Wash Your Robes

This is the moment where everything turns. Didn't think I would see it, it's hard to believe. Heaven crashes to earth. I've read the stories of all you have done. Parted the sea and set captives free. Never thought I'd be one. But I am a living, breathing, walking, tested creature. But I am a living, breathing, walking, tested body. And I am the living fruit of what the Lord has done. People live crazy, but they can't take away my story. No, no. Because I am a living, breathing, walking, tested bone. They said I wouldn't make it, that I should give up. But they didn't know that the God that I serve is more than enough. Oh, He can move mountains. Oh, yes, He can. He can make broken beautiful. I've never run out of hope when I turn to the God of miracles. I am a living, breathing, walking, tested body. Oh, yes. I am a living fruit of what the Lord has done. They call me crazy, but they can't take away my story. Oh, no, they can't. Because I am a living, breathing, walking, tested bone. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. The enemy did what he could.

But the Lord, He has used it for good. Oh, look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. They've tried to kill and destroy. Oh, Lord, they've been under control. I am a living, breathing, walking, tested body. Oh, yes. I am a living fruit of what the Lord has done. Oh, the Lord has done. They call me crazy, but they can't take away my story. They can't take my story. Because I am a living, breathing, walking, tested bone. Yes, I am. I am a living, breathing, walking, tested bone. Yes, I am. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. The enemy did what he could. But my Lord, he has used it for my good. Oh, look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. They've tried to steal and destroy. Oh, Lord, they've been under control. I am a living, breathing, walking, tested body.

Yes, I am. I am a living fruit of what the Lord has done. Oh, the Lord has done. They call me crazy, but they can't take away my story. I am my living, breathing, walking death for you. I am my living, breathing, walking death for you. No, no, don't stop now. Give God praise this morning. God bless you. Smile at somebody on the way down. Jesus had a way of just saying it. And one of those things he just said makes you ponder the simplicity of his speech, how he seems to cover it all with a few words. Here's one of those verses I'm talking about in Matthew chapter 7, verse number 13. 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. That kind of sums up the whole world, doesn't it? Enter by the narrow gate, because the gate to hell and destruction is broad. It's an interstate highway to hell. It's full of people partying, laughing with empty hopes, busted up dreams, using every attempt in the world to be satisfied with something, and it never happens. And yet they stay on that road because so many others are on that road. Even though they are lonely in a crowd, at least there is a crowd. But then Jesus said, the gate I'm talking about is narrow, tight, straight, and difficult. It's not easy to get in this gate, and it's not easy to live this life. It is a battle. It is a daily battle. Every day you get up, you have to start all over again, but this road leads to life.

This is a path. There aren't many people pushing you aside. There's not lots of crowd noise. There aren't very many appealing things to do. You just squeeze in through the gate, and you walk the narrow path because you believe it leads you to life. And Jesus said, there are few that find it. There's that word few again, few that find it. He's saying there are people looking, they're searching. Most people are searching in the wrong way, have gone through the wrong gate, but there are some who are searching, and they will find it, but they are few. Jesus gave a parable in Matthew chapter 22 about a wedding feast and said a king made a great feast for his son and sent out his servants and invited all these people to the wedding feast, and one after another they gave excuses why they couldn't come. They were too busy, too involved with life. And that's the gospel in a nutshell. The gospel has gone forth to the ends of the world, and yet so many people are too busy. They just can't do it right now. So in this place, in this banquet hall, it's still Matthew 22. too. Jesus says that the master of the banquet walked in and saw a man sitting there without a wedding garment. You remember this? Without a wedding garment. See, you can't just saunter in. You have to be prepared. You have to be qualified. You have to put on the proper raiment. And the master of the house said, what are you doing here without a wedding garment? And the Bible says he

was speechless. He didn't know what to say. And Jesus said to the people around him, get him out of here. Take him and throw him into outer darkness where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Folks, that's the picture of the church today. You've got lots of people who come to church, go to church, but they don't have on the wedding garment. And as you've heard me say maybe a million times, coming to church does not get you to heaven. You have to have on the right clothes, and those clothes have to be robes of righteousness that Jesus Christ himself offers you, and you have to put them on. You become a child of God through faith in the blood of Jesus alone, by grace alone. So to be a participant of that wide road and yet occasionally stop off by church, to be on the road to destruction, but ever so often go to church does not get you off the road. So you have to be born again. So at the end of that parable, Jesus said, many are called, few are chosen. That's difficult if you look at it from the wrong perspective, but here's the right perspective. Many are called. The gospel has been preached. Folks, it's all over the world. Many are called, few, there's that word, few again are chosen. Few do the choosing. Many are called, very few people choose to heed the call. And then I turned over to Revelation chapter 17, and read these words about our Lord coming back to fight at the battle of Armageddon. These will make war with the Lamb, talking about the nations that fight, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with him are called, chosen, and faithful. You see, those who are called have the greatest invitation

that a human being could possibly have. Come unto me all you that labor, and I'll give you rest. Come to me, and I'll save you, cleanse you, redeem you. That's the call. The chosen are those that say, I believe it. I receive it. I take it by faith. And then they know they are chosen because they are faithful. You see, brothers and sisters, you don't just get saved and then keep living your life. There's a thing called faithfulness. It's when you get up every day and start all over again. You don't mind if I go back to the book of Revelation, do you? I love this book. It says, one of the elders answered, saying to me, now understand this, we've already gone in the rapture by the time you get here. We're in heaven with the Lord. He's talking to those who have endured the tribulation, who have lost their lives, persecuted for Christ's sake on this earth during the tribulation. One of the elders answered, saying to me, who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from? And I said to him, sir, you know. So he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and, listen, washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before for the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will dwell among them." Did you see that? They've washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. Washed. Now, let's be honest. When I got saved, I got washed in the blood and I received a robe of righteousness. I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.

I'm a new creation in Christ. But folks, I have to get up every day and wash my robes. Before I go to bed at night, I wash my robes. I live in a nasty world, filthy, vile, and ungodly. I can't take ten steps without this world affecting me in some way or another, trying to lure me like the sirens of the deep, trying to call me into a dark place to offer me something they cannot give. I live in a bad world. I live in a broken, fallen world, a sinful world. I cannot live a day without having its filth rub off on me. And that's why this says they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. How can I get it across to you? Every day you get up and you start all over again. This is eternal stuff. This is about your soul. You don't just cruise into heaven. You're a warrior and this is a battle. You're a farmer and you're planting and you're reaping. You're a carpenter and you're building. You're a shepherd and you're shepherding. It goes on every day. And I have to do something every day about my garments and my robes. Then I turned over to Revelation chapter 19 and read these words. Let us be glad and rejoice. Let us give him glory.

For the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. Wow. It's time for Jesus to come back in this passage. The rapture has already taken place. We've gone to be with the Lord. We got married in heaven and now he's coming back with his bride for a marriage feast in Jerusalem. All the church from Pentecost to the rapture is the bride of Christ. All the other believers outside of that are the invited guests. They've been invited to come and watch the Lord marry or see who the Lord's bride is, the one he married. And the Bible says his wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Wow. Did you know you're engaged to Jesus? She made herself ready. He wasn't there, but she prepared every day. I remember when Sandra and I were going to marry, I thought it was her job

to do all the little stuff. You know, I just wanted to get married. I wanted to come down the aisle and say, yes, I do, kiss her and get on with it. What I didn't realize is that months and months beforehand there were things to be ordered and dresses to be measured and suits to be rented. It just never stopped and it went on and on. This cannot be happening. But you see, I already put a ring on her finger. She was engaged to get married and she was preparing herself. What I want to tell you this morning is he may seem far away and there are times when you wonder if it's ever going to happen and the load of life gets too big and the details of living and washing the robes and doing all that you do get to you. But all you have to do is look and be reminded I'm engaged. That's what he sent the Holy Spirit for. The Holy Spirit is called a down payment in Paul's writings.

The Holy Spirit is also an engagement ring. For the church if you're sitting here this morning or standing here today Raising your hands praising God You ought to be reminded. I'm engaged and I'm the one that's got to make herself ready I got to get up and take care of the details of my life today. I've got to pray I've got to study God's Word. I have to act like a Christian. I have to wash my robes There's no end to it. It seems like it's never going to happen. However Soon and very soon It could be today There is going to be a trumpet blast That will make graves explode and we will meet him in the clouds He's more happy about it. Then we are folks Somebody hear me Jesus is coming again Jesus is coming for his bride Jesus is coming back to get us So when life gets heavy and weary, I just kind of look there and say hey he meant what he said Haven't seen him for a while. I can't seem to hear him right now, but he means what he says. He is the truth He cannot lie. He will not change his mind If I take care of my robes if I prepare myself, I'll be glad when the trumpet sounds I Will see him for myself Who is this king of glory I Remember when Jesus was on The mount and he gave instructions to his disciples The Bible says while he was teaching them he began to rise and the cloud received him Can you just imagine? Maybe that's what David meant when he said who is this king of glory? Who is this king of glory and when Jesus rose after having lived on this earth for 33 years and went? Back to the heaven he left and stood outside the gate And one of the watchers said who is this king of glory Jesus said I am the king of glory

Let him in and Jesus goes in and he sits down by the father and the father said son You've done well son You're not finished yet You got to get back up and go back and get the ones I have appointed for you to be married to So Jesus will stand up Jesus will step out on the clouds the trumpet will sound and here we'll go to meet the Lord in the air and Instead of Jesus standing in front of the gate by himself next time. He'll have 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands of born-again blood-washed Members of his body his bride and when they call out who is this king of glory? Jesus will say and we will say he is the king of glory Let him come in So the question is are you making yourself ready? Hmm Do you get up every day and say I'm a day closer. Let me make sure everything is in order in my life Let me make sure my heart's clean my hands are cleaned This could be the day I Have to be ready You know, there's a parable You know it well Matthew chapter 25 Five wise five foolish nod your head if you know what I'm talking about What was wrong with the five foolish ones They weren't ready They weren't ready they had not prepared for a delay Had Jesus come immediately they would have been fine But

Nobody realized Nobody has realized that it would have been two thousand years Since Jesus left And left with the promise if I go I Will come again So the Apostles thought it would be right away. It wasn't The early church fathers. That's that's the disciples of the disciples thought Oh, it'll be in our generation, but 300 years passes and five and seven and eight, nine, twelve, fourteen, eighteen, two thousand years have passed. He still hasn't come back. And so when there is a delay, you can get lax. That's what's true with everything in life. You know that, don't you? When there is a delay, you can get lax. So you have to constantly remind yourself this could be the day and do live today as though it will be the day. They just weren't ready. And one of the reasons that the church is having to fight so aggressively, I believe we're the last generation before the rapture. I do. I believe it could happen today. We are living in a Babylonian world. We live in a broken, fallen, sinful, irreparable world. It's headed for destruction. It's the broad way. Every government on earth is crooked. Most of the people who run every government on earth are crooked. All systems are upside down, crooked and perverse. The world is laughing on its way to hell, spending, buying, drinking, marrying, ooh, giving in marriage just as it was in the days of Noah. And since I'm in it, and I'm inundated by it, do you know what I mean when I say that? When you walk out of this building, you're walking out into their world. You will hear their language, see their nudity, their perversion. You will see their values, without which we can hardly live at times. We have to work, buy, and eat, and we still have eyes. We can see, and we have to fight it all the time, every day. Here I go again. Wash your robes every day. Make yourself ready every day. But right in the middle of John's description of Babylon, the Babylonian system, here's what it says, I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her my people, lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues. What stands out to me is that

he's talking to his people. This is not an evangelistic thrust to the world. This is not a crusade where we're trying to get people in the altar. This is an angelic yell, a blast from heaven saying to you and me, come out of her. Come out of who? Babylon. She is a seductress. She's a temptress. She's smarter than you are. She has access to your needs and emotions. Come out of her. My people, lest you partake of her sins, lest you give in. And I'm appealing to you today. That's what preachers do. We appeal to people. Check your heart. What are you thinking about more? Babylon or heaven? Babylon and its offers, its tantalizing lures, the possibility of having more money, owning more things, having more fun, which only leads to emptiness and misery. Come out of her. She will hurt you. She will disappoint you. He will cause you to suffer. No child of God can get involved with Babylon without pain and suffering, disappointment and heartache. It just doesn't work that way. You belong on a different road. You have a different life. Come out of her, my people. Stop and think, what am I living for? Can everybody hear me? What are you living for? What are you living for more of? What is more important to you than eternal life? What are you willing to do to have more of Babylon knowing that Babylon will eventually kill you, destroy you, and you'll be lost forever? What do you mean Babylon, preacher? Be plain. Money, power, recognition, stuff. The more you get, the more you want.

And what you got has not satisfied you yet. You've got the world by the tail at the moment, but that tail is a serpent, and he does bite. And that's why he says right in the middle of this revelation, come out of her, my people. Wash your robes, make ready. The bridegroom is coming. I do a lot of meditating. I learned this a long time ago. Meditation is a powerful thing, waiting and meditating. It does something in me that I cannot explain. While I was meditating yesterday, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, someone will be there tomorrow who isn't as fervent in spirit as they used to be. They allowed someone to hurt them. They allowed something to wound them, and they haven't been the same since. The twinkle has gone out of their eye. If you are the one, let me just ask you. You remember when you first got saved, how joy-filled you were and excited, and when you found Central? Man, you couldn't wait to get to Central, and you wondered, why don't you have a night service? I want to come twice on Sunday morning and at night. I'm going on missions trips. I'm involved in everything you got. Oh, man, I invite my friends. I tell everybody everywhere I go, man, I'm so happy.

I found Jesus in my life. But that's gone now, and you have decided that you'll just be on the sidelines. You will watch, but you will not participate. You'll just go through the motions. Somebody hurt you. And this pastor wants to tell you, the Lord will restore the joy of your salvation. I don't care how far along you've gone. It came down to the last hour for Samson, but in the last hour of his life, he did more than he did the entire time of his life. I want to tell you, the Lord waits. He's a restoring God. He restores your soul. And what's happened... that you've lost your first love, you know, the excitement, it's gone and now it's just, I go to church. And I don't know who did it to you. If somebody here did it to you, I apologize because we have some rude people here. Honestly, some people are so rude I wonder, how can you be saved? You know, we have people tell other people, hey, that's my seat. You don't have a seat. In fact, I tell you what I want you to do right now. I want everybody in this building to repeat after me. Ready? This is my seat. That's not loud enough, not everybody's doing it. Say it. This is my seat. Unless you get here first. Because nobody has the right to claim a seat and insult or hurt somebody else just because they might not know. There's some rude people in the parking lot, and these officers can tell you. There you go. I don't understand that attitude. I can't figure out why you could come in here and raise your hands and sing and then speak disrespectfully to somebody.

Something's wrong somewhere. But I want you to know something about this whole thing. If you're one of the ones that feels, what is the term everybody uses now? Marginalized. Pushed out, pushed to the side, or you just decided to marginalize yourself, you're living a miserable life, and you don't have to anymore. Because Jesus loves you, and I don't care what happened, the Lord can restore you, and you can get that spark and that fire back, and you can know what it means. See, here's Jesus. Matthew chapter 7. Jesus gave an illustration of a man who had an unclean spirit, a nasty, nauseating, agitating, aggravating spirit that controlled him. But the spirit was cast out, and Jesus said, when that spirit left, that spirit went looking for somebody else to go into. Here, you need to know this about demons and spirits. They want to be in human bodies. They're looking for anything that's empty, or anything that's foul, or an attitude that they're comfortable with. And so he couldn't find one. He said, hmm, I'll go back and check that guy I just came out of. And he went back, and Jesus said he found that he found it clean, but empty, and said it was in order. Neat, in order, clean, but empty. And so that demon went and got seven more demons worse than he was. And Jesus said, the last state of that man is worse than the beginning. Can you hear me, church? The longer you let emptiness control you, and disappointment, and heartache, it will develop into bitterness, and the devil says, I'm at home now. Bitterness and anger, I'm right at home now. Because this is entry-level stuff. This is gateway emotions. get in where there's bitterness and pain and hurt and wounding, I can work a little farther and a little farther. So here you sit, somebody, somebody, the Lord didn't give me this for nothing. Somebody's sitting here today, but the Lord also told me to tell you, you don't have to leave this building the way you came. You don't have to feel empty. You don't have to feel left out, angry, disappointed, or anything else. The joy of the Lord can be your strength. But here's what you got to do. Let's make it practical. Here's what you have to do. There are three terms in Scripture. The Bible uses the word stir. In Isaiah, God said through Isaiah, or to Isaiah, I can't figure out why I can't find a man who

will stir himself up to take hold of me. That means slap yourself and say, I need God. Second time, he says, Paul, Peter says, stir up. Paul says, stir up the gift that is in you. In other words, what's become settled and normal, stir it up inside of you. Peter said, I've come to stir up your pure mind by way of remembrance. He said, stir up your memory. Has God ever failed me? No. Has God been good to me? Yes. Did God deliver me? Yes. Stir it up. Remember what he did. Don't forget the goodness of the Lord and the gifts he gave you. Don't let them lie there dead. Stir them up. Say, I got to get back in the ministry. Get back in Christian living. Make this thing exciting again. I'm going to stir myself up and take hold of God. I don't feel it right now. The Scriptures aren't talking to me right now, but God said if I draw near to him, he would draw near to me. So I stir myself up to take hold of God. That's what you have to do. Stand with me, please. Did you enjoy the Mother's Day sermon? Yes. That very first Sunday, I gave an altar call. I don't know who was saved and who wasn't. Out of 30 people, I just didn't know, but I knew everybody needed to worship. And so I asked them to gather around the front. Didn't take long for 30 people to get there. Here's what I want you to know, whoever you are. If you will decide you are sick and tired of being empty and disappointed and angry and hurt and say, I can't live the rest of my life this way. There's joy in Jesus, and I want it back. You can have it right now. So I'm going to open the altar. I know it's kind of a touchy subject. You know, you don't want people to see you, but I'm going to at least give the opportunity, if you'd like to come down and say, today, I begin a stirring process in my life. I'm going to run after Jesus like I never have before. Somebody will pray with you. If you don't feel so disposed to come, why don't you this very day, and I know it's Sunday. And I know it's Sunday. Why don't you get your Bible and get in a closet or a room and say, whether I feel it or not, I'm going to read three chapters in the book of John. Whether I feel it or not, I'm before God, and I'm going to read God's Word.

You have just begun a revival in your life. You have just begun a stirring in your soul. I'd rather have Jesus. ♪ I'd rather have Jesus than houses of lead ♪ ♪ I'd rather be led by His will to save me ♪ Sing it, church. ♪ He'll be our King, how I'll ask no name ♪ ♪ How I'll ask no name and be held in sin, let's pray ♪ ♪ I'd rather have Jesus than anything ♪ ♪ This world of yours to me is all I need ♪ ♪ This world of yours to me is all I need ♪ ♪ How I'll ask no name and be held in sin, let's pray ♪ I'll wait just a moment. How many of you know that people can discourage you, people are presumptuous, and people are rude? How many of you know that? Then why let somebody like that steal your joy? While they're coming, I'll just mention this. Of late, I've had some more clips go viral. And somebody said, have you checked the comments? I said, well, not really. And I checked one platform, 847 comments. And I thought, I'll just read a few. Oh, I said, I cannot do this. People are mean, they're uninformed, they're rude. I'm not letting them take my joy away. I know whom I have believed. ♪♪ Come on, it's free. If you want to come on down, you're not holding anybody up. Come on down.

And the Lord can restore, and let me tell you something. I'm going to preach on this before long. The Lord can restore what the locusts has eaten, what the caterpillars have eaten. The Lord's able to give it back. But come to Him, let Him do it. ♪ I'd rather have Jesus than silver gold ♪ ♪ I'd rather be rich than have riches untold ♪ ♪ I'd rather have Jesus than houses of lead ♪ ♪ I'd rather be dead than live in fear ♪ ♪ And to be the king of the vast universe ♪ ♪ And to be the king of the vast domain ♪ ♪ And be held in sin's death's grave ♪ ♪ I'd rather have Jesus than anything is found ♪ ♪ I'd rather be dead than live in fear ♪ Well, Father, as we begin to close this gathering, I pray for these very precious people for whom you died. He died for you. He died for you. Greater love hath no man that he would lay down his life for his friends. Great love like that does not forsake, does not give up. That great love lasts. So in Jesus' name, I ask that suddenly the light will come on and you will realize your first love is available. You can laugh again, rejoice again, praise again, be happy. again in Jesus. Go ahead and wash those robes this morning. Go ahead and make yourself ready because there's a bridegroom looking down and he cannot wait to get you in his arms. And the whole church said praise the Lord.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, I sigh. Oh Lord my strength, my Redeemer, Amen. We pray that today as you watch Pastor Livingston's message you will be encouraged and ready to dig deeper into a life with Jesus. To help you on this journey Central has two resources for you. First you can sign up to receive Central's Jail and Prison Correspondents course through the mail by writing to Central Church, Jail and Prison Ministries Discipleship Center, 5143 Sardis Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28270. Second by using Central's app and clicking on the button below you can read a short daily devotional that will encourage you to read and pray daily as you draw closer to Jesus. Thank you for watching.