The Bride of Christ Lesson 5e (The Bridegroom: Preparation and Provision for Wedding)

Today we will continue our study on the fifth characteristic of the Bridegroom: Preparation and Provision.     

As I’ve stated, we are investigating the traditional Jewish wedding customs/ceremony as they were practiced in Biblical times. Today we will continue to look at part two: the time of preparation (the bride).       

Revelation 19:7, Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. (NLT)   

The Bride’s Responsibilities During the Preparation   

Ephesians 5:27, and that He might present to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.   

Jesus is coming back for a spotless bride.  We will continue today using the acronym BRIDE as we look at our preparation responsibilities as the Bride of Christ.  

Recap of last two lessons.  

B- Be Filled with and Led by the Spirit (Walking in Anointing)  

R- Remain Watchful  

I-Invest in Love    

D –Devotion to Intimacy 

Today we will begin looking at: 

E- Embrace Holiness 

Leviticus 19:2, Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 

Leviticus 20:26, You shall be holy unto Me; for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from other peoples, that you should be Mine. 

God commanded the Israelites to be holy as He is holy.  “Their call to holiness is due to the fact that they have become God’s possession by virtue of his separating them from the nations.”i 

We are still under that command today. We are called to walk holy and blameless lives. Ephesians 1:4 says, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love.” We are to be holy as God is holy, but what does that mean?  

The Holiness of God. 

Webster 1828 dictionary: Applied to the Supreme Being, holiness denotes perfect purity or integrity of moral character, one of his essential attributes. 

God’s holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is a holy love, His mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy wrath.ii 

[Holiness] The moral excellence of God that unifies his attributes and is expressed through his actions, setting him apart from all others. Believers are called to be holy as God is holy.iii [Added for clarification.] 

 

1 Samuel 2:2, “There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none besides You, and there is no rock like our God.” 

Isaiah 6:2-3, Above it stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. One cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” 

James 1:13, Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. (AMPC) 

Because God is holy, he is free from the moral imperfections and frailties common to human beings (Hos 11:9) and, therefore, is faithful to his promises (Ps 22:3–5).iv 

Holiness is not just “what” God is, holiness is Who God Is!!!! We can trust God to be faithful, to provide, and to keep all his promises because He is holy.  

The Holiness of Man 

Webster 1828 dictionary: Applied to human beings, holiness is purity of heart or dispositions; sanctified affections; piety; moral goodness, but not perfect. 

There are two types of holiness that God has called all mankind to:  positional and practical holiness. 

Positional Holiness: Made alive in Christ. 

At the moment of salvation, believers understand and acknowledge their sinful state, their inability to save themselves through any works of their own, their need of a savior, their acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross as sin’s payment, and their faith in Jesus’ resurrection. At that moment, believers are brought out of darkness into the light. Our position before God has been changed forever. No longer dead in trespasses, we are made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). Our position changes in that we are made citizens of a whole new kingdom: “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).v 

Practical Holiness: Being set apart and consecrated. 

In the Old Testament God gave the Israelites regulations about their behavior, diet, and appearance, to set them apart and distinguish them from the people of other nations.   

Today, we too are called to live set apart lives.  We do this by developing practical holiness in our daily lives, living by God’s standards rather than those of the world.   

Galatians 5:16-18, I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

We develop practical holiness by walking in the spirit not in the flesh. Listening to and obeying Holy Spirit’s leading. 

1 Peter 1:13-16, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (NKJV) 

I Peter 1:13-16 give us some steps to walking in practical holiness. 

First, gird up the loins of your mind. 

In Biblical times if a person wanted to walk faster or run, they had to tie a rope around their waist to tuck their tunic into so they would not trip on it. Girding our minds means to avoid distraction, the things that trip us up in our Christian Walk.  

Proverbs 4:25-27, Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil. (AMPC) 

Eyes and eyelids that look straight ahead suggest a walk with singleness of purpose, one that does not turn aside for sin or for anything that is unworthy.vi 

The secret is a single-minded focus on the path that leads to eternal life. Although the promise to lead the disciple along straight paths has already been given (4:11), the disciple must cooperate: Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm (4:26).vii 

Second, be sober. 

1 Peter 5:8. Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

Grēgoreō is the Greek word for sober used in 1 Peter.  It is defined as: to keep watch, be on guard. 

There must also be constant vigilance, a preparedness to meet every attack of the wicked one. Here the adversary is described as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The devil has different poses. Sometimes he comes like a snake, seeking to lure people into moral corruption. Sometimes he disguises himself as an angel of light, attempting to deceive people in the spiritual realm. Here, as a roaring lion, he is bent on terrorizing God’s people through persecution.viii 

We must be always watchful and aware that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). However, we do not live in fear of his schemes. 1 John 4:4 tells us, You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. We are on the winning team!!!   

Questions for reflection:              

1. Do I really believe that I have been set apart for God?          

2. When people look at my life do I “look” different from the world or do I blend in? 

3. Do I daily gird up my mind and avoid things that will distract me in my Christian walk?  Do I have a single-minded focus?    

4. Do I walk in sober vigilance always watchful for the attacks of the enemy or do I often get blindsided by his attacks?            

Note: All Scripture references are from the MEV unless otherwise specified. 

Works Cited:

i Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Copyright © 2006 by William D. Mounce 

ii https://www.gotquestions.org/holiness-Bible.html 

iii Dictionary of Bible Themes Scripture index copyright Martin H. Manser, 2009 

iv Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Copyright © 2006 by William D. Mounce 

v https://www.gotquestions.org/positional-sanctification.html 

vi Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald. 

vii Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Copyright © 2006, 2010, and 2022 by ABC Editorial Board. 

viii Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald.

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