Let's return our attention to the text of the morning and the revelation, chapter 19. We should hear it again. There were those who weren't with us in the morning hour. Revelation, chapter 19, after this I heard what sounded like, the roar of a great multitude in heaven's shouting, hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God for true and just are His judgments. He condemned the great prostitute who conquered the corrupt of the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of its servants and again they shouted, hallelujah, the smoke from her goes up forever and ever. The 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne and they cried, hallelujah, and then a voice came from the throne saying praise our God, all you asservants, who fear Him both small and great, and then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roaring of rushing water and the like loud pills of thunder's shouting, hallelujah, for the Lord our God Almighty reigns, let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory for the wedding of the Lamb has come and is bright as made herself ready, fine linen bright and clean was given to her to wear. And linen stands for righteous acts of the saints, then the angels said to me right, blessed are those who are invited to the wedding of the Lamb, and the added these are the true words of God. I know something about getting ready for weddings, then the pastor for the, in the same church for, for a 27 years and I have been able to baptize children of people that, of parents what I baptized, lovely, you see, weddings of what married couples who had children, married the parents and the married the children, and I've been a lot of wedding counseling, a lot of preparation goes into a wedding as all of you know, just for the record, how many of you are married or have been married to your hands? I have known a little bit more intimately about getting ready for a wedding because in Christmas of 97 my second child, Linda Gill got married and she married a David Sanders who's a son of a PCA minister and now they serve in Augusta, Westminster Augusta, he's a youth pastor. And then my second son Marcus got married, got married this June at Covenant College, and in fact he wanted me to preach a full length sermon of his wedding and unknown thing which you heard him just of it this morning. And this July 3rd my oldest child, Lucas who is one of my beautiful children, who's here this morning and never introduced me, he's getting married too, in fact you're all invited to the wedding and look out, not in press, I'm not paying for it so you can all come. But I know something about getting ready for a wedding. Now again God chose this wedding metaphor, one of the most beautiful things he's given us and he's used this metaphor in scripture to detail his love for us and marriage is a picture of the covenant of grace and from which we have been set free of sin and brought into an eternal dwelling of the Lord. We saw this morning for those of you who missed it, it's Revelation 19, 6, 7, and 8 and this tells us that all human history ends with a wedding, it's a nice ending isn't it? All human history ends with a wedding, our wedding. All human history is headed toward this monumental event, the joining of God and man forever, his people, culmination of all his creative and confidential and redeeming work. Let me say this again, we'll slower everything that is now happening is preparation for the wedding. That's all in composing, everything that is happening is preparation for the wedding. Now today I want to look at some of the work that remains to be done because the text indicates there's work to be done. I'll look at the work of the sun and then particularly the bride and the time we have around. Again, just a little bit background for us all to read quite ourselves with the whole metaphor. In the Jewish wedding imagery there are five stages, this is an original to me. There's a process where the father of the groom makes a covenant with the bride or her family, and that contract is made with the parents or the children. There's an agreement, it's a covenant. Secondly, there is a payment of delivery. In the Old Testament, you saw the majorities of this where there was animals or labor given in exchange as a dowry, money. Then there was an interval of time between the engagement and the actual wedding. This time was used for both sides of the aisle to get ready, the bride's side and the groom's side. There were various preparations to be made. Sometimes the dowry wasn't fully paid most things. But stage 4 when the dowry was paid when all the bride and groom's party were ready, then you did midnight, the bride groom's men swept into town or village, whatever, and grabbed, took the bride away, and her friends, of course, are ready. You can see zipped off in this great festive parade to the groom's home, where they have this wonderful wedding celebration, ceremony celebration, and then fifthly forever lived together in bliss, that would be the idea. Well, let us just go through this again with a little theology with us. Ephesians 1 tells us of the God's eternal covenant making. Ephesians 1 God has told us the great truth of before history he made a compact covenant. The eternal God had decreed the Hebrew study swore that we would be as bride, the father made an agreement. And then we know, of course, of the dowry, we emphasize that this morning, it is mentioned for Balschrytrian here in our text too, that it was a land we required as a dowry price. The Christ, the bride groom, had to pay for the bride with the most expensive price there was. The bride was not singular, the bride is millions of people, and the bride is all soil with all kinds of sin. It requires an unusual, expensive, and believable dowry, and is paid for by Christ who loves his church. But it is his own life's love. Now, we see this mentioned in Ephesians chapter 5 where he gave himself or a bride, and the husbands we continue to remind ourselves of the imagery and our responsibility. But thirdly, now the engagement is made, the dowry is paid, there is an interval of time. There is a long engagement period in this case, a huge time span between God's eternal covenant and consummation that as you say before, revelations began, after revelation ceases, there is a huge interval of time there. But even by the time that covenant was announced in the book of Genesis, to the time that the dowry was paid in the gospels, there is still a huge time, and since that time, there is more time as a lamp since the dowry has been paid because the preparations are not complete. The atonement is complete, but the bride is not ready. In fact, the groom is not ready. In some sense, let me detail that for you. More preparation is needed. Why are we waiting? We left the groom this morning, covered with our sins in the sense. We left the sporting emphasis with Christ paying the dowry, but you know he didn't stay in the cross or in the tomb. He rose from the dead, and when he rose from the dead, not only sinless, but in power with all authority and heaven and earth, what is he doing with authority? He's using that authority to prepare his bride for the wedding. He's using all authority and heaven and earth authority which he has now rightly his because of his perfect act of impassive obedience. Because the father has raised him from the dead as a seal and testimony of his righteousness, and empowered him with all authority over every other power, including the enemy's power, you see. But he's using that authority and power now to give the church life, to bring all the bride from every tribe and nation into the church, the bride, and further to sanctify. There's our words today, this afternoon, there, to sanctify the bride and make her ready for the wedding. And so in Acts chapter 2, we see the risen Christ, bestowing upon the church, the initial giving of the Holy Spirit to gather his bride and empowering us for mission, directing the Holy Spirit into individual hearts in life and missionaries experience the saving power of Christ when the announces name and gospel around the globe as the bride and Christ is gathered and saved and sanctified. The Holy Spirit goes to regenerate our hearts, the book of Acts tells us. And the epistles go on to tell us that the means of grace, the word of God, prayer and the sacraments are bestowed upon the bride of Christ as a regular means of sanctification. And so when Ephesians Paul says in Ephesians 5, that he might sanctify the bride, making her clean, removing all wrinkles, that's what he's talking about. The church now upon earth is using these means of grace given by Christ and empowered by the risen Christ to make us what we are, to make us in fact that we are the bride of Christ. It's commune with that bride, commune with a groom in prayer, he's given us the ability to pray. The groom was where, the groom was in heaven, John 14, preparing a place for us. He can do that because he has all authority of heaven and earth.
Christ is now preparing a place for his bride, a place for the wedding day, but he was the first of all established peace. And so Ephesians 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says, for he must reign until he has put all things, all enemies under his feet, and so the bride groom's preparation continues to establish peace throughout the domain, so that the wedding may be based upon this finished, now he's going to work with his battles with the enemy, and every enemy subdued, and all peace will reign. Peace will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and then we'll do the wedding marriage, suffer the land. Well, let me grease the head for a moment and come back here. Stage number four, of course, is when the bride groom returns. And one will return, and maybe soon some say, imminently, looking forward to R.C.'s, the Ligonier Conference in Orlando, this next month, when he talks about the second coming of Christ, where he'll answer all my questions for me. But we don't agree on everything, but this we do agree upon, the bride of the New Testament has said that the bride must be ready because it will be soon soon and very soon. Our eternal union with Christ is the fourth stage, coming soon, and then fifthly, forever we will be with the Lord. Now he has arrayed the wedding in splendor. He himself is glorious, when the apostle Paul saw the risen bride groom, he couldn't bear to look upon him, Christ the bride groom was more beautiful than what you can imagine. So he is beautiful, he's perfect, he's glorified, he's drawing us the glory, but along the way, during the process, he's calling us the holiness. Look at our text now. Chapter 19 of Revelation, verses 7 and 8. Let us rejoice in the glad and give him glory for the wedding of the Lambus come, and his bride has made herself ready. Now those words grab you. His bride has made herself ready. Find linen and bright, and clean was given to her to wear. Find linen stand for the righteous acts of the saints. We say, Hallelujah, we're glad to be the bride of Christ, but notice the language, the bride has made herself ready. You may not like those words. Those words speak our responsibility. For some of you who are not well informed, they may not sound like grace, they are grace, but they may not sound like grace. You say, the pastor, you know, I've been hoping that the work of Christ is all I need. Pastor, I thought that we were sinners who could never do anything to make ourselves worthy of God's love. Yes, brother and sister, that is the gospel. Don't fear here. You never are responsible to make yourself worthy of God's love. Listen to the language. You can never make yourself worthy of God's love, but you are responsible to make yourself ready. Now my splitting hair is where you judge. Let's make sure we are on the same page. You're the brighter self, the unfaithful woman, and slay by spiritual adultery. There's no way in which we as sinners can generate goodness in ourselves or generate love for God in our self. We're out of our inner moral resources, do anything that makes us sabable. Know our ability comes from the righteousness given to us, look at verse 8. This fine linen was given to her. Our righteousness will always come, only come from Christ's work, granted to us by grace. However, you must see the language. Fine linen was given to her to wear, but the fine linen is a righteous act of the saints. So we have these verses. She's made herself ready, and the fine linen is a righteous act of the saints, which probe us, which call us the bride to sanctification. We are responsible to prepare ourselves in these ways. Here is how we should prepare ourselves. Here is how we should view the matter. Let me say this to you in bride and groom language. The bride is always a respond to the groom as the leader. And the bride responds to the groom in this way. She responds to the love of Christ by her sanctification. She responds with words to his gospel, to his commandments by loving surrender and obedience. More specifically, he provides the legal basis for justification, but she responds by repentant thing. He provides a legal basis and the moral basis and energy for sanctification that she responds with obedience and good works. And Martin Luther said, Amen. He provides her righteousness to pray and she prays. He provides the word of God who is a possible and she reads it. He provides a vision for the church to grow and go out into the world and she goes. And she teaches and she baptizes and she disciples the nations. He provides the sacraments for spiritual union and she enjoys them, celebrates them regularly. Put a bookmark here and page back to Revelation 3, that awful chapter, Revelation 3. Revelation 3, 14, and following the section of Scripture we don't like. Because this speaks to the church in Laudicea and we just hope it's not the name of our church. Revelation 3, 14. To the angel of the church in Laudicea, right, these are the words of the amen, faithful and true witness. The ruler of God's creation, I know your deeds that you are neither hot, cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other so because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot. I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Yes, I am, you say I am rich. I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing but you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from the gold refined in the fire so you can become rich and white clothing, you know, the white clothing to wear. So you can cover your shambles, nakedness and sad to put in your eyes so you can see those of my love, I be buke. And this of them so be earnest and repent. Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him. And he with me and if anyone who comes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne. Just as I overcame and set down on my plot on his throne, he was ears to hear. Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Now go back to our text in Revelation 19.8 and see once again, please see it, enjoy it, feast on it, verse 8. Find linen is given to you, brother and sister. You are not going to be earning this fine linen. It comes from the work of Christ and is given to you. It is purchased by his blood. But it is purchased by his blood by grace and it is composed. However, the composition of this fine linen, the parenthetical statement tells you that composition this fine linen includes. It includes righteous acts of the saints. The righteous acts of the saints are the linen which we are wearing on our wedding day. Righteousness given by Christ, but works that we perform, yes. Paul puts it together for us in Ephesians 2. Remember that beautiful text. But by grace are you saved through faith but not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works. Let's get him answered both. But they go to say, but you are his workmanship. You are his workmanship. You are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. For good works which have got to be for a day that you should walk in them. There is not a contradiction here, the both of them here. It is all of grace, but the grace doesn't stop with a sinner's prayer. The grace goes on to works of righteousness which we do, which he does in us, which is spirit motivates in us. It enables us to do, stand before you as a sinner saved by grace. Stand before you as one who trembles to speak to you and could not do it except the Holy Spirit has enabled me. Now the question is this. We go to theology down. Let's get serious here a second. Look, you are getting married, right? You are the bride of Christ, you are getting married to Christ? You would be soon, you are marrying this godly fellow Jesus Christ. What preparations do you want to make before you see him at the old? We have five beautiful children, because I said. And as we saw to raise these children, we tried to teach them some table manners. I think we failed, but we would frequently use this ploy. I pick on Lucas and see here. If Lucas was not using his table manners, he would say about a certain girl who is interested in you. You would say, now Lucas, I am going to use that when you have dinner with Mrs. Hague. And he would say no, but it is his home, you know. Look, if you are going to do it here, you are likely to use the same manners when you are having dinner with your girlfriends family. We have to get him ready. We carry that out into the wedding metaphor and so forth. Now, I want you to, I want you to imagine with me. I think it is a good time to imagine, because you have a sleep anyway. I want you to imagine with me. I really want you to be serious about this imagination. Can you do this? I want you to, I want to put before you an analogy, a human analogy. I want you to put yourself, each of you, in this analogy. If you work with me, it might even help you. Imagine that you, each of us, imagine that you are a 37-year-old single woman. Everybody with me? Everybody doing the same thing here. You are a 37-year-old single woman. You have not lived a pure life so far. You are not exceptionally good looking. Your beauty that you have is scarred by the effects of a hard and undisciplined life. There are lines of worry, there are lines of anger, there are lines of fear etched on your face. Suddenly, a most handsome man meets you and he says he loves you. He knows you are past and yet he wants to marry you. But this man is so pure, this man that you have met is so godly. In fact he is just like Jesus Christ that you read about in the Bible. He is strong and intelligent. He is caring and forgiving. He is wise and he is even wealthy. He loves the Lord with all his heart. He loves people too. In fact he is forever telling people about Jesus Christ. He is forever seeking to lead them to Jesus and always helping people with their needs. But now he is devoted to you and wants to marry you and you are swept off your feet. You cannot believe he wants to marry you and yes you love him but what would you do? To prepare yourself to be married to him. You become a Christian recently in attending church sometimes but he married to him? Me? Married to him? Now get personal here. What sins would you stop immediately? 37 year old single woman loved by this great fellow. What habits would you modify now? Right now. What activities? What would you stop doing? What would you begin doing? What would you increase doing? What about your prayer life? Your time in the Word. What books would you start reading quickly? What TV programs would you not see again? What about ministry? Married to him? Okay. Now if you thought this about us at all and you thought of some things that you would stop doing, you thought of some steps of sanctification that you would begin taking, then my friends, these are the very things you ought to do today. Because you are getting married to the Son of God and it could be soon. You don't earn his love, but it's because it was alive. Over lunch, my son Lucas and I were talking about his engagement to his fiance and how they spent some weekends together over in her home in Atlanta and talk about the wedding and make preparation. Then he was shopping all afternoon and he wondered if she gets tired of him and it was a sweet conversation we had at lunchtime. And he said to her, maybe he had a break. Maybe he didn't be glad to see me go back to covenant. Oh no, she cried. I want to be with you. Brothers and sisters, Christ is calling to you. He's preparing a place for you. And these works of these good works that you seek to do are not to become as bright. They'll be cause your head bright. And because you're planning for your wedding day, students, are you planning today for your wedding day? That's all that sanctification is. That's all that I do. You bow in mute here.