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Coming out of the exposition
of God's holy word in congregation, let me ask you, please, to take
your Bibles out at this time. And we want to turn back to Ephesians
chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, as we continue
in our exposition of the book of Ephesians, we, of course,
are considering in this second portion of the book these very
practical words of instruction, words of practical Christian
living And specifically, Paul is addressing in our text the
subject of homes and godly marriages. If you will, please look with
me in Ephesians chapter 5, beginning in verse 22. Again, we read these
words. Wives, submit to your own husbands
as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the
wife, as also Christ is head of the church. and He is the
Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the Church
is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands
in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that
He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water
by the Word. that he might present her to
himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 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 shall 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. Let's now join together before
the Lord in prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father,
we thank you again as we open up your precious Word. where
we find in your word the infallible, inerrant, and very sufficient
word to us of your will, of your desire for us, your people. Father,
we are grateful that as we live in a world of lies and twisting
of scripture and of truth itself, that we can open up your word
and we can receive it and embrace it and believe it for what it
says, the very Word of God. Father, we pray that today as
we come to your Word, you will enable us by your grace to do
just that. That we would be found not fighting
your Word, but faithful to receive it and believe it. That we would
have hearts that are humble and teachable and that we would seek
not only to understand what you have declared, but to own it
as truth and to implement it in our lives and families. Father,
we thank you for this sure word, and we pray that you would bless
your people, strengthen our homes and families and marriages, that
they would truly be in accordance with your will and for your honor
and glory. And Father, we pray all of this
in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. And for
his sake, we pray. Amen. As we continue in our exposition
today, we come to the duties of husbands specified beginning
in verse 25. We of course are looking at what
the Bible says about the family and what it says about a godly
marriage. In a day where marriage duties
are ridiculed, we seek to reassert the will of God on these matters. These matters especially need
to be emphasized today because they are often neglected, are
sloughed over, are repudiated, are ridiculed, so this is not
a day to simply try to avoid the Bible, this is a day to declare
the Word of God. Amen? This is a day to affirm
the teaching of Holy Scripture. We recognize that the Word of
God is infallible and it is inerrant. Now, we have already said, related
to marriage, that marriage is God's institution. It is his
provision. God alone created it. We looked
at that several weeks ago. He constituted it, and therefore
he defines it as he wishes. And who are we to speak anything
contrary to that? Secondly, we have noted that
God's purpose for marriage is the glory of God, And then, as
a subsidiary reality, it is for companionship, procreation, and
for the avoidance of sin. And we looked at that. We then
talked about God's plan for marriage. And we actually find the verse
in our text today. It is that verse in Genesis 224,
leaving, cleaving, and becoming one flesh. We said that's God's
blueprint for marriage. Critical to God-glorifying marriage
is a clear understanding of those God-ordained roles for wives,
for husbands, according to God's Word. Now, previously we have
dealt with the responsibility of the wives, which is submission. We began with a message that
gave a basic explanation of the text, and then we spent four
weeks talking about those four aspects of submission. What are those four aspects?
We already talked about these in those four different messages.
Submission is a reverencing of the husband, obeying of the husband,
assistance that is to the husband. She's to be his helpmate. And
then last week we talked about modesty. You say, Pastor, why
do we spend all of those weeks on the wife? Well, and I said
this at the very beginning, because that is the template of how the
Puritans and Reformed Christians have understood the duty of wife
submission. It wasn't that we were just trying
to hobby horse on a particular subject, but we were fleshing
out what is the historic, Reformed, and Puritan view of what it means
for a wife to submit. They identified four things,
and so we spent four weeks talking about those four things. Today
we want to come to the responsibility of the husband. And of course
we have here the statement about love, but as we will see as we
continue in our study, the Puritans identified two areas, not four,
but two areas that identify the responsibility of the husband. Simply stated, and we'll cover
this more in detail later, but it is loving and leading. Those are the two aspects of
the husband's duty, two things that are identified. So let's
look today, beginning with an overview of the passage itself,
beginning in verse 25, and we note the instruction for husbands. The instruction for husbands.
At the beginning in verse 25, part A, we have the duty stated. The duty stated. Husbands, love
your wives. And so there, in a very simple
statement, is this duty that Paul gives for the husbands. They are to love their wives. Now, if you'll hold your place
here and just turn with me just a few pages over in your Bibles,
look with me please over in Colossians. Some of you know that Colossians
is something of a parallel as it relates to this subject of
the home. So, in Colossians chapter 3,
look with me please at verses 18 and 19. You see this same teaching, not
worded exactly the same, but in verse 18, Colossians 3, wives,
submit to your own husbands as is fitting to the Lord. Verse
19, husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. So there again you have those
basic duties that are stated. It parallels, now turning back
to Colossians chapter 5, you see that this parallels what
we see in our text in Ephesians. So in verse 25 Paul says husbands
have a specific duty. And what is this duty? They are
to love their wives. That's their responsibility.
The word that Paul uses here is that word agape love. Agapao is the Greek word. This is not the other words that
we may expect to find in the Bible that is a word for love. You have the word eros, which
is another Greek word for love, which talks about a kind of a
lust. It's where we get our word erotic. You can almost hear the word
erotic in that Greek word eros, erotic love. The kind of love
that people fall into one day and then fall out of the next. And sadly, that's I think what
happens often in marriages. It's not really agapao, agape
love, but really it's that eros, that physical aspect. He does
not use, secondly, the word phileo, which is that word of brotherly
love. No, what he uses in verse 25
is this word agape, agapao, which is a word that speaks of a selfless,
sacrificial love that is an unreserved devotion seeking her very best. That's the meaning of this word.
That's what Paul is giving to us. And of course, God is giving
to us through Paul to the husbands as their duty. Now, this idea
of love, two things about the grammar here I just want to point
out. It is a present tense and it
is an imperative. The fact that it is in present
tense means that this is to be a continual and unconditional
duty that husbands are to follow. They are constantly, continually,
and unconditionally be loving selflessly their wives. Secondly, we see that this is
an imperative. It is a command. This means,
gentlemen, husbands, that this is not some optional thing. It
isn't like, well, I will love my wife if she submits to me,
or if she pleases me, or if she's the ideal of what I think she
ought to be. No, the responsibility of husbands
is that they have this command that they are to love their wives. It is to be constant, continual. It is a command by God Himself
to husbands related to the wife. Now, when we talk about the subject
of love in general, we recognize that we are called to love. That is the mark of Christians. Amen? That we are to be loving. That is a mark of Christianity,
an emphasis that is central God's love for us, our love for Him,
our love for one another. And we are commanded repeatedly
to have this love manifested. In fact, turn with me in your
Bibles and we'll just look at a few verses talking about this
subject of love. And I want to start in the Old
Testament book of Leviticus. Leviticus 18. I'm sorry, Leviticus
chapter 19. We're going to look at verse
18. Leviticus 19 and verse 18, and
this should sound familiar because it's a verse and a statement
that Jesus repeats and is found in the New Testament. Leviticus
19 and verse 18, you shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge
against the children of your people, but, and here's what
I want you to see, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Here in Leviticus is this command
of loving your neighbor as yourself. Well, we know very well as we
turn and please look with me over in Matthew chapter 5, this
reality is repeated over and over. This duty to love others. And so in Matthew chapter 5 verses
43 through 48, we read this statement here, which would have been perhaps
shocking in the ears of the Jews of the first century day. Jesus
said, Matthew 5, 43, you have heard that it was said, you shall
love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love
your enemies. Bless those who curse you, do
good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully
use you and persecute you. You may be sons of your Father
in heaven, for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For, verse 46,
if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors
do the same? And if you greet your brethren
only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors
do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect
as your Father in heaven is perfect. So we see here this idea of love
and Jesus magnifies this. Yes, we are to love our neighbor.
But Jesus says, you're to love, verse 44, your enemies. What a high bar the Sermon on
the Mount brings to bear as it relates to kingdom living. Look
with me, please, over in Matthew 22. And in Matthew 22, beginning
in verse 34, we have another statement about love. Matthew 22 and verse 34, but
when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked
him a question, testing him and saying, Teacher, which is the
great commandment in the law? And Jesus said to him, You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. and the second is like it, you
shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets. Basically what Jesus is saying
is a summary of the Decalogue. The first table of the Decalogue,
commandments 1 through 4, you are to love God, verse 37, that
with all of your heart, soul, and mind. And then the second
table has to do with our love to God as it is expressed horizontally
with others. And so he says, you shall love
your neighbor as yourself. Now, of course, the question
that often is asked, well, who is my neighbor? And Jesus actually
answers that question in the parable of the Good Samaritan. We're not going to take the time
to read that passage, but there in the parable that we're very
familiar with, it is those who are close in proximity that we
have the ability to help. And so that's the message there
about who our neighbor is. But share with me please, if
you will, over in John's Gospel chapter 15. So we are to love
our neighbor, we are to love our enemies, we are to love our
neighbor as ourself, and then in John 15 we see we are to love
one another, which is basically a synonym of these things. And
so Jesus again hearing his words in John 15 beginning in verse
9 As the Father loved me, I also
have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep
my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept
my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things
I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that
your joy may be full. And then notice verse 12. This
is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. So, we've already been told we
are to love one another. Now we are told here by Jesus
we are to love one another as Christ has loved us. Notice again verse 17. These
things I command you that you love one another. Now, turn with me over, if you
will, to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 16
and verse 14. 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 14,
here we see something about how pervasive this love is to be. It is essentially to regulate
everything that we do. Paul says 1 Corinthians 16 and
verse 14, let all that you do be done with love. Congregation, that's pretty extensive. Amen? Let all that you do be
done with love. And then, if you will, please
look with me over in 1 Peter chapter 4. Again, as we're laying
down this duty generally, before we get to specifically love of
wife, we see again this general duty of love to one another by
the Apostle Peter, 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 8. Peter gives us
another insight into the kind of love we're to have for one
another. 1 Peter 4 and verse 8, he says, And above all things
have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude
of sins. The word there, fervent, in the
Greek New Testament Ektenes means earnestly and constantly. That's the kind of love we are
to have one for another. It is to be earnest and it is
to be constant. So, congregation, we acknowledge
that when we talk about the subject of love, and here we're talking
about loving our wives if we're a husband, we first of all recognize
that there is this general duty to love one another, even our
enemies. And it is to regulate everything
that we do, and there is to be this fervency and constancy to
that love we have for one another. Secondly, I want us to turn over
in Luke's gospel, and please look with me in Luke, to chapter
14. Chapter 14. Because there is
another thing about this general love that needs to be stated
as we set the stage for what we're looking at in Ephesians.
While we are commanded to love one another, love our neighbor,
The duty of love involves various degrees of love. It involves various degrees of
love. You say, where does that come
from? Well, look at the words of Jesus. Luke 14, verse 25 and
26. It says, Now great multitudes
went with Him, and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes
to Me, and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also. He cannot
be my disciple." Now, of course, this is the same Jesus who commands
us to love one another and love even our enemies. And yet here
he says that this idea, if it comes right down to it, is that
we are to be prepared to even hate our own families for the
sake of following and loving Christ and loving God. What is
Jesus saying here? Jesus is not contradicting himself. Amen? He never contradicts himself. Jesus is not repealing the fifth
commandment here and that we should no longer love our parents
or our families. No, what Jesus is saying is that
love for God must be preeminent in our lives, even if it means
that our love for others are in opposition to that love of
God. Congregation, this teaching is
what we call the doctrine of ordered love, or the ordo amoris. How many of you have heard of
that terminology? The Ordo Amoris, some of us have. This was articulated by Augustine,
and it has become the hallmark of Orthodox teaching throughout
the history of the Church. This idea of ordered loves. You say, well, what does that
mean? Well, it means that love is not a one-size-fits-all command. We do not love everyone to the
exact same degree in exactly the same way. I mean, that's
just the reality. You're going to love your children
more than you're going to love my children. Even though my children
are very lovable, and I hope you love my children. But you're
going to love your children more than you're going to love my
children. That's not abnormal. That's not unbiblical. That's
natural. That makes sense. That's a part
of that ordered love. What is this idea of the ordo
amoris? Well, it basically says ordered
love is, number one, and there are three points I want to quickly
share. Ordered love is, firstly, love
for God It must be supreme. We love God supremely. And that's
basically what Jesus is saying in our text, isn't it? We must
love God supremely and put Him first, even if it means that
we have to turn from our family, because we love God supremely.
Secondly, number two, ordered love means that love for any
created thing must be proportional to their place in God's order. Now let me repeat that if you're
taking notes. Love for any creative thing must be proportional to
their place in God's order. That is, we don't love everyone
exactly the same. Most of us acknowledge that,
and the illustration of loving our children shows that. And
then number three, the third part that you want to take down.
Disordered love means that sin is a disordered love. Sin is actually a disordered
form of love. Someone who loves rest, well
that can lead to what? Sloth and laziness. They love rest. to the point
where it becomes sinful. And whenever you think of any
sin, whether it's lusting or you can just fill in the blank,
what it is is disordered love. We're setting our love on that
sinful thing rather than love to God pre-eminently. So sin
is disordered love. So we affirm what we would call
ordered love when we talk about love, the idea of ordo amoris. Now this, I will say this parenthetically,
this makes the heads of progressive and Marxist Christians explode
when you say this. Because progressive Christians
talk about equality and equity and victimhood and oppressor
and oppressed, and that fills their thinking to the point that
they think that there is this kind of indiscriminate love and
there's no distinctions whatsoever. The congregation, that is unbiblical. You love your family more than
you love other families. That's not wicked. That's normal. You love your country more than
you love other countries. Amen? That's what we sometimes
call America first. There's nothing wrong with that.
It's not wicked. It's not evil. That's biblical
and normal ordered love. You love your wife, as we're
talking about love. You love your wife more than
you love any other women, if you're a husband. Would anyone
debate that that's proper in its expectation? This idea of
ordered love is stated in many different ways. I want to look
at just a couple of verses here. Turn with me in your Bibles over
to Galatians chapter 6. A couple of examples of this.
This idea of Ordo Amoris, Galatians 6 and verse 10. Here Paul is
writing, again, a very practical word, Galatians 6 and verse 10. He says, therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all. So there's that universal
statement, do good to all. But then notice what he says
after good to all, especially to those who are of the household
of faith. There is this idea of priority. There's this idea of an orderliness. Yes, we are to do good to all,
but we are to have this unique sense of duty and affection to
those who are of the household of faith and doing good unto
them. That's not wicked, that's not
somehow unequal love, that's what the Apostle Paul says is
to be our perspective on this subject. Do good to all, especially,
especially to the household of God. Notice again over in your
Bibles, turn over to 1 Timothy chapter 5. this idea of ordered loves, ordo
amoris, 1 Timothy 5 and verse 8. And again, this is just really
setting the stage for what we're looking at. It's not a whole
message on this subject. But 1 Timothy 5 and verse 8,
we have these words, Paul writing to Timothy. He says, but if anyone
does not provide for his own And especially for those of his
household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. You see, there are these circles
of concern and priority. And we are to be concerned here,
speaking of caring for your own household, there is this responsibility
of caring for your own and your own household. before the concern
goes beyond that into other areas. And again, that's this idea of
ordered love. It doesn't mean that we don't
love other people. It doesn't mean that we don't do good to
other people. It doesn't mean that we don't help other people.
No, I'm not saying that. But what I am saying is that,
yes, there is this orderliness to our love. Now, as we turn
back to Ephesians chapter 5, I don't think anyone would disagree
that when we read in verse 25 that our duty as husbands is
to love our wives, that that love we have for our wives is
going to be a lot more intense and devoted than the love we
have for other sisters in Christ in the fellowship. or co-workers
in the office place, or our neighbors. Yes, we should love all of those
folks too, but there is this ordered love that is evidenced
here. Husbands are to love their wives. Now, if you want to study more
about this idea of the Ordo Amoris, there are some helpful resources
online. One very excellent article on
this subject is found on Founder's Ministry. How many of you are
familiar with Founder's Ministries? Excellent Reformed Baptist articles
that are found there. And there's a whole article on
the biblical nature of this teaching. This is not some radical thing.
This is in the mainstream of Christianity, yet it has been
kind of subverted to some extent in our culture today. So now
looking back in Ephesians chapter 5, we see first of all in verse
25 this duty that is stated. And what is this duty? Husbands,
love your wives with this agape love, this selfless, sacrificial,
unreserved love It is in the present tense, you're to do so
constantly, and it is a command, it's not an option, you're to
love her regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in. This is
a command by God to all husbands. Now, notice beginning in verse
25 part B, running down through verse 27, we then have the manner
of this love You say, what is the way in which we can think
of this? What is the model? What is the
pattern? What is the example for the kind of love that husbands
are to have for their wives? Well, congregation, our example
is Jesus Christ Himself. So notice, if you will, verse
25, part B. Number one, it is to be a sacrificing
love. Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. Jesus declared, greater love
has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. And this is the idea of sacrificial
love. It is this daily, willingly,
selflessly, to lay down ourselves for her sake. And this is our
duty as husbands. This is what Christ did for us. Notice in verse 26, not only
is it a sacrificing love, but it is a sanctifying love. He says, husbands, love your
lives. And then he says, verse 26, that
he, speaking of Christ, may sanctify and cleanse her with the washing
of water by the word. So there are two imagery statements
made about Christ and His love for the Church here. First of
all, He says it is a sanctified love. That word sanctify is the
word hagios. It means to set apart, consecrate,
to make holy. This is what Christ has done
for us. Amen? In position, in our conversion,
we have that definitive sanctification whereby we are set apart unto
the Lord and then we progressively grow in sanctification. This
is what Christ has done in His love for the church. Thirdly,
not only is this love that Christ has for His church sacrificing
and sanctifying, but look at the end of verse 26, it is purifying,
purifying. For not only that He might sanctify,
but cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word. this idea of washing. Of course,
this is a picture that speaks of regeneration. This is a picture
that speaks of cleansing. And whenever we baptize a convert
in Christ, we dip them into the water. And what is that symbolically
showing? That they have been washed and
buried with Christ, and they have been resurrected to new
life in Christ. Praise be to God. And there has
been this cleansing of all filthiness, and sin, and anything that would
keep one from a right relation to the Son of God. The Word of
God, the Gospel, is that which brings that purifying for God's
people. Look at verse 27. Again, as he
just stacks up these different descriptions, Christ's love is
not only a sacrificing love, a sanctifying love, a purifying
love, But then in verse 27, it is a perfecting love. He says that he, Christ, might
present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Congregation, when we think about
this, this is what Christ has done for us in his salvation. Amen? that we have this wonderful
reality. Now, we, as God's people, we
still struggle with remaining sin. And we will battle to mortify
sin all of our lives. And there never is a point where
we kind of kick into a second stage Christianity where we have
perfection. That's what some teach, but that's
not biblical. But the reality is that we who
are in Christ, we have this assurance that while we are being gradually
cleansed and sanctified by God's grace, we will stand ultimately
in glorification in absolute, actual, personal, real perfection
before Almighty God. This is an encouragement to us
because we battle with sin daily, but we know that as we walk in
holiness, we have that hope that the battle will one day be over. Congregation, all of these things,
verses 25 through 27, these are the ways in which Christ is the
model, the pattern, the example to husbands as to how they are
to love their wives. So notice in verses 28 through
30, he makes this connection. He gives the duty, we're to love
our wives. Then he gives the manner, and
the example is Christ. And then in verses 28 through
30, he connects these two things together. He says, verse 28, In like manner, so husbands ought
to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his
wife loves himself. You, if you have a wife, you
have been brought into vital union with her in a sense. You
have clung unto her, that leaving, cleaving, and what? Becoming
one flesh. And so in that reality, this
is how this doctrine applies within the system and institution
of matrimony. Notice verse 29 and 30, the provision
that you have for her. It says, 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
and his flesh and of his bones. He says, you are to love, verse
28, your wives as yourself. That's what husbands are called
to do. And then he says, consider how you love yourself. You nourish
yourself. You cherish yourself. Everyone
does that because you take care of your basic needs. The idea
there of nourish is providing basic needs. food, clothing,
shelter, all the things that are necessary. The idea of cherishing
in verse 29 is this idea of affection. How does this apply to our wives
and our love for her? Well, we are to nourish her by
providing everything needful to her. Not only her physical
needs, but also her spiritual needs. That's our duty. And of
course, we'll be looking at that in more detail in subsequent
studies. But this is what Paul is saying
here. We are to follow the pattern of Christ and the Church, and
we are to be loving our wives like our own bodies. Christ is the head and the church
is his body. We are the head and our wives
are to be loved like our own bodies. That's what he is saying. We are to take care and provide
and we are to see to all of her needs. We are members, verse
30, of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. So, throughout this consideration,
Paul is using this language pointing us to the picture of Christ and
His Church, which he already has done in the text, and he
continues to follow in that same vein. So, having noted this instruction
for husbands, here's the duty, love your wives, and then what's
the pattern? like Christ loves the church,
and then the application of that, you're to love your own body,
nourish and cherish it. Notice verse 31 through 33, what
are the implications of all of this as it relates to marriage? Well, three things we want to
note here. Number one, look at verse 31. Marriage involves this
intentional union. It involves this intentional
union. He says in verse 31, 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 of course is what we've
already quoted. It's Genesis 2 verse 24. We call
this, and really it was Wayne Mack who originally called it
this, that blueprint for a godly marriage, a leaving, a cleaving,
and a becoming one flesh. And so here we see again this
verse in Genesis as it is repeated by the Holy Ghost here in this
context as Paul speaks of it as it relates to marriage. Marriage involves this intentional
union that is a priority. Again, we're to love all indiscriminately,
but there is this special love and devotion found in that context
of holy matrimony. Love your wives, husbands, as
Christ loved the church. And do that as you love your
own body. Look at verse 32. He says, not
only does marriage involve intentional union, Marriage presents a spiritual
illustration, which of course he's already been hinting at.
So in verse 32 he says this striking statement, this is a great mystery,
but I speak concerning Christ and the church. That word mystery
there is the word musturion in the Greek New Testament, and
it has this idea of a truth that previously has been concealed,
but now has been revealed. It was hidden, but now it's made
open and well known in this present gospel age. And he says here,
as he's talking about the husband and wife relationship, he says,
this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and
the church. Listen to the words of Dr. Stephen
Ball. He is a professor of New Testament
at Westminster Seminary. He says, and I quote, by mystery,
Paul means the hidden plan of God that has come to fulfillment
in Christ Jesus. Thus, this quotation about marriage
from Genesis 2.24 ties into the relationship between Christ and
his church. Paul's meaning is profound. He interprets the original creation
of the husband and wife union as itself modeled on Christ's
forthcoming union with the church as his body. Therefore, marriage
from the beginning of creation, Genesis chapter 1, was created
by God to be a reflection of and pattern after Christ's relation
to the Church. Thus, Paul's commands regarding
the roles of husbands and wives do not merely reflect the culture
of his day, but present God's ideal for all marriages at all
times, as exemplified by the relationship between the Bride
of Christ, the Church, and Christ himself, the Son of God. So, what we see here, this profound
reality, is that when we think about the Church and Christ,
Christ is the head of the Church. Amen? Now, He has ordained under-shepherds,
pastors, but those under-shepherds are under-shepherds. They are
under Jesus Christ. There is only one head of the
church, amen? And that is Jesus Christ. Yes,
He has ordained leadership and He has given them the authority
to be ministering in the name of and for the sake of Christ,
but Christ is the head of the church. And the church is what? It is the body of Christ. And we could run all kinds of
references seeing that this imagery is stated over and over again
in the scriptures. He is the head. We are the body. Paul talks about how some of
us are like arms and legs and foots and hands and we all have
different parts to play. We're not all the same members,
but we're all united under the head who is Jesus Christ. And we are part of that body.
Another language and imagery that is used is that Christ has
a what? A bride. And that is the church. So whenever you think about the
relationship of Christ and the church, that becomes a template. It becomes a go-by for us to
think about the marriage relationship. The marriage relationship has
a definite head, doesn't it? And that is the husband. He is
the head of the family. And again, we recognize that's
not popular by unbelievers and those who hate God's Word, but
it's clearly stated. And we've looked at so many verses
in the past showing that to be true. The husband is the head
And there is this close, inseparable, absolutely essential relationship
of the body with the head. Speaking of the wife. I mean,
you think about it. Men, we may be the head, but
if you decapitate the head from the body, you're not going to
live very long, are you? You're not going to be useful.
Because there is that necessary connection to the body. And so this is exactly what we've
already seen. While he states this mystery
in verse 32, he's already talked about it. If you look back up
in verse 23, For the husband is the head of the wife, as also
Christ is head of the church, and He is Savior of the body. That's the connection. This headship
and submission. Just as the church submits to
Christ, wives submit to their husbands. That idea of headship
and submission. And this is the mystery. This is the glorious reality
of how we are to view and see the marriage relationship. Now, obviously, as we continue
in our study, we will see how it is fleshed out that the husband
represents Christ in the home, and there are various duties
related to that. But this is this spiritual illustration
that Paul speaks of in verse 32. Notice in verse 33, as we
conclude this morning, we see not only this intentional union
related to marriage and this spiritual illustration, but we
see that marriage requires this dual obligation. Verse 33, 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. So there
again you see this dual obligation. First, the husbands, what is
their obligation? You are to love your own wife
Verse 33, as yourself, love your own wife as himself. And what
is the responsibility of the wife? She is to respect or reverence
her husband. And we hinted at this the other
day, but the word there, respect, is that word phobia, which is
where we get our word phobia. It's the idea of an exceeding
reverence for So that makes perfect sense when you understand this
analogy of headship. We reverence Jesus Christ. Amen? We ought to. And that is
what Paul says is the pattern for our marriages as well. Husbands
are called to love their wives. They are called to love their
wives, not just with a kind of general love as we have seen
in the Scriptures. We're commanded to love one another.
We're commanded to love our neighbor. We're commanded to love our enemies. We're called to let love regulate
everything we do. And we're to love everyone with
that fervency that Peter speaks about in 1 Peter 4. But as it
relates to this duty of husbands, we have this duty to love our
wives, verse 33, as ourselves. And this is a great love. That
love that is selfless. That love that is unreserved
affection. That devotion that speaks of
her highest good that we have for her. So the question for
us husbands today is, are you doing that? Are you loving your
wife like Christ loves the church, sacrificially, and with this
spirit of this intensity and priority that is laid before
us in this text? Husbands, that's your duty before
God, to so love your wife. Husbands, your example and model
and pattern is not just looking at what other husbands and they're
doing and saying, This is kind of how they love their wife.
No, don't be looking at other people. Paul says, look to Jesus
Christ. Jesus is our example. Jesus' love is sacrificing, sanctifying,
purifying, and perfecting, as Paul declares in this text. And
so that's the intensity of the love that we are to have for
our wives. Husbands and wives, we see at
the end of this verse that marriage as a spiritual illustration exemplifies
Christ and his headship and the church as the body and the bride
of Jesus Christ. In marriage, the husband is the
head and wives are the bride, and there is this unique, integral
devotion and commitment that is found. This requires this
double obligation of loving and of submitting and respecting. Purgation, it's simple, it's
straightforward, but this is exactly what we need. Amen? This is practical words. Practical
words for us here today, maybe you've been married for 50 years.
Maybe you've been married for 5 years and you need some more
of this. And so as we think about these
messages, it's not just for those who say, you know what, I already
know all that stuff. We have marriages here at various
stages of maturity and development and they all need to hear these
words related to the home. God's Word is a call to all of
us to submit, obey, and follow what God says. My friend, if
you are not in Jesus Christ, then these things, they are foreign
to you. They are repulsive and repugnant
to a lost heart. But to those who know Jesus Christ,
it is that which is a delight because it reveals to us what
God's will for us is. And those who love Christ, they
desire with all of their hearts to do what He says. My friend,
if that is not you, then the call of the Gospel to you is
to turn and repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord. May you be a part of that body
where Christ is the head. And you have union with Him and
life eternal, ultimately perfection in all eternity with Jesus Christ. Let's bow together in prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father,
we thank you for your word today. Again, very practical, straightforward
preaching that deals with these issues that hit us right where
life is. Help us, Lord, that we would
seek to be followers of Christ. rather than our culture. Help
us that we would hold high the standard where people want to
avoid controversy. Help us, Lord, in these days
where marriage is under attack with great intensity from our
adversary, to not shy away, but to be ever more bold. Yes, humble and loving, but bold
in declaring your truth. And Father, may we not only declare
it, but help us by your grace that as husbands and wives, as
our marriages develop and mature, that we would be found following
what your word says. We love you and we want to follow
what you have declared and what you have commanded that you might
be pleased and honored. Father, we pray all of this.
In Christ's holy name, amen.
Duties of Husbands (Pt. 1)
Series Ephesians
In this sermon, Pastor Linehan considers Paul's instructions for husbands in the marriage relationship.
| Sermon ID | 727251558275138 |
| Duration | 58:37 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | Ephesians 5:25-33 |
| Language | English |
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