Our Identity Conference 2024 | Part 4

Duane Sheriff Ministries - Messages

In this message, Duane teaches the great mystery of Christ and the Church, as illustrated through marriage, to provide a deep understanding of our identity and relationship with Jesus.

In Ephesians 5:31-32 Paul compares the marriage relationship between a husband and wife to that of Christ and the Church. This analogy helps believers understand their union with Christ and the depth of His love and commitment to them.

Just as a husband and wife become one flesh in marriage, believers become one spirit with Christ. This union is a spiritual reality that reflects the intimate and unbreakable bond between Christ and His followers. The marriage analogy illustrates how believers are to submit to Christ and how Christ, as the husband, loves and cares for the Church.

Old Testament prophecies foreshadow this mystery. In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called the "Everlasting Father," signifying His role as the progenitor of the new creation. Unlike Adam, who brought sin and death into the world, Jesus, the second Adam, brings righteousness and eternal life. This new creation in Christ forms a spiritual family, a grace race that transcends all earthly divisions and identities.

Eve was taken out of Adam, symbolizing that she was always a part of him. This act foreshadows how the Church, taken out of Christ through His sacrifice, is intimately connected to Him. The opening of Jesus' side on the cross, from which blood and water flowed, parallels the creation of Eve from Adam's side and symbolizes the birth of the Church.

This mystery of marriage and union with Christ reveals God's profound love and commitment to His people. It also highlights the spiritual reality that believers, as the Bride of Christ, are called to live in holiness and unity with Him. This relationship is not a temporary affiliation but an eternal bond culminating in ruling and reigning with Christ in the new heaven and earth.