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 Pastor Scott Applegate

 “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:10-12 NIV

  • The Church is the eternal purpose of God
  • That purpose is expressed in four metaphors
  • The Church is His beloved bride, His dwelling place, His family and His body

Understanding What It Means to be His Beloved:

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…” Song of Songs 6:3 NIV

Beloved:
1. (adjective) greatly loved; dear to the heart
2. (noun) a person who is greatly loved

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:22-33 NIV

  1. The Bible begins with a marriage

“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”  That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.  Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” Genesis 2:18-25 NIV

  • She was a new creation (Genesis 2:22)
  • She came from his side (Genesis 2:21)
  • She took his name (Genesis 5:2)
  • She was utterly devoted to him (Genesis 2:24)
  • She was flawless (Genesis 2:25)
  • She became one with him (Genesis 2:24)
  1. The Bible ends with a marriage

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7 NIV

  • The first two chapters of the Bible and the last two chapters of the Bible are the only chapters without sin (Genesis 1 and 2 and Revelation 21-22)
  1. The Bible is filled with some very significant marriages
  • Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12-22)
  • Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24)
  • Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29)
  1. The Church is the eternal companion of the Son of God
  • “In the beginning…”, The Son of Man [Adam] (John 1)
  • Jesus goes to a wedding. “It’s not yet My time…” (John 2:1-11, also see Revelation 21)
  • John the Baptist confirms that Jesus is the “Bridegroom” (John 3:27-36)
  • Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:1-42) 

“…His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Ephesians 2:15-16 NIV 

  • Jesus is the true Adam and the church is the true Eve (1 Corinthians 15:45)
    • We are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
    • We came from His side (John 19:34)
    • We have taken His name (Ephesians 5:27)
    • We are devoted to Him (1 Corinthians 7:35)
    • We have been made flawless (Ephesians 1:4-8)
    • We are one with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17)