Real Church VI become one with Jesus
Real Church VI – Becoming One with Jesus NV 8/29/04 a.m.-Ephesians 5:21-33
OS: A A Nashville newspaper carried a tongue-in-cheek story about a Mrs. Lila Craig who hadn’t missed attending church in 1,040 Sundays (20 years). The editor commented, “It makes one wonder, what’s the matter with Mrs. Craig? Doesn’t it ever rain or snow in her town on Sunday? Doesn’t she ever have unexpected company? How is it that she never goes anywhere on Saturday night so that she’s too tired to attend the worship service the next morning? Doesn’t she ever ’beg off’ to attend picnics or family reunions, or have headaches or need time to read her Sunday newspaper? Hasn’t she ever become angry at the minister or had her feelings hurt by someone and felt justified in staying home to hear a good sermon on the radio or television? WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH MRS. CRAIG ANYWAY?”
I. What’s the matter with Mrs. Craig? 20 years?
A. Could it be that nothing is wrong with Mrs. Craig? (it’s right with her)
B. Could it be that she is married to Jesus?
1. Does being married to Jesus strike you as unrealistic or unusual?
2. Can you imagine being passionate about Christ as married to Him?
II. A Real church is in love with Jesus, one with Him, married – His bride.
A. Revelation 21 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
B. The bride is the church.
III. In our text this morning (Ephesians 5:21-33) Paul deals with husbands and wives, and the church and her husband – Jesus.
A. A real church has husbands and wives that make strong marriages.
1. Within this text we have good instructions from God on how a marriage should be.
2. At the same time I believe Paul shows us what the Church should be like that is deeply in love with Jesus.
B. Remember – the church is not bricks and mortar.
1. The church is individual members joined together to be dwelling for God through His Spirit.
2. On Amity Hill Road we are building a “facility” to be used by the church for ministry to love Jesus.
C. B C D Text (Ephesians 5:21-33) E Within the passion and love of a husband and wife relationship is the passion and love between the Church and Christ.
IV. The church has a relationship with Christ that is not dead cold religion; instead it is a relationship of love filled with deep passion overflowing into every area of our lives.
A. I like the story about the legalistic Seminary student who wanted to have a scriptural basis for everything he did. He felt he was on solid ground if he could quote chapter & verse to okay all his actions.
He was doing fine until he fell in love with a beautiful co-ed. He wanted very much to kiss her, but he just couldn’t find a scripture to okay it. So, true to his conscience, he would simply walk her to the dormitory each night, look at her longingly, and then say "Good night."
This went on for several weeks, and all the time he was searching the Bible, trying to find some scripture to okay kissing her good night. But he couldn’t find one, until finally he came across a passage in Romans that says, "Greet each other with a holy kiss." He thought, "At last, I have scriptural authority for kissing her good night."
But to be sure, he went to his hermeneutics professor to check it out. After talking with the professor, he realized that the passage had to do more with relationships within the church than with a dating situation. So once again he simply didn’t have a passage of scripture to okay kissing his girl good night.
That evening he again walked her to the dormitory to bid her "good night." As he looked longingly into her eyes he told her of his desire to kiss her good night, but that he was unable to find any scriptural basis to approve of such an action. Immediately she grabbed him, pulled him toward her, and planted a 10-second kiss right on his lips. At the end of the kiss, the Seminary student gasped for air, and stammered, "Bible verse, Bible verse." The girl grabbed him a 2nd time, and just before kissing him again, said, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
1. Bible = passionate relationship with Jesus.
TS] So what does a church being in love with Jesus look like? How is the Church to relate to Christ and one another? I believe Ephesians 5 shows us four ways Christ’s love is working within the Church through the mystery of the husband wife relationship.
I. F A real church, becoming one with Jesus, is a submissive church.
A. In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus. "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." "What channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can’’t you guys get organized like that?"
1. Like it or not we all want our own way. Giving in to someone else is seen as a weakness.
2. During the Revolutionary War an early U.S. flag had 13 red and white stripes with the image of rattle snake and the motto, “Don’t tread on me.”
3. G Romans 8 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
B. :James 4 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1. Submission is an act of God’s grace in our lives.
2. Submission = resisting the devil. Satan will sow seeds of pride into your life wanting you to take control of your life–to be independent.
3. Submissive to one another is directly related to be submissive to God.
C. A submissive church…
1. Recognizes that the church belongs to Jesus – He is head.
2. Seeks to do His will and serve Him, not themselves.
3. Always will ask what He would want.
TS] So what does a church being in love with Jesus look like? …
II. H A real church becoming one with Jesus is a loving church.
A. Vs.25, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” His love is greater than…
1. Pain and suffering – He was still willing
2. Betrayal – we were in a state of betrayal and He gave Himself for us.
3. Christ has called us to be His very own. He loves you so much that even though you have betrayed Him He loved/loves you! You have been called to be His very own.
B. Because of His love we are to love…
1. I 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” It is impossible to be a part of a church and not love.
2. : John 13 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
3. Jesus didn’t say we would be identified by our buildings, Bibles, or beliefs. You and I can only be identified as one of Christ’s followers in one way: LOVE. Our love for Him and one another is the brand that marks us as belonging to Christ. (Real Church)
4. J John 12 32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” LOVE attracts people.
C. When the church is in love with Jesus, when you and I are passionate in our relationship with Christ, LOVE FLOWS FROM OUR LIVES.
1. The greatest form of love is not communicated in words. Love is best made known when it is a "shown" love.
2. K 1 John 3:18, “Dear children, let us not love with words but with actions and in truth.”
D. As a church how can we show love to this community?
1. Servant Evangelism – are we willing to meet people right where they are? Are we willing to do things for others to demonstrate love?
2. Sharing – this will cost us more than time, but are we willing to share money, clothing, school supplies or whatever to show our love for people and Jesus?
3. Friendship – are we willing to befriend those that are different than we are?
4. Remember the beginning of Chapter 5 – Live a life of Love…
TS] So what does a church being in love with Jesus look like? The church in love with Jesus will be a submissive church and a loving church.
III. L A real church becoming one with Jesus is a radiant and holy church.
A. M 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
1. Cleansing her by the washing of water – Baptism / bridal pre-marital ceremonies.
2. As we strive to live holy lives we become radiant. Jesus is seen in us.
3. A radiant church reflects the glory of God.
B. Point build on one another – submission / love / radiant-holy
1. An old love song says, “Are the stars out tonight, I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright. ‘Cuz I only have eyes for you, dear; I only have eyes for you.” Tunnel vision; everything falls out of sight except his sweetheart.
2. Love is blind. The lover does not see the faults or flaws in his beloved; he can only see the beauty of his truelove.
C. God has covered over our blemishes with Love because of our submission to Him.
1. N 1 John 1 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
D. How many people would rather have strobe lights in their house than good ole consistent light?
1. Truth – O Our radiance as a church is in direct proportion to our love and relationship with Jesus Christ.
TS] So what does a church being in love with Jesus look like? The church in love with Jesus - submissive church and a loving church, a radiant – holy church. And…
IV. P A real church becoming one with Jesus is a nurturing/serving church.
A. Q 29, “After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.”
1. Nurture = to promote and sustain development or growth; to nurture is to nurse, foster, cultivate or nourish.
2. Jesus provides! Remember – His provision is gifted talented people.
B. R We are all saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our church’s most valuable members, Someone Else. Someone’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results: "Someone Else can work with that group." Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s lists- Someone Else! "Let Someone Else do it" was a common refrain heard throughout the church. It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the largest givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else always did?---Someone Else is survived by Everyone Else, Anyone Else, and No One Else. It has been reported that Anyone Else is capable of doing all that Someone Else did throughout their long lifetime of service to the church. No One Else is willing to help, however the preacher is hoping that Everyone Else will also put their gifts and talents to work within the church
1. If the members of the church are not in love with Jesus the church will not nurture and be nurtured by Christ.
C. S Revelation 2 (Ephesus) 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
1. Put simply it’s possible to do all the right things, for all the wrong reasons! Jesus told the church in Ephesus, you’re a great church; your doctrine is sound; you’ve made it through hard times, but it is empty without your love for me.
2. Loving Jesus–having a passionate desire to know Christ is the key. Only as we put Christ first will He make us a loving church–a submissive church–a radiant and glorious church–and a nurturing church. Without an intimate love relationship with Jesus, the church is nothing.
T We can only be the church that Jesus desires us to be if we love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
A real church is submissive to Jesus because of love for Him and for people. A real church is radiant from that love relationship and nurtures His body for growth and development.
The key is loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Is that your desire? Do you want to have a love relationship with Jesus and be passionately sold out to Christ?
If that’s your desire, then He will make us a real Church.