Sermons

Sermon Notes

Please note that these are only notes, not transcripts, and as such are not identical to the recorded sermons. They also contain frequent abbreviations.

1. Did you notice, as we read Eph. 5, that the Apostle Paul intertwines the doctrine of marriage with the doctrine of Christ and His Church?

   1. Manuel and Emily-Kate, that is deliberate.

      1. Marriage cannot be understood without understanding Christ and His Church b/c Christ’s relationship with His Church is the basis and pattern for our marriages.

      2. It is because men lack this understanding, and really therefore have no clue what real marriage is, that most marriages fail.

   2. Marriage is God’s institution and His purpose is that it reflect His marriage.

      1. Eph. 5 is the classic passage which reveals this glorious truth: Christ is the Husband of His Bride, the Church.

      2. Christ marries ONE woman, the Church, made up of all the elect, whom Christ redeemed on the cross, and whom Christ calls irresistibly by His HS to Himself.

      3. Christ loves this ONE woman; He never loves another; He remains faithful to her; He never divorces her and never even thinks of marrying anyone else.

2. This truth of marriage must underlie your marriage, Manuel and Emily-Kate!

CHRIST AND THE CHURCH

1. The Relationship

   1. Manuel and EmK love one another dearly but there is a greater love: the love which Christ has for His Church.

      1. Christ is the Eternal Son of God who forever dwells in the bosom of the Father, the one whom all heaven adores. Eph. 1:6 calls Him the “beloved.”

         1. For this Lord Jesus Christ the Father ordained a Bride.

            1. Certainly, Christ did not need a Bride, He had a perfect life of fellowship with the Father; certainly, His life was not incomplete without a Bride, He lived in highest bliss; but this was God’s holy, wise and sov. purpose..

            2. He chose a Bride for Christ before the foundation of the world; God set His love upon that Bride; He gave that Bride to His Son to be His forever.

         2. What kind of Bride did the Father choose for His beloved Son? A company of Angels? No, God determined His Son would be married to human beings.

            1. This Bride is the Church: the Church is not the building where Christians meet, not an earthly institution, not a local assembly of Christians, by Church here the text means a spiritual body of all the elect from the beginning to the end of the world, from every nation, called out of the world and united to Christ by faith.

            2. The Church is not all men, nor does God desire or purpose that all men be part of this Church, nor does God leave it up to men to decide to be members of that Church. Freewill does not determine membership, election does (Eph. 1).

            3. Are you part of this Church? The Church which the Father gave to Christ, the Church which Christ loves and the Church for which He died? You will show it by forsaking your sins, and believing in Christ alone for salvation.

      2. The relationship which Christ has with His Church is reflected in a small measure & imperfectly in Manuel and Emily-Kate’s relationship.

         1. Manuel set his love on EmK, whom he chose to be his own. Above all women on the earth, he loves EmK. He does not, and he may not, love any other women. In fact, by choosing EmK Manuel discriminates against all other women.

         2. Having loved Emily-Kate, Manuel determined that she should be his, and now he pledges his love to her, to be faithful to her in marriage.

   2. Unlike Manuel and Emily-Kate’s relationship the marriage of Christ and His Church is the most unlikely match possible.

      1. You might expect that the Father would choose for His Son’s Bride only the worthiest of people, that He would give to His Son the wise, the mighty, the noble, the good; so that His Bride is a pure, unspoiled, beautiful virgin.

         1. Manuel and Emily-Kate, if such had been God’s purpose, you would not have been included, and nor would I. The church is made up only of sinners.

            1. What does Eph. 5 say: this church has spots, wrinkles and blemishes, and she must be washed. Don’t think minor imperfections: think gross sins.

            2. Would you like to know what the church is by nature: read Eph. 2:1-3.

            3. Would you like to know what the church is by nature: read I Cor. 6:9-11.

            4. And why is it so? Why does the Father choose for His Son a Bride made up of sinners? Salvation must be by grace alone, so that none boast in His presence.

         2. The Church is made up only of sinners, that is good news for Manuel and EmK and all who know their sins, but terrible news for the self-righteous.

            1. Do some here believe that good works can make them worthy to be married to Christ as part of His Church?

            2. Perish the thought! Then you would be the only one in that vast throng of grateful sinners who will be boasting, and God will not have that! “Not of works, lest any man should boast”! (Eph. 2:9).

            3. Let no one say that the church deserves to be married to Christ. It is grace!

      2. You might expect that the prospect of being married to such a filthy wretch as the Church might fill the holy heart of Christ with horror and disgust.

         1. Shall the Son of God be married to this?

         2. Shall the Son of God stoop so low as to be associated with sinners such as these?

         3. Was there anything in these sinners which attracted Him? Not at all! Everything should have repelled Him! Let no one think that the church deserves to be married to Christ.

2. Redemption

   1. Despite the Church’s unworthiness to be His Bride Christ loved her. His love for His Bride drove Him to make her His own. (“Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church …” [Eph. 5:25]). In what way was that?

      1. First, Christ sought her . That is why He came into the world, to seek His Bride.

         1. He did not come to her clothed in Majesty as the Son of God; such a coming would have terrified her, rather He came in our flesh.

            1. His Bride is partaker of flesh and blood, so He took on her nature.

            2. He did not wait for her to come to Him b/c that would never have happened.

         2. And where, pray tell, did Christ find her, the one betrothed to be His Bride?

            1. He found her sitting on a spiritual dunghill, living the life of a drudge of the devil, exhausting herself in sin, and reaping sin’s reward, death.

            2. He found her wallowing in the filth of sin, in love with the sins which she served, and yet utterly miserable. And when He found her, she was repelled by His holiness, hated Him and did not want to be delivered.

            3. And Christ could have taken one look at her and in utter disgust abandoned her to her doom, but He loved her (“Christ also loved the Church …”)!

      2. Second, Christ bought her or redeemed her.

         1. By her sins she had sold herself into Satan’s power, and she could not escape.

            1. By her sins she had built up a huge debt to the justice of God: she owed God perfect obedience and she could not pay.

            2. Having worked her whole life in the service of sin and the devil she had earned for herself a terrible salary: death, the curse of God and hell.

            3. God demanded satisfaction, she could not pay, and was doomed to perish.

         2. But “Christ also loved His Church and gave Himself for it …! (Eph. 5:25).

            1. “Make me responsible for her sins.” Christ said, “I will pay the price in full. Spare her, Father. Spare her the hell she deserves.”

            2. And God said, “You must obey me perfectly; and then you must die in her place, for her sins. You must drink the cup of my wrath; you must experience the pains of hell; you must be cursed with her curse, you must die and be buried. Then and only then, will my holy justice be satisfied.”

            3. And Christ died the death which His elect deserved to die. With no consideration for Himself, He gave Himself to the cruel cross, for her, for His Church.

            4. He took death in all its horror for His Bride, and because of the payment He has made, she is His, she has been delivered from the devil, from death, from hell. He did this to “sanctify” (v. 26) her - to set her apart for Himself.

      3. Third, Christ washed her (“That he might sanctify and cleanse it …” Eph 5:26).

         1. When Christ sought her and bought her she was filthy.

            1. She was legally His but what a sorry sight she was! She had wallowed in sin and was utterly vile by nature. Nothing could cleanse her but the power of His blood and His righteousness and He applied it to her.

            2. He cleansed her with the washing of water by the Word, which means He applied His holy Gospel to her, that Gospel which told her of her sin and Christ’s love in the cross, and worked faith in her to believe it.

         2. As His precious possession the Church is the object of Christ’s tender care (“…nourisheth and cherisheth it even as Christ the church …” Eph. 5:29).

            1. She is such a part of Him that she is His Body; His life flows through her, so that she lives in and through Him, and is called flesh of His flesh … (v. 30).

            2. As His Body Christ nourishes and cherishes her; He feeds her with His Word.

            3. And now as her Risen and Ascended Lord He keeps His Church under His watchful eye so that not even the weakest member is plucked out of His hand.

         3. Now having clothed her with His righteousness, He beautifies her by removing from her every imperfection so that one day she will be ready (Listen to v. 27).

            1. Christ beautifies His Church so that she receives His holiness, and on the Last Day she will be glorious, without spot, wrinkle or blemish. If you think EmK looks beautiful this afternoon prepared as a Bride for Manuel, just wait until you see the Church when she is ready for Christ.

            2. On that Day Christ will present His Bride before the Father, the elect angels, and the whole world and will declare before all: “Look at my Bride! Admire her beauty because it is my beauty! Look at her glory because it is my glory! Look at what I have made of her, I took her from the dunghill, I loved her, I sought her, I bought her, I washed her and she is mine, adorned as my Bride.”

            3. Has Christ washed you? Are you clothed in His righteousness? If not you are clothed in your own works, filthy rags and dung. Those not washed are none of His!

   2. Manuel and EmK! That’s the love of Christ: He sought her, He set her apart for Himself, He bought he; He nourishes and cherishes her, and He prepares her for glory.

      1. Manuel, can you love EmK as Christ loved the Church, as Christ loved you?

         1. That’s your calling from Christ Himself, Manuel.

            1. Manuel, you are no longer a bachelor. Everything you do affects EmK – you may not live an indep. life; your concern is her welfare, not your own.

            2. You must share your life with her – you must dwell with her; you must be tender toward her, patient with her and lead her.

            3. You must sacrifice your desires for hers, put her needs before yours. Will you? Will Christ be your example and the source of your strength?

         2. Manuel, she is your body; you and Emily-Kate are joined together by God Himself and are one flesh.

            1. Love her, nourish her and cherish her: provide for her needs.

            2. Never treat her with selfish contempt and if you do immediately ask for forgiveness from God and from her, and Emily-Kate, forgive him; he is not Christ, he strives to be like Him, but he never will be this side of heaven.

            3. And Manuel, when you discover her faults and she discovers yours, never even consider casting her off and looking for someone else. Remember the faults which Christ sees in you!

      2. And EmK, Manuel loves you, and by God’s grace he will try to show it, but Christ loves you more than Manuel ever can or will. Love Manuel in return and show that love by submission to him as your head and husband for Christ’s sake.

         1. Eph. 5:22 says, wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as to the Lord.

            1. Is it no old fashioned for the church to submit to Christ? Neither is old fashioned for you to submit to your husband.

            2. Submit to Manuel because that is what your Lord commands of you; your motive in submission must be above all obedience to Christ.

            3. Is it slavery, drudgery or even cruelty for the Church to submit to Christ; neither is it slavery for wives to submit to their husbands.

         2. By submitting, Emily-Kate, you will function as a couple. There cannot be 2 heads in marriage, but only one, and Christ has ordained Manuel as your head.

            1. Manuel, lead her wisely, never lead her into sin, never be a harsh, unfeeling, abusive, neglectful head, because, when you are, you hurt yourself and you dishonor your head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            2. Emily-Kate, be a helpmeet for him, listen to him, do not run ahead of him, but follow his lead, and in so doing you will honor the Lord.

            3. Then your marriage will be blessed and happy and you will reflect the relationship which Christ has with His Bride, the Church.