So the Bible says we're created in Christ for good works, and that God intends we walk and live in them. God prepared them for us, so God has prepared something for you to accomplish with your life, that's unique to you. You don't have to copy me, or do the things I do. You need to do the things God called you to do; so passivity and apathy, and fear and unbelief, are all your eternal enemies. If you let them get the better of you, you will find yourself slipping back from the best that God has for you. God is looking for your best.
Now having said that, I want us to go into Revelations, Chapter 19. We just have to pick up, and make sure that each time that we talk about this area, we have it very clear: we're saved by faith; not works. Got that? No works to get saved. No works to get into heaven, except believing, okay?
However, in heaven we'll find not everything is equal. In eternity, not all are equal; and I want to really get this truth. I've been trying to come at it from different ways. I want to show you something from the word of God. We're going to go through a few scriptures, and I felt the Lord's given me just ability to just put them together in a way that they're really evident when you look at them, just what the truth is. In Revelations Chapter 19, the event to come, it says: let us be glad and rejoice - verse 7 - and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready, and to her was granted she would be arrayed or dressed or clothed in fine linen, clean and white, with a fine linen of the righteous acts of the saints. Then He said: write it down - blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the lamb. These are the true sayings of our God.
So we see here that there's an event to come, which the church needs to know about. It is a great event. It is a great event at the return of Jesus, of a great celebration for those who are His followers. It's an event which is described in many ways, and one way is that of a wedding feast, a feast where there's a great celebration, great rejoicing, and it's a great and wonderful experience. It says: let us be glad and rejoice, for the marriage of the lamb is come. His wife has made herself ready. Now you notice here that we're all called to this - doesn't guarantee we'll all get there - but we're all called to it. We're all invited. You've got an invitation to a wedding.
And it says: now His wife has made herself ready. In other words, she has prepared herself for what she knows is about to come. Coming to church does not prepare you. It can help, but preparation is something you do day by day. Preparation has to do with what you are personally doing with your life. I can't do your preparation for you. I can inspire you, and give you direction and encouragement and instruction and so on, but you prepare yourself for this. This is about your life, and how you're living your life.
And it says: to her was granted, or to her was given a gift, so she prepared herself; and now a gift is given, and the gift is given because she prepared herself. If she didn't prepare herself, no gift given; prepared herself, gift given. You get the connection very clearly. The gift is given because the preparation took place. She prepared herself, and to her was given or granted that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and white - fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints; so when you read it, and we've probably heard it - I've even sung it, had songs about it a while back, but I didn't have a clue what it all meant; and I want to help you understand some things about what this meant.
The bride is given garments, or there's a clothing given, so just hold on to this thought, that when you come to some very important thing, usually you dress up for it, and so the Bible says that God gives the clothing. The clothing comes from Him, but the preparation is our part. Now I want to understand a little bit about the clothing, and I want to just shift some of the thoughts we have, because most of us, you think about heaven, you think about people in white robes wandering around. I wonder what on earth do they do with all their time? Actually nothing could be further from the truth. This is just a common concept that people have, which on looking into the word of God, you find it's not like that at all. It's just a concept people have, and so I want to help you shift in that concept.