Christ's Love For the Church

Ephesians 5.25-33

Its a season of love. Valentine's Day this past week.
"The whole thing is a love story!"- Pauline Dallenbach


The mystical union

A Profound Mystery. Megas Mysterion
A splendid excellent secret

hidden thing, secret, mystery
not made known to ordinary mortals
a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding
a hidden purpose or counsel
secret will of God: the secret counsels of God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly
in rabbinic writings, it denotes the mystic or hidden sense of an image or form seen in a vision or of a dream

A loving, living and lasting union.



1.Christ loved the church

He gave Himself up for her. Philippians 2
to deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death. Jesus went through each facet of this for the church, for you! We ought to think about this often. Paul determined to nothing among the Corinthian Church except Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

He died.
To make her Holy:
Radiant held in good or in great esteem, of high repute
illustrious, honourable, esteemed
notable, glorious splendid
free from sins

No stain
No wrinkle
No blemish

He found her in rags and wretchedness, but He looked on her in love and spread His skirts of mercy over her. He washed and clothed her with broidered work. He anointed her and decked her with ornaments and jewels, and made her perfect with the comeliness He put upon her (Ezek. 16. 5-14). It is all His doing. Praise His Name.

Hosea 9:10 “When I found Israel,it was like finding grapes in the desert;when I saw your fathers,it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree...


A complete allegiance to an absolutely self sacrificing love.
In taking on the sin of the world He had to suffer and die this way.
Romans 5:6 And we can see that it was while we were powerless to help ourselves that Christ died for sinful men. In human experience it is a rare thing for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man, though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it. Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us. (Philipps)
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV)

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.


2. Christ loves the church

He feeds it.
He nourisheth her with the milk of His Word, and holds her in the arms of His love (John 17. 14, 15). He satisfies her with good things by His comforting Spirit (John 16. 13, 14).

John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The food of the church is the Word of God. This is why there is so much immaturity today in Christ's Body.
Three main sources:
Personal Quiet Time
Weekly Bible Studies
Sunday Morning Message


The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
’Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.
Refrain:
The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.

The Bible stands like a mountain tow’ring
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.

The Bible stands and it will forever,
When the world has passed away;
By inspiration it has been given,
All its precepts I will obey.

The Bible stands every test we give it,
For its Author is divine;
By grace alone I expect to live it,
And to prove and to make it mine.


He cares for it.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.

My family in Florida was in shock at the death of Christopher. Two years and a half years ago in my cousin, Lori's home, I got up early before we were to leave for church and was reading my Bible and journaling. The day before I was on a Southwest Airline flight out of MacArthur. I had been reading Psalm 50-70 while I waited. These are some of David's Psalms of difficulty written while Saul was pursuing him and trying it take his life. I encourage people to read these psalms while going through deep grief. I discovered how much they can help from my own experience.

Suddenly Psalm 55.22 jumped out and grabbed my heart there in MacArthur Airport. That is the verse for my family I thought. I took my journal out the next day, on that Sunday morning and wrote down the verse, "Cast all your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you." I had no sooner written it than Lori my cousin, came out and greeted me with a "Good morning". She picked up what had been our Nana's (Rose Biggs) old Promise Box, full of scriptures, Nana had based her life upon.

Then my cousin Lori began to tell me a story about it.

She showed me how she had one card sticking out of it. She said that during a very difficult night in her life, she could not sleep, so she got up to clean. She was dusting and she accidentally knocked Nana's Promise box off. It fell on the floor and one card flew out. She showed it to me. It was Psalm 55.22 and I Peter 5.7. I showed my journal in which I had just written out Psalm 55.22 and how the day before as I began my trek to Florida the LORD had given this to me for my family there. And suddenly we realized we were in the Presence of God. We prayed, thanking God for the wonderful gift of our heritage. Our Nana had gone to heaven 22 years ago but the influence of her life lived on and the LORD was showing us that and that those promises were as true today as the day He gave them to David, the shepherd who became Israel's king and Peter, the fisherman from Galilee turned apostle and the day our Nana read them and the night that card popped out. Our God is an Awesome God.

There are times when we find life's situations to be unbearable. I think of Tiffany, Christopher's fiance. Wedding Invitations all sent out and suddenly he is gone and what was to be three weeks of wonderful expectation had become difficult beyond description. Horatio Spafford and Joseph Scriven knew about this. They wrote, It is Well With My Soul and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Scriven's fiance drowned the night before they were to be married.

Christ cares for us!


The church is His Body.
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

The members of the body are the operators on behalf of the Head (Rom. 12. 5).


We are one with Christ. Profound mystery. Like husband and wife.

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

Elect from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
In love may dwell with Thee.

This oneness with Jesus is forever!


3. Christ's Eternal Love For the Church.

Our union to Christ is just just lasting, it is everlasting.

To present her to Himself.
He longs to "present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing" (v. 27). A Bride without blemish in His eyes. Seeing that this is His ultimate purpose concerning all His own, should we not expect Him to work out that which is pleasing to Him now in each individual life ? Let us ever remember that we are always in the hands of Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24, 25). That will be the happy day of the "Marriage of the Lamb."
Revelation 19

From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away
Marriage will be between Christ and His Church.
Mark 12:25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
Matthew 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

The morning is coming! The night of weeping will soon be past. "Until the day beaks, and the shadows flee away," be of good courage. Patiently hope, "and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." He will surely come again; and even the tears of to-day shall be turned into joy to abundantly.

Matthew 25.1-13


Let's live fully for Him!
Let's offer ourselves as living sacrifices.
Let's reflect His glory.