Amen. If you’ll turn with me in your Bibles, please, to the prophet Isaiah, chapter 62. Isaiah writes: ‘For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake, I will not be quiet until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed desolate; but you shall be called My Delight is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.’
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen all the day and all the night; they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm: ‘I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.’
Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him.”
And they shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and you shall be called sought out, a city not forsaken.
From the prophet Isaiah, we turn to the Apostle John in his Revelation at chapter 19, beginning at verse 6. ‘Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out: ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns! Let us rejoice and exalt and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.’
Then turning to chapter 21, verse 9: ‘Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed: on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.’
‘And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies four square, its length the same as its width, and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measure. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.’
‘And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations, but nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.’
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Glorious Father, you have given to us and painted for us a picture of the glory that we enjoy and will one day experience to the fullness. Let this picture buoy our hearts and our souls. Direct us to be mindful of you because even the glory of your bride, the church, is only a reflection of yours. Help us to see your glory, to dwell upon your magnificence, and let us feel your love, and so rejoice we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This Advent season, we have considered four women from the ancestry of Jesus: Eve, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary—each of whom exemplified a different element of our faith as Christians: hope, peace, love, and joy.
Today, for this fifth Sunday in Advent, the lady whom we shall consider is not a lady in fact, yet she is one in metaphor. And since we have now lit the Christ candle, our lady of the day is the bride of Christ, the church.
Over recent months, we have spent a fair amount of time looking at the doctrine of the church. We’ve looked at who the church is as the Ecclesia, the elect, God’s called and chosen people, Israel. We’ve looked at what the church does in the world—our good works of charity and evangelism—and we’ve looked at how we are united in fellowship, in koinonia, together in Christ with Christ and God the Father by the Holy Spirit.
But today, we will examine the substance of how the church relates to Jesus Christ as our husband, as our relational head, and as our glorious King. Together, our scripture readings describe the nature of our relationship with Christ and the marriage of the Lamb. This is what the church, what every Christian experiences and will experience.
It talks about our former time of reprobation—what we were—our present time of sanctification and glorification—what we have now become. And finally, once married, it will lead into our response to God’s grace and mercy for how we will and do submit and obey our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, there is a very good reason why traditional Disney Princess movies like Snow White and Cinderella resonate with people so well. It’s because these myths echo and emulate the Christian story of the church’s redemption and glorification.
Walt Disney loved telling these stories where women without high social status or station were rescued from servitude, enslavement, or some other negative and oppressive circumstance through the willful action, determinate choice, and power of a somebody—Prince.
Not only do they get rescued and redeemed, they are also graciously cleansed, elevated, and promoted to a social status that is equal with and appropriate for the prince who ultimately glorifies them by uniting them with himself in marriage, sharing his own pre-existing glory and honor with them as his wife.
This is the very same story which the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle John tell about God’s people, the church. But their story here in scripture is not some fantastical fairy tale; it is the true reality, the prototype upon which every fairy tale is based on and inspired by.
The latter half, the whole latter half of Isaiah’s prophecy can be summarized as concerned principally with two things: Israel’s messianic hope and Israel’s eschatological expectations, which together culminate in the great day of the Lord.
And previously, we’ve studied the work of Israel’s Messianic suffering servant, which was fulfilled by Jesus during his earthly ministry through His sacrificial death and was efficaciously sealed for us by His resurrection on the third day.
Moving beyond that fulfillment, Isaiah now looks at the beautiful consequence of Christ’s atoning work. Before the cross, God’s elect people were called forsaken, and their land was considered to be desolate on account of our unrighteousness, our wickedness, and our sin—most especially because of our constant, recalcitrant idolatry and spiritual adultery.
But now, after the cross, God’s elect are being transformed as we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness for the Lord’s glory. We are being fashioned into a crown of beauty and a royal diadem in the hands of our God. We are being given a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.
So even our identities are being transformed, for as Paul says, we are no longer what or who we once were. Now we’re no longer called forsaken and desolate but instead we will be named Hephzibah and Beulah: My Delight is in Her and Married, because the Lord delights in us, His people.
As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall our God rejoice over us. We’ve gone from being a people that were despondent, abused, and taken advantage of by all the nations of the world to a people who are now being glorified and celebrated as a bridal princess, as the Sovereign’s treasured possession.
We are truly the Cinderella story, justified by Christ’s death on the cross and credited with His perfect obedience. Our imputed righteousness will go forth as brightness, and the wonder and glory of our salvation by Christ’s hand will shine forth as a burning torch.
Therefore, all the nations will see this righteousness, and all the kings of the earth will witness the glory that is found within God’s grace and is freely given to His people.
Then, after the bride has been prepared—once we’ve been washed by God, justified by the shed blood of Christ, and clothed, both declared righteous and made righteous through the imputation of Christ’s work—the prophet is told: Say to the daughter of Zion, say to God’s people who dwell within the eternal city of God: ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him.’
Christ, our salvation, our bridegroom, is coming to claim us from the hand of our heavenly Father, and life—the resurrection life—is the reward for His obedience. We are His recompense; we are His payment, His prize. He is coming to claim us because we are those whom God the Son has rescued from the power of sin and death.
And then finally claimed by Christ and united with Christ, we shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and we shall be called sought out—a city not forsaken.
United in Christ, we are His holy people because He is holy. United in Christ, we are the redeemed of the Lord because He has redeemed us from our deserved judgment under the law. United in Christ, we are sought out and we are not forsaken because God the Son took on flesh, became incarnate, and entered into time and space to seek and save His people who were lost and wandering in the darkness.
So then we move from the vantage point of Isaiah and turn to John’s view of the same eschatological event: ‘Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out: ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, Almighty reigns! Let us rejoice and exalt and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It is granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.’’
See, the glory of the bride is the Lord’s glory, because He is the one who has prepared and arranged all things for that great and glorious day. The bride has been cleansed, has been purified, washed, and made clean, and is now granted her to clothe herself with linen bright and pure—with the righteous deeds of the saints.
Now that the church—and I mean Capital C Church—has been sanctified, our imperfect good works that we do for righteousness’ sake are also redeemed. All of our good works, which are unworthy on their own, are made worthy in Christ’s righteousness; they are perfected by God’s grace in Christ because of our salvation—not as the means for our salvation.
And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ What a most wonderful day that will be! It is no wonder that the Christian heart constantly cries out: ‘Maranatha! Come, Lord!’
Then the final picture which John gives us of Christ’s bride is of her dressed in all of her marital finery, ready to receive her Savior, her Lord, her husband.
‘Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And the angel showed John the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out from heaven from God, having the glory of God.’
Now, obviously, John is using metaphors and symbols to describe what he saw. Yet by describing the bride of Christ as a city, as the king’s city, his symbolism is really very appropriate for the church as a whole body.
It is at once both the most inclusive and the most exclusive body ever known to humanity. The church includes people from every tribe, tongue, land, people, place, and time, by God’s grace alone. And it also excludes everyone who does not believe in and trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
A city has gates which may be opened wide, inviting and welcoming everyone who comes in friendship and fellowship to the King, but a city also has thick walls—thick and strong walls—which keep out everyone who does not offer their allegiance to the King and are by nature His enemies.
See, John describes for us the perfected and completed holy and eternal city of Jerusalem—the bride, the church—in the fullness of her revealed glory. She has twelve gates, one for each one of Israel’s tribes, symbolizing the completeness of God’s elect. Everyone whom the Lord has called from everywhere is welcome and shall dwell within her gates.
And each of her gates is crafted from a single pearl, symbolizing perfected peace—smooth and without blemish. She has four walls resting upon twelve foundation stones, with each one named for one of the apostles, symbolizing the foundation which their gospel ministry has established for the church.
All of their evangelism, their martyrdoms, their witness of faith are given for us to learn from and to follow, because Jesus Christ is their cornerstone, the prototype whom they imitated. Her foundations are adorned with jewels, symbolizing their great value as well as the future common nature of what we presently call precious.
She is described as a perfect cube, emphasizing an equality between the gates and the foundations where no one but the King has priority or privacy. And her streets are paved with pure gold, like transparent glass, symbolizing her purity to the utmost—possessing no imperfections or stains which might catch or bend the light shining out from within her.
No human bride has ever been dressed so fine; no white dress can even compare. Yet upon the occasion of every wedding, we will stand in awe of the bride’s beauty, her radiance; and we do this because she carries within herself a glow—the light of love for her husband and a reflection of his love for her.
It’s even more so the case here with the bride of Christ—the Heavenly Jerusalem, for the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Yet still, the glory and beauty of the bride is as nothing compared to the glory of God and the light of the Lamb. The bride pales in comparison as she is overshadowed by Him and submits to His loving authority. Meanwhile, the bride still glows as she reflects God’s glory and magnifies it out into the world, where by its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
And its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there. The bride whom John sees shines with the light of righteousness and with God’s glory in salvation, which is the same light that Isaiah saw, just from a slightly different point of view.
They both were witnessing the day when Christ’s reign over all things will be here, and He will be enthroned in glory, acknowledged by all, and all of our petty rebellions will be ended, because then Jesus will reign forever with our heavenly Father. Amen.
And what a glorious picture of the Bride is Christ’s Church! We believe that such is what we will one day be, but it’s also how we are now. From the viewpoint of Christ and eternity, we are the bride of Christ, who is our betrothed. We are already united to Him by covenantal bonds of marriage, of grace and of redemption.
And just as Mary was already the wife of Joseph when the angel Gabriel appeared to her, so too the church is already the wife of Christ. Our bride price was paid by Jesus upon the Roman cross; therefore, we belong to Him and He belongs to us.
However, just as Mary and Joseph waited until after Jesus’s birth, we also eagerly await the glorious consummation that will follow the marriage supper of the Lamb. Thus, while Christ first came to prepare His bride, the church to whom He has betrothed Himself, and soon He will come again to collect us—His bride—nevertheless, until then, we are still forever united to and obligated to Him as our Lord, as our husband, and as our spiritual and familial head.
Thus we move beyond the realm of fairy tales into the time of happily ever after. Although Disney stories never show us the particulars of what life is like after the prince marries, formerly nobody but now somebody princess, scripture does provide us with the rule and guide for us to live joyfully ever after in our union with Christ.
The key to our ever after is found in Ephesians 5, and it’s certainly not limited only to verse 22, as some men might selfishly and wrongly wish. This passage, which we’ll look at in a moment, is key, because while Eve was created to be a helper, an ezer, for Adam, God has also given us the union of marriage as an image for the intended relationship between Christ and His church.
The Apostle Paul writes: ‘Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.’
In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body.
‘Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying