How To Live With One Another And Still Love It! Series

BIBLICAL FAMILY LIVING II

HOW TO LIVE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND STILL LOVE IT!

EPH 5:15-33; PROV 22:15

Sunam 2/10/02

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church- 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Eph 6:1-4 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise- 3 "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Prov 22:15 - Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. (The noun means "thoughtless." Hence it describes the way a young person is prone to act and the way any fool or stupid person chatters.)

Last week we talked about good family relationships – We said: Good relationships take time to develop, Developed not changed, make the best tool for reaching your neighborhood!

Now we will define how the Bible teaches this relationship is to express itself in terms of roles.

I. LEARN HOW TO GET ALONG!

A. Paul writes a very violent culture – The physical activity of the average fight between husband and wife was a real spectacle!

1. The new believers were not changing in their married relationship – They were fighting all the same because they hadn’t yet learned that Jesus can change even the way we relate to our loved ones.

B. Paul’s rule was simple – Submit – cooperate in everything!

1. How should wives submit / cooperate?

a. As the church submits to Christ – How does the Church submit to Christ? She totally desires to give the life of the church to Jesus Christ! He is the head of the body!

b. The wife is to cooperate in just the same way – Not our of coercion – No church EVER submitted to Christ because she was forced to do so!

c. But because the church has life in Christ, the church has joy in the Lord, the church is guided into all truth through the HS, The church is made united in Christ, The church is secure in Christ!

 All because the church submits to Christ, she is the best she ca be in His sight! He is preparing His church to be presented before the Father on that day when we all get to heaven!

2. How should the husband submit / cooperate with his wife?

a. By giving himself to her – totally dedicated, totally committed to her, giving up his personal desires for her so she may be made as happy as possible!

b. He provides for her – He provides for the family – He works to meet her needs!

c. Just as Jesus did the church.

Amos 3:3 - Can two walk together, except they be agreed?