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Stones Hill Community Church
Ephesians - Finding Our New Identity
Welcome to an exciting new sermon series on the Book of Ephesians, one of the Apostle Paul’s most profound letters. Paul proposes that we are "in Christ." We have a new identity. In a sense, he encourages us to become what we already are!
Locations & Times
Ligonier, IN
151 W Stones Hill Rd, Ligonier, IN 46767, USA
Saturday 2:00 PM
MESSAGE TEXT
Ephesians 5:22-33
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INTRODUCTION
This passage provides the most detailed teaching on marriage and family that can be found in Scripture. Ephesians 5:22-24 speaks to the wives; 5:25-33 speaks to the husbands. In each, a basic role is declared with an analogy to emphasize the significance of the role. Wives - you honor Jesus – let that extend to your husband. Husbands – Jesus loved the church, love your wife that way.
*
Paul mentions six separate groups in the household code (Eph 5:22–6:9), We know he wants us to understand all of this in terms of relationships within the family. So he addresses them within three distinct relationships: wives and husbands (Eph 5:22–33), children and parents (Eph 6:1–4), and slaves and masters (Eph 6:5–9). In each instance the one who is to show respect is discussed first—namely, the wife, the children, and the slaves. Paul then discusses the responsibility of those in positions of leadership, namely, the husband, the parents, and the masters. The reasons “wives,” “children,” and “slaves” occur first in these presentations is that the duty Paul chiefly wishes to emphasize is their submission.
*
MAIN POINTS
If you are an Ephesians 5 man/woman or if you want an Ephesians 5 marriage – you will be attuned to five core needs of your wife and five core needs of your husband. Willard Harley said that the top five needs of men are: 1. Sexual fulfillment 2. Recreational companionship 3. An attractive spouse 4. Domestic support 5. Admiration. By the way, Harley has dedicated most of his work to preventing affairs and recovery from infidelity. Five big needs of women to attune to: 1. Affection 2. Conversation 3. Honesty and openness 4. Financial support 5. Family commitment – are longed for. This awareness of all these needs is interwoven into the text as Paul moves back and forth between perspectives.
*
APPLICATION
A husband and wife must work together and play their parts to harmonize in marriage. We can call that “singing the music of marriage”. When people say a marriage “sings,” they mean it has harmony — two distinct voices working together in rhythm, not in rivalry. When wives respect and honor (I count 3 “submits” and 1 “respect) and husbands lead and love (I count 6 “loves” in our passage) – that marriage really sings. There’s joy and gratitude, conversation and connection rather than contempt and disgust and frustration. Proclaim the Gospel with your marriage. Marriage is a pointer to the ultimate Bride and Groom. It points to the great Sacred Romance of the ages – a fellowship so sweet that marriage as we know it, will become a relic of the past. There’s no marriage in heaven because you won’t need it. There’s an instant knowing.
*
Marriage is someone that you get to share this longing with. I don’t know if there’s a healthier way for two people to stay in love than to stop looking to the other to resolve unfulfilled longings and, instead, start holding each other closely as they experience the longing. The longing is beautiful. When we come to marriage, we are saying “I just don’t want to feel this longing alone anymore. I want to share it with someone.” As the bride of Christ, we share this longing with each other for our Groom. Until He shows up, how can we get this thing called marriage to work?
*
CONCLUSION
It will be observed that Paul uses five verbs to indicate the unfolding stages of Christ’s commitment to his bride, the church. He loved her, gave himself up for her, to sanctify her, having cleansed her, that he might present her to himself. The statement is so complete and comprehensive that some scholars think it may be a quotation from an early Christian confession, liturgy or hymn. It seems to trace Christ’s care for his church from a past to a future eternity. Are you part of the Bride of Christ? "From this day forward..."
Ephesians 5:22-33
*
INTRODUCTION
This passage provides the most detailed teaching on marriage and family that can be found in Scripture. Ephesians 5:22-24 speaks to the wives; 5:25-33 speaks to the husbands. In each, a basic role is declared with an analogy to emphasize the significance of the role. Wives - you honor Jesus – let that extend to your husband. Husbands – Jesus loved the church, love your wife that way.
*
Paul mentions six separate groups in the household code (Eph 5:22–6:9), We know he wants us to understand all of this in terms of relationships within the family. So he addresses them within three distinct relationships: wives and husbands (Eph 5:22–33), children and parents (Eph 6:1–4), and slaves and masters (Eph 6:5–9). In each instance the one who is to show respect is discussed first—namely, the wife, the children, and the slaves. Paul then discusses the responsibility of those in positions of leadership, namely, the husband, the parents, and the masters. The reasons “wives,” “children,” and “slaves” occur first in these presentations is that the duty Paul chiefly wishes to emphasize is their submission.
*
MAIN POINTS
If you are an Ephesians 5 man/woman or if you want an Ephesians 5 marriage – you will be attuned to five core needs of your wife and five core needs of your husband. Willard Harley said that the top five needs of men are: 1. Sexual fulfillment 2. Recreational companionship 3. An attractive spouse 4. Domestic support 5. Admiration. By the way, Harley has dedicated most of his work to preventing affairs and recovery from infidelity. Five big needs of women to attune to: 1. Affection 2. Conversation 3. Honesty and openness 4. Financial support 5. Family commitment – are longed for. This awareness of all these needs is interwoven into the text as Paul moves back and forth between perspectives.
*
APPLICATION
A husband and wife must work together and play their parts to harmonize in marriage. We can call that “singing the music of marriage”. When people say a marriage “sings,” they mean it has harmony — two distinct voices working together in rhythm, not in rivalry. When wives respect and honor (I count 3 “submits” and 1 “respect) and husbands lead and love (I count 6 “loves” in our passage) – that marriage really sings. There’s joy and gratitude, conversation and connection rather than contempt and disgust and frustration. Proclaim the Gospel with your marriage. Marriage is a pointer to the ultimate Bride and Groom. It points to the great Sacred Romance of the ages – a fellowship so sweet that marriage as we know it, will become a relic of the past. There’s no marriage in heaven because you won’t need it. There’s an instant knowing.
*
Marriage is someone that you get to share this longing with. I don’t know if there’s a healthier way for two people to stay in love than to stop looking to the other to resolve unfulfilled longings and, instead, start holding each other closely as they experience the longing. The longing is beautiful. When we come to marriage, we are saying “I just don’t want to feel this longing alone anymore. I want to share it with someone.” As the bride of Christ, we share this longing with each other for our Groom. Until He shows up, how can we get this thing called marriage to work?
*
CONCLUSION
It will be observed that Paul uses five verbs to indicate the unfolding stages of Christ’s commitment to his bride, the church. He loved her, gave himself up for her, to sanctify her, having cleansed her, that he might present her to himself. The statement is so complete and comprehensive that some scholars think it may be a quotation from an early Christian confession, liturgy or hymn. It seems to trace Christ’s care for his church from a past to a future eternity. Are you part of the Bride of Christ? "From this day forward..."