"Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev 21:2)
"And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (Rev 19:6-7)
I was watching some ladies in the church one day preparing the sanctuary for a wedding. Most of us know well the preparations that go into a wedding. Weddings are a lot of work. Anyone who has been married, or anyone who has married off a son or a daughter knows all of the work, all of the preparation, all of the anticipation, all of the expectations that go into a wedding. There are so many emotions that go along with planning a wedding! But the word that really seems to arrest my thoughts is that word, "preparation'. All the preparation that goes into the bride to be! "…and His wife has made herself ready" "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Rev 19:8)
Think of that beautiful white gorgeous wedding gown! When the bride comes walking down that center aisle, it is a picture of the bride of Christ coming to be presented to her bridegroom Jesus Christ! God intended for marriage to be that picture of Christ and his bride - the church. Most people don't come to a wedding in everyday street clothes. I've never seen a bride come to her wedding day in street clothes! (Not usually anyway!) Jeremiah inquired, "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire?" (Jer 2:32) The bride makes herself ready! Clothed in white! And, the word tells us that, that bright white gown is the "righteous acts of the saints". She comes "…prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The bride of Christ is to be arrayed in beautiful garments, in beautiful adornments! I believe, that the adornments, "the righteous acts of the saints"; those things that cause Jesus to desire His bride, those things that cause Jesus to yearn for his bride, are the fruit of the Spirit. What else, could be attractive to our groom? Certainly not the fruit of our flesh! The righteous acts of the saints are only those things that are born out of and by the fruit of the Spirit. So then, what does this mean, "the bride has made herself ready"? As though there is something we have to do?
We need to have a proper understanding of what it means to receive the grace of God, and to walk as the Bride of Christ. We need to understand more clearly what it means to be adorned with the fruit of the Spirit! The bride who has made herself ready, the bride who is prepared, is the bride who has overcome all things! "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." (Rev 3:5)
How do we "overcome"? We talk about being saved by grace through faith. Now, I absolutely believe in salvation by grace 100%. However, there has been a preaching of "cheap grace", (to use the words of Ditriech Bonnhoeffer) In the last fifty years, and especially in the last 25 yrs. Yes, we are saved by the unmerited grace of a merciful God! However, the word of God tells us that we can also, "frustrate the grace of God", that we can "receive the grace of God in vain". Paul pleads, "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain." (2 Cor 6:1) The writer of Hebrews warns us, "…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;…" (Heb 12:15) God bestows His grace! God pours out His grace! But here is the warning "see that you don't fall short of the grace of God"!
There are basically three things that we need to overcome if we are to be that, "Bride Adorned":
1. The Devil
2. The world and
3. Our Flesh
Now, praise God!, overcoming the devil is relatively easy! Because, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world!" And, "for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil." You see there isn't too much we have to do to overcome the devil except to dwell in Jesus! Jesus overcomes the devil! "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)
Now, the second thing we have to overcome is the world, and in a certain sense that is relatively easy as well. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith." (1 John 5:4) We overcome the world by our faith. And as we walk in that faith day by day, God gives us more grace and we overcome the world and the devil because Christ overcame the devil on the cross. "…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Col 2:14-15).
So then, overcoming the devil is relatively easy and overcoming the world is relatively easy. Let me put it to you this way as well, when you really see the kingdom of God, "the things of this world grow strangely dim", (as the song goes). Once my eyes were opened to see His Kingdom, it was relatively easy to overcome the world! Because once I saw the glory of God, once I saw how beautiful He is, once I saw how wonderful the Kingdom of God is; who wanted the cesspool of this world! I found out that I was swimming in a cesspool, when God had a River of Life for me to Swim in! The Devil had me deceived into thinking that I was swimming in a luxurious pool - but it was a cesspool of sin! When God showed me His kingdom, the world looked awfully ugly to me! I want to walk in His kingdom! I want to dance on the streets that are golden! When you've got your eyes on the Kingdom of God it's relatively easy to overcome the world! But here I think, lies the real struggle…overcoming our flesh! Now the going gets a little rough! However, here lies the real crucible!
"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (Mat 25:1)
In Matt. 25 we have the parable of the ten virgins which is a picture of the church waiting for the wedding feast. Five took oil with them, and five did not. I believe, (typically I suppose) that the oil in this parable is referring to the oil of the Holy Spirit. The virgins who had oil with them when the bridegroom came were "ready" to go in. The bride must be adorned with the readiness of the Spirit! Those who are ready will go in with Him to the wedding.
I want to ask you are you waiting for your groom? Do you have an anticipation for your wedding day? Are you preparing your life, are you becoming the bride made ready? Are you filled with the oil of the Spirit?
"Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,…" (Mat 25:3)
We are to be a lamp. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world" If Jesus is in you, it's His light in you. You're the lamp, you're the wick, but it's got to be His oil! It's His oil that is to burn brightly! I believe in this parable that some of the externals, [i.e.. "they took their lamps and they trimmed them" (the wicks)] that these are the external things of religion. We can do all the external things right. Trim the lamps. Yes, you have to trim the lamps. Polish the glass so that the light shines out. Yes, you have to polish the glass. There's nothing wrong with doing those things. But yet, though they all did those things, there's 50% here in this parable that aren't allowed in! They polished their lamps! They trimmed their wicks! But they had no oil! It's the oil of the Spirit that they lacked, and it's only the oil of the Spirit that's going to cause that lamp to burn brightly! It's only the oil of the Holy Spirit that can produce the fruit of the Spirit, which are those "righteous acts of the saints", the adornments of the Bride! It's only the Spirit that can produce a love in you that's unlike the love of the world It's only the Spirit that can produce the Joy or the peace, or the patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control which I believe are the adornments our groom is looking for! Yet, some are so convinced that as long as there're trimming their wicks, and polishing their lamps, that all is wonderful! But you need oil!
"Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not beenough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' (Mat 25:7-9)
Hear me saints! The Lord is telling us, you can't get oil from someone else! I believe in impartation, but this is not a teaching on impartation! For when it comes to the Holy Spirit only Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit! I can't give you the Holy Spirit that's in me. Nor can I give you the fruit of the Spirit which is in me. You have to get it for yourself! I can't give you the grace of God that is in me! You have to lay hold of it for yourself.
We are told, "…buy for yourselves…"! How do you do that? How do you get filled with the oil of the Spirit so that you can produce the fruit of the Spirit? Now remember, the big picture here. We want to be making ourselves ready for the bridegroom. We are getting ready for the wedding day. How do we do that? I believe that what the Lord is getting at when he says, … but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' He's saying in effect, God gives us opportunities to grow in grace. God gives us opportunities to be filled with the Spirit. God gives us opportunities to manifest the fruit of the Spirit. However, when God gives us opportunities to be filled with the oil, when the Lord has brought situations into our lives that are opportunities for manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit, do we seize upon that opportunity as a demonstration of the Spirit or of the flesh?
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Gal 5:16)
If we are walking in the Spirit, the oil of our light will be shining. And, by it's very nature that light will produce the fruit of the Spirit. You cannot be walking in the Spirit and producing the fruit of the flesh! "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish…" (Gal 5:17) "…Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21). Paul is writing these things to the bride. He's saying, "walk in the Spirit, for if you don't then these carnal things will be evident. And if these things are the fruit of your life, you will not be, "…the Bride made ready…" You will not be a bride adorned with "righteous acts" nor "clothed with linen, fine and white", for her husband. Therefore brethren, "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God;…As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain."
When the works of the flesh are being manifested in our lives, God will always give us grace to produce the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
And here is the key to that Grace;
"And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit". (Gal 5:22 -25)
How can we go and buy oil? How can we manifest the fruit of the Spirit? I believe that in all of the trials that God allows to come into our lives, He's giving us an opportunity to crucify the flesh. Jesus said, "He who overcomes…" Jesus overcame the Devil, Our faith overcomes the world, but what overcomes our flesh?
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Mat 16:24)
Time, and time again we are told to, "crucify the flesh". "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--(Rom 6:6 NIV) "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."(Rom 8:13) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal 2:20). You and I have a choice to either take up the cross and crucify the flesh, or let our flesh dominate us. However, when you take up your cross you are saying, "God, I am willing to have my flesh crucified." That is what the cross is all about! Crucifying the flesh! The cross doesn't mean anything else other than death to self. Let me ask you something. Have you ever wondered how you were supposed to crucify your self? Actually, it is impossible, all you can do is pick up your cross. It actually takes others to do the crucifixion! You can't hammer the nails in by yourself! God uses other people and situations to do the work of crucifying! Do you get that? God is going to use other people to crucify your flesh! And when he does you and I have an opportunity to do one of two things: to either react in the flesh, or to react in the Spirit as Jesus did. "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin."(Heb 12:3-4) When people and situations bring pressure and trials into our lives we need to see that it is an opportunity to be filled with oil. You say, "I don't like the crucifixion! I don't like the pain! I don't like the sorrow! I don't like the hurt!" However, the only way the Fruit of the Spirit can come out is as you allow the flesh to be crucified with it's passions and desires! I am convinced that the hardest thing to overcome is not the devil, it's not the world, but it's our own flesh because when you're being crucified by what you perceive as "sinners", everything rages within you! You want to cry out, "Oh the injustice of this all! The unfairness of this all!" But, we are to emulate our bridegroom! We are to imitate Him! We are to act,"... just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word," (Eph 5:27)
The only way we will live in the spirit during the ordeal of crucifying the flesh is as we allow the word of God to be our strength. Even as Jesus was quoting the scriptures from the cross, so we to must find the strength of the word to help in our days of putting to death the deeds of the body. In the day of crucifixion, in that process in which the bride is making herself ready, You and I as individuals need the strength of the Word… "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word…that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Many of us think that, because we said the sinners' prayer once, that's all there is. But there is also a crucifying and washing away of our flesh. An on going process of sanctification. An on going process of crucifixion. Jesus said, "You cannot be my disciple unless you pick up your cross everyday…"
If only we would allow the cross to do it's work in us! If only we would go out and buy that oil! If only we would allow that oil to well up in our lamps! The wise virgins, took their oil with them. They knew how to keep their oil. The foolish virgins ran out of oil. They ran out of oil as the things of the world came against them. And when God called them into deeper waters of obedience, and deeper areas of consecration they said "no". When people, or situations came against them they retaliated in the flesh, and their oil ran out.
Jesus said, "to whom much as been given, much will be expected… and he who is faithful in a little, more will be given." As you're faithful in releasing the oil of His grace - God gives more!
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev 21:1-2)
Oh! if you could only see in those words, "…prepared as a bride adorned for her husband", the adornment being the fruit of the Spirit! See that beautiful veil, that glorious flowing train of the brides gown being nothing less than the fruit of the Spirit! The fruit of love, and joy, and peace. The gentleness and the faithfulness of the bride that came from the fruit of the Spirit.
"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Rev 21:3-4 )
On that great and glorious wedding day, on that day when you walk down the aisle of gold to meet your Lord. He's going to be wiping away the tears of suffering and sorrow. For He knows your days of suffering; He knows your days of toil! He knows those days of trouble! As your're walking down that aisle and the tears of remembrance are streaming down your face, He's going to wipe them away! And there shall be no more sorrow, nor crying, nor pain! Because as you walk into his glory your going to see that the things you had sorrow over were the very things that were making you ready for that glory! The things that you were crying about were the very things that were preparing you for His presence! The things that you were toiling about were the very things that He was using in your life to make you "the bride made ready" in order that you would be glorious without spot and without wrinkle!
"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying,
"Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. (Rev 21:9-11)
In closing I want to tell you that, the glory of God is exactly that - the Glory of God! Not your glory, not what you or I have done in the strength of the flesh, not what we've achieved in trimming our wicks, or polishing our lamps. But what the oil of His spirit has accomplished and produced in us. The oil that you've allowed to remain, and to flow, and to increase in you, that's what will produce the glory of God!
In The Master's Plan Pastor Andy White