The Preparation of the Bride
Message Five
The Righteousness of the Bride
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture Reading:
Rev. 19:7-8 Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.
Rev. 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are Your works, Lord God the Almighty! Righteous and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!
Matt. 5:20 For I say to you, Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
I. God’s righteousness is what God is in His actions of justice and righteousness; God’s justice is the unshakable foundation of His throne—Rev. 15:3: (Monday, Tuesday)
A.Righteousness has four aspects of meaning: Righteousness is being right with God and with things according to God’s just and strict requirements; righteousness is the outward expression of Christ as the Spirit who lives within us; righteousness is a matter of the kingdom of God; righteousness is being right with God in what we are—Matt. 5:20.
B.Righteousness is related to God’s outward actions, ways, deeds, and activities; everything God does is righteous, and all that God is in His fairness and justice constitutes His righteousness—Rev. 15:3.
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II. God is righteous on the blood of His Son Jesus—1 John 1:9: (Wednesday, Thursday)
A.His word, which is the word of the truth of His gospel, tells us that He will forgive our sins because of Christ; Christ’s blood has satisfied God’s righteous requirement so that He can forgive our sins.
B.To forgive us is to release us from the debt of sin; to cleanse us is to wash away the defilement of our unrighteousness.
III. Righteousness is related to the kingdom of God—Rom. 14:17:
A.The church life is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is righteousness; God’s throne is established with righteousness as its foundation.
B.Where God’s righteousness is, God’s kingdom is also; the first result of righteousness is the image of God; then, righteousness establishes the kingdom of God.
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IV.The righteousness of the bride is seen in Revelation 19:7-8—Rev. 19:7-8: (Friday, Saturday)
A. Christ becomes the believers’ righteousness in two aspects: Christ as our objective righteousness for us to be justified by God in Him; Christ as our subjective righteousness, dwelling in us to live for us a life that is justified by God and is always accepted by God—Rev. 19:7-8.
B.Christ is lived out from the saints as their subjective righteousness to be their wedding garment—Rev. 19:8.
C.The Lord’s bride, His wife, “has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints”—19:7b-8.
D.”Blessed are those [the overcoming saints] who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb”; the overcoming believers who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb are also the bride of the Lamb—Rev. 19:9.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Rev. 19:7-8 Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.
Word of Appetizer
What is the righteousnesses of the bride? How can we produce such a garment of righteousness?
The bride in Revelation 19:7-8 refers to redeemed and transformed tripartite mankind. This bride will wear white linen, which is the righteousnesses of the saints. If we would have a share in this bride, who is adorned with bright, shining, clean righteousness, we need to adorn ourselves with righteousness.
We produce it by walking daily according to the Spirit of life and by having a life that is a life of the Spirit.
Spiritual Burden
The Lord’s bride, His wife, “has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints”. The fine linen indicates our overcoming life, our overcoming living. The fine linen is the Christ whom we live out of our being. The righteousness we received for our salvation is objective and enables us to meet the requirement of the righteous God, whereas the righteousnesses of the overcoming saints are subjective and enable them to meet the requirement of the overcoming Christ.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The righteousness of God is what God is in His action with respect to justice and righteousness.
There are four aspects of the definition of righteousness.
Righteousness is related to God’s outward acts, ways, actions, and activities.
God is righteous in the blood of Jesus His Son.
Righteousness is related to the kingdom of God.
In Revelation 19:7-8 we see the righteousness of the bride.
The Experience of Life
Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The church life is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is righteousness. Suppose a brother and his wife live in the Spirit and walk according to the Spirit. They will be happy, and their children will be happy also. What a glorious family life that would be! Others will be able to see the image of God and realize that the kingdom of God is present in that family. This is righteousness in the family life.
Practice and Application
Righteousness is a matter of our being right with God in our being. To be right with God in our being is to have an inner being that is transparent and crystal clear, an inner being that is in the mind and will of God.
If we would have a share in this bride, we need to adorn ourselves with the bright, shining, and pure righteousness. Day by day we need to prepare bright linen clothing to cover ourselves. This is our daily righteousness. We produce such a garment of righteousness by walking daily according to the Spirit of life and by having a life that is a life of the Spirit.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 God is righteous as well as holy (1 John 1:9; 2 Cor. 3:8-9)
(Please illustrate that whereas holiness is related to God’s inward nature, righteousness is related to God’s outward acts, ways, actions, and activities.)
T2 Awake from the drunken stupor righteously and do not sin (1 Cor. 15:34)
(Please illustrate that what does it mean to awake from a drunken stupor righteously?)
Day 2
T1 Even when we do not do anything wrong, we still may not be right with God (2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 4:24)
(Please illustrate that apparently, we are not wrong in any way; however, our entire being may be far short of being right with God.)
T2 There is no need for us to purpose to fulfill the Ten Commandments (Rom. 7:24; 8:1-2)
(Please illustrate that once again I say that if we walk according to the Spirit of life, every commandment will be fulfilled in us unconsciously and spontaneously.)
Day 3
T1 The Spirit produces righteousness, and righteousness is the image (Rom. 14:17; 8:4)
(Please illustrate that when we have righteousness, we have the expression of the God we serve and worship.)
T2 Righteousness is related to the kingdom of God (Psa. 89:14; Rom. 14:17)
(Please illustrate that righteousness first issues in the image of God. Then righteousness establishes the kingdom of God. )
Day 4
T1 Jasper denotes God’s image, His expression (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Pet. 3:13)
(Please illustrate that we are preparing our bridal gown, a gown that will have the appearance of righteousness, which is the expression of God.)
T2 Ministering Christ as the life-giving Spirit and as righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Pet. 3:13)
(Please illustrate that what it means for righteousness will dwell in the new heaven and new earth.)
Day 5
T1 This bride will wear white linen, which is the righteousnesses of the saints (Rev. 19:7-8)
(Please illustrate that how can we produce such a garment of righteousness? )
T2 There are two aspects of Christ being righteousness from God to the believers (Luke 15:22-23)
(Please illustrate that these two aspects are typified by the best robe and the fattened calf in Luke 15:22-23. )
Day 6
T1 In Psalm 45 the queen has two garments (Psa. 45:13-14; Rev. 3:4-5)
(Please illustrate that we need not only justification but also approval.)
T2 The fine linen, bright and clean is the beauty of the bride (Rev. 3:4-5)
(Please illustrate that the righteousnesses of the bride here denote the subjective righteousness, Christ as the righteousness which has been constituted into our being.)
