Certainly it is my happy privilege to be with you tonight. I am glad that I at least have come to understand in a measure what you folks who live here know very, very well—this could be a beautiful place to live, but I would have to be a bachelor. [Laughter] I well know that my wife is not about to leave Lawrenceburg. And since she won’t leave, I can’t leave. She’s got all the money and all the cars, so I guess I’ll have to go back home tomorrow. [More laughter] She’s given me permission to be here until tomorrow, and about 2:30 PM [EST] I will, Lord willing, get off the plane, and we will be very happy to see each other. I always enjoy going to meetings. Always enjoy getting to go back home.
Before we study the thoughts of the night, let me say a word of appreciation. I appreciate the congregation asking me to come. In many ways, I was a total stranger to most of you, and I am very happy that you honored me with asking me to come. It is always an honor to be asked to teach a Bible class or to preach a sermon, because that means that the congregation is willing to have an individual stand before them to teach them the Word of God and aid their growth and development as children of God, and hopefully, to reach those who are not Christians and persuade them to obey the Gospel. That is a high honor and one that ought to be cherished and protected by all who teach and preach. I appreciate the honor you’ve granted me. I appreciate the encouragement I have received. You have been very encouraging to me, and I appreciate it. I appreciate John and Betsy [Phyllis—John Phyllis is the evangelist for the Northeast church of Christ] opening their home to me. It has been a delight. They have taken very good care of me. I grant you that holding my nose and pouring the green chili down me did seem a little unfair. [Laughter] But, uh, I just don’t think you outta do that. But, after they got me down and got my hands tied and all of that, and held my nose, I…I…I got it. [Laughter] And I appreciate everything but that. But, no, they have been such gracious hosts.
I also am very optimistic about your work here. I believe that, as a band of God’s people, you are a strong, forward-looking and courageous church. You are needed in this area. You are needed as an anchor for the Truth of God. There never will be too many loyal, faithful, dedicated, serving churches of Christ. We never will have too many. And we want every one of them to be loyal to the Truth of God, to be kind and generous to their community, to be determined to preach the Gospel to the world, and to grow and develop young men and young women and prepare older men and older women to meet God in peace, in grace, in love, and in hope. I hope in the years to come that I will hear in far-off Lawrenceburg that you have a fine building, that you have a fine eldership, that you have fine deacons and above and beyond that, you have begun a long, long tenure of service as a united band of God’s people, who love the Lord, love each other and love the work that you have committed your hearts and your hands to. I am glad that I have had a part in your services this week. You have enriched my life, and I appreciate it. Thank you for having me.
Now, let’s think together about The Church – The Bride of Christ. (And I won’t quit preaching until I’ve emptied this glass. [Laughter] And I plan to empty the glass by 12:30 AM, or less. [Laughter] Alright…
We are familiar with many of the words used to designate the church. For example, the very word “church”. This word is drawn from a term that means “to call out.” That is, the Gospel is heard; it becomes the call or the invitation for lost men and women to come into the grace of God, be converted and be added to the church—the body of Christ. We’ve heard that word used many, many times. Beautiful word!
We’ve heard about the kingdom of God—that realm wherein the Will of God is obeyed by men and women who have submitted their hearts to Jesus Christ, the King, and to do so in His kingdom. We know about the thought of the kingdom.
We know of the church as the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the church, and the body corresponds in the analogy of the human head and the human body. That is to say that, under the direction of Christ, the head, there are the arms and the legs that make it possible to carry the Will of God into the world. And so, the body of Christ is that band of God’s people in a local community who DO the Will of God in serving, in worshipping, in mission activities and in the growth and the development of children of God.
We also know of the church as the temple—that body of people who have the privilege of glorifying God, of honoring Him in word, in deed, in spirit and in Truth. We offer to Him, in our worship, the spiritual sacrifices of our hearts as we engage in the worship of God.
All of these terms, and others, might well be used again and again. It is, however, a most beautiful thought to think about the church as the bride of Christ. Let me develop this theme by talking with you, first of all, about what I call “The Picture” and then some passages.
The Picture :
In the very first chapter of the book of the Old Testament, this is said in Genesis 1, verses 27 and 28: “So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
In Genesis, chapter 2, verses 21 to 24: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
This has to do with the realization of God that there is a dimension of life, even in the Garden of Eden, that is not full and complete without both the man and the woman in the marriage and in the home. Yes, I know that there are people who choose not to be married, and they are true and genuine children of God. They are not second-class citizens of the kingdom. But the usual idea is that of a man and woman, who fall in love with each other, who decide that they want to devote themselves exclusively to each other, and so they come to be married, and they spend their days together in love, in joy, and in the bond that should be closer than any bond that exists in this world, save [except] the bond with God Himself.
Now, the Jewish people knew a great deal about that. If you will study the Old Testament and look and some of the summary material about it, you will find that they developed several procedures in marriage. There was, first, the engagement. The engagement was usually arranged by the parents, particularly the fathers. The reason for this arrangement by the fathers, or a marriage maker, was to preserve the purity of the bloodline so that the Jewish nation would have a pure line of descent. The parents, or the matchmaker, would be sure to understand the pedigree of the boy and the girl. This might be entered into at an early age. And, as the years would go by, these young people would come to know about each other—if they lived in the same village, this was accomplished more easily; but if not, there would be periodical discussions about the intended husband or wife, and that was the engagement.
Secondly was the betrothal. The betrothal occurred at the time of people getting married, sometimes into the mid- or later teens. In the betrothal, there would be a feasting and a ceremony almost like a wedding. In this betrothal, a wedding agreement would be reached; it would be written and placed in the hands of a marriage maker, or sometimes the friend of the bridegroom. This agreement was binding. It could not be broken except by divorce that was according to biblical teaching. If the husband-to-be should die, the girl was regarded as a widow. Very, very crucial was the betrothal.
And then, the marriage proper. This would usually occur about a year after the betrothal. It was a time of great joy. Most of the people of the village would be invited. There would be a procession from the home of the bride as she and the groom moved to the house of the bridegroom. There would be celebration; there would be dancing and joy and a happy occasion. When the bride and the groom arrived at his home, the bride would be placed in seclusion. On the next day, the marriage would be contracted. And then, they would retire for the evening to the marriage chamber. The rest of the week would be spent in celebration, usually a great feast. The couple would hold court. They would be praised and encouraged and receive gifts. It was, all in all, a most festive and joyous occasion.
The Application:
Now, these well-known practices lie behind what is said concerning the church as the bride of Christ. Now, some passages:
In Romans 7, and verse 4, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him Who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” Married! Married unto Christ. The imagery of marriage, the church, the bride—clearly alluded to in this passage.
Another passage. In Ephesians, chapter 5, beginning with verse 25 and going through verse 27, notice these words: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; 26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, 27 That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Notice first of all that Christ “loved the church.” He loved it enough that He died that the church might come to be. How many people do you know who would die for you? How many? How many people would you die for? O, I’m not talking about just talking; I mean really DIE for somebody. I dare say I do not know many who would die for me. Now, Jesus “loved the church.”
Again, He “gave Himself for it.” In the plan and purpose of God, there was not only the birth and ministry of Jesus. There was also His death on the cross. And behind that death, there was, to be sure, the purpose of atonement for sin. But there was also the purpose of giving His life FOR the church, linking the church with His death on the cross and the shedding of His blood.
Again, He sanctified the church. That is, He set it apart from evil, and devoted it to good. Jesus wanted the church to be devoted exclusively to the Will of God. And so, He sanctified that church. He had cleansed it; He had washed it; He had made it clean“with the washing of water by the Word.” That is to say that, those who have received the blessing of the shed blood of Christ received it when, in obedience to the Gospel, they were washed in the water of baptism that they might be CLEANSED from their sins and would be raised up as members of the church, set apart from evil and devoted unto God.
Again, He will present the church. Present the church. What a beautiful thought that is! There will come a day when, in the presence of God, there…will…be…presented…the church, composed of all of those who, from the Day of Pentecost until the end of the world, have…been…made…members…of the church of the living God. One can imagine some such scene as this:
“Lord, who are these people?”
“Well, they are the church. They are the church that was established in this town, or that town. Here are the people who heard the Gospel call. They lived, they served, they died in the Lord, and now they stand redeemed in the presence of the Father. This is the issue of My work in the world. I went into the world; I lived; I died; I rose again; I ascended to the right hand of the Father; and by the work that I did in the world through the apostles, we have won this mass of men and women from every nation, tribe and tongue. This is the CHURCH that has come triumphant through the difficulties of the world and the devil. I present them now. This is what has been accomplished in the work.”
What a marvelous thought that is. He…will…present…it…to Himself. No angel will do so. There will not be any man to do that. It will be the exclusive right and privilege of Jesus Christ to present the church for the union eternally of the church, as the bride, and Christ, as the groom. Our minds are filled with that beautiful thought. There is, then, the thought that the church has a special bond with Christ, and that bond with Christ is precious to consider.
The church in this age is awaiting the second coming of Christ. There will be the resurrection, the Judgment and the eternal destiny of the redeemed and those who are rebellious. One can consider this culmination of God’s plan as the time when the kingdom is presented to God. Paul said, “Then cometh the end when He (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; and He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power” [1 Corinthians 15:24]. There will be the time when all that stands between God and His people will be removed. All of the work of the devil and his angels; all of the work of worldly-minded, rebellious people will have been brought to an end, and the kingdom of God will be presented unto the Father. And in that great moment, it is the greatest desire in the heart of the Christian to be a part of that wonderful and marvelous event.
Now, let me turn to some passages in the book of Revelation. I suggest that one might carefully think about reading—carefully—the book of Revelation. O, I know there are some difficult places in it. I do not claim that I know the meaning of every verse in that book, but the Lord promised that there is a blessing for him who reads these Words, and we need to claim that blessing [“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the Words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” Revelation 1:3.].
Let me think with you for a moment about some passages that talk about our Lord Jesus Christ as “the Lamb of God.” It is this theme of Christ as the Lamb of God that culminates in the description the book of Revelation gives to the bride of Christ.
In Revelation 5, and verse 6: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Notice this Lamb. He has, in the language of Revelation, “been slain.” He bears the mark of his death, and that mark of His death is a reminder of the cross and the church. John is able to see that in the vision granted. And then, he sees this Lamb, “having seven horns and seven eyes,” having to do with the fullness of the power and the fullness of the knowledge; and “the seven Spirits of God,” the fullness of revealing the Will of God to man. John, then, is able by the Spirit of God to see the beginning of the end of all that is known in this world, AND this revolves in the book around the One Who is spoken of as “the Lamb.”
There are some other verses.
In Revelation 17, and verse 14… In the chapter earlier, there’s a reference to the beast (the devil), his followers, the kings who stand with Satan against God, and it is said in Revelation 17, and verse 14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Now, catch the imagery here. Here is the struggle that is present, even now. There is a struggle going on in this world. It may be fought only in the mind and the heart of an individual. It may be fought on a wider plane, but the war is going on. And that is the war between the Devil and those with him, and the Lord Jesus Christ and those who are with Him. As a member of His family, we experience that battle time and time and time again.
And in that battle, notice those who are ultimately to be with Him. First, they are “called.” They have heard the Gospel; they have heard the teaching of the Word of God. This Word has entered their hearts; they have received it; they have understood it; they have believed it; they have obeyed it; and then they began that work of God that has to do with living the Christian life, even in the midst of difficulties and conflicts.
They are “chosen.” God has indicated in His Word the kind of people who will be in the church. They are those who conform to the Will of God as revealed by His Son. God knew what the church would be like from the time that the plan was made for the church to be established. He knew that. AND He designated well in advance. It would be revealed by His Son; it would be revealed on the basis of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; it would be guided by the inspired apostles; it would be believed and obeyed by men and women who would hear that Gospel. That is the choice of what God would have to be His people. They are “chosen.”
AND, they…are...“faithful.” They have been loyal. O, yes, they’ve been tempted. They may on occasion have fallen far, far short of what God wanted them to be. But in their hearts, they recognize the wrong; they turn from it; they confess that sin unto God; and in an honest, genuine petition to God, ask for the forgiveness, and through Christ, their sins were forgiven. And so, those who are in this great conflict that will ultimately issue in the victory of the Lamb over the beast, those who are with Him are “called,” and “chosen,” and “faithful.”
In Revelation 19, verses 6 through 8: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
This has to do with the ultimate bringing of the church to Jesus Christ. Notice “the marriage of the Lamb is come.” “Give honor to God.” He has brought this about! He has planned and purposed this, and now the moment of eternal completion of His Will has arrived.
And then the bride. She “hath made herself ready.” Have you ever thought of the significance of that in your life? When your daughter gets married, if she hasn’t already, there will be the last ounce of preparation. Nothing is to be overlooked. Whatever the amount of money involved, every effort will be made for her to be as completely prepared as possible.
This is the same with the church. God is preparing us. He is making us, as the church, ready for this marriage feast. Notice the “fine linen…the righteousness of the saints.”
Think about a young woman who is making her wedding dress. She cuts this pattern here, a pattern there, and then she begins to stitch it together, and every stitch is one of love. She is making the gown in which she will be married to the one person that she loves with all of her heart.
Now, the church—how is it making that wedding garment? It is doing it by the righteousness that is present in this world, and that’s where we are. That’s what the church is to be about.
And then again, in verse 9, “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” Revelation 19, verse 9. No question about that. God has said it, and there’s no doubt of that.
And then, in Revelation 21, and verse 9, “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew [show] thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
And then, the writer continues the thought in verse 22, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” Revelation 21:22-27.
Now, think with me, in closing, about some application of that. In the first place, think about the awe and the wonder and the beauty of it. You think about this great thought, that the closest possible relationship that can be known in this world is that linking Jesus Christ to the church. And on that basis, men and women have lived faithful lives. Some have suffered, and some in the world today are still suffering for their faith. But, there is this awesome thought that when all of life’s problems, and heartaches, and burdens have ended, there is a glorious and wonderful moment when the saints of God will finally come home. I know of nothing…nothing that is more majestic and awesome than to think of that. In Christ, this plan has its origin and possibility. In the church, it has its locale in time. In heaven, it has its ultimate meeting of the Christ, the Redeemer Whose death made it possible, the Father Who planned it, and the Spirit Who revealed it.
Just to catch a glimpse of this majestic design and display is to cause one to say with awe, “We are not able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” [Ephesians 3:18-21]. That is our birthright. That is our heritage.
Notice, then, first of all, that the church knows the love of Christ. That is not only a love that was demonstrated on the cross. It was. But Christ did not stop loving His people when He died. Think about the Truth that God loves you right now, and He loves His church.
I have lived a lifetime knowing the love of my father and mother. When I was a youngster, I learned that my father and mother loved me. And I knew until the day of my father’s death that, wherever I was and whatever I got into, if I needed him, all I had to do was tell him, “Dad, I need you to come,” and he would come. If he couldn’t get a ride, he would have set out walking. That’s love.
My mother would come if I called her. She loves me. My wife and my children love me. I’ve never doubted that, and I love them. But above all of the love of father and mother, and wife and children, there’s the love of Christ. I’ll never understand ALL of what that love is about. I often tell my wife, “I appreciate how much you love me. I don’t understand it,” and I don’t. I see very little in me that would entitle me to be loved by such a wonderful woman. But I am, and I rejoice in it.
I have nothing that would oblige the Lord Jesus Christ to love me for my merit. But, I rejoice in that love. And the church is loved of God. There’s never been a burden, there’s never been a heartache, there’s never been a trial in your life as a Christian, or you life as the church, when Jesus did not love you.
Secondly, the church knows the closest of bond with Christ. There is a tie that binds us with Christ. Years ago, Brother Gus Nichols told this story about a little boy:
He was out in a cloudy day, and he was standing in an open field with a string, and he was yanking that thing. And somebody said, “Little boy, what are you doing?!”
“Well,” he said, “I’m flying a kite.”
And the man said, “I don’t see a kite up there. Where is it?”
“Well,” he said, “it’s up there.”
The man asked, “How do you know?”
He said, “You take ahold of this and you’ll feel it pull!”
Now, the application was: You take HOLD of the BOND that unites Christ and the church, and you’ll feel it PULL! You’ll feel it pull in the depth of your soul, because you know that by virtue of the grace of God and obedience to Christ, your heart and life has been JOINED in service to our Lord! THAT’S the BOND!
Then, the church is committed to faithfulness to Christ. A woman, or a man, who is not willing to be absolutely faithful to the husband, or wife, as long as they live is not even close to being married, because marriage has to do with total, complete fidelity and unity in love and respect. So it is with the church. Can you imagine a church that is not willing to be faithful to God…that is willing to substitute for the Gospel the doctrines and commandments of men? Can you imagine a church that is not willing to worship God in spirit and in Truth? Can you imagine a church that will trade the Truth of God in any way for the wisdom, the practice and the doctrines of men? What has happened is that such a church is declaring itself unfaithful as the bride of Christ. Shame on THAT church!! Shame on those who allow it to occur! And God Himself will hold that church responsible for prostituting the love that once was pure and true! But, they violated it and would not come back to what is right!
That touches me with sadness. There was a time when I was made angry by that. I watched men prostitute the church in the name of progress, and I got pretty upset about that. I finally said, “This is not right. It’s not right for me to be mad at these people. It’s not right for me to be angry at them, because I want them to know I care about them. I’m concerned about them. Yes, I will refute. Yes, I will admonish. Yes, I will refute the false doctrine, but in a love that wishes the person, or the church, to come back to what is right.” And, it’s not easy to get over that. It’s not fun to get over that. But we cannot be all that the Lord wants us to be until we remove ill-will and anger and bitterness because of what somebody has done to us individually, or collectively. The sad part is not the wrong done to us; the sad part is the wrong done in violating the bond between Christ and the church.
Notice that the church enjoys the strength and protection of Christ. You think about the protection of the church. You think about the strength of the Lord. In the heart of every man, there ought to beat a dedication to see to the need, the well-being, the protection, of the family. It may be protection from the cold. It may be protection from hunger. It may be protection from some kind of physical difficulty or danger. Ultimately, the man who deserves the right to be a man will defend and uphold the family with all of his strength.
Now, Christ is far greater than any man could ever be, and He will not leave His church without protection, without care. He does not do that by sticks and stones and swords. He does that by instilling His Word into the hearts and lives of people who say, “Whatever happens, I…will…be…faithful to God and the church where I live and serve! I will do all I know to do to keep it pure and upright in the service of God. And should the time come when the church is no longer faithful to God, I will, with broken heart, walk away, and live and work among those who are loyal and faithful to God, whether the many or the few! And that many or few in the church will…be…victorious!” We never doubt that.
And finally, there is the rejoicing of the destiny of the people of God. We have two daughters, and when they were getting married, O, did we go through an awful lot of time and effort and drive here and there and… We would drive a hundred miles to get a piece of lace that long [he is indicating a rather short piece]. Now, if you haven’t had that joy, you don’t know what joy is. [Laughter] But what was in the heart of each of our daughters was in our hearts, and we would put any amount of time and effort and as much expense as we could, because we wanted the day to come when this girl that we loved with all of our hearts would have the destiny of that marriage. I still get teary-eyed when I think about it.
Now, you and I have a destiny with God. One of the worst things that Satan can do to us is to destroy that sense of destiny and make us forget that God is not merely aware of today. He is aware of eternity. And when we measure the difficulties of the present against the destiny of the people of God, however burdensome they may be, they’re light and they are easy. That’s our destiny. [Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”]
And, in closing, there is no power on earth, there is no force of Satan or his angels, that can destroy that. There was every effort made to prevent the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was beyond all human ability to occur. It was guaranteed by making it as sure as they [the Jews] could, but it was as if the tomb was sealed by cobwebs. When Jesus was to rise from the dead, there was no problem. He rose in spite of all the devil and the world could do. And when the time comes for the church faithful to unite with God eternally in heaven, there is nothing that the devil and his angels can do to stop it. They will be consigned to eternal hell, and the church will experience eternal life with God.
I do not know, my friend, whether I shall ever look into your faces again in this world. I hope I do. I really have come to love and care for you. But, whether I ever see you again, I want us to resolve tonight: When the time for the bride and the groom to be together comes, we’ll be in that number. If I go first, I’ll be looking for you. And, if you go first, I want you to look for me. It’s been a joy to be with you. I look forward to hearing of great works.
In the close, if you’re not a Christian, may you tonight make the decision that you want to be a member of the bride of Christ; you want to claim that destiny of someday living with God and His people. In order for that to be, you must believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, repent of sin, make the good confession, and be baptized into Christ for remission of sins.
If you are a Christian and have not lived as God teaches you to do, what a precious opportunity you have. Recognizing your need of turning from wrong, make the confession to God of your sin, and ask brethren who love you and are interested in you to pray with you and for you, that you may be forgiven.
On these terms, we invite you as we stand. May we sing.