Harden not your heart as in the day of provocation. You mind the Lord this morning. The book of Ephesians, the fifth chapter. The book of Ephesians, the fifth chapter this morning. We're going to try to do what the Lord would lay on our heart this morning. And we've been preaching a series on the church. And this morning, unless the Lord, He might be showing me one more thing as I sit near this morning. I don't know. We'll see. But we're getting close to wrapping up this series on the church. This morning in the book of Ephesians, the 5th chapter and verse 25, we'd like to preach around this thought, the presentation of the church. You hold that thought in your mind this morning as we go through the book of Ephesians, the 5th chapter and the 25th verse. If you found that, say amen or blow your horn. Ephesians 5 and 25. Alright. The Bible says, Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word. that He might present it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. You can be seated. Father, we thank You for Your love and mercy. Father, we thank You for Your grace and goodness. Father, we're so thankful this morning that You've had mercy upon us. And Father, we're so thankful that You've extended Your mercy and grace and truth into our lives. Father, we pray this morning for the anointing of thy help, Lord. We pray today, God, that you'd hide us behind the shadow of the cross. I pray, God, that you'd put us in thy cleft, cover us there with thy hand while your glory passeth by. Father, we pray this morning that you'd cleanse our mind and empty us of self and fill us with your Spirit. I pray this morning that you'd help us all to see what you'd have us to see. Father, help me to say what you'd have me to say and not what you would have me not to say. Father, I pray you'd hide me And I pray you'd show up and preach a little while. We thank you and love you. We give you glory and honor. Save the sinner. Reclaim the backslider. Encourage a child of God. And help us, Father, to see the old time way prolonged in this service. God, we love and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. The Bible this morning says, Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church. and gave himself for it. The Bible says that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word. That he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. but that it should be holy and without blemish. This morning I'm going to show you five things if the Lord would allow. I'm going to preach a little bit. I'm going to get out of your way this morning. The Bible teaches in verse number 25 as Christ loved the church. Do you know this morning the church ought to be loved? Amen? Well, what do you mean about that preacher? Well, I thought this morning the Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and understand this morning the reason that Jesus came and died on the cross of Calvary is not to build a building the reason Jesus came and died upon Calvary is because he loved the church because he loved the world this morning we need to understand we might feel like we're lower than a snake belly that we're lower than a shadow of a A snake's belly in a wagon wheel run, I think is how Butcher says it. Butcher, I've got it all wrong, but it's pretty low this morning. Sometimes we feel like we've got to reach up to touch the bottom. Sometimes we feel like the world's done run over. Sometimes we feel like that God's done forgot about us, but God ain't never forgot about you. God ain't give up on you. God loves you, child of God. You understand this morning you can't outrun God. You can't go anywhere. The psalmist said if I should ascend into the heavens. He said if I should make my bed in hell, thou art there. You understand this morning, you can't hide from God. You can't run from God. Nothing shall separate us from the love of God. You understand this morning, not anything that is done in this life or anything that is seen or not seen. There is nothing that can make God stop loving you. This morning we need to understand this morning. Honey, whenever the Bible teaches that the church ought to be loved, I want you to understand it ought to be loved sacrificially. What do you mean about that preacher? Honey, the Bible teaches that Jesus gave himself for it. Jesus gave himself. as a sacrifice, as your substitutionary sacrifice. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, He wasn't dying for His benefit. He was dying for our benefit. He wasn't dying for His sin. He was dying for our sin. He wasn't dying to make a way for Him to get to heaven. He was dying for you and I to get to heaven. You understand this morning, honey, that the church, it ought to be loved. Honey, the church is loved by God, no doubt. And the church ought to be loved by you. Honey, but the church is not loved by the world. Honey, but thank God this morning, we're not of the world. We might live in the world, but we're not of the world. We might walk in the world, but we're not living in the world. You understand this morning, this world is not my home. I'm just passing through. Honey, we need to understand, honey, this morning, honey, that the church is also, not only is the church loved, honey, but Look in verse 26, the Bible says, in Ephesians 5 and 26, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word. Do you know this morning, honey, that we live in a world, now listen to me, child of God, we get dirty. We live in a world, honey, where the world is dirty. Honey, we're living in the mud and the muck. Some of us say, God, this morning, you ever realize, honey, that when God saved you, He took you and He made you a new creature in Christ. Would you agree with me right there? Do you realize this morning, honey, that He called you out from the world? Honey, we are to be a separate people. We're not to live like the world. We're not to walk like the world. We're not to talk like the world. We're not to act like the world. Hey, have you ever seen a pig? Yes, sir. Honey, a pig loves to roll around in the mud and in the swamp. Honey, but I ain't never seen a sheep. I ain't never seen a lamb living in the hog pen. Listen, you realize, honey, what God's done for you? Honey, God done for you because He loved you. Honey, we live in this world and I know, honey, we see things, we hear things. Honey, but I want you to know, how do we get clean, preacher? Honey, I want you to know the Bible says in the book of Ephesians 5 and 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse it. by the washing of water by the Word. Do you know this morning the Word of God? It'll clean you up. It'll sanctify you. Honey, the Word of God, it'll make you pure. It'll make you righteous. In the eyes of God, you say, preacher, I don't believe that. Honey, the Bible teaches, honey, that my Word, honey, God's seen this. He said, my Word is a lamp under thy feet. It is a light under thy path. The psalmist David said, I will hide it in my heart. that I might not sin against thee. You realize this morning, God's Word, it'll give you conviction. God's Word, it'll teach you not to lie. Honey, whenever you read Exodus 20, honey, where he said, thou shalt not lie. shall not kill. You realize this morning the Word of God will teach us. It will show us, honey, the things that we're living in. Do you realize this morning, honey, that if you've been saved for five years, you ought not be spiritually a one-year-old, but you ought to be spiritually a five-year-old. Honey, we've got to grow in this thing. And as we grow, we get cleaner. As we grow, We get more mature as we grow. Honey, the things that used to make us dirty, the things that used to make us filthy, they don't bother us anymore. We've elevated in spiritual maturity and to the point that we're not doing the things that we used to do. You say, Pre-Tribe M saved a month. You're going to make mistakes. Pre-Tribe M saved five years. You're going to fall. You're going to slip. but get back up again and get in the Word of God and seek the Lord while he may be found. Look this morning, he said in John 5 and 3, he said, Now ye are cleaned through the word which I have spoken unto you. In John 17 and 17 he says, Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Remember what Ricky was teaching us this morning about mercy. Our mercy has got to be mixed with truth. Amen. In verse 27, I'm going to skip around here in verse 27. I'm going to give you the last three points out of verse 27. You say, Preacher, you haven't got through two points. Yes, I've already got through two points. I've got three more to go. Now watch this. The Bible says in Ephesians 5 and 27 that he might present it to himself. A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle nor any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. I want to look at that statement this morning. Honey, glorious church. Do you realize this morning that God's house ought to look better than any house in the neighborhood? Amen. God's house. Honey, the grass ought to be cut. Honey, the windows ought to be cleaned. Honey, the shutters ought to be up. You realize this morning, God's house, it ought to stand out. Honey, as a beacon, it ought to stand out. has a lighthouse. You realize God's house, it ought to set apart from all the other community. God's house ought to be different. And you realize this morning, honey, that you are God's house. Honey, whenever God saved you, he made you a new creature. He made you a temple. You realize this morning, honey, that you who were Not a people are now a people. You realize this morning, honey, that what God did for you, honey, whenever He saved you, He put His Spirit in you. And you know what He did that for? Because He wanted to glorify your life. Do you realize? God can take a drunkard and He can stand him up. He can take a beggar and He can stand him up. That same fella, Brother Ricky, was talking about a while ago. You know what? Honey, that if he committed his life unto the Lord, God could clean him up. Amen. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a man. He is a new creature. Old things are dead. You realize this morning, honey, that I don't go where I used to go. I don't do what I used to do. I used to do this, and I used to do that. I hope it's never talked about. I hope it's never uttered. I'm ashamed of the life that I used to live. I'm ashamed of the things I used to do. Hey, God can make a new creature. God can make you what God wants you to be. God wants to do that so that He can glorify your life through His Spirit today. Now look this morning. Number 27 again, we see this morning not only does God want to glorify the church, but God wants the church to be holy. Honey, listen, He wants the church to be without blemish. Do you realize this morning, let me say this, the best way I know how to say it, there are churches, honey, that have splits and every church is going to have a problem. Would you agree with me right there? Every church is going to have problems. Let me just say this you say preacher I'm looking for the perfect church and you stay out of it Boy got a little quiet right there didn't see None of us are perfect We're going to make mistakes. We're going to have disagreements. But work them out civilly and spiritually. I've heard of churches splitting over the color of the carpet. I've heard of pastors getting mad and walking out. The deacon board said, you can't preach on that. I've heard the deacon board say, I'm going to rule the pastor. Amen. I've heard it all. Listen to me this morning. Honey, Jesus, he's got to be the head of the church. And we've got to be able to live in the spirit. And we've got to live holy. We've got to live righteously. We've got to live without blemish. Honey, the Bible says, honey, that it should be holy and without blemish in verse 27. In 1 Peter 1, 15 and 16, the Bible said, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversations, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. This morning, God's house ought not be a daycare. God's house ought not be a romper room. God's house. Hey man, neighbor, I'm preaching this morning. God's house, it ought to be holy. Honey, when we walk into God's house, we ought not to be bad. We ought not be blowing bubbles, popping our chewing gum. We're in holy ground. We're in God's house. We ought to act holy. We ought to live right, walk right, and talk right. We ought not coming into God's house, drinking a Coca-Cola, eating a moon pie. Amen, neighbor. You realize God's house ought to be holy. And the only way God's house can be holy is if God's people are holy today. Preacher, I just don't know about that. Let me just tell you this morning, God's got a purpose. God's got a plan. And the reason God is doing what God's doing this morning is because there's coming a time or God wants to present His church. I think this morning the context to this scripture is centered around the marriage. Now, listen to me. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself. Now, there's going to come a day where you Me, the church, the bride of Christ, are going to be presented to the bridegroom. Who's the bridegroom, preacher? Jesus. Preacher, what are you saying this morning? Let's look at what the scripture says. He said that he might present it to himself. 2 Corinthians 4 and 14 said, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up also by Jesus and shall present us with you. 2 Corinthians 11 and 2 said, For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. In Jude 1 and 24 he said, Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty and dominion and power both now and forever. Amen. Now let me just say this this morning. I remember September the 28th, 1996 was the day that I married the love of my life. And listen, I remember standing, honey, before the pastor. I remember standing before the preacher. I remember standing before the man of God as he stood there with the Bible. God, honey, the piano started to play, and the back doors opened up, and thank God I thought I seen an angel. Honey, Kelly stepped through the doors, and thank God, listen, she was the prettiest thing I ever did see. And you understand, honey, that that was the presentation. Honey, her father, he stepped through the door with her, arm in arm, as they proceeded down the aisle. And you understand this morning, church, that there's coming a day where you and I, the bride of Christ, we're going to meet the bridegroom. How about old brother Isaac? Old brother Isaac was there mourning the death of his mommy. And listen, Eliezer, who I believe was the eldest servant, Abraham sent him back to the land of his fathers to find a bride for his wife. And thank God, Honey, they had 10 camels of grace. And thank God they had, oh, Eliezer, he had that woman. Honey, I want you to know he had Rebekah upon that camel. He had given her gold. He had given her silver. He had adorned her. And listen, honey, back there, toward the end of the 24th chapter, the book of Genesis you'll find honey that Rebecca looked out and she said the servant she said who is that man she said it is your Lord hey can I tell you today church honey she looked up and she saw that it was him the Bible teaches that she took Honey, to cover herself. And she got down off of the camel. And she went. And listen, I thought some of the servants might have said, the camels are coming. Hey Bob, the camels are coming. You understand this morning church? Honey, that there's coming a day. Honey, when the clouds are gonna roll back out of the scroll like a scroll, and with the last trump of God is gonna sound, and the Bible teaches, honey, that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet Him in the air. And I'm gonna tell you this morning, church, honey, that there's gonna be presentation of the bride. You say preacher where do you get that from? Go with me this morning if you would to the book of Revelation and the 21st chapter if God would help me this morning honey to be able to find this in the 21st chapter of the book of Revelation I want you to see this honey because it's important that we realize honey that you're going to be presented. Some of us this morning need to realize this morning that we're living with a purpose. We're living with an objection. What is our objection, preacher? It is to live right, walk right, talk right. Amen. It is to date right. It is to marry right. It is to be, yes sir! It is to be right, honey, because we need to be what God would have us to be. Now listen, honey, as Kelly came down that aisle, and as she was presented, honey, I remember the preacher. He said, who gives this woman to be this man's wife? And her daddy said, her mother and I. Can I tell you today, church, honey, that there's coming a time, honey, that the angels are gonna have to step back. They're not going to be able to sing. Honey, the angels, they're not going to have what you have. They're not going to get what you get. Honey, the angels that are there in heaven this morning, they're not going to be able to take part in this marriage. Look what the Bible says in Revelation. chapter 21, and verse number 9, the Bible said, And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had seven bowels full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither. I will shew thee the bride, the lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain. And he shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. I told you that the church ought to be a glorious church. And her light was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear crystal. And the wall was great and high and had twelve gates. at the gates twelve angels and the names were written on which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel on the east three gates and on the north three gates and on the south three gates on the west three gates and the wall of the city had twelve foundations And in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Watch this church. And he talked with me and had a golden reed to measure the city. And the gates thereof and the walls thereof and the city lie four square. And the length is as large as breadth. And he measured the city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. Go with me in chapter 22 and verse 1. And he showed me a pure river, a water of life, clear as a crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. And in the midst of the street, on either side of it was a river, and there was a tree of life. And the bale bear twelve manner of fruits and yielded a fruit. every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. And His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no more night there, And they need no candle, neither light of the sun For the Lord giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever Can I tell you this morning church, honey, that there is coming a day whenever the church is going to be presented as the bride of Christ. Come on, Les. Come on, Alicia. You realize this morning we may be going through some hardship down here, but it is temporary. Honey, but you that have been blood-bought, your salvation is eternal. Amen. You realize this morning that your forgiveness is eternal. You realize this morning, honey, that God's able to take you out of the poor house and He's able to put you in the King's house. God is able to pick you up and He's able to set you down. God is able to fit you with righteousness and holiness and to present you without spot, without blemish. We need to live right in the eyes of God today. There's coming a day, church, that you're going to be presented as the bride of Christ. I told you about Kelly. Let me tell you about the Jews. whenever that Jewish lady is to be married unto that husband. You've heard the parable whenever they showed up for the wedding without their wedding garments. Amen. They weren't fit. They weren't dressed for the wedding. We find according to the Word of God, the parable of the ten virgins, five had their oil, Five had no oil, but only those that had lamps that were burning and had oil were permitted to go in. That oil is the Holy Ghost. Amen. Preacher, what are you saying this morning? I'll tell you about that Jewish wedding. The bridegroom coming, most of the time that wedding was at night. The bridegroom cometh. He comes in a day and an hour when you think not. See the bride, she just knew that he was not there yet. Where did he go? Most of the time he went to his father's house to prepare a dwelling place for he and his wife. Jesus said, Jesus said, you believe in God, believe also in me, for in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you so. He said, I go away to prepare a place for you that where I am there, ye may be also. We find the bridegroom, he cometh. And the bride knoweth not when he cometh, but when the bridegroom cometh, he knocks upon the door. And he's surprising the bride. And the bride has to get ready? No, the bride's already ready. See neighbor, whenever the scroll is rolled out up yonder, whenever the last trump of God's gonna sound, you're not gonna have time to get ready. You gotta be ready. And the bridegroom, he unites with his bride. They're not married yet. And the presentation takes place. Down the street, all the lights are turned off. And only those that walk in that presentation, only those that walk in that wedding march are permitted to have lights. And they're not able to walk with the bride and the groom unless they have light. And can I tell you this morning, Jesus said in one place, He said, I am the light of the world. But in another place, He said, ye are the light of the world. And the Bible teaches this morning, that one day he's going to present the bride. And that bride and that groom, as they walk with that marriage procession down the street and the lights are burning, they walk into the place where the marriage is going to take place. And she enters in with him under the tent, under the hoopla. And there is that ceremony performed. There is where the wedding supper takes place. Now listen to me this morning. God does a lot of good things around the table. God does a lot of good things around the supper table. You realize this morning that there's going to be a great feast. And it's going to be on your behalf. You're not going to be eating because you're hungry. It's going to be celebration because the bride is going to be given unto the bridegroom. and that marriage is going to take place. Listen to me this morning. The church is going to be presented. Church Union Valley is not a social club. The churches are not social clubs. We're houses of worship and we're essential. Amen. Church is essential. It's important that we assemble in church. It's important that we gather together and worship the Lord together. He said not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as a like manner as some have so much more as we see the day approaching. Now listen, we might not be able to gather in here yet and keep everybody safe. We might have to gather the way we're gathered this morning, but it's God's will that we assemble. He's going to present the church. And church, I just wondered this morning, if you're waiting to get ready, you're going to miss out.