PASSION FOR JESUS CONFERENCE
APRIL 23RD, 2014 – THE GLORY OF THE BRIDEGROOM GOD - STEPHEN VENABLE
I.
OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION OF GOD
A.
Yahweh – the Matchless One
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special
treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine…Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because
the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole
mountain quaked violently.” Exodus 19:5-6, 18
1.
There was a time when the holy, matchless Creator drew near. God came down to the top of
Mt. Sinai in order to enter into covenant with a corporate people for the first time.
“…cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I remember you, the kindness
of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness… Jer 2:2-3
2.
B.
Astonishingly God viewed this covenantal pledge that was sealed with blood as His betrothal to
Israel. This is clear from the way other portions of the Old Testament describe the scene and
from the fact that while Moses is still on Sinai God refers to the worship of other gods as
spiritual harlotry (Exodus 34:13-17).
Yahweh – the Husband of Israel
For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of
Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. Isaiah 54:5
“And it shall be, in that day,” says the LORD, “That you will call Me ‘My husband,’ and no longer call
Me ‘My Master’… Hosea 2:16
II.
1.
Bound inseparably to His covenant with Israel is the self-identification of God as a Husband or
Bridegroom (cf. Song of Songs, Is 62:4-6, Jer 3:14, 31:32, Ezk 16:8, Hosea 1:2, 2:1-3:5).
2.
The truth of God as a Bridegroom is more than just a description or a characteristic. It is not
merely a description of what He is like, it is a revelation of who He is - it is foundational to His
identity.
3.
Furthermore, it is a revelation that originates from Him. “Husband” was not simply a helpful
metaphor from human experience that He chose to utilize. God was the One who created the
family unit within the structure of society in order to reveal something about Himself.
Maintaining this perspective is crucial.
THE DIVINE BRIDEGROOM
A.
The New Testament Witness of Jesus the Bridegroom
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Eph 5:31-32
B.
1.
This is not a minor revelation of Jesus in the New Testament (cf. Mt 9:15, 22:1-2, John 3:29, Rom
7:4, 2 Cor 11:1-4, Rev 19:5-10, 21:1-8, 22:17). It is one of the most prominent revelations of His
identity and at the very center of the truth of our covenantal union to Jesus.
2.
The reason we are the body of Christ is because we are the Bride of Christ. We are one flesh (i.e.
body) with Him, and He is the Head (cf. Eph 4:14-16, Col 2:19) just as the husband is the head of
the wife (Eph 5:23). The revelation of Jesus as a Bridegroom also holds a radically heightened
significance at the end of the story and the ultimate hope of the Church.
The Self-Revelation of Jesus
And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with
them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will
fast.” Matthew 9:15
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Passion for Jesus Conference – The Glory of the Bridegroom God
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“And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a
certain king who arranged a marriage for his son…” Matthew 22:1–2
III.
1.
One of the most glorious implications of the New Testament revelation of Jesus as the
Bridegroom is how vividly and explicitly it reveals His divinity. When the Old Testament is the
starting point, the statements from John, Jesus, and the apostles all serve as potent declarations
of the deity of Christ.
2.
The assertion that anyone besides God Himself could make a new covenant with Israel and be
called the Bridegroom who rightfully possessed the Bride (God’s people) is totally foreign to the
OT (Jer 31:31-34).
THE GLORY OF THE BRIDEGROOM GOD
We have established that God is revealed as a Bridegroom in both the Old and the New Testament, but have yet
to consider the significance of it. What facet of the glory of God is seen through His identity as a Bridegroom?
A.
The Heart of the Bridegroom
There are several major truths that are closely tied to the revelation of God as a Bridegroom. His love
and His joy would be among the most significant. However, the primary truth displayed through this
revelation is His jealousy or desire. It is out of this burning center that His delight and gladness flow.
“For jealousy is a husband’s fury; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.” Proverbs 6:34
1.
Possession and Devotion
The truth that corresponded to this was His exclusive possession of the house of Jacob (cf. Ex
19:5-6, Deut 4:20, 7:6, 32:9, Ps 135:4, Is 43:1, Jer 10:16). God fiercely desired and demanded the
wholehearted love, the unreserved obedience, and the exclusive adoration of those to whom He
was betrothed through covenant.
“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to
walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve (worship) the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul…” Deut 10:12 (cf. Deut 6:4-5, 11:13, 28:47, 30:6, 10; Josh 22:5)
2.
The Fire of God’s Jealousy
“—for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous
God— otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land…and cause your
sons also to play the harlot with their gods. “You shall make for yourself no molten gods.” Ex
34:14–17
“So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He
made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against
which the LORD your God has commanded you. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a
jealous God.” Deut 4:23–24 (cf. Ex 20:5, Heb 12:29)
a. This truth can also be translated as God’s “zeal” (cf. Is 9:6, 42:13) and transcends mere
emotion. It is a holy, divine passion that stands at the very center of His covenantal identity
and name (YHWH).
“…for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD.” (Song 8:6, ESV)
b. Consuming, unquenchable fire is the physical reality that most closely represents this
interior reality in the divine heart. This could be extremely positive for His people when they
are faithful or extremely negative if they are rebellious but the point is that it is always
severe.
B.
The Intensity of God
“Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive,
because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which
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Passion for Jesus Conference – The Glory of the Bridegroom God
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play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all
their abominations.” Ezekiel 6:9
“How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like
Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me (NKJV “churns”, ESV
“recoils”), all My compassions are kindled.” Hosea 11:8
IV.
THE BURNING HEART OF JESUS
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might
present you as a pure (chaste) virgin, but I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your
minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 2 Cor 11:1–3
A.
B.
The Bridegroom and the Bride
1.
Jesus is this Divine Bridegroom who is filled with fervent desire and jealousy for His people (Song
4:9, 6:5, Luke 22:15, Jn 17:24, Rev 2:4). We must embrace a radical singularity and purity of
devotion to Him.
2.
We are to offer Him the totality of our allegiance, attention, affection, adoration, and
anticipation. He will have a Bride that is mature, fully given in love to Him, and ready for the
wedding (Eph 4:12-13, Rev 19:7)
Friends of the Bridegroom (John 3:29)
1.
The apostles viewed their ministry as bondservants of the Lord Jesus and friends of the
Bridegroom. Paul’s description of his relationship to the church in Corinth and its Old Testament
parallel is simply stunning.
“Phinehas…has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My
jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.” Num 25:11
2.
The forerunner stands as an emissary of the jealous heart of Jesus and fights to apprehend the
affections of His people that He alone is worthy of. The Day of His wedding is in the heart of
Jesus and He demands wholehearted devotion to Himself. Through pleading proclamation of the
enthralling beauty of Christ, forerunners seek to conquer the deepest sentiments of the Bride
for the surpassing worth of the Lamb.
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