Looking at this wonderful invitation that we have in Matthew 22 this morning. And if you've been following us, we've been going through the thoughts on the invitations to the cross. And this morning, we're looking at the wooing of the cross. We've looked at the work of the cross, the working towards the cross. We've noticed the way of the cross. and the witness of the cross. And so today we're at the wooing of the cross and we'll be here for probably three weeks as the Lord opens his arms and says, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and through parables and through teaching and through invitations, we hear loud and clear the purpose of God from after the fall planned in eternity past Come. C-O-M-E. Come. And nobody on the terrible judgment day will have any excuse that they didn't hear, particularly with the ability to get the message out when the world is most populous today of seven and a half, I think, billion people, where they can tune in, in their phones, in their privacy, in their bedrooms, and in the bush, to hear the message going out from so many different places come unto me. you haven't got an excuse. If you're listening today, you're without excuse because you've heard the word, the invitation. And as we look at the scriptures, we hear the wooing of the cross today. We've all received formal invitations at some time or other to a birthday party, to a breakup party, to a graduation, to an engagement, to a wedding, Maybe when we were a child, we got it to our first birthday party that we attended, and we're most excited. This is the first invitation we ever got to a party, and we're all excited, and we told mum and dad, and of course they were part of it, to somebody else's birthday party, and we're jumping up and down, and I can just see the kids doing that. And on the invitation, you had to reply by a certain date so that the host who was hosting the party knew that you were coming so that they could prepare for the party. And there was a reply by date. And if you didn't reply by then, you were not in. The Lord has had a lot to do with weddings and invitations. and inviting people from the book of Genesis to the end of the book of the last chapter in the Bible, the book of Revelation, there's invitations galore everywhere. By prophets and sages, by preachers, by farmers, parables and all sorts of preaching, the invitations are there. He was the celebrant at the first wedding. Genesis chapter two, verse 18 and 22 to 24. He brought people through the guidance of the spirit together that they might be married. In Genesis 24, there we have this where Abraham was old and well stricken in age and the Lord had blessed Abraham and all the things he had. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of the house that ruled over all the land put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh and make a promise that shall not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell, should go unto my country and my kindred and take a wife unto my son Isaac. And so he sent his servant there to his kindred to get a wife for his son Isaac. And read the whole chapter, we haven't got time. And there, and all the types there that are fitting. Abraham, a type of a certain king who would make a marriage for his son. The unnamed servant who was sent by Abraham, a type of the Holy Spirit, who does not speak of himself, but takes the things of the bridegroom with which to win the bride. The servant, and again, a type of the Spirit as enriching the bride with the bridegroom's gifts. Just like today, the Spirit. The servant, a type of the spirit, is bringing. Thirdly, the spirit, a type of the spirit, is bringing the bride to the bridegroom. And you go on and speak of Rebecca, a type of the church. Isaac, a type of the bridegroom. And things in that, these things are throughout and all the ramifications of that, read, Genesis 24 and the points of that message that are relevant even for the marriage of the Lord and the church. In Matthew 24 that we're going to look at today and also repeated in Luke 14, the Lord used a parable to show how the Jews have rejected the invitation and it's open to all now, but still few come to the wedding. In Matthew 25, There is a parable of the 10 virgins invited to the wedding, and five were prepared and five weren't. In John chapter 2, we have where the Lord was invited himself while he was here on earth to a wedding, and there he performed his first miracle. In 2 Corinthians 11-2, Paul said, For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ, lightening the relationship between Christ and his church to a marriage. In Ephesians 5 and verse 22 to 33, there is no mistaking what these verses mean. The relationship between the husband and wife is likened to the relationship between the Lord and the church. You can't mistake that. If you spiritualize that one, you're in big trouble. What more could we say? If you read the eight chapters of the Song of Solomon, of the Lord's relationship between his ancient people, Israel, and himself, you can't mistake that that also can be likened to the relationship of the Lord Jesus and the church. As you read the story, I've just read through that book again, going through the Bible, reading through it again. Yes, the invitations to the weddings that we have mentioned, just a few, are all through the scriptures. And God is trying to enlighten us to say he's wooing us. He's wooing us humans to himself. He's trying to draw us. He's used all these illustrations and all these literal weddings to saying, this is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get you to come to myself. Let's turn now to the chapter we're looking at today. That's in Matthew 22. Matthew 22. Before we do, let's pray. Thank you for the word, Lord, and thank you for this chapter, the particular one we're looking at today as you try to woo your people, Israel. And as I rejected and as the invitation goes out to everybody and it's still open, may we Lord be spoken to today and we would not do what the Jews did. But I'm afraid the world is doing exactly that, rejecting the wooing of God Almighty to come to himself and to the wedding invitation. Bless us, we consider this now in Jesus name. Amen. If you've been coming to church for a few years, we did cover this portion about three or four years ago in our evening service, and not a whole lot of people come to our evening. But those who were here might say, I don't remember. If you were here and do remember, that's good. It's just a rerun. And a few added things here, but we have the King's open invitation to the Hebrew race in verses 1 to 7 of the verses we read a little earlier. An open invitation to the Jewish people. The king's declaration, first of all, is seen in verses one to six. Notice, he sent, and Jesus answered and spoke unto them again by parables and said, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who made a marriage for his son. The father in heaven made a marriage for his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he sent forth his servants to call them. So the wedding is declared in verse 1 and 2, and the workers have been dispatched to go and invite people to the wedding. This is seen in the Gospel of Matthew. Let's see how the workers were dispatched in the Gospel of Matthew. If you go to chapter 3 of Matthew in verses 1 to 3, In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Now this is the workers dispatched to the Jewish, to the Hebrew race, okay? Came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken by the prophet Isaiah saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Do we preach that today? Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. No, no. We preach Jesus Christ died for your sins. Repent and be saved or else. Well, we don't say or else. Well, we do. We need to give a warning of hell. If you don't repent, you'll likewise perish, said Peter. But the invitation there is repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We can almost say that today because it's not far away. But we do say repent, be saved and become a child of God. Get born, be born again. But John the Baptist was commissioned to preach to the Jewish people this message. And then in chapter 4 and verse 17 of Matthew, notice that someone else said the same thing. 417, from that time, Jesus began to preach. Who? Jesus began to preach and say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Why are the kings here? He's reached the age. Let's crown him king. You know, remember the Palm Sunday? Hosanna to the king on the donkey riding up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was moved to that day. It almost looked like it was going to happen. Repent for the kingdom of heaven. He said, hey, the disciples, the apostles thought it was going to happen. They had it so in their mind that they couldn't get it out. Because the next week, in a week, it died. They had crucified him. But then again, the message, this same message is repeated in Matthew chapter 10, Matthew chapter 10 and verses five to eight, where we read when Jesus sent his disciples out and the 12 were sent forth and Jesus commanded them saying, go not into the way of the Gentiles, don't go to the Gentiles, go into the city of the Samaritans, enter not, don't go there, they're a mixed race, but go rather to who? The lost sheep of the house of Israel. Was he being discriminatory here? Today, if that was said, he'd get himself into hot water, wouldn't he? But go rather to the lost sheep of the house. Only take the message to the Jews. You know, this is to the Hebrew race. This message is given. And as you go, preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand. If we can't get this, there's something wrong with our English. Something wrong with the reading, just what it says. Take it literally. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead. Is that the message for the cross of the cross today? No. We preach the gospel message. raise the dead freely you have received freely give provide not and you can read on and all the things that they were to do with the message that they were given repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand with the accompanying miracles well the messages were sent and three times they were sent to the lost people of the house of israel the message was scorned Notice back in Matthew 22 and verse 3, they were forbidden to the wedding and they would not come. The Jews would not come. And as you get to chapter 23, just a little bit over the next chapter, in verse 37, how often Jesus said, I would have gathered you together and you would not, you would not. Come, as the hen gazes at chickens, you would not. Your house is left to you desert. OK, you've had your opportunity. You've botched it. You scorned the message and the messengers. Now it's again given, as it were. Go back to chapter 22 and verse where we are. the last part of verse three, and you would not come. The refusal, the first refusal was given in the last part of verse three. There's further refusals as given again, even though he said you wouldn't, your house was left to you desolate, God wouldn't give up on them. God is gracious, God is merciful. He sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them who are bidden. Behold, I have prepared for me it for my dinner. My oxen, my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come unto the marriage. So they further refused as the fresh details are given there in verse four. But the fatal defiance is returned again to the king. They wouldn't do it. They made light of it. They went their ways, one off to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took the servants. Some were so mad that they were invited again. Can you get the pictures yet? Do you know when this happened? They treated them spitefully and slew them. They carelessly neglected the invitation. They callously rejected the invitation. Some just went to their farms. I'm like, forget it. I'm going back to work. Others were so enraged. These were the religious leaders that they said, we're going to do something about this. Let's turn and see what they did. Let's go to the book of Acts and see what these callous religious leaders did with the further extended invitation of the grace of God going out to the Jewish people. Even Paul. was involved in this, but later turned and changed his tune as the Lord spoke to him on the road to Damascus, and he got saved. But he still went to the lost people of the house of Israel. When he went to a town, he went to the Jews first, always. He couldn't help it. He was a Jew, and he wanted them to hear. And how did the Jews treat him when he went all over the world to the synagogues in Gentile towns? They kicked him out. They tried to kill him. They stoned him to death. And they went ahead of him into the next town where they thought he might be going and try to dissuade the Jews from listening to him. This is their fellow Paul. He's coming to tell you about Jesus Christ. Don't listen to him. And sometimes you turn up in town that are already against him. But anyway, chapter four of the book of Acts and verses one to three. And as they spoke unto the people, the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them and being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection. You see, this is the another invitation and another refusal, even after they crucified the Lord and Jesus had been raised from the dead. And they knew that. And they try to cover that up by bribing the soldiers. The invitation goes again, but they're refusing and they're callously, hard heartedly saying no to Jesus Christ. And they were grieved. The preaching through Jesus, the resurrection from the dead, and they laid hands on them and put them in hold until the next day. And it was Now evening, many of them heard the word believed, a number of men about 5,000. People were believing, but the religious leaders were absolutely, unitedly refusing to believe. In chapter five, again, the servants of the Lord were trying to get across the message. In chapter five, verse 40, over the book of Acts, and to him they agreed. And when they called the apostles, they beaten them. They commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer. Shame for him. So they were beating up the messengers. What did it say back in our text? That when the message was further given to these rebellious people, they made light of it. Some went back to their farms, but others who were really angry at this, took the remnant of the servants and treated them spitefully and slew them." Go to chapter 7 of the book of Acts and verses 54. of the Book of Acts, and you have written, When they had heard these things, they were caught to the heart, the religious leaders, and they gnashed on him with their teeth, and being full of the Holy Ghost, this is Stephen, looked up steadfastly to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing, standing to welcome Stephen home as he was being stoned to death. I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Oh, well, that enraged them, didn't it? And they stoned him to death. Stephen was welcomed home. In verse 1 of chapter 8, and Saul consent, consenting unto his, Stephen's death. And at the time there were great persecutions against the church was it at Jerusalem, and there were scattered abroad throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And so The Jerusalem church was scattered, and there was 5,000 and plus 3,000 of them in Jerusalem. The Jews that did get saved, chapter 11, verse 9, and chapter 12, well, you haven't got time to go there, they killed James. And that pleased the Jews, and so he wanted to kill Peter, too. You see, the king's open invitation back in Matthew was to all of them. They said, no, they crucified the Messiah. It went out again, and they killed and severely beat and persecuted the Christians after the cross. And they splattered the church and spread it and persecuted it. I'm not saying that there's a Jewish church. There was Jewish and Pentecostal, and there was all those Gentiles that were there. But you see, the Lord spread the church even through the persecution. His will was in that. And then the king's not only declaration in verses one to six, we see the king's displeasure in verse seven. But when the king heard of it, he was wroth. When the father heard, when the Lord heard, he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Hey, we know from history, we have the advantage of that. What happened? Whose were the Lord's armies whom he sent to destroy those Jewish murderers and burnt up their city? Burnt up their city. That's interesting. Burnt up their city, singular. What was the city that the Lord burnt up? When did he burn it up? Who did he use? Well, it was the city of Jerusalem, wasn't it? And who did it? Titus did it. When did he do it? 70 AD. surrounded the place and burned it up. I mean, Luke 21 verse 20, it tells us about it. And it's also in Matthew 24 where the disciples said, when shall these things be? When Jesus said all these rocks are going to be, you know, not one upon another. And Jesus answered the second question about the future. But he didn't answer the first, but Luke answered the first question that these rocks would be pushed one from another. And here it is. And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation is near. Let them who are in Judea flee to the mountains and then let them who are in the midst of it depart and let them not that are in the countries enter into it. Don't come back into Jerusalem. These are the day of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. And it was fulfilled. Down to verse 24, they'll fall by the edge of the sword. And it was misery. It was mayhem. It was the Romans through Titus destroyed and scattered. And they have been since they cried out, his blood be on us and our children. And it was so it happened. That's where it happened. It's prophesied and it happened. And God used them. God's patience run out. He's long-suffering. He let it go for another 30, 40 years after that he said it would. And it's said that no Christians were in Jerusalem when that happened because they listened to the Bible. They listened to the Lord's words. They got out. They were persecuted out, but then they left before it happened. And they weren't under that terrible time in 70 AD. OK, so you have the king's open invitation to the Hebrew race. They squandered the invitation. The wooing of the Lord, come, come. Also the Old Testament, come, come. And they went back to their idols and back to the things of Egypt. They just... We people. You know, I say, oh, the Jews. Well, let's look next. What happens? We people seem to just say no to God. When God says yes, we say no. When parents say do, kids say no. The old nature, the old Adamic nature is in us. When pastor says yes, people say no. And when people get old and you can't use reverse psychology like you can on kids, they just don't wanna do it. They don't wanna do it, okay? The pastor throws up his hands and, go ahead, begin to reap the consequences of your rebellion. The king's open invitation to the human race, now to the Gentiles. The king's open invitation, verses 1 to 7, to the Hebrew race, the Jews, now to the human race, the Gentiles, verses 8 to 4. Then said he to the servants, the wedding is ready, but they who are bidden, the Jews, is not worthy. They don't want to come. Go ye therefore into the highways and as many as ye shall find bid to the wedding. So the illustration of the wedding versus one or two, the invitations given to the Jews, they didn't go. Now, the invitation is extended to the Gentiles, to the wedding. The command is in verses eight and nine. The Jews rejected two royal invitations, as it were. The gospel sent via the highways and byways to all. The message no longer confined to the house of Israel, as in the gospels as it is given. You see, the gospels are part of the Old Testament, really. The church didn't start to wax too. The church started there with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Those people who say the church is in the Old Testament, the word is, but the church isn't. The Church, as far as being indwelt by the Spirit, being part of the Bride of Christ, is not in the Old Testament. Bride of Jehovah God, the Jews, but not in the New Testament. That is the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to distinguish that, otherwise your theology is all over the place and messed up. You're a part of Origen and Augustine and the Catholic system. That's why they have the priesthood still going in the Catholic church. They're confusing it all and mixing it in the big pot. Anyway, get back to the message, Pastor. The command. OK. Jesus, during the time in the Gospels, Jesus said this in Matthew 15 24 I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and we are not Israel unless you are a Jew unconverted. I am not sent but the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And if he said that, there must be other than Israel. And as the book of Corinthians says, there's three distinct groups. There's Israel, there's the Gentiles, and there's the church. Which group are you in? So he was distinguishing Israel from others. Now he could say, when he was giving this parable, other sheep have I which are not of this fold, not of the Jewish fold, not of the Israeli fold, them also I must bring, John 10 verse 16. And he's been doing that for now nigh on 2,000 years. Other sheep, we're the other sheep, we're the church who are not of that fold. we're of another fold, we're of the church fold. Verse nine, when you read that, go therefore into the highways and as many as ye shall find bid to the marriage. What does that sound like? Have you ever read a portion of scripture that sounds very much like that? Yep. Verse 19 of 28 of Matthew. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. That sounds very much like that, doesn't it? It is. Go ye therefore in highways and as many as you shall be fine. This is an open invitation. This is a willing of God to all the world. The Jews wouldn't listen. The Hebrews wouldn't listen. It's open to the whole human race. We sing in Sunday school, red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight. Come, come, come. The crowd, the open invitation. It's in the book of Acts 2 and chapter 1 and verse 8. But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and where to? Artemis, us of the world. So there's the command to go, verses 8 and 9, then there's the crowd. 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. Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in, until the last apple is in the basket. You might say that that's going to happen real soon. And the Lord knows only when that is going to happen. I pray it happens soon. Things aren't too good down here, are they? We've got it best probably in the world, but it's really bad. You listen to the news. Don't advise it for too long, the appetite. for the news. What's on the news is not good. It's bad, bad all the time it seems. We're looking for some good news and the good news is the gospel. Listen to that. So the crowd. Who did the messages invite? The bad, the peneiros, the depraved and the good. You remember what Jesus said? I've not come to call the righteous to repentance, the good. So the message goes to those who are self-righteous, think they're good, and let church-gone people do good in society. The philanthropists, the billionaires that give each money away, the message is to go to them, just as well to the bad, the fellow, the drunken in the street, the fellow that treats his neighbor bad, and steals and robs. The message goes to all people. You know, go to the uttermost, the Lord said. The message is to everybody, good and bad, self-righteous and the unrighteous. It is obvious to everybody that he's unrighteous. People from all walks of life, this message of the wooing of the cross is to everybody from all backgrounds, countries and places. Now, so we see the invitation is extended to the wedding and the indignation expressed at the wedding is seen from verse 11 and following there. And when the king came in to see the guest, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And this is where it gets a little tricky. And he said unto him, Friend, how comeest thou in here having not a wedding garment on? And he was speechless. The indignation at the wedding. The problem is seen there, the guest who had no robe. I'm going to use this to encourage you who call yourself a Christian to do what 2 Corinthians 13 5 tells you, examine yourself whether you are in the faith. Know ye yourself how Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobate. Reprobate is a non-believer. Make sure that you're saved. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Through years of ministry, I've seen people who have been pretenders. make beliefs, look like they're Christians. Over time, they've been exposed. I'm afraid I see people now and question marks come up and we need to examine ourselves. I do examine myself. Why would I do such a thing as that if I'm calling myself a Christian? Why would I think such a thing as that if I call myself a Christian? I know we still, as Christians, have an old man. we still are prone to sin, prone to wander. Lord, I feel it, said the songwriter. Paul said in Romans chapter seven that when he went off in the old man, the carnal man, and in the last part of the last half of chapter seven, you know, I'll do the things I would not. It's no more that I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Yes, that can happen, but when we habitually do it, as 1 John talks about it, You know, we won't sin habitually if we're a Christian. And I'm fearful and I'm afraid for those people that think they're Christians. And some people are so cocky and so self-confident, so proud about it. Oh boy, when they're that way and they go on for a few years, there's a big crash coming and it might be on judgment day. the guest who had no robe. Juma this afternoon is going to be preaching in Swahili. You won't understand a word of it if you're English speaking, but African folk, listen to him. He is preaching about justification and the robe of righteousness you need to have to be justified and made righteous in God's sight. Made righteous in God's sight. In James chapter two and verse verses 14 through to 19. What does it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and have not works can faith that sort of faith save him if a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food? You know people say they're Christians but I don't see them serving the Lord. They don't lift a finger to help in church. They're not in a ministry at church. They're not at prayer meeting. They're not praying. They're not And they rise up and they make arguments and they cause divisions. And they think they're doing the righteous thing. My question mark, big question mark over their salvation. They don't help other people out. And one of you say to them, depart in peace, be you warmed and filled not. We say, yeah, the righteous talk of these people. Notwithstanding, you give them not those things that are needful to the body. What does it profit? You know, Martin Luther called this a book of straw. I call it a book of truth. They need to show their salvation by their works, not to be saved by works. Even so, faith, if it have not works, is dead being alone. It's not got life. Yea, a man may say thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Thou believest there is one God. Hey, so did the devil, the devils, the demons. They also believe and tremble. They believe and tremble. Show me, show me. Don't get so self-righteous and up yourself that you think you're going to heaven and you have not lifted a finger. Folks that come to church and just all talk and no action. I don't know if I just in front of them and say, hey, mate, you saved, not showing it. No fruit. Many in Matthew 7, 21 will profess into me, oh, we've prophesied in thy name. We have cast out demons in thy name. We have done many wonderful works. And Jesus will say unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity. How many are in the perilous position having responded to a pressured invitation or someone talking them into it somewhere. Intellectually or emotionally, but their conscience has never been quickened. Their heart has never been cleansed. Their will has never been touched. Their spirit has never been regenerated, Titus three and verse four. They haven't been changed. When one is genuinely saved, he is truly trusted, we are provided as Juma will say this afternoon with a robe of righteousness Philippians 3 9 and be found in him have not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. In Isaiah 61.10, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with a garment of salvation, he hath covered me with a robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decked herself with ornaments, and as a bride adorned herself with her jewels." As we're going through it with Juma on Saturday night, last night, he's here about Adam and Eve, that God clothed them with skins. He said that covered them. I said no, that covered their physical nakedness. The blood covered their sin. the robe covered their physical nakedness because they knew they were sinners. Hey, we need to be covered by the blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Have you got on the garment of righteousness or are you covering yourself with a garment of self-righteousness? You need to have the garment of salvation. You know, back in Revelation chapter 19, 19 verse 7 and 8, it says this, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb is come and the wife hath made herself ready. How? And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for fine linen is the righteousness of saints. The garment of salvation. Yes, the guest who had no robe, he had no robe on, as it said there, grab him. The guest who has no reply, not only no robe, but he has no reply. And in verse 12, and he said unto the friend, how camest thou here having no wedding garment on? And he was speechless. On judgment day, you'll be without reply. He was gobsmacked, we say. His goodness was as filthy rags, as it's said in the Old Testament. He didn't forget to put the garment on. He consciously chose not to put the garment on. He thought he was good enough. Friend, in verse 12, is used the same way by the Lord Jesus of Judas in 26 and verse 50. He had insulted the Lord's glory and grace and gift of life provided at great expense at Calvary. There will be people by the millions that will be in this position on Judgment Day. They will be gobsmacked, they will be speechless before Almighty God at the Great White Throne Judgment. And you say, your doctrine's getting mixed up here. And I said, we spoke about this one, when was it, Wednesday or last Sunday? This cannot take, this is not the rapture and a person being taken because God wouldn't have raptured an unsafe person. This has to be at the end of the tribulation, people say, and this fella snuck in behind a rock and is standing there, and the Lord's judging as in Matthew 25, the nations, the sheep and the goat nations, and this fella thinks he can sneak in on the sheep side, and he's a goat. He ain't got a garment on. Anyway, you can make up your mind about that. People try to say this is a saved man, and he's one of those in 1 Corinthians, he's getting into heaven as it were by fire, but no, not with what says in verse 13. Then said the king unto the servant, bind him, hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It sounds like hell to me. For many are called, but few are chosen. Who can fathom the excuses that men make for not accepting the gift? So we see the punishment in 13 and 14. Swift, sure, just, and terrible. He had insulted the king of glory, the creator of the universe. So great is salvation. How shall we escape if we neglect that truth? Now, I know that's talking to save people, but For the unsaved person, if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the unrighteous appear? On Judgment Day. Read 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 7 and 9. Fiery indignation shall fall upon the head of the unsaved. Read Revelation 19, 20, and the contrast between those that are judged at the great white throne and cast into the lake of fire and those that inherit heaven. Total, totally the opposite. Make your calling and election sure, said Peter in 2 Peter. Wherefore, the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, ye shall never fall. Ye shall never fall. Make sure your election is sure. Yes, the invitation, the wooing is open to all. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid them to the marriage. This is our responsibility. We're late in the day. Christians are fighting each other. Churches are being torn apart by silly little things. And there's another concentration on getting the gospel to the unsaved. Go ye out quickly to the streets and lanes, it says in Luke 14, 21. and the city, and bring in here the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the lame. Go out and spread tracts, brother. Go out and take the message to the unsaved." And the servant said, Lord, it is done, and thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. There's room at the cross for you, the hymn writer said. There's room at the cross for people from out there that need to come in here. You know, we can sing all we want in here, But it's not going out there, but it is clearly going out there when we sing solo and we put the words up and it's going out there. It is going out there. The message, praise God, let people hear. And he said to his servants, go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled. Have you replied to the invitation yet? You know, we started with this, RSVP, that is reply if you please. If you're unsaved, Christ is, God is saying, come, come, come. It's going to say, one day it's going to be finished. The invitation, the date's going to pass and you, if you're not saved, will not be able to come. That's it. It says it in the Bible. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Come while you can. If you today can taste the heavenly gift. And it's like before you have a roast dinner and mom's cooked it up and you come in the door and you can just smell it and the gravy and the beef and the chicken, whatever it is. I'm getting hungry already. You taste the heavenly, maybe you've tasted it today. Maybe today the Holy Spirit has come to your heart and he's knocking. I can't save you, but God can do this in your heart. You've tasted the good word of God. You've even taken a little bit in today. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and that's who's working. And the powers of the world to come, believe now, obey the gospel now, receive him now. Because as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. Confess him now. Romans 10, I can't make you. It's a choice you've got to make. Just like the Jews, the Hebrew race had to, and now the human race has to. Confess him now. I'll tell you a story in closing. You know, one day soon it's going to be too late to reply, but I knew a man, and I'm not going to name them, about 30 years ago, I think, who said to me, and to someone else who was with me, he said, as we talked to him and we talked for a couple of hours, he said, this is the third time that this has happened to me. I have got no more arguments. But there's something inside of me that's compelling me to believe. And I just said, well, you know, it wasn't us. We were just telling him the word. And I feel that I must believe. I've got no more arguments. And he named the people who previously he had been in this position with. And one of them, one of them was Pastor Bill Grant, before he started the Church of Penella. And I remember the occasion, I was only a kid, in the lounge room at our place, and this was happening, I won't say, because it'll give it away, but he said, this is the third time, he didn't respond. Sadly, sadly, he didn't respond. A little time later, within I think a year, you know what he did? He shot himself dead, unsaved. He had, he acknowledged that the spirit of God was working in him and now he's gone out into eternity lost. He was being wooed by God over the line. But he would not, did not believe. He could, but he didn't. I pray you're not in that position. One day the date will be too late. He's appointed under man once to die, but after that the judgment. The door will slam shut and fast, like it did with the five virgins. And it will be too late. Come, come. We've got two more sermons on this. There's invitations everywhere. If the Lord tarries, we'll