The Way

Well, good afternoon, everyone. Very good to see all of you here today, and good to be with you. I want to thank Mrs. Williams for that very fine, special music. Very well. The words are beautiful, very well performed. We always remember that Christ is faithful to us, no matter where we are, what we're going through, we can always look to Him.

You know, for the last three years, if you look at our website often, you will see that we've had at the top of it John 14.6. And John 14.6 says that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. And that's a key verse in the Bible. We know that Jesus Christ is truth. He is truth. The words that He speaks to us, they are absolute truth. We know, we've just talked about as we went through the Days of Unleavened Bread, that Jesus Christ is life.

Life is in Him. When He calls and we take that bread of life and we live that way that He wants, He is the only way to life. No other way on earth than to be and follow Jesus Christ and live the way that He called us to. And of course, He is the way. He is the way. He came to earth and lived His life to show God's way of life.

He had all the words of the Bible. He knew exactly what those words were. He was there as they were written for us, to admonish us, to direct us, to instruct us. He could tell those words and as He worked with the Pharisees and the people who believed the same thing or said they believed the same thing as Him, they would talk about the words. They would know the words. But He showed the way. Because it's not just about the words.

The words are important. The knowledge is important. But what we do with those words, the way we live our lives, the way we conduct ourselves, the way we honor God and look to Him in all things and let Him direct our paths and not let ourselves get completely enamored with ourselves, that's the way. He showed that way perfectly. And it's interesting that as God brought Him down to earth and had Him born into His own people, that had the Bible, would have been so much easier, I suppose, if God had had Him be born into a Gentile area. The stark difference would have been absolutely so easy to tell because it would be obviously the Gentiles don't know the truth of God.

The contrast is completely, completely different. But He was brought to His own. And even those that knew the Bible, the Jews of those days knew the Bible much more than you and I do. There were scribes that wrote that and they were so meticulous in every letter they wrote. They memorized large portions of the Bible, said a few, even said a few words, they would be able to tell you. That's chapter and verse, what's going on in that verse. They knew the Bible very well. They had all the knowledge much more than we do. We have some memory scriptures, but today we have Google and other places that help us to find those scriptures when we have a few words.

It was all up here. But when He came and He showed the way, there was that conflict. There was that conflict between His own and Him because there was far, far, far more difference between people who believed the same words of the same scriptures but lived them differently. There's a way of life that God has called us to, not just knowledge.

Knowledge is good, but knowledge isn't everything. It's part of it. Let's turn back to Proverbs 3. Proverbs 3 and verse 5, one of those memory scriptures that we have. But it's always good to look at the words too as we look at that. Jesus perfectly exemplified this verse as He did every verse in the Bible. And the contrast between the people that He was there with is also noted in this verse as well.

Proverbs 3 verse 5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. He has always been faithful to me, right? We just heard that in the song. He's always faithful. He's always there. We can always call on Him. He will show the way if we let Him. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding. As humans, that's kind of hard to do. That's kind of hard to do sometimes.

We have to let ourselves go, if you will. We have to give up our thoughts. We have to give up our ways. We have to be cautious about what we're doing, what we're saying, how we're conducting ourselves. Is it the way that God would do it? Or is it our human traits that are coming into play? The Pharisees had the words of God, but over the course of history, they put their own understanding on the Scriptures.

They added this to the Sabbath day. They believed the seventh-day Sabbath. They kept it. They observed the whole 24 hours, but they would add this, and they would add that. And over time, their way became, oh, that's what we need to do. And if you're not doing it that way, then you're not keeping the Sabbath. And the Sabbath became a burden instead of a delight, among so many other things that we could talk about as well that they did.

But they let their own understanding, their own thoughts, they made it their religion rather than God's religion. And Jesus Christ came. You know, in verse 6, it says, In all your ways acknowledge him. In all your ways acknowledge him. As God calls us, and as we're here, we look to him. We follow him. We acknowledge him. It's him who leads us.

When we start thinking that we've got the answers, and we've got the merit, and we've got all this stuff that happens, we get ourselves in trouble. We get ourselves in trouble. And it's something we have to constantly be aware of. As we are in the days of Unleavened Bread, and we talk about examining ourselves, it's not something we do once a year. It's something we constantly have to do.

Because if we're following the way that Jesus Christ came, because when he came, he showed the people of his time, this is the way to live. This is the way God intended life to be. Follow that way, not the way you have. But they couldn't do it. But they couldn't do it. They didn't have the Holy Spirit. But also, they had become so enamored with what they knew. Their vision was clouded. If we turn over to 1 Corinthians 8, 1 Corinthians 8, and verse 1, the last sentence there of verse 1 says, knowledge puffs up. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Having knowledge is really good. The Apostle Peter in his first epistle says, growing the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Growing the way and knowledge. We do pick up knowledge. We do learn. God consistently and constantly gives us more knowledge of what to do. But when it becomes the knowledge is the thing, and that's the main thing we think, oh, I can do this, and I can recite this site in verse, and I can do all this stuff, and whatever. When that becomes our primary focus of the Bible, we lose something. That's where the Jews were of those days. They had the knowledge, and they thought they knew it all. And the Pharisees and the leaders of that time, we've got the knowledge, you can challenge us. And that pride that they developed and what they knew, and what they knew, blinded them. It blinded them to what the truth is. They couldn't even see the Messiah when he was standing right there in front of them. That's how blind they were. It's a terrible thing, isn't it, to think of that? That they couldn't even see who he was because they were so enamored with what they knew. What they knew. But Christ came to show the way if they had just watched, if they had just seen the fruits that he did, and saw, yeah, that's perfectly exemplifies the way of the Bible. The way. Jesus Christ said, He, He is the way. And you know that way is still there today. As the New Testament church began, and as you read in the book of Acts, there's four times in the book of Acts, it's actually called the way the New Testament church lived was called the way. It was the way Jesus Christ lived. It was the way the apostles were taught. It was the way the apostles lived. It was the way the apostle Paul, who was trained by Jesus Christ, lived. They lived the way by the Bible, but the way Jesus Christ did. With His examples, so many of which we have, so many of which we have in the Bible. In fact, if you go back through the Bible, you see that the way is there throughout the Bible. Let's just take a just a quick tour through four or five verses in the Old Testament, where we see this way that Jesus Christ came to show was right there that God was showing from the beginning. In Genesis 3 and verse 24, we come to the time where Adam and Eve have been confronted by the serpent, Satan, and they've made the wrong choice. God gave them two trees. You know, He said, all these trees you can freely eat of, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, don't take of that. Well, of course, leaning on their own understandings, paying attention to what others would say, rather than what God would say, they took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And in verse 24, it says, God drove out the man from the Garden of Eden, and he placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

They rejected God. They chose the other way. So the tree, the way to the Tree of Life, was closed off to them and mankind, except for those who God would call during this lifetime to live that way. A few chapters forward in Genesis 18. We come to the man Abraham, the man Abraham who did walk in God's way. Genesis 18 verse 19, God says of him, words, I think all of us would want God to say about, we want God to say about us, he says, For I have known him, Abraham, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, living the right way, knowing the words. Abraham didn't have the written script like we have those days. He listened to what God said. He was led by God and he taught his children that way because it was him. It wasn't just words like the math stuff that we need to do or what we learned in various classes. It was a way of life. The words are important, but what we do, how we are, who we are. I trust him, God said. I know him that he will teach them to keep the way of the Lord, to do, so key, to know is good, to do, to do righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him.

The way. Psalm, first Psalm, verse 6.

We see there's two ways, always a choice, two paths that we can follow. They were evident during Christ's time, evident during our time, no matter what situation we're in, at work, in the world, even in other places as well. Psalm 1, verse 6. For the eternal, it says, for the eternal knows the way, the way of the righteous, the ones who are approved by God, who are doing his word, who know his word, who study his words, who let him lead them.

The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Two ways, two ways to go, up to us to follow, and those in the us in the church have the opportunity to make that choice when God opens our minds to what his truth is and shows us the way.

Proverbs 14, another memory verse as we turn there that you will know as soon as we read it.

Proverbs 14, verse 12 says, there is a way, there is a way that seems right to a man. He puts his reasoning on it and says, you know, that's okay. We can compromise that a little bit. God's okay as long as we do this, as long as we do that, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. There's a way to life, there's a way of Jesus Christ who showed us the way to life and truth, or the way that leads the other way that has us involved in the choices that we make and the things that we do. And finally, in Proverbs 29, verse 27, it shows us that there's going to be conflict between those two ways. Just as we see the conflict when Jesus Christ was on earth with the people of his own, his own religion of his own nation and people. Verse 27, Proverbs 29, an unjust man is an abomination to the righteous.

Pretty strong words. And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

Abomination is a pretty strong word. There's a conflict. This is conflict between the ways.

So evident at the time of Jesus Christ, the way of Jesus Christ was in conflict, such conflict with people who believe the Bible, had all these other issues they did with it, but there was that conflict that was there. Not a good thing. Something not right when there's conflict. It's not of God. We know when there's conflict and things are not in the way they should be. Satan is involved somewhere. There's another way. There's a conflict in the ways of life. But Jesus Christ came and he taught us about the way. He showed us the way. And I want to look at just two statements that he made today that are pretty basic, but when we look at them, we see a lot about the way that he taught us to be. Let's go back or let's go to the New Testament in Matthew 7. Matthew 7.

In verse 13, everyone who knows the Bible knows these verses. So they can become very common to us.

In verse 13, Christ says, this is his words, in the Sermon on the Mount. That is prefaced by everything that he said before he came to this, well, we have the last chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, where he's talked about how the Ten Commandments are not just about the physical keeping of them. That's important, but now there's a spiritual meaning. You don't just not commit adultery. You don't even lust after a woman. You don't just not kill physically someone. You don't even wish them ill. You don't even hate them. And in Proverbs 6, or not Proverbs 6, Matthew 6, we'll go there. He kind of prefaces it all with it's in this religious element that he's talking about. It wasn't just laws that he would talk to anyone, but he talks about to the people of the religion there. Let's look at Matthew 6, 16, before we get over here to Matthew 7. He says, moreover, when he's talking about fasting, something that was known among the Jews, they did it, and some of them just did it because it was a pretense and look, I'm fasting, just like look, I'm keeping the Sabbath day or look, I'm keeping a holy day or look, I'm tithing or whatever it is. Matthew 6, 16, he says, moreover, Christ said, when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. They just needed to be seen to look the part.

But you, when you're following the way, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you don't appear to men to be fasting, but to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do it for him. Do it because it's in your heart, not just to be seen by someone or to have the outward appearance of everything, that everything is okay, but do it from your heart. That's what Christ is talking about. It has to come from inside, not just know the words. It has to be the change of character, the change of the internal change, the transformation that we talked about during the days of Unleavened Bread as well. It has to come from the heart, and it has to look like Jesus Christ. If we're becoming like him, do our actions, do our words, do the way we react to things, do they look like him, or do they look like another way? So let's go over to Matthew 7, verse 13. Christ says, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. In verse 14, interesting because New King James says, Because, but they said the literal translation there is, Christ is almost like making an exclamation. It should be how. How narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. How narrow is the gate? How difficult is the way to do that? So we have a contrast among the religious people of that day, all of Judah that was following the Bible, the whole area there that Christ was in, and they had these issues between themselves, and Christ says, you know, many, many go in by the broad gate.

They go in by the broad gate, and, you know, we use this the term many and few, and if you look up those words in the concordance, you see they really do mean many. That's the many that are there. That's the few who find the narrow gate, the difficult gate. It's interesting in the Old King James, when you look at verse 14, it uses straight and narrow gate, and in the Old King James, where it's the second, where it says straight and narrow, the word being narrow, a complete mistranslation of what the word is there, complete mistranslation of what Christ is saying there. So, when he talks about the narrow gate, the narrow and difficult gate, difficult is really Strong's 2346. Here's what Strong's 2346 means from the concordance.

Literally means press, as in grapes. But when you press grapes, you're not just lightly touching them, right? You're like stomping grapes. Press, as in grapes. Press hard, constrict.

Metaphorically, it goes on to say, the word means to trouble, afflict, and distress. To trouble, afflict, and distress. So, if we use the translation there, we'll go to a few verses to see, because there's only 10 times in the entire New Testament that this 2346 is used. It's, you know, the translators have softened it a little bit, right? So, it's because narrow, or how narrow is the gate, and afflicted or troubled is the way which leads to life.

And there are few who find it. It is a difficult path. It's not the easy path. It's not a path defined by what I want to do, how much I know. It is a path that follows the exact pattern that Jesus Christ. He is the one who showed the way to life. He is the forerunner. He showed us that eternal life and forgiveness from God, and a total change of heart and mind can occur.

When we use His Holy Spirit, He showed us the way, and His life was anything but easy.

None of us, none of us has suffered the way He did. His way of life was really difficult.

It was really afflicted. When you look at the apostles, when you look at Paul, and everything that he went through as he traveled around to those various cities in Galatia, look how troubled his life was. It wasn't an easy life. He had an easier life before Christ called him on the road to Damascus. He could be just like one of them, and he was out persecuting all these Christians who were following the way. But when he was called, he took up a life that he didn't expect, but he never, never faltered in it. Whether it was beaten, whether he was thrown off cliffs, whether he was hungry, whether he had plenty, he lived that life. It was a difficult life, but he kept his eyes on God, and what was the end of that? That life was a difficult way to follow. And so when Christ tells us, if they hated me, they're going to hate you. Those are words we say, but at some point in life, and as time goes on, and the time of the return of Jesus Christ draws near, we're all going to feel that heat. We're going to be pressed on like grapes. We're going to be constricted. People are going to look at us in a different way, and they're not going to be happy with what's being said. It's going to be contrary to what they say. You know, Christ talks about a time in Matthew 24, after the first four seals are opened, about a time when people betray each other. People turn in each other, and he's not talking about the world. Of course, they're going to, yeah, you know, I know these people. They lived on the block from me. They go to church every Sabbath. Sure, they're going to be that, but it's not talking about just them, because that happens among people, because we have to be, and we're in training now, to live this life, because there's many who go in or follow the gate that's broad and leads to destruction, but few, few that find that narrow path. Well, let's look at a few other places here. 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians 6, or 2 Corinthians, I'm sorry, 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 6. See a few other word times that this word 2346, it is Pilebos, T-H-L-I-B-O-S, is translated in the Bible, and it's never translated just difficult or narrow. It always is a different form. Every other place it's used. 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 6.

Paul, well, verse 5, he says, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory, living that way with Him in us, sufferings, consolation. Now, if we are afflicted, there's the word, if we are afflicted, it's for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it's for your consolation and salvation. That way is the way to salvation. That's the way. Chapter 4, 2 Corinthians verse 8. There, Paul again, writing the Corinthian church, we are hard-pressed.

There's that word, 23-46. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. We are perplexed. We don't understand everything that's going on, but not in despair, because we have complete faith in God who is always faithful to us when we are following that way that He wants us to follow.

Chapter 7. Chapter 7, same book. And verse 5.

Paul again, same book, writing, for indeed, verse 5, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled. There's the word. 23-46. We were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts. Inside were fears. Nevertheless, God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. The things that you encounter on the way.

And finally, let's go back to Hebrews 11, the faith chapter.

Hebrews 11 and verse 37. Speaking of all these people of faith who lived difficult lives, they had challenges and they were hard-pressed on every side. Verse 37 says, well, let's look at verse 36 and see the type of things that they endured as they followed the way of Jesus Christ, who He showed, but these followed the way of God that He gave them at the time as well. Verse 36, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in tune. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted. There's that word. There's that 2346. Being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They followed the way. It wasn't an easy way.

Okay.

Lion's Expository Dictionary describes this 2346 way, this afflicted gate in this way.

They say that the entry into this gate makes it impossible, or it makes it impossible for any to enter who think the entrance depends upon self-merit, or who's still inclined toward sin or desire to continue in evil. Isn't that interesting? Makes it impossible. If self-merit, inclination toward sin, or desire to continue in evil is part of the heart.

What it's saying there is exactly what God has called us to. Anyone who has this hope in you, and if Christ is in you, you have that hope of glory, what does he do?

He purifies himself. His goal is not to continue in sin, it's to ask God, reveal it in me, get rid of it, so that we become like him, so we look like him, act like him, our heart is like him, we think like him, because his mind is in us. That's the goal. Because to enter into that afflicted gate, that difficult way, it takes a total transformation, a complete surrender to God over the rest of our lives, and to deny self, as Christ said, and to follow him, not just with words, not just with outward appearance, but what's in here that drives us, and that what that drives us and keeps us moving in the direction that he wants us to be, to go in. Christ perfectly exemplified that. He was born on earth. He was born a human being. He had the same desires. He had the same temptations it tells us in Hebrews that you and I have. He just wanted to be liked by everyone. He just wanted to be accepted. And he had this compassion, even when people were chiding him. And you remember in Matthew 23, 37, where he said, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, all I wanted to do was gather you as chicks, but you wouldn't listen. You wouldn't do it. You wanted your own way. You resisted everything, everything that he brought to them, and they just didn't pay attention. It was just the way it was. Isaiah 53 tells us he was oppressed, and he was afflicted. We read that on Passover night. He was oppressed. He was afflicted. The chapter before that tells us that he was marred more than any man. Was his entry into life the wide, broad way?

It was the afflicted way. And he said, that's the way to go. Follow me. Not everyone's going to be happy with you, but just follow. Follow and commit to him with heart, mind, and soul. Many. Many will go in the broad way. Many. But few. Few enter in by that narrow, afflicted gate.

There's another place, another well-known saying of Christ, where he used few and many the same way. Let's go to Matthew 22.

Matthew 22 and verse 14. At the very end of a parable that he is giving here, he uses the same. It's the same Greek word translated many here, as we saw in Matthew 7. Same Greek word translated few. Same message that Christ is giving to the many and few that have, if we read through the parable ahead of us, are invited to this wedding supper. He says, many, many are called, but few are chosen. Many are called. Many are called, but few are chosen. The same many, the same few.

We know that verse. Heard it how many times in our lives?

When you look at the words that are translated there as called and chosen, they're good words, but when you look at what the actual Greek words are, called would be more appropriately translated, invited. Many are invited. Many are invited. That fits right in line with what Christ is talking about in this wedding supper that's right here, you know, in the verses that lead up to many are invited and few are chosen. So if we won't read through the whole thing, you're familiar with that parable, but as you look back over the introductory verses of chapter 22, you see these people who were invited to this wedding supper. And I'm sure your mind has gone to what wedding supper Christ is symbolizing in this parable here. Many were invited, but some of them had excuses. Too early. Got to finish this in my life. I have other things that are more important right now. I can't do, I can't come to the dinner at this time. But then he gets down to in verse 10. The king is kind of frustrated. I'm inviting all these people, but they don't want to come to the dinner. They all have excuses. Why not now? Or not be, or because of this. I don't, not the right time for me to do the dinner. I've got all these other things going on in my life. And so he says in verse 9, go to the highways and as many as you find invite to the wedding. So the servants went out into the highways, gathered together all whom they found both bad and good. Keep inviting. The wedding banquet will be filled up. If people are saying, no, I don't want to do that by the actions, by the way that they live their lives, there will be someone because there will be the wedding banquet that occurs. Verse 11.

For when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. He was invited. He was there. He was supposed to be there. He was invited. He just didn't crash the party, but he didn't have a wedding garment on. So he said to him, friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And the man was speechless.

Whoa. Whoa. You expected me to like dress up for this event? You expected me to be prepared? Spend some time? Spend some time to come to this wedding? I just thought it was I could come as I am type thing. I didn't have to really do any work. I thought if I was just invited, that was enough. But it wasn't enough. And so he was speechless and the king said to the servant, bind him hand and foot, take him away, cast him into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Many are invited. Many are invited, but few are chosen.

You heard in the sermonette about garments. Dr. Fauch talked a little bit about the garments. I want to go to Colossians 3 as well. Because when we're invited to the wedding, as we've all in this room and everyone listening at home, live now, that we'll listen to it on tape, and the many, many that God will maybe still call and is calling around the world, and all those who have gone before us, many, many are invited.

But are we paying attention to the importance of that invitation and the garments with which we are going to come to that wedding? Are we thinking about it? Are we paying attention to it? Colossians 3. Let's begin in verse 12.

Therefore, as the elect of God—and remember that word elect, we're going to come back to that a little bit—therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, this is what you're to wear. And then he lists 10 things. You've heard them. Put on. Clothe yourselves in tender mercies.

Kindness. Humility. The opposite of the Pharisees, right? Who knew it all?

Meekness. Meekness isn't weakness. Meekness is you are strong in the faith of God, and you stand up for it. You are under the control. It's strength under the control of the Master is what that means. Long suffering. Bearing with one another. Forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another. Even as Christ forgave you, you must do.

But above all these things, put on agape. This is what you're to adorn yourself with. This is what life is about. This is what, when you're invited to the wedding and you begin to prepare for that wedding banquet, these are the garments you're to be putting on the rest of your life. The fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5, 22. God is pleased when He gives us His Holy Spirit, and we put on these garments that He gives us. But above all these things, put on agape, which is the bond of perfection. It leads to everything God wants us to be. It leads to the oneness. It leads to the unity. It leads to the joy. It leads to true peace. Not peace is just, don't talk about it, but true peace and a meeting of the minds because all are of one accord. And then He says, let the peace of God rule in your hearts. That's some of those garments. It requires transformation. It requires a change of mind and heart. No longer who we were, because all these other things, these other garments we used to wear that are there in the first part of Galatians 3, we're saying those are not only going in storage, we want to burn those clothes. We don't want those garments to be us anymore at all. All these things. All the works of the flesh in Galatians 5, 19, burn those clothes, get rid of them, put on the garments. As Christ says later, the garments of salvation, Isaiah 61, verse 10, put on those garments. That's what's necessary to be at that wedding supper. Put that on. Now Peter says, in 1 Peter 5, 5, he says, clothe yourselves.

Clothe yourselves with humility. Clothe yourselves with submission. Clothe yourselves with doing things God's way, committed to the way, heart, mind, and soul, not just words.

You know, it's really instructive when you look back in the Old Testament and you see how God had the priests of the Old Testament dress. You know, back in Exodus 28, when you look at what he did, I mean, he was explicit. In fact, let's just look at a few verses back there.

These are people that are serving him. You know that, you know, you and I and everyone listening, God has invited us and we are in training to become kings and priests in Exodus 28. Let's just read the first, I guess, four verses here. You can read the rest of it later. The detail of what God says to them is pretty explicit. He says exactly what needs to happen. And you know, when we dress ourselves as we are wearing these garments and preparing the garments of salvation, it's pretty detailed in the Bible of what he wants us to do.

He doesn't leave anything to the imagination. You know, we can take it upon ourselves and lean on our understanding, say, eh, that's not an important piece. But you see, in God's Word, they're all important. Now we all learn. We all learn as we go along to live our lives in that way. Chapter 28 of Exodus, verse 1, take Aaron your brother and his sons with him from among the children of Israel that he may minister to me as priest, Aaron and his sons. Verse 2, And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans. Put some time into this. Put some thought into it. This is going to take work. This isn't something you just, you know, five minutes before you're leaving for services, go to your closet and drag something out. This is something the priests had to spend time on. It had to be fashioned exactly the way God said. Speak to all who are gifted artisans whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him that he may minister to me as priest. And these are the garments which they shall make, a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his peace, sons that he may minister to me as priests.

And if you read through that chapter, you'll see pretty explicit. Even the colors are there.

All the colors of the way that Jesus Christ brought to us, they're in there in the Bible.

All the accruitriments, all the accessories, all the way, it's there. It's in the words of the Bible, but it is more importantly with the spirit he gives us what we are adorning ourselves with in the inner man. The things that the Pharisees of that time weren't concerned about, but Jesus Christ so perfectly, so perfectly exemplified, and that the apostles after him so well exemplified. And all of us who are invited and take that invitation seriously will also exemplify.

That's why we're at it. Look at Ezekiel. In our Ezekiel Bible studies, we're talking about the Millennial Temple and what's going on there. You'll see that even in the Millennial Temple, how the priests are dressed is an important thing to God. He gives them directions. It's not exactly the same things as there in Exodus 28, but he tells them, this is what you wear when you're in this place, and this is what you wear in this place, and they shouldn't be mixed. If we look at Ezekiel 44 and verse 17.

44-17. Speaking of the priests, and he's got the line of Zadok there that has one set of responsibilities versus the other line. Verse 17, it says, it shall be, when they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall put on linen garments. Even tell us the fabric. No wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. They'll have linen turbans on their heads, linen trousers on their bodies. They shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. Pretty detailed, right? God says, if you're going to serve me, this is what you're wearing. This is what you're wearing. When they go to the outer court, verse 19, to the outer court, to the people, they'll take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and they'll put on other garments. And in their holy garments, they shall not sanctify the people. When you're doing this, this is the garment you're wearing. When you're serving in this area, this is the garment you're wearing. Pretty specific, pretty detailed. They are aware of the garments that they're wearing.

So we have all these things. Well, let's look at, I mentioned Isaiah 61.10. Let's go back and just read it. When we're invited, replace that word called with invited, because God has given us the greatest invitation you could ever receive in your life. Don't worry about the other invitations you're not invited to. This is the most important one. You pay attention to this one more than anything else in your life, but how you do it in Isaiah 61, verse 10.

It says, I will greatly rejoice in the eternal. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He, ah, we don't clothe ourselves, we do it by yielding to God and letting His Holy Spirit lead us and guide us and develop these character traits in us, these fruits of the Spirit. For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. That's the goal. That's what we're all here for. That's what we're striving for.

Not all there yet. I don't have all those garments ready yet. None of us in this room do. As long as we're alive, there are still garments to prepare. There are still things to get ready. But we can't pick and choose. We can't pick and choose that it is like God knows what those garments are. Jesus Christ bore all those garments of salvation. He perfectly exemplified them. And so must we.

We don't need to turn back to Matthew 7 13. So we have called. The other word that's there is chosen.

The other word is chosen. And when you look at the concordance again, that is better translated elect. Many are invited, but few are the elect. And so whenever you see the word elect in many other places in the Bible, that's the same word that's chosen with Jesus Christ, as he's quoted in Matthew 7 14. Many are invited, but few are elect. How many invitations has God sent out over the course of history? We have no idea. When Christ returns, we might ask Him, how many? How many? You said many were called. How many minds did you open to your truth over the course of history? And we might be mind-boggled. And when we compare it to the few, the few who are the firstfruits, right? Really, you call that many? That many you invited to the wedding, but only this many actually became the elect? That verse will mean so much to us. Many are invited, but few, because it's a difficult road. It's not the easy way. It's giving up everything. It's the Romans 12 1 and 2, giving your life as a living sacrifice. So we have the elect. So let's go back and and look at 1 Peter 2 verse 6. When we were reading in Colossians 2 about those garments that the wedding invitees were to be appearing at the wedding with, now that's the elect.

The elect were there with the right garments. But in 1 Peter 2.6, speaking of Jesus Christ, it says, therefore it's contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion, achieve cornerstone. Jesus Christ, elect, chosen, as is translated in Matthew 17. He's elect. He's the way. He lived his wife that he is called elect, the same thing God wants to bring us to if we let him, if we put self aside, and his way in the process.

Behold, I lay in Zion, achieve cornerstone. Elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. We drop down to verse 9. God speaks of everyone here because he would like everyone here, and that's listening to become an elect. He isn't willing that any should perish. He wants everyone to do that. He gives us the tools to do it, but we have to choose to put on those garments. We have to choose to follow the difficult, afflicted way, and not the way that's broad and that has all these elements to it. Verse 9, but you are a chosen generation.

That's the same word. You are an elect. You are an elect generation. You are the elect.

Now, I won't take the time to go through all of Matthew 24. You know what it says about the elect in Matthew 24. Christ says, because for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened.

For the elect's sake, they've been very loyal to me. They've lived their lives in the way that it should be. It says when he returns, he will gather the elect from the four corners of the earth.

The elect. He's the elect. Those are the ones who will be at this dinner. Many are invited, but not everyone who's invited is going to be at that dinner. If we look at, here I am, verse 9, getting off the course here a little bit, but you are an elect generation. A royal priesthood.

You're there. These are the people who God is working with who are allowing God to work with him. They were actually, I want to burn these old clothes. I want to burn these old clothes. I don't want them anymore. I need new garments. I need new garments that are of the order that you, that you God, have said I need to be wearing. You're an elect generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. Why? That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once weren't the people, but now you are the people of God. Now you are unified. Now you are all of the same mind. Now you are all of the same and following the same way that God has called us to. When we're all in the same, following the same way, there will be the unity that will mark the kingdom, that will mark the kingdom, and that should mark us, that should define us. And if it's not, then there's two ways. There's two ways that are conflict, but that's okay. We learn in life and we learn how to become what God wants us to be. Jesus Christ showed us the way. We know it can be. Do we choose that way? Do we choose that way?

So let's look at Revelation 19. Revelation 19, verse 7, here's this marriage supper at the end of the age. The elect have been determined by the choices that they make, the willingness that they showed by traveling the more difficult, afflicted, hard-pressed, constricted way because they had their eyes on the kingdom, not on the things of this world or what might be of their whatever people are looking for today. Verse 7, he says, let us be glad, let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife, she's made herself ready. She's prepared. She's spent the time. She spent a lot of time getting ready for this wedding. Not just, you know, I got the invitation and in XX time, that's when I will be there. Made some time to actively prepare that I come there with the right attitude and with all the garments that I'm supposed to have when I get there. And to her, it was granted to be arrayed in this fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

They knew the truth. They could recite chapter and verse, but also equally, if maybe not more importantly, they lived that way. They lived the way of truth. They lived the way that Christ did. They led it into their hearts and it became them. So they didn't do it because, oh, I have to. They did it because that was what they were led by God to do. And they had that character in him to just please him and to work with one another and to do the things that God wanted them to do.

That's what you and I. That's what everyone listening has been called to. That is what God has invited us to. And as time goes on and Jesus Christ warns, don't let the things of this world take you away from it. Don't let it distract you from what you're calling is. Of course we all have jobs. Of course we all have homes and other things that need to do. Those are all part of life. We live our lives the way God said because he intended us to be on this earth. But as that time to keep our eyes on the greater thing, the greater purpose for which he called, because when you're on that road, when you're on that road, that narrow, afflicted road, your life has purpose. It has a meeting and it has a goal. The other goal, not anyone in their right mind would ever choose the other way if they're thinking clearly with God's Holy Spirit directing them. So God has given us the tremendous opportunity. Let's close here in Hebrews 12 and remind ourselves that God has invited us to and how we should be paying particular attention to it and not letting the things of the world crowd in because there won't be any of the world. No, John said the world is passing away in the things of it. What needs to be built in our lives are the things of God, the way that he would have us live. Hebrews 12, let's pick it up in verse 22.

Hebrews 12, 22. You, this is all of us, right? All of us who have been invited. You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven.

God invited you. He invited me. How will we show up? How will we show up? What are we doing? How important are we showing that invitation is? Or do we let every other little thing cloud out whatever that invitation might be? That it's more important than that. You've been invited to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. Made perfect. Not because of our choices, not because we've leaned on our own understanding, not because of anything other than we yielded ourselves to God and let Him, let Him make us perfect as we made the choices in our lives to go down that road, endure it, as Paul said, counted all joy because we know that God is preparing us for the future of what He has in mind. To the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things, better things than that of Abel. The sprinkle of blood, Jesus Christ, what He did for us, it's better. Everything is better if we keep our eyes on Him. He is the way, the truth, the life.

A word of caution, he says here at the beginning of verse 25, see that you don't refuse Him who speaks. Don't refuse, don't resist, yield to God, yield to His Word. Test the spirits and follow the Spirit of God. Follow Him. He will lead the way. Let me just close in verse 28 here then. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.