The Beloved's Bride — Randy Jones

Last week I talked about this series is called the beloved or the beloved and I talked about the father's delight and why the father delights in his son and the Bible says that the Mystery of godliness is great that God was manifest in the flesh.

And that's Jesus Christ and that God gathered up all the glory and wonders of his own person and Deposited them and his son and sent him to us to reveal himself to us and that Even back in eternity past there was a relationship going on a love between the father and the son and we're getting in on that and it has a lot to do with the purpose of creation that we're.

Getting to be blessed by that love relationship between the father and the son. So I covered that last week. I put down about three of the main things I brought out our apprehension understanding and revelation of Jesus determine what kind of Christian we are.

Growing in the Revelation of Jesus Christ

I've been privileged in my life to know especially to I've known many many great Christians, but there are two that stand out to me because of their Christ likeness and I told you last week the thing that I grieve about the most and myself is my lack of Christ likeness.

It seems so slow. The process takes so long. I wish it was instantaneous. I wish that you get saved and that was it then you're done and you're just like Jesus but God has a purpose and a plan to take us through growth and Trials and tests and and through I don't know if you know this.

I didn't get to it last week, but You only lay hold of more of Christ through some kind of a crisis. We get satisfied with the way we are and what we have and we just go along everything's okay but when we get into some kind of a crisis or trial or test to where we have no option but to seek the Lord and Cry out for a new revelation of Christ and I brought out how the even the early church that started with so much power.

And glory, I mean that was glorious. After the Apostles died just John was left alive they began to decline and lose their power and their focus on Christ and One of the things I've noticed as I've watched Christian TV I've traveled and been around and is we claim to have a lot of power, but we don't have the kind of power we claim.

And I grieve over that. I want the power of God. I want to be able to pray for people with cancer and see him get up off a deathbed. God wants to do that, but I believe and I you if the whole world disagreed with me on this I would still take this stand.

The reason we don't see those kind of miracles is we lost our focus on Jesus Christ and God said that's not Pleasing to me. I can't release my glory in power our church our generation. We're caught up and things of the world television.

I mean, I'm not gonna preach against all that tonight. But we have to be honest admit there's very few that are really walking in and personal holiness Without taking corruption into their lives from the world from television and the things of the world.

We adopt their mores their morals their standards their clothing and I'm not saying you can't look nice and pretty but you know what? I mean, we're slaves to those things so we're just When God sees that when John saw that the Holy Spirit through John wrote the book of John and the book of Revelation.

To turn the church's focus back to his son. So I know that's what God is doing in this hour on one hand. I see an outpouring of the spirit of fear an outpouring of the spirit of unbelief not from heaven from hell and There's the spirit of unbelief that's sweeping the world right now right after 9 -1 -1 everybody said let's go to church.

Let's get serious about this. Do you know what they said? You know what now church attendance is lower Than it was before 9 -1 -1 and you know what people said they went to church and there was nothing there.

They went back to church and there was nothing there to attract them or draw them so they went away disillusioned and Disappointed and now if something like that happens again, then they won't go back to church.

They'll just look for another answer. Alcohol drugs, whatever to narcotize ourselves and try to ignore what's going on. So the kind of our level of apprehension revelation and understanding of Christ Determine what kind of a Christian we are if we really lay hold of Jesus.

We'll be great Christians and I met two people brother Leroy Beatty. I've told you about the street preacher Louisville, Kentucky who had the whole Bible memorized and I got to hang out with him for a long Time he was one of the most Christlike people I've ever known and I if I could ever be half the Christian He was I'll be a great Christian.

That's more my goal to be half the Christian Leroy Beatty was he just was so Christlike. He had he loved souls. He loved God, but he loved souls and he and he loved Jesus. He loved to pray. He loved to get in the word you get around him.

You're gonna talk about the word. You're gonna talk about souls. You had no choice. If you went to McDonald's with him He was gonna pass out gospel tracts. I had to stay prayed through all the time. If brother Beatty said let's go Let's go out to eat.

I had to pray through real quick if I wasn't praying through because he was gonna witness to everybody in the restaurant. And then the other one was my grandmother. She's the one that led me to the Lord.

She was the kindest most Christlike. Now being Christlike doesn't mean you're not tough. Because I used to think it meant you were some kind of worm or wimp. Jesus made a whip out of cords and he ran them out of the temple whipping them on the back.

That's still love. It's still love but the enemy has come in and taken away our focus and and centrality of Jesus Christ in our personal lives and Across the board in America in our churches and denominations.

We're focused on everything but Christ. Let me ask you this This Sunday morning. I preached on Wasting yourself on Christ and feeding Christ don't answer this question. But what percentage of the church in America?

Do you think that's the main thing in their life? That's their focus. It's just wasting their selves on Jesus. It's a tiny tiny minority I can tell you because I fight. I mean it's a battle to get that for one day and Focus on Jesus the devil diverts us sends off smoke screens.

Hand grenades bombs, whatever he can do and we get diverted and distracted over here because we for a minute We touched the Lord and he's jealous of that. So number two, I brought this one my favorite quotes.

We need an experience of Christ in which we think everything of Christ and nothing of the experience. That's very profound. We're an experience-seeking generation. How about a Christ-seeking generation?

Well, we don't care about the experience we care about Christ. I Got it. That's right and a nod and a and something else. We need preachers who will not demand faith or love that we cannot rise to. You ever thought about that this changed my preaching.

I used to make people try to have faith and have love. You can't do it. You can preach on love all day long. We'll still be fighting but if you preach Jesus He will produce and compel love and faith and I always had the cart before the horse wondering why that wouldn't go.

But you got to know Jesus. He brings faith and love into your life. He's the only one that can. I can't do it. And no one else can do it, but Jesus can do it. Okay, then the alternate translation of Matthew 3 17 the literal version.

This is my son the Beloved in whom I've always been delighting. This has been going on for eons and will go on forever. God will always be delighting in his son and the way I can please God is hide in him and be in Christ.

That's the secret place of the Most High in the shadow of the Almighty. Okay. Now part two the Beloved's bride. Some things you feel like should I get on this or not. Because. They're really very very deep but simple.

Let me understand things can be deep, but they're also simple. We can understand them, but not really get the revelation of it. Turn with me to John. I'm gonna read two verses. John chapter 3. John chapter 3 verse 29.

John chapter 3 verse 29. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom but the friend of the bridegroom. Which standeth and heareth him? Rejoice rejoiceth some of those F's are hard. Greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.

This my joy. Therefore is fulfilled. John the Baptist is talking and He said the one that hath the bride is the bridegroom and I he's basically saying I've heard the bridegroom's voice and My joy has been fulfilled now.

I want you to stay with me a few minutes. Try to stay awake and alert. Remember Ray Comfort. I don't know if you've ever heard him. I'll say the devil is gonna try to rob you of what I say right now. No read a verse and say how many heard that verse like 10 heard it.

This is not something that's easy to comprehend but it's it's wonderful. Now we're talking about the beloved. That's Jesus Christ. What's the purpose of the Holy Spirit. We're Pentecostals. We're Pentecostal to the bone.

The new city's built on the foundation of 12 tongue-talking Pentecostal preachers. It is. What's the purpose of the Holy Spirit. To glorify and testify of Jesus. Now many Pentecostals wouldn't tell you that.

Speaking tongues prophesy. Not just Pentecostal with charismatics. You can travel the world and the globe and they'll say well the main purpose is prophecy and I went to a church that had prophetic worship and prophetic prayer meetings and prophetic programs to they passed out.

Everything was prophetic. Well, the Bible says the testimony of Jesus is what what does it say the Spirit of Prophecy? Testimony of Jesus. Spirit of Prophecy. So whatever you want to name anything in the Bible.

All the gifts of the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit all those things. They're really Coming from Christ. Because God has revealed everything in this world through his son. You Jesus said no man comes to the Father except by me or through me.

You can't bypass him. You can't go around him. You can't go through another religion. You can't go through some other way some other path. There's only one way to the Father that's through the cross through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will not light on anything else.

Until you focus on Jesus Christ and fall in love with him the Holy Spirit will not move in your life. You get away from the cross. You just stop the Holy Spirit for moving in your life you just stopped it right there and we have so many Pentecostals and charismatics and Spirit-filled full gospel or you call them that are running around and they're just You know just a tempest in the teapot.

That's what we do. I've done it a lot and We're not Following we're not more in love with Jesus every day. We're just running around trying to find a doctor or something we can prove or somebody we can show up or get in a fight.

You know, we're not really understanding that the Holy Spirit quit move. It's like Samson did not know that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. That's one of the saddest verses in the Bible and sometimes we don't even realize we're running around.

Well, you know worried about all the gifts and and I love the gifts. Don't misunderstand me. We got to have them. They're to the church and I love the fruit of the Spirit. I Love all these things, but the Holy Spirit isn't here to titillate us.

Give us goose bumps or Jesus bumps or whatever you want to call make us fall out go in the dark levitate all that stuff. That's not why the Holy Spirit's here. He's here to glorify and testify of Jesus and if that's what you're hungry for and thirsty for He'll move heaven and earth to reveal Jesus to your soul.

Well, if you open up your heart and cry out to God say God I want to know you. I want to know Jesus the Holy Spirit will walk up and down in your soul and glorify and testify of Jesus. Bernard of Clareau said I've The Lord.

He said I opened my soul. It was the longer that but the Lord the bridegroom Hath entered my soul and I've known the loveliness of his beauty when Jesus enters your soul now. Stay with me. Don't lose me.

Jesus Christ as the Lamb and Bridegroom

This is my personal opinion. I believe I can prove it in the Word of God, but the the the master theme of the Bible the Biggest type in the Bible the biggest picture in the Bible of Jesus Christ is a lamb.

And I don't think anybody to argue but you can't find a bigger one. I've tried From Genesis till God made them bloody coats of skin maybe of lambs. We don't know but then Abel took a firstling of the flock and offered it up to God and God had respect.

Till you get to the book of Revelation. Where the lamb is standing? 17 times the lambkin is mentioned in the Greek a baby newborn lamb all the way through the Bible and his biggest role is the Lamb of God.

And I don't. I'm not gonna have time to teach on this. I'd like to go back teach on it. But the lamb was promised something by his father that why he said I'll go and I'll do it besides it being the father's will.

And him wanting to please the father God gave him a reward ahead of him who for the joy that was set before him. Endured the cross. Despising the shame and it sat down at the right hand of God. God said I will give you a bride.

The biggest picture the deepest picture of Jesus in the Bible. When we're talking about the lamb we're talking about the bridegroom. I'll show you one thing of that tonight but The most important if I could put it this way the most important thing to Jesus is He's gonna have a bride.

Romans 1 19 and 20. The natural is a type of the spiritual and what God made in the natural. He's revealing something in the spiritual and the first thing that God made he made a man. He made all the creation everything but like himself.

He made a man and breathed in his nostrils a breath of breath of life. God looked at the Sun the moon the stars the drafts the hippopotamuses everything and he said that's good. That's good. That's good.

He looked at man said that's not good. That's what he said. It's the first thing he looked at said that's not good. Why it's not good for man to be alone now. Remember God is painting a picture for us in the spiritual realm.

Well what he did the natural his first act in his own kind his own nature. You know God brought Adam out there and they looked for him a help meat. God knew what he was gonna do. I mean, but Adam didn't and God took Adam and he brought the an alligator in front of him said, what do you think?

I don't think so. They went through every animal in the world. Don't you know he was glad when the rhinoceros wasn't the one or the giraffe or a snake? And he's our kangaroos. He named them all after their nature, but they're the Bible said they went through every Animal on earth looking for a help me for Adam.

No, no One melon. They could not find one. Because he had no kind he had no counterpart. He had no one like him. So God put into sleep. This is you just this is my what my belief I believe I can prove it, but I don't try to tonight besides you can't prove most things anyway.

But the old-time Pentecostals and the Puritans some of them Taught this and we don't teach it anymore. There's a body of Christ. That's the church. But just like God put Adam to sleep and took a rib out of his side and made a bride for him the old-time Pentecostals used to teach that God's going to take a rib out of the church and make a bride for his son now the reason they Taught that was that not every Tom Dick and Harry that sits on the church pew.

It's gonna marry Jesus Christ. When you get ready to get married. We've got how y 'all does good to see you tonight. We got some people getting married this weekend. Well, I don't think the young man went to the nursery to the cry room.

To see if he could find a bride. I don't know sucking on a pacifier dirty diapers. I don't think so and if he did take a little baby from the nursery said let's go on out out to eat or something and he said Let's look at the sunset and he looks at the little baby goes in that beautiful the baby goes.

There could be no fellowship. No fellowship of any kind because they're not close and what God did he saw there was no kind. So he made a kind he made one like Adam and he said. Adam looked at Eve and said.

Actually originally was probably mr. And mrs. Adam. Adam named her and he said. Finally that here here's how the Hebrew reads finally here at last bone of my bone flesh of my flesh. You don't know what that means.

The Bible says it twice. In the New Testament, maybe three times and not exactly but implies it several times that this is a great mystery Paul said and I speak of the church. He said that bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh that's the way the bride of Christ is gonna be and Someday, this is what he was promised and John the Baptist said I've heard the bride grooms voice.

The bridegroom Came down to reveal himself to his bride. That's one of his main purposes to entice her and to go to the cross and Display who he was his heart and make her fall in love with him but see the bride of Christ loves the cross and His suffering and his death.

The world thinks it's foolish and it's stupid and it's ugly. Isaiah said he had no beauty that we should desire him. His face was more marred than any man. But the bride of Jesus sees his suffering and agony and it makes her love him even more.

It's not foolishness to her and God is going see there's no kind for Jesus. When he stood in the bow of the boat. After the storm if you've ever been out in the waves like this. We did Nancy and I went to the Bahamas and I didn't want to go on one of the tour boats out to the coral Reef because they charged $50.

There was a little Bahamian fisherman in a blue boat little blue boat and I said how much would you charge us to take us out to the reefs and he said $10. That sounded good. I say $40 right there. So and and a lady a young black lady from Philadelphia comes running up she's in a suit.

Suit outfit and hose and shoes and everything and she said where y 'all going and I told her what we were doing. She said I'm going so she climbed in the boat, too. And we go out to the reef in the Bahamas and in the bay.

It's real calm and smooth. In fact, Nancy and I had been snorkeling in the bay. We saw this couple coming out with starfish and shells and stuff. I thought let's go snorkeling in the bay because I'm not.

I don't like water. I'm scared of water. And it's real smooth and calm and I saw a big giant clam and Nancy I said Nancy is a giant clam that you swim over there. It was a great big pair of men's BVD underwear on the bottom.

I Didn't even want to know where it came from or how I got there, but I was so disappointed. We swam all over the place and could not find one starfish no shells nothing. So we finally got in the boat.

We get out to the coral reef. Nobody told me that when you get past that coral reef the waters going like this. I'm scared of water. I get seasick in the bathtub. We get out past the reef and Immediately I was horribly seasick.

We're going like this in this little tiny fishing boat like this and the lady of Philadelphia turned green. Literally turned green and was well. She got sick. I Was getting sick. And I told the guy I said I got to get out of this boat and I'm not a good swimmer.

I put on the snorkel mask and the life preserver it jumped in the water just to get out of that boat because I was About to get sick. Well immediately I'm in the water trying to swim like this and my life vest came loose.

And my snorkel mask is leaking and full of water. And I'm drowning right there and the guy Nancy's in the boat laughing at me she was and Some girls in a powerboat came by and saved me. I Was drowning.

Well when I read about Jesus out on the Sea of Galilee in that storm in that boat and he was asleep. That tells me he was incredibly exhausted and tired. I could never sleep in that. He's asleep in the bottom of the boat.

The storm is so bad that these experienced Seasoned fishermen are scared. That worked on that sea for a living they're terrified and they wake him up to master master. Don't you care that we're that we perish and Jesus he called him his favorite nickname.

Oh, yeah a little faith. That's what he called him all the time little faith. He stood up in the bow of the boat and he said see oppa Shut up, that's what it means put a muzzle on it literally put a muzzle on it.

If a mo so don't ever let me hear from you again. Can you understand this storms going like this? Jesus stands in the bow of the boat and he says shut up put a muzzle on it and don't ever let me hear from You again the Bible says immediately.

Instantaneously the water went just like that the storm ceased and the Bible said these experienced fishermen that were afraid of the storm were now more afraid of Jesus Christ and they looked at each other and said What kind of a man is this?

They were saying what species is this? What kind of person is this? Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey his voice? And when God made his son, there was no counterpart. There was no kind there was no Person like him.

So he created this whole universe to raise up and train a Counterpart that's going to sit on the throne and rule and reign with his son for eternity. Everybody else is going to get in on it. There's gonna be they're gonna be blessed and I'm not gonna argue about about this.

This is just my opinion, but there John the Baptist is gonna be the best man. He said the friend of the bride is the one that stands and hears his voice and in my joys full He I believe he's gonna be the best man.

The Holy Spirit is gonna be there. The father's gonna officiate. It's not a shotgun wedding where the father's marching a bride and curlers and cold cream and jelly all over down the aisle. The Bible said his bride hath made herself ready like Esther and The to me there's a lot of deep verses in the Bible.

Genesis 6 the sons of God went into the daughters of men. I've never heard anybody really adequately explained. I don't understand it. I know what happened. But to me the deepest most profound verse that I don't understand is Revelation 22 17.

I believe it is it's on the list. You know what it says? The Spirit and the bride Say come. Come drink of the water of life freely,. I Don't understand how the Spirit and the bride are already out there in eternity future.

When John is seeing all these things in writing or or maybe he heard that that day, but some way the Spirit and the bride Say come. I Don't understand that. I know it's deep. I Know it's profound. I know it means something wonderful.

Paul said the New Jerusalem is the mother of us all. It says in first Corinthians 15 that when Jesus has subdued every enemy. I mentioned this two weeks ago and put them all under his feet till the last one is under his feet called death.

And he puts it under his feet and does away with it. He's gonna turn around and turn the government back over to his father. It's what's this. And he's gonna sit on the throne or in that I don't know what I was gonna happen, but I know.

That he's gonna be with his bride that he went through the agonies of hell. Literally hell for here's a man that didn't ever have a family. Only lived to be 33. Didn't have a wife kids home everything we enjoy and like.

He gave it all up. And we celebrate this time of the year him being born in a manger. The Bible says he left ivory palaces ivory palaces where angels fell at his feet and worshipped him. He was the bright and morning star.

And he left all that Came down to this world. Because his father had promised him I'm gonna make you Someone like you and you can marry your bride. This is not a natural sexual or physical thing this is a spiritual thing a spiritual love and I know because of that promise and Folks I can't find in anywhere in the Bible.

Where any of us are invited to be in the bride of Christ? I Can't find it if it's there. I've looked. You know why? Only the Holy Spirit can do that. See the lot the Holy Spirit draws us we get saved he brings us to the Sun but there there there has to be some kind of a love and seeking there because the greatest stories in Genesis when Abraham sent Eliezer out and Eliezer is a type of the Holy Spirit and he said I want you to go back where I came.

From to my kinsman and find a bride for my son and he goes back and you know the story of how he Asked her to water his camel. She said yes, and but the amazing thing to me. Here's a girl that doesn't even know the guy hasn't ever met as far as we know and and he sits down.

Rebecca, Isaac, and the Willingness to Follow the Bridegroom

And this is this is the way the Holy Spirit does this is what his job is to do. To train and prepare a bride for Jesus Christ. That's what he's that's what he's doing all the time. He's he's not going to present a prostitute and it's as preachers and leaders.

We're not supposed to go out into the streets and get a harlot and a prostitute. But God's raising up a bride without spot without blemish and she's going to be wearing fine linen clean and white. And the Bible said blessed are all those who are invited to the reception to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

It's you're blessed if you're invited to that but it said his wife has made herself ready. That's another deep verse. What does that mean? Nancy and I and some friends were talking about the other night.

I don't really understand that because this is grace. It's all grace but there also I believe is a point where love takes over and I believe that God responds in kind to love. God loves all of us. He loves the whole world.

He died for Jesus died for the whole world but God wouldn't be fair if if I loved him more than they did and His relationship is the same with them, but they're they're just carnal. They watch TV all the time and I'm not preaching against TV.

I'm I would like to enjoy the Dallas Cowboys, but I can't do it but. But you know what? I mean They're just caught up and wasting their time and that's all they do and they have no a little bit of interest in the Lord they go to church and their conscience gets soothed over and they feel a little better and they go home and.

But here I am maybe. Let's use brother out. I don't use me brother. Alan is in love with Jesus and he's fasting and he's praying and crying out and he's laying on the floor and tears. Jesus. I want to know you Holy Spirit revealed Jesus to me just like Ellie's or did to Rebecca.

The Holy Spirit's gonna sit you know what he did. He sat that girl down and he said see this coat this is from Isaac. He sent it for you. See these rings. This is from Isaac and he loads her down with gifts.

And he said let me tell you about him. He's wonderful. He's so wise. He's so good-looking. And folks if we had ever get still and get down and love the Lord the Holy Spirit would just fill that room.

And say I just been waiting for a chance like this. Let me tell you about him. His name is wonderful. Let me tell you what that means. Counselor, he's the bridegroom and he wants to you to be prepared and get ready and he will sit down and tell you such wonderful Things about Isaac that you will fall in.

She fell in love with him long distance and that's what we're doing. We're falling in love with whom having what not seen we love and beloved. It doth not it yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and John saw him as he was and he felt his feet as a dead man.

The Jesus that he leaned on his bosom when he saw him in his glory. He fell at his feet as a dead man. The eyes face shining like the Sun eyes like flames of fire. The only bad news there is some bad news with this you got to ride camels.

I Hate camels. They stink. If I had a message to the bride of Jesus Christ, and I'm not see the first point I had on here is why did this devil hate this truth so much? He'll get you off here and left field to one extreme.

I know a church right now. Just one little church. Local church, by the way, you know, God's plan is the local church. You know that don't you? They're sitting there right now. Over in East Texas. They're the bride the only ones.

There are only ones in the bride. Till the other extreme is you can be a homosexual and being the bride of Jesus Christ. The truth is the bride of Jesus Christ is made up from saints down through time all over the world.

Probably out of every denomination that names that believes in Jesus. Anyway, I don't know but God knows. But I know if it was automatic the Lord wouldn't be saying. You got to make yourself ready. You'll be clothed in fine linen clean and white till the last part of the books has come.

There is a rising up. But the bad news is that you got to come on camels and if I could tell the bride of Jesus Christ something it would be. The camels are coming. That's the bad news. You can't go on a Mercedes.

I Wish you could. I wish you could live for God and just ride in the Mercedes all the way with a CD player in the air Conditioning going going 70 miles an hour, but you can't. He told Rebecca's parents they changed her mind so wait a minute we don't want her to go.

They called her in well. You go with this man. You don't even you don't even know him. Will you go and you know what she said? I will go. Eleazar had done such a good job. Even when she saw the camels and it was a two about a two-week journey on camels.

She said I'll go. And that's what the Lord's asking you. Will you go? Will you go. And the Holy Spirit will come to you and make this real to you and he'll testify of you and glorify you. But Satan hates this truth.

He obscures it. He damages it. He'll try to put a bad taste in your mouth about it. He'll get you through some experience in some group that taught the bride Truth and and say well that they're all messed up.

I hate it. I don't even want to be in the bride of Jesus Christ. When I was a young teenager I thought I don't want to be anybody's bride. I'm a man. And understand it was spiritual. It's as the picture of the submission and surrender of a bride and the oneness and The Bible's calls her something.

You know what it calls her the lambs wife. She's like the lamb she follows him whether with us wherever he go. It's the nature of a lamp you want to know the nature of the bride. Satan hates it. My experience has been along this line is I've heard people teach it that were ugly and mean and spiritually proud and Elitist and and then you just you gets turned off to it.

So I'm just gonna be a regular Christian Christian. But in the last days the Lord's gonna raise up a new group that say I want to marry Jesus Christ. I want to be like him. I'm gonna make myself ready.

I'm gonna throw off Everything that's hindering me. What what does it say in Revelation keep your garments unspotted from this world? That's one of the requirements. You don't get there by accident, you know, somebody climbed Mount Everest and got all the way the top.

You know, it takes months to do it. It's so the conditions are so bad and the reporter happened to be waiting there. He'd say how'd you get up here, sir? I don't know. It's an accident. I Just out walking the dog ended up on top of Mount Everest.

You don't get there by accident. That's what I'm saying. You've got a purpose in your heart. I want to be in his bride and I'm just touching on the surface. Believe me the all the way through the Bible.