The Bride of Christ June 24, 2000

The Bride of Christ June 24, 2000

Text: Matthew 16:18

"I will build my church"

INTRO: Jesus is the builder = "I"

The church that He builds is His church = "my".

Two little words ‘my’ and ‘I’.

What kind of a church did He build?

If Jesus is the builder then all that He has not built are not churches!

Jesus founded Scriptural churches!!!

Baptist churches do not have a human founder (you mean only Baptist churches are Scriptural churches? That’s what I’m saying and I plan to prove it!)

According to Hebrews 12:2a it wasn’t even John the Baptist who founded the church!

" Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith"

The Lord Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.

- not John the Baptist

not the Holy Spirit
not the Pastor
not any man -or he would get the glory

You go down to any denominational headquarters or bookstore. They make a god out of their founders.

Knox- statue on Spadina

Luther- patron saint

Darby- if you really want the final authority, it’s not the KJB it’s Darby’s translation!

Booth- what he did goes today.

All founded by man! And all can be traced to Rome!

How’s that for perpetuity?! 323 AD !!!

And your going to tell me that is the church that the gates of Hell would not prevail against?

Why these groups were sent from the gates of Hell!!! Anglicans- Reformed- Orthodox etc.

Each true church is compared to a body in the N.T. (do a study on the word ‘body’ in the N.T. sometime)

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Folks like to talk about being ‘in Christ’ but the context of that is being in His body, the church. Being in Christ has responsibility attached to it. If you’re not in a church, you may be in Christ but you are out of the will of God.

1 Corinthians 12:12 ¶For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

Remember: "Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,"

Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Church=body

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Body=church

Jesus does not get the preeminence folks when the church you belong to was founded by a man!

What can we learn from all these Scriptures?

-the body of Christ = the church

-the body of Christ is functional. ie. It can get stuff done. ILL. Frank works for a big company, if the employees don’t show up for work but exist as a universal type company (it would cease to be a company at that point!) nothing would get done and no one would get a pay cheque.

-the body of Christ is illustative. "fullness" of Christ Eph. 1:23 The N.T. church reveals the fullness of Christ!

-the headship of Christ is ACTUAL in a N.T. church! Not theoretical.

The headship of Christ is triumphant!

Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Christ’s authority extends to the churches!

Now on to the heart of the message!

CHRIST IS THE BRIDEGROOM FOR THE BRIDE

Each true, N.T. Church is pictured as a bride:

John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

(Paul was writing to a church here!)

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Revelation 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Matthew Henry: (commenting on Rev. 19: 7-9)

The subject of the vision is the church of God in a perfect, triumphant state, shining in its lustre; glorious in relation to Christ; which shows that the happiness of heaven consists in intercourse with God, and in conformity to him. The change of emblems from a bride to a city, shows that we are only to take general ideas from this description. The wall is for security. Heaven is a safe state; those who are there, are separated and secured from all evils and enemies. This city is vast; here is room for all the people of God. The foundation of the wall; the promise and power of God, and the purchase of Christ, are the strong foundations of the safety and happiness of the church. These foundations are set forth by twelve sorts of precious stones, denoting the variety and excellence of the doctrines of the gospel, or of the graces of the Holy Spirit, or the personal excellences of the Lord Jesus Christ. Heaven has gates; there is a free admission to all that are sanctified; they shall not find themselves shut out. These gates were all of pearls. Christ is the Pearl of great price, and he is our Way to God. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. The saints in heaven tread gold under foot. The saints are there at rest, yet it is not a state of sleep and idleness; they have communion, not only with God, but with one another. All these glories but faintly represent heaven.

We are commanded by Christ to remain pure in stark contrast to the whore church of Rev. 17

"Revelation 17:1 ¶And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

This whore ‘church’ is UNIVERSAL (this should cause concern!!)

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

It is a STATE church involved in spiritual FORNICATION

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

A RITUALISTIC, FORMALISTIC organization

Revelation 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

A persecutor of the LORD’S Churches. THAT SHOULD GIVE US A CLUE. (ie. RC, Protestants etc...) That eliminates all but the Baptists.

Jesus contrasts the true churches as a pure, chaste, virgins.

Who is the Bride of Christ?

Some say Israel:

Israel is portrayed as the wife of the Lord in the O.T.

Isaiah 54:6 ¶For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

-divorced, Jeremiah 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. Jeremiah 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

widowed, Ezekiel 16:30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;

31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!

They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.

unfaithful. Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

It is true that Israel will be reunited with her estranged Husband (Christ) but this reunion will take place on earth. Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

The events in Rev. 19 take place in Heaven (while the tribulation is still on) but the reuniting of Messiah with Israel takes place at the 2^nd coming which is after the marriage supper of the lamb.

Some say The Bride is made up of all the redeemed

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Problems with this:

John the Baptist said he was not part of the bride.

-Rev.19 distinguishes various groups. "much people" v.1 the "great multitude" v.6 "wife" v.7 and those "called unto the marriage supper" v.9

-some say it is a select group like the 144 000

It must be the CHURCH for several reasons:

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Christ is said to love the church)

Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (the church is being prepared for a future presentation TO HIMSELF)

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

The contrast between Rev.17 and 19 is evidence of a church bride.(Baptist Bride)

Now if we accept that a true church is a local assembly of baptized believers, and that the bride is the church, then we must conclude that the bride is made up of all true churches. This is the church in prospect!

But this church in prospect is the Bride of the Lamb. Jesus chose a nation in the OT and an organization in the NT.

Now, God says in

Romans 9:6 ¶Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

And it is very likely God will say the same for some of the evangelicals out there. Saved, BUT not of the Bride. Called to the marriage supper but not the bride...

Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The Bride Examined:

Eph. 5 cuts two ways. Future and here and now. This passage shows the relationship between Christ and His church by comparing it to a marriage. This love relationship exists now as well as in the future. It is no stretch to suppose that since Christ is Head now he will also be in the future.

The NT knew nothing of the present day apostasy. They did not have denominations. They only had one kind of baptism and faith. In that day the bride did consist of ALL the saved. The NT in fact, is only addressed to true Churches.

The NT does envision a departure from NT purity:

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

1 Timothy 4:1 ¶Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

In the book of Rev. some churches were commanded to repent.

The NT makes a distinction between true and false churches.

ILL. Hold to Bible and are independent

John the Baptist was the Groomsman

He only brought baptized converts to Jesus and that is who He built with.

(This message concludes with pages 527-529 of Landmarks of Baptist Doc.)