Christ and the Church Bride

The Preciousness of the Church

With wisdom Samuel J. Stone wrote:

The church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the word;
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

Bride

The bride of Christ is the Church.

Subsequent to Peter’s great proclamation, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God” came the declaration, “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).  This pronouncement comes so quickly from Jesus that He conveys this additional message:  “Yes, Peter, I am the Christ and now I am telling you about My bride, the church, and to know Me is to know her as well.”

Understanding the identity of Christ is not complete without understanding the church and his relationship to her.  The church was clearly precious to Jesus and it should be as precious to us as well.

Master builders and certified architects will tell you that planning for and building a house is a matter that is precious to the owner.  It becomes even more precious to them as the house is built and changed into a home.  From thought to reality that which was planned and built is that which is precious.

Would the same not be true for Jesus?  He cared enough for the church to send the Holy Spirit to inaugurate it (John 14:16, 17, Acts 2:1ff).  He cared enough for the church to give Peter the keys to the kingdom, to open the door, and to preach the terms of entrance into His body (Acts 2:38).  He cared enough for the church to leave the precious blueprints so that in case her physical form should be corrupted by man, others could come along and build her anew (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23).  The church is precious to Jesus because he thought enough to plan and build it.

A good, decent, and loving husband will tell you that there is nothing more precious in his sight than his wife.  He will humble himself to serve her, make sacrifices for her, and die for her if necessary.

The church is precious to Jesus because she is His bride (Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17).  Ephesians 5:25ff says that Christ loved the church and cared for her so that she could be pure.  The church is precious to Christ because he loves her and cares for her welfare as his bride.

Each person understands the role of the head in relationship to the body.  When the body is hungry, the head seeks to feed it.  When the body is hurt, the head seeks to care for it.  The body is precious to the head.

Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:18).  He loves and will provide for his body as it has needs.  The church is precious to Jesus because He considers it His body.

Finally, that which is precious is that for which we give our blood.  In our country, many have died to defend and protect the ideals upon which this nation was founded.  Blood shed proves how precious the cause.

Jesus shed his blood for his church (Acts 20:28).  “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).  The church is precious to Jesus because He died and shed His blood for her.

Would to God that we all understand how precious the church is to Christ!

The Preciousness of the Church

Kevin Cauley

With wisdom Samuel J. Stone wrote:

The church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;

She is His new creation
By water and the word;

From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;

With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

Subsequent to Peter’s great proclamation, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God” came the declaration, “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).This pronouncement comes so quickly from Jesus that He conveys this additional message:”Yes, Peter, I am the Christ and now I am telling you about My bride, the church, and to know Me is to know her as well.”

Understanding the identity of Christ is not complete without understanding the church and his relationship to her.The church was clearly precious to Jesus and it should be as precious to us as well.

Master builders and certified architects will tell you that planning for and building a house is a matter that is precious to the owner.It becomes even more precious to them as the house is built and changed into a home.From thought to reality that which was planned and built is that which is precious.

Would the same not be true for Jesus?He cared enough for the church to send the Holy Spirit to inaugurate it (John 14:16, 17, Acts 2:1ff).He cared enough for the church to give Peter the keys to the kingdom, to open the door, and to preach the terms of entrance into His body (Acts 2:38).He cared enough for the church to leave the precious blueprints so that in case her physical form should be corrupted by man, others could come along and build her anew (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23).The church is precious to Jesus because he thought enough to plan and build it.

A good, decent, and loving husband will tell you that there is nothing more precious in his sight than his wife.He will humble himself to serve her, make sacrifices for her, and die for her if necessary.

The church is precious to Jesus because she is His bride (Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17).Ephesians 5:25ff says that Christ loved the church and cared for her so that she could be pure.The church is precious to Christ because he loves her and cares for her welfare as his bride.

Each person understands the role of the head in relationship to the body.When the body is hungry, the head seeks to feed it.When the body is hurt, the head seeks to care for it.The body is precious to the head.

Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:18).He loves and will provide for his body as it has needs.The church is precious to Jesus because He considers it His body.

Finally, that which is precious is that for which we give our blood.In our country, many have died to defend and protect the ideals upon which this nation was founded. Blood shed proves how precious the cause.

Jesus shed his blood for his church (Acts 20:28).“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).The church is precious to Jesus because He died and shed His blood for her.

Would to God that we all understand how precious the church is to Christ!

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Zacchaeus a Wee Little Man

Zacchaeus a Wee Little Man

A Sunday school teacher was telling Junior the story of Zacchaeus. When it came to the part where Jesus looked up into the sycamore tree and saw Zacchaeus, the teacher asked Junior, “What did Jesus say to the little man?” Junior replied, “Do not climb trees!”

zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a wee little man…

When we think of characteristics of Zacchaeus, we immediately think of his small stature. Indeed, he was a small man physically (Luke 19:3), which required extra effort on his part to see Jesus. Moreover, he was a small man in the eyes of the Jews, because not only was he a publican, but he was “the chief among the publicans” (Luke 19:2). The Jews hated publicans for collaborating with the Romans regarding outrageous taxes, which they would procure from greed and extortion. Moreover, he was chief in that other publicans were under him. Of course, the Jews possibly despised him because Luke also describes him as being rich (Luke 19:2). Of course, the Bible does not condemn being wealthy (i.e., Abraham, Job and such like), but it does warn of the dangers that money presents (1 Tim. 6:10). Furthermore, he was a small man in the eyes of God. In other words, he was little spiritually in that he was a sinner (Luke 19:7). This was the appraisal of the people, and they were correct. However, by the end of the story, this small man rose to new heights and became big.

What principles can we learn from the account of this man? First, we should not condemn people in groups. It is true that most publicans were bad. However, Matthew (Levi) was not, and Zacchaeus was not as bad as most would like to think. Consider the fact that he desired to see Jesus (Luke 19:3). In fact, he not only desired to see Jesus, but he made the extra effort and determination to see him (Luke 19:4). Many people do not share this same desire and determination. We often have to beg and plead with others in the world to learn about Jesus and the gospel. Some who do desire to see Him possess the desire for the wrong reasons, such as Herod the Great who deceived the wise men and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also” (Matt. 2:8), and Herod Antipas who wanted to be entertained when he “hoped to have seen some miracle done by him” (Luke 23:8). Moreover, Zacchaeus was not as bad as one might think because he was hospitable (19:5-6). He was probably surprised, but nonetheless happy, that Jesus was coming over to his house. We are to be “given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). He was willing to show genuine penitence and benevolence (19:8). Consider his words: “…and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation…” (Luke 19:8), which is translated from the Greek ei tinos ti esukophantesa. AT Robertson comments on this, “It is a condition of the first class (ei and the aorist active indicative) that assumes it to be true. His own conscience was at work. He had extorted money wrongfully as they all knew” (Word Pictures in the New Testament, Concise Edition, Holman Bible Publishers: Nashville, TN, 2000, p. 167). William Burkitt adds that when he states, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor,” Zacchaeus is stating the readiness of it—not that he will at a undetermined time in the future where he may possibly forget, but that it is done—he has resolved in his mind to do it, beginning right there. Therefore, we should avoid blanket remarks to group of people (cf. Acts 10:34). Not all lawyers are crooks, not all politicians are liars and not all publicans were beyond the ability to change their lives.

Second, problems may be the beginning of blessings. The problem that Zacchaeus had was his height, which was not his fault, but this led Jesus to notice him. The apostle Paul said his bonds helped him further preach the gospel (Phil. 1:12-13). The psalmist declared, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Ps. 119:71). Most have heard the axiom, “When life deals you lemons, make lemonade!” Thus, we can overcome handicaps and problems; when a door closes, another one usually opens.

Third, one can be wealthy and still have an empty life. Money cannot buy happiness—the late Howard Hughes and so many others illustrate this. Jesus taught, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). While the church in Laodicea were “…rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,” Jesus revealed rather that they were “…wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).

Fourth, praise God that Jesus is a friend of sinners! People were shocked that Jesus would even associate with this man (Luke 19:7). I am thankful that he did, because I now know he will associate with me (Rom. 5:8). We are all sinners (1 John 1:8; Rom. 3:23). Thus, we should be careful not to rule out someone because we might think he/she is “too bad.” With regards to this “wee little man,” Jesus succinctly stated, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

In conclusion, here was a short man who rose to new heights. Jesus offered salvation to him (Luke 19:9), as he offers it to everyone. It will raise us to new heights as well, if we will only obey God. Jesus wishes to abide in our house, but not everyone receives him gladly as Zacchaeus did. How far will we go and how high will we climb to see Jesus? (Rev. 3:20).

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Lord Hear My Prayer

Lord Hear My Prayer

In Psalm 143:1 David pleads, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.” We all want our prayers to be heard and answered but the sad fact is many simply do not know how to pray. It is not uncommon in regard to prayer to hear folks say they don’t know what to say or how to say it.” Even the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1).

Prayer

Consider Prayer…

While Jesus answered His disciples with the model prayer (and the outline He sets forth for us there is indeed a great place to start) I want us to consider something Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:7–8 Jesus sets forth important factors that, if followed, will benefit us with regard to prayer. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” The application of this in line with our subject of prayer is that our prayer should be…

Simple. Jesus said, “Ask.” Asking is a prerequisite of receiving. Verse eight says, “For everyone who asks receives.” James said, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Pray is not as complicated as men often teach or think. Keep it simple, talk to God.

Intense. Jesus says, “Seek.” Seeking is a precondition of discovery. Again in verse eight Jesus says, “he who seeks finds.” Through the prophet Jeremiah the Lord said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Prayer should be a pouring out of ourselves to God.

Persistent. Jesus said, “Knock.” Knocking is the persistent action by which the divine storehouse of God’s blessings is accessed. Notice again Jesus says, “to him who knocks it will be opened.” We often think of persistence in prayer in the framework of repeatedly asking God for the same thing, but may I suggest that persistence here may have more to do with Paul’s instruction to, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How persistent are we in prayer?

While these things will all help us in regards to aiding in the Lord hearing our prayers there is one other crucial factor that must be mentioned. Above all else, in order for the Lord to hear and answer our prayers, we must be right with God! James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” 1 Peter 3:12 declares, “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”

If you are not in a right relationship with God today you need to understand that your sins are hindering the ears of the Lord from hearing your prayers. Isaiah 59:2 proclaims, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”

Jesus died for every man on the cross, became our advocate, so that we might have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). If you will come to Him in obedience, repenting of your sins, confessing His name, and being baptized for the remission of your sins, He will cleanse you and open His ear to you. If you are a Christian who has fallen away, if you will repent and ask His forgiveness, you can once again enjoy the privilege of saying, “Lord, hear my prayer,” and the assurance that He will.

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Husband of Stone

I Thought My Husband Was Made of Stone

A while back, I was speaking to a husband who was injured. Not physically, but injured emotionally. He was not injured too deeply, but still injured. And, the person who injured him was his wife and it recalled an expression I heard used before and that is, “That didn’t hurt him. He’s made of stone.” So often it is the case that wives are hurt emotionally and we certainly know about it. But, oftentimes, husbands are also injured by wives. But, most do not even know about it and/or the wife does not even know that she is doing anything to him. Are you surprised? Well, it happens all the time.

husband of stone

Husband of Stone

When a couple is newly married and the bonding of minds is in progress, it is not uncommon for the husband to begin to realize how many things his wife is saying that is causing him to pull away from her. He therefore, puts up his guard and rather than starting a fight with her, he just withdraws. Every hear the expression, “Are you listening to me?” Perhaps, the reason he is not listening is because he has withdrawn from you because of something that you said or did. And because he does not want to hurt his wife or for someone to think he is any less of a person, he rarely admits his hurting. This is difficult for any man to do. But, what happens is that if there is not better communication and openness in this kind of marriage, it is heading for a disaster. And, there is a great chance that the wife has questions about the relationship too. And, what is needed is the opportunity to ask hard questions, learn valuable lessons and strengthen their marriage. But, let’s notice how a wife can injure her husband without even knowing it.

Put him down in front of other people – Most men will not counter this type of humiliation in public…if ever. Nothing makes him feel worse that his wife speaking bad of him to others. But, the majority of husbands will just simply take it even though it still hurts. And, if this kind of situation is not addressed soon in the relationship, it will harbor resentment towards his wife and maybe even anger. This leads to a very ugly fight down the road. So, avoid it by being more aware of what you say.

Go behind him when he tries to do something at home – When you always show him how much better you can do things than he can do them, his ego is injured. He feels undermined when he is trying to do things like fix the bed or clean up and then you follow right behind him showing your husband the “correct way” immediately a after he finishes. This may be why he sits in his recliner way too much because he would rather not even try because when he does, he is reminded he doesn’t measure up to your standards.

Constantly badger him – If he doesn’t do what you want him to do, you might remind him again, and again and again. This never accomplishes what you think it will. In fact, it will make him move slower or it just makes your husband walk away and let you do it. This is why he may go golfing or fishing more than normal. He is trying to flee, which again, does not address the issue. Just suppresses it.

Use the “you always” phrase…excessively – Because…he “always” does… Not really. Husbands can be unpredictable and so, when you accuse him that he “always” does this or that, what the wife is actually doing is helping to build a man that always will do something even when he does not want to do that.

Hold him responsible for your emotional well–‐being – Acting as if he’s the reason you feel bad today and every other day you feel bad, puts undue pressure on him and he does not know what to do with that information. This does not have to be verbal because body language speaks volumes to him. So, if you are in bad moods towards him and you make him guilty about it, he certainly will take the hint and own up to his responsibility. But, if the wife always blames him, after a while, the husband will think it is always his fault even if it’s not. So, he carries that pain with him and weighs his heart down considerably.

Complain about what you don’t have or get to do – He has a desire to fix things. He wants to be a provider. Every man does. But, when he’s trying and doing the best he can, yet he feels he isn’t measuring up…he’s crushed. When you are always commenting on what other women have that you don’t, he carries the blame, even if you’re not intending it to be his. He will even work a second or third job for his wife only to still be told by his wife that she wants more.

Don’t appreciate his efforts – Want to injure a man? This is the big one. Refuse to appreciate the things he feels he does well, just tears him apart. It could be work, a hobby or a trait, but he feels part of his identity in the things he does. And so, when you don’t find them as “valuable” as he does, his ego is bruised.

Remember that your husband is not made of stone. He is made in the image of God and since God has given him feelings too, feeling emotionally detached from your spouse can hurt and drive your spouse further away. So wives, remember that the reality of a man’s feelings and ego, his self–‐confidence and sense of worth is greatly tied to his wife, just as a woman’s ego is to her husband. He really cares about what you think of him. And, while we are all fragile people, some are more fragile than others. But, understanding these issues and addressing them will build healthier, stronger and happier people…and marriages.

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Proclaiming the Bible

Our teaching should be influenced by the Bible over any outside influence. There’s nothing deep or profound about that statement, it’s merely an idea with which we all can, and should, agree. Unfortunately that’s not always how we operate. Because there is so much false teaching in the world today we can easily get caught up in interpreting the Bible from a standpoint of refuting falsehoods rather than proclaiming truth. In that sense, what we teach is being determined by denominations, the Catholic Church, or our culture. When we look only at what the Bible doesn’t say, we miss out on so much of what it does.

Bible

Proclaim the Bible

Take, for example, the matter of grace. Because John Calvin and his followers have so distorted grace to mean simply the good luck bestowed on those whom God hand-picked to be delivered from their so-called original sin, because others have distorted it as a free pass to sin, and because still others view it as a substitute for the biblical plan of salvation, we spend much of our time fighting those falsehoods. When you hear Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 5:1-2, think of your first reaction or of the sermons you’ve heard on this passage – what comes to mind?

In many cases we instantly begin thinking about how this idea of grace through faith is only part of the plan of salvation and how we need to bring in other verses before someone gets too carried away with a false interpretation of “faith only” salvation. While it’s true we have to see the topic of salvation as a whole, that’s not the entire point. That interpretation limits our interpretation of the verses and the Bible’s emphasis on grace to only saying what isn’t right rather than what is. Because of our reactionary doctrine of grace, two less-than-accurate phrases can be commonly heard among Christians today, even from those who have been Christians their whole lives.

1. “We just have to do our best.”

We’ve all tried to do our best before realizing that our best leaves us marked for eternal death. Romans makes it very clear that abiding by a system of law keeping will only end in death for us, for we all have sinned. Unfortunately many still look at God’s justice as some big chalkboard in heaven with a ledger of our good deeds on the right side and our bad on the left. What we forget is that one sin is enough to separate us from God eternally, that no good deed can make the blood payment that God’s justice demands. Only Jesus Christ can do that.

The alternative to this is to say that we’ve already been covered, so we don’t have to do anything. Paul strongly rebuked that attitude in Romans 6:1 – “May it never be!” Rather, since we have died to sin and it has been put behind us, and since we are now living by faith, we live in the faith that whatever God commands us is what is best for our lives. The acts Scriptures requires of the Christian are not a checklist to make us feel like good people, but a list of things that will make us more like Him. We attend worship, study our Bibles, evangelize, fight temptation, encourage others, etc. because we believe it is what’s best for us. Because we want to, not because we have to. Anyone who is walking in faith will produce the good fruit God expects of His children because He is walking with us.

Another manifestation of this statement can be heard when someone says, “Well, I just hope that when I die the good outweighs the bad.” Trust me, it doesn’t – unless you have the blood of Christ! We do good deeds not to earn favor, but because we have been given favor by His wonderful grace!

2. “I hope I get to heaven, but I guess I won’t know until I die.”

The New Testament makes it clear that not only can we know, we should be confident in our salvation. 1 John 5:11-12 tells us that He has given us eternal life (past tense) and that whoever has the Son has His life. That’s exactly how and why we can know for certain where our eternal destination is. It’s not a matter of the good deeds that we have done. If it were, we still would have no reason to be unsure. We could be 100% confident that heaven isn’t in our future.

I encourage you to read through Romans chapters 6-8 in considering this powerful truth about grace, our works, and our sin. When we are buried with Him in baptism, we are raised in the likeness of His resurrection as well. We’ve received a new life! Just as we can be sure of what will happen to those who are outside of Christ on the day of judgment, we can be sure of what God will say to those who are washed in His blood – “Well done, good and faithful servant!

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