Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5. Years ago, my pastor preached
from this and gave it the title, Submission, the Key to Happiness.
Some of you may remember that message because I recommended
it to the church, and I have since listened to it many times.
I'll listen to it again this week. That's the subject here,
beginning with verse 21. Now look at verse 20. Ephesians
5, 20, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's a manner of submission
to His will, isn't it? Giving thanks. thankful for everything. Paul wrote in Thessalonians,
give in everything, give thanks, no matter what it is. This is
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Because he works
all things after the counsel of his will. There's nothing
left to anybody or anything or chance or luck or God worketh
all things. And he said, he promised, all
things work together for good. So give him thanks, no matter
what it is. And as we said, Wednesday night,
one of these days we're going to see, he's going to show us
all that he's done. And we're going to be amazed
at how the seemingly worst things, evil things brought about such
good. And we're going to be glad. We're going to be thankful. So
give him thanks always for all things, whatever it is. And to
God, the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse
21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Submission. Submission. Go to 1 Peter 4 real quickly
with me. 1 Peter 4, I believe it is. I just wrote it down. 5, 1 Peter
5. 1 Peter 5. Submission is the subject here
all the way through Ephesians 5. It talks about wives submitting
their husbands and children to their parents and servants to
their employees or masters and submission. And look at 1 Peter
5, he says the same thing. He says, first he tells the the
pastors to not be lords over the heritage, but feed the flock
of God, not for filthy lucre or money, but willingly and lovingly. And he says in verse five, you
younger submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one to another, be clothed with humility. That's what submission
is. It's humility, it's meekness.
God resisted the proud. Giveth grace to the humble. Humble
yourselves, therefore, unto the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time. So submission is just another
word for humility. When our Lord said, be still
and know that I'm God. Be still. That means to calmly
and quietly just rest in whatever is happening. It's God. It's the Lord. Be still. Don't
be troubled. Don't take matters into your
own hand. So go back to our text. Submitting yourself. Submission. That's the key to happiness. And all our troubles are this
thing called self. When we are offended, you know,
we rise up in defense and we get upset and this is what Scripture
says about the people of these last days, they're lovers of
self. Everybody's proud, and boasters, and heady, and high-minded,
and loud, and boisterous, and have their rights, and they're
contending for their rights, and rebelling against, and protesting
everything and everyone. Not God's people. We're in subjection,
submission to authority. Paul wrote in Romans 13, he says,
let every soul be subject to the higher powers. There's no
power, there's no authority but of God. The powers that be are
ordained of God. Paul wrote that, and he wrote
this in Ephesians, and the Lord told him to. Paul was under Nero
in Rome. There's never been a more ruthless,
barbaric, evil ruler ever in history. There have been some
bad ones, but he's one of them. And it was a hymn that fiddled
while Rome burned, you know. But Paul, he's the one that said,
God sent him. And we've seen throughout the
scriptures how that God sends evil rulers as judgment against
false religion. Israel, his people were under
so many bad rulers and it was because of their idolatry. And so it is with this country.
This is not a Christian nation by any means. There's Christianity
here. Someone once said that they had
a poll that took a poll of who said they were Christians and
something like 50% of Americans claimed to be Christian. There
would be no crime if that were so. Right? Let's just not say that. Having
a form of godliness, that's what second Timothy 3, you have a
form of Godlessness. It's a form, it's an outward
show, but deny the power thereof in their lives. Deny it. Deny
the sovereign Word of God, the truth of God. So, submit. Submit. Moses was called the
meekest man on the earth. Wasn't he? He was a meek man. Not weak.
That doesn't mean weak. It just means submitting to the
will of God in all things. The wives, verse 22. Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. Submit unto
your husband. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he's
the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be to
their own husbands in everything. Is that what it said? In 1 Peter,
he says the same thing. He says, we'll turn here, 1 Peter
3. I should have had you keep your
place. But 1 Peter 3. These words are sure not popular
today, are they? In fact, they take out the word
obey in the marriage vows today. Recently, a man contacted me from Evangelical
Press in London, England, where they first printed the commentaries
that my father, in the small book form, and they were going
to reprint them. And I thought, this is wonderful.
And so we were in contact, I was in contact with this man, and
he is a member of a so-called reform group, and he's the head
of this printing, the printing of this paper. Well, he wanted
to change some of my father's language. In 1 Peter, here it
is, verse chapter 3, he talks about the woman, verse
4, Look at verse 4, having an ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit in the sight of God's great price, and after this man
of old time holy women trusting in God adorned themselves, subject,
being in subjection of their own husband. Even as Sarah obeyed
Abraham, calling him Lord or Sir. whose daughters are you,
as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement,
that is, fearful of a man. And then it goes on to talk about
husbands, dwell with them, and all of you be of one mind, compassion,
and so on and so forth. This man wanted to change My
father's language, the language of Scripture, they were using
a new version of Scripture that took away the offense, that took
away this headship of a man over his wife. And when I found that
out, I said, no, we're not going to change a thing. And he said,
well, we won't print it then. I said, that's fine. We're not
going to change a thing. This is not popular today, he
said. Not popular. And are you still there in 1
Peter 3? All right, what if a woman is
married to an unbeliever? Look at chapter 3, verse 1. Ye
wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey
not the word. This is an unbeliever. That they
also may without the word, that is, you know, without being born
again, be won over, be influenced by the conversation of the wife. That is a meek and a quiet, only
an out and out monster would abuse someone that's meek and
submissive and take it. Right? And you don't have to,
Paul wrote about that, you don't have to dwell with a man that's
abusive, not at all. But it says in verse two, this
is a exhortation in it to women that they behold your chaste,
godly life coupled with fear. And so he said, It's meek and
a quiet spirit, and the pride of the sight of God is a great
pride. So, back in our text. Submit yourselves unto your own
husbands, as unto the Lord. The husband is the head of the
wife. Marriage is not a partnership. There must be a head in everything. There must be an authority. There
must be a voice of authority. If you have two people wanting
in charge, I think we go this way. I think we go that way.
What do you got? Division, not unity. So, somebody's
got to be in charge then. And why does he address the woman
first? Why does he address wives first?
Because she has a greater responsibility? No. You know, this is a picture
of Christ and church. His care for us, His love for
us, we totally depended on Him. The woman, I believe, he addressed
her because we're talking about submission, number one. Submission. And secondly, human nature is such that we're
rebels. We're rebels. And it's so hard
for us to be in submission to authority, period. So he addresses
women and exhortation and you know, urging women to submit.
The Lord knows, you know. The husband is the head of the
wife, as Christ is the head of the church, the Savior of the
body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, let the wife be under their own husbands in everything.
Isn't that what it says? You say, what if he does something
that goes against God's Word? Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. She is married to Christ first. Right? What if a woman says,
I refuse to let you go worship the Lord? Who is she to obey? Peter, who wrote those words,
said to the authorities that told him, you cannot preach in
this name anymore. He said, you judge. Should we
obey God or man? You be the judge. You tell me.
So we obey God first. And anything, any Ordinance or
anything that man puts down, and women, a husband, anything
that goes against God's clearly revealed Word of God, no. No
matter that. Right? Okay, so now in verse
25, husbands. You know, the husband has a greater
responsibility, really, just as our Lord does, did. And look
at what he tells husbands today, love your wives as Christ loved
the church. Is there one man in here, one
married man in here who thinks he's done that or even come close?
My, my. You know, if a man really loved
Christ as, I mean, loved his wife as Christ loved the church,
she wouldn't have one problem following him, being submission
to him, because he would be doing everything in love, in mercy,
in grace, considering a servant. Our Lord was, you know, a woman
was created, I was going to have you read in 1 Corinthians, but
he said the woman is for the man, not the man for the woman.
That's what it says. The woman was created for the
man as a helpmate to him, not the man for the woman. That's
a picture of Christ in the church. And the man was created first,
and then the woman, and then on and on it goes. The woman
was deceived, not the man. So you have these roles because
of what happened in the garden. Well, you know, if we loved our
wives as Christ loved the church, they would have no trouble submitting
to that. None. Do you have any trouble
submitting to our Lord? He's so wise, He's so good, He's
so kind, He's so... Everything He does is for our
good. If we'd stop and consider, it's for our good. So we say,
not my will, but thy will. We know He's out to do us good.
Well, men, that's what we're to do. That's what we're to do. Love your wives as Christ loved
the church. And what did He do? He gave Himself. Gave Himself for her, for him,
the church. Isn't that what women want? Ladies, I want to hear a resounding
amen here in just a minute. You don't want what you can get
out of him. You want him. His companionship,
his love, and his to abide with you and be with you, and his
ear. You want his ear. Oh, do you
want his ear. I told, you know, somebody said
women say 20,000 words a day and men say two. I believe it. But listen anyway, okay, men? Manoa, I love the story of Manoa
and his wife. Don't you? Don't you love that
story, judges? Love it, love it, love it. Manoah
was all bent out of shape, and the Lord thought the Lord was
going to kill him. And his wife preached to him, witnessed to
him, one of the greatest testimonies in all the Bible. A three-point message, wasn't
it, John? A great message. And I've preached on it several
times. And our wives are, indeed, I know these women. I've known
them a long time. Godly women. Holy women. humble women, submissive women. They are. And some of you are
shaking your head. I know you. You shouldn't think
that about yourself, but others should, shouldn't you? You shouldn't
see any of that in yourself, but others should, shouldn't
you? And I do. I see it. So, okay, go on. It says in verse
26 that Christ gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify
it, cleanse it. You know, we're sanctified once
by the body of Christ, aren't we? Don't you love that? He said
in his prayer to the Father, I sanctify myself that they may
also be sanctified. Oh, I love that. He is made unto
us. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification. It's not our work. Like redemption,
it's not our work, it's His work. Salvation is of the Lord. And
He came to sanctify, cleanse it, verse 26, with a washing
of water by the Word, by His blood. which runs through this
water of the Word. Remember, he washed feet in John
13. You remember that story? Oh,
how I loved that. He said, and Peter didn't understand what
he was doing, and Peter said, Lord, don't just wash my feet,
wash me all over. He said, you're clean everywhere,
but not your feet. Got to clean your feet with the
water of the Word. And that he might, verse 27,
present it to himself. See, he came to this world, to
this earth, to redeem a filthy bride, a forlorn woman. Every one of his brides, his wives, were Harlots
sold themselves to pleasure and this world and others until Christ
came and married them and revealed Himself to them. And God put
the love of God for Christ in their hearts, and now they're
married to Him. And they realized He came to
cleanse them, to save them from their sin, to present it to Himself,
like in the book of Hosea. I bought her to myself, I betrothed
her to myself, for himself, his bride, his constant companion
forever. And a glorious church, don't
you love that word, that title, that statement? A glorious church
without spot or rank. Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of God. That's Psalm 85. Oh, a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Only Christ could do this. Take
a woman like Mary Magdalene, or like Gomer, and present her
as a chaste virgin to God. No spot, not one single thing
on her record without spot or wrinkle. or any such thing, that
she should be holy and without blemish, like their Lord, without
spot or blemish. So, verse 28, so ought men to
love their wives as their own body. He that loveth his wife
loveth himself. He's appealing to our natural
self because there's nothing, fleshly speaking, humanly speaking,
that we love. No one and nothing we love more
than ourselves. When God saves us, we begin to
loathe ourselves knowing. But there's that old man in there
that still loves himself, and he'll do everything to protect
himself. So that's the sense of what he's
using there. He's in love with his wife, in love with himself.
Why? Because there are two or one. And here he states that. No man ever hated his own flesh.
He nourishes and cherishes it as Christ, as the Lord does the
church. Nourishes and cherishes. Does
the Lord cherish you? That's something to think about.
Cherishes you. We're members of his body, of
his flesh. Two. Two become one. We're members of his body, his
flesh, of his bones. Like Adam, when the Lord brought...
Where did Eve come from? Adam's side. A deep sleep, what
a picture that is of Christ crucified. A deep, the Lord caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam. And as he slept, he took, he
opened up, he cleft in his side, wounded his side. Did Adam have
a scar after that? I don't know, but it would have
been fitting though. Well, our Lord does, the second Adam. We
came out of his side and they took that sword. The Lord had
that soldier take a sword. on purpose, according to the
will of God, as the second Adam from above, to open his side,
his wounded side, his riven side. Out of it came blood and water.
Well, someone else came out of his side, the church, the church. Justification, sanctification,
born again by the water and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're out of his side and he cherishes. We're members of his
body. Bone of his bone, that's what
Adam said when the Lord brought Eve to him, didn't he? Bone of
my bone. Woman. She bears his name. Man, woman. Ish, isha. Christ and his church. Sounds like one thing. Jehovah
Sidkenu, that's his name isn't it? The Lord our Righteousness.
That's her name. We bear his name. So, verse 31. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother and be joined unto his wife, and they
too shall be one flesh. And that's what Christ did. He
left the father to do what? To come and be joined to his
bride, to marry his bride. And he went back, but he's not
going to be without her. He's coming back for her, that
she may be with him where he is forever. A marriage made in heaven. A
true marriage made in heaven. Happily ever after. Because the
Prince of Peace came to save this cinder fellow from the dragon. Where do those
fairy tales come from? Men didn't make that up. It's a great mystery. Verse 32,
I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, to
the church, to men and women in the flesh, he tells us, though
this is speaking of Christ and the church, a glorious mystery. That's why it is this institute
of marriage. And by the way, this society
is so evil and so corrupt and so twisted and so perverse. that
men and people are trying to do away with marriage completely,
doing away with gender, you know, doing away with all roles. They
hate that there are no roles. We're all just alike. Well, we're
all just alike as sinners. But the roles that God has made
is the best way, the only way, isn't it? And there's no happiness
otherwise. Are people happy with all this? No, they're not. This world is
a miserable place. People are miserable and won't
admit it. There's no peace, our Lord said to the wicked. He's
not going to let anybody have any happiness that rebels against
Him. So He says in verse 33, Nevertheless,
I'm speaking to you men, you women, you people in the flesh. Let every one of you, men, every
one of you, in particular, Love his wife even as you love yourself. And the wife sees that she reverence
being submission to her husband. And now the next chapter deals
with children. We'll have your young people
up here when we deal with that.