WEBVTT 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:10.300 They're happy times. I love to do weddings. Reminds 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:12.480 me of a little poem I heard one time that said, 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:16.699 the bride, white of hair, stoops over her cane. 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:22.219 Her footsteps, uncertain, need guiding. While 00:00:22.219 --> 00:00:25.179 down the church aisle, with a waned, toothless 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:28.660 smile, the groom in a wheelchair comes riding. 00:00:29.929 --> 00:00:34.450 And who is this elderly couple thus wed? You 00:00:34.450 --> 00:00:37.070 will find when you've carefully explored it that 00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:40.409 here is that rare conservative pair who've waited 00:00:40.409 --> 00:00:54.390 till they could afford it. Amen. We're going 00:00:54.390 --> 00:00:57.329 to talk about a wedding today, about a bride 00:00:57.329 --> 00:01:00.710 and a groom. And to do that, would you turn in 00:01:00.710 --> 00:01:03.789 your Bible, please, to Ephesians chapter 5, beginning 00:01:03.789 --> 00:01:15.969 in verse 22. Ephesians 5, verse 22. The New Testament 00:01:15.969 --> 00:01:21.769 is rich in its store of pictures and analogies 00:01:21.769 --> 00:01:24.810 which illustrate the believer's relationship 00:01:24.810 --> 00:01:30.379 to Jesus Christ. to the world around it, as well 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:34.859 as to other believers. Last week we examined 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:38.700 the metaphor of the holy temple, and we found 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:41.900 that this holy temple of God has an architect. 00:01:42.060 --> 00:01:48.180 It is God himself. It has a foundation, which 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:52.099 is the apostles and prophets. It has a chief. 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:55.459 without which all of the rest of the building 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:58.959 would collapse, and that is Jesus Christ. And 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:02.239 it has living stones, that is, individual believers, 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:06.000 you and me in this age. We are being built upon 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.860 the cornerstone and the foundation as God is 00:02:09.860 --> 00:02:14.060 constructing this habitation of His in this age. 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:18.979 We have become ourselves the place of worship 00:02:18.979 --> 00:02:24.979 where God interacts. with people. We are the 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:30.560 holy temple of God. But as well, we are the bride. 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:35.620 Now what is said here in Ephesians 5 is in the 00:02:35.620 --> 00:02:39.300 context of a very important portion dealing with 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:41.620 husbands and wives. We are not going to talk 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:45.319 much about that aspect of it today. Not that 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:48.400 it shouldn't be said, but we don't have time 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:51.569 to cover that part. of the lesson we will emphasize 00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:54.889 christ and his bride but i encourage you to pay 00:02:54.889 --> 00:02:57.349 attention to what else is said along the way 00:02:57.349 --> 00:03:01.729 wives be subject to your own husbands as to the 00:03:01.729 --> 00:03:05.069 lord for the husband is the head of the wife 00:03:05.069 --> 00:03:08.689 as christ also is the head of the church he himself 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:12.110 being the savior of the body but as the church 00:03:12.110 --> 00:03:15.650 is subject to christ so also the wives ought 00:03:15.650 --> 00:03:19.620 to be to their husbands in everything Husbands, 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:22.659 love your wives just as Christ also loved the 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:26.620 church and gave himself up for her, that he might 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:29.699 sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing 00:03:29.699 --> 00:03:33.580 of water with the word, that he might present 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:36.939 to himself the church in all her glory, having 00:03:36.939 --> 00:03:40.599 no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:44.159 she should be holy and blameless. So husbands 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:47.680 ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:51.659 He who loves his own wife loves himself, for 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:55.560 no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:58.960 and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:03.460 church, because we are members of his body. For 00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:06.000 this cause a man shall leave his father and mother 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:08.840 and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:13.699 become one flesh. This mystery is great, but 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:17.079 I am speaking with reference to Christ and the 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:23.629 church. This metaphor of the church, the radiant 00:04:23.629 --> 00:04:28.610 bride, immediately brings to our minds certain 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:34.149 images and concepts. But we must have a note 00:04:34.149 --> 00:04:38.170 of caution here before developing these images 00:04:38.170 --> 00:04:42.410 and concepts too far. We must be sure that we 00:04:42.410 --> 00:04:47.850 understand the wedding and the espousal that 00:04:47.850 --> 00:04:51.649 is in view when we talk about, the church as 00:04:51.649 --> 00:04:54.790 being the bride of Christ. For we are dealing 00:04:54.790 --> 00:04:58.910 here with a culture that is far distant from 00:04:58.910 --> 00:05:02.610 our own, a culture that is oriental and one that 00:05:02.610 --> 00:05:08.750 is 2 ,000 years ago. So let's talk about first 00:05:08.750 --> 00:05:12.730 the background of this illustration. Where does 00:05:12.730 --> 00:05:16.269 it come from? Well, obviously it comes from the 00:05:16.269 --> 00:05:20.850 Jewish traditions in weddings. The first major 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:24.949 step in bringing about a marriage between two 00:05:24.949 --> 00:05:28.149 Jewish young people was the establishment of 00:05:28.149 --> 00:05:32.629 what was called the marriage covenant. This covenant 00:05:32.629 --> 00:05:39.209 was titled the betrothal or the espousal. In 00:05:39.209 --> 00:05:42.470 it, the Jewish groom would leave his father's 00:05:42.470 --> 00:05:46.329 house and would go to the house of his prospective 00:05:46.329 --> 00:05:50.639 bride. Upon arrival there, he would meet with 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.259 the bride's father, and there were two concerns 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:57.399 on his mind. First, he would ask the bride's 00:05:57.399 --> 00:05:59.920 father for permission to marry the daughter. 00:06:01.259 --> 00:06:04.459 If that permission were granted, he would then 00:06:04.459 --> 00:06:07.779 begin to negotiate with the bride's father for 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:13.120 the purchase price of his bride. Now I'm glad 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:15.220 that was not the case when I got married, but 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:18.100 it's not such a bad idea now that I have daughters, 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:24.920 I think. Now assuming that they could arrive 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:31.100 at a price that was mutually agreeable, the marriage 00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:36.439 covenant was established. Once it was established, 00:06:36.579 --> 00:06:39.259 the bride and groom would ceremonially take a 00:06:39.259 --> 00:06:42.290 cup of wine. and they would each drink from that 00:06:42.290 --> 00:06:45.709 cup. From that moment on, they were considered 00:06:45.709 --> 00:06:51.689 to be legally married. But they did not begin 00:06:51.689 --> 00:06:56.089 to live together right away. The bride, rather 00:06:56.089 --> 00:06:58.889 the groom, would excuse himself from the bride 00:06:58.889 --> 00:07:03.389 and would return to his father's house. And the 00:07:03.389 --> 00:07:06.889 two of them would remain separated then for about 00:07:06.889 --> 00:07:12.920 a year. The groom would busily prepare an apartment 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:16.120 or some kind of living accommodation in that 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:21.740 year for himself and his bride. At the end of 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:24.920 that period of time, on an unannounced night, 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:30.839 the groom would call to him his best man and 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:35.279 others who would escort him, and they would begin 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:40.000 a torch -lit procession. to the home of the bride. 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:44.879 She did not know when he would come. But as the 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:47.040 procession would move through the city toward 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:50.959 her house, the bystanders along the way would 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:53.339 recognize what was taking place, and they would 00:07:53.339 --> 00:07:56.339 begin to cry out, Behold, the bridegroom comes! 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:00.779 Here he comes! And that would pass down from 00:08:00.779 --> 00:08:03.639 block upon block until it reached the house of 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:06.620 the bride. And then that would be her warning. 00:08:07.290 --> 00:08:12.449 that he was on the way. So she would gather together 00:08:12.449 --> 00:08:14.810 her bridesmaids and they would make preparation. 00:08:15.829 --> 00:08:19.449 One of those steps was what was called a bridal 00:08:19.449 --> 00:08:23.529 bath in which she carefully washed herself, for 00:08:23.529 --> 00:08:26.470 which I'm sure the groom was exceedingly grateful. 00:08:30.689 --> 00:08:33.309 Before they finished all of the preparations, 00:08:33.370 --> 00:08:36.659 however, The groom and his party would arrive, 00:08:36.659 --> 00:08:40.320 and they would stay outside the house of the 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:44.419 bride and wait for her. And you men know how 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:50.799 long that can be. After that waiting period, 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:54.100 however long it took for her to get ready, she 00:08:54.100 --> 00:08:57.500 would make her grand exit from her father's house 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:02.139 to join her groom in the street. And then she 00:09:02.139 --> 00:09:05.320 and her bridesmaids and the groom and the whole 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:08.220 enlarged wedding party would make its way back 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:13.000 to his father's house in a torch -lit procession. 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:17.700 Once they arrived there, there would be other 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:20.340 wedding guests who had assembled in the meantime 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:24.320 in a banquet hall. And the bride and groom would 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:26.960 go around and greet everyone, and then they and 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:29.600 the immediate bridal party would excuse themselves. 00:09:30.379 --> 00:09:34.059 and go to another room. And then the bride and 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:36.580 groom would excuse themselves from the bridal 00:09:36.580 --> 00:09:39.700 party and would enter into the bridal chamber. 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:44.000 And there, in privacy and intimacy, their marriage 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:47.980 would be consummated. That having taken place, 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.299 the groom would come back out to the wedding, 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:53.740 to the bridal party itself, would announce that 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:56.519 fact, and they as a group, leaving the bride 00:09:56.519 --> 00:09:59.409 in the bridal chamber, would go out to where 00:09:59.409 --> 00:10:02.309 the festivities were to take place, and the party 00:10:02.309 --> 00:10:06.230 would be on. And in Jesus' day, that party would 00:10:06.230 --> 00:10:10.590 last for about seven days, as they would join 00:10:10.590 --> 00:10:15.210 in the joy of that which had taken place. But 00:10:15.210 --> 00:10:20.389 the bride stayed in private. She was not a part 00:10:20.389 --> 00:10:25.860 of that. They were called the hiding days. Seven 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:29.639 days when she would be not seen. And after the 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:32.860 conclusion of those seven days, the groom would 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:37.360 then escort his wife out so that everyone could 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:39.759 see her. Her veil would be gone from her face, 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:42.460 and they would all celebrate. And some people 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:45.139 say that in certain occasions, at least, they 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:48.360 would have at least a 30 -day celebration of 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:52.840 that marriage. Now, that is something of the 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:56.720 cultural background. of the wedding that is in 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:59.799 view as the apostle talks about it here in Ephesians 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:03.899 chapter 5. With that background, perhaps you 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:07.279 can remind yourself with me of some of the parallels 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:14.159 that exist between that historical cultural setting 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:18.279 and what takes place and is and will take place 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:21.860 in the relationship between Jesus Christ and 00:11:21.860 --> 00:11:25.230 his bride, the church. Now remember that no analogy 00:11:25.230 --> 00:11:28.990 is perfect, and we must be careful of pushing 00:11:28.990 --> 00:11:32.909 details too far. But there are at least seven 00:11:32.909 --> 00:11:36.169 parallels that I can quickly spot as we think 00:11:36.169 --> 00:11:39.649 about this matter. The first parallel is that 00:11:39.649 --> 00:11:43.529 of the bridegroom's first coming. He would leave 00:11:43.529 --> 00:11:46.389 his home and go to the bride's home and there 00:11:46.389 --> 00:11:50.820 pay the price for her. That is exactly what our 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:55.220 Lord Jesus Christ did 2 ,000 years ago. He left 00:11:55.220 --> 00:11:57.919 his Father's house in heaven and came here to 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:00.759 the earth, to the house, as it were, of the bride. 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:05.840 And he made the transaction to purchase her for 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:11.460 himself and established a covenant, a binding 00:12:11.460 --> 00:12:16.080 covenant between himself and his bride. And the 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.720 price that was paid was his own life's blood. 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:24.320 The second parallel I see in the covenant symbol, 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:29.379 in the cup of wine that was shared. Do you realize 00:12:29.379 --> 00:12:32.039 that each time that you and I observe communion, 00:12:32.340 --> 00:12:36.360 that it signifies this marriage covenant between 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:39.980 us and Jesus Christ, the new covenant in his 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:44.559 blood? Jesus said, you do show the Lord's death, 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:47.000 or rather Paul said, you do show the Lord's death 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:52.200 till he comes. So every time we partake of that 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:55.759 cup, we are reminding ourselves of the purchase 00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:00.080 price, what Jesus paid, that we might be married 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:06.580 to him in this covenant. The third parallel is 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:09.750 that of the bridegroom's present work. For he 00:13:09.750 --> 00:13:14.990 went back to his father's house. And there he 00:13:14.990 --> 00:13:20.309 is preparing a place for us. John chapter 14. 00:13:21.149 --> 00:13:24.289 A place that is exceedingly beautiful and which 00:13:24.289 --> 00:13:27.649 is described in Revelation chapter 21 beginning 00:13:27.649 --> 00:13:31.429 in verse 9. Where the angel says to John, come 00:13:31.429 --> 00:13:34.590 and I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife. 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.480 And as he does that, he shows this beautiful 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:43.220 city, the new Jerusalem. That is the place that 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:48.059 Jesus is preparing for us, his bride. The fourth 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:50.059 parallel is that of the bridegroom's return. 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:53.940 For without announcement and suddenly, he would 00:13:53.940 --> 00:13:57.259 come to the house of the bride without entering 00:13:57.259 --> 00:14:03.620 in and would receive his bride to himself. In 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:06.620 John chapter 14, Jesus said, I go to prepare 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:11.899 a place for you, and if I go, I will what? Come 00:14:11.899 --> 00:14:16.200 again and receive you to myself, that where I 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:19.620 am, there you may be also. And that is, of course, 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:21.940 the rapture of the church when the Lord Jesus 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:26.000 will come back to the world, not to the earth, 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:29.179 but into the atmosphere of the world, and will 00:14:29.179 --> 00:14:34.070 call out his bride to himself. Behold, the bridegroom 00:14:34.070 --> 00:14:38.090 is here, and we will be changed and caught up 00:14:38.090 --> 00:14:42.169 to meet him in the air and go back to the Father's 00:14:42.169 --> 00:14:47.190 house. A fifth parallel might be the guests at 00:14:47.190 --> 00:14:49.850 the wedding. For when we arrive back in the Father's 00:14:49.850 --> 00:14:51.870 house, there will be others who will be there 00:14:51.870 --> 00:14:54.470 who will not be a part of the church. I refer 00:14:54.470 --> 00:14:59.450 to the Old Testament saints. Those who believed 00:14:59.450 --> 00:15:04.669 in the Lord. trusted in him in that age before 00:15:04.669 --> 00:15:09.730 Calvary. Included in that number would be John 00:15:09.730 --> 00:15:12.450 the Baptist, who described himself in John 3 00:15:12.450 --> 00:15:16.809 .29 as a friend of the bridegroom. These Old 00:15:16.809 --> 00:15:19.250 Testament saints will be assembled in the Father's 00:15:19.250 --> 00:15:23.830 house to share in the festivities of the marriage 00:15:23.830 --> 00:15:29.019 of the Lamb and his bride. Parallel number six 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:31.820 might well be the days of hiding that we referred 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:35.740 to. These would be analogous to the seven years 00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:40.120 of tribulation upon the earth, during which the 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.740 bride will be unseen by the world. She will be 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:46.679 in heaven, hidden away. But after that period 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:50.019 of time, she will return with the Lord to the 00:15:50.019 --> 00:15:54.740 earth and be manifested in all of her glory with 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:59.480 him in his glory. What a grand announcement and 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:02.379 procession that will be in the second coming 00:16:02.379 --> 00:16:07.159 of our Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. And a 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:10.620 seventh parallel could be the period of celebration 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:15.779 that followed the marriage. Some people, Bible 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:19.639 scholars, understand the millennium, the literal 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:22.220 reign of Jesus Christ on the earth for a thousand 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:27.820 years. to not only be the time when the promises 00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:32.500 to Abraham and to Israel would be fulfilled, 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:36.500 but a time as well when there will be a worldwide 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:43.399 celebration of the Lamb's marriage to His bride, 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:48.240 the Church, so that we can understand the millennium 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:53.580 to be the festivities surrounding our marriage 00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:58.159 to Christ. So great will be the joy of that union 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.159 of the Lamb and His bride that it will take a 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:05.940 thousand years just to begin to celebrate that 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:11.240 joy. Now what lessons can we learn from all of 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:14.359 this? There are four of them I would like to 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:20.289 mention to you. As we think about the Lamb, Jesus 00:17:20.289 --> 00:17:24.410 Christ and his bride, the church. Lesson number 00:17:24.410 --> 00:17:28.190 one is the lesson of love. In Ephesians chapter 00:17:28.190 --> 00:17:34.109 5, we read, Christ loved the church and gave 00:17:34.109 --> 00:17:40.009 himself up for her. He loved us more than just 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:44.289 in word but in deed. And as an expression of 00:17:44.289 --> 00:17:53.049 his love for us, he gave himself up. That refers 00:17:53.049 --> 00:17:57.150 to his sacrifice on the cross. For the same phrase 00:17:57.150 --> 00:17:59.750 is used a few verses earlier in the chapter when 00:17:59.750 --> 00:18:02.910 it says that we should walk in love, verse 2, 00:18:03.029 --> 00:18:06.970 just as Christ also loved you and gave himself 00:18:06.970 --> 00:18:12.269 up for us. An offering and a sacrifice to God 00:18:12.269 --> 00:18:15.950 as a fragrant aroma. In other words, as a sacrifice 00:18:15.950 --> 00:18:20.849 which was pleasing to God. The lesson of love 00:18:20.849 --> 00:18:23.450 that we see exemplified in our Savior is that 00:18:23.450 --> 00:18:25.890 He gave Himself for us, and there is no greater 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:29.509 love than one should lay down his life for another. 00:18:30.390 --> 00:18:33.109 Now, why did He do this? Well, there are two 00:18:33.109 --> 00:18:37.390 reasons given in verses 26 and 27. He gave Himself 00:18:37.390 --> 00:18:40.250 up for us that He might sanctify the church. 00:18:41.430 --> 00:18:44.650 That means to set the church, to set believers 00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:50.069 apart. to make them different, to make them holy. 00:18:51.269 --> 00:18:54.549 He gave himself up to sanctify the church, having 00:18:54.549 --> 00:18:57.670 cleansed her by the washing of water with the 00:18:57.670 --> 00:19:01.450 word. The tenses of the verbs there in verse 00:19:01.450 --> 00:19:05.109 26 lead me to believe that that cleansing it's 00:19:05.109 --> 00:19:07.970 talking about, the washing or the bath of water 00:19:07.970 --> 00:19:13.549 with the word, is the word of the gospel which 00:19:13.549 --> 00:19:17.059 we hear and believe. and which then results in 00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:21.579 our being cleansed from all of our sins. And 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:24.539 it is that bath, just like the bridal bath, it 00:19:24.539 --> 00:19:28.160 is that bath that sanctifies and sets us apart 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:32.220 for our bridegroom. But then he expresses furthermore 00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:37.119 that he might present to himself the church in 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:41.039 all her glory. And so he gave himself for us 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.480 to sanctify us and to cleanse us from our sins, 00:19:43.660 --> 00:19:46.700 but also that he might present us to himself 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:51.460 in glory. That word present is such a fine one. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:55.579 It means that he wishes to place us beside himself. 00:19:56.859 --> 00:20:00.240 Think of this, that the king of the universe 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:06.119 desires to place you beside himself so that you 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.529 might share with him. In glory. Isn't that fabulous? 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:14.849 That's how much he loves you and me. That's why 00:20:14.849 --> 00:20:18.289 he gave himself up for us. That he might present 00:20:18.289 --> 00:20:22.309 us to himself. That we might be a radiant bride. 00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:26.210 Which he describes here as having no spot. That 00:20:26.210 --> 00:20:34.910 is no stain. Not dirty. Having no wrinkle. Now 00:20:34.910 --> 00:20:39.059 that's a pleasant thought, isn't it? It literally 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:43.599 means a wrinkle on the skin caused by age. In 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:45.779 other words, the church is presented here in 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:51.980 her freshness and her youth. Or any such thing. 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:54.720 In other words, there will be nothing at all 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:58.700 that will be charged against the church in that 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:02.019 day. He says that we will be holy and blameless. 00:21:04.269 --> 00:21:07.089 Frankly, our lifestyles right now come a little 00:21:07.089 --> 00:21:10.289 short of that, don't they? Because we still do 00:21:10.289 --> 00:21:15.349 sin. And we should not take that lightly, considering 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:18.269 who we are in Jesus Christ and what our destiny 00:21:18.269 --> 00:21:21.490 is. But aren't you glad that there's a day coming 00:21:21.490 --> 00:21:25.230 when we are going to be presented to Jesus Christ 00:21:25.230 --> 00:21:28.630 in glory and there will be no mark, no stain, 00:21:28.789 --> 00:21:32.390 no wrinkle or anything like that that will disfigure 00:21:32.390 --> 00:21:36.250 us? and make us unworthy to be standing with 00:21:36.250 --> 00:21:41.089 him, beside him, on his throne. Jesus Christ 00:21:41.089 --> 00:21:44.769 loved the church, and he gave himself for it. 00:21:45.329 --> 00:21:51.450 Question. Do you love the church? Then what have 00:21:51.450 --> 00:21:56.210 you given for the church? Have you given yourself 00:21:56.210 --> 00:22:01.680 for it? And I'm thinking primarily of the local 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:04.339 expression of the church because that's the tangible 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:08.680 thing that we can relate to. If Jesus Christ 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:14.319 so loved this church that he gave himself for 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:19.700 it, then how much should we love it? And yet 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:23.680 isn't our attitude too often, what am I going 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:27.900 to get out of church? rather than what can I 00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:33.740 give and contribute to church. I must ask myself, 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.059 as you should ask yourself the question, what 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:42.200 sacrifice have I made for the church? Do you 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:45.859 love the church? If we love the church, then 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:49.539 we'll give ourselves to it and for it as much 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:52.640 as Jesus did, even to the point of sacrifice. 00:22:54.670 --> 00:22:58.490 How does that apply to you? I don't know. What 00:22:58.490 --> 00:23:01.349 is it that God says to you to do in order to 00:23:01.349 --> 00:23:03.190 prove your love for the church? I don't know. 00:23:04.950 --> 00:23:07.890 But I know this, we can't just love the church 00:23:07.890 --> 00:23:12.930 in word. That's insufficient. There must be some 00:23:12.930 --> 00:23:18.490 deed there as well. The lesson of love. Then 00:23:18.490 --> 00:23:23.380 the lesson of care. We see that Jesus Christ 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:28.160 is presently caring for his bride as a man would 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:36.279 his own body, it says in verse 29. No one ever 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:39.660 hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:44.640 it just as Christ also does the church. In other 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:49.279 words, Christ nourishes and cherishes the church. 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:54.299 He cares for the church presently, right now. 00:23:55.019 --> 00:23:57.480 He nourishes it. What does that mean? Well, it 00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:00.819 means more than food. The idea behind the word 00:24:00.819 --> 00:24:06.140 nourish is to bring this one who is in view to 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:10.900 maturity, to full perfection. In other words, 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:14.180 the concern of Jesus Christ right now is that 00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:18.079 every believer in the church be brought to full 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:26.369 maturity. and perfection. He nourishes us. He 00:24:26.369 --> 00:24:32.589 feeds us. He brings us along in our understanding 00:24:32.589 --> 00:24:37.589 of who He is. He exposes our sins so that we 00:24:37.589 --> 00:24:39.910 can confess that and repent of it and be done 00:24:39.910 --> 00:24:43.549 with it. He's nourishing us to bring us to maturity, 00:24:43.690 --> 00:24:46.390 but then He's cherishing us as well. What a great 00:24:46.390 --> 00:24:51.990 word that is. Like a husband cherishes his wife. 00:24:52.109 --> 00:24:55.250 Like a man cherishes his own body. And oh, how 00:24:55.250 --> 00:24:59.730 men are wont to do that. To show tender love 00:24:59.730 --> 00:25:04.750 to their own bodies. So Jesus Christ is tenderly 00:25:04.750 --> 00:25:09.789 loving us and showing us affection. Question. 00:25:10.930 --> 00:25:17.279 Do you care for other believers? Do you weep 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:19.640 o 'er the erring one and lift up the fallen? 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:24.619 Or do you gossip about the erring one and kick 00:25:24.619 --> 00:25:30.779 the fallen? As much as our Lord is concerned 00:25:30.779 --> 00:25:34.119 about the church maturing and growing and being 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:39.500 nourished, so ought we to be. And I will frankly 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:41.700 say to you that as the pastor teacher of this 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:45.720 church, that is my number one priority. that 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:49.420 this church be matured in the things of God. 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:54.839 We are all at various levels of maturity, and 00:25:54.839 --> 00:25:57.140 I'm concerned that we all be brought along and 00:25:57.140 --> 00:26:02.519 grow. I know many of you share that concern. 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:04.680 You're pouring your lives into other people, 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:08.539 that they might be nourished and brought along 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:13.940 in their walk with God. We must care about each 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:19.740 other. Are we showing tender affection and love? 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:23.839 When someone in our small church is hurting, 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:29.019 are we ministering to them? What about the person 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:34.000 who's not involved in our small church? Do we 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:37.819 care about them? What about the one who's going 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:41.480 through the struggle in the family with children 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:46.069 who are rebellious? It's a lot easier to condemn 00:26:46.069 --> 00:26:49.769 than it is to pray or to go out there and put 00:26:49.769 --> 00:26:53.029 your arm around that father or mother and to 00:26:53.029 --> 00:26:56.789 say, if there's anything I can do, I'm here. 00:26:58.930 --> 00:27:05.369 Once again, folks, words are not enough. We must 00:27:05.369 --> 00:27:10.410 show that we care. There's somebody around you 00:27:10.410 --> 00:27:15.519 right now who needs your care. And you may not 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:17.460 even know that at this point, but I guarantee 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:21.079 you that's true. Because every person you meet 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:24.579 is battling some battle, is carrying some load. 00:27:25.619 --> 00:27:30.579 And we need to be sensitive to that. And there 00:27:30.579 --> 00:27:33.039 are ways that we can individually get involved 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:36.220 in the lives of other people. If we send somebody 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:38.140 down, let's just take a moment and say, hey, 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:41.059 is something a problem? Can I help you? Can I 00:27:41.059 --> 00:27:44.160 pray with you about something? Folks, let's care. 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:48.920 I mean, let's really care about one another. 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:53.440 Jesus cares about us, and we must reflect that. 00:27:55.519 --> 00:28:00.200 Lesson three is the lesson of oneness. It says 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:02.720 that for this cause a man shall leave his father 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:05.740 and mother and shall cleave. The word literally 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:10.140 means to be glued to his wife. And the two shall 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:13.690 become one flesh. Back in Genesis, when that 00:28:13.690 --> 00:28:16.650 account is given, the Hebrew there is very expressive 00:28:16.650 --> 00:28:19.069 when it says the two shall become one. The word 00:28:19.069 --> 00:28:23.509 one back there means indivisibly one. We picture 00:28:23.509 --> 00:28:26.130 it mathematically by saying one plus one equals 00:28:26.130 --> 00:28:32.289 one. There is a oneness between husband and wife 00:28:32.289 --> 00:28:35.529 that is very special. But then he goes right 00:28:35.529 --> 00:28:38.089 on to say, this mystery is great, but I'm speaking 00:28:38.089 --> 00:28:41.029 with reference to Christ and the church. In other 00:28:41.029 --> 00:28:43.529 words, he is giving us here a lesson in oneness. 00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:46.970 He is saying that you and I are permanently identified 00:28:46.970 --> 00:28:53.750 with or glued to our bridegroom. That's the reason 00:28:53.750 --> 00:28:57.750 that the mystery is so great, he says, because 00:28:57.750 --> 00:29:02.970 we are united, identified with him. We're not 00:29:02.970 --> 00:29:06.769 only joined to him, but we are a part of Jesus 00:29:06.769 --> 00:29:11.289 Christ. Now, there are a couple of very practical 00:29:11.289 --> 00:29:14.730 applications of this truth. One is that we can 00:29:14.730 --> 00:29:18.890 rest easily knowing that we are kept secure in 00:29:18.890 --> 00:29:24.269 our relationship with him. I am one with Jesus 00:29:24.269 --> 00:29:29.049 Christ. Do you understand that? It means that 00:29:29.049 --> 00:29:31.849 I can no more lose out on my salvation and go 00:29:31.849 --> 00:29:34.450 to hell now than Jesus Christ can go to hell. 00:29:35.650 --> 00:29:40.509 And I say that with reverence. Because God, by 00:29:40.509 --> 00:29:43.069 His grace, has made me one with Christ, just 00:29:43.069 --> 00:29:47.009 as He's made you one with Jesus Christ. And you 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:52.210 can rest secure in that knowledge. Spurgeon said, 00:29:52.410 --> 00:29:56.430 as long as a man's head is above water, you can't 00:29:56.430 --> 00:30:02.220 drown his feet. And my friend, our head is in 00:30:02.220 --> 00:30:04.140 heaven. He's glorified, and we may be nothing 00:30:04.140 --> 00:30:07.160 but the soles of the feet, but we're part of 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:12.880 Him. As long as the head's above water, you can't 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:18.119 drown the feet. A second application is this. 00:30:18.140 --> 00:30:20.980 Nothing happens to me but that He permits it 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:24.960 and knows all about it. Because you see, I'm 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:29.740 a member of Him. He cannot neglect me. He cannot 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:35.099 hate his own flesh, his own body. And so whatever 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:38.640 happens to me happens to Jesus. It's just that 00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:44.059 simple. Whatever happens to you happens to him. 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:47.059 There's nothing that happens to you but that 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:49.119 he is not in control of that. He's not aware 00:30:49.119 --> 00:30:51.660 of it. He's not monitoring it. He's not able 00:30:51.660 --> 00:30:55.339 to meet your need in that crisis, whatever it 00:30:55.339 --> 00:31:01.000 is. because we are one with him. Since Christ 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:04.019 and we are one, why should we doubt and fear? 00:31:04.859 --> 00:31:11.460 If he in heaven has fixed his throne, he'll fix 00:31:11.460 --> 00:31:15.359 his members there. That's the lesson of oneness. 00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:20.519 And finally, the lesson of submission. We see 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:23.500 in verse 24 that the church is subject to Christ. 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:29.220 In verse 23, Christ is the head of the church. 00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:37.220 Just as a wife is to reverence her husband and 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:41.519 to be in submission to him, so, my friend, so, 00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:45.180 my friend, we are to be in reverence of Jesus 00:31:45.180 --> 00:31:49.940 Christ and in submission to him. Oh, you say, 00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:52.799 I know he's the head. We sang about it this morning 00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:57.039 in the hymn. I know that he's the final authority. 00:31:57.579 --> 00:32:02.579 Good. Now, are you living in light of that? Are 00:32:02.579 --> 00:32:05.839 you living in light of it? You say, well, as 00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:09.400 much as I know. You say, how do I know what he 00:32:09.400 --> 00:32:13.759 wants? After all, he's invisible to me. There's 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:18.759 a very good answer to that. Our head, our bridegroom, 00:32:19.390 --> 00:32:22.470 Our husband -to -be, the Lord Jesus Christ, expresses 00:32:22.470 --> 00:32:25.750 his will for us, his wife, his bride, the church, 00:32:25.930 --> 00:32:35.289 right here. And as the Holy Spirit teaches us, 00:32:35.369 --> 00:32:41.650 we learn what he wants us to do and to be. You 00:32:41.650 --> 00:32:43.349 say, well, how does that apply in the church? 00:32:43.630 --> 00:32:47.920 Well, there's one other aspect to that. And that 00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:50.539 is the Lord Jesus Christ has provided that in 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:53.440 this age in the local church, there should be 00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:59.380 leaders that he calls elders. These elders of 00:32:59.380 --> 00:33:02.380 the congregation are responsible for determining 00:33:02.380 --> 00:33:05.240 the mind of God in the direction of the ministry 00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:09.160 of the church. They are no more infallible than 00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:12.279 anybody else in the church, but they are responsible. 00:33:13.869 --> 00:33:16.410 And that is why in the word of God it says, Obey 00:33:16.410 --> 00:33:20.250 your leaders and submit to them, for they watch 00:33:20.250 --> 00:33:23.529 over your souls as those who will give an account. 00:33:24.250 --> 00:33:27.230 Let them do this with joy and not with grief, 00:33:27.289 --> 00:33:32.390 for that will be unprofitable for you. We as 00:33:32.390 --> 00:33:35.990 a church express our submission to Jesus Christ, 00:33:36.130 --> 00:33:39.930 our head, by our attitude toward the authority 00:33:39.930 --> 00:33:42.210 that he establishes within the local congregation. 00:33:42.910 --> 00:33:47.829 The elders. A few weeks ago, or I should say 00:33:47.829 --> 00:33:50.250 a few days ago, I was in a meeting where John 00:33:50.250 --> 00:33:53.990 MacArthur was speaking, and he told about a time 00:33:53.990 --> 00:33:57.130 of stress within Grace Community Church there 00:33:57.130 --> 00:34:01.190 in Sun Valley, California, when some of the older 00:34:01.190 --> 00:34:04.029 members of the church became disgruntled over 00:34:04.029 --> 00:34:08.989 some issue. And they demanded a meeting with 00:34:08.989 --> 00:34:14.639 him. And so... A time and a place was established 00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:18.239 when he would meet with them. And they were all 00:34:18.239 --> 00:34:20.239 gathered there, all of these disgruntled people. 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:23.980 And he, along with a couple of elders, came in. 00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:26.940 And John said, before we get started, I just 00:34:26.940 --> 00:34:28.679 want to read some scriptures and have prayer. 00:34:29.980 --> 00:34:32.300 And so he opened his Bible and he began to read 00:34:32.300 --> 00:34:36.699 from 1 Corinthians chapter 3 about strife and 00:34:36.699 --> 00:34:40.800 division and the fact that that is an evidence 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:44.179 of carnality. Then he turned to Hebrews chapter 00:34:44.179 --> 00:34:47.260 13 and he read the verse I just read about obey 00:34:47.260 --> 00:34:50.739 those who are your leaders and submit to them. 00:34:50.820 --> 00:34:54.739 That's the will of God. Then he closed his Bible 00:34:54.739 --> 00:34:56.280 and he said, folks, I just want to tell you, 00:34:56.340 --> 00:35:02.920 you're carnal. That's the problem. He said, what 00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:08.929 we need to do is to repent and pray. And God 00:35:08.929 --> 00:35:11.070 met them in that room that day, and there was 00:35:11.070 --> 00:35:15.170 a brokenness, and there was a repentance. What 00:35:15.170 --> 00:35:18.949 is your attitude toward the headship of Jesus 00:35:18.949 --> 00:35:22.230 Christ? As the direct Lord of your life, and 00:35:22.230 --> 00:35:24.469 then as it relates in the church, the authority 00:35:24.469 --> 00:35:28.030 that God has established in the church, is there 00:35:28.030 --> 00:35:33.369 chafing and resistance or even rebellion? Then 00:35:33.369 --> 00:35:36.889 be aware that that's not God's will. It's carnality. 00:35:38.219 --> 00:35:41.920 Be aware that what God's will is, that all of 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:46.400 us be submitted. One to another, as he says in 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:50.760 verse 21, in the fear of Christ. What does he 00:35:50.760 --> 00:35:53.039 say in the fear of Christ? Because it's a very, 00:35:53.099 --> 00:35:57.320 very serious thing to be in rebellion. Whether 00:35:57.320 --> 00:35:59.800 it be in the husband -wife relationship or in 00:35:59.800 --> 00:36:03.820 the church relationship, rebellion is as witchcraft, 00:36:03.880 --> 00:36:07.400 says the Word of God. That's the lesson of submission. 00:36:10.570 --> 00:36:14.329 The relationship between a bridegroom and his 00:36:14.329 --> 00:36:17.690 bride is one of love. And folks, if there's any 00:36:17.690 --> 00:36:21.570 great danger that you face, which I face, is 00:36:21.570 --> 00:36:24.349 that our love should not be what it ought to 00:36:24.349 --> 00:36:29.289 be. We face the danger in the first place of 00:36:29.289 --> 00:36:33.070 a cooling love. When, like the church at Ephesus, 00:36:33.170 --> 00:36:35.210 we do all of the outward things we're supposed 00:36:35.210 --> 00:36:38.949 to do, but Jesus says to us, this I have against 00:36:38.949 --> 00:36:43.440 you. You've left your first love. You've forsaken 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:47.320 it. You don't love me with the intensity with 00:36:47.320 --> 00:36:51.159 which you loved me at one time. The next step 00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:54.420 away is an indifferent love, like the church 00:36:54.420 --> 00:36:58.300 in Laodicea, where they could care less whether 00:36:58.300 --> 00:37:00.519 Jesus was in their midst. They were rich and 00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:03.980 had need of nothing. They were having a grand 00:37:03.980 --> 00:37:08.079 old time, and yet he was outside knocking to 00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:11.920 come in. They were lukewarm and self -satisfied. 00:37:11.980 --> 00:37:14.980 That's a step down from what happened in Ephesus. 00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:18.340 Cooling love, indifferent love, and the final 00:37:18.340 --> 00:37:23.139 awful step is adulterous love. When we fall out 00:37:23.139 --> 00:37:26.760 of love with Jesus Christ and fall into love 00:37:26.760 --> 00:37:32.420 with the world, the systemized organization of 00:37:32.420 --> 00:37:36.179 evil headed up by Satan, which controls unregenerate 00:37:36.179 --> 00:37:40.139 people. That's why we were told in 1 John 2, 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:45.860 verse 15, do not love the world. But James takes 00:37:45.860 --> 00:37:48.840 it a step further and addresses people who were 00:37:48.840 --> 00:37:52.320 loving the world. And he says, you adulteresses. 00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:57.960 Now, my friend, that's a strong word. He says, 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:00.719 you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship 00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:05.429 with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, 00:38:05.550 --> 00:38:08.710 whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes 00:38:08.710 --> 00:38:16.429 himself an enemy of God. Are you guilty of sexual 00:38:16.429 --> 00:38:21.969 immorality? You say, oh, wow, never. I would 00:38:21.969 --> 00:38:24.989 not want to shame myself. I would not want to 00:38:24.989 --> 00:38:30.510 shame my wife. I would not want to shame my God 00:38:30.510 --> 00:38:34.440 by that. I wouldn't be involved in sexual immorality. 00:38:34.780 --> 00:38:39.320 I wouldn't commit adultery. It's a terrible thing, 00:38:39.320 --> 00:38:42.239 and it is. It's a shameful, despicable thing. 00:38:44.980 --> 00:38:48.800 But if we feel that strongly about physical adultery, 00:38:48.860 --> 00:38:52.019 why is it that we take spiritual adultery in 00:38:52.019 --> 00:38:59.019 our own lives so lightly? When we have one arm 00:38:59.019 --> 00:39:04.119 around the Savior, But the other arm is around 00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:06.760 the world, and we are cuddling up as close to 00:39:06.760 --> 00:39:10.219 the world as we can possibly get, and loving 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:15.280 the world too. James says, you adulteresses. 00:39:20.139 --> 00:39:24.900 Dear people, we are the beloved bride of Jesus 00:39:24.900 --> 00:39:29.579 Christ. We are destined to join Him on His throne, 00:39:29.719 --> 00:39:32.440 to share in His inheritance, to be glorified 00:39:32.440 --> 00:39:39.320 with Him. Let's have a pure love, a fresh love, 00:39:39.420 --> 00:39:44.420 a first love for Him. The Apostle Paul said to 00:39:44.420 --> 00:39:46.940 the Corinthians, My desire for you is that I 00:39:46.940 --> 00:39:52.260 might present you as a pure, chaste virgin to 00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:57.409 Jesus Christ. And that's how we as a church and 00:39:57.409 --> 00:40:00.789 we as individuals ought to want to be presented 00:40:00.789 --> 00:40:12.929 to him. Would you bow with me? I don't know what 00:40:12.929 --> 00:40:16.550 the intensity of your love may be for your bridegroom. 00:40:17.909 --> 00:40:20.630 But dear Christian, can I ask you, is it a cooling 00:40:20.630 --> 00:40:25.989 love? Is it the same intensity of love that could 00:40:25.989 --> 00:40:31.329 be described as first love? Or has it even slipped 00:40:31.329 --> 00:40:33.809 so far as to be a lukewarm love, an indifferent 00:40:33.809 --> 00:40:38.670 love? You don't really take time to spend with 00:40:38.670 --> 00:40:43.969 him, to talk with him, to read his word. Or has 00:40:43.969 --> 00:40:48.630 it gone even further so that you're a spiritual 00:40:48.630 --> 00:40:53.769 adulterer or an adulteress? You love the world. 00:40:53.869 --> 00:40:55.869 You're living in the world. You're a part of 00:40:55.869 --> 00:41:05.050 it. Sin is dominating you. Will you today make 00:41:05.050 --> 00:41:08.269 whatever confession to your bridegroom that you 00:41:08.269 --> 00:41:15.289 need to make? Ask his forgiveness. Repent and 00:41:15.289 --> 00:41:22.920 return to him. Father, I pray. that each of us 00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:29.420 may be pure and chaste in our love for our bridegroom. 00:41:31.159 --> 00:41:33.880 And wherein that love is less than it ought to 00:41:33.880 --> 00:41:39.119 be or it is given to another, expose that, rebuke 00:41:39.119 --> 00:41:42.460 us, that we may repent of it and come back to 00:41:42.460 --> 00:41:48.420 that place of first love. And I pray this in 00:41:48.420 --> 00:42:03.730 Jesus' name. My Jesus, I love Thee. I know Thou 00:42:03.730 --> 00:42:25.139 art mine. For Thee all the follies of sin my 00:42:25.139 --> 00:43:02.940 precious Redeemer, my Savior. Number 480 will 00:43:02.940 --> 00:43:05.079 be our closing hymn. We're going to sing.