LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:13	hello
0:15	today let’s talk about eternity in a
0:19	moment eternity is impossible to
0:22	comprehend eternity is either the state
0:25	of unending time or the state of being
0:28	without time
0:30	trying to understand either of these
0:32	frustrates us because of eternity’s
0:36	incomprehensibility or it frightens us
0:38	because of eternity’s sheer
0:41	enormity and of course the terror is
0:43	that whatever the Judgment of God may be
0:46	its consequences will be for
0:50	eternity the scripture before us is
0:53	Matthew chap 22:
0:56	1-14 this is the parable of the wedding
0:59	feast in it God gives us a look through
1:02	his eyes God sees the end from the
1:05	beginning Isaiah 46 we do not we cannot
1:10	see a moment in front of the here and
1:12	now but God sees every moment as a
1:16	snapshot before all time he sees right
1:19	through time from before the beginning
1:22	to after the end of time God sees it all
1:26	in today’s scripture God gives us a
1:28	glimpse into his own own mind he
1:30	discloses his God’s eye view and
1:33	describes in this Parable eternity in a
1:38	moment point one a celebration of a
1:42	wedding
1:43	Feast from the beginning it has been the
1:46	plan of the heavenly father to have a
1:48	grand and glorious celebration for his
1:50	son Jesus and for his son’s bride the
1:53	church that is all those who believe in
1:57	him this is the Father’s Heart to to
1:59	bring honor and Glory joy and Delight to
2:02	his son Jesus in the marriage Feast with
2:06	his precious bride today Jesus teaches
2:09	us a
2:12	parable with God’s eye on that marriage
2:16	celebration God sent out wedding
2:19	invitations they were delivered
2:21	personally by his own Messengers but the
2:24	invited guests were unwilling to come
2:27	imagine the sorrow of Heaven the misery
2:29	of the king that his guests would not
2:32	celebrate his son’s great
2:34	day the King was not daunted however he
2:37	sent out other servants and they
2:39	heralded the invitation everything is
2:43	ready all is prepared come to the great
2:46	and glorious Feast of the son and his
2:49	bride but again those invited paid no
2:54	attention the Sumptuous Foods the most
2:58	Pleasant of drinks
3:00	luxurious couches for reclining opulent
3:03	robes for you to wear Celestial
3:05	musicians making malif fluous music and
3:08	a banquet hall more breathtaking than
3:10	the world itself you are invited
3:13	come but
3:16	no they did not come they paid no
3:19	attention their excuses were flimsy and
3:22	rude they were too absorbed with their
3:24	work or with the Troubles of Life they
3:27	were too involved in Petty fights and
3:29	with personal fantasies in fact some who
3:33	received invitations attacked The
3:35	Messengers and some Messengers were even
3:38	killed the king’s invitation was
3:41	completely refused and the King’s son
3:45	was disgraced and
3:48	denied the parable describes
3:51	prophetically what will take place in
3:53	just one generation in the year 70 AD
3:56	the city of Jerusalem will be burned to
3:58	the ground and the temp Temple of
4:00	Jerusalem will be completely
4:03	destroyed there were consequences for
4:06	rejecting the
4:08	Sun but that’s not the end of the
4:11	parable because that is not the end of
4:14	the snapshot of Eternity in a moment
4:17	point two more
4:20	invitations in the parable we see that
4:23	the king had not lost his desire to
4:25	honor and celebrate his son the king
4:27	declared that those others who had
4:30	refused his invitation to his son
4:33	celebration were not worthy they did not
4:36	come to honor his
4:38	son go therefore cried the king into the
4:41	main highways and as many as you find
4:44	there invite them to the wedding feast
4:47	and so they did those Messengers went
4:50	and surely the group of Messengers
4:52	included Angels the word anelos in Greek
4:56	simply means messenger there were human
4:59	Messengers to Simeon and Anna and three
5:03	wise men from the
5:04	East there were prophets like John the
5:08	baptizer and apostles like John the
5:12	Beloved there were Patriarchs and
5:15	patristic fathers medieval nuns and
5:17	monastic Friars ministers and reformers
5:20	Church workers and lay servants all
5:23	across the ages they were all sent by
5:26	the king and inspired by the spirit so
5:30	out they went across the Earth and
5:32	across time they gathered all whom they
5:35	could find young and old rich and poor
5:38	good and bad all were invited into the
5:41	celebration of the king for his son and
5:45	for his precious
5:47	bride finally it was just as the king
5:50	had seen it in his Mind’s Eye before the
5:53	beginning of time he had planned it
5:55	across the ages and now finally at last
6:00	the day of the wedding Feast had arrived
6:02	and the Fulfillment of his Joy had come
6:05	the king entered his Heavenly Hall his
6:08	eyes stretched to the farthest reaches
6:11	of the gigantic room it was indeed a
6:14	palacial hall and larger by a thousand
6:18	times than the most expansive Gathering
6:20	Place on all the Earth it was splendidly
6:23	decorated for the wedding
6:25	Feast now the Eastern custom was for the
6:28	wedding feast to go on for seven days
6:30	and seven nights well that was nothing
6:33	compared to what this King had planned
6:35	his Feast could go on without end also
6:40	though not one of the guests owned
6:42	clothing appropriate for such a royal
6:45	Celebration The King had provided
6:47	Splendid robes for every single one of
6:50	them this too was an Eastern custom but
6:54	these particular robes from this
6:56	particular King were flowing and
6:58	shimmering in and wonderful and white
7:03	the king surveyed the feast countless
7:05	thousands of thousands reclining on
7:08	couches feasting at tables laughing with
7:11	joy and dressed in his Royal robes but
7:15	look there was one fellow who caught the
7:18	king’s attention why had he not worn the
7:22	festal robe why had that fellow not
7:25	accepted the gift of the king he had not
7:28	why
7:30	because he had not come to honor the son
7:33	he had not come to celebrate the love of
7:36	the son for his bride friend said the
7:39	King how did you come in here without
7:42	wetting clothes but the man had no
7:45	response why did he disrespect the king
7:48	why did he dishonor the Son and the
7:50	celebration of the son’s love for his
7:52	bride but he had no
7:54	answer so with a word the king
7:57	dispatched the fellow to Outer Darkness
7:59	Ness and to weeping and nashing of teeth
8:03	there were
8:04	consequences for rejecting the
8:09	sun point three significance of the
8:12	wedding
8:14	clothes much of our understanding of
8:16	this glimpse of Eternity in a moment is
8:19	going to hinge on those wedding
8:23	clothes you probably have already
8:25	recognized their significance but let’s
8:28	take a moment to hear God word almighty
8:30	God foretold of the wedding celebration
8:33	and the garments that he would provide
8:36	in Isaiah chapter 61 verse 10 the
8:40	prophet
8:43	writes I Will Rejoice greatly in the
8:45	Lord my soul will exalt in my God for he
8:49	hasth clothed me with garments of
8:52	Salvation he has wrapped me with a robe
8:54	of righteousness as a bridegroom decks
8:57	himself with a Garland and as a bride
9:00	adorns herself with her
9:03	jewels and again after the crucifixion
9:06	and resurrection of Our Lord God
9:08	prophesied In The Apocalypse of John
9:11	Revelation
9:12	7: 9 and
9:15	10 after these things I looked and
9:18	behold a great multitude which no one
9:21	could count from every nation and all
9:23	tribes and peoples and tongues standing
9:26	Before the Throne and before the lamb
9:29	clothed in white robes and palm branches
9:33	were in their hands and they cried out
9:36	with a loud voice saying salvation to
9:40	our God who sits on the throne and to
9:44	the
9:45	lamb what is the key to understanding
9:49	the marriage Feast of the lamb and the
9:52	bride who has been robed in
9:55	righteousness the answer is found in
9:57	these white robes
9:59	they are gifts from the god of
10:02	righteousness to all who have faith in
10:04	Jesus Christ for Christ Jesus himself is
10:08	their righteousness and God demonstrates
10:11	his righteousness by making them
10:14	righteous by grace through
10:17	faith they wear their robes of
10:19	righteousness to the wedding of the
10:21	bridegroom Jesus to his bride the church
10:25	that is all who have
10:27	faith at the wedding Feast the king saw
10:31	The Man Without The Robe he was a man
10:35	without faith so he had no robe of
10:39	righteousness for he had no faith in
10:41	Jesus Christ he may have been a very
10:44	nice man and his life may have been
10:47	filled with acts of social justice but
10:50	God did not regard them as righteous
10:53	acts because they were not done by a
10:56	person who had the gift of righteousness
10:59	by grace through faith instead as Isaiah
11:04	describes in Isaiah 64 his Acts were as
11:07	filthy
11:10	rags the king looked across the Great
11:13	Hall Of Heaven seeing all of those
11:15	glorious white Robes of righteousness
11:18	that he himself had given to all those
11:20	who loved his son and had received his
11:23	grace through
11:24	faith without
11:26	faith there was no hope
11:30	but with faith they had no
11:34	fear
11:36	conclusion eternity in a
11:40	moment beloved before the beginning of
11:42	time our heavenly father has been
11:44	planning a great Festival it is a
11:47	wedding celebration for his son Jesus
11:50	and for the precious bride of Christ all
11:53	those who believe in him God wanted all
11:56	of his children to be there the young
11:58	and old the rich and poor the good and
12:01	the bad you see we may think that some
12:04	are especially good and others
12:05	especially bad but to God all are sinful
12:10	until by grace through faith in Jesus
12:13	they become righteous those who believe
12:16	in Jesus are given a robe that no one
12:19	can see a robe of righteousness for it
12:22	is made of the righteousness of
12:25	Christ you may wonder if many are called
12:29	and few are chosen will you be
12:32	chosen the Bible says that many are
12:36	called because it is God’s desire that
12:39	none should
12:40	perish and when the word says that few
12:43	are chosen it’s not talking about
12:46	numbers because each and every lost soul
12:49	is painful and precious to God it simply
12:54	means that less are chosen than those
12:57	who are called because not all who
13:00	receive God’s invitation will accept
13:04	it but if you know your sin and your
13:07	need for a savior then God’s spirit is
13:10	already at work in you and if you’ve
13:12	been baptized and believ Jesus is your
13:15	lord then his robe of righteousness is
13:17	already upon you though no one can see
13:22	it and though you know that you do not
13:24	deserve it it’s still there I guess
13:28	that’s the point no one deserves what
13:31	God has already given so freely the robe
13:34	of Christ’s righteousness by grace
13:37	through faith your heavenly father has
13:40	been thinking about this marriage Feast
13:42	for all
13:44	eternity today Jesus has given you a
13:47	glimpse into what all of eternity really
13:50	is about it’s about a great marriage
13:53	celebration Christ is the bridegroom and
13:56	you and all of his church are his
14:00	bride there wedding clothes belong to
14:03	all those who receive the father’s
14:05	invitation and all those who love his
14:08	son the robes that he gives are flowing
14:11	and shimmering and wonderful and
14:14	white you may think that the celebration
14:18	is a lifetime away but for God the end
14:21	of time is already beginning all those
14:24	who have faith in Christ have already
14:27	been invited from God’s perspective the
14:30	food is already prepared the guests are
14:33	already seated and they are already
14:36	wearing their wedding clo
14:39	clothes God already sees the end from
14:42	the beginning what he sees is complete
14:46	eternity in a
14:48	moment and
14:50	today he let you take a little
14:55	look
14:57	amen