I want to turn you to several passages of Scripture. We have also seen the address, then our plans.
In the Old Testament, in the prophecy of Isaiah, Chapter 54:
For thy Maker is thine husband;
the Lord of hosts is His name:
and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer.
Then in Isaiah 62:
For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee:
and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride,
so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
In Jeremiah 31:
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.
And in Malachi:
An abomination is committed in Israel, and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which He loveth, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
That is how we finish the Old Testament: Israel has failed God.
Now we will see how we finish the New Testament.
In Revelation 19:
Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto Him:
for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and His wife hath made herself ready.
Then Revelation 21:
And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
And one of the seven angels said unto me:
Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
He carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels.
I think we can leave the reading there and resume the matter with which we have been occupied through the week.
We have been seeing what God is doing, particularly in the dispensation in which we live: the heavenly, spiritual Israel.
We have seen the setting aside of the old order and the bringing in of His new heavenly people. This is what is called the heavenly calling.
We are told that we are called to be companions of the heavenly calling, and companions of Christ in the heavenly calling.
We have seen how the New Testament takes over the ideas of the Old Testament and translates them into spiritual meaning. The types of old Israel are redeemed and brought over to the new.
Although God may have to give up an instrument that He raises up, He never gives up His course. He will never give up His intention. If He cannot realize His purpose in one instrument, He will realize it in another.
We have seen that old Israel was called God’s family. We have seen that old Israel was called the Lord’s house, His inheritance, His flock, and His vine.
All these titles are taken up and brought into the New Testament church.
The new heavenly Israel is His family: children of God. It is His house: “Whose house are we?” We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.
We are His flock: “I am the good shepherd.” We are His vine: “I am the vine, and ye are the branches.”
Now we have to come to the last one that we are able to look at at this time. From the readings that we have taken, you have come to the conclusion as to what it is: the bride.
Israel, we have seen from those various Scriptures, was called God’s bride. He said that He became a husband unto her.
Although Israel was a man literally, Israel is usually spoken of in the feminine. It is not “he”; it is “she.” It is she who failed Him as a wife.
Last week we saw that the Passover was a marriage covenant. Jeremiah 31 says that when He brought them out of Egypt, He took them by the hand and became a husband unto them.
The blood of the Passover lamb was the blood of a covenant of marriage between the Lord and Israel. He betrothed Israel unto Himself that night, and then she was purchased with blood.
There is very little to be said to those who know the Old Testament about God’s love for Israel. It is an amazing thing in history.
When you read the history of Israel from Israel’s own side, it is the most wonderful thing to hear the Lord saying:
I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
God has never given up that love. It is still an everlasting love. But there is a sob in the heart of God. It is a disappointed love.
The Old Testament is a wonderful revelation of God’s love for Israel—the love of the whole heart of God for a bride—and how that love was expressed toward Israel.
See the wonderful protection that the Lord provided for Israel. He protected Israel all the way along. He provided food and raiment. He led her faithfully on.
The preserving and protecting love of God is everywhere in the Old Testament.
What was God’s thought and intention in betrothing Israel to Himself? That she might be to His pleasure.
The Lord took pleasure in Israel. The Lord had brought Israel into being for His own pleasure, to bring satisfaction to His own heart.
This is a big mystery: that the all-sufficient God should want something for His pleasure. He possesses all things. He really has need of nothing, comparatively speaking.
Nevertheless, He has revealed that He created a people for His pleasure. He created all things for His pleasure. He created a world for His pleasure. He created man for His pleasure.
And it all went away from Him. He was disappointed in it all. So He said, in effect, “I will begin again, and I will have that which will satisfy Me where everything else has disappointed Me.”
The bride was for the Bridegroom’s pleasure.
Israel was raised up to be the self-revelation of the Lord. God intended to reveal Himself to the whole universe through His bride, to show what kind of a husband He is.
We can bring this down to everyday life. Sometimes you are able to see what kind of a husband a woman has by herself. As you look at her, if she is provided for, you have to say, “She must have a wonderful husband.”
I am afraid many earthly husbands have failed, but that is how things are.
God wanted to reveal to this whole universe what a wonderful God He is in terms of a husband to His bride.
Israel had been raised up, in New Testament language, to show forth the excellences of Him Who called her out of darkness into His marvellous light.
Israel was brought into this relationship for the purpose of His increase, His expansion.
So to speak, many others outside of His bride were to be born unto the Lord through Israel. His family was to extend by means of Israel.
The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Nations were to be born unto the Lord. These are the things that the prophets say. The bride was to be for the Lord’s own increase.
And then, last of all—mystery of mysteries—it was a matter of companionship.
None of us can understand why the Lord wanted a companion. It is possible to be alive and not be a companion.
Many a wife is not the real companion of her husband. He does not find companionship. There are a lot of things, but just that one thing is lacking: real companionship.
Perhaps that is the tragedy of many broken marriages today. I know that it works the other way as well. But companionship is the highest thought in this relationship.
Now, it is easy to see how Israel failed in all these matters. The Lord could no longer take pleasure in Israel. Israel no longer revealed to the world what kind of a God He is.
Israel cut off the Gentiles and shut herself up to herself. She refused to fulfil the world mission for which she had been brought into union with God.
All this resulted in God losing His companion.
The Old Testament closes on that painful note. A horrible thing has happened in His bride: she has left the Lord, her husband, and gone after another.
So, to the Lord, as a nation, she is dead. The Lord could never marry another while she was alive.
The New Testament has a lot to say, as you know, about this new bride. The Lord Jesus called Himself the Bridegroom.
You will remember the parable of the virgins, when the cry went forth:
Behold, the bridegroom cometh.
And we have read these passages in Revelation, all about the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
Some of you will recall Paul’s words in his letter to the Ephesians:
Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for it;
that He might present the church to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Well, the fact, I think, is established. But we have to bring back all those features of this relationship.
If we are New Testament Christians, we are joined to the Lord in a covenant of marriage.
It is the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
How many of you go to the Lord’s table at any time? It has various different names: the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion. It does not matter so much what you call it; it is what you mean by it.
Do you know, dear friends, that every time you go to the Lord’s table, its meaning is that you are putting your hand to the covenant again, saying, “I stand by my marriage relationship to the Lord.”
It means that I am one flesh with Christ. We are one body in Him. A part of His very body is represented by that loaf.
The marriage ordinance of God at the beginning was: “They two shall become one flesh.”
Jesus said, “This is My body.” When we take it, we are meant to be saying, “I am one body with Christ.” It is the marriage relationship.
Then we take the cup, symbolic of His blood. We say two things: “I share one life with Him. His life is my life.” And that was made by a covenant in His blood.
That is the deep meaning of the table of the Lord. Is that what we mean every time we come to the Lord’s table?
It is a bride saying, “I stand by the covenant. I am one with my Lord.”
We sang this afternoon, “Jesus, my Husband.” Yes, I am His bride. That is the nature of our union with Him. That is what it really means to be a Christian.
May our Christianity be redeemed from everything less than that.
But when the relationship has been established in His blood, then the purpose of the relationship begins. We are His, for His pleasure and not our own.
He has made us for His pleasure, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight.
We are to be unto the praise of His glory, unto the glory of His grace, to show forth the excellences of Him Who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.
Dear friends, this composes the Christian life. This is why He has drawn us with the bands of love. This is the reason for our union with Christ: that we should be unto His pleasure, that He may take pleasure in us.
The time is coming when He will look at His bride, and then He will say, “She is a glorious bride.” He has brought us to Himself for that very purpose: to reveal Himself.
We are making a terrible mess of this business of revealing Christ. But He is taking great pains with us.
He does not make it easy. It seems so often that He puts us into difficult positions in order that we may show forth His glory.
Paul had a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him. He went to the Lord again and again and again, asking the Lord to remove this thorn and destroy this messenger of Satan.
But the Lord said unto him:
My grace is sufficient for thee:
for My power is made perfect in weakness.
That is the strange sovereignty of God. That is the strange providence of God.
It seems that He sometimes puts difficulties into our lives and makes it hard for us. Then, in the grace that He shows, we magnify Him.
No one knows what Paul’s thorn was. A lot of people have guessed at it, and some people think they have got it. I do not think anybody really does know.
But it was evidently something that people could see. They could say, “My word, Paul has a hard time with that. I am very glad that the Lord has not called me to go that way. That poor man does know what suffering means.”
But how marvellous is the grace of God in that man! Look at his victorious spirit. See how he does not go down under his sufferings.
Ah, the grace of God in that man is a wonderful thing. The revelation of His grace is a wonderful thing.
He is increased through the church. We have already said much about this. The Lord, through His church, wants to bring many, many into the kingdom.
He said, “Preach the gospel in every nation, in the whole creation.” The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth.
Let that stand right over all your ultra-Calvinism. Do not let any Calvinism take one iota away from that.
The Lord would have all men saved. He has never told His church to go and pick out one here and one there and say, “You are the elect; leave the others.”
No: preach the gospel to the whole creation. Leave the rest with Him.
That is the world mission of the new Israel. But do not just do it in a general way. Get down to it tomorrow morning. Make this your personal business: by any means, you may be able to bring souls into the kingdom.
When we have said all that, we come to this supreme thing: He has joined us to Himself to be His companions.
That has been our note right through this conference. We are become companions of Christ.
“Holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling.” To be His companions.
I confess that I do not understand that. But the Lord should find me His friend, not just officially related to Him.
I can only say to you: let us take that word and continually ask ourselves, “How would a friend act in this matter? How would a friend decide?”
I am the Lord’s friend. I must not fail Him in friendship.
This is the highest and most sacred aspect of the whole relationship.
You see, after all this time, I have not touched the New Jerusalem yet. It is a very significant thing that the New Jerusalem is called the bride.
Said the angel to John:
Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
And John might have said, “Now, let us go and see this wonderful woman.” But he showed me the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.
The bride is the city, and the city is the bride.
You have to read the whole description of the city in Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 in order to know what the bride is going to be like.
See all the precious stones. This is the preciousness of the Lord Jesus in manifold expressions.
Peter says, “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.” All manner of precious stones: it is what Jesus is in His real character revealed in the bride, the city.
Do not start thinking about a literal city. This is all a symbolic representation of Christ’s bride.
All these glories of the city are only the glories of Christ, expressed at last in His bride.
He showed me the holy city, New Jerusalem, having the glory of God.
This is what was meant by the apostle: He will present the church to Himself a glorious church.
A glorious church. The city is the revelation of His manifold glories, and the city is the bride.
These are all very beautiful and wonderful ideas. They are glorious thoughts. But it is just unto this that the Lord has called us. This is the heavenly calling.
It is unto this that He wants us to be companions: companions of a heavenly calling, companions of Christ.
I hesitate to strike a note that might sound a bit depressing, but I do remind you that this great letter to the Hebrews has many “ifs” in it.
“Whose house are we?” “We are become companions of Christ, if we hold fast.” This letter to the Hebrews is just full of warnings.
I do not believe that it was written to non-Christians. All the evidences in the letter are that it was written to true Christians.
Therefore, it was saying to Christians: do not miss your inheritance. Do not fail of your heavenly calling.
Do not fail to be true companions of Christ. Do not accept anything less than God’s best and God’s highest.
You can be Christians having much less than God intended.
You will notice, when the description of the city-bride has been given, it says, “Blessed are they that have the right to enter in.” They have the authority to enter in.
They will walk in the light thereof. But others will not do this.
Make sure that you are of this bride. Do not fail the Lord as Israel failed Him.
Let us go on to full growth. Let us go on to God’s full purpose.