Church; Bride of Christ ~ 20250223 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
02/23 Church; Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5; ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250223_church-bride-christ.mp3
We are taking a few weeks to look at the church; what the church is, what it means to belong to the church. We have seen that the church consists of those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus as sovereign rescuing King. The church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers.
The Bible uses metaphors to describe the church; a family, a flock, a building, made up of living stones joined together as a holy temple of the Lord, a kingdom of priests. The church is a body, made up of individual body parts, each one with Holy Spirit enabled grace-gifts and abilities given to contribute in a specific way to allow the body to function and thrive as a complete interconnected organism.
Betrothed to Jesus
Paul says something really intriguing in 2 Corinthians 11
2 Corinthians 11:2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
Paul is shocked at the Corinthians’ willingness to put up with some other Jesus than the one he proclaimed, a different Spirit, a different gospel. He is concerned that the serpent is deceiving and leading people away from the real Christ. He feels jealousy, because he is afraid they are cheating on the real Jesus, even if their other lover also uses the name Jesus.
It is interesting that he uses the language of betrothal of a pure virgin to a husband to describe the relationship of the church to Jesus. John the baptist used similar language when people expressed concern that John’s disciples were leaving him and following Jesus.
John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
Paul and John both saw their duty as introducing people to Jesus, getting them connected to Jesus. But this is not a loose low commitment come-and-go no-strings-attached kind of relationship. They use the language of betrothal, which we learn from Joseph and Mary in Matthew 1 required the legal act of divorce to dissolve. Betrothal, leading to marriage, is a legally binding covenant commitment. And both John and Paul are comparing this with our relationship with Jesus.
Ephesians; The Church as Body and Bride
In Ephesians 5 Paul gives instructions to the church:
Ephesians 5:21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives to their husbands, children to parents, slaves to masters. In this section on the relationship of a husband and wife, it becomes clear that he is talking about something much bigger than the human marriage relationship.
Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
We looked last week at the church as the body of Christ and us as his members or body parts. This passage connects with that metaphor; the church is the body, and Christ is its head. Christ is the Savior and the Sovereign over his body. It is dysfunctioning body that doesn’t come unde the authority of its head. This metaphor of head and body is woven together into the marriage relationship.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 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.
This is a stunning picture of Christ’s love for his bride, the church. Self-sacrificial lay down your life love for the good of the other. Jesus died for his bride, to set her apart for himself, to cleanse, to purify, to present the bride all in white to himself on their wedding day. No price is too much to pay. Jesus loves his church.
Ephesians 5:28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Here again we see the metaphors of bride and body woven together, based on the truth that in marriage God joins two together into one (Mt.19:6); ‘the two shall become one flesh’. We are members of Christ’s body. Jesus loves his body, his bride, the church, he nourishes and cherishes it.
A Shadow of The Greater Reality
Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
This divine joining of two together into one inseparable whole is a profound mystery. Paul is giving instructions on human marriage, but he gets caught up in the greater reality of the relationship of Christ and the church. In fact, Paul says this one flesh marriage mystery primarily refers to Christ and his bride, the church. The human marriage relationship is given by God to be a shadow, a parable, a pointer to a greater, more beautiful, more perfect, more profound reality. The marriage covenant is temporary, broken by death (Rom.7:2); the greater reality lasts forever. Our marriages are all flawed; we fail to love selflessly, sacrificially, for the good of the other. Beauty fades, is tarnished. We fail to love well, to lead well, to show respect and honor, to submit well. We fail to nourish. We fail to cherish. Christ never fails.
Divine Romance in Ephesians 1
If we back up and look at the whole of Ephesians, I think we might see at least hints of this bigger picture woven throughtout the book. There is at least an undercurrent of this greatest love story right through Ephesians. Remember, in Jesus’ own letter to the church in Ephesus (Rev.2:1) he rebukes them because “you have abandoned the love you had at first”.
Right at the beginning of Ephesians (1:2-6), we read of God blessing us and choosing us, that we should be holy and blameless before him (that’s the same language as Ephesians 5:27), in love predestining us for adoption to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. We (1:7-8) have been redeemed (redemption reminds us of the love story of Boaz and Ruth 3:9), bought with his blood, forgiven, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us (that lavish gift language sounds like the gifts presented to Rebekah in pursuit of her as a bride for Isaac; Gen.24:53. To Isaac the only-begotten, his father gave him all that he has). He makes known to us the mystery (we saw that word in chapter 5) of his will, to unite all thing in him, things in heaven and things on earth (1:9).
He mentions the Jewish inheritance, and in verse 13, he turns to the Gentile believers in Ephesus and says ‘you also’;
Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory
Jew and Gentile both heard the word of truth, the good news of salvation through Jesus, both believed in him; both were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, both made co-heirs together of the inheritance.
In verse 15 he overflows with thanksgiving to God, and he prays:
Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
We need Holy Spirit empowered wisdom to comprehend the hope we have in heaven, the inheritance we have coming, and chapter 1 closes with these words:
Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
The Father gave Jesus the crucified, resurrected, exalted and soon returning Son to the church, which is his body.
The Backstory
Chapter 2 (v.1-3) gives us the backstory; we were not innocent and pure; we were dead in trespasses and sins, disobedient, giving our affections to the devil, given over to sensuality and indulging our passions.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God’s great love made us alive, raised us up, in Christ seats us in the heavenlies, and he intends to lavish us with the immeasurable riches of his grace in Christ for eternity. This is all undeserved grace.
Through the self-giving sacrifice of Jesus, he has made Jew and Gentile one, he has reconciled us both to God in one body; through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. God is uniting his people, his church, into one people, one household, one temple. (2:11-22)
In Ephesians 3, Paul talks more about the mystery;
Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
He does this
Ephesians 3:10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
God is showing off to all the angels and demons through the church.
In 3:16-19, he again prays for the church, for Holy Spirit given power to comprehend with all the saints the immeasurably great love of Christ. He ends chapter 3, and the first half of the letter with doxology:
Ephesians 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
God is putting on display his glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.
Live Consistent with your New Identity
Having laid this gospel foundation in chapters 1-3, we are then exhorted in 4-6 to live lives consistent with our new identity.
Ephesians 4:1 ...walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We are one body with diverse gifts
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, ...
Ephesians 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Armed with Gospel Glory
This picture of Christ as head of the body is combined in chapter 5 with the image of Christ as husband and the church as bride.
Maybe in light of this, we should see chapter 6 not as an individual equipped for battle, but as the beloved bride, the church, loved by her husband, now outfitted and equipped with glorious gospel armor to stand her ground against the one who tempted the first wife in the garden.
Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
We, church, are betrothed as a pure virgin to Jesus. We are not worthy, but he chose us, loved us, pursued us, paid the ultimate price to make us his, set us apart by his blood, cleansed us, is nourishing and cherishing us, and is clothing us in glorious gospel garments to present us, the church, to himself in splendor.
Consummation in Revelation
This love story culminates in Revelation
Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
...11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
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2025.02.23 Sermon Notes
The Church; The Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5)
We are betrothed to Jesus
2 Corinthians 11:2-4; John 3:27-29; Matthew 1:18-19
Christ is the head of the church, his body
Ephesians 5:21-24
Christ’s self-sacrificial love for his bride
Ephesians 5:25-27
Christ nourishes and cherishes his body the church
Ephesians 5:28-31
The greater marriage reality of Christ and the church
Ephesians 5:32-33; Matthew 19:4-6
-chosen to be holy and blameless; Ephesians 1:2-6; 5:27
-redeemed; Ephesians 1:7; Ruth 3:9
-given lavish gifts; Ephesians 1:8; Genesis 24:53
Christ given as head to the church his body
Ephesians 1:22-23
-Not worthy but loved; Ephesians 2:1-7
-united as members of the same body; Ephesians 3:6
God’s glory on display through the church
Ephesians 3:10, 21
-live consistent with this identity; Ephesians 4
-armed with gospel glory; Ephesians 6
The Consummation
Revelation 19:7-14
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org