1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,160 Good morning, everyone. It is a great day to be here 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,800 together. We've had a wonderful worship so 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,840 far and I need it. I don't know about you, but I 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,520 need it. I need it every Sunday. 5 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:12,400 And maybe it seems like this Sunday. 6 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,400 I need more than others getting our minds back in a place where 7 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,440 it needs to be. We've sung words that reflect 8 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,080 our faith, that point to our faith, that remind us of our 9 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:23,680 faith. And that has helped me this 10 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,960 morning. So thank you for teaching me in 11 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,880 song and for teaching one another in song as we're going 12 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,640 to study today. That's one of our purposes and 13 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,240 as followers of Christ, to build one another up. 14 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,440 So thank you for doing that. Thank you for the prayers. 15 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,000 I have been benefited already from being here. 16 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,480 And I hope you will be uplifted and guided by God's word. 17 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,840 And I hope you will show an example to me of how to do some 18 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,000 of the things we're going to do today, because I am a young man 19 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,120 teaching on passages that take a lifetime of practice. 20 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,880 And we're talking about submission, we're talking about 21 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:01,520 marriage, we're talking about being filled with the Spirit. 22 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,040 There's things in here we're talking about today that I feel 23 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,960 inadequate to teach on, to be frank with you, But it's in the 24 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:09,200 word. We're studying through the book 25 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,120 of Ephesians every time. I've been teaching lately. 26 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,240 We've worked our way through this book of Ephesians and I'm 27 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,120 not going to skip this. Just like any other part of the 28 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,400 word, we are going to be constantly growing in this. 29 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:24,520 And so I I solicit your guidance and your example in the things 30 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,960 we're going to talk about today. So we've been studying through 31 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:31,800 the book of Ephesians, and we know this book is to remind 32 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,480 Christians of their spiritual blessings in Christ and because 33 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,160 of that to call Christians to specific kind of action. 34 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:41,760 And we're right now in the middle of the call to action. 35 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,240 That is the second-half of this letter to the churches in 36 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,400 Ephesus or the churches in that region. 37 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,360 We are called to walk worthy of the calling that we are called 38 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,120 by. We've made it through all of 39 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,080 this part of the outline so far. We've made it through chapter 40 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:58,760 four. We were talking about walking in 41 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,480 purity, and we're told to walk not as Gentiles, but to walk in 42 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,880 love and to walk as followers of Christ, children of light, and 43 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,160 to walk as wise. This is where we're kind of 44 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:12,200 pushing ourselves through in this study. 45 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,400 And now we're talking about a call to walk in harmony, and 46 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:17,440 it's going to give us guidance for a specific set of 47 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,040 relationships in our life. The first kind we're going to 48 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,680 talk about in this category, We're going to get into husbands 49 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,320 and wives today. Next chapter we'll get into 50 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,240 parents and children, masters and servants, and a call to walk 51 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,480 in victory after that. But for now, let's pick up where 52 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,640 we left off last week. The start of Chapter 5 told us 53 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:40,640 that we are to therefore be imitators of God. 54 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:43,440 As dear children. We we remembered how that should 55 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,040 be a natural instinct that we should want to. 56 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,680 If we have an admiration for God, we should want to walk like 57 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,360 him to follow him because he's the standard. 58 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,440 He has all all things good for us. 59 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,000 He has all things in our best interest and we should walk as 60 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,600 imitators of God. Way on down in the chapter. 61 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,160 This is all an extension of that thought to walk as imitators of 62 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,320 God. Just get a couple of verses 63 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:07,800 running. Start from last week. 64 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,240 We read verse 15. See then that you walk 65 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,240 circumspectly, like Christmas Day after church. 66 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,280 Keep your head on a swivel, being aware of the spiritual 67 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,400 realities, the spiritual battles, the influences that are 68 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,560 around us, and the need to walk with a perspective that is well 69 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,560 aware of what's going on in God's perspective. 70 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,440 Not as fools, but as wise redeeming the time because the 71 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,560 days are evil. This is what we left off talking 72 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,880 about last time, the value of our time. 73 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,040 And it's going to be continue on the same flow of thought. 74 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,240 Our time has value. Everything we do as Christians, 75 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,400 every relationship, every interaction, every thought, 76 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:52,360 every motive has meaning and we need to use it for the value 77 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,480 that it has because the days are evil. 78 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:59,400 Verse 17 therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the 79 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,440 will of the Lord is. And here we go into Part 2 of 80 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,840 this study. Verse 18 says and do not be 81 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,640 drunk with wine, which is dissipation. 82 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,480 So he's going to give us a contrast here. 83 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,160 This word dissipation just basically means a waste. 84 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,160 Dissipation is taking something and just almost like taking 85 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:22,120 something like a valuable liquid or a drink and just pouring it 86 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:26,160 out on the ground instead of using it for its value, he he 87 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,160 says. Being drunk is a dissipation. 88 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,680 It's a waste, It's a throwing away of something. 89 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,560 And being drunk is a waste of time. 90 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,320 It's a waste of life. It's a waste of your energy. 91 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,160 It's a waste of what could be done with our life, which is 92 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:49,880 being filled with the spirit. Instead, this dissipation talked 93 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,240 about specifically to alcohol, alcohol alone, just to give it a 94 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,320 monetary number. And according to the US Center 95 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:01,440 of Disease Control, in 2010 alone, 2010 excessive drinking 96 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,520 cost the US economy $250 billion. 97 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,320 That's that's ten years over 10 years ago. 98 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:08,680 It's been a while. Those numbers are probably 99 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,240 greater with inflation, $250 billion. 100 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,160 That's a monetary thing that says it's a waste. 101 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,280 It's a waste of our time, it's a waste of our energy. 102 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:21,640 It causes loss in our lives. And what is really drinking? 103 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,520 What is drinking? Drinking is a response to the 104 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,640 challenges, the pains and the monotony in one's life. 105 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,200 People drink for many different reasons. 106 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:32,840 Maybe the most common might be people drink because they're 107 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,160 bored and they want to have fun. Monotony, It's a response to 108 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:38,120 monotony. People drink because maybe they 109 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,640 have pain in their life, they're suffering through something, and 110 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:45,920 it's a way to dull the pain and the challenges we go through. 111 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,680 It's an escape, is really what it ends up being. 112 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:51,840 Drinking is an escape from reality. 113 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:54,480 And what we've already talked about in the last chapter is God 114 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,600 doesn't want us to avoid the reality we're in. 115 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,640 He wants us to walk aware of our reality and deal with it in a 116 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,760 godly way, deal with deal with it with godly processes, godly 117 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,920 thoughts, and godly motives and intentions. 118 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,760 Now he lists drunkenness here as something to avoid because of 119 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,040 dissipation. But I think you could put any 120 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,000 number of things in the spot that fall in line with 121 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,320 dissipation, that fall in line with worthlessness. 122 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,400 And instead of filling our lives with the spirit like we're going 123 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,920 to talk about, we could fill any, any number of thing that 124 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,760 here will be a waste to us. And we talked about last time, 125 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:34,280 the doom scrolling, getting on our phones, our devices, they 126 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:37,840 say an average of 8-9 hours a day we might spend on devices. 127 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:41,760 Anything you could put in this spot that would be dissipation, 128 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,960 a waste of what God has given us would also fit. 129 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:48,400 But drunkenness definitely has a lot of consequences with it, 130 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:52,240 between the sexual immorality, the bad decisions, the inhibited 131 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,560 decision making that's that happens when we drink or when 132 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,520 when drinking happens. It's all a waste. 133 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:05,280 And so instead, he says instead we should be filled with the 134 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:07,400 spirit. And I guess one last thought on 135 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,520 this. We need to all be aware of what 136 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,560 our personal escape is. Some people might be drinking, 137 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,600 and some people that might be any number of things that might 138 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,360 seem less and less detrimental to health. 139 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,240 But remember, our spiritual perspective is different than 140 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:27,080 just avoiding what might hurt us so bad. 141 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,120 We have to remember there are time has value. 142 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,760 And so an escape from reality could be any number of things. 143 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:35,120 Any number of things that waste our time. 144 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:40,440 Video games, relationships, you you can insert anything, you 145 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,520 know your own thing. I know my own things that get in 146 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,320 the way of what I need to be doing in my life. 147 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:51,280 It doesn't mean kicking back and and watching some TV might not 148 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:55,480 always be a bad thing, but it can be escape that prevents us 149 00:07:55,480 --> 00:08:00,520 from doing this important step in our Christian life, being 150 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,960 filled with the spirit that is the alternative. 151 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,760 God doesn't just leave us with an empty OK, you don't do this, 152 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,840 but just stop, he says. Don't do this. 153 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:11,840 Instead, fill it with something good. 154 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:14,440 Fill it with the spirit. What does that mean? 155 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,200 We're going to talk about that a little bit. 156 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,880 But if your life has challenges, this should be your response. 157 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,240 If your life has challenges filled with the Spirit, if your 158 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:24,080 life has pains, filled with the Spirit. 159 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:27,600 If your life has monotony, fill it with the Spirit. 160 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:30,600 Don't you want joy to pervade your life? 161 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:34,480 Don't you want to live a life of passion? 162 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,799 People seek for passion and joy and meaning in so many areas of 163 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:41,400 life, and there's nothing wrong with having a job you love, that 164 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:43,720 you're passionate about and that you were looking forward to 165 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,000 every day when you go to work. But I think a lot of people are 166 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,680 really upset or striving to find that because they have to find 167 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:54,840 it there. We find our key core meaning in 168 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:59,160 life and our passion in the work that we do for Christ, and we're 169 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,640 meant to do that. There is meant to be a longing 170 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,280 there. May we fill it with a thing that 171 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,360 is supposed to fill that gap in our lives and it's being filled 172 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:10,840 with the spirit and all the things that that means and all 173 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,000 the ways that that manifest itself in our lives. 174 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,880 His hope, his reality, his way and his attitudes. 175 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,280 So what does it mean to have a spirit filled life? 176 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:26,720 Verse 19 goes on to say speaking to one another in songs and 177 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,720 hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in 178 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,920 your heart to the Lord, That's the first thing he's going to 179 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,600 tell us in line with living with a spirit filled life is to first 180 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:41,720 of all talk to one another In this sometimes we think of our 181 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:43,760 you know, people say I can have a relationship, just me and God. 182 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,800 I don't need anybody else. But the first command is to 183 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,960 teach and talk to one another. When we come to worship, when we 184 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:55,440 sing together, when we praise God together, we are talking to 185 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,480 God and to one another. If I tell you, and if I teach to 186 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:04,440 you, and if I sing to you or you to me, in God's words and psalms 187 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:08,120 and hymns, I am affirming my my commitment. 188 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,960 I'm affirming my convictions in my faith. 189 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:15,440 That is a core step in building a strong faith, is affirming 190 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:20,240 your own faith to others. But at the same time, other 191 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,240 people are built up. God's ways are great. 192 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,560 It's sometimes hard to get yourself to come to church maybe 193 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:29,160 and you have other things going on but you benefit others and 194 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:32,360 they get benefit from you and and you or yourself are 195 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,960 benefited from this process of teaching one another and and 196 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:38,840 these things he goes on to say in psalms and hymns and 197 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:41,480 spiritual songs. I've read people try to 198 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,080 distinguish what's what specifically and you may be able 199 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:45,960 to do that. I don't have a super clear 200 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:48,800 understanding of what maybe a Psalm would be versus a hymn and 201 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,320 a song. I think the key here is the 202 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:54,560 diversity. May we in our songs not be 203 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:57,560 afraid of diversity and different types of songs in 204 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:01,840 different occasions, in sadness, that we could sing out a song of 205 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,080 of praise to God in mourning. That I, the one I think of right 206 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:10,080 now is in these blue binders of in times of distress and sorrow. 207 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,320 Lord, I come to you, 'cause there's nowhere else to go. 208 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:14,880 Basically, that song that was written by the woman who had 209 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,400 cancer and she was praising to God through it all. 210 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,600 There's a time for that. There's a time for just saying 211 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,080 great are you Lord? And singing to him like we have 212 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:27,200 in that song and the old hymns we might think of the 213 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,560 traditional songs that we sing. Stand up for Jesus this morning. 214 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,080 There's a place for all of our different song styles and 215 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,560 meanings within the song and motivations in the heart for the 216 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:42,760 from the songs. Maybe we be not be afraid of 217 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:49,040 that, and to teach one another and to be willing to sing a song 218 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,040 someone else might enjoy even if we don't like it. 219 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:55,560 Maybe maybe we sing it to one another with the attitude in the 220 00:11:55,560 --> 00:12:00,120 heart, because ultimately, he says we are making melody in our 221 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,280 hearts to the Lord. It doesn't say that you make a 222 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,240 melody in your vocal cords, because there are many people, 223 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,880 many Christians, who can never praise God and can never teach 224 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:11,040 one another. If that's the case, because some 225 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,720 people just can't find the melody and that's OK, that's not 226 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,400 what matters here. What matters is the melodies in 227 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:23,120 the heart and melody is what we are processing in our minds and 228 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,240 devoting our heart to and focusing on. 229 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:29,840 That's what matters. Yes, practice the song so that 230 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,120 they're easy to listen to and so that we can create a wonderful 231 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,320 noise together. But God cares about the heart 232 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:39,560 and God. Someone in this audience today 233 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:43,320 could be singing the most beautiful melody and not praise 234 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,480 God or lick. And someone in this audience 235 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,800 could not be singing any melody whatsoever. 236 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,480 They're just saying the words and they cannot find them a note 237 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,440 and they could praise God more than anyone else in the room. 238 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:57,640 Our God is awesome that you can start on day one as being a 239 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,240 Christian with no musical knowledge and you can praise him 240 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:04,320 and teach other people around you with your words. 241 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,720 The second thing he says or an extension of living a spirit 242 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,280 filled life. He says, verse 20, giving thanks 243 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:17,360 always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord 244 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,720 Jesus Christ. Why is it important that we use 245 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,480 our time wisely? Because we've got a lot of 246 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:25,680 thanks. To give always is a lot, and for 247 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:29,080 all things is a lot of things. There's a lot to cover in our 248 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:33,080 daily thankfulness, in our daily remembrance, in our marination 249 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,040 of the mind. We have a lot to be thankful 250 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:38,880 for. We don't have time to waste, to 251 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:42,280 throw away, to be dissipated. We've got so much good that can 252 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,880 be done. Verse 21 submitting to one 253 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:50,600 another in the fear of God. So this isn't necessarily a 254 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:54,000 transition in thought, but he's kind of opening up a new can of 255 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,440 worms, you might say. And the first thing he says is 256 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:02,560 submitting to one another. He's going to call us to have a 257 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:08,600 certain set of of submission and and roles that we have in our 258 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,160 lives and our relationships. But there is first an ultimate 259 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:15,360 call for all Christians to submit to one another in the 260 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,120 proper way. What is submission? 261 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:22,480 Submission is basically a an unselfless attitude that says 262 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:27,760 I'm going to put aside what I think or what I want or my own 263 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,360 selfish desires, you might say for the betterment of this 264 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:34,040 relationship, for the betterment of this context, this 265 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:42,320 circumstance, out of love. Now, doing that, why do that? 266 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,840 Is it because other people are more valuable than you? 267 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,960 Is it because you are always wrong and you just need to 268 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:49,960 submit to others? No, that's not what he's saying. 269 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,720 It's a disposition of the mind. It's a meekness like Frank has 270 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:55,920 been teaching about from the Sermon on the Mount. 271 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:00,240 It's a place that we get to in our minds that says I'm going to 272 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,880 hold fast on what's true and right, but I'm not going to act 273 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:06,920 like my way or the highway all the time. 274 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,120 I'm not going to act like I'm above everybody else. 275 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,560 I'm going to be willing to say, OK, let's do it your way. 276 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,000 Let me help you with that. Let's do it your way and let me 277 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,440 join with you in this effort. Not fine if if if you're not 278 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:21,680 doing my way, I'm not, I'm staying out of this, that's not 279 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,520 my thing. Submitting to one another says I 280 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:29,600 will serve alongside you and with you in the fear of God. 281 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:37,480 So first of all, like we said, Christian submission is not a 282 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,920 reflection of innate value. If you submit yourself to 283 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,920 someone else, if I submit myself to spiritual leadership in this 284 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:50,120 congregation, I'm not saying I'm less valuable of a person and 285 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,560 you are more valuable. That's not what this is saying. 286 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:58,040 God has given us a system of leadership and headship in 287 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,440 different contexts that is supposed to promote healthy 288 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:02,760 function. We're going to get into that. 289 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,160 So it doesn't. It's not innate value. 290 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,800 It's not saying you're worthless or worthless. 291 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,080 It's not saying you're necessarily correct or not 292 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,160 correct. And it's not saying you are 293 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:18,080 unimportant to a 'cause if you submit within a structure. 294 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,000 And the most obvious thing we could think of is a business. 295 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:26,640 If you have ACEO or an upper level management and you say 296 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,360 that person has value to a company. 297 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,400 Any good CEO will say, say the person at the bottom floor of 298 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,800 that company has just as much value to the company as they do 299 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,120 because everyone is holding up an organization. 300 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,440 If if ACEO is great but the floor level workers, we all know 301 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,160 companies that have terrible floor level workers and it 302 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,320 doesn't look good and maybe the bottom line is good, but it's 303 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:51,480 not a good business. People don't like that business 304 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,880 when they're when they're members at the bottom, are not 305 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,360 kind, loving or supportive or whatever good things. 306 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:03,520 So your importance to A cause is not any less because you submit 307 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,560 to someone else's leadership or authority. 308 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:08,319 Those are all the knots with Christian submission. 309 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,400 And it's important to remember what the the biblical headship 310 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,720 is. We learn in this context and 311 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,440 many others, we learn that God the Father is the head of 312 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,760 Christ. The head of man is Christ. 313 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,520 Let me let me say it this way. The head of woman is man. 314 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,280 The head of man is Christ. The head of Christ is God the 315 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:27,440 Father. We learn that in other passages. 316 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,600 So this is an established authority structure. 317 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:36,000 Now, does that mean that Christ is any less valuable than God 318 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,760 the Father? Absolutely not. 319 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,280 Now, does it mean that Christ is any less important than God the 320 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,320 Father? Well, we learned that Christ 321 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,680 submitted himself. He chose to willingly submit to 322 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,040 God the Father. So we don't look at this 323 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,840 relationship of submission and Christ submission to the Father 324 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,800 with any kind of negative connotation at all whatsoever. 325 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,680 It is the most pure, admirable and sign of strength that we can 326 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,760 imagine, right? So as we go into in just a 327 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,560 minute, submission from the woman to the man, or submission 328 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:14,720 from a worker to his master, or submission any other way, we 329 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:17,600 have to remember first that Christ is submitted to God the 330 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,280 Father, and that is not a negative thing in any way. 331 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:26,560 OK, so Christian submission, first of all, like we said, is a 332 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,040 demonstration and an internalization of a fear of 333 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:31,880 God. That's what this verse started 334 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:35,400 by saying, submitting to one another in the fear of God. 335 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:37,600 That's the first thing he mentions here. 336 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:42,600 That is the most important that we would show a fear of God and 337 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,160 embody and accept for ourselves a fear of God. 338 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,440 A practical fear of God. It's one thing to say I believe 339 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,600 God is great and powerful and more than me. 340 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,640 It's another thing to practically embody that and 341 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:59,040 accept that. And Christian submission 342 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:03,320 demonstrates that. And it takes practice. 343 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,440 Submission is hard. Some people have difficulty 344 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:13,440 submitting to authority, whether it's a teacher or a policeman or 345 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:17,320 a government. But it takes practice in a 346 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:19,280 relationship. There's all kinds of context. 347 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,120 And it takes practice #2. Christian submission establishes 348 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:28,200 a proper perspective on self. So it's a proper perspective on 349 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,640 God and fear of God, but it's also establishing a proper 350 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:37,080 perspective on self. James 4 verse 10 says humble 351 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,600 yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. 352 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:45,840 Thirdly, it utilizes the power of our influence. 353 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:50,680 By showing submission, we are able to influence others in ways 354 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:52,760 that we could never in any other way do. 355 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,960 So in first Peter 4, verse three through three. 356 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,240 First Peter 3, verse three, he's talking the context of the 357 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:05,080 marriage relationship in which an A believing wife is trying to 358 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:06,760 have an influence on her husband. 359 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,760 But this concept is true universally. 360 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:11,640 OK, let's read it. It says wives. 361 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:13,960 Likewise, be submissive to your own husband's. 362 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:18,320 That even if some do not obey the word, the word of God, they, 363 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,720 without a word, without even saying anything, may be won by 364 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:26,680 the conduct of their wives when they observe your chaste conduct 365 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:31,880 accompanied by fear. So this is the context about 366 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,000 having an influence on somebody's heart by softening 367 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,640 them and showing them how good this can be in a relationship 368 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,520 that will have an effect on them that softens and changes their 369 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,160 heart. That's true in the marriage, but 370 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,600 that is absolutely true in all of our other relationships. 371 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,520 If I am in the interaction at work with somebody and where it 372 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,520 may be starting to come to a place of at odds where I might 373 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,520 have a reason to lash out or respond in a harsh way, whatever 374 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:04,240 you might think. But I I show submission and 375 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:07,000 kindness. That's going to give them the 376 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,640 double take effect, right? Where? 377 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,280 Well, what'd you just say? I was expecting kind of the 378 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:15,160 opposite. I was expecting a lash out and 379 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,120 you didn't give it. That is an opportunity to 380 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:22,000 penetrate the hearts of people that we never could have an 381 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,880 effect on any other way, especially people that might 382 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:31,960 seem the hardest. Works can go a long way and 383 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:34,800 softening people's hearts. So Christian submission utilizes 384 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,520 the power of our influence and we have to be prepared to accept 385 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,240 disrespect because like we already established, it's about 386 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,280 God fearing God and it's not about us. 387 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,680 The proper perspective oneself on my I go back to my students 388 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,480 because my students are always saying stuff like like me 389 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,840 personally, I want to take that and they always they want to. 390 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,040 It's like they want Peacock, like they're powerful. 391 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,320 By standing up to somebody and telling them off like that does 392 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,600 no good for anyone in any circumstance and it gets a huge 393 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,640 fight outside. It doesn't do any good for 394 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,320 anybody. We have to be willing to accept 395 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:16,920 disrespect because who cares? Who cares if somebody said 396 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,440 something to me or acted 2 way toward me that was 397 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,400 disrespectful. Guess who looks bad? 398 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,640 Them. The only way you look bad is if 399 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,880 you respond in a bad way. Maybe be willing to accept 400 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,240 disrespect with a Christian submissive attitude. 401 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,520 First four, the fourth thing. It helps us find ways to make 402 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,120 relationships better. So in showing Christian 403 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:45,560 submission, maybe the most practical thing is we improve 404 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:50,160 relationships. Relationships strain when there 405 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:54,640 is an unwilling there's there's not a willingness to bend OR 406 00:22:54,640 --> 00:23:00,200 yield or compromise. It is unavoidable in any 407 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,480 relationship where you're with someone for any amount of time 408 00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:06,400 that you are going to just not run into some kind of conflict. 409 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,920 It helps make our relationships better, Psalm 133 said. 410 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,960 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell 411 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,840 together in unity. So it takes submission to make 412 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:22,840 that happen. OK, Christian submission is 413 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,080 going to be, first of all, like he's mentioned to one another. 414 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,680 It's a general command. Then he's going to get into 415 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,480 slave to master, Christian to civil government, Christian to 416 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,480 spiritual government, and wife to husband. 417 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:37,440 And we're getting into the first verse of that discussion. 418 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:43,200 Verse 22 says, wives submit to your own husbands as to the 419 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,320 Lord. First of all, this is a command 420 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,160 to wives. This verse does not say 421 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:51,440 husbands. Your wives are to respect you. 422 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:54,200 That's not what this says. This says wives. 423 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,720 He's not talking to any man in the room. 424 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,880 He's not talking to the husband, he's talking to wives. 425 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,920 Wives are the command here and it is not the job of the husband 426 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:08,640 to make them submit. Just as it is equally counter 427 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:12,160 biblical for a woman to not submit to her husband in the 428 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:16,440 Lord, it is just as counter biblical for a husband to make 429 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,400 his wife submit to him. Because that's not submission, 430 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,600 that is force. That's how you get some very 431 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,160 ugly and oppressive regimes and we've seen that in different 432 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,440 places in the world and different cultures that comes 433 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,640 out. It is not the job of the man to 434 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:37,560 make the wife submit and one might quickly say, well well 435 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,160 then what happens if the wife won't submit? 436 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:40,560 What's this husband supposed to do? 437 00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:45,320 Nothing. You keep doing your job but it 438 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,320 is not your job. And it is true that if if the 439 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:53,560 wife will not show submission or the other side, if the husband 440 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,320 doesn't do his part, we're going to get to that in a minute. 441 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,160 You can't have a the relationship God designed. 442 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:00,320 You're right. Bummer. 443 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,120 It really stinks. It can be really good in 444 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:04,400 marriage. It can be really bad. 445 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:09,280 But the husband cannot try to overcompensate. 446 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,480 If the other side isn't is doing its part OK and and the wife is 447 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,520 not the problem. That's not what I'm saying. 448 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:20,240 What I'm getting at is watching out for that line of whose job 449 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:23,560 is who in this situation. So this is the wife's job and it 450 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:25,560 says submit to your own husbands. 451 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,120 So this isn't a general command. Hey men, women. 452 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:34,000 No, this is a command in the home where all of our world 453 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:35,840 starts. It starts in the home. 454 00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:41,600 It's to your own husbands. So one husband to one woman. 455 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:46,280 This is the discussion. Not every man around you, wives 456 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,840 submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. 457 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:54,000 OK, is he saying wives is basically your husband and the 458 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:54,960 Lord? Here they are. 459 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:58,040 You serve them both with equal with equal authority in your 460 00:25:58,040 --> 00:25:59,120 life. That's not what he's saying 461 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,120 because nowhere in the Bible does man take the place of God 462 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:08,520 in telling you what you should do or your commands outside of 463 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,520 God's realm. Remember this headship is God 464 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:17,120 the Father, Christ, man woman in the sense that you cannot take 465 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:19,480 woman out from under the headship of Christ and ask her 466 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:23,320 to do something that God is not authorized or commanded that 467 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,800 would be going outside of her authority primarily to the Lord. 468 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:29,760 So what does this as to the Lord mean? 469 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:32,880 It's great. It is an attitude. 470 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:37,320 Just as when women decide to follow the Lord, they have a 471 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:41,080 willing submission to the Lord and love and service to God. 472 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,680 It's an attitude of how they submit to the Lord. 473 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:49,520 The wife should have the same attitude of love and willingness 474 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:53,080 in this. In this submission. 475 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,800 It's an attitude. It's a motive that the that the 476 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,040 woman is to have. Now I don't want to say a whole 477 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,920 lot about this. And Titus 2, verse three says 478 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,320 the older women, likewise the older women are going to be 479 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,760 given an instruction here to teach the younger women. 480 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,360 I don't want to have to try to say a lot because I'm not in 481 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:14,560 that position. I think this is primarily the 482 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:16,960 job of the older women to teach the younger women. 483 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,280 It goes on to say likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, 484 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,600 not slanders, not given too much wine, teachers of good things 485 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,080 that these older women that they admonish the young women to. 486 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:31,840 And he's going to give a list of things that the older women 487 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,920 should be teaching the younger women to love their husbands. 488 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,480 He has to tell them because it could be hard sometimes, because 489 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:42,120 the way we are to love their children, to be discreet, chaste 490 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:45,320 homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the 491 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:47,080 word of God may not be blasphemed. 492 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:50,920 So I encourage you, if you're a younger woman here, look to the 493 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:52,600 wonderful examples that are around you. 494 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:56,240 Seek out those examples because it is their job, more so to 495 00:27:56,240 --> 00:28:01,240 teach than it is our job as men. So may the women who are older 496 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,760 be ready to give that help as it's given an opportunity. 497 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:13,240 Verse 23 for the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is 498 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,640 head of the church and he is the Savior of the body. 499 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:24,120 Now we as a marriage unit, any marriage units who are here have 500 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:28,360 a wonderful opportunity to show us a picture of something God 501 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:31,680 has intended from the foundation of the world to give us. 502 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,320 It's a picture of Christ in His church. 503 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:41,280 If you have no other motivation, no other strong desire to make 504 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:45,520 your marriage work, the greatest thing I think we can do is be 505 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:49,240 reflection of Christ and his church, and if nothing else will 506 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,240 motivate it. Maybe that will to get us to see 507 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,120 how great of an opportunity we have to reflect. 508 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,520 To our kids, to the people around us, to our community, to 509 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:00,760 the church, to anybody who sees us. 510 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:05,600 For husbands, the love that Christ has for His church and 511 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:09,160 for wives, the submission and love that she has to her husband 512 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:11,840 like the churches to submit to Christ. 513 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:16,520 There's a picture happening that may we never mess up, and we 514 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,240 will. But our goal should be to show 515 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,040 the world and show any way we can, that beautiful picture that 516 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:29,240 God has designed to make for us now. 517 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:33,480 Biblical headship. The world sometimes thinks of 518 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:38,200 headship like this fat, lazy man kicking back, ordering barking 519 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,080 orders to his wife. That is not the biblical pattern 520 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:43,040 of headship. In the biblical pattern, 521 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,480 headship is defined by love and all the things First Corinthians 522 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,040 13 says about love. Get ready. 523 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,320 If you're going to be a leader and a head, that takes a lot of 524 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,120 work. Love, accepting pain for the 525 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,040 betterment of others, You might say sacrifice. 526 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:00,760 That's what sacrifice is. Accepting pain for the 527 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:04,840 betterment of others, being long-suffering, taking criticism 528 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,560 in the face of adversity, and having understanding. 529 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,680 You think about Christ. The biblical headship is not 530 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:13,960 this. This is biblical headship. 531 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,120 This is biblical love and leadership. 532 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:23,720 May we view that and talk about it like it's not the bad thing 533 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,280 the world wants it to be. Verse 24. 534 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:30,480 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the 535 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,600 wives be to their own husbands and everything. 536 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,720 Now, like we've already said, God has ultimate authority over 537 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:39,600 the wife. But this statement and 538 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,800 everything makes it clear that it's it's not like, OK, this you 539 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:45,200 have these certain areas that you have headship and these have 540 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,880 others. This is this is a general role 541 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:50,360 of headship. It's not split up as to who has 542 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,120 headship over what. This isn't everything. 543 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,680 First Peter, we already talked about that verse. 544 00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,960 Verse 25 here goes to the husbands. 545 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:05,680 Husbands love your wives. And just like we read a list of 546 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,920 all the things, that means just as Christ also loved the church 547 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:14,840 and gave himself for her, that is not barking orders and 548 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:16,920 looking down on her. That is this. 549 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,120 This is the way that Christ loved the church. 550 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:24,600 He sacrificed everything. And it wasn't just a momentary, 551 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,680 you know, he got up all the courage to do it once he's he 552 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,440 showed this love to the church. And every day he went out into 553 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,520 the world and did his work and his mission and he preached the 554 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:37,160 word and he lived the word and he showed the word of God in his 555 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,200 actions. He was the word. 556 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:46,160 We as husbands are to love our wives like that, you know. 557 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,400 Well, that's that seems like a one thing is not like the other, 558 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:53,280 but it is. It is and it's not like, well, 559 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:55,440 what he died for. How can I die for my wife? 560 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:57,880 It's not like you have to do that. 561 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,760 It's that between nothing and dying for your wife, You do 562 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,520 everything in between. It's not only what Christ did, 563 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:08,200 it's from from Ground Zero to what he did. 564 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,560 You be ready to do anything and everything for her. 565 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,160 That is the spectrum that is the gambit that is required of of 566 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:21,160 husbands and showing love and leadership in his home and for 567 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,080 his wife. That is a big call to action. 568 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:28,360 We've already read a long list of things that it means to have 569 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:32,240 love and we have a task in front of us. 570 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:36,000 We could say this alone and we all know, OK, I got some work to 571 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,440 do because this is the example first. 572 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,920 Peter 3 verse seven says husbands likewise dwell with 573 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:49,320 them with understanding. Dwell with them has a 574 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:55,560 connotation of stay there, stay there and be with her and take 575 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,800 your time with understanding, as I understand this word. 576 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:02,200 With understanding. This phrase comes from the where 577 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:06,400 we get science or knowledge. May we learn and have 578 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:10,600 understanding and seek to know and seek to learn. 579 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,680 When we first start dating, it's it's automatic. 580 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:15,080 We know what to do. Instinctively. 581 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:17,320 I'm going to ask and find out what they like, what they don't 582 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:22,600 like and do exactly that. It's great of God to give us a 583 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,880 picture of what it looks like before it becomes harder, maybe 584 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,960 so we know what it looks like. May, I didn't mean to switch 585 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:34,880 that May. We seek to have understanding 586 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,640 and to learn throughout the years of our marriage. 587 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,960 We're in four years right now and I know we have a long way to 588 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:47,720 go for Taylor and I, and I have not seen all the things that you 589 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,800 have seen. I appreciate your example to the 590 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:54,960 couples who have been together for a long time and I encourage 591 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,880 you with these verses not because of anything I say, 592 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,400 because I'm just sharing the word with us. 593 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:05,240 May we have understanding and seek to understand in these 594 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:09,120 processes and in in these discussions in our daily lives 595 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,960 with our wife giving honor to the wife. 596 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,360 It goes on to say so that your prayers would not be hindered if 597 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,280 we do not show honor to our wives. 598 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,120 That's sin and that hinders prayer. 599 00:34:24,159 --> 00:34:27,960 That's a big deal. It's not some small thing when 600 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:32,480 we decide to treat our wives with in another way, but maybe 601 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,239 we honour them as they deserve verse 26. 602 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:41,719 That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of 603 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:44,639 water by the word. That he might present her to 604 00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:48,600 himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any 605 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:52,440 such thing, but that she should be blameless, should be holy and 606 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,320 without blemish. So this is discussion, Christ 607 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:57,560 with his church and the relationship, the connection 608 00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:59,800 with the husband and the wife. And I don't. 609 00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:02,360 I read a lot of commentary on this, and I'm not prepared to 610 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,080 give a strong statement as to what exactly I think all this 611 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,400 means. I'm not for sure. 612 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:11,080 But what I do know is this is all in the context of the 613 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,960 husband leading the home, the wife submitting that leadership, 614 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:18,400 and by God's word, leading their home, they should be purified at 615 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:20,080 the very minimum. That's what this means. 616 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:22,880 Now, there are other more specific things that people draw 617 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,240 that very well, very well may be true here. 618 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:30,040 But God's word and God's way should purify and give us a 619 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:34,280 wonderful home to live in and to participate in the pictures God 620 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:40,040 has intended without blemish. Verse 28 So husbands ought to 621 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,320 love their own wives as their own bodies. 622 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,400 He who loves his wife loves himself. 623 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,480 OK, so he's saying here as their own bodies. 624 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,120 We know that the husband and wife are to become one flesh. 625 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:53,920 When they are married, they come together. 626 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,120 This is a picture of unity. Husbands and wives need to be 627 00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:02,320 unified and together and one and he's saying as their own bodies 628 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,120 because they we literally are supposed to be 1 and unified. 629 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:07,560 And it's funny. Here it's it's almost like I 630 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:11,160 read this through the lens of it, like dumb guy, like he who 631 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:14,040 loves his wife loves himself. Like, can you not at least do 632 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,040 this? Because if you haven't realized 633 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,200 it yet, it's it's good for her. It's good for you. 634 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:21,080 That's like the bare minimum. You take care of yourself. 635 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:23,200 You right, you take care of yourself. 636 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:26,600 He's going to say you should love your wives because it even 637 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,520 benefits you. Verse 29. 638 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:31,680 For no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and 639 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,920 cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 640 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:40,760 So if we can't seem to get over the fact, or we can't seem to 641 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:43,280 get ourselves to show love the way we should, maybe we should 642 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:47,680 just realize, hey man, this is good for you too, because you 643 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:51,320 are supposed to be 1 and unified as a couple, the writer says, 644 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:58,880 just as the Lord does the Church verse 34. 645 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:03,640 We are members of his body, of His flesh and of his bones. 646 00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:11,000 Are we glad for Jesus, taking us into His body and accepting us 647 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:16,040 as His flesh and his bones? If we are, may we show that same 648 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:21,440 love to the wife because we are members together, flesh and 649 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:26,120 bone. And if we enjoy the benefits of 650 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:31,000 being Christ, we should make it better for our wives and make it 651 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:35,520 as good as possible, because we are members together in that one 652 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:37,400 body relationship. Verse 34. 653 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,640 For this reason, he goes on to say, a man shall leave his 654 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,480 father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall 655 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:47,360 become one flesh. This is a great mystery, he 656 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:49,360 says. But I speak concerning Christ 657 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:53,400 and the church. There's a lot to this. 658 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,920 There are so many depths of this relationship and wonderful and 659 00:37:56,920 --> 00:37:58,600 connection and beautiful betterment. 660 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:01,560 There are so many wonderful things about this relationship, 661 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:04,760 he says. But he's talking about Christ in 662 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:06,320 the church. That's where the meaning here 663 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:11,480 is. And if wives are doing the the 664 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,080 leaving of their own home, the security of their own home, may 665 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:17,400 we provide that as husbands to them to provide that same 666 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:20,760 security, the same strength that they drew from their own home, 667 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,360 if they had that there. Verse 33. 668 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:28,480 Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his 669 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:33,440 own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her 670 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,960 husband. Kind of The last comments I'll 671 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:41,400 make about this is it seems like in a relationship the first 672 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:45,680 thing to go when there's a disagreement and the the issue 673 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:49,000 both sides have is the husband feels like he's not respected 674 00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:51,000 and the wife feels like she's not loved. 675 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:56,760 Our God is so great that just with a few words he kind of keys 676 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:02,360 on the key IDs, the key ideas we need to love our wives just like 677 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:06,920 we would for our self, and let the wife see what she respects 678 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,200 her husband. This is really what I think what 679 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:13,320 the core needs that we both have, and God knows that and he 680 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:17,400 designed that. We thank you for listening to 681 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:22,760 our podcast put on by The Church of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in 682 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,720 Bakersfield. If you would like any additional 683 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:29,000 information or you would like to receive a free Bible 684 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,880 correspondence course by mail, please e-mail us at 685 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:39,360 info@churchofchristbakersfield.com. Our service times are Sundays at 686 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:44,840 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM and Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. 687 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:49,040 Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our 688 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:49,840 honored guest.