1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:16,620 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365, or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org. 3 00:00:16,620 –> 00:00:17,760 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,760 –> 00:00:20,780 Here is pastor Colin. 5 00:00:20,780 –> 00:00:24,219 Today we’re wrapping up our series on the subject of the church. 6 00:00:24,219 –> 00:00:29,620 We have called it Sharing the Passion of Jesus Christ. 7 00:00:29,639 –> 00:00:32,000 We’ve learned together what the church is. 8 00:00:32,000 –> 00:00:36,980 Our Lord Jesus, remember, used the word church on only two occasions, one to describe all 9 00:00:36,980 –> 00:00:41,959 believers in every time and place and on the other occasion to describe a local congregation 10 00:00:41,959 –> 00:00:45,599 of believers, simply like we are here today. 11 00:00:45,599 –> 00:00:51,419 So because the Lord Jesus is our teacher that is defining for us, for us the word church 12 00:00:51,419 –> 00:00:57,060 means either all believers in every time and place on earth and in heaven or it means a 13 00:00:57,439 –> 00:01:03,439 congregation of believers like ourselves called out by God to worship and sent out by God 14 00:01:03,439 –> 00:01:04,440 to serve. 15 00:01:04,440 –> 00:01:07,599 That is what the church is according to Jesus. 16 00:01:07,599 –> 00:01:10,800 From that foundation of understanding what the church is we have gone on in the book 17 00:01:10,800 –> 00:01:17,800 of Ephesians to see how it is described to us and our Lord uses images, pictures to help 18 00:01:18,879 –> 00:01:22,059 us understand this marvelous gift of the church. 19 00:01:22,059 –> 00:01:24,300 It is the body of Christ. 20 00:01:24,540 –> 00:01:29,239 We saw from Ephesians chapter one that Christ is the head and the head operates through 21 00:01:29,239 –> 00:01:32,019 the body, this is how the head does His work. 22 00:01:32,019 –> 00:01:36,879 He has joined Himself to the church and since Christ chooses to work through the church 23 00:01:36,879 –> 00:01:39,900 why would we not choose to do the same? 24 00:01:39,900 –> 00:01:45,099 It is an amazing thing we saw that such a glorious head would join Himself to sometime 25 00:01:45,099 –> 00:01:50,820 feeble body, but this is what Christ has done and because this is what He has done we should 26 00:01:50,820 –> 00:01:54,139 not be ashamed to do likewise. 27 00:01:54,139 –> 00:01:59,379 Then last week we saw a second image from Ephesians in chapter two the church is compared 28 00:01:59,379 –> 00:02:02,699 there to a building in progress. 29 00:02:02,699 –> 00:02:07,580 Every Christian is a living stone and the Lord Jesus Christ is building us together 30 00:02:07,580 –> 00:02:13,539 into a holy temple that will be His home for ever and for ever. 31 00:02:13,539 –> 00:02:17,559 We saw that right now because this is a work in process, the local church often looks more 32 00:02:17,559 –> 00:02:22,399 like a building site than it looks like a showroom and we should not be surprised at 33 00:02:22,539 –> 00:02:29,059 that we are not yet what we will be, yet Christ chooses to make His home in this building 34 00:02:29,059 –> 00:02:37,020 site of the church and we should not be ashamed therefore to make our home here also. 35 00:02:37,020 –> 00:02:44,020 By the way years ago I heard Dr. Warren Weirsbace say, never get hung up on one image of the 36 00:02:44,020 –> 00:02:45,020 church. 37 00:02:45,020 –> 00:02:51,380 I find that very helpful, there is nothing in the world quite like the church and because 38 00:02:51,380 –> 00:02:56,460 there is nothing else like it, there is no one thing that you can compare it to. 39 00:02:56,460 –> 00:03:01,220 And for that reason, what God does to help us understand what it is to be the church, 40 00:03:01,220 –> 00:03:06,580 He uses multiple images that we need to put together to get a fuller understanding of 41 00:03:06,580 –> 00:03:08,139 this marvelous gift. 42 00:03:08,139 –> 00:03:13,179 By the way, you find the same thing when it comes to heaven, which also cannot be compared 43 00:03:13,179 –> 00:03:17,199 to any one thing on earth, and so it is the city and then it is the garden and so forth. 44 00:03:17,600 –> 00:03:22,279 And when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is unlike any other person who has ever 45 00:03:22,279 –> 00:03:26,880 lived, think of all of the ways in which he is expressed to us. 46 00:03:26,880 –> 00:03:32,059 He is the friend, he is the brother and so forth and so on. 47 00:03:32,059 –> 00:03:36,600 Multiple images of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 48 00:03:36,600 –> 00:03:41,559 And so when you have multiple images of the church, you know that we’re talking about 49 00:03:41,559 –> 00:03:46,179 something that is unlike anything else in this world, something especially glorious 50 00:03:46,220 –> 00:03:52,940 that needs multiple different ways of expressing its glorious reality for us to begin to get 51 00:03:52,940 –> 00:03:53,940 hold of it. 52 00:03:53,940 –> 00:03:59,520 So today we come to the third image that is given to us of the church in Ephesians and 53 00:03:59,520 –> 00:04:02,699 that is the beautiful image of the Bride of Christ. 54 00:04:02,699 –> 00:04:07,619 I hope you will open your Bible at Ephesians chapter 5. 55 00:04:07,619 –> 00:04:12,960 The body, Christ’s work through the church, the building, Christ’s presence in the 56 00:04:13,440 –> 00:04:19,600 church, and now the bride, Christ’s love for the church. 57 00:04:19,600 –> 00:04:27,179 Now we begin at Ephesians 5 and verse 25 where we have this striking statement, husbands, 58 00:04:27,179 –> 00:04:36,320 love your wives just as Christ loved the church. 59 00:04:36,440 –> 00:04:45,019 Now notice the order, the apostle does not say, hey guys, Jesus loves the church just 60 00:04:45,019 –> 00:04:47,480 like you love your wives. 61 00:04:47,480 –> 00:04:51,019 He doesn’t say that, and I’m very glad he doesn’t say that. 62 00:04:51,019 –> 00:04:55,059 We would be in trouble if the bible said that. 63 00:04:55,059 –> 00:05:01,799 Because the truth is that sometimes we husbands do not love our wives very well and so it 64 00:05:02,079 –> 00:05:09,579 important that we see how the way that Christ puts this to us, husbands love your wives, 65 00:05:09,579 –> 00:05:14,679 verse 25, as Christ loves the church. 66 00:05:14,679 –> 00:05:20,200 In other words, we are being told that the union between Christ and the church is the 67 00:05:20,200 –> 00:05:22,239 model for Christian marriage. 68 00:05:22,239 –> 00:05:28,399 Paul is not saying Christian marriage teaches us about the church, he is saying it the other 69 00:05:28,500 –> 00:05:29,500 way around. 70 00:05:29,500 –> 00:05:34,880 He is saying that Christ’s relationship with the church teaches us about Christian marriage. 71 00:05:34,880 –> 00:05:41,799 That is where we begin, and that is why the apostle says in verse 31, for this reason 72 00:05:41,799 –> 00:05:44,920 do you see it there, a man will leave his father and his mother, he will be united to 73 00:05:44,920 –> 00:05:47,739 his wife, the two will become one flesh. 74 00:05:47,739 –> 00:05:52,279 And you say, Oh, well, yeah, he is obviously talking about marriage here, and then look 75 00:05:53,119 –> 00:05:54,119 says. 76 00:05:54,119 –> 00:05:57,200 This is a profound mystery. 77 00:05:57,200 –> 00:06:03,239 But I am talking about Christ and the church. 78 00:06:03,239 –> 00:06:08,959 So He is not saying that you learn about Christ and the church from marriage, He is saying 79 00:06:08,959 –> 00:06:12,839 that you learn about marriage from Christ and the church. 80 00:06:12,839 –> 00:06:20,399 Now friends, that is of huge importance, and it has the potential to be absolutely liberating 81 00:06:20,519 –> 00:06:29,519 for those of us in this congregation who came from difficult, broken or even dysfunctional 82 00:06:29,519 –> 00:06:31,959 family backgrounds. 83 00:06:31,959 –> 00:06:34,239 So listen up. 84 00:06:34,239 –> 00:06:41,359 If you grew up in an unhappy or dysfunctional home, how do you know what it means to be 85 00:06:41,359 –> 00:06:46,040 a godly husband or a godly wife? 86 00:06:46,040 –> 00:06:55,399 If your father was not present, or if your father was not good, or if he was not faithful, 87 00:06:55,399 –> 00:07:00,339 where can you learn as a man how to treat a woman? 88 00:07:00,339 –> 00:07:06,440 Or where can you learn as a woman how to be with a man? 89 00:07:06,440 –> 00:07:10,440 You may say, well, Jesus Christ is my model for all of life, but of course Jesus was never 90 00:07:10,440 –> 00:07:14,160 married, so where can I look to learn about this? 91 00:07:15,119 –> 00:07:19,760 Well, we are learning here that Jesus Christ has a Bride. 92 00:07:21,220 –> 00:07:24,980 And His Bride is the Church. 93 00:07:25,839 –> 00:07:30,179 And the Apostle is specifically saying, and he’s writing to these folks in Ephesus, this 94 00:07:30,179 –> 00:07:37,519 was one of the most pagan, debauched societies out of which people were wonderfully converted. 95 00:07:37,519 –> 00:07:41,220 And here are all these folks who have come from dysfunctional backgrounds, and they’re 96 00:07:41,220 –> 00:07:42,640 new Christians. 97 00:07:42,679 –> 00:07:46,579 And they’re bringing all this baggage with them, and the Apostle says, now here’s 98 00:07:46,579 –> 00:07:49,200 how you can learn to be a godly husband. 99 00:07:49,200 –> 00:07:53,260 You’ve never seen it modeled in a home in your childhood. 100 00:07:53,260 –> 00:07:57,179 But here is where you can look to see what it means to be a godly husband. 101 00:07:57,179 –> 00:08:01,760 You look at Christ, and you look at how He relates to the Church, and you’ll begin 102 00:08:01,760 –> 00:08:02,820 to discover it there. 103 00:08:02,820 –> 00:08:04,899 This is wonderfully liberating. 104 00:08:04,899 –> 00:08:06,820 This is wonderfully redemptive. 105 00:08:07,820 –> 00:08:14,040 You know, just to stay with us a moment longer, because it’s so important, I’ve often had 106 00:08:14,040 –> 00:08:19,519 conversations, and maybe you have too, maybe you’ve said this, but a person has said, 107 00:08:19,519 –> 00:08:29,679 you know, I didn’t have a good father, and so I can’t relate to God as Father. 108 00:08:29,679 –> 00:08:33,219 Most of us will have heard someone say that, and many of us, perhaps, may have said it 109 00:08:33,219 –> 00:08:34,479 ourselves. 110 00:08:34,539 –> 00:08:41,960 I didn’t have a good father, and so how can I relate to God as Father? 111 00:08:41,960 –> 00:08:48,760 Listen, nobody knows God by having a good father. 112 00:08:48,760 –> 00:08:52,320 You don’t come to know God by having a good family background. 113 00:08:52,320 –> 00:08:56,419 Nobody comes to know God by having a good father. 114 00:08:56,419 –> 00:09:00,919 No, you find out what a good father is by coming to know God. 115 00:09:01,880 –> 00:09:03,520 So don’t get stuck on this one 116 00:09:03,520 –> 00:09:06,299 by putting the whole thing the wrong way round. 117 00:09:06,299 –> 00:09:11,539 Get to know God, and you will discover what a good father is. 118 00:09:11,539 –> 00:09:17,400 Get to know Christ, and you will discover what a good husband is. 119 00:09:17,400 –> 00:09:21,840 Friends, even if you had a good and a stable home background, 120 00:09:21,840 –> 00:09:25,059 and your father and your mother loved each other well, 121 00:09:25,059 –> 00:09:30,159 even then, the place to begin in learning what it means to be a Godly husband 122 00:09:30,159 –> 00:09:35,119 is not simply in trying to do a carbon copy of your parents. 123 00:09:35,119 –> 00:09:39,159 If you do that, you’ll just bring in all kinds of cultural stuff 124 00:09:39,159 –> 00:09:43,320 and all kinds of stuff from an earlier generation or an earlier century, 125 00:09:43,320 –> 00:09:47,799 and your wife or your husband may not particularly thank you for doing that. 126 00:09:47,799 –> 00:09:49,739 So while maybe there are some things you learn from there, 127 00:09:49,739 –> 00:09:50,919 you don’t start from there. 128 00:09:50,919 –> 00:09:51,900 Where do you start from? 129 00:09:51,900 –> 00:09:54,599 You look at Christ. 130 00:09:54,599 –> 00:09:57,179 In any culture, in any century, 131 00:09:57,400 –> 00:10:00,859 transcends everything else and is wonderfully redemptive 132 00:10:00,859 –> 00:10:05,119 whatever background we may come from, good or bad. 133 00:10:05,119 –> 00:10:06,700 What he’s saying is this. 134 00:10:06,700 –> 00:10:07,700 See it. 135 00:10:07,700 –> 00:10:12,380 Husbands, think deeply about Christ in the church. 136 00:10:12,380 –> 00:10:14,900 Learn to know Christ. 137 00:10:14,900 –> 00:10:18,260 Then you will discover what kind of Husband God is calling you to be 138 00:10:18,260 –> 00:10:22,059 because Christ’s love for the church gives you the shape, 139 00:10:22,059 –> 00:10:23,619 it gives you the template, 140 00:10:23,619 –> 00:10:28,880 it gives you the pattern of what it means for you to love your wife well. 141 00:10:28,880 –> 00:10:35,320 The power of knowing Christ, the redemptive power of knowing Christ. 142 00:10:35,320 –> 00:10:36,159 Now, let’s look at this together then. 143 00:10:36,159 –> 00:10:38,539 Do you have your Bible open? 144 00:10:38,539 –> 00:10:40,340 How does Christ love the church? 145 00:10:40,340 –> 00:10:44,140 Look at what he says, verse 25. 146 00:10:44,140 –> 00:10:46,820 Christ gave himself for the church. 147 00:10:47,599 –> 00:10:55,780 Verse 25, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 148 00:10:55,780 –> 00:10:58,599 Gave himself. 149 00:10:58,599 –> 00:11:04,099 Here’s Christ in heaven, and he’s at the right hand of God the Father, 150 00:11:04,099 –> 00:11:10,099 and he loves the church and he gives himself up for her. 151 00:11:10,099 –> 00:11:14,059 He says, in effect, I am ready to pay any price. 152 00:11:14,119 –> 00:11:18,619 I am ready to endure any pain in order to do her good. 153 00:11:18,619 –> 00:11:25,539 I am ready to take all these joys that are mine by right and to place them on hold. 154 00:11:25,539 –> 00:11:34,619 I am prepared to take all that I find joy in here and give it up, in order that I may 155 00:11:34,619 –> 00:11:36,840 serve her. 156 00:11:36,960 –> 00:11:43,460 And he does this when there is no love coming back in return. 157 00:11:43,460 –> 00:11:47,099 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 158 00:11:47,099 –> 00:11:54,539 He endured, He suffered and He forgave. 159 00:11:54,599 –> 00:12:07,539 And the apostle says, now, husbands, you love your wife like Christ loves the church. 160 00:12:07,539 –> 00:12:12,320 And if you are hearing that at all, you will feel almost yourself going weak at the knees 161 00:12:12,320 –> 00:12:16,239 and saying, Lord Jesus Christ, I need you if I’m going to do that. 162 00:12:16,239 –> 00:12:18,380 I cannot do this in my own strength. 163 00:12:18,380 –> 00:12:24,059 I need a love that is bigger than the love in this heart, I need your spirit within me. 164 00:12:24,219 –> 00:12:29,340 I need the very life that you lived to come and to be in me. 165 00:12:29,340 –> 00:12:35,440 You will feel yourself, if you hear this today, finding a reason to come humbly and penitently 166 00:12:35,440 –> 00:12:40,419 and with faith to Jesus Christ and to embrace him all over again or perhaps for the very 167 00:12:40,419 –> 00:12:46,719 first time and to say, I need you, Lord Jesus, to make me the husband you are calling me 168 00:12:46,719 –> 00:12:47,719 to be. 169 00:12:49,440 –> 00:12:52,640 Then, secondly, notice that here’s how Christ loves the church. 170 00:12:52,640 –> 00:12:54,260 He leads the church. 171 00:12:54,260 –> 00:12:57,559 It’s part of his love, verse 23. 172 00:12:57,559 –> 00:13:01,700 Christ is the head of the church of which he is the savior. 173 00:13:01,700 –> 00:13:05,760 What that means is very simply that Christ is always the one who takes the initiative 174 00:13:05,760 –> 00:13:07,080 with the church. 175 00:13:07,080 –> 00:13:12,780 He’s always up to something good on behalf of his bride, the church. 176 00:13:12,780 –> 00:13:17,739 You look at the history of revivals and you find it’s very clear that the church never 177 00:13:17,739 –> 00:13:20,460 knows what Jesus Christ is going to do next. 178 00:13:20,859 –> 00:13:26,460 At moments of extraordinary danger and extraordinary difficulty, Christ moves in ways that surprise 179 00:13:26,460 –> 00:13:28,820 his church and bring great joy. 180 00:13:28,820 –> 00:13:34,940 Let me ask this question, what will Jesus Christ do in the Orchard in the next year? 181 00:13:34,940 –> 00:13:36,219 Does anyone know? 182 00:13:36,219 –> 00:13:38,119 I don’t. 183 00:13:38,119 –> 00:13:39,119 He will bless us. 184 00:13:39,119 –> 00:13:40,299 We know he’s up to something good. 185 00:13:40,299 –> 00:13:46,020 But precisely how and where and when and in what ways his blessing will come in this congregation, 186 00:13:46,020 –> 00:13:48,299 not one of us can tell. 187 00:13:48,299 –> 00:13:54,059 It’s known to him and he will surprise us with joy in more ways than we could ever begin 188 00:13:54,059 –> 00:13:57,140 to imagine. 189 00:13:57,140 –> 00:14:06,219 In the next year, he may sweep all of us up into the joy of his everlasting home. 190 00:14:06,219 –> 00:14:09,419 Do you know that he will not do that in the next year? 191 00:14:10,239 –> 00:14:16,780 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church. 192 00:14:16,780 –> 00:14:24,539 You see, the husband has the responsibility to be the innovator, the initiative taker, 193 00:14:24,539 –> 00:14:32,239 the one who brings the element of surprise and joy into the home and into the marriage. 194 00:14:32,239 –> 00:14:36,859 God calls the husband to make sure that this marriage does not become dull or stale or 195 00:14:36,919 –> 00:14:39,039 predictable or boring. 196 00:14:41,039 –> 00:14:45,479 Now I ask you, very simply, as you think about how Christ loves the church, when did you 197 00:14:45,479 –> 00:14:50,239 last do something that completely surprised your wife with joy? 198 00:14:52,140 –> 00:14:57,640 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church. 199 00:14:58,580 –> 00:15:02,820 Third, Christ nourishes the church. 200 00:15:03,020 –> 00:15:06,739 Verse 29, no one ever hated his own body, 201 00:15:06,739 –> 00:15:08,619 but he feeds and he cares for it 202 00:15:08,619 –> 00:15:11,780 just as Christ does the church. 203 00:15:13,039 –> 00:15:14,940 The point here is very simple, and you notice 204 00:15:14,940 –> 00:15:17,140 that he’s actually using two pictures here, 205 00:15:17,140 –> 00:15:19,900 the body and the bride being brought together, 206 00:15:19,900 –> 00:15:21,559 and he’s saying here, now look, 207 00:15:21,559 –> 00:15:23,640 all of you look after your own body. 208 00:15:23,640 –> 00:15:24,820 We all do this. 209 00:15:24,820 –> 00:15:26,419 You feed your body, you nourish it, 210 00:15:26,419 –> 00:15:29,380 you protect it, and you build your body up. 211 00:15:29,380 –> 00:15:31,359 Now the church is the body of Christ, 212 00:15:31,359 –> 00:15:33,960 and he looks after his own body, too. 213 00:15:33,960 –> 00:15:36,719 He feeds the church, he nourishes the church. 214 00:15:36,719 –> 00:15:37,960 He does that through the Word, 215 00:15:37,960 –> 00:15:39,400 and he does it around the table, 216 00:15:39,400 –> 00:15:43,719 and he protects the church, and he builds the church up. 217 00:15:43,719 –> 00:15:47,159 The attention and the affection of the Lord Jesus Christ 218 00:15:47,159 –> 00:15:50,640 is constantly directed towards the church. 219 00:15:50,640 –> 00:15:53,140 He always knows what she needs. 220 00:15:54,719 –> 00:15:57,960 He always sees what she can become. 221 00:15:58,960 –> 00:16:02,280 He always loves her as she is, 222 00:16:03,299 –> 00:16:04,780 and the Apostle says, 223 00:16:04,780 –> 00:16:07,159 now husbands, you love your wives 224 00:16:07,159 –> 00:16:11,140 as Christ loved the church. 225 00:16:13,559 –> 00:16:16,039 Now, we’ve just scraped the surface. 226 00:16:17,119 –> 00:16:19,400 But do you see how the more you come 227 00:16:19,400 –> 00:16:21,239 to know this Lord Jesus Christ, 228 00:16:21,239 –> 00:16:23,419 and the more you grasp what His love 229 00:16:23,419 –> 00:16:25,140 for the church really looks like, 230 00:16:25,140 –> 00:16:26,719 the more you’re going to discover 231 00:16:26,799 –> 00:16:29,239 what it really means to be a Godly husband? 232 00:16:30,739 –> 00:16:32,000 And are you seeing that you really 233 00:16:32,000 –> 00:16:34,000 can’t do this without Jesus Christ, 234 00:16:34,000 –> 00:16:35,780 and that you need Him in every way? 235 00:16:37,520 –> 00:16:40,659 And can you see that whatever the background 236 00:16:40,659 –> 00:16:42,460 you came from and however difficult 237 00:16:42,460 –> 00:16:43,880 and dysfunctional it was, 238 00:16:43,880 –> 00:16:45,859 knowing Christ is going to transform 239 00:16:45,859 –> 00:16:47,460 the whole thing as you learn what it is 240 00:16:47,460 –> 00:16:49,820 to walk with Him and have His life within you. 241 00:16:51,140 –> 00:16:52,539 Do you see the hope of that? 242 00:16:53,640 –> 00:16:55,200 Do you see the path of that? 243 00:16:57,460 –> 00:17:00,859 Well, all of this that the Lord Jesus Christ 244 00:17:00,859 –> 00:17:03,020 has done and is doing for the church 245 00:17:03,020 –> 00:17:05,800 is present tense, then there’s one more thing here 246 00:17:05,800 –> 00:17:07,959 that we’re told that is in the future. 247 00:17:07,959 –> 00:17:11,180 Christ will present the church to Himself, 248 00:17:11,180 –> 00:17:14,699 verse 27, and this too is part of His love. 249 00:17:14,699 –> 00:17:18,680 He will present her to Himself as a radiant church 250 00:17:18,680 –> 00:17:22,319 without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish 251 00:17:22,319 –> 00:17:25,959 but holy and blameless. 252 00:17:25,979 –> 00:17:28,319 The church as we saw last week 253 00:17:28,319 –> 00:17:32,560 doesn’t always look so attractive right now 254 00:17:32,560 –> 00:17:33,920 but what we’re being told here 255 00:17:33,920 –> 00:17:35,719 is that the church is the bride of Christ 256 00:17:35,719 –> 00:17:38,640 has the most glorious, glorious future 257 00:17:38,640 –> 00:17:41,140 and to say we are the bride of Christ 258 00:17:41,140 –> 00:17:44,540 is the greatest privilege we have in this world. 259 00:17:46,579 –> 00:17:49,800 Michael Griffiths, who was the President of the school 260 00:17:49,800 –> 00:17:52,959 where I studied some years ago, 261 00:17:52,959 –> 00:17:54,760 wrote a book about the church 262 00:17:54,760 –> 00:17:57,420 with what I think is a brilliant title. 263 00:17:58,479 –> 00:18:00,739 He called his book about the church 264 00:18:00,739 –> 00:18:05,119 Cinderella with Amnesia. 265 00:18:05,119 –> 00:18:07,619 That is a brilliant title, 266 00:18:07,619 –> 00:18:11,660 Cinderella with Amnesia. 267 00:18:11,660 –> 00:18:14,319 Now you remember the story of Cinderella. 268 00:18:14,319 –> 00:18:17,560 She dances with the prince, his heart is captivated. 269 00:18:17,560 –> 00:18:19,219 She has to leave before midnight 270 00:18:19,219 –> 00:18:21,380 and as she runs from the ballroom 271 00:18:21,380 –> 00:18:23,959 she leaves behind a shoe 272 00:18:23,959 –> 00:18:27,920 and the prince goes looking for the woman that he loves 273 00:18:27,920 –> 00:18:29,880 and wants to bring her to the palace 274 00:18:29,880 –> 00:18:32,819 and so he sends out the servants with this shoe 275 00:18:32,819 –> 00:18:35,239 and they are to try it on the foot 276 00:18:35,239 –> 00:18:37,060 of every maiden in the land 277 00:18:37,060 –> 00:18:41,119 and when the one is found on whom the shoe fits 278 00:18:41,119 –> 00:18:43,380 she is to be brought to the palace. 279 00:18:43,380 –> 00:18:45,599 Beautiful timeless story. 280 00:18:46,719 –> 00:18:48,839 Now picture Cinderella sitting at home 281 00:18:49,780 –> 00:18:53,859 and she is dressed in rags, 282 00:18:53,859 –> 00:18:58,199 she is despised by the ugly sisters, 283 00:18:58,199 –> 00:19:01,180 she is oppressed by the wicked stepmother 284 00:19:02,560 –> 00:19:07,560 but her destiny is a life of joy and love 285 00:19:08,479 –> 00:19:12,280 with the prince in the palace. 286 00:19:12,280 –> 00:19:15,920 That is a great picture of the church. 287 00:19:15,920 –> 00:19:18,819 Sometimes she looks a bit ragged in this world 288 00:19:18,819 –> 00:19:19,660 and worn. 289 00:19:20,739 –> 00:19:23,339 There are some ugly brothers and sisters 290 00:19:23,339 –> 00:19:26,420 who despise her and count her as of little value. 291 00:19:27,819 –> 00:19:29,239 In some parts of the world, 292 00:19:29,239 –> 00:19:32,199 there is a wicked stepmother who persecutes her 293 00:19:32,199 –> 00:19:34,079 and imprisons her leaders 294 00:19:35,640 –> 00:19:38,540 but Christ loves the church. 295 00:19:38,540 –> 00:19:40,859 Christ loves the church 296 00:19:42,020 –> 00:19:45,819 and he will bring her to his home. 297 00:19:46,780 –> 00:19:50,060 And Michael Griffiths took up that familiar picture 298 00:19:50,060 –> 00:19:52,660 and he said, now the church is like Cinderella 299 00:19:52,660 –> 00:19:53,959 but then he said something else. 300 00:19:53,959 –> 00:19:56,300 He said, what we are so often like 301 00:19:56,300 –> 00:19:59,660 is Cinderella with amnesia. 302 00:20:00,579 –> 00:20:02,619 In other words, we forget who we are. 303 00:20:03,520 –> 00:20:06,800 We forget the privilege that is ours. 304 00:20:06,800 –> 00:20:11,839 We lose sight of our prince and of our glorious future 305 00:20:11,839 –> 00:20:13,619 and we need to remember who we are, 306 00:20:13,800 –> 00:20:17,040 that we are the body and the bride of Christ 307 00:20:17,040 –> 00:20:18,839 and what our destiny is 308 00:20:18,839 –> 00:20:21,280 and in this find our joy. 309 00:20:23,400 –> 00:20:24,959 Christ has chosen a bride 310 00:20:26,199 –> 00:20:29,020 and his bride is the church. 311 00:20:31,079 –> 00:20:33,060 And as he loves and cares for her, 312 00:20:33,060 –> 00:20:37,479 so one day he will present her, verse 27, to himself. 313 00:20:38,420 –> 00:20:41,160 And when he does, the church will not be in rags 314 00:20:41,160 –> 00:20:42,000 or tatters. 315 00:20:42,000 –> 00:20:45,900 There will be nothing that spoils the bride of Christ. 316 00:20:46,920 –> 00:20:50,099 She will be without, verse 27, without stain 317 00:20:50,099 –> 00:20:51,260 and without a wrinkle 318 00:20:51,260 –> 00:20:53,560 and without any other blemish. 319 00:20:53,560 –> 00:20:55,459 I love that. 320 00:20:55,459 –> 00:20:57,900 No spots on this bride. 321 00:20:57,900 –> 00:20:59,560 No zits, you know. 322 00:20:59,560 –> 00:21:01,839 Isn’t that the bane of being young? 323 00:21:01,839 –> 00:21:03,219 What do you do about these zits 324 00:21:03,219 –> 00:21:05,239 and the endless adverts you see on television 325 00:21:05,239 –> 00:21:07,219 for cream that you can put on here 326 00:21:07,219 –> 00:21:08,959 and it’s gonna get rid of all these spots 327 00:21:09,099 –> 00:21:12,380 and so you order that cream when you’re in high school 328 00:21:12,380 –> 00:21:14,900 and see what it’ll do. 329 00:21:15,739 –> 00:21:17,619 Then 50 years later, you’re looking 330 00:21:17,619 –> 00:21:19,140 for another kind of cream 331 00:21:19,140 –> 00:21:22,459 because your problem isn’t zits anymore. 332 00:21:22,459 –> 00:21:23,339 It’s wrinkles, isn’t it? 333 00:21:23,339 –> 00:21:25,880 You say, now where’s the cream 334 00:21:25,880 –> 00:21:26,699 that’s gonna do something about this? 335 00:21:26,699 –> 00:21:28,560 Smooth it out and all the rest of that 336 00:21:28,560 –> 00:21:31,979 and there’ll be no wrinkles on the bride either. 337 00:21:31,979 –> 00:21:32,859 What are wrinkles? 338 00:21:32,859 –> 00:21:35,219 Wrinkles speak of being overstretched. 339 00:21:36,180 –> 00:21:38,479 Overtired, carrying a burden 340 00:21:38,479 –> 00:21:41,079 for a very, very, very long time. 341 00:21:41,079 –> 00:21:42,020 Weariness. 342 00:21:44,319 –> 00:21:46,180 And Christ says, there will be no spots, 343 00:21:46,180 –> 00:21:49,479 there will be no wrinkles on my church. 344 00:21:49,479 –> 00:21:53,260 She will be radiant and she will be beautiful 345 00:21:54,239 –> 00:21:57,199 and she will be with Christ forever 346 00:21:57,199 –> 00:22:01,719 and we are the bride of Christ. 347 00:22:01,719 –> 00:22:03,680 That’s what it means to be the church. 348 00:22:04,280 –> 00:22:07,180 Can you feel your view of the church 349 00:22:07,180 –> 00:22:10,359 rising under the influence of the word of God? 350 00:22:10,359 –> 00:22:12,140 Can you feel yourself beginning to think 351 00:22:12,140 –> 00:22:13,599 in a different way about what it means 352 00:22:13,599 –> 00:22:15,400 to be the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, 353 00:22:15,400 –> 00:22:17,300 what a local church actually is? 354 00:22:20,439 –> 00:22:24,719 And it is the church that is the bride of Christ. 355 00:22:26,020 –> 00:22:29,979 It is the church that Christ will present to himself. 356 00:22:30,979 –> 00:22:34,060 So we should thank God and we do 357 00:22:34,060 –> 00:22:37,500 for the many many agencies and ministries 358 00:22:37,500 –> 00:22:40,300 that God has raised up. 359 00:22:40,300 –> 00:22:43,579 But in this world where ministry sometimes 360 00:22:43,579 –> 00:22:45,180 becomes very, very complex, 361 00:22:45,180 –> 00:22:49,020 it is important to remember that their task 362 00:22:49,020 –> 00:22:53,079 is to support the church, 363 00:22:53,079 –> 00:22:58,079 Christian schools, seminaries, radio ministries, 364 00:22:59,040 –> 00:23:02,839 missionary organizations, evangelistic organizations, 365 00:23:02,839 –> 00:23:04,020 thank God for them. 366 00:23:04,020 –> 00:23:05,000 What are they? 367 00:23:05,000 –> 00:23:08,020 They are bridesmaids, 368 00:23:08,020 –> 00:23:10,780 whose work is to assist the bride 369 00:23:12,160 –> 00:23:16,280 as she gets ready for the coming of the bridegroom, 370 00:23:17,560 –> 00:23:20,319 and the bride needs her bridesmaids. 371 00:23:20,319 –> 00:23:22,760 The bride loves her bridesmaids. 372 00:23:24,680 –> 00:23:26,239 Thank God for the bridesmaids. 373 00:23:28,119 –> 00:23:30,719 But friends, it is a great mistake 374 00:23:30,719 –> 00:23:32,979 to make more of the bridesmaids 375 00:23:32,979 –> 00:23:35,079 than you make of the bride. 376 00:23:36,359 –> 00:23:37,359 Think about that. 377 00:23:40,579 –> 00:23:42,160 At the end of the Bible, 378 00:23:43,400 –> 00:23:48,339 John the Apostle hears a great shout coming from heaven, 379 00:23:49,760 –> 00:23:51,280 and he hears this voice saying, 380 00:23:51,280 –> 00:23:54,920 Hallelujah, the Lord, our God, the almighty reigns, 381 00:23:54,920 –> 00:23:56,680 let us rejoice and be glad, 382 00:23:56,699 –> 00:23:59,420 and let us give him the glory. 383 00:23:59,420 –> 00:24:01,640 For the wedding of the lamb has come 384 00:24:01,640 –> 00:24:05,680 and his bride, has made herself ready. 385 00:24:05,680 –> 00:24:08,060 Blessed are those who are invited 386 00:24:08,060 –> 00:24:11,680 to the wedding supper of the lamb. 387 00:24:12,579 –> 00:24:14,599 Christ has chosen a bride, 388 00:24:15,640 –> 00:24:19,300 and that bride is, the church. 389 00:24:21,140 –> 00:24:23,599 Now, we’ve looked at how Christ loves the church. 390 00:24:24,540 –> 00:24:27,099 I want us, in this second part, 391 00:24:27,099 –> 00:24:29,359 and there are only these two here today, 392 00:24:30,500 –> 00:24:33,579 to think about how we love the church. 393 00:24:33,579 –> 00:24:36,339 How do you love the church? 394 00:24:37,540 –> 00:24:40,219 Christ loves the church, if we’re his friends, 395 00:24:40,219 –> 00:24:41,920 then we should love her, too. 396 00:24:42,900 –> 00:24:47,339 Now, we saw in verse 21 that there is this holy union 397 00:24:47,339 –> 00:24:50,180 between Christ and the church. 398 00:24:50,199 –> 00:24:55,140 He’s chosen a bride, we are his body, 399 00:24:55,140 –> 00:24:59,060 we are his building, we are his bride, 400 00:24:59,060 –> 00:25:01,339 and friends, does this not make sense? 401 00:25:01,339 –> 00:25:03,239 If you love the bridegroom, 402 00:25:03,239 –> 00:25:05,719 you will love the bride, as well. 403 00:25:07,000 –> 00:25:10,119 There is this holy union between Jesus Christ 404 00:25:10,119 –> 00:25:13,020 and his church, and it is like the union 405 00:25:13,020 –> 00:25:16,199 between a bride and a bridegroom. 406 00:25:16,199 –> 00:25:17,540 Now, just think about that. 407 00:25:18,540 –> 00:25:22,239 If you were to hurt the bride, 408 00:25:23,500 –> 00:25:26,819 you would really hurt the bridegroom. 409 00:25:28,660 –> 00:25:29,500 I mean, guys, 410 00:25:29,500 –> 00:25:31,239 you know, I mean, someone might say 411 00:25:31,239 –> 00:25:33,160 something rude or insulting to you, 412 00:25:33,160 –> 00:25:35,339 and you know, you can handle that. 413 00:25:36,219 –> 00:25:38,739 But if someone is rude and insulting to your wife, 414 00:25:38,739 –> 00:25:42,540 you will rise immediately to defend her. 415 00:25:42,540 –> 00:25:46,099 It’s the nature of your union with her. 416 00:25:47,099 –> 00:25:51,839 Now, Christ is one with his bride, the Church. 417 00:25:53,140 –> 00:25:54,479 He is one with her. 418 00:25:55,599 –> 00:25:58,099 So think about the story in the Bible. 419 00:25:58,099 –> 00:26:00,099 Remember Saul of Tarsus 420 00:26:00,099 –> 00:26:03,380 and how he was so antagonistic towards the Church 421 00:26:03,380 –> 00:26:05,540 and wanted to exercise violence 422 00:26:05,540 –> 00:26:08,819 and to persecute believers in this town called Damascus. 423 00:26:09,819 –> 00:26:11,500 And he’s on the road to Damascus. 424 00:26:11,500 –> 00:26:13,260 And you remember that the risen Christ 425 00:26:13,260 –> 00:26:14,859 appears to him in a blinding light 426 00:26:14,859 –> 00:26:18,140 and then speaks to him in an audible voice. 427 00:26:18,140 –> 00:26:21,819 And he’s on his way to persecute the Church. 428 00:26:21,819 –> 00:26:23,939 And what does Jesus say to him? 429 00:26:23,939 –> 00:26:25,160 Jesus does not say, 430 00:26:25,160 –> 00:26:29,020 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting the Church? 431 00:26:29,020 –> 00:26:30,920 What Jesus says to him is, 432 00:26:30,920 –> 00:26:35,920 Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 433 00:26:36,199 –> 00:26:37,040 Me. 434 00:26:38,400 –> 00:26:39,219 You see the point? 435 00:26:39,219 –> 00:26:42,280 The union between Christ and the Church, they are one. 436 00:26:43,199 –> 00:26:46,959 And he’s saying, Saul, you lift your hand against 437 00:26:46,959 –> 00:26:48,880 the Church, you’re lifting your hand against me. 438 00:26:48,880 –> 00:26:51,380 No wonder the man was down in the dust 439 00:26:52,920 –> 00:26:55,760 and pleading the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 440 00:26:58,280 –> 00:27:00,959 Now, the principle is very simple. 441 00:27:00,959 –> 00:27:02,459 What you do to the bride, 442 00:27:03,880 –> 00:27:05,119 you do to the bridegroom. 443 00:27:06,939 –> 00:27:09,479 Now, let’s turn that to our advantage 444 00:27:09,479 –> 00:27:10,800 and think of it this way. 445 00:27:11,199 –> 00:27:16,199 If my wife is in need and you should help her, 446 00:27:17,400 –> 00:27:21,000 you are my friend forever, you really are. 447 00:27:21,000 –> 00:27:24,079 If you have done good to my wife, 448 00:27:24,079 –> 00:27:26,839 then you have brought a smile to my face, 449 00:27:26,839 –> 00:27:28,439 every husband knows this. 450 00:27:29,660 –> 00:27:32,880 And you have brought more blessing to me, actually, 451 00:27:32,880 –> 00:27:35,119 than if you’d done something directly for me. 452 00:27:35,119 –> 00:27:40,119 The church is the bride of Christ, 453 00:27:43,520 –> 00:27:46,280 and when you are good to the bride, 454 00:27:47,719 –> 00:27:50,199 you bring pleasure to the bridegroup. 455 00:27:51,640 –> 00:27:53,500 Now grasp that, and you will begin to think 456 00:27:53,500 –> 00:27:58,500 in a new and a different way about the local church, 457 00:27:58,660 –> 00:28:02,520 which is the body and the bride of Christ. 458 00:28:03,420 –> 00:28:08,359 Now earlier in this series, I quoted from a friend of mine, 459 00:28:08,359 –> 00:28:11,920 Tom Nelson, who serves as a pastor 460 00:28:11,920 –> 00:28:15,239 in the Free Church in Kansas, 461 00:28:15,239 –> 00:28:17,560 and I want to quote from him again today. 462 00:28:17,560 –> 00:28:20,680 Tom has written a helpful little book called Ecclesia, 463 00:28:20,680 –> 00:28:25,380 which is simply about God’s design for the local church. 464 00:28:25,380 –> 00:28:27,239 And he had a passage in that book 465 00:28:27,239 –> 00:28:31,199 where he speaks personally about his own journey. 466 00:28:31,199 –> 00:28:35,119 And I think that many of you will relate to this. 467 00:28:35,119 –> 00:28:39,900 He says, for a long time in my own spiritual journey, 468 00:28:40,780 –> 00:28:45,699 I separated my love for Jesus and my love, 469 00:28:45,699 –> 00:28:48,160 or he says, more often, my lack of love 470 00:28:48,160 –> 00:28:49,839 for the local church. 471 00:28:49,839 –> 00:28:51,319 So here I’ve got my love for Jesus, 472 00:28:51,319 –> 00:28:53,439 and here I’ve got what I think about the local church, 473 00:28:53,439 –> 00:28:55,000 and they’re kind of in two different places. 474 00:28:55,000 –> 00:28:58,280 He says I was immersed in a tradition 475 00:28:58,319 –> 00:29:01,760 that wonderfully emphasized personal belief in Jesus 476 00:29:01,760 –> 00:29:04,280 and following him in personal discipleship, 477 00:29:04,280 –> 00:29:07,800 but I finally grasped that I was also 478 00:29:07,800 –> 00:29:10,400 to love what Jesus loves. 479 00:29:10,400 –> 00:29:12,599 That’s a huge line, I finally grasped, 480 00:29:12,599 –> 00:29:14,160 there’s a pastor speaking, 481 00:29:14,160 –> 00:29:19,160 I finally grasped that I was to love what Jesus loves. 482 00:29:21,400 –> 00:29:23,619 Then he says, with that realization, 483 00:29:23,619 –> 00:29:26,560 I understood the teaching of the Bible more clearly. 484 00:29:27,520 –> 00:29:30,300 The closer I walk with Christ, 485 00:29:30,300 –> 00:29:33,119 the nearer and dearer his beautiful bride, 486 00:29:33,119 –> 00:29:35,479 the local church, becomes. 487 00:29:36,719 –> 00:29:38,640 Now that’s a huge insight. 488 00:29:40,099 –> 00:29:41,900 I used to think that loving Jesus 489 00:29:41,900 –> 00:29:43,979 was a thing that’s a personal kind of pursuit 490 00:29:43,979 –> 00:29:45,439 and I’m, you know, I’m also connected 491 00:29:45,439 –> 00:29:46,780 in some way to the church 492 00:29:47,800 –> 00:29:49,859 and now I’ve come to see in the Bible 493 00:29:49,859 –> 00:29:53,040 that I am to love what Jesus loves 494 00:29:53,040 –> 00:29:55,479 and here’s what I’m now finding, says Tom Nelson, 495 00:29:55,479 –> 00:29:57,640 that the closer I’m walking with Jesus, 496 00:29:57,640 –> 00:30:00,180 the nearer and the dearer his bride, 497 00:30:00,180 –> 00:30:03,219 the local church, becomes. 498 00:30:04,520 –> 00:30:07,119 So he says the question I most often ask myself 499 00:30:07,119 –> 00:30:10,380 is Tom, what do you truly love? 500 00:30:10,380 –> 00:30:13,160 What we truly love, he says, isn’t hard to determine. 501 00:30:13,160 –> 00:30:15,040 It’s what we dream and it’s what we talk about. 502 00:30:15,040 –> 00:30:16,640 It’s what we sacrifice for. 503 00:30:16,640 –> 00:30:18,780 It’s what we pray for. 504 00:30:18,780 –> 00:30:20,319 What we truly love is evidenced 505 00:30:20,319 –> 00:30:22,219 in how we spend our resources 506 00:30:22,219 –> 00:30:24,339 of time and talent and treasure. 507 00:30:25,160 –> 00:30:28,719 He then refers to the work of Dr. Gary Chapman, 508 00:30:28,719 –> 00:30:32,540 who has identified five love languages. 509 00:30:32,540 –> 00:30:35,359 That is, five ways in which people express love 510 00:30:35,359 –> 00:30:37,540 in the context of marriage. 511 00:30:37,540 –> 00:30:39,060 How many folks have heard of 512 00:30:39,060 –> 00:30:41,239 Dr. Gary Chapman’s five love languages? 513 00:30:41,239 –> 00:30:43,739 It’s gonna be all over the congregation, okay? 514 00:30:43,739 –> 00:30:44,760 Very, very helpful. 515 00:30:44,760 –> 00:30:47,560 So many thousands of people have found this 516 00:30:47,560 –> 00:30:49,640 really helpful in the context of marriage. 517 00:30:49,640 –> 00:30:52,520 And Gary Chapman’s point is a very simple one. 518 00:30:52,520 –> 00:30:53,560 That’s why it’s so helpful. 519 00:30:53,560 –> 00:30:56,119 He says, people express love in different ways, 520 00:30:56,119 –> 00:30:58,839 and we have lek to learn to speak different love languages. 521 00:30:58,839 –> 00:31:01,979 And the five he identifies are words of affirmation, 522 00:31:01,979 –> 00:31:04,839 quality time, thoughtful gifts, 523 00:31:04,839 –> 00:31:07,339 acts of service, and physical touch. 524 00:31:08,780 –> 00:31:12,380 Now, I’ll tell you, I want to be fluent 525 00:31:12,380 –> 00:31:17,119 in all five of these languages in my marriage. 526 00:31:17,119 –> 00:31:18,780 I hope, by the way, that there’s nobody here 527 00:31:18,780 –> 00:31:20,880 who would take an idea like that, and say, 528 00:31:20,880 –> 00:31:22,540 well, I just speak one language, 529 00:31:23,420 –> 00:31:25,219 as long as I do one reasonably well. 530 00:31:25,219 –> 00:31:26,739 No, that’s not the point. 531 00:31:26,739 –> 00:31:28,219 We want to be fluent. 532 00:31:28,219 –> 00:31:29,619 If you’re a husband, if you’re a wife, 533 00:31:29,619 –> 00:31:33,099 you want to be fluent in all five of these languages. 534 00:31:34,540 –> 00:31:36,160 But here’s what I found helpful, 535 00:31:36,160 –> 00:31:38,520 and it was Tom Nelson who put me onto it. 536 00:31:39,760 –> 00:31:43,479 That’s actually a very helpful grid 537 00:31:44,380 –> 00:31:47,900 for me to test and to evaluate 538 00:31:47,900 –> 00:31:52,020 how well I am loving the church, the Bride of Christ, 539 00:31:53,359 –> 00:31:56,099 how well I am loving what Jesus loves. 540 00:31:58,140 –> 00:32:00,979 I’ll tell you, all over this congregation, 541 00:32:02,160 –> 00:32:06,300 there are people who are loving the Bride 542 00:32:06,300 –> 00:32:09,660 in extraordinary ways and showing their love of Christ 543 00:32:09,660 –> 00:32:13,359 through this, pushing the boundaries 544 00:32:14,260 –> 00:32:18,380 in each of these ways of expressing love. 545 00:32:18,380 –> 00:32:22,619 But I want to give you, as we wrap up this series, 546 00:32:22,619 –> 00:32:26,760 just the simple challenge for you to evaluate 547 00:32:26,760 –> 00:32:30,079 where you are and perhaps it will be 548 00:32:30,079 –> 00:32:32,739 that in one or even in all of these areas, 549 00:32:32,739 –> 00:32:36,180 God would call us to take a significant step forward. 550 00:32:38,099 –> 00:32:41,040 So let me simply ask you to evaluate yourself, 551 00:32:41,040 –> 00:32:44,260 take some time to reflect on where you are 552 00:32:44,260 –> 00:32:46,060 measured against this grid, 553 00:32:46,060 –> 00:32:48,619 used not now in relation to your marriage, 554 00:32:48,619 –> 00:32:53,180 but specifically in relation to you sharing 555 00:32:53,180 –> 00:32:55,599 the passion of Jesus Christ, 556 00:32:55,599 –> 00:32:58,459 which is for His bride, the church. 557 00:33:00,719 –> 00:33:05,040 Words of affirmation, how do you speak about the church? 558 00:33:06,619 –> 00:33:09,560 This local body of Believers of which you are a part, 559 00:33:09,560 –> 00:33:11,619 when you’re out breakfasts with your friends, 560 00:33:11,619 –> 00:33:15,979 how do they hear you speak about the church? 561 00:33:16,099 –> 00:33:18,760 Do you speak well of the church? 562 00:33:20,260 –> 00:33:23,459 Is your predominant modes to be 563 00:33:23,459 –> 00:33:25,439 speaking critically of the church, 564 00:33:25,439 –> 00:33:28,540 is that the habit and the pattern of your conversation? 565 00:33:28,540 –> 00:33:32,359 How does Jesus Christ, who loves the Bride, 566 00:33:32,359 –> 00:33:35,439 feel about your words regarding her? 567 00:33:38,219 –> 00:33:39,300 Second, time. 568 00:33:42,079 –> 00:33:44,260 If there are three words that define our culture 569 00:33:44,260 –> 00:33:46,359 in the northwestern suburbs here, 570 00:33:46,359 –> 00:33:50,520 I’m gonna pump for three, that would be my busy schedule. 571 00:33:51,640 –> 00:33:53,680 And I think that kind of is defining 572 00:33:53,680 –> 00:33:56,000 for so many in so many ways. 573 00:33:58,380 –> 00:34:01,000 And some of us don’t have quality time 574 00:34:01,000 –> 00:34:04,579 to engage in the work of the Body of Christ, 575 00:34:06,780 –> 00:34:08,620 the life of the Bride, 576 00:34:09,899 –> 00:34:12,399 because our schedule is simply crammed full. 577 00:34:12,399 –> 00:34:14,060 Now, we’re coming up towards the end of the summer. 578 00:34:14,300 –> 00:34:15,260 It’s coming up very fast, 579 00:34:15,260 –> 00:34:16,300 and we’re gonna be making plans for the fall. 580 00:34:16,300 –> 00:34:18,199 I wanna give you this challenge for you 581 00:34:18,199 –> 00:34:22,280 and for your family to sit down and to ask the question, 582 00:34:22,280 –> 00:34:25,199 what is my schedule crammed full with? 583 00:34:27,120 –> 00:34:30,639 And what are the values that are cramming this schedule? 584 00:34:32,419 –> 00:34:35,419 And what will be the fruit that will come of this schedule? 585 00:34:38,060 –> 00:34:39,879 You all know this thing about, 586 00:34:39,879 –> 00:34:41,939 if you’re to get rocks and pebbles 587 00:34:41,939 –> 00:34:43,580 of various sizes into a jar, 588 00:34:43,979 –> 00:34:46,340 you need to put the big rocks in first. 589 00:34:46,340 –> 00:34:49,239 Then you put in the smaller pebbles and they fit round. 590 00:34:49,239 –> 00:34:51,100 But you have to put the big rocks in first. 591 00:34:51,100 –> 00:34:53,719 The question here really is, what are the big rocks? 592 00:34:55,600 –> 00:34:58,459 Of course, our culture says the biggest rock is sport, 593 00:34:58,459 –> 00:35:00,699 and you need to decide if you agree with that. 594 00:35:02,179 –> 00:35:03,840 And then you need to ask the question, 595 00:35:03,840 –> 00:35:06,179 what fruit will that bear 596 00:35:06,179 –> 00:35:07,979 if that is the value in our family? 597 00:35:10,040 –> 00:35:12,679 And how would I stand before the Lord Jesus Christ 598 00:35:12,679 –> 00:35:15,060 and tell him that my schedule was so crammed 599 00:35:15,060 –> 00:35:18,199 I had very little time for the life of his bride? 600 00:35:20,300 –> 00:35:22,239 Third, gifts. 601 00:35:23,520 –> 00:35:25,419 Let me be quite candid with you. 602 00:35:25,419 –> 00:35:28,060 I want us to grow 603 00:35:28,060 –> 00:35:31,520 in giving to the local church as a congregation, 604 00:35:32,780 –> 00:35:34,820 not only so that we can do more 605 00:35:34,820 –> 00:35:36,199 of what the church is called to do 606 00:35:36,199 –> 00:35:37,739 here and around the world, 607 00:35:39,340 –> 00:35:42,580 but I want us to grow in our giving to the local church 608 00:35:42,580 –> 00:35:45,239 because I want us to be a congregation 609 00:35:45,239 –> 00:35:47,979 that shares the passion of Jesus Christ. 610 00:35:49,080 –> 00:35:51,179 And that’s my question to you, do you? 611 00:35:53,159 –> 00:35:55,600 We have folks who are pushing the boundaries of this 612 00:35:55,600 –> 00:35:57,580 in all kinds of extraordinary ways. 613 00:35:59,760 –> 00:36:01,560 In an unusual season doing things 614 00:36:01,560 –> 00:36:04,760 that they’ve never done in their lives before 615 00:36:04,760 –> 00:36:07,979 in their giving and may never be able to do again. 616 00:36:07,979 –> 00:36:12,979 And it’s coming out of a passion for Christ. 617 00:36:14,699 –> 00:36:16,000 What do you know of this? 618 00:36:18,179 –> 00:36:20,699 The church is his consuming passion. 619 00:36:22,379 –> 00:36:23,219 Is it yours? 620 00:36:25,419 –> 00:36:26,659 Fourthly, serving. 621 00:36:26,659 –> 00:36:28,780 I think we speak this language better 622 00:36:28,780 –> 00:36:31,100 than any other in this congregation. 623 00:36:31,100 –> 00:36:34,199 We are a serving church with so many people 624 00:36:34,199 –> 00:36:36,040 actively engaged. 625 00:36:36,959 –> 00:36:38,040 If that’s not true of you, 626 00:36:38,040 –> 00:36:39,939 I encourage you to learn this language 627 00:36:39,939 –> 00:36:43,899 and to love Christ’s bride by serving 628 00:36:43,899 –> 00:36:46,179 and being involved in some area of ministry. 629 00:36:47,520 –> 00:36:49,560 And the fifth area, touch. 630 00:36:49,560 –> 00:36:52,719 Which Tom Nelson helpfully kind of rephrases 631 00:36:52,719 –> 00:36:55,179 as presence for this purpose. 632 00:36:55,179 –> 00:36:58,639 Just being physically here, as you are here. 633 00:36:58,639 –> 00:36:59,919 Being part of worship. 634 00:36:59,919 –> 00:37:02,439 You know so many people in our congregation. 635 00:37:02,459 –> 00:37:06,080 For you Sunday is a highlight in the week. 636 00:37:06,080 –> 00:37:07,959 You look forward to it, to worship, 637 00:37:07,959 –> 00:37:10,280 and when we stand to sing, you sing 638 00:37:10,280 –> 00:37:11,919 and when we pray, you pray 639 00:37:11,919 –> 00:37:13,959 and you soak in the word of God 640 00:37:13,959 –> 00:37:18,280 because you are hungry and thirsty after God. 641 00:37:18,280 –> 00:37:20,340 And that is an evidence of the life 642 00:37:20,340 –> 00:37:22,860 of the Holy Spirit in you. 643 00:37:25,360 –> 00:37:27,159 But let me tell you as your pastor 644 00:37:27,159 –> 00:37:29,979 something that weighs heavily on my heart. 645 00:37:30,820 –> 00:37:35,179 There are many in our congregation 646 00:37:35,179 –> 00:37:40,179 who gather for worship probably about one week and four. 647 00:37:41,879 –> 00:37:43,419 Many. 648 00:37:45,100 –> 00:37:47,739 And in some cases there may be 649 00:37:47,739 –> 00:37:50,179 some very good reasons for that, I understand. 650 00:37:50,179 –> 00:37:53,260 But I have to tell you that I 651 00:37:53,260 –> 00:37:57,300 feel a sense of burden in my own heart 652 00:37:57,300 –> 00:37:58,560 as I think about that. 653 00:38:00,979 –> 00:38:04,840 It is so easy friends, especially in this culture, 654 00:38:04,840 –> 00:38:08,899 to kind of sign off on I believe these Christian things 655 00:38:08,899 –> 00:38:11,600 and I’ve, you know, I’ve got a place for God in my life 656 00:38:11,600 –> 00:38:12,979 and all this kind of thing, 657 00:38:13,939 –> 00:38:16,500 and never really to come to the place 658 00:38:16,500 –> 00:38:20,780 where the life of the Holy Spirit is in you. 659 00:38:20,780 –> 00:38:24,360 And a passion for Jesus Christ defines you, 660 00:38:25,320 –> 00:38:27,020 and a love for the local church 661 00:38:27,020 –> 00:38:29,340 flows out of your love for the Bridegroom. 662 00:38:29,340 –> 00:38:31,219 What do you know of that friend, 663 00:38:32,780 –> 00:38:34,659 is there a hunger, is there a thirst 664 00:38:34,659 –> 00:38:36,739 in your heart after God? 665 00:38:38,959 –> 00:38:40,260 Oh, if you are a Christian, 666 00:38:40,260 –> 00:38:42,379 you are a member of the body of Christ, 667 00:38:42,379 –> 00:38:45,219 you are a stone in God’s great building 668 00:38:45,219 –> 00:38:47,459 that will be his home for all eternity. 669 00:38:48,459 –> 00:38:51,820 Christ loves His Bride and if you are becoming like Him, 670 00:38:51,820 –> 00:38:55,639 you will love her more and more, too. 671 00:38:55,639 –> 00:38:58,739 So I simply ask you to measure yourself by these things. 672 00:39:00,260 –> 00:39:02,800 In attending, you’re serving, you’re giving, 673 00:39:02,800 –> 00:39:05,199 you’re time, you’re words. 674 00:39:06,540 –> 00:39:09,540 Do you share the passion of Jesus Christ? 675 00:39:11,959 –> 00:39:13,580 Christ has chosen a bride. 676 00:39:15,959 –> 00:39:20,399 He gave Himself up for her on the cross 677 00:39:22,419 –> 00:39:25,320 and now He lives for her in glory. 678 00:39:25,320 –> 00:39:28,300 She is the constant focus 679 00:39:28,320 –> 00:39:31,040 of His attention, the very center 680 00:39:31,040 –> 00:39:33,320 of the risen Christ’s world. 681 00:39:35,439 –> 00:39:37,080 All His plans are for her, 682 00:39:38,780 –> 00:39:42,939 for her good, and all gearing to the day 683 00:39:42,939 –> 00:39:47,939 when He will sweep her up into His presence 684 00:39:48,219 –> 00:39:51,500 and into the joy of His eternal home. 685 00:39:53,340 –> 00:39:55,639 And friend, if you know and if you love the bridegroom, 686 00:39:55,639 –> 00:39:57,300 you will love the bride, 687 00:39:58,620 –> 00:40:03,280 you will count it your greatest joy in this world 688 00:40:04,780 –> 00:40:09,379 that you belong to the church, which is Christ’s. 689 00:40:10,560 –> 00:40:15,560 And that we are His body, through whom He works. 690 00:40:17,479 –> 00:40:22,340 That we are the building that He is putting together 691 00:40:22,340 –> 00:40:23,820 for His everlasting home. 692 00:40:24,300 –> 00:40:29,300 And that we are the bride who is His joy and His delight 693 00:40:30,919 –> 00:40:35,919 with whom He will share His everlasting home 694 00:40:36,320 –> 00:40:40,679 with great joy forever and forever. 695 00:40:42,840 –> 00:40:46,120 Father, for all of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ, 696 00:40:46,120 –> 00:40:51,120 teach us to love the bride as we love the bridegroom. 697 00:40:51,560 –> 00:40:55,620 And for those who do not yet know what it is 698 00:40:55,620 –> 00:40:59,800 to be consumed with a great and a living passion 699 00:40:59,800 –> 00:41:02,419 for the savior and to love Him. 700 00:41:03,639 –> 00:41:06,580 We pray that You will wonderfully bring us to that place 701 00:41:07,840 –> 00:41:10,239 and that even now, sensing our own need, 702 00:41:10,239 –> 00:41:14,080 our own lack, our own deadness, 703 00:41:15,239 –> 00:41:18,100 we may come and find that we receive life from above 704 00:41:18,100 –> 00:41:20,679 as we embrace by faith this savior. 705 00:41:21,659 –> 00:41:23,600 And press hard after Him 706 00:41:24,560 –> 00:41:26,159 as those who hunger and thirst 707 00:41:27,340 –> 00:41:29,439 for His life and for His joy. 708 00:41:29,439 –> 00:41:32,500 Here are our prayers in Jesus’ name, and everyone said. 709 00:41:36,860 –> 00:41:38,100 You’ve been listening to a sermon 710 00:41:38,100 –> 00:41:40,500 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 711 00:41:40,500 –> 00:41:45,500 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 712 00:41:45,780 –> 00:41:48,520 or visit our website, openthebible.org.