Ephesians – part 16: “One Model” Ephesians 5:21-33

Survey: A wife should submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband. 69% strongly disagreed with the statement.

Submission is the way of life for anyone who is living to make much of Jesus. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Self interest must be sacrificed if we ever intend to make much of Jesus.

Ephesians 5:22-28 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:22-28 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:22-28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Husbands hold a position that will be challenged. – v.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 Savior.

The position of the husband The leadership a husband must assume is his created function. The husband exercises Christ like servant hearted self denying leadership.

The position of the husband “Head of the wife” is a synonym for leader in the Bible. So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.- Judges 11:11; 10:18; 2 Samuel 22:44

The position of the husband It was common thought in Paul’s time that the head was the leadership of the body. far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

The position of the husband It was common thought in Paul’s time that the head was the leadership of the body. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, - Ephesians 1:21-22; 5:23

The position of the husband The context must make sense of the command for the wife to submit. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

The position of the husband The context must make sense of the command for the wife to submit. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. - Ephesians 5:22-24

The challenge Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

The challenge When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. - Genesis 3:1, 6

The challenge Adam failed to lead and there were consequences. To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.“ - Genesis 3:16

The challenge “your desire will be to overpower and subdue” Sin destroys God’s design.

1 Corinthians 11:3 Now 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.

The challenge God the Father  God the Son  Man  Woman

The Biblical model looks like this: God the  God the  God the Father Son Spirit The Church  Man  Woman Sin did not create headship and submission – it ruined it!

Ephesians 1:3-6 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3-6 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Ephesians 1:3-6 In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Husbands live by a pattern worthy of being copied.- vv Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Husbands live by a pattern worthy of being copied.- vv One action: Love was so great that Christ gave himself up. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Husbands live by a pattern worthy of being copied.- vv Two purposes: To make the church holy to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

Husbands live by a pattern worthy of being copied.- vv Two purposes: To grow the church in the holy life He provided. to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless

Husbands live by a pattern worthy of being copied.- vv Christ made the greatest effort to meet the greatest need in order that we might be His greatest glory.

Bottom Line: To make much of Jesus a husband must make his greatest effort to meet his wife’s greatest need, to seek his wife’s greatest glory.

Husbands must make the greatest effort… In humble service Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. - Philippians 2:5-7

Husbands must make the greatest effort… In sacrificial action And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! - Philippians 2:8

Husbands must make the greatest effort… In loving affirmations - Mark 14:1-9 “Defining moments come out of “critical incidents” when (1) an unexpected circumstance creates (2) a personalized conflict requiring (3) a moral choice with (4) long-term consequences.” – David L. McKenna

To meet his wife’s greatest need… Through careful communication And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. - Ephesians 1:9-10

To meet his wife’s greatest need… Through active participation And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,- Ephesians 1:13

To meet his wife’s greatest need… Through discerning encouragement In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, - Ephesians 1:11

To meet his wife’s greatest need… Through forward planning For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— Ephesians 1:4-5

To meet his wife’s greatest need… Through patient understanding

To meet his wife’s greatest need… Through proactive reconciliation John 21:15

To seek his wife’s greatest glory… Every wife’s greatest glory is to be more like Jesus.

Four practical applications: Cultivate your own spiritual life Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. - Mark 1:35

Four practical applications: Pray with each other John 17:6-19

Four practical applications: Lead the discipleship process in the home Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.“ - John 20:21-23

The Discipleship Process Receive Christ’s peace Be infused with the Spirit Become an agent of God’s Kingdom

To seek his wife’s greatest glory… Be a Godly example John 13 – Jesus washed the feet of the disciple

A word to wives: You can’t demand your husband take leadership.

A word to husbands: Leadership is not easy. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10