Many Are Called - Few Are Chosen

Imagine standing before the Gates of Heaven expecting to enter only
to hear you that you were invited but you were never chosen. The
shock...the terrior...the realization that hearing the call was never
enough. Jesus, Himself, warned us, 'Many are called, but few are
chosen'...Matthew 22:l4

Think about it, many will hear the gospel, many
will sit in church, many will say I'm a Christian but only a few will
actually enter the Kingdom of God. We live in a world where people
assume they were invited and that is enough, if they grew up in a
Christian home, if they walked down the aisle at church, if they were
baptized, if they prayed the sinner's prayer once, that means that they
are 'in'. But, Jesus destroys that assumption because not all who were
called will be chosen.

And, today, we see that happening everywhere, of
people who claim Christ but not all belong to Him, influencers who have
read the Bible but live in direct rebellion against it. Entire Nations that
once revered God's Word but now mock Him openly. The Gospel has
gone out but how many 'truly' responded; and, what about you? Are
you 'truly' chosen? If you believe in God, does that mean you're saved?
If you have heard the 'call' does that mean that you have answered it? If
you think you are 'chosen' but you're not. Because the worst deception
is self-deception. The Bible is clear. God invited everyone...God
invites everyone but not everyone will come. Some reject Him outright.
Some accept the invitation but refuse to submit to his authority. And,
some think they belong to the Kingdom only to find out too late that they
were never truly His. So, we have to ask, to the many who are called ,
why are only a few actually chosen? And most importantly, can you be
absolutely sure that you are one of them?

And, so, by the end of this teaching, you will no longer wonder where
you stand. You will know exactly what Jesus meant and how to make
sure you are among those who were called but never chosen. We will
break down scriptures that are clear, powerful, and deepy personal. If
you want to GO DEEPER into your faith. The call has gone out by
Jesus. Do you want to know for sure that you are one of the
'CHOSEN'?

The invitation has gone out. The call has been made. But, not
everyone who was invited will enter the Kingdom. Jesus didn't just say
'many are called' but few were chosen. He told a Parable explaining
exactly what He meant, a story so powerful , so layered in meaning, that
it shatters every illusion about salvation and exposes the difference
between those who think they are in and those who truly belong.

In Matthew 22: l-l4, Jesus describes a King who prepares a wedding
banquet for His son. The King sends out invitations to his special
guests; people who were expected to come. Imagine standing before
the Gates of Heaven and expecting to enter only to hear you were
invited but you were never chosen. The invitation has gone out. The
call has been made, but not everyone who was invited will enter the
Kingdom. The shock...the terror...the realization of hearing the call was
never enough. Jesus, Himself, warned us that many are called, but few
were chosens..Mathew 22:l4. Think about it that many will hear the
Gospel, many will sit in church, many will say 'I'm a Christian' but only a
few will actually enter the Kingdom of God. We live in a world where
people assume that just being invited is enough if they grew up in a
Christian home, if they walked down the aisle at church, if they were
baptized, if they prayed a sinner's prayer once, they think that means
that they are 'in'. But, Jesus destroys that assumption. And, we are
seeing that today.

Many churches are filled with people who claim
Christ but really do not belong to Him. Influencers who quote the Bible
but live in direct rebellion against it. The Gospel has gone out but how
many have 'truly' responded? How about you? Are you truly chosen?
If you believe in God, does that mean you are saved? You have heard
the call. Does that mean you have answered it? What if you think you
were chosen but you were not? The Bible is clear. God invites
everyone but not everyone will come. Some reject Him outright. Some
accept the invitation but refuse to submit to His authority. And, some
believe they belong to the Kingdom only to find out too late that they
were never truly His. So, we have to ask. Who are the many who are
called? And, how can you be absolutely sure that you are one of them?
By the end of this teaching, you will no longer wonder where you stand.
and you will know exactly what Jesus meant and make sure that you
are not a part of those who were called but were never chosen. We will
break into scripture to make it clear. They will become powerful and
deeply personal. Again, the invitation has gone out. The call has been
made. but not everyone who has been invited will enter the Kingdom.
Jesus didn't just say 'many are called' but he also said 'few are chosen'.
He spoke a Parable which explained exactly what He meant, a story so
powerful so layered in meaning that it shatters every illusion about
salvation and exposes the difference between those who think they are
in and and those who truly belong.

In Matthew 22: l-l4, Jesus speaks of a King who propares a wedding
banquet for His son. The King sends out written invitations to His
chosen guests, people who were expected to come, people who should

have been honored to attend. But, something shocking happens. They
refuse, not once but multiple times, or they ignore the invitation
completely. Some get caught up in their own affairs. And, some go
even farther, they seize the King's messengers and mistreat them and
kill them.

Imagine this scene, the King offers a once in a lifetime
opportunity and His guests reject Him. And, they just respond with
hostility, attacking the very ones who were sent to bring them the good
news. The King is outraged. He sends His army to destroy them and
burn their city. And, then, He does something unexpected, He opens
the invitation to everyone. The doors have been opened. He tells His
servants to go to the street corners and invite anyone you find, Matthew
22:9. The original guests were unworthy and now the banquet is open
to all, both good and bad alike. The doors are flung wide. The call is
now extended beyond any of the original invitee's. This is a picture of
the Gospel. The King represents God, the Father. The wedding feast
represents the Kingdom of Heaven.

The original guests represent
Israel. The chosen people who were given the first invitation to
salvation. But, many rejected it. Too many were caught up in their own
lives. They were hardened in their hearts. Some even killed the
prophets and ultimately even the Son of God. So, God extended the
invitation to the whole world. This is what Jesus meant in John l:ll, l2
when He said...'He came to His own but His own did not receive HIm.
Yet, to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He
gave the right to become Children of God. The call went from the
Israelites to the Gentiles, the chosen few to the highways and byways
and this is where most people STOP when they only see the invitation
extended to all and and assume that the story ends where everyone is
welcomed so just come as you are. But, Jesus didn't stop there.
Because, in the next moment, the King entered the banquet hall to see
His guests. Among them, He finds one man who is not wearing
wedding clothes. And, what does the King do? He confronts him and
He asks how did he get in here without wedding clothes? The man is
speechless. He has no defence and no excuse. And, the King
responds with terrifying words...'Tie him hand and foot and throw him
outside into darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth'...Mathew 22:l3. Then, Jesus ends the Parable with the chilling
statement..'For many are called - but few are chosen'. What just
happened? The invitation was open to everybody. The man answered
the call. He came to the banquet but he did not come on the King's
terms.

This is where the modern world gets it wrong. Many assume that just
because God invites all that anyone can enter however they want. They
can claim Christianity and show up at church , call Jesus Lord but have
never truly surrendered, that they can believe in God and continue living
like they are still in charge. But, the wedding clothes matter.

In scripture, garments represent righteousness. Isaiah 6l: l0 says that he
has clothed me in garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of
his righteousness In Revelation 5:8 speaks of His Bride given fine
linen to wear representing the righteous acts of God's people. . The
wedding clothes in the parable symbalize true salvation, a life that has
been transformed by faith in Christ as he abides with us and in us daily.
And, this is where the deception is most dangerous. They assume
because they heard the gospel and because they prayed a prayer once,
because they walked into the banquet hall, the church, the Christian
community, that they are saved. But, without the wedding clothes,
without true faith and true repentance and total surrender with resulting
transformation, they are just like the man in the parable, in the room but
not truly part of the Kingdom. Why was he thrown out? Because he
never fully heard the call. He never fully heard the King's requirements.

This is what Jesus was warning about. Many will be called. Many will
hear the invitation. Many will associate with the things of God. But,
few will actually enter, because few will respond with genuine faith,
surrender, and obedience. This is what Jesus described in Matthew 7:
21 to 23, 'Everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom
of Heaven..but only the one who does the will of My Father in Heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in
Your Name, drive out demons and in Your Name perform many
miracles." Then, I will tell them plainly, I never knew you., you evil
doers, depart from me.

They responded in part but they were never truly
chosen because to be chosen is more than just hearing, more than
believing, more than showing up. It means being clothed in Christ!!!
Paul described this is Galathians 3:27...For all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. You have to
ask yourself...Have you put on Christ and His holiness and
righteousness? Or, are you still trying to come in on your own terms?
Have you truly surrendered or are you just playing the part? And, on
that day, there will be two types of people...those who are truly His and
those who are speechless. in closing, you are part of the called but will
you be part of The Chosen?

Jesus crossed paths with many people in the Bible. But, only those
who put on Christ and were transformed were the ones chosen to enter into the Kingdom, those with true faith, true repentance, and totalsurrender. The rest were left behind. It wasn't merely by invitation but
through transformation. Amen.

The Wilderness Preacher

John 3: 3...Jesus answered, saying to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, If a
man is not born again,(from above), he cannot see the Kingdom of
God.'