In Genesis 1:26-27, we learn that both Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. He created Adam and Eve as male and female, and he created them equal as image bearers of God. When God created mankind, He declared: “‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:26-27). Listen, every time you see a human being, whether male or female, what is seen is a physical representation of the reality and presence of God. No other creature represents God in this way except humans!
When there was no suitable helper for Adam after naming the animals, we learn from Genesis 2:18-25 that God created from his rib one who was suitable for him. God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18). So, we are told that God “caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept” (v. 21), and from Adam’s rib, God created Eve. Adam’s response to Eve was: “At last this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of man” (v. 23). What follows Adam’s statement in Genesis 2:24 is what makes marriage so special and unlike any relationship that a person can have; it is also the verse the apostle Paul quotes in Ephesians 5:31, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
The reason why I have chosen to continue with my plan to preach on these verses in Ephesians 5:22-33 is because of what Paul said about Genesis 2:24 in Ephesians 5:32. Listen carefully to what is written: “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” I cannot remember who wrote it, but someone said that humans are the physical representation of the reality and presence of God. Just as it is true that we, as image bearers of the living God, are the physical representation of the reality and presence of God, it is equally true that marriage between a man and a woman is the physical representation of the reality and presence of Jesus’ church as His bride, and His great, faithful, and uncompromising love for her.
What marriage represents is the reason why we are told in Holy Scripture, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (Heb. 13:4). It is also the reason why Paul wrote that, “sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among the saints; and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph. 5:3-4). However, Paul did not stop there! He continued with these sobering words that we all must take very seriously: “For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (v. 5). And just in case you are tempted to view these words as archaic, outdated, or that your feelings trump the authority of such words, listen very carefully to the verse that follows Paul’s warning about the danger the sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person faces if that person does not turn from such sins: “See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (v. 6).
The original title of my sermon for this Sunday was, “The Grandeur of Marriage.” I believe God wants us to focus on the main point of Ephesians 5:22-33, and it is tucked away in verses 26-27, which states: “so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” In fact, I would like to submit to you that what Ephesians 5:22-33 teaches us is this: Just as humans are the physical representation of the reality of God, so marriage between a man and a woman is the physical representation of the reality and presence of Jesus’ church as His bride.
In light of that, I have titled today’s sermon: “The glory of Christ is the beauty of His church.” Instead of focusing our attention on the sins of a pastor and brother, our attention needs to be on Jesus and what He wants of us. Now, before we begin, I do want to read for you 1 Timothy 5:19-22, which states:
“Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too quickly and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.” (1 Tim. 5:19–22)
We did have multiple credible accusations that the one under church discipline continued to lie and deceive; even when he was brought before the Board of Elders, he continued to lie and misrepresent the truth. Our hope is and will remain that he will repent of his sins. Our hearts remain broken over our need and responsibility to remove him from his position as Pastor of Discipleship and Pastor.
What I want to do with our time this morning is to step back and focus on our own hearts by allowing the word of God to wash over us as His people.
Jesus Intends to Present His Bride as Holy and Blameless
All throughout Ephesians, we see that the reason why we have been chosen by God the Father, redeemed by Jesus the Son, and sealed by God the Holy Spirit for your holiness and blamelessness in Christ! How will He do it? With and through His Word! What does His Word say?
The Word of God says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love” (Eph. 1:4)
His Word says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)
The Word says, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Eph. 5:1–2)
The Word says, “Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
The Word says, “‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise...” (Eph. 5:11–15)
Jesus intends for His people to pursue holiness! The only way we can pursue a Christ-centered holiness is if we flee from the sins that lead us away from Christ! The Bible calls us to, “Flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). We must, “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). But it is not only sexual sins that we must flee from, but we must also flee from any sin that threatens to entangle us, and in case you are wondering what sins are there that do not threaten to entangle us? The answer is that there is no safe sin, they all threaten to entangle, and they all have the ability to destroy, rob, maim, and kill! The list of sins is long, but here is a short list given to us in Proverbs 6:16-19, “There are six things that the Lordhates, seven that are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who declares lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers” (Prov. 6:16–19).
Jesus has given to His church spiritually qualified and gifted persons for the equipping and building up of his church to teach and preach His word as one way to cleanse His people, “by the washing of water with the word...” (v. 26). What does this mean? In the ancient east, before the bride was presented to the bridegroom, she would receive a cleansing bath with water before she was adorned in her bridal dress and presented to her groom. We, as the Bride of Christ, are also being cleansed, and it is done through the Word of God. We are called to this individually, but there are men like myself that are called to administer the word of God and to show you how to bath yourself in the Word of God... because the best thing I can give you is not what Pastor Keith thinks, but what the Word of God says! I am fallible but God’s word is infallible, for: “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
This is why when a pastor, elder, or church leader fails to meet the qualifications to be in such roles as listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:7-9, such people are a danger to Jesus’s church that He loves, cherishes, is sanctifying, and has called to His Bride, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Those of us called by Jesus to serve His Bride to equip His people will, “incur a stricter judgment” (Jas. 3:1); for this reason, we are to take passages like 1 Timothy 5:19-22 seriously.
I am deeply grieved and heartbroken by the actions of the one under church discipline. I am crushed by the damage his actions have caused others. My prayer is that he will take 1 John 1:9 to heart which says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I also know that we are warned that what happened to our brother can happen to anyone in this room. If a pastor can fall into unrepentant sin, then so can you, because our, “adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8); intends to bring you harm and he is really good at doing it!
There are sins represented in this room such as gossip, sexual immorality, an unforgiving spirit, and more. Some of you are so committed to your sin, that you refuse to turn from them out of a fear that you will be exposed, or you believe the enemy’s lie that you are so stuck in your sin that you are unable to turn from it. Here is what Hebrews 3:12-13 says, “Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12–13).
Our adversary is fiercely loud, but Jesus has ripped out his teeth! You may be overwhelmed by your sin, but you still have time to run to the One who still makes all things new (2 Cor. 5:17): “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Jesus Will Present His Bride in All Her Glory as Holy and Blameless
How will Jesus present His Bride in all her glory as holy and blameless? He will do it, “by the washing of water with the word” (v. 26) along with the power of His Holy Spirit (1:18-19a; 3:20-21). God always uses the authority of His word and the power of His Spirit to do the things only He is capable of doing in our lives. Jesus is committed to not leaving His church the way He found her. What that means is that Philippians 1:6 is for you: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” However, the only way you will experience the thing He wants to do in you is if you listen to His word and obey it. So dear Christian, what are you going to do with what you heard today? Is Jesus asking you today, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say” (see Luke 6:46-49)?
Jesus will indeed present His Bride in all her glory as holy and blameless because He loves her too much to leave her the way He found her! What will her wedding day be like? It will be greater than any marriage you hope for or have dreamed to experience. In Revelation 19:7-10, we are given a small peek through the curtain of eternity, and this is what we see:
Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
This is why Jesus takes the sins within and by those who belong to His church very seriously. It is the same seriousness we see demonstrated in the way the sin of Achan was addressed (Josh. 7:1-26), the sins of Eli and his two worthless sons (1 Sam. 2:12-36), and the sins of David with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:1-12:23). It is against the backdrop of the above examples I want you to consider as the most appropriate way I feel I can conclude my sermon:
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. (Heb. 6:1–6)
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26–31)
Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1–2)
