will you please turn to the gospel according
to john chapter 3 gospel according to john
chapter 3 verse
29 just one verse john chapter 3 verse
29 he that has the bride is the
bridegroom but the friend of the bridegroom who
stands and hears him rejoices in heart because
of the voice of the bridegroom this my
joy then is fulfilled the song of songs
the song of Solomon chapter 2
verse 8 song of songs song of Solomon
chapter 2 verse 8 the voice of my
beloved behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains
skipping upon the hills same book chapter 5
verse 2 chapter 5 verse 2 I slept
but my heart was awake the voice of
my beloved he knocked open to me my
sister my love my dove my undefiled for
my head is filled with you my locks
with the drops of the night and finally
Matthew chapter 25 Matthew
chapter 25 verse 6 but in the middle
of the night there was a cry behold
the bridegroom go forth to meet him may
we look to the Lord in prayer our
Heavenly Father as we continue in thy presence
we do pray that the light of thy
countenance may shine upon us remove from our
hearts any veil that may be there that
we may behold the glory of the Lord
with unveiled face and be transformed from glory
to glory according to his image by the
Lord the spirit we ask the Lord that
our will release thy word to us tonight
speak to our heart draw us to thyself
show us the beauty of thy beloved son
that we may run after thee in the
name of our Lord Jesus we mentioned last
night that John the Baptist considered himself as
a friend of the bridegroom when he heard
the voice of the bridegroom he was glad
and his joy was fulfilled now this evening
we would like to continue on with the
voice of the bridegroom John the Baptist was
a voice in the wilderness preparing the way
of the Lord but before that voice passed
away the voice of the bridegroom was heard
and when John heard the voice of the
bridegroom his joy was filled and we do
look to the Lord that tonight we may
also hear the voice of the bridegroom and
thus our joy be filled now historically we
know that John the Baptist began his ministry
six months ahead of our Lord Jesus because
he was the forerunner of our Lord and
there in the wilderness he began to cry
repent for the kingdom of the heavens has
drawn out but after six months his voice
was silent he was put into prison by
King Herod then our Lord Jesus began his
public ministry in real earnestness we remember how
he began in Galilee and when our Lord
Jesus began his ministry his message to the
people was the same repent for the kingdom
of the heavens has drawn out even though
there were two voices one voice has just
passed and the other voices voice began and
yet the message was one repent for the
kingdom of the heavens has drawn out that
is the preparation for then we began to
hear the voice of the bridegroom and the
first voice that we hear of the bridegroom
is the voice calling people to himself if
you look into Matthew chapter 4 verse
17 from that time began Jesus to preach
and to say repent for the kingdom of
the heavens has drawn out here our Lord
Jesus continue to call the people to repent
and if any person will repent then he
will come to the Lord so in Matthew
chapter 11 we find it is said come
to me all ye who labor and are
burdened and I will give you rest the
result of repenting is to come to the
Lord the voice of the bridegroom is saying
come to me all ye who labor and
are heavy laden come to me and I
will give you rest in John chapter 5
we find our Lord Jesus said verily verily
I say unto you he that hears my
voice and believe in the one who has
sent me he shall have eternal life he
is passed out of death into life and
again on the last day of the feast
of the tabernacle our Lord Jesus stood on
high place and he cried if anyone is
thirsty come to me and drink of me
he that believe it as the scripture said
out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water and then in chapter 10 of
the gospel of John the Lord Jesus said
I'm the good shepherd my sheep hear my
voice I gave my life for my sheep
and no one can take my sheep out
of my hand so here you find the
voice of the bridegroom the first voice of
the bridegroom is said come to me anyone
who is heavily burdened anyone who is thirsty
anyone who is dead in sins and transgressions
can come to him and if we come
to him we shall find rest we shall
be satisfied and we will be secured that
is the voice of the bridegroom in terms
of our Savior and I believe brothers and
sisters we have all have heard that voice
we have come to him and we find
rest in him we find our sins forgiven
we find eternal life we find eternal security
in Christ Jesus but then the voice of
the bridegroom continues and if you read Matthew
chapter 4 verse 18 you'll find after the
Lord Jesus said repent then the next voice
is and walking by the Sea of Galilee
he saw two brothers Simon called Peter and
Andrew his brother casting a net into the
sea for they were fishers and he said
to them verse 19 come after me and
I will make you fishers of men it
is still the voice of the bridegroom but
here you'll find the voice gets a little
bit deeper instead of calling us to come
to him he said come after me not
only to come to him and find rest
but to come after him it is the
call of discipleship the call of discipleship it
is also the voice of the bridegroom he
wants us not only to come to him
and be saved but he wants those who
have come to him and are saved to
come after him he said learn of me
take my yoke upon you and learn of
me for I'm lowly and kneeking heart and
you shall find rest in your soul he
said if anyone wants to come after me
he must deny himself take up his cross
daily and follow me if you lose your
life for my sake you shall find it
if you find your life today you shall
lose it dear brothers and sisters it is
still the voice of the bridegroom calling us
to come after him it is not enough
just to come to him we who have
come to him we have to come after
him we have to lay down ourselves deny
ourselves take up our cross and follow him
we must learn of him we are his
disciples he call us to follow him that
is also the voice of the bridegroom and
you know to come to him is to
receive all that he has provided for us
to come after him it requires a little
cost we have to deny ourselves and how
many of God's people refuse to deny themselves
they do not want to take up their
cross and follow the Lord and learn of
him so the cry of the Lord to
us tonight is that if you have already
come to him and you have not yielded
your life to him you have not accepted
him as your Lord as well as your
savior you have not put your life into
his hand you have not yet deny yourself
and take up the cross then you do
it tonight because he is calling you to
do that but it does not end here
if you turn to John chapter 21 and
you'll find the voice of the bridegroom is
calling again and in that case of course
we know that he is talking to Simon
Peter in John chapter 21 verse 15 when
therefore they had dined Jesus said to Simon
Peter Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me
more than these that he says to him
yea Lord thou knowest that I'm attached to
thee and he says to him feed my
lambs we know the story of Simon Peter
when he met the Lord the first time
his brother Angel took him to the Lord
Jesus and the Bible tells us that the
Lord just look at him it is not
just a casual glance but the Lord really
look him over and the Lord said now
you are Simon but you shall be called
Peter and from that day on this man
became a believer of our Lord Jesus then
the Lord Jesus called this man to follow
him he was fishing because he was a
fisherman and the Lord Jesus passed by the
sea of Galilee and saw Simon and his
brother Angel they were casting their nets and
the Lord Jesus said come after me and
I will make you fishers of men and
you remember Simon and his brother Angel they
left the nets and follow the Lord they
responded to the call now of course we
know from the record in Luke chapter 5
after he had followed the Lord for a
time when the Lord began to come to
his city Capernaum you remember Simon went back
to fishing again that night but he didn't
catch any fish and the next morning our
Lord Jesus borrowed his boat to preach to
the multitude and after he finished preaching he
told Simon launch out to the deep and
cast the net now Simon being a fisherman
he said for the whole night there was
no fish but in respect as a respect
to the master he just follow the instruction
and to his surprise he caught a full
net of fishes he realized who this man
was he knelt before him and said Lord
depart from me I'm a sinner I'm not
worthy to be your disciple as a matter
of fact secretly Simon was thinking of dropping
out and that's the reason why he went
fishing he felt that he would never make
it but the Lord Jesus said fear not
I will make you a fisher of men
and from that day onward you remember how
he followed the Lord Jesus and even when
you come to the gospel of John chapter
6 when the Lord Jesus began to say
something hard to hear seek not for the
food that perishes but seek for the food
that does not perish do the work of
God I'm the bread of life he that
eats of me he that drinks of me
shall have eternal life and shall never die
and when people heard about these things the
bible said many of his disciples said this
is too hard we don't understand and they
drop out when the Lord Jesus turned to
that few that were with him said do
you want to go to Simon Peter said
Lord where should we go you have the
word of eternal life we are stuck with
you we will follow you to the very
end and here you'll find Simon Peter really
follow after the Lord it was a very
difficult time for him how he was disciplined
by the Lord again and again of all
the twelve disciples he was the one that
was most disciplined you know who was the
one that was the least disciplined or not
disciplined Judas but Simon was the one who
was most disciplined by the Lord but no
matter how the Lord disciplined him he wouldn't
go he wouldn't go and when after three
years before our Lord Jesus was betrayed and
crucified on that night the Lord Jesus said
all you will be scattered and Simon Peter
said no Lord the others may scattered but
I am going to die with you I
stick with you I love you I'm willing
to die with you and you remember that
very night he denied the Lord three times
thank God after our Lord Jesus was risen
from the dead you remember that he appeared
to Simon Peter alone we do not know
what happened in that interview oh how Simon
Peter needed that but we can imagine after
denying the Lord probably he felt that from
now on probably I'm finished would the Lord
ever forgive me would the Lord ever receive
me accepted me as his disciples again and
no doubt when the Lord appeared to Simon
alone the Lord assured him of his love
but then that morning when Simon and a
few of the other disciples were fishing again
the Lord appeared to them and during the
breakfast time the Lord Jesus turned to Simon
Peter in the company of the other disciples
and he asked him a question it is
the voice of the bridegroom Simon son of
Junah do you love me more than these
you know why the Lord Jesus asked him
these questions three times the Lord had already
met him privately and assured him of his
love why then did the Lord Jesus should
ask him this question three times before the
other disciples I believe it is not to
assure him of the Lord's love towards him
but actually to restore Peter of his first
love you remember in Revelation chapter 2 the
voice of the bridegroom to the church in
Ephesus said you have lost your first love
how are you going to regain it remember
when where did you fall and repent and
do the first words so here you'll find
our Lord Jesus is reminding Peter trying to
restore his first love towards the Lord so
he asked him do you love me more
than these the fire he failed by the
fireside the company he was in company with
the servants of the high priest he loved
company do you love these more than me
the food his own life ah Peter thought
he loved the Lord but he discovered that
he loved himself more than he loved the
Lord and here the Lord Jesus said do
you love me do you love me and
Peter dare not say he loved the Lord
with all his heart he knew he had
failed but strangely he said Lord you know
even though I cannot say I really love
you more than anything else because I have
failed but strangely I feel I am attached
to you I cannot get away from you
and the Lord said feed my lambs three
times the Lord asked him do you love
me and by asking this question dear brothers
and sisters I believe Peter's first love was
restored and because his first love was restored
the Lord was able to commit his sheep
his land into the hand of Simon Peter
dear brothers and sisters what is the voice
of the bridegroom the voice of the bridegroom
begin with come to me continue on with
come after me and it is consummated in
do you love me you know the relationship
between the bride and the bridegroom is love
if there is no love if there are
lots of activities if there are lots of
works lots of labors lots of knowledge lots
of service and yet if there is no
love then you'll find something is basically wrong
the one thing that the bridegroom is looking
in the bride is love first love when
we first believe in the Lord Jesus we
love him you know when you are first
saved when your sins are being forgiven and
you know you have his life in you
oh it's so marvelous at that time you
really love him with all your heart at
that time you don't think of yourself at
that time nothing you will consider as too
costly for him you're willing to give up
everything for him you think of him and
you really love him that's first love but
dear brothers and sisters even though we have
that first love in time but it may
not be in first quality you find that
that first love has to be developed first
love has to be increased until it is
not only first in time but first in
quality you really love him you're willing to
lay down yourself for him and because of
this i cannot help but return to the
song of songs because the song of songs
is a song of loves and here you'll
find it is that relationship between the virgin
and the beloved now in the song of
songs you find we read two verses and
these two verses tell us one thing the
voice of the beloved you know in the
song of songs you find that the virgin
heard the voice of the beloved this
virgin the song of songs began not with
getting saved the song of songs began with
one who is saved who is in his
for her first love she had just tasted
the grace of god in christ jesus and
her heart is just stirred within her he
she wanted to know more of the beloved
so it does not start with getting saved
it is not starting with a prodigal son
returning home the prodigal son has already returned
home and because of this he wants to
know more of his father's love so the
song of songs begin with a cry from
the heart of one who is just stirred
in her first love for her beloved and
she cry out that she may have a
closer walk a closer relationship more intimate relationship
with the one whom she loved and because
of her cry her cry was answered you'll
find how she was brought into the chambers
how she was banqueting sitting at the table
with the beloved how she was resting together
with the beloved even though at that time
she had to pay a little cost because
even the brothers of her mother do not
understand her and yet there you'll find how
she rested in the beloved you know brothers
and sisters after we are saved and if
we really have a heart for him we
really desire for him the lord really answered
our desire you know the reason why some
people do not think seem to progress in
the lord is because they don't have a
much desire for the lord if you really
desire for the lord if you really cry
for him you really want to know him
and know him more he will come to
you you will find that he is really
near to you he will read you lead
you into his chambers in other words he
will lead you into all kinds of experiences
he will exhibit to you he will show
you his unsearchable riches in one room you
will see certain thing in another room you
will enjoy another thing and you will be
sitting together with him and you will be
resting in him you will find that how
restful he is how rich he is you
have a real time with him and as
you are doing that probably you will be
misunderstood sometimes by some people they think that
you are just too passive you are just
wanting the lord and nothing else you know
and you will be misunderstood but that's a
very little cost to pay she was so
comfortable with her beloved she thought that that
was just wonderful and then suddenly in chapter
2 verse 8 the voice of my beloved
she thought that the beloved was with her
but then suddenly he discovered that the lord
the beloved was not with her she heard
the voice of the beloved the voice of
the beloved coming from outside she was in
the room she was in bed she was
walled in but the voice of the beloved
coming through the window and the voice of
the beloved coming and calling her to come
out with him the winter is over the
summer is coming come out and go with
him to the mountains over the hills now
brothers and sisters when we have a real
life with the lord we find all our
supplies in him we find our rest in
him or how we want just to stay
there forever we think that that's everything and
you know as a matter of fact we
are enjoying the lord that's true we say
we love the lord yeah we do but
actually we love the lord because we enjoy
him so much as a matter of fact
it is very self-centered even in our
spiritual pursuit it is really the lord is
mine it is for me he is for
me and i enjoy him so much i
will not let him go i just want
to stay here and continue to enjoy him
in other words we are still very much
self-centered in our spiritual pursuit and the
lord has to call us out the voice
of the beloved dear brothers and sisters the
lord has so much for us to learn
and yet we are so contented with the
little that we have of him we think
that is enough but the beloved said it
is just the beginning come out come out
of yourself go with me on to resurrection
ground and you know only when we come
out of ourselves and come with him onto
resurrection ground we really come begin to have
a union with him if you read the
song of songs carefully you will find that
before this time we may say it is
still in the period in the stage of
courtship it is as if there is a
courtship between the virgin and the beloved how
the virgin sought for the beloved and how
the beloved came to him her and try
to draw her out so we may say
it's just in the stage of courtship not
until you come out of yourself instead of
trying to hold the lord to yourself that
you may enjoy him but you're willing to
let go of yourself and go move on
with him to the resurrection ground really there
is still no engagement you know the engagement
period actually come after the virgin respond to
the call to the voice of the beloved
leave her bed go out of the room
and try to find him and it is
there you'll find she it was moved on
to resurrection ground what is resurrection resurrection is
life out of death you have to go
through death and anything that goes into death
and cannot come out from death that is
the old creation that is yourself but if
you can go through death and something can
come out of death that is resurrection that
is the new creation that is christ himself
so brothers and sisters the voice of the
beloved is calling us to come out of
ourselves even all our spiritual self we think
we are very spiritual we think that we
really love the lord we think we really
know him even that we have to come
out of it until we move on to
resurrection ground that is to say nothing but
christ his life he is our life he
is our resurrection life and only when we
move to resurrection ground you find there is
the espousal the this be total the engagement
you remember the apostle paul said to the
church in corinth i'm jealous with you with
the jealousy of god because i have espoused
you to one man even jesus christ assays
virgins to that one man and i'm fearful
that you may be enticed by the enemy
like eve was deceived oh brothers and sisters
we are his and he is very jealous
of us we are exposed to him as
case virgin to that one man our lord
jesus and if we are really espoused to
him then you have to move on resurrection
ground because only on resurrection ground you are
really one with him on this side of
resurrection is you on that side of resurrection
is he so we have to move on
into resurrection ground in order to be really
espoused to him now how do we know
that this was the time he was and
really engaged because if you read chapter 3
verse 11 go forth daughters of zion and
behold king solomon with the crown wherewith his
mother crowned him in the day of his
espousals and in the day of the gladness
of his heart when that virgin she heard
the voice of the beloved and are willing
to go out of herself and follow him
then you'll find it was the time of
espousal and then following that in chapter four
you will find verse eight is they come
with me from lebanon my spouse with me
from lebanon now before that you'll find the
lord never called the virgin my spouse my
love but not my spouse but after that
you'll find he called that virgin my spouse
there is an engagement there is a deeper
union with the because it is now on
resurrection ground and being on resurrection ground you
begin to enter into the ascension ground the
victory that is in christ jesus we cannot
experience the victory in christ jesus until we
are on resurrection ground and there we experience
his victory so here you'll find that virgin
after she experienced the victory that is in
christ jesus he felt that that must be
the peak of everything now that must be
the end and here your chapter 5 verse
2 again i slept he was so satisfied
now i slept but my heart was awake
the voice of my beloved again you'll find
she heard the voice of the beloved oh
brothers and sisters how we need to hear
the voice of the bridegroom and as we
hear his voice he is calling us moving
us on with him until we are really
united with him in purpose so here you'll
find again this virgin was resting she felt
that she has reached the peak of her
spiritual life she got the victory of christ
now what else can you have but fortunately
even though she was asleep her heart was
still awake now how can that be all
the mothers know how it can be you
know the mothers when they are sleeping they
are really sleeping but their heart is awake
because when the baby utter a little noise
immediately mother knows it because the heart is
awake so here you'll find this virgin even
though she she was asleep but her heart
was awake and she heard the voice of
the beloved she find that the beloved was
no longer there the beloved actually was outside
and say open to me my sister for
my head is filled with you my luck
with the drops of the night brothers and
sisters that is a picture of the garden
of gethsemane you find that our lord jesus
on that night how he went into the
garden of gethsemane and there how he prayed
and even his sweat came down as blood
that is the picture here you'll find the
beloved is calling her betrothed to join with
him in the fellowship of his sufferings not
only to know the power of his resurrection
oh how great to know the power of
his resurrection but brothers and sisters that is
just a preparation for what is going to
follow because here you'll find the beloved is
calling her to have fellowship with his sufferings
now of course we know the sufferings of
the lord there is one aspect of his
suffering that we can never share with him
in other words when our lord jesus suffer
on the cross and shed his blood for
the remission of our sins he had to
tread the wine all by himself because he
is the one who bore our sins in
his body no one can share with that
brothers and sisters there is one aspect of
the sufferings of christ that we have absolutely
no part in it because of his atoning
suffering atoning death we receive the good of
it we receive the remission of sin but
you know the sufferings of christ have other
aspect and in the other aspect he called
us to share with his suffering the fellowship
of his sufferings oh we find how our
lord jesus suffer for righteousness sake how our
lord jesus suffer because of his sympathy towards
the world how our lord jesus suffer because
of the church that the church may be
born how he prevail until he find that
seed to satisfy his heart and many other
areas and here you'll find the lord jesus
calling us to share with his suffering you
remember paul in caution said how he travail
how he feel of that which is lacking
in afflictions of christ for the body which
is the church after the church is born
the church needs to grow and for that
how we need to share the sufferings of
christ if anyone is weak paul said i'm
weak oh how his heart is burdened with
the people how he toil and prevail in
prayer for the galatians brothers and sisters there
is the fellowship of his suffering he is
calling us to suffer together with him that
the church may be built and you know
at first the patrol fine she couldn't do
it she said i have already put off
my tunic how should i put it on
i have washed my feet how could i
should i pollute myself she didn't want to
do it but then she saw the hand
of the beloved that pierced it nail pierced
hand and that moved her to the very
death so she got up she went out
she couldn't find her him and she suffered
and finally you'll find she found and he
was in that stage you read you read
these words in chapter six verse eight there
are three score queens and four score concubines
and virgins without number my dove my undefiled
is but one he is she is the
only one of a mother she is the
choice one of her that bore her the
daughter saw her and called her blessed the
queens and the concubines and they praise her
and then following verse 13 return return oh
shulamite return return that we may look upon
thee why should you look upon the shulamite
as it was the dance of two camps
here we find the marriage not only the
engagement but the marriage here you'll find this
virgin had become shulamite you know shulamite is
the feminine of solomon solomon is the masculine
and shulamite is the feminine in other words
you'll find that the virgin being called by
the beloved and responded to the voice of
the bridegroom and she moved on with the
beloved until she came to a point that
she was really one with him not only
in life but in purpose and that union
is a perfect marriage union shulamite one
with solomon united with solomon in one dear
brothers and sisters we know that our lord
jesus is always calling us on do not
think that because you have known him a
little bit you have received something from him
you have enjoyed him to a certain degree
therefore you just are so contented and you
just stay put do you not hear the
voice of the beloved he is always calling
you on and on he is calling you
to come out of yourself and enter into
him until you're really joined with him in
one purpose and that is the marriage of
the lamb oh that we may hear the
voice of the bridegroom of course one
day we shall hear a voice behold the
bridegroom you know brothers and sisters if
we are hearing the voice of the beloved
if we are really moving on with him
no doubt there will be a cry in
our heart oh that he may come oh
that it will be consummated by his return
you know even in the song of songs
you'll find towards the end the last verse
it is the cry of that loved one
saying haste my beloved and be thou like
a gazelle or a young heart upon the
mountain of spices after she has experienced the
lord in such a way there is left
only one cry and that is haste quickly
come back quickly in other words that virgin
has already the spirit of rapture her heart
was already there but he is longing for
the time when the bridegroom shall return and
claim her as his bride haste my beloved
in the book of revelation chapter 22 you'll
find the same thing the spirit and the
bride come oh brothers and sisters throughout the
generations and the ages those who have heard
the voice of the beloved have been and
is are still now looking forward to the
coming of the bridegroom that is the consummation
in Matthew chapter 25 we find how the
ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom
but because the bridegroom delayed therefore they fell
asleep and suddenly at midnight a cry behold
the bridegroom finally the bridegroom even
in the first century the apostles they were
looking forward to the coming again of the
lord you know sometimes people said they must
be mistaken because the lord will not come
in the first century how do you know
even in a time of the first century
you'll find that those who love the lord
they were waiting for the lord to return
in their lifetime and they were right because
the lord could return but he didn't and
you know during the second and the third
century when the christians were being persecuted how
did they greet one another they greet one
another with the word maranatha the lord is
coming that's their blessed hope that the lord
had not come every generation every century you
find those who have heard the voice of
the beloved those who love the lord they
are looking forward to the coming of the
lord because that is the consolation of loves
if anyone is not looking forward to the
coming of the lord he must be a
wicked servant because the wicked servant fading his
heart the master will not come yet if
you really love the lord your heart will
go out you will pray haste come lord
jesus come dear brothers and sisters have we
heard the voice of the bridegroom are we
longing to hear that voice when the voice
of the bridegroom was heard historically you know
in a jewish marriage when the voice of
the bridegroom was heard it means that the
bridegroom had arrived finally the bridegroom had arrived
and this is our blessed hope i
would like to read to you a hymn
written by our dear brother watchman he wrote
this after china went red and
the christians were under great pressure and difficulties
and it was at the time he wrote
a hymn unfortunately the english translation is not
ideal the chinese is much better but i
cannot read to you the chinese because most
of you won't understand you need the gift
of interpretation so i like to read to
you with the english translation and you can
sense the feeling of god's people the longing
for the bride bride things long ago at
bethany we parted within my heart there is
a ceaseless void how can i take my
heart down from the willow how can my
song without thee be enjoyed and when at
night i'm keeping lonely vigil grow dumb a
light to sorrow and to cheer then i
recall the promise of thy coming but sigh
oh lord why why thou does not yet
appear thy manger makes wakes the thought i
too am homeless thy cross strips earthly pleasures
from my soul thy coming bids me seek
a better country for thou thyself art now
my final goal things are gone my joy
has lost its flavor my song the sweetness
i will fame convey things are gone the
sense of void overwhelms me oh how i
long that thou will come and not delay
though even now i know thy loving presence
yet in my heart there's still a sense
of lack enlightening and tenderest sustaining can no
more satisfy i want thee back despite my
thy peace within i still feel lonely despite
thy joy there still remain a sigh when
i feel most content the silent yearning to
see thee face to face becomes an uttered
cry what exile cannot but desire his homeland
and long his people once again to greet
what soul on alien soil forgets his kindred
what parted lovers never yearn to meet oh
lord how can these earthly loves and pleasures
with all the joy of thy return compare
then if i cannot hear behold thy countenance
what can i do but sigh till thou
my lord couldest thou oh lord forget thy
word or promise soon to return and take
me unto thee yet day by day and
year by year i waited and still i
wait and no return i see remember lord
the years i have been waiting while thy
dear footsteps linger far away how long how
long oh must i waste you longer till
thou shalt come again in glorious array from
generation unto generation thy saints have come and
gone but have not seen thy glorious promise
pass into fulfillment how long how very long
the time has been why cannot we dear
lord discern thy footsteps why are the heavens
still so closely sealed oh must be our
waiting be prolonged still further before thou in
thy massless splendor art revealed lord i recall
the many years i've waited for thy return
yet lord not i alone but i dear
saint throughout many generations beseeching thee to come
back for thine own to countless tears and
countless fervent pleadings by thy appear in haste
to make reply oh may thou come the
echo of the ages come come and answer
me now this mighty corporate brothers and sisters
throughout the centuries throughout the generations oh the
cry of the church is come lord jesus
why why is it that the bridegroom delayed
remember one thing the bridegroom is most anxious
to come but he cannot come because the
bride has not made herself ready he can
come in the first century but he cannot
he can come in the 19th century but
he cannot he can come now tonight but
if he should delay and not come tonight
is because he cannot not because he will
not is there any bridegroom who is not
anxious to claim his bride oh our lord
jesus is most anxious to return but unfortunately
the bride is not ready do you think
we are waiting for him or is he
waiting for us do you know that his
coming in a sense depends on our conditions
you know the timetable of god is flexible
it is not mechanical at all he does
not say now two thousand years just on
the dot he will come his timetable is
spiritual it is conditioned by the readiness of
the bride and that's the reason why the
spirit of god is moving through the 20th
centuries and especially in our time because the
day is drawing very very close and that's
the reason why the spirit of god is
calling is calling is calling us get ready
get ready for him are we ready in
one sense we are never ready did anyone
think that he's ready he's not ready but
in another sense we have to be ready
oh how we need to repent i believe
repentance is as something that need to be
continuous continuous repentance why not in the sense
that we repent all over again as if
we were not saved no you cannot do
that once you have repented and believe in
the lord jesus you cannot repent again but
repentance in the sense as the more you
hear the voice of the beloved the more
you see the glory of the lord the
more you discover more ground to repent we
need to repent if we see the lord
if we see him if we see him
more there is more to repent that will
keep us in a broken and contrite situation
and that is the sacrifice that god likes
so the question today is this if we
really long for the bridegroom to return then
brothers and sisters we have a responsibility you
know we can hasten his return we can
delay his return if we cooperate with the
holy spirit because that's what the holy spirit
is doing today then we can hasten the
return of the lord if we do not
repent we can delay his return now tonight
we will not go into this matter of
how the bride has made herself ready god
willing we'll go into that tomorrow but tonight
we just want to put this before us
the voice of the bridegroom he is calling
us calling us that we may truly be
one with him be like him and when
this happened there will be the marriage feast
we do pray that thou will stir our
hearts that we may raise our voice unto
thee and said haste my beloved come lord
jesus come quickly but lord we do know
that god waiting for us oh that we
may hear thy voice move on with thee
that we may truly be one with thee
that thou may see that we are ready
for thee to come and claim us for
thyself lord we want to lay ourselves at
thy feet and invite thy holy spirit to
perfect the work that thou has already begun
in the name of our lord jesus amen