Christian Home: Wives
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Christian Home Essentials!
Christian Home Essentials!
There are duties, responsibilities of the members of a Christian home, things that are essential (necessary). We have looked at a couple of things thus far in this series.
Christian home starts with a Christian marriage
God’s plan was for marriage from the beginning, God created it, God defined it.
We defined it
We delineated it
We looked at some biblical suggestions for within it.
Christian home has the Christian Husband
Last week we looked at the Christian husband who are commanded to
Love their wives
Are to respect their wives
Are are to support their wives
Gave some 10 suggestions for the husband too.
Tonight we will look at the Christian wife within the Christian home, with its definition, warnings and yes with some suggestions too (biblical ones).
(Transition) The Apostles and Christ taught on the duties, responsibilities of the Christian wife within the Christian marriage in the Christian home. Some essential commands, even when some maybe unpopular and not even spoken of.
Submission
Submission
Does the word submission make you squirm, make you uneasy, and maybe as a wife so “yeah right?” Submission is not only for wives, and it is a popular subject in the scripture, so may we look together at this Christian essential.
(Greek word - Submit (hupposasso) inserted here)
to subordinate, to obey, under obedience, subject, to submit to the orders or directives of someone.
Question did you know that Jesus submitted?
38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus set the example for submission, He came to do the will of Him who sent him (Jn6:38)
41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
Jesus further exampled in the garden when He said “yet not My will but Yours be done.” (Lk22:41-42)
Wives under authority of apostles are to submit to their husbands (Eph5:22-24)
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Question: why is the wife to submit to her husband (Eph5:22)?
Now, before getting too huffy about this command, maybe better bring in some more things to think about.
Husbands are not to abuse their authority (1Pt3:7); Remember they are to love their wives, as Christ loved the Church (Eph5:25-27)
Submission needs to start back in Eph5:21, it is to be mutual.
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Question: What is the reason for mutual submission in (Eph5:21)?
So the submission starts mutually in the fear of God, both want to live and walk in the will of God in reverence (fear) of the Lord
Submission is keeping with the will of God (Act5:29)
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
Remember when we defined it, submit, from the Greek one of the words used is obey.
But, more so, the Christian wife has others things to submit to.
Submit to God (Jm4:17)
To know the good you should do, submit, and you do not, then to you it is sin
Submit to the government (Rom13:1-2)
This one is not just for wives, but for all. Like I said submission is a big biblical topic
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
Submit to their masters (1Pt2:18)
Submit to masters with all fear, not just nice masters, but even the harsh ones.
Submit to elders (Heb13:17)
Submit to the authority of the elders, leaders for they will one day have to stand and give an account
Now look at this passage
Submit regardless (1Pt3:1-6)
1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
Submit even if husband is disobedient to the word (1Pt3:1)
Why? So they may be won over (1Pt3:1) because of your behavior and respect (1Pt3:1-2)
(Transition) Peter goes on to describe more, so I can’t stop at (v.2)
4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;
Describes more and then gives up an example
6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.
(Transition) so we have definition, we have biblical command, but what about if the wife does not submit?
Failure to submit is not fitting to the Lord (Col3:18)
Ok this one is implied I think you will get it pretty simply
18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Failure to submit is denying God’s order of things (1Cor11:3)
3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
God’s order according to 1Cor11:3: Christ is head of man, man head of woman, God head of Christ.
Failure to submit and that is pride and God hates pride (1Pt5:5)
check out this one
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
God is opposed to the proud, so be clothed in humility toward one another.
Side note as husbands are to submit (Eph5:21) a husband it not to mistreat the wife for that will hinder their prayers (1Pt3:7) It can do the same thing for the wife too, hinder their prayers
(Transition): It is sad that lives, families, marriages are ruined by not listening and applying God’s simple instructions, God’s essentials for Christian home. Now, having said that there is more to cover tonight too.
Essential: Wives love your husbands
Essential: Wives love your husbands
Husbands are to love as Christ loved the church (Eph5:25). A wife should love her husband too. May we look at a couple of biblical reasons.
Love your husband with affection (Tit2:3-4)
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
The love used herein (v.4) is philandrous “affectionate as a wife” according to Strong’s concordance
This affection is something that can be taught according to (v.3)
Love your husband with intimacy (1Cor7:2-5)
2 But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
Each wife is to have her own husband (1Cor7:2)
so that eliminates all other people
Wife is to fulfill her duty to her husband, as the husband is to the wife (1Cor7:3)
4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
The wife does not have authority over her body, the husband does (1Cor7:4) but it is visa versa too.
Question: What is the reason to deprive one another intimacy according to (1Cor7:5)?
Love you husband by respect (Eph5:22-33, GNT)
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Saviour of the church, his body.
24 And so wives must submit completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ. 25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.
26 He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, 27 in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty—pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection.
28 Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 (People never hate their own bodies. Instead, they feed them and take care of them, just as Christ does the church;
30 for we are members of his body.) 31 As the scripture says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.”
32 There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. 33 But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.
According to EPh5:33, every wife must respect her husband.
(Transition): Husbands are to love their wives, wives are to love their husbands and if you think you have lost that love, that original love, that original commitment then these simple essentials can help you get back on tract and in line with God’s will., but wait there is one more item to come
Christian essential: Manage the home.
Christian essential: Manage the home.
You can read in Pro3:10-31 many of the virtues of a virtuous wife (in our day a Christian wife) and there are some New Testament instructions that help to build a Christian home.
She is to manage the home as a homemaker (Tit2:5; 1Tim5:14; Tit2:3-5)
5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
To be a worker at home, domestically inclined, who cares for the home, all the while being subject, in submission to husband so not to dishonor the word of God.
Maybe better go put this in context.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
She is to manage home as a mother (1Tim5:14)
14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach;
God’s design for marriage with God’s command to Adam was for procreation, to bear children, to be fruitful and multiply
Again you can find many more qualities for both wife and mother in Pro31:10ff and I encourage you to read there too on your own.
(Transition): Just a few thoughts I will share and also, attached to your hand out are 10 commandments of wives for your consideration.
The Christian wife is a woman who
Submits to her husband, with respect
Loves her husband with affection
Manages her household and her children.
The Christian wife is a woman who
Is a Christian first, and a wife second
Gladly accepts the biblical injunctions given her as a wife.
Looks to the Word and prayer for strength and direction to fulfill her biblical duties each day.
When a woman is a Christian wife
She is more likely loved and respected by her husband
More likely the wife the bible tells her to be
Her children are more likely to be as they should be.
(Transition) To be a Christian wife starts with being a Christian (invitation picture- woman being baptized) And you don’t have to be a woman to be a Christian! (invitation) (song) (Prayer)
_ _ _ _ _ _ below for handout only_ _ _ _ _ _ _
The 10 commandments of Wives
Expect not your husband to give you as many luxuries as your father has given you after many years of hard labor (Php4:11; Amo4:1)
You shall work hard to build your house with the husband that you have, not fantasizing about “the one that could have been.” (Pro14:1)
You shall not nag . . . hit him with your frying pan, it is kindlier. (Pro27:15, 21:19)
You shall coddle your husband and be a warm wife (1Cor7:3-5)
Remember that the frank approval of your husband is more to you than the side glances of many strangers. (Eze16:32; 2Pt2:14)
You shall not yell at your husband but will be gentle and quiet spirit (1Pt3:1-4)
Permit no one to assure you that you are having a hard time of it (1Pt5:9)
You shall not fail to dress up for your husband with an eye to please him, as you did before marriage. (Sos4:9-11)
You shall submit to your husband from your heart and allow him to be head of the household (Col3:18; 1Pt3:6; Eph5:33)
You shall assure your husband and others that he is the greatest man alive (Php2:3; Sos5:9-16)
This list was adapted from writing of Mark Copeland.