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1/27/02 - Epiphany 3 INI Eph. 5:21-33 In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and the Light of our lives, Dear Fellow Redeemed and Fellow Christians, When is taking out the garbage a celebration of the light of Christ? During the Epiphany season of the church year we celebrate the revelation of Jesus Christ as the saving Light of those who sit in the darkness of sin and death. Not only are we reminded of Christ’s light upon us, but of Christ’s light within us. But what does Christ’s light within us have to do with taking out the garbage. Suppose for example, that the Christian husband says to his wife with all sincerity: “I take out the garbage because I love you.” Now do you see the relationship between our Savior’s light within the Christian and taking out the garbage? If there is any work of the Christian life which may shine as a bright beacon against the darkness of our times, it is the Christian marriage. Therefore let us hear with understanding the message of our text, and SHINE IN OUR MARRIAGES. I. Our text is the most comprehensive Bible passage on Christian marriage in the entire Bible. We can’t cover it all this morning. But let’s do what we can. Prior to these words, the inspired Apostle Paul has already begun to describe what a “Spirit-filled” Christian is. He is a person who understands what the will of God is, who sings in his heart to the Lord, and give thanks to God for all things in the name of Jesus. Now, in v. 21, Paul encourages Spirit-filled Christians to be submitting themselves to one another in the fear of God. This self-submission applies to every Christian, whatever our position in life may be. But what does the word “subject” or “submit” mean? In Romans 13 Paul uses the same word when he commands Christians to “subject themselves to the government” and pay taxes. The Word “submit” means a complete surrender of one’s self. But Paul is not speaking of a forced surrender. He actually says in the original Greek: “Make yourselves submissive to one another.” In his letter to the Philippians Paul put it this way: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but in humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.” (Phil. 2:3-4) How is this self-submissive posture of one Christian to another supposed to work in our every-day lives? In the verses following, Paul speaks to children and parents, slaves and masters. But he begins by addressing those who are married. The wife is to subject herself to her own husband in everything. The wife is told in v. 22: “Subject yourselves to your own husbands as unto the Lord.” “No way!” The Feminists cry: “If we must be subject to our husbands, then we lose our personal identity; we become slaves. Down with teaching of Paul! He was a woman-hater and a homosexual!” . . . That is rubbish! Paul does not say that it’s the husband’s duty to subjugate his wife, to walk on her, to treat her as a piece of property, a thing! He speaks here only to the wife. He says, “Just as you subject yourself to your Lord and Savior, striving by the grace of God to obey Him in everything, so you are to obey and submit yourself to your husband. Why? Not because he is physically stronger or it will cost you both financially if you don’t, but because this is the WILL of Him Who created both the husband and the wife. It is God’s established order from the beginning, as Paul says in v. 23: “The husband IS the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church; and He (Himself) IS the Savior of the body.” The married couple is a unity, just as God ordained it when He first brought the woman to the man so that they might be one flesh. A unity can only have one head, even as the Church, which is Christ’s bride can only have one head, Jesus Christ. Two heads of the Church would produce a monstrosity! So also two heads in a marriage or the wrong head, leads to division, quarrels, an other troubles which God does not want, and did not order for this blessed union. The headship of the husband is not only the will of God. It is for the benefit of the wife, even as the headship of Christ is a blessing to the Church. As a member of Christ’s Church or spiritual body, are any of you sisters in Christ degraded when you submit to Him? Have you lost your identity or value as a person because you are a Christian who strives to obey Christ, your spiritual Head? On the contrary, He’s “the Savior of the Church, which is His body.” Through His redeeming work, “you have been made to sit in heavenly places,” (Eph. 2:6), rather than face eternal punishment in the depths of hell for your sins. Once you were an enemy of God, but now you are His child through faith in Christ Jesus. You are not made less, but more under Christ’s Headship! Likewise, You become not less, but more when you submit yourselves to your husbands in “everything.” The Lord Himself will bless you, and you will be event more precious to your husbands. But what about the Christian husband? The same principle applies to him as to the wife: “submit yourself” to your wife — Place yourself under your wife. But how can I possibly submit myself to my wife when she is already to subject herself to me in everything? Paul explains: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it.” The self-submission of the husband is not to take the form of “hen-pecked” obedience to his wife. It is wrong for the wife to order her husband to do anything for her, just as it would be wrong for us Christian to order Christ to do something for us. The light of Christ within him moves him to take out the garbage, not because his wife ordered him to do it, but because he loves her. The self-submission of the Christian husband to his wife takes the form of self-denying, self-sacrificing, protecting, nourishing love! Notice, Paul says that the husband is to love his wife, “just as” Christ loved the Church. Christ did not make love to the Church; He loved the Church! So also the love the Christian husband shows for his wife is to be much, much more than that of the worldly husband for his wife. How did Christ demonstrate His love for the Church? He “gave Himself up for the Church.” He went as a “sheep to the slaughter” for the Church! So the husband is to submit himself to his wife by a willingness to spend himself utterly for her — sacrificing his wants and desires and all that he has, even his earthly life for her. If the wife mistreats her husband, still he is to love her and care for her, even as Christ faithfully stands by everyone of us even though we sin against Him every day! Christ sought the eternal welfare of the Church through the cleansing from sin through the washing of Baptism. He wanted to nourish His spiritual body with His gospel of forgiveness so that finally He might present it to Himself in all its glory on the last day -- “holy and without blemish” of sin. Note carefully: All of this Jesus Christ does for His church because the Church is His own body. Now read vs. 28-30 with me. . . . Paul calls our attention to the glorious fact that as Christ loves the Church because it IS HIS BODY — part of Himself, so also the husband ought to love his wife, since she is “part of his own flesh.” So Adam said, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.” Do you husbands get the meaning of these words? However you regard yourselves, you must also regard your wives, for you are one flesh with her. You are to love and cherish your wives as you love your own bodies, must as Christ nourishes and cherishes all believers who are the flesh and bones of His own body! There is a great mystery here, as Paul refers to Christ and His Church in the context of the proper relationship between the husband and the wife. That such a wonderful relationship exists can only be known to us because God reveals it to us in His Word. The Holy Spirit revealed this to Paul. May He also cause us to know the happiness of the marriage in which the wife submits herself to her own husband in everything, even as the Church submits to Christ in everything; and the husband submits himself to his wife, loving her as his own body, even as Christ loved the Church. Let the unbelieving people of this world complain about their marriages and break up their marriages for selfish and rebellious purposes. In their spiritual darkness and pride they will not be subject to one another according to God’s Word. But we are to be “salt and light” to the world in this matter. May we therefore be so filled with the Spirit of Christ that our marriages reflect the light of His grace to those around us, that they may see, and truly “live happily ever after” . . . and even after that! Amen. |