Men's Banquet 8-9-08 Winona
Men’s Banquet
FBC Winona – Saturday, August 9th – 6:00 pm
Tonight I would like to give you a challenge to engage in the church
· Give you a list of places where we could use you
· But I feel the Lord leading me to share a reminder for you and for me
· Our first and foremost responsibilities are as husbands, fathers and grandfathers
Ephesians 5:21-33
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Notice a few things in this passage
v. 21 – Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ
v. 25 – Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church – and gave himself up for her
Why did He give Himself up for her?
To make her holy,
cleansing her by the washing with water through the word
present her to himself as a radiant church – without stain, wrinkle or blemish
v. 28 – He who loves his wife loves himself
v. 29 – feeds and cares for it – just as Christ does the church
v. 33 – husbands must love your wife as you love yourself, wife respect the husband
Marriage is not
· About having our needs met – but about meeting other’s needs
· Is not about being King of the Castle – but honoring the King of Kings
· About letting your wife raise up the kids – Jesus Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it
· About being afraid to surrender – Jesus had to literally give His life in order to save yours
The same could be said for the parent child relationship
Marriage is . . .
Loving your wife
Putting her needs above your own
Leading your family to know and love Jesus
Knowing when to stand up and when to kneel