A Story of Total Devotion

Well, let me invite you to turn in your Bibles to Oh boy. Ephesians 5. Even though that won't be the first verse that we'll look at, Ephesians chapter 5, we're continuing in our total devotion series and as we continue in this series, we come to a message that I'd like to deliver to you entitled The Story of total devotion. It is truly an epic story.

of total devotion, but let me start my message by Admitting to you, something. and I make this admission with some trepidation, knowing that what I am about to share will make me a disappointment. To some of you And here's my confession. Over the course of the last couple of months.

I have watched several Hallmark movies with my wife. It was very hard, but I feel better that I got that out. I don't know if I've handed in my man card or, or what, but I, I didn't watch a single regular season NFL game. In the last 4 months, but I've watched a number of chick flicks with my wife and I found myself enjoying them and even feeling feelings.

And tearing up a time or two. About a month ago, my wife and I were sitting next to each other watching a Hallmark movie and my wife said to me, aren't the Steelers playing on TV right now? They were They were in that very moment engaged in an epic battle against the Baltimore Ravens and what? I didn't care.

All I cared about was how the movie we were watching was going to turn out. I wanted to know if Jessica was going to escape the clutches of her selfish boyfriend and end up with Richard. who was truly the right man for her. Not everyone would watch a Hallmark movie and not everyone would admit to watching a Hallmark movie, but I think I'm safe in saying this morning that everybody loves a good love story, right?

And today I want to focus on the great love story between Christ and His church, a love story that spans the entire Bible from Genesis to the Book of Revelation. And though I've watched several Hallmark movies in recent months, I have yet to see one that comes anywhere close. To this love story. Between Christ and His church.

And when I speak of the church, I'm not talking about a church building. I'm talking about the corporate body. Consisting of all those people, men and women who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and called upon his name for salvation. This would include departed believers.

who have died and gone home to be with the Lord in heaven, along with every living believer in Jesus on the planet today. Every born again. Believer is a part of the universal church and every local church like Cornerstone is merely A local expression of the global Church of Christ. So when I talk about the church, I'm talking about the people for whom Christ died and who have called upon his name for salvation.

And according to the teaching of the New Testament, we who believe in Christ make up this single entity called the church and the story of the love relationship. Between Christ and the church is one of the macro narratives that spans. The pages of scripture. Going back to day 6 of creation.

The last thing that God created was not man. The last thing that God created was not woman. The last thing that God created on day 6 of creation was a marriage between Adam. And Eve He creates Eve and then he walks her down the aisle to Adam.

And it is then that the Bible declares these words in Genesis chapter 2 verse 24. God says for this cause, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Suddenly, We look back on the previous 6 days of creation and realize that all this time God has been merely decorating for a wedding. It turns out that Adam and Eve's marriage was not the apex of God's creation.

The apex of history. The apex that Adam and Eve's marriage pointed to is identified in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 31. In Ephesians 5:30, Paul quotes from Genesis 2:24 and then in verse 31, Paul says, this mystery is great. But I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

In other words, Paul is saying the words of Genesis 2:24 that I just quoted to you are not merely speaking about human marriage. They are speaking transcendently about the relationship between Christ. In the church, and earthly marriages merely point to that transcendent reality. Paul talks about this mystery in various places in Ephesians 12, and 3, explaining how God has united both Jews and Gentiles into one body.

In Christ that is called the church. Paul then concludes Ephesians 3 with these words. He says now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory. In the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

Amen. Look at those words. The church And Christ Jesus. Forever and ever.

They're the words you would expect to find engraved. In the bark of a tree by lovers. Only these words occur in a passage where so much more is being said. We learn in these verses that God has made all of his power and might available for the one great agenda of glorifying Himself in the church and in Christ Jesus.

That's like saying in Milton and in Donna. Evidently, God doesn't just want to glorify Himself in the church and also in Christ Jesus. He wants to glorify Himself in the relationship. Between the church and Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever.

Clearly, guys, this is one dad who is supportive of the relationship between his son. And bride. Which is what makes this thing so amazing to all of us. If ever a father had the right to be opposed to a relationship that his son was pursuing with a potential bride, God the Father had the right to be opposed to Jesus' relationship with the church, right?

Imagine if Christ And the church had put their profiles up on Match.com. Who would have ever figured them as a match? For each other Think of the song, What a savior. In which the church is described as filthy, vile, and helpless, we.

Yet of Christ, the lyrics read, Spotless Lamb of God. Was he Clearly, Jesus and the church were the farthest thing from a match. Yet Christ yearned for us and the Father approved of the relationship. All the while knowing that it would kill his son.

God the Father sent His Son into the world and Jesus came into the world to pursue the church and to woo the church and ultimately to marry the church, and that's the love story that all of us are in. Who have called upon the name of Jesus and believed in Him for salvation. It doesn't matter. If you are married, or if you are single, young or old, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are involved in this marriage relationship and you have much to rejoice in today.

And much to look forward to. In the message today, I want us to look at some truths regarding The love story between Christ and the church and these truths will treat us to a glimpse. of the ultimate story of total devotion, and the devotion is that of Christ towards his church. And if we're gonna live lives of total devotion like we've been talking about in recent weeks, it's vital that we spend time gazing upon Christ, looking at him, observing his total devotion to the church, and then allow our devotion.

To be shaped by by his. Does that make sense? here's how we'll frame things this morning. we're gonna look at 6 truths that demonstrate Christ's total devotion to his church and to those who comprise her.

Does my voice sound funny? Yeah, it's the sound system. no, I'm kidding. Yeah, I, Been struggling a little bit.

my body's fighting something, and I wish I could have preached yesterday. My voice was so deep. but today, it's, it's different, so just pray that God will help me to communicate clearly and we can keep our focus on Christ this morning. 6 truths that demonstrate Christ's total devotion to his church and to those who comprise her.

Let's just enjoy these truths this morning. Number 1, Christ loved the church so much that he died for her. He loved the church so much that he died for her. In Ephesians 5:25, Paul makes this assertion.

He says Christ loved the church. And gave himself up for her. According to Paul's words, Christ did two things. Number 1, he loved the church.

Number 2, he gave himself up for her. Putting these two things together, Paul is saying that because Christ loved the church, he gave himself up in death for her and, and giving himself, himself up in death for the church, Christ was thereby showing his love. For her The Greek word that is translated gave up is the Greek word paraididymi, paraididymi, which is a loaded term that is often used to speak in the New Testament of what happened to Jesus with reference to his death.

Just listen to these if you want to write these references down, you can.

In the gospel accounts we're told that Judas Pididomide. Jesus over to the Jewish leaders in Matthew 27:3. We're told that the Jewish leaders peridomide Jesus over to Pilate in Matthew 27:2. We're told that Pilate perididomide or gave over Jesus to be crucified in Matthew 27:26, and Romans 8:32, we're told that the Father Pidomide Jesus over to death for us.

Yet here in Ephesians 5, Verse 25, we're told that Christ, perididomide or handed over Himself for us. What this means is that Jesus was not merely the victim of circumstances beyond his control when he suffered and died. He suffered willingly. He gave himself over to be betrayed, to be scourged, and to be crucified in order that he might die in our place because this is what he wanted to do.

That we might be spared the judgment of God at the cross. At the cross, God's judgment. For our sins was going to fall. And Jesus Christ refused to let the church endure that judgment.

He held us back away from that judgment. And said, I will take this judgment for you. And he went to the cross and he gave himself over to death. In order that the church would not have to be given over.

To the justice of God that we deserve for our sins. Now, why did Christ do this? Did he do it all as an end in itself, or was there a grander purpose? This leads us to the second truth that demonstrates Christ's total devotion to the church and to those of us that comprise the church.

Number 2, Christ's purpose through his death to sanctify and cleanse. The church. He purposed through his death to sanctify and cleanse the church. Look at the purpose that Paul gives as to the agenda that was driving Christ to die for the church.

Verse 26, so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. The word sanctify guys means to set something apart. So that that thing that has been set apart is totally devoted to a particular purpose. In Christ's case, it means that he died in order to shed his blood and thereby set the church apart as a special recipient of his love and care and to serve his purposes.

In other words, he died to claim the church for his own. Nowadays, when we want to claim something, we have various ways of doing that. We might put money down as a deposit in order to have something held for us. If we want to claim a cookie before someone else does, we'll touch that cookie.

Or take a bite out of that cookie in order to claim it for ourselves. That's what Jesus has done with us. Only what he did to claim the church as his own was he died on the cross. And purchased the church with his very blood, and now the church belongs wholly to him.

And once he did that, the church was now his to do with. As he pleases, set apart for him completely. Set apart to be the prized and special object of his love. That's all embodied in the idea of the church being sanctified through his death.

And what does Christ do once he has laid claim? On the church. Paul says, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that's priority number one for Jesus is to clean up the church. So Christ sanctifies the church in a single moment, and he cleanses the church progressively with the salvation of each person who comes to Christ, which implies that the church has filth.

That she needs to be cleansed from even beyond conversion. The language here would indicate that Christ cleanses believers. He cleanses you and me by the washing of water with the word, and the word here is talking about the gospel word contained in the scriptures. It is through the gospel word that Christ cleanses us each day and makes us holy on the day of our conversion and every day thereafter.

He died on the cross, guys, in order to be the one who gets to clean us up. From our filth. With his gospel word every day. It's as if Christ looked upon the church in all of her filth.

And he said to the father, Father, can I have her? Can I be the one who washes her clean? And makes her holy. And the father says you can, but it's going to cost you your life.

You're going to have to die. And Jesus said, OK. OK. I'll do that.

And he went and gave up his life and died so that he could be the one. Who cleans up the church. And makes us what God wants us to be. We all know that Cornerstone is not a perfect church.

And think about what you did in order to become a member of Cornerstone, to be a part of our journey in helping us to be a better church. You filled out and you submitted a several-page application form, you signed a membership covenant and handed that in, and most of you attended a three-hour membership class. That's what you did to become a part of this church's journey from brokenness to wholeness. Imagine that you were interested in being a part of Cornerstone's journey and you came to us and you said, what do I need to do to be a part of this church?

Imagine being told. That to become a part of this church to help make Cornerstone a better church, you had to be scourged. And wear a crown of thorns. And have that placed on your brow.

Imagine being told that you had to carry a cross. To a place of crucifixion and then hang on that cross for six hours until you died. Imagine being told that you had to endure all of that. Just to get to be a part of making Cornerstone a better church.

How many of you would do that? Christ did And his willingness to endure what he endured in order to be able to clean us up and make us the church that God wants us to be. Tells us a number of things about our savior. It tells us how much he loves us even in our brokenness.

It tells us how much he values our holiness and our being cleaned. And it tells us how confident. He is that he can successfully do the cleaning that is needed. To make us holy It also tells me that if Jesus loves the church like this, then so should I.

If I am called to be like Christ, and the Christ that I am called to be like loves the church like this, then I too. I should love Christ Church. I should love my brothers and sisters like he does, however broken they may be, and I should love holiness for myself and for my brothers and sisters. And I should not be put off and give up.

When I see immaturity and unholiness in my brothers and sisters, Christ did not let our sin serve as a turnoff for him, and neither should you. And I and our relationships with each other. But even Christ's desire to cleanse the church and sanctify the church had An ultimate agenda. And this leads us to the 3rd truth that demonstrates Christ's total devotion to the church and to those who comprise her.

Number 3, Christ aims to present the church to Himself in perfect glory. He aims to present the church to Himself in perfect glory. Look at his aim stated in verse 27, that he might present to himself the church in all her glory. Guys, this refers to A future day, the wedding day.

When the church is presented to Christ in that great wedding to come. In that future day, Christ will be presenting the church to himself, and Paul is telling us that the reason he gave up his life for the church, the reason that he cleanses and washes the church day by day is so that he might one day in the future, present the church to himself in all of her glory. On the day when he and the church are wed. In most weddings, I've observed, there's a handful of people that are working on the bride.

For hours before the wedding to make her as glorious as possible when she's presented to the groom. The groom is not normally involved in that process. In fact, I've never seen the groom tending to his bride and putting makeup on her and In addressing such things, all the groom has to do is show up and be standing. In the right place down in front of the church at the end of the aisle that the bride walks down.

But that's not the way it is with Christ and the church. Christ is the one who dies for the church's crimes. He's the one who bathes the church, and who makes her holy, and who dresses her up. And he does all this in preparation for the day when he presents the church to himself in all of her glory.

There is no groom. Like Jesus. I'm struck by the fact that the text says that Christ will present the church to Himself in all of her. Glory.

I would encourage you to underline that word her. Yes, this glory will be from Christ, it will be his glory, yet it is a glory that actually becomes really and truly the church's. Such that it could be said to be her glory. And in that future day, Jesus is going to behold the church and allow himself to be dazzled and amazed.

By the beauty of the church that he beholds. Imagine the look on Christ's face. As he beholds. The beauty of the church.

Imagine the appreciation in his eyes as he looks upon the church when she stands before him in all of her glory. Christ died for the church. He sanctifies the church, he cleanses the church with the aim that he might be able in that future day to present the church to him in all of her glory. Look at verse 27 as it continues, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.

Even the worst and the most picky critic will not be able to find one fault with the church in that day. The bride of Christ. There are plenty of critics today who can find plenty of fault with the church today, and their criticisms are often correct. We the church have spots, we have wrinkles and we have flaws.

We're not completely holy, we're not blameless as we ought to be, but what guys? Christ's love is changing us. And in that future day, When we're presented to Christ, we're gonna be perfect. Christ died for the church 2000 years ago, and he's cleansing the church daily with the gospel word, with the goal of presenting to Himself the church in all of her glory in absolute perfection.

Don't you long for that day? My goodness, This means that when Christ saw the church, 2000 years ago, he did not merely see the church for what she was in the moment, he saw the church for what she was going to become. And even now, when Jesus sees the church in her state of broken glory. He doesn't merely see the church for what she is now.

He sees her for what she will be. When he presents the church to himself and all of her glory. This is a truth, guys, if we follow his example that can transform our marriages and all of our relationships, it can transform the way that we see the members of this church. It can transform the way we see the members of our care groups.

Like Paul, we can look at our broken fellow Christians in the present. And we can say I am confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, or to really broken and messed up Christians like the Corinthians, we can say, I know that Christ will confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we can move toward each other's brokenness and do the hard work of helping each other. Make the journey from brokenness to wholeness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There's another truth that demonstrates Christ's total devotion to the church and to those that comprise her. This is number 4. Christ presently nourishes and cherishes the church as his own flesh. Look at what Paul says in verse 29.

He says no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. Notice the change in the tense at this point of the passage. In verse 25, Paul was talking about how Christ loved the church, past tense at the cross, but here, in verse 29, Paul is talking about how Christ is loving the church at the present time. And how does he love the church in the present time?

Well, from Paul's language, we observed that Jesus does not hate. The church The word hate means to despise, to show indifference toward or to disregard out of spite or out of neglect. how we do sometimes when people offend us. But Jesus does not do that to us.

Do you realize what a relief it is to know that we never have to worry about Jesus hating us? Even though On many days we give him many reasons to do so. Paul also uses the word nourishes to speak of what Christ does in an ongoing way in loving the church. The word Paul uses here that's translated nourish, literally means to nourish out.

That's literally what the term means. It means to nourish someone to the point of fullness with a nourishing that engenders a blossoming out of that person. As they grow and flourish as a result of the nourishing that they've received. In the same way Christ's goal for us as the church is fullness.

He wants it to be that we are so nourished to the point of fullness by his loving provision that we would blossom. Into the church that he wants us to be. The word cherishes means to show affection and tender care. Paul uses this very term in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 7 to speak of the way that a mother tenderly cares for her child while nursing.

Her child. Literally this word means to warm. And when it's used in a relational context, it means to warm from a position of closeness, close proximity. It speaks of drawing someone close to you so that you are warming them.

Such that the body heat that you have is passing from you to them. As you're seeking to warm them, and this is how Christ cherishes the church. By drawing the church close to himself. By holding us in close relationship to Himself, so that the good that is in Him passes from him to us.

In the context of very close proximity and relationship. And he does this even though we're still broken. And have so far to go. He nourishes us with his word.

Which is our milk and our meat. He embraces us in our deeply flawed state. And he warms us with his loving care and engenders within us a warmth of affection for him in return. But Christ does so much more than merely nourish and cherish the church at the present time.

He'll do something in a future day, and this brings us to the 5th truth that demonstrates Christ's total devotion to the church and to those who comprise her, and that is number 5, Christ will come. For his church. Christ will come. For the church.

In Bible times, a marriage involved two key events the betrothal. And the wedding And in between the betrothal event and the wedding was a waiting period for the bride and the groom. To be busy about setting their affairs in order, preparing to live together as husband and wife. During this time period, the two individuals were considered legally husband and wife, but they were living apart from one another.

As for the wedding, at the end of the betrothal period, as one scholar says, The wedding began with a procession to the bride's house, which was followed by a return to the house of the groom. For the marriage feast. And the groom would go to the bride's house with great fanfare and family and friends, and music would be playing, and he would take up his bride. And then take her back.

To the home that he had prepared. For them to live together. And guys, keep that picture in mind. When you hear Jesus' words to his disciples in John chapter 14, when he tells them, I'm leaving you soon.

And explaining his departure to them. He says, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you. To myself that where I am, there you may be also. Guys, this is the language of betrothal.

Only this betrothal period is not a few months or a year. It's been 2000 years so far. And Jesus has spent all of this time over the last 2000 years preparing a place for his church, his bride to dwell with Him forever. As he is busy about that task, imagine.

The work that he is doing. Imagine the small touches that he is putting on the place. That he is preparing for us that are going to blow us away. With how thoughtful he is with things big and small, when we get there and we start to notice everything.

All in all, at the present time, Jesus is doing two things. Number 1, he's saving and sanctifying souls and making his church ready for the wedding day, and secondly, he's preparing the place for us to dwell with Him forever. And when he's accomplished both of those tasks, he will come again. And take us to be with him, where we will be with him forever.

This is the moment that Paul speaks about in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, when he speaks of Christ's coming and says the following, and again, think of The image of the groom coming for his bride as you read these words. Paul says, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. With the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with.

The Lord This is the day that we are waiting for as Christians.

This is the day, the rapture that the bridegroom comes for his bride. He will descend from heaven and he'll be excited because he's gonna shout. And his shout will be joined by the voice of the archangel who will shout as well. And a trumpet will blow, and we will be caught up together and we'll meet the Lord in the air.

And from that point on, we're forever going to be with the Lord in the place that he has prepared for us. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18. The apostle Paul speaks of these things and then he says, comfort one another. With these words.

Draw encouragement and comfort. In the present, From the fact that in the future, Christ is going to come for the church, his bride. The news is even better than this. Not only will Christ come for the church, But he will marry the church in a way that defies our ability to even quantify.

This leads us to the final truth. That demonstrates Christ's total devotion to the church and to those who comprise her. Number 6, Christ will marry the church. In Revelation 19, God destroys Babylon at the end of the tribulation period and leaves it in a smoking heap, never to rise again.

And after that, look at what the apostle John says. He says, then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder saying, hallelujah for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him. For the marriage of the lamb has come.

And his bride. has made herself ready. Guys, this is the wedding day, and when it comes, the only proper response is hallelujah. In verse 8, I love this, we learned that, look what it says, it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Here we see the church clothing herself. On this day, and what she's clothing herself with is fine linen which John describes as the righteous acts of the saints. Righteous acts which the saints have engaged in throughout history for the glory of Christ. Guys, this is every Christ empowered.

And grace motivated act of righteousness that any believer in Jesus has ever done. For the glory of Jesus Christ, and the church is gonna adorn herself with these deeds to show forth her love for Jesus in that day. And to show forth the degree to which she has been transformed by him and by his love. This is not the church trying to impress Jesus with her own righteousness.

In fact, even the righteous acts that she adorns herself with are all a gift of grace. Notice how verse 8 starts. It was given to her. To clothe herself And fine linen Guys, even the fine linen, even the righteous acts of the church are given to the church by God, who prepared these works beforehand so that the church might walk in them.

Christ empowered these works, he inspired them. He's the one for whom they were all done. And in this day The church will adorn herself with all of these righteous acts done for His glory. And Jesus will behold the church and say, look at you.

Look at you. You're so beautiful. And he will feel the love from the church for him in that day. One of the things that has gripped me as I've pondered.

This is the thought that if on the church's wedding day, she will be dressing herself, adorning herself in the righteous acts of the saints, and if we are a part of the church, then that means that whenever we do any righteous deed, large or small, we are contributing to the formation of the fabric. And the jewels that will adorn the church. On her wedding day. You contribute To making that wedding day more glorious.

Whenever you come alongside of a brother or sister to pray with them. Whenever you take a meal over to a family that has just had a baby. When you share Christ with the lost and call them. To come to Jesus.

When you go to Peru and give the years of your life to training the next generation of pastors, when you go to Papua New Guinea, And develop a translation of scripture for tribal people there. When you sacrificially give to meet the needs of another brother or sister, when as a care group leader, you care for the souls of the members of your care group, when you have someone in your home and show them the hospitality of Christ, when you adopt a child and bring them into your home and give them your last name.

Or when you go by the apartment of that special needs person and give them a ride to church. Whenever you do any of such things, You glorify Jesus now.

And you also serve to enrich the glory of that wedding day. When the church will adorn herself. With the righteous acts of the saints. Look at what is written in verse 9.

Then he said to me, right, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper. Of the lamb And we would paraphrase this in this way, blessed are those who are effectually invited. To the marriage supper of the lamb. This blessing that is spoken here is for those who are invited.

Successfully and who, who were moved to accept that invitation by the work of the Spirit in their hearts. In Revelation chapter 21, the bride of Christ is spoken of again. Only this time it is spoken of as a location. Which will appear after the first heaven and the first earth have passed away.

After the second coming of Christ and his 1000 year reign upon the earth, the apostle John writes these words in Revelation 21. He says, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem. Coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

He continues, but let's jump to verse 9. An angel says to the apostle John, come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb, and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal clear jasper. What follows.

In the subsequent verses is a detailed description of the city, even including its dimensions, which you're welcome to read through. At your leisure, if you have not done so already. The city of immense proportions is called the bride, the wife of the lamb, because it is here where the people that will make up, that make up the church will dwell with Christ forever. In John 14, Jesus says, I'm going to prepare a place for you, and one day I'll come and take you to myself so that you can be where I am.

If you read Revelation 21:12 to 27, you would read the description of that place that Jesus is preparing And it is in that place that God will glorify Himself in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. At the end of Revelation. Chapter 22. Jesus speaks to everyone who is presently a nonbeliever, and he delivers what would amount to, I think, a fourfold invitation.

Listen to what he says. He says, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches, I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. Jesus speaks here and he says, the spirit and the bride say come. And let the one who hears say come, and let the one who is thirsty come and let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

There's different interpretations of verse 17. that we won't get into this morning. I would side with those who understand that this is Jesus talking all the way through the length of verse 17, and what he is saying is to the world. And with an evangelistic purpose.

And in this view, Jesus stands before the world. He stands before nonbelievers, he stands before you, if you have never believed in Jesus this morning. And he points. to the Holy Spirit.

And to the church, and he says, the spirit and the bride say to you, come. Then Jesus says, let the one who hears say come. In other words, let anyone who responds right now to this invitation to come, turn around and invite others to come with you. And then Jesus himself says, let the one who is thirsty come.

That the one who wishes take the water of life. Without cause. You guys ever had it happen that you've been invited somewhere? To some event, and you weren't totally sure.

That the invitation was sincere. And you weren't sure, should I take them up on the invitation or not, or someone offered you something and you're like, I, I don't know if they're doing that because they just feel obligated. So you're reluctant to take What they're offering to you. Has that ever happened to you?

No? OK, just me. But whenever you do feel that way, like I know they said I could come, but man, did they really want me to come or did they just say that out of obligation? What you need to be assured is repeated invitations, insistent invitations.

And that's what Jesus gives you here. My wife's mom is like this. to turn her down, you have to turn her down 5 or 6 times, never just once. would be at their house and she would say to me, Milton, you want some ice cream?

And I actually did want ice cream, but I didn't want to impose on her, so I would say no, I'm good. Then she'd say, you sure? Because I just bought some yesterday. And I'd say, no, I'm good, thanks, though, I appreciate the offer.

And a few minutes later, she would ask our kids, you guys want some ice cream? And of course, They would say yes. And then she would get up to serve them, and then she would say to me, Milton, are you sure you don't want some ice cream? I'm getting the kids some and I can get you some while I'm at it.

And eventually, I always give in. She always wins. Because I'm assured that she really wants me to have that ice cream. And one of the things I've noticed about my wife's mom.

is that if you turn her down once, you have to turn her down several more times. Before your answer is taken as final. And that's the heart of Jesus. Towards you in this passage.

He really, really wants you to come and be a part of the church. To be a part of this marriage. He says the spirit has come. The bride says, come.

Others who've accepted my invitation, they, they would say come, and I myself say to you, come. I really mean this invitation. And if you're here today and you've never Come, you've never come to Jesus and received salvation through him. You have 4 insistent invitations from Jesus in this passage, and I plead with you, don't disregard them.

If any person in this room hearing this message ends up going into the lake of fire forever and ever, you will go there tripping over these four invitations. Your rejection will be a fourfold rejection. Of these gracious invitations from a wonderfully gracious savior. Look at the passage, looking at the passage that we've looked at today, we see.

Portions of the most amazing story of total devotion. Guys, And being in relationship with Jesus, we're in relationship with one who is absolutely devoted to our full salvation. He's not someone who starts a project and doesn't finish, who makes a promise and doesn't keep the promise. He is fully devoted to you if you're a believer in him, and he's fully devoted to your complete salvation.

And the only proper response to this one is to surrender our lives. In total devotion to him in return, and then to be totally devoted to the thing that he's totally devoted to, which is the church. And we express this devotion to the church. By being devoted to spreading the gospel.

Which contributes to the expansion of the universal church with every person who responds to the gospel and believes. By doing all that we can to edify and build up the Church of Jesus Christ and our brothers and sisters in the Lord, by being devoted. To doing all that we can to edify the church here at Cornerstone and other churches as well, and being patient towards our brothers and sisters, being filled with hope. Toward one another as we love each other, labor together and minister to one another.

Guys, I would just say to you as we close this morning, if you, if you wanna give your life to something that really, really matters. And that will really last. Give your life to the building up of the body of Christ, to the Church of Jesus Christ. Which is you and your brothers and everyone around the world who has believed in Jesus.

There's nothing better that you can devote yourself. To It's what Christ left heaven to come and do, and you are never more like Christ than when you give your life to the building up. Of the church that he died to save. And that he died to one day marry.

Eric Alexander, I'll just read this to you as we close at the 350 year anniversary of the Westminster Confession of Faith held at Westminster Abbey in London. He spoke these words before the multitude that was gathered there. He says, what is the really important thing that is happening in the world and our generation? What are the really significant events taking place?

What is the most important thing? Where do you need to look in the modern world to see the most significant event from a divine perspective? Where is the focus of God's activity in history? Here's his answer.

The most significant thing happening in history is the calling, redeeming, and perfecting of the people of God. God is building the church of Jesus Christ. The rest of history is simply a stage God erects for that purpose. The rest of history is simply the scaffolding.

For the real work. He continues There will come a day when God will pull down the scaffolding of world history. When God brings down the curtain on this bankrupt world, and the Lord Jesus arrives in his infinite glory. Do what he, Jesus, will be pointing to when he says to the whole creation, there is my masterpiece.

He will be pointing to the church. Of Jesus Christ. And Jesus will look upon the church and say, behold, My bride My beautiful Beautiful bride Let's pray together Lord, we're so thankful for what you have done. To accomplish our salvation and dying on the cross.

All that you do in the present, nourishing, cherishing. Cleansing Us day by day. We thank you for the relationship that we At the present time enjoy with you, and yet according to The New Testament to be present in the body as we are right now is to be absent from the Lord. There is a sense of absence from you.

We're in the betrothal period. And while we enjoy. Great relationship with you, Lord. The intimacy that we will know and experience with you in glory will far outshine anything we could ever know here.

So our hearts are grateful for all that you've done as we look back at your acts and bringing about our salvation. We're so grateful for all that you are doing in the present. But we also know, Lord, that eye has not seen nor his ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man all the things that you have prepared for those who love you. And we thank you for all we have now.

And for all that we have to look forward to. Help us, Lord. To be shaped and molded by your devotion. To us, to our salvation, to the church, to the global cause of building the church around the world.

May your devotion to such things shape our devotion. And above all, may we love you. And be totally devoted to you because you have first. Loved And shown yourself totally devoted to us.

We thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to give up our offerings to you, receive these funds, do much with all that is given in this offering for the glory. Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. And all God's people said,