Christ's profound and special love for the church, a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament, is the central theme, emphasizing its unique place in God's eternal purpose. The sermon traces the revelation of the church from its conception in eternity past, its beginning at Pentecost, and its future presentation as a glorious, spotless bride to Christ. It clarifies that the church is not a building or an organization, but every believer united to Christ as his body and bride, who is continually sanctified and cleansed by the Word. The message concludes by highlighting Christ's ongoing intercession and cleansing of believers through His Word, ensuring the church will be presented faultless at His coming.
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Ephesians chapter five. That wonderful epistle of Paul, one of the greatest in regard to truth, for his present age, relative to the testimony of the church, from Pentecost onto the rapture. Chapter five of the Ephesian epistle, let me begin reading at verse twenty-five and read through verse twenty-seven. We have been singing of the love of God, We have been singing of the love of Christ, and we would like, by the grace and the help of the Spirit of God, to speak of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ for that company of believers which he calls the Church.
A special company, not known nor even revealed in the Old Testament, but only in the New Testament, called the Church. And you will find these words signifying his love for the church. Chapter five and verse twenty-five. Therefore as the church is subject unto, or verse twenty-five, husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, 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 a wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
And though the beloved Apostle Paul, as you may have noted, you that have read the portion before, refers to the love of the husband to the wife, and the wife to a husband in this scripts particularly. He uses that blessed illustration to bring before us a greater mystery. Look down with me at verse thirty-two, if you please. When we find the apostle after reciting the blessing of the husband and the wife, this is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the church. May I reverently, emphatically, and faithfully declare, as already stated, but repeating it with emphasis, there is nothing in the Old Testament that reveals the Church.
You that have studied your Bible to any degree may have realized there is a progression of divine revelation through the Word of God. God has not revealed all of his purposes at one time through one particular channel, and not even in the Old Testament, where many of his servants are found there. But there has been a progression of revelation, constantly improving and increasing the knowledge of himself. And may I say very humbly, but reverently, Who of humanity is able to comprehend the greatness of God and the greatness of the Godhead, which we know from our scripture, and particularly in the book of Ephesians in chapter one, consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
But all the way through time, God has been increasing his revelations. of himself and of his divine and his eternal truth. And I am sure that many believers will confess the greatest truth that ever was revealed came when the Lord Jesus, his beloved Son, came to the earth. For may I be reminded with you, my beloved, that when the Lord Jesus came of whom we have read in our readings, though born in the manger of Bethlehem, gravely in the stable, and on through his life he was none other than the person of the Son of God, equal with the Father, equal with the Holy Spirit, but he came to the earth.
My beloved, may I say, the greatest revelation that has ever been made to mankind came through the coming of the Son of God, manifested in the flesh, and seen upon the earth. Now you may have noted the scripture that we have read, particularly as we have read it in verse twenty-five, as well as in verse thirty-two. Paul particularly directs our minds and our hearts to two great facts, or two great persons, if we may put it in that respect. Christ and the church. Notice verse thirty-two again. Let me repeat it.
I speak concerning Christ and the Church. And it refers to it as being a great mystery. And truly it was a great mystery. You that know your Bible may remember very well that it's not till the Lord Jesus Christ ever came to the earth. The Church was then even mentioned. And you have it in Matthew chapter sixteen. You may recall very vividly, Peter made a great confession when Jesus asked his disciples, Who do you say that I am?
And Peter answered, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And the Lord Jesus answered, Saying, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven, And this I say unto you, upon this rock, myself, your concession, I'm the son of the living God, upon this rock I will build my church. Beloved, may I point out to you and emphasize it clearly?
He's the only one that could say my church. You don't have one. I don't have one. It belongs to him. I know people say this is my church, but let me raise the question at this very moment. What is the church? Now in many minds and too many hearts, unfortunately, they conceive it as being a religious building. You cannot find a religious building upon the earth, which the scripture calls the church. There was a time in the Old Testament, there was a temple in the Tamernacle, in the midst of Israel, God's dwelling place.
If I remember the words of the Lord Jesus to the Samaritan woman in John chapter four, he told him, Neither at this mountain, Mount Gerizim where she lived, will ye worship the Father, nor yet of Jerusalem, for the time cometh when men shall worship the Father. In spirit and in truth, neither is it mountain nor in Jerusalem. My beloved, may I emphasize it, for unfortunately the construction is in many minds. A building is the church. It is not. Then many have the impression that it may be an ecclesiastical organization. No, it is not.
It is not an ecclesiastical organization. of whatever name it may take, or body of names that it may take. For as I read my Bible, I find that the church consists, and let me say it emphatically, of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who has taken him as their Savior. And may I say this, the moment you take him as your Savior, you join to the church. which is his body, as the scripture declares. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Paul has even written in the context of our scripture. So let me say it emphatically. I don't care whether you believe it or not, I do. It's in the book. The moment I trusted the Lord Jesus as my Savior, I was joined to his body by one spirit where we all baptized put into one body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, but we are trusted the Lord Jesus. May I repeat it again? I know it is possible, and too often probable, we think it's joining an organization or joining a particular group. Listen, you're joined to Christ when you trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Now I'd like to raise the question, do you belong to that church? There have been occasion when introduced to some of my friends or by my friends, to some of their friends, their friends that say, Mr. Bramall, what church do you belong to? And I quite often answer, do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Have you been born again? And they answer in the affirmative. I say, I belong to the same church you do. I read my Bible, how many churches does the Lord have? Look the words that we have read in verse twenty-five.
Christ loved the church. And note, Paul takes up the subject of Christ and the church. Not just Christ, but Christ and the church. So may I point out to you one of the most beautiful truths in the New Testament that you could ever find? You have it right here in the context of this scripture. Paul uses that blessed illustration of human marriage, of a man and his wife coming together, joining together, and he uses it to tell a greater truth, an eternal truth, concerning Christ and the church.
And one can well recognize he presents to us a special relationship that's not found in the other part of the Word of God, whether before or after the church's history, that Christ and the church are to be united together. He the bridegroom and the church his bride. Can I repeat it again? My beloved, look, there's too much ignorance as to what the church is. The church consists of every believer, wherever they are, whoever they are, who has put his and her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving him as their failure and trusting his finished work.
Now may I ask the question again? Do you belong to his bride? I wouldn't ask you what church you belong to. Just this one. His. Christ and the church. And so it may be sad, and it is sad, of the many divisions that have come in, to hide the precious truth. It doesn't change the truth of it. It's pure truth. Now I want you to think of the love of Christ for the church. And may I repeat, it is a special love. It is a special love. It's got to be a special love, even from the background and the context of the scripture.
And the husband and the wife have a special love, and the husband have a special love for his time. May I say, and repeat it, rejoice. Christ as a special love for the church. It's different from what you find in the Old Testament. It's different from the love of God in John three sixteen for the whole world. It's true God loved the whole world. He still loved the whole world. But look, the Apostle is writing of a mystery that was never known before. Now may I remind you before going further, as he says Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, it never was known before in the past.
All you need to do is read chapter three. And in chapter three of this same epistle, you can read it for yourself. The knowledge of the church was the mystery that was hid in God. from the foundation of the world. May I repeat it again? For I know there are people, even some believers who think the church is in the Old Testament, it is not. Never found there. You may find types of it, but you don't find it in reality revealed. And you prove it by Ephesians three, hidden God before the foundation of the world.
May I say the church was not an afterthought with God, nor with the Lord Jesus. It was thought of before the world began. And you find in Ephesians chapter three, verse ten, it was according to the eternal purpose of God before the world ever began. Well, if you'd like, stop and think of it, please. Though the church had its beginning at Pentecost, literally, and will go on to till the rapture when the Lord comes for a bride, it had its conception in eternity. Now may I raise the question, when did Christ begin to love the church back in eternity?
Before he ever died for it. We sing mailing a hymn. Love brought my Savior down from above. When did his love begin? For the church. And may I repeat again, every man, woman, boy, and girl from Pentecost to the end of the church's pilgrimage on the earth, who is believed upon the Lord Jesus, they are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. consisting of his bride, the church.
When did he begin to love it? Oh, my, we sing at him. Love brought my Savior from above. And then he raised the question, when does a man begin to love his wife before he marries her? And the Blessed Lord Jesus before he came to the earth, Christ loved the church. The object of his affection. Can I repeat it again? You may not agree with me, but I rejoice in the truth of this. Because I belong to that body.
which is called the church. And let me repeat it again. You don't find it in the Old Testament. You will not find it after the rapture upon the earth. It's the heavenly body going to be with Christ in glory, his bride of arms. But he loved this before he even came to the earth. I know the joy of knowing It was the object of the destruction. Let me quote one verse in Matthew thirteen. I think it's verse forty-five, forty-five or forty-six. The kingdom of heaven is like a goodly merchant man seeking goodly pearls.
Who when he has found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it? And listen to the statement. Christ loved the church and what? Gave himself for it. Now that verse doesn't say he died for the whole world because he died for the church. But may I give you the thought? Yes, I know he died for the whole world. Who would ever deny that? But here's a special lot. Here's a special object of his affection. and is a special object of his redemption.
He gave, it doesn't say his blood, that's true. He gave himself for it. My beloved, have you ever thought of the fact? It blesses my heart to remind my heart concerning it. I live in a portion of history. in God's purposes when he is forming the church. Please let me repeat it again. I cannot do it too emphatically. The church is a body of believers from Pentecost at the beginning of it when the Spirit came from heaven to the rapture when it will be taken to heaven of those who believe upon the Lord Jesus.
Let me quote the words of Paul in first Thessalonians four. If, as he goes on to say, that only if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then also will he bring with him when he comes. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain shall not go precede or go before them, which are deceased. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout. with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
So shall we ever be with the Lord. And that constitutes, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we'll be in that great gathering when he comes to his church. But I tell you frankly, if you don't believe in the Lord Jesus as you claim, you're not in this church. You can be in this one and any other if you want to so-called. Make sure you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Then you're in that special body of believers whom he calls my church. Please let me repeat it again.
Look, go through the whole Old Testament. You'll never find one statement where we called Israel my church. Or even before the time that Israel was a nation. But when you come to the New Testament and the time that you and I are living in, the gospel being free. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. It's the object of his affection, a special object of affection. and particularly of his redemption. A special treasure. Found one pearl of great Christ.
And let me emphasize again, how many churches does he have? Just one. I dare you to find, in your New Testament, that he has more than one. Whether there may be local bodies of them all over the earth, yet they're together, they are called one. In Christ. I'm glad I belong to that church. Do you? An especial love. Let me repeat it. I want you to see it through. The love of Christ for the church. Now look at verse twenty-six.
Not the end of his love. Thank God. When he redeems it, not the end of his love. You and I who are maybe believers, well, no. When he saved us, that's not the end of his love. And it's not the end of his love for the church. But you read on in verse twenty-six another purpose of his love that he might sanctify and cleanse by the washing of water by the world. My beloved. He continues to love it. After redeeming it. And may I say it again?
And the joy of the truth of it. When he purchases that church with his blood. He keeps it. And keeps it for himself. And cares for it. And you know what the word is saying. That he might sanctify. And cleanse it. By the washing of water. by the word. How does he sanctify? How does he cleanse it? Note the two operations. One saying he sanctifies it. The other saying he cleanses it. But note the means. Note the instrument that he uses to keep the church.
By the washing of water. By the word. My beloved, may I say this? Well, may I go back to chapter seventeen in the book of John? And be reminded with you that in John chapter seventeen, if you've never read it, you should read it. It is the prayer of the Lord Jesus for his church, for the saints that he left behind, for those who would believe upon him. You can read the whole thing in that chapter. He not only prayed for the disciples then, who were with him, but he prayed for those who would be brought to him through their ministry.
And he prayed for those who had been saved and those who would be saved. And may I give you one thought in that prayer? He prayed that none of them would be lost. That none of them would be lost. Can I ask the question? If the Lord Jesus is the bridegroom of the church prays for us like that, could we ever be lost again? No, I'm glad I'm saved. Nothing in the word of God suggests he loses one of his sheep.
Let me quote his words in John ten, twenty eight and so on, where he tells us, I give unto my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. and I give unto them eternal life, they shall never perish. Neither shall any blossom out of my hand. My Father who gave them me is greater than all. Neither shall any blossom out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. And the joy of knowing every sheep that he saves, they're in his eternal hand. and in the eternal hands of his Father.
Tell me, is there any power of man or demon could ever break the grip of the eternal Father and the eternal Son when he saves one of his own? Never. And in John chapter seventeen, In that great prayer he tells the Father, I sanctify myself for their sake. I set myself apart. And in that prayer he indicates, and what he's doing now in heaven apart, at the right hand of God, praying for his own.
We quoted in our Sunday school class that verse of Hebrew chapter seven, twenty-five. Let me re-quote it, it's worth it. when the apostle rose, wherefore he is able to say to the utmost, to the very end, them that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. And oh, beloved me, I say, he told the Father in that prayer, I sanctify myself for their sake. And he said, Father, sanctify them by the truth. And he added, thy word is truth. And my beloved, may I say that word sanctify means he keeps his people, a separated people for himself.
And the precious word of God separates us from all those who may be around us out of Christ as the treasure of our Lord. No man can pluck us out of his hands. And let me quote the words of Paul in Romans eight. You may have heard them well. What can separate us from the love of God as it is in Christ Jesus our Lord? My beloved, they may and they just come and enter earthly love on the earth as we well know that there's no end to his love and no separation from his love and the joy he sets his church apart as a special object of his ministrations to set it apart.
And no, not only to sanctify it, cleanse it. He keeps it clean. How does he keep the church clean? Well, I tell you the best way to keep the church clean is through the book, the Word of God. I don't know how many of you are faithful in meeting together as the members of the body of Christ as fellow believers and seek to keep your life clean. The best way to keep your life clean is to follow this book. We have the suggestion in our lesson this morning in the Sunday school too, I repeat it. In John chapter thirteen, the Lord Jesus, do you remember what it said in verse one of that thirteen chapter? Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Now it doesn't mean there's an end to his love, but he loved them to the end. There's no feeding of his love. He loved them continually. And then he did something for them. He washed the disciples' feet with a basin of water and pounded he girded himself by. And we well know from that washing of the disciples' feet, he indicated that when in heaven, it would be his privilege, through the precious word of God, to keep the feet of the disciples clean. And my beloved, I say this very frankly. You and I often need cleansing.
I'll feed you. Not only to be set apart forever as we are for him, but you know every once in a while he has to cleanse us. You see, how does he do that? It's like a word. And let me point out to you something in first John chapter one, verse nine, and go into chapter two. For when John writes in his letter, the first epistle, he writes to the family of God. the children of God. He's not writing to unbelievers. He may mention unbelievers in the book, but he's not writing directly to them. And in that first chapter, he says, if we believers confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanses from all unrighteousness.
Now you know something there. If a believer sins is to Does it, Christian? Many years ago, at the close of a service in a schoolhouse in the north, shaking hands of the folks that left, I took hands with a dear old man and asked him the question that said, Sir, are you saved? And he said, Yes, I've been saved for over forty years. I said, Good, you're older than I am in the Lord. I was just a young fellow. I said, I'm glad to meet you. And then the next thing he told me, he said, and I've got something else. I said, what's that? He said, I've got eradication from sin.
God's taken all sin out of my heart. And then in the next breath, to my surprise, he said, I wish you'd pray for me. And I felt like telling him, you better start praying for me. God doesn't take sin out of your heart. when he said, you still got that old body. You still got that old flesh. You still got that old nature. You'll have it until the body's dead. And am I not talking sensibly to every one of you who may be a Christian? Can you tell me that you've never sinned since you've been saved? Even John said it. If the Father says that, he's a liar. And Solomon said the same thing.
Look, that blessed Savior in his love has made provision even for the sin of a believer. Let me go on quoting first John one, nine and go into chapter two. If we confess, not get saved all over again, but confess to the Lord the wrong we have done. He is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us. And then in chapter two it says, My little children, these things right, I urge you, that you sin now. God the Father doesn't want us to believe us to sin, but thank God for what he writes.
If, and it should be exceptional, if any man or believer sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the whole world. Beloved, please, may I say lovingly, may I say it frankly, I've got to my eighty years of Christian experience. I cannot say I've never sinned during those eighty years. As that dear man said, well, I find out later that he was telling me a big lie from what the neighbors told me. And my beloved, it would be a lie to say I cannot sin.
But the joy of knowing The love of Christ is so great he makes provision for it. Praise his name. By the washing of the water of God. And what does he do? He brings the word of God. Say, John, you shouldn't have done that. Let me quote these words of First Timothy, Second Timothy, Chapter three, verse sixteen. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for four things. First for doctrine, teaching. Second for reproof. And third for correction. And last, for instruction in right living.
The first was doctrine, the second conviction or reproof. And what does God do? I tell you very frankly. When a believer sins, God uses the word by the Holy Spirit to convict the conscience and to correct the lie. that it might go on for his glory. Can I repeat it with emphasis? Verse twenty-six of Ephesians five, the continued love of our Lord. As we quoted the word of Jude at the end of Jude's epistle, He is able to keep you from falling and to prevent you faultless in that coming day of his glory.
Can't say, Dear lover, please let me say, He not only loved the church and made it the object of his affection and redemption, and he gave himself for it. But now he keeps it. The joy of notice. Let me raise the question. Can you prove to me that he'll stop loving you? I know he doesn't love you nor did he. And if you have ever been a parent, whenever you may have disciplined your children, you didn't seek to love them.
You should not. And may I say the love of the Lord Jesus, and thank God for the boundless love of our Savior, that even in heaven above and from heaven above, in loving, through that precious word to keep me clean. And the joy of knowing he does that continually for the church. And in the last verse, the eternal purpose of his love, he began in eternity. Let me ask you a question before I go any further. Can you give me a good answer why he should love you?
I can't. No wonder the hymn writer wrote that lovely hymn of the children. Wonderful things in the Bible I see. This is the dearest that Jesus loves me. Though I forget him and wander away, still he does love me wherever I stray. And back to his dear loving arms do I flee when I remember that Jesus loves me. But the joy of knowing he's got an eternal purpose. My beloved. an eternal purpose that he might present the church to himself a glorious church beloved I'm not very happy over the condition of the church on earth today but thank God I know what he's going to do with it he's going to present it to himself just as a man takes his wife to himself and receives her as his bride, the Lord Jesus is going to take that church for himself.
A glorious church, none of a spot, wrinkle or blemish or any such thing. And beloved, may I say, you may read if you have the time to do so. Read, I trust you will sometimes. You read the nineteen chapter of the book of the Revelation. And you have that glorious event when the Lord Jesus is going to be united forever to his bride, the church, the marriage of the land. And when he sees her, not a blemish, not a spot, not a rainbow. Why?
Well, before he's going to marry her, he's going to make sure she's clean all over. The judgment seat of Christ is going to thus make a presentable to his eternal satisfaction. Oh, beloved, the joy of knowing this great mystery, eternity past, conceived it, but not that the Lord Jesus died and rose again, and the church began at Pentecost. And the whole world has been listening and hearing the gospel. God has been building that bride.
And the Lord Jesus, may I say again, not only will he be happy and joyful over all who will be there in the eternal age, but listen, he's got a special bride, the church, which he calls my church. I'm glad I belong to him. by his grace, and looking forward when every member will be presentable. Not only having his own righteousness, but even permitted to have their righteous deeds and services they've done for him adorning the wedding garment.
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of the word, and that he might present it as he will in the coming day. To him now, my church, not having spot or wrinkle or blemish. And then he says, you know, I'm glad I belong to his church. Shall we pray? Oh, blessed Lord Jesus. Please, Lord Jesus, help us to realize this special love. In this particular age we are living and fortunate to be living in when Christ is building the church.
He did not build it in the Old Testament. He will not build another one after it. And Lord every man, woman, boy and girl who trusts the Lord Jesus as his and her Savior is immediately placed into that blessed spiritual building the church when they believe Oh, Lord Jesus, how thou canst think so well of me, one well rose, and be the God thou art, his darkness to my intellect, but sunshine to my heart. Lord, may every one of us go home, not forgetting thy words. Christ loved the church, and made that love of thine, Lord Jesus, flood our hearts.
And if there's anyone here not saying, please, Lord, they can join thy church right now. If they'll say, Lord Jesus, I will trust thee. Trust thee with my soul, guilty, lost, and helpless. Thou canst make me whole. There is none in heaven nor on earth like thee. Thou hast died for sinners. Therefore, Lord, for me. Command ourselves as we separate. May the love of God our Father and the blessed grace of our Lord Jesus in the fellowship with him, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, or the conviction of the Holy Spirit, be upon us. In our Savior's name we pray, giving thee our thanks.