Please turn to Mark chapter 2, our main text. Mark chapter 2, and I'll be reading verses 18 through 22. The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to him, The disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast. And Jesus said to them, can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins. The wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But the new wine must be put into new wineskins. Let's pray. Oh, Father, we do come to you in total dependence upon you for your grace and your blessing tonight, especially on your word. And we pray for understanding. We pray for help in having ears that truly hear and words that get down into our hearts, Father, and hearts that receive your word. We pray that you'd help us to understand and to apply it to our own lives. And Father, we pray that you might, in your mercy, call some out of darkness into your marvelous light. We do thank you for your word, and we pray that you bless it now. In Jesus' name, amen. Most of you have the green sheet either in your bulletin that was handed out. If you don't, I think you can still get them. But there's the three accounts once again. Bible's God's word is a wonderful thing and we get often times in the Gospels get three views of a particular text as we do here in this text in the Gospel of Mark. And each one presents it from your own unique view of the author. And some things are put in that are left out in others. And we can get a full picture of this event here by reading Matthew and Luke and in our account in Mark. Certainly there are times when things are appropriate and times when they're totally inappropriate. And timing and setting make all the difference. I'm sure that most of us have enjoyed wedding days and if not our own, then someone else's. We know that the bride and groom prepare for months and months for their big day, their joyous day, a day of rejoicing and happiness. And when suddenly there's much preparation to this wedding ceremony and also the reception that follows, much preparation and much expense oftentimes, especially these days. And the bride's parents usually spend quite a bit of money in wanting to make it their special day and it is a day of joy and rejoicing and good times but just imagine going to a wedding and The ceremony has been a blessing and everyone goes over to the reception hall and the wonderful meal is prepared. Again, everything that could be want there in a meal is there, the four course meal. And the hors d'oeuvres come out and the servers come around and bring them to the guest and everyone just says, no, no thank you, no, to the hors d'oeuvres. So the servers are confused. They bring out the next course, the soup and salad. Same thing happens. Everybody's sitting there and refusing the food. And then finally, the main course comes out. Delicious food, prepared perfectly and expensive food. And all the guests just sit there and say, no, no thank you. They're all fasting. All fasting on this wedding day. Can you imagine the humiliation? much more than that for the bride's parents. And it would just be totally inappropriate. You can see that on this day, there's supposed to be a day of rejoicing and feasting and joining in with the bride and groom. It would be totally inappropriate for the guests to fast on that day, in that particular day. Why couldn't they do it some other day? Well, in this account we have of the Lord Jesus Christ dealing once again with the Pharisees and this time the disciples of John and questioning him, questioning his own disciples as to the appropriateness on this occasion of fasting. And we'll see from this section of scriptures something about fasting. We'll look just briefly at what fasting is and how the Pharisees fasted, how John the Baptist's disciples fasted, and how Christians should fast. What's appropriate? What is it for? Secondly, we'll look at the beautiful picture that the Lord Jesus Christ gives us here of Himself as the Bridegroom. The Bridegroom of His Bride, His people, the Church, His beautiful Bride. And that's such a rich picture in Scripture. And how the Lord Jesus Christ describes Himself as the Bridegroom and as the Friends of the Bridegroom. how he defends them and cares for them. Thirdly, we'll look at the parable itself. Not an easy parable here. It's a little mini parable that the Lord gives a story to teach something, to teach a truth, a scriptural truth here that's important for us to get. The Lord Jesus speaks of cloth and garments and new wine and old wineskins. So we'll look at that. Next, we'll look at the absolute necessity and the comparison between just religion and regeneration or the new birth, the absolute necessity for us, anyone, to be born again. Then finally, some applications among this whole incident here, an incident that involves fasting and its appropriateness. Well, again, there's a time and a place and a season for everything. And the Lord Jesus Christ tells us that coming just coming from the the meal that uh... if we look in the context of matthew the tax collector we see that the lord jesus christ had been invited to his home and there was a feast that he gave for the other tax collectors and sinners they were feasting and enjoying the meal and the lord jesus christ was there calling sinners saving sinners he was calling the the sinners to repentance not those who didn't need a physician but the sinners to repentance at that feast. Then these disciples of John and the Pharisees, apparently at the same time, had been fasting. And here the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples are enjoying this meal, this feast. So he's questioned, he's questioned upon the appropriateness of fasting. It says, they come to him and say, the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast. And the Lord Jesus Christ answers them with the picture of the bride and the bridegroom, and he says, and Jesus said to them, can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? And as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. The Lord Jesus Christ answered them in wisdom. He answers them in an appropriate way to explain why his disciples, to defend his disciples, and why they weren't fasting. what is fasting is it is it appropriate for this day is it was it appropriate then to be for his disciples should his disciples have been fasting why weren't they well the disciple the lord jesus christ makes it clear here he says that the friends his disciples the friends of the bridegroom It wasn't appropriate for them to fast because they had the bridegroom. It was the time for them to have joy and peace in being near their Lord. There was going to come a time when the bridegroom would be taken away. He would be arrested and murdered on the cross, killed on the cross, giving his life for ransom for his disciples, for many. But now is not the time for the fasting. But it offended, particularly here, the Pharisees were offended, the religious leaders. And they often got offended at what the Lord Jesus Christ did. They often criticized, they often tried to cause dissension and disputes. And we can even see that they possibly may have stirred up John the Baptist's disciples as well and saying, look, here, you're living this austere life, you're sacrificing, you're exercising self-control and discipline. by fasting, and look at these, they're feasting and drinking wine and having a sumptuous meal. So they come with the question, and it was, again, was it appropriate for them to be fasting or the disciples of the Lord to be fasting? The Pharisees had their own fasts. Now, fasting is, it's a self-discipline. It's stopping, basically, stopping not eating. and sometimes it can add not only food, but also drink, and giving up something as a discipline, as a religious, in a case especially of the Pharisees, it was, they did it religiously, and there was one appointed fast day in the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement, in which they were called to fast, but the Pharisees being the Pharisees added to the word of God, they added more. They thought more was better. If we only add this, if we only add more of this and more of that, the traditions, then we can be pleasing to God. Then we can be right with God. And that's the way they fasted. They wound up fasting twice a week. We're told that in the parable of the Pharisees and a tax collector where the Pharisee is boasting about fasting twice a week. They had added their traditions to the Word of God and now they were up to twice a week. But again, why were they doing it? And they were doing it to earn God's favor, to give a show of their religion, to show just how spiritual they were. And they disfigured their faces and they let men see that they were fasting. They did it for the wrong reasons. They did it as a source of pride. pride in their religion and adding to the Word of God and wanting to earn God's favor. It was their way of seeking to establish, Scripture says, they sought to go about to establish their own righteousness without receiving the righteousness that was there for them from the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness, the perfect righteousness of Christ. That's why they fasted. And certainly we can understand why they would attack the Lord Jesus Christ, why they would accuse his disciples. Next we look at the disciples of the John the Baptist, and they apparently were fasting as well. Again, we don't know their motives in all cases, we don't know what they were doing, why they were doing it in particular, but we do know, we can assume some things. John the Baptist and his disciples came along as an interim from the Old Testament and bridging that gap to the New Testament. John the Baptist came as a prophet And his disciples who followed him, they were baptized by him into the baptism of repentance. John the Baptist was a very austere man. It says that he was clothed in camels, clothed with camel's hair, and a leather belt around his waist, not fine clothes, and he was baptized. definitely a man of austerity and self-denial, and it said he ate locusts, even the food he ate were locusts and wild honey. So we can begin to sort of understand why his disciples, those who followed him, might desire to fast and might be fasting. And particularly because at this point, They had lost the one they followed. John was put in prison. And so it was an appropriate time for them to fast. They were mourning the loss of John the Baptist being put in prison. They were following John. And so for them, at least, in this interim period, it was appropriate time. But it wasn't for the disciples of Christ. it was a time for them when they had the bridegroom with them they had, they were the friends had the bridegroom and they were at least temporarily a time for them of peace and joy having the bridegroom before he was taken from them again timing is everything and it makes all the difference in whether something is appropriate or not There are times for Christians to fast. And certainly, when the Lord was taken from his disciples, they were mourning. They mourned. They were confused. They were distraught. They did a lot of things. They fled. Peter denied his Lord. But it certainly was a time of sadness. They didn't know what was going on. And that was a time for them to mourn and to miss their Lord. And it is appropriate. The Bible, though it doesn't directly command fasting, it is assumed and it is appropriate, it is implied, it's taught indirectly that Christians will fast. No, I've never been a big fan of fasting. That's just me. I like to eat. I don't like to deny myself. It doesn't come easy, but there are appropriate times, and I do fast. occasionally, at times, and it is an appropriate thing to do. But there are no stated fast days. There are no specific times that the Lord gives us when we're supposed to fast. We're supposed to fast at the appropriate time, when we are in mourning for our sin or need to add emphasis to our prayers and to deny ourselves in that physical way. And then there are appropriate times. The Lord Jesus said that, moreover, when you fast, he said, assuming that we would, he says, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces. that they may appear to men to be fasting. Surely I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, he says, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your father who is in heaven, who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly." So there is an appropriate time for Christians to fast. fasting and prayer is put together and and it is appropriate for certainly when we're fasting to be praying we should be praying definitely it's assumed that we will fast and and it is appropriate. Also, we have the example of the Lord himself who fasted 40 days in the wilderness, certainly something that none of us could do, but he did set that example. We have the example in the early church of the apostles, how they fasted, particularly on special occasions and when they were laying their hands on those for leadership or choosing leaders, they fasted, it says in scripture. In the Old Testament, again, only one day was appointed, was specifically appointed to fast. But in the New Testament, for believers, God appoints our times. God appoints providentially our days of fasting. He does that by bringing circumstances into our lives that would cause us to have seasons when it's appropriate to fast, when there's sorrow, when there's some great calamity or concern or emergency in our lives and the lives of our brethren. Providentially, God appoints the fast for His people. He doesn't do it on a calendar, but by His providence, He sets those dates and times when we need, when we must fast, and then it's right to do. But again, we need to do it not to earn God's favor. We're never going to earn His favor no matter how much we deny ourselves and mourn and We can't earn God's favor. We can't have the idea that we're twisting God's arm to get him to do something that he doesn't want to do. Like prayer, we just plead with God to do his will and to hear us. And certainly, we don't want to do it to be seen by others. If we're doing it, if we're disfiguring our faces, if we're letting people know that walking around proudly that, oh, we're fasting today, you know, and feel sorry for me, and then we're not doing it with the right heart. We're certainly not doing it. We need to do it and do it before the Lord with a good heart and show the joy of the Lord to those outside. but we can be mourning on the inside, and the Lord knows. So those are the appropriate ways to fast. And again, as the Lord Jesus said, there are times appropriate and times that are not appropriate and this was not an appropriate time for them to fast secondly we have the wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and he identifies himself as the bridegroom the bridegroom of his church the bridegroom of his people he's the bridegroom we are the bride of Christ in In Revelations 19, chapter 19 and verse seven, it says, come up and I will show you the wife of the lamb. We are the wife, we're united to Christ in matrimony. He's our husband and he's the bridegroom, we're the bride. In John chapter three, John the Baptist rejoiced because he could be called the friend of the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, it was enough for him. He didn't need to have preeminence. He didn't need to be the first. He would decrease and Christ would increase. He said, he who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice, therefore the joy This joy of mine is fulfilled. He was rejoicing because he could find joy in being a friend of Christ, a friend of the bridegroom. It's a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as the bridegroom, the husband, and we're the bride. He's our beloved and our beloved is my beloved is mine and I am his. In the Song of Solomon you have a beautiful picture of a Mideast wedding and the bride and the groom and the light that the bridegroom has in the bride and that's us. There's nothing lovely about us. The Lord Jesus Christ finds beauty in us because he loves us and we love him back. our heavenly bridegroom. We're in a covenant relationship with Christ. He takes us unto himself, just like a husband takes a wife and covenants, commits to protect her and nourish and cherish her. That's what the Lord Jesus Christ does for us. He commits himself to us. We commit ourselves to him, but it's only because he first has loved us. Christ loves us. He commits to be our head. our Protector, our Savior. He pays all of our debts. He forgives all of our sins. He gives us riches, unbounding riches, spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. And again, He nourishes and cherishes us. He shepherds us. He commits to us as a husband commits to his wife, and we commit to Him. What a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ here. And He also commits to defend us. We can see that in the way that He defends His own disciples before those who were accusing. They came and they tried to accuse Him. They tried to accuse the Lord Jesus Christ, His disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ. saying, why aren't they fasting? They're not doing what's right. Look at John's disciples. Look at the Pharisees. But he defends his disciples. He always defends his people. He's our great high priest. He's our great shepherd. He chooses to defend his people. And he also nourishes and cherishes us and gently treats us gently. We can see that in this account as well. The disciples were weak. They didn't know a lot. They were weak. They didn't understand everything fully. They needed protection. And the Lord Jesus Christ, in his kindness and mercy, didn't bury them. He didn't put a load that would be too much for them to bear, too much religious service, too much that they couldn't take that load, they couldn't take that sorrow and so he didn't put it on them, he didn't require it of them. Later on, when they had more strength, when they had more knowledge, when they were filled with the spirit, then the trials came, and then he required more of them, but only then. And we can see that the Lord Jesus Christ deals gently with his young lambs, his lambs. He's a gentle shepherd. He loves his sheep, and he doesn't... It's too much at times for the young ones to bear, but he does take that into consideration. He is a gentle shepherd, a good shepherd, and who cares for his sheep. Certainly, if no one else cares, the Lord Jesus Christ cares. In John 16, 12, He speaks to his disciples and says, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. It is important that we don't low down young Christians, that we don't put too much on them, either in doctrine or practice. They will grow into it. We shouldn't criticize them and load them down with things to do. Let the Lord Jesus Christ gently shepherd them and let them grow up, and then they can bear harder burdens and that's the picture there of the Lord Jesus Christ and being the gentle shepherd he also says, indeed the hour is coming yes has now come that when you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone and yet I am on I am not alone because the Father is with me. These things I've spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. The Lord Jesus Christ is the shepherd of his people, the gentle shepherd. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are but dust, and he takes tender care of us. He shepherds us as the good, gentle shepherd. Thirdly, we see the parable. And here's where it gets a little bit tricky and a little bit hard to understand. I would have to admit, the first time that I read these words, I didn't have a clue what they meant. And particularly because of the language, because of the figures that are used in this parable. now there are some people are still men garments some people are still so patches on ripped clothing but today more and more we're seeing less and less of that more and more you just get rid of clothes and throw them out rather than sewing patches on knees and and things like that so the figure here used is uh... a little bit unique and and none uh... understandable sometimes to our ears it says no one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. So here the Lord Jesus Christ gives a picture of a new piece of cloth, unshrunk. It hasn't gone through the wash yet, it hasn't shrunk, there's no chemicals added to it that keeps it from shrinking. It's just a new piece of cloth, and if it's sewn to this old garment, it's going to tear it. It's not appropriate. Just like we saw in the wedding. It wasn't appropriate for those guests to fast at that reception. Lord Jesus Christ is saying, this is something that's not appropriate. That's not going to work. Putting a patch of new cloth on an old garment is not appropriate. It's not going to work. It will not work. It will cause more harm, it says, than good. It will actually, not even that it won't work, it will cause more harm. It's going to damage, it's going to destroy the garment. The second part of the parable is that no one puts new wine into old wineskins or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. is another story that's not really easily understood. Today, what is wine? What do we put wine in? Wine skins? No, we put it in, it's put in bottles, right? We put wine in bottles. It's bottle. Nobody walks around today with wine skins. But in that day, the wine was put into wine skins. These were skins, animal skins that were fashioned into bottles. It held the wine. It kept the wine and they either poured it out or drank it right from the wineskin. So this is a figure and the Lord Jesus is crying again. He's saying that it's something inappropriate putting new wine into an old wineskin. It's not going to work. It's not going to be appropriate. It's going to do more damage. than good, no more harm than good. The new wine is going to burst this old wineskin. It's not going to be able to take the new wine. So what did the Lord Jesus Christ mean by these two stories? First of all, we can think of the patch, the new patch on the old garment. The Pharisees and many religious people would seek to add things to religion, to the old religion, and thinking that that's going to make it better, that that's going to make it useful, that that's going to make themselves acceptable to God. The Pharisees particularly were experts at adding to the Word of God with their traditions, and they had the Old Testament law of God, they would add things, they would add again, like as an example, all their fastings and other religious things and in that they would seek to be more acceptable to God. But they were still, it was an old garment, it was a garment that was being cast aside and it would fade away, the old covenant was disappearing and the new was in, but they didn't even have, it wasn't that they kept the law, they couldn't keep the law and then they added their traditions. So it didn't work at all. These new things that you try to add to the religion didn't make them any more acceptable to God. And it doesn't do that today either. There are many, many people who come up with new things, new ways, five easy steps to be happy, to be more pleasing to God. Ten steps, this plan, that plan, adding things. All you got to do is do this. And it's just amazing how people always think that, you know, the whole church was waiting for them to come along and give us this information, these five easy steps or these 12 steps or whatever it is. What do we do without them? How did the church survive all this time without these people and these methods? But it's still the same thing. There's nothing that we can add just by doing certain things to be more pleasing to God, to make ourselves any better, to change. We're still, apart from the grace of God, we're still that old garment. And adding new things, fasting, this thing, that thing, religious things, it's not going to help. It's just going to tear. It's just going to not serve the purpose. It's even going to make it worse. Because then we'll trust in those things. then we're going to be trusting that new thing, that new idea, that new step, those new steps, and not trusting in Christ, and not depending on Him alone. Next, we see that picture of the new wine. and being put in old wineskins. And again, the Pharisees were the old wineskins. They were the things that were not pleasing to God. They sought to establish their own righteousness by their works, and their good works, and their religion that they were trusting in. And the gospel was the new wine. And if it gets put in a new old wineskins, they're going to burst. They're going to be good for nothing. The point is that you need new wineskins for the gospel, new wineskins, the new birth. We need to be born again. We don't need to make our religion any better. We don't need to shape up our lives to become more religious, to do this thing or that thing. We need to be born again. We need to have a total transformation. And that's what the Lord Jesus Christ does when he comes to a sinner. He makes us new creations in Christ, and he gives us new hearts. If we just try to add things, if we just try to do new things, it's not going to work. We need to be changed from the inside. We need to be born again. The Lord Jesus Christ dealt with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John. He was trusting in in being a religious man and what he knew, but what he knew wasn't enough. He needed to be born again, the Lord Jesus Christ tells him. It says, and there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. And this man came to Jesus by night and said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, Born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus didn't understand, and Lord Jesus reiterated that his old wineskin needed to be changed. He needed to become a new wineskin, a new creation in Christ. Born again, made new. in first corinthians it says that such were some of you that's the hope and the promise of the gospel being born again being made new creations in christ and then the new wine christ himself is poured into us the holy spirit is poured into us and we're able to be pleasing to god And again, we need to be changed from the inside, in new hearts. All our righteousness, scripture tells us, is filthy rags. Filthy rags in God's sight. Unless we're born again, unless we get that robe, that perfect robe of our bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, that perfect robe of righteousness covering us, put to our account. If we're not born again, then the old wineskin is going to burst. It's not going to work. We're not going to be pleasing to God in any way. And again, the absolute necessity of being born again, not just religion, but regeneration, the new birth. Nicodemus needed to learn that lesson. Scripture tells us that the carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be. So then those that are in the flesh cannot please God. No matter how religious we are, no matter what religious things we do, we can never please God by those things. You need to be born again. We need to be born again by the Spirit of God. And then we can, and only then, we can be pleasing to God. Then when we pray, Then when we give to the poor, then when we fast, those things will be acceptable. Our good works are accepted in Christ. Because we have a new heart, we're doing them from a new nature, that's been changed by God. We can change our moral behavior. We can stop drinking and doing drugs, clean up our act, but those things are not going to bring us one inch closer to Christ, to God in any way. All righteousness is filthy rags. It needs a heart change. We need a heart change. We need to be brought into the new covenant, made members of that new covenant so that we will know God and love God and seek to serve him and love him. Again, we need to be made new wineskins to be fit for the new wine of the gospel. Finally, a couple of applications. First, again, focusing on this account of the bridegroom and his friends. and the appropriateness of the joy and peace that they had at that time. What about us now? What about us in the 21st century, us who know Christ? What's appropriate for us? Christ isn't here. He was taken away. He was crucified. He was buried. He died a real death. He was buried and he rose again on the third day and ascended up into heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God, ruling and reigning. with all authority in heaven and earth, and he's purchased his people, the church, what's appropriate for us? Scripture tells us that even though we may be facing trials and tribulations, we will. It's promised. We must, through many trials and tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. You will have tribulation, Jesus said. It's a promise. And yet, we can still face those trials and tribulations. We must face them with joy, that joy that's inexpressible and full of glory. We shouldn't go around with sad faces and mourning faces and not expressing, not showing the joy of the Lord. The scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. And we're to rejoice, we're commanded to rejoice in the Lord. Now it doesn't mean that we're hypocrites and we're putting on these big smiley faces and walking around and like sunshine all the time. And when we're not, when we're sad in our hearts, we need to just be ourselves, but we also need from the inside out to display the joy of the Lord. It is an important thing, again, In the gospel of John, in chapter 16, verses 32 and 33, the Lord Jesus Christ, verse 33 says, these things I've spoken to you, that in me, you may have peace. Our peace is in the Lord, and it needs to be reflected in our lives. In the world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. We are to be those who are of good cheer, even when we're facing trials, even when we have tribulations, even when we may be suffering. Although, again, we're not to put on the phony face, the phony smile. We're still to be able to experience and express the joy of the Lord, to shine as lights for him, as hard as it may be. There's nothing glorifying to God in being sad and morose. and down all the time and depressed. There are times when we mourn and weep and for our own sins and for the sorrows and the griefs that the Lord providentially brings in our lives. But we need somehow to overcome that. And we can overcome that. We can. By the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is joy. And we need to display the joy of the Lord and to glorify Him. Do it for His glory. For nothing else. and to be able to overcome that sadness, even the sadness that the Lord providentially would bring. One of the most beautiful passes in scripture is found in 1 Peter that expresses it so beautifully. It expresses what we are as Christians and what we have and how we can rejoice. It says, 1 Peter 1, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again. That's the new birth, the new wine, begotten us again to a living hope, a living hope. not a dead hope, but a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, that should be able to cheer our hearts and to give us hope and joy and peace, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, in this you greatly rejoice. Though now for a little while, if need be, and only if it needs to be, God is not a cruel God, only if it needs to be for our good, he says, you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith be much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to the praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice. We can rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. Inexpressible joy, joy that we can't express, joy that comes from within, from knowing that we have a home in heaven and despite the trials, the severe trials, we can rejoice in the Lord and knowing his goodness and that it only needs to be. whatever he may bring, whatever may come our way. We need to rejoice in him, in our bridegroom. That is possible. It is appropriate, it's most appropriate and seizable to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. So we need to rejoice with the bride and the bridegroom, in the voice of the bride. It's a picture scripture gives us. There was joy at the wedding. There was joy in the voice of the bridegroom, in the voice of the bride. It was a time of rejoicing. That needs to be displayed in our lives. We need to find some way to do that, to glorify God in the joy of the Lord. Finally, we need to personalize it and ask the question, are we a friend of the bridegroom? What about us? Have we been united? Have we been married to the Lord? In 1 Peter it says, though having not seen whom having not seen you love. The picture we're given of the bridegroom and the bride is one of marriage. It's one of covenant love. It's one of the bridegroom committing to the bride, the bride committing a love to the bridegroom, in love to the bridegroom. Is that a picture of our relationship to Jesus Christ? Do we love him? Is he our bridegroom? We need to ask ourselves, we need to search. The Lord has brought us, if we're saved, if we've been brought to faith in Christ, he's brought us in to unite us with Christ in that covenant relationship that's pictured in marriage, the love relationship with our husband, And we, as the bride, need to be willing to forsake all and follow Him, just like the bride leaves her father and mother and cleaves to her husband. We need to leave all this world and all these things in our hearts and commit to Christ and follow Him with all our lives and hearts. Are we friends of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we know Him in truth? Are we married to Him? We need to know, we need to ask, are we under his headship, under his protection, under the gracious protection and love of our heavenly bridegroom, trusting only in him, just as the bride only has eyes for her groom, the bridegroom. We need to only have eyes for Christ and only be trusting in him and nothing else, no religious, nothing in religion, nothing that we can do. And are we ready? In the parable of the ten virgins, it says, there's a call. When the five are ready and five aren't, behold, Behold, the bridegroom is coming. He's going to return again at a time when we least expect it, and we need to be ready. Will you be ready on that day when the bridegroom comes? Or will you be like the foolish versions, unprepared without oil, not ready for Christ, not ready for His return, not ready for the day of your death? You need to cement that relationship now. You need to know that you're saved, that you have the bridegroom, that he's yours so that you can have that joy that's inexpressible and full of glory. And on top of all that, on top of all the blessings and reasons scripture gives us, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks from his word and calls you to come to him. Can you imagine the bridegroom with all that he has to offer you? All the protection, all the love, all the care. He says, come, come to me. and I will give you rest. You need to come to him. You need to put your whole soul trust in him. Give up the sin, turn away from it. It's not worthy of holding onto and come to him. If we come to him, we'll be eternally, eternally blessed and eternally satisfied. And we need to come to him in faith. Forsaking all, I trust Him. Faith, F, forsaking, A, all, I, T, trust Him. We need to forsake all and in faith, trust the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. Consider the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider these things that we've heard about, read tonight, and consider your relationship to this heavenly bridegroom. Let's pray. Father, we call upon you to make these things real and true to us, to our minds, to our hearts. Father, that you would move us in our souls, in our whole souls, to trust and to commit to the Lord Jesus Christ, even for some of us who've been saved for many years, to recommit, to recommit our vows, to return once again to the Lord in full commitment. And Father, we just pray that you'd give grace to do that. Father, we do pray that you'd bless your word, and we thank you for the great privilege we have of being friends of this heavenly bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.