Becoming Part of the Bride (Protestant&Evangelical Caucus and Devotional)

Ligonier.Org ^ | 6/8/2016

[Gamecock]

When Christ purchased His bride, He bought a bride who was “damaged merchandise.” His bride was sullied by manifest impurities. She was covered by spots and marred by wrinkles. Yet what He purchased He also sanctifies:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for herto make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Eph. 5:25–27, NIV)

Christ prepares His bride for His wedding feast envisioned in Revelation:

Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” (19:9, NIV)

Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we celebrate not only the redeeming purchase price paid by the Bridegroom but symbolically the marriage feast of the Lamb to which every believer is called.

Coram Deo

Celebrate the Lord’s Supper in your private devotions. Give thanks for the purchase price paid by your Bridegroom.

Passages for Further Study

Ephesians 5:25–27

1 Corinthians 11:23–25

[Gamecock]

Ping

[impactplayer]

The Wedding Present

This wedding was made in heaven – the marriage of Christ and His Church. Christ (Jesus during his life on earth) gave up his earthly life to make this Bride perfectly acceptable.

And she certainly was! – perfected in the blood of his sacrifice for her. Only God could make a bride fully acceptable to God – and this was His bride.
The wedding hall was filled – not with those who would have been “expected” to be invited, but with those who had suffered and died supporting this new groom. Never has an assembly been so happy – so excited – so honored to be there. Clearly, He was the hero – the man for all ages. But what gift could he possible give to this new “perfect” bride? What could be worthy of such a moment?

The only thing worthy was Paradise itself! So, that’s what he did. He took the Heavenly Jerusalem and lowered it to earth – he really did! Now – for his church, the bride – heaven and earth become one. No longer would we need to wait – no longer wail – no longer look for “pie in the sky”. It was here – and now!
The evil one knew what had happened, and he had only one weapon left – deception! If he could just get people to believe that this was a future promise and not for them, then they would not accept the gift at all. They would continue to live as though nothing had changed. But everything had changed! All the church had to do was open the gift.

So what are we to do? How shall we open this gift of the ages? And who can open it? These questions must be asked before they can be answered. But I believe the Church has the promise of the ages in its hands – if only she could get through the deception.

Until then, the greatest wedding present of all time will remain un-opened. What a pity!

[MHGinTN]

Those invited to the wedding feast are not the Bride. They come from the myriad of humans who have called upon the Savior even as they could not spend a lifetime trusting Him to raise them up in the way that they should go ...