• TITLE- I Love My Wife. Eph 5:28 Today is pastor appreciation! Thank you for appreciating us.
• Acts 20:26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent[e] of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church [g]of God which He purchased with His own blood.
• Hebrews 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
• Since Its pastor Appreciation—I want to preach what I want to preach. I want to talk about my bride
• Eph 5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
• I love my bride. She has been there for me. We talked about this for YEARS before anyone shows up
• Quickly how we met- totally tan- loving Jesus- brick by brick
1. I love my bride because I’ve given myself to her v25
• I can’t lie- I’m here to tell the truth- I’m a catch! Used to have a body like a greek god- no more
• Our whole marriage- I have taken care of my wife. Protected, supported,and provided for her.
• My wife has never had to work- now works for the church- but I have provided- Every month
• My whole adult life has been consumed with providing for my family- Its hard!
• First job out of the Army- the reality of having to be a provider- all my energy goes to my bride
• This scripture applies to marriage- Jn 12:25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
• Marriage only works when you die to self! You can’t live for yourself and love your bride
• Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
2. I love my bride with the word of God because I want her to grow spiritually v26
• My marriage has always been based on the Bible- and we have grown over the years-
• But we had to keep the bible in the forefront of our life! We talk about scripture all the time
• 2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• My bride would not be the woman that she is without the WORD- She LOVES IT
• If you come to our house you’ll see her raggety bible- no one wears out Bibles but My wife!
• 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
• The Bible is KEY to ANY Marriage relationship- No bible- No growth. No LOVE nothing!
• My Bride is all bible all day. NO bible, no growth. When we no use Bible- we go sideways.
• Do things the Bible way- get the Bible results. (gabe telling a lie- getting told about hell)
• Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
3. I love my bride because I want her to make heaven v27
• 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
• Heaven is the goal! I want to go to heaven- I want my bride to Go to heaven!
• Because I love her, I don’t try to create problems in marriage. I don’t gossip about my wife. I don’t fight with my wife. I don’t want to be the reason to incite anger in her.
• My bride and I rarely fight, and if we do, we make amends QUICKLY-don’t let the sun go down
• Why would I fight with my bride? Why would I hurt her? I could ruin her and not make heaven
• Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
4. I love my bride because I love myself v28
• Self love is the root of love for others- The Bible makes it clear-
• Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Whenever I love my bride, I am fulfilling the Law of Christ- I can’t be unloving and be a Christian
• Pr11:17The merciful man does good for his own soul,But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
• I love my bride because I don’t hate myself. When I look at her and think of her I think love
5. I love my bride because we have become one flesh v 29-30
• She has produced offspring that is connected to me- how could I not love her? DNA intertwined
• Mark 10:7-8 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.
• We are the same person because we are one flesh- My bride is me and I am her
• When I love my bride I show the rest of the world that she is my everything!
• I never have anyone pick up on me, or come at me because they know where my heart is
• She’s me! I am her! I do not want to cheat on her or connect with anyone else but her!
• If I ever slept with someone who wasn’t my bride, it would be adulterous fornication
• 1 Corinthians 6:16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
6. I love my bride because she respects me
• My bride respects me. You can see it in how she talks to me, about me, and to me
• Esther 1:20 all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.
• She doesn’t ever make me feel disrespected because she is submitted to me
• She lives out the scripture “wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord”
7. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my bride
• Once I got a bride I realized that I couldn’t set limits to what she was entitled to
• She’s entitled to it all. She can have every dollar I have because she is my everything
• For our Anniversary, I sold all my guns and bought her a 5k ring. Why? She’s my bride!
• I am never going to divorce her- why? The Lord hates divorce.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:22-33 READ
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
1. Have you given yourself to the Bride of Christ?
• 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
• Many of you do not have spiritual growth and victory over sin because you refuse to give yourself to the bride. You refuse to fully submit to Christ’s church- Those of you who have- Rejoice today! Or GIVE IN
• 1 Tim 3:15b which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
2. Do you live by the word to Grow spiritually?
• Are you living by the word? Are you being sanctified by it? Its only through the WORD
• 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
• If you’re not doing things the Bible way you wont get the Bible results. But some DO!
3. Do you want the church to go to Heaven?
• This is CHRISTS Church of which YOU are the members- are you advancing her?
• 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish
• This is YOUR bride- prepare her for the BRIDEGROOM to arrive!
4. Do you love the church as you love yourself?
• I always want the big piece of chicken, first on buffet line, take care of me. ME FIRST- CHURCH FIRST
• 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
5. Have you become ONE FLESH with the Church?
• Read v 29-30 Are you a spiritual fornicator that takes the benefits of the relationship without a commitment?
• No one would applaud an earthly relationship that someone took advantage of a woman but people do it spiritually every week.
• Fornicate and don’t even pay child support. ARE YOU SUPPORTING YOUR CHURCH???
6. Do you respect The Lord like a bride does her husband?
• 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.- DO you speak against your church?
7. Would you be willing to do anything for the Bride?
• A man unwilling to die for his bride is no man. He is a coward and should be scorned
• Any man who constantly thinks about divorcing his wife or threatening his wife is no man
• Make a commitment to Jesus
• Make a commitment to his church
