A Very Important Person (VIP)

Music Society ignores its father. It ignores its creator. It disregards its life-giver. It sets aside the director of events that have and will take place on this earth to humanity. It disregards the sustainer of life. It disregards the universal laws throughout all of God's creation that God has made and God has placed in order to govern this creation in a way so that everything works and it works harmoniously and endures. God is not acknowledged. He is in fact disavowed to even exist. He is disliked. He is declared by humans who he created as dead. God has to repeatedly teach human beings about himself to remind them of the divinity of the Godhead. If you'll turn with me to Exodus chapter 20, we pick up a story here of people who were in a lineage all the way from Abraham and down through Noah, actually from Adam, down through Noah, through Abraham. People who, through Joshua, Jacob, came to Egypt and dwelt there. And now we pick up the story in Exodus chapter 20 in verse 1. And God spoke all these words saying, hey everybody, I am the Lord your God. They had forgotten. They didn't know anymore. They had slipped off, as humans do, disavowing, disregarding God, the life-giver, the law-giver. And he said, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. They didn't really want to recognize some of those things, as we saw by the time they got to Mount Sinai. They made a golden calf. Once again, disavowing, disregarding God. He says, you shall have no other gods before me. In other words, I am the God. God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Godhead, that is it. Nothing. That's the first commandment he gave us, is to stay focused, keep God and the Godhead, numero uno, with nothing else getting into first place or primary position. You shall not make for yourselves a carved image or a likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that's in earth beneath or that's in the water under the earth. Don't start distracting it and put something else there. Don't try to bring me down to something you can make. You shall not bow down to them, verse 5, or serve them. There goes God, already knowing he's going to slip into a lower category. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. Visiting the iniquity of the Father's appearance visiting the iniquity of the Father's upon the children of the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. Iniquity means breaking God's laws. God has always been the law-giver. Humans have not wanted to follow the law. And humans, as we see here, hate or dislike God. But showing mercy to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments. Verse 7, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. And this is another thing that humans do right away. They just trash God's name. In fact, they don't just sort of trash God's name. They put it in the worst, stinkiest, horrible context that any name can possibly be put in. You just take the name holy or God or Jesus and see what flows out from it.

Verse 8, remember the Sabbath day. And so God goes down through the commandments and the laws that govern relationships between God and the last six govern relationships between man. And mankind sets them aside and says, no, no, we know better. Human beings willingly forget that the Godhead is God, the real true God. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 5. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 5. And I do not read these scriptures to put us in some sort of, oh, special category and everybody else is bad. Because we are humans, too. And we have tendencies, too. And we have to resist these tendencies. But we're given a helper through the Holy Spirit, the mind of God in us, to push back. In 2 Peter chapter 3 now and in verse 5, it says, for this they willingly forget. Humans will willingly forget that by the Word of God, by the one who is the Logos of God, the one who became Jesus Christ, the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed, being flooded by water. But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. So these very things that are here that humans love and they embrace and they want more of and they want to go out and explore are the very things that will be humanity's demise because that's part of God's plan, to burn it all up, to dissolve everything that's physical and replace it with things that are spiritual and eternal. God is great. God's way is wonderful. God's way works. Everyone that lives it, everything that's part of it, that does it God's way, works fabulously. You know, when we see crises among humans and things that transpire and we get all out of shape, as it were, it's interesting to look out the window and watch the animals, the birds, the bird feeders, the bugs, the bees, the flowers, the trees, they're all just moving right along just fine. All the fish and the lakes and the oceans are cruising along just fine. All the animals that God made, they're not distracted by all these things because they're following a pattern that God established and they live generation after generation in harmony. In this message, I'd like to recognize a VIP in God's church. A VIP, if you don't recall, is a very important person, a very important person in God's church. You and I need to know who the very important individual is, for without that, we will not achieve the goal that we have. We will not recognize who is important in God's eyes. Let's begin our search for God's VIP in his church. You know, like humanity, humans tend to discount spiritual VIPs. Very important people spiritually get discounted. If you'd like an example, let's go to Philippians chapter 2 and verse 8. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 8.

And being found in appearance as a man, when God, the creator, the father used to create all things, came as a human being, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. Again, humans tend to discount spiritual VIPs. Very important people in God's eyes are discounted by humanity. And when Jesus Christ walked this earth, he was discounted. He was disregarded. He was even killed. Going on. Verse 9 to show how very important he was as a human person. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. So while humanity dissed Jesus Christ and even killed him, in God's eyes he was a very important person. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and of those under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So we begin to see here about very important people. First of all, we don't want to be like humanity and move our focus off the true God, as humanity always does. Secondarily, we don't want to be like society and disregard spiritually very important person in God's eyes just because humanity does. We need to see things through a different lens as we look for God's very important person in his church.

The greatest human VIP was declared so by God the Father himself. In Luke chapter 3 and verse 22.

Luke chapter 3 and verse 22. And this is where we should get the identity of the very important person in God's church. It's from God, not from our opinion. Luke chapter 3 and verse 22. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Jesus and a voice came out of heaven which said, You are my beloved Son and you I am well pleased. That was right about this time the people in the area where he grew up just said, You're some carpenter's son.

We're not going to listen to you. And they railed on him and they tried to kill him and they tried to run him out of town and they ultimately succeeded. So God the Father said, This is my beloved human being whom I am well pleased in. As we just read, he was elevated after his death to being the greatest human who has ever lived.

We can use that phrase. Has God declared any other human VIP besides Jesus Christ? Let that question sink in a minute. Is there another human VIP that God has declared? Once again, it's a human tendency to disregard or discredit other humans. It's just in our nature. If we can find a flaw, well, if we can find a deficiency, if we can find a personality trait that is abrupt or we dislike in some way or a weakness or a past mistake, you know, way back there, that person loses any sort of status and the human nature wants to compete for that status and push itself up.

Well, let's start in Genesis chapter 2 and set some background here for our search for a human VIP in God's eyes. In Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7, we find an individual that God formed. Notice the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground. God took his time and he formed a man out of dust. We might say clay and then he formed it in his own image. He formed him in a way that was so intricate that human scientists and physicians are still learning the intricacies of all the nuances that go on in the human body.

And then it says he blew air into his nostrils. In verse 7, it says he breathed. Now here's God himself putting his own breath into the nostrils, the breath of life, and man became a living being, a thinking, living, fully living being, called a soul in the scripture. That's the complete individual. In verse 15, then the Lord took the man. How important was this man to God? Was this sort of a nobody? No, he's created him somewhere. We don't know where. Now he takes him and he places him, as it says, in the garden of Eden to tend and to keep it.

He finds out that God made a garden, made a special place, and then he puts the man in the special place. That's a position of honor for an individual to be put in that place. And then, in verse 19, out of the ground the Lord formed every beast of the field and the bird of the air, and he brought them to Adam, and he asked Adam to name them. Wow, what king or ruler or emperor has ever been able to be the one to give names to God's creation?

Whatever Adam called each creature, that was its name. And we drop down to verse 21. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and he closed up the flesh in its place.

And then the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman, and he brought her to the man. Special people, a man and now a woman, and God brings them, and God forms them. And these are important to God.

Verse 22, or verse 24, Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and they shall be come one flesh. Consider how VIP those two were temporarily. Temporarily. In verse 24 of chapter 3, So he drove out the man, and he placed caribim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

That VIP status did not last. Why didn't it last? Because the individual turned away from God. The individual moved somebody else up into first place. Listened to a serpent. Started listening to humans and human reasoning. And God was moved in their mind repeatedly down.

Let's compare that VIP couple with two other people in Scripture. A man and woman in the church today. Romans chapter 7 in verse 18. Romans chapter 7 will begin in verse 18. Paul says, For I know in me that there is nothing good dwelling.

For the will is present, but how to perform it, I do not find. For the good that I will do, I do not do. For the evil, I would not that I practice. Therefore, Paul is no VIP in our eyes. What? Do you read that? This guy makes mistakes. We can just disregard him. We can cast him aside. We have to be careful as we look for a VIP in God's eyes to have God's eyes. In God's mind, as we look and as we judge.

The Apostle Paul says in verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Do you ever say that sometimes when you say, Oh, I made a mistake, or I tend to have a series of mistakes, or I tend to be fallible as a human. Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God. But occasionally, with the flesh, if I start thinking fleshly, if I don't let the Spirit lead me, in those occasions, the flesh wants to go to the law of sin, which results in death.

Now, we've talked about Jesus Christ, the VIP, all the glory. We've talked about Adam and Eve, and they sort of fell.

We talk about you and me and the Apostle Paul, and we're weak. Where are we going to find this VIP in the Church, the VIP that we're looking for?

I'd like to share with you the greatest challenge, I think, regarding the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul expressed it very well right here.

Pick your term for it. You can feel small. You can feel irrelevant. You can feel insignificant, unachieved, failure, unimportant, unworthy.

The byproduct of all of those feelings is being disenfranchised, and people tend to quit. They feel like somehow they failed. I can't tell you the number of people who have counseled with me and said, because of this, I will be in the lake of fire. I resolve to that. I know it.

That's admitting in a person's mind that they are done when they're not, by the way. Because, as the Apostle Paul said, I thank God through Jesus Christ, my Lord, that I can overcome these things. I can work on these things. And God is ready and willing to forgive us our sins. And has forgiven those that we've repented of once we're baptized. He continues to forgive us of sins that we repent of, and we struggle and strive, like Paul was showing, to get rid of and to put away. God's with us there. He's for us in that.

Disenfranchisement tends to either want you to overturn things, things, or to quit.

You know, there's a status quo, and a person who feels disenfranchised may want to go in and tear it apart, rip it apart, pull it down, discredit it, try to destroy it. That's what Satan tries to do.

But a disenfranchised person sometimes can quit as well. Or a disenfranchised person led by God's Spirit can simply repent and be joined back to God.

You know, Jesus Christ had stripes so that we can be healed or restored back to God. For we, like sheep, win a stray. We do that as humans. Don't let that blind you to who the VIP in the Church is in God's mind.

God laid a foundation for a V-O-B, a very, very important building, I guess, a V-I-B, a very important building. Isaiah 28 talks about this V-I-B.

It relates to the VIP, as you'll see in a moment. Isaiah 28 and verse 16.

Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious stone, a cornerstone, a sure foundation, that whoever believes will not act hastily. No, we have a building. We just found a cornerstone. It's the V-I-P that we identified earlier, Jesus Christ. But He's laid a cornerstone, and that cornerstone isn't the building. It's the cornerstone. There's more to come. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 19.

Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 19. This very important building in God's eyes begins to be revealed to us. Ephesians 2 verse 19. Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

We just got elevated through baptism and letting God's Spirit lead us to fulfill God's Word, which is to love Him with our heart, soul, and might love our neighbor as ourselves and be in harmony with the family of God. Look, you and I have just stepped up to members of the household of God.

That's a leap.

Is that where we see ourselves? Or do we get lost somehow in, oh, I'm insignificant and I made a mistake?

Let's keep going. 2 Timothy chapter... Well, let's continue here. Verse 20 first. Verse 20. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. So here's the building. It now has a foundation and walls are going up, in whom the whole building... Oh, now we have a building. Being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit. We are in an amazing place. If we have been baptized, if we have God's Holy Spirit, or in the process of baptism, coming to that place. God also has His Spirit working in our minds, working with an individual, helping them see what is right and what is not, and what a person needs to replace and repent of in their life, even though they don't have the power to do it until after baptism. God is working there very, very strongly. Now, if we go to 2 Timothy 2 and verse 19, 2 Timothy 2 and verse 19, we see how this continues to develop.

Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands. Having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His. If we are God's, if we are in God's family, He knows who are His, and let everyone who names the name of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, depart from iniquity. We have our marching orders right there.

In verse 20, but in a great house, in the house of God, in the human house, the spiritual house, but it has humans.

There are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. So let's not get in our mind that, oh, we're special to God, we're VIPs, therefore...

Therefore what? Well, therefore, here we are. Are we gold? Are we a little less than gold, silver? Are we a little less than wood? Are we unfired clay? I mean, what are we? What are we building into this house of God? Some for honor, some for dishonor. Therefore, verse 21, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good word. So we need to cleanse ourselves.

When we do that, we become, as it says here, vessels of honor. If we cleanse ourself from the latter, the wood and the clay, we become vessels of honor to our Master.

So it does rely on us, in part, and we do have a role in how important each of us is to God. But the opportunity is fully available to you and me.

Scripture begins to reveal the identity of this elusive VIP. There's only one we're looking for today. Let's delve a little deeper. 1 Peter 1 Peter 1 and 2 1 Peter 1 will begin in verse 2. 2 Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace, God's gifts, His favors to you and peace, harmony, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

Wow, this is really something.

You who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

You and I have this fabulous opportunity. And in verse 6, In this you greatly rejoice, though now, for a little while, if need be, you are grieved by various trials.

We know the age we're in. We know the end of that age is going to be the most difficult time ever, but nevertheless, these things help. Verse 7, The genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold at parishes, though it's tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Verse 9, Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your lives, your bodies, your living being, of this salvation, the prophets have inquired and searched, to prophesy of the grace, the benefits, what would come in time to us.

In verse 13, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind. See, there's the promises. Yes, great. Therefore, because of these things, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, rest your hope fully upon the favors that are to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not conforming yourself to the former lust, as in ignorance.

As in verse 15 says, He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it's written, Be holy for I am holy.

We're seeing the ingredients here of the VIP in God's eyes, and that VIP has an important part of that status to develop and maintain.

Dropping down, talking about being redeemed, we will redeem verse 19, with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. He was not recognized by the world. He was not given status in the eyes of the world.

He indeed was foredained, verse 20, before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who, through him, believe in God. You need to realize, this is not just you and me by ourselves. Our putting God in first place comes through Jesus Christ, comes through the Spirit of God, comes through the body, comes through the Word of God, the Living Word, the Written Word, the teaching of the truth.

Who raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

That's what we need to be about. In December of 2019, the Chairman of the Council of Elders, Dr. Donald Ward, said, he wrote out to the members, do we remotely grasp, understand, and appreciate the significance and importance of our calling? He said, according to the Apostle Peter, we were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. As we've just read, as it says in verse 2, or 1 Peter 1, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Christ.

God, like creating Adam, also looked forward to create you and me.

And he had his son slated to be a very important part of that process. And this means that God has personally called you, individually selected you, long before you ever were born.

Sobering, Dr. Ward says, to realize that we have been called according to the foreknowledge of God.

Our calling is a holy and sacred calling. We must never take it for granted or take our eyes off the goal of becoming glorious, radiant, spirit beings in the family of God.

It's because of God's love and grace that he has called us. Because he loves us, he has called us into the work of God and into the body of Christ. God's great care and concern for us is beyond our comprehension.

Even the hairs on our head are counted by him.

Back in Luke 12, 22-37, I won't turn there, but it shows how our focus, God, is on you and me in our lives and in what we do.

In chapter 2 here of 1 Peter, notice verse 9.

But you are a chosen generation.

Okay, now here it is. You. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people.

Who is this one who is the VIP?

Going on.

You and I have responsibility within this. We drop to verse 13. Those who are a chosen generation, royal people, holy nation, his only special people. Notice verse 13. Therefore, because you are, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake.

Wow. Wait a minute. I thought we were VIPs here.

This is what VIPs do. This is what Jesus Christ did. We submit ourselves, whether to the King as supreme or to governors or to those who are sent by him for punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

For this is the will of God, that by doing these things, you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable because of conscience toward God. One endures grief, suffering wrongfully. Dropping down, verse 21. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered from us, leaving us an example that you should follow. That you should follow in his steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he was suffered, he did not threaten, but he committed himself to him who judged just righteously.

Who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree. That we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you, like sheep, were going astray. But now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your lives.

Wow! You see, you don't have this status of importance with God without being godly, without being Christ-like, without being submissive and obedient, without being loving and sacrificial, without being lawful. In Matthew 20, verse 25, here's what Jesus himself says. Matthew 20, verse 25.

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. That's what a VIP is often in the world. It's somebody who has an exclusive status, some sort of influence and power that others recognize, and they give them special breaks, special exemptions.

But shall not be so among you, verse 26, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him become, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. No, that is true VIP status in the eyes of God. And sometimes we don't even know how to identify a very important spiritual person.

As it says in verse 28, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

It says over in 1 John 3, verse 16, by this we know love because he laid down his life for us. Therefore we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. And so it is. Those who do this become very important in God's eyes. So important that, well, he gave his only Son, didn't he, for us? And he lives in us through his Spirit. We are disdain by society when we live God's way. We can appreciate that because society wants to go a different way. It doesn't want to recognize God. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 7.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellent of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always caring about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus's sake.

That's how society is going to look at a spiritually godly, very important person in the eyes of God.

But we should not be looking with those eyes. Even when we look at ourselves, we should not look at those eyes. We instead are to be very important to God's message. In Matthew 5, verse 13, notice what Jesus said about people who are disparaged by the world.

They are ridiculed, hated. Matthew 5, verse 13.

How does God view them?

You are the salt of the earth.

You know, humans that say you're the dredge of the earth, the offscouring. We want to get rid of you. You are the salt of the earth. Jesus says, in verse 14, you are the light of the world.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

A living gospel message is what a spiritual VIP does for the family of God. It is an example of obeying the gospel. It is far more important than words on TV or radio or social media, what anybody else feels or thinks. Why? Because everyone has an opinion. Everybody has words. Words can be heightened into concepts that fly way above the concepts of God and Scripture in Christ. They can be argued and contested and dismissed.

But a blessed life and obedience cannot be dismissed. A blessed life that's in harmony with God, with the laws of God, that has the favors of God in all situations cannot be discounted, can be hated, but not discounted.

Acts 2, verse 17.

Acts 2, verse 17. Paul here is speaking to the crowds of Jews on Pentecost from all around the known world. And he quotes here from the Old Testament. He says, And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

All right.

Pour out his Spirit on flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. What does the word prophesy mean? Teach. Sons and daughters will teach. Sometimes we push this off somehow into the future. Wait a minute. Who are God's sons and daughters? And how will they teach?

Verse 18. And on my men servants and maid servants, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they shall teach.

You and I are to be salt.

You and I are to be light. You and I teach without ever opening our mouth. You and I show an example. You and I show the humility, the obedience, and the blessings that come from that obedience. God has poured out his Spirit on men and women in this time. And then, after they teach, notice, I will show wonders in the heaven. The sun will be turned, verse 20, to darkness, the moon to blood, before the coming and great awesome day of the Lord. This isn't for the millennium. This is before. This is those who have God's Holy Spirit. Is it important that individuals are examples? Lights, salt, teaching?

Yes.

It is to God.

Let's notice in 1 Peter 2 and verse 11, once again, 1 Peter 2, verse 11 and 12.

Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners in pilgrim, Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles. See, there it is. We have to have a conduct among the Gentiles that is honoring God.

So that when they speak against you as evildoers in their mind, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation. Now, that's at least one way that men and women, filled with God's Spirit before Christ's return, are showing those who are against God, against His way of life, and something that they can observe. It's teaching them something. And someday, when their minds are cleared, their eyes are open, they will glorify God in the day of their visitation. Revelation chapter 3, verse 21. I'll warn you, it's a conditional situation. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne.

How VIP an individual here are we looking for?

We're looking for one who follows Jesus Christ in overcoming Satan, who wins the battle. I want you to win. I've given you the armor to stand against Him, to fight against Him, and having done all to stand, Ephesians 6. Now, if you overcome, then I'll grant you to sit with me on my throne.

But it's conditional, at the beginning of the verse, to Him or her who overcomes. It's not automatic.

In Romans chapter 2 and verse 23, I'll just read it to you. It says, for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified.

So if we keep our focus here, keeping God first, looking at those Ten Commandments, seeing how humanity doesn't like that, and humanity doesn't like those who do those things, but we maintain our focus on God and the obedience of God, putting sin out of our lives, we grow as very important people in God's eyes. And then we have future roles because of that. In Revelation chapter 19 and verse 7, Revelation chapter 19 and verse 7, let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come. This just keeps elevating here.

And His wife has made herself ready.

A wife has made herself. It didn't say she was successful, therefore she became His wife.

No, it says His wife has made herself. You and I were betrothed to Jesus Christ at baptism. We're already the wife of Christ, spiritually speaking. We need to continue that process. And because she's made herself ready, to her it was granted to be ready and fine linen, clean and bright for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Ephesians 5 verse 22, still looking at this VIP, in a sense, searching who the VIP is.

Ephesians 5, 22, Why have submit yourself to your own husbands, as to the Lord? Oh, we need to submit ourselves. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church and save you of the body.

Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, to let the wives be their own husbands and everything. We've got work to do in this life. And oh, by the way, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. This isn't some exclusive raising of one male or female husband or wife above the other. So, in Proverbs chapter 31, we have what has been described as a co, as it were, application of a wife and the role of a wife.

Co, because obviously, one, King Lemuel's mother, evidently, is talking about this. And two, the husband, the father of the groom here, is looking for a wife or his son, you might say.

And Proverbs chapter 31, we'll just break in in verse 10. Who can find a virtuous wife? And that's a question that God is looking for. Who is going to be the virtuous wife or his son, Jesus Christ? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her so he will have no lack of gain. She was there as a helper. She does him good, not evil, all the days of her life. And it talks about the various things that she goes through and does. Down in verse 17, she girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms. Where do we get our strength? Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God.

In verse 20, she extends her hand to the poor. She reaches out her hands to the needy. You know, the poor, spiritually poor, the needy of this world need reaching out to. Jesus Christ is returning to bring solace, to bring joy. To bring life to the poor, to the blind, to the deaf, the dumb, the lame, all spiritually.

And she extends her hand with him.

We look in verse 22.

She makes tapestry for herself. What do we see in Christ's cleansing the bride in Ephesians 5 and in Revelation 19? We read how the bride is putting on a tapestry, a linen. Notice, she makes tapestry for herself. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. This woman, this bride is cleansing herself spiritually and righteous acts. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. Jesus Christ is coming as King of kings and Lord of lords. And so it goes. Verse 25, Strength and honor her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom. On her tongue is the law of kindness.

Verse 28, Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praises her. We are here to bring more individuals into the family of God, under the reign of Jesus Christ as his bride. We can look forward to that day, but we also need to be diligent now in preparation for that role as we grow.

In Revelation 5 and verse 9, as we wrap this up, let's point out how VIP these individuals are. Revelation 5 and verse 9. They sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you are slain. So this is Jesus Christ. And you have redeemed us to God by your blood. We were brought back through your blood by your stripes. We were healed to God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And you have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.

That's a very, very high, important status with God. In 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9. Let's go back to 1 Peter 2 and verse 9 once again.

I'm sorry. I got 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9. But you are a chosen generation, chosen by God. How important is that? Could it be more important? A royal priesthood. We just read. We were called to be priests. A holy nation. His own special people that you may proclaim, that you may teach by example, and ultimately proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous life. Two other generations in the future.

You and I have a wonderful calling.

In conclusion, it says in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 22, Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

Having been born again, or the Greek, ganeo, anothin, engendered from above, another family, engendered from a new father, part of a new family, children of God, household of God, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever.

You and I have a wonderful calling. And if we live God's truth, if we love God and our fellow man, we rise to a VIP status in God's eyes. Let's find this in Romans chapter 8 and verse 14.

Romans chapter 8 and verse 14.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Dropping down, verse 16, the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Now, let's pause here a minute. I mentioned all through this that we're looking for one, one VIP in God's eyes. The Bible isn't written that way. The Bible talks about children, sons, daughters, family. But you need to identify one VIP in the Church of God.

It's you. You need to cleanse your mind of what the world thinks of you, what the world thinks of God, what the world thinks of Christ, what the world thinks of this way, what the world thinks of the future. You need to cleanse your mind of your view of yourself, which God does not have.

God looks at you as holy and righteous and clean and pure in his sight. He looks at you as, verse 17, children, heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. You are a very important person in God's eyes. Don't let anybody take that away from you. Each one of us, and all of us collectively, are very important people in the family of God.