Notes from this week's podcast: Be Busy Making Your Wedding Garment

I'm making my wedding garment -- my spiritual garment. I want it to be right. 

Every day I'm paying attention to the details.

"Fine linen" refers to the righteous acts of the saints. "Bright, clean" refers to purity. 

A wedding is coming.

Jesus is the Bridegroom. God is the Father of the Bridegroom. We, that have received Jesus (that's the Church, the believers), are the Bride. And, we're making ourselves ready -- for the wedding ceremony, the marriage.

The Custom of the Jewish Wedding

First, there's an arrangement -- usually the parents of the bride and groom agree. There would be a price to pay for the bride. The next phase is a betrothal ceremony. There is a cleansing. They would promise to one another and would be legally married, even though they still lived in separate houses and had not consummated the relationship. The next phase is a preparation period. The bride would go back to her home and prepare herself for the bridegroom. She didn't know when the groom would be coming for her. There are three things she would be doing during this time. (1) Her purity would have to be protected. (2) She would consecrate herself. She would examine anything about her life and change everything necessary so that she would be holy, fully prepared. (3) She would make her wedding garments. The next phase was the wedding ceremony. In the betrothal period, the groom was at his father's house preparing a room for his bride. Even the groom didn't know when the ceremony was going to be, when he would go get his bride. He would sound the trumpet. The next phase was the wedding feast. 

How do we know He's coming? The sound of the trumpet. We live anticipating His coming. We watch as we are busy preparing. 

We're protecting our commitment, our covenant relationship to the bridegroom. 

Can't you see why the demonic forces are so intent on distorting marriage? It's the physical picture of the spiritual relationship of Christ and the Church. 

Can't you see why there's such a fight over gender identity, male/female. The enemy wants to distort. 

It's not just about getting to Heaven. It's about getting ready for Heaven and what is going to happen in Heaven. Be focused on the preparation every day. 

Review: (1) Protect our purity - We need to purify our heart, our thoughts, the works of our hands. (2) Consecrate ourselves, Set ourselves apart - Whatever needs to be changed (that's unholy, unrighteous, unsatisfying to the bridegroom), intentionally change it. (3) Make the wedding garment - Make the motive of our hearts to be righteous and do righteous acts.

The grace of God enables us to keep ourselves pure, right, and holy.

Be on the alert to how the enemy will deceive you, disrupt pure devotion to Christ.

Live committed to the Bridegroom. Live every day preparing for the wedding.

> Remember the commitment you made.

> Remember the price He paid for you.

Scripture for further study: Revelation 19:7-8, John 14:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Hosea 4, Proverbs 31:27, 2 Timothy 2:21, 2 Corinthians 11:3