Beautiful Bride part 2

1. Pastor Andy Morgridge Beautiful Bride part 2

2. Questions from Last Week • Should I read everything? No –MY Kenneth Copeland experience • Why did you say men carry more baggages than men?

3. Machismo - • A Strong or Exaggerated sense of  manliness;  an assumptive attitude that virility, courage,  strength, and entitlement  to  dominate especially female sex are attributes or concomitants  of  masculinity.

4. A strong or exaggerated sense of power or the right to dominate:A strong or exaggerated sense of power or the right to dominate:

5. Male Chauvinism • The beliefs, attitudes, or  behaviour of male chauvinists  (men who patronize, disparage,  or otherwise denigrate females in  the belief that they are inferior to  males and thus deserving of less  than equal treatment or benefit).

6. The traditional man discussed – African tradition says the woman is inferior. But all these applies to Cosmos, not Ekklesia, where love makes submission by the woman a delight for her. Only those who went to Beijing fights their husband. • Linus and Edo chief as examples

7. Derived from the Hebrew meaning of Ruth and Bethlehem where the story took place. Ruth means “friend or companion and we saw she fit that role indeed.

8. Drawing conclusion from Proverbs 17:17-18; Luke 11:5-8 and Genesis 1:1,31 where the Hebrew word was described as pleasant only after a higher authority sees it so.

9. Thayer says “pleasant to a higher nature”. So for Rev. 19:7 to come to pass in our lives we must meet His standard to be called by Him, My Bride.

10. Selflessness was the focus of attention in God’s champion – Nehemiah. • This is not possible unless you die to yourself followed.

11. Dying to self is not living in the realms of negative emotions. Your senses are active, but you can ignore them. • Choosing to ignore them because of Christ is carrying your cross.

12. That is the focus today, as we journey on towards Hebron where Rev. 1:5-6 comes to pass in our lives. Some will say I am already a king – yes, in a way, but I seek the title that has His approval – not one I assume or just believe by faith.

13. The messages to the seven churches have a fourfold application: • Local, to the churches actually addressed; • Admonitory, to all churches in all time as tests by which they may discern their true spiritual state in the sight of God;

14. Personal, in the exhortations to him “that hath as ear”, and in the promise “to him that over-cometh”.

15. The Smyrnaen Church Age (A. D. 170-312) • (Rev. 2:8-11)

16. Smyrna was beautiful • Smyrna was situated a little north of Ephesus. Part from being a commercial city, it was well known for its school of rhetoric’s, philosophy, medicine, science and its fine buildings.

17. To some it was the loveliest city in Asia and men called it the ornament of Asia, the crown of Asia and the flower of Asia. It was built with great straight, brown streets;

18. The famous of all being the street of gold which began with the temple of Zeus and ended with the Temple of Cybele.

19. The name Smyrna means “bitter”, derived from Thayer’s definition of Myrrh. The major component of the Alabaster oil (Mt. 26:6-13; Ps. 45:7-8. Est. 2:12).

20. And this typifies the condition of the Second Church Age which was indeed a bitter one filled with death and suffering of the Christians. It was also the age which saw the Church drifting further away from the truth, and thus causing spiritual death to set in.

21. “TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME” • Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean. Many people interpret “cross” as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness.

22. With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

23. To take up one’s cross is simply to be willing to pay any price for Christ’s sake. It is the willingness to endure shame, embarrassment, reproach, rejection, persecution, and even martyrdom for His sake.

24. When the disciples and the crowd heard Jesus speak of taking up the cross, there was nothing mystical to them about the idea.

25. They immediately pictured a poor, condemned soul walking along the road carrying (which is an accurate translation of airo, meaning “to raise, bear, or carry”) the instrument of his execution on his own back.

26. A man who took up his cross began his death march, carrying the very beam on which he would hang.

27. For a disciple of Christ to take up his cross is for him to be willing to start on a death march. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be willing, in His service, to suffer the indignities, the pain, and even the death of a condemned criminal.

28. (1 Pet. 4:12–14). • (Matt. 10:34–36). • (Matt. 16:21),

29. The cross represents suffering that is ours because of our relationship to Christ. As Jesus moved unwaveringly toward Jerusalem, the place of execution where He “must go” (v. 21),

30. He had already taken up His cross and was beginning to bear on His back the sins of the whole world. And in His train, millions of disciples, all with their own crosses, have since borne reproach with Him.

31. There’s a cross for everyone, and there’s a cross for me.” Those who make initial confessions of their desire to follow Jesus Christ, but refuse to accept hardship or persecution, are characterized as the false, fruitless souls who are like rocky soil with no depth.

32. They wither and die under threat of the reproach of Christ (Matt. 13:20–21). Many people want a “no-cost” discipleship, but Christ offers no such option.

33. Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death.

34. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.

35. Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. • In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best.

36. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests.

37. Therefore, Jesus appeared to dissuade them. How different from the typical Gospel presentation! How many people would respond to an altar call that went, “Come follow Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even your life”?

38. The number of false converts would likely decrease! Such a call is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

39. If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions:

40. • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

41. Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ.

42. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). • Ps. 33:10-20 our prayer points.