Here in Ephesians 5 that we read
from a moment ago, while there are several, several very needy
and practical exhortations given concerning the relationship between
husband and wife, I don't want to speak of those
in particular now, but rather this. As Paul tells us, What
that represents, that is the marriage relationship, what it
is a picture of, what it is a type of, hence its importance. And
it is this, look again at verse 30. We are members of his body,
that is Christ, of his flesh and of his bones. For this call
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined
to his wife, and they too shall be one flesh." And Paul tells
us exactly what he's speaking of here in verse 32. This is
a great mystery. This is a great mystery. But
I speak concerning Christ and the church. The title of my message
is Christ and His Bride. The words of verse 31 are the
very words that Adam spoke after God created Eve and brought
her to Adam. Those were the words he said
concerning her. This is now flesh of my flesh
and bone of my bones. Turn if you will to Genesis chapter
2 where we have the inspired record of that. chapter 2 at verse 18. And the Lord said, It is not
good that the man should be alone. I will make him and help meet
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
a helpmate for him." Now apply that to Christ, what we just
read there. God's purpose to make a helpmate
for Adam, a helpmate, a companion. Before any of this ever happened,
before the creation of man, before God created Adam and then Eve,
before the sin of the first Adam, before the fall of our father
Adam, trace your roots. Look as far back into your family
tree as you can, and I'll promise you this, you'll find old fallen
Adam. He'll fall out of your family
tree. We trace all of our roots back
to him. Not Adam as created, but Adam
as fallen, with that fallen nature. But before that sin by our father
Adam, there was a remedy. In the second Adam, the Lord
Jesus Christ. That is why Adam and Eve did
not die eternally then. They died spiritually. They fell
from God's arms into the arms of Satan. They fell, and they
fell into sin, and we fell with them. They died spiritually. That's why we must be born again
as God, or rather as the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus. And afterwards,
they died physically. but they did not die eternally. You know why? Because he who
is the resurrection and the life stood for them. Let me read you a passage or
two along that very line. You could be turning to Romans
chapter 5, but let me read you a few verses from 1 Corinthians
15 concerning that very thing. For in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive. All died in Adam, and we were
all in Adam. But all those who were in Christ
shall be made alive. And then in verse 45, I'll go
to Romans 5 with you in just a moment, but in verse 45 of
1 Corinthians 15, and so it is written, The first Adam was made a living
soul. The last Adam, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, was made
a quickening spirit. Now in Romans chapter 5 we read
of that same blessed truth again concerning the God's church being
in Christ Jesus. But here in Romans 5 verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, So death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned. For until the law, sin was in
the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless,
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure
of him that was to come. Adam was the figure of him that
was the come, that one who would come declaring that he would
restore everything. He would restore that which he
took not away. Who could that be? Who could
that be? Well, we're told in verse 15,
but not rather as the offense, so also is the free gift. For
if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace
of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, one man
alone, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many. Look down at verse
19. For as by one man's disobedience,
the first Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience
of one, the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall many
be made righteous. Now, back in Genesis chapter
2, let's go on and read another portion of that. God said it
is not good, in verse 18, that the man should be alone. Now let's begin the reading at
verse 21 here in Genesis 2. And the Lord God 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. Even so, The Lord God purposed
that Christ Jesus should be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8 and 29, listen to this. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he, his Son, should be the firstborn among many brethren. Paul said that God who has saved
us and called us by his grace, not according to our own merit,
our own goodness, our own will, but according to his purpose
and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. No wonder Paul said in Ephesians
5, this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and
his church. Consider several ways that this
is so. How Adam and Eve picture Christ
and his bride, the church. First, as we've already done
so, but let's just go on and consider it some more. Christ
Jesus himself is the bridegroom. He's the husband of his Listen
to what is recorded here in Isaiah chapter 54 verse 5. For thy maker is thy husband. This is God speaking to his church.
And the Lord of hosts is his name. and thy Redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall he be called."
Christ is the husband of the church. He is the bridegroom
and the church is his wife, his bride. The custom in Old Testament
times and in New was for the father, usually, to choose the
bride for his son. often appoint his chief servant
to go speak to the father of the chosen bride about the marriage
of his daughter to his son. You have an example of this concerning
Abraham choosing a wife for Isaac and sending his servant out to
find her. Turn, if you will, to Genesis
chapter 24, and we'll read of that here. Abraham's servant has already
gone out. Rebekah has already been identified
as the future wife of Isaac. Now the servant of Abraham goes
with her to her father's house, and they sit down for a meal.
Here in Genesis 24 at verse 33, the servant says this, And there was set meat before
him to eat, but he said, I will not eat until I have towed mine
errand. And he said, speak on. And he
said, I am Abraham's servant, and the Lord had blessed my master
greatly, and he has become great. And he had given him flocks and
herds and silver and gold, men's servants and maid's servants,
camels and asses. And Sarah, my master's wife,
bare a son to my master when she was old, and unto him had
he given all that he had." I like that, don't you? Abraham gave
to his son Isaac all that he had. It pleased the Father that
in Christ should all fullness dwell. He has it all. All grace,
all mercy, all glory, all majesty, all power, God's given everything
into the hands of his Son. Are you still in Genesis chapter
24? Look down at verse 50. Then Laman, that is Rebekah's
brother, and Bethuel, her father, answered and said, The thing
proceedeth from the Lord, we cannot speak unto thee bad or
good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee,
take her and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as
the Lord hath spoken. And it came to pass that when
Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord,
bowing himself to the earth. Now compare that in John's gospel
chapter 3, compare that to John the Baptist, what he said concerning
himself. It so reminded me of the words
of Abraham's servant. In John chapter 3 verse 27, John
answered and said, A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from above. Ye yourselves bear me witness
that I said I am not the Christ, but I am sent before him. He
that hath the bride is the bridegroom." And John's telling them, make
no mistake, that's not me. That's not me, John said. I'm
not the bridegroom. The bride doesn't belong to me.
He's just like Abraham's servant was, who rejoiced and worshipped
at the news of a bride for his master's son. Verse 29, he that
had the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase. God, help me. Help me every time I stand here
to be reminded of these words. I'm not here to exalt myself.
No, no, I'm here that He must increase, but I must decrease. Behold the Lamb of God. I'm only
useful as I hold up Jesus Christ before you and direct you like
John God's servant to say, Behold the Lamb of God. He's the bridegroom. The church is His bride. God
chose Christ's bride just as Abraham chose Isaac's bride. Did he not? Did he not? Remember
what Adam said when God presented her, he, brother, to the man. This is now flesh of my flesh
and bone of my bones. That's exactly Concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ, look in, if you will, rather, in Ephesians
chapter 1. I know this is a familiar passage,
but look at it with me. Ephesians chapter 1. God said concerning Adam, it's
not good that he should be alone. And so was his purpose concerning
his son. Ephesians 1 verse 3. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who had blessed
us with all spiritual blessings. My master Abraham has given everything
to his son, the servant said. And Paul says, God, our master,
has given everything to his son, had blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen
us in him. Eve was in Adam before she was
brought forth. The church was in Christ before
the world began. According as he has chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his will. Turn now, if you will, to John
chapter 17. Our Lord's high priestly prayer just before he went to the garden
where Judas brought the mob to betray him and he was taken away as the great shepherd of the
sheep to be slain for his people. But he mentions this eternal
union of his church and himself. several times here in John 17,
verse 1. Father, the hour has come. Oh,
what an hour. What an hour. The hour has come. The hour that
the first hour began. The reason the earth was created. The hour has come. Glorify thy
son. that thy son also may glorify
thee. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to who? To everybody? To everybody? No, to as many as thou hast given
him. that you gave him. Look at verse
6. I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out of the world, thine they
were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.
Verse 11. Or verse 10. And all mine are
thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now
I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I
come to thee. Holy Father, them through thine name whose those
whom thou has given me that they may be one as we are one more
verse 24 father mmm the icing on the cake father I will also
that whom that those whom thou has given me be with me where
I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me,
for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world." We
were in Christ as Eve was in Adam. The old hymn writer expressed
it this way concerning Christ and his church. God speaking
to his son. Thou art my first elect, God
said, and then chose us, his bride, in Christ our head. The bridegroom would often be asked by the father
of the bride what he was willing to do for his bride. And again,
turn back, if you will, to Genesis, Genesis chapter 24, verse 53. And the servant, Abraham's servant,
and the servant bought forth jewels of silver and jewels of
gold and reamed them and gave them to Rebekah. He gave also
to her brother and to her mother precious things. Christ God's Son, through Him, He who is rich in grace, rich
in grace. Oh, when God opens a sinner's
eyes and he sees, he's made to realize
what he can never know until this, drink as deeply as he can of
the wells of this world, he will always thirst again. They will
never satisfy him and I include the world's religion in those
wells. Oh, but if he's made to see that, he'll be made to see
also the riches in Christ Jesus that whoever drinks of this water,
listen to this, he'll never thirst again, all the riches, the riches
of God's grace in his dear son. You remember when Jacob served
for Rachel? He served seven years. Seven
years he served and labored for Rachel's father that he might
have her hand in marriage. And in Genesis 29 we read, those
years seemed as nothing to Jacob because of his great love for
her. How Christ labored for his church. I said a moment ago, the bridegroom
would be asked by the father of the bride, what are you willing
to do for my daughter? When God committed us into the
hands of Christ, When Christ became surety for his people,
our bridegroom, in that everlasting covenant of grace, said, I will
do everything. I will do everything to redeem
my fallen bride. I will. I will. He left his father's
house. He left heaven. He left the glory
that he had with the Father. Why? For his bride. Though he was rich, yet for our
sakes he became poor that we through his poverty might be
made rich. What was he willing to do? Behold! Behold! In the fullness of time,
God sends forth his Son. Behold your adorable bridegroom. Behold Him in whom is all the
fullness of God. Behold Him who is full of grace
and truth. Behold Him who is God forevermore
and didn't cease to be God, but for your sakes He became a man. Behold Him when He says, Father,
I come to do Thy will. When the fullness of that time
had come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under
the law to redeem. To redeem. Not to take the first
step and leave another step for the... No, no, no. To redeem
them that were under the law. To rescue his bride. In 1 Timothy chapter 2 we read,
that Adam, the man, was not deceived. That the woman, Eve, she was
deceived. Satan deceived her. But Paul
says very plainly, the man was not deceived, but the woman was
deceived. Why did Adam do it then? Why did Adam take that fruit
from the hand of his wife commit sin and fall from God. Why did
he do it? In Genesis 3 we read of that. There was, I don't know, I don't
know, but from the time that Eve disobeyed and fell, and the
time that she gave the fruit to Adam and he ate thereof and
fell, there was an interval. I don't know how long, but there
was a space. between her falling and Adam's. And Paul tells us plainly there
in 1 Timothy 2, Adam knew what he was doing. Then why did he
do it? Because of his love for her,
Job. His love for her. To be with her. And as we read
in Romans 5, Unlike Christ, he did it in disobedience. Oh, but
Christ acted in obedience to his father and our father on
the behalf of his bride. Again, in Ephesians 5, look what
we read. Husbands, love your wives like
you would every woman out there. It's ridiculous. Ridiculous.
No, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, like
he loved the church. Not everybody, the church, his
bride. I lay down my life for the sheep
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Verse 33,
let every one of you in particular Like you would no one else, so
love his wife as himself. This is what Christ did in loving
his church. He loved me, Paul said. And Paul
never got over the wonder of that. Paul said, he loved me
and gave himself for me. Christ does all for his church.
Turn, if you will, to Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22. Here, our Lord observes the last
Passover with his disciples. He institutes the Lord's Supper
before he goes to fulfill what that Passover picture, the lamb
slain. But here in Luke chapter 22,
verse 14, and when the hours come, he sat down And the twelve
apostles with him, and he said unto them, with desire, I have
desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say
unto you, I will not eat any more thereof until it be fulfilled
in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup and gave
thanks and said, take this and divide it among yourselves. For
I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until
the kingdom of God shall come. And he took the bread, and gave
thanks and break it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body,
which is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. Likewise
also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament
in my blood, which is shed for you." This cup, the cup David
spoke of in the 23rd Psalm, my cup runneth over. The cup our glorious bridegroom
gives to his bride to drink from, look at it, look into it, full
of mercy, full of grace. full of all that the bridegroom
can give to his people. Oh, thank God for that cup, but
that cup that Christ himself had to drink of, in order to
give us this cup of blessing, he had to take the cup of God's
curse, that cup which he anticipated. and caused great drops of blood
to fall from his head as he prayed about it. Oh Father, if it's
possible, let this cup... What was in that cup? He looked
into it and anticipated. The shadow of the cross was even
then eclipsing his holy soul and he was anticipating even
then. as never before, being forsaken
by God Almighty. How is that possible? I don't
know. I don't know. The cup of God's
wrath against sin was put into the hands of God's Son, our bridegroom. And before we can enjoy the cup
of everlasting mercy and grace, he must drink the cup, all of
it. that cup in which God says, Awake,
O sword, against the man who is my fellow, my companion. Smite the shepherd. And God Almighty
thrust the sword of divine justice into the heart of his own son. And his son cries out, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? Jacob loved Rachel, and those
seven years he labored for her hand seemed as nothing to him
because of his great love for her. Christ, we're told, for
the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the majesty
on high. The joy of bringing us home. The joy of bringing his bride
to the Father's house. Thirdly, the result of what Christ
did for his bride, the sure outcome. Are you still here in Ephesians
5? Let's read it again. Here's the
outcome of it. This is why he gave himself for
his church, his bride. that he might, verse 26, that
he might sanctify it 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. Christ has by his life and death
prepared a perfect wedding garment for
his bride. a perfect wedding garment. He
wove it himself. Every thread in that garment,
every thread in that garment that he puts on his bride, whereby
she stands before God Almighty without a blemish, without a
spot, without a wrinkle, but whole and perfect. Every thread
of that garment was woven by the Lord Jesus Christ in His
perfect life of obedience and His death on the cross, suffering
under the penalty of God's holy law. Let's look again in Ezekiel
chapter 16. This is exactly what the prophet
is speaking of here. The result of Christ's finished
work. Here in Ezekiel chapter 16, I
clothed thee, verse 10. This has allusion to how the
bride would be dressed for her wedding. I clothed thee also
with broidered work, and shod thee with badger skin, and I
girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
I decked thee also with ornaments. Look at all the I's there. This
is God speaking. What did the bride do? Oh, she
has nothing that she didn't receive. I decked thee also with ornaments,
and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck,
and I put my jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and
a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus was thou decked with
gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk embroidered
work, Thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil, and thou wast
exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. Verse 14, And thy renown went
forth among the heathen for thy beauty, for it was perfect. This is the robe of Christ's
righteousness. For it was perfect through my
comeliness which I have put upon thee, saith the Lord. That robe presents us without
fault before the throne of God. Let me read you a verse from
Isaiah chapter 61. Listen to this. I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God. This
is the voice of his bride. For he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride
adorneth herself with her jewels." Last of all, when our bridegroom
comes. Look, if you will, one more time
in Genesis chapter 24, this example of Abraham's servant. and Isaac's bride, Rebekah. In Genesis chapter 24, verse
57, and they said, the parents of
Rebekah says to the servant of Abraham, we will call the damsel
and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah and said
unto her, without go with this man, can you hear the chime of
wedding bells here? And she said, I will go. My people, the bridegroom said,
shall be willing in the day of my power. The custom also involved
this. The bridegroom literally went
to the bride's house and would bring her back to his house. There are several places in scripture
that refer to this very thing. Just let me read one or two to
you. Here in Jeremiah, well, let's skip that one. Psalm 45,
Psalm 45. I think it refers to this very
thing. The bridegroom coming for his
bride, and how she's dressed and waiting for him. Isaiah,
or rather Psalm 45, verse 13. The king's daughter is all-glorious
within her, or rather all-glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought
gold. She shall be brought unto the
king in raiment of needlework. The virgins, her companions that
follow her, shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and
rejoicing shall they be brought, and they shall enter into the
king's Turn to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew
chapter 25. Verse 6, our Lord speaking and
he says, and at midnight, Matthew 25 and 6, at midnight there was
a cry made, behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Verse 10, and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage And the door was shut. The door was shut. They that were ready, they that
were clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, that's the only
way any sinner can enter into glory. That's the only grounds
of acceptance by a holy God of any child of fallen Adam. In Revelation chapter 19, We
read this, let us be glad, verse 7, let us be glad and rejoice
and give honor to him. For the marriage of the lamb
is come. The time has come and his wife
had made herself ready. How so? Because to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for
the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he saith unto
me, Write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God. One hymn writer expressed it
this way. The king there in his beauty,
without a veil is seen. It were a well-spent journey,
even with seven deaths between. The lamb with his fair army does
on Mount Zion stand, and glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's
land. The bride eyes not her garment,
but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, but
on my king of grace. Not at the crown he giveth, but
on his pierced hand. The lamb is all the glory of
Emmanuel's land. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and his church, which will be presented
back to the Father who gave them to him, without spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but without fault before the throne of God. Oh, I and my beloveds, and my
beloved is mine. He brings a poor vile sinner
into his house of wine. I stand up on his merit. I know
no other stand, not even where glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's
land. Amen.