Ephesians - The Christian Walk at Home - Part 2
Posted on September 22, 2011 by Unknown
Sermon Audio: Click to Listen
Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33 - Listen
We glorify Christ, and God brings the blessings to our homes when we live in Christ and follow the roles that He outlined for us in Scripture.
- Wife: Submit to your husband. (5:22-24).
- Summary: We struggle with this most often not because of the argument of value, but because none of us, like to submit to authority. It is the fallen-ness of man. Ultimately this is a picture of the relationship of Christ and the church. " Submit as to Christ."
- Husband: Love your wife. (5:25-32)
- Paul uses twice as long to address the matter of the husband. (Perhaps we need to here more to get it) :-)
- Here Paul doesn't reassert that the husband is the spiritual authority. We don't need to be reminded that we have authority.
- Authority does not equal tyranny, or oppressiveness.
- John Stout : "All those that have been given authority are responsible to the Lord God and the ones whom over they have authority."
- We should be caring and concerned about all portions of our wives lives. No matter whether we have a natural interest in that or not. God has blessed me so much in this area. It is easy to be interested in all of my wifes interests, not just because I was first interested in them, but because God help show me how they were linked to my own interests. The thing we always come back to is that we are most interested in our LORD God. This centers us and delights us in all things.
- Love your wife as Christ loved the church. Christ love is all encompassing. Concerned of the good and the bad, the difficult and the easy.
- Christ devoted himself to the needs and weaknesses of those around Him.
- Sleep - Perhaps the strongest of human desires. But how often do we overcome even that for the purpose of soothing a crying child. ha ha... About to live this one daily, one again. I am anticipating the joyous deleriousness."
- Christ stooped to do the most menial tasks. He washed their feet - the slaves job. Father's handle poop, pee, vomit. Cleaning, etc. Nothing should be too low for us.
- Christ laid down his life, voluntarily. This is the love we are to show our wives. Sacrificial Love. So that she may be the beneficiary, not ourselves.
- Jim challenges us: Get off the easy chair. Put down the hobby, turn off the TV. Sacrifice for your wife to see her lifted up.
- The word for love in this passage is Agape. Sacrificial, unconditional love. Without reservation, without prerequisite.
- Christ dies to make us holy. We die to our wives in this manner. We can not cleanse our wive, just that we cannot cleanse ourselves. Only God sanctifies. But with this same devotion Christ has for us in this task, we can be likewise devoted.
- Like in partner dancing. Protect her, direct her, show her off. Presented in splendor. :-)
- Love her as we love ourselves. I really recommend the chapter on Marriage in John Piper's "Desiring God" on this passage.
- v. 31 This story, this image goes all the way back to creation and the book of Genesis.
- v32-33 But the best reason for following this is that our marriages are the picture, the expression to the world or the relationship of Christ and the church. This is why one of the qualifiers of church leadership in that a man be the husband of one wife, and be the spiritual leader of his home. This is one of the strongest images we have.
- When we live out or roles as husbands, we don't proclaim what a good marriage is, but the gospel of Christ, how Christ loves the church. To not do this is to proclaim a false gospel.
- Application:
- Let this be your goal and your standard.
- Don't put this off. Repent to one another. Don't wait for your spouse to go first.
- Don't add qualifiers, expectations, and prerequisites.
- Let us walk as our calling to Christ.
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