Sunday Morning, November 22, 2020 PM

You were expecting Ken. So was I.

He took ill.

Remember him in your prayers. And Josiah is going to preach tonight, so come and see who shows up. I encourage you to come and hear Josiah. The text I'm going to preach from this morning is Ephesians chapter 5, verses 25 through 32.

Christ Loved the Church and Gave Himself for Her

If you will stand in reverence to the word of God, I will read this passage. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. May the Lord bless the reading of his word.

You may be seated. Father, open to us your word, and feed us with the bread of life. For your glory and the uplifting of your Son, the Lord Jesus, in his name I pray, amen. The Little Book of Colossians is one of my favorites.

It's a short book. It could almost be entirely written on two sides of one sheet of paper, but it's filled with rich, rich truth. And it could be compared to a large diamond. Likewise, the Book of Ephesians is similar to Colossians, only a little more drawn out.

The truths are a little more expanded and detailed. And if Colossians could be compared to a large diamond, Ephesians would be a diamond necklace, with each stone representing, you know, Holy Spirit truth given to us for our enlightenment.

The Book of Ephesians starts out, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him, that is in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

And in love, he predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace. And it goes on like this for three full chapters, describing this love that God has for us.

In chapter two, he says, this great love gives us life in Christ. And in chapter three, Paul prays for the church that they might know this love, its great height and depth and width and length, even though it's immeasurable and boundless, beyond measurability, surpassing knowledge.

He wants us to know this love of God. And through these three chapters, it describes what God, out of his great love, has done for us through his son, the Lord Jesus. And then he comes to chapter four and the tone changes.

You see, chapter three is all that God has done for us, again, out of his great love. And in chapter four, the tone changes and he begins to speak. Well, Paul says it this way. He says, I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called.

And you see, at this point, God begins to describe what he expects of us, how he expects us to walk, to live, to respond to the great love with which he has shown us. And as he moves through this section of scripture, he comes to chapter five, verse 25.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. This is a message to husbands, but it's recorded for the encouragement of us all. This word was spoken two millennia ago by the apostle Paul. It was recorded by his scribe and it was copied by scribes for the next 1400 years until the printing press was invented.

And then this word was printed and printed in many languages. And through time, it has come to us as the printed word in English, in a language that we can understand and comprehend. And it's a word to husbands today.

And it comes from God the Father, through Jesus the Son, through the Holy Spirit, breathed out by God himself. To us today. Husbands, I want your attention. Listen, I've got a word for you, a message, and this is it.

Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Again, it's a message to husbands, but it's recorded for the encouragement of us all. And I would like to share with you this love that Christ has for the church.

You see, this love is not an ordinary love. This is not the love that is earthly or fleshly or everyday or common. This is not the love, you know, that people say, I fall in love. I fall out of love. This is not the love that says, I will be nice to you if you will be nice to me.

This is not the love, okay, that depends on the attractiveness of its object. This is love that originates from the one who is love. And it goes out, and like the word of God, it goes out according to Isaiah and will accomplish his righteous purpose.

It will not return void. This is the love that will go out and attract and draw and call those whom he sets his love upon. You see, he doesn't fall in love with us. He sets his affections upon us. It's a determined love.

It's a love from everlasting to everlasting, according to Psalm 103. It's a love that is patient and kind, according to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. It is a love that is a one-way love that does not depend on the attractiveness of the object.

This is a love that gives and gives. The father gave his son, his only son, out of this love. And the son gave his life. The son gave his life. Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

This is a love that is steadfast. This is a love that reaches to the heavens. This is a love that God has for his church, his ecclesiastical church. His assembly, or as we sang this morning, his gathering, his people.

This is the love that he has for you. Paul, in another place, makes it very personal. In Galatians 2 .20, the final words of this verse, this is what it says. This is what Paul says, referring to Christ, the one who loved me and gave his life for me.

Now, let me say that again. This is what Paul says of Christ, the one who loved me and gave his life for me. You see, the word is to the church, but it's to each person in the church. Again, in Philippians chapter 3, Paul says this as he seeks after Christ, to know him in a deeper way.

He says, not that I have already reached this, but I press on to make it my own because Christ has made me his own. Or as it would say in the Song of Solomon, I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

What a beautiful picture there. What a beautiful picture. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. Husbands, love your wives. As Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, what wondrous love is this?

Oh, my soul, what wondrous love is this? That Christ laid aside his crown for my soul. From heaven, he came and sought her to be his holy bride with his own blood. He bought her and for her life, he died.

Husbands, love your wives. As Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. Now, this speaks of two aspects of our salvation.

It speaks of our cleansing and it speaks of our sanctification. First of all, you may notice here that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. You see, the cleansing comes first and then the sanctification by the washing of water with the word.

James puts it like this. He says, God has brought us forth out of his own will by the word of his truth. By the word of his truth. We are cleansed by the washing of water with the word. And the illusion here, this business of washing, in the context here, it could easily apply to the ritual washing of a bride as she prepares to adorn herself in preparation for her marriage.

It could easily apply to baptism as a picture of washing away our sin. In first John chapter one, it says this. God is light and in him is no darkness at all. And if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of his son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. You see, the water is just the picture. It's the blood that cleanses the washing of water with the word.

I want to look at John, a few verses in John chapter 13. You'll remember this as Jesus begins to wash the feet of his apostles, his disciples. He comes to Peter and Peter said to him, this is John 13 verse eight.

You shall never wash my feet. And Jesus answered him, if I do not wash you, you have no share with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, the one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but is completely clean.

And you are clean, but not every one of you. For he knew who was to betray him. And that is why he said, not all of you are clean. But you see, there are two words here that he uses. The one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet.

And this bathing is for the whole body. And this is the word, okay, that's used in Ephesians, washed. It's the Greek word, luo, okay. And then I would ask you to look at the 15th chapter of John. Just two chapters over in this upper room discourse.

Again, Jesus speaks to his apostles and this is what he says, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. You see, in the Old Testament, in a number of places, God's people Israel are spoken of as the vine or the vineyard.

In Isaiah chapter five, Isaiah starts out, let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard. And in Jeremiah chapter two, verse 21, God says of his people, I planted you a choice vine. How then have you become degenerate and turned into a wild vine?

And the very next verse, it says, you may wash yourself with lye and you may wash yourself with soap, but you cannot cleanse the stain of your guilt before me. Interesting, you know, it moves from the metaphor of a vine to speaking of the metaphor of washing away their sin.

Jesus says here in John 15, I am the true vine. This is the vine that is the true vine that brings pleasure to the father. The vine that produces the fruit that he was looking for in the Old Testament.

I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit, he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you.

Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.

For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. And then there's this verse 7.

Wow!

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Now look at verse 4. Abide in me and I in you. And then look at verse 7. If you abide in me and my words abide in you.

Now do you notice here there is an almost equaling of Jesus and his word. Of the living word and the written word. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you.

And then in verse 7. If you abide in me and my words abide in you. Are we saved by the message or by the messenger? Are we saved by the savior or by his word? Are we saved by the written word or the living word?

And I would, do not misunderstand me, but I want to make it very clear. You are not saved by any word in this book. This book has no life in it. But this book points us to the one who is life. And he is the one who gives us life.

And that life comes by our acceptance of him. Of our acceptance of his word. If you don't believe that these words are his words and that they are directed to you. And that you put your faith in him.

Okay.

You cannot be saved. Your faith must be in the living word. In Christ himself. The one who gave his life for us that we may have life. So let me be very clear there. That's important. That's important.

And so this word, this person, he comes to us.

Okay.

And he gives himself for us on the cross. God displays this love for us at the cross. As described in Romans chapter 5 verses 6 through 8. For while we were still weak at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person. Though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Wow.

What an amazing love. That he has for us. And on the cross he paid the price for our sin debt. Washed away our sins and brought us forgiveness. And so now we are cleansed. And we've been washed by the water of the word.

The living word. And after this washing comes the sanctification. Having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. He now begins this process of sanctification. Sanctification in the Old Testament is accomplished by anointing all of the utensils in the tabernacle with the anointing oil.

As described in Exodus I believe it's chapter 30. God gives Moses the recipe for making this anointing oil with a number of ingredients.

Okay.

And it's a special oil not to be used for any other purpose. But to anoint the utensils in the tabernacle to make them holy. That is to sanctify them. And when you take this lampstand and pour this oil upon it.

It is now sanctified and can be used in the tabernacle for the worship of God. In the New Testament we now come to this business of sanctification. And there are two aspects to this sanctification you see.

It's like repentance. There are two aspects to repentance. Repentance means to turn. And it means to turn from this direction. From the direction of the world to that way which seems right to a man. But at the end there are other ways of death.

And it means to turn from that to Christ and to put our faith in Christ. That's repentance. Sanctification likewise is like this. It's a separation and a consecration. We separate ourselves from this world and consecrate ourselves to Christ.

That's sanctification. After we've been washed and cleansed. The work of sanctification begins on us. And separates us from the world. Consecrates us to himself. And begins the work of making us like Christ.

As it says in Romans chapter 8. For those whom he foreknew. This is verse 29. He did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. That's the work of sanctification. To make us after the image of his son.

And this comes first of all from the anointing. Not of the oil but of the Holy Spirit of God. As he brings us to the new birth. He begins this work on us internally and externally. But by the Holy Spirit he begins to make us after the image of his son.

You see this Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ at work within us. Making us like Christ. And this is a work that is a lifelong work. Beginning at the new birth. And you know I might add maybe even before.

I'm not sure. And ending when he is finished with us. And I'm not sure when that will be. But I'm sure it will be in glory. As it says in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. I think it's verse 18. As the Spirit works within us.

He brings us from one degree of glory to another.

You know.

And at one point you know he will receive us into glory. Hallelujah for that. That's the sanctifying work.

Okay.

And how does he describe it here?

Okay.

You see. He takes us. Forgives us. Brings us to himself. And begins to make us after the image of his son. And this work goes on throughout our life. And how does he describe it here? He says that he might present the church to himself in splendor.

Without spot or wrinkle. Or any such thing that she might be holy. And without blemish. You see. That's a description of this work. The blemishes that we have when we come to Christ will be gone. The wrinkles that we have when we come to Christ will be gone.

The spots that we have when we come to Christ will be gone. And we will be presented to him a beautiful bride. Presented in splendor. Without a blemish of any kind.

Wow.

Wow.

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh. But nourishes and cherishes it. Just as Christ does the church.

You see. As a husband would nourish and cherish his wife. That is, you know. Make provision for her. Feed her. House her. Care for her. Take care for her. You know. Meet all of her needs.

Okay.

And cherish her as being most precious.

Okay.

As Christ does the church. As he does for us. For each of us. As he nourishes us.

Feeds us.

Cares for us. Watches over us.

Keeps us.

As his very own. And cherishes us as most precious. Because we are members of his body. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother. And hold fast to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh.

This mystery is profound. And I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. I would refer you back to the Gospel of John chapter 17. This is the high priestly prayer of Christ. In the upper room.

He prays for himself. He prays for his disciples. And then in verse 20. He prays for us. I do not ask for these only. But also for those who believe in me through their word. That is us. That they may all be one.

Just as you father. Are in me. And I in you. That they also may be in us. So that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me. I have given to them. That they may be one.

Even as we are one. I in them. And you in me. That they may become perfectly one. So that the world may know. That you sent me. And love them even as you love me.

Father.

I desire that they also whom you have given me. May be with me where I am. To see my glory. That you have given me. Because you loved me. Before the foundation.

Of the world.

You see the father loves the son. Before the foundation.

Of the world.

Blessed. Be the father of our Lord. Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us in Christ. With every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us in Christ. Before the foundation of the world.

That we should be holy and blameless before him. You see we've come back full circle to the beginning of Ephesians. But this is the plan that God has for us. From before the foundation of the world. That he would make us after the image of his son.

And that he would present us as a bride to his son. In glory. I would finish with Revelation chapter 21. Verse 9. Then came one of the seven angels. Who had the seven bowls of the seven last plagues. And he spoke to me saying.

Come I will show you the bride. The wife of the lamb. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain. And showed me the holy city Jerusalem. Coming down out of heaven from God. Having the glory of God.

Its radiance like a most rare jewel. Like a jasper clear as crystal. And he goes on to describe it. With a great number of valuable jewels. How beautiful the bride adorned with jewels. That is us. That is us.

Wow husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church. And gave his life for her that she might be holy. That she might be his bride. Without blemish. Without spot. That's his plan for us. Praise his holy name.

Closing Benediction and Song

Is there a closing song? It's time for it. May you be blessed with the love of God.

Thank you brother Dwight. Would you stand? We'll sing our benediction. And Christ our hope in life and death. I think that maybe this song wraps up what brother Dwight has shared with us this morning.

But is our hope in life and death. Dismissed. God bless you.