Christ And His Bride

it this way he said he pictures the animals passing by and pairs two by two going before an Adam giving him names and and thinking to himself everything has a partner there's two of them and there's two of them and there's two of them and and there's only one of me and so it gives us a time to kind of think about that and in fact the animals like man they were as we studied a couple weeks ago they were shaped from the land also from the dirt and like him they they became living creatures and in the Hebrew these but that phrase living creatures has a that Hebrew sounds almost like the name Eve but they're not what man's looking for so despite man's superiority over the creatures and demonstrated by his naming them there is no helper found for him that the Bible says and the narrative here is establishing man's place in the world he has created a little lower than the Angels but he is higher than all these things that that Adam is naming and so he's sitting there watching and watching wondering what in the world is God planning for me and verse 21 says in the Lord God caused a deep sleep to follow up on Adam and he slept he took one of his ribs he closed up the Flesh and the rib which God made from the man he made a woman and brought her unto the man now there's been a lot written about Eve coming from the rib of Adam probably Matthew Henry says it the best he said he was not made out of his head to top over him the woman was not she was not made out of his feet to be trampled on but out of his side to be equal with him under his arm to be protected and near his heart to be beloved and I think as we look at this type that is being set forth here we can see all of this in Christ in his church and so the Hebrew word for rib could well be translated as part of his side and it is with this part of Adam that the Lord created him and brought forth her the Bible says unto man can't imagine what Adam thought as suddenly this wakes up from his sleep and there's this beautiful woman next to him something that he had no idea even existed because if she didn't up until then what a joy and a comfort and together they felt Fellowship together and with God and a love for one another the Bible and Adam refers to her as woman which means taken from a man and yet although taken from a man that also means that she was part of him

and so it's in these next two verses that really brings this lesson into Focus this lesson I've entitled Christ in his bride in Genesis chapter 2 and 23 Adam said and it's kind of interesting the wording that he uses here he said this is now bone of my bones and Flesh of My Flesh and she shall be called woman because she was taken out of a man this phrase if you will this way that he said this this bone of my bones this Flesh of My Flesh is the tradition National Hebrew kinship formula so when they would talk about people being related to them they would say well you are my bone You Are My Flesh in fact when Laban was talking to his nephew Jacob he said that specifically you are my bone and you are my flesh in English a lot of times when we talk about it and say well we're blood relatives that means that you are related right you're direct descendant or related to someone else who talk about a blood relationship but Hebrews always spoke of the relatives as flesh and Bone and so this formula sets man and woman on equal footing as regarding Humanity they are together they are the same flesh they are the same bone and yet it sets them apart from all the animals and while the words of verse 23 are the words of Adam Adam says this is now bone of my bone this is now Flesh of My Flesh verse 24 obviously is not are not Adam's words because says they must be the words of Moses commenting on it because he says this therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh now obviously Adam could not relate to this idea of a father and mother because although he is called the Son of God he didn't have a mother and so he couldn't say yeah I understand now I'm going to leave father mother he had no idea that additionally he had no idea what it would mean to to leave them he himself was not a father he did not have a son that would later as he would later that would leave him at this point he had no concept of that yet it is this verse and it is this this this particular two verses that Paul reaches back to and he says here's the thing these two verses speak prophetically of the church and that's what we want to focus on today is Paul looks back to the Old Testament through that lens of the gospel and he sees In this passage the church Jesus Christ in his bride

the epistle to Ephesus is a fascinating letter and I'm thinking perhaps we'll study that in detail at a later date after we're at some point later in time but much of the first three chapters of Ephesus describe the position of the believer talk about how the church is its unique position how that God has purchased it and how that it goes through what we are but then chapter four begins with these words in Ephesians 4 1 Paul said I therefore or because of all this because of your unique position because of what the church is and and how you've been called out and how you've been brought together and and reconciled to God all these things he said because of that I therefore I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation we're with you are called so he said because of all that and because of who you are I'm going to give you some instruction on how you ought to live so since Believers are part of this glorious Church there is a right way to walk right there is a right way to behave there are right things to do and he the final three chapters there are six in total the first three talk about what the church is and the last three talk about how the church ought to act and things they ought to do there are instructions if you will in righteousness is describing how we are to live however what's interesting is you read this book throughout all this instruction there is also Paul's view continually in this relationship between Christ and his church he never leaves it behind if you will as he begins discussing the Practical things about living for God there is always this this instruction and this this theology if you will we read the last we read earlier the last several verses of chapter five in our opening text and it's here that Paul describes the relationship of a husband and wife now he's doing in a practical sense giving some instructions why submit to your husbands husbands love your wives and so he is your wife not wives and so he begins to do this very specifically and talking about that but throughout that text he is giving that instruction but he is also explaining this relationship between Christ and his church and and it's almost he just moves fluidly between the two concepts he'll talk about one and then he'll he'll be switching he'll be talking about the church and then he's back to the practical application and then back talking about Jesus again and his bride his church verses 30 to 32 are almost a direct quote from Genesis that we read where he said the bone of my bone Flesh of My Flesh in 30 he says this for we are members of his body and then he uses this exact wording he said of his flesh and of his bone what he's saying there is you're related right for this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother be joined into his wife and they too shall be one flesh again the same words that Moses pinned and then Paul said it this way this is a great mystery but I'm speaking concerning Christ and the church so what he is saying is I'm looking back at the Old Testament I'm seeing what Moses wrote there and I'm seeing what Adam had to say and what I see in there is a picture of Jesus in his church Christ in his bride I find it fascinating we often talk about Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 as the first Prophecy of the Bible and it is the first prophecy that promises a redeemer describes the one that was going to come and Bruise the head of the serpent yet according to Paul I think these two verses in Genesis 2 23 and 24 of the first prophetic word that concerns the church so before he ever even told us that there was going to be a redeemer he said you know what there's going to be a church said it earlier I'm thankful this isn't just some man's idea God's plan was to have a church

let's look at this relationship as Paul talks about it as he he kind of goes through it in the text that we read first he said this husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it and so the first concept is for a husband to love their wives even as Christ just as Christ loved the church here's this practical advice concerning a man's responsibility that you are to love your spouse but it is compared to Jesus and his love for the church we read over and over in scriptures of the love of Jesus for his church it is his prize possession people can mock it people can make fun of it can people can say I don't know why you want to be a part of something like that this is Jesus prize profession possession it is his ultimate desire it is what he Longs for and what he looks for in fact it's the very thing he died on the cross to obtain Paul said Jesus gave himself for it he gave his life John said Jesus John recorded the words of Jesus in John 15 and 13 He said greater love hath no man than this that a man will lay down his life for his friends now Adam gave a part of himself to gain a companion that was compatible for him Jesus gave his very life to purchase the church aren't you thankful that he went to the cross that he shed his blood that he died so that we could live and we could Reign for him for those who Wonder well does God one love me does God care about me I think that should answer your question he cared enough to go to a cross he cared enough to give himself that you might be saved some people say well I don't know I've been too bad I've done too many things I've done this in my life I've done that in my life I've never done this right and I've never done it does not matter he died for your sins he gave himself that you might be saved the familiar words of John 3 16 that most people can quote people that don't ever attend a church God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and why did he do that whoever believes in him would not have to perish would not have to die but they could have everlasting life in Jesus Christ now here's the Paradox of the story of of God's love for us Jesus purchased a sinful world so that he could have a pure Church he didn't shed his blood for righteous man in fact he said told the Pharisees he said I didn't come for those that are already righteous for those that think you've got it made that think you don't need me that you don't need anything else that you're sufficient in yourself he said I'm not here for that I am coming for those that know they need a savior those that know they need someone Jesus died for sinners there ought to be a comfort in that unless you think you're so good that you don't need God there ought to be a comfort to know in fact I think the very reversing ought to be true when you come in and say well I'm just so bad then guess what he's who you're looking for he's not looking for you to come and say God you want me on your team because I got it all put together he's looking for somebody that'll walk and say Lord I'm nothing I failed I've messed it up and I need you to help me out and he said that's exactly what I want to do Paul told Timothy in first Timothy 1 15 he said this is a faithful saying this is something you can hold on to this is something that will not change faithful talks about constancy something that is is always true and he said it is worthy of all acceptation everyone can can ought to be able to accept this idea that Jesus Christ came into the world for what to save sinners to save Sinners why did he come he came and he died on a cross for a sinful world because he wanted to prepare a bride for himself there's a beautiful story although very confusing maybe to our modern sensibilities when you read the book of Hosea God turns to Hosea a prophet and he says here's what I want you to do Hosea got a plan for you I'm going to get you a wife yes and in the King James language he says go to where the whoredoms are and pick up a we don't use that word a whole lot right particularly in church that's what he told him go there and find a prostitute and you're going to marry her oh God that's not quite what I had in mind maybe looking for a little someone a little bit more upstanding in the community you know so I'm a prophet of God and I'm married to some prostitute this how's this going to go over he said go do it what he was pointing to his this is what I'm willing to do I'm willing to go to somebody that no one would expect and I'm going to espouse myself to them I'm going to find somebody that everybody else has no way and Jesus said yeah come on he was going to prepare himself a bride

then he goes on to say this that he might clean sanctify it so he did it with a purpose now you can't sanctify and you can't cleanse somebody that thinks that they don't need any help right no I don't need that but he said I'm going to sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of Water by the word and here's why he said I'm doing this so I can present it to himself a glorious church not having a spot not having a wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish there are several Concepts first presented here number one is the idea of sanctification he said I am going to sanctify it that word literally means to set it apart when a girl accepts an engagement ring and puts that on her finger she is in effect setting herself apart for the man that she intends to marry and that separation is twofold first is she is separated away from other potential suitors it's like nope stay away had a friend years ago and his favorite phrase was no rings no strings and if he saw someone with no ring on her finger that was free game as far as he was concerned once he saw a ring then he said okay I'll I'll back off but she sets herself apart and says no I'm not looking anymore had another friend the one time was talking and was engaged and we were in the mall and she was talking about all these guys she saw and I said aren't you engaged she said yeah but it's okay to look at the menu when you're on a diet you're committed you're enthralled with this guy that gave you that ring aren't you yeah in like manner we need to be separate from the world but not only that but she was separated to the man that she pledged to marry so it wasn't just saying well I can't I can't I can't but it says I get to I'm gonna I will here in a little while in a like manner we are separated from the world but we are separated unto Jesus Christ and he becomes our desire and pleasing him becomes what we want to do John first John 2 15 says love not the world or the things that are in the world because if you love those things the love of the father is not in you so if you got the ring on your finger and you're still looking but you're still loving the wrong things Jesus purpose is to have a holy church and he cleanses it through his word he intends to present it to himself not just any church not a church that worships on Sunday and then lives for self the rest of the week but a glorious Church no spot no wrinkle any such thing without blemish ever notice on a wedding day every bride wants that day to be perfect I haven't been a bride so I can only tell you what I've heard she doesn't spend hundreds thousands however much I don't know even know what they are anymore on a dress pick it up from where she gets it from roll it up in a ball and throw it in the back seat of the car and head to the church things got to be perfect right everything all right with it hang there keep it all real nice since we don't know the day or the hour the Bible said that Jesus is coming it's important that our wedding garment is ready at all times you can't say hey I'm I'm going to a wedding and I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna be a bride I'm going to marry Jesus Christ if you will as part of his church but you know this wedding garment uh it's in the closet somewhere I'll get it out when it's time it probably smells like mothballs but that's all right doesn't work that way right we need to be ready and we need to make sure at all times

and then he goes on to talk and this is the concept In this passage that we said earlier is a bit foreign to our concepts of Western Society Paul says so men ought to love their wives of their own bodies he that loves his wife loved himself and then he said we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bone now we can understand the first part love your wife as yourself because men we're good at looking out for number one aren't we that's what I want that's what I want to do I guess the big thing now is you know since you can't have the whole house you make a man cave somewhere and you know okay you can have the rest just give me one corner you know look out for yourselves we have to apply that same diligence to our spouse cherisher take care of you as you do yourself this is how Christ loves the church he wants what is best for you he isn't just saying it's all about me to the point where I don't care about you no he is invested in US he is concerned about us he's not some angry vengeful God waiting for you to fail so he can cast you into hell he's not looking up there and say you know what I hope they mess up he loves you as his very own and we can understand that I guess when we think about it love your wife as Christ loved the church but it's the second part of this statement and I want to hone in on a little bit here this bone of my bones and Flesh of My Flesh and Paul quotes that from Genesis 3 when he said we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones just as blood relations that we think of are one's flesh and Bone so marriage creates a very similar kinship relationship according to the word of God between a man and a wife they become related to each other as if they are literally blood relatives the laws in in Leviticus in 18 and 20 illustrate the application of this kinship of spouses it talks about that when a woman becomes on marriage she literally according to the Bible she becomes a sister to her husband's brothers and sisters and she becomes a daughter to her father-in-law now we use the word in law they considered it you were now flesh and Bone you're a real sister you're a real brother not just an in-law you know that talk about in-laws no you are part of this family and so what he is saying here is when we are espoused to Jesus Christ and his church we are a part of him you're a part of Jesus and we're also a part of the body of Christ his church Moses and Paul take that concept even a step further for this cause a man leaves his father and his mother talking about his old life or his past or those kind of things and he has joined unto his wife and they shall be one flesh the same if you will part of that same body this one flesh idea contains this kinship principle when you become part of the church you become both the body of Christ and the bride of Christ you become one with him why are we so excited about the church why do we talk about the church we're not talking about well it's Apostolic Pentecostal church and it's 1901 Barracks this is the church no you are the church I am the church you have been Blood Bought amen and you become flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone

Paul wrote to Romans he said wherefore my brother and you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ you're dead to other things the sin and the things that the law pointed out and here's why that you should be married to another even to him who has raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God you become married to Jesus Christ to Corinthians he read in the verse that we read at the opening now you are members you are of the body of Christ you are members in particular we are part of his body because we are part of his church and we are the bride of Christ the promise to the church John gives us in First John 3 and 2. he said beloved now are we the sons of God he uses a different analogy here but it's still this idea we're all part of his body right we are all gonna we are united with him he said it does not appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we will be like him Paul goes on to talk about that in detail in Corinthians he said you're going to have the same kind of body he has flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone he's got a glorified body he said your corruptable body the one that dies is going to put on incorruption your mortality is going to put on immortality why because we are going to be like him for we see him as he is and at that time that scripture will be fulfilled concerning Christ and his church the two shall be one flesh and we will be like him aren't you thankful for the hope that we have and where do you have it you have it in the church you have it in this plan of God that he had from the very beginning as the church today well I'm a Christian oh this is against my religion oh I can't do that oh I wish I now we need to consider ourselves you are the chosen bride of Christ you are the bride that is espoused to our bridegroom we are waiting we are anticipating the time when he comes for us we're anticipating that marriage supper in heaven

the Apostle Paul pinned these words he said I have espoused you to one husband put you together why that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ ready to meet our bridegroom this espousal takes place when did he do that how does he do it he said I do it through the gospel that gospel message of repentance water baptism taking on his name in baptism and receiving his spirit in our life which will guide us and keep us throughout our world and direct direct us throughout our life until we see him it is the earnest of our inheritance is Spirit living in us until the possession the Bible says of the purchase price property and so through this new birth we take on his name through his Spirit we are guided and directed so that we can become more and more like him and as the bride of Christ we are looking for his soon appearing and for his coming back as you saw earlier the Lord said he was sanctifying his church he was going to present it glorious Church Revelation John describes this garment that we are to have this this garment that is glorious no spot no wrinkle anything that is Holy without blemish he said in Revelation 3 5 he that overcomes the same is going to be clothed in white arraignment he said in foreign 19 and 7 through 9 he said let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white for what is that fine linen he spells it out he said it is the righteousness of the saints that white arraignment that fine linen is our wedding garment one can only imagine the excitement we talk about the church and being excited you have to wonder about the excitement of Jesus as his church his bride stands before him clothed in white arraignment what is that white room the righteousness our righteousness know his righteousness and so we come before him in white arraignment

I remember my wedding day I can remember standing the platform at 13th and Gravois and those of you that were there at that church had a nice long aisle going up both sides none in the middle but one on each side and we had this platform going across the top and the way we did our wedding we faced the congregation the whole time you know a lot of people take the easy way out and turn around we had to watch everybody ministers were down there and and so we get ready but as my bride started coming down the aisle I'm standing next to her cousin who may be watching today I know she does occasionally Connie was standing there and she said Roger I think I'm going to cry I said yeah me too why because my bride was coming and I Think Jesus is just waiting in heaven he said I've gone to prepare a place that where I am you may be also and he is waiting and we talk about us waiting for the Rapture he is waiting for that day when his righteous church is ushers in and he said you know what let's have a banquet going to have a marriage have you ever noticed that guys always like to eat when there's something exciting going on the day of my wedding Crestwood Wood Mall was still out there and we went there to pick up Texas with all the men and they walked down to the food court and they said we're buying today eat anything you want you don't tell a guy that doesn't matter when it is right day we found out we were having twins we went out to a restaurant and what do I do I order steak poor wife she was crying her eyes out it's the way we men are and Jesus he's got this banquet ready because he knows his bride is coming he said I'm going to call you the marriage supper of the land the bride shall see her bridegroom face to face that is what Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost promised what happened in Corinthians 13 12. that's what John and his vision describing the New Jerusalem would declared would take place it will be tangible it will be real because John said we shall see him as he is in that land where there's no sin there's no suffering God's going to wipe away every tear every remorse every regret everything you've done it's all going to be passed it's all going to be over going to be no more sin no more pain no more sorrow why because this church is going to meet its bridegroom flesh of his flesh bone of his bones we shall be like him

if you're thankful for that promise if you're looking for it why don't you just stand let's just give him a great Thanksgiving Lord so thankful for the privilege that we have to be a part of your church a part of your body Lord kinship with Jesus Hallelujah not just friends but we're related Hallelujah because you have bought us with your blood Hallelujah and Lord you have made us the church God you are perfecting your church to be at that great wonderful marriage supper in Jesus name thank you Lord thank you Lord hallelujah hallelujah we said it earlier on it's good to come into the house Lord and feel his presence it's also good to be with saints of God you better feel that way because of your flesh and bone with him you're flesh and bone with them also amen