Let's open our Bibles tonight
again to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, beginning
with verse 21. Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto
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
he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 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. So ought men
to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his
wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord
the church. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh and of his bones. 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. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let
every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself
and the wife see that she reverence her husband. I plan, the Lord
willing, to bring two messages to us from these verses. We,
of course, recognize that these verses continue part of the apostles
teaching the children of God concerning our walk, concerning
our conduct in this world. He began, if you look back to
chapter four and verse one, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech
you that you walk worthy. He's dealing with the believer's
walk. Chapter five, verses one and two. Be you therefore followers
of God as dear children and walk in love. So these verses are
dealing with the believer's conduct in this life. Now I plan, God
willing, next time to look at our conduct, that is the conduct
between husband and wife. But tonight, I want us to look
at what the apostle writes of Christ and his bride, of Christ
and the church. When a man and woman marry, they
become one body. Notice he said that in verses
31 and 32. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and he's only quoting from Genesis chapter
two, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall
be one body. So Christ and his church are
one. We are one. She is his mystical
body. She is his bride. If you turn
back to chapter one of Ephesians, he had declared this in chapter
one in the prayer of the apostle that's recorded here. His last
request in this prayer beginning in verse 19 is that believers
might know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward
who believe. When you believed, it was because
of God's great power in giving you faith and granting you repentance
and bringing you to life. And Paul is asking that God might
reveal this, make this known unto these believers that we
might know what is exceeding greatness of his power to us
who believe according to the working of his mighty power.
The same power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly
places. Far above all principality and
power and might and dominion and every name that is named,
not only in this world but also in that which is to come. That's
where Christ is tonight. That's where the God-man, the
Lord Jesus Christ is tonight. He's been exalted to the Father's
right hand above all principality, that is all spiritual beings,
all power, might, dominion, every name that is named not only in
this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put
all things under His feet and gave him to be the head over
all things. Now notice, the head over all
things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him
that filleth all in all. The church, which is his body,
includes all of God's chosen people from the very beginning
until the last one who will be saved. All make up his church,
his mystical body, his sheep, his bride. All of God's elect
make up the church. Now, we know there are local
assemblies, local churches, but here he's speaking of of the
entire church of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as we would speak
of Him having one body. He's the head of the body. Many
members, yes, but only one head and there's only one body. And
this is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 12 and
verse 23, we read that we have come, that is those of us who
are saved by the grace of God, we have come to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn. Christ is the firstborn, which
are written in heaven. Our names are written in heaven.
I read something the other day that I'll just mention to you. There's a bag, there's a bottle,
and there's a book. That's from Brother Don Fortner.
There's a bag, as they used to, or still do, I assume, bury people
at sea, they would put the body in a bag, seal it up, and put
it overboard. The Lord has taken the sins of
his people and sealed them up in a bag and cast them in the
sea of his forgetfulness. And there's a bottle where he
catches, I guess I could use that word, catches the tears
of his people who weep as we go through this world. And yes,
thank God there's a book and it is the Lamb's Book of Life. Amen? Now, let's look at these
four truths in the passage here in Ephesians 5 concerning Christ
as the head, the Savior of His body, which is the church, His
bride. There are four truths that I
want to point out to us. First, Christ loved the church. Notice that in verse 25. Husbands,
love your wives even as Christ loved the church. This is where
it all begins. This is where it all begins,
with God's love. With His love for His bride.
Now what does the Bible tell us about the love of Christ that
He has for His bride, for His church, for His body? It tells
us that His love is an everlasting love. We read this in Jeremiah
chapter 31 in verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. That's the first thing we know
about the love that Christ has for his church. The first thing
that I mentioned that the Bible tells us about his love is it
is an everlasting love. His love for his bride is not
just old. We might say, well, his love
is old from the beginning of the world, the beginning of creation.
Well, that would be old. This creation is old several
thousands of years old, but his love is much older than that. His love goes back further than
that. His love goes back before the
beginning. The scripture says, in the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth, but even before that,
that's when time began, but before time began, God loved His bride. He loved His church. His love
is from everlasting. And think about this. His love
is like Himself. His love is like Himself. And
by that I mean He's sovereign. He's not some wannabe Lord. He's
sovereign. We saw that, didn't we? He rules
over all. And His love is like Himself.
That is, His love also is sovereign. And His love is like Himself.
He's immutable. He doesn't change. Yes, Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love
is immutable. And it should go without saying,
His love is special. His love is special. That verse
in John chapter 13 begins when the Lord washed the disciples'
feet. The first verse of that chapter
tells us, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved
them unto the end. Now, if he loved everyone the
same, that verse would have no meaning whatsoever. No, having
loved his own, his own, those who were given unto him in that
everlasting covenant of grace, having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. And certainly that doesn't
mean to the end of the world, to the end of the ages. No, his
love is unending. It is eternal, just as it had
no beginning, so it has no ending. His own, which he loves, are
those that the Father gave unto him. You know, in John chapter
10, when he speaks about his sheep, he says, my Father gave
them me. My Father, who is greater than
all, gave them me. No one's able to pluck one out
of my hand, because my Father, which gave them unto me, is greater
than all. The Bible also tells us, look
with me in Romans chapter 8, not only is His love sovereign,
not only is His love eternal and immutable, but nothing can
separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Romans chapter 8 and verse 35. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Some of God's
people have gone through some great tribulation. They've gone
through some deep waters. They've gone through some hot
fires. But the water, the fire could
not separate them from God's love. Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ, shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, I
think we read this in the psalm just a little while ago, Psalm
44, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted
as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
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. People should not speak about
the love of God apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, because his
love is in Christ. You hear politicians, don't you?
They like to mix a little religion into their speeches. And they'll
talk about the love of God, but they never say the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus, because that excludes all the false religions. So back in our text, that's the
first thing, first truth that we see. Christ as the head and
savior of his body, the church, Christ loved the church. Second,
Christ gave himself for her. That too is found in verse 25.
Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church
and gave himself for it. He gave himself for her as her
surety. He made himself liable as a surety
of that everlasting covenant. He made himself liable to all
the debts of his bride, all the debts that she has incurred.
He made himself liable to pay. He's a surety of that everlasting
covenant. He gave himself for her to be
the propitiation for her sins. Notice in Romans 3, if you want
to turn with me. If not, I'll read this. Romans
chapter 3 and verse 25. Verse 24 says, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth, that is, Lord Jesus Christ, God
has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to
declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God. He gave himself for her,
to be her surety, to be the propitiation for her. If there were no propitiation,
no appeasing God's wrath because of the sin of his people, if
there were no propitiation, this is the same word that is also
translated mercy seed, mercy seed. If there were no propitiation,
that would mean God was saying, sin may be ignored. It may just
be ignored, overlooked, just forget about it. With the propitiation,
with the propitiation that Christ is, God says, this is what your
sin cost. And I bore it in my son as I
justified you. He gave himself for her. He gave
himself for her to be the propitiation for her sins. He gave himself
for her, that is the church, to be made a curse. Every one
of us, every one of his bride was cursed by the law of God
because the law cursed everyone that does not continue in all
things which are written in it. And so we were cursed by the
law. And yet in Galatians 3, in verse
13, we find out that he was actually
made a curse for her. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For as written,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. When the Lord Jesus
Christ was nailed to the cross, when he was hanging there on
that tree, he was made a curse and he experienced the wrath
of God that all of his children deserve, that the sins, all of
your sins, if you're one of his children tonight, all of our
sins, he experienced the wrath of God for our sins. The hell, if we want to use that
word, the hell which our sins deserve, he experienced upon
the tree when he was made to be a curse for us. So we've been delivered from
the curse of the law, the church has. All right, here's the third
if you go back to the text tonight. Ephesians 5, Christ sanctifies
and cleanses her. Notice that in verse 26. First
of all, he loved her. Second, he gave himself for her.
And third, that he might sanctify and cleanse yet her with the
washing of water by the word. His bride, like all men, fell
in our father Adam. And so we come into this world
in a lost condition. And he has provided for her,
her deliverance from that lost estate. He provided for her that
which cleanses, that which washes us as white as snow, that is,
shed His precious blood to take away our sin. Without the shedding
of blood, there is no remission of sin. But not only that, not
only to cleanse us, but His righteousness, He sanctifies us, He sets us
apart, He cleanses us, and He imputes His righteousness unto
everyone that believes that His righteousness is our righteousness. Therefore, we are accepted in
the Beloved. We're not going to be accepted.
We may be accepted. No, all of His people are accepted
in Christ and only in Christ, only in His righteousness. Turn
with me to Ezekiel chapter 16. We have here in Ezekiel chapter
16 an analogy that God speaks of concerning the nation of Israel. But the same truth is so concerning
his church, his bride. But in Ezekiel chapter 16 and
beginning with verse four, He speaks of the nation of Israel
as an infant. And so, as God's children, we
too were infants, and this was our condition. And as for thy
nativity, in the day thou wast born, thy navel was not cut,
neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee. Thou wast not
salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None I pitied thee to do
any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou
wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person
in the day that thou wast born. You cannot imagine a more terrible
experience, can you, than a baby born in this world and just cast
out into the open field. Verse six, and when I pass by
thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, the infant doesn't
cry out for mercy, God passes by, God sees, and I, that is
God, I said unto thee, after when thou wast in thy blood,
love, live. Yea, I said unto thee, when thou
wast in thy blood, live. God said that, and that's the
reason we have life, is because He passed by and commanded life,
and that life is in Christ, isn't it? He is our life. And then
if you look down in that same chapter to verse eight. Now when I passed by thee and
looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love. And
I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness. Yea,
I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith
the Lord God, and thou becamest mine. 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 brooded work, 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, and I put bracelets upon thy
hands, and a chain on thy neck, put a jewel on thy forehead,
and earrings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head. Thus wast thou decked with gold
and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and brodered
work. Thou didst eat fine flour and
honey and oil, Thou was exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper
into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among
the heathen for thy beauty. Now notice, for it was perfect. The righteousness in which God's
people, in which the church is clothed, is perfect, isn't it? It's beautiful. It's his righteousness. It satisfies God, and it is,
he said, it's perfect through my comeliness. Now notice, which
I put upon thee, saith the Lord. He put his righteousness upon
his church, his people. All right, let's go back one
other point here. Not only As God did Christ love
the church and give himself for the church, he sanctifies and
cleanses her before Christ presents her to him as a glorious church. Notice that in verse 27, that
he might present it to himself a glorious church. I believe
that this has to do with the future. The commentators, the
writers say that he presented the church to God on that very
day of his death. But this speaks of him presenting
the church to himself, not to the father, but to himself. And he presents her to himself
a glorious church. I believe this refers to the
future when he comes again. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes
again, and we know that he has promised to come, and we know
that he's coming. And in Romans 8, the apostle
wrote, for whom he did foreknow, and of course that word foreknow
means upon whom he set his love. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate, now listen, to be conformed to the image
of his son. When He comes again and raises
us, raises the bodies rather, and the body and soul are reunited
together, and He presents His church, His body unto Himself,
it will be a glorious church because each and every one has
been predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, of Christ,
to be like Him. What does the scripture say here
in 1 John chapter 3? Beloved, it doth not yet appear what we
shall be. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God? Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know
that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is. And then one other verse in Jude,
just a few pages over Father Jude, verses 24 and 25. Now, unto him that is able to
keep you from falling. We're not able to keep ourselves,
are we? And aren't you thankful that he's the one who keeps us?
He keeps us, and he's able to keep us from falling. And when
he allows us to fall, he's going to raise us up. But he keeps
us from falling away, falling away, losing our salvation. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and notice, and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. What joy
it will be for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who for the
joy that was set before Him despised the cross, the shame that was
associated with the cross, with His death, but who for the joy
that was set before him, he endured the cross and one day he's going
to see each and every one, he's going to be satisfied for the
travail of his soul when he sees each and every one for whom he
gave his life before him without fault and as the scripture says,
faultless before the presence of his glory. Now I want to emphasize
this, and I'll be through. When we think about what Christ
is and what Christ has done for his church, we, you and I, we
must not get lost in the crowd. Right? We must not get lost in
the crowd. This church of his, it's a multitude
which no man can number. But we must, each and every one
of us, think like the Apostle Paul and confess like the Apostle
Paul when he said, who loved me, who loved me, and gave himself
for me. All of these things, these four
things we've looked at, we've got to bring that down to each
one of us individually. He loved me. He gave himself
for me. He sanctifies and cleanses me. He will present me before his
throne. I pray the Lord will bless these
words to all of us here this evening. The glorious church of the Lord
Jesus Christ.