Passover Preparartion: Preparing our Attitudes as the Bride of Christ

Well, we've been focusing on preparing for the coming Passover. It's only one month away. And God tells us in Matthew 24, verses 45 and 46, about being faithful and teaching things in due season. He said in Matthew 24, 45 through 46, Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

As you know, there's different types of foods that come up in different times of the year. And here, it's talking about, of course, having the food prepared according to the season that it grows, the rightness of things. It's the same way with God's Word. It should be given as a spiritual food in due season. And so we have another theme to cover about preparing for the Passover. And in this case, it's as the pride of Christ, as the bride of Christ.

What exactly does it mean to be the bride of Christ? How is she preparing for the bride groom? I know I had the opportunity to marry my four daughters away. And I remember the glorious moment that wedding feast, and the guests, and everybody there. Every one of those was special. And of course, that has no comparison to what Christ is going to do when the bride, the church, is going to meet him when he returns. So how can we better prepare our attitudes for the coming Passover as the bride of Christ?

What does it mean? At first, we have to understand what the term bride means in the Bible, because it's quite different than what it is today, as you will see. In Bible times, becoming a bride meant she was betrothed to the husband, but not yet living with him. So it was sort of an engagement period, but it was far more serious than today, that engagements can be done and broken off without much consequences.

Though in the Bible, the betrothal was part of the covenant, of the marriage covenant. But there was a year's lapse before the actual wedding feast took place. And frankly, in those days, it was more important to marry a virgin than it is today. But in those days, they said, we're going to wait for a year, because if the woman is pregnant or something like that, then it would be called off in most of the cases. And so there was this period, and it was also for the couple to get to know each other before setting up house.

It was a time of getting to know each other, and usually the parents were very involved in the arrangements of it. So let's look at some examples of what a betrothal looks like in the Bible. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Second Corinthians chapter 11. In verse 2, Paul says, For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. So he considered the church.

When you come in the church, all your sins are forgiven, and you become a chaste bride of Christ. Now, whether you're a man or a woman, we're all viewed as a bride because Jesus Christ is the bridegroom. He's going to be in charge. And so, of course, we are going to be part of that kingdom that is coming. And God's kingdom should be our primary goal.

Entering into that kingdom, that's why he says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous, and then everything else falls in place. But, brethren, if we don't come into that kingdom when Christ returns, we would have lost a golden opportunity because it's talking about the reward of the saints. And this is the goal and the reward that a person will get as being faithful to God, obeying him, following God, resisting the temptations, and stay in that straight and narrow path.

The reward is you're going to be in God's kingdom when Christ comes back. You're going to reign under Christ for a thousand years. You're going to be personally trained by Jesus Christ, and you yourself will be a spirit being that doesn't have teeth falling out, and all the other stuff that happens to us as we get older. You don't have to worry about that anymore. You're going to have a body that's never going to age because it's made out of spirit, not made out of flesh and bone. And so it's not only the goal, but it is the reward. And God wants to recompense only those who want that reward.

That's what being a church member is all about. We're not interested in being under Christ when he returns. Maybe we're not ready yet for the kingdom. Notice another scripture in Matthew chapter 1 verse 18. Matthew chapter 1 verse 18.

This has to do with Mary and Joseph. The beginning of this gospel of Matthew, it says in verse 18, it says, now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph before they came together as husband and wife. She was found with a child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. So here they were, she was betrothed. They were in the betrothed-to-speech and she was found pregnant. And so he didn't understand that at the time until God came and explained to him that this has nothing to do with human beings. This is something God is creating. And so she was betrothed to Joseph. And then afterwards it says that they were able to stay together and then afterwards have several more children. It brings out later on. But the point is a betrothed stage is a stage of testing, of seeing if this bride is really faithful to the husband during that one-year period. And it's an analogy to what we go through because when we're baptized it's sort of a betrothed period. God is going to see how faithful and loyal we are during this period because when he returns then if we are part of the bride the reward will be there. You will be able to have the wedding feast which I'll be talking about in a moment. But this is the betrothed stage and we can walk away from it. We can turn our backs on it. And then there's nothing to await when Christ comes back. We're going to lose that opportunity and reward. So it's a time of testing now. Notice in Revelation 19 in verse 6 through 9, Revelation chapter 19 verses 6 through 9, it says, and I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thundering saying, hallelujah, which means praise God for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Finally, Christ's kingdom is going to be established. He's going to reign. We're not going to have any more human beings and human governments and all of this, all these shenanigans going on and tolerating all these things that are happening. No, our Lord reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. And to her, it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. These are the saints that are faithfully keeping the commandments of God to the very end of their lives, and they are given these this clothing not because they deserve it, but through the mercy of God being in this path, God passes over our sins. We've been forgiven and as long as we confess and we repent and we change, God removes that. And so it's not that these are perfect people, but they are following God's perfect way of life, because we certainly are not. Perfect. God's way is perfect, but not the people who walk in it, but he's going to clean and it's through his blood and everything that it talks about the bride getting ready.

And it says, verse 9, says, Then he said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. And so it is a blessing. It's tremendous reward if we make it there.

And so Passover is part of the preparation, and it's a rehearsal for that wedding feast with Christ. And so you see the analogy, the covenant that we make, it's a type of a marriage covenant that we make with Christ. We become the betrothed bride. And of course, the test is for her to be faithful, for her to remain following God to the end of their lives. And I was talking to some of the Latin ministers who just had a teleconference. I have them about once every month or two. And we've got pastors in Mexico and Guatemala. We take care of El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina. And so we'll have a Zoom meeting. And I mentioned that even if we are aging, we are committed to serving God's people to that very last breath that they take. And we are going to be serving them and having quality service to them. And so this is a commitment that we have because we want to be that faithful bride who's not going to run away from rough things. And women have to go through a lot more than men, rearing kids and going through all that stage of diapers and stuff. And men eschew that. They don't like that. But women are able to humble themselves and do what's necessary for their families. But we have to have the same attitude. And so it tells us about the wedding feast. That's when we go from the betrothal stage to the actual marriage state. So what are we going to do once we get to the married state? Let's go to Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 14 verses 1 through 3.

Because here is when Christ comes down on Mount Zion.

And those who were alive at that time that were faithful, that had been sealed by God, it says in verse 1, then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion. So he's still symbolic of the Passover lamb that died for every one of us. And with him 144,000, having his father's name written on their forehead. So here these are glorified saints. They have the father's name, just like I have my father's name. And I know I belong to the Sagley family. Well, we're going to one day have the father's name and we're going to be the family of God, the father's name. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. This is a wonderful moment. The marriage supper is very close to happening. They sang, as it were, a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. These are people that were set apart, they were blessed by God, they were protected by God during that great tribulation period. And it says, and I like to read verse four because the scripture from the New Living Translation has it more accurate. It says these, the New King James says, these are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, but actually the better sense is from the New Living Translation that says, they have kept themselves as pure as virgins, talking about their spiritual states. And that's what we do with the Passover, don't we? We take the symbols of the wine and of the body that's part of the renewal of this marriage covenant that we have with Jesus Christ. And it says, they have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever He goes.

So that's a good summary. We're going to be the bride of Christ, all of these, and this goes from righteous able all the way to the last person before Christ returns that has been faithful, either dead or alive, they're all going to be resurrected. And what did they do? They're following the Lamb wherever He goes. So it's not going to be people who are going to say, well, I want Christ to follow me.

That'd be pretty presumptuous, wouldn't it? No, they have learned to be submissive to Jesus Christ and God the Father. And whatever He says goes. We're not going to have rebellions, we're not going to have all of this bad attitude type. No, we are a humble church. We are going to follow Jesus Christ and His instructions. Isn't that great? Isn't that what usually husband and wife, isn't it great when they're together and they can enjoy the company and do things where they're both in the same mindset? And basically the interests really grow as you get older and older. And you can do a lot of things together that before you might not have. So that's a good summary of what it is. Christ, I don't know what's the next step, but I'm going to be there and I'm going to fulfill my duties. I'm going to do things. I'm going to serve you as you are the husband. I am the submissive bride. So this is the attitude. It goes on to say they have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. So they've had to be purchased with the blood of Christ. So nobody here did it on his own, on his own merits.

They have told no lies. They are without blame. As long as we're in this way of life, God, His grace, His protection covers us. We leave it. We lose that protection. We lose that covering. So it's still conditional, but as long as we're following Him, we are under the grace. We don't want to be under the penalty of the law again to condemn us to death. And then it goes on to say in verse 12, it says, this means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. So we're going to keep His commandments. We're going to maintain that faith in Jesus Christ. See, it's not rocket science. It's not complicated. It's not easy because of our human nature and the world around us and Satan trying to distract us and tempt us out of the church because he would love to see that. He's in 1st Timothy, 1st Peter 5.8. It says that Satan is like a roaring lion. And as you know, a lion, when he roars out there, he gets into the area of the savannah or the main fields. He'll roar and then all the animals start going and he'll go after the weak ones. That's the way the alarm is sounded. He knows where the weak ones are. He has to rustle them and then he'll focus his attention. And so we have to be prepared for these things.

When Christ, and this was brought up in the first message, had the last Passover with his disciples, notice what he said in Luke chapter 22 verse 15. As they were keeping this last Passover, he died on a Passover. And we celebrate the anniversary of that last Passover. In Luke chapter 22 verse 15, he said, then he said to them, with fervent desire I have desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Yeah, he wasn't looking forward to the suffering part, but he loved them. He wanted them in the kingdom. These are some of the first ones in the New Testament to be able to now be part of the church. He says, for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it about the Passover until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. So he's looking forward to having Passover services where he's in charge and the bride is all there. Wouldn't that be fantastic to have a Passover? You talk about spiritual tears. We're going to have those because it's going to be so impactful. The magnitude of what he did and what he's still doing and will do as a husband. We're in good hands. He goes on to then he took the cup and gave thanks and said, take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. So Christ is abstaining from taking of the wine until that Passover meal in the kingdom. And then it's going to be the beginning of that thousand-year reign. I don't know exactly how many days it is from one to the other, but we know he says he's not going to drink any wine because of the symbolism that the Passover has of his sacrifice. And now they made it. They brought these children to glory that they're all looking forward to God the Father and him. So how can we prepare and apply these principles to our lives? And what we need is a spirit of proper submission to God and the brethren. Notice in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18, Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 18.

He says, And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, as we have done, and spiritual songs, which is what was brought out in the message. It's not just a pretty harmony. Think of the words, how inspiring they are. We might not have the most exciting and the most rhythmic and melodic music. Boy, those words. They're very impactful. In other words, the words are more important than the music. Whereas you can go to a place where it's the music more than the words, because this is based on God's word, the lyrics. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, submitting to one another in the fear of God. So yes, we are a church. We submit to each other, where we are able to look at the others and think they are superior to us, not that they are inferior. I'd like to read what a website gotquestions.org. You probably used it. What it says about this submitting and about Ephesians 5, 18 through 21. This is what it says. It says, to submit to one another, Ephesians 5, 21, is not based on the merits of the other person. Believers aren't to submit to one another because others deserve it. Rather, they are to submit to one another in the fear, or what it means, the deep respect for God the Father and Jesus Christ.

That's the motivating principle, because we fear God. We want to please Christ as our bridegroom and so we want to please Him. He wants to see that. It goes on to say, that means being willing to give ourselves up for others, or, as Paul put it, to regard others as more important than ourselves. To submit to one another is literally to align oneself below others in rank. To perceive ourselves as lesser in rank for the benefit of the other. I thought that was a good description. Now, this voluntary submission that we have in the church as the bride of Christ does not mean weakness or groveling before others. It means to be willing to serve others and care for their interests. It's not about us. It's what is your interest. What are your needs? How can we fulfill it? How can we help out? Notice in Galatians chapter 6 verse 2. It says, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. In the easy reading version, it says, help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ.

So if we're submissive to God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, and we're submissive in the church, we're going to be thinking about the others and not say, oh, well, that's their problem. That's not mine. We are thinking about others. In Philippians chapter 2, Jesus Christ gave us the perfect example of this. In Philippians chapter 2 and verse 1, notice again the spirit of submission, of humility that we need to develop. Verse 1, it says, therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.

When I realized what that principle was, it changed my life. And I had been in the church for a lot of years, and I didn't grasp the depth of that.

But that's so important. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. Notice he did this. He took it on. He didn't have to. He volunteered to do this submission. Made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, which means a slave, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Talk about example of submission. And he didn't have to do it.

He already had the reward. He gave it all up to bring many children to glory, for us to partake of what being God is like, because we're going to be under them. We're going to be under God the Father, God the Son. No, they are a growing family. That's what God, when he describes himself as a father, it's not just because we're physical beings here. It's what we're going to be in eternity with Christ as our older brother and our bridegroom, our husband. Boy, I'll tell you, I'll take that right now, if I could. Because what we have in this life, it's still full of pain and sorrow and sufferings and dissolutions and things that you have. But we know we're not going to make it into God's kingdom without suffering, without developing godly character. And that means being tested. What tests are they? We never know. And it can come from one day to the other. But when it comes, we just know, okay, we'll do what we can. I want to still be that bride of Christ. I know as I sink into that consciousness of death, the next thing I'll know, if I was worthy and if I was faithful, the next moment you'll see Jesus Christ in the clouds. And you're going to be rising up. And you're going to be part of that kingdom. And so there's a lot at play here. There's a lot at risk. And you know what? It isn't rocket science to just follow God and His way of life. But we make it that way. Do we want to live the way the world lives? Do you think they have better reward coming to them? They're going to have to eat crow. They're going to be humbled when they're resurrected in that second resurrection. They're going to have to redo their lives and unlearn all of their lives and stuff. We can skip that stage. Continuing on, it says, verse 9, therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth, which means people living in caves and other places down on the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So God the Father wants us to glorify the Son. God the Father wants us to be that bride. We have been called to be that bride now. There is no room for pride, arrogance, or tyranny in the home.

In Matthew 20, verses 25 through 28, Jesus Christ told us the attitude we should have in our homes, in our lives, in the church. Matthew 20, verse 25.

Jesus called them to Himself. This was a time right before the Passover and He says, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and those who are great exercise authority over them. So basically it says they are the ones that handle power, and if they handle power, they're going to exercise it to stay in power. What was it someone was telling me that the person who has power, that's what they have over the nations. But he who has the bunny, he rules the world. They're able to buy their way into whatever is necessary. And so here it's telling us this is not the way we should rule because God is watching what we're doing in our homes, with our families, in our jobs. Matthew 20, verse 26, He says, He says, yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, if you want a great reward in God's kingdom, let him be your servant, which actually means slave, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So basically this is the Christ-like attitude that he's calling for. And this is so important as we prepare ourselves for the Passover, to examine ourselves, to see how we are doing. We need to examine our attitudes. Are we becoming that submissive bride of Christ? Whether it's a man or a woman. See, I have to be as submissive as my wife is. To me, I have to be as submissive to Christ and God the Father, and those that I serve above me and below. It doesn't matter. Serve him equally, because God is not a respecter of persons.

Are we willing to follow him wherever he goes? Or do you want Jesus to follow you because you know it better? Are we willing to yield to God's commands and not be stubborn about it? So brethren, as you can see, we have a lot of work to do as we prepare spiritually for that coming Passover.