Assembled: Church as the Bride

radiantvisalia.com
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.

Support the show

*Summaries and transcripts are generated using AI.
Please notify us if you find any errors.