If you want to follow along,
let's turn to Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5. Familiar to all
of us, because I've been here before, and I'm sure others have
been here before, too, as well. Ephesians 5. I don't have it marked, so I hope
I can find it. Ephesians 5, and I want to read
verses 30 through 32. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. For this call shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife. and
they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. When we read this
passage talking about basically the whole chapter, we're given
instructions to husbands and wives. First of all, we are given
instructions. Because we're given instructions,
we obviously have need of being instructed in these things. That
is, both husbands and wives. But there is a far more important
picture here than just men and women, and that even being believing
men and women, husband and wives. We read in verse 32, Paul says,
this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and
the church. He says this is a great mystery. Christ and his church is not
a great mystery because, you know, the fact that they exist
because we are told of it right here. I mean, what is it that
great mystery? We are flesh of his flesh and
bone of his bone. If we try to engage in things
that is submitting to our husbands or loving our wife as Christ
loved the church without looking at what it is pictured here,
we will fail. We need to look at this concerning
Christ and his church. Why is this? Because Christ loved
perfectly and his church being loved by him reverences him rightly
by his grace. I don't want anyone to misunderstand
me. We as fallen men and women do not always reverence Christ
as we should. But if we do, it is all because
of him. But that new man created by God
is created in righteousness and true holiness. And because of
him, that is his love toward us, which also includes giving
that which allows us to reverence him, is all done by him. Now we can see in this scripture
that is a picture of Christ and his church. We see it in husband
and wife. That is the picture that God
gives us of Christ and his church here in this passage. But let's
go back to the beginning and look at some things there. This
is concerning husband and wives and Christ and his church. So
let's go back to Genesis 2, Genesis 2. Genesis 2, and I want to read
verses, start in verse 18. It's kind of bad when you can't find Genesis.
Genesis 2, starting in verse 18. And I'll read to the end
of the chapter. And the Lord God said, it is
not good that the man should be alone. I will make him and
help me for him. And out of the ground the Lord
God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the
air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them.
And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the
name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle,
and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field.
But for Adam there was not found any help meat for him. And the
Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept. And he
took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof.
And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a
woman and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called
woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife,
and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the
man and his wife, and were not ashamed." As we go through this,
I want to talk about the following things. Adam, the first Adam
and his helpmeet. Christ, the second Adam and his
church. God said it was not good that
that man, and the word man here means Rudy, or human being, mankind. So God determined that he needed
to have a woman and God acted upon it. God, through an operation
of God, caused Adam to go into a deep sleep. In this sleep,
God took from Adam and created from him the woman. God did not
get any input from Adam. God just made a woman from the
rib of Adam and he put him in a deep sleep to do this. Once
God had created the woman, he did not hide her from Adam. God
did not leave it up to Adam to go find what he had created.
God brought her to him. Again, Adam has no part at all
in all this. This is all God's doing and God
brought to Adam that which he had created, a helpmate. The
woman was created to aid or help Adam. That's what it means. Then
the pronouncement came. This is bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh. They were now one and for this
reason they were not to be separated. All care from this point forward
was to be toward his wife. He, as it goes on to say in verse
24, shall cleave, the word means to impinge, or that is to cling
or adhere to. They shall be one flesh, it says. Now it says they were naked and
not ashamed. This all was purposed of God
and it is what God intended. It is what God meant to do. It
was not just like something that God one day happened to think,
you know, I think Adam looks pretty sad, and I think I might
do something I had not planned on. God purposed this from eternity. So now if we go on and read chapter
three, we read of the account where the serpent who then begins
to speak unto the woman. The lie begins. Yea, hath God
said? What is the serpent saying? God
is pulling your chain. He's lying to you. He was lulling
her in with that poison of Asp that we read about in scripture.
The poison that is on the lips of every one born of Adam. We
know Eve repeats what God had told him there in chapter three.
The serpent again beguiled her and said, ye shall not surely
die. We hear that from those today. Dead? You are not really dead. They either say, look, I'm alive
and kicking, or they might say, there is a little spark in me,
and it's just a matter of me exercising my will and choosing
God. Verse five of Genesis three. For God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye
shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. You are going to be able to know
what God knows and do what God does if you do what God says
not to do. So Eve, being beguiled by the
serpent, saw that it was good for food and pleasing to look
at, this fruit of this tree. Before the serpent came to Eve,
they were both naked and not ashamed. Then look at this. She ate of the tree. She then
gave to her husband, and he knowing what God had said, he was not
beguiled. He knew what he was doing, and
he did it on purpose. He did what he wanted to do,
and he ate of the fruit. Remember, we are talking about
Adam and Christ. Keep that in mind. What did his
doing cause? That is, Adam and what he did
on purpose. This is what man's doing does.
He was then ashamed. He now knows and he now knows
they are naked. Once Adam the head ate of that
fruit, their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked.
Naked before a thrice holy God, they knew they had disobeyed
what God had told them. I want to repeat this, that Adam
did this on purpose. You want to try and work with
your hands that which you think is going to please God? You cannot
do it. You are now naked and ashamed
before a thrice holy God. We cannot undo what Adam did
by human works. We are already naked and ashamed. Romans 5.12 says, wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. One man, this says. One man sinned
knowingly and willingly, and by doing this, sin entered into
the world. What came from this? Genesis
2.17 we read, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt surely die. Adam ate and death came by this
sin. So now death has passed upon
all men. I know some will say, but I am
alive and kicking. How can it say that I am dead?
Here is the thing about it. I'm not saying you are dead.
God Almighty in his word is telling us we are dead as we are born
in Adam. God is spirit and those who worship
him must worship him in spirit and in truth. We died that day
in the garden spiritually. So now everyone born of Adam
is nothing but flesh. They are not spirit as God is
because they are dead. But let's move on. Think about
this. The account of Noah, you have
the flood and they had the ark. And God was bringing the flood
and he was gonna kill the whole world other than the people in
the ark. But in Genesis 8, 4, we read this. And the ark rested
in the seventh month on the 17th day of the month upon the mountains
of Ararat. The word for Ararat means The
cursed reversed. Where the ark rested was at a
place where the cursed had been reversed. This is a place I want
to know about. Or I want to know about this
place of rest, you might say. So now let's look at Christ,
the second Adam, and his church. What Christ did, he did knowingly. He did on purpose. Remember what
we have read. As we see here in Genesis, just
as Adam did so, Christ did. He did for his bride what needed
to be done and he did it willingly. He partook of that which we had
done and that which we are. God could have ended it right
there. God could have waited and done nothing and then destroyed
the whole world at one time. But it pleased God to come down
to this earth taking on the likeness of sinful flesh. Not sinful flesh,
but the likeness of sinful flesh. He took on that sin knowing what
would result from his doing this. We cannot even fathom this in
our minds. We which are tainted with this
flesh. A perfect, holy, and just God came down to this earth to
take unto himself that which God had condemned. He was made
sin for us. Not for everyone, but for those
he chose. His church. There was a time
when God himself, that one who told Abraham that he would provide
himself a lamb for the slaughter. Now listen to this. Through the
operation of God, it says in Genesis about Adam that God put
Adam into a deep sleep. God put his son on that tree,
being made a curse and sin for us, and he was put to death.
We can see this in type. I know it says sleep here in
Genesis, but we can see this in type, as a type of Christ,
and God the Father, having made him sin for us, put his son to
death. This he done, both father and
son did, willingly. Zechariah 13.7 says this, and
this is what he did. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.
Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones. God the Father taking that
sword, that battle sword, Walter, but God taking that sword and
driving it into the shepherd. God the Son. his son dying the
death that you and I should have died. There was no other way
to do this and save sinners. Just as Adam had a rib taken
from his side and then God making woman from that, we as the people
of God, the elect of God are pulled from our Savior's side
when the sword pierced through him and out came blood and water. Through the operation of God,
the son full well knowing what would be done, the father promised
the son a bride. A bride he would have. This bride
being a harlot would be wooed in by God. So then Jesus Christ,
having accomplished this in his church, secured and created by
God, now the Father must bring those for whom he promised to
the Son to him, to present them a glorious black bride clothed
in his righteousness. John 6.44 says, No man can come
to me except the father which has sent me draw him, and I will
raise him up at the last day. The father must bring one of
his chosen people to Christ, or they are none of his. You
go ahead and make your decision. Adam did. Look what happened
from that. God does the choosing, and God
does the drawing. You will not present yourself
to Christ. Christ, God the Father will present
you to the Son because it is what he said and what he has
purpose to do. It is all his work. We came from
Christ, so just as Adam and Eve were said to be bone of bone
and flesh of flesh, so are those with Christ because of what he
has done. What does that really look like?
I don't know, this is a great mystery. But we are the one with
Him, Christ tells us so. In Him we are naked and not ashamed. Just as Adam and Eve were before
the fall, we are now naked before Him. We have nothing to bring. We are naked before Him, but
we are now clothed, if we are in Him, we are now clothed in
His righteousness. Our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags in God's sight. Someone might ask, what are my
righteousnesses? And what are his righteousnesses?
I will answer this with a question, and the question will give you
your answer. What did you have to do with bringing Christ down
from above? And what did you do to lift Christ
up from the earth? There's one part we had in it,
sin. That is both what you are and
what you do and what I am and what I do. So your works are
sin. Your works and my works are sin. His work and who he is and what
he came down to do on that tree are all his work and none of
man's work. What else do we know? As Adam
cleave unto his wife, so does Jesus Christ cleave to his bride.
But this cleaving will not result in a fall, but a glorious lifting
up with Jesus Christ to the Father's right hand. In fact, we are all
now in Christ, they are now in Christ and making, who he is
making intercession for us right now. Think of this thought. God Almighty, the Father, thought
it not good that the man should be alone. You remember I told
you the meaning of the word means Rudy. But we read in Song of
Solomon, we read this. What is thy beloved more than
another beloved? O thou fairest among women, why
is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge
us? Then the Shulamite says, my beloved
is white and rudy, the chiefest among 10,000. Our beloved Brethren, is perfect, and he
is holy, and he is just, and he is a man. God the Father not
being pleased that this man, the Son of God, be alone, purposed
and promised to the Son to make of his flesh, bone of his bones,
and flesh of his flesh, a glorious bride, his church. Oh, what a
graciousness to include fallen sinful man to bring them into
one with the Son and the Father. Now let's go back to Ephesians
5 now in light of all this. Let's look and see what our doing
has to do in this matter. Don't get me wrong, we do do. But if we do what we do, looking
to our own selves, then we will fail. It has been so from the
beginning. We are no better now than we
were then in and of ourselves. I remember what Tim James said
one time and I really like it. It says, wives submit to your
husbands. It does not say husbands see
to it that she does it. It says husbands love your wives
as Christ loved the church. It does not say wives see to
it that he does it. If any of us do this, looking
to ourselves or looking to one another, we are only going to
see failure and fail we will. We must look to Christ and what
he did, and ask for grace to do that which he commands us
to do, and help keep us from looking to ourselves. This is
not only for husbands and wives. Ephesians 5, verses 19 through
21. I guess I gotta get there. Ephesians 5, 19 through 21. Speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things
unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Submitting yourselves one to another, one to another in the fear of
God. Submitting yourselves one to another. We ought to be looking
to the well-being of others. If we are all doing that just
as Christ has done for his church, seeing to it that all the needs
were met, then we will have no trouble with doing things as
we are instructed to do in his word. Hear it being shown as
husbands loving your wives as Christ loved the church and wives
submitting to your husband. If I am always looking out for
the other person, and I am talking about God's people, although
we ought not mistreat others either, because we do not know
who God the Father has promised to his son, no matter what we
might see. God may have one of his own cross
your path. We should show that same graciousness
to them as Christ has shown to us. Walter just went over this. Romans 2.4, or despises thou
the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering,
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. God shows us his goodness, that
is what breaks us down to love him in his goodness. Correction
is needed, but it is not correction that leadeth to repentance, Walter.
If God does this for us, he shows us his goodness. Should we not
show goodness to men, the brethren especially? We are even told
about this about elders, that is, pastors. 1 Peter 5, if you
want to turn with me there. 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5. verses 1-5. The elders which
are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of
the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory
that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither
as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one
to another and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the
proud and giveth grace to the humble. Lording over someone,
that is being overbearing to force them into doing what you
want them to do, will not accomplish what you think it will accomplish.
First of all, and I'm not just talking about elders here, it
absolutely applies to me, but lording over someone will only
cause rebellion and resentment. There's not a place for it amongst
God's people because we are also exhorted to do this in Philippians
2, 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness
of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. We are
told to love one another. Should we not all love one another
as Christ loved the church? We all, if we are a part of his
church or a part of his body, being made one with him. Him
showing love and graciousness and mercy to all of us the same.
Why not ought we then to love one another this way? I know
we cannot do this always, but if one has hands that hang down,
should we not look to lift them up? When we are down, do we not
want others to lift our hands up? I want to leave you with
something from Robert Hawker concerning Christ and his church,
and here's what he says. It appears then from several
parts of Holy Scripture that the marriage of Christ and His
church took place from everlasting. For there can be no period, either
in time or in eternity, to which a date can be fixed, so as to
say that then it began. When Christ was set up as the
head and husband of His church, the church must have been set
up with Him. For there could not have been
a head without a body, neither a husband without a wife, for
on the supposition that Christ as Christ, that is God and man
in one person, might have been before all others, yet not in
his relative characters. He could not have been the everlasting
Father before he had children, neither the head without a body,
neither the husband without a wife, so that Christ and his church
as husband and wife are from everlasting together, amen. Mason, will you lead us in prayer,
please?