Ephesians || Submit is not a Dirty Word - Part 2 || April 14, 2024

Ephesians 5:21-33

Philippians 2:3-4

Romans 8:38-39

Colossians 3:19

Mark 10:45

1 Peter 3:7

1. LOVE YOUR WIVES
2. As Christ loved the Church
3. LOVE
4. Agapao: 
5. To love unconditionally and sacrificially reflecting the love that God Himself IS
6. This does not describe emotional love but represents the act of the will of one who desires and seeds the other’s highest good.
7. Sacrificially
8. Selfless
9. Philippians 2:3–4 (NLT)
10. Unconditionally
11. Romans 8:38–39 (NLT)
12. Tender Authority
13. Colossians 3:19 (NLT): Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. 
14. Make her Holy and Clean
15. Washed by the water with the word
16. Spoken Word - Rhema
17. Without Spot or Wrinkle or Any Blemish
18. Do we treat our wives in such a way that there is no damage to her mental emotional and spiritual being?
19. Encourage her
20. Build her up
21. Serve Her
22. Mark 10:45 (NLT)
23. Nourish
24. Nourishes: means to nourish up to maturity, 
25. Cherish
26. Cherishes: originally meant to warm, to brood, or to keep warm (as with body heat), to soften by heat. The idea is to cherish with a tender love and care.
27. 1 Peter 3:7 (NLT)
28. MEN, WE SHOULD ALSO BE TREATING OUR DAUGHTERS IN THE SAME WAY SO THEY WILL KNOW THEIR WORTH TO GOD AND YOU AND SO THEY WILL ALSO KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A MAN IF/AND WHEN THEY CHOOSE TO GET INTO A RELATIONSHIP AND GET MARRIED.
29. THIS IS A GREAT MYSTERY
30. This is the same mystery of the coming together of two people and becoming ONE.
31. Joined Together: Healing - the uniting of wounds. Glue one thing to another so they adhere to one another.
32. MARRIAGE EXISTS TO EXPRESS THE GREATNESS OF GOD!
33. HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIFE - WIVES RESPECT YOUR HUSBAND
34. AND IF MEN LOVE THEIR WIVES IN THIS WAY, WIVES, WILL YOU HAVE ANY ISSUE OF DIFFICULTY LEANING INTO AND SUBMITTING TO YOUR HUSBAND WITH THIS TYPE OF LOVE?

All of this can only happen if you have submitted yourself to Jesus as Lord and Savior

Reflection/Application Questions

1. How does the example of Christ’s sacrificial love influence your understanding of what it means to love others, particularly in a marriage?
2. In what ways can you practice sacrificial love in your own relationships, especially your marriage?
3. Ephesians 5:26-27 talks about Christ sanctifying the church. What steps can you take to contribute to the spiritual growth and sanctification of your marriage?
4. How does the metaphor of the church as the bride of Christ help you understand the intimacy and commitment God seeks with His people and we are to seek with our wives?
5. What does it mean to you that Christ gave Himself up for the church to make her holy and blameless? How does this shape your understanding of God’s love and forgiveness in your marriage?
6. Ephesians 5:28-30 discusses how husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. How can this principle of self-care and mutual respect be applied in all close relationships?
7. What are practical ways you can show love and respect to those closest to you, reflecting the principles outlined in this passage?
8. Ephesians 5:33 highlights love and respect as foundational. How can focusing on these virtues improve your marriage?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE READING SCRIPTURE

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about you in relation to God?

What do you need to do about it?