"Marriage and the Church"

Introduction: Foundational to the book of Ephesians the idea of God’s purposed will for all things to be united in Christ. Church and Christ united, and that also brings with it foundational truths to the fabric of society. Today, we are going to address marriage. It has been under attack for many years now, in a myriad of ways. But today, I want us to see how marriage, as God intends it, reveals the Gospel in a powerful way to the world around us.

CTS: Your marriage relationship should reflect the relationship of Jesus and the church.

I. Gospel Submission (22-24)

What biblical submission is not / Inequality (Gal 3:28) / Lording over / Power / Oppression

What biblical submission is (complementary)

- The Lord is the first and foremost one she obeys

- The Lord has set the husband over the wife (Gen 2:18)

- The Lord is set over the church: This is the example and basis of the submission.

- The Lord desires complete obedience: The completeness does not mean obedience to sin or against God’s Word (Acts 5:29)

Crucial to everyone though is how we see the church submits to Christ. As Christ is perfect, we are to perfectly obey Him in all things as He commands, submitting ourselves to Him.

Transition – Yet this submission is contingent upon the next verses. Dependent on the next verses is how submission will come naturally.

II. Gospel Love (25-33)

Love is commanded three times in these eight verses. What is this love though?

A. Unconditional (25-26) The church did nothing to earn it.

B. Sacrificial (25-26) At great cost to ourselves

C. Purposeful (27) That she would be presented blameless (Titus 3:5)(growing in our relationship with the Lord, we are called to lead our wives to be more like Jesus)

D. Affectionate (28) As we love our own bodies, we love our wives. Cherish and nourish her. Affectionately pursue her as Christ affectionately loves and cares for his church. (READ JOHN STOTT QUOTE)

The biblical basis of creationism informs our view of marriage, not culture. One man and one woman, made one flesh (31)

A. Speak against polygamy

B. Adultery

C. Divorce

Marriage ultimately points to Jesus and the church (32)

- The loving servant leadership of the husband leads to respectful submission of the wife

- This points us to the loving servant leadership of Christ and the church submitting to Jesus

- The love of Christ drives the church on its mission!

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Conclusion: Verse 33 summarizes again the truths found before. Husbands, love your wives. Wives, respect your husbands. Its simple, yet profoundly important in our culture./ For those that are single, make this an expectation of marriage for you, and rest in your position as God’s child, submitting to Jesus in all things, because He loved you so much that He gave His life for you./ Unbeliever, I hope you have heard clearly how much Jesus loves his church. You can be part of that church too. He died so that you could know Him, be forgiven, sanctified, cleansed, presented perfect and holy when He comes again./ For the church, this reminds us of the great love of Christ for us and our call to submit everything to Him. And one day, the church will be presented in glorious manner for our Savior Jesus. “On earth she is often in rags and tatters, stained and ugly, despised and persecuted. But one day she will be seen for what she is, nothing less than the bride of Christ. – John Stott