The title of the message this
morning comes from Ephesians 5, that which our brother Paul
read. Ephesians 5, 25, these three
words, as Christ loved. As Christ loved. Now this text
has been on my mind, it's been on my heart for a number of weeks,
and I pray the Lord would enable me to preach from it this morning,
that he would enable me to preach and that he would enable each
of us to hear, to hear of his love, Christ's love, that we
would be able to see him, to see the Lord Jesus Christ, to
see my sinfulness, to see my great need of him. I must have,
I must have him. That song, he reached down, he
reached way down for me. Now there are a number, there
are a number of love stories written in God's word. Maybe you remember the account
of Isaac and Rebecca. What a story. We say a story,
it really happened. Abraham was wealthy. Wealthy
beyond imagination. And everything he had was going
to be given to his son. It's his. It's his. And he sent his trusted servant.
He must have had a great deal of trust in that faithful servant
to send him to find a bride for his son, that one who would share with
him all the riches of his glory, all the riches of his kingdom. And that servant, Again, he sent him. He sent him
to find the bride. What an awesome responsibility. But at the same time, all he
had to do was declare his greatness. That servant went to the place
where the women came to draw water, and knowing something
of that great responsibility, he went to the Lord in prayer.
Lord, make this plain to me. What an impossible task, humanly
speaking. So he sought divine favor in
prayer to the Lord. And you know, he no doubt spoke
to Rebecca of the greatness of his master and the greatness
of his master's son. And the servant brought that
message and then he asked this question, one question, Will
you go? Will you go? And her reply, I
will go. And as they journeyed home, she
left her home, she left her family, went to a man she'd never met
before. All she had to go on was what that servant had told
her of his master. I'll go. And as they journeyed,
she lighted off her camel and she saw this fellow and she said,
what man is this? She knew, didn't she? She had
to know that description that was given to her. And we read
this, we read this at the end of Genesis 24. And I'd encourage
you this afternoon, take time to just read this passage of
scripture in its entirety. Isaac brought her into his mother
Sarah's tent. and he took Rebekah and she became
his wife and he loved her. This is a story of every sinner
brought to Christ. What about Jacob and Rachel?
There in Genesis 29 verse 20 we read that Jacob served for
seven years Seven years for Rachel. Seven years seemed like a long
time. But you know what? He said, these seven years seemed
to him but just a few days. How is that? How did they seem? For the love that he had for
her. In the book of Hosea, Hosea and
Gomer, Gomer, a picture of every one of us by nature. She didn't
love Hosea. She didn't choose Hosea. But
he chose and he loved her. A picture of Christ. We didn't
love him. We had no desire to know him.
But he loved her. We didn't choose Him, He chose
us. Listen to these verses, Hosea
chapter 3, Hosea 3 verse 1 through 3, Then said the Lord unto me,
Go yet love a woman, beloved of her friend, an adulteress, according to the
love of the Lord toward the children of Israel. who looked to other
gods and loved flagons of wine, so I bought her. He paid the
purchase price, 15 pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley,
and a half homer of barley, and I said unto her, thou shalt abide
with me for many days. Thou shalt not play the part
of the harlot anymore. Thou shalt not be for another
man. and so I will also be for thee." Your mind. Is that not a picture of the
Savior's love for his people? What about David and Abigail?
We could just go through the scriptures, story after story
of love. Abigail who interceded on the
behalf of her husband Nabal, he was a He was a fool. Abigail,
who married a fool named Nabal. And she met him. And she brought
provisions unto him. And she urged David to leave
the avenging of himself to God. She said, yet a man is risen
to pursue thee. and to seek thy soul, but the
soul of the Lord, the soul of my Lord shall be bound in the
bundle of life with the Lord thy God. And the souls of thine
enemies, pay no mind to them. He's gonna sling them out as
the middle of a sling. David in his wrath, he was going
to the top of that hill to destroy Nabal. Nabal had mistreated him. He had mistreated his servants. But you know, he didn't have
to do that. The Lord said, vengeance is mine. I wish I could hang on to that.
I truly wished I could hang. Vengeance is mine, saith the
Lord. The Lord. David didn't have to
smoke nabal. The Lord smoked nabal. In just
a few days, the Lord smoked him and he died. He destroyed the
enemy. What about Abigail? David took
her as his wife. And we love those stories, don't
we? Love those love stories. But you know what? As great as
they are, they all pale in comparison to the Lord's love for his church,
for his bride. It's the greatest example of
love, and it is the greatest demonstration of love ever known. Turn with me to John chapter
15. John chapter 15. Look with me beginning with verse
9 of John 15. The Lord says, as the father
hath loved me. As the Father hath loved me,
as the Father hath loved the Son, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments,
and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto
you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might
be full. This is my commandment, that
you love one another. Listen, as I have loved you. Paul writing to the Ephesians,
there in Ephesians 5.25, he said this, he said, husbands, love
your wives. How? even as Christ loved the
church and gave himself for it. No greater example of love than
Christ's love for his church. No greater demonstration of love
than that of Christ for his church. How did he love the church? How
did Christ love the church? I wanted to consider this love
this morning. What do the scriptures say? Not
what man says. What do the scriptures say about
Christ's love for his church? Well, first, it would say that
it's particular. It's particular. We read, husbands,
love your wives. Love as Christ loved the church
and gave himself for Who did he love? He loved his
church. He loved his bride. He loved
his elect. This world, it says, he loves
everybody. The world says a lot of things,
doesn't it? It's not what Scripture says.
What does God's Word say? Again, husbands, love your wives
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. I imagine this is a foolish question,
but would you wives, would you settle for a husband who loved
every woman coming and going? Oh, that would just be plain
foolishness, wouldn't it? In John 10.15, the Lord said
this, He said, As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the
Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And a few verses over, a few
verses over in John 10, there was a group of Jews and they
said, If thou be the Christ, if thou be the Christ, they kept
questioning Him. If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. And his reply was this, I told
you. I told you and you believed not. The works that I do in my father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not. And here's
the reason you don't believe, because you are not my sheep. Not my sheep. They were not His sheep. They
were not His elect. They were not those given Him
by the Father or they would have come to Him. They would have
heard Him. They would have known who He was. They weren't chosen
by the Father. They weren't predestinated to
be sons. They were not ordained to eternal
life. Otherwise, they would have believed
and they would have rejoiced in Him. A man does not believe
to become one of the Lord's sheep. He believes because he is one
of his sheep. My sheep, how do we know that?
My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me
and I give unto them eternal life. And they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My sheep hear my voice. Not this
world, but those given to Christ by the Father. There he is. God has chosen a people out of
every tribe, kindred, nation, and people. to be the bride of
his dear son. Second, Christ's love for his
church, it's eternal. It's eternal. Turn with me to
Jeremiah chapter 31. Jeremiah 31. Look at verse 3. Jeremiah 31, verse 3. The Lord
hath appeared of old unto me, saying, yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee." When did that love begin? When
did his love for his people begin? Was it made when man made a decision
to follow him? God's Word says from everlasting. There's not been a time that
he did not love his people. He beheld and loved His church
from all eternity. In Ephesians 1-4 we read this,
according as He hath chosen us in Him from before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame. You, holy, without blame, before
Him, in love. We read that God looked down
from heaven. This is what scripture says.
Men say He looked down and He's seen who would do good and who
would do bad. What's Scripture say? We're not
interested in what man has to say, are we? What's Scripture
say? He looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see
if there were any that understood, if there were any that did seek
God. And what did he find? What did
he see? Every one of them gone back,
every one of them altogether filthy. There is none that doeth
good. No, not one. The Father chose
a people in Christ from before the foundation of the world,
not because they were holy. He's going to make them holy
in His dear Son. He determined to have a holy
people to populate a new heaven and a new earth. And he chose
them in Christ out of Adam's fallen race. Eternal love. Paul writing to the church at
Corinth, he said, charity, love, it beareth all things. It believeth all things. It hopeth all things. It endureth
all things. Charity, true love, never, never
fails. Third, it's a love that cannot
be lost. Oh, what a love. Turn with me
to Romans 8. You're familiar with this passage,
but turn with me to Romans 8. Look beginning with verse 38.
Romans 8 verse 38. I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul says, I'm fully persuaded, nothing
in this world, nothing. That's a pretty extensive list
there, isn't it? Nothing, no matter good no matter
what we would consider bad or evil, that which is, that which
shall be, nothing, that's what he said, nothing shall separate
us from the love of God. And here's the key to that, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord, eternally, eternally secure in
the Redeemer's love. Our Lord said that, we read it
earlier, No man, no man is able to pluck them out of my hand. No man can pluck them out of
my father's hand. Could we consider that? Just
stop and just think about that for just a minute. No man can
pluck them out of my hand. Could a believer be any more
secure? I see you fathers hold your little
ones. You mothers hold your little ones. Anything more secure? Anything
more comforting? We in our father's hand. He said,
no man, no man shall pluck them out of my hand. How eternally
safe and secure must his bride be in his hands? Kept. We're kept. by the power of God through faith
unto salvation. Listen to the words of this hymn.
Forever, forever only His, who the Lord and me shall pardon.
It's not possible, is it, huh? Oh, what a rest of bliss Christ
can fill the loving heart Heaven and earth may fade and flee,
firstborn light and gloom decline, but while God and I shall be,
I am His and He is mine. What could enclasp the hands
of Almighty God? His hands, He created the world,
He spoke the world into existence. Nothing, there's the answer,
nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. Loved from all eternity and eternally
saved, kept by Him. A particular love, an eternal
love, a love that cannot be lost. And consider this question. What did the bride do to deserve
this love? Did she earn it? No. Did she
merit his love? Did she seek his love? Turn with
me to Romans 3 verse 10. What was it about her that caught
his eye? Do you have Romans 3? Look at
verse 10. As it is written, there is none
righteous. No, not one. There is none that
understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all going out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable.
There is none that doeth good. We read that back in the Old
Testament. Here it is again. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Their throat, an open sepulcher. With their tongues they've used
deceit. The poison of asp is under their
lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness. Feet, swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery is in
their ways. The way of peace. They have not
known. There is no fear of God before
their eyes. That's a description of his bride. You go back and read about Gomer
later today. That's a description, and you
think that's awful. It is, and that's a description
of every one of us. no merit in us, no worthiness
in us, dead. That's where he found us, dead
in trespasses and sin. And yet, in Ephesians 5.27, read
this, that he's going to present it to himself. He's going to
present his bride to himself. How? A glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing. How's he going to present it?
Holy and without blemish. The Lord Jesus Christ, he found
us guilty, sinful, full of fault, full of sin, and yet he loved
us. And he cleansed us with his own
blood and presents us to the Father without spot. without
blemish. Back in Ezekiel 16, I won't have
you turn there, but remember that story of that infant cast
out into the open field? He said in the day that you were
born, your navel wasn't cut. You weren't washed in water to
supple. You weren't salted and swaddled. Nobody pitied you. You were cast
out into the open field. That's where we deserve to be,
cast out into the open field. But the Lord passed by. He was pleased to pass by, and
he saw us. How did he see us? As we were,
polluted in our own blood, and listen to what he said, live. Live. Remember what that infant was?
And then we read on. Listen to the description, huh?
Listen to what he did. He said, I've caused thee to
multiply as the bud of the field. I've increased thee and you've
waxen great. Thou art come to excellent ornaments,
thy breast are fashioned, thy hair is grown, whereas thou was
naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee and
looked upon thee, behold, it was a time of love. We'd probably just turn our heads
and pass on by, wouldn't we? Such a miserable sight. He said, it was a time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee,
and I covered your nakedness. I swear unto thee, and I entered
into a covenant with thee, and said unto the Lord God, and thou
becamest mine. and I washed thee with water.
I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee and I anointed
thee with oil. Did that which no one else would
do. I clothed thee with broidered work and shod thee with badger
skin and I gird thee about with fine linen. I covered thee with
silk. I decked thee with ornaments.
Put bracelets on your hands and a chain on your neck. I put a
jewel on your forehead and earrings in your ears. And I put a beautiful
crown on your head. Thou was decked with gold and
silver. Thy raiment was of fine linen
and silk, embroidered work, and you did eat fine flour and honey
and oil, and thou wast exceeding beautiful. And thou did prosper
into a kingdom, and thy renown went forth among the heathen
for thy beauty. Where'd that beauty come from?
Huh? It was perfect. How? He said, through my comeliness,
which I had put upon thee. Who's talking here? Saith the
Lord God. Dressed. Dressed in beauty not
my own. Did he see anything good in us?
In his bride, no. It's not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy, his mercy, he saved
us by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy
Spirit. This love, this love in God's
word, listen, it's a particular love. It's an eternal Love. It's a love that cannot be lost.
A love that I do not deserve. No merit. What's the evidence
of it? What's the evidence of his love
for his bride? Turn with me back to Ephesians
5, verse 25. Ephesians 5, verse 25. Husbands, love your wives as
Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. You know, when I was thinking
about this, when a man loves a woman, there's evidence of
that, isn't there? I mean, he'll save up a little
money, or sometimes he spends a whole lot more money than what
he has, and he buys a ring, and he puts that on her finger. That's
evidence. That declares to her and to the
world, this is the woman that I love. The evidence of Christ's love
for His church. What is it? He gave Himself for
it. Consider this. I think on this,
everything in this world is His. He owns it all. We read the earth
is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, every bit of it. In
Psalm 50 verse 10, every beast of the forest is mine. The cattle
upon a thousand hills. God hath given all things. into his hands. He could have gave anything.
But what did he give? He gave himself. He gave himself. That death that his bride deserved,
that wrath and condemnation that she deserved, he bore it. He bore it. He gave himself. He was our substitute. He stood in our place. He gave
himself. He made his soul, his very soul,
an offering for sin. Greater love. Greater love hath
no man than this. What is it? That he lay down
his life for his friends. Husbands. What a mandate. Love your wives even as Christ
loved the church and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he
might present it to himself, a glorious church without spot
or wrinkle or any such thing, wholly and without blemish. That's a love story, isn't it? That's a husband that the bride
would delight to obey. Turn with me to one more scripture,
Ephesians 2. Just turn back a few pages. Ephesians 2 verse 1. You, is he talking to you? You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins wherein in times past You walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
to disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others, but God. who is rich in mercy, for his
great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins,
and hath quickened us together in Christ, by grace, by grace
are you saved. and hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Oh,
what love. What love. His love and mercy
to his church, to his people, his elect, those chosen in Christ
from before the foundation of the world. Again, not for any
merit in them. When did he love us? Even when
we were dead in trespasses and sin. Do you know that love? Has He revealed that love to
you? If He hadn't, I pray He would.
I pray He would. The love of Christ which passes
all knowledge. It's beyond our human comprehension. His love for His church, His
bride, to know of His free and sovereign love for His people. I ask you again, was there ever
a greater love? He was made surety for his bride. He assumed our nature. He was
made a man. God was made a man. He died in
our room instead. He paid the debt. Not a down
payment. He paid the debt. All of it. Atoned for our sin. Gave us an
everlasting righteousness. And He presents us faultless
before the presence of His glory. And He does so, not grudgingly,
with exceeding joy. And He gives us a dwelling place.
He said, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you may
be also. He gave us His name. We read
that. His name is the Lord our righteousness
and His bride has the same, so shall she be called, the Lord
our righteousness. Is there any greater love? Oh,
I want to know that love. I want to know Him. to be known
of Him. Paul wrote to the Ephesians,
he said, to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth
and height, listen, to know the love of Christ, His love, which
passeth knowledge that you may be filled with the fullness of
God. All to know his love, to rejoice
in it, to give thanks for it. All right. Let's have a closing.