The Bride Christ Loves!

 

 

 

The Church Christ is Building- 5

TITLE: The Bride Christ Loves!

TEXT: Ephesians 5:24-27; Revelation 19:1-10

THESIS: Because Christ has loved, purchased, cleansed, nourished, and promised His church, believers must love what Christ loves and live as a faithful bride awaiting her Bridegroom.

 

TRUTH: Every wedding has a moment when the doors open and the bride begins to walk down the aisle. But before that moment, much preparation has already taken place. The dress has been chosen, the details have been arranged, and everything is moving toward presentation. In Ephesians 5, Paul shows us that Christ is not simply waiting for His bride; He is preparing her. The truth behind the church is that she is the bride Christ loves.

 

Ephesians 5:24–27 comes in the middle of Paul’s teaching on marriage, but Paul is not merely giving practical marriage advice. He is showing that Christian marriage is meant to display a much greater reality: Christ and His church. The wife’s relationship to her husband is used as a picture of the church’s submission to Christ, and the husband’s love for his wife is patterned after Christ’s sacrificial love for the church.

 

The key movement in the passage is not first what the church does for Christ, but what Christ has done and is doing for His church.

 

·      He loved her,

·      gave Himself for her,

·      sanctifies her,

·      cleanses her by the Word,

·      and will one day present her to Himself in splendor.

 

So, before we talk about what the church must be, Paul first shows us what Christ has done. The bride’s beauty begins with the bridegroom’s sacrifice. The church does not stand on her traditions, programs, strength, or purity. She stands on the costly, covenant love of Jesus Christ. If we are going to love the church rightly, we must first see how Christ has loved her.

 

I. Christ Loves His Bride Sacrificially

Explanation: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The foundation of the church is not human effort, tradition, or creativity. The foundation is the self-giving love of Christ. Jesus did not merely admire the church from a distance; He gave himself for her at the cross. His love is covenantal, costly, and redemptive.

 

 

Paul places the initiative entirely on Christ. The church is not loved because she is already pure; she is loved in order that she may be made pure. This protects the congregation from pride on one side and despair on the other. We do not boast as if we made ourselves worthy, and we do not despair as if our stains are stronger than his grace.

 

Romans 5:8 shows that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Galatians 2:20 declares that the Son of God “loved me and gave himself for me.” John 10:11 says, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Together, these passages remind us that Christ’s love is not theoretical; it is proven in blood.

 

Application: If Christ loves the church, then believers must not treat the church as optional, disposable, or merely useful. We must repent of consumer Christianity and recover covenant commitment. Love the church not because she is flawless, but because she belongs to Christ.

 

II. Christ Cleanses His Bride by the Word

Explanation: Ephesians 5:26 says Christ gave himself “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” Christ’s saving work includes both justification and sanctification. He forgives his bride, and he also forms his bride.

 

The Word of God is not background information for the Christian life; it is the instrument Christ uses to cleanse, renew, correct, comfort, and prepare his people. The bride is washed…

 

·      as she hears the gospel,

·      believes the promises,

·      confesses sin,

·      receives correction, a

·      and walks in obedience.

 

John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Psalm 119:9 asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” and answers, “By guarding it according to your word.” Titus 3:5 speaks of the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

 

Application: A church that wants to be beautiful to Christ must be a Word-shaped church. We must submit our preferences, feelings, traditions, and strategies to Scripture. Personally, we must ask: Am I letting the Word wash me, or am I merely hearing it without surrender?

 

III. Christ Nourishes and Cherishes His Bride

Explanation: Ephesians 5:29 says, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.” Christ does not save the church and then neglect her. He sustains what he purchased. The risen Christ actively cares for His people.

 

·      He feeds the church through the Word,

·      strengthens her by the Spirit,

·      shepherds her through pastors and spiritual leaders,

·      corrects her through discipline,

·      comforts her through the saints,

·      and preserve her through suffering.

 

His care is tender without being weak and holy without being harsh.

Matthew 16:18 promises that Christ will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Hebrews 13:20–21 identifies Jesus as the great Shepherd of the sheep who equips his people for his will. 1 Peter 5:4 points to the appearing of the Chief Shepherd.

 

Application: Do not mistake the church’s weakness for Christ’s absence. He is nourishing and cherishing his bride even when growth is slow, when ministry is costly, and when faithfulness feels unseen. Serve with confidence because the church is not sustained by human strength, but by the strength the Spirit provides.

 

 IV. Christ Presents His Bride in Glory

Explanation: Ephesians 5:27 says Christ will “present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” Revelation 19:7 announces, “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” The story of the church does not end in decline, defeat, or disgrace. It ends in glory.

 

The church is presently being sanctified, but she will one day be fully glorified. Every stain will be removed, every wound healed, every division overcome, and every redeemed saint gathered before the Lamb. The wedding feast is the great hope toward which history moves. In Revelation 19:1-10, John captures this promise. Notice what the text states about the bride (i.e., the church).

 

·      The bride rejoices (vv.1-6): Her joy is rooted in the victory and righteousness of the bridegroom.

·      The bride is ready (v.7): Her marriage has arrived; the bride has prepared herself. Her preparation is for the Lamb.

·      The bride is adorned (v.8): Her adornment is not worldly beauty, but righteous living.

·      The bride is invited (v.9): There is a wedding. There is a supper. There is an invitation, and those invited are blessed.

 

Colossians 1:22 says Christ will present believers holy and blameless before him. Jude 24 declares that God is able to keep his people from stumbling and present them blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.

 

Application: The church must live now considering the wedding day then. Holiness is not legalistic self-improvement; it is bridal preparation. Mission is not mere organizational expansion; it is gathering guests and worshipers for the Lamb. Perseverance is not stubborn optimism; it is hope anchored in the promise that the bridegroom is coming.

 

TAKE-AWAY:

 

·       Love the church Christ loves. Refuse cynicism, contempt, and consumerism toward the body of Christ.

·       Submit to the Word that cleanses. Let Scripture confront sin, reshape desires, and renew devotion.

·       Serve the bride, not merely the organization. Ministry is not maintenance of programs; it is care for people purchased by blood.

·       Pursue holiness as preparation. Personal holiness and congregational purity matter because the bridegroom is worthy.

·       Live with wedding-day hope. Present struggles are real, but they are not final. The Lamb will have his bride.

As we look out over the landscape of the American church, she may look weak, wounded, unfinished, and imperfect. But Christ sees her according to his covenant promise and final purpose. He loved her at the cross, washed her by the Word, nourished her with tender care, and will present her in splendor. Therefore, do no despise the bride. Do not abandon the bride. Do not ignore the bride. Love what Christ loves, serve what Christ purchased, and prepare for the day when faith becomes sight and the church hears the announcement: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”