Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Shauna: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Today Joni has an excellent word about God’s written code.

Joni Eareckson Tada: It’s mentioned in Colossians chapter two, starting with verse 13. Let me read it for you. It says, "He, that is Jesus, forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross."

The written code with all its regulations, rules, and regulations—we sure do chafe at that code, don’t we? Those requirements. My friend Gary can sure tell us about that. We were spending some time together and he told me this compelling story.

He was in New York City some time ago at an uptown, upscale restaurant—elegant, exclusive, famous, and rated five stars for its exceptional steaks. Gary’s a meat man from the Midwest, and so when he visited New York, he just had to try out this restaurant. He called, made reservations, and being the relaxed, laid-back guy from the Midwest that he is, he went ahead to the restaurant without a coat or tie.

When he arrived at the front door, the maître d' greeted him warmly and then gently pulled him aside and whispered, "Sir, I am sorry, but you cannot enter here without the proper attire. Coat and tie are required." Unbeknownst to my short-sleeved friend, the upscale New York restaurant had strict rules.

Gary looked around and he sighed, glancing wantingly at the mahogany walls, the crystal, the china, silver, and the elaborate menu listing every kind of steak. But as he sighed and turned to leave, the maître d' said, "Wait, wait one moment," and then he gestured toward the coat check window. "Sir, we cannot violate our code," the maître d' said, "but we can help you meet it. May we provide this for you?" And then the man held up a medium-sized jacket and tie.

Gary confided to me later that, at first, the restaurant’s rules miffed him. But his attitude really changed when he saw how the management bent over backward to make provisions for those who could not meet their requirements. As Gary slipped into his borrowed clothes, he was profusely thankful. The thoughtful gesture not only ennobled the maître d' and his staff, but made my friend respect that restaurant code all the more.

Revelation 19:9 announces, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb." But then it says the banquet has an important requirement: we must be clothed in righteousness. It’s the written code, reflecting the highest of standards. The trouble is, it’s impossible for flesh and blood to attain.

Yet rather than bend the standard to accommodate us, which is another impossibility, God takes an even higher, more glorious road. He ennobles himself by providing the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a covering for sinful humanity.

God is magnified in our eyes when Revelation 19 goes on to say, "Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. The fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints." In darker moments, your flesh may resent the requirements of the law. It’s understandable for the flesh to feel that way. But your generous God has taken it upon himself to provide for you a coat and tie, as it were, without compromising the written code.

Shauna: So friend, let’s celebrate that fact as you wear the righteousness of Christ. In our natural state, you and I do not deserve a seat at the banquet, but we can thank God for providing us clothes of righteousness.

Because of Him, you and I have a place; we have a seat. And boy, aren't we grateful? God bless you today, friend, and thanks for listening.