Only God Could Love You More

Only God Could Love You More

Ephesians 5:21-33

21Submit(Rank) to one another out of reverence(Fear) for Christ.

--Dirty word but not a 4 letter word

--Out of respect, honor, awe of Christ

The relationship between Christ and the Church is the pattern under which husband and wife become one flesh. John says, “We love because He first loved us and gave Himself as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. But not only our sins, but the sins of the whole world.” In other words, Christ came into our world when we least deserved it. When we were dead in sin He worked to make us alive to God. That is what the Church on earth submits to, Life, and His inestimable Love for us. This is why, under inspiration of God the apostle writes:

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

--Not a mandate to allow abuse. (Physical, Emotional, Spiritual)

--Jesus the Christ never abused anyone, His love builds up. It never tears down.

--This is the God-ordained pattern for marriage.

But, I can tell you both right now that you are both going to forget the pattern. And when you do, your marriage is going to head for the pits. But the way out of the pit is to recall your marriage and your wedding theme, “Only God Could Love You More.” And forgive each other as God, in Christ, has forgiven you. Just don’t expect God to make your bad behavior toward each other a good thing. Just remember who is the head of the body of which you both profess to belong, Jesus Christ.

23For the husband is the head(Support) of the wife as Christ is the head(Chief Support) of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

--I’ve noticed something over the years. The tighter the marriage, the more a husband and wife act and look like each other.

--That’s the way it is with Christ and the members of His body, the Church.

24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Paul, because she is a human being and possesses a fallen and sinful human nature, Deann is not always going to rank herself according to the God-ordained pattern. Nevertheless, your responsibility in the Lord is not to put her down but build her up, even at the cost of your own self. Listen to the form of the pattern set for you.

25Husbands, love(agape) your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

--And why did He do this? Was it because the assembly of His people deserved it? No! He did it for this reason.

26to make her holy, <cleansing> {Or <having cleansed>} her by the washing with water through the word,

--He comes into the despicable arena of our sinful humanity to build us up in His sight. He forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness through His own blood. And why did He do that?

27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

--He, Jesus did this, not the church. Is it any wonder that the Church, the people of faith, rank themselves according to their head, Christ Jesus? In other words, Paul, when Deann is tired, down, and dirty, and even forsakes you, it is your work to understand her world and to lift her up with unmerited favor.

--Paul, this is the pattern of marriage for which man was created by God. So,

28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

--One of the biggest lies propagated by Satan is that our bodies are our own. This does not square with the Scripture which says, “You are not your own. You were purchased at great price, not with gold or silver, but with the shed blood of Jesus Christ. There is no greater love than this.

--Part of submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ is to give yourself over to your spouse. In marriage you are not your own. You are one flesh. That is why Scripture say,

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—

As a husband, myself, I can tell you that you are going to fail in your understanding and in your love for each other. But you are not your own so as to be left without hope. You belong to Christ. Let Him feed and care for you. You can count on it being good. No one ever hated his own body. By His truth you both are part of a much larger picture than yourselves. So believe the word that says,

30for we are members of his body.

The theme for your wedding day is excellent. “Only God Could Love You More”, and He has loved you and will love you as you remain in Him. That’s what it means to submit to one another. You marriage is pleasing to God.

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." {Gen. 2:24}

            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.  Amen.