I felt impressed to bring a message
from this scripture for you this evening. And I want to show you
something that I've never noticed before concerning this scripture. If you'll underscore in verse
22 the word wives, In verse 25, the word, husbands. In chapter 6, verse 1, the word,
children. Chapter 6, verse 4, the word,
fathers. Chapter 6, verse 5, the word,
servants. Chapter 6, verse 9, the word
masters. Six words, wives, husbands, children,
fathers, servants, masters. Now turn to Colossians, and here's... Paul wrote that epistle to the
church at Ephesus, and here he is writing to the church at Colossae. Colossians chapter 3, verse 18,
the same order. Colossians 3, 18, wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands as it's fit in the Lord. Verse
19, same order, husbands, love your wives. and be not bitter
against them." Verse 20, children. Obey your parents in all things
for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Verse 21, fathers. Provoke not your children to
anger lest they be discouraged. Verse 22, servants. Obey in all things your masters
according to the flesh, not with our service, as men pleases,
but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever you do, do
it heartily as to the Lord, not unto men." Now, chapter 4, masters. Given to your service that which
is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master in heaven,
and continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving,
with all praying also for us that God would open unto us a
door of utterance to speak the mysteries of Christ, for which
I am also in bonds." Same words, husbands, wives, husbands, children,
parents, servants, and masters. Now back to our text in Ephesians
5. I call this message the foundation
for Christian graces. These are Christian graces. Christian graces. And this message
I call the foundation for Christian graces. That's which produces
this spirit and behavior and work. Now, the world is full
of religious books. on various subjects. You go into
one of these Christian bookstores and you'll find books on how
to be saved, and how to be filled with the Spirit, and how to be
a useful Christian, and how to live a victorious life, and how
to have a successful marriage, and how to raise your children,
how to build a Christian home, and how to live for Jesus. And
I'm not discounting these books. I'm not at all. These efforts
to help people with their problems, I'm sure many of these books
have some good things written by some good men. And I'm not
oversimplifying the answer to these problems. But I feel quite
strongly that as far as believers are concerned, we need to turn
from all of these philosophies and psychology of men and turn
to the Word of God for our instructions and for our rule of life, His
Word. I would say instead of spending
our time studying these books written by men on how to perform
these Christian graces, let's study the Scriptures. Let's search
the Scriptures. Let's interpret the Scriptures
with the Scriptures. This is what I've tried to do.
You say, well, Preacher, you've written some books. Yes. We've
got some commentaries, and we've got a book on the Gospel of John,
and we've got those two books on Old Testament
pictures of Christ seen with New Testament eyes. There are
two now. One will be out shortly, the
second one. But you'll notice what I've tried
to do in these books is not set forth my philosophy in regard
to these things, but to tell you what the Scriptures are saying
in regard to these things. That's what we've done in our
books, in our commentaries, in the Gospel of John, and we've
gone verse by verse and tried to show you what the Scripture
says. And so I say to every one of us, what does the Lord say? Let's read the Word of God. and
see what the Scripture says about these things, just what God says. You know, over in 2 Peter, turn
over there just a moment, 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter says this, and
this is something that we need to remember when we're reading
the Scriptures. that in 2 Peter 1, verse 20,
knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private
interpretation. And somebody says, well, that
means that we're not to interpret it privately. I said, no. We're
not to interpret it ourselves. We're to interpret it by the
Scriptures. In other words, what he's saying there is that one
verse of Scripture doesn't stand alone. It means what it means
all the way through the Word of God. You interpret Scripture
by Scripture. You cut a diamond with a diamond.
You interpret Scripture by Scripture. In other words, what this says
here is what it says all the way through the Word of God.
It's the same meaning all the way through. Interpret Scripture
with Scripture. So search the Scriptures. As
I sat down and read the Scripture this morning and prepared to
bring it to you tonight, it means just what it says. God means
exactly what He's saying here. Line upon line, precept upon
precept. So search the Scriptures. And
the second thing I would say is this. But there's a vital
key word. that must accompany the searching
of the Scriptures, and the studying of the Scriptures, and finding
out what the Scriptures teach. There's another word that goes
along with it. Search the Scriptures, and then be submissive to the
Scriptures. Do what they say. You see here
in verse 21 of my text, Ephesians 5, verse 21, submitting
yourselves, submitting yourselves unto one another in the fear
of the Lord. When you search the Scriptures, submit yourself
to Christ, submit yourself to the Scriptures, submit yourself
to one another. Obey the Scriptures. Don't just
read them to find out what the doctrine is and what the Scriptures
are teaching. Read it with intent to do what
it says. Look over in James, chapter 1. James, the first chapter. Read
it with the intention of doing what it says. Now, in James,
chapter 1, I want you to look at this. It says in James, chapter
1, verse 22, But be ye doers of the Word,
and not hearers only. We don't read the Scriptures
just to find what they're saying. We read the Scriptures to find
what they're saying to us with the intent to receive them, believe
them, and do what they say. Be ye doers of the Word, not
just hearers only. Boy, we heard a good sermon.
Do no goodness is put in practice. Because if you're just a hearer,
you're deceiving, we're deceiving ourselves. Verse 23, "...for if any be a
hearer of the word, and not a doer," now watch this, "...he is like
unto a man, beholding his natural face in a glass." He looks, he
stops and looks in the looking glass, and he, it tells him,
what he is, how he appears, what shape he's in, and so forth.
For he beholdeth himself, and goes his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was." He forgets what that
mirror says to him. He doesn't like the reflection
necessarily. He doesn't agree with the reflection.
The reflection shows him in a bad light, and in order to forget
it, he just turns and walks away. That's a hearer of the Word and
not a doer. Now what's a doer? But whoso
looketh into the perfect law of liberty, what's this saying?
The man who looks into the Word, he looks, he doesn't just behold
it and go his way, he doesn't just hear it and go his way,
he doesn't just Listen to what's being said or see what's being
written and walk away. No, this man gazes, the word
there, whoso gazes into the perfect law of liberty, he gazes, he
looks with interest and care and concern about what it says,
what it says to him, how it relates to him, how it affects him. how it exposes him, how it convicts
him, how it troubles him. He keeps looking into it and
keeps looking into it and gazing into it. This perfect law of
liberty is the gospel of Christ, the truth of God. He gazes into
it. And listen, he looks into the
Word with every intention to receive it and to obey it and
to follow it. Well, listen to what it says
about that man. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,
and continueth therein, continueth, he continues to look, and to
gaze, and to study, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a
doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his doings." In
his deeds, in his doings, he's going to be blessed. You see
what it says? We read scripture like this over here about wives
and husbands and children and parents and servants and masters
and believers and children of God, and we look and say, that
sounds awful good. We walk away. No, the way to
look at it is with intent, gazing into it, searching it with a
concern and a care, with submission, with surrender. with this is
what I intend to do, this is what I intend to put in practice,
what this is saying. I used to have a safety deposit
box down at the bank, didn't have anything of any value to
keep in it, but I got it for a while, kept birth certificates
in it and things like that. But a safety deposit box, I don't
know about now, but back then it required two keys. Is it still
that way? Still got two keys? Anybody got
a safety deposit box? All right, the bank had one key
and you had the other. The bank couldn't open it without
your key and you couldn't open it without their key. And so
you go down there And they give you the other key. You got two
keys. You got theirs and you got yours. And then you open
that box and the treasures are taken out. Well, that's a good
illustration of this right here. Here is the Word of God with
its promises. Here's the Word of God with its
precepts. Here's the Word of God with its
commandments. Here's the Word of God with its
instructions. Here's the Word of God with its
blessings and treasures. For us, believers, there it is. What's the other key? A willingness
to do it. That's the other key. You got
the other key. A willingness to put it, a willingness
to walk therein. That is absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, it's just the man looking into the mirror, and
what he sees, he may like or not like. He turns and walks
away. That's good preaching, that's
good doctrine, that's facts, that's what the Bible says. But
then the man who is blessed in his deeds, he sits and listens
with concern and with intent and with an interest. And he
says, from this day forward, that's what I'm going to do.
That's going to be my way. God's way is going to be my way,
whatever it costs me, whatever it requires, but God's way is
going to be my way. Submission. Well, there's another
important word, too. There's another important word.
Search the Scriptures. Search the Scriptures with intent, with
submission. Whatever the Scripture says,
that's what I'm going to be, and that's by God's grace, that's
what I'm going to do. But there's another word. There's
another word. Why? Why? But I'll tell you what it is,
it's for the glory of God. That's why, for the glory of
God. Because I'm His, and He is my
beloved. Because I love Him, and He loves
me. And because I want to do what
He says. And because I want to glorify His name. And because
I want to be a blessing for His glory. Let me show you some Scripture. Turn again to that Colossians
3 over there. That's why Colossians chapter
3, verse 17, Colossians 3, 17, it says here, and whatsoever you do, let's
go back to verse 16, let the Word of Christ dwell in you,
dwell in you richly. His Word dwell in you richly,
all of it. in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your heart to the Lord. And whatsoever you do,
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. That's why, for
the glory of God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look
at Colossians 3, 23, just down a few verses. Again, he says,
and whatsoever you do, here at church, in the home, on the streets,
in the store, in the place of business, in the school, whatsoever
you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, not to be seen of men,
not for the praise of men. But ask to the Lord. That's the
motive. That's why. To His glory. That's why. To His praise. Whatever
you do, do it to the Lord. I Corinthians 10. Turn over there. Let's see this again. I Corinthians
10, verse 31. I Corinthians 10, 31. It says here, "...whether therefore
ye eat or drink, or what So ever you do, whatsoever you do, do
all to the glory of God. You know, when Samuel kept coming
to Eli saying that, did you call for me? Did you call for me? Samuel said, Eli said, I didn't
call you. Go back to bed. Samuel, go back
to bed. He came back and said, did you
call me? I thought you called me. I didn't call you. The third
time he said, son, he said to young Samuel, he said, you go
lie down. And it shall be if the Lord calls
you again that thou shall say, speak, Lord, thy servant here. You speak, I respond, I hear,
I do, whatever you say, for your glory. Saul of Tarsus on the
road to Damascus. Scripture says that he was smitten
down, and in verse 6 of Acts 9, it says, and Saul of Tarsus,
trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what would you have me
do? What would you have me do? Speak. Let's look back at our text in
verse 19. Go back just two verses where
Hap began reading in verse 21. I want to show you something
right along the line here. We search the Scriptures. We
read the Word. Secondly, we read it in a submissive
manner, with intent. With concern, with care, I want
to do what it says. I want to be what it requires. I want to walk where it says
walk. That's what I want to do. And I want to do it for the glory
of God. Not just to be seen in men, not for the praise of men,
but because I love Him for His glory. Now look at verse 19.
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. It's
to Him. Well, this is what the preacher
says to do. No, it's to Him. Well, this is what's required.
No, it's to Him. This singing and praising God
and exhorting one another and encouraging one another is to
Him. His glory to the Lord. Look at
verse 20, "...giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Our thanks and
praise is in His name. It's to Him and in His name.
That's why we walk this route, why we do these things. It's
to Him and in His name and for His glory. Now watch verse 21. Submitting yourselves, surrendering
yourselves, committing yourselves, one to another, in the fear of
God. In the fear of God. In the fear
of God. And this is not a reluctant,
slavish, Rebellious fear, well, if I don't do it, God's going
to scold me or whip me or chastise me or send some terrible thing
in my life. It's because of reverence for
Him and a love for Him. It's the obedience of a loving
Son who respects and reverences and loves His Heavenly Father. And that's the key to all of
this right here. That's the key to all this. As
we read these things, wives, look at them again, wives, submit
yourselves to your husbands, as unto the Lord. The husband's
ahead of the wife, even as Christ is ahead of the church. And He's
the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is submissive
to Christ and subject to Christ and committed to Christ, so let
the wives be to their own husbands and everything. Build a peaceful
and happy and loving home in subjection and submission to
your husband. Why? To the glory of God. To
the glory of God. for the honor of God, because
you love God, because He's your Father, because you as child
husbands love your wives. Even as Christ loved the church.
Can a man love his wife too much? No, sir. No, sir. Somebody criticized John Newton
because he loved his wife so strongly. When she died, he just,
he had a terrible time with it. He wrote wrote hymns and poems
about her for two or three years. Finally, he got himself together,
got hold of himself. But somebody said, he just loved
her too much. Well, it says, love your wife
as Christ loved the church. You can't love her that much.
That's impossible. He loves the church with an infinite
love, everlasting love, with an unchanging love. Love your
wife as Christ loved the church. gave himself for it. You know,
somebody read this one time, talking to the wives, said she
was taken from the husband from Adam's side. She wasn't taken
from his head to rule over him. She wasn't taken from his feet
to be walked on by him and mistreated. She was taken from His side,
right next to His heart, to be loved by Him, and right under
His arms to be protected by Him and to be cared for. So husbands,
love your wives as Christ loved the church, that He might sanctify
it 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. I know today they talk about
marriage as a partnership. In a sense, it is. Marriage is
50-50. Now, in a sense, it is. What
is hers is mine, what's mine is hers, and we're one flesh
in Christ. But there's a leader in the home,
and that's the husband. There's a leader. And the wife
is in subjection. He loves her. He rules by love. She follows the second way. And
that's what that's saying, that so men ought to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. Verse 29, But no man ever yet
hated his own flesh, but nourished it and cherished it, even as
the Lord the Church. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they
too shall be one flesh. It's 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 see that she reverence her husband." Now, don't look into
this and be like the man looking in the mirror and walk away.
But look into it. Look into it. Gaze into it. Camp
there. Make your home a happy home,
a peaceful home, a joyful home. A home where Christ reigns, a
home without conflict and anguish and argument and bittering and
backbiting and false-signing. It's just not, it should not
be. It will not be. It will not be. Not where Christ
is. Do it. Do it. We'll talk about it. We'll say,
well, that's good doctrine. No, that's not doctrine. That's the way of life. It's
more than a doctrine. It's a way of life. All right,
look at his children. Obey your parents in the Lord. Do it now. This is the right
way. Obey your father. Honor your father. And when that
doesn't stop when you grow up and go to college and marry somebody,
it goes on till the parents are put in the grave. Honor them. Love them. Cherish them. Respect
them. That's right. that it may be
well with you, that you may live long on the earth." Imagine as many a daddy has said
about a boy, I hope you have a son just like you when you
grow up. A daughter just like you, but
love them, honor them, respect them. And verse 4, you fathers,
now here's an interesting scripture here. You fathers, provoke not
your children to rap, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord." You know, in my day, back yonder years ago,
we parents and my parents were unreasonable, too hard on children. That's right. Too hard. But you folks today are too easy. That's right. We've got to get
in here somewhere. Don't provoke them to wrath.
Don't be unreasonable. Don't be too hard. You know,
we grew up back yonder and their children would be seen and not
heard. They were not to be reasoned with. They were to be told something
and slapped if they didn't do it. That's right. That was the philosophy back
yonder. But the philosophy today is leave them alone. Don't bother
with them. Let them do their thing. That's
dead wrong. There's a way in here. Don't
provoke them to wrath, but discipline and control. You're the parent.
You're the leader in the home. And do it as unto the Lord. Do
it for the glory of God. All right. I've got to move on.
Servants. Be obedient to them that are
your masters according to the flesh. We who work for people
and serve people, do it with fear and trembling and singleness
of your heart as unto Christ. Like you're working for the Savior,
working for the Lord Jesus. Not with our service as men pleasers,
but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
With good will, doing service as to the Lord and not unto men.
Serve, labor, do a good work, do a good job. Take seriously
what you've been given to do. Knowing that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord,
whether he be bond or whether he be free. And you masters,
you men who work other men, you do the same thing to them. You
treat them like you would have them treat you. do unto them
as you would have them do unto you, and forebear threatening,
and knowing that your Master is in heaven, and there is no
respect of persons within." So when the Word of God becomes
our rule of life, and the will of God becomes our prayerful
goal, and the gospel of Christ becomes our great delight, and
when the glory of God becomes our chief desire, and when the
worship of God, our most enjoyable occupation, and when the people
of God become our constant companions, and when this is our goal and
our aim, to see Him, to dwell in His house, and to be like
Him. And that becomes more important
to us than everything else in this world. then we'll start
walking in this way. And it'll be a pleasant path,
a joyful path. A joyful path. Our Lord said,
if you love Me, you'll keep My Word. That's what it's based
on. If you love Me, keep My Word.
If you love Christ, we'll love each other. If any person be
in Christ, he's a new creature. He that is of God, heareth God's
Word. And to try to motivate people
by any other means is a waste of time. It's a waste of time. Our motivation is our relationship
with our Lord, our relationship with Him, and a desire to grow
in that grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Search
the Scriptures and do it with intent and concern. to do what
the Scripture says, and do it for the glory of God. Do it for
the glory of God. Our Father, we thank You for
Your Word. We thank You, Lord, that You
have revealed to us the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and brought us to love Him, trust Him, believe on Him, Look to
Him and Him alone, Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, our wisdom, our
righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption, all things
in Him. We thank You, Lord, for a revelation
of Your will and Your way through Thy Word. And we pray that You
give us the grace and the desire to walk in Thy Word to glorify
your name in all that we do. Grant that our lives might bring
glory to you at all times. Give us, O Lord, that love for
Christ and love for one another, and make it to grow. We pray
tonight for our friends who are sick. Minister to them. Strengthen
and heal their bodies. We pray for our faithful missionaries,
ministering your word. We pray, O Lord, for those who
are in sorrow and bereavement. We pray, O Lord, for those who
preach the gospel here in this nation. Bless them. Use all of
us for your glory and your praise. We pray for thy people, and especially
for this family here. Lord, use us for your glory. Open effectual doors for us to
minister to thy sheep and make us a blessing. Lord, make us
a blessing. We pray for Christ's sake. Amen.