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

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

We are continuing our investigation of the traditional Jewish wedding customs/ceremony as they were practiced in Biblical times. Today we will pick up where we left off in our last lesson on 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:   

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 complete our study of:  

E- Embrace Holiness 

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) 

Practical Holiness: Being distinct, set apart and consecrated (continued). 

Third, rest your hope fully upon grace through Jesus Christ.  

Elpizō is the Greek word used in 1 Peter 1:13 for hope. It is defined as: to hope, hope for, put hope in, expect, an attitude of confidently looking forward to what is good and beneficial.  

Our hope here is two-fold:  

1. Hope in the second coming of Christ. We live with the constant hope of the return of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord.  

2. Hope in the promises of God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Therefore, biblical hope is a reality and not a feeling. Biblical hope carries no doubt. Biblical hope is a sure foundation upon which we base our lives, believing that God always keeps His promises.i  

Fourth, do not conform to the lust of the flesh but be holy in conduct.  

2 Peter 3:11, Seeing then that all these things are to be destroyed, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. 

2 Peter 3:11, Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be [in the meantime] in holy behavior [that is, in a pattern of daily life that sets you apart as a believer] and in godliness [displaying profound reverence toward our awesome God]. (AMP) 

[Holy in conduct and godliness] By this, Peter means that we must be set aside—or continue to set aside, or continue working to set aside—every kind of sinful or immoral lifestyle. It's not just a question of what we do with our bodies; it's a question of who we are. It's a matter of what kind of people we should be.  

As revealed in 1 Peter, Christians are "holy," meaning "set apart." We should live accordingly. We have been set apart by God for His specific purposes. That's why we must live holy lives, making different choices than the unbelievers in what we do with our bodies, our words, even our thoughts. It's not about self-improvement or religious rule-keeping. It's about living as God's people on a fallen planet with limited time before God's destruction arrives. [Added for clarity.]ii 

Markers of Holy Conduct: FRUIT 

Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law.    

Note that fruit is singular, not plural. The Holy Spirit produces one kind of fruit, that is, Christlikeness... But how is this fruit produced? Is it by man’s effort? Not at all. It is produced as Christians live in communion with the Lord. As they gaze upon the Savior in loving devotion, and obey Him in daily life, the Holy Spirit works a wonderful miracle. He transforms them into the likeness of Christ. They become like Him by beholding Him (2 Cor. 3:18). Just as the branch derives all its life and nourishment from the vine, so the believer in Christ derives his strength from the True Vine, and is thus able to live a fruitful life for God.iii 

Those who live in the flesh fulfill the lusts thereof. God has called us to live in direct opposition to those lusts.  The demonstration (proof) that we are living holy lives is found in the fruit being produced in us.  This fruit will impact our conduct and will demonstrate to the world around us that we are set apart.   

The Christian life is a battle of the sinful flesh against the new nature given by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As fallen human beings, we are still trapped in a body that desires sinful things (Romans 7:14-25). As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in us and we have the Holy Spirit’s power available to conquer the acts of the sinful nature (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 4:13). A Christian will never be completely victorious in always demonstrating the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the main purposes of the Christian life, though, to progressively allow the Holy Spirit to produce more and more of His fruit in our lives—and to allow the Holy Spirit to conquer the opposing sinful desires. The fruit of the Spirit is what God desires our lives to exhibit and, with the Holy Spirit’s help, it is possible!iv 

As we conclude our study on the preparation and provision for wedding let us remember that we have been betrothed to the King of Kings, and we are to daily be working to present ourselves as a bride without spot or wrinkle. We do this by being filled with and led by the Spirit, remaining watchful, investing in love, being devoted to intimacy, and by embracing holiness.     

Questions for reflection:               

1. Do I live each day remembering the truth that Jesus could come back today?           

2. Do I have Biblical hope in God’s promises, or do I tend to doubt? 

3. Is my life demonstrating the fruit of holy conduct? 

4. What fruit do I need to work on?             

5. Will I be found without spot or wrinkle when my Bridegroom returns? 

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

Works Cited:

i https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-hope.html 

ii https://www.bibleref.com/2-Peter/3/2-Peter-3-11.html 

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

iv https://www.gotquestions.org/fruit-of-the-Holy-Spirit.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vision of the Lord’s Army

As I was praying this morning I saw a vision.  In my vision I saw a might, vast army marching shoulder to shoulder, row after innumerable row.  This army was marching from two places: Heaven and Earth.  As they marched, they were merging into one POWERFUL AND VAST ARMY. THE LORD’S ARMY!!! They were being led by a chariot of fire.  Next, I saw a battlefield strewn with bodies and the Lord’s army taking out the enemy forces left and right. Angels and men, linking arms and fighting back-to-back.  The slain were not from the Lord’s Army.   In the Lord’s Army, whenever a man was injured, his angel counterpart would lift him up and touch the wound bringing instant healing so he could resume his position in the battle.  The Lord spoke to me and said, “The human portion of the army is made up of my sold out, surrendered, obedient children who are willing to take a stand for righteousness.   They are workplace warriors, homemakers, neighborhood “...
Read more

Lessons From the Secret Place Special Edition – Intimacy- An Attitude of Gratitude

Webster’s 1828 dictionary says gratitude is an emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness.  God desires relationship and intimacy with us.  One way we can share intimacy with him is through thanksgiving.  When someone does something for me, no matter how great or small, I say, “Thank you” and try to return in kind.  That is how I was raised.  We show gratitude when others bless us. In our culture today, you can often tell which young adults, teens and children were/are being raised by Christian parents, by their level of gratitude.  Sadly, we have a generation of children who were/are being raised to think more of themselves than of others.  This breaks my heart because I know it breaks God’s heart.  Not only do many fail to be grateful for what God has done, many fail to acknowledge his existence at all, passing Christianity/the Word off as a myth or man-ma...
Read more

Lessons From the Secret Place - Lesson 1: God is calling us to a place of intimacy with Him.

I don’t know about you, but in my life, it seems like everywhere I turn the Lord is speaking about intimacy. I can be listening to music and the songs all have the message of time alone w ith God. Scott and I belong to multiple Bible Study groups, and they all seem to have a similar message these days: intimacy.  Even in our pastor’s messages of late, there is always some mention of time with God, receiving God’s love, knowing God’s heart for us...   I think there is a message that they L o rd is trying to convey to His Bride !   As I write this, I can hear Him saying, “I want to spend ti me with you.  I want to share my love, my heart, my strength, my peace, and my joy with you. I want to hear about your life, your hopes, your dreams, you r joys, and your struggles.  I want to be the first one you share with.  I desire to walk with you every day and to share in every high and low.  My plans for you are greater than you can even imagine, an...
Read more