The Groom, the Garment, and the Wineskin

Looks like your Bibles this morning. Let's go to the gospel of Mark the gospel of Mark. I begin a intensive in our pastor training Institute a week from tomorrow. On first and second Timothy. The goal is 40 hours of instruction and is just about kill me. I have so much material and am looking very forward to it, but it's a lot of work. So second Timothy didn't get ready but I want us to go back and look at Mark this morning and just feast on the wonders of Christ this morning.

In this context, as always, he's being confronted the end, there are tips to undermine him by the Pharisees.

That's the religious leaders of the day and they feel like they found something this time that he can't worm out of date so I making this credit.

Christ didn't catch even a fault if you will at least diminish his reputation some and this is how the narrative goes Mark chapter 2 verses 18 through 22.

John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting and they came and said to him, why did John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast your disciples do not fast. And Jesus said to them, while the bridegroom is with them. The attendance of the bridegroom cannot fast can they so long as they have the bridegroom with them. They cannot fast but days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast on that day no one sows a patch of unstrung cloth on an old garment. Otherwise the patch pulls away from it.

The new from the old and the worst tear results. No one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wind will burst the skins and the wind is lost in the skins as well but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins. I think simply entitled this exposition.

The groomer the garment in the wineskin, the groom, the garment in the wineskin, probably or perhaps we should say it should be that the most exciting day of your life next to your conversion experience is your wedding day.

Now that might rival the birth of the child, perhaps, but weddings are meant to be celebratory. They are meant to be festive. They are meant to be days of great happiness and great joy were in our in our text today. Jesus uses this analogy of a wedding to illustrate the joy that his disciples should have went there with him now in the context he's talking about his disciples were with him during his earthly ministry and how piece the groom.

That's the figure he likes to use of himself. Use lots of figures that was one of those on the groom and my immediate Associates my 12 apostles thereby attended and as he tells these Pharisees and John's disciples. How can the attendance heard who are getting the wedding ceremony ready for the groom, how can they be mournful and sad in fasting that is the wrong time to fast so the powerful and beautiful analogy, but as I said these enemies of our Lord, not John's disciples with the Pharisees are trying to entrap him. So I notice the question to entrap so they bring a question trying to entrap our Lord again to discredit him to diminish EM to rob him or diminish him of some of his popularity because he was becoming quite popular so in verse 18 it says and John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting well to very different groups here, the Pharisees were sticklers about the old covenant laws. They were legalists to the its degree but affect the Pharisees would make up laws and ordinances and rules that weren't even in the Bible and by the way, this is one of those they had some laws about fasting that God's word didn't require that you think their whole goal is to put forward via the image of superior spirituality. We are more pious. We are more dedicated we are more committed to our God than others.

So that's why we have more rules and as a side note, church, let me caution you, as I have many times be aware of that man or that lady who's always putting on additional rules in their lives. Additional convictions to portray a superior spirituality now.

Maybe there are folks who want to deny themselves things and dedicate themselves to the Lord, but they don't wear it like a neon sign to proclaim it. Typically I keep that very quiet, very private and they don't begrudge you if you have freedoms in those areas but that's not the Pharisees. Pharisees are all about how they look before me and and so they had devised several days that they fasted and did things and they made sure their hair was a disabled and their their countenance looked down and they looked like they were malnourished or they would go around so the people say all look at our Pharisees, how godly they are. All that was one group that's how they approach fasting about the way the Old Testament only required fasting one day a year on the great day of atonement that greatly exaggerated the biblical text in their self-imposed rules of fasting. Again, to exalt themselves within the other group here that submitted this John's disciples. They had a pure motive. They were display were fasting because John had been imprisoned. Now you have John the Baptist, John the Baptist, living out in the wilderness and has camel hair for his clothing and he's eating grasshoppers force food when his KC. John the Baptist had that unique and special calling to be the herald of the of the Christ.

So when when you look at a person like John the Baptist. Sometimes young preachers get into this mold and they said I need to be like John the Baptist will in some ways, you know, but not hiding out into the wilderness and eating grasshoppers wearing camel skin coach. That's not what God wants for you. We tend to forget that God has special task for special men and it's a one time thing. One size doesn't fit all. But John's been arrested. He as you remember the story he called out Herod for having his brothers wife if he did it in public. He was kind of a man's man about that and just boldly proclaim God's truth to Herod) has him arrested and then ultimately beheaded. So John's disciples had a good reason to fast.

There are times and places to faster seek the Lord because the burden is so great in these men robs the burden their leader has been taken away from them and taken away with evil motives so you have the Pharisees with their secret motives to try to entrap and to promote their own spirituality.

That's whether fasting and then John's disciples who were sincere. Having lost John to imprisonment now in Matthew's gospel. It tells us that it's John's disciples who actually asked the question, is John's disciples directly saved Jesus and his disciples. Why do we fasting.

Why do the Pharisees fast but Jesus your disciples not fast.

It's as if to say what you guys is dedicated this way are what you is sold out as we are to serve the Lord and to serve his causes. Now Jesus had endorsed the ministry of John the Baptist and the people all knew this so that's why the Pharisees are licking their chops's. That's why the Pharisees are thinking we think we can trap them here because he's already commended John and his followers, and there they have a discipline about serving the Lord that his own followers. Don't say out what the Pharisee wanted Jesus to do is put his head in his hand and come up sheepishly before them and say were were just not as committed as you guys are. That's what they were looking for any way to put him down or diminish your music they're all about power and control and Jesus was starting to get a lot of esteem among the people, so they're trying to diminish it. So I think I got an angle here working the John's disciples to expose Jesus as being insincere or at least discredit him as being inconsistent in his discipleship or his piety, so it reminds us today. I mean, we don't have to look at politics very often defined those who have no character and no credibility and they try to use others who have character and credibility to advance their own calls. Again, the Pharisees are coming from that place of that foundational area error rather of private wanting their lust for power and control and they are those who use the Scriptures often but they don't use the Scriptures for personal godliness, but to support their positions of authority and their traditions. Jesus popularity is becoming a big threat to them so they had no scriptural foundation to discredit Jesus so they try to manipulate the situation and use the honorable credible disciples of John to prove that Jesus was doing something wrong here, but not fasting is much as others were not really even the disciples of John, had no basis for asking this question because had they known the Old Testament they would know there's only one day, the day of atonement that's required to fast anyway so they're somewhat out a lot even though I think the heart skews me the heart and motives are pure into distant word on fasting. I think if you boil down fasting to its simplest denominator.

Fasting is meant to draw near to God.

Fasting is meant to kindle a fresh love and a closeness to God and the Old Testament prophets taught that is not just the act of not eating that's important. It's the heart that draws near to God, that's important.

I remember a fellow when I was in high school. I assume he was a Christian and he would fast like 30 and 40 days of the time I did know know them well didn't know much about situation, but I often wondered what he why he did that inmate. Maybe his motives were pure. I do not know just doing the outward act to video denying yourself. It does not mean your heart is drawing near to God. Often they'll go together is a righteous fasting were someone just feels burden and one brother to God that should be your call under grace as God leads you, and by the way, if you're burdened in fasting and seeking the Lord, you can expect the other eight 900 church members to all join in and be burdened with you that we were just too large for that. Amen. They're not unspiritual if they don't join in on the fast with Pete's website. Let's not judge one another in these years and we never have.

I just will throw that out as were talking about fasting.

Well, that was the question to entrap.

Why did John's disciples fast. The Pharisees are fasting, i.e. we look dedicated and committed but your disciples Jesus.

While they look like they're halfway have a party most of the time was the problem here where here's the answer I call it the answer that can file's and his answers always confounded these guys because he had wisdom. They did not have. He gives his answer and in giving his answer. He uses three illustrations three metaphors you might say hey, he uses a wedding and a feast uses a garment and uses a wineskin. So let's talk about the first of all, the wedding feast with verses 19 and 20. Again. And Jesus said to them, answering about why his disciples infested while the bridegroom and that's him.

Speaking of himself. I will have to use the word bridegroom because I am amount to get mixed up like groomsmen and bridesmaids, but this is the groom.

This called the bridegroom of the Bible, but the grandmother what the bridegroom is with them. The attendance of the bridegroom cannot fast can make a claim to the custom of the day. That would be unthinkable to me that would be the greatest disservice you be throwing cold water on your best friend's wedding ceremony. If you are the intended the bride brings attendance and you are all morning and fast instead of celebrating it happen with the festivities, but you said you can't do that last phrase was nothing so long as they have the bridegroom with them.

They cannot fast so even at this point he's silencing his critics that we remind ourselves that throughout the Scriptures.

The relationship between Christ and his church is people is often symbolized by the relationship of a bride and the groom, and a lot of reasons for that, but none more important than the intimacy and the love and the oneness of a bride and the groom that it that they're brought together is to separate ones but there's this mystical oneness, so it is with Christ and his church, we come together in him we are one with him but there's a mystical element. We can't see it with their eyes are here with her ears are touching with our hands but we know where one with the and is just going to get better and better. By the way, and that's the way marriage should work. Also a bride and the groom is the growth of the ups and downs in the ins and outs in the difficult times the bad times and for some, I believe, but she didn't believe in, and then God bless Susan things get richer and sweeter and more specialist time goes on with us.

The way our relationship with the Lord is, there are many ways in which the relationship of the human bride and groom parallels the relationship of Christ with his people couple versus here one from the Old Testament. Isaiah 62 verse five for as a young man marries a virgin so your sons will marry me. This is God talking and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you and then also in Ephesians 531 and 32 this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great. This these two people becoming one flesh bride and groom, but he says I'm speaking in reference to Christ and to the church again using that analogy to picture the relationship of Christ to his church so twice. Jesus says this cannot be. I mean, you can't take the attendance of the groom and and while there with the groom they're supposed to be rejoicing in in the ancient Jewish wedding custom, they would be singing. They would be feasting there be celebration not a solemn fast benefit.

The attendance of the groom were responsible for the arrangements of the betrothal and the wedding itself. They're expected to do everything to promote the festivities.

So Jesus is saying that these guys you guys are totally backwards. The groom is here. The attendant should be about the festivities and the joy of being with him not mournfully separating off to some cave somewhere in fasting or something.

This is not time for that same the Christian life is not a funeral. It's more of a wedding fixed is not a dirge it's more of a celebration not in balance. There are times for that in Christ will point that out in just a moment now. John Woodard actually announced that Jesus was the bridegroom in John 329, he says he who has the bride is the bridegroom. This Jesus as his bride, the church, but the friend of the bridegroom, he stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice so this joy of mine has been made full. John the Baptist himself says I want to be attendance of the bridegroom. That's what he saying and I say the groom has made it. Now we can get all with the ceremony and the festivities of this glorious and holy and joyous event. As you think about it Christianity and the commitment of marriage really do harmonize with the relationship we have with Christ. First of all in the marriage ceremony you have to say.

I do to become a Christian. In effect you say I do to Jesus Christ. I did medevac when you say I bill you don't just say I'm adding this on you. You're a bride says I do she takes a whole new name that's a whole new role you bear the and that that the groom's name you bear his reputation and that's what we do after we say I do we become his witnesses bearing his name in the world you share his wealth and his power, his love and protection.

One that Tom. I haven't moved one half of 1 mm all my convictions about the biblical roles of husband and wife and men and women in this culture, you know why because God had moved the world can go to hell all they want. Were not going to follow them.

There this horrible evil and in Texas. You've all detection of this this vile wicked man destroying assassinating these precious children and must pray for these folks. Can you imagine the that the trauma they're all going through their folks.

If we get the church that rot in the home back right we would be having the stuff that's the cook that's the solution that's the base of the problem. You can remove all the artifacts of destruction you want to out of a culture saying they'll still find a way to hate just to find a way to kill and destroy the heart's not right. Remembers illustration heard one time, and in South Africa there was a lot of these villages that were around one of the.

The large game reserves and they never had trouble with the elephants but the elephants were beginning to rampage through some of the villages and if they just hadn't happened before and the ball is begin to study the situation I found upset the found that the actual elephants that were rampaging. Those villages were young bulls in mature bolts and they had separated from the older bull and he found that when I got them.

They herded them all back together again and the problem stopped. We need some dad's. We need some fathers, we need some pastors the keeps keep the young bulls in line God. This isn't hard, but we've got a godless culture that decided everything the Bible teaches must be opposed undermined and removed from our culture. She can't have marriage of a man and woman. You can't have mom and dad stand together, you can have a commitment of love that lasts a lifetime. By the way, every statistic shows that when that's the case, delinquency, and problem children. The incidence of that goes way, way down one connotation arrive at their but we come together as husband-and-wife is bridegroom and it pictures the relationship of Christ and his church because now we are one with him and we have his wealth.

We know his power. We enjoy his love and we have his protection. He said, behold, I am with you always, but also when you get married you don't go back to your home about an older lady in the church years ago and she said you know the one thing I remembered about my mid wedding day was I didn't go home. I went to his home when the ancient world. The groom took his bride to his father's house that's exactly what are grooms going do with us. His breath were going to the father's house there beautiful and powerful parallels biblical fasting is important not committed any specific way or any specific amount, but it has its place, but fasting is so you can be near to God and draw close to God, but this was not a time for fasting. This was a time for feasting and that should be our Normans Christian.

This wasn't also the time for morning.

This was a time for celebrating. That's what Jesus was pointing out, especially during his incarnate years on the earth, because why would you mourn for the groom when he's right there with you so while the attendance of the groom were to be rejoice full and this is directly addressed to them.

We were when we remind ourselves that we are all the attendance of the bridegroom were all about getting the bride ready for the day when the groom returns the attendance was under the instruction of the groom's father to seek out the broad and at this point, it was very common that would pay a dowry at that point. So the father would take the initiative. He'd make arrangement with the girls father and while the groom was still a baby boy in the bride was still a baby girl, very often the attendance would be in an in-service help secure the dowry, saying absolutely that was a common thing in this day that's exactly what happened in our Lord's ministry's he came on the cross and paid the dowry because once that was paid and once it was established to just a matter of time before bride and groom are brought together. As they grew up and came of age, so there was a lot of work for the attendance to do the tense of the green busy preparing everything and we the bride are still his attendance and were still coming to maturity and will continue this process into the father says it's time well look at verse 20.

Now in balance. Jesus is verse 19. The attendance cannot fast while the grooms with verse 20 but the days will call him when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast in that day. They says in two different ways.

He said there are days plural coming when either groom will be taken away from them that Midtown fast and they'll certainly fast on that date. I think the plural days must refer to Jesus arrests his betrayal by Judas, him being pulled away and into the trial and the mockery and all that was involved in.

Didn't that day would refer to the crucifixion when they nailed our Lord to the cross that he died in the course we know from the biblical text. What a horrifying event. This was for the disciples think about it for moment. These men had left everything to follow Jesus and Jesus said there's a talk that he did may not actually be away from them. But as far as they understood it in the physical ram I was taken away from them said when that day comes that the day that they will fast. So there are times for fasting in the hearing now and in this world because we face the world the flesh and the devil that tries to work against us and undermine us and sever us in our intimacy with Christ. But fasting is not our norm. The attitude of one save just one of joy and gladness not of morning or sadness that affect him. When Jesus came this very spirit of joy was announced by the angel to Joseph Lieut. 210 but the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good news of great joy which will be what shall be for all the people to Christ brings news of great joy. Now it's maybe some news but is not great joy unless you grasp your sin issue unless you see the depth of your need of forgiveness unless you grasp something of the wall full offensiveness we have before a holy God. And that takes the work of the Holy Spirit.

So here the Jews are the generally the Jews had two things going on, the Jewish religious authorities number one. Can we discredit disqualifying get rid of this guy will increasingly they found out that would know to work every time they tried to discredit him was something like this. He just came back and demolish their argument.

So the Jews begin to try synchronizing a synchrotron rising of their old wall with Jesus Christ. Maybe we can just cut a piece things together and Jesus says that don't work either.

No more what I told you, you can expect attendance of the going to be mournful when the brings with him in the weddings about a hand and secondly I'm telling you you cannot connect me with anything else that's ever existed. It will work. So he says it this way. Verse 21 no one sows a patch of unstrung cloth on an old garment.

Otherwise the patch pulls away from it. The new from the old and the worst tear results and not when I was a little boy everybody in my school wore the old-style Levi's in a while we wore the old-style Levi's because it was nothing else to wear that one. Three styles are 12 styles of 15 you just bought the old cotton Levi's but my mother was always careful to buy them in nature to larger and waste and link that I needed because you are still one time and buddy they stroke up.

Well that's what Jesus is talking about here. If you take a new patch of cotton prices never shrunk, and you saw it on an old piece of cloth.

Well, that cloth is already done. It shrinking with a new patch when you watched on his drinking is going to pull away and the tear in the hole at the end would be worse than at the beginning what's Jesus point here G support is you guys think that somehow, some way you're going to mold me into your human philosophy your man-made religion, but it will not work. Here's the thing you have to understand about Jesus and that is the loneliness of Jesus, the loneliness of Jesus. I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me. I'm the only one is not me.

Plus Judaism is not me plus works.

It's not me. Plus the law that's putting it on strong patch on a stroke and pair pants course and that bagels ladies and those men would know exactly what that means you cannot combine Jesus with any teaching or any philosophy you cannot add Jesus to Judaism. You cannot look at Jesus as another room in the house of religion. He's not one of many ways he is the only way we sing is new and I'm complete I brought something new and something holy, complete, and there's no room for nothing else to be added to me.

Jesus didn't just become a new room in the house of religion. He's a whole new house anchored on a whole new immovable foundation cannot PCM into your life either. You cannot put the patch of Christianity on your tattered life. You gotta become new.

Jesus is interested in fixing up the old you.

Jesus wants to bring a moon you to you the The new life. You're born again you're created in Christ Jesus, the Bible, six.

Don't try to mix it with anything and have it we Baptists and evangelicals over the last several decades gone clamoring after every cute clever fun saying that the culture floats by and try to cut a synchronize that we Jesus break into the chart that help us win more for Jesus, you looked at the state of our churches today you looked at the content condition of the church today. You know one look when you had anything to Jesus. Jesus leaves you had anything to Jesus.

He walks out the door. He has no rivals.

He tolerates no additives will in this sense of Jesus and asked, saying that these guys I've told you something about me being the groom in my mop disciples being my attendance and they need to rejoice, whether with because this things all new I'm here and it's all new.

Its new lock and you can't add it to the old like you can't put a unstrung cloth on an old garment.

But then, secondly, verse 22. The wineskin, no one puts new wine into an old wineskin. Otherwise the wine will burst the skins and the wind is lost in the skin just well but one puts new wine into fresh wineskin. I think the context is the old Mosaic economy was decaying and it was fading away. Matter fact, the old covenant the old Judaism was supposed to decay and fade like this of this Hebrews 813 when he said a new covenant if that's Christ Jesus is the new covenant. He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete is growing old and ready to disappear. The attack was a staggering truth to the Jews of this day. We've got to abandon dial discard throwaway everything our forefathers taught us about the low and embrace this Christ is what Jesus is. Yes because is it if you pour the new wine of me into an old dried wineskin. There's life in me and we see that in the figure of the wind fermenting. It's alive. There's yeast that's alive in there and start expanding and that old wineskin being old and brittle and dry just going to burst and you ruined the wineskin, and you lose the one in that I think that's a great word for a lot of people in our culture today.

You've added Jesus onto their life as their ticket into heaven. It will work. He's going to burst everything else and you're not going give him either. You don't add Jesus all you come to Jesus did and trespassed sins say give me new life and new life with you and for you. So the Bible teaches that the old Judea stick covenant law system was fading away in crisis become obsolete, but is not that it was bad. You see there's two ways to destroy something you can smash it or you can fulfill it. And that's what Jesus was doing. He was fulfilling all the law and all the prophets there all summed up in the a.m. so you don't look at them anymore. You look at him from now on. So Jesus destroyed if you will, did away with, made obsolete the old covenant the old wineskin by fulfilling the law in his life and in his death established a new covenant in his blood, I would. Moses went up on Mount Sinai and Moses received the law. The Bible says Moses got tablets written by the finger of God, the old covenant the old system was written installed by the finger of God with the new covenant is written with the blood of God. Jesus Christ dying on the cross and in the old covenant, the law was on stone, but now in the new covenant it's written in our hearts and not on stone, but thanks Hebrews 1016 tells us this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days. After that first covenant. I will put my law upon their hearts and on their minds.

I will write the sometimes they're discussing among pastors. How do you get people to come in. People serve the Lord in getting this to believe the Bible sufficient and that's enough to the spirit of God must write it on your heart pain, targeted your mind and then when I proclaim it from here.

You think that's true, that resonates with what's been put in my heart that resonates with what God put my mind at the So while I struggle with anytime, though not as faithful as automated.

I cannot separate from the truth.

I'm getting for my pulpit church God has not written in your hearts that God has not put in your mind.

There's no malice shenanigans charisma created things of newfangled things I can possibly do to get you to love Christ and his truth with the church. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to build a church. I'm thankful I get to taste that experience that and it's not that common in the old covenant you functioned in the power of the flesh tried to keep the law in this new covenant, the law is fulfilled in righteousness is established by Hilma for you by him for you.

Romans 8134 list look.

I think it would be on your screen owns a 124. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who keep the law and also have Jesus. No, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death with the law could not do week as it was to the flask is to think of all the good the law could do in the power of your flesh, and it could do much good in anything could make you righteous last part second part, verse three, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according flesh before the spirit.

Once you are born again, and your trust is in Jesus. PS my righteousness. He is the one who makes me clean and acceptable for God. I don't have anything to him. He allow, and therefore God looks at me in Christ Jesus. As I have obtained, listen to me, the righteousness of the law. The law yes more than that. Even the righteousness of his son Jesus Christ. And that's the greatest righteousness of all wells in Jesus gives an answer that confounds them. He talks about a feast and how attendance of the groom have to be celebrating Oktoberfest and the growing share and then he talked about a garment he said you guys are so prone to think that I'm just another prophet I'm another good teacher and you just add me into your other good teachers and prophets in rules and religions are trying to observe. No, that's all obsolete.

Try to patch me only got put enough lunch truck cloth on an old garment window.

The new unstrung calls shrinks compare big holes not to work is like putting new wine into an old brittle hard wineskin is not the work that was when burst.

I am new and I'm complete all by myself and that's what you must embrace no circling the field.

I thought about this a little bit I thought since the Lord started with the image of a husband and wife are typically a bride and the groom and how that parallels Jesus the groom with his bride, the church, I thought of several of the things that I thought were interesting to talk about and that's in the ancient Jewish wedding custom. It was the attendance of the groom would go representing the groom to the bride and they would bring in almost from the groom, so their bringing an oath and that there the coming is saying in the parallel is that's what the attendance today, we bring an oath from the groom. If you believe on him till Savior trusting him. You can be his bride is why Paul said we are ambassadors for Christ, where his attendance and his representatives bring you the oath, the groom and said I request you to be broad if you will take his word.

You can become. Yes also the attendants would give gifts to the bride they come and sing the groom us loves you he he wants you to be here is that he comes bringing you these gifts and when we receive Christ as our Savior. We receive spiritual gifts and blessings and the gift of forgiveness of sins and the gift of new life in the gift of the promise of eternal life. And then there's the active patrol for it was a celebration. It was a feast in the bride and the groom would come together at that time, but the bride's veil would remain consistent with the provost.

It's only the period of engagement so she had a veil and that's the way we are today. The Bible says right now we know our groom and we are his bride.

But we see through a glass dimly right now is not face-to-face yet, but he still hours and he still with us of the veil is there and then when the father in this day gave the word to the groom, the groom would go to the bride's house, with the attendance and the marriage ceremony would take place. Then he would bring his bride back to the father's house. That's why Jesus said I'm going away to prepare a place for you in my father's house are many dwelling rooms.

I've got I've got a house big enough for exit this way for great big broad lot lot of folks are going to make up this broad Jesus that I got a house of the five complacent of all just big enough for all of you and then finally the marriage is consummated in the bride's veil is removed but one thing first I got ahead of myself when the wedding ceremony is taking place. The attendance would come put the wedding robes of white beautiful robes that would be for the wedding ceremony only the neck typify that we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

We wear those roads righteous men affect him. I'm sorry but my voice Revelation 714, I said to my Lord, you know, he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And then after the ceremony, the veil is lifted.

Revelation 21 one and two and I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God the father made ready as a bride adorned for us, that glorious celebratory feasting joyous celebrated time when finally perfected and purified, purified the bride will be home with the groom forever know my word to you this morning Jesus said I'm bringing something new in its complete. Are you complete in him are you complete in him, not I'm trying this. I'm working at that. I'm thinking it through.

No, no, no, are you at rest by just saying it you Christ. I trust you cover all the deficiencies all the weaknesses all my sins. All my failures are you complete in him. The old rope songwriter wrote and when before the throne. I stand.

I love this phrase I stand in him complete. This is as if the angel at the gates is why you getting into heaven is on completing him.

As I said Easter Sunday the thief on the cross of asking why should you get into heaven he said I don't know the man on the middle cross I could come. I'm complete.

Are you complete, you better not you better not leave my ministry and go to heaven with anything anything in your heart or in your understanding either that Christ came Christ alone is my hope until you say that the gates of heavenwill swing open because that's enough you need nothing else but him. Nothing else but