Christ and the Church

Ephesians 5:32 - This is a  great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.  

Definition of Mystery - an event or situation that is difficult to understand or explain

Revelation 2:10 –Be thou faithful unto death.

Faithful Defined – Unwavering, consistently loyal, not spiritually promis-cu-ous (cheating on God with the sinful enticements of the world), responsible, devoted, reliable, dependable, and trustworthy.

Message:  You can’t be faithful to God  but  unfaithful to the Church.

Subtopic: If you are unfaithful to one-You are unfaithful to the other!

Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body. Note:  As the physical body cannot function apart from its bodily  members nor can WE  function as God pleases without the body of Christ-the church!

You can’t be committed to God and not Committed to the Church – James 2:26- Faith without works is dead.    How is it that we get uncommitted to THE CHURCH?  It is the works of the flesh. Galatian 5:17- for the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other; so that you cannot do the things that you would.

Departing from God is Departing from the Church

Hebrews Chapter 3:12-13 – Take Heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sinNote:  Sin is Deceitful.  Sin will have our minds thinking in a manner, which is acceptable to our flesh.roverbs 14:12 (READ)

Departing from the Living God.  How do we depart from the living God?  When we REMAIN out of The House of God the deceitfulness of sin will try to convince us that we have not left God – just the church. Many believe that it is acceptable to leave the church as long as we don’t leave God!

Ephesians  4:17-18-This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (ignorance)  of their minds. 18- Having the understanding darkened beingALIENATED from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.

Alienated from the life of God –   SIN WILL withdraw ourselves  from the Body of Christ.  To separate ourselves from THE Body of Christ. ANY MEMBER ALIENATED FROM THE BODY FOR TOOLONG SHALL CEASE TO LIVE-THEY BECOME ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE (SPIRIT) OF GOD.  Romans 8:13 for if you live after the flesh you shall die.

Rev. 22:17  And the spirit and the bride say come. (The Sprit and the Bride-the church work in unity).

Ephesians 5:23-As Christ is the Head of the church.  To be alienated from The Church is to be alienated from the Head.  A person alienated from the church is like a person without a head – Lost. 

The Church is the Bride of Christ.  To be unfaithful to the Church is  being unfaithful to HE who established the Church – Jesus Christ.