How to Prepare For The Wedding of Heaven
Romans 8:32
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Many people are waking up to some pretty uncomfortable truths about the state of the world. There seems to be a lot of ugliness, deception, hatred, destruction, and perversion everywhere we look. From drug alleys in Philadelphia to pedophilia in the halls of government to genocides in Gaza and open mockery of the sacred at the Olympics (not to mention broken homes, bankrupt nations, enormous debts, and confused teenagers)…
Theologians and philosophers have a hard enough time justifying the divine in good times knowing that evil is possible. It seems near impossible to justify the goodness of God when the whole world seems to be evil and on fire… This brings me to my meditation today.
Have you ever wondered if Satan’s evil choices are designed to get back at God for creating him? By extension, is it possible that our commitment to ever increasing sin is rooted in a deep hatred of our own existence?
Hang with me here:
Step 1: This perfect being creates you.
Step 2: You are aware of your imperfections. (What am I?)
Step 3: You hate your imperfections. (I am not enough.)
Step 4: You hate the one who made you imperfect. (How could He?)
Step 5: You express that hatred by making yourself into the opposite of the one who made you. Whatever He loves, you hate. Whatever he creates, you destroy. Whatever is lovely, noble, and good you attempt to corrupt and twist into ugliness. (“I’ll show Him”)
Step 6: You attempt to condemn your Creator for your actions, since He is ultimately responsible for everything you do as your creator. The more diabolical you become, the greater the guilt of the creator. How could the creator hate what he created without also condemning himself? (“If I am evil, it’s your fault because you made me this way!”)
All this stems from Satan’s primary pride of thinking he deserved, as a created thing, to be like the Creator, instead of humbly agreeing with God that everything He made was (and had to be) good. (Genesis 1).
In so many beautiful ways, Satan’s sin was a necessary component of setting the stage for the condemnation of God by God Himself on the cross of Jesus Christ. How deep is God’s commitment to His love for His creation? Is there anything too ugly for Him? Anything too poor, too rejected, too scarred, too sinful, too dead? Consider that God become a baby born in imperfect conditions. Christ struggled like all of us to learn how to be a carpenter. He probably hit his thumb with a hammer on many occasions. He made mistakes. He was ignorant. There were things he didn’t know. He felt pain. He was rejected by His family. He was betrayed by His friends. He was whipped by Roman soldiers. He was threatened by religious leaders. He was humiliated, beaten, tortured, mocked, and killed. And in the final analysis, it is said that all the sin that condemns us was placed on Him. When God saw Christ on the cross, He saw a pedophile. He saw a rapist. He saw a drug addict, tax collector, prostitute, fraudster, and hypocrite. He saw the betrayal of Judas, the doubts of Thomas, and the murders of Saul. He saw your deepest, darkest sin. And then, to prove the unimaginable depth of God’s love for you, He raised Christ from the dead. If God can love Christ, who pled “guilty” on your behalf for all and the worst of all possible sins, then how sure is His love for you! How sure is His provision and care for you!
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul says,
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
The irony of Satan’s rebellion and the expression of evil on earth is that the story of God is a process of transforming sinners who are purchased by the blood of Christ into those who not only know God as Creator, but also know Him as Lover, Redeemer, and Friend. As Jesus said to His disciples,
God’s humility in the incarnation and crucifixion becomes our path to eternal and everlasting glory. Like Pinochio, His sons and daughters are not destined to remain mere created things, but become real children like their Father. They are not destined to remain an image alone but are converted into the beautiful bride of Christ, the unblemished object of His admiration.
Paul describes this preparation of Christ’s bride in his letter to the Corinthians and Ephesians.
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” (2 Corinthians 11:2)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)
And in John’s Revelation He describes the wedding of this bride.
7 “Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7)
How does God transform immature and sinful children into a bride worthy of Christ?
By teaching His bride…
- 1. Discipline
Hebrews 12:5-7
- 2. Patience
Galatians 6:9
- 3. Kindness
Matthew 25:37-40
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’Proverbs 14:31
“He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.”
- 4. Humility
Job 1:20-21
“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”- 5. Honor
Malachi 2:2
“If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.”2 Samuel 1:14
David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”John 12:3-8
- 6. How to Give
James 1:27
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”1 Corinthians 4:7
“ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”- 7. Self-control
1 Samuel 24:4-11
The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.- 8. How to Forgive
Matthew 18:21-22
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.””- 9. How to Know The Truth
John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word…”2 Corinthians 10:5
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”John 8:32
“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”- How to Protect
Proverbs 31:25-27
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
- 10. How to trust:
Proverbs 3:5-6
“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”
Matthew 14:28-33
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
John 10:27-28
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”- 11. How to hope
1 Thessalonians 4:13-4
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Romans 5:5
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
- How to endure
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”For as Paul wrote…
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Want a blueprint for how to be a good parent?
Raise your children in these ways to become a beautiful bride and a loving husband. Teach them how to think. Teach them how to endure discipline with gratitude. Teach them humility and wisdom. If your children don’t know how to honor their father and mother, how will they know how to honor God? But ensure your children love their Heavenly Father more than they love you. Ask forgiveness from them. Show them your own humility. Be a child of God in their presence so they never forget that you are a symbol of something greater z
Want a blueprint for how to be a good husband?
Treat your wife as Christ treats His church. Love her. Be patient with her. Forgive her. Trust her. Adore her. Sacrifice for her. If you don’t love your wife, how can you expect to be loved by Christ? But as needed, love Christ instead of her. Challenge her with the truth. Forgive her. Make her better today than she was yesterday. Ensure she knows you are a symbol of Christ and a sign of someone greater to come.
Want a blueprint for how to be a good wife?
Honor your husband as you would honor Christ. Adore him. Respect him. Submit to him. Follow him. If you don’t know how to joyfully submit to your husband, how will you be able to joyfully submit to Christ? But as needed, follow Christ instead of him. Challenge him with truth. Forgive him. Make him better today than he was yesterday. Ensure he knows you are a symbol of Christ and a sign of someone greater to come.
For all of us in Christ, be fearless, be hopeful, be grateful, and rejoice even though the ugliness and the pain. If we don’t follow Christ on earth, how will we follow Him to heaven? Do not hold so tightly to your church, your friends, your family, your nation, your occupation or anything else on this earth. Remember that all that is made is a symbol and a sign on someone greater to come.
For…
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
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