Ephesians chapter 5, verses 30
through 32. We began the fourth chapter of
the book that Don wrote, titled, The Mysteries of God, a few weeks
back. And he takes his thoughts, once
again, I just want to recap a couple of things to put our minds in
place as we look at this morning's study. He takes his thoughts
from 1 Corinthians 4-1 where Paul, writing to the Corinthians,
said, let a man sow a count of us. Oh, we could say that about
ourselves, couldn't we? Let men sow a count of us. Yesterday we had a large group. This place was packed. There
was one person who had to stand because there wasn't enough space
in here for him. And then Roger and And James, too, were in the
very back. But this place was packed. My
prayer was that let a man, any one of those men, so account
of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries
of God. That's what inspired Don to write
this book, Stewards of the Mysteries of God. And in this fourth chapter,
we're considering the mysteries of Christ and the church. Read
with me if you would, chapter five, Ephesians five, verse 30
and 32. For we are members of his body. What a mystery. Of his flesh. What a mystery. And of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they
shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. Now, we looked at
the first half of this study last week. We looked at the believer's
acceptance with God as it is in a legal representation of
acceptance. We are accepted in Christ. Christ
is the head of the church. The church is in him. as a husband and wife, or by
virtue of their legal connection to one another, by virtue of
their conjugal relationship to one another, and by virtue of
their deep self-denying of the outside things of life, self-sacrificing,
love one for another, and in all things one, so Christ and
his people are in all things one in him. So that's what we
looked at before. Don closes that third Page, he
says, is truly a great mystery. It could never have been known,
except by divine revelation, how we are one with Christ. His
obedience is our justification, and he references Philippians
2, verse 8. His atonement is our forgiveness,
he references Ephesians 1, verse 7. His life is our regeneration,
and he references John 5, 20. His holiness is our sanctification,
Referencing to Hebrews 10, 14. His exaltation is our preservation. Preservation, Hebrews 6, 20. And his dominion is our victory. Romans 8, verse 34. His reward
is our glorification. we are members of his body and
of his flesh and of his bones. So this morning, I want to begin
with who are the people so intimately united with the Son of God? Who
are those? Well, God begins this. He says,
notice the little word there in our scripture. Notice the
very second word there. It says, for we, like the door
of Noah's ark, it shuts. Some in, and some others out. The word we is synonymous with
the words church, elect, the redeemed, the called, believers,
saints, and it is used in the fifth chapter of Ephesians as
we. We who are members of his body
are the church. Christ loved, chose, redeemed,
regenerates, preserves and will perfect by his grace. It should be obvious to anyone
that Paul is not talking about any local church or religious
denomination. For in verses 20 and 25 through
32, the Holy Spirit in this chapter declaring the promises of God
to his elect. He is describing what God has
done and without fail shall do for all of his elect in Christ,
the church universal, which is his body and his bride. To apply
the things here spoken of to a local church or a particular
denomination would be to connect salvation to that church and
or denomination, but that's not the case. He's addressing we,
all of the saints throughout all times. Tongues, every nation, every
tongue throughout all time. The we. Go back to the first
chapter of Ephesians and read it carefully on your own time.
There you will discover of whom the apostle is speaking of when
he says, we are members of his body. The we in Ephesians five
are the people blessed of God in eternity in verse three. The
people chosen of God and electing love in verse four. The people
adopted into the family of God by sovereign grace in verse five.
The people accepted in the beloved as we read in verse six. The
people redeemed by the blood of Christ as it states in verse
seven. The people forgiven of all sin by Christ's atonement
as it again speaks of in verse seven. And the people in this
world and in heaven above who trust in the Lord Jesus as we
read in verse 13. All God's saints are one in Christ. One church, one kingdom, one
family. Look over in Ephesians chapter
three. You're already in Ephesians.
Just turn back a couple of chapters to verse three for just, chapter
three for just a moment. Look at one verse with me there,
verse 15. Ephesians chapter 3 verse 15, of whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named. Isn't that wonderful? See the oneness that we have
with our Savior. sealed by the Spirit in chapter
one, verse 14, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. What is the meaning of a metaphor? It is evident that Paul is referring
to Genesis two, verse 21 through 24, the words that he uses to
describe The union between Christ and his church was first spoken
of by Adam in reference to his wife Eve. What did Adam mean
when he used these words? That is exactly what Christ means
only in a more spiritual and emphatic sense. It certainly
implies to a singular nature. Adam recognized that he and Eve
were the same nature. She was not a mere plant in the
garden or an animal of any kind, but she was a woman. One of the
same race, the same nature, the same character as the man. So
when Paul says we are members of his body, of his flesh, and
of his bones, he means for us to understand that Christ and
his church are one in nature. That is not an overstatement,
writes Don. Christ became one with us in
incarnation. That's what we read in John chapter
one, verses one through three, and then verse 14. In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was manifest in the flesh. We've
become one with Christ by regeneration. Look over at 2 Peter chapter
one. Go to the right of Ephesians
there. 2 Peter chapter one. And look with me, if you would,
at the first three verses. 2 Peter 1, Simon Peter, a servant
and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained life,
precious faith, and with us through the righteousness of God and
our Savior Jesus Christ, grace and peace be multiplied unto
you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according
as his divine power hath given to us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath
called us to glory and virtue. We have become one with Christ
by regeneration. The believer is like Christ in
that he strives against sin, seeks to do the will of God,
and is motivated by the love of God and man. We love God,
we love his law, and we do strive to put away sin, Well, we're
not very successful at it, but our Lord is perfect. And He is
successful at it. He put it away through the giving
of His own body. He put it away through laying
down His life. We're going to come to the table
today after our noon meal, which is a picture, a picture of our
Lord and Savior and how He put away sin for us. The metaphor
used by the Holy Spirit to describe our relationship with our Savior
sets forth the most intimate relationship there is. Think
about that. Kathy and I are one. You may not believe that sometimes. If you could see us in private,
I'm sure that's the same case with many more as well. But we
are. It's so wonderful when we click
and are of one mind. We'll say that to each other
once in a while. We'll be talking about, are we on the same page?
Not today. What a mysterious relationship
that we can have with our God and our Savior. The same relationship
that we have with our loved one, our married spouse. I doubt Adam would have spoken
as he did if he had not thought that Eve might have left him.
If he had thought Eve might have left him and became another man's
wife, he probably wouldn't have said what he did. She was made
by God for him to be his helpmate in the most intimate of all relationships,
marriage. This is why I don't take marriage
lightly. This is the only blessing of
paradise that remains today. Marriage is the living, loving,
lasting union of a man and a woman. It is intended for the sanctity,
the happiness, and the peace of our race. Yet marriage was
ordained by God to be a picture of believers' relationship to
Christ. The words of our text imply something deeper than a
mysterious origin. When Adam looked at Eve, he seems
to have known by divine revelation that she was taken out of his
side. Remember the Lord put him to
sleep? Therefore, as he looked at her
and rubbed the scar in his side, he said, she shall be called
woman. because she was taken out of
man. This is bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh. Do you realize God incarnate
became flesh? He became bone of our bone, flesh
of our flesh. What a picture of the deep love
that God has for you and I. Here is the mysterious origin
of God's church, She was taken out of Immanuel's side. As Adam
was put into a deep sleep by the hand of God that Eve might
be born of him, so the Lord Jesus was put to death by Jehovah's
own hand and buried in the earth that his church might be born
in him. Look over at John chapter 12,
verse 24. John chapter 12, verse 24. Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. This metaphor also suggests a
loving possession. When Adam said of Eve, this is
now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, he declared she
belongs to me. She is my property, my responsibility,
my treasure. So, so too, when the Lord Jesus
declares that we are members of his body and of his flesh
and of his bones, He means for us to understand that we belong
to Him. Turn over, if you would, to 1
Corinthians chapter 6. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, we
see in two verses, verse 19 and 20, what? Know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price,
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. We do not belong to the world
or even to ourselves. but to Christ alone. And Don
writes a poem here. He says, "'Tis done, the great
transaction's done. I am the Lord's, and he is mine. He drew me, and I followed on,
charmed to confess his voice divine. High heaven that heard
my solemn vow, my vow renewed shall daily hear, till in life's
latest hour I bow. and bless in death the bond so
dear. The metaphor of marriage represents
a vital necessary union. A vital union is a union that
must be. It is not an optional thing.
It is a necessity. This union between Christ and
the church is vital to us. Within him, we are nothing. and
can do nothing. Without him, we must forever
die. However, this capacity, he could
never be complete without us. Without every one of God's elect,
and that cannot be, he shall see the travail of his soul and
shall be satisfied. He shall not fail. What is secured to us by the
virtue of our union with Christ? If we are one, writes Don, with
Christ, we are as safe and secure as he is. If we are one with
Christ, we are the objects of his unfailing love. If we are
one with Christ, he will nourish and cherish us. He will both
provide for us all that we need and cherish us with his constant
care If we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his
bones, he will one day present us to himself a glorious church
without spot and sin, without wrinkle of infirmity or any such
thing as sin or weakness or flaw. If we are truly one with Christ,
then all the glory and bliss that he possesses shall be ours. Look over at John chapter 17. John chapter 17. Two verses. Our Lord's priestly
prayer. If we are Christ's, if we are
truly one with Him, then all the glory and bliss that he possesses
shall be ours. Look at verse five. And now,
O Father, glorify me, glorify thou me with thine own self,
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Now
look over verse 22. And the glory which thou gavest
me, I have given them. Oh, how wonderful. Can that sink in? When we go out into the world
again, folks, and we address the things of this world, this
valley that we walk through, can we not remember that it's
just but a shadow? It's just a shadow of death to
you and I. Because Christ has taken our
death for us. The very one who calls us his
bride. If he's the one caring for us,
could we ever be taken from his hand? Could anything of this
world, any trouble that we deal with, separate us from his love? Listen to these last words about
this mystery of Christ and his church. Since Christ and we are
one, why should we doubt or fear? If he in heaven has fixed his
throne, he'll fix his members here. Amen.