Our Old Testament reading comes from the book of Genesis, a familiar and beautiful text from Genesis chapter 2. Genesis 2, I will read verses 18 through 25. I invite you to stand as we read God's word. And the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground, the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman and he brought her to the man and Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." Our New Testament reading comes from Ephesians and chapter 5. We ended with verse 27. Last week we begin with verse 28. through the end of the chapter. Ephesians 5, starting with verse 28. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Amen. You may be seated. Listen to two familiar passages which speak of God's power in creation. Psalm 19 and verse 1, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. That's Psalm 19, 1, and then a similar passage, Romans 1 and verse 20. Romans 1, verse 20, you know this also. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. And we know we can turn to Isaiah 40, many other passages which direct us to consider God's power in terms of His physical creation, either the original creation or how He rules over that which He has made. We should also rejoice as we consider God's work. as he was the one who ordained marriage. He established the family. He established the church. He established civil government. We are to see God's wisdom in how he has ordained society. Now, of course, we have to be careful when we look at creation. We know we are seeing creation groaning under the fall. There are aspects of creation where we maybe more particularly see the fall. We see God's judgment. When we look at the institutions that God has created, we come face to face with what? With sinners. We see rebellion. It is horrible in some cases when we look at unjust governments, when we look at families that are in disarray, when we see local churches, when we see marriages. There's horror in some cases. But the presence of sin and rebellion, these are not the only things that we are to see. We still rejoice, don't we, in a beautiful day, in a sunset? We rejoice in a majestic mountain. We are to rejoice that God established marriage. God established marriage, a man and a woman, and we rejoice in this at the earthly level, but then also the heavenly level, the spiritual level, because marriage, that picture of Jesus Christ and his church. That's interesting. Paul, in Romans 5, he says, Adam is a type of Christ. From the very beginning, God created Adam as a picture of the one to come. From the very beginning, God created marriage to picture the glorious work of Jesus Christ. Jesus, when he was tested by the Pharisees regarding marriage and divorce, made this point. Jesus looked to the beginning Jesus said to those who tested him, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning, it was not so. Jesus recognized the corruption of what had been made. He goes back to the beginning, to the original establishing of marriage. Now, I'm sure you have read this passage from Ephesians 5 many times. You've studied it on your own. You've heard many sermons on this text. Maybe you find yourself questioning, what's the goal as we consider this text once again? What is the goal? Well, it's always good to hear God's Word. Even if it is familiar, we should pray, Lord, teach us, direct us, not that we just endlessly go over passages, but it's good to hear that which is familiar and for all husbands and wives, no doubt. Every time we read this passage, there should be a sense of conviction, even encouragement for those that are not married. This is still an important passage. as we pray for those who are married, as we consider God's work and leading in our own lives. So it's good to consider and hear what is familiar as it relates to marriage. It is good to rejoice in the salvation. This passage, though it speaks of marriage, And we don't want to miss that, but it directs us to consider that which Jesus Christ has done for us, the profound nature of merit, but the profound nature, the bond of Jesus Christ and his church. And we should never grow tired in rejoicing in this truth. Turn, if you would, still under introduction to Colossians. It's interesting to compare the instruction that you find in Paul's letters. Colossians chapter 3, 18 is the start of the instruction in that book as we find it here in Ephesians 5. This section goes all the way to chapter 4, 1. But let me read just verses 18 and 19. 18 reads this. Wives, submit to your own husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. What can you say about Colossians and Ephesians? You can say the basic instruction is exactly the same. What Paul writes in Ephesians, you find it also in Colossians. On the other hand, we also observe this. In Ephesians, we have a more extended conversation, more extended instruction on marriage and how it relates to Christ than you have in the book of Colossians. Why the difference? Well, one thing we remember is what we call the letter to the Ephesians likely was not just for the church in Ephesus. It was to be distributed. It was to be shared with other churches. It's for the entire church. So the Colossians were not cheated. They were given instruction directly in the book that we call Colossians. And again, likely they would have received the same instruction that we call the book of Ephesians. So it's interesting to compare and contrast. But remember, God's word is for all the church. Some may have gotten that word before. but in God's providence, we have the entire record of God's word. So as we focus now on Ephesians 5, we must hear the commands that are given. In here, in this case, the command's given to husbands and wives, but we also then consider the theme, the beautiful theme of our union with Jesus Christ. Consider the duty that God has given you in light of your union with Jesus Christ. Consider that which God has called you to do, but in light of union with Christ. We'll look at verses 28 to 33. First, the command to love, part two, verses 28 and 29a. Then again, the focus on Christ and his church, part two, verses 29b through 32, and then verse 33, the conclusion, the command to love and respect. Look at verse 28. In our versions, the New King James, it begins with the word so. So husbands ought to love their own wives. You could translate that, maybe it should be better translated, in the same way, in the same way. It's an adverb. In the same way, we go back to what Jesus Christ has done for his church. He loved his church. He gave himself for her. He has sanctified, he has cleansed his church. He is preparing his church for this great presentation in light of all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for the church, this is how a husband is to love his wife. Now, we observed last week there are things a husband cannot do. A husband cannot save his wife. Not spiritually. A husband, so a husband cannot do everything that Christ does for his church, obviously, but in light of what Christ has done for his church. That is the calling given to the husband. It's not based on the worthiness of the wife. Christ did not love us because of our worthiness. It is, we could say, it's a sacrificial love. It seeks the spiritual growth and maturing of the wife. And the question is, based on how this love is described, how much as husbands do we love as described? Now what's interesting in verse 28, husbands are called to love, the word there is ought, there's a duty, a command, ought to love their wives in light of how we love them. our own bodies as their own bodies. And then the point, he who loves his wife loves himself. I think this is the only place in scripture where you find this exact language. We might call this a self-love. There is a proper self-love in that we care for our bodies. We have to do that which is necessary. Of course, there are many perverse forms of self-love. That is what tends to dominate. One commentator says, this is called the law of life. You have to eat, you have to do that which you need to do to live. That, of course, is a proper form of self-love. There's an extension of this self-love that we can call the law of marriage. And Paul says in verse 29, no one ever hated his own flesh. That's a powerful truth. Everyone seeks his or her own good, whatever form that may take. For many, it's a perverse form. But no one hates himself, verse 29, but nourishes and cherishes it. Those two verbs, nourishes and cherishes, are not common verbs. They're used only one other time outside this verse here in verse 29. Look ahead to Ephesians 6 in verse 4. Ephesians 6, 4, and you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up. That word translated bring them up is the same word here translated as nourish. I don't think we have to force the same meaning, but it's significant that this verb is only used two times here in verse 29, nourish in verse 4 of Ephesians 6, bring them up. And then the word cherish, used also then in verse 29, is used only one other time, and that's 1 Thessalonians 2.7. 1 Thessalonians 2.7. Paul is giving his own testimony when he and others were in Thessalonica. He says, but we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. A nursing mother cherishes her own children. A nursing mother cares deeply for her own children. That's how Paul was conducting himself in Thessalonica. That is what we do to our own bodies. A husband is to show that care for his wife. So provision and care is the idea. Nourish and cherish, you might say, are richer words, but same meaning. ultimate, and verse 29 ends, just as the Lord does the church. The ultimate provision and care is that what the Lord Jesus Christ does for his church. Husbands, in light of how Jesus loves his church, that is what we are to do in terms of provision and care for our wives. That's the great challenge. And again, only as your focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you hope to follow and obey this instruction? Well, second, then, we look at verse 29b through 32. The focus, again, on Jesus Christ and his church. For all that we know about Paul, the book of Acts, the letters that he wrote, there is much we don't know about him. And we don't have to ultimately know these details. We ask the question, was Paul ever married? Likely he was, given the culture of that day and his position. Did his wife leave him? Maybe after his powerful conversion, after the Lord saved him, maybe he was abandoned by his family. This is all speculation. We should not say what scripture does not say. We can say that certainly Paul was not naive concerning marriage. And we can also say this, Paul's main focus was the relationship of Jesus Christ and his church. This did not lead him to make less of marriage, just the opposite. But Paul's goal was not a marriage counselor to make people happier. Paul's goal is what we see in Colossians 1. At the end of Colossians 1, Paul said this, Him, Jesus Christ, we preach, warning every man, teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to his working which works in me mightily." Paul's goal is to preach every word, the full counsel of Jesus Christ, to present people perfect in Christ. That was Paul's consuming struggle. And we've noted throughout this section, Paul cannot help them but speak about Jesus Christ, even as he does speak on the necessity of husbands and wives to do what they are called to do. The word body that we have here is used at least eight or nine times in Ephesians. I think it's a total of nine times. And we've seen it already eight times in Ephesians. Let me point out some of the uses of this important word, body. Go back to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1, the last verse in that chapter, speaking of the church, verse 23 then says, which is his body? The church is described as the body of Christ, the fullness of him who fills all in all. That is speaking of Christ. Turn to Ephesians 2, and then verse 16. Ephesians 2, verse 16, Paul here is speaking of the unity of believing Jew and Gentile, and we read in verse 16 that he might reconcile them both to God, in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. Turn to chapter 4. Chapter 4 has three, at least three uses, three or four uses of this word body. We begin with verse 4, Ephesians 4 and verse 4, there is one body. and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling." Jump down to verse 12, Ephesians 4, Jesus has given apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, why? For the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Then verse 16, Christ is the head, that's the end of verse 15, verse 16, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effect of working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Then in Ephesians 5, And verse 23, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church and he is the savior of the body. Well, marriage is not just two people making a commitment. No, it's God bringing two people together as one. There is a human aspect. But as Jesus describes it, the scripture describes it, marriage is two people becoming one, joined under God. And in God's incredible work of redeeming sinners, those who are saved, they're delivered from God's judgment and wrath, they are also joined together and they become part of the body of Christ. Look at Ephesians 4 and verse 25, Ephesians 4, 25. Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. We are joined together as we are united with Christ. Now here in verse 30, Verse 30 says, for we are members of his body. And then the phrase, of his flesh and of his bones. Not all translations have that last part of verse 30. Depends on the Greek manuscript that that translation is following, or the family of manuscripts. That's a quotation from Genesis 2.23. So again, some versions don't have that. The meaning is not changed. Verse 30, for we are members of his body. And this is the concept, what is often described as union with Jesus Christ, incorporation. We are part of his body, and this language, as you know, is throughout scripture, but especially the New Testament, we can say. In John, the language is not identical, but it is similar. Listen to 1 John 4, 12 and 13. 1 John 4, 12 and 13, no one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us of his spirit. This is the incredible language of fellowship, the triune nature of God. So Paul's common language is the language of the body. John's common word is abiding. I believe it's the same glorious truth. John Frame writes about the depth of this subject. He says, union with Christ is an exceedingly broad topic. We will see that it underlies all the works of God in our lives. Election, calling, regeneration, faith, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification. All of these blessings are in Christ. Everything that you enjoy spiritually, you have in union with Christ. Often, Paul just speaks in Christ, or the language sometimes, the body, or members. Different words are used, and it's difficult to estimate or overestimate how important this is. There's a sense, though, it's difficult for us to grasp. I mean, how often do we think this way? Paul certainly did, but we struggle with, we might say, really thinking and living according to this language. It's the importance of having scripture dictate our thoughts. Now in verse 31, we have a quotation. from Genesis, this is Genesis 2.24. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. That's nearly an identical quotation from the Greek version of Genesis 2.24. And obviously Genesis 2 comes before the fall, which is in Genesis 3. In the state of innocence, in the state of sinlessness, This ideal picture of the union of man and woman was established. It's beautiful language. It's profound language. We're not gonna focus on all the details here. A man leads his father and mother. He's joined, some might say, he is cemented to his wife. The two shall become one flesh. It's amazing how profound that statement is. Jesus, in Matthew 19, again, when he was questioned, challenged by the Pharisees regarding marriage and divorce, Jesus said in verse six, so then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate. Two become one. It is amazing how profound this is, and this is right from the beginning of Scripture. Francis Faust, who writes in the Tyndale Commentary Series on Ephesians, I've come to appreciate his comments. He said of this passage, this statement, that is Genesis 2, 24, this statement from the creation story is the most profound and fundamental statement in the whole of Scripture concerning God's plan for marriage. It has been the ultimate bulwark of the Church against the arguments for allowing polygamy to remain in societies where she has met it. It is the ultimate argument against promiscuity. It is the ultimate reason why the Church can have no pleasure in the dissolution of marriage by divorce. Now, this commentator died in 1997, so I think we can add to this quote by saying Genesis 2.24 also shows how completely ludicrous would be any idea of same-sex marriage. So Genesis 2, 24, a very profound text, and no doubt as Paul is writing this, he knows that text. It's in the background, and here it comes to the forefront, but then we notice this. Paul clarifies in verse 32, he's not just thinking about marriage. He uses the most important text on marriage, at least in terms of its ordination and its meaning, but he's saying, I'm not just focused on marriage, verse 31. Excuse me, verse 32. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ. and his church, and the church. The word mystery is a word we've seen already a number of times in Ephesians. Four times already, this is the fifth use of the word mystery, and Ephesians 6.19 is the sixth and final use. Look at Ephesians 6 and verse 19. Paul is requesting prayer, and for me, That utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. The gospel reveals the mystery. The gospel makes known that which was hidden in the past, but is now revealed. And we're so used to hearing the word mystery in our own language that I think it's difficult for us to grasp. Mystery now, as it is used in the New Testament, means something known, something revealed. It's not hidden any longer. No, it's made known. So when you hear the word mystery in Scripture, think it was a mystery, but it's not any longer. It's been revealed. MacArthur defines it this way. In the New Testament, mystery identifies some reality hidden in the past, meaning it was not understood before, but it's now revealed in the New Testament age, and it is written in Scripture. So again, Ephesians 619, the mystery of the gospel, the mystery that is revealed in the gospel. Now, husbands and wives might say marriage is a mystery, but that is not how Paul is using the word here, is it? Think of this, about 4,000 years then before the coming of Christ, God established marriage, the joining together of one man and one woman. The mystery then was revealed 4,000 years after this, how through the work of Jesus Christ, believing Jews, believing Gentiles, are brought together as one, how the church is united to Jesus Christ. Now in the Old Testament, marriage is also used to describe God's relationship with Israel. So the mystery, though, is in the coming of Christ, we see the fullness of this picture. How in the death of Jesus Christ, that would be the redemption for his people. That was not fully understood. Oh, the shadows are there. But the mystery is made known, the mystery is no longer a mystery, now in the work of Christ. I should also comment here from verse 32, this is a great mystery. This is one of the arguments that Rome uses to call marriage a sacrament. Rome, as you know, has seven sacraments, and the Greek word is mysteria. Mysterias, it becomes mystery in English. In Latin, the word is sacramentum, hence sacrament. So in the Vulgate, in Latin, this is a great sacrament. But we observe this. Paul is not calling marriage the mystery. Marriage is not the sacrament. Paul is speaking of what? He's speaking of Christ and his church. That union, that is the mystery that is no longer a mystery in how we use the word, it's revealed in the gospel. Our union with Jesus Christ, the church and Jesus Christ. We turn to the final verse, verse 33. The Command to Love and Respect, Part Three. Now, there is beauty and thoughtfulness in this text, even as it seems Paul is jumping back and forth from marriage to Christ and his church. And I think that is intentional. As we think of the subject of marriage, we are to think of Christ and his church. As we think of Christ and his church, that should also help us to think on the subject of marriage. And so Paul is not bringing any confusion here. If there's confusion, it's our fault. But verse 33, nevertheless, it's a word, it's a good translation here. Paul is going back now, particularly to the subject of marriage. Verse 32, he says, I'm not ultimately speaking of marriage there, but verse 33, nevertheless, we're going back. to the subject that began in verse 22. Listen, if you would, to a more literal translation of the start of verse 33. The Greek here is very interesting. Nevertheless, you also, one by one, each his own wife, so let him love as himself. Nevertheless, you also, one by one, each his own wife, so let him love as himself." Every husband is to hear and consider this word, love your wife as you love yourself. Love your wife as Christ loves the church. Then the wife is given a command. Now, technically, this is not an imperative or a command in verse 33, but we can take it that way. The wife, let the wife see that she respects her husband. The wife is called to respect. The word translated as respect comes from the verb to fear. It's used, the root of this verb is used three times in Ephesians. Go back if you would to Ephesians 5.21. Ephesians 5.21, submitting to one another in the fear of God. submitting to one another in the fear of God. Then here in verse 33, then in Ephesians 6, 5, bond servants be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in sincerity of heart as to Christ. So fear is used in different ways. Our ultimate fear is the fear of God. The book of Proverbs so beautifully states, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In fear of God, we show a mutual submission to each other. We are humble before the Lord, and that way we can be humble before each other. A wife, then with respect to her husband, has a particular calling to respect, a proper fear, because the husband is that picture of Christ. It is appropriate, then, that a wife fears her husband to the world. This is strange, this is perverse, but it's the command of Scripture, isn't it? Now we know that with the fall, that which God designed in marriage has been perverted. If you want to turn to Genesis 3, Genesis chapter 3, we know the great promise, the first gospel promise in verse 15. Then you have in verse 16, to the woman he said, To the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. In pain, you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. And the word desire doesn't mean the wife is going to be attracted to her husband, but desire there has the idea of controlling. Because that same word is used for Cain, of Cain and sin. Sin desires you, Cain. The wife is going to desire the husband, meaning to manipulate, to control, Then verse 16, he shall rule over you. That word rule is a common word used in the Old Testament. Used of kings, used of people who have power. It's not necessarily a bad word. But I think the context here, your desire is to control, he will rule. over you. It's showing this is the curse. This is the judgment of sin, the wife, manipulation, the husband, this harshness in rule. Now, Ephesians is not showing us that the curse is undone. We're still sinners. We still will fail countless times, but we are also new creatures in Christ. We can go back to the beginning and understand that which God has created. In light of Christ, we can live as we have been originally called to live. The curse is still there. We are still sinners. We will sin and fail in terms of marriage countless times. That's why when we read this text, as I emphasized last week, our first response is thankfulness. There's a tendency, maybe, where we forget how precious this truth is. You know, when Jesus used the illustration of man's wisdom, like sand. That's a wonderful illustration, isn't it? Sand, for a time, can have some stability. But in the end, it just blows away. It wears away. That's what so much of our culture was. It was just sand. It looked like it had right ideas, but without biblical truth, it wears away. Look at how quickly people's ideas had changed regarding these key subjects. What changed was they were just cultural preferences. It was sand. It's blown away. So if we understand this truth, about marriage, how thankful we should be. We don't have to figure this out on our own. God has given us instruction. And the only reason why we can rejoice in this instruction is if we know the salvation that we have in Christ. Otherwise, this would all convict us, husbands and wives, and children, obviously, are later included in this as we get to the start of Chapter 6. We will fail in this, so we can be thankful only if you know the covering, the blood of Christ. And then I would set before you again, the profound nature of being part of the body. That instruction that's given here, that is central to everything we do. Later, Paul will call children, children, you obey in the Lord. Your obedience to your parents is also connected to union with Christ. Husbands, love your wives in the Lord, in union with Christ. So consider the duties that God has given in light of the precious work of grace that he gives to us. Let us pray. Father, we do rejoice In your truth and how we pray, your word, especially in this age, will be boldly proclaimed. We see the sand wasting away, how people have no direction. They're just shaped now by Hollywood or by the thoughts and ideas of today. And Lord, if there is any conviction, it's not our own goodness. If we are able to stand on your truth, to proclaim it boldly, this is your work of grace for which we must thank you. Oh Lord, deliver us from any sense of pride, looking at how great we are. Oh Lord, we are not great. We would not want people to look at us, but to look to our Lord and Savior, even as we pray that we will, as husbands and wives, as children, fulfill the calling that you have given, not so that we stand out, so that our Lord and Savior is magnified. May all the glory then be given to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. We sing from one of the Psalms which speak of God's grace and blessing, hymn 626.