Good morning. Good morning. You'll
turn your Bibles to Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5. Begin in verse 1, and we'll read
the entirety of this chapter to get us started. Verse one of Ephesians five says,
be you therefore followers of God as dear children and walk
in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for
an offering and a sacrificing to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication and all uncleanness
or covenants, let it not be once named among you as become of
saints, neither of filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. For
this you know that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covenants
man who is an idolater hath an inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain
words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon
the children of disobedience, or the children of unbelief.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them, for ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children
of light, for the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness
and truth. proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them. For it is a shame even to speak
of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things
that are reproved are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever
doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, wherefore
it saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are
evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk
with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving
thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. And he is
the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, So let wives be unto their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church
and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord
the church. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let
every one of you in particular so love his wife, even as himself,
and the wife seeth that she reverence her husband. First three verses
in chapter six. Children, obey your parents and
the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother,
which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. I would
never claim to know anything and everything about marriage,
but I only know what the Lord's taught me through the scriptures
and through his Christ-ordained ministers. The marriage of a
man and woman is a truly beautiful thing, not just the uniting of
two hearts together, the joining of two into one flesh, but what
the scripture says to the union of a believing husband and wife
in regards to Christ and his church. In verse 17, it says,
wherefore, on this account, because of, for this reason, be ye not
unwise, be not senseless, foolish, acting rashly. What the will
of the Lord is, the will of God, of what God has determined shall
be done. If you would, turn your Bibles
to Romans 12. Beginning in verse two, it says,
and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Look not to this
world and what it says it has to offer you. Renew your mind
in Christ. Look to Christ, set your heart
and your affections on Christ and what he hath accomplished
for his people. Verse three says, for I say through
the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to
think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure
of faith. The grace, the unmerited favor
the Lord God gives to a man or woman through the Holy Spirit
shows them who and what they are, sinful creatures, a sin
received from their first father, Adam. We come naked from our
mother's wombs, screaming lies. No difference to that, I mean,
they were naked the entire time in the garden and didn't even
know it until they ate of the forbidden fruit. We ought to
not look to one another thinking we're better than them. We should
not stick our nose in the area of being all haughty. Each man
among us is not the standard at which we should live, but
Christ, Christ is the true standard. We look to what Christ has done,
and how do we do that? We do that through the measure
of faith, faith in and on Christ Jesus, our Lord, believing on
Christ. Romans 12, verse four, as we
continue, says, for as we have many members in one body, and
all members have not the same office, so we being many are
one body in Christ, and every one member's one of another.
Church is one body of believers in Christ, We all have different
gifts and different attributes, but all hold the same purpose,
a union with Christ. Turn back to Ephesians 5, verse
18. Verse 18, be not drunk with wine,
where it is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. The two parts
of this verse are looking at the old man and the new man.
Be not drunk with wine as being drunk as fools traversing around
this world lost, but be filled with the Spirit. It's to be on
a sinner path, looking to Christ alone for your true path of direction. This world will tell a man they're
good, good person, clouding judgment man, but none are good, no, not
one. The drink is a depressant. It
affects the man's self-control, wisdom, understanding, judgment,
balance. their power to assess everything.
But the spirit, the spirit is a stimulant. The spirit stimulates
a believer to want to seek Christ and seek his word. Excess, there
it says, be not drunk within wine wherein is excess. Excess
is riotous, wasteful, wanton, the opposite of to save. When
you're guilty of excess, you do not save, you do not keep,
you don't conserve, you scatter abroad in a foolish, prodigal,
wanton way. This reminded me of Luke 15,
11. It says, a certain man had two
sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give
me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided
unto them his living. And not many days after, the
young son gathered all together and took his journey into a far
country, and there wasted his substance in a riotous living. A riotous living he had, wasteful
of everything. In this case of a drunk with
wine, there is a loss of self-control, but Christ, Christ is self-control. A believer is filled with a spirit
that is never transported outside himself where he can no longer
control his actions. Wine causes riot, the spirit,
the spirit causes peace. Drunkenness causes contention,
the spirit of God causes submission. If you look over, still in chapter
five, Verse 15 says, see then that you walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise. Drunkenness makes men foolish.
Traversing this world are foolish. When a man is drunk of wine,
they are not themselves. They live a different life. They make
mistakes. But when a believer is filled with the Spirit, they
are made anew. The Spirit of God makes them
wise. They have been shown what they are and who Christ is. To
be filled with the Spirit, to feel, means to spread throughout
one's soul. This is what the Holy Spirit
does when he gives us a heart to worship, a heart to read his
word. When we meditate upon the Lord,
when we meet in his name, just what we're doing right now, when
we bow before him in prayer, when the spirit of the Lord fills
himself unto our souls, not because of something we did. It's not
a today thing, it's not in an hour, it's a continuous thing,
always being filled with the soul. Colossians 3.1 says, if ye be
risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, which
Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection, set
your affection, be filled with the Spirit on things above, not
on things of this earth. Seek ye first, this is a separate
verse, but it goes along with these. Seek ye first the kingdom
of God. Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians
5 verse 19, this is a continuation of verse 18. Speaking to yourselves
in Psalms. As you're filled with the Spirit,
speak to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Verse
20, giving thanks always for all things unto God in the Father,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should always recognize
and be thankful people unto God. Be thankful in prayer, recognizing
our daily lives and everything we have, we have because of Christ
Jesus. through the spirit, by the will
of God. I think often, when I used to be out in Montana, I'd go
hunting, or Winchester, and I would go hiking, or, you know, Brother
Barron would be hunting, sitting up in our stand. Sometimes we'll
come out, we didn't see anything or shoot anything, but it's like,
man, it's creation. Our creator made it. And it just
has you, in a moment, just to sit there and take it all in,
and see that, like, it wasn't some Big Bang Theory or anything.
God Almighty created every single thing. milk and cranny and it
just gives you that sense to just be thankful for what you
for what we have. Turn to Colossians 3 please. This is speaking of the elect
and expounded, Colossians 3.12. Put on therefore as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercies, tender mercies, kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one
another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. This is in regards
of being thankful. We should always be thankful
unto God. Speaking of the elect, in 1 Peter
2, 9 it says the elect speaks of a chosen generation, a peculiar
people, a purchased people, his own special people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation. These the elect will show of
the praises, the virtues which called our disobedient, sinful
selves out of darkness. of unbelief and into the marvelous
light of Christ Jesus. A believer is led by the Holy
Spirit to praise the name of Jesus. First Peter 1.2 says, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification,
the setting apart of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling
the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I mentioned it once before, but
I know we're so frail and we forget things, but as I was studying
a while back, I remember Brother Scott said, throughout this whole
Bible, you can't have peace until you have grace. You can't have
peace until you have grace. Verse 13 says, forbearing, this
is to bear with, to endure. We endure patiently with one
another, forgiving one another as Christ has also forgiven those
his father gave him. I have a verse comparison here,
and I talked about this a while back, but once again, we forget. In 1 Peter 3, 9, it says, not
rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrarized
blessing, knowing that ye are there unto call, that ye should
inherit a blessing. And then in the prior verses,
in 1 Peter 2, 23, it says, who when he was reviled and reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. but committed himself to him
that judges righteously. I just think it's so beautiful,
you know, in this forbearing one another and forgiving one
another. Like this life is so short, such a vapor, like, is
it really worth it? Just forgive one another, because
that's what Christ did, and we'll never be anything close to him,
but I think the believer's desire is to look to him and to, be
as close to him as we can and forgive. Verse 14, it says, and above
all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Charity equals love. Love is of God. Christ is of
God. Above all these things, put on
Christ, which is the bond of perfectness. Verse 15 says, and
let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also
you are called in one body, and be you thankful. This peace of
God, John 14, 27 says, peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Philippians
4, 9 says, those things which you have both learned and received
and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be
with you. Be you thankful. Verse 16, still in Colossians
3, says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns,
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. I just love how the Lord, through
the inspiration of man, writing this Bible, corroborates everything. Oh, it's not a good enough here?
Guess what? Turn back here. It says it once again. Our thick
skulls need that. Let the word of God dwell richly
in wisdom. This reminds me of our text in
verse 18 where it says being filled with the spirit. The last
part of this verse is a corroboration of what we read in verse 19.
Give thanks unto God. And lastly, in verse 17, it says,
and whatsoever ye do in word or deed, ye do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.
We give thanks unto Him. Back in Ephesians 5, verse 21. It says, submitting yourselves to
one another in the fear of God. This is an opening to the next
several verses we are commanded to submit to one another in fear
of God. When a sinner is made to be shown who and truly what
they are, they are made to bow down before the Lord, knowing
He is their creator and His will is over all. This is my Father's
will. Christ is over the church. In
verse 22 it says, wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands
as unto the Lord. When believers are joined together
in marriage, the marriage is a picture of Christ and his church. Christ's church is all those
the Father hath given him, all his sheep, all those which he
hath purchased with his own blood, Acts 20. Wives are not submitting
as slaves to their husbands, but because it is their duty
as a wife and because it is expression of their submission to the Lord,
they are doing it only for the husband but they're not doing
only for the husband, but primarily for the Lord. Women are commanded
by the Lord to submit to their husbands. According to the scriptures,
the man would be the head, the authority, and the leadership
over the family of God on earth. The woman is a weaker vessel,
as stated in 1 Peter 3, 7. This is not a belittling sense,
but shows she is different than man. Man cannot treat her as
an equal. She was made different from him.
He is to respect her. He is to honor her. Guard her,
protect her. When a man shows this kind of
love to his wife, she would desire to submit to her husband, the
same way Christ guards his church. He keeps all those the Father
gave to him, and not a single one will he lose. Follow along
with me. I know it's hard when someone's
reading a verse, and I'm a visual person, and I need to see it.
John 6, I'm just gonna read a couple verses. He's not gonna lose a single
one of his sheep. John 6, 39. John 6, 39, and this
is the Father's will which have sent me that of all which he
hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day. He should lose nothing. And verse
40 says, and this is the will of him that sent me. that everyone
which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. Christ will lose none.
All the ones that follow are sent, and they are guarded. They
are kept. Verse 17 of John 6, it says,
I kept them in thy name, and none of them is lost. This is
true because it says in the end of verse 17 that the scriptures
might be fulfilled. The scriptures might be fulfilled.
Back to verse 23 in Ephesians 5. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is
the savior of the body. The husband's the head of the
wife. Woman was actually made for man from the rib of Adam
she was made. God said it was not a good thing
for a man to be alone and that he needed a helpmeet. Helpmeet,
hmm. A helper, an aider, a female
helper. a help suitable for him. Genesis
3.16 says, Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee. As the woman came from the man,
the body of the church, all those he purchased with his own blood
are in Christ Jesus. Christ is the head of the church,
in complete control of the church. The head holds the brain. The
brain is the central control center of the body, coordinating,
regulating all bodily functions. The brain is one of the first
organs to begin development very early in a pregnancy, starting
within the first weeks of fertilization. It continues to develop through
gestation, essentially meaning the foundation for the brain
starts forming almost immediately after conception. Christ is in
control of the church. He is the head of the church.
He is our foundation. Return in Ephesians 2, verse 18. He is our foundation. Verse 18 says,
for through him we both have access by one spirit unto the
Father. Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with saints,
with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. For as the cornerstone holds
together two walls, so Christ joins together as his people
into one body dedicated to God. And as a cornerstone, it contributes
to sustain the edifice, the large, marvelous building. But nevertheless,
some fall going around the corner carelessly. Some are built up
by the aid of Christ. Verse 21 of Ephesians 2 says,
in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto
a holy temple in the Lord. When we are in Christ, we're
built fitly framed together. We are joined closely together
in growth. We continually grow unto his
holy temple, only in the Lord. Verse 22 of Ephesians 2 says,
in whom you also are built together with a habitation of God through
the Spirit. In Christ we are built together
for this habitation, this dwelling place with God through the Spirit. We need the Spirit of God to
come to us and build us together. Turn back to Ephesians 5, still
in verse 23. The last part of verse 23 says
he is the savior of the body. Savior of the body. I'm gonna
be in Ephesians 1 verse 13. Sorry, we could've just gone
back one page, but. Verse 13 says, verse one, in
whom ye also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation in whom you also that you believed. You were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, hearing the truth, the gospel of our salvation. When a sinner is made to believe,
given faith in of Christ Jesus, they hear the truth, the gospel.
Believing and saving, believing and saving, they work together.
because the Lord made me to believe in the gospel of his salvation.
I am saved, but I was not just saved on the day the Lord opened
my eyes. It's every single time. When we come to meet, when we're
listening on sermon audio, it's amazing. It's like I'm being
saved all over again. I'm receiving his word, and it's
continuous. It's not just some day back who
knows when. It's a continuous process. I'm a poor, helpless sinner,
and I need him to open my eyes each time. He's our savior. He's the savior
of our people. He's our surety. He's our guarantee. Every time
the spirit leads us to Christ, we are made to hear his word
again. It is, like I said, like being saved all over again. Hearing
the word, rejoicing in his majesty, receiving the gospel, praising
his holy, reverent name. His reverent name. There's a
constant trend these days of people using, and maybe it's
been around for a long time, but the Lord, people using the
Lord's name in a vain, shameful, disrespectful manner. His name
is reverent. His name should only be used
in times of the preaching of the gospel and using his name
reverently. But there's a thing, and it just,
it saddens my heart every time I hear someone use his name that
way. At the end of Ephesians 1.13,
it talks of a holy promise. What is this holy promise? It's
an earnested inheritance. Sorry, what is a holy promise?
We read in verse 14, which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of
his glory. This earnest inheritance is the
down payment of our inheritance to the redemption of Christ Jesus. The purchased possession is the
purchasing of his own blood. Think when you buy a certain
item, you have to get a down payment because you can't pay
it all. You need a down payment to pay
a portion, and then you gradually start paying it. But in this
case, the down payment for Christ's church was paid in full by Christ
on Calvary's cross. Acts 20, 28 says, it states,
the Holy Ghost hath made overseers, preachers, men of God, to feed
the church of God, the flock, which he hath purchased with
his own blood. Verse 15 of chapter one says,
wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus,
and love unto all the saints. When a believer is made to believe,
they are given faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have a true
joy only found in him. They are joined together with
the saints, given a true brotherly love. They are made a thankful
people. Verse 16 says, cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. The believer
continually gives thanks for what they've been shown, remembering
everything in their prayers. Verse 17, that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. He sends
his message forth to sinners, giving them wisdom, a broad and
full intelligence. and a revelation, instruction,
what and how great the benefits of salvation are. And in the
knowledge, the acknowledgement of Him, we have a great need
to acknowledge His wisdom, revelation, when we meet the Spirit of God
in our prayers, our worship, when we speak of His power and
His honor at all times of our lives. Turn over to 1 Timothy
4. First Timothy four verse nine. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labor and
suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the
savior of all men, especially of those that believe. These
things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth,
but be thou an example to believers in word, in conversation, in
love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance
to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. That exhortation is
encouragement. Until he comes, give attendance
to the reading. Encourage your brothers and sisters.
Continue to preach and teach Christ. Back in verse 18 of Ephesians
1, it says, the eyes of understanding
being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints. Through the Spirit of God, the
believer's eyes are enlightened, it says there, enlightened, made
spiritually aware, made known what the hope of his calling
is. The sinner's only one hope is Christ Jesus made through
his redemptive work. In verse 19 of Ephesians 1, it
says, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards
us who, to usward who believe according to the working of his
mighty power? What is the exceeding greatness
of His power towards us who believe according to the might of His
power? It says in verse 20, which He
wrought, which He affected, caused something to happen or bring
about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him
at His own right hand in the heavenly places. Verse 21 says, for above all,
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that
which to come, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave
him to be the head over all things to the church. He's over all
things, all things to the church. And this last verse, it says,
remember, we're talking about the savior of the body. This
is all things to the church, which is his body. The church
is his body. The fullness of him that filleth
all in all. Constantly go back here, but
Ephesians 5.18, the end of it says, be filled with the spirit.
And we're seeing that here again, filleth all in all. I think of
Colossians 3.11 where it says, but Christ is all and in all. That kind of got me thinking
a little bit, you know, just two little words. two, three
letters in both of them, simple words, N defined, expressing
movement with the result that someone or something becomes
enclosed and surrounded by something else. All defined, including
everything or everyone without exception. But Christ is everything
without exception. And N, everything without exception. I thought that was wonderful. Christ is the Savior of the body,
His church. Back in Ephesians 5, verse 24. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Same way the church, the believer,
the elect, the sheep, are subject to as in are made to obey Christ. The believer seeing what they
are and there is nothing in them but filthy rags without the unchanging
love of Christ. So is woman and man to everything. When man and woman join together
in gospel unity, ordained by God, they are equally yoked together,
having everlasting fellowship together, desiring only one another. Verse 25, it says, husbands love
your wives even as Christ also loved the church and he gave
himself for it. This is a very powerful verse. As a picture, as a picture, I
must love Chesney with the same love as how Christ loved his
church and he gave himself for it. How did Christ give himself
for the church? or he, God, hath made him, Christ,
to be sent for us, his church, who knew no sin, that we, the
church, might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians
5.21. This verse is a tall order as
regards to verse 25. It's a very tall order. But God
ordered husbands to love their wives. If you are getting married
for any other reason than to unconditionally love your wife,
As Christ the bloody substitute loved the church, then don't.
How can I love like this? Delighting in your wife. Seeking
her happiness and contentment. Concealing her faults. Preferring
her over all others of this world. Giving unto her more than you
give unto yourself. Leading her in spiritually things. If I am to love Chesney like
this, I have to keep Christ's love for his church at the center
of our marriage. No matter which direction I look,
when I look at Chesney, I need to see the love Christ had for
his church. And so he gave for it. Verse
26 says that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle. or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish." Pastor Henry
Manningham said in a commentary, the context of this is a reference
to the customs of Jews. in their engagement to Mary.
A man was engaged to be married to a woman, provided she had
no spots, blemishes, nor past sexual affairs. If afterwards
these faults were found in her, the marriage was off. But Christ
found us guilty, sinful, and full of fault. He loved us and
cleansed us in his own blood so that he might present us holy
and without spot in that day," end quote. In Christ, the church
has no spots, no blemishes, nothing. The church is made holy. Verse
28 of Ephesians 5 says, so ought men to love their wives as their
own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man
ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it,
even as the Lord the church. Men are commanded to love and
nourish their wives as if their own body. Whatever you're willing
to do for yourself, do the same for your wife. Genesis 2.22 says,
and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a
woman and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now
bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This she shall be called
woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto her and
they shall be one flesh. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. They shall be one flesh. The husband, the head of the
wife, loveth and cherisheth for his wife as himself, because
they are one. So does Christ, because his church
and him are one. One body of, excuse me, one body
of believers, generation to generation. So we see that verse 31 says,
for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall
be joined together unto his wife and they shall too be one flesh. When a man and woman unite in
Christ, ordain union of marriage, they are agreeing to put no one
before themselves. This means even their parents.
While it's great to have the support of your parents, the
man and woman have left their parents and they are now one
flesh. Flesh cannot be separated unless it's harmed by means of
force or abuse. The husband is to love his wife
as Christ loved the church. The wife is to submit to her
husband. They have entered into the solemn
vow together to become one. This is not just some historical
writings. These scriptures are the same as the entire Bible,
inspired by God for men to write. Verse 32 says, this is a great
mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. This great
mystery Paul speaks of Christ in his church. He has made the
comparisons of husband and the wife to Christ in his church.
This is why the union between believing husbands and wives
is so special and to be revered because of what it symbolizes.
Paul calls it a great mystery as in mystic or in a hidden sense. Mystic is for one to believe
in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the
intellect. It's been said many times over,
but I don't understand it all, but I believe it. And in Acts
16, it says, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved. When the spirit of the Lord sends his word forth and
gives a sinner a desire of belief, they are given faith, not in
themselves, but of the work of Christ Jesus. In verse 33, it
says, nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love
his wife, even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence
her husband. It's like Paul's repeating what
he already said, but nevertheless, let every one of you in particular
so love his wife, even in the like manner as himself. We naturally are self-centered
creatures only by the grace of God are we made to see we are
nothing without our creator. I'd like to think that I love
Chesney more than myself. I would do anything for her.
She's my helpmate. She's my love. She's my best
friend. She's my wife. Tell her often, thank you for
marrying me, because I just don't deserve it. And the wife, see
that she is reverence. That's reverence to venerate,
to regard with great respect. Hold something or someone with
high regard. A deep respect for someone. Chesney is the true example of
this. She holds me with a high regard all the time, even sometimes
I don't believe I deserve it. She is there for me. She truly,
she treats everyone with this type of regard. even when they
throw the stones first. This example of a husband's love
and a wife's reverence are God-given attributes of the husband and
wife. When a man and woman are made to know Christ and his love
for his church, they are made to emulate it. They are commanded
to. If we're true believers in Christ
Jesus, we bow down before our God and beg for him to give us
the light and lead us through this world by him, by his spirit. I was going to go into chapter
six, but we are running out of time, so I'm going to close right
here. Christ is the head of church
and gave himself for us. Senators who have been called
to believe by the spirit of God, by faith in the redemptive work
of Christ Jesus will always be found in the body of Jesus Christ. Senator, do not look to yourself.
Do not look to some man-made works thought to be a good thing. Look no further than to the cross
of cravity. This is where all peace will
be found and the grace bestowed on the believer in and of Christ
Jesus. I pray the Lord blesses this for his glory and our good.