JESUS WANTS A BRIDE -- ARE YOU AVAILABLE?

Ephesians 5:22-32 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. (25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (31) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Philippians 3:1-11 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed [is] not grievous, but for you [it is] safe. (2) Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. (3) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (4) Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: (5) Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; (6) Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (7) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, (9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Ephesians speaks of the Lord and His church as a Husband and Wife.

Even the terms from Adam and Eve's relationship in Genesis 2 are used by Paul to describe the Lord and the Church.
A woman is man's means of producing children with his name.
They are required to become one flesh in order to do that.
Likewise, the Church is God's means of producing fruit, in the sense of ministries, in this world for the Lord.

With that in mind, I want to say that Christ is looking for a Bride.

Are YOU available?

Paul spoke of all the traits of his person that were envied by those believing service to God was involvement in the Judaic religion.

Old Testament worship was very outward oriented.
It was comprised of physical rituals for the most part.
But the New Testament delved into the aspect of humanity on a much deeper level.
It hit the heart and spirit of the matter and of mankind.

Paul abandoned all the focus in his life that was upon those traits greatly honoured by natural Israel.

Why?
He makes a principle statement that we can apply to our lives as well, although Paul applied them to his heritage as a natural Jew.
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

There was a strain of self-focus in these things Paul listed about his natural heritage under law.

One race was better than the others under Old Testament law.
But one foreigner could become part of that race.
Nevertheless the Israelites were deemed "higher" in that sense than the other nations.
And Paul was a Hebrew child of Hebrew parents.
But the New Testament puts no special stress upon Israel or any nation.

All of the tenets of law and Old Testament put the focus on self.

And anything gain to HIM, was loss to CHRIST.
Ethnic advantages would cause the Jews to look more upon themselves than they ought, although we know God did not intend that when He gave law to Israel.

To focus our minds upon SELF is what the serpent successfully accomplished with Eve.

Stan knew God would use mankind to accomplish His will in earth.
So the devil tried to "preoccupy" Eve's mind with something other than God's will.
And the focus he chose to set her eyes upon was SELF.
What better way to get her mind off God's will than to get it on her OWN will?

Gen 3:5-6 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6) And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

If God requires us to do His will, then our PREOCCUPATION with ourselves simply makes us UNAVAILABLE to God!

That was satan's goal, and he succeeded!

Paul said whatever is gain to ME, causes my attention to get off everything else, including God's will.

It reminds me of a salesman who tried selling me some encyclopedias.

I caught his tactic.
He did not start by telling me how much I would have to pay to own the set of books.
He started to ask me questions.
What was my hobby?
What do I like doing in my spare time?
As I started to explain my greatest pastimes, he looked impressed and amazed.
And that was intended to get me to think quite highly of him!
He did not care less of what I enjoyed.
But he made it out that I was involved in the greatest pastimes one could get involved with!
And that was intended to make it appear that this guy was a newly made fan of mine!
He was actually interested in taking my money.
And he knew that making me feel good about mySELF, would cause me to more likely give him my money than by simply asking me for it.

The devil cared less about how eve could make herself better, let alone make herself as gods.

But he appealed to her susceptibility to be lifted up in herself, at her own self-image and self-focus, in order to achieve what he really wanted!
The devil was thrown out of heaven once.
God's will is done in heaven.
You're just not going to get there with the thoughts to raise up your own kingdom in heaven!
And he was thrown to earth.
And he did not want to be thrown out of earth as well!
At least he might rule the world!
So he had to move fast and get man's AVAILABILITY to God messed up, so that God's will would not drive him from the earth as well!
So he had the woman focus upon herself.

The devil knows, to this day,...

(7) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

The devil has successfully put millions of people's attention upon themselves, and thereby caused them to neglect the will of God!

Paul refused to let the enemy do that with him, even THROUGH RELIGION!

That is the reason we BEGIN our prayers as follows:

Mat 6:9-10 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.

Get our attention off SELF, to begin with.

Or forget having an effective prayer!

We need to be available to God for Him to use us.

And we have to get our minds off SELF in order to be available.
God needs a Bride -- are YOU available?
Or are you too caught up in yourself?

We need to live entire lives that are always available to Him.

What God can do with us if we were available to Him!
God calls our "telephones" and gets a busy signal too many times!
Unavailable!
Our minds are on other things.

Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

BE A LIVING SACRIFICE!

Sacrifice SELF life and be available to Him.

Why?

(7) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Rom 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. (7) Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

You cannot please God if you are after the flesh, by having your mind on fleshly things all the time... especially SELF.

Being used in God's Kingdom is absolutely thrilling!
But a preoccupation with SELF will hinder God from ever using you!

Keeping up with Fashion and style is absolutely devastating to the availability God needs in your life to use you.

Not only do the fashions change so much that you could never serve God a moment due to the time required to follow the trends, but these things put your focus upon SELF.
Busy signal!
Unavailable!
Too caught up in SELF.

Another manner the devil succeeds in getting us on SELF is by instigating a person to hurt us to severely that we cannot forget it, and we dwell on it in our minds, and thereby forget all about doing God's will.

How many souls have I seen God use, only to watch them succumb to the devil's ploy to cease their activity for God by getting them focussed upon how much they were hurt by another!
If people can only see through these demonic tactics!
Imagine being severely mistreated by a close person, and thinking, "Satan, you're counting on my concern over self to get me all caught up in this issue. And then you will successfully stop me from serving God due to my unavailability that self-focus puts me into. Well, you're not going to get by with it! I refuse to let this issue bother me to that degree! God will see an available soul when He sees me!"

The devil cannot do ANYTHING to a soul who has lost one's SELF in this manner.

That is what Jesus meant when He said:

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Lose your SELF life, for God's will.

In other words, lose self focus and self concern.
Sacrifice self concern for God's will.
And you will fin d it again for eternity!
God will give you eternal joy.
But if you retain it and refuse to let self focus go, and refuse to be a living sacrifice, making yourself unavailable to God for His use, you'll lose your soul forever!

Young people, you will be interested in marriage.

But watch it, because you can be more concerned over what mate to find, than God's will.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Whatever is GAIN TO YOU... is LOSS TO CHRIST!

Mark it down!

Lose yourself!

Do not allow yourself to be overly concerned with fashion, style and trend!
Realize God wants availability, and that requires whatever is gain to YOU to be abandoned.
Do not allow offenses from others to eat you up until you cannot stop thinking about them.
Someone offends you and you cannot stop thinking about that offense anytime you see the person or think about the person.
You are EATEN UP!
Too concerned over self.
Not broken enough.
Not humble enough.
Too SELF-focused.

2Co 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (15) And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

We are intended to LIVE FOR HIM.

If He died for us, and as a result we can say that we died....
Then our lives towards SELF are over!
We ought to live for Him!
That is why Paul said living sacrificial lives is our reasonable service.
It only stands to reason that you do not live for self, if self has died with Him on the cross!
We still are ourselves, of course.
But we do not live for ourselves!
And overly being concerned for SELF through pride or fashion concentration, or even being offended by someone, simply is living for SELF too much!
LET IT GO!

Phi 3:8-9 Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, (9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Paul knew that if he wanted to know Christ fully.. in the spiritual manner as a man and woman physically have relationship in flesh... he would have to let go of self-preoccupation.

He wanted to truly know Christ.
And we cannot truly know Christ if we are overly concerned over self.
Young people who are here tonight, ... what you could do for God, if you learned this right now!

The high calling of God is not being a pastor as opposed to an usher.

Phi 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It is being available to God for His use, through abandonment of self concern..

Because...

(7) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

JESUS WANTS A BRIDE -- ARE YOU... AVAILABLE?

I have seen the devil put saints who were used of God totally out of commission for months and years!

Something got them focused upon self, and God's opportunity to use the person was finished ever since!
They were offended.
They simply became enamoured over preoccupation with self in some manner.

JESUS WANTS A BRIDE -- ARE YOU AVAILABLE

Let me lose myself and find it, Lord, in thee!

Lose SELF and dedicate your life to God's will, and the devil cannot touch you!

The devil attacked Job's possessions and family.

The devil almost reeled in unbelief when Job stood up and said, "Naked came I into this world, and naked shall I leave. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
The devil cannot understand someone who denies self so much, since satan was so filled with self-pride, himself.
So boggle the mind of the devil!
Drive him mad!
Deny self and truly love God more than yourself!
If you love someone, you will give your life for that person.
Give it to God in living dedication and availability to Him.
Living sacrifices!