I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn back with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 31. Proverbs chapter 31. Now I'm going to do something that I suppose I've done before, but not very often. I want to preach out of a passage of scripture that I just preached out of last time. Last time I was in Proverbs 31. It deals with the virtuous woman. And this virtuous woman is none other than the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. And after I preached out of this passage last time, there just was a longing, a burning in my heart to look at it again. And with that being in my heart, I pray that the Spirit of God bless it to our hearts this evening. I need it. You need it. All God's people. need to see that which the Lord says to us. I've titled this message, That Which the Bride Seeks. Now listen, we're all here tonight, those that are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are the bride. And this passage of scripture is speaking about that which the bride seeks and must have. She must have it. I'm interested in that. I want to know. The scripture says in Proverbs 31 and verse 13, she That is, the bride of Christ, male, female, bond-free, she. The bride of Christ has nothing to do with gender, physical gender. As I said last time, get that out of your mind. It's talking about the Lord's bride, the Lord that he has laid his life down for. I mean, the bride that he's laid his life down for. The church. And this bride is said to be doing something. Verse 13, she seeketh. She seeketh. This virtuous woman seeketh. She seeks that which is vital to her. Now you know there's something that the Lord said concerning seeking, and it was found in Luke chapter 12. Just hold your place, come back to Luke 12, and let's see what the Lord has to say about seeking, seeking Him. Luke chapter 12, starting in verse 22. Luke 12, 22. He said unto his disciples, therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, neither for the body, what you shall put on. The life is more than meat. The body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouses nor barn. God feedeth them. How much more are you better than the fowls? And which of you, with taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? If you then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take you thought for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They toil not. They spin not, and yet I say unto you that Solomon, in all of his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. So then, God so clothed the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not that which ye shall eat, or that which ye shall drink, neither be ye doubtful mine. of doubtful mind, for all these things do the nations of the world seek after. And your father knoweth that you have need of these things, but rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." So now this bride is one that Seeketh. She's a seeking woman. And she's seeking that which is a garment. That's what she's seeking. She's seeking wool and flax, two things that are associated with her garment, but things that she can't produce. She can't produce wool, and she can't produce flax. But there's another thing concerning this wool that I noticed that she seeks after. She seeks after it. And it's found in the book of Ezekiel chapter 44. So turn over to Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter 44. One of the things as you're turning there, one of the things that I desperately sought the Lord to be able to grant me, one thing that I remember, Milton Howard told me one time, he said, when you're preaching, keep it simple. Keep it simple. I pray that God allow me to keep this simple. I'm trying to be simple in a subject that is so deep. that I just, I'm taking back with it after looking at it here for a week and a half. Ezekiel 44, 7 to 18. Now there was something concerning wool. Now this virtuous woman, she seeketh wool. She's seeking wool, and she's seeking flax. But something that amazed me was found in Ezekiel 44, 17 and 18, that was pertaining to wool. And it was concerning the priest in the Old Testament under the Levitical priesthood concerning wool. There was a restriction put upon wool in the ministry of the Old Testament priest. Now, I thought about that. I thought, now what is it that is absolutely necessary for the bride of Christ that she seeks after. She seeks after wool and she seeks after flax. But in the Old Testament ministry, in the priesthood, there was something about wool that the Lord restricted the use of wool. Now let's see what it was, Ezekiel 44. 1718. The scripture says, verse 17, Ezekiel 44, it shall come to pass that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, now this inner court, there was an outer court in the temple in the wilderness and that was where everybody could be, anybody could be out there, the outer court. There was an inner court, and in that court was where the priest, the ministry of the showbread and the ministry of the candlestick, the lighting, the trimming of the candlesticks were done. That's where, that was the inner. But then there was the holy of holies, and only the high priest on the day of atonement, one day a year, could enter there, and not without blood. So this inner court that it's talking about when I read this, I want you to understand what it's talking about. This is where the ministry, the ministry of the priest, of the sons of Aaron and the priest, they would do their work within this inner court. So, all right, reading again in verse 17, 44, 17. And it should come to pass when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, They shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them while they minister in the gates of the inner court and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins. They shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat." They could not wear anything but linen. There was a forbidding of them to wear anything else except linen when they went in. Anything that was not linen was not permitted in that inner court, in that ministry. But in that ministry, it represents that which the bride absolutely has to have. She's seeking wool, and the Old Testament forbid anything to be in there that was not linen. It couldn't be. The priest in the wilderness, in the Old Testament, couldn't use anything that would cause sweat. The scripture declares that in verse 18, they shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, they shall have linen breeches upon their loins, they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth, this is back in Ezekiel 44, that causes sweat. If they had anything on them that was not linen or it caused sweat, They could not have that on. They couldn't wear that. That wool, though it was needful, that wool that was beautifully a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and his work in the ministry, the priests in the wilderness could not use any garment that caused sweat to be produced. They couldn't do anything. It had to be linen. Linen. Nothing else when they went in there. Why? Because it would cause sweat. Well, what was the significance of that? That's what it says in verse 18. They should not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat. Well, the priest in the Old Testament couldn't wear anything that caused sweat. It was the reason, because sweat is a picture of man's fall in the garden. Sweat was associated with sin, man's disobedience, and God's rejection of man's works. Now, let me show you that. Sweat. Obviously, sweat never came into being until man fell. Turn with me to Genesis 3, 17. Genesis 3. Genesis 3, chapter 17. Genesis 3, 17. Unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns and thistles thou shalt bring forth, or it shall bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread till thou return to the ground, for out of it thou was taken, for dust thou art, unto dust thou shalt return. So here's the thing. No one in the Old Testament temple in the wilderness, when those priests would go in, they could not wear anything but linen. Ezekiel 44 forbid that. They shall wear, the scripture says in 14, that shall come past when they enter into the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them. Here they were as pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ in the ministry, and the bride needs wool, she seeks wool, and those priests in the Old Testament, they could not have any wool on them. No wool shall come upon them while they minister in the gates of the inner court and within." They couldn't do it. They couldn't wear it, but the bride needed it. Why couldn't they wear it? Because it produced sweat. A picture of man's rebellion, a picture of man's penalty by the sweat of your brow. Now you're going to have to work. So here they are. They're in that temple. They cannot use wool in that temple. Don't have anything wool on in that temple. Why? Because it's going to make sweat. Oh, wool has in one sense such a beautiful picture of the cleanness and the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, the type and picture of our righteousness in Christ. Though your sins be as scarlet, they're going to be white as snow, though they'd be like crimson. They'll be white as wool. There's a preciousness that we need. There's a righteousness that we need. But these priests in the Old Testament under the law, they couldn't wear wool, only linen. In my heart, I questioned it. I said, Lord, I don't, I don't understand. I don't, I don't, well, let's see if the Lord give us some understanding. I need righteousness in Christ. I need, I need wool. I need the picture, that which is, pictures the lamb, the wool of the lamb, the wool of God's righteousness, white as snow. But because of man's rebellion in the garden, death now was the result. But though man's sin brought rebellion against God, the will of Almighty God would never be thwarted. which caused now man to sweat. Man's going to have to bear the penalty in himself. He's born dead. He trespasses in sin. And I understand wool and type of those priests, that wool, which was forbidden. Now, there's a picture, there's a type Our separation, you can't wear wool, no wool. But God's hand of mercy in this glorious mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, shines forth because of sin. Sweat is now found. And we're liable, Lord, under the penalty of God's law. But where sweat was found and forbidden, you cannot come in to this temple. You cannot come in and wear anything that's going to cause sweat because of your rebellion. Something glorious was made to be seen in that. Here was the penalty. Here was the evidence of the penalty. If you want to know, you know how the scripture talks about the God speaks. My sheep hear my voice. Let me tell you what I was thinking about today when I was going over this. I thought, you know what? Every time I see sweat on me or anybody else, you know what that sweat says? You're a rebel against God. You're a rebel. Sin was the result. I mean, a sweat was the result of sin. Now you're gonna earn your keep by the sweat of your brow. Sweat is a picture. And that sweat that we now have in us, in this body, it just produces sweat. Somebody says, well, I'm just hot. No, that sweat is a picture, is a reminder to man, you're guilty against God. You're guilty. But oh, the beauty. of the Lord Jesus Christ bearing our guilt in his own body. And let me show you the scripture that talks about what we now possess, sweat, because what we are, sinners. The Lord Jesus Christ, turn with me to Luke 22, Luke chapter 22. Luke 22. Luke 22, I'm going to start at verse 39. And he came out and he went as he was warned to the Mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. There appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he arose from prayer, he was calm to his disciples. He found them sleeping for sorrow. And he said unto them, why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. In the Old Testament tabernacle, Sweat because of sin. Sweat because of sin. That's what Adam got. He said, now, the Lord told Adam, now that you've rebelled against me, you're going to earn your keep. And it's going to be by the sweat of your brow. And here the Lord Jesus Christ paid that debt that we owed with his sweat and paid for it in the blood. He paid for it. He sweat blood. He sweat his own blood. Man had failed to be faithful to God and God found an eternal ransom for his own. One who could and did obey God. The Lord Jesus Christ said, must work the works of him that sent me. He had to pay. When we sweat, we're reminded of what we are. Sinners. Because that was the debt. That was the evidence of our rebellion. And the Lord Jesus Christ to pay for that debt that we incurred. He sweat on our behalf. But what he sweat was great drops of blood on our behalf. This bride was forbidden in the Old Testament. She was forbidden to be able, in the garments of those priests, to seek wool, because that wool produced sweat. Here's the purity and obedience of his work. And he paid for it in his own sweat. He produced that which Adam could not. Adam incurred a debt and paid for it, evidenced by sweating. And the Lord paid it by sweating on his behalf, suffering the penalty of God's wrath. But this woman also, she set, look back, turn with me back to Proverbs, chapter 31. She paid also, or sought also, let me say it that way. She sought also not only wool, she sought that which was forbidden in the law, to be worn, wool. She couldn't, those priests couldn't wear wool. But this bride's seeking wool. And so here she is back in 31. She seeketh wool. She seeks the wool, the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, that which did produce sweat, the sweat of his blood. But she also sought flax. I looked up how flax was made. I read this last time and I failed to realize, and this is just me, I mean maybe everybody else in this congregation knew this, I didn't know it. I didn't know that flax, the plant flax, is how or what linen is made of. And I found out how they made it. They would take it and they would soak the fibers of the flax in water, and then they would crush them and beat them, beat those flax seed. They would crush them and take those fibers, and from those flax fibers, they would take that and spin that. It was a material that came out of it. And what came out of this beaten flax, smashed, crushed flax, was fibers of fine yarn, linen. Linen was made from crushing flax. And this woman, she sought, she's seeking, she's seeking wool, that which was forbidden of the law because it made sweat. And the Lord Jesus Christ, in obedience to the law, he sweat before his father, great drops of blood, and flax that this woman sought. She sought this flax, but the way that that flax was made was a beautiful picture. of how the fine linen of the saints, the righteousness of the saints, how it was made. They take flax and they soak it and crush it, beat it and beat it and beat it. And then from that beaten flax, linen is produced. Oh, but while we behold something of the making of that physical linen. Can we not see the beautiful picture of the establishing of our Lord's righteousness, our imputed righteousness from him, from the Lord? Yes, the bride of Christ, she loves the truth of being robed in his righteousness. But do you know what it's going to take for the Lord Jesus Christ to robe us in his righteousness, that righteousness, that robe of righteousness is going to have to be made out of that beaten flax made into linen. And the law is going to have to be satisfied. God's going to have to satisfy the law in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's going to have to produce the righteousness that robes us. Oh, the beauty of being robed in his righteousness, he who suffered the wrath of almighty God on behalf of his people. Turn with me, I'll try to wrap this up. Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, verses one to five. Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant." When I read that today, I was thinking about that tender plant, just a flax plant, just a tender plant. I know it has many, many illustrations, but as I was reading it today, I thought about that flax. He grew up as a tender plant, a root out of dry ground. He hath no form, no comeliness. When we see him, there's no beauty that we should desire him. He's despised and rejected of men, man of sorrows acquainted with grief. We hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised. We esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, carried our sorrows. Just like the Lord Jesus Christ, when he He took the sins of his people, that which could not enter in, that forbiddance of that wool to enter in. Only linen, they could only wear linen. But she sought wool, that which was necessary in her robe. He was despised. He had borne our griefs, carried our sorrows. We esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. Chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Look at 10 and 11. Yet it pleased God, pleased the Lord, to bruise him. It put him to grief. And thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, shall be satisfied by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. I read that again, and I thought, oh, that precious bearing, a priest that couldn't come in, that couldn't be wearing that wool. It was forbidden. Why? Because it made the sweat. Sweat wasn't allowed in there. Not gonna come in here. Not under the law. You're not gonna come in here and sweat in my place. That's what the Lord's saying. But the Lord, to satisfy the law, He gave Himself over into the hands of His Father's justice. And paid the debt. And sweat. that which was forbidden under the law. By God's grace, he sweat on behalf of his people. They couldn't wear wool because it made them sweat. But he sweat. And now that bride, that virtuous woman, that's what she seeks after. I want to seek after that which makes, that made him sweat. I want to seek after that which robed him, and now robes me. This virtuous woman seeketh flax, for she knows that the flax that she seeks after pictures her Lord. That flax, that righteousness, that is a picture of her eternal robe of his righteousness. Turn with me to Isaiah 61. Isaiah 61 verse 10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. Oh, I think about the garments of His salvation. What are they made out of? wool and flax. His obedience to the law, the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and his imputed righteousness. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. He covered me with a robe of righteous righteousness as a bride groom decketh himself with ornaments and as a bride adorned herself with jewels. That precious, glorious, Revelation of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And now what they wear? They wear linen. They wear the linen. Revelation 19, 7 and 8. Revelation 17. Revelation, I'm sorry, Revelation 19, 7 and 8. Revelation 19, 7 and 8. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb is coming. His wife has made herself ready. She should be granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, white, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. So the virtuous woman, the bride of Christ Jesus, is arrayed now in that which she seeks after. What did she seek? Well, she sought that which was wool, which was forbidden under the law because it made a man sweat. And there was no sweat that was going to be had in the temple. But here the Lord Jesus Christ produced that which was forbidden by the law. And he satisfied, he satisfied God. And he wore and produced for her a garment of wool and flax. And then lastly, it says concerning that last part of that last of that First for tonight. Concerning her wearing wool and flax, it says in that latter part, last part, and she worketh willingly with her hands. Now, there is no insinuation. The reason I'm making this statement right here, because I knew immediately what went through my mind. She worketh Now I know this, it's not by works of righteousness that we've done. It's according to his mercy, he saved us. But here this virtuous woman, she seeketh wool, she seeketh flack, she worketh willingly with her hands. And I looked up what that was. The verse means that she takes great delight. She worketh It means she takes great delight and pleasure being the recipient of God's mercy. She's been made willing in the day of his power, God's power, to bow to him who is her righteousness and who has saved her by his grace through faith, faith that was not of herself, but it was the gift of God. I prayed that the Lord might give us some understanding. I'll be the first to admit, this is probably one of the hardest messages of all the Proverbs, and all the Proverbs have been hard to me. But when I looked at this one, I thought, you know, there's something so beautiful in what's being said concerning the garment of this woman that she seeks after. She seeks after that which gives honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. That wool that was forbidden because it made sweat, God honored that and obeyed it and earned the right for to wear wool. That's what she seeks after. He did it by obeying and he sweat. And then she wore and sawed off also that flax, that flax that had to be beaten and beaten and spun into fine linen. And that's her garment. That's her garment before God. I pray that the Lord give us some understanding for Christ's sake. Amen.