Espoused to Christ

(Go To Meeting)

Tom Fannin—September 9, 2023

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Here we are, just now less than a month away from the 'Feast. I know we're all looking forward in preparing for the 'Feast days.

I want to begin by turning back to Gen. 2, and we're going to review the Adam and Eve marriage covenant that they had, that God introduced them to.

Genesis 2:19: "And out of the ground the LORD God had formed every animal of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature that became its name. And Adam gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field, but there was not found a helper compatible for Adam" (vs 19-20).

So, he hid in the garden. It was beautiful, these things God had created and designed for him. He had all these animals at that time. Their nature was different than it is now and just a beautiful setting to be in, but something was missing. There wasn't something compatible for him.

Verse 21: "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall over Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and afterward closed up the flesh underneath. Then the LORD God made the rib (which He had taken out of the man) into a woman, and He brought her to the man" (vs 21-22).

It doesn't say this in God's Word, but I just believe when Adam saw Eve, I'm sure he was delighted. And certainly, this woman brought to him was more than compatible, a helper, but in his eyes, I'm sure he thought she is beautiful. It doesn't say that here in God's Word, but when you think about Isaac and Rebecca, or you think about Jacob and Rachel and others, they recognized the beauty in their wives whom God gave them. I'm sure Adam felt the same way when he saw Eve. He's just delighted.

Verse 23: "And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.' For this reason shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (vs 23-24).

The marriage institute given by God! You see the word cleave, and we'll be looking at this later, but cleave means joined to. The husband and wife are joined to each other.

Verse 25: "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed."

We know this is the marriage institute, and you know that within the Church, those of us who have God's Spirit have a better understanding of marriage and husbands and wives becoming one flesh. How important that is; this institute that God designed so He could have more beings, more human beings through marriage, through having children, and at some point, have a big family.

That's what marriage is about, being able to have family in that environment, in that atmosphere, in a right way. So, we in the Church have a better understanding of this design and what this means now and in the future. I want to go back to speaking of marriage. Marriage is very important.

Hebrews 13:4:"Let marriage be held honorable by all, and the marital union be undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers."

It's just so important for us to think about the marriages in the physical here in this life. All the marriages that have taken place down through time that are taking place now in the world and the Church. But to think about these marriages need to be honored. And they need to be kept undefiled. That's how important they are to God!

We know, as we move forward in the message, there is a future marriage that we're all looking forward to. It'll be:

• completely this way
• completely honorable
• completely undefiled

The marriage covenant is Holy; it's because God designed it that way, because there's a purpose for it.

We learn in these physical lives we live—those of us who are married learn so much from our marriages—spiritual things as well! Within our marriages, we learn about things that we need to be preparing for. We have responsibilities in our marriages before God, don't we?

Let's see what Peter wrote: 1-Peter 3:1: "Likewise, you wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if any are not obedient to the Word, through the behavior of the wives they may be gained without a word."

As we go through the message, we'll talk a little bit about submitting. But look at the responsibility of the wife and what the wife is able to do

Verse 2: "Having witnessed your chaste behavior carried out with reverence."

So, being able to observe what the wife does in her submitting and her behavior, how important and effective that is.

Verse 3: "Whose adorning, let it not be the external adornment of braiding the hair, or wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in costly clothing"—which we see that, you know, done a lot.

It's important. It's part of a woman's beauty and who they are being able to do this. But here's the important thing. It says:

Verse 4: "But let your adornment be the inward person of the heart, manifested in the incorruptible jewel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is of great value in God's sight."

So, you know, when we think about God and Jesus Christ and what they look to, it's talking about the things here that are inward, the inward things that a wife needs to have, the inward things that a husband needs to have. These are important to God. These are things that are valuable to God and He's looking for.

Verse 5: "For in this way also the Holy women of the past who hoped in God adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands; even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; and you are her children, if you are doing what is right, and are not frightened by any intimidation. Likewise, you husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge…" (vs 5-7).

What knowledge is that? It's not the knowledge of the world!

• it's the knowledge of the Truth
• it's the knowledge that comes through God's Word
• it's the knowledge that we have because God's Spirit works within us

That's the knowledge we need to be dwelling with our wives with, as with a weaker vessel, giving them honor as women!

Keep marriage honorable! We give them honor as women and as joint heirs, brothers and sisters in Christ. We'll think about that and look at that in a little bit.

"…andas joint heirs of the grace of life so that your prayers may not be cut off"(v 7).

For all the husbands, yes, we certainly don't want our prayers cut off. We need to be mindful of how we treat our wives and how husbands and wives work together. It's just important because we learn so many lessons from this and we grow and develop spiritually by how we interact and love one another as husbands and wives.

Marriage, the marriages within the Church, and that's the main focus talking about marriage here in the first part of the message are marriages within the Church. Our marriages within the Church and how well they're going really are a great reflection on how our spiritual lives are.

If we find ourselves having a lot of troubles in our marriages, then we probably are having spiritual troubles as well. Just something to keep in mind.

Yes, within the Church these are spiritual marriages. And, you know, over the years, in the Church myself, I've seen some really, really good examples of marriages, how husbands and wives treated each other and love one another. The examples they set to younger people in the Church, young marriages, or maybe those who haven't been married yet or that were preparing and thinking about marriage.

They set excellent examples to the other brethren in marriages. I'm sure you've seen some of those examples, as well. It's very good to see.

I tell you, it just makes you smile when you see a couple in the Church that have a lot of love for one another and they care for one another and you see how they interact with each other. It's just wonderful how God's designed that and you see it truly at work.

I've said these marriages are spiritual that we have within the Church. We're one flesh, but we're also one spirit. Let's read about that:

Ephesians 4:3: "Being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as you were also called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is over all, and through all, and in you all" (vs 3-6).

God and Jesus Christ dwell in us with the Holy Spirit. We know that. With that mind:

• What can we accomplish in our marriages?
• What should we be accomplishing in our marriages?

Well, quite a bit, because they're spiritual also! We share God's Spirit in marriage. So, we should be able to accomplish a lot is my point.

Matthew 19:3: "Then the Pharisees came to Him and tempted Him, saying to Him, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?'"

Verse 4: "But He answered them, saying, 'Have you not read that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh"?'" (vs 4-5).

Here is Christ speaking. And we know when Christ was God in the Old Testament, He had a very big part with God the Father in this institution. They designed and created it!

Verse 6: "So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Brethren, we should never forget that God joins together! God is very much a part of the marriage covenant. We all want Him to be a part of the marriage covenant! We don't want Him excluded from it. We want Him a part of it.

Verse 7: "They said to Him, 'Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?' He said to them, 'Because of your hardheartedness, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it was not so'" (vs 7-8).

We know the children of Israel were hard-hearted and they rebelled against God and didn't keep His Word, including marriage and the design of marriage.

But the question for us in the Church who have God's Spirit, are we hard hearted? Well, no, we're not! We have a circumcised heart! That's what it talks about. Our hearts have become circumcised! They should be a softened heart:

• a heart that has understanding
• a heart that desires to obey God

To live life and to change and to have love for one another!

Our hearts in the Church aren't hardened. So something to keep in mind, we have a different heart! Once we've been called and we've received God's Spirit!

Verse 9: "And I say to you, whoever shall divorce his wife, except it be for sexual immorality, and shall marry another, is committing adultery; and the one who marries her who has been divorced is committing adultery.' His disciples said to Him, 'If that is the case of a man with a wife, it is better not to marry'" (vs 9-10).

So evidently at that time, there was problems there, like we see now with divorce, with people being unfaithful to one another.

Verse "11: But He said to them, 'Not everyone can receive this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. The one who is able to receive it, let him receive it'" (vs 11-12).

I guess the question for us is: Can we receive this message, what Christ is saying here? We should be able to, but the most important thing here is, marriage is honorable. We should keep it that way. We should keep it undefiled! In marriages within the Church, we should be faithful to one another. We should be able to work out problems that we have, because we will have problems in marriages. But we have God's Spirit to help us with this and lead us through these things. We're not hardhearted. We can receive and understand these things within the Church.

There is another marriage we're going to be talking about. Do we in the Church look forward to the marriage to Jesus Christ? That's part of our calling! We are a espoused to Christ! Let's go back and see where this is talked about in:

2-Corinthians 11:1: I would that you might bear with me in a little nonsense; but indeed, do bear with me.  For I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God because I have espoused… [joined] …you to one husband, so that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (vs 1-2).

So, we're espoused to Christ! Paul says here that he wants us to be presented to Christ as a chaste virgin! Chaste means once you're joined or committed to someone, then you're faithful to them! Chaste means you're not participating in extramarital relationships if you're committed to this person!

Verse 3: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For indeed, if someone comes preaching another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel, which you did not accept, you put up with it as something good" (vs 3-4).

So, Paul's saying here that you're espoused to Christ! You need to keep that in mind. You don't need to be getting involved in other things, extramarital things. You need to keep your focus on Christ Whom you've been joined to.

• we have been joined to Christ in baptism
• we died to a covenant death
• we were co-crucified with Him

When we came out of that watery grave, we were to live in newness and walk as Jesus Christ walked! That's what we agreed to!

Now, the physical marriages we're in, there is an engagement or espousal to someone. From time to time, we've heard where maybe for whatever reason, the marriage itself got called off. Sometimes that's happened where two people agreed to marry one another, but before they got to the actual event, it got called off. So, occasionally that can happen, but most of the time it doesn't. With our espousal to Jesus Christ, it's a little bit different than that! Because when we become espoused to Christ, Christ will be there at that marriage. Christ will continually be faithful to us. So, it's a guarantee that he will be there. Our part is to make sure we're there, too, for that marriage!

Revelation 17:14: "These will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful."

That's us; those who will be with Jesus Christ when Jesus Christ returns, after the marriage that the Church will have with Christ. They're called, they're chosen! They have been the ones:

• who have kept the covenant
• who entered into covenant
• who have repented
• who have received God's Spirit
• who are walking with Christ

Completely joined with Him and faithful to the end! These are the ones that will be a part of that marriage!

These are the things we need to be focused on. So, I want to read just a little bit about who our future husband is. We know it's Jesus Christ, but do we really think about what Christ is to us? He is fully committed. He's fully faithful as a future husband, because Christ did things to become a faithful husband!

Philippians 2:6: Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…. [He and God were equal, the two Gods of the Old Testament] …but emptied Himself, and was made in the likeness of men, and took the form of a servant; and being found in the manner of man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (vs 6-8).

This future Husband of the Church became a servant. He emptied Himself of being God and became a man, became humble. That's the Husband we have to look forward to. Kind of resembles what Peter wrote what a husband should be.

Hebrews 2:14: "Therefore, since the children are partakers of flesh and blood, in like manner He also took part in the same, in order that through death He might annul him who has the power of death—that is, the devil; and that He might deliver those who were subject to bondage all through their lives by their fear of death. For surely, He is not taking upon Himself to help the angels; but He is taking upon Himself to help the seed of Abraham" (vs 14-16)—for Christ, for Abraham's seed and heirs!

Verse 17: "For this reason, it was obligatory for Him to be made like His brethren in everything that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, in order to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He Himself has suffered, having been tempted in like manner, He is able to help those who are being tempted" (vs 17-18).

So, He was made like man. He's gone through the things that man has gone through. He was tempted in all ways. He suffered, but He was without sin. He was perfect. And just think about this, what we have to look forward to in the flesh here. Now, husbands aren't perfect, but He will be a perfect husband! He's Who we're espoused to!

Just think, He's, the other part of this, He's going to be there to raise us up and He's faithful to that, too. Just this past week, I was at a funeral, giving the service there. That's what we preached, that Christ would raise this man up the last day. So, He'll raise all of us up and then He'll marry the Church again as a perfect husband.

Kind of makes us think about what kind of, as a Church, what kind of Bride should we be for Jesus Christ? Just to put a little more emphasis on what kind of bride we should be:

1-Corinthians 6:13: "Foods are for the belly, and the belly is for foods; but God will destroy both it and those. Now, the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." That's what we read later in Corinthians!

He wanted us to be presented as chaste. So, the body is not for sexual immorality. So, our bodies are for God or for"…the Lord, and the Lord for the body."

Verse 14: "And God has also raised the Lord from the dead, and will raise us by His own power. Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ?" Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? MAY IT NEVER BE! WHAT! Don't you know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body? For He says, 'The two shall be one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (vs 14-17). That's what we need to have our minds on:

• that we are joined again to Christ
• that we're one spirit with Christ
• that we're one body with Christ

Something to be mindful of, all of us!

Malachi 2:13: "And this is a second thing you have done... [God's talking to the Levites]: …covering the altar of the LORD with tears, weeping and groaning, so that He does not regard the offering and no longer receives it with delight from your hand."

What's going on here? As those who are approaching God in the altar with tears and groaning, they're coming there with the wrong attitude. Now, there are times we approach God with tears and sincerity for things going on in our lives, for things we may need to repent of or whatever it may be.

But that's not the attitude they were approaching God with here, where God could receive what needed to be received with joy, with delight.

Verse 14: "Yet, you say, 'Why?'…. [Questioning God! Why? Well, He tells him why]: …Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously—yet, she is your companion and your covenant wife." God has to tell him:

• that's your companion
• that's somebody that's compatible for you
• that's somebody that's a helper for you
• that's somebody you agreed to be in covenant with and be faithful to

You're dealing treacherously with them!

Verse 15: "And did He not make you one? Yet, the vestige of the Spirit is in him. And why one? That He might seek a godly seed. Therefore, guard your spirit, and do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth. The LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'I hate divorce—and the covering of violence with one's garment,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Therefore, guard your spirit, and do not act treacherously'" (vs 15-6).

Brethren, something for us to learn here is that we don't act treacherously with our wives and we should not act treacherously towards God and Jesus Christ.

One thing we have a surety of is Jesus Christ does not in any way act treacherously towards us. I want to bring up in Gen. 3 and make it real clear is that Satan is against marriage. He would like to see marriages fall apart. He would like to see marriages have problems. And you can certainly believe that Satan also does not want to see a future marriage. for the ones God has called to the Church to be married to Jesus Christ. He wants to see that destroyed, too.

Genesis 3:14: "And the LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go upon your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.'"

• What did the serpent do to Eve?
• What did he present to her? Deception, lies!

And boy, did it cause problems for Eve and Adam for the rest of their lives, because Eve was deceived into doing what she did. But Adam wasn't deceived, He went right along with it. What a penalty they faced because of what Satan did here with their choice!

Verse 15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman…"

What is enmity? It's being active in opposition, being continually hostile! It's continued, it doesn't go away!

"…and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel'" (v 15).

Prophecy of Jesus Christ and Satan. Satan is against marriage. Satan knows that God designed the marriage covenant and the purpose for it. For husbands and wives to have children and families.

Satan is very well of the design, too, of the future marriage with Christ and in the Church. That's why he wants these things destroyed, not to be successful, because he knows how important marriages are.

I like to think about the Kingdom, and soon we'll be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, which pictures a Millennial time. In that thousand year period, Satan is going to be put away; we know that. Think about what it's going to be like when he's put away and the enmity we talked about here will not be around either.

There'll be all these marriages in the thousand year period. A lot of them we'll get to observe how they formed and how they happened. Young people will truly enjoy one another and they'll grow up and they'll find someone that that is a helper and that's compatible for them and enter into a marriage that's honorable and that's been undefiled in every way.

Won't it be a joy to see all these marriages in the Kingdom and then what they'll produce. It'll just be a great time. We'll have our part in a lot of those; something to look forward to. Marriage is such a wonderful thing.

I want to I want to read Rev. 12 from a standpoint of what the Church is going to be up against, what it's saying now and also having an understanding that things will intensify.

Revelation 12:7: "And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels warred against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels warred. But they did not prevail, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him." (vs 7-9).

Verse 10: "And I heard a great voice in heaven say, 'Now has come the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ because the accuser of our brethren has been cast down, who accuses them day and night before our God. But they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death. Therefore, rejoice you heavens and those who dwell in Them. Woe to those who inhabit the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, having great wrath because he knows that he has only a short time'" (vs 10-12).

Verse 13: "And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth the man-Child."

There will be more persecutions and problems in the future—testing and trials—and Satan is going to come after the Church. There are a lot of things we're going to have to face as a Church, so we need to be mindful of this. But Satan's goal is to ruin the future marriage. Again, something we need to be mindful of.

Remembering the words of Christ help us; what Christ says He will do for us. He is the future husband.

John 17:14—Christ's prayer to the Father: "I have given them Your words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one" (vs 14-15).

A direct prayer to God for us, that He would keep us from the evil one. We have to remember that promise, that God will look after us! Now, there are certain things we have to do, and we'll read one of those things later. But God will keep us from the evil one. We are in this world.

John 14:30: "I will not speak with you much longer because the ruler of this world is coming; but he does not have a single thing in Me. Yet, he comes so that the world may know that I love the Father, and that I do exactly as the Father has commanded Me. Arise, let us go out" (vs 30-31).

Christ says that Satan has nothing in Him. Well, he also has nothing in us through Christ, through the grace given to us through Christ! He has nothing in us because our sins have been covered, they've been forgiven, and we're the children of God. So, we need to remember this. But we also need to remember that we need to be:

• obeying God
• keeping His commandments
• building His mind and Christ's mind
• letting Them work in us.

We're free! We are free!

Philip. 3—as we look at this, there are some within the Church that are not free. They also want to destroy our marriage, and we have to be mindful of those who have been planted and put into the Church. I'm talking about

• tares that Satan has planted
• false brethren
• hirelings, ministers that are not true ministers of God, but ministers or agents of Satan

They want to destroy our marriages too, particularly the future marriage!

Philippians 3:16: "Nevertheless, in regard to that which we have attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, be imitators together of me, and bear in mind those who walk in this way, as you have us for an example" (vs 16-17).

Paul's talking about himself and others. They were an example. And of course, we should be examples to one another, as well.

Verse 18: "(For many walk contrary; I have often told you of them, and I tell you now with weeping, they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame; for they mind earthly things.) But for us, the commonwealth of God exists in the heavens, from where also we are waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform our vile bodies, that they may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the inner working of His own power, whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (vs 18-21).

So, yeah, there are those within the Church that they're not really a part of us, but they mind earthly things. They don't have God's Spirit within them. They can't have their effect on us. So, something we need to be mindful of.

Jude 4 brings this out: "For certain men have stealthily crept in, those who long ago have been written about, condemning them to thisjudgment. They are ungodly men who are perverting the grace of our God, turning it into licentiousness, and are personally denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are people who have crept in, who you can say Satan has planted, and they're turning the Truth, they're turning the grace of God, the things we are built upon, into licentiousness, causing some to:

• turn away from the covenant
• turn away from the Truth
• turn away from this commitment

We have to be espoused to Christ!

Verse 12: "These are subversive stains in your love feasts, feasting in person together with you; fearlessly they are feeding themselves. They are clouds without water, being driven by the winds; trees of late autumn, without any fruit, uprooted, twice dead."

So it's given to all men to die once. What we read in Hebrews, then there's a judgment. These are twice dead!

Verse 19: "These are the ones who cause division; they are psychic, not having the Spirit of God."

So we have just to be mindful of those that are within the Church that would like to see this future marriage destroyed.

We talked a little bit about submitting earlier. Who do we submit to? All of us in the Church!

James 4:7: Therefore, submit yourselves to God…."

The future Bride are God's children. We submit to God.

"…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!" (vs 7-8).

So yeah, we do sin! At times we do have problems within our minds, sometimes double-minded. But we need to clean that up. We need to repent. We need to continue on with this conversion, this process we're in! To be called, to be chosen, to be faithful! Enter into the Kingdom.

The point is here, we need to draw near to God! We need to submit ourselves to God! If we do, God will take care of all these other things for us and help us.

Eph. 5—we're going to read here about Christ and the Church in marriage. Paul writes"

Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord." That's the responsibility of a wife!

Verse 23: "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church; and He is the Savior of the Body. For even as the Church is subject to Christ, in the same way also let wives be subject to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your own wives, in the same way that Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it" (vs 23-25).

Wow, that's a big responsibility for husbands, to love your wives in the same way that Christ loved the Church!

• He gave His life for the Church!
• He gave His life to be a future husband!

Verse 26: "So that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it with the washing of the water by the Word."

This is a process here in all this. Again, we learn through our marriages, but also we're learning through the marriage we have with Christ, the espousal. That He might present it to Himself as the glorious Church. So, just think about that.

Verse 25: "Husbands, love your own wives, in the same way that Christ also loved the Church…"

But now it's talking about the Church that He's going to present to Himself, the glorious Church. There is a glorious Church that's coming. There's a glory that's going to be revealed into us and we're going to be spirit, this glorious Church that Christ is going to marry.

"…not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it might be Holy and without blame. In the same way, husbands are duty-bound to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself; for no man has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord does the Church. For we are members of His body—of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall be one flesh" (vs 27-31).

But as we move into this next verse, Paul raises this to another level. So we're talking a lot here about husbands and wives and how their conduct should be with one another before God and Christ and how Christ loved the Church.

Verse 32: "This is a great mystery; but I am speaking in respect to Christ and the Church."

That's what Paul's talking about here, but it's not a mystery to us. All of us that have God's Spirit, we understand what Paul's talking about here in their importance of the relationship.

Verse 33: "Nevertheless, let each one of you love his wife even as himself; and let each wife see that she reverence her husband."

Why submit and be subject to Christ? In submitting to Christ and submitting to God, we can properly love Them and They can love us. We can be cleansed! That's what it talks about here:

• we can be sanctified
• we can be nourished
• we can be cherished

Eventually we can be like Him, where we can see Christ and God the Father face-to-face!

We will know them exactly like They have known us. It'll be a totally different relationship then than we have now. But that's why we submit, so God and Christ can do all these things with us and prepare us to be a Bride, truly spirit, Holy, a perfected Bride.

Keep in mind that Jesus Christ will not marry the flesh; He's going to marry the spirit!

Revelation 19:6: "And I heard a voice like that of a great multitude, and like the sound of many waters, and the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty has reigned. Let us be glad and shout with joy; and let us give glory to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. 8: And it was granted to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he said to me, 'Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God'" (vs 6-9).

When that day comes and this marriage occurs, will God be there to present the Bride to Christ? I think so, but we'll see in that day!

The important thing for all of us to remember is that we are espoused to Christ! We have something very much to look forward to. Let's keep our mind on preparing as a Bride and looking forward to that day.

Scriptural References:

• Genesis 2:19-25
• Hebrews 13:4
• 1-Peter 3:1-7
• Ephesians 4:3-6
• Matthew 19:3-12
• 2-Corinthians 11:1-4
• Revelation 17:14
• Philippians 2:6-8
• Hebrews 2:14-18
• 1-Corinthians 6:13-17
• Malachi 2:13-16
• Genesis 3:14-15
• Revelation 12:7-13
• John 17:14-15
• John 14:30-31
• Philippians 3:16-21
• Jude 4, 12, 19
• James 4:7-8
• Ephesians 5:22-33
• Revelation 19:6-9

TF:bo/po
Transcribed: 10/22/23

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