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Exploring the biblical images of the Church. What does Church as the bride look like?
Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-33, Revelation 19:7-9, Revelation 2:4-5, Isaiah 54:5, Psalm 63:1-8, Philippians 3:8
Intro:
- Lighthearted opening about Daylight Savings Time.
- Reading Ephesians 5:21-33, highlighting the metaphor of marriage.
- Church name "Radiant" explained; God's description, not self-praise.
- Marriage as a metaphor pointing to Christ and the Church.
- Series exploring metaphors for the church: family, flock, bride, building, body.
- Focus on "Bride" this week.
Is This True?
- The bride of Christ is a theme throughout scripture.
- Old Testament prophets describe God's relationship with Israel as a marriage.
- Jesus refers to himself as the bridegroom.
- Revelation depicts a wedding feast.
Is This Weird?
- Some people are uncomfortable with the intimacy implied.
- Metaphor has limits; avoid sexualizing the relationship with Jesus.
- Corporate reality: the church as a whole is the bride.
- Universal: men and women are both part of the bride.
So What?
- We are loved: God's love for the church is profound.
- Paul's prayer: that we would grasp the depth of God's love.
- Experiencing God's love satisfies our deepest longings.
- He initiated: God chose us and desires union with us.
- Saved for connection with Jesus, not just from sin.
- He is our first love: We should prioritize our relationship with him.
- Revelation 2: Jesus calls his church back to their first love.
- Greatest commandment: love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
- Examples of passionate love for God from scripture and church history.
- The church's problem: leaning out of first love, chasing other things.
Call to Action:
- Repent for neglecting our first love.
- Ask God to awaken a deep desire for him.
- Seek God as the end, not just a means.
- Desire God like those in scripture and church history.
Prayer:
- For the Spirit to awaken love in our hearts.
- For release from shame and a longing for God.
- For repentance from focusing on secondary issues.
- For a love for God that captures our attention and affection.
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*Summaries and transcripts are generated using AI.
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