Stick It Out...It's Worth It!

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  22 Wives, submit to your husbands as 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 Savior.  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 his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, 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.


A few years ago, authors Linda Waite and Maggie Gallager wrote a book, "The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially".  In the book, they shared a load of statistics to illustrate and support some of the practical reasons folks should not get divorced.

Can I just tell ya something?  Guess what they discovered?  Among couples who originally reported their marriage was VERY unhappy, when interviewed again, 5 years later:

77% of previously very unhappily married couples who stuck it out and stayed married, 5 yrs later, called their marriage either:

"VERY HAPPY" or "QUITE HAPPY"

Well, would you look at that!

The good news for us today my friends is simply that our Father in heaven has ABSOLUTELY GIVEN US THE TOOLS to help us and equipped us to stick it out and we can see them here in Ephesians.

#1 - Wives submit to your husbands by respecting them
#2 - Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her

In study after study, the results show that when surveyed most men will say the number one thing they want from their marriage is respect from their wives.  Most men would confess, respect from their wives makes them feel capable and empowers them to carry on on the spiritual leaders of their home.  A lack of respect from the wife will obviously, have the opposite effect.  Hey wives, can I just tell ya something?  If you want a better husband, do what it takes to make him feel he has your respect!

Behind every successful man is a good woman.  Wives, you have considerable power over your husband.  A woman can make or break her husband.

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."
~Proverbs 14:1

Similar studies with women regarding their marriages, have shown that most women would say the number one thing they want from their marriage is affection from their husbands.  Hey husbands, can I just tell ya something?  We need to be courting our wives just like we did when we first met them!  Buy her things, take her to dinner, but above all:  Be affectionate...even when you don't feel like it!  You've heard "when mama ain't happy, nobody's happy!"?  You'll be amazed at the difference in your wife if you'll simply take your "affection" to a new level.

If that's not enough motivation men, try this one on for size: 

If you want God to hear your prayers...be a good husband!

"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."
~1 Peter 3:7

Can I just tell ya something?  We make life much more complicated than it ought to be.  It’s really simple.  We need to commit ourselves to God and then follow through in obedience in our marriage vows.  In doing so, we will impact our marriage and our family.  That influence will carry on for generations to come not only in our own families but with the by-standers in our lives as well.

Stick it out...it's worth it!

This entry is taken from the sermon: "Til Death Do Us Part".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the second sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

We Need To Patiently Wait Upon The Lord In Our Marriage

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  22 Wives, submit to your husbands as 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 Savior.  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 his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, 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.

God wants us as husbands OR wives, to submit ourselves to our spouse.  Hey, can I just tell ya something?  It is NOT because they deserve it and NOT because it will make you feel good.  Instead, it is because you are committed to Christ and because you love Jesus!  And, of course, there's that issue of:  because God said so!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." 
~Psalm 37:4

It is one of my favorite verses.  But, look what comes next:  

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;  do not fret—it leads only to evil.  

~Psalm 37:4-8

We see a promise in verse 6.   It is based on a set of conditions from verse 5.  

Commit & Trust

And, how do I commit my ways to God and fully trust Him?  Verse 7 tells us the answer:  Be still and wait patiently and...do not fret.  Then in Verse 8, refrain from anger and wrath.  Then we are reminded once again:  Do not fret.

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  When Christian marriages fail, it is because one or both spouses have failed to trust and wait on the Lord.  AND since they’re unwilling to trust or wait on God, they let their anger and wrath get out of hand…Or they allow themselves to fret or worry, often taking matters into their own hands.

Look what verse 8 says about that: – “it leads only to evil.”

Now, by contrast, here’s what else God says:

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 

~Psalm 91:14-15

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  If we’ll do things GOD’S way... If we’ll be still and patiently wait on the Lord - in faith...  Eventually, it WILL turn out OK.

It always comes back to that big 'O' word and it's not Oprah:  

Obedience

This entry is taken from the sermon: "Til Death Do Us Part".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the second sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

God's View of Marriage

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  22 Wives, submit to your husbands as 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 Savior.  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 his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, 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.

One thing we ought to keep in mind is that much of what we have come to believe about marriage has come from the world's R-rated point of view.  

Can I just tell ya something?  God's view of marriage is a far cry different than the world's view!  

One of the most significant cornerstones of a strong marriage and resulting strong family is two people who have decided to make their marriage last... til death do they part!  I'm talking about a husband and wife who make some choices in their lives:

• to honor their commitment to each other and their family
• to purpose in their hearts to strive to make their marriage strong and lasting
• to honor the covenant they made before God when He joined them together as one flesh

I have often said, taught, and preached that strong marriages begin with a husband and wife who are committed to each other.  It sounds reasonable... like a good place to start.  I know right?

One glaring problem is you won't find much about that in the Bible.  In fact, the word commitment isn't even in the Bible.  Not in the OT.  Not in the NT.  I do however, find the word commit in a few verses.

Here are a couple of examples:  

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." 

~Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." 
~Psalm 37:5-6

Notice who the object of the "commit" is here in these two verses?  Yeah, me too.

Can I just tell ya something?  That, my friends, is in fact, the best place to start for building a strong marriage and resulting strong family.  Consider the strength and power of two equally yoked oxen.  They do not face each other but face ahead.  Therein the lies the success of a strong marriage.  It is two people facing the Father together, committing their ways to the Lord, trusting in Him.  God will honor that commitment making their righteousness shine like the dawn.

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  A strong Christian marriage IS BUILT on the commitment a husband AND wife have to God the Father.

This entry is taken from the sermon: "Til Death Do Us Part".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the second sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES