-9. Jesus said pluck it out of cut it off. Do you see the similarities between the king in the parable and King Jesus? That was the same King, Bro. When you see the words weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Bible, it was King Jesus who said that. The punishment from King Jesus for ignoring Him is nothing less than weeping, and gnashing of teeth, or gnashing of dentures if you are old! Today if we violate the laws in America we may be sentenced with a fine, house arrest, jail time, or electric chair. If we violate God’s laws, the only sentence that we get is weeping, and gnashing of teeth, or gnashing of dentures if we are old, and nothing less.
In the parable Jesus said, many are called, but few are chosen. Many are called to attend the joyful celebration in heaven when Jesus returns, but only a few are chosen or will be there. Why, do we know why? Yes, we know. We have been ignoring Him. Are we among the many who are called but not chosen, or are we among the few who are called and chosen? 
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:21-23. Do you know whom was Jesus referring to when He said "My Father in heaven"?

Paul, on the other hand, said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. 

Paul made salvation sound like a green card lottery. Applicants wishing to live in America don’t have to do anything other than submit their names through faith. Christians have to have faith in God to be saved, according to Paul. Other than that they have to do nothing more. They don’t have to do anything much. They don’t have to comply with anything. They don’t have to comply with the rules of the King. They can ignore the King and not wear a wedding garment.

Brothers and Sisters, faith in God is worthless unless God also has faith in us. If there is one, just one person among the millions or billions of souls who perished during the big flood in whom God has faith, other than Noah and his family members, God would have saved him. But God had no faith in the rest of them. God killed them all. Faith in God means nothing Bro unless God has faith in us!


As usual, Jesus used parables to explain to His listeners about the kingdom of heaven. What is the reason why Jesus talks to the carpenters, fishermen, and ordinary people with no college or with just elementary education in parables? Parables are not easy to understand. Why did Jesus talk to them in parables? Do you want to know why? Jesus wants them to think! Jesus wants us to think. Many of today’s Christians do not think, and so they swallow anything that they hear from the pulpits. They think that what they hear from the pulpit must be the truth and nothing but the truth, especially when they hear the preacher yell and scream to emphasize his points. No Brethren, do not believe everything that you hear from the pulpit. Think before you believe, Bro. Lucifer and millions of his angels did not think of the consequences of their disobedient behavior toward God. Adam and Eve did not think of the consequences of their disobedient behavior toward God. All, except Noah and a handful of his family members, did not think that God would get rid of them either if they were stupid and did not think. Did Noah not warn them of what would happen if they did not think and believe what God said through Noah? Don’t they ever wonder why Noah would build his boat high in the mountains and not at sea level? That’s the reason why Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven in parables so people would think before they believe the nonsense that they hear from the pulpits.

Salvation is not the same as a lottery, buy a lotto and wait to win the jackpot. Salvation is work that we must do to make King Jesus happy! Salvation is work that we must do to make King Jesus have faith in us. We can have all the faith in the world, but if we do not do what He wants us to do, faith means nothing. Matthew 7:21-23. Only when we do what He wants us do can God have faith in us.


 

 

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