Our New Testament reading comes from Matthew 22. Matthew 22 and the opening verses, the parable of the wedding feast. Matthew 22 verses 1 through 14. And 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. You may be seated. It's been a few years since we were last in Matthew's gospel. I've chosen a text that comes from this final week of our Lord before his great suffering and death, sometimes referred to as Passion Week. Matthew devotes quite a bit of attention to this week in our Lord's life and ministry. There are 28 chapters, as you know, in the book of Matthew, and there are five chapters that focus on this critical week. teaching of our Lord as he entered Jerusalem, those powerful actions beginning with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus, we know, traveled to Jerusalem knowing his mission. He was not caught up by the political circumstances. No, Jesus announced several times to his disciples that he would be betrayed. that he would be condemned, that he would be delivered to the Gentiles, to the nations, that he would be mocked and scourged and crucified, that on the third day he would rise again. We know the disciples did not understand those words, but Jesus clearly knew his mission. He was coming to die. And he was coming then to teach. And so there was no doubt, there was no fear or wavering. If you look at Matthew 21 in verse 5, Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey. Why was he on a donkey? It was in fulfillment of Zechariah chapter 9. Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. Look carefully again at that verse, Matthew 21 5. some of the key words that you see in verse 5. Well, if you have your bulletins, there are two words that come, humbled and obedient. That comes from Philippians 2.8. Here, I would say the two key words are similar. They are king and lowly. The word lowly is translated in Colossians 3 as meekness. And we looked at that word several weeks ago from Colossians 3. In Colossians 3, it can be defined as this, not being overly impressed by your own self-importance. You're not impressed with your self-importance. It's meekness. Now, would that be the meaning that we give to lowly here? It might be similar. I think here it refers to the fact that Jesus, when he entered Jerusalem as a king, but he did not enter Jerusalem as other kings, other earthly kings would enter. You see this notion of, even in our own politicians, how they want to be important, how they want people to respect them. It was said of Rod Blagojevich that when he would travel, he would always have a fleet of cars. He would always have someone who carried his hairbrush. And other governors and other politicians, they want to be held up in fame. They want to have these long motorcades as they travel around. Jesus is king, but he enters not as the earthly kings. He enters on a donkey. I think we can also understand his humility or his meekness in terms of his total obedience to his father. That's what Philippians 2.8 highlights, the obedience of our Lord, totally submitted to the will of his father in fulfillment of the great covenant of redemption. And so Jesus enters Jerusalem in meekness, but certainly not in weakness. No, he is the king. He enters in meekness, and yet the city of Jerusalem, when he enters, is shaken. They are stirred up. They ask, who is this who enters? And what does Jesus do after he enters? Now, some would suggest that Jesus enters the temple on the next day. He cleanses the temple, perhaps, as it were, on Monday, not on Palm Sunday. We don't have to worry about that. But imagine this. Jesus enters the temple and chases out all those who made it a den of thieves. What boldness, what strength, of our Lord to enter the temple and drive out the money changers and the others, to take whips and chase them out. I don't think the world understands this combination of meekness and strength. I don't think the world gets how meekness and strength can be brought together. The world often associates meekness or humility with weakness. And I think we see that even in much of Christianity today. Oh, we want to be humble. We want to be meek. And that means we just give in to the culture. We don't want to really speak boldly God's truth. We want to be pushovers. Because we have to be nicer than Jesus, we say. Well, the answer is not more Chuck Norris movies or more Clint Eastwood movies. No, the answer is the picture that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Humility, but strength. and boldness. So as you read Matthew 21 through 25, as you study these chapters, that is what you see. You see the authority of our Lord. You see his boldness. Look at the end of Matthew 22. The end of Matthew 22 in verse 46 declares, no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question him anymore. Jesus enters in meekness, and yet he shows so powerfully his authority. He knows he is going to Jerusalem to die, and yet before that mission is carried out, there is important instruction that our Lord will give. There are three parables that we find in a row in Matthew's Gospel at the end of chapter 21 and then the first part of chapter 22. The three parables are the parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked vine dressers, and the parable of the wedding feast. Those are the names commonly supplied by biblical translations, not inspired titles. And as you look at these three parables, and we'll note some of the similarities, but we see they have a common theme. They deal with who can truly claim to be a member of God's covenant people. Who has the right to say, I am a child of God, I am a follower of Jesus Christ? Now as we read these chapters in their context, we see Jesus especially was addressing the religious leaders. He was addressing the people who were at the temple, the key of which were the religious leaders in Israel, the scribes and the Pharisees, the Sadducees. And Jesus spoke to them words of warning and judgment. But I think we certainly see application today. Jesus is addressing, he is attacking any form of self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction. Any sense of you are proud in who you are. And so don't look to yourself, don't look to your family, don't look to salvation in your church or wherever else you think you find salvation. The question is this, are you resting completely in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? Have you been humbled before him? Now scripture nowhere encourages doubt, but it does direct you to utter dependence. Have you been brought low before the awesome God and Savior? And so humility and trust must always be brought together. So Matthew 22, verses 1 through 14, our focus. Here, the parable of a wedding feast. And as we are directed to a wedding feast, we should see the theme of joy. This is a celebration, the wedding of the king's son. And so I think the first thing we should consider is joy. But this is a parable of judgment. In fact, that is the dominant theme of this parable. Yes, there is joy in that there is a wedding feast. But this is a sobering parable, as it speaks especially of judgment. Those are the two themes we will consider, joy and judgment. And first, I would like to consider some of the details of this parable, kind of a retelling of it. Then we'll look at its interpretation, and then finally some words of application. So let's consider verses 1 through 14 of Matthew 22. We're all familiar with wedding celebrations. And wedding celebrations in the ancient world were not entirely different than ours, but there are some differences that we have to consider. First, we consider this was not just an ordinary wedding feast. This is a king who is giving a wedding feast for his son. And that is significant. If a king says, come to the wedding of my son, is it wise to refuse the invitation?" This is not an optional wedding feast if you have been invited, is it? And so we can say from this text and from others, this was a wedding feast that was more than just a family celebration. No, this is a political event. It's a king who is giving his son in marriage. Additionally, in the ancient world, we know that banquets and feasts were very important for social relations, even as they are in our own age, but all the more so in the ancient world. One commentator states that banquets were the primary context in which shame and honor were assigned. Banquets were the primary context in which shame and honor were assigned. And so you see in other parables of Jesus, those themes of shame and honor where Jesus commands us, don't seek the places of honor. Rather, let the person who is throwing the banquet put you in a place of honor. Meals were part of the way that societies were organized. Let me repeat that. Meals were part of the way that societies were organized. And this is, in part, the explanation of the horror that was going on in Corinth. when they celebrated the Lord's Supper, when some feasted and became drunk, others were left with nothing. So meals in the ancient world were very important and wedding feasts all the more so. A key word that we see in this parable is the word invited. You see it in verse 3. They were, excuse me, sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding. What that means is already there was an invitation that was given. Now today, brides and grooms will send out a save-the-date card. It's not the invitation, but it's telling you the invitation is about to come. Well, in the ancient world, guests would be invited, but they were not told when the wedding exactly would be. Just told, there will be a wedding, you are invited to come to that wedding later, will tell you when you are to come. And that's reflected in this parable. The invitation already has gone out, but now we're dealing with the second invitation, the announcement of when the wedding feast is going to be held. And so the servants, or the slaves in verse 3, are going to those who already had been invited. And no doubt they had given the response of, yes, I'm going to come to that wedding. I'm going to come to the wedding of the king's son. But now the celebration is about to begin, The servants go out, come now, the feast is being prepared, and they respond in a very offensive way. They refuse this invitation. And so the king doesn't give up. The king sends out other servants calling for the guests who had already been invited, come to the wedding, and yet they continue to ignore the invitation. Look at verse 5. They made light of it. They laugh, as it were, at the invitation to come to the wedding of the king's son. One goes off to his farm, another goes off to his business, and then verse 6 says, even worse, the rest seized the servants, the slaves, treated them spitefully, and killed them. Now, you don't treat a king like this and get away with it. And so the king rightfully, when he hears about this matter, he sends out his own troops. These are others he sends out and they destroy the murderers and they burn up their city. Now this is justice. This is not the king being a little bit offended. No, we can say this parable, the entire parable expresses justice. This is what these who rejected and even murdered, this is what they deserve. Now, we see the patience of this king. The wedding is ready, but those called were not worthy. The king does not give up. For a third time, he sends out his servants, his slaves, to go out with an invitation. But now, who are they going to call? Not those who were on the initial wedding list. Now, they're going to go out and call everyone they can find. They're going to give a call to the bad and the good. And that's what we see in this parable. The wedding hall is filled with the bad and the good. It's filled with guests. Now, verse 11, the parable takes a turn. And maybe in your translation, there's a new paragraph that begins in verse 11. Some suggest, well, Matthew has added another parable. He's cut and pasted from another parable and placed it here. After all, this second part of the parable is not found in the parallel found in Luke's gospel. But there's nothing in the text that would suggest that verses 11 through 14 were not part of the original parable. We should not think of this as an addition. But it is a new part of this parable that begins in verse 11. One of the guests we see, a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. There is some debate. in commentaries and others about the exact nature of these wedding garments, was the king responsible for handing out the appropriate wedding attire? And this person maybe refused the appropriate wedding garment. Well, I think it's best simply to understand this. One of the guests came to the wedding in dirty clothes. He came to the wedding without the appropriate clothing for a wedding feast. Now, when you go to a wedding, do you think about what you are going to wear? Probably you think more about what you're going to wear to a wedding than you do in many other functions. Hopefully the same is true even as we are gathered for a worship service. But especially then for this wedding, this guest came in clothing that was not appropriate. The king approaches this guest. He doesn't know who he is. This is not a friend. He's called a friend, not because he's a buddy. But because that's how you would refer to someone if you don't know their name. Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? Why didn't you wear the appropriate clothing to a feast? And we see the man was speechless. What are you going to say to a king when he asks you that question? Nothing, nothing to say. The king commands his slaves again, get rid of this unwelcome guest, bind him hand and foot, take him away, cast him into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Quite a sentence, isn't it? Now, this guest wasn't just less fashionable than the others. It's not that his tuxedo wasn't fancy enough. This wasn't just a case of ignorance. No, he insulted the king by the way that he dressed. His punishment, it is harsh, and yet we can say it is just. It is deserved. Finally, verse 14, the parable ends with a proverbial statement. Many are called, few or not as many are chosen. Familiar words, aren't they? Now, let's focus on the interpretation of this parable. We've looked at some of the details, but let's focus on the interpretation, the main thrust of this parable. Parables, we can say, are allegorical, meaning they are stories, and we are not to try to take literally all of the details, but rather focus, what is the main thrust of the parable? Now, some would say parables only have one point. I don't think that's true. Depends on the parable. It's not true for all parables that there can only be one point, but for all of Scripture, we look at the context, and we would say this, what's the major point of the parable? And focus on the major rather than the minor. So this parable is allegorical, and it's not just about a wedding feast. It's about something more than just a celebration, but rather this wedding feast is a picture of something. What is the picture? It's related to the failure of Israel's leaders and of the nation more generally to respond to the person and work of Jesus Christ. I think that should be obvious, isn't it? This is Jesus, the king's son, who is announcing to the religious leaders and to Israel in general what is going to happen. And the wedding feast is a very appropriate image. It's an image that is found throughout scripture. this idea of celebration and rejoicing. And we can say this, if God's work of salvation can be described in terms of a feast, what should have been the greatest feast ever given? Should it have not been in the days of Jesus? Should that have not been the greatest celebration? And yet we see that was not the case. Now, as we look at the parable at the beginning of chapter 22, and compare it to the two parables that end chapter 21, there are several themes that stand out. All three parables contain an initial call. There's some initial call in each of the three. Second, there is a refusal or a rejection of that command or call. And then last, there is the call that's given to others. So there's an initial call, a rejection, and then a call for others. And I think when we think of those three major themes, again, we can interpret this final parable. Now, I've talked before about the main message of the book of Matthew. This goes back to several years ago when we looked at the gospel in its entirety. What's the main message of Matthew? Well, one writer summarizes it this way. In the person of Jesus Messiah, in the person of Jesus Christ, his son, God has drawn near to abide with his people, the church, thus inaugurating the eschatological age of salvation. Now, that's a mouthful, but we can break it down. In the person of Jesus Christ, the son of God, God has drawn near his people. He has drawn near his people, the church. He has started the eschatological age of salvation. What does that mean? He has begun that great age declared in the Old Testament that would one day come. The eschatological age of salvation. Now the fullness has not come, but we are now in the kingdom. We are in this great work of God. Jesus at the beginning says this, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king. What is the kingdom of heaven? It means the rule of God on earth that is made known in a special way in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The rule of God on earth made known even more clearly in the person and work of Christ. What does it mean to enter into the kingdom? It means you come under the rule of God in a saving way. All men are under the rule of God, but all men are not in the kingdom. So entering the kingdom means, yes, you are under the rule of God. But in terms of his blessing, in terms of salvation, you enter the kingdom through Jesus Christ. Through Christ alone, you have entrance. And so the imagery of a wedding feast picks up the theme of celebration that's found throughout scripture. Remember when Solomon dedicated the temple. You have what can be described as one of the greatest feasts ever given. In 1 Kings 8, 63, we're told this, Solomon offered peace offerings. What did he offer? 22,000 bulls, 120,000 sheep. Can you imagine that offering? 22,000 bulls, 120,000 sheep. These are peace offerings. And remember, the peace offering was the only sacrifice where the worshipers enjoyed a portion of that sacrifice. Solomon then offers these animals, 120,000 sheep, 22,000 bulls, they're offered to God. But the people, and we read this was over two weeks. That's the only way you could explain such a massive amount of animal flesh that is butchered and burned and enjoyed. It's two weeks of celebration at the dedication of the temple Now that should have been the picture of joy during the time of Christ's ministry, right? One greater than the temple was here, and yet instead we read there was rejection. Josephus, one of the Jewish historians of the first century, records an event in the life of King Hezekiah that's not found directly in scripture, likely, I think we can say, did take place. Josephus says this, Hezekiah, remember, also inaugurated again the celebration of the Passover. We read that it was one of the greatest Passover celebrations of all time. And Hezekiah invited people from the north. He invited those from the former nation of Israel to come also to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast. And Josephus says that those in Israel mocked the messengers and the prophets who gave the same encouragement to come to Jerusalem. In fact, some of them were put to death. Almost just like this parable here. Some of the messengers are murdered, and Josephus says God brought judgment upon them for their actions. Now, the greatest failure of Israel in Scripture is not in the Old Testament. No, it's in the New Testament. Because the greatest rebellion is rejecting the Son of God. Right? The greatest sin is rejecting The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. Now as we look at this parable, we recognize parables have a time frame of their own, which can't be compared to real time. You can't make sense exactly of the chronology here. It would seem that while the food is spread, that the king is sending out his troops to execute vengeance on those who were invited and rejected the invitation to come. That wouldn't seem to make sense. But we don't have to force this time scale into the interpretation of the parable. We look at verse 7. The destruction and burning up of the city, does that correspond to AD 70? Is that a foreshadowing of AD 70? Well, that's certainly possible. I think in terms of the original hearers of this parable, the message of verse 7 more simply is a message of judgment. Judgment will come to those who refuse the invitation. And that later we can see how the judgment in AD 70, the judgment that came upon Jerusalem, is spoken of here. Now the failure of Israel's leadership, the failure of most or much of the nation, did not mean the failure of God's plan. If you would turn again in your Bibles to John 1, just a few pages later, John 1. You know these verses, I hope you even have them memorized. It's a beautiful commentary, even on this parable. John 1, starting with verse 11. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Isn't that such a beautiful commentary on this passage? He comes to His own. His own did not receive Him. But there were those who did receive Him. To them, they are given the right to become the children of God. And why are they given that right? Not because of their own will. Not because of their flesh. It's God's will alone. And so the failure and the unbelief of Israel was not the failure of God's plan. No, God's plan would continue in even greater ways. And we see that in this parable. Another invitation is given out when the first invitation is rejected. How do we see that fulfilled historically? I think we see it in the book of Acts. When the gospel is rejected, it's not the end. It just means different invitations are going to be given out. When Christ is rejected, the gospel message is still to go out to Jews and Gentiles. We see that in Acts 1.8, right before Jesus ascends. What does Jesus command? He says, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You shall be my witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Romans 1 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek. So this parable, Matthew 22, we find it commented on, we can say, in John 1 and throughout the book of Acts, throughout the epistles of Paul. And so, my friends, we know our own age is an age of incredible apostasy, compromise, weakness. It would seem we're living in an age of failure. But God's plans have not been frustrated. Now, I can't tell you all the details of how that's being carried out. I think it's greater than what we often see immediately. But we know this. God's plans are not being frustrated. That human unbelief, human rebellion cannot directly frustrate the plans of God. And I think we see that even in this parable. Unbelief will be judged, but that does not mean the end of God's work. Now, that's not an excuse for laziness or for weakness, certainly, but thankfully, God is at work. He is at work in ways greater than we can understand and see, even in our own age. And so, yes, we are discouraged, but we are not beaten down, because we know God's purposes will be fulfilled. Now, the final part of this parable also contains a theme that's commented on throughout the book of Matthew. What's that theme? It's this. There are those who claim to be disciples of Christ, and yet they falsely claim such. Where has Matthew already commented on those false professors, false and empty profession? Well, we see that so clearly in Matthew 7, 21 and following. 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. Jesus said in Matthew 10, 38, he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Jesus is not teaching salvation by your own works. Jesus is teaching there are those who falsely claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are revealed even through their own works. Big difference. What about the wedding garment? How do we understand this wedding garment, this man's failure? John Calvin here wrote, as to the wedding garment, is it faith? Or is it a holy life? He says, this is a useless controversy. For faith cannot be separated from good works, nor do good works proceed from any other source than from faith. So it is always faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is a gift that God gives when you are humbled before him, and you are trusting alone in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. You confess you have no other hope. You are resting alone in what Christ has accomplished. That is true faith, and yet there are those who falsely say, I believe. And they are revealed even through their own works. The words of verse 13 then testify to the reality, the serious nature of judgment that will come. These are not pleasant words to consider, are they? Six times in Matthew, you find the phrase weeping and gnashing of teeth. Sometimes Matthew records the judgment as the furnace of fire. In other cases, it is outer darkness. And yet, what do all these verses have in common? They deal with the reality of eternal judgment, what Revelation calls the lake of fire, what many people call hell. And so scripture does not speak of eternal judgment as simply destruction. No, it speaks of it in terms of conscious anger and pain and sorrow. These are awesome things to consider. It's not pleasant to consider this reality. And yet Jesus, before he goes to the cross, he reminds us of the seriousness of the gospel message. The last verse then serves as a summary. There were many in Israel who believed they were the called of God. And yet in their rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ, they show they are not part of the true Israel. They are not part truly of the chosen. And again, we can say the same thing as true today, not all who claim, I am a follower of Christ. Not all of those are true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the Lord Jesus Christ, it is God the Father that will have the last word, the last say. So let's consider several notes of application in our conclusion. First, it is the seriousness of the gospel message. the announcement of the rule of God in Jesus Christ. And it is good that we're often brought to this point of realizing what the stakes are. It is an awesome thing to consider eternal judgment. I mean, it goes beyond what we can fully appreciate, but since Scripture brings it to our attention, we are to consider that. We're to consider that, especially as we seek also to share that message with others, even as we consider the warnings that scripture gives. It is the serious nature of the message of the gospel, the announcement of the kingdom. Again, we see the word of warning that's found not only in Matthew, but that's a basic part of the message of Scripture. 2 Peter 1, 10 and 11 says, Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So doubt is not what scripture commands. Never will you find in scripture doubt your salvation. But it does command you look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Not to some profound experience. No, are you looking to the Lord Jesus Christ? Is that your only hope for salvation? You are resting alone in the blood of Christ to cleanse you from all your sin. Is there then, in response to that, is there a sensitivity to sin? Is there in your life the example, the demonstration of growing in love, growing in holiness, growing in obedience? So scripture never commands doubt, but it does command make your calling and election sure. Be diligent. Take these matters very seriously, especially every time you hear the preaching of God's Word. Well, third and finally, let's focus on the theme of joy. As I mentioned earlier, this is a wedding feast. This is a celebration, the marriage of the king's son. Now, that element of joy is not what stands out in this parable, at least not directly. What seems to stand out much more is the message of judgment. And yet rightfully, I think we do see the theme of joy and celebration. And that would connect with, excuse me, with other parables our Lord told. Especially the two parables found in Matthew 13. The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. And those definitely are parables about the true joy. that all those who are in the kingdom should demonstrate. As one commentator has written, the gospel we proclaim must deserve and explain the label treasure. And our lives must express the ultimate value found in Christ. And so a similar challenge is found in this parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who arranged a marriage for his son. Now, we recognize there is still the ultimate fulfillment of this wedding feast. There is the ultimate celebration that is still to come. We look forward to that celebration. And yet, if we are in the kingdom now, should there not be great joy? Should not our lives be characterized by joy and by celebration in our worship, celebration in our service? And of course, I'm speaking far from the errors of holy laughter or the other heresies that affect much of the church. But worship is a celebration. And we call it a service, but it should be a celebration. When we enjoy the Lord's Supper, what are we doing? We're feasting with the Lord Jesus Christ, who's not present in bread and wine, but present in the working of the Holy Spirit. Believe that. Of all the days of the week, what should be the most joyous? It should be our gathering on the Lord's day. It should be our coming together for worship. And I know full well that having young children, that's not always easy to demonstrate. There are complications. It's not simplistic, but let us Pray and let us do all that we can in light of living in the kingdom that we make our worship a time of holy celebration. Praying that the Lord would truly send us with the blessing of joy in him. Listen finally to Revelation 19. Verses 6-8, And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Amen. Pray with me, please. Heavenly Father, we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for his life, which is summarized. We thank you for this testimony, even from Matthew 22. bold and powerful his convicting words. And we again humble ourselves before you, Lord, and we bow the knee, we kiss the sun, and we thank you for your mercy. We thank you for the salvation. We thank you for the right to be called the children of God, not because of the will of man, not because of the flesh, but because of your sovereign grace in our hearts. And we do pray that all in this congregation truly will be brought to that point. We pray for family, even friends still lost in sin, and pray they will be convicted. They will be brought to that point of recognizing the reality of salvation alone in Jesus Christ. And we do thank you, O Lord, even in this day of confusion, this day of so much apostasy, that the Lord Jesus rules over his church. He is the head of the body. He rules over this world. This world is his. The nations are his inheritance. And so let us continue to keep our eye upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, rejoicing in the work he has given to us, especially as we gather. Help us truly to celebrate what you have accomplished. We pray all of this in Jesus' great name. Amen.