“Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”

Have you ever had your feelings hurt because you weren’t invited to a gathering given by someone you thought was your friend? You may not have even wanted to attend the gathering, but it would have been nice to have been included, right?

Well, in our Scripture passage today, Peter is inviting us to the greatest gathering that will ever be held. Revelation chapter 19 speaks of this awesome celebration in heaven. It is the announcement of the marriage of the Lamb. It is a celebration of the Beast and His armies being defeated. You don’t want to miss it.

To attend this great celebration in heaven, you must repent and be saved. We are all sinners (Roman 3:32) and we all fall short of the glory of God. We don’t even have to clean up to get the invitation. He will cleanse us with His blood if we simply confess our sins to Him and repent. We are told in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

This invitation is extended to us to come as we are. He will clean us up. It’s important we understand that He won’t force us to go to this great celebration. He invites us all, but we must accept His invitation. We R. S. V. P. by repenting of our sins and being baptized. We can’t be truly saved if we don’t repent. Baptism is the outward public profession of our faith. We must be saved and then baptized, not the other way around.

Many people are baptized for the wrong reasons. Often, they are caught up in emotion like at a revival or a church camp, but their hearts are not changed. They haven’t truly repented. I encourage you to ask yourself if you were truly saved before you were baptized. Without true repentance there will be no change in behavior. Many people are baptized and go on living a life of sin. If this is the case, it is a false salvation. This will not get you to the celebration.

If you are unsure of your salvation, draw near to Him. We are told in James 4:7-8 that we do this by surrendering to God and resisting the devil. This will cause the devil to flee. If we draw near to God, He draws near to us. He knows what is in our heart. If we are truly repentant, our sins will break our heart as they have broken His. We will want to do the best we can for Him.

Salvation brings about humility, peace and joy, and a desire to serve Him. When we are truly saved, we have sent our R. S. V. P. We are assured a seat at the table for this great celebration.

You don’t have to worry about what to wear. We are told in Colossians 3:9 that we will put on our new selves. In verse 12-13 we are told to put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience and to accept and forgive one another as the Lord forgives us. He has provided our clothes. His Holy Spirit helps us to get dressed and stay dressed.

When we accept the invitation, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of us. He will strengthen us and help us to live as the Lord commands.

When we refuse to trust in Him and obey His commands, we are rejecting His invitation. Don’t do that. Secure your spot today. Trust in Him, confess your sins, repent, be saved and be baptized. Don’t miss out. It’s going to be the greatest celebration ever!

Have a great day!