Post by Shepherd on Mar 16, 2009 11:41:51 GMT -6
-[center]HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIVES
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EPHESIANS 5:25...HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT; (25-31).
Did you know that a man’s treatment of his wife has direct bearing upon his own spiritual experience?
It is such an easy thing to think that a man’s relationship with his wife is his own business. From a human point of view this may be right, but nothing that involves a Christian is his own business; it is God’s business.
The Apostle Paul in writing to the Christians at Ephesus wanted them to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Such blessedness as being filled with the Holy Ghost would be the work of God. God will not bless a man who is disobedient to Him. God will do many things for the Christian, and He has. He reached out for us when we were still in the dark, and God commended His love toward us in that while WE WERE YET SINNERS CHRIST DIED FOR US.
And Christ went to h the cross of Calvary for every sinner. This we know and this we believe. But when it comes to God dwelling in a person. We need to realize He will not work in anyone who is not responsive and obedient to Him.
God has a plan for every person who accepts Christ. He really wants every person that believes in Him to walk in His will and to be blessed; but He reserves the fullness of His blessing for those who obey Him. God’s commandments are not grievous. His will is not harsh. Remember, He said, MY YOKE IS EASY, AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT. But He does have a pattern. There is a yoke. TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME MATT. 11:29-30.
The human being has the problem of his flesh, his human nature, his ego, lhimself; and God deals with this problem drastically. Christ Jesus said; IF ANY MAN WILL COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF, AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS, AND FOLLOW ME. Just that. This makes it clear there is just one thing to do about self; deny it. The Christian must deny self. As a Christian I must not only deny myself in little things, here and there; but I must go into my own personal Gethsemane before God, to lay down myself before Him and say, “Not my will, but thine be done.”
He will lead me in His will to my cross that I might be crucified with Christ Jesus. This becomes obvious in personal, practical situations.
Paul expounds this in a long passage which shows the way of God. It begins very simply; HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES.. EPH. 5:25. This may seem for many people a very ordinary admonition. They could say, “He loved her, or he would not have married Her.” But wait a minute. This word LOVE means far more than just affection. This word LOVE in the New Testament use means far more than emotional feeling. LOVE is when I seek another’s welfare and happiness. When a husband loves his wife, he wants her to be well of and to be happy. And to the husbands he simply says; LOVE YOUR WIVES. That could be misunderstood, one could think that all it means is that He is telling a man to love his wife as long as she is lovely, or perhaps as long as she looks interesting to him.
When he says LOVE YOUR WIFE, he goes on to say right away, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVE THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. Now that is when the shoe begins to fit on the foot. 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 THAT IT SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH. EPHESIANS 5:25-27.
That is what it means when the Scripture says that Christ loved the church. He gave himself that the church might be made glorious, having no spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing, and that the people in the church should be made holy, so that the should be without blame.
Christ Jesus is even now working toward that end. As Christ Jesus is even now working toward that end. As Christ assumed responsibility for the welfare of the church, so the husband should do toward his wife. As in the case of the husband, he should not spare himself in any effort to secure his wife’s welfare and her happiness. Paul discusses this truth even further... 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. EPHESIANS 5:28-29.
When we speak of loving our own bodies, there will be some of us men who in all honesty are not so greatly pleased with ourselves. But when a man is to love him-self, and love his body, it does not mean he must approve it, but only means he takes care of it. A man should do for his own wife as he does for his own body, and this is just as the lord did for the church, nourishing it and cherishing it.
Paul goes on to say; 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 THE TWO SHALL BE ONE FLESH. EPHESIANS 5:30-31.
This quotation is from Genesis and refers to Adam and Eve. When they first came together as husband and wife, they would be blended, and they twain shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. Paul says; BUT I SPEAK CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH. Paul recalls to mind the original plan of God in institution marriage by way of illustrating the truth about Christ and the church.
No doubt marriage was widely perverted by man then as now. Many things done in the name of marriage do not represent Christ and the church. So Paul takes his readers right back to the beginning of time in the Scripture and gives them a clear picture of what was intended for a man and his wife. This is the way it would be with Christ and the church.
Paul goes on to say, NEVERTHELESS LET EVERY ONE OF Y0U IN PARTICULAR SO LOVE HIS WIFE EVEN AS HIMSELF; AND THE WIFE SEE THAT SHE REVERENCE HER HUSBAND...EPHESIANS 5:33.
Paul dwells on God’s original plan as it occurred with Adam and Eve before the fall of man. Paul seems to recognize that this aspect of the truth would be hard to understand, yet it is so important that Paul spells it out again in that last sentence, the Christians should be with his wife as Christ lives with the church expending himself that his wife may be favor[/center)
X
EPHESIANS 5:25...HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT; (25-31).
Did you know that a man’s treatment of his wife has direct bearing upon his own spiritual experience?
It is such an easy thing to think that a man’s relationship with his wife is his own business. From a human point of view this may be right, but nothing that involves a Christian is his own business; it is God’s business.
The Apostle Paul in writing to the Christians at Ephesus wanted them to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Such blessedness as being filled with the Holy Ghost would be the work of God. God will not bless a man who is disobedient to Him. God will do many things for the Christian, and He has. He reached out for us when we were still in the dark, and God commended His love toward us in that while WE WERE YET SINNERS CHRIST DIED FOR US.
And Christ went to h the cross of Calvary for every sinner. This we know and this we believe. But when it comes to God dwelling in a person. We need to realize He will not work in anyone who is not responsive and obedient to Him.
God has a plan for every person who accepts Christ. He really wants every person that believes in Him to walk in His will and to be blessed; but He reserves the fullness of His blessing for those who obey Him. God’s commandments are not grievous. His will is not harsh. Remember, He said, MY YOKE IS EASY, AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT. But He does have a pattern. There is a yoke. TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME MATT. 11:29-30.
The human being has the problem of his flesh, his human nature, his ego, lhimself; and God deals with this problem drastically. Christ Jesus said; IF ANY MAN WILL COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF, AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS, AND FOLLOW ME. Just that. This makes it clear there is just one thing to do about self; deny it. The Christian must deny self. As a Christian I must not only deny myself in little things, here and there; but I must go into my own personal Gethsemane before God, to lay down myself before Him and say, “Not my will, but thine be done.”
He will lead me in His will to my cross that I might be crucified with Christ Jesus. This becomes obvious in personal, practical situations.
Paul expounds this in a long passage which shows the way of God. It begins very simply; HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES.. EPH. 5:25. This may seem for many people a very ordinary admonition. They could say, “He loved her, or he would not have married Her.” But wait a minute. This word LOVE means far more than just affection. This word LOVE in the New Testament use means far more than emotional feeling. LOVE is when I seek another’s welfare and happiness. When a husband loves his wife, he wants her to be well of and to be happy. And to the husbands he simply says; LOVE YOUR WIVES. That could be misunderstood, one could think that all it means is that He is telling a man to love his wife as long as she is lovely, or perhaps as long as she looks interesting to him.
When he says LOVE YOUR WIFE, he goes on to say right away, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVE THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. Now that is when the shoe begins to fit on the foot. 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 THAT IT SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH. EPHESIANS 5:25-27.
That is what it means when the Scripture says that Christ loved the church. He gave himself that the church might be made glorious, having no spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing, and that the people in the church should be made holy, so that the should be without blame.
Christ Jesus is even now working toward that end. As Christ Jesus is even now working toward that end. As Christ assumed responsibility for the welfare of the church, so the husband should do toward his wife. As in the case of the husband, he should not spare himself in any effort to secure his wife’s welfare and her happiness. Paul discusses this truth even further... 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. EPHESIANS 5:28-29.
When we speak of loving our own bodies, there will be some of us men who in all honesty are not so greatly pleased with ourselves. But when a man is to love him-self, and love his body, it does not mean he must approve it, but only means he takes care of it. A man should do for his own wife as he does for his own body, and this is just as the lord did for the church, nourishing it and cherishing it.
Paul goes on to say; 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 THE TWO SHALL BE ONE FLESH. EPHESIANS 5:30-31.
This quotation is from Genesis and refers to Adam and Eve. When they first came together as husband and wife, they would be blended, and they twain shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. Paul says; BUT I SPEAK CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH. Paul recalls to mind the original plan of God in institution marriage by way of illustrating the truth about Christ and the church.
No doubt marriage was widely perverted by man then as now. Many things done in the name of marriage do not represent Christ and the church. So Paul takes his readers right back to the beginning of time in the Scripture and gives them a clear picture of what was intended for a man and his wife. This is the way it would be with Christ and the church.
Paul goes on to say, NEVERTHELESS LET EVERY ONE OF Y0U IN PARTICULAR SO LOVE HIS WIFE EVEN AS HIMSELF; AND THE WIFE SEE THAT SHE REVERENCE HER HUSBAND...EPHESIANS 5:33.
Paul dwells on God’s original plan as it occurred with Adam and Eve before the fall of man. Paul seems to recognize that this aspect of the truth would be hard to understand, yet it is so important that Paul spells it out again in that last sentence, the Christians should be with his wife as Christ lives with the church expending himself that his wife may be favor[/center)
