God's love for us is not theoretical; it is demonstrated in the incarnation of God the Son who came among us in the moment when we needed Him the most.
Sermon Notes:
- The love of Christ for His bride is deeply personal; He knows us. It is redemptive; He saves us. It is sanctifying; He makes us beautiful.
- God’s love for us is not theoretical; it is demonstrated in the incarnation of God the Son who came among us in the moment when we needed Him the most.
- Jesus came down to us to be with us, to empathize and sympathize with our weakness.
- The voice from the throne of God commands all God’s people to praise Him (Revelation 19:5).
- Jesus appears to us as the Lamb of God, the one slain for the sins of His bride.
- We are reminded of Jesus’ death and sacrifice for the life of His bride while she was still ugly with sin (cf. Rom. 5:8).
- His love for us is sacrificial. He has died for our sins and He redeems us from our sins, clothing us with pure white. Thus we are presented to Him in splendour.
- We are made beautiful by the sanctifying love of Christ for us.
- There are many things in our lives which are sinful and ugly. We cannot make ourselves beautiful, and so Christ provides the pure white covering for us.
- Jesus’ sacrificial love cleanses us and purifies us (Eph. 5:25-27).
- The blood of Christ purifies and cleanses us from sin. His love sanctifies us, making us beautiful.
- One of the ways we enter into the beauty of Christ is through repentance. In repentance we make ourselves ready for the advent of Christ.
- As we come to the end of the year we can examine ourselves and reflect on the past year, confess our sins, and repent.
- We should not see repentance in the same way as New Year’s resolutions. Repentance involves turning away from our sins and turning toward Christ.
- Advent is a season of repentance and joy. We should be thinking about all of Christ’s mercies in the past year. We should be focused not on ourselves and our own resolutions, but rather on Christ.
- Meditate on the Song of Songs this advent season; this is a time of repentance and looking to Christ (Song 2:3-7).
- In the Lord’s Supper we are receiving God’s love as we enjoy a banqueting feast with the people of Christ.
Application Questions:
- Describe the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19.
- What are the attributes of the love of God for His people?
- How is God’s love demonstrated?
- How is repentance different than New Year’s resolutions?
- What does the marriage of the Lamb teach about Christian marriage?