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11-15-2020 weekly message

Meditation of the week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Ephesians 5:20-33

Title: Mystery of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, manifested in flesh to marry with sinners

           The Holy Spirit speaks of the mysterious truth in God’s amazing love for sinners through the marriage between Christ and man.

          Through the imperfect marital relationship in the world, the Holy Spirit gives us the dispensation of God showing the perfect relationship between Christ and man through the spiritual marriage.  

          Firstly, the main scripture deals with marital relationship between husband and wife in Christ. But in reality, the commandment asking for submission each other between wife and husband has become a very difficult issue in reality nowadays

        No matter how good wife born again in Christ, it may not be so easy to obey the word to submit husband with fear. This is because even a husband who is born again in Christ may not be in holiness as much as his wife is willing to submit unto him with fear. 

          Apostle Peter asked wife to submit unto husband even though he not obeys the Word:

“ Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; ” (1 Peter 3:1)

        Also, from  husband’s point of view, it would be almost impossible to love  wife regarding her a weak vessel with unconditional love as Christ no matter how she commits very serious sins.

         Through the education in this world, aalmost everyone is brainwashed with the principle of relativity. Instead of obeying the absolute Word of God, most of us are willing to decide how we should deal with others according to behaviors of others.  This is the reason why wife tends to think about her whether her husband is deserved good enough for her submission or not according to his behaviors unto her.       

         Therefore, God grants the marriage system in this world, and tells  wife and husband to obey each other, so that both of them may realize seriously  that they are not worthy to obey each other.

          From what Jesus said while washing the feet of his disciples, we should be able to understand a very important truth:

 “ Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

8Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

9Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.….

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have“(John 13:7-10, 14,15)

          The Lord washed the feet of His disciples by hand because He said that He would save their souls through his blood when he  died, and resurrected, and fulfilled eternal redemption.  Therefore they are supposed to minister one to another forgiving one to another, and wash one to another with the words of God whenever they gather together. Apostle Paul testified that as Christ washed the feet of his disciples, so Christ is still washing the feet of his disciples with the words, and that the saints should also cleanse each other by serving one to another by the words of God:

“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing 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.” (Ephesians 5:26-27).

          Through the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit spoke about the mystery of spiritual marriage between  Christ and the church members of God who form the body of Christ in the future.

         Just as Christ, who is the husband, cleanses his church with the water by the Word and sanctifies his church,  husband  has to serves his wife by the Word to cleanse her continually, so that the wife may be washed by the waters of the Word  body as well as husband to be washed by the words of God to form a holy body of family so that both of them may submit to each other with fear as they serve Christ.

          The Holy Spirit shows as a shadow of the future Christ through Genesis chapter 24, who will appear to redeem sinners through his blood and purifies the saved Christians with the Word and becomes one body with them through the spiritual marriage with them.

        Abraham is a model of Heavenly Father who offered his only son, Isaac with joy as a sin offering, and Eliezer, his servant, is a model of the Holy Spirit. It is a beautiful story that brings Isaac, a model of Christ standing in the evening sunset, to marry  with Rebekah that is the model of the church of God in the future.

         After hearing Eliezer’s prayer, he met Rebekah and went to her house and told his family that his daughter is the wife chosen for his master Isaac.  She left her home with Eliezer immediately not listening her family asking her to stay with them ten more days. This is how people who hear the gospel of Christ through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit immediately believe in Jesus Christ and receive him , and  begin the journey of faith to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven (Gen. 24:1-67).

         That’s right! Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, came to the world to marry with sinners after  he left the house of our heavenly Father. Just as Adam in the past tasted death for a while to obtain his wife to be one body after obtaining his wife, Jesus, who came as the last Adam, tasted death for a while for three days and three nights for the church of God to obtain his wife. Now  he is washing and purifying them with his blood who believe in him, and makes the church as his body, and washes his church with the water of the Word until he come back to marry with the church that became the body. He is preparing a bride without wrinkles and dots.

        Apostle Paul testified unto the saints in Corinthian church: “For I have espoused. you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”(2Cor. 11:2)

      He also purifies the church even now, in order to use the members of his body to help him to judge the world together, to rule together in his kingdom, and to use as a spouse to help him to fill the whole universe with all things.

          Therefore, Christians who have become members of the body of Christ must first do their best to purify each other by being washed with the word between  husband and wife at home, and gather together in the church to forgive, wash, and serve one to another with the word of God.

          In addition, the members of the church, who are the body of Christ, are to be filled with  the Holy Spirit, speaking in poems, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with their hearts, making tunes, and always giving thanks to Heavenly Father in all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and fearing God. Therefore, we must live a life of subjection to each other.

       The Comforter,  Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, gave a message of comfort to the saints suffering from marriage:

”  If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

13And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

15But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.16For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? ” (1 Corinthians 7: 12-16)

       Sooner or later, when the day of Christ comes, the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in the air to marry with the members of the church who is his body. He himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with trump of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). At this time, the saints who have been waiting for the Lord in suffering shall receive great comfort from the Lord.

       The Holy Spirit has prophesied about the future wedding ceremony of the Lamb in heaven through the words of the Psalms:

”  Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. …  13The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

15With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.“(Psalm 45:9, 13-15)

          At the wedding ceremony of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, we shall see thousands of people who have been saved over the past six thousand years participating as guests. John the Baptist testified of himself having the joy as the friend’s of groom(John 3:29). Apostle John testified that those invited to the wedding ceremony of the Lamb are blessed:

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his for wife hath made herself ready. 8And to he9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith r was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and wite: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. “(Rev. 19:7-9)Amen! Hallelujah!