The Guest in Filthy Rags — E.A. Johnston

Jesus often spoke in parables, and our passage today is the parable of the Marriage Supper of the King's Son. Our text can be found in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 22. You can turn in your Bibles there now.

The Marriage Supper and the Wedding Guests

We will be in verses 1 through 14. The title of my message today, friends, is The Guest in Filthy Rags. I will begin this message by reading this passage to us at this time. And may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of His holy word.

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come.

Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.

And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 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.

The Guest Without a Wedding Garment

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment, and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen.

Now, friends, it is not difficult to understand this parable as we stand this side of the cross. The Jews rejected God's word to them, and they stoned the prophets who were sent to them time and time again.

They ultimately rejected the Son of God, and crucified the Lord of glory. And through divine indignation, God burned up Jerusalem in judgment, and destroyed it by the Roman armies. The gospel became universal during the times of the Gentiles, where the conversion of the Gentiles furnished the wedding with guests.

The Mixed Multitude in the Church

In regard to the marriage supper of the Lamb, there were some unwelcome guests there as well, because there's a mixed multitude of wheat and tares in each church assembly. Good and bad fish exist together for now.

But friends, a day is coming where the king will come to see the guests, and question them regarding their right to be at that supper. This is the great white throne judgment. Many guests will be in filthy rags of their own righteousness.

In Proverbs, it declares, there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. That is this generation, friends, this modern church age. But these filthy guests who are unwashed, they are unwashed because their sins are not washed in the blood of the Lamb.

And when the king reviews their life and state, they will be merely a guest in filthy rags, for they will not be wearing the robe of righteousness, and their mouths will be stopped, for they are guilty, guilty rebels who do not belong there.

They will be quickly removed and done away with. Our text says, bound hand and foot and carried away against their will. They are cast into hell and its fires, for God is a God who must punish sin. He is a holy God who hates all sin.

Holiness and the Narrow Standard of Salvation

The guest in filthy rags is a soul who has died in their sins. There are few saved, our text declares. A few saved, many are called, but few are chosen. Like I said before, this is a very solemn sermon, for I fear that a good many listening to this message may fall into this category, because the church has lowered the standard of what true Christianity really is.

We have lowered the bar of the gospel so drastically in the last 60 years that many certain churches believe themselves to be future guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb, but they are merely a guest in filthy rags.

In the book of Revelation, there is a solemn warning. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he which is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still.

And he that is holy, let him be holy still. You see, friends, the church has lowered the standard of what a Christian is, but Christ has not lowered that standard. He declares, he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.

And he that is holy, let him be holy still. The guest in filthy rags is an unconverted person, whether they be a church deacon, a choir member, a Sunday school teacher, or even a pastor. The standard is holiness.

In Hebrews, the word of God declares, for holiness without, no one will see the Lord. Now, either we believe our Bibles or we do not. The guest in filthy rags is the unconverted church member who's never had their sins washed in the blood of the Lamb.

And therefore, they are not wearing a robe of righteousness. He that is righteous, let him be righteous still. Don't be fooled, friend, by the lowered standard of Christianity that's presented by our churches in this sad day of spiritual declension where the gospel is watered down and all the rights and claims that Christ has on a person are omitted from that gospel.

Complete Surrender to Christ

Jesus is either your Lord or he is not. You are either sitting on the throne of your life and ruling there or Christ as Lord is ruling there, for there is only room for one there, friends. And if the Lord Jesus Christ is ruling there, then you will have to live a life in complete surrender and subjection to him.

Now, either you accept that or you do not. That is true biblical Christianity. The Christianity of the Bible has a cross right smack dab in the middle of it. Jesus said, if you are truly his follower, then you will deny yourself and take up your cross and follow him, not go your own way and expect him to follow you.

It does not work that way, friend, no matter what nonsense the modern church has fed you and called it the gospel when it does not even resemble the gospel of the Son of God. Let me finish reading you Christ's words from Revelation, which followed this verse on being filthy still.

Obedience, Righteousness, and the Marks of Conversion

And behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city.

For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Jesus is declaring the marks of a truly converted person. Whose sins are washed in the blood and who's born from above.

He declares, blessed are they that do his commandments. Listen, friend, if your life is in direct opposition to that truth, then you are not saved. If there is no obedience to the commands of Christ in your life, then you do not possess Christ nor life.

If you do not pursue a life of holiness unto the Lord, then your profession is empty. You are naked without a robe of righteousness. The only righteousness you have is your own. Listen to what the word of God has to say about your own righteousness.

It is found in Isaiah 64 6. It declares, but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And we all do fade as a leaf in our iniquities. Like the wind have taken us away.

The wording in the Hebrew language here is a description of a filthy mistress cloth. Something that you would cast away from yourself in disgust. This is what your righteousness is in God's sight, friend.

A stinking, smelly rag. Your righteousness is a stench in the holy nostrils of God. Your righteousness will send you to hell. There was a time when I was an unconverted church member and I rested on a false bottom of security of my self-righteousness and my long track record of service through good works.

God had to show me one day that I was not only on the way to hell, but I deserve to go there. I became a secret God that day, friends, and praise his holy name. I became an object of his mercy for he saved me.

The other image in Isaiah 64 6 is that of a leaf that the wind takes away. There is no lasting fruit, nor is there a solid root of a sound profession. No robe of righteousness for without holiness. There is no robe of righteousness, friend.

You may fool yourself with modern standards of what you call Christianity and live your life for your own pleasure. But that's not the Christianity of my Bible. Crucified Christ must have crucified followers.

Sin, the Cross, and the Wrath of God

Now that is not a sermon subject you will hear much on from the apostate church of today, but it's true. There is a generation that is filthy still. They are unwashed. They rest upon a false foundation of a good opinion of themselves and a distorted view of a holy God.

Our passage in Matthew speaks of how when the king heard the news, he was wroth. That's an old English term for his wrath. God's wrath to be poured out on all individuals who die in their sins and are filthy still without a robe of righteousness.

For you cannot sit down to dinner at the marriage supper of the lamb without having your sins washed in the blood of the lamb. Christ hung naked on a bloody cross because of my wretched sins. Christ suffered shame and pain as he was nailed on that tree because of your filthy sins.

He poured out his blood and gave his life as a sin substitute. So I would not have to go to hell, to the hell which I deserve. Jesus came to save his people from their sins. Jesus did not go to Calvary, friend, so you can stay in your sins.

God declares, be holy for I am holy. Jesus never preached a sin in religion. My daughter was having a conversation with an older woman who had a brand of Christianity which differed from her Bible. She told my daughter that Jesus only wants part of a person.

In fact, that they had a young man in the church who's a drug dealer and he was caught in the church restroom having sex with his girlfriend and everybody in the church was glad that he came back the following Sunday because Jesus only wants a part of you.

Many people believe that nonsense. Listen, friend, Jesus did not die on a cruel and noble cross and shed his precious blood for you to call yourself a Christian and trample his blood if you were truly saved.

Then Jesus has all of you, not part of you. He is either your Lord or he will be your judge. For shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commands. I wonder how many churches in this country are preaching messages on holiness this coming Sunday.

I wonder how many pastors are warning their congregations to flee sin and shun evil and exercise repentance toward God. How many men are calling sin black and preaching on the sinfulness of sin? Not enough of them are.

The Doctrine of Hell and the Warning of Judgment

Our passage from Matthew says that the guest without a wedding garment was found hand and foot and cast into outer darkness. Right here, friends, as Jesus is relating this parable, he is preaching on the doctrine of hell.

How many pastors will be preaching on hell this week? I remember a comment that the evangelist Rolf Barnard made. He said he was in a meeting up north and he learned that a couple in the congregation was traveling 200 miles a day just to hear him preach in the evening.

And he asked them why they would travel such great distance every day when both of them held full-time jobs. And their answer was this. We never get to hear a sermon on hell and you're the only one in this area who's preaching on the subject of hell.

He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthiness. The guest in filthy rags will go to hell, friend. Those filthy sins will drag that person down to hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Weeping speaks of great loss and grief and gnashing of teeth signifies great anger and regret. There is a passage in the book of Revelation in chapter 3 which has been misconstrued to be applied to a carnal Christian.

But there's no such thing as a carnal Christian, friend. You were either saved or lost. The text is found in Revelation 3 beginning in verse 17. And I will close this message with these words from Christ Jesus as he speaks to the self-righteous who have worldly fullness and spiritual pride who live in self-deception because of their spiritual blindness.

Christ's Warning to the Self-Deceived Church

They are unclothed without the robe of righteousness and sit in spiritual poverty and lack true spiritual riches of a sound conversion. Here now are the words of Christ Jesus to his church. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.

And knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with thyself that thou mayest see.

The Invitation to Repentance and Mercy

Now listen, friend, to this invitation to the wedding supper. Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and he that hath no money. Come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon.