A Glorious Church

 

Ephesians 5:23-32

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

³² This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 

 

What’s so glorious about the Church?

 

Glory==>brightness, brilliance, radiant, glowing, shining, illuminating

 

• The Church is the “forethought” of God (not the afterthought);
  it is Plan A, not Plan B;
  it is NOT a contingency plan….
• God planned the Church before the world began
  [Titus 1:2]
• The first Man, Adam, was created by God from the dust of the ground
  [Genesis 2:7]
• This Man [First Adam] was a Type of Christ [Last Adam], who is the very image of God
  [Genesis 1:26; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Corinthians 11:7;  2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:17]
• God then made the first Woman from a bone taken from the side of the Man whom He had put to sleep for this specific purpose
  [Genesis 2:21-22]
• This Woman was a Type of the Church, the mystical Body of Christ, which was taken from the wounded side of Christ who was “put to sleep” at Calvary for this very purpose
  [Ephesians 5:32]
• All humanity are God’s creation and thus we are all God’s children in a generic sense
  [Malachi 2:10]
• Only the Church belongs to God by purchase or redemption
  [Acts 20:28]
• The whole world is the field; the church is the treasure in the field; God purchased the field to obtain the treasure; He paid for the whole world but what He wants is the Church
  [Matthew 13:44]
• There is no salvation since Pentecost (Acts 2, beginning of New Testament) outside the Church
  [Acts 4:12]
• You MUST be Born Again!
  [John 3:3,5,7]
• 4000+ years of recorded history of Man produced a young Jewish maiden chosen of God to bring forth Messiah, the Savior of the World
  [Luke 1:27]
• When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the Law [Torah], to redeem them who were under the Law [Torah] (all humanity)
  [Galatians 4:4]

 

 

Notice how Paul uses such glowing language when speaking of the New Covenant and the NT Church!

 

2 Corinthians 3:5-18

⁵ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

⁶ Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

⁷ But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

⁸ How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

⁹ For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

¹⁰ For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

¹¹ For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

¹² Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

¹³ And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

¹⁴ But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

¹⁵ But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

¹⁶ Nevertheless when it [Israel] shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

¹⁷ Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 

 

The CHURCH is GLORIOUS because ITS HEAD is GLORIOUS!

 

• On the mount of transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured or “glorified” before them, and there appeared unto them with Jesus Moses and Elijah – representing the OT ministry of the Law and the Prophets; but only Jesus remained with them after the Voice spoke – this is my beloved Son, hear Him – and when the glory cloud was lifted!
  [Matthew 17:1-5]
• The Church, the Body of Christ, is the zenith of the Glory of God in His dealings with humanity
  [Hebrews 1:3]
• The Church is the Highest Expression of Deity apart from Jesus Christ Himself!
• Jesus Christ is Deity fused with Humanity;
  [God was IN CHRIST – 2 Corinthians 5:19]
  the Church is Humanity infused with Jesus!
  [Christ IN YOU the hope of glory – Colossians 1:27]
• The OT rituals of the LAW were a schoolmaster to bring us (Humanity) to Christ and the New Covenant!
  [Galatians 3:24-25]
• God gave the world HIMSELF – JESUS, God in Christ, the Word manifest in the Flesh;
  [John 3:16a]
• God gives HIS HOLY SPIRIT, the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of Christ, to all who BELIEVE IN HIM!
  [John 3:16b; Acts 2:38]
• This BODY of BELIEVERS is the BODY OF CHRIST!
  [Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12, 5:23; Colossians 1:24]
• God is going to give Himself a GIFT:
  the CHURCH! – a “bride” taken out of His own side, prepared and adorned specifically for Him
  [Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:7-8, 21:2,9]

 

What’s so GLORIOUS about the CHURCH?

 

We are the BRIDE OF CHRIST, HIS BODY!!

1 Peter 2:9

 

We are a CHOSEN GENERATION!

 

We are a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD!

 

We are HOLY NATION!

 

We are a PECULIAR PEOPLE!

 

We show forth the Praises of HIM
who called us out of darkness
into HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT!

 

Pastor Tim D. Cormier
Apostolic Faith Tabernacle
02/09/2014