Alright, Ephesians chapter 5.
I titled this, The Family of God. The Family of God. We're going to be looking at
Ephesians 5, 22 through 4. But I want you to see here that
we have the Word of God to each member of the family. to each member of a family, to
the husbands and the wives, to the parents, to the children. Now, imagine if our text only
said this, Ephesians 5.22, Wives, submit yourselves unto your own
husbands. Verse 25, Husbands, love your
wives. Chapter 6, verse 1. Children, obey your parents. Verse 4. And you fathers, provoke
not your children to wrath. You and I know these things are
right. And we know that they are whether
we know God or we don't know God. Don't we? The natural heart, a natural
love can make somebody do these things to some degree, whether
or not we know God or don't know God. Marriage and priesthood,
I mean, I'm sorry, marriage and parenthood and childhood are
just like religion. We can have it in the form and completely and totally be
missing the happiness of it because we don't have the one for whose glory it was made. A young couple falls in love
and Then after a while, they start
talking about getting married. Then they get married, and then
after a while, they have children. Why? Why? What's marriage? Why does marriage, the institution
of marriage, even exist in this earth? Why is there such a thing as
a parent and a child? What's that all about? Why does it even exist? God made this. God made the institution of marriage
And this whole family, husbands, wives, parents, children, he
made these things for one purpose, to glorify his son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, in the salvation of his people. The church is
the bride for whom Christ laid down His life. He's the husband
and the church is His bride. And this is the reason that we
have these institutions. Now read this again in our text
and this time we're going to leave out everything else and
we're going to focus only on Christ the husband and what He's
done for His bride. Ephesians 5.23 Middle part of the verse, Christ
is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body. Verse 24, the church is subject
unto Christ. Verse 25, Christ also 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, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Verse 30. We are members of his
body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Verse 32. This is a great
mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Christ
and his church, Christ and his bride are one. They're absolutely
one. He's the head and the church
is his body. How does Christ love his bride?
How does he love her? This is what we're talking about
here. At the heart of everything that this passage is talking
about. From verse 22 all the way down
to chapter 6 and verse 4, the heart of what we're talking about
is love. It's love. And we're seeing this
love, and we know this love, and we experience this love,
As the children of God, we experience it through Christ Jesus, through
the Spirit of God, by being born anew and learning of Him. Now, how does Christ love His
bride? Well, in Genesis 2.18, we have
a picture of Christ and His bride. when God said, I'm going to make
a bride for Adam. And when he did that in Genesis
2 18, the Lord God said, it's not good that man should be alone. And he said, I will make him
and help me for him. Now that's a picture. That's
a type. That's a shadow of the real thing
of the substance and the substance was in old eternity when God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the triune God
of glory said of Christ Jesus the God man, this one who he
determined to glorify his own name through. He said of him,
it's not good for him to be alone. It's not good in my purpose of
glorifying my holy name. It's not good in my purpose of
creating a people for myself. It's not good in having a house
over which I'm the father. It's not good that he should
be alone. And God the Father gave him a
people by electing grace and when the head was given a body,
He had a body. When the husband was given a
bride, he had a bride. And he's loved that bride from
everlasting. Christ Jesus' love is everlasting. From everlasting to everlasting. Christ the Lord. Us married folks
like for you to ask us, how long have you been married? We like
that. Us fellas kind of have to sometimes
stick our hands on the table and start figuring up, but the
women can usually tell you just right away. I had it actually
printed inside my ring, the date, just so I'd remember. But this is what the scripture
says of him, this one who's personified as wisdom. He said, Christ the
Lord said, I was set up before ever the earth was. Before there
was anything, I was with the Father. And He said, and then,
my delights were with the Son of Man. God's children, those that are
His bride, we've been married to Christ a long time. We've been married to Him from
everlasting. from everlasting. Well, I want
you to think of this. Christ's love for His bride. How does He love her? He loves
her particularly. The scripture says here in Ephesians
5.25, Husbands, love your wives as Christ also loved the church. Now there wouldn't be any parallel
between the husband's love to his wife and Christ's love to
his bride if this love was just indiscriminate to everybody without
exception. Now it's true God is merciful
but God's love is distinguishing, saving, effectual, particular
love. Christ's love is for his bride,
for his church and his church alone. The next time You want
to test this, come home, husbands, and say to your wives, you know
what? I love all women just like I
love you. I love many more wives than just
you. And see what they say. Just see
what they say. Your love to your bride is particular. She is your bride. And you will do anything for
her because she's yours. She's your bride. Christ's bride's
His bride. His bride. He loves the church
and they're those giving Him, made up of individual elect chosen
children of God, given to Him before the world began to come
forth and save Himself and thus glorify God in the process. Now, we're going to have to concentrate
real hard. Christ's love for His bride is
unchangeable. We're talking about the sovereign,
unchangeable love of God here. Now when God chose this bride
for His Son, and when this bride was given to His Son, having
been chosen in Christ the Lord, she's all beautiful within and
without. She's the King's daughter. She's lovely within and without.
beautiful, holy, and without blame before Him in love. But,
now, let's think about love. Let's think about love. This bride played the harlot. This bride committed adultery. We did, in Adam. against our husband. Now, we're
talking about sovereign, unchangeable love, the love of God. You think
of that kind of betrayal. That's the kind of betrayal that
not only usually ends the marriage, but it usually turns into bitter
hatred. It's, that's a betrayal that,
that honestly, if we're honest with ourselves, you and I just
can't hardly get over that. I mean, that's a... But behold the sovereign, unchangeable,
unchanging love of God. The scripture says in Hosea 3.1,
Then said the Lord unto me." This is Hosea, picture of Hosea,
picture of Christ. Then said the Lord unto me. This
one who had taken a bride among the harlots and among the adulteresses
of the earth. He had taken a bride amongst
her and she played the harlot. She turned away from him and
now she's brought on the slave block and she's worthless and
nobody wants her. And this is the word of the Lord.
Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet and love her, love a woman
beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress. Now listen to this
word. According to the love of the
Lord toward the children of Israel who look to other gods and love
flagons of wine." Now that's the sovereign unchangeable
love of God. It's everlasting, it's unchangeable,
and it's distinguishing, particular, special, saving love. Now how
did this Christ manifest this love for his bride? Look at Ephesians
5.25. Christ loved the church and gave
himself for it. What's it going to take to put
away the sin of this adulteress? What's it going to take to put
away my sin? What's it going to take to put
away the sin of this sinner? What's it going to take to put
away your sin? It's going to take Christ leaving
His Father and cleaving unto His Bride. It's going to take Christ joining
Himself with her flesh. in her nature, becoming one in
her nature. Perfect, holy, sinless, spotless,
but one in her nature. It's going to take Him perfectly
fulfilling all righteousness. everything that's required of
the Father, everything that's required by law to have this
girl. You see, this adulteress was
taken and she's lawfully the captive of Satan. She's lawfully
his captive. He's taken her. I mean, she broke
the law of God and he's got her now. He can stand and say, look
at her. You don't want her. She's filthy. She's a harlot. You don't want
this woman. And the Lord came and He said,
I, that's my bride, and I'm having her, and I'm taking her to myself.
And He came to where His bride was, and He fulfilled all righteousness,
all the law, everything for her, and He took all her sin, everything
she is. And He took that all upon Himself
and He bore before God Almighty, before His Father, before Holy
Justice, all the wrath of God, all the fury that an unleashed
hell could pour upon Him. Every bit of it. And He did it
for a bride, for an elect people who absolutely turned away and
loved other gods and loved flagons of wine and completely and totally
committed adultery against Him. Verse 25 says, Christ gave Himself
for her. He gave Himself for her. Because that's the only payment,
that's the only price that the righteous God of heaven will
receive. That's the only payment that
He will take. Christ giving Himself. because that one who's giving
himself is God in human flesh and therefore this is God justifying
God. This is God declaring himself
full of glory. This is God declaring himself
the justifier. This is God himself justifying
his people so that So that God gets all the glory for doing
it and a man has perfectly, completely done everything that's required
of those men that he's dying for. So that God and man meet
together in one perfect, unified, harmonious union in this one
Christ Jesus the Lord. And He did all this for His bride. Verse 26 says that He might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. He's that
truth. He's that Word, and His one offering
has perfected them. His one offering has perfected
forever them that are sanctified, them that He calls, them that
He washes. Christ is that sacrifice. Christ
is that offering. Christ is that firstborn lamb
slain. And His offering cleansed all
of sin. His offering cleansed all defilement,
purged her from all sin. And by the Word it was done. Through truth it was done. It
was done in absolute righteousness. It was done in absolute perfect
harmony with holy justice. It was done in absolute perfect
truth. And this One who did it is the truth. And what I've sent
to declare to you now is the truth. I'm set to declare Him. And just set forth Him. Him,
Him, Him. Verse 27 says, and He did it,
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church. not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. That's how she was when God gave
her to him. That's how she was. William Shakespeare did pretty
good with Romeo and Juliet. But this right here is the greatest
love story that no man could ever even imagine. She was perfect. And she went away completely
into adultery. And he came and did absolutely
everything so that He can present her to Himself and say, this
is the most beautiful, perfect, spotless, glorious bride. That's amazing. You see how Christ loves His
bride? You see how he loves his bride? Every child that's given
him. You see, this is not just about
a husband and a wife. Those that are called, they're
his children. Those that he's done this for,
he shall be called the everlasting father. We're talking about the
everlasting father and children that are his everlasting children. Verse 29, why did he do this? For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth
it even as the Lord the church. For we're members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. How much more one can you get
members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. Well, I don't
understand that. I'm going to have to be able
to explain all that before I can believe it. You won't ever do
it then. Verse 32, this is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ
in the church. Christ in the church. You that
are born anew of the Spirit of God, You are no more two, but one Spirit. That's what the
Scripture says. Bone of His bone, flesh of His
flesh, members of His body. How one am I with Him? Let's
see if we can enter into this. Christ has joined in one. his destiny. He's joined in one, his honor. He's joined in one, his life. He's joined in one, his happiness. with ours. What do you mean by
that? I mean, if his bride, every single
elect child for whom he died, is not called to faith in him
and robed in the perfect spotless wedding garment of his righteousness
and brought to be with him forever in glory, then his honor and his glory
and his name and his body and everything about Him will be
incomplete. Incomplete. This is a union that's
so inseparable that when we've been flooded with this joy that
He gives us, we can cry out in amazement and say, who shall
separate us from the love of God in Christ? We get married and the preacher
will say, when you make that vow, until death do you part,
not this marriage, not this marriage, not Christ's marriage with his
bride, death won't even be able to separate us. He's conquered
death. He's conquered the grave. He's
conquered the sin that is why there is death and why there
is the grave. He's conquered it. And it is
no more. Now, let's say a word about these
earthly relationships now. Verse 31, for this cause. Have you ever wondered why marriage
exists? For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they too shall be one flesh." There's a depth of love and a
depth of meaning that all of these relationships take on whenever
we're born of Christ's Spirit and made one with Him, and behold,
the glory and the light in all these relationships. There's
a depth of love and a depth of meaning that we never enter into
until then. Then there's something indescribable. The wife who has this love of
Christ in her heart, who has this Christ for her husband,
whose members of Christ's body, His church. Ephesians 5.22, it's not a tiresome
duty. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands. But it's double love. Look at
this. Because it's to your own husbands
as unto the Lord. See that? Her greatest desire
is to submit to Christ in everything. Her greatest desire is to submit
to Him in all things. Her greatest heart's desire is
to perfectly submit to Him in all things. And her greatest
desire towards that husband that loves her, if he just shows her a little
bit of love, it reminds her of this great love. And she says,
this is my husband. And she obeys Him, and she loves
Him, and she submits to Him. And let me tell you something,
too, to the young ladies, that's not weakness. That's the strength
God gives. That's the glory God gives. That's not weakness. And the
husband who has this love of Christ in his heart, he doesn't even want to talk
about his love for his bride. He don't want to boast in it.
He don't want to talk about laying down His life for her. He don't
want to talk about anything. I blush to think about it. Christ's
husband loved your wife as Christ loved the church and laid down
His life for it. He adorned His bride in a perfect
righteousness. He adorned her in His own righteousness. Lord, help me. Help me to lay down my life to
provide everything for my bride. And the very first thing that
comes into my mind is, Lord, don't ever, don't ever let me
fold. Don't ever let me wilt. Don't
ever let my spine be broke. Don't ever let my knees be broken
out front of me, that I can't stand up and let nothing or no
one or anything come between her and the gospel of Christ
Jesus, my husband. Don't let me even lead her in
a way that makes her think there's anything more important than
Him. God save me from that. Save me
from it. It'd be more honorable to live in a cardboard box And that child that's born of
the Spirit of God, that son or that daughter that's born of
the Everlasting Father, when you read, children, obey your
parents and the Lord, for this is right, it becomes all right. It becomes all right. And know
this, because we're still children, because we're still in the flesh,
Know this as children, that whenever your father is teaching you,
and he's standing for Christ, and he doesn't appear to be standing
with you, but he appears to be denying
you for Christ, for the truth of his gospel, to teach you the
truth, to lead you in the way that you should go, He's not
provoking you to anger. It may make you angry, but He's
not provoking you to anger. He's nurturing and leading you in the mercy
of the Lord. That's what He's doing. That's
exactly what He's doing. And that's so with all that's
when a believer treats one of Christ's own dishonorably. I know that y'all gonna find
this hard to believe. I'm not the easiest person in
the world to live with. You know that all too well, don't
you? And when we do something or say
something, it's just easy for that flesh to just pop off in
a stoop, say whatever. But doesn't it just, when you
come to yourself and the Lord brings you to the end of that,
you know what it is that makes us fall on our face? You know
what it is that makes us We've come back to our loved one, our
husband, our wife, our children, members of the church, our brethren. You know what it is? We've done it to one that Christ
laid down His life for. Or even if they don't profess
to believe Him, It's still the fact that I've just dishonored
this one who's done this for me. Done it for me. And it breaks your heart. It
breaks your heart. It's very sad to have any of
these earthly ties. Husband, wife, parents, children,
to have any of these earthly relationships. It's sad. to have
these and not have this very one for whose glory they were
created. And it's sad to be distracted by these earthly ties so that
we neglect our first love, who's the only one that can settle
us and save us. I'm so thankful. We have a Redeemer. Scripture says here, He did all
this, verse 27, that He might present it to Himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that it should
be holy and without blemish. Sometimes we husbands have to
take trips. And when we do, there's absolutely
nothing in the home that changes. We're still the head of the home.
Still the head of the wife. Still the head of the children.
Nothing changes. The wife's love doesn't change. The children's love doesn't change. And if the house is going to
stand, it's going to stand united under that head. Under that head. And if that head's under mine
or that head's blasphemed or that head's spoken against, I'm
talking about just the husband. The father had a whole house,
the whole honor and the whole power of that house is divided
against itself. Well, we have a husband and he's
on a far journey, but there's absolutely nothing that's changed.
Absolutely. In fact, he said, wherever you
are in your midst, I'm there with you. And he's the head.
And we're the bride. And all of his children are completing
him. And the house, his house, his
family is going to stand one way being completely united in that
head. and that husband. That's how
they're going to stand, by His power, by His grace. And one
day He's coming back, and He's going to take this bride to Himself. He's going to take these fathers,
and these mothers, and these husbands, and these wives, and
these sons, and these daughters, that make up His jewels, called
His church, His bride, And He's gonna set her up on a pedestal
in glory. And He's gonna say, that's my
bride. That's my bride. That's my bride. And we'll be one with Him. Glorious,
perfect union with Him. We're going to celebrate that
now when we remember his broken body and his shed blood.