I invite you to turn back with
me now to Ephesians chapter five. My subject this morning is about
the body of Christ, and in particular, the savior of the body. He tells us in Colossians 118
that he is the head of the body, the church. There's no mistaking
what the body of Christ is. The body is his church, it's
his elect. Some places she's called his
bride, his bride. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. Now what does
he mean he is the head of the body. What's he talking about? Is he just drawing a picture
of a human being and saying, I'm the head? You're the foot,
you're the hand, I'm the head. In what sense is he the head
of the body? Well, first of all and foremost,
he is the head of the body as the federal head. The federal
head. He is the head of the body of
the, he's the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning. He's the beginning. He's the
federal head. He's first. He's first. He's the federal head. He's the head of the body as
Adam was the head over all humanity. In Romans 5.12 it says, by one
man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death
passed upon all men. And here's the evidence, all
have sinned. If that death that occurred in the garden in Adam
was not passed to all humanity, all humanity would not have sinned. Is that right? We sin because
we have our daddy's nature. Adam's the seed of humanity is
the mighty oak. Everything in that mighty oak
that you see out there in the forest comes out of that acorn,
don't it? That acorn has everything that
that tree is gonna have in time is right there in that acorn.
The kind of leaves it's got on it, We look at the leaf, oh,
that's oak tree. It got nuts on it, got fruit,
bears fruit, all of that. That's all set in that acre.
Back in Genesis 1, when he created these things, he said the seed
of that is within itself and it will produce how? After it's
kind, after it's kind, and so in Adam. he's gonna produce after
his kind. He's the seed of all humanity.
And listen to Paul's arguments here in Romans 5, in verse 17,
by one man's offense, death reigned by one. He didn't name every
individual that sinned. He just says by this one man.
Listen to this, by one man's offense, death reigned. By Him. Why? Because everything
we are was contained in Him. That's why. By the offense of
one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. By one man's
disobedience, many were made sinners. How'd we get to be sinners? It's in our nature. In our nature. 1 Corinthians
15, 21 says this. This has both, and all of these
verses here has Christ, you know, as the opposite of the, as a
head. In 1 Corinthians 15, 21, he says,
for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection
from the dead, for in Adam all die. Every son of Adam gonna
die. He actually died in Adam. That
death passed. That spiritual death passed.
As in Adam, all die. Even so, in Christ shall all
be made alive. Everybody that was represented
in Adam died in Adam. That death passed to him, and
it was evidenced by his own sin. By his own sin. Even so, in Christ. shall all be made alive. Everybody
that's represented in Christ is gonna receive life. He's gonna
receive life. Actually, God just deals with
these two men. He sums all humanity up in these
two men, Adam and Christ. And he does it often in the scriptures. Two federal heads spoken of in
the scriptures and all the rest of humanity are described as
being in them or of them or by them or because of them. Adam's the federal head of all
humanity and there's not nor ever shall be a single offspring
of Adam who's not heir of his daddy's nature. That's why David
said we go astray as soon as we be born speaking lies. The scripture said man at his
best state is altogether vanity. It's all together vanity. And Christ is the head of the
body, the church. Christ is before Adam. And even so, his headship is
before Adam. We were chosen in Christ, the
scripture said, before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy. Why did he choose us in Christ? Why didn't he just
choose us? Larry put our name in the book. No, he chose us
in Christ, and here's the reason, that we should be holy. Have to be holy. You're not gonna
walk with God and not be holy. You have to be holy. So he chose
us in Christ, that we should be holy, and without blame, before
him in love, that is, being loved. I picture, every time I read
that, I picture one of my little babies. They were so little,
sitting there on the floor. They didn't know me from the
man in the moon. They didn't know anything. They
were just babies. But I loved them. I loved them. They were mine. And I loved them. God chose us before Adam's fall,
before the creation of the world, and before any man ever set foot
on the earth. And he not only chose us in Christ,
but as scripture said, he had predestinated, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. All
of this before the world began. And that according to the good
pleasure of his will. And everything else in time is
arranged around this. You starting to get the picture?
Everything is arranged around this. When Adam sinned, God did
not destroy mankind, but he reconciled Adam and Eve in the garden because
he had a people that he chose in Christ before the world was.
If God didn't have an elect people in this world when Adam sinned,
our federal head, when he sinned, God would have just obliterated
the whole outfit. He tells us the result of it,
Job does, He said the stars are not clean in his sight. The moon,
the sun, nothing in this universe is clean because of man, because
of his sin. Because of his sin. But God has
a people. Ain't gonna save him out of this
world. He's gonna save him. And because he did, he reconciled
Adam and Eve in the garden. Because of the headship of Christ,
God would not destroy the whole world, but was gracious to Noah
and his house. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And because of the lordship of
Christ, salvation by the accomplished redemption of Christ has come
and has been effectual throughout the history of the world. Not
only in the garden, but all down through time. You can see it.
recorded in the Word of God. And here in Ephesians 5, the
headship of Christ is pictured in a relationship of a husband
and his wife. Now it's not the same headship,
but it's a picture of it. It's a likeness of it. And there's
several things I want us to see here that'll have a lasting effect
upon the children of God if they understand it. And the first
is this. a good understanding. You remember
I read that to you a few minutes ago? Verse 20, give thanks always
for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Don't be unwise, be understanding
concerning the will of God. And here he says to be thankful,
but you can't be thankful for something you don't have or you
don't know, can you? What are you so happy about?
I'm just happy. No, you're not happy without
an understanding. You receive something, you know
you received it, it's in your hand, you see it, that gift,
and you're thankful for it, thankful for it. You come to know something,
oh my soul. How many times have I read the
scripture and the Lord just opens something up to me, I just sit
there in my chair and bawl sometimes. It just so overwhelms me. What
a precious thing this is to know, to know our God. But you can't
be thankful for something you don't know or something you don't
have. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. Huh? Then he said, I was persuaded. In 1 John 4, 13, he says, hereby
we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he's given
us of his spirit. Otherwise, we wouldn't know anything.
We'd still be religious. We'd still be popping off. We'd
still be jumping church to church. He's given us of His Spirit.
Well, what's that mean, He's given us of His Spirit? Well,
in Romans 8, 14, it said, for as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. They're the sons of God. God leads them. You were led to this place, Larry.
You didn't just flop in here one day. You thought you did.
I'll just go up there. I can't keep saying no to Gene.
I'll just go up there. No. No, you led here. You just
didn't know it. But in a little while, you knew
it. Now, Gene ain't got nothing to do with it. Gene stay home.
It don't matter. He's still coming. We're led by the spirit. He goes
on to show us that we have the spirit of adoption. He tells
us in Galatians, because ye are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. You know
that God is the Father. All the spiritual blessings come
down from Him. That's what James said. Every
good and perfect gift cometh down from above. It comes down
from the Father of lights. He's our Father. He's our Father. He cares for us. Because you're sons, he sent
forth the spirit of his son into your hearts. He sent Christ into
the world to redeem us from the curse of the law that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And it is the spirit of God by
which we're born of God by the gospel seed. And he leads us throughout this
life. He makes the gospel effectual in us. And that's what Paul said
about the Thessalonians. I know your election of God because
our gospel didn't just come in words. It wasn't just words.
It wasn't just a man up there speaking and pointing and saying
things and entertaining folks and telling stories. No, it came
in power and it came in the Holy Ghost. It came with an understanding. He opened those things to you
that you Oh, didn't our hearts burn within him as he opened
to us the scriptures he read? Huh? That's the spirit of God. And he leads us throughout this
life. He makes the gospel effectual in us. And he causes us to find
assurance in Christ. No assurance anywhere else. But
it's in him. And a marriage, as it's given
to picture Christ in the church, is a union based on an understanding. We understand what this union
is. We understand why it is. Why
did God have, why don't folks just live together? Why are they
joined together? Why this union? Why this marriage? What's the purpose in all this?
It pictures Christ and his church. That's the value of a husband
and a wife. All of these relationships, father
and son, parents and children, Friends, sisters, brothers, husbands
and wives, all of these relationships are doomed to dissolve, either
by circumstance or by death. There's not gonna be any marriage
in heaven. When you get up there, there
ain't no sense looking for your husband, you ain't gonna find
him. There is no marriage or given in marriage there. But we'll all be brethren, won't
we? We'll all be children of God.
be no use for that anymore. Now we're gonna understand this
marriage is Christ. This union is us and Christ. That's what it is. And this husband
and wife thing was just given the picture of that. That's why
it's here. All things were created by him,
now listen, and for him, for him. All principalities, all
powers, things seen, things not seen, things yet to come, they're
all created for him. So this union is a union based
on understanding. And then secondly, this headship
of Christ, as it's given in picture here, is to show submission. Submission. We give thanks unto
God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now
watch this, Ephesians 5, 21. Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God. Submission, a reverential fear,
a fear based on our lack in his fullness, our ignorance in his
wisdom, our poverty in his riches, our emptiness in his fullness,
And then he says in verse 22, wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands as unto the Lord. You cannot be submissive
to the Lord and disobedient to your husband. You're doing this,
you're doing that. You cannot be submissive to Christ
and ignore his delegated authority. Can't do it. And here's why. Four, verse 23. The husband is
the head of the wife. Even, are you listening? Even as Christ is the head of
the church. Oh my soul. That's changed the way you talk
to your husband. It changed the way the husband
talks to his wife too. Yes, it will. And he is the Savior of the body. The Savior of the church, his
bride, is elect. He's the Savior of the body.
So how is the husband the Savior of his wife? By being God's provision
for her. That's what Christ is. He's our
provision. He's our provision. Husband works
to feed his wife, to take care of her, to make her happy, to
comfort her, protect her, make provision for her, till death
do you part. And all of this comes by way
of submission. Christ doesn't make his rule
effectual with the whip. Did you know that? He could.
He could. He's sovereign. Don't fear man
that can destroy the body. You fear God who can destroy
both body and soul in hell. He could, but he don't. His submission
is brought on and reigns in our hearts by grace and through love. That's how it works. That's how
it works. It's his love. I tell you, love
will break your heart. It'll break your heart, my soul. He doesn't make his rule effectual
by the whip, but by the love and mercy and grace of God. And
submission is a willing work, and it's freely given. And it's
given with understanding. When we look at Christ, our spiritual
husband, what do we see? I see an eternal relationship,
a marriage arranged by the Father. In old days, Marriage was arranged
by the father. Our marriage was arranged by
the father. I see an unbroken relationship
fixed by God for me from the very beginning. I see in him
a love manifested in his death to accomplish my redemption. I'm talking about looking to
our husband. What do we see? What do we see? Well, I see my
husband as Gomer the harlot saw Hosea buying her off the auction
block. That's how I see my husband. He was just a free meal. Just
a free meal. That's all Hosea ever was in
the eyes of Gomer. Just a free meal. She thought
her lovers was putting all that food outside the door. It was
her husband. All along. But she didn't know
it until he bought her off the auction block. And boy, she saw
her husband in a whole new light, didn't she? There she is, wasted. All of her beauty gone, abused,
worthless, just being sold as a servant on the auction block.
Hosea went there and bought her back. Bought her back. She's
mine. She's mine. All my soul. How
that woman looked at her husband. Totally different. Totally different. I see my husband as Ruth saw
Boaz, her kinsman redeemer, buying back all that was lost and then
some. Anybody here can redeem Ruth?
Let him step forward. Nope. Had to redeem Naomi too. Huh? Can you see your husband? That's your kinsman redeemer,
buying back everything that was lost, and then some. I see my husband as Eve saw hers,
plunging himself under the curse of God, not willing to lose his
bride. I see my husband as Rebecca saw
hers through a faithful servant who gave me gifts from him as
a token of his love for me. Can you see him? Can you see
him? Husbands, love your wives as
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Huh? Oh, my soul. You have to see them. It'll never
happen until you see them. But when you see them and see
the reality of how things are, oh, what a different light. What
a different light. The whip and the law ceases to
rule, and that's love. Any of y'all married in here? You sat down before you was married,
and you got a rule book out. Now here's what you got to do,
and here's what I'm going to do. Don't work that way, does
it? You just do it because you love
her. She submits because she loves you, even when you're wrong,
even in your pride and arrogance and snapping. Why? Because she adds unto the Lord. That's why. Unto the Lord. Unto the Lord. We don't submit. Wives don't submit to their husbands
because they fear him. They submit to him. in faith,
understanding what this relationship is. And they submit to the Lord,
as unto the Lord. Submit yourselves to your own
husbands as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the
wife, even as Christ is the head of the church and the savior
of the body. You know, the same thing applies,
husband and wife, preacher in congregation, pastor in congregation. Same thing applies. You don't
follow me because I'm worthy. I don't feel worthy of anything.
You follow me because this is God's delegated authority. This
is God's means, God's means. And it makes it much more enjoyable
when we both have that grace in our hearts, don't we? And
that love in your hearts. And the third thing I want you
to see here is Christ as God's delegated authority. I don't
know if there's a husband worthy of submission, but his authority
is not based upon his worthiness, but upon the worthiness of Christ.
Is Christ worthy? That's why we do it. God has set certain offices certain
relationships and certain powers into play, and he's delegated
his authorities to them for our good and his glory. In Romans
13, one, it said, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. Now I know in particular, this
is talking about governmental rule, but it encompasses all
the delegated authority of God. There is no power but of God.
The only reason, because there is no male and female in Christ,
the only reason a woman is to be subject to her husband is
because of what that relationship means toward him, that's it. He ain't no smarter than her,
most times she's smarter than he is. But this is God's means,
this is what God's ordained to do, and this is the way it's
gonna be, be subject, Let every soul be subject unto the high
powers, for there is no power but of God, and the powers that
be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power resisteth the ordinance of God. What's that mean? You're saying what he's ordained
here can't work. Oh, yes it can. And it will. And it will. and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation. Here he's talking about a loving
rule, one who counts it a privilege to submit and a privilege to
rule. Husbands are to love their wives,
and it's a joy to be able to provide for and protect somebody
you love in you. I tell you, you women here, you're
so special to me. So special to me. There's not
a woman in here, not any of your wives that are in here, that
I don't want to be around. I love being around them. I love
being around them because they have an understanding. They have
grace in their hearts and love in their hearts and they want
to do things. They want to help serve during the Bible conference.
They want to prepare stuff. And I'm going to tell you something
else, husbands. When your wife prepares a meal for you, she's
not just looking for something to throw on the plate. It's not
like feeding your dog, you get a bag of dog food and dust it
off, okay, next. No, she hunts and looks and goes
through those recipe books until she finds something special.
And she puts it out there and then she watches you. See what
your reaction is. Wow, what'd you do to that? Where'd
you get that from, huh? You know what does that? Love,
that's what does that, love. And when I prepare my messages,
I'm shooting for your heart. I'm not shooting for your head.
I know it's got to go through your head. But if it don't go
into your heart, it's not going to do you any good. We're just
going through the motions. I want this thing to go on to
your heart. And I look, and I try to prepare something special
for you. And then I watch to see your
reaction. I was dealing with this subject
a few days back, and I asked the congregation this. But you say, he did this, she
done that. You don't know what they said.
What do you expect me to do? And here's what I told them,
word for word. Get over it. Get over it. My soul, look at
what hangs in the balance. Look what it is we're here for.
Look what it is that we've been preserved in this world for.
Chosen among how many millions? Chosen, set apart just for this. We're going to let some little
old riff get in the middle of that? Not even an option. Just get over it. Get over it. Oh, hurt my feelings. I'm sorry. I don't want to see your feelings
hurt. Now get over it. Get over it. You know what that
word long-suffering is? Be kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another. That word long-suffering, you
know what it means? Putting up with. That's what it means, putting
up with. I saw, see our husband putting
up with us. And we can't put up with one
another? Treat these things with the mind
of Christ. Realize what we are by nature
and forgive one another. Our obedience springs from the
love of God in Christ and so does our authority. And he says
to his pastors, neither being lords over God's heritage but
examples under the flock. We're not lords over anything.
You think you're a lord over something? get the flu and try
to command that germ to go away, that virus. You ain't coming
near me, I'm Lord over my life. You'll find out real quick what
you're Lord of, nothing, nothing. If you have any authority at
all, God gave it to you, and he gave it to you because he
loves you. Both submission and rule are
based upon our relationship to the Lord, but Satan will have
you Basing your relationship on circumstances, unworthiness,
faults, weaknesses, and on and on the list goes. Anything but
grace. Anything but mercy. But true
submission and true love is unto the Lord. And then lastly, having
put the wife and the husband into their proper light, he says
in verse 32, this is a great mystery. It's a great mystery. Oh, I tell
you, I've experienced it three times. Three times. Once with
a boy and with my two girls. Loved their daddy, loved their
mama. Looked to us for all things. Stayed right there in my house. All of a sudden, they hit that
age, 18, 19. Where you going? Well, I met
this girl. Where's she at? She's in Washington,
DC. Washington, DC? I'm never gonna
see you. I can't help it, I can't help
it. That's a mystery, isn't it? It's
like a whole 18 years went down the drain, but not really, not
really. It's of God, it's of God. It's a great mystery, he said,
great mystery. Man leaving his father and mother
to be joined to his bride. It's a mystery, but now listen
to this. I speak concerning Christ and
the church. Oh, aren't you glad he let the
Father come down to this world? Why'd he come here? To redeem
his bride. Nothing can turn him. He loved
us. When'd he start loving us? Foundation
of the world. He loved us. He loved us. And I don't care what your relationship
here is going to be dissolved. It wasn't given to be a permanent
thing, only to picture and manifest our relationship to Christ and
one another. I speak concerning Christ and
the church. And there's only one relationship
that's eternal, and that's Christ and his church. Who shall separate
us, the scripture said, from the love of Christ? Uh-oh. Now we're gonna look at this
marriage thing again. Who gonna separate you from the
love of Christ? Now watch this. Tribulation. You know what that
word means? Trouble. Trouble. Trouble gonna
separate you from Christ? What about distress? I'm just
fed up, I'm just fed up. I'm stretched out. Oh, what's gonna separate us
from the love of Christ? Tribulation, distress, persecution,
famine, nakedness, peril of soul. As it's written, for thy sake
we're killed all the day long. We're counted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we're more than conquerors
through him that loved us. For I'm 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 Christ Jesus our Lord. We're his bride,
and we ain't going nowhere. And he ain't going nowhere. We're
one. We're one. We're sinners, I know that. We're
prone to sin, prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. But don't look
at division as an option in your relationship. You view that relationship
in Christ. And in Christ, there's no division.
We're one in him. There's one in him. In John 10, 28, he said,
I give unto them eternal life, and they'll never perish. All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast out. In Hebrews 13, five, he said,
I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Oh, my
soul, what a husband, what a husband we have. Oh, God give us grace,
grace to be husbands as we should and to be wives as we should. Father, you used the message
this morning. I beg you for Christ's sake.