The Great Exchange

... I call it ' The Great Exchange '

Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven,
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed,
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might become righteouswith His righteousness,
Jesus died our death that we might share His life,
Jesus became poor with our poverty that we might become rich with His riches,
Jesus bore our shame that we might share his glory,
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance as children of God,
Jesus became a curse that we might receive a blessing

The trauma of death by crucifixion

God's Creation

Take 5

Take 5

Dean Sherman

Our Bridegroom

The Bridal Paradigm

I.  The Bridegroom Message is a Call to Active Intimacy with God

The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God ... We have received ... The Spirit ... That we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:10–12)

A.  The Bridegroom message is a call to active intimacy with God. The Bridal message speaks of God’s invitation for us to experience the deep things of His heart (emotions, affections). To enjoy active intimacy with Jesus includes feeling His heart for us. The Bridal message speaks of experiencing Jesus’ emotions (desire, affections).

You may be able to comprehend … The width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ... (Ephesians 3:18–19)

B.  To understand Jesus as a passionate Bridegroom is to soon see ourselves as a cherished Bride. Intimacy causes our hearts to be lovesick for Jesus (inflamed; enraptured; overcome by His love). This prophecy emphasizes that we will “call out” in two different directions. First, we call out to Jesus in intercession to “come to us.” Second, we call out to people who thirst to “come to Jesus.” This cry renews believers and brings unbelievers to salvation

C.  As sons of God, we are in the position to experience God’s Throne as heirs of His power/authority (Rev. 3:21; Rom. 8:17). As the Bride, we are in position to experience God’s heart (emotions, affections or desire for us). Both are unique positions of privilege before God.

D.  As women are the sons of God, so men are the Bride of Christ. Both describe our position of privilege before God, rather than pointing to something that is intrinsically male or female. Most Christian women do not struggle with the idea of being sons of God because they do not see it as a call to be less feminine. However, often men struggle with being the Bride of Christ because they wrongly conclude that it is a call to become less masculine.

II.  What is the Bridegroom Message?

A.  The essence of the Bridegroom message is the revelation of Jesus’ emotions and commitments as a Bridegroom God. God energizes us, our spirit, with passion for Him when we understand His devotion and commitment to us as seen in the cross.

B.  The Bridegroom message includes the revelation of Jesus’ emotions for us as a Bridegroom God. Jesus the Bridegroom is filled with tender mercy. He is gentle with our weakness. We often confuse rebellion and immaturity. God is angry at rebellion, but He has a heart of tenderness towards sincere believers that seek to obey Him. He enjoys us even in our weakness (Psalms 18:19, 35, 130:3-4). Knowing this makes us run to God, instead of from Him, when we see our sin and weakness.

C.  Jesus the Bridegroom has a heart of gladness (happy heart). Jesus had more gladness than any man in history (Hebrews 1:9). Most of Church history has viewed God as mostly mad or mostly sad when He relates to us. However, Jesus is mostly glad when He relates to us, even in our weakness.

D.  Jesus the Bridegroom has fiery affections. He has burning desire and longing for His people.
As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. (John 15:9)

E.  Jesus the Bridegroom is zealous. He destroys all that hinders love (Proverbs 6:34; Zechariah 1:14, 8:2; Ezekiel 38:18–19; Revelation 19:2)

F.  Jesus the Bridegroom possesses indescribable beauty. He fascinates our hearts (Psalm 27:4).

One thing I have desired of the LORD ... To behold the beauty of the LORD... (Psalm 27:4)

G.  What is the Bridal paradigm?
The word paradigm means perspective or view. Thus, the Bridal Paradigm refers to the “bridal perspective or view” of the Kingdom of God. We see the Kingdom through the eyes of a wholehearted Bride with loyal devoted love that leads to holy obedience, soul winning and building up the Body of Christ. If we do not feel loved and in love, we can still be born again. However, when we feel His love then we resist compromise with greater consistency.

III.  The Spirit and the Bride Worldwide will Cry, “COME LORD JESUS”

A.  Revelation 22:17 is one of the most informative and significant prophecies in the Bible describing the end-time Church. John tells what will happen in the Church, in the generation the Lord returns.

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!"… And let him who thirsts come...” (Revelation 22:17)

B.  This prophecy describes the Church in deep unity with the Holy Spirit, in saying and doing what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing. What is the Spirit doing in this passage? He is interceding for Jesus to come to His Church. What is the Spirit saying? He is revealing the Church’s bridal identity (who we are as Jesus’ Bride). In other words, the Word of God tells us what the Spirit of God will emphasize in the End Times. There are many significant implications of this prophecy.

C.  This prophecy describes the highest function of the Church in four ways:

1. Anointed with the Spirit,

2. Engaged in intercession,

3. Established in our bridal identity

4. Effective in the Harvest.

For the first-time in history, the Church worldwide, just prior to the return of Jesus will be in dynamic unity with the Spirit and therefore, the Spirit will be resting on and moving through the Church in great power. The Holy Spirit for the first time in history will universally emphasize the Church’s spiritual identity as Jesus’ Bride. Notice that John does not proclaim that the Spirit and the family say, “Come,” nor the Spirit and the army, nor the kingdom, nor the body, nor the temple or the Spirit and the priesthood. Rather, it is the Spirit resting on the Church as a Bride. Forever, we rejoice in the reality of our identity as God’s army, family, body, temple, priesthood and kingdom.

Design: Cedarlight Creative

Crown Him with Many Crowns - Guitar

Song - No higher calling

Father we declare that we love you

You are Holy

Above All

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Street Evangelism in London

The works of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit :

• gives life ( John 7:38 );
• gives gifts ( 1 Corinthians 12 );
• counsels ( John 14:26 );
• encourages ( Acts 9:31 )
• steps in on our behalf ( Romans 8:23 );
• builds up ( Romans 8:27 );
• leads us to obedience ( 2 Corinthians 3:5 );
• brings to mind ( 1 John 2:20, 27 )
• energizes and makes effective ( Acts 1:8 ).

Led by the Spirit of God

1. Man: An Eternal Spirit — There is a difference between our inward man and our outward man. The inward man is a spirit. God does something with the inward man, but not the outward man. We must do something with the outward man.
2. Spirit-Conscious — The first step in being led by the Spirit of God is to become more aware of our own spirit.
3. What Is the Difference Between Spirit and Soul? — The soul contacts the intellectual realm. The spirit contacts the spiritual realm.
4. The Saving of the Soul — Saving the soul is a process. The spirit is reborn, but the soul must be renewed or restored with the Word of God.
5. Presenting the Body — The inward man must become the dominant one. We must place our body in submission to our spirit.
6. Number One: The Inward Witness — This chapter describes the primary way that God leads, the inward witness. It is not a physical feeling; it is either a velvety-like go ahead feeling in your spirit, or a check in your spirit that stops you. Sometimes it takes time to wait upon God before the inward witness becomes discernable enough to act on.
7. Know-So Salvation — The first experience we have with the inward witness is that confident knowledge of being a child of God that comes with salvation.
8. Fleeced! — Some warnings against the practice of putting out fleeces. Fleeces are an Old Covenant method of guidance used by spiritually dead people. We have a better guide — the living Spirit of God in direct communion with our spirit.
9. Following the Witness — This chapter provides some good examples of ways to discern and follow the inward witness. Get confirmation. Don’t be in a hurry. The leading will come in your spirit, which is the real you, so it will seem like it is “just you.” If your flesh fights it, it must be brought into submission to your spirit. Most of the time, God’s guidance is not spectacular... but it is always supernatural.
10. Number Two: The Inward Voice — The conscience is the voice of our spirit. It is a still small voice that will speak to us if we are willing to listen to it.
11. Effects of the Spirit’s Indwelling — For those who have been born again, the conscience is a safe guide.
12. Two Experiences — There is a difference between being born of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. The new birth is a well of water that blesses you. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is rivers of water which flow out of you to bless others.
13. God Inside — The Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit. He communicates with you through your spirit.
14. Depend on Your Spirit — Since the Holy Spirit is in your spirit, your spirit knows things that your head does not know.
15. Tenderhearted — When you do wrong as a Christian, it is your own spirit, not the Holy Spirit that tells you. Your conscience, the voice of your spirit, must be kept tender or spiritual things will become indistinct.
16. Feelings: The Voice of the Body — Our faith must be based on the Word of God, not on our feelings. Feelings can change with the circumstances, but the Word of God is always constant.
17. Help From Within — The Holy Spirit dwells on the inside of us and passes God’s messages on to us through our spirit.
18. Number Three: The Voice of the Holy Spirit — When our spirit speaks to us, it is a still, small voice. When the Holy Spirit speaks, it is more authoritative. It may almost sound audible, but it comes from within us.
19. Judging by the Word — The Spirit of God and the Word of God always agree. This chapter offers some warnings about listening to voices. Some voices contradict the Bible directly, while others quote the Bible out of context. The Holy Spirit will communicate with our spirit on the inside of us and always in agreement with the whole redemptive message of the Bible.
20. My Spirit? The Flesh? or the Holy Spirit? — The question “Is it just me?’ misses an important distinction. If “me” refers to my inner man, my spirit which is born again, then it can be “just me” and still be valid guidance since my spirit is in communion with the Holy Spirit. It is when we allow the flesh to dominate us that we miss God.
21. I Perceive — Many people believe that God causes or allows bad things to happen to us to teach us something. On the contrary, God warns us in our spirit about these things and if we learn to cooperate with Him, we can avoid many of the things that would harm us.
22. Spectacular Guidance — Many people seek only spectacular guidance like visions or angels and they miss much of God’s guidance.
23. The Spirit Bade Me Go — Some Scriptural examples of the Holy Spirit speaking.
24. Guidance Through Prophecy — When guidance comes through a prophetic utterance, it must be judged by the Word of God and what we have in our own spirit.
25. Guidance Through Visions — This chapter describes the three kinds of visions and gives Scriptural examples of each.
26. Listen to Your Heart — Some examples of the mistakes that have been made when people chose to ignore the guidance of their spirit.
27. How to Train the Human Spirit — Details on the four steps to training our spirit: Meditating the Word, practicing the Word, giving the Word first place, and instantly obeying the voice of our spirit.
28. Praying in the Spirit — Praying in tongues every day keeps our spirit in direct contact with the Spirit of God and is one of the greatest spiritual exercises there is.

Also by Kenneth E.Hagin:
Must Christians Suffer?
The Art of Prayer
The Believer's Authority
Love: The Way to Victory
Understanding the Anointing