What It Means to Be Prepared As the Bride of Christ
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Objective→ to gain an understanding of: • The Fact That We Are the Bride of Christ • The Meaning of the Parable of the 10 virgins and What It Means When the Bride is Dressed in White Garments i.e. How to Be Ready for The Coming of Our Bridegroom • An Interesting Deeper Insight and Revelation from Physical Science into the Scriptural Meaning of “Shama” (Hebrew word meaning “to listen to and obey the Word of God”) 1 I would like to take a break in this chapter, from the whole subject of health and healing in this book, to look at the bigger picture, regarding the importance of repentance, renewal of our minds and sanctification of our spirit, soul and body. Whilst healing and divine health is a side benefit of this – the ultimate purpose is to mould us into His image and prepare us, as His Bride, for His very soon coming return. Notes:_______________ JESUS’S PROPOSAL TO US TO BE HIS BRIDE _____________________ _____________________ In various places in Scripture, we are referred to as the Beloved – we are called to be Jesus’ Bride. Here are some examples: _____________________ Jeremiah 3 v 14: “Turn O backsliding children, says the Lord, for I am married to you!” _____________________ Isaiah 54 v 5: “For Your Maker is your Husband.” Song of Solomon 6 v 3: “I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine. He brought me to the _____________________ banqueting house, and His banner over me is love!” Ephesians 5 v 25 - 27: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself _____________________ up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendour, without spot or _____________________ wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless]. Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] the own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves _____________________ himself.” It is important to realize that Jesus was a Hebrew, and many of the things He said and did in the _____________________ New Testament, you will not fully understand, if you are not familiar with Hebrew customs. If you do a study of the Hebrews customs that take place during the courtship, proposal and _____________________ marriage between a bridegroom and his bride, you will find that Jesus followed these Hebrew customs exactly. _____________________ We see Jesus carrying out the Hebrew custom of proposing to us as His Bride at the last supper: At that time, they were celebrating the Passover feast. During this dinner, Jesus picks up what _____________________ is called the third cup in the Passover meal, which is the cup of salvation. Traditionally, they were supposed to just set that cup aside, but Jesus takes this cup and offers it to His disciples _____________________ saying, “This is the cup of My covenant, take it and drink it” (Matthew 26 v 26 – 28). Now if you understand Hebrew customs, you would realize that this would seem outrageous to them for several reasons: firstly, this meant that Jesus was declaring, “I am the Messiah!” Secondly, in _____________________ that time period – when Jesus said to a bunch of Hebrew fisherman, “This is My Covenant, take it and drink it” with a cup full of wine, what they heard Jesus say was. “Will you marry me?” _____________________ The reason they would have heard it that way, was that in Bible times, when a young man desired to propose to the woman he loved, he would go to his father – and say, “Hey dad… this woman – I want to make little rabbis with her, you know what I’m saying?” Then his father _____________________ would go to her father, and offer a gift to pay the price for his daughter. This basically brought the young man the chance to propose to her. Then they would organize a special dinner, where _____________________ all the family would gather together (talk about pressure!), and the groom would pour a cup of the finest new wine which was the best that money could buy, that he had purchased at a _____________________ sacrificial price. He would first take a sip, then slide the cup of wine over the table to her and say, “This is my covenant with you, take it and drink it.” _____________________ At this time, he would also give her what is called a Ketubah. I already shared in the beginning of chapter 3, where I included an excerpt from the Shama Book about the Hebrew custom of _____________________ the Ketubah: “This was a very beautiful covenant contract for marriage, that the bridegroom wrote with great care and consideration, where he expressed his heart’s desire; of how he loves and adores the young woman he hoped would be his bride; and of his promises to her of all that _____________________ he would be and how he would protect and provide for her; as well as his likes and dislikes, his favourite foods, his highest ideals, his standard of living, how he wanted his household run and _____________________ his children raised. This covenant was basically the blueprint for the bride.” When her suiter offers her the cup of wine together with the Ketubah marriage covenant, she could refuse, or _____________________ she could take the cup of wine and drink it – and if she does, that is her way of saying, “Yes, I will marry you.” _____________________ 2 _____________________ And it also signifies that she has accepted all that the Ketubah covenant contains and the betrothal is sealed. They are now bride and bridegroom and the silver trumpets are blown, making the announcement to all. After this dinner, she would go back home, and she is no longer be referred to by her name – but as “one who is bought with a price.” The man would go back to his home and they would Notes:_______________ not see each other the whole engagement period until their wedding day, which could be anywhere from 6 months to a year later. They did not have the luxury of text messages in those _____________________ days – so the best man would run back and forth relaying messages between them. During this engagement period, the bride would study her ketubah in preparation for their marriage, until she becomes the bride of his desire, the mirror image of the covenant promise. During this time, _____________________ the bridegroom supports her financially and starts building a house for his bride referred to in Scripture as a “mansion”. But before you get too excited about that ladies, “mansion” in Hebrew _____________________ means “apartment” – and to top it off, it is an extension of his parents’ house (at this point some of you are saying, “God please don’t let me marry a Jewish boy!”) It was called an insular or family dwelling, and they would keep building onto it. What is also interesting is that the groom _____________________ did not know when it got to be finished – he had to wait for his father’s ok and stamp of approval. The father is the one who said, “Alright, it’s done, go ahead, go get her.” He would get his _____________________ groom’s men, and they would march into her town. She would not know the day or the hour – she would just be waiting with anticipation each day, wondering, “Is this the day?” There was _____________________ another tradition where she would fill her lamp with oil, which she would keep lit on her window sill, so that anytime the Bridegroom did arrive, he would know that she was ready and waiting for him. Finally, the bridegroom and his groom’s men would come to her house unannounced, _____________________ blowing shofars and rams horns – and she would come down the stairs and be whisked away to the marriage ceremony. Now let’s have a look at how Jesus paralleled these customs in His _____________________ relationship with us: At the last supper, Jesus says, “This is My covenant with you, take it and drink it.” At this point _____________________ the disciples may have been a little confused as to why He would be proposing to them – maybe they were thinking, “We’ve been with Him this long – He’s crazy and way out the box… let’s see _____________________ how far this goes...” The disciples drink it and thereby say, “I do.” And then Jesus says, “We’re not going to see each other for a while. But don’t worry, My Best Man – My Spirit, is going to _____________________ relay messages between you and Me – that’s how we’ll communicate (John 14 v 16). In the meantime, you are going to go home – and you’re not going to know the day, the time or the hour that I will come back for you. But you are now going to be referred to as ‘One who is bought _____________________ with a price’. In the meantime, I’m going to my Father’s house where there are many “mansions’”, and I’m going to prepare one for you!” John 14 v 2 - 4: "In My Father's house there _____________________ are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also.” _____________________ We are in the engagement period, and Jesus has also given us a Ketubah – which is His Word, _____________________ where He explains His likes and dislikes and how He wants us to live (John 14 v 15).