When are you "saved?"
I want you all to ponder something. We talk a lot in the Christian circles about "when I was saved." But when does that occur? How do you know? I would like to submit to you that you're not saved. NOW.....Before you flip out, I didn't say you wouldn't go to heaven necessarily. I just said you weren't saved.
What's the difference?
Well let me tell you two related (but different) approaches to this. In the Christian community there is a lot of talk that "God will never leave you nor forsake you" and "no man can pluck you out of God's hands." All of which are true. But I'd like to give you a differing thought on this. We picture "salvation" as a ticket. We think, we say a prayer and in exchange for my payment of a prayer I receive a ticket to heaven. All I have to do is give the doorkeeper the ticket when I arrive and I walk in. I said my prayer (made my payment, gave something to receive something) and I have now paid to receive my paper ticket that gives me the right to go into the pearly gates.
What if we're wrong? What if that's not God's economy for arriving safely in Heaven? Ask yourself, is this the way I look at getting to heaven? What if we look at it differently?
Why don't we look at it the way the Bible describes it. Jesus told a parable about a man who was having a wedding feast. He had invited guests but for one reason or another they chose not to attend. So the King sent his servants to invite all those in the highways and byways and to fill up the wedding hall with them. Let's picture this for a moment. Try to visualize this with me. Let's take a little stroll down a story path.
The King is busy with all the preparations for the wedding. He's attending to every little detail. He's checking to see if the ceremony has been properly planned. Do they have all the seats decorated, is the house decorated for the ceremony? Are the flowers near the altar (wow, they smell so fragrant)? Do they have the appropriate music picked out. As the King is attending to all of this the Son walks in and asks "Dad, what else can I do? We have lots to get done, what would you like for me to take care of right now? The Father thinks about it and realizes it's time to send out the invitations. The time is approaching for the the wedding to start. So He gives his Son the charge to go and deliver personal invitations to the wedding.
These wedding invitations are not anything special in and of themselves, but what they represent is the wedding of the Universe. Princess Diana's wedding has nothing on this one. The palace is decorated, the hall is ready for the union. The servants are busy doing their things. So the son takes the stack of invitations, hands stacks to his servants and helpers they all begin to go to all the highways and byways handing out these invitations. There's an endless supply of these invitations. The Invitation reads "The King of Glory cordially invites you to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Please RSVP to My son no later than before you take your last breath. This is a black tie affair, please be sure you are dressed properly. Anyone who is found not to be dressed appropriately will be escorted to outer darkness where there is weeping gnashing of teeth, never to return here. As part of this invitation and RSVP, I have built for you a dwelling place on my property. You may retrieve your dwelling information and keys during the reception. Attached you will find the list of appropriate attire. We welcome you all and are waiting eagerly to see you there. "
What if this were how it was? What if the Son or one of his servants hands you this personal invitation. You receive the invitation because it has been sent out to everyone (so really there is no need to be jealous over anyone else, nor is there a reason for you to laud it over anyone else, they've all received the same one). So the idea that you received the invitation doesn't necessarily guarantee your participation in the wedding. To reserve your seat you must give your answer, you must RSVP (Respond to the Son by Voice, Please). As you RSVP to the Son of your desire to attend, He in exchange gives you a "pledge" for your attendance, called the Holy Spirit. And in addition, your name is written in the book of life (the list of those who have stated they are going to attend.) I must make mention here and I say it in gest, but it is of the utmost serious of matters. Your name being written in the book of life is written in pencil. Revelation 3:5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Of course there is the opposite, you can send a denial response and you will be escorted to the outer darkness, your name will not be written in the book of life, even in pencil. Everyone is invited, everyone must respond. Ignoring the invitation is a negative or denying response. And anyone who denies the invitation as well as those not dressed appropriately will be escorted to the same place.
The Holy Spirit has been given to you to help you get dressed. Remember, on the invitation it said "black tie affair." You don't know exactly what HIS requirement is for black tie affair. You can have some ideas of what you think it means, but unless you know from one who is intimately involved in the wedding plans you don't know for sure. Remember, if you have RSVP'd and given a positive response that you would like to attend, at this point in time you have only reserved your seat. Nothing more.
The Holy Spirit, or the "earnest pledge" that you will be attending will help you remove your old worn clothing and help you to dress the right way to arrive, enter, and participate in this grandest of all occasions. You cannot go to the wedding and not be dressed the way the host has asked you to be dressed.
Matt 22:9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
You become chosen when you respond positively to the invitation and then you allow the pledge (Holy Spirit) to help you get dressed properly. Both have to be present to be chosen.
What does that garment look like? What is it? It is called the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness. The two together make up the wedding garments. According to the Old Testament pattern, it followed the garments the Levites were to wear. The trousers of salvation (the priest had to pull up from the earth and put on himself.) The robe of righteousness (this garment covered the rest of the nakedness of the priest above the waist, and was given from heaven and brought down over the head of the priest.) Then you had the sash or belt that held the two together and the mitre or bonnet with the inscription "Holy unto the Lord."
The garment required for this wedding is a Holy Garment. It is a righteous garment. It is only given by God after you accept the invitation (by putting on the trousers.) You start getting dressed for the wedding yourself, but once you have the trousers on, the rest must be done from heaven by the Holy Spirit. He changes your inner man (that's what gets dressed here.)
Galatians 5 speaks of the dirty clothes: 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. There are other verses that also speak to what is included as part of the works of the flesh (or the old clothing.) - Ask me and I'll get a list together for you if you would like.
And Galatians also speaks of the clean righteous clothes for the wedding in verse 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Verse 24 and 25 speaks of the changing of the clothes: And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let's continue on. The Holy Spirit helps you to disrobe from things such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, selfish ambitions, and He begins to help you put on the new clothes Love, joy, peace, patience, etc.
Let's answer the question then. When are you saved? According to what I read in the bible, you are saved when you show up at the wedding. The doorkeeper sees your name on the list, sees that the Holy Spirit has been given to you as the pledge to enter in, and also sees that you have on the right attire. When those things are assessed, you will hear those words "enter in."
Do not be deceived into thinking that because you answered the invitation by giving the positive answer in the form of a prayer to the Son means you are guaranteed an entrance to the wedding. You are not. Please take a moment to think about that. You are not guaranteed entrance to the wedding just because you RSVP'd. Just because you prayed doesn't guarantee your entrance into heaven.
You must fulfill the other requirement of being dressed properly. It's called Holiness and Righteousness. We don't like to use those terms because it seems like we've become "holier than thou, and self righteous." Or they sound really "religious." That is only the case if we have tried to get dressed for the wedding ourselves and are dressed in whatever manner and style we wanted to use. This is not at our discretion it is at the Hosts discretion as to how we are to be dressed.
So ask yourself the question....Did I stop at just giving my positive response to the RSVP? Did I stop at just saying the prayer and never changed clothes? It is not too late. Ask the Son to give you the Holy Spirit to help you begin this transformation.
Luke 11: 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
That's the promise that you have from the Father, the Host of the wedding, the King of the Universe. And remember, Mark 11:24 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Start getting dressed, the wedding is about to start.
Grace and Peace be to you,
Kelli
What's the difference?
Well let me tell you two related (but different) approaches to this. In the Christian community there is a lot of talk that "God will never leave you nor forsake you" and "no man can pluck you out of God's hands." All of which are true. But I'd like to give you a differing thought on this. We picture "salvation" as a ticket. We think, we say a prayer and in exchange for my payment of a prayer I receive a ticket to heaven. All I have to do is give the doorkeeper the ticket when I arrive and I walk in. I said my prayer (made my payment, gave something to receive something) and I have now paid to receive my paper ticket that gives me the right to go into the pearly gates.
What if we're wrong? What if that's not God's economy for arriving safely in Heaven? Ask yourself, is this the way I look at getting to heaven? What if we look at it differently?
Why don't we look at it the way the Bible describes it. Jesus told a parable about a man who was having a wedding feast. He had invited guests but for one reason or another they chose not to attend. So the King sent his servants to invite all those in the highways and byways and to fill up the wedding hall with them. Let's picture this for a moment. Try to visualize this with me. Let's take a little stroll down a story path.
The King is busy with all the preparations for the wedding. He's attending to every little detail. He's checking to see if the ceremony has been properly planned. Do they have all the seats decorated, is the house decorated for the ceremony? Are the flowers near the altar (wow, they smell so fragrant)? Do they have the appropriate music picked out. As the King is attending to all of this the Son walks in and asks "Dad, what else can I do? We have lots to get done, what would you like for me to take care of right now? The Father thinks about it and realizes it's time to send out the invitations. The time is approaching for the the wedding to start. So He gives his Son the charge to go and deliver personal invitations to the wedding.
These wedding invitations are not anything special in and of themselves, but what they represent is the wedding of the Universe. Princess Diana's wedding has nothing on this one. The palace is decorated, the hall is ready for the union. The servants are busy doing their things. So the son takes the stack of invitations, hands stacks to his servants and helpers they all begin to go to all the highways and byways handing out these invitations. There's an endless supply of these invitations. The Invitation reads "The King of Glory cordially invites you to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Please RSVP to My son no later than before you take your last breath. This is a black tie affair, please be sure you are dressed properly. Anyone who is found not to be dressed appropriately will be escorted to outer darkness where there is weeping gnashing of teeth, never to return here. As part of this invitation and RSVP, I have built for you a dwelling place on my property. You may retrieve your dwelling information and keys during the reception. Attached you will find the list of appropriate attire. We welcome you all and are waiting eagerly to see you there. "
What if this were how it was? What if the Son or one of his servants hands you this personal invitation. You receive the invitation because it has been sent out to everyone (so really there is no need to be jealous over anyone else, nor is there a reason for you to laud it over anyone else, they've all received the same one). So the idea that you received the invitation doesn't necessarily guarantee your participation in the wedding. To reserve your seat you must give your answer, you must RSVP (Respond to the Son by Voice, Please). As you RSVP to the Son of your desire to attend, He in exchange gives you a "pledge" for your attendance, called the Holy Spirit. And in addition, your name is written in the book of life (the list of those who have stated they are going to attend.) I must make mention here and I say it in gest, but it is of the utmost serious of matters. Your name being written in the book of life is written in pencil. Revelation 3:5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Of course there is the opposite, you can send a denial response and you will be escorted to the outer darkness, your name will not be written in the book of life, even in pencil. Everyone is invited, everyone must respond. Ignoring the invitation is a negative or denying response. And anyone who denies the invitation as well as those not dressed appropriately will be escorted to the same place.
The Holy Spirit has been given to you to help you get dressed. Remember, on the invitation it said "black tie affair." You don't know exactly what HIS requirement is for black tie affair. You can have some ideas of what you think it means, but unless you know from one who is intimately involved in the wedding plans you don't know for sure. Remember, if you have RSVP'd and given a positive response that you would like to attend, at this point in time you have only reserved your seat. Nothing more.
The Holy Spirit, or the "earnest pledge" that you will be attending will help you remove your old worn clothing and help you to dress the right way to arrive, enter, and participate in this grandest of all occasions. You cannot go to the wedding and not be dressed the way the host has asked you to be dressed.
Matt 22:9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
You become chosen when you respond positively to the invitation and then you allow the pledge (Holy Spirit) to help you get dressed properly. Both have to be present to be chosen.
What does that garment look like? What is it? It is called the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness. The two together make up the wedding garments. According to the Old Testament pattern, it followed the garments the Levites were to wear. The trousers of salvation (the priest had to pull up from the earth and put on himself.) The robe of righteousness (this garment covered the rest of the nakedness of the priest above the waist, and was given from heaven and brought down over the head of the priest.) Then you had the sash or belt that held the two together and the mitre or bonnet with the inscription "Holy unto the Lord."
The garment required for this wedding is a Holy Garment. It is a righteous garment. It is only given by God after you accept the invitation (by putting on the trousers.) You start getting dressed for the wedding yourself, but once you have the trousers on, the rest must be done from heaven by the Holy Spirit. He changes your inner man (that's what gets dressed here.)
Galatians 5 speaks of the dirty clothes: 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. There are other verses that also speak to what is included as part of the works of the flesh (or the old clothing.) - Ask me and I'll get a list together for you if you would like.
And Galatians also speaks of the clean righteous clothes for the wedding in verse 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Verse 24 and 25 speaks of the changing of the clothes: And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let's continue on. The Holy Spirit helps you to disrobe from things such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness, selfish ambitions, and He begins to help you put on the new clothes Love, joy, peace, patience, etc.
Let's answer the question then. When are you saved? According to what I read in the bible, you are saved when you show up at the wedding. The doorkeeper sees your name on the list, sees that the Holy Spirit has been given to you as the pledge to enter in, and also sees that you have on the right attire. When those things are assessed, you will hear those words "enter in."
Do not be deceived into thinking that because you answered the invitation by giving the positive answer in the form of a prayer to the Son means you are guaranteed an entrance to the wedding. You are not. Please take a moment to think about that. You are not guaranteed entrance to the wedding just because you RSVP'd. Just because you prayed doesn't guarantee your entrance into heaven.
You must fulfill the other requirement of being dressed properly. It's called Holiness and Righteousness. We don't like to use those terms because it seems like we've become "holier than thou, and self righteous." Or they sound really "religious." That is only the case if we have tried to get dressed for the wedding ourselves and are dressed in whatever manner and style we wanted to use. This is not at our discretion it is at the Hosts discretion as to how we are to be dressed.
So ask yourself the question....Did I stop at just giving my positive response to the RSVP? Did I stop at just saying the prayer and never changed clothes? It is not too late. Ask the Son to give you the Holy Spirit to help you begin this transformation.
Luke 11: 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
That's the promise that you have from the Father, the Host of the wedding, the King of the Universe. And remember, Mark 11:24 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Start getting dressed, the wedding is about to start.
Grace and Peace be to you,
Kelli
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