INTRODUCTION:
Revelation 19:7-9 says, The wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.”
When was the last time you attended a Wedding? The last one I performed was an outdoor wedding. The setting was lovely. The weather was perfect. The bride looked beautiful … and the preacher did a great job, of course.
But I have to admit that as the father of two girls who are both married, I look at weddings a little differently than I used to. When I see the beautiful bridal gown and the flowers, the decorations and the food, I tend to see dollar signs. (Any of you dads who have given weddings for your daughters know what I mean, I’m sure!) It reminds me about what Oliver North … who has 4 daughters … had to say about the Father of the Bride. He said: The Father of the Bride has only 4 jobs: Show up, Shut up, Pay up, and Smile.
The way we do things in America, the Father of the Bride usually pays the wedding bills. But the book of Revelation tells us about a coming Wedding Supper where the Bridegroom pays for everything. This is the wedding to end all weddings, and it’s called the WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB. As the Lamb, Jesus paid the Highest Price to purchase His bride. He gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins so that we can be presented to Him as a perfect Bride. Look in Revelation 21:2:
I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Revelation 21:2
You may not realize it, but this verse is describing you and me. The New Jerusalem symbolizes the CHURCH. As part of the Church, you will be one day be THE BRIDE.
· The Bride: Revelation 21
One Sunday at church, a little girl heard a sermon about the Second Coming of Christ. When they got home, she asked:
"Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"
"Yes, I surely do."
"Will he come back today?"
"Well, yes, I suppose He might.”
"In just a few minutes?"
"Yes, dear."
The little girl thought this over, and then said, "Mommy, would you comb my hair?"
Well, the truth is, we don’t have to worry about how we’ll look to the Bridegroom when that big day arrives. The Bridegroom has given his Bride a spotless, shining white robe to wear. He has also adorned her with dazzling jewels. Revelation 21:9-25 describes in detail how beautiful the church (symbolized as the NEW Jerusalem) is in the eyes of her eternal Bridegroom.
It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:11
John goes on to list 12 kinds of precious gems that adorn the Bride. Stones like sapphires, emeralds, topaz, and amethyst. And if that isn’t dazzling enough, he describes gates made of single pearls and streets of pure gold, like transparent glass.
This is the way we will look to Jesus on that day. It is hard to imagine, but you and I will be as beautiful to him as a bride walking down the aisle is to her bridegroom.
I can well remember walking my daughters down the aisle at each of their weddings. Both girls looked absolutely radiant in their wedding gowns and veils. But as we walked down the aisle, what I saw ahead of me was the face of the bridegroom who was waiting for his bride. In both cases, I saw the look of pride and joy on the faces of my new sons-in-law. And you can bet the groom wasn’t looking at me. He had eyes only for his bride.
That’s the way it should be. And that’s the way it will be on that Heavenly Wedding Day when the Bridegroom is finally united with his Bride. Since we --- as the Church --- are the Bride of Christ, we might want to ask, who is this bridegroom who is willing to pledge Himself to us for all eternity?
· The Bridegroom: Revelation 22
Who is Jesus? Revelation 22 – the last chapter of the Bible – answers that question for all time. But not everyone looks to the Bible for truth. So people come up with all sorts of ideas about who Jesus is.
· Secularists – see Jesus as a good person ---- perhaps with delusions of grandeur --- who died an unfortunate death
· Jehovah’s Witnesses – Now they’re not going to tell you this when they come to the door, but they teach Jesus is the Archangel Michael, a creation of God with a special purpose … but certainly not equal to God.
· Mormons – Again, they don’t like to talk about this, but their doctrine says that Jesus is the brother of Lucifer and both are natural-born sons of the god of this earth, Adonai. To their way of thinking, Jesus is an early example of what we all can become when we become gods of our own worlds.
· Hindus – To them Jesus is just another incarnation of Krishna, the kindly god who visits earth in various forms from time to time to help out the humans.
· Muslims – To them Jesus is a great prophet … but not as great as Muhammad. And certainly not God’s unique son.
Let me tell you, all those human ideas about Jesus will mean less than NOTHING on that day when every eye will see and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. If you have any doubt about the Divine Nature of Jesus Christ, look at Revelation 22 where the Throne of God and the Throne of Jesus are one and the same. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1
There is only ONE Throne. And it is the throne of God and of the Lamb.
At His First Coming, Jesus came to earth
· As the Lamb of God
· God’s beloved Son
· the offspring of the woman,
· the son of man,
· the branch
· the root of Jesse,
· the good shepherd,
· the faithful servant,
· the door,
· the vine,
· the precious cornerstone
· the living water,
· the bread of life
When we see Jesus at His Second Coming, he will be
· the King of Kings
· the Lord of Lords,
· the Lion of Judah,
· the Lamb who was Slain
· the Alpha and Omega,
· the Word of God,
· the Holy and True,
· the Almighty,
· the Amen,
· the Faithful and True Witness,
· The Ruler of God’s Creation,
· the Lord of the Harvest,
· the Bridegroom,
· the Lamb upon the Throne.
CONCLUSION:
Listen to the promise from our Bridegroom:
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me. I will give to everyone according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12
As we wait for that day, the invitation is open. According to Revelation 22:17:
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
That invitation is for you. Will you come?
Song of Decision: COME, JUST AS YOU ARE
Please BE SEATED. At this point, we’re going to ask the men to come forward and collect the OFFERING.
Sing as offering is collected: COME AND SEE
We’re going to end our service by partaking of the Lord’s Supper together. Today, we’ll ask you to hold the elements and wait until everyone has been served. At that time, we will stand and partake of the bread and wine together.
BEHOLD THE LAMB and instrumental music while Communion is distributed.
Communion Meditation:
The symbolism of Jesus as the bridegroom of His church is found throughout the New Testament. On the night of “The Last Supper,” Jesus actually introduced Himself as the bridegroom.
During the Passover meal, the wine cup is used 4 times. On the third cup … which is offered during the Passover meal … Jesus took a cup that usually had one meaning and injected a new meaning to it. Instead of reciting the usual Passover message, he offered the cup in a way that was used by a man when he proposed marriage to a woman.
In the Jewish tradition, the prospective groom would offer the bride a cup of wine, asking her to drink it. If the bride drinks of that cup, it means that she accepts the grooms offer of marriage. If she leaves without taking the cup and drinking from it, she has declined the offer. Jesus injected that symbolism into the Passover meal as he offered this special cup to his men.
At the Last Supper, Jesus was … in a way … proposing to his Bride, the church. And he was looking forward to that day when He would again drink from the cup at that final feast. As we take the Lord’s Supper today, let’s keep in mind that this is a PREVIEW of the WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB that we will finally be united with Jesus for eternity.
Matthew 26 recounts for us: While they were eating, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it; and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body. Pause and eat the bread.
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom. Pause and drink the juice.
Matthew 26: 26-29
Some Day we will drink the cup anew with Jesus in His Father’s kingdom. That will be the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. Stand with me as we read about that day together from Revelation 19: 6-9:
Leader: Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
ALL: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
Leader: (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me,
ALL: “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.”
Leader: And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
I STAND IN AWE
