Sunday August 14 th 2016 – Andy Acreman

* Metaphors in the Bible and in life – examples and purpose * Christ and his Bride – the real thing! (And why we should all be interested in Marriage) * A fresh look at Ephesians 5:21-33 Metaphor and Reality * What is ‘Headship’? * Why ‘Submission’ and ‘Love’? * Leaving and Joining * Projecting Heaven on Earth

* Metaphors in the Bible and in life – examples and purpose * Christ and his Bride – the real thing! (And why we should all be interested in Marriage) * A fresh look at Ephesians 5:21-33 Metaphor and Reality * What is ‘Headship’? * Why ‘Submission’ and ‘Love’? * Leaving and Joining * Projecting Heaven on Earth

* Metaphors in the Bible and in life – examples and purpose * Christ and his Bride – the real thing! (And why we should all be interested in Marriage) * A fresh look at Ephesians 5:21-33 Metaphor and Reality * What is ‘Headship’? * Why ‘Submission’ and ‘Love’? * Leaving and Joining * Projecting Heaven on Earth

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

9 “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

* Metaphors in the Bible and in life – examples and purpose * Christ and his Bride – the real thing! (And why we should all be interested in Marriage) * A fresh look at Ephesians 5:21-33 Metaphor and Reality * What is ‘Headship’? * Why ‘Submission’ and ‘Love’? * Leaving and Joining * Projecting Heaven on Earth

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for 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.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour The church submits to Christ… 25 …Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. …Christ (feeds and cares for) the church— 30 for 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.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

* Metaphors in the Bible and in life – examples and purpose * Christ and his Bride – the real thing! (And why we should all be interested in Marriage) * A fresh look at Ephesians 5:21-33 Metaphor and Reality * What is ‘Headship’? * Why ‘Submission’ and ‘Love’? * Leaving and Joining * Projecting Heaven on Earth

3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour.

* Metaphors in the Bible and in life – examples and purpose * Christ and his Bride – the real thing! (And why we should all be interested in Marriage) * A fresh look at Ephesians 5:21-33 Metaphor and Reality * What is ‘Headship’? * Why ‘Submission’ and ‘Love’? * Leaving and Joining * Projecting Heaven on Earth

3:16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (NIV) “…And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” (NLT) 4:6...But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (NIV) …Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (NLT)

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

18 …Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And giving thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 And further, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (NLT)

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

3:16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (NIV) …but he’ll lord it over you.” (MSG) 4:6 …Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (NLT)