So much that you gave us. Jesus Christ. Thank you, that.
Aren't left alone. That you didn't give us. Jesus only as a deity who is over us, but you gave us Jesus Jesus Christ. You became like us. So that we may one day be like you, that we may spend eternity with you that we may live our lives. Here on this Earth in anticipation that only of the first Advent looking back. But of the second triumphant return of Jesus Christ, all glory be to Christ Our King. Amen. It's so exciting to be able to be here together. I was excited to be able to gather together on Christmas Eve. I know most of you were there then and then we had a packed house and I just want to. I just want to say good job. A good job for showing up the day before and the day after Christmas to church because it can be hard kids, running around their excited. They had too much energy on the 24th. They don't have enough energy to still high on the sugar or the from the cookies are the donuts this morning and so will be briefed this morning. Okay, but I hope, but I left it in my chair. So I brought I always fidget. I try really hard not to feed you while I'm preaching, you talk to that. So. So I hope some of you have some kind of a fidget toy. If you don't bastard unmarked put out some papers that kind of go long with the the service today. And so if you are wanting a packet, I didn't say if you were a child, if you are wanting a packet, there's some crayons. There's I don't know about the other, some papers. Go get one or two or three at the Roundup. We try the city of family service. It is a family service. People who are watching online. I apologize in advance. I'll probably be intentionally walking around a little bit more to attempt, to communicate directly with the children a little bit closer up, kids, you know, your books of the New Testament. Matthew Mark, Luke John acts Romans Roman begins. Do you know what it begins? The Epistles not the Apostle. What are the Apostle wrote the Epistles or or at least throws up all line up in the Book of Romans? And he wrote a number of others slip over to the one that says, if egin, it's a pH Ephesians Ephesians chapter. You should turn specifically kids to Ephesians 6:1.
the rest of us, all of us, release concern to Ephesians 5 Put your finger there.
And let me. Start with Ephesians 11 and then we'll flip over 25 just to remind us of the address. Not the address of the church, not.
Where you can find it on the street, but who is talking to that's an address. Did you know, the address in a letter Malachi is the first in his letters written to invite you to sit for the reading of God's word. And then we're going to stand and sit and stuff like that in a little bit, but we just stood. So where do you have that energy out? 11 to the strength to our in Ephesus in our faithful in Christ Jesus from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ going to Ephesians 5.
22 and swallowing. Oh, you know what is not on the screen for the even as Christ is the head of the church, his body and his himself, it easier. Does the church submit to cry. So also wives should submit and everything to their husband right now. Why they're like, this is not the thermostat supposed to tell my kids what to do. Verse 25 husband up for her by The Chi-Lites, presented to church to self lender without such things that she might be. Holy and without lemon. In the same way. Husband should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife for. No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes, and cherishes. It just as Christ does the church. Because we are members of his body there for a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound. And I'm saying that refers to Christ and the church. Each one of you loved his wife and let the wife see that she respects, her husband, ready, kids. I didn't have to say ready kids children. Obey your parents in the Lord for this is, right. Honor, your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you. And that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord God's word. What is a very hard yet? I feel like maybe some people are getting their toes stepped on but that's okay. That's okay.
Sometimes we in America, have this idea, boys and girls. Men and women wasn't talking to between genders. Sorry.
And the idea is that we should have everything equal. That there should be Equity amongst us that that guy to treat everybody the same. In, in Middle America, that I think America is it?
All you have to do is travel outside of your own fear and many of you were in that sphere and it just open your mind a little bit and recognize that that is not true. That God does not give everyone the same experiences. And therefore Does not treat everybody the same.
Samba come from broken homes, others is a of Us come from sealed homes. Others of Us. Come from what we might call Healthy homes, but all of us come from different home. If you happen to be here, attending with your siblings or something.
We come from different socioeconomic background. Come from different, educational background and we are different genders. God, does not treat us all the same, but he does treat us fairly. And remember what a definition is, right? It's in accordance to rules or standards is not the same thing as heat.
What is the analogy? I have a friend of mine? Back in Chicago is one of my pastors and he wants dead. I went to McDonalds. You guys ever go to McDonald's? Sure. I went to McDonald's and I spread the food around my kids and some of the kids and the other kid.
Will the dad, of course recognizes that his kids might need different things. And to me to be honest, this meant more to me because my friend has a very different life experiences. Mine, one of my pastors, he grew up in an inner-city Washington, DC is African-American and some for me to hear him, then say, the next day, but was so refreshing. And, and hoping to my soul, he said, Did I ever promise to treat you and your sibling the same? Cuz if I promise to treat you and your sibling the exact same, then you're right. That's not fair. I gave one of you more fries and the other one, but since I never made that promise to regulations, that said we had to have the same amount of french fries.
It's rare. It's just not the same. God give to each one. What he wants them to have. You might say what they need and two others differently. It's okay. It isn't that it's not fair. It's just that it's not the same until we let me start off by saying that died. Life is fair.
But it surely is not the same, you will not be treated the same by God.
When it does not concern something that he is not promised, but the good news is that God has made as many promises. You know, what, boys and girls men and women. One of the promises are to God the same as broken.
University of Silence action, muscles, kind of looks like that. Sounds like that thing when he died.
Was born or you can do that too. Either way broken.
I was born broken. You were born broken. We were all born tendons from God. God in need. In the way we get, John is by putting our faith in our trust, in Jesus Christ because he has given himself willingly to any and everyone who will believe in him. It's so that's what the book of Ephesians verse. Number one was. I wanted to remind you in case you're in the room thinking, I'm not a parent. I'm not a husband. I'm out of whites and I'm not a young child out of the passenger, sermon, apply to me. first of all, To all the safe to our in Ephesus, the rest of the book.
I'm looking for a kid. Who's it? Who's it? Written to? Okay, all the people, not all people. So that was really, really good answer.
to all the same to our Napa, to the book written to
You know. To all the say, all the Believers who are so the first century church and at the Disco all of the Believers who are in assets and we can do a pretty good job of applying that to ourselves. There's not a big jump from all believers in Ephesus to all believers in Grace Community Bible Church. There's some differences differences, but those get bridged with with only a small amount of difficulty. So for everyone in the room today, every raise your hand. Punch yourself. Sometimes hard to love yourself. So you stop having the back. So good job. You made it here. That's good. Good. Good for steps this morning. Live out these words from Ephesians 1. 15 for this reason.
Because I've heard of your faith in the Lord. Jesus Christ in your love towards all the state. I do not speak to give. Thanks for you. Remembering you in my prayers. it might sound like a little bit of a hop out application. But the reason that Paul was continually giving thanks to God for the Ephesian church was not simply because it was because of their right actions to each other in obedience. In love towards one another. For this reason because I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love towards All the Same Love towards each other in such a way that it was famous all the way to where Paul was writing from. So, raise your hand against.
That's, that's the calling. That's the calling on all Christian. You will be my the world will know. You are my disciples by your kids, you know, this word love for one another by your love for one another. So we do all of these things that we're going to go over today in love.
They're going to get to the fun stuff. Ephesians. 5:21 I want to make a clarifying exegetical statement that this verse is a conclusion to the previous passage and a lot of the previous ideas and also connective tissue to versus 22 and following.
Where to walk in love and obedience to Christ. That's kind of 5 1 through 21 through 20. And then we kind of get our marching orders, kind of concluding, the MIT submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. That's the close of that big idea is a good writer. So he uses connected to an English called the one word. It has a function say it cited. Conjunction. It's a conjunction instructions to connect to one another out of reverence are using that. As the starting idea. I just want to clarify that from my perspective. And there's, this is the concluding idea of the previous chapter of the previous idea and then connective tissue. So, here we go. What does the word submit mean? It means a lot of different things to get comparing, depending on your contact and language, but the Apostle Paul and the other writers in the New Testament normally are using it in this tin when it's used in this way. In military terms. In military terms. Remember the man that came to Jesus and he said, Jesus, come please.
Perform a miracle. I know that you can perform this miracle because you are the one in control. In other words, other things. All things are in submission to try and I too am a man under submission.
I tell one man and he was he was a man of military power. He said I'd sell one, man. Go and he comes. In recognizing Jesus that you have authority over and others have to submit themselves to you. Please just say the word and the Miracle will happen. Oh what state? Submission in the Bible. In the New Testament era is often referring to military terms of the missions. Does a private, submit to a captain. Do you know that, you know that the ranks of? The military. You've got like a general and he's up here. What's what's below that you've got like spending on the branch if you've got to an admiral in the Navy, but over the Army anyway.
Soda can a private, tell a general what to do? What do you think you do?
Not well, pretty much everybody else, right? And yet you could say to everyone in the military, the same thing that Paul says here submit to one another. Another word fall in line, with your rank, understand where you fall. Sometimes you're going to be an authority figure, maybe a captain. Sometimes you're going to be under others, but make sure that, you know, and you submit to one another's as you're supposed to do. In this context, he begins a new idea. Why? Submit to your husband.
Where does he use that word Wives? Husband, / fathers and kids with no kids. Where do you see that word? Obey?
Yeah, he's in 61 right. Just a little bit later on are to obey. It literally mean.
In the Greek.
It needs to listen to into follow the instructions to the letter it, to do what I say.
Children in 22 in our cultural context is the basis for so much dictatorial. Abuse.
People have used interpreted and applied this passage in some cases wrongly for 2000 years.
It took you are a as a child or an adult. If you've experienced the abuse of this passage the misapplication of this passage to me. No bathe. And I have to say I'm so sorry. But that is a real thing, and it hurt and it's out of line with scripture. This does not say why your husband. Paul knows that word. It does say why submit to your husband? Fall in a minute military like underneath the authority of your husband. As you were submitting to the Lord, so if you want to say I don't have to submit my husband and I have to because that is in that sense. There's a hierarchy and that God has placed the father as the head of the home. But let me ask you this follow-up question, then.
Paul makes a statement. He says I'm actually talking about Christ and the church. This is not only the husband-wife parent-child relationship. This is the Church Christ, relationship between church and Christ who has the heart of job. Parents.
Between the church and between Jesus Christ, who has the harder job. Some people like I'm not going to answer cuz I might be wrong. Jesus Christ has a harder job. Over. All creation is the firstborn of all creation. He's God. He died in the cross. In the church's response is to follow Jesus. That's a good synonym for submit is to follow. But this is
You better turn back over there. This is Envy the middle voice in Greek, which means wise are to do it willingly. Okay. So this is a picture of someone running out when you're running out in front of your wife here, and it's your choice.
It's never the husband. Where are you?
That's the wife job. The wife job is to submit. The husband's job. He has a lot of job in the Christ Church relationship. Christ has the harder job. I would argue in the husband-wife relationship. The husband is held to a higher standard. So man listen up talking to myself here.
All that we have is be like Christ to the church to our wives. My tongue and frequent chica friends and his wife, and I said it before he, they get in an argument in there, the time that your likes.
I didn't talking to him recently cuz he's a good friend of mine is a pastor up in Upstate New York. Have that conversation all the time, and he's not kidding. All that I have to do is give up my life. For my wife.
I'm to lead my wife and give up my wife for my my life for my wife.
Mic drop, but there's a fail. I walk right now is you're going to be a future husband. You have to be when you when you like a girl. Cooper. You're not there yet, but maybe before too long, right? When you like a girl. All you have to do is be prepared to give up your lice. For your future wife, but that's when that's when the Covenant relationship starts. It's not easy. Where to lead a meeting? Men fathers.
Husband Chrysler the church and gave himself up for. That's what a husband to do Church. Having clam chowder by the washing of the word to himself and slender any such thing that she might be home in under heads. Intensely. Right? There is a physical Union that takes place and the marital relationship. And the Bible says right here, that the two are one flesh. And that not because when you look after your wife is good for you, is when you look after your wife, you are looking after your own body because we're one. It's not theology is ontology. It's our state of being and that's why parents are so important for us to teach your kid kid, as you grow up. There are some mysterious thing that mean stuff that we don't fully understand. There is some mysterious things that your parents are charged with. And let me tell you, it's really really hard.
It's really, really hard. Art, Kids all eyes up here. Daddy. I want you to imagine something with me. Okay, everybody pretend that you're in an army. Yes, I said Army. Not Navy and Airforce. You got your gun.
Tell me need to work on your sound effect when we had really good was over here.
Now hold your gun like at you, but you're ready. You're standing at attention.
We do some concealed carry here. All right, and then we're just a little soldiers. Some of us are not so little and we're told by a general. Somebody that has access to satellite imagery. Somebody that has Intelligence. They have spies in the enemy line. And they know exactly where we're supposed to charge into battle. It all the sudden, The General. Kohl's charge.
What are you do? You do it and you just hope that your pump-action stuff working, right? Cuz you're
Your hair like mine has been my automatic automatic.
Because the general, what is the general? What is the general have to pee really big?
It doesn't have popcorn.
Precision, Precision attack. Open Session has a position of leadership and that position of leadership, give Pam. Perspective. Perspective is not very much with position of power charge.
You know, your general is your general is your parents. General is your parents, your parents clean your room.
You said yesterday. You said? Yes, ma'am, because your parents you don't your parents have is a p word. In Rodger, Detective. What do they have?
Your parents have sex and they need to know when you need to know it. Even if they are. Wrong. You know, what kid, sometimes, your parents are wrong. And sometimes parents need to tell your kids. Sorry, because you were wrong. Sometimes generals are wrong. Make sure they send hundreds or thousands of men and women into battle to die mistakenly.
But it's still the job of the soldier, boys and girls to charge when you're told you charge. Children, obey your parents in the Lord that were in the Lord could also be translated as the Lord. So this is a joke and totally serious, you guys ready? Tobias is ready. When your parents listen, the voice of God.
Because it is. It's supposed to be doesn't mean we are bored. For this is some perspective formation. It's always been their parents across all cultures, across all history, which is the first commandment with a promise to go. Back to the promise to us. Does your parents or get to be Americans or Brazilian that you're from Brazil ghetto? That's just a reference to remind us that it is always been God's plan for children.
And then, you know what? There's a warning guy. You know, the warning is, I want all the boys in the room to listen up. Ignore. But the boy should listen up specially. Boyz II Men. You have or you will have power. You are powerful women girls. I can talk to you in a different way and also say you also have power but I want to say very specifically in general men, you are going to be bigger than the women around you. Some of the Junior High's and looking around 10 when?
The girls will not be able to universal. Truth is a generalization, right? And as the bigger person, physically, and as the commands you have to have power under control. Anybody see that new Spider-Man movie?
You saw his good, right? I'm not done official recommendation. I'm just saying he thinks it's good. He's smiling is good, right? Okay. Remember that old Spider-Man reference is like Spider-Man 2 or something. I'm dating myself. Like if you are under 30 right on even know what came out, the power of the Sun in the palm of my and he's like containing the power of the Sun in the palm of his hand and his back.
What at one point I'm the bad guy in Spider-Man 2 come out like Circa 2003 or something like that. So I could use my kids all of his arms, and he's trying to hold this power together. Like it's all boys and girls especially the boys and I want you to pretend like you're holding something in like a really powerful at times. You like your life. Your wife, you're the perfect person, driving with you in traffic, your professor. You're going to want to take them and you're going to want.
But that's not power under control. That's how out of control. That's when abuse can start because Boyz II Men we let the power go get something for women. You also have power, you have the ability to get out of control, but for whatever reason father's voice, this could be your future stick for fathers. Do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline in the instruction of the Lord that sometimes bothers. Easy ability to just what you do. Just plain mean. What's this one? I think Tammy, what's this one? Punishment is like there's some twisted and the Republicans to think that fathers have a special possibility of punishing.
Not of the Lord. Punishing an anger over punishing. Punishing because I said, so not because God said so. So, there's a lot here. Do for all of us in the church. I encourage you remember. Show love toward each other. Kirksville will know. We are the Disciples of Christ by our love for one another specifically Terrence. Leave your children. Well, teach them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord wives. Do a good job as best. You can running after your husband husband.
Dictatorial. Not make all the decisions. Not think you're the smartest person in the room, but still are called to lead especially spiritually in the home. Pray together. Read the Bible together, talk about the things of the Lord. Talk about the important thing. Encourage your children and your wife and their service to the Lord. Why all you have to do is give your life for your wife that's in the last husband. All you have to do is give your wife for your life. You know what I mean?
God job. He's the one that does the sanctifying. He's the one that leaves all of us who are in the female position. In this passage. We are all the bride of Christ in together. God uses that Union like a marriage Union us with our vows Christ, with his church, to be United together to buy the presents. He's the one doing the giving and receiving holy and blameless.
And then children. Obey your parents in the Lord. This is your marching orders. While you're under your parents roof, when the parents they do it, you better do it. Not because your parents have punishment or discipline a dildo out. So God uses them in that way to help to instruct you. But because God says, it's children. Obey, your parents in the Lord or as in the Lord or like the Lord for this is right as your bride. Thank you that you will one day for dentist yourself. In splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that we will be holy and without blemish. God help us his men to love our wives like that to give up. Our life, our life, father gives the women in our church who have husbands That Wonderful Grace that they need to follow after sinful men, who are their husbands? Give children the willingness to follow their parents directions. And God give us all of his church. The desire and ability to love one another in Jesus name. Amen.