All right, again, I'd ask you
to open your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 5, Ephesians
5. Our message this morning will
come from verses 25 through 27. The title of the message is As
Christ Loved the Church. As Christ Loved the Church. Let's read these verses together,
beginning in verse 25. Husbands, love your wives even
as 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." Now first here we read to husbands. Those that are husbands, those
that someday will be husbands. We read of this command, this
love. Husbands, love your wives. Now the word love is definitely
misused in our day. But this love, this love is a
strong affection. It's providing all things necessary
for our wives. It's protecting them. It's concealing
their faults. It's promoting their spiritual
good. A sincere love that is evident in private and in public. It's a constant love. It's a
love that exceeds that of our friends, that of our neighbors,
and even that of our parents. We read back in Genesis and here
even in Ephesians, so shall man leave his mother and father,
plead to his wife. The only love it does not exceed
is the love for our father. the love for God, Christ. And
there are many reasons, many reasons why a husband is to love
his wife. One, they're a helpmate, they're
a helpmate, they're a companion in life. We made a promise to them, and
those vows to love them, to love them. And they're our own flesh,
the two, two shall be made one flesh. As we read here in verse 25,
we're to love them, to love them as Christ loved the church. Now, let's look at this passage
of scripture as it relates to Christ's love for His church.
In verse 25, husbands, husbands love your wives even as Christ
also loved the church and gave himself for it. This church,
right away, we see is the object of his affection, as Christ loved
the church, the object of his love. Christ, he loved the church
freely. We do nothing to merit his love.
It's of his free and sovereign grace that he loves his bride. He loves the church fully. He
loves it fully, and he loves it forever. He loves it forever. True love, we read over in 1
Corinthians 13, it lasts forever. It never fails. Well, from what
time did Christ love the church? When in time did Christ love
his church? Turn over to Jeremiah chapter
31. Jeremiah 31 verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee." The Church, His Church, is made up of all
those whom He has loved from all eternity. And listen, as
many as the Father had gave him before the foundation of the
world, those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of
Life, each one known particularly by him, each one known by name,
chosen in him, those whom he loved and gave himself for, his
church, his people, his elect, all believers of all times. Every
one of them. Each one he'll draw to himself.
He said, all that the Father has given me, I'll lose none
of them. His church. His church. And listen, this says Christ
loves the church. The church. This doesn't say
Christ loves everybody. That's a misconception that's
been obviously in our time and in all ages. Christ's love is
for a particular people, for His church. Look at that. Turn
to Malachi 1 verse 1. This is repeated in the Old Testament
and the New Testament alike. Malachi 1. Malachi 1 and verse 1. The burden. the burden of the
word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith
the Lord, yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau
Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob. I love Jacob. Look at verse 3,
and I hated Esau. I hated Esau and laid his mountains
and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness." Now
let's read on in our text here in Ephesians 5 verse 25. It's the church, it's the church. It's his elect that he loved.
It's his elect that he gave himself for. Before there was a sinner,
there was a Savior. He's the Lamb slain before the
foundation of the world and he gave himself for it. He gave
himself for it. Now, no amount of doing or dying
on my part or your part can get the job done. The only thing
we can produce is sin. Sin. My best works, your best
works, man's best works. are filthy rags in the sight
of God. And everything we do, it's not just tainted with sin. It's just, it is sin. It is sin. Consider this. Turn to Proverbs 21, verse 4. Brother Todd read this at the
preacher's school last month. Proverbs 21 verse 4. A high look and a proud heart,
and listen to this, even the plowing of the wicked is sin. The plowing of the wicked is
sin. I thought about this. I used
to, when I was younger, I worked on a farm and at a certain time
of the year you plow. And you go out in the field and
there's nothing else out there. I mean, it's just you and the
tractor and the dirt. There's no traffic. There's nobody
hollering at you or you're asking to do something. You're just
kind of out there on the ground. You would think, you would think
nobody around you. But even the plowing of the wicked,
I can't even go out and plow a field without being sinned. The plowing of the wicked. A
proud heart, even the plowing of the wicked is sin. And yet, we read concerning his
church, that's who and what we are. He loved and he gave himself
for it. He loved his church. and he gave
himself for it. Back in verse 2 of Ephesians
5, we read here, walk in love as Christ also hath loved us
and given himself for us, an offering for sin, an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Romans 8.33,
who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God
that testifies. Who's he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. He gave himself. He's my sin
offering. The wages of sin is death. Yet
we read it's Christ. I'm the sinner, but yet it's
Christ that died. Died for his sheep. Well, for
God so loved. For God so loved, he gave. Now back to our text here, Ephesians
5. Here we read, He sanctified and
He cleansed us. That's what He did for us. He
sanctified and He cleansed us. He set us apart. He made us holy. He cleansed us. The blood of
Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Turn to Ezekiel 16. You're familiar with this. with
this scripture, Ezekiel 16. Look here in verse 1 of Ezekiel 16. Again the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth
and thy nativity is in the land of Canaan. Thy father was an
Amorite, thy mother a Hittite. And as for thy nativity, and
the day that thou wast born, thy navel was not cut, neither
was thou washed in water to supple thee, thou wast not soldered
at all, nor swaddled at all. None, I pitied thee, to do any
of these things unto thee. To have compassion upon thee,
thou wast cast into the open field, to the loathing of thy
person, and the day that thou wast born. What a description of each and
every one of us by nature. Probably no more accurate description
of what we are by nature. But listen, aren't you thankful
that the story doesn't end there? That that scripture doesn't end
right there? But God, God who's rich in mercy and grace, he passed
by. He came to me. You know, when
he came to Zacchaeus, we read he came to the place. He came
to that particular place on that particular day at that particular
time. He came to the place. He came to that woman at the
well. We read where he crossed over to the other side to find
that man of the Gadarenes. We read where he sent Philip.
Philip to find that Ethiopian eunuch sitting up there in his
carriage reading in the Old Testament. He sent Paul and Silas to a prison
to preach the gospel to the keeper of that inn, to the keeper of
that prison, him and his family. Where did he find you? Where
did he find me? And each and every one of his
sheep, he'll find them. He'll find them. He will not
rest until he finds them. Maybe he'd be pleased this morning.
Wouldn't we rejoice this morning if he's pleased to pass by, call
out one of his sheep, and reveal the truth to him, speak life
to him? Look at verse 6. He said, When
I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted, polluted in thine own
blood, I said unto thee, When thou wast in thy blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee, When thou
wast in thy blood, live. I caused thee to multiply as
the bud of the field, Thou hast increased, and waxed, and grayed,
and now art come to excellent ornaments. Thy breasts are fashioned,
and thy hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. And when I passed by thee, and
looked upon thee, behold, the time was a time of love." Our
text, Husband's Love. love your wives as Christ loved
the church and gave himself for it. He said, it was a time of
love, a time of love. And listen, it's not because
he saw anything good in us. You read that? How did he find
us, huh? He said, cause them to know their
abominations. Thy father, an Amorite, thy mother,
a Hittite. Your navel wasn't cut. You weren't
salted, none I pitied thee. You were cast out into the open
field, polluted, polluted in your own blood, polluted in your
own sin. And listen, listen what he did. Look at verse 9. Then washed
I thee with water. Yea, I thoroughly washed away
thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee
also with broidered work, and shod thee with badger skin, and
gird thee about with fine linen, and covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments,
and put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. I put
a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a
beautiful crown upon thy head. decked with gold and silver,
and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and embroidered work,
and thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil, and thou wast
found exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper in this kingdom.
Thy renown went forth from among the heathen for thy beauty."
Is that our work? Did we make ourselves beautiful?
Is that what we did? Listen, for it was perfect through
my comeliness. My comeliness, which I put upon
thee, saith the Lord God. Now turn back, turn back to Ephesians
5. Christ loved the church. Look
at verse 27. Christ loved the church. He gave
himself for it. He sanctified it. He cleansed
it. that he might present it to himself, that he might present
it to himself at his death, when he gathered together all his
elect in one, brought them nigh, and reconciled us to God, and
presented them to be holy and unblameable and unapprovable
in his sight. He presents them to himself right
now. Right now he sits on the Father's right hand. interceding
for his people. And listen, he presents them
on that last day, that marriage supper, that marriage ceremony
when he will deliver that whole number, his elect, up to the
Father in complete and perfect before the Father. And he'll
present it to himself. I was thinking about this. When
we go to weddings, when we go to weddings from time to The
preacher at the end of the ceremony, he'll say, I pronounce you husband
and wife, and the wife will kiss. And then the person performing
that wedding ceremony, he says, I now present to you. I now present to you. I can remember
Abby and I's wedding. It's been 20 years ago, but I
can remember this. I can remember the fellow saying,
I now present to you. Mr. and Mrs. Eric Floyd. Just like I was standing there,
I can remember that. And at that very moment, at that
very moment, and I say this like it's a lot, but everything I
had, everything I am, it's hers. It's all hers. And listen, not
only that, but she now bears my name. No longer Simpson, it's
Floyd. She bears the name of her husband.
Well, listen to this. We're talking about Christ here.
We're talking about Christ. He presents the bride to himself. And listen to this. Turn to Colossians
1. Colossians 1. You talk about
a presentation. Colossians 1. Colossians 1 verse 19, For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through
the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto
himself, by him I say whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven, and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in
the body of his flesh through death to present you." To present
you. Think about when somebody presents
you what they could say. I just cringe. I just cringe
at what could be said about me. I doubt anyone here feels, if
you truly know anything about yourself, feels any different. Just cringe at the thought of
what could be said. But listen, he presents us wholly,
wholly. Earl Wooten, wholly. unblamable, unreprovable. Consider that. He presents his
bride, he presents his church, holy, unblamable, and unreprovable
in his sight. He that sees all things, he that
knows all things, he presents us holy, unblamable, and unreprovable
in his sight. free from sin, perfectly holy,
nothing to charge us with. Not in fig leaf aprons, not in
robes of self-righteousness, which we've tried to knit together,
but in a perfect robe of righteousness. His church, as we read earlier,
arrayed and fine linen, clean, white. the very righteousness of Christ
himself. Now remember what we read back
in Ezekiel. He said, Thy renown went forth
among the heathen for thy beauty. It was perfect through my comeliness,
which I put upon thee, saith the Lord our God. And listen,
we're not only presented in that perfect robe of righteousness,
We also have a new name. Look at a couple of scriptures
here. Jeremiah, again, you're familiar with these. Jeremiah
chapter 23. Look at verse 6. shall be saved. Israel shall
dwell safely and this is the name whereby he shall be called. His name. The Lord our righteousness. And then just turn over a few
pages. Jeremiah 33 and verse 16. We've got a new name too, don't
we? Read that there. In those days shall Judah be
saved, Jerusalem shall dwell safely. This is the name wherewith
she shall be called, the Lord our righteousness." The same
name, the church, his church, clothed in a spotless robe, and
she bears the name of our husband. We bear his name. the Lord our
righteousness. He presents it to himself, a
glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
He presents us holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. And let there be no confusion
about it. He did it. He did it. He did it all. Look
back in our text just real quickly here and we'll close. Ephesians
5. Look there in verse 25. First we see Christ loved her. Christ loved her. In particular,
He loved her. And not for any beauty in her.
But He chose her and He called her to Himself. Why did He do
that? Listen to Ephesians 2. hath he quickened together who
were dead in trespasses and sin, wherein in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the press
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience, among also whom we all had our conversation
in times past in the lust of the 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 trespasses and sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ by grace, by grace you're saved. He loved her by his grace. Second, back to our text, Christ
gave himself for her. He took no thought of himself,
but he suffered and died in her womb instead. We read he poured
out his soul unto death. He loved her. He gave himself
for her. Verse 26, that he, that Christ
might sanctify and cleanse. The psalmist wrote, purge me
with hyssop. I shall be clean. and I shall
be whiter than the snow. And fourth, there in verse 27,
that he might present it to himself, a glorious church without spot
or wrinkle. He loved her, he gave himself
for her, he sanctified and he cleansed her, and he presents
her to himself, a glorious church without any blemish at all. perfect
in Christ. Well, who gets the glory in that? Man doesn't, does he? There's
no glory for man. Christ gets the glory because
he did it. He did it all. All right.