Genesis chapter 1. We're going to start in Genesis. And I want to talk to you about something very important, but it's the first time in the Bible that God created man, and he created him for a purpose and a reason, but I want to talk to you about something very important. And I hope and pray that you'll get it, and you'll understand it, and you'll listen to it, and you'll react to it. You know, God has done many things and we don't react to it. God says, I love you, and we don't react to it. Anyone tells you, I love you, and you're silent? What does that tell you? What does it tell you when you love somebody, when you love and you let them know, I love you, and they don't even say anything back? Amen, thank you. But just think about that. Some people were silent to God when God expresses His love towards us, and God expresses His gifts towards us, and God expresses His will towards us, and expresses His purpose towards us, and then we're silent. We need to respond. Don't you agree? Don't you need to respond to have a real relationship with anybody or anything? And God is real, and He wants to have a real relationship with you. In Genesis chapter 1, verse 31, We read the thing it says, and God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day. God created every single thing you see, everything you get to experience, everything that's beautiful on this earth, God created it, and he looked on it, and what he said, he said, it is good, it is very good, amen? Isn't God good? Can I get an amen? Isn't God good even to bad times and to good times? Don't blame God for bad things, because God doesn't do anything bad. God doesn't do anything wrong. Amen? Blame yourself, blame sin, blame the devil, blame whatever you want to blame, but don't blame God. God is the one who will get you out of it. Amen? God's the one that didn't want you to go through it in the first place, and He's going to teach us how to get out. But everything that God made was good. Look at what He would in Genesis 2, verse 7. And in Genesis 2, 7, it says, the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. It tells us in verse 18 of that chapter, and the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helpmeet for him. You know, the title of this message is called Wedding Vows, because we're going to have wedding vows right after this message, but God is the one that instituted it. God is the one that brought marriage into the world. God is the one that brought Adam into the world, and God said, everything is good, and He looked on Adam and He said, it's not good that man should be alone. And as God told us that Adam was made in His image, and in his likeness, correct? And so if God made Adam in his image and his likeness and God said to Adam, it's not good that he should be alone, I think God is revealing unto us God's feelings and God's hearts. I think as God made Adam in his image and his likeness and everything that he made was good. He said there's one thing that's not good. It's not good for Adam to be alone. And we know that God made him in his likeness. So that means I think God is expressing himself that it's not good even for God to be alone. God does not want to be alone. God does not want you to be alone. And that's what He brings together, something amazing, something awesome. And when He said, man should not be alone, I will make him a helpmeet for him. This is showing us that in God's heart, in God's mind, in His heart, He's looking for a helpmeet for him. And I love to think that because it's the greatest love story ever told. Look with me in chapter 2, verse 21. Chapter 2, verse 21, it says this, And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman and brought her unto the man. Now here we have God saying, I will make him a help me. And he does. And he takes it right from Adam's side and Adam's rib. And it tells us that he caused a deep sleep. That represents death. And he took out of him flesh and bone, out of Adam. And he made woman. In my estimation, one of the greatest things God ever made. There is nothing more amazing, more astounding, more confusing, more beautiful, more inspiring than a woman. And God made woman after Adam's own heart, which means God made woman after God's own heart. And God said this, and when he brought her to Adam, there was a wedding, there was a marriage. Now you might not call it a marriage, but that's what it was. When God brought them together, Adam now gives his vows to his wife. He vows a vow to her which unites them together in one. And that's what a vow is, and that's what a marriage is. It is a unity between two become one. And it's not done because you have to, it's done because you want to. And when it's done, vows are made in the presence of God Almighty. And look what Adam says in Adam's vows in verse 23. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. He is saying, we are one and will be one forever. Where she goes, I go. What she feels, I feel. She and I are now one flesh joined together in love and in God. And he says this here, she's flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. This was a vows that Adam made to Eve, wedding vows that my bone, my flesh, we will one and I will cleave to her. And she shall cleave to me. Oneness, unity, love, and you ready? Commitment. That's Adam's vows to his wife. He commits his life to her. He says, you are not just someone for me, you are someone of me. We are one mind, one heart. one spirit, one body. And that's what God made and intended. And God made and intended that because that's exactly what God wanted as well. Adam's vows of oneness and Adam's vows of unity and Adam's vow of his love for her and Adam's vow for his commitment is what he thinks about it. Think about it. There's nothing more important to Adam at this time than his wife. What she feels, I'll feel. I will be there for her through thick, through thin, doesn't matter what it is. You are mine and I am yours is what he's saying. It's a beautiful love story. It truly is. It's an amazing love story and it shows us It's shown us by God, the first marriage that was started for in the world. And God tells us that even though this was the first marriage and it's a beautiful love story, there's a last marriage that God talks about in the book of Revelation. If you would turn there with me to Revelation chapter 19 in your Bibles, Revelation 19, starting in verse one, we have a scene. And I want you to understand that when God made Adam, he made him in his likeness. And when God said it's not good to Adam to be alone, that God in His likeness is saying it's not good for God to be alone. You have to ask yourself why God made man, why God made the earth, why He made everything. And there is a purpose and a reason behind it all. And God does not want to be alone either. He wants someone to be with Him that's like Him. Made in the image and likeness of God. Someone that can feel. Someone that can think. Someone that can dream. Someone that can create. Someone that knows. Someone that loves. Someone that is like Him. And that's what God has done for the earth when He sent forth His Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He sent forth His Son as a Lamb, as a sacrifice for all humanity, so that He can take the sin away from human beings and call them all unto Himself. To make Himself a bride. To make Himself a woman, out of the side of Adam, out of the side of Christ, in death, Jesus, His blood, His bone, His body was broken for us, His blood was given to us, He calls unto us, and He calls us His own. He says, you are mine and I am yours. I love you and you, I pray, love me. Amen. Isn't that what it's all about? As a pastor gets up here and preaches and teaches, as songs are played, as stories are told, it's all for one reason, so that we, you, will love him. And the only way you don't love him is because you don't know him. And the more you know him, it'll blow your mind how much he loves you. and what he's done for you. In Revelation chapter 19 in verse one, we read, it says, and after these things, I heard a voice, a great voice in heaven, I'm sorry, great voice of much people in heaven saying, hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and power under the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants on her hand. And again they said, Alleluia! And her smoke rose up forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne saying, Amen, Alleluia! and a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as a voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The four hallelujahs is because something great and awesome is about to happen. Someone shut that front door out there. It's open, please. It says, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him. Why? For the marriage of the lamb is come and his wife has made herself ready. That's what Jesus is waiting for. He's waiting for us, his bride, his wife, to make ourselves ready. Here we're having a little wedding vow afterwards and I'll tell you right now, Joe and Jen, you look beautiful. And I know Jen did her hair up nice. Joe did his hair up nice too, he shined his bald head. And she put on this beautiful, elegant dress and she's got little pearls on and she put her makeup on and she got herself all ready, all ready for the wedding vows of her husband. Every single wedding and every single bride that's ever been has got to prepare themselves and get ready for the marriage. Can I get an amen? Are you awake? Are you hearing me? God is waiting for us to get ready. God is waiting for us to prepare ourselves. God is waiting for that moment and that day when we're ready. We're ready. We're ready. And Jesus Christ himself is going to come down and marry us. Look what it says. In verse 7, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. His wife has made herself ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And look what he says in verse 9, he says unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, these are the true sayings of God. Blessed are all those that are called unto marrying the Lord himself. Blessed are all those that are called by God to come unto the marriage. Blessed are all those that are called by God to come and be one with his son, Jesus, who is God. As Adam was the image and likeness of God, Jesus Christ is the very expressed image of God, the Bible says. And Jesus being, the Bible says, the last Adam, he now comes and makes his bride that came out of him, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, by the blood of the Lamb of God, amen, we are cleansed and made whole. We are called His woman. We are called His wife. We are called His bride. We are engaged and espoused unto the Lord of God, to the King, Lord of hosts, the creator of all the universe. The reason He did everything, the reason He created everything, the reason He created us is for this moment in time. He cannot wait for the marriage supper of the Lamb. I want you to think about this one. He said, bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Jesus Christ has given vows, wedding vows to his people. The Bible tells us that even though we're members, each and every one of us that have received Christ, been born of God, born again, blood washed, forgiven, amen, hallelujah, forgiven by God, the blood of Christ, the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the sacrifice has been applied to you. You are forgiven in the eyes of God and He's given you His Spirit, which is like giving you the ring. You are now sealed with a ring of eternal life, a ring of eternal promise, a ring that He promises to you and He makes a vow to us. And I want you to think about some of these vows. God gave us His only begotten Son to call His bride, the children of Eve, to be His, to be one with Him. And you think about that deep sleep, that's death. Jesus Christ came to die so that out of Him could come a bride. Out of Him could come a helpmeet. God's looking for a helpmeet. I'll tell you right now, God can do anything, amen? But he chooses to do things for his reason and purpose. I'm glad God doesn't just make us do stuff. I'm glad that we don't belong to a cult and devils that say you have to do this and you have to do that. I'm glad that we are freed and have liberty in Christ. I'm glad that even though Christ died for you, it doesn't mean that you have to love Him. Even though Christ died for you and rose again for you and has given you calling and asking you to marry Him, He's asking you to be His wife. He says in so many different things, His vows are so powerful. One of His vows, when they took the rib and made the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, the Bible says, if you will receive Him, He will give you power to become the sons and daughters of God. if you will receive him as your husband, as your Lord. He says this, he says, I will give my life for you. Think about this. Think about the vows that he says outwardly to let you know, I will give my life for you. I will heal you. I will cleanse you. I will protect you. I will never neglect you. I will save you. I will teach you. I will care for you. I will strengthen you. I'll give you my heart and my soul. I'll give you my spirit and my blood. I'll give you my body. I'll give you my will. I give you my promise. And he says, I promise to never leave you or forsake you. He continues his vows, Tony, that are so powerful. He says, I promise to give you eternal life. He says, I promise to go and prepare a place for you, a mansion for you. And if I go and prepare that place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, you may be also. I will show you great and mighty things that you knew not. He said, I am coming back for you. He said this, I love you. Will you be mine? He gives us vows as a wedding vow. And he promises this, he says, will you accept me? Will you trust me? Will you wait for me? Will you show your commitment to me? You see, he vows all these great and precious promises to us. And I have them and I see them and I can't believe he's talking to me. Why would he do all that for me? What am I? As David said, what is man? That you're even mindful of him, or the son of man. I'm just a worm, there's nothing good in me. God sees much, much good in you. He loves us, so unbelievable. But he does say this, will you accept me? Will you believe in me? Will you not be ashamed of me? Will you show your commitment to me, listen, by being baptized in my name? Will you show your commitment to me by communing with me through my body and my blood? Will you confess me before others? Will you watch for me? Will you wait for me? Will you call upon me? Sacraments, if you want to call them that, but they're not, they're ordinances. Of the New Testament church, Jesus gave two. He said, if you will accept me and believe in me and call upon me and I will come into you and save you and wash you. He says, will you confess me? Will you be baptized into my death? As I was buried, will you be buried? As I was risen, will you be risen? As I washed you, will you let people know who your husband is? who your spouse is. He says, will you commune with my body, with my blood? Will you not be ashamed of me? It's all he really asks of us. Isn't that what a wedding is between two people? Isn't marriage vows between two? It doesn't tell us what Eve said, but I know Eve said, yes. Eve said, yes, I was made for you. You gave your life for me. I am bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh. I trust in you, Adam. I will be your wife forever. And God's asking us now as his bride. He gives us vows of I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'll always be there for you. I will wash you, cleanse you. I'll teach you. I'll lead you, guide you. I will give you a glorified body. You'll live with me, you'll rule, you'll reign with me. My name will be upon you. My spirit will be your spirit. We too will be one flesh. And that flesh is the flesh of God himself. The creator of the universe, before the worlds were even created, he thought of us. He thought of this day, of this moment. And each and every one of us have a proposal from God himself through his son, Jesus Christ. And he's calling and he's asking, will you be mine? Will you be my bride? Will you be one with me? Turn with Ephesians chapter 5 with me, please. In Ephesians chapter 5, it gives us great insight. If you're not familiar with Ephesians 5, you should. And in verse 22, It says this down, it says, Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, for he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, the church is subject unto Christ. So let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but it should be holy and without blemish. sought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, even as the Lord the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. I heard his call in 1991. I was alone in my apartment in the spirit of God. It says in revelation 22, it says a bride and the spirit say, come. And Christ called me and said, Michael, come unto me. For you are heavy laden with sin and shame. And if you were to die in your condition right now, you will indeed go to hell. But I love you. I died for you. Will you receive me as your savior? I fell to my knees and tears running down my face. I cried out, Jesus, save me, a sinner. And his spirit came in. and He washed me and cleansed me, called me His own. From that moment on, I've been a spouse to Him. I belong to Him, and He belongs to me. He is my Lord and my Savior. He is my God and my King. He is my friend, my best friend. He helps me, and I want to help Him in any way I can. I am there for Him. Know what He says to me? Michael, love me. I don't know how to love you. I'll teach you. Michael, serve me. I don't know how to serve you. I'll teach you. Michael, obey me. I don't know how to obey me. I'll show you. If you're in love with someone, love isn't hard. Love isn't difficult. Love is easy. You just give into it. You just give into that love and let that love take you away. Let that love guide you. Let that love be every single thing to you. God the creator is calling us. It tells us in Ephesians 5 verse 15, it says that, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but be wise. It says redeeming the time because the days are evil. Open your eyes and see what God is offering. Open your eyes and see what God is saying. Open your eyes and realize what it is that God is offering us. He's offering us union, together, marriage. If a billionaire met one of our daughters, or you, I don't care who you are, and some billionaire, hopefully he's not a real ugly one, and he said, I wanna marry you, I wanna take you on my yacht, I wanna give you everything I have, there's probably not many women that would say, ah, no thank you. They would all be like, whoa, let me think about this one, this is pretty great. Some of you wouldn't think at all, you'd dive right in. But the truth matter is we have God, the creator of all life, asking us, will you? He says, I will. I promise. And he gives us vows. He said, now it's our turn to respond. It's our turn to say, yes, I will. The only reason you won't is because you don't trust him. The only reason you won't is because you don't believe in him. I'm here to tell you right now, no one loves you like Jesus. Bible tells us here, he says, see then that you walk circumspectly, in verse 15, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore, be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And then he goes to tell us something, he says, be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourself to God. Isn't that what marriage is? Submitting. I submit to you and you submit to me, we become one. Humbling ourselves. God is not our dictator. He's our husband, our friend, he loves us. We are not people that just say, okay, now do this for me and do this for me. We wanna help him. We wanna help him meet his needs, his goals. I want you to think of this, that we need to wake up, we need to look up, we need to wise up, amen, and we need to be filled up. filled up with His Spirit. How do I know, how do I know that I belong to Him and He belongs to me? How do I know that His vows are to me? I'll tell you how. By the Spirit, His Spirit that He has in God, He sends forth into each and every soul. By His Spirit shall all men know that you are mine. By His Spirit is the ring that He promises to give you, a promise ring. I'm coming back for you. I promise you that I will never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I will be with you forever. I will teach you. I will guide you. I will heal you. I will protect you. You will be mine and I will be yours. Amen. Hallelujah. What a wonderful marriage vows it is. But you have got to respond in like manner. In Matthew chapter 25, turn to Matthew 25, it is only by His Spirit do we know that He is ours. It says in verse 25, verse 1, it says, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, but they took no oil with them. They never examined themselves to see if they were real. They never examined themselves to see if they really had a genuine love for the Lord. They never examined themselves to look to see, do I have the promise of God? Do I have what I need, the oil, the Holy Spirit of God? They just said, yeah, I believe in Jesus. Yeah, I go to church. I confess Him. Yeah, Jesus. Some of us were baptized. Some of us even take communion, but something's missing. Something's missing in your life. What's missing is the spirit of the living God, the Holy Spirit of God. And it says here that they that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took the oil in their vessels with their lamps. The wise people know that God is, the wise people know that I, what I am, I'm a sinful, wicked person. I don't deserve heaven. I don't, I deserve hell. But in God's grace, he reaches down his hands to me and says, Michael, I'll save you. I take hold of that hand. He pulls me up. He says, I love you. And I said, I can't believe you love me, but I love you too. I love Him. Why? Because He first loved us. I can't believe that He would die for me. I can't believe that He would give a vow for me. I can't believe that the God of all creation cares that much about me. And He cares that much about you. And in my heart and in my soul, who I am, I'm so thankful. And I'm so grateful. that he would even know who I am, even care who I am. And the Bible tells us that, it says, while the bridegroom tarried, like now he's waiting, it says, they all slumbered and they slept, and at midnight there was a cry, behold, the bridegroom cometh, go out to meet him. It says, and all those virgins rose and they trimmed their lamps. And it says, And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. But go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. Jesus came back. And they that were ready, they that were ready, went with him to the marriage. And the door was shut. Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day or the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. We read chapter 19 where it says, Hallelujah, four times. Why? Because the bride has made herself ready. We have a chance right now to make ourselves ready. We have a chance right now to get our hearts right and clear with God. You either believe or you don't. You either want him or you don't. He knows. But if you want the Lord, if you want to receive that proposal, if you want to receive them vows, then you need to respond. You need to respond to them. I'm going to ask Ms. Faith to come on up. Are you ready? Are you willing? Are you able to receive the Lord Jesus Christ to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you say, I do, to Him? The wedding's almost ready. God's calling you. Will you answer? Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2, he said, I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I have espoused you unto one husband. that I may present you as a chaste virgin to God. Will you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord, as your Savior, as your husband, as your King, as God, as who he is? Or will you receive him as the one that loves you and gave his life for you? Every head bowed and every eye closed at this moment in time. This is the call of God goes out. It's up to you. Will you receive Him? He says, I love you. He says, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Where I am, you will be. I'll give you my name. I'll give you my spirit. I'll give you my blood. I'll give you my body, my flesh, my bone. All that I am, I give to you. Will you receive me as your Savior? Your vows, your vows are next. What do you have to say? Say, Jesus, I will. Jesus, I do. Jesus, I receive you as my Lord and Savior. I receive you as my husband and King. I receive the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe in him, trust in him, and call upon his name. Jesus, here I am. Save me. Jesus said I will never cast anyone out that comes to me and calls upon me. I pray all around the room you're calling, you're accepting his proposal. You heard his vows. Take him. Hold his hand. and say, I do to him. Tell him, say, I will. I will be your wife, your wedded wife. I will be yours forever. I will hold you and love you and honor you and obey you. I will follow you wherever you go. I am yours. Take me. Be one with me. Hold me in your arms. Comfort me and strengthen me. Call me your own. Jesus, I do. Father, hear the vows of your people and give unto them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit enter into each and every person here. May the Holy Spirit, the gift of eternal life, enter into the heart of all those that say, I do. Give unto them the seal of God, the ring of God. And Lord, we'll do what you said. We'll wait for you. We'll watch for you. We will let others know that you are ours by being baptized, by communing in the body and the blood of the Lord and community, by confessing you. I am not ashamed of you, Lord Jesus. Thank you for not being ashamed of me. Help me, Lord, to be fruitful, to be everything you want me to be. And I'll thank you for it. In the name that is above every name, in the name of Jesus, and all God's people say, amen. As the music keeps playing, we're going to