Outline
Ⅰ
Christ is the Bridegroom—Matt. 9:14-15; 22:2-3; 25:1, 5-6,10:
A
In the whole universe the most pleasant person is Jesus as the Bridegroom.
B
John the Baptist said, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom"—John 3:29a.
C
Jesus presented Himself as the Bridegroom—Matt. 9:14-15; Mark 2:19:
１
At the end of the Bible, we have the term the wife of the Lamb—Rev. 21:9.
２
The Lamb of God (John 1:29) is the Redeemer, but the Lamb who took away our sins on the cross is also our Bridegroom for the marriage (Rev. 19:7).
D
In the presence of the Bridegroom, fear is nonexistent; when we touch the Lord's presence, touch Him as the Bridegroom, we touch His loveliness, sweetness, and freshness; He is so lovely!
E
The first stanza of Hymns, #170 says, "Lord, Thou art the lovely Bridegroom, / God appointed, dear to us; / Thy dear self is so attractive, / To our heart so beauteous!"
F
There are four ways (or aspects) for us to have the enjoyment of Christ as our Bridegroom:
１
First, we are the companions in the bridechamber enjoying the Bridegroom—Matt. 9:15.
２
Second, we are the guests enjoying Him as our feast—Luke 14:15-17; Rev. 3:20; 19:9.
３
Third, we are the virgins enjoying the coming of the Bridegroom—Matt. 25:1-13.
４
Fourth, we will be the bride to enjoy the Bridegroom to the uttermost—Rev. 19:7.
G
The direction of the Lord's move today is to prepare the bride as the counterpart of the Bridegroom for the eternal marriage of the redeeming God with His redeemed—vv. 7-8; 21:1-2, 9-10.
H
We need to realize that as the Bridegroom the Lord Jesus is the coming One:
１
He is coming to meet us as His bride.
２
The revelation of the Lord's coming is included in His being the Bridegroom.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 9:14-15 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but Your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, The sons of the bridechamber cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.[In Matthew 9:14-15, Jesus] answered [John’s disciples] not with a doctrine but with a person. He referred to Himself as the Bridegroom! A bridegroom is the most pleasant person in the entire universe. You say that you fear God, you want to please God, and you like to serve the Lord—that is good, but it is rather religious…In the presence of the Bridegroom, fear is nonexistent. He is so lovely; He is so pleasant; we need not fear such a One. Hallelujah, we have the Bridegroom! (CWWL, 1970, vol. 2, “Christ versus Religion,” p. 7)
Today’s Reading
The Lord Jesus is…the Lamb who bears away our sins and accomplishes redemption in a full way, and He is also the One with the dove who imparts life into us and baptizes us with the Spirit. But besides all these, He is the Bridegroom. Eventually, at the end of the Bible, we have such a term, the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9). This is a matter that is to some extent contrary to religion and religious thoughts. The Lamb is the Redeemer, but the Lamb who took away our sins on the cross is also our Bridegroom.Have you ever prayed in this way: “O Lord Jesus, You are so lovely; You are my Bridegroom. Lord, I love You; I love You just as one who loves her bridegroom”?…The Bridegroom is with us—we have His presence! We not only have the presence of the almighty God but the presence of the Bridegroom, the most pleasant person. He is so precious and so lovely.
The Bible not only tells us that the Lord Jesus is our Bridegroom, but that as such a person to us we are four kinds of people to Him. Matthew and Luke tell us that He is the Bridegroom, and we are the sons of the bridechamber… We love the Bridegroom…His presence is so good and pleasant to us…We are companions of the Bridegroom in the bridechamber.
Second, we are the guests invited by God to the wedding feast of His Son (Matt. 22:1-10; Rev. 19:9). God the Father is now preparing a wedding feast for His Son and inviting many to attend it…We are feasting now…Whenever we come into His presence, we realize that we have come to a feast. Whenever we come together in a meeting, we must realize that we have come to a wedding feast. The church meeting must not be just a meal but a feast, and not an ordinary feast but a wedding feast.
Third, we are the virgins going forth to meet the Bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-13)…In one sense we are with Him and we are enjoying Him, but in another sense we are waiting for Him, and we wait for Him in the way of going forth to meet Him. We all must be virgins and have nothing to do with this earth. Our goal is His coming; our goal is Christ; we are aiming at Him. As such, He is our real enjoyment.
In the first sense we are the sons of the bridechamber, in the second we are the guests, in the third we are the virgins, and in the fourth we are the bride. These four aspects are all for our enjoyment of Christ as our Bridegroom. In the first sense we are the companions in the bridechamber enjoying the Bridegroom. In the second sense we are the guests enjoying Him as our feast. In the third sense we are the virgins enjoying the coming of the Bridegroom. Eventually, we will all be the bride to enjoy the Bridegroom to the uttermost. Thus, to enjoy Christ as the Bridegroom we must be four kinds of persons to Him. By all these four ways we enjoy Christ so richly and sweetly. May the Lord impress us deeply with all these four aspects and bring us into the full enjoyment of Christ. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 2, “Christ versus Religion,” pp. 7-11)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1970, vol. 2, “Christ versus Religion,” chs. 1—3; Life-study of Mark, msg. 9