The Bride of Christ and The Presents of the Holy Spirit

(Fruit and Gifts)

Even though it has been 2 weeks since Pentecost Sunday, we continue to think about the active, participatory ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Bride of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the One who makes sure the Bride, US!, are ready for the wedding Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-10).

An event we believe is just about to take place.

Last week I talked about how the Bride doesn’t lay around eating bon-bons while waiting for the Bridegroom to call us to the wedding.

We actively pursue the call Jesus has placed on us as we await His return.

I talked about how we are the betrothed of Christ.

As the Nelson’s Bible Dictionary says:

The selection of the bride was followed by the betrothal, not to be entirely equated with the modern concept of engagement.

A betrothal was often undertaken by a friend or agent representing the bridegroom and …

It was confirmed by oaths and was accompanied with presents to the bride …

Almost 2 months ago we read about a betrothal in Genesis 24 — It was the betrothal of Rebekah to Isaac.

Do you remember?

Who arranged the betrothal?

Not Isaac. Not even his father Abraham.

No!

It was the unnamed servant (maybe Eliezer of Damascus)

Do you remember what this servant did when he settled on the Bride?

He gave Rebekah gifts — gold, silver and garments

What we saw in Genesis 24 is a type or foreshadowing of our relationship to Jesus.

A way of seeing the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing that relationship to a place of completion.

So, this morning I really want to focus on how the Friend of the Bridegroom

In our case that is the Holy Spirit.

… has confirmed our betrothal to Jesus with presents.

That betrothal came when we made an oath to the Lord...

That first of all we have counted the cost of making such an oath to God.

We know that our betrothal to Jesus costs us everything.

In our oath to God we promised that we would forsake our sins and follow Him — follow Jesus NO MATTER WHAT.

Like Ruth of old telling Naomi in

Ruth 1:16–18 (NLT) … “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

Our oath was not just to follow, but to follow in OBEDIENCE — that Jesus would be LORD of our lives.

Through that oath we became betrothed to Jesus — our Bridegroom.

Are you betrothed to Jesus — are you a part of the Bride of Christ?

Have YOU made an oath to God?

If not, can I encourage you to do that right now? Pray with me…

Jesus, I want to be Your Bride.

I know it will cost me everything — but I willingly lay it all down.

I lay aside MY desires, MY will and MY sin to follow You.

By faith I receive forgiveness for my sin.

Jesus, be the Lord of my life.

II ask this all in the Name of Jesus — Amen.

Like Abraham’s servant gave Rebekah presents, we too…

… as the betrothed, as a part of the Bride of Christ,

receive presents from the Representative of Christ.

So what presents has the Bridegroom given to us through His Agent — the Holy Spirit?

There are SO MANY, but let’s very briefly explore just a few.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Maybe the best present of all from the Holy Spirit is the Gift of Himself.

In Acts 1:4–5 (LSB) And gathering them [the disciples] together [after the Resurrection and just before His ascension to the Father], He [Jesus] commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Jesus told His disciples that the promise of the Father, made in:

Isaiah 44:3 (LSB) [Where God said] ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty ground And streams on the dry land; I will pour out My Spirit on your seed And My blessing on your offspring;

In Ezekiel 36:26–27 (LSB) “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments.

And in Joel 2:28–29 (LSB) “And it will be afterwards That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams; Your young men will see visions. 29 “Even on the male slaves and female slaves I will in those days pour out My Spirit.

Just to mention a few of the places that, long ago, God promised to pour out the Holy Spirit.

That Promise of the Father is a Present to the betrothed

Jesus tells us a little about the nature of that Present in:

John 14:15–18 (NLT) “If you love Me, obey My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans…

Did you hear it?

The Holy Spirit never leaves us — He is with us and IN us.

We have not been abandoned like orphans.

In the midst of confusion, chaos and lies, the Holy Spirit leads us into ALL Truth.

And then in we are told:

Ephesians 1:13–14 (NLT) And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.

So, the Present/Presence of the Holy Spirit to the betrothed:

Confirms our identity.

Romans 8:14–17 (LSB) For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, also heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Confirms our destiny AND our destination.

Vs. 14

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee — He is just the down payment for what we WILL receive

What we WILL receive as our inheritance is victory — The Holy Spirit says we are promised victory.

And ultimate victory is us standing in the presence of our Bridegroom, Our Savior, Our Lord — Jesus — in complete and total victory!

Thank God for the Present/Presence of the Holy Spirit Himself.

The Holy Spirit gives the Fruit of the Spirit to undergird the Gifts of the Spirit

And then there is the FRUIT of the Spirit.

May we never get the cart before the horse — I believe the Lord give us the Fruit to prepare us for the Gifts of the Spirit — to support the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

As we abide in Christ (John 15:4-5) The Fruit of the Spirit is grown in us.

Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. 25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].

The Holy Spirit insures continued fellowship and unity with one another through the Fruit of the Spirit.

Next week, the Lord willing, I want to look at how the Fruit of the Spirit enables the Bride to maintain cohesion — unity.

Gifts of the Spirit

And, finally the Present of the Agent of the Bridegroom, given to the Bride at her betrothal is OBVIOUSLY, the Gifts of the Spirit mentioned in…

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. 5 And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served]. 6 And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them].

7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good. 8 To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit; 9 to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit; 10 and to another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. 11 All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.

What The Presents to the Betrothed Do

As these presents operate in the betrothed we are a blessed and joyful people.

Why?

Because through these presents of the Holy Spirit we HEAR from Jesus.

Through the Gifts, the Bridegroom communicates to the Bride…

I am thankful for the Word of God — the Bible.

Through it we receive instructions for life.

Through it we hear the love of God.

And we REQUIRE the Holy Spirit to understand it and apply it.

But the Holy Spirit does more.

He communicates to us with specificity.

If you read the words of Jesus to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3, you see at the end of every message is this admonition:

Revelation 2:7a (LSB) ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Jesus tells each church that the Holy Spirit addresses the specific needs of the church — in their location, at their time, in their specific circumstances.

The Holy Spirit helps us, today, in 2024 to know how to address the issues of OUR day — if we will listen to Him.

Whether it is the decay of our “justice” system like we saw this week.

Or how to raise kids in a postmodern, postChristian culture that denies the reality of 2 biological sexes.

Or how to survive in a time of inflation that is robbing us blind — and just a little hint here:

Can you hear the Holy Spirit telling you — put God first in your finances?

Then He will make the rest stretch to meet every need?

So, the Present of the Holy Spirit communicates to us with specificity for our lives.

But He also constantly communicates in a world of hatred and indifference:

Jesus loves me, this I know,

For the Spirit tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

I am weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Spirit tells me so!

Not just about the Bridegroom’s love

But also encouragement concerning His preparations for the wedding.

And the Holy Spirit not only communicates to us, but He allows us to communicate the love of God to others.

The Holy Spirit, operating through His Presence, His Fruit and His Gifts, strengthens the church through supernatural manifestations

1 Corinthians 14:1–4 (NLT) Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. 2 … if you … speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. 3 But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. 4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.

As we pray and seek God He constantly pours out the refreshing we need in a strength-sapping world.

Like in Acts 4:30–33 “[after ALL the disciples finished “praying earnestly” after Peter and John’s persecution by the Sanhedren Acts 4 says:

the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all [re]filled with [a fresh outpouring] the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with confidence. 32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, everything was common. 33 And with great power the apostles were bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

Through these miraculous gifts we can honor God and bless others.

Signs, wonders, miracles and healings — even when ministered to others — are a blessing to US.

As Sister Michelle and the Worship Team comes, I want to encourage us to yield to God.

To willingly receive the presents that the Holy Spirit wants to pour into us.

That we would allow thee Holy Spirit to mold us into what God wants us to be.