                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                           The Passionate Bride!

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By David Wilkerson
August 28, 1995
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          NOT everyone who's in what is known as the
          ecclesiastical church is going to be in the bride of
          Jesus Christ. Not all who say, "Lord, Lord," will enter
          in. We know that from the Scriptures.

          However, existing within ecclesiastical churches all
          over the world is a called-out body - a holy remnant -
          that will comprise the bride of Christ. Right now, God
          is preparing that bride for marriage to His Son. And He
          will introduce this bride to her Bridegroom at the
          marriage supper of the Lamb!

          The believers who make up this bride may or may not
          belong to the organized church. But they all share one
          thing in common: They have a passion for Jesus! This is
          the first characteristic of all who make up Jesus'
          bride: They are absolutely lovesick for their Lord.
          Indeed, they are marked by their love for Him rather
          than by their knowledge of Him.

          The truth is, the church today is being ruined by a
          dead, intellectual pursuit of theology that has no
          heart for Christ. Bible schools and seminaries are
          filled with teachers and students who spend years
          engrossed in doctrines, dispensations, biblical
          inerrancy, archaeology, miracles, the historical Jesus.

          It is this "intelligence" about Jesus - with no heart
          for Him - that has produced the present-day Laodicean
          church. We are a church that intellectually has
          everything right. We know how to meet the needs of all
          our people. We possess resources, thinking we're
          needful of nothing. And we sit back, thinking, "There's
          nothing we can add. We have it all!"

          Some churches here in New York City think they have
          every need covered. They employ staff counselors,
          psychologists, psychiatrists - everything needed for
          the human body and mind. But such knowledge, lacking a
          passionate heart for Jesus, only produces a twice-dead
          congregation.

          Never in history has there been more head knowledge
          about spiritual things, with less fervor for Jesus.
          This last-day Laodicean church is full of intelligence
          about Christ - but its heart is shut to Him!

          A preacher can stand before a congregation and pour out
          a stream of intelligence - spiritual knowledge he has
          accumulated through Bible college, seminary or personal
          study - and yet it can be a complete bore. Without a
          passionate heart for Christ, it leaves the hearers
          dead! If that minister knows Jesus only intellectually
          - if he is not in love with Him - his knowledge
          produces death, not life.

          Right now, the masses who sit in most congregations
          across the world are drying up. Ironically, they are
          being fed by the most educated preachers who have ever
          stood in the pulpit. These men have been trained, and
          trained, and trained - and yet they've never had a
          heart of passion for Jesus! I tell you, the church will
          never have a bride's heart of love for Christ as long
          as the shepherds' hearts are cold.

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                         Jesus Warned His Bride to
                         Look for His Soon Coming!

                      -------------------------------

          Jesus says in Matthew 24:

          "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye
          think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44).

          This is the second characteristic of the bride of
          Christ: an expectancy of His soon return! Jesus' bride
          is to live in continual, joyful expectation of her
          Lover's eminent return - because He may come at any
          moment.

          Jesus warned, however, that in the last days evil
          ministers would infiltrate the church in an effort to
          put the bride to sleep. They will attempt to take away
          her heart of love for her Bridegroom by claiming,
          "...(The) lord delayeth his coming" (verse 48).

          This gospel is preached by men who don't want to pay
          the price of obeying Christ's commands. They have
          sinful habits and lead double lives - so, naturally
          they don't want Jesus to come back. Therefore they have
          concocted a doctrine to justify their continuing in
          sin.

          The heart of this doctrine is the basis of "kingdom
          dominion" theology. It is the belief that Christ will
          not return until the church takes its proper place and
          gains spiritual authority by winning political offices
          all over the world. The idea is that Christianity will
          take over the arts, sciences and education and conform
          it all to the law of God (or, more accurately, the law
          of Moses). It's all about legislating holiness and
          righteousness.

          One proponent of the dominion gospel has said, "Jesus
          could not possibly come back for another 30,000 years.
          It's going to take us that long to win back control of
          the earth from the wicked. Only when we've conquered
          the world and straightened it out will we be able to
          bring King Jesus back."

          I don't know where he got the figure of 30,000 years.
          But that's as bad as the fellow who said Jesus was
          coming back in September '94.

          No - they're both wrong! The Bible says those who claim
          Jesus has delayed His coming are "evil servants":

          "...that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord
          delayeth his coming" (same verse).

          What is the result of this false teaching? First, it
          ends in the death of all love - the fading of any
          motivation for holy living, of any passion for Jesus.
          It also ends in what Jesus calls the "smiting of your
          fellow man" (see verse 48). The proponents of this
          doctrine usually end up in heated, mean-spirited
          debates - fighting with other theologians, scrapping
          and screaming.

          Yet this doctrine also ends in awful worldliness. Most
          of the preachers of the prosperity gospel have adopted
          this aspect of dominion theology. They too preach, "The
          Lord has delayed His coming" - because they want time
          to enjoy their success and prosperity.

          Some compromising Christians say, "Why should I live
          expecting Him to come if I'm going to die a normal
          death? I can live it up - drinking, smoking, cursing,
          carousing. And, like the thief on the cross, I can cry
          out just before I die, 'Lord, have mercy!'"

          Beloved, do not give heed to this damnable doctrine of
          delay! If you're a part of Jesus' bride, you'll be so
          lovesick for your Lord you won't be able to buy into
          it. Instead, you'll cry out, "I will not hear of such
          evil. My Lord said I am to be ready at any moment for
          His return. I know He is near - I can sense it. My
          heart cries out within me, 'Behold, the Bridegroom is
          coming.' Why should I believe such foolish doctrine as
          this?"

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                        Christians Go to Sleep When
                       They Stop Looking Expectantly
                          for Jesus' Soon Return!

                      -------------------------------

          "...while the bridegroom tarried, they [the ten
          virgins] all slumbered and slept" (25:5).

          Up to the time this doctrine came about, there were no
          sleeping virgins in the church. The early church was
          wide awake, heeding Jesus' words. Their lamps were
          trimmed and burning, and they had a good supply of oil.

          Peter summed up the spirit of the early church this
          way:

          "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of
          God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
          dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent
          heat" (2 Peter 3:12).

          Likewise, Paul said:

          "...(We wait) for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"
          (1 Corinthians 1:7).

          Then came this evil preaching: "He has delayed His
          coming!" And that's when slumber and sleep fell upon
          the church. But the bride of Christ has always seen
          through this deception!

          In every generation the devil comes to the bride and
          whispers to her heart, "Your Lord isn't coming anytime
          soon. Go ahead - sin. Don't even think about it. You've
          got a whole lifetime ahead of you."

          But the bride always answers, "Look here, devil - Jesus
          told me to get dressed! He told me to adorn myself and
          wait for Him. He said He may come at any time. So you
          can do away with all your charts and reasons and dates.

          "If He isn't coming soon, then why is the pulse of my
          love beating so fast? Why does my yearning heart cry,
          'Yes, my Beloved, come quickly!' And why has He spent
          so much time with me lately, weaning me away from the
          world?

          "If He has delayed His coming, then why do I hear His
          footsteps nearing? Why do I hear His words in my ear,
          'Soon, very soon'? Why do I feel His hand under my neck
          already [Song of Solomon 2:6]? His Spirit tells me,
          'Rise, for I'm coming! Get ready to pack up and
          leave!'"

          In John 20, Mary Magdalene epitomizes the bride whose
          heart is wholly given to Christ. This woman's life was
          marked by her love and affection for Jesus. Evidently
          she was a woman of means, because she ministered to His
          needs alongside the other three Marys. Most likely she
          did this out of sheer gratitude, for the Bible says
          Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. (Many believe
          Mary was a prostitute, but there's nothing in the
          Scriptures to suggest this.)

          As far as the world was concerned, Mary Magdalene was
          not an intellectual. Nor was she any great theologian.
          When the male disciples got together to discuss the
          deeper things of the Cross, she was probably silent,
          keeping her thoughts to herself. Women of that day
          rarely spoke openly of spiritual matters in the
          presence of men.

          Nor did she ever speak before the men of the synagogue,
          as Peter did. She never debated with the scribes,
          Pharisees or Sadducees. They could spend all day
          talking about every jot and tittle of the law,
          describing morality, arguing whether there was a
          resurrection.

          No - insignificant, little Mary Magdalene was different
          from all these learned, intellectual men. Yet she had
          something they did not have - something deeper than was
          known even to Jesus' disciples. She had a revelation!

          "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early,
          when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the
          stone taken away from the sepulchre" (John 20:1).

          This would have taken place at three or four o'clock in
          the morning. Mary came to the sepulchre early, while
          all the others still slept. When she found the stone
          rolled away and Jesus' body missing, she ran to find
          Peter and John.

          When the disciples arrived, they went into the tomb and
          saw the linen clothes neatly folded - but no body. They
          understood clearly that Jesus was not there. Then, the
          Bible says, the two disciples "...saw, and believed"
          (verse 8).

          They remembered Jesus' words to them about His
          resurrection on the third day.

          Their seeing and believing was perfectly commendable.
          But two verses later we read,

          "Then the disciples went away again unto their own
          home" (verse 10).

          They were satisfied with the knowledge that Jesus was
          no longer there. So they went back to business as
          usual.

          Isn't that just like the church today? Many Christians
          say, "I've seen the power of the gospel. So, of course
          I believe." They identify their present relationship
          with Jesus by mere head knowledge.

          Not so with Mary! Intelligence was not enough for her.
          She wanted Jesus Himself - and she was not going to
          move:

          "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping..."
          (verse 11).

          Her spirit was crying, "This world is intolerable
          without Him! I can't go home. I must be with Him!" She
          was determined to stand there, gazing into that tomb,
          until her breaking heart was answered:

          "...they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where
          they have laid him" (verse 13).

          Mary would not let go. She had a devoted heart which
          could not be satisfied by anyone or anything other than
          Christ. She simply loved the Lord. He was her life!

          Beloved, that is a picture of the bride! It is that
          kind of love - that burning passion for the Bridegroom
          - that brings a revelation of Jesus.

          And, sure enough, Mary's heart of devotion brought her
          a wonderful revelation:

          "...and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into
          the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting,
          the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where
          the body of Jesus had lain" (verses 11-12).

          It was a revelation of the mercy seat! Perhaps you
          remember the description of the mercy seat from the Old
          Testament: There was one angel at its foot and another
          at its head. These angels in the tomb now signified
          that Jesus Himself was the mercy seat. They were giving
          Mary a revelation of the mercy seat of Christ!

          While the other disciples were back home, Mary was
          having a visitation of the divine. She was seeing
          things nobody else could see - because her heart was
          given to Jesus!

          I want to make a statement that - if you can accept it
          - will revolutionize your life: Those who have a heart
          for Christ will receive the intelligence of Christ!

          If you seek the knowledge of Jesus without having a
          heart for Him, you're going to miss it entirely. You
          can spend your life studying Christ or sitting under
          great Bible teachers and yet never know the heart of
          God. Yet, if you simply have a heart of passion for
          Jesus, you will receive His revelation!

          The bride says, "My Beloved is in glory right now, as a
          glorified Man and as God. He has been rejected by this
          world. And because the world has rejected my Christ, my
          Lover, I can't love anything here. My heart is not in
          this earth. It's wherever He is!"

          The bride's heart is with her Bridegroom - seated in
          glory at the right hand of the Father!

                      -------------------------------

                           Mary Was Given Divine,
                      Supernatural Intelligence Beyond
                        Any Intellectual Knowledge!

                      -------------------------------

          Jesus appeared to Mary and gave her further revelation:

          "...she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing,
          and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her,
          Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She,
          supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir,
          if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast
          laid him, and I will take him away" (verses 14-15).

          Mary was saying, "Let me have Him. He's mine - mine!" I
          ask you: Can you believe that, even if no one else on
          earth knows Jesus, you know Him? Can you believe that,
          even if no one else on the earth has Jesus, you have
          Him? After all, He is a personal Savior! "He is -
          mine!"

          "Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and
          saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master"
          (verse 16).

          Jesus knows the names of those who love Him - and He
          called Mary by her name!

          Jesus then told her something He told no one else. And,
          in doing so, He made her His messenger to all "the
          brethren." The next verse reads: "...Touch me not..."
          (verse 17).

          The original Greek here means, "Stop clinging to Me."
          Jesus knew Mary wasn't going to let go of Him. Her
          heart was crying, "I lost You once. But I'm never going
          to lose You again!"

          It must have taken a lot of courage for Mary to heed
          Jesus' words to her. You see, He told her He was going
          to be gone for a while. He was going to ascend to the
          Father:

          "...go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto
          my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your
          God" (verse 17).

          Beloved, here is another great revelation! Jesus was
          saying, "I'm going home to My Father, where I will be
          the Head of My church. But you're going too! Yes, God
          is My Father - but He's your Father as well. And you're
          going to come with Me!" Jesus was speaking
          prophetically - of being seated in heavenly places with
          His church.

          Mary quickly returned to the disciples. They were all
          in one room together, probably cleaning off their old
          fishing gear. Now, these men were no theologians,
          either. But even though they were just fishermen, they
          had been trained for three years at the Master's feet.

          And now, in walked Mary with the revelation. These men
          had to sit and listen to a woman who had heard from
          Jesus. Can you imagine the scene? "What'd He say?"
          "What'd He look like?" Mary answered simply, "All I
          know is, I saw Him. And He told me to come here and
          tell you something!"

          I love to hear devoted men and women of God say the
          words Mary said: "I've heard from Him - and I have
          something to say!" Such Christians have been shut in
          with Jesus, yearning for Him passionately. And in turn,
          He has given them His heart and mind. What they receive
          from Him isn't mere theology. No, it's something much
          greater than that. It's revelation that so burns within
          their hearts, they run to their friends, crying,
          "Listen to what Jesus told me!"

          For the past eight years or so, I have received
          numerous invitations to speak at ministers' conferences
          and conventions. Yet I have only accepted two of these.
          Why? It's because I haven't had Christ's revelation for
          most of these particular men. I won't speak anything
          unless the Lord speaks it to me first.

          That is the cry of my heart every time I prepare to
          preach: "Lord, if You're not going to talk to me, I'm
          not going to talk to them!" If all I have is a lecture,
          it will mean nothing. I want to be like Mary Magdalene
          - to have a heart so given to the Lord that He gives me
          His mind and says, "Go tell the brethren!"

          You might be saying, "But, Brother Dave - Mary
          Magdalene could spend all her time ministering to
          Jesus. She could wait on Him devotedly all day long,
          because she didn't live in our hectic time.

          "She didn't have to get up early five days a week and
          work in a wicked environment. She didn't have to be
          pushed, shoved and jostled on the bus or the train to
          work. She didn't face sexual harassment on the job.
          It's much different for me. How can I live a deeply
          devoted life in these wicked times?"

          I freely admit - we Christians in New York City do not
          live in a quaint, quiet, religious, law-abiding
          environment such as Jerusalem or Bethany. No - we live
          among the most wicked, vile, corrupt, godless, mean,
          ugly, filthy generation of all time.

          But the Lord saw down through history to this age, and
          He knew exactly what our generation was going to be
          like. He foresaw everything we're facing today. And He
          does not expect us to evacuate New York City and run to
          some quiet farm or mountaintop, so we can meditate,
          pray and stay devoted to Him.

          Please don't mistake me: I thank God for all who are
          able to do just that. In fact, I've often thought
          that's what I should be doing. When our headquarters
          was in Texas, I thought I would retire there and simply
          write books until the Lord took me home. But now, here
          I am in New York City - in Times Square, of all places!

          To be sure, it's good to get away to seek the Lord and
          restore your physical body. And it's true that Jesus
          slipped away to pray and meditate. But He usually did
          that only for part of a day or during an entire night.

          I believe the greatest devotion is that which is
          practiced on the front lines - in the heat of battle,
          with fires raging all around. In fact, I know many
          believers whose devotion has been strengthened in the
          midst of hectic activity and spiritual warfare. They
          don't have to be on a mountaintop to love Him with all
          their heart; they don't need to live in some isolated
          village to yearn for His coming. They've learned to
          love Jesus as passionately during their drive to work
          as when they're in their prayer closet.

          Beloved, your sense of Jesus' nearness to you cannot
          depend on your feelings. When you feel down, depressed
          and blue and don't have time to seek the Lord, the
          devil will flood you with feelings of guilt and
          unworthiness. You'll think Jesus has left you and is
          saying, "I'll come back when you've got time for Me."

          No - the nearness of Jesus is maintained by faith! It
          has nothing to do with your feelings. So, when somebody
          is pushing or shoving you on the subway or in an
          elevator, just say, "Oh God, I believe by faith that
          You're here, that You're near me. Protect me, Lord -
          keep me. Don't let this junk seep into my system!"

          True love yearns for His company, no matter how hectic
          one's circumstances. In fact, living in a city can have
          its advantages. In New York we see and hear so much of
          murder, rape, greed, violence, crime and perversion
          that we're compelled to love Jesus all the more. And I
          believe some of the most devoted people who will make
          up the bride will come out of wicked urban areas.

          Let me give you what I have called "the devoted life
          for commuters and subway strap-hangers." It outlines
          devotion for "city bridehood." It's a simple way for
          busy, city-dwelling or commuting Christians to lead a
          deeply devoted life. There's nothing mystical about it.
          On the contrary, it's very practical:

                      -------------------------------

                          Devotion to Jesus Christ
                         Is Being Wholly Dependent
                         On Him for Satisfaction!

                      -------------------------------

          Simply put, devotion to Jesus is trusting Him alone to
          meet every need of your body, soul and spirit. It means
          giving up looking to any person or source besides Him
          to meet those needs. I hear many single people say,
          "I'm sick of being lonely. I need a mate. After all,
          I'm only human. My need would be met if only God would
          give me someone!"

          No, a mate would never be able to meet such a need. In
          fact, a mate would only make you twice as miserable -
          because you'd have not only your own headaches but his
          (or hers) as well! Until Jesus is your focus - until
          you see Him as your only true satisfaction - you will
          sink deeper and deeper into despair.

          A husband or wife may say, "My marriage is dead! My
          needs are just not being met. I'm terribly unhappy. The
          only reason we're still married is because I don't
          believe in divorce."

          If this describes you, then you have never learned what
          the bride of Christ must learn. When you are suffering
          in your soul - when things are not satisfying you - you
          must run to Jesus as Mary did, until He becomes the
          source of all your satisfaction!

          At one point, Jesus wanted to prove to His disciples
          that He was on top of any situation. So He called Peter
          to get out of the boat and walk on the water to meet
          Him. Peter obeyed - and as long as he remained focused
          on Jesus, he too was above everything, actually walking
          on water. But when the disciple began to focus on his
          surroundings, he began to sink.

          The lesson here is elementary. Yet, I ask you: What do
          you do when you get that sinking feeling? Do you turn
          to your brethren in the boat, calling out to a friend
          for help? Or do you keep your eyes glued to Jesus and
          cry out, "Lord, save me!"

          The bride of Christ will be comprised of those who have
          given up trying to find help, solace, comfort or
          satisfaction from anything on this earth. They have
          learned to depend wholly on the One they love to fully
          satisfy their every hunger and thirst.

          Do you have this kind of walk with Jesus? I urge you -
          keep your eyes focused on your Bridegroom. Expect His
          return at any moment. And don't look to anyone or
          anything else to fulfill you.

          Stay passionately in love with Jesus - and trust Him to
          manifest Himself in His fullness to you.

          Hallelujah!

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