Every so often, when I preach, I leave a lot of things I want to say "on the cutting room floor." So, when that happens, I want to give you a little extra on the topic.
Last Sunday we discussed "just the two of us?" - covering Ephesians 5:31-32. Not only did I cut a section out of the sermon, I also got behind in delivering it on Sunday and cut another chunk out of my text!! Sorry! Sometimes, it just happens.
The point I wanted to make was in regard to what it means to be the Bride of Christ. The idea that we are Christ's spouse. So, everything Paul writes in this section of Ephesians should not be first applied to marriage but first applied to our relationship with Christ. So, the subpoint of my sermon that was cut short was entitled "Christ's Bride"...here are some highlights...
First...as believers, we must apply the concept "leave and cleave" to our relationship with Christ. He has called us to be His BRIDE. He is going to love us with the covenant love that Paul describes in detail in Ephesians 5:25ff. So, how do we respond? We are to submit, respect, love, honor, and cherish Him in return. We must "leave" our love of other idols we may have and "cleave" only to Him.
What enables us to do this? Well, only the grace of God...and we must recognize that this grace is special. It is only given to His bride. Jesus is in love with His Church. He loves us in a way that we don't pay attention to enough. He loves us, like, well, how a husband should love his wife!
From John Piper: One of the great theological and experiential tragedies in the church today—and one of the great sources of weakness in the church—is that Christians have learned to enjoy a love from God that is no more peculiar and precious and securing and endearing and distinguishing than the general love that God has for all the world, even those who perish in unbelief. For 200 years the church in America has slipped farther and farther away from the glorious truth that the wife of the Son of God is loved with an electing, regenerating, distinguishing, covenant love that is different from God's love for the world that is not his wife.
In other words, just like my own love for my wife is superior to any love I have for anyone or anything else in this world...our Groom loves us in the same way.
"And the two shall become one flesh..."
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I guess what I always wondered about the whole subject is this: how do men feel about being the "bride" of Christ? As a woman, I know a little bit about being a human bride, but men only know about being a human husband. So, does it follow that maybe women understand the concept a little differently than men?
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