Part 5 - The Bride of Christ

• There are personal valleys, and there are prophetic valleys.

believer goes through.

• Valleys also represent the in-between

.

**Part 4 - Matthew 24-25
**a) Don’t be deceived,
b) Don’t be

,
c) Endure,
d) Watch and Pray.

6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 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.” 8 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.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘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.”

14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. —Revelation 19:6-9, 14

• One of Scripture’s most powerful pictures of the

is the church as the

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of Christ.

• Her

, the fine linen, clean and bright, have great significance – they represent the righteousness of the saints.

•

righteousness the righteousness given to you and I as a free gift because of the cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s positional.

•

righteousness – this is His righteousness worked out in our lives. It’s practical.

• Implemented righteousness: “

to God out of a heart motivation of love.”

If you love me, keep my commandments. —John 14:15

• There’s a purpose in the valley. During the

, there’s preparation for a wedding.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. —Romans 8:28-29

1. The prophetic picture of the Bride of Christ began in the garden of Eden.

18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. —Genesis 2:18, 21-22

• Through the deep sleep that the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, endured, the church was

.

1. Genesis 24 continues to develop the
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   picture of the bride in scripture in the love story of Isaac and Rebekah.

a. The father sent his trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac. The heavenly Father has sent the Holy Spirit to

the bride for Jesus. (Vs. 3-4)

b. The woman had to be

to follow Abraham’s servant and return to the promised land with him. The bride of Christ must be willing to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. (Vs. 8, 58)

c. Several of the references in the story are too

time, a picture the end of the age. (Vs. 11, 63)

d. Not only did Rebekah give water to the servant, but also water to his 10 camels, after a journey of several hundred miles. The bride of Christ is willing to

water from the wells of salvation for her generation. (Vs. 19)

e. The servant adorned Rebekah and her family with

, just as the Holy Spirit releases His gifts to the church. (Vs. 53)

f. Rebekah rode back to Isaac on the 10 camels. 10 is the number of

in scripture. The bride will endure the testing of the journey to be prepared for the bridegroom. (Vs. 61)

g. Rebekah met Isaac in the harvest field. The bridegroom Jesus will meet His bride the church in the

field of the nations of the world at evening time. (Vs. 63-65)

Vs. 66 says “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he

her.”

3) The Song of Songs is a

song about the

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Jesus, and His bride, the church.

5 Stages of Love:
a) Initial Love
b) Faltering Love.
c) Growing Love
d) Transforming love
e)

Love.

Who is this coming up from the wilderness,

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upon her beloved?
—Songs of Songs 8:5

• When we see the bride in the mature love stage, she has learned to

on Jesus.
• To lean means to

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, to rely on, to trust.
• To lean means to

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, remain, and stay connected with the Lord Jesus.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also

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the church and

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Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a

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church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
—Ephesians 5:25-27