Using Ephesians 5:25-27 as his starting point, Robert M'Cheyne wrote this
encouraging and uplifting sermon about Jesus Christ's wonderful and holy
love to the Church.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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Christ's Love To The Church
by Robert Murray M'Cheyne
'Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church, and give
himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the wa****ng of
water by the Word, 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.' Eph. 5:25-27
In this passage the apostle, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is
teaching wives and husbands their duties to each other. To the wives he
enjoins submission-a loving yielding to their husbands in all lawful
things;
to the husbands, love; and he puts before them the highest of all
patterns-Christ and his Church.
Christ's Love to His Church
1. The Object of his love. The Church-all who are chosen, awakened,
believing, justified, sanctified, glorified-all who are finally saved-all
who shall stand with the Lamb-the hundred and forty and four thousand
redeemed ones-all looked on as the bright company; the Church-all who are
awakened and brought to Christ-all who shall sit down at the marriage
supper. I believe Jesus had compassion for the whole world. He is not
willing that any should perish. He willeth all men to be saved. He shed
tears over those who will finally perish. Still, the peculiar object of
his
love was the Church. He loved the Church. On them his eye rested with
peculiar tenderness before the world was. He would often say: These shall
yet sit with men on my throne; or, as he read over their names in his book
of life, he would say: These shall yet walk with me in white. When they
lived in sin, his eye was upon them. He would not let them die, and drop
into hell: 'I have much people in this city.' I have no doubt, brethren,
Christ is marking some of you that are now Christless, for his own. When
they came to Christ, he let out his love toward them on the land where
they
dwelt-a delight some land. His eye rests on the houses of this town, where
his jewels live. Christ loves some streets far better than others-some
spots
of earth are far dearer to him than others.
Christ loved his Church. Just as a husband at sea loves the spot where his
dear wife dwells, so does the Lord Jesus: 'I have graven thee upon the
palms
of my hands' (Isa.49:16). He loves some in one house far more than others.
There are some apartments dear to Christ-where he is often present- where
his hands are often on the door: 'Open to me, my love.'
2. The state of the Church when first loved. (1) They were all under the
curse of God-under condemnation-exposed to the just wrath of God-
deserving
nothing but wrath; for 'he gave himself for it.' The Church had no dowry
to
attract the love of Jesus, except her wrath and curse. (2) Impure. For he
had to 'sanctify and cleanse it'; unholy within-opposed to God-no beauty
in
the eye of Jesus: I am black, spotted, and wrinkled. (3) Nothing to draw
the
love of Christ. Nothing that he could admire in them. He admires whatever
is
like his Father. He had eternally gazed upon his Father, and was ravished
with that beauty; but he saw none of this-not a feature-no beauty at all.
Men love where they see something to draw esteem-Christ saw none. (4)
Everything to repel his love: 'Polluted in thine own blood' -cast
out-loathsome (Ezek. 16:6); yet that was the time of his love.
Black-uncomely: 'Thou hast loved me out of the pit of corruption.' (5) Not
from ignorance. Men often love where they do not know the ure character,
and
repent after. But not so Christ. He knew the weight of the sins-the depths
of their wicked heart.
Nothing is more wonderful than the love of Christ. Learn the freeness of
the
love of Christ. It is unbought love. 'If a man would give all the
substance
of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned' (Song 8:7). He drew
all his reasons form himself: 'I knew that thou wast obstinate.' You have
no
cause to boast. He loved you, because he loved you-for nothing in you. O
what a black soul wast thou, when Christ set his love upon thee!
3. The greatness of that love: 'He gave himself.' This is unparalleled
love.
Love is know by the sacrifice it will make. In a fit of love, Herod would
have given away half of his kingdom. If you will sacrifice nothing, you
love
not. Hereby we know that men love not Christ-they will sacrifice nothing
for
him. They will not leave a lust-a game-a companion, for Christ. 'Greater
love than this hath no man.' But Christ gave himself. Consider what a
self.
If he had created ten thousand millions of worlds, and given them away, it
had been great love-had he given a million of angels; but he gave the Lord
of angels-the Creator of world. 'Lo, I come.' He gave the pearl of heaven.
O
what a self!-Jesus!-all loveliness!
4. What he gave himself to. He gave himself to put in their place-to bear
their wrath and curse, and to obey for them. We shall never know the
greatness of this gift. He gave himself to bear the guilt of the Church.
There cannot be a more fearful burden to bear than guilt, even if there be
no wrath. To the holy soul of Jesus, this was an awful burden. He was made
sin: 'Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to
look
up' (Psa. 40:12). 'Mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy
burden, they are too heavy for me' (Psa. 38:4). He endured the cross,
despising the shame. He laid his soul under their guilt-shame and
spitting;
silent like a lamb.
To bear their warmth. A happy soul shrinks from suffering. Ask one that
has
always been in the love of God, what would he give to cast himself out of
that love-bear as much wrath as he is bearing love-to receive the
lightning
instead of the sun****ne? Not for ten millions of worlds. Yet this did
Jesus.
He became a curse for us: See how he shrank back from it in the garden. Ye
he drank it.
'God commendeth his love to us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us.' Pray to know the love of Christ. It is a great ocean,
without
bottom or shore. In the broken bread you will see it set forth so that a
child may understand: 'This is my body, broken for you'-'This is my blood,
shed for many.'
His Purpose in Time (v.26)
Christ's work is not done with a soul when he has brought it to
pardon-when
he has washed it in his own blood. Oh, no! the better half of salvation
remains-his great work of sanctification remains.
1. Who is the author? He that gave himself for the Church-the Lamb that
was
slain. God having raised his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning
every one of you away from your iniquities. He is exalted by the right
hand
of God, and, having obtained the promise of the Father, sheds him down.
There is no hand that can new-create the soul, but the hand that was
pierced. Many look to a wrong quarter for sanctification. They take pardon
from Christ, then lean on themselves-their promises-for holiness. Ah, no!
you must take hold of the hand that was pierced-lean on the arm that was
racked-lean on the Beloved coming up from the wilderness. you might as
well
hold up the sun on its journey, as sanctify yourself. It needs divine
power.
There are three concerned in it. The Father-for this is his will; the
Son-he
is the Shepherd of all he saved; the Holy Ghost.
2. The means: 'The Word.' I believe he could sanctify without the Word, as
he created angels and Adam holy, and as he sanctifies infants whose ear
was
never opened; but I believe in grown men he never will, but through the
Word. When Jesus makes holy, it is by writing the Word in the heart:
'Sanctify them through thy truth.' When a mother nurses her child, she not
only bears it in her arms, but holds it to her breast, and feeds it with
the
milk of her own breast; so does the Lord. He not only holds the soul, but
feeds it with the mild of the Word. The words of the Bible are just the
breathings of God's heart. He fills the heart with these, to make us like
God. When you go much with a companion, and hear his words, you are
gradually changed by them into his likeness; so when you go with Christ,
and
hear his words, you are sanctified. Oh, there are some whom I could tell
to
be Christ's, by their breathing the same sweet breath! Those of you that
do
not read your Bible cannot turn like God-you cannot be saved. You are
unsaveable; you may turn like the devil, but you will never turn like God.
Oh, believers, prize the Word!
3. The certainty of it. Some are afraid they will never be holy: 'I shall
fall under my sin.' You shall be made holy. It was for this Christ died.
This was the grand object he had in view. This was what was in his eye-to
build a holy Church out of a world of lost sinners-to pluck brands out of
the fire, and make them trees of righteousness-to choose poor, black
souls,
and make them fair brothers and sisters round his throne. Christ will not
lose this object.
Look up, then-be not afraid. He redeemed you to make you holy. Though you
had a million of worlds opposing you, he will do it: 'He is faithful, who
also will do it.'
His Purpose in Eternity - twofold
1. Its perfection: 'A glorious Church.' At present believers are sadly
imperfect. The have on the perfect righteousness that will be no brighter
above; but they are not perfectly holy; they mourn over a body of
sin-spots
and wrinkles. Neither are they perfectly happy. They are often crushed;
waves of trouble go over them. But they shall be perfectly glorious.
Perfect
in righteousness-White robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Perfect in
holiness-Filled with the Holy Spirit. Perfect in happiness-This shall be.
It
is all in the covenant.
2. He will present it to himself. -He will be both Father and Bridegroom.
He
has bought the redeemed-he will give them away to himself. The believer
will
have great nearness-he shall see the King in his beauty. Great
intimacy-walk
with him-speak with him. He shall have oneness with him-'All that I have
is
thine.'
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