This sermon focuses on the importance of coming to God sincerely, shedding the facade of religiosity, and truly surrendering to Him. It emphasizes the need to make a genuine choice to follow Christ, not just play religious games or seek personal benefits. The story of the prodigal son is used to illustrate God's welcoming love and forgiveness for those who sincerely turn to Him.

New Testament, Matthew chapter 22, please if you'll go there. I want to speak to you today about surviving the family reunion. If anybody's ever been to one of these you know exactly what I'm talking about. Makes you wonder why we do these things, why do we persist in surviving the family reunion. Father, I thank you God with everything in my heart for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit of God, you're the only one that can take these words and make them key to unlock prison doors and you can make them an oil to give sight to blinded eyes. You can make them a healing balm to give healing to wounded hearts. You can draw the oppressed out of the grave. You're the only one that can do this Lord. I bend my knee to you and I ask you God to come upon me, come upon this church. Lord, gather us to yourself, speak to each of our hearts, draw us to a place where you want us to be. Help me to convey your heart. I yield to you Lord and I ask this in Jesus name. Surviving the family reunion, Matthew chapter 22 beginning at verse 8. Then said 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 you 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. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he said 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 the story I'm about to tell you is unfortunately true. I'm telling it to you with permission because I never speak about my own family from this pulpit or any other pulpit without permission. Many years ago on a summer vacation my daughter Kate was driving around with two other young ladies who were also ministers daughters. Isn't it funny it's always the preacher's kids that get into the deepest trouble sometimes. They were bored that we were on our holidays and they were driving through this little town and they drove by a local community center and there was a sign outside the center and it said the Cook family reunion. And there were about a hundred people or so that were attending this family reunion so they decided that they would join the family reunion and see how long they could be part of this gathering without being detected as imposters. As they entered the door to the hallway my daughter tells me, these are her words, there was a there was a poster with a family tree on it and so they looked at the family tree and they picked the most distant relative they could find on the family tree and they said they were related. It was uncle Frank or Johnny or something like that and they were related. By the end of the night they were being introduced in the hall as one of the cousins. They sang all the family songs. They ate dinner with the family and were in all of the family photographs. If any of the Cook family ever listened to this message on tape in the future my most profound apologies. Now you know who the three imposters were. At least you know who one of them was in your family photographs. Now that that are in a hundred homes of the Cook family is my daughter front and center and two other pastors daughters. She said they were a fun family actually and but there was one old man that knew we really weren't part of the family but he played along anyways. There's always an ancient of days who knows who belongs to the family. She said he walked up to us and he said I know I knew uncle whatever his name was Frank Eared. I knew him and he looked with a smile and he would have known what his children should have looked like, what those related to him, how many were in the family and he just he smiled and seemed to play along with it. This is the way it is with the man in this opening text. He's mingled among those invited to the wedding of the king's son. He's even perhaps been there long enough to get into the pictures and feel as if he belongs. Only to be discovered at the last moment to be without the required covering to attend. The joke can only go along so far. Imposters can only advance to a certain point. That's why the scripture says be sure your sin will find you out. Be sure God says I know everyone. Be not deceived the scripture says the Lord will not be mocked. He knows those that are his and the king came to this. There's a lot of people playing a lot of games in the house of God. There is a day coming when we are going to be gathered together to the banquet of the son and this man seemingly got in the door mingled among the people. The king of course would be the last to come in and when the king would come into the banquet that's when everybody would be seated. That's when the formal recognition of the wedding would begin to take place and this man seemingly was there intermingling among the guests unnoticed until the king came in and the king walked in and walked right up to him. What a tragedy it would be to get to all the way through the church world as it is just to get to that last moment where the bride of Christ in a sense is gathered and to have the Heavenly Father come in and walk right over to you and say how did you get here without the covering and the scripture says he was he was speechless. I think one of the things that Kate would say is to survive at the family reunion your answers have to be very vague. You can't give specifics because you don't know the history. You learn you can learn a little bit as the night goes on or as time progresses but you have to stay very vague and here's an example of how people can survive in the church and never really answer the question. You'll ask a person for example how long have you been a Christian and they will look you in the eye and say I've been attending this church for eight years. Have you noticed they didn't answer your question? You'll say well when did you give your life to Jesus Christ? Here's one that I've heard quite often well I've always more or less attended church my grandmother prayed for me didn't answer the question. Here's it I think one of the most dandy of them all what do you find the most exciting about being abandoned to the will of God? I like the singing on Sunday you know the choir and stuff like that. Don't answer the question, stay vague, stay distant, don't get too specific. You know suddenly in the presence of God there were no more answers. There's there's a lot of people who are imposters in the house of the Lord. They are playing games with God and with God's people and they seemingly aren't undetected and the danger as I shared with the at the communion time today is having touched the holy things of God for so long there's a spiritual sleepiness that comes on them and they actually begin to think they are part of the family of God. They can come and touch the communion cup and go back into adultery and fornication they can go back and lie and cheat and steal and dance in nightclubs and do all kinds of things without conviction without change there's no supernatural life within them they do love the music they do love to come in and clap and sing and dance they love the feeling of being happy they love the the sense of well-being that sometimes can come in the presence of the Lord but all of a sudden the king comes and says how did you get here without the covering provided through my son at the door? Amazing! You know folks the covering was provided Proverbs chapter 5 verse 11 and onward it says and thou mourn at the last when thy flesh and thy body are consumed and say how I've hated instruction and my heart despised reproof and I've not obeyed the voice of my teachers and inclined mine ear to them that instructed me I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. Can you imagine getting to the end? Can you imagine living for years attending church and getting to the end of all things to the banquet and finally being speechless that's why every knee will bow every tongue will confess there'd be nothing more to say in the presence of God. I shared with you last week to be many who've been begging for mercy but the season of mercy has passed the time of covering is over the offer for a robe of righteousness was given but it was somehow refused at the door and to get to the point at the end of saying I I was instructed but my heart I despised the reproof of God I despised this convicting word that God would send frequently through his servants that was would challenge me in my situation and how ironic and foolish to despise that word when you begin to realize the only reason God sends this kind of a word is because he loves you the only reason is because he wants to have you with him in heaven for all of eternity doesn't want you to be separated from him and sin separates from God would I do you a favor as a pastor in this church if I stood in this pulpit and told you it is well with you when it's not well if I told you you're accepted if you're not accepted or you're going to heaven if that's not where you're going if I'm standing and speaking for God there's got to be an instruction that comes from my heart and from my mouth you're if you are living in willful sin there should be a trembling inside of your heart because there's a day coming when you're going to stand before a holy God there be no amount of self-effort or self goodness that will ever get you into the wedding feast of the Son of God it is only the covering that is offered at the door Jesus himself said I am the door by me people come in and out and she'll find pastor he is the door he is the robe he is the covering when he died on the cross for your sin 2,000 years ago his shed blood was the covering for all the wrong that you have done if you bend your knee before God if you accept that robe but you see to accept the robe means that you have to become part of the family to become part of the family means that you are you are weeping with those that weep you're rejoicing with those that rejoice you're moving in the direction that the family is going in the only reason I can see that this man would refuse the robe is because he's really not interested in becoming part of the family according to the custom of the day this man would have been offered a robe freely at the door because the scripture says he sent them out he said as many as you should find bring them in and he would have been offered this robe but he seems to have refused it we ask ourselves the question what possibly could be in this man's mind that he would refuse this robe at the door that he would somehow think that he could sit at this table and be accepted when a covering is required there's a covering required in the Church of Jesus Christ it's the covering of faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice on a cross on Calvary there's there's an identification that takes place with him the garments that were given out would identify you or I as a guest as part of the family whether we were born into it or adopted into it or married into it we would be part of that family and the robe would identify us as being invited in to be part of that fellowship I'm going to give you an idea of why he turned down the rope if you go to Genesis chapter 3 with me please in the Old Testament and on these verses of Scripture we see the pattern of how people can be in the presence of God and yet remain in a state where their sin is not covered Genesis chapter 3 now this is I'm going to speak about this as a type Adam and Eve are approaching a tree in the garden just in the same way that you and I profess in a sense to have approached the cross on Calvary we've come in in a sense to touch God and to let God touch us we've come in to say you are not only my Savior but the Lord of my life and I honor the sacrifice that you paid for me and I honor you by giving you my heart by believing that you are all that is necessary for me to be justified in the sight of a holy God and I honor you by giving you my life and I will walk with you God all the days of my life and let you be my Lord and let you be my strength and my guide verse 6 says and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took her the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and and he did eat now many people today approach the cross in much the same way that Adam and Eve approached this tree in the midst of the garden they come to the church because it's good for food they come to Christ in a sense saying well my focus is on material provision and the satisfying of my own hunger and my own desire and that's the only reason they approach God because somehow maybe there's something I can get from God they missed the whole point of the relationship of what it really means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and when she saw that it was pleasant to the eyes a lot of people even here today you're in this sanctuary and you're looking for something to satisfy your inner desires and it's pleasant to the eyes I mean it's it's a nice sanctuary it's a beautiful sanctuary the worship is it's it's pleasant to the eyes to see a choir so caught in worship it's pleasant to the eyes to see a hundred nations gathered together worshiping God it's a pleasant place to be especially if we dwell all week in the midst of environments that are not quite as friendly and quite often we find difficult so a lot of people come to church just because it's pleasant it's a nice place to be kind things are spoken people speak well to us we come in the doors everybody says nice things it's a pleasant place to be and when she saw that the tree was to be desired to make one wise and many people attend church because there are principles of life here that can benefit them I can learn things I can there be seven steps to a more prosperous business 14 steps to a nicer marriage six steps to finding a life partner all these things are going to be taught in the church so I can learn there's knowledge here and you'll see that many many people come to the house of God with the very same focus that Eve and ultimately Adam had in their mind approaching this tree that God said you should you cannot touch this tree because it's forbidden to you now of course in the New Testament Church you can't come to the cross but there's a way prescribed by God to come to the cross and if we come any other way to that cross it only produces a spiritual blindness the underlying reason for taking the fruit of the tree the scripture tells us was to become masters of their own destinies choosing the course of their own lives and being the God of their own futures looking at the road before them and having the power to say this is good and this is evil and that's why they came that's why they went to this tree that's why many people come to the cross we have a whole generation folks that are doing this very thing in the church today they're not coming in to bend their knee to God not coming in to be given to the purposes of God not coming in to be yielded to God not coming into being part of what it really needs to be the testimony of God in the earth the heart of God for fallen humanity no coming into the kingdom of God just to become masters of their own destinies and somehow we can use God in achieving this purpose we can chart the course of our own lives and somehow God will be in it and if God's in it it's it's they view the crosses as a lucky charm in a sense you can hang on your dashboard or your mirror in your car and somehow it's going to keep you safe on the journey and ultimately they wanted to be their own gods they wanted to pick and choose from the written text what is good and what is evil and that's what the scripture says that's what the temptation of Satan himself he said you you can come to this tree and you can be just like God and you will know good and evil you will know what is right and you will know what is wrong and so those who approach the cross this way that's why the Pentecostal churches folks are drinking and dancing and partying right now as I speak that's why churches are ordaining homosexuals now and putting them in the pulpit that's why we look at absolute debauchery and we say how could this be how could it ever happen in the house of God that's why theologies have been developed that are all focused on self it's the very same spirit that came upon Adam and Eve that caused them to approach this tree and they approached it in an unholy manner they approached it in disobedience to God verse 7 says in the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked and sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons you see the presence of truth will always have some kind of an effect on those who hear whether you like what you're hearing this morning or whether you hate what you're hearing this morning it will still have an effect on you I've always believed if truth is preached you can't remain indifferent you've got to choose a side you've got to decide which side you're going to walk on you've got to you've got to make a choice when truth is preached when truth is preached the sinner will be uncomfortable when truth is preached the casual seeker will all of a sudden become very irritated because somebody is attacking their calf that they built somebody's attacking their concept of God that they've become very comfortable with somebody dares to open the Word of God and say this is not right but you better be thankful if you're sitting in such a place if it's not here if it's another church you better be thankful because this is about eternity folks this is about forever I would much rather offend you now and have you covered in the righteousness of Christ when you get to that banquet table of the Lamb I'd much rather have you get uncomfortable in your sin I'd much rather have you get angry at me but then go out the door and make a choice in your heart to live for God I would much rather challenge you where you are the presence of truth will always have an effect when you touch the cross for any other reason but to bend your knee to God you'll have to create your own sense of acceptance your own sense of belonging to the family of God in other words you will have to create your own covering and that's exactly what Adam and Eve did when they touched the tree that God said you will not touch this tree when they touched it their eyes were open and they had to make coverings for themselves because they knew they were bankrupt and that's the imposter the imposter will always create his own covering he will create his own sense of righteousness and ultimately verse 8 says they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden and ultimately you will find yourself hiding among the trees now you ask me what are these trees that I might be hiding among today I'm going to just read it to you you're going to see it so clearly Isaiah chapter 61 this is the text that Jesus spoke from when he stood on the day where his public ministry began on the earth verse 1 the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives in the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn to a point to them that mourn in Zion and to give unto them beauty for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Jesus said I came for this reason I came to give good news to those who know they need a Savior I've come to bind up those that are broken in heart I've come to give you a new life I've come to give you a new song I've come to give you a new hope I've come to take away not the memory but the pain I've come to take away that constant prodding of pain that is always in your heart over some experience that came in because of sin into your life whether it's your sin or somebody else's sin that was foisted upon you I've come to give you a healing in these areas of your life I've come to proclaim liberty to the captives praise God I've come to set you free from all that would oppress you from all that would keep you down I've come to bring you through these rivers of impossibility and fires that normal men can't go through I've come to give you a supernatural life I've come to take you from image to image and glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord I've come to put a new song within your heart a song of praise that is not only hard it's seen and men will see it and they will begin to fear and they begin to glorify God I've come to plant you in soil of truth that where the winds and adversities of whatever comes into this world will not overpower you I've come to give you the power to stand you'll be planted as trees of righteousness to every genuine believer that could hear my voice in this house today in the sanctuary in the annex those that are listening in other places I tell you on the confidence and authority of God's Word that if you are a genuine sincere follower of Christ you will not be overpowered in the days ahead the storms will come but you will stand God has staked his very reputation on keeping you he said I've planted you as trees of righteousness that I might be glorified praise God you can stand in the sanctuary and you can say I shall not be moved you can sing it with all of your heart no matter what happens no matter if the mountains fall if the seas overflow their borders and no matter if men's hearts are failing for fear my eyes are fixed my heart is fixed in God I will stand in this generation I will not be overpowered by anything that circumstance situation the world sinner the devil throws at me I will not be overpowered because God has bound his life into my life I have accepted the ministry of Christ praise God back in Genesis again chapter 3 verses 9 and 10 says in the Lord God called to Adam and he said where art thou I feel the Holy Spirit on me folks like I rarely have in my lifetime the Lord God is calling to you now you are hiding among the trees where are you where are you and he said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid and I hid myself because I was naked I heard your voice and I was afraid there are many many people some even sitting here today you know God is speaking to you you know he's calling to you he's not calling to you to condemn you he's calling to you to forgive you he's not calling you to crush you he's calling you to save you he's not calling you to shame you he's calling you to cover your shame he's not calling you to starve you he's calling you to invite you to the wedding banquet of his son today if you can hear his voice the scripture says harden not your heart the day is coming the banquet is coming the preparations are being made now he's coming for his church folks he's calling you he stands at the door with the robe of the righteousness of his son the cleansing of his blood the sacrifice that God paid when he became a man and went to a cross he stands at the door and he says my son my daughter come home I will cover your sin I'll cover your frailty I'll cover your struggles and I'll sit you down at the table and at this table you'll begin to understand your eyes will be opened the bread will be broken you'll see why I've come for you and why my heart is filled with love for you but you've got to come you can't hide among the trees hiding in the church is not salvation salvation is coming to Christ salvation is bending your knee to God salvation is stepping out in the open it's not hiding in the forest not hiding in the church not hiding among the people it's stepping out into the open and saying God I hear you calling me and I'm afraid and I'm naked I have no covering I've played the game I went to church I've gone to church for years but I've never lived for you I've never understood the cross the Lord says no you come to me now you come to me just as you are I will cover you then I will open your prison door then I will set you free then I'll give you a new heart I'll give you a new mind I'll give you a new spirit you'll be born again by the Spirit of Almighty God I'll give you power over unclean spirits I'll put my life inside of you and you will be a new person praise be to God praise be to God praise be to God the Lord says don't be afraid of this day be afraid of the day that is to come God forbid that you should be found without a robe of righteousness hear me today my daughter said there was an old man there that knew and you can fool the choir you can fool the pastors even you can fool a whole church but there is an ancient of days you will not fool him you will not get by him no deception will get by him and then he finishes the verse in Matthew chapter 22 verse 14 he said for many are called but few are chosen if you would allow me to paraphrase that verse many are called but few make the choice that's the I believe a more clear way of saying that many are called God is calling today but who will make the choice we'll make the choice to make the break from sin to make the break as it is from using God for some personal objective make the break from coming to church just to feel good and gleaning a few more principles about the kingdom of God and trying to apply them to your business to your life etc etc we'll make the break and say Lord everything I am is yours everything I have is yours I'm yours I receive you into my heart as Savior and I choose this day I choose this day to walk with Christ and to be part of the family of God who will make the choice today the Holy Spirit has used this physical vessel to call you but God will never force you into his kingdom and nor can you sneak into it you can sneak into church but not into heaven folks I have a sense in my heart the door is about to close I have an urgency in me and I beg you in Christ's name I beg you to get the covering then do you need a God now play no more games with God if you're living in sin trust him for the power to get out but you make that first step and he said I'll open the door and I'll release the captain but you make the first step and it's not just to get out of sin it's to live for God that's the key to getting out it's not just once I'm free from my sin then I'm gonna go back to my old lifestyle no no no I'm going with God all the way I'm going with God whatever he has for my life wherever he leads me I will follow him he says I'll plant you as a tree of righteousness praise be to God you have to there are many here today that you have to know you're you're planted by God there's a stability in your heart you can't be condemned by what I preach today is it's not possible because you you have that inner witness that cries out but father and you just rejoice the truth is preached and you rejoice that one more time maybe God would examine some corner of your heart but for you it's not about being saved or lost it's about I want to go farther and deeper with God but for the game player for the religionist and folks trust me they're going to be thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands who appear before the throne of God only to find out they have no garment if you can hear his voice we're going to stand in a moment and if I have to plead with you to come to this altar you're not saved salvation is a decision salvation is saying God I acknowledge I'm a sinner I acknowledge you died on the cross and I give you my life the Lord says to you I give you mine and you say to God I give you mine and you enter into a living relationship with God and you become part of an everlasting family we're going to stand and we're going to worship for a few moments and as we do for those who want to come home to God I'm going to ask you to slip out of your seat annex as well well I want those in the annex to make your way here we'll wait for you and you meet me at this altar let's all stand together those who want to come to Christ just slip out unashamedly balcony go to either exit make your way here make your way home do it publicly and do it now do it now folks don't put it off every game player get out of your seat every adulterer fornicator get out of your seat get out of your seat now and get to God get down here and get your life right with God you don't have a lot of time to play with this get your life right now every thief liars compulsive liars that are here get down here give that tongue to God let him make you a man of truth do it now everyone in the homosexual relationship get down here get your life right with God get a garment of righteousness do it quickly do it unashamedly what a tragedy to end up in hell and have having had been in the service like this a very clear choice to be made to live for God or to continue to play the religious game oh I beg you in Christ's name come to God now come to him now join these that are coming there many that are coming join them join them praise God keep coming keep coming don't let sin stop you it's for sin that Christ died you don't have to clean up your act to come to God you come to now he said remember he said go get him both good and bad and bring them in you can come in you can be a real mess here today you come to God let him cover you let him cover you just come keep coming there are many more that are going to come let's worship Greg if we could for a little while let's take a few moments talk to God talk to him let him talk to you give him your heart today give him the right to your life give him your future give it all to God now we just sang that song you're all I want help me know you are near and the New Testament is a story of a son who just went so far away from his father made such a mess of his life and of the family name and he came to himself just as many of you are today just an awakening what am I doing with my life why am I playing this game why am I living outside of my inheritance and so he got up but he was a long way off and many of you you've gotten up today but you're a long way off from understanding fully what it means to be a child of God but at least you got up and how surprised he was he couldn't even see his father's house was so far away and all of a sudden he sees this this white-haired old man come running down the road towards him as fast as he could run and he fell on his neck scripture says and he kissed him do you realize that's what's happening to you today God's just falling on your neck and kissing you and saying welcome my daughter welcome my son he put his arm around him and started to walk him towards the house and the boy was so ashamed and he started to say I'm not worthy and just make me a slave the father didn't even answer him and as they got close to the house he said to the servants bring the best robe see that's the robe that's the marriage robe that's the covering I said put it on him and the moment that was a robe reserved for royalty and the moment it was on him the stain of sin the smell of death everywhere he'd been was gone the moment you turn to Christ he covers you that's why he died he died to cover you he died to put away the stain and the stench and the penalty of your sin to put it all away he took it on himself and now he covers you and did more than that he gave him a ring of authority and he said now that the things that caused you to do what you do I'm going to give you a power over them now and they're not gonna have power over you you're gonna have power over them you're gonna have the power to turn away because of the Holy Spirit that's going to come upon you and he put the ring on his hand and said now I'm giving you the authority of what was won for you on that cross and he put shoes on his feet and said now you and I are gonna go places together and you're gonna tell other people the good things that I've done for you and the boy didn't have to go into a program trust me to tell it was all in him everything his father had done all he had to do is say look I was a mess he covered me I was bound he set me free I was blind he gave me sight but the key is that boy wanted his father you have to want God and you have to want his house because he put the robe in the ring in the shoes then he led him into his house and then he said strike up the band there's gonna be a party there's gonna be a celebration this son was dead and now he's alive he was lost and now he's found and that's the way God feels about you and you are welcomed in the family of God in spite of your struggles you're welcomed if you have a sincere heart that's all God ever looked for just an honest heart I'm not willing to play the game of church I'm going with God whatever that means for my life I'm going with God and we're gonna pray a prayer and this is not a magical formula it's just a prayer to help you to pray to come through to the Lord and when you do you've got to get into the Bible and you've got to get into a new believers class you've got to understand what this robe means you've got to understand what the covering is all about you can't just have this experience at the altar and then go your way and say well everything's going to be great you've got to learn now you got to be taught now you got to be trained you got to go into the house you got to go in he didn't leave him outside he went in you got to go in you got to get plugged in somewhere to a local church that teaches from the Bible and if they have a new believers class it's generally a good sign get plugged in we have people downstairs after the service that can help you with that if you need some information and they will you just make your way there let's pray together praise God Lord Jesus Christ thank you for loving me enough to challenge my sin and call me home thank you for dying for me paying the price for all the wrong things that I have done thank you for loving me and wanting me Lord I love you and I want you and I want to walk with you I want to be your child I open my heart I ask you today forgive my sins cover me that one day I can stand in your presence and rejoice in how good you've been to me on this earth I thank you today for forgiving me from this day forward my life belongs to you guide me teach me lead me I will serve you Lord as you give me the understanding direct my path and give me the power God thank you God thank you God thank you I thank you just thank you thank you for receiving me