In Spirit and Truth

Amen. Well, we just want to welcome you this morning. I’m excited, because today we are going to be wrapping up a series that we’ve been in for about six or seven weeks called The Spirit and the Bride. I don’t know about you, but it’s been such a pleasure and such a joy to reflect on how the Lord is preparing us as a church — how He’s preparing His bride for His return. How many of you know Jesus is coming back? Amen. And we want to be people who are ready for His return. It’s been such an intimate picture that the Lord’s been giving us about that relationship, about that preparation — how the Holy Spirit is working and partnering with the church for the return of Jesus.

And so we’re going to be wrapping that up today, and I was like, “Well, what is this called?” Because it’s all these little different final pieces, all these last final thoughts. And I was like, “Do we just call it ‘Final Thoughts’? What are we talking about here?” But the title of the message today is “In Spirit and in Truth.” So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to Revelation 22, as we talk about in spirit and in truth.

What is a successful church?

One of the things that we’ve been talking about is the preparation of the church. Everybody say, “The preparation.” There is something that the Lord is working in us and doing in us. And so what does that preparation look like? We’ve talked about this a little bit, but I want to rephrase that question: what does it mean to be a successful church? What does it mean to be a successful church?

The church at large, in a lot of ways, has really bought into the lie that it exists to give people everything they want — that the church is about people. And what the church ultimately ends up doing is building a church in a way where people will attend. So we come up with programs and these things. It’s not that those programs are bad, but what we ultimately end up doing is we actually offer our worship to people’s attendance rather than to Jesus Himself.

So what is a successful church? Now, we’re a church that believes in the Holy Spirit — the gifts of the Spirit, the manifestations, all of those things. We would say we are a Spirit-filled church. But oftentimes the church wants Holy Spirit power without the Holy Spirit’s ministry. And sometimes we hear people say things like, “Well, we want to grow the church. We want to attract people. It’s all about the souls.” But it’s not actually meant to be all about souls. It’s all about Jesus — and then Jesus saves souls. Are you guys with me?

These are the final thoughts. These are the ponderings and the wrestlings, because we see things, and we come to church every week, and we’re like, “Well, the Lord is preparing His church, but what is happening? How do we actually win? How does this work? How are we supposed to navigate these times?” And we must recognize that our emphasis and our goal is not to just get people in the church. Our goal is to look to the Lord, to make Him our priority. And as we do that, He saves souls. Amen.

You see, no one here — and I’m not just talking about in this room, so this is not a personal attack — no one here on their best day can save a soul. No one can do it. We had an internship program, and something that they would do is called treasure hunts, where they would pray and ask the Lord for an opportunity to share about Jesus and to pray for people. And then we would actually go do it right away. The Lord would sometimes give us pictures of people or conversations, and they would go out.

That reminds me — when I was younger, as a youth group we would go out and do that very thing. We would pray, and then we would go and share about Jesus. And I remember when I was 16, I loved the Lord. I wanted to do my best for Him. I remember praying and going out to share Jesus, and I was so terrified that I tried to find the nicest old person that I could find to share my faith with — someone that would be kind to me, someone that wouldn’t just turn me down, who would give me an ear, who had time. So I found this man, and I basically began to stalk him for about an hour, because I’m like, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to share Jesus with this man.” So I’m following him around for about an hour, and I go up, and I go, “Excuse me, sir, do you—” and before I can finish my sentence, he turns around and hands me a tract. And I’m like, I’m so bad at this I can’t even discover who the lost is. This man already knew the Lord. This man already knew Jesus. And I’m just so petrified.

But how many of you know we get so caught up in what we can do, we forget to fix our eyes on Him? And the reality is — we say this often — the reason we’re here is because it’s for Him. It’s not for us. It’s not for me. It’s not for the person next to you. Are we going to love each other? Of course. Are we going to serve one another? Of course. Are we going to pray and minister to one another? Of course. But the reason we’re here is to fix our eyes on the Lord. Amen. And so we don’t want to structure church in such a way where we think that it’s going to lead to more people getting saved. God is the one who saves.

And so when the win is not determined properly, according to what Scripture says, success ends up looking like people in the seats rather than Jesus in the room. And here are my musings on this: if numbers determine success, then the cross would be unsuccessful, because Jesus’ crowds and gallery were much larger than the crowd that was at Calvary. And you cannot tell me that the cross was not a success. If numbers were the indicator of success, then the resurrection was a failure, because only Mary was there. And you can’t tell me that the resurrection was a failure. You see, our goal and our emphasis — in our eyes, what is success? Success is Him. Success is Jesus.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”

And so what is it that Jesus is looking for? We’re talking about the Spirit and the bride. So how do we prepare to receive from Him? What is it that He’s looking for? What is it that is pleasing to Him? I want to look at this scripture in Revelation 22, verse 17. This is a scripture we’ve been in, talking about the Spirit and the bride, but I believe the Lord wants to speak very specifically to us today, emphasizing a purification in our worship — a beautification, something beautiful in our worship.

So, Revelation 22, verse 17. I’m going to ask that we actually read this out. Can we do that this morning? I like to do that because I like to fill this house with the Word. So if you have your Bibles, you can follow along there, or follow along on screen, but let’s read this out loud together. Ready? Go. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

And so we see in this scripture this partnership, this deep relationship, between the Holy Spirit and the bride, which is the church. And so I want to talk just a little bit about that relationship — the way the Spirit is moving amongst the bride. We mentioned this last week, but what is the Holy Spirit’s number one goal for your life? It’s for you to become more like Jesus. It’s to make you become more and more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s number one goal is not to draw a big crowd. It’s not to have big attendance. It’s not to fulfill a vocation. It’s not to find success according to the world’s standards. The Holy Spirit’s number one goal for your life is for you to become more like Jesus. In fact, can we say that? Say, “The Holy Spirit’s goal for my life is to be like Jesus.” He is conforming us and shaping us into this beautiful, beautiful bride for the Bridegroom.

Conformed to His image

Listen to Romans 8:28–30 — we’ll have this on screen. It says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God” — this is bridal talk, right? All things work together for good to those who love God — “to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined” — notice — “to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” How does this happen? “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified” — notice — “these He also glorified.”

So let me ask you, what does it mean to be terrified? It means that you’re full of terror. In fact, you’re so full of terror you become terror itself. And so what does it mean to be glorified? It means to be so full of glory to the point where you become glory. In other words, Jesus Himself has been so fused into your being that you literally become like Him. And so we see here: God predestined us, He’s called us, He’s justified us, He’s glorified us, so that we would become like Him. And so the Holy Spirit’s number one goal in your life is for you to what? To become like Jesus.

Now, that’s a big deal. That’s a big deal, because that means that He can do things in my life that I don’t always want Him to do. He can bring me through things that are uncomfortable — things that I don’t enjoy: processes, battles, fights. But He gets to do whatever He wants to do, and He doesn’t have to feel bad about it. Why? Because He has a bigger goal in mind. You see, the fight that’s in front of you isn’t His end game. Once you get through a battle, that’s not the end of your call. That’s not the end of the process. The Holy Spirit has a bigger goal in mind.

The reality is, if you can give reasons why God should be using you, then you probably need to get back on your knees. Because if you’re ever so convinced of your own amazing abilities, then you’re convinced of strength and not weakness. And there is a process that the Holy Spirit will lead us through and guide us through to become more like Him. And so God’s primary goal is not to use us, but to make us more like Him.

Bridal purity

And so the question is, why? Why does the Holy Spirit want to make us more like Jesus? I believe that there’s going to be another major outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And we’ve already seen glimpses of this. We’ve seen some of the revivals taking place. We’ve heard the rumblings. And I don’t believe that these revivals and the things that the Holy Spirit is going to do are going to be just like what was before. I don’t think they’re going to just look like the ’70s Jesus revival. I don’t think it’s going to just be another megachurch, or celebrity pastor, or about being seen. I believe that the next major move of the Spirit will be marked by bridal purity, where the church has become so purified by the Holy Spirit’s process in us and through us that we become more and more like Him — that the revival is going to happen because the church looks more like Jesus than ever before.

And so, of course, will people be born again? Yes. Will we continue to reach out to our neighbors? Yes. Will we continue to love people? Of course. But if the next move of the Spirit is really going to be about Jesus, it’s going to be because the church will start to look like Him. Are you guys with me today?

And so if purity is the goal, what is purity? How many of you know, if you’re drinking pure water, that means that there’s only one substance in that cup? And this is not pure water. This is coffee. So it’s filled with foreign substances that taste so delicious, but this is not pure water. If there are other substances in the water, it’s not pure. But if I remove those other substances, the water becomes more pure. I can keep taking away the foreign substances until it’s pure. I don’t need to add more water to make it more pure. I just need to remove whatever is not water.

And so what is the Lord looking for in His people? It’s that when you are cut to the innermost depths of the soul, only one thing comes out: Jesus. When people ask, “How do you have such a good marriage?” you only have one answer: Jesus. When people ask, “How do you always know what to do?” you only have one answer: Jesus. It’s not because I’m so smart. It’s not because I’m so gifted. It’s not because I’m so talented. I have proven time and time again it’s not that. Do you see that purification process, where there’s the removal of all these things, and the only thing that’s left — the only thing that comes out of me when there’s persecution, the only thing that comes out of me when there’s praise — is Jesus?

You see, there’s this purification process. And so when more questions come your way, there’s only one answer that we have, and His name is Jesus. How do you have a good marriage? Jesus, the one who restores. How do you get rid of that disease? Jesus, our healer. What is the answer to racial reconciliation? Jesus, the one who draws all men to the foot of the cross and makes us one. What is the answer to sin? Jesus, the one who frees us and destroys the yoke. What is the answer to our eternal security? Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.

And maybe you’re here today and you’re saying, “Well, I don’t even know if I have faith.” I’m here to tell you: don’t pursue faith. Pursue Jesus, and He will give you faith. He is the answer. And the church needs to come to the point where she sees Him in everything and in all things — where she has discovered that in Him and Him alone is where she finds life, and outside of Him there is no other answer.

I’ve done a number of weddings. And anytime the bride and the bridegroom know that this person is a gift from God — when I see the bride come down the aisle, I never see her distracted. She’s not looking at the flowers. She’s not looking at her friends. She’s not looking at all the other things that could be happening in the room. When she’s coming down the aisle, the bride’s eyes are fixed on the bridegroom. And that’s what our life is to be like: our eyes fixed on Him until the marriage is consummated in glory. And so this is purity — the removal of foreign substances.

Why we need to be purified

Okay, so why do we need to be purified? What if I like my life the way it is? What if I like things the way that they are? I believe that if we can understand the why — why He needs to work in me, why I need to endure, why I need to press into Him — then we will yield to His process. But it’s oftentimes challenging and painful. How many of you know how silver is purified? When the dross settles in, it is only purified by fire, by burning. Silver in Scripture speaks of redemption. In other words, I have been redeemed so that I can be like Him. Let all the other parts that are not of Him be burned from my life.

Well, when we talk about burning, that doesn’t sound comfortable. In fact, in Wisconsin, even when it gets five degrees too warm, we start melting. The heat is not comfortable. We like it cool, we like it calm. Today is actually kind of a nice day — although I like the sun, but I’m good. It’s not comfortable to be burned. But there is a purification.

So why do we need to be purified by the Spirit? Because Jesus is pure. Because Jesus Himself is pure, and He only marries like kind. He’s not married to the sinner; He’s married to the redeemed. And so we are being purified because He is pure, and there is a goal that He has in mind for you. His goal for you is to become one with you. Amen. So we’re being purified for a reason. God’s not playing games. He’s not putting you through things just to test you. He’s putting you through things so that there is a test to be passed, so that you can become more like Him. Amen.

And so I believe that the Lord is doing something in the church. Specifically, I believe that the Lord is wanting to bring a purification to our worship of Him — where we would come in and it is not about the production, it’s about His presence. Where we would come in and we would allow moves of the Holy Spirit. Is that going to get uncomfortable? Probably. But I would much rather be uncomfortable in His presence than be outside of it. There is a purification that I believe the Lord is bringing about in His church. And production is not what this world is looking for, by the way. How many of you know there are people who are hungering and who are thirsty, but only Jesus will satisfy? Amen.

Partakers of the divine nature

And so our worship is being purified for a reason, and we’ve received His nature so that we could become one with Him. So how do you receive His nature? Look at 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 2. This is how the Holy Spirit makes us more like Him. 2 Peter 1:2 says, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power” — notice — “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these” — everybody say, “Through these” — “you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

And so the Word of God, the promises of God, infuse us with the very nature of Jesus. Do you want to know why we often say we like to read our Bibles every day? Because when we read the Word of God, we become more like Him. The Holy Spirit begins to speak to us through His Word. He begins to show us things as we come into His Word with an open heart. How many of you know you can read the Word of God and not get a thing? But if we sincerely, genuinely open our hearts and we say, “Holy Spirit, would You teach me? Teach me the Word. Teach me Your promises,” He speaks to us, and we become more like Him. And so the Scripture, the Word of God, infuses us with His nature — with the nature of the heavenly Bridegroom.

How many of you know Jesus is holy? I said, Jesus is holy. Listen to 1 Peter 1:15–16 — you don’t need to turn there. 1 Peter 1 says, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy’” — why? — “‘for I am holy.’” Be holy, for I am holy.

Why should the church be holy? Because Jesus is holy. Why should we be conformed into His image? Because we want to be like Him, because He is holy. You see, the Lord is looking for people who look like Him. He’s searching to and fro for those whose hearts are His, who become more and more like Him. Why? Because Jesus is coming. The wedding is coming. Amen.

So what do we do? How do you make yourself more holy? Here’s the good news: you don’t. How many of you know you don’t have it in you? You cannot make yourself more holy. The answer is, we need the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit.

A bride for Isaac

We’re going to receive Communion here in a moment, and I want to look at Genesis 24, verses 2 through 6. I believe this is so powerful. It gives us such a picture of what the Lord wants to do. Genesis 24, starting at verse 2: “So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, ‘Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country’” — everybody say, “My country” — “‘and to my family’” — everybody say, “My family” — “‘and take a wife for my son Isaac.’ And the servant said to him, ‘Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?’ But Abraham said to him, ‘Beware that you do not take my son back there.’”

Now, this is such a beautiful picture, because here the servant is a type of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has been given a job. It says “the oldest servant of his house” — that’s pointing to the fact that the Holy Spirit is eternal. So this servant is a type of the Holy Spirit, and the servant’s job is to find a bride for Isaac, who represents Jesus — the eternal Isaac. And today the Holy Spirit has a job that He gladly accomplishes. You may not enjoy your nine-to-five. You may not enjoy your everyday work. But I’m going to tell you this: the Holy Spirit has been given an assignment to prepare and to look for and to call the bride of Christ, because the wedding is coming.

And it is so interesting here, because the servant says, “Well, what if they don’t want to come? What if they don’t want to be a part? Should I still go?” And Abraham says, “Yes, go. I still want you to go.” The Father knows that many will say no to the invitation — that many will not come with the Spirit to meet the husband — but the Father still says, “Go.” How many of you know we have a loving Father? Amen.

But Abraham says, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.” How many of you know the Holy Spirit is only looking for the bride from God’s family? This tells me that Jesus is not going to marry the world, the system, the Antichrist, the perverse. Jesus will only marry like kind. And it’s the Holy Spirit’s pleasure, because how many of you know the Holy Spirit thinks Jesus is phenomenal? Oh, the Holy Spirit longs to bring about this bride — to cause a hunger, to cause a yearning. And so the Holy Spirit right now is performing something on earth that is glorious. He is finding and purifying a bride for the eternal Isaac, Jesus. Amen.

No more lukewarm

We’re going to receive Communion now. I’m going to have the ushers go ahead and bring the table out, and I’m going to invite the worship team to come up and start playing.

Maybe you’ve heard something like this before, but right now there are many in the world who have a low hunger for the Lord. There are many in the church who have a low hunger: “I could really do without the church. I could really do without being there every week. I could really do without all the Scripture, all the singing. I don’t really need that. I’m fine on my own.” But I believe that the Lord is causing a work — that the Holy Spirit is going out, and He’s calling the bride of Christ. He’s calling the bride. And my heart and my prayer is that we would be people who respond to the call — that we would be people that rise up and say, “I’m not settling for anything less. Holy Spirit, would You do a work in me that would cause a hunger for more of You?”

You see, when we come to church, we like the Jesus that erases our sin, but we don’t really want Him to erase our own plan. We come to church and we like the Jesus that forgives our trespasses, but we don’t want to give Him our moment. We like the Jesus who gives us eternal security, but we just want to live how we want to live right now. There is coming a day where all will be judged, where all will stand — both the living and the dead will come before Him face-to-face. I don’t know about you, but I want to be ready for that, because He’s holy.

And yes, I’ve been saved by grace. I’ve been covered by the blood of Jesus. But how many of you know it’s easy to get caught up in the world too? It’s easy to allow those foreign substances into your life — those things that pollute and dilute — until there’s no longer a thirst, because the water is not even really water anymore. But that we would submit and allow Jesus to wash us today — that we would allow Jesus to purify us, to remove those foreign substances, to allow His blood to cleanse us, to wash us, to purify us, so that we can be pure and ready for Him.

And there is a process that He is inviting us into. Listen up, church: there’s a process that the Lord is inviting you into — to grow more and more in love with Him, to want more of Him, to long for Him, to look for Him around every corner you go. You walk out these doors, you’re looking for Jesus. You get in your car, you’re looking for Him. You go into your house: “Where is He? I need Him.” How many of you know you can’t do that alone? But the Holy Spirit can cause a hunger and a thirst and a burning in you. Amen. He wants to do this. He wants to prepare you as the bride. He wants to cause a longing and a thirst.

And so if you’re here today and you’re like, “Well, I think I’m saved, but I don’t know if I’m safe” — listen: the proof that you are eternally secure is that your now is yielded to Him. Amen. That was better than the amen we got. The proof that you are eternally secure is that your now is His. It belongs to Him. When I go to my job, I’m looking for Him. He consumes me. He consumes my thoughts. And we think about that and we’re like, “That sounds like a lot. We’ve got to step back.” But I believe this is the mark of the revival to come: a people who are fully yielded to Him, who are being purified by Him for His return. Amen.

And so it is the Spirit who is gathering the bride for the sake of Jesus’ reward, and He will not be denied His reward. And that’s why we see this relationship between the Spirit and the bride. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” The Holy Spirit is looking and calling the bride to prepare, to be ready, and the bride is rising up and responding and saying, “Yes. Come, Lord. Come.” This is that relationship. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Without the Spirit, there is no bride. Without the Spirit, there is no calling on the Lord. Without the Spirit, there is no yearning for Him. Are you guys with me?

We must yield to the move of the Spirit. We must yield to what He wants to do. We must look to Him and say, “Holy Spirit, do a work in my heart that longs for Him — that I wouldn’t hold back anymore, that I wouldn’t hold on to my own things anymore.” We love to hold on to our stuff. Amen. My plans, my agenda, my purpose. But listen, we can’t be half in and half out. I think one of the worst things to possibly be is a lukewarm believer, because Jesus says, “I will spit you out of My mouth.” What is that? That’s the believer who holds on, who just goes through the motions, but didn’t really give Jesus their heart.

There is something that the Lord is looking for, and it is a burning for more of Him. And if you are a believer — and this is why it’s so terrible — if you are a believer who is lukewarm, the very thing that you try to hold on to in desperation, for your soul and for your life, the Lord will take away, because He’s saying, “Just look at Me. I’m what you need.” But if we can surrender to Him, everything that you were after in the first place is given to you. Didn’t Jesus say that? “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” How many of you know He wants the very best for you? Amen.

But when we try to hold on to the world and we try to hold on to Him, we lose everything. We lose Him, we lose the world, because you can’t do it. Jesus said you cannot serve two masters, because you will hate the one and serve the other. Hard to hear — but I want you to hear the heart of the Lord. The Father is saying, “I am sending My Spirit to you, to cause a work in your heart, to the point where you will deny the world, where that will not be your number one goal. I will cause a work in you to want more of Me.”

How many of you know we’ve been given a gift in the Holy Spirit? And when we receive the Holy Spirit, He gives us more gifts, called the gifts of the Spirit. Why does the Holy Spirit give us more gifts? Why are we adorned with gold? To make us beautiful to the Bridegroom. The church is at its most beautiful when it moves with the Spirit. The worst thing the church can do right now is be in the middle. We’ve got to burn for Him, because if we stay in the middle, we lose everything.

We must call on the Lord. We must look to Him and say, “Holy Spirit, come on, do a work in my heart that is real. I don’t want to fake it anymore. I don’t want to go through the motions anymore. Holy Spirit, do Your work in me. Teach me how to read the Scriptures.” If you read the Bible and you get nothing out of it, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He will help you, because what is His goal? To make you like Him. You want to hear the Lord? Ask the Holy Spirit: “Holy Spirit, teach me how to hear You.” You want to know why He wants to do that? Because He wants to prepare the bride for Jesus. He wants to do this. He wants to make us ready. Amen. And there is no reason — the only thing that will make us not ready is a heart that is not yielded to Him. Amen.

So can we yield our hearts to the Lord this morning? Is that okay? So here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to have the music keep playing, and I would like to keep this an atmosphere of worship right now. We’re going to receive Communion. I’m going to ask that when you’re ready, you would come up and take a piece of the bread that’s been broken and a cup of the juice, and go back to your seats, and then I’m going to pray over you; we’re going to pray together. But this is not a time for talking. I want us to just come and let this be a holy moment between you and the Lord. We celebrate an open Communion here, so if you’re not a member of this church, that’s okay. If you want to receive more of the Lord today, you are welcome to receive Communion.

So let’s all stand together. And just right now, with our eyes closed and our hearts surrendered, just begin to call out to the Lord and say, “Holy Spirit, do a work in me. Cause a thirst and a hunger in me. You are my success. You are my everything, Jesus. Teach us how to love You. Teach us how to walk with You, how to receive from You, how to be more like You.” Thank You, Lord. Come on up, and let’s receive. When you’re ready, just come up and receive the bread and the juice, and then go back to your seat, and we’ll pray.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.