The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: James 1:21-25, Ephesians 5:25-27,
Rev.19:7 “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.”

We pray more for our personal comfort than we do for our personal character. Jesus is making His bride ready using the Word.
The Word of God is also a supernatural mirror. It shows me where I am, what needs to change, and what I should look like.

Often I find myself more concerned with my theology – what I believe to be true about God – than how I treat people.
I can be more consumed with the hearing / learning, than doing.

Jam.1:21-25
Ver.21b “… with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us.” (Passon Translation)

Ver.24 “he observes himself…” in the mirror of God’s Word.
PT “You perceive how Gods sees you in the mirror of the Word…”

I believe how I treat people is far more important than what I believe to be true. If what God speaks to my heart doesn’t change my life style, that’s called religion, not relationship.

There’s a balance here - 1 Corinthians 13 says how I treat people, how I love people is of far greater value than having all kinds of the gifts of the Spirit.

Joh.13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

If I'm hard to live with, if I'm hard for people be around, maybe that's an indicator that I need a good dose of the love of God.
Needing the water of the Word to wash me, for the Holy Spirit to highlight areas that need my attention.

When I'm truly in love with someone, I don't demand they change to meet my expectations just the opposite I draw a circle on the floor and I change to meet their expectations.
As a Christian if I say I love God yet I don't deal with my character flaws, what does that say about my love?

Where's the evidence that I'm in love with Jesus?
Is it because I go to church? Is it because I believe the right doctrine?

The evidence is my interaction with Him.
It’s my response to His heart.
It’s my interaction with people. Especially with people I don’t like.
My interaction with people who have done me wrong.

What am I doing to develop intimacy with Jesus?
Is Sunday morning church all that I do?

One of the signs that I realized I loved Heatherann was I didn’t care how much money I spent on our dates.
I wanted to spend time with her.

Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her,
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.
“His bride has made herself ready.”