Pentecost, the Marriage of the Lamb (A Worthy Bride Cares Only for Her bridegroom.)
The sermon emphasizes the importance of prioritizing our relationship with Jesus Christ above all else, and becoming a worthy bride who is enamored of the Bridegroom.
Hans R. Waldvogel emphasizes the significance of the relationship between the bride and the bridegroom in the context of Pentecost, illustrating how many believers become distracted by the trappings of faith rather than focusing on Jesus Christ. He reflects on a wedding where the bride seemed more enamored with others than her husband, drawing a parallel to how Christians often neglect their devotion to Christ in favor of church activities and gifts. Waldvogel calls for a return to genuine worship and a deep, personal connection with the Lord, urging believers to prioritize their relationship with Him above all else. He expresses gratitude for gatherings where Jesus is the focus, highlighting the need for a heart fully devoted to the Bridegroom. Ultimately, he challenges the church to be a worthy bride, wholly captivated by Christ.
Text
Selected Verses:
Revelation 19:7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Opening:
I had attended a wedding--somebody you don't know, strangers. But anyway, I was invited to the wedding. I think I even had to do something with tying the knot. Anyway, I saw something there that I never saw before at a wedding, and I've attended many, many weddings--I guess somewhere in the hundreds. But I saw something here that I never saw before. The bride looked like--somebody expressed it the other day; I guess it was a very scientific expression: a sourpuss. Did you ever hear that expression before? Anyway, one of the saints used it to express what she wanted to express, and that expresses exactly what I want to express. It was horrible.
This bride, she seemed so displeased with everything, even with her bridegroom. But then I noticed something. There was a young fellow there, and whenever she looked at him, she brightened up. I thought, "Isn't that strange? She has no smile for her own husband. Very strange. And this other guy gets all the smiles." She looked so different when she looked at that other fellow. Now, I'm not judging at all; I'm not here to judge. But, as I said, I never saw that before, and I thought it was awfully strange.
But, you know, that happens among us.
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Selected Quotes:
They have missed the mark, like a bride that might be interested in everything: in her ring, and her gown, and her guests, and all the flowers, and the wedding march, and all that, and has absolutely no interest in her own bridegroom, in her own husband. Beloved, Pentecost means nothing--it's a great big circus, it's a tremendous farce--unless it means the marriage of the Lamb, unless your heart becomes so enamored of Him and so interested in Him that even His gifts are neglected, and even His powers and everything you might say about yourself or about the movement or about... Oh, beloved, how people have gone astray from the Bridegroom!
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That's why I'm so thankful for Holy Ghost meetings where Jesus Christ is in charge. He puts the preacher in the corner; He says, "Get out of here! Let Me do it; let Me come forth; let Me speak My word; let Me pour out My power; let Me get that old monkey down where he belongs!"
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I haven't come here to build a church, nor to get souls saved; I've come here to worship my Lord, and to find Him. My whole soul's desire is to be united to Jesus Christ and to have Him.
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Oh, to be a "vessel unto honor." A vessel is nothing, nothing until it's "filled with all the fullness of God."
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Illustrations:
Comments on radio charlatans. "'Send me a dollar! Be sure you write me this week or we'll have to go off the air because we're living by faith! .... And all that rot, beloved, people fall for." (from 5:17)
The story of the early meetings at Patchen Avenue. "I found out when things went still, people went that didn't like stillness; and when it got loud, then people went who didn't like loud. But do you know who stayed? People who wanted Jesus Christ." (from 9:41)
Two old ladies in a Zürich streetcar. (from 10:25)
Sermon Outline
- The Marriage of the Lamb
- The Dangers of Missing the Mark
- The Importance of Holy Ghost Meetings
- The Desire to be United to Jesus Christ
- A Vessel Unto Honor
- Filled with All the Fullness of God
Key Quotes
“They have missed the mark, like a bride that might be interested in everything: in her ring, and her gown, and her guests, and all the flowers, and the wedding march, and all that, and has absolutely no interest in her own bridegroom, in her own husband.” — Hans R. Waldvogel
“Oh, beloved, how people have gone astray from the Bridegroom!” — Hans R. Waldvogel
“Oh, to be a 'vessel unto honor.' A vessel is nothing, nothing until it's 'filled with all the fullness of God.'” — Hans R. Waldvogel
Application Points
- We must prioritize our relationship with Jesus Christ above all else, and seek to be united to Him in worship.
- We must focus on being still and quiet in worship, allowing the Holy Ghost to speak His word and pour out His power in our lives.
- We must seek to become a vessel unto honor, filled with all the fullness of God, by prioritizing our time and energy on worshiping and seeking Jesus Christ.