Beloved Still

Ephesians 5:23-30

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.

He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

My, this is an awfully funny text that sometimes trips men up. Well, not to only pick on the men, but it will trip the women up too if you are not careful. Herein lies the danger of picking and choosing which parts of the Word you wish to listen to. God will not just say what you like. You either believe him or you do not. For some it is a situation here almost like that of Thomas in John 20:27. So then the issue is seen of being not faithless but believing. To me it is clear that something has got to change. That thing just might be your hearts and mine but then again it may be that of the husbands also. As I come to read this text I see the husband as the head of the wife. That is all fine and well except a wife has a head of her own, does she not. That is of her own. The second and most important is that of Christ over the church and the third and final being that of the husband. Now the husband is not over Christ nor is the church his own. Rather is it not the body of another, even that of Christ. In the body which is the church, the husband and the wife, are seen as equals in every way yet submitted to the other. Here in Christ's body is there neither male nor female but rather the unity of Galatians 3:28. Such is why husbands and wives ought rather to submit one to another as unto Christ. For this cause then are you come. Not unto a house made with hands but rather a living stone and that which the builders rejected of Matthew 21:42. Notice how such submission though is always as unto Christ. So is it under the created order of 1 Corinthians 11:10 as unto the Lord because of the angels. Now whether that be testimony or example remains to be seen. Frankly it might be best to let the Lord sort that one out for do they not answer to him also. So then does the husband have authority over the wife as does the Lord over his church. Yet though they be not believing in word or deed, we can trust the Lord to straighten even this out. It seems then that 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 be unto them without the body of God. See God's intention was never that we should face eternal separation from him and each other. So 2 Corinthians 3:9 points us back to him as the all men coming to repentance is seen. That is as whosoever will come as he has designed. Should the day ever come then that we speak no more in this name. My friends, there is no turning back from it now as in Luke 9:62. My hands once turned back from the plow are no longer then fit for the kingdom of God. Some of you know this to be fact. See, the enemy of your souls in John 10:10 would love nothing more than to steal kill and destroy all for the sake of your testimony. I cannot count the number of times the devil has come to promise the world. But how many of you know that when you are with Jesus, it is already yours for he has won it first. Herein lies the secret of Ecclesiastes 4:12, that of the threefold cord not easily broken. See, in the husband wife relationship there is the two of you and then that of Christ. For where two of you are gathered in my name, as in Matthew 18:20, there is also Christ present in the midst of them. It may be as simple as saying brother or sister I sink. It may be as reaching out in faith to grasp the Fathers hand. My friends, is this not his body, the church of whom you are witnesses. Every stone that the builders rejected points it's way back to him. For so are we as his body and bones, as near to him as his own skin. Even so for some it is a bit of a foreign concept. For some love of others as the self and even God's love sounds strange and unassuming. Could it be why Christ says we are to abide in him as in John 15:4 and he in us. How some of us need his direction today.

You know when I started planning for the conference I received so much from those who did not understand. Yet who is out here bringing bread to the hungry, feeding the orphan, visiting the fatherless and the widow in their affliction. You are. See, at the last there will be found the temptation set before many seen to take Christ's rightful place. Then at the last he will say, 'who has done ought for me' and a loud chorus of voices will answer with everything they did. My friends, if you are up in Heaven it is because of what he has done and not of you at all. In the home we see a similar scene. The husband comes home the children are demanding and hungry and of course everybody is ready to eat. Everyone's demanding your time and there's hardly enough of you to go around. I will only tell you this. Love him like Jesus but treat him like your mission field. The image is given first of Christ and the church. That is why it is so important to first see Jesus. Jesus loved us when we were tired, when we were out of sorts, when we were down and out, when we were nobody. when we were still sinners yet he loved us. Sure, other people might not understand or even approve. Since when did their opinion matter anyway. Since when did they have such power to speak into your life and dictate what you do, where you go, and how you live. Dear sisters, God has given you that authority. Stop letting the enemy take it away. We are unto our husbands as under the Lord. But know this, just as there will be many wrong up in Heaven one day, so also are there some Godly men and women in wrong places. Trust the Lord with it today. Is he not the best husband, guide, and friend that there ever was. You know God knows the situation and he has all things firmly in his grasp. So can he be trusted with our very lives as we look back upwards to him.