Ephesians 5: 25-27
Revelation 19: 6-10
I feel confirmed in thinking of these scriptures, beloved, by the hymn that we sang. We sang:
Oh how precious thine assembly
Is, Lord Jesus, in Thy sight
(Hymn 359)
- but the assembly is not yet complete, and the time of the marriage of the Lamb has not come. I thought that was something we could take account of in relation to this occasion we have before us. We are not here on account of the marriage of our bother and sister, but in anticipation of it. One would trust that there would be something coming into the occasion - indeed, for that purpose we are gathered - which will encourage them and set them on their way. I might just say incidentally that I can only recall one similar occasion. I mention that as a matter of interest, that there has been a similar occasion; not exactly the same but the same kind of thing, where we felt that as a local brother - in the present case a beloved local sister - was leaving us to be married elsewhere, we should be together in relation to the matter.
Here we have in these scriptures which I have read that “Christ also loved the assembly”. We might say that, at that time, when He delivered Himself up for it, the assembly was not in existence as such. Indeed, it is not as yet complete. But His love for the assembly was manifest in the way in which, as it says, He “has delivered himself up for it”, in view of its sanctification and purification; in view of the action of the word, that He might present it to Himself glorious. Now all these things that are found in the ties of nature are by far superseded by the truth in relation to Christ and the assembly. We might say that our brother loves our sister, but it has no comparison to what we read here that “Christ ... loved the assembly”, and has served her, and continued to serve her, I trust - and I say it simply and dependently - even in such an occasion as this. In this occasion, we may prove something of His service in view of what will ultimately be presented to Himself "glorious, having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things". Every time of our gathering together would have this in mind, and we would have before us the greatness of His love for the assembly, and the way He has delivered Himself up for it. As I say, this far exceeds anything of nature. We cannot speak of our brother as delivering himself up for his wife, as she will be. There will be that committal as they are joined together "in the Lord", as I trust it will be. Sadly, we have had sorrow as to the break up of marriages among us. I do not dwell upon it, but it raises a question about whether the marriages were originally in Lord. But I am sure that, in this case, we can take account of what is in view, a marriage in the Lord; and there will be the working out of it in view of the furtherance of the testimony where they will live. We will be praying in view of that, following them in our prayers. So, as I say, the matter of Christ and the assembly supersedes anything which we have here in these natural relationships, and yet it would give us some indication of the standard by which we are to view them, and would stimulate us in our committal to the assembly and what is precious to the heart of Christ at the present time.
Well, I read in Revelation because we have there again the consummation of the matter, that "the marriage of the Lamb is come". If the Lord will and we should live, this will be something of a later experience for our beloved brother and sister. But it is interesting that it says that His wife has made herself ready. It is not His bride, but His wife. There again, you only have what is typical and suggestive in relation to this great matter; the matter far exceeds what is suggested in type and figure. And so it speaks of His wife. You might think it would speak of His bride having made herself ready, but the wonder of it is that she is here in faithfulness at the present time, as a wife would be to her husband. The assembly is here in faithfulness, and thus she is ready on her side. There is the side which we read of in Ephesians where we have the sanctifying and purifying of the assembly as the actions of Christ, but here we have her own action, her own activities: she has made herself ready. She is clothed accordingly now on account of her own moral worth and what she herself has been engaged in, in the waiting time. She is clothed in fine linen, bright and pure. Then it says, “the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints”. So that we are all to have part in this; we all have part in the making ready of the assembly in view of this glorious day when she will be presented to Christ, "having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things".
I just bring these scriptures forward, beloved, as coming to mind in relation to this occasion; but we trust it will be for the blessing and encouragement of our beloved brother and sister; and not only that but there might be something in us all which will lead us to a greater appreciation of what the assembly is to the heart of Christ, that there may be more for Him as a result. In His precious Name.
London
27th November 2010