The Man's Role In The Home Series

HOME BUILDERS:

THE MAN’S ROLE IN THE HOME

Ephesians 5:21-31

INTRODUCTION:

A. This week I ran across a list of things you’ll never hear Dad say–Here are the top 4.

ILL> Top 4 Things You’ll Never Hear Dad Say

4. Hey, kids, your mother and I are going away for a few days. You might want to consider throwing a party while we’re gone.

3. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for all of us.

2. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your belly-aching, and let’s go to the mall.

1. Well, how ‘bout that. I’m lost! Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.

1. This morning we are finishing up a series of sermons called "Home Builders"

2. Since it is Father’s Day I thought that it would be appropriate to talk about the role of Dad in the household–specifically, Dad’s relationship with Mom

ILL> A panel of women debated on what they thought would be the perfect man, a guy who was "with it," the man of every woman’s dreams. You would have thought they would have decided upon some actor (Tom Cruise) or even a wealthy tycoon (Donald Trump). They decided that the perfect man was MR POTATO HEAD. There were 4 reasons: he’s tan, he’s cute, he know the importance of accessorizing, and if he looks at another woman you can rearrange his face.

3. The relationship between a husband and wife is so important as it affects the entire household

a. It is difficult, if not impossible, to build a strong home when the relationship between Mom and Dad is not what it should be

b. That’s why the Apostle Paul emphasizes mutual submission as he writes to husbands and wives

c. READ: Ephesians 5:21-31

4. Once again, the key to this entire passage is verse 21

a. That word submit means to willingly put yourself in line with the other person–a yielding to authority

b. The husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church

c. And Paul reminds us here that Christ gave His own life in order that the Church might live

I> SACRIFICIAL LOVE (VS 25)

A. Baseball is the only sport that I know of where "sacrifice" is part of the game

1. You don’t have the sacrifice putt in golf

a. You don’t have the sacrifice run in football

b. But you do have the sacrifice fly and the sacrifice bunt in baseball.

ILL> Baseball fans understand the importance of sacrifice. A man hit a sacrificial fly or lays down a sacrificial bunt. He takes the out while allowing the runners to move around the bases or to score a run. He makes the out. He hurts his own batting average. Players do it because the team is more important than the individual. It’s the team that matters.

2. Having a wife means giving up some of the things you like to do

a. Having children means that you give us some of the things you like

b. You may willing sacrifices because sacrifice and love go hand in hand

c. We can see that in the first verse that many of us memorized as children

d. John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3. When is the last time you gave yourself for your wife–not to your wife?

ILL> Guideposts, Dec 1988 (Judy Rogers)

In the fourth year of his layoff from his job, Dad gave Mom a dishwasher for Christmas. You have to understand the magnitude of the gift: Our old house had its original wiring and plumbing, and neither could handle the required installation. There was no spot in the small kitchen for such a large appliance. And we hadn’t even been able to meet the mortgage interest payments for over six months. But Dad hated the thought of washing dishes; he would rather do anything else. And Mom had undergone major surgery that spring, a radical mastectomy for breast cancer, and found it difficult to do any work requiring the use of her arms. (When Christmas came)No large box appeared, no new plumbing or wiring was installed, no remodeling of the kitchen occurred. Rather, a small note appeared on a branch of the Christmas tree, handwritten by Dad: "For one year I will wash all of the dirty dishes in this household. Every one."

She adds, "And he did. He really did."

4. That is what sacrificial love looks like

II> SANCTIFYING LOVE (VS26)

A. "Sanctify" means holy

1. We are to love our wives in such a manner that we honor God