Continues from last message.. This is message number 3
Ephesians 5:25-33 (ESVST)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Remember that Jesus said the biggest or the most important commandment of them all is LOVE. He said that if you love God and love your neighbor, you have complied with all the commandments. This is what is called the Royal law. This is the law that Husbands must apply to their wives. Husbands must love their wives. Not only this, husbands must love their wives the same way Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for it.
How did Jesus give himself up for the church? He died on the cross, he gave his life for the church. Likewise, a husband must love his wife to an extent that he can give his life for her. This is more love that you can give to anyone. There is no greater love than the love where you can even give your life for someone. This is the kind of love that a husband must love his wive with. If you love your wife like this it means,
1. You will respect her
2. You will listen to her
3. You will care for her
4. You will cherish her
5. You will protect her from all sorts of harm. Physically or spiritually.
This mean that you will not abuse her in anyway. This means that she will always be happy in your marriage. This means that she will always be happy. This means that she will not see the marriage as a prison but rather as heaven on earth. In this way, she will submit herself to you as God intended without any question. This is what God wants. Jesus did exactly the same thing for the church. He gave his life on the cross for the church. What was the reason?
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Likewise a husband must love his wive so that he may present her spotless and without blemishes.
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
Husbands must love their wives as if they were their own bodies. Paul says, he who loves his wife , loves himself, why,..
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.
No one hates his own body. No one! So, if you love your wife as if she were your body, you will therefore cherish and respect her at all times.
31 “ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Love your wive and respect your husband. This is what God wants. Nowhere does it says that a woman is inferior to man. Nowhere! This makes such a lot of sense. Think about it. Most of the time when a husband and a wife fight, in most cases, a woman would complain that she does not feel loved and the husband would say,she does not respect me. Have you not seen that? This is the reason. This is how God created us.
I hope that everyone now understands that the word submit does not mean a slave. To submit to your husband does not mean to be your husbands slave or punching bag. Those that continue to preach that a woman is inferior to a man are distorting the word of God and must be regarded as false teachers.
Galatians 3:27-28 (ESVST)
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Thank you very much Father for giving us this message today. I hope that it clarifies all the confusion that has been and continues to be created by false teachers. In Jesus name, amen.