Jesus Loves His Church – Colossians

Brandon Werner - August 2, 2026

Jesus Loves His Church

Together Church | Pastor Brandon & Pastor Jerry

August 2, 2026 | Series: Colossians

INTRODUCTION

Hard to believe August is here.

Brandon

Pastor Stephen reminded us that next week is our annual Church BASH.

I’d call it the most important Sunday of the year. It’s a call to follow Jesus. Following Jesus means making disciples the way Jesus made disciples. Otherwise, we’re not following Jesus.

Ahead of the BASH, today’s message is an important one that’s been born out of a lot of prayer.

Jerry

Today, we’re going to talk about the love of Jesus Christ for His Church.

Virtually all disciples of Jesus are familiar with John 3:16 and can quote it from memory. But what many disciples of Jesus are missing is an understanding of the love that Jesus Christ has for His Church… the Church that they belong to as members.

Brandon

To be clear, we’re not just talking about Jesus’ love for each member of His Church… He absolutely loves us individually!

But this morning, we are talking about the incredible love of Jesus for His entire church collectively.

Jerry

Understanding Jesus’ love for His Church is critical to our behavior as disciples of Jesus because to follow Jesus is to love what He loves.

Brandon

So, let’s explore Jesus’ love for His Church.

Today’s message will guide us through this process…

Understanding: What IS Jesus’ Church?
Believing: How does scripture reveal that Jesus loves His Church?
Action: Do you share Jesus’ heart for His Church?

BODY

Brandon

Understanding: What IS Jesus’ Church?

Our society has hijacked several biblical terms and redefined them to mean something else entirely. Terms like…

Love
Marriage (husband and wife, or men and women)

Those words belong to God, and He gets to define them.

Jesus is God, and He is the founder of His Church. The term “church” belongs to God! To share the love of Jesus for His Church, we must first understand what Jesus’ Church is.

Jerry

The Greek word for church is “ecclesia”. That word literally means “assembly”. In scripture, the church is the people: the full assembly of those God has redeemed.

Brandon

So, in the Bible…

Church is the people, not a location or an event.

We aren’t saying it is wrong to say things like “my church is at SW 44^th and Walker” or “church is at 10am on Sunday.” That’s common language in our society and can be helpful information.

But that language should not define our view biblically. Church is the assembly: those who have been called out and redeemed by God.

Jerry

In the Bible…

“Church” is the name Jesus chose for His team.

Jesus is the first person to use the term “church” in the Bible. Listen to what He said to His apostles in…

Matthew 16:18b

“…and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Jesus is the one who called us His Church.

Brandon

And in the Bible…

No one disciple is “the church” of Jesus by themselves.

1 Corinthians 12:27

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

The notion of “church” being “just me and Jesus” is inconsistent with God’s Word.

The church is ALWAYS the assembly… the team… the collective.

Disciples are part of the church, but no one disciple IS the church.

Jerry

In the Bible…

Jesus is the head of His Church.

We may all be members of Christ’s body, but none of us is the head… Jesus is the head of His Church.

That means He has all authority.

He is first.

He is supreme.

He is preeminent.

Brandon

Colossians 1:18

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

In the Bible, Jesus is head of His Church.

Jerry

And in the Bible…

Jesus’ Church is represented in local churches.

One way you’ll hear preachers talk about this as “Capital C” and “lower case c”. There is ONE CAPITAL C global Church of Jesus!

Jesus knows every individual who belongs to His One True Church.

And, at the same time, that ONE CHURCH is represented in local churches all over the world.

Brandon

God intends for every local church to be an expression of Jesus’ ONE TRUE Church! When people encounter this local church, God wants them to experience what His Church is like.

Jerry

That’s a brilliant plan.

God loves reproduction. His plan for local churches empowers His Church to be known and experienced in local churches all over the world.

Brandon

This concept of local churches is all over scripture. For example, we see the local church in…

Jerusalem (Acts 11:22)
Antioch (Acts 13:1)
Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2-3)
And more.

Jerry

God will hold every local church into account.

“Is our local church truly representative of His Church?”

That’s a tall order. We’ve got to work together.

Brandon

So, in summary, what is Jesus’ Church?

It is founded and established by Jesus
It is the whole assembly
It is Jesus’ body, with Christ as the Head
It is global, the ONE CHURCH of Jesus Christ
It is represented in local churches

That’s an overview of the biblical foundation for the Church.

And it provides the framework for our next point…

Believing: How does scripture reveal that Jesus loves His Church?

Jerry

The examples are remarkable.

To love His Church…

Jesus gave Himself for His Church.

Jesus reminds us that love is nothing if it is not first an action. Right before He went to the cross to die for us, Jesus spoke these words…

John 15:12-13

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Then, Jesus died.

But He didn’t just die for us… scripture says He gave Himself up for us.

Brandon

Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes the love of Jesus…

Ephesians 5:25-30

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.

Look at it… Jesus didn’t JUST die for you. He died for His Church… He gave Himself up for her.

Jerry

That means Jesus gave His life for His Church to come into existence. He died to make the team possible. We are His Church because He gave Himself for us. That’s LOVE.

To love His Church…

Jesus gave His Spirit to His Church.

Brandon

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Not only did Jesus give Himself for His Church, but He loved His Church so much that He gave His Spirit to create and sustain its existence.

Jerry

Yes, Jesus fills each individual member of His Church with His Spirit. But that’s not a complete view. The Bible teaches that God is building us together as His dwelling place.

Because of that, to experience the fulness of His Spirit, we must be vitally connected to His Church.

Brandon

To love His Church…

Jesus provided elders to lead His Church.

Acts 14:23

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

We heard this in a sermon recently…

God establishes all authorities for a purpose… and that purpose is LOVE. Those in authority are called by God to LOVE those in their care by serving and protecting them.

Jerry

Jesus loved His Church by giving us elders to lead us. Church leaders help every local church function as a team…

They seek God on our behalf.

They stir up God’s vision.

They create order.

They instruct.

They discipline and chase away the wolves.

Brandon

Jesus shows His love for His Church by giving us leaders.

And, to love His Church…

Jesus has given us His love letters.

We’re talking about the whole Bible, and especially the 27 letters of the New Testament.

Jerry

Your personal name isn’t on any of those letters. But the Holy Spirit inspired every word of each book. And when Jesus addressed those letters, they were all written for His Church.

The New Testament is full of love letters from God for His Church.

Brandon

To love His Church…

Jesus calls His Church His bride.

The relationship between bride and bridegroom is unlike any other human relationship.

It’s covenantal.

It’s exclusive.

It’s intimate.

It’s honoring.

It’s joyful.

It’s enduring.

Jerry

Jesus is called “the Bridegroom” in several places in scripture.

For example, in…

Matthew 9:15 – Jesus says, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the BRIDEGROOM is with them?”
Mark 2:19-20 – Jesus says again, “Can the guests of the BRIDEGROOM fast while he is with them?”
John 3:29 – John the Baptist identifies Jesus as “the Bridegroom” and says, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom… that joy is mine.”

Brandon

Through a biblical lens, the fact that Jesus identifies Himself as “the Bridegroom” is profound.

It means…

Jesus is intentionally taking on the Old Testament role of Yahweh as HUSBAND (Isa 54:5, Hos 2:19-20 – deity statement)
By calling Himself “the Bridegroom,” Jesus is claiming the divine role of the One who has a bride and who comes to claim His bride.

Jerry

Jesus is the Bridegroom, but who is His bride?

The Apostles made it clear: the Church is Jesus’ bride.

We already heard it in…

Ephesians 5:25-27

Brandon

When we hear these verses, we typically think about human marriages…

But these verses are about what the love of a husband is supposed to be! And the example of that love? The love of Jesus, the Bridegroom, for His Church, His BRIDE.

That’s why, a few verses later, Paul says…

“This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The wife in these verses is THE CHURCH.

The husband in these verses is JESUS.

Jerry

When done God’s way, the marriage of one man to one woman for life is the greatest human expression of God’s love in the world. There cannot be a better picture of the love of Jesus for His Church that for Him to call Himself the Bridegroom and the Church His BRIDE.

Brandon

Isn’t the love of Jesus for His Church amazing? Here’s one more…

To love the Church…

Jesus promised He would return for His Church.

Jesus didn’t simply die for His Bride. He is preparing a home for His Bride, and He promised He is coming back to receive His Bride.

John 14:1-3

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Jerry

The return of Jesus and the rapture is not about every individual rising and ascending… it’s about the Jesus’ Church – UPPERCASE C, His Bride – rising and ascending together!

Brandon

We need to understand something important about Jesus’ love…

There are some things Jesus loves the most. He has greater affection for some things over other things. And here’s the truth:

Jesus’ love for His Church is immeasurable.

He gave Himself for her.
He gave His Spirit to her.
He provided leaders to care for her.
He gave His love letters to her.
He calls her His Bride.
And He has promised to return for her.

Church… Jesus LOVES His Church.

And to follow Jesus is to love His church the way Jesus loves His church.

CONCLUSION

Action: Do you share Jesus’ love for His Church?

Jerry

Right now, in my heart is this grief that I believe is coming from the Holy Spirit. This grief is a deep sorrow in my heart due to my failure to love Jesus’s Church the way He loves it.

The Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about this for the last few months. I believe these thoughts are from Him.

Brandon

When Pastor Jerry shared that with me, it prompted me to ask the same question: “Am I really aware of how much Jesus loves Together Church? Do I really share His heart and His love for Together Church?”

Jerry

Jesus showed us that love is an ACTION.

Biblically speaking, any expression of love for Jesus’ Church is going to begin with my expressions of love for my local church… Together Church.

Brandon

How do you measure what is in someone’s heart? How do you measure someone’s love?

If you asked my wife if I loved her, how would she measure it?

She would measure it by my priorities.
She would measure it by the ways I serve her.
She would measure it by the time I spend time with her.
She would measure it by the gifts that I give to her that I do not give to anyone else.
She would measure it by my interest in her and affection for her.
She would measure it by the faith I demonstrated in her.
She would measure it by the compassion and devotion I had for her.

Jerry

Actions like these can all be indicators of the love in my heart for my wife.

When these things flow from genuine love and not out of compulsion, they are not just duties I perform… they are acts of love that I offer freely because of my great love for Saundra.

Brandon

Love is a difficult thing to preach. Why? Because…

Love is an action. Love fulfills its duty. Love makes sacrifices.

But actions, duty, and sacrifice can also be offered outside of love and under compulsion.

Jerry

What Jesus does for His Church flows out of His genuine love and affection for His Bride. It is not out of compulsion… He truly loves us.

Jesus gave Himself up for us as a freewill offering.

Brandon

There are different types of offerings in the Bible.

Some offerings are legally prescribed. Certain groups of people were required by God’s law to give a designated amount.

And then there are offerings that are called freewill offerings.

Jerry

Freewill offerings are not given out of obligation; they are given because the giver WANTS to give.

They are love offerings.

Brandon

One of the best examples of freewill offerings is when the people of Israel collectively gave for the construction of the tabernacle of Moses shortly after God delivered them from bondage in Egypt…

Exodus 36:2-7

And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

Jerry

The people were moved to such generosity that Moses had to command the assembly to stop giving due to all the excess!

A similar thing happened in the first days of the first church in Jerusalem…

Acts 4:32-35

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Brandon

The church was giving freewill offerings!

Acts of generosity that flow from genuine love. Not under compulsion or out of obligation, but because of great affection for what God loves.

Jerry

At Together Church, we do not teach that disciples of Jesus should follow the commands to tithe that God gave to the Jews in the Old Testament.

When we look at scripture, we see the tithe – a literal 10% gift – prescribed to the nation of Israel but NEVER prescribed to the local church.

Brandon

Is this a good strategy? To not teach the tithe?

There are many church leaders who would say that if you do not teach your people to tithe, your church will not survive.

Jerry

But we long for what Jesus longs for.

We crave something more. We want to belong to a local church body that contributes with excess out of their deep and abiding love for what Jesus loves.

Brandon

Because we are all gifted and blessed differently, this will practically look different for each of us.

But it will include this same heart…

We use what we have to love Jesus’ Church because we are growing in His love.

Jerry

We all naturally understand this kind of love.

I am a grandparent to ____ grandchildren.

Did you know that, under normal circumstances, the Bible has no specific commands for me to spend a certain amount of time investing in my grandkids or to contribute a certain percentage of my resources to bless them?

I am under no legal obligation in God’s Word to use what I have to be generous with my grandkids.

But I want to be generous with my grandkids!

Why? It flows from the love I have for them.

Brandon

Rachael and I are in a new season of life.

We just helped our oldest daughter move out on her own.

You know, no one has had to prompt me…

Why don’t you make sure she has what she needs?

Maybe you should help her get some basic supplies.

You should check on her and make sure she’s doing okay financially.

None of that!

I’ve thought about her every day and I’ve checked in with her often. I’ve prayed for her, spent time severing her, and given gifts to her.

None of those offerings were prescribed… they are all freewill offerings that flow out of the love I have for her in my heart.

Jerry

You know, we do these things because it is who we are…

I’m a grandfather
You’re a father

This kind of love flows out of who we are.

Brandon

Church, do you know who you are?

You are not just an individual who has been saved by Jesus.

You are a member of the body of Christ!

You are collectively joined together as Christ’s Bride!

Watch the Sermon