EPHESIANS 5:22-33

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.

EPHESIANS 5:22-3324 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word,

EPHESIANS 5:22-3327 and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

EPHESIANS 5:22-3329 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of His body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

EPHESIANS 5:22-33

32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

GENESIS 2:24

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

The big idea here is love.

Once Jesus comes, we now see what love is; we now know what

love is. Love has not only a definition but is walking around

as an example.

There is no understanding of love apart from the person and

work of Jesus.

God’s love is shown for us like a bride and a groom.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A WIFE TO SUBMIT AND RESPECT LIKE JESUS?

WIFE TO SUBMIT AND RESPECT LIKE JESUS?

(1) It does not mean that the wife is less valuable, intelligent, or competent.(2) It does not mean that men, in general, are to be ruling over women in general.

(3) It does not mean that the wife does not have independent thoughts.

WIFE TO SUBMIT AND RESPECT LIKE JESUS?

(4) It does not mean that the wife cannot seek to influence her husband.(5) It does not mean that the wife does not express her thoughts and feelings.

(6) This does not mean that a wife ignores all of her husband’s flaws.

WIFE TO SUBMIT AND RESPECT LIKE JESUS?

(7) It does mean that a wife sets a pattern for others to respect her husband.(8) It does help guard a woman’s tendency to distrust, to despise, to disrespect her husband.(9) It does help guard a woman’s tendency to distrust, to despise, to disrespect her husband.

WIFE TO SUBMIT AND RESPECT LIKE JESUS?

(10) It does mean that she takes her cue from the Trinity and Jesus.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A HUSBAND TO LOVE AND LEAD LIKE JESUS?

HUSBAND TO LOVE AND LEAD LIKE JESUS?

(1) We are not the highest authority.

(2) We are to love our wife, not just marriage.

(3) Your most important human friendship is with your wife.

HUSBAND TO LOVE AND LEAD LIKE JESUS?

(4) Love your wife and not just what you hope she will become.

(5) Love your wife, whatever comes your way.

(6) We have to be tough and tender to love our wife as Christ loved the church.

HUSBAND TO LOVE AND LEAD LIKE JESUS?

(7) As the family leader, men, we take responsibility for the well-being of the family.(8) She is a garden; you are the gardener.

Jesus loves all of His people collectively together as the church

—it’s like a bride and a groom.

Only God in Jesus Christ loves perfectly, loves humbly, loves continually, loves unselfishly, loves generously all the

time without fail.

FIVE WAYS JESUS LOVES THE CHURCH

(1)

AS HEAD

That means that Jesus is in charge. He’s in authority.

For our church family, very practically, what this means is it doesn’t matter what I want, it

doesn’t matter what you want, it doesn’t matter what we want, it doesn’t even matter

if we vote. The question is, what does He want? What does Jesus say?

The church belongs to Jesus, and ultimately it’s to be governed by His Word. If He wants something, then that

should be done. If He doesn’t want something, then that shouldn’t be done.

(2)

AS SAVIOR

We are sinners and we need a Savior.

We’re not good people getting better; we’re bad people getting

worse. This means that we cannot save ourselves.

We don’t need now to just blame others or excuse ourselves or

accept ourselves or love ourselves because Jesus comes to save as

Savior.

JOHN 14:6

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

(3)

AS GIVER

The truth is, you can easily ascertain who or what you love by

just following your money.

Love is a commitment that compels us to act, and part of that action is giving. It’s generosity.

What do you give your time to? That shows us who or what you love. What do you give your energy to? That shows us who or what you love. What do you give your possessions to? That shows us who or what you love. What do you give your wealth to?

That shows us who or what you love—who or what you love. Jesus loves the church.

It’s because Christ loved the church, and He gave Himself up for her. Just like a

husband loves his wife and keeps giving of himself, Jesus keeps giving of Himself. The resurrected, living, loving Lord Jesus

keeps giving of Himself to the church.

Give yourself to what Jesus gave Himself to, the church. Give your money to the church. Give your heart to the church.

Give your time to the church. Give your life to the church. Why? Because it’s

what Jesus gave Himself to.

Jesus is a giver, and when you and I learn to be givers, it

transforms our whole life.

Because then you’re able to give your heart, to give your time, to give your possessions, to give your wealth, and you’ll stop loving things and using people, and you’ll start

loving people by using things to demonstrate love to them.

(4)AS SANCTIFIER AND CLEANSER

What this means is that we are dirty, and we are defiled, and we are

unclean, and that’s the result of our sin. Jesus is sanctifier and cleanser.

He’s there to clean you up and help.

(5)AS NOURISHER

AND CHERISHER

Jesus cherishes His people like a good husband adores his wife, and He nourishes his people like Jesus

nourishes, encourages, builds up the church.

CONCLUSION

Only God’s love can move us to love others.