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Welcome To The Learner II
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The True Vine Evangelism Program Chapter Seven: His Bride
Week One God's message to the world
Week Two His Messengers
Week Three The World's Condition
Week Four Jesus came to the earth
Week Five Spreading the word
Week Six (Part I) Salvation, What God has done
Week Six (Part II) Salvation, What man must do
Week Seven His Bride
Week Eight The Second Coming
Week Nine Equipping the Saints
Week Ten Going forth to missions
Week Eleven Stealth Bombers
Week Twelve Now abideth these three
HIS BRIDE:
John 3:29 reads: “He that has the Bride is the Bridegroom.” Who is the Bride and who is the Bridegroom that the Bible talks about? Do you know that all the work that has been laid before you is not only for you? Christ died for you, that was part of the purchasing plan to redeem you from the enemy that had you enslaved.
Since you have been purchased God has desired to clean you up and make you presentable as a Bride is made perfect for her Bridegroom. The Church is his Bride and Jesus is the Bridegroom.
We, being the Church, the Body of Christ have been purchased to be the Bride of Christ. We are in the process of being made without spot or wrinkle by the washing of water and will be presented to him at his coming. His Bride will be made ready! He will have his Bride and his Bride will be perfect,
"they will see him as he is and will be like him when he appears"1John 3:2
In this chapter we will study about this preparation process as we wait for Jesus to return and receive us unto him.
Read Mathew 25:1-13 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. What questions do you have after reading this?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions: When Jesus returns will we be meeting the bridegroom? __________________________________________________________________________________
What types of people do we see described here as the bride? __________________________________________________________________________________
What do you say the oil in the lamps might be? __________________________________________________________________________________
Did they know when the Bridegroom was coming? __________________________________________________________________________________
After the Bridegroom came could the ones who weren’t ready get in? __________________________________________________________________________________
Read Revelation 19:6-9 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.”
What questions do you have after reading this? ________________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions: What was happening here? __________________________________________________________________________________
What did his bride do? __________________________________________________________________________________
How did she dress? __________________________________________________________________________________
What is fine linen described as? __________________________________________________________________________________
Read Revelation 21:2-11 2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
What questions do you have after reading this? _________________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions: How is the city of God prepared? __________________________________________________________________________________
Who wanted to show John the Bride? __________________________________________________________________________________
Does John compare this new city to the Bride of Christ? __________________________________________________________________________________
In your opinion what is taking so much time for Christ to return? __________________________________________________________________________________
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12
Typically when we hear the word slothful we think it's referring to someone being physically lazy and not wanting to work. The reason we tend to think this is because this word is almost always used when describing a physical activity and rarely a spiritual one.
Can I say that many people today are slothful?
Most are not physically slothful, as slothful is described, but many are spiritually slothful! This passage is referring to the spiritual and not physical, it doesn't say, "followers of them who through their hard physical labor inherited the promises" instead it reads, "followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Some things can never be gained by physical strength and labor. Heaven is one of them!
We cannot obtain entrance into heaven by works, we must believe and accept through faith, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;" Hebrews 12:2a, has given to us all, a measure of faith and teaches us to build our faith and grow spiritually into a mature Christian.
Often this building of our faith is difficult. It requires a steadfast and daily effort of denying ourselves and waiting patiently for the promise to come. Sounds like very little effort at all, but try it, you'll find it to be a challenging task.
Follow Jesus, building your faith and walking with him being patient in all things. Our work is to follow Jesus, to increase in faith, and to wait on Him patiently. The slothful or lazy will skip this step and believe that they can hurry things along and do it without Jesus. Not true! Be not slothful, no cutting corners allowed it won't work!
Get to work spiritually, increase your faith through the word today!
Read 1Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5 The Day of the Lord 1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
What questions do you have after reading this? _________________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions: Jesus is coming back for his Bride, describe what will take place. __________________________________________________________________________________
What will most people be saying when Jesus returns? __________________________________________________________________________________
What instructions are given to us while we wait? __________________________________________________________________________________
Also read verses 5:12-22 12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not despise prophecies.
21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Read Ephesians 5:21-33 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. Marriage—Christ and the Church
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave 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 glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
What questions do you have after reading this? _________________________________________________________________________________
Describe your thoughts about the following: How does husband and wife relationships compare with that of Jesus and the church? __________________________________________________________________________________
What should the wife do for the husband that the church does for Jesus? ________________________________________________________________________________
What should the husband do for the wife that Jesus has done for the church? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How can we be presented to Jesus when he comes again? _________________________________________________________________________________
Jesus loves you and he is coming again soon to receive unto himself his Bride be prepared so that you can join him as he meets us in the air! Oh how he loves us!