The Church as the Bride
Notes
Transcript
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
So husbands ought to love their own 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 the Lord does the church.
For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
INTRO:
INTRO:
AG:
TS: The Bible often uses the metaphor of the church as the bride of Christ to describe the intimate and covenantal relationship between Jesus and His followers.
In Eph 5 beginning in verse 22, Paul addresses the husband/wife relationship. While we find practical advise to us, in v. 22, Paul explains the bigger point here Eph 5:32
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Both relationships are to mirror each other.
The church’s relationship to Christ is to be an example of a wife to her husband.
The relationship between husbands and wives are to be an example of the relationship between the church and Christ.
RS: Many of us (I suspect this is especially true of men) have trouble connecting with the image of the church as a bride. But this is, perhaps, the richest of all biblical metaphors of the church. It is full of hope and pulsing with joy.
The Church Submits to Christ
The Church Submits to Christ
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Wives and Husbands
In God’s order of authority, wives are instructed to submit to their “own husband”. Not all women to all men!
It is about God’s authority over the man and husband over wife, parents over children.
God placed the order
Christ and Church
This is an example of how the church, as His bride, lovingly submits to Him
It is an example of Christs’s own loving authoritative headship of the church
Christ has the final say!
It actually goes farther than wives and husbands
He is God and in actuality, He has the ONLY say!
We submit because He is our Savior
We have been bought by His blood
Set free from our sin and death and placed in this church for love and support.
Christ loves the Church
Christ loves the Church
A husband’s love for his wife should follow the example of Christ and His love for the church
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
The supreme responsibility of husbands in regard to their wives, is to love them with the same unreserved, selfless, and sacrificial love that Christ has for His church.
1. Christ died for the church
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Jesus loved us so much, He died for us
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
He gave everything He had, including His life, for the sake of the church
That is the standard of sacrificial love!
He gave His all and continues to shower us with blessings.
2. Christ lives to make the church holy and clean
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
His purpose as to cleanse us!
Saving grace makes believers holy
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
He desires our growth in holiness and purity as a church
Just as a husband should so love their wife that they want her to be perfectly conformed to Christ.
We should all pull together to seek a growing holiness in our church
besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
3. Christ will someday present the church to Himself as a glorious church without stain or wrinkle
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
He continues this sanctification until the day He comes and takes us home.
Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me.
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
The church is to be spiritually pure
The Bible often compared spiritual straying from God to adultery. Israel, went after other gods and fell into idolatry. God called that committing adultery.
They broke the covenant.
Christ will Return for His Bride
Christ will Return for His Bride
Let us turn now to another passage (John 14) and see one more lesson from this metaphor.
John the Baptist’s disciples came and warned him that Jesus was gaining in popularity.
John’s reply uses the Bride and Groom metaphor.
John 3:29–30 (NKJV)
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
The Gospel of John, Volume 1 (A Man without Envy (John 3:22–30))
The friend of the bridegroom, the shoshben, had a unique place at a Jewish wedding.
He acted as the liaison between the bride and the bridegroom; he arranged the wedding; he sent out the invitations; he presided at the wedding feast. He brought the bride and the bridegroom together. And he had one special duty. It was his duty to guard the bridal chamber and to let no false lover in. He would open the door only when in the dark he heard the bridegroom’s voice and recognized it. When he heard the bridegroom’s voice, he let him in and went away rejoicing, for his task was completed and the lovers were together. He did not grudge the bridegroom the bride. He knew that his only task had been to bring bride and bridegroom together. And when that task was done, he willingly and gladly faded out of the centre of the picture.
John prepared the way and pointed people to Messiah.
Jewish wedding:
During betrothal period, the groom would build rooms onto or adjacent to his family’s home.
When all was ready, he would take his bride and she became His wife.
Jesus, as our groom is preparing our home.
When it is ready, He will return and carry us home.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
This is one of the passages that refers to the rapture of the saints at the end of the age when Christ returns.
The features in this description do not describe Christ coming to earth with His saints to establish His kingdom (Rev 19:11–15), but taking believers from earth to live in heaven. Since no judgment on the unsaved is described here, this is not the event of His return in glory and power to destroy the wicked (cf. Mt 13:36–43, 47–50).
Rather, this describes His coming to gather His own who are alive and raise the bodies of those who have died to take them all to heaven. This rapture event is also described in 1Co 15:51–54; 1Th 4:13–18.
After being raptured, the church will:
1. celebrate the marriage supper (Rev 19:7–10),
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
2. be rewarded (1Co 3:10–15; 4:5; 2Co 5:9, 10),
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
3. Return to earth with Christ when He comes again to set up His kingdom (Rev 19:11–20:6).
Revelation 19:11–16(NKJV)
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
CONCLUSION:
CONCLUSION:
As the bride of Christ, thee church is incredibly loved!
He died for us! He gave His all! He purifies us!
We should submit to Him
Follow His word
Seek to grow in holiness and conformity to Christ
Like John the Baptist, we should point people to Jesus.