*Below is Pastor Andrew’s teaching outline from Sunday’s sermon, not a word for word manuscript. This is meant as aid in seeing the thought and direction of the sermon.
Mawage is wot bwings us together today. Mawage, that blessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam. And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva. So tweasure your wuv.
Everyone loves a good wedding homily
As we move forward into our series we come the reality of marriage: Husbands and wives.
Now before we dive directly into the text before us let us lay down some basic groundwork of the history and importance of marriage:
We have seen from the beginning as we studied Genesis a series of marriages beginning with Adam and eve and then in each successive generation, with several divergent moves and headaches along the way as from time to time men took more than one wife.
However as we trace the roots from within and outside of scripture marriage has been the norm in every civilization around the world. men and women have committed themselves together in a covenantal familial structure. Now how those marriages are arraigned and exercised has looked different and taken on different forms throughout the worlds.
Even in the church. There was a period of time where marriage was seen as a necessary evil, while celibacy and ministry was the highest and noble good.
Into the victorian era a women’s only hope of a future related on finding a man to marry her, while for many a man it was simply treated as a cultural requirement.
However only a few generations prior the reformers found a great joy in marriage both Calvin and Luther speak highly of the joys of marriage and the wonder of their wives companionship.
The Book of Common prayer highlights the purpose of marriage as such
The Book of Common Prayer, 1662The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony
First, it was ordeined for the procreation of children to be brought vp in the fear, and nurture of the Lord, and to the prayse of his holy Name.
Secondly, it was ordeined for a remedy against Sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of Continency, might marry, and keep themselves vndefiled members of Christs body.
Thirdly, it was ordeyned for the mutuall Society, help, and Comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity, and Adversity: Into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be ioyned. Therefore, if any man can shew any iust cause why they may not lawfully be ioined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace.
It is from this third section that the reformation diverged from the church of Rome. They saw marriage as more than simply having children and avoiding sin, it was a coming together of two complete people make one new person.
For we are reminded that it is not two halves finding completion in one another, but two whole brought together to make one new flesh.
-Thus why Paul doesn’t seen Marriage as a requirement of believers. In christ we have all we need and can find true contentment and purpose.
-For as the two become one they change or rather need to change, toegtehr:
So as we unpack the text today we begin with this introduction that is rooted in the transition verse of
I. Marriage (one to another)
Ephesians 5:21 ESV
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
21 is the transition that sets up for us the discussion found in 22-33, we know this because the word submit does not occur in vs 22
“Wives to your husbands
Thus the idea of mutual submission begins to lay the foundation for what is to come.
-Marriage (In this text highlighting between believers)
-2 sinners coming together as 1
-Both brothers and sisters in the Lord
-Begins with commonality before highlighting the how marriage functions as one
-We must begin with our common sources before we seek to understand how we differ. To often we dive into our differences coming into marriage without a full appreciation for the unity of the bond of Christ that has called us.Through Paul appeals to the gospel as our motivation on how to respond to one another in marriage.
Remember the drive motivation for all that is to come is out of reverence to the Lord
SO then: Marriage and submission
II. Marriage and Submission (5:22)
Ephesians 5:22 ESV
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
West Wing Illustration:
ABBEY He feels the homily lacked penache.
BARTLET It did lack penache.
ABBEY It was a perfectly lovely homily on
. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
BARTLET Yeah. She’s skipping over the part that says, “Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord, for a husband is the head of a wife as Christ is the head of the church.”
ABBEY I do skip over that part.
BARTLET Why?
ABBEY Because it’s stupid!
-How most of the western feels:
Why:
-Because it is abused
-It is misapplied
-It challenges culture
-It isn’t clear
The text though makes submission here of a wife voluntarily placing herself under the leadership of her husband.
This is not blind obedience or an obedience of higherarchy such as seen between children and parents/ masters and slave.
She is not a child to be dictated to
she is not a slave who works for you
You are partners in the Gospel and and together as we see a model of Christs love for His church.
And the motivating affect is one one submission to Christ.
As believers we submit out of Love for Christ (Not fear)
This too can be often misused to highlight thew wrath of God against disobedience, but that is not the text before us. Paul transfers his discussion to the wives reflecting the church, which Christ loved and gave himself for, and is long suffering towards.
So submission in this text is embolden first by a love for Christ and a reflection of that love shown towards ones husband,
And so now we see the Body come into play:
III. Marriage & the Body (5:23)
Ephesians 5:23 ESV
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
The husband enters the picture in our analogue here as the head of the body the church.
-Christ is the head of the church
-The church is his Body: (An important illustration in Ephesians)
Ephesians 1:22–23 ESV
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 2:16 ESV
and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Ephesians 4:4 ESV
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—
Ephesians 4:12 ESV
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Ephesians 4:16 ESV
from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Again the analogy before us points to the work of Christ loving and giving himself for the church and the work of the church being built up into the fullness of Christ. We are all part of this task, but in marriage this is seen in the Wives response to her husband and the husbands response to his wife
-The model here which will be further worked through next week features a husband who is savior.
-Not in the macho modern day shinning knight savior complex
-But the sacrificial one who loving lays himself down for her
-A head that has fully displayed his affection.
-Throughout Ephesians to love of Christ is made manifest
(We are built up through the cross)
-The body of Christ is the bride of Christ. (Husbands your wife is Christs wife, how you treat her reflects then is a sign to her of Christ love and affection (for Good or Ill)
-I’ll save the gist of that for Adam next week, but there is a great freedom found in the body when it is properly loved and cherished by the head.
-The body does all sorts of things and is free to thrive as Christ has intend.
-Thus we also see there is no one way to be a wife (Cook, Clean. work, etc. because all of life is different and different times will carry different responsibilities in a home, just as christs body is made up of different parts and functions differently in different parts of the world but all in proper worship of the Christ who saves us by his blood through the repentance of sins))
-So from the illustration of the Body Paul brings the discussion of wives to an end by reiterating this whole discussion:
IV. Marriage & Christ (5:24)
Ephesians 5:24 ESV
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
(Greek leaves out the second submit)
The church’s submission becomes reflected in a wife towards her husband:
-Again quick aside: the text is clear this submission is only to her own husband, not any husband,
-Just as the church submits to christ alone, and not the Baal (Thus the whole OT)
-Here we see one final reminder of the OT creeping in in a good way.
-God is the husband of Israel throughout the OT
-In the midst of her adultery his perservers, in the Prophets he will issue her a certificate of divorce because of here continued sin, and yet will then redeem her and restore her.
The God of Israel is the God of the Church, it is Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. Who is long suffering and gracious to us.
-So into marriage there is great Gospel proclamation that are made.
-Marriage is not an illustration of Christ and the Father (An illustration used unfortunate to great error) but Christ and the church
-The Grand purpose of marriage is not the Gospel but the Gospel is made beautifully visible in it.
-Husbands and wives live out the Gospel well when we see this picture put on full display.
-Wives submitting to a husband that loves and care for her
-Husbands leading their wives in a way that makes Christ visible in word and deed.
-The beauty of two people called to live out the gospel together in repentance and hope seeking to make much of God as they seek to enjoy one another making much of another,
-And when we fail we repent and believe and come together seeking to honor God in all we Do
