Marriage
This lesson is on marriage-Christ and the church.
It is going to deal with family life here on earth.
Ephesians 5:22 says; Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
The trinity God , Jesus, and the Holy Spirit none are inferior but God is first,
Jesus is second, and the Holy Spirit last.
In a marriage the wife is submissive to the husband but not inferior.
But we need to be submissive volintarily from our hearts.
Much like we are submissive to Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:18 says; Wives submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the
Lord.
Paul uses this as an example Christians are to live by.
In the Body of Christ there are some positions that we must give respect to.
Pastors, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and so on.
They are a higher rank with more responsibility than some of the other positions
in the Body of Christ.
We are to live like Gods children.
Colossians 4:1 says; Masters give you bondservants what is just and fair,
knowing that you also have a master in heaven.
This is just another way of showing that one is over another but must treat them
fairly.
Just as the bondservants have to be submissive to the master and the master
is to be submissive to Christ Jesus.
Christ is the head of the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 5:23 says; For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head
of the church, and He is the Savior of the body.
The body is all of Gods children.
Christ Jesus died for our sins.
Then He rose again 3 days later and defeated death.
Now Christ is the head of the church.
1 Corinthians 11:3 says; But I want you to know that the head of every man is
Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Head means authority over, husband over wife, God over Christ.
Yet they in both cases are equal but with different jobs.
Colossians 1:18 says; And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the
preeminence.
Christ has authority over all things.
Christ is the head of the body.
Christ is the head of the church.
The church is the born again Christians.
The body is all of the Christians.
Christ was the first to be resurrected from the dead.
That guarantees that the church one day will be resurrected.
Ephesians 5:24 says; Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let
the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
We, wives, should be submissive to our husbands, as long as it isn't something
the Lord hates.
We still have to put God first before our husbands.
In our normal life we are to be submissive to our husband.
Titus 2:4-5 says; That they admonish the young woman to love their husbands,
to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obediant to
their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
Admonish means to give encouragement through advice.
Paul is telling the older women to teach the younger women of the commitment
to their husbands.
Women are not under the authority of men in general but to their own husbands.
Ephesians 5:25 says; Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the
church, and gave Himself for her.
Paul is telling husbands to love their wives to the point of laying down their lives
for them.
Christ loved the church so much He died for all of the sins of the world.
To serve their wives to the point of suffering.
Colossians 3:19 says; Husbands love your wives and do not be bitter toward
them.
This verse is saying that the husband is to make sure that good is gone to his
wife not for himeself.
That the husband must not be bitter or harsh with his wife.
Acts 20:28 says; Therefore takehead to your selves and to all the flock, among
which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God
which He purchased with His own blood.
Jesus paid the price for the sins of the church.
It was His blood that paid the cost of the sins of the world.
The shepherds are the pastors to take care and watch over the congragations.
Ephesians 5:26 says; that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of
water by the word.
Here Paul is talking about how Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of the
church.
Gods children, (Christians), are the church.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:5 says; Jesus answered, :Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is
born of water and the Spirit.
There are six interpetations of the phrase born of water and the spirit:
1. Jesus was referring to water baptism.
2. Water is to be understood as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Thus the
phrase could be translated "born of water even the Spirit."
3. Water is to be understood as a symbol of the Word of God.
4. Jesus used the phrase "born of water" to refer to the physical birth. He
then used the constrasting phrase "Of the Spirit."
5. Jesus used the phrase "born of water", to refer to John the Baptist baptism
6. Jesus used the Old Testament imagery of "water" to refer to the work of
God from above. Wind is an alternate translation of the term Spirit.
I know many think that in order to be born again you have to be water baptised.
I disagree for the simple fact that the thief on the cross was going to heaven be-
cause Jesus said so.
Now if He did it for one He will do it for all.
He loves each of us the same.
I am not saying water baptism is not good, it is an outward showing that you
have given your life to Christ Jesus.
I do think that it good to show others that you are one of Gods children.
John 15:3 says; You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken
to you.
Here Jesus is saying that the word of God is what we need and it is refered to as
water.
The Word will change us if we get it in our mind.
From our minds it gets into our hearts and we are changed forever.
John 17:17 says; Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Sanctify means to set apart.
One meaning could be as separate for holiness.
The second as set apart for service.
Jesus was praying for protection against the enemy for His disciples but also for
them to move forward to holiness.
Ephesians 5:27 says; That He might present her to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and
without blemish.
This verse is speaking about Jesus and how much He loves the church.
He suffered a horrible beating that left Him unrecognizable.
Those stripes were for our healings.
Then He was nailed to the cross a horrid death and longsuffering pain for hours
before He died.
Colossians 1:22 says; in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy
and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
This verse is saying that the death of Christ and His resurrection will enable us to
be blameless and above reproach.
Christ Jesus did that for the Church.
Who is the church?
All of Gods children who have been born again.
Song of Solomon 4:7 says; You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot on you.
Here the king is talking about his bride being perfect in everyway.
That is how the bride, (the church), will be when Jesus, (the groom), comes to
take her home.
She will be beautiful and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:28 says; So husband ought to love their own wives as their own
bodies, he who loves his wife loves himself.
When we get married we become one.
One man and one woman equals one.
When the man can realize that his wife is part of himself he will love her as he
loves himself.
Ephesians 5:29 says; For no one even hated his own flesh, but nourishes and
cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
We are suppose to love our mates as Christ loves the church.
Our love should be pure honest love that no man can come between you,.
We can have heaven on earth if we live by Gods laws.
And strive to love our mates as Christ Jesus loves us and care for each other.
Ephesians 5:30 says; For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His
bones.
When we were born again we became one in Christ Jesus.
We are of His body, flesh, and bones and we are perfect match through His
blood.
We are all as one in the Body of Christ.
Genesis 2:23 says; And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of
my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man."
Adam was happy with his mate.
He named her Eve and they were a perfect match.
Until the fall of man it was a perfect match.
Don't you just know they were blaming each other for getting kicked out of Eden?
I'm sure there was more than one arguement over that one.
Ephesians 5:31 says; For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.
Paul quotes Genesis to prove a point that now their family ties have been broken.
Now instead of the husbands family, and the wifes family, there are 3 families.
This was Gods perfect plan to multiply the people on earth.
Genesis 2:24 says; Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh.
The early church knew much about the Old Testament and when Paul quoted
from the word they understood.
Paul was reminding them that the His laws were still in place.
The only thing that changed was sacrificing of the animals.
Christ Jesus gave His life, (blood), for our sins so sacrificing animals wasn't
necessary under the new covenant.
Ephesians 5:32 says; This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning
The mystery was that marriage between one man and one woman was suppose
to be like the marriage between Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:33 says; Nevertheless let not one of you in paticular so love his
own wife as himeself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
These sound like simple things to do for our mates.
The problem being our flesh is pretty much selfish and to accomplish them it
truly does take some hard work for the man and woman.
Colossians 3:19 says; Husbands love your wives and do not be bitter toward
them.
This can be hard sometimes when your wife is having a hard day and she is on
a nagging rampage.
But remember you have your days when the grumpy man comes out.
1 Peter 3:1 says; Wives likewise, be sunbmissive to you own husbands, that
even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the
conduct of their wives.
Ladies, you know as well as I do this is not easy.
Some days our dear husbands expect us to be supper woman.
They give us more to do than there is hours in a day.
They can be grumpier than an old bear when you wake them up when they are
hibernating for the winter.
And sometimes we give them reason to be like that old bear.
Marriage isn't easy.
Its a relationship that at the beginning of each day we ask the Lord to help us do
better today than we did yesterday.
1 Peter 3:6 says; as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters
you are if you d good and are not afraid with any terror.
This verse is pointing out that when Sarah called Abraham lord she wasn't
worshiping him merely respecting him as head of the house hold.
This kind of respect must come from your hearts ladies.
If you are doing it because you are afraid of him that is not good either.
God does not expect us to stay in an abusve relationship.
If you are in that kind of relationship seek counceling, Christian, that is
important.
The scriptures I used in this lesson are: Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:18,
4:1, 1:22, 1:18, 3:19, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 6:16, Titus 2:4-5,
Acts 20:28,
John 3:5, 15:3, 17:17, Song of Solomon 4:7, Genesis 2:23-24, 1Peter
3:1
3:6.
My prayer is that who ever reads this lesson, the Lord has given me, will study
the scriptures. Get the word from your mind to your heart and you will find
it easier to conduct yourselves in the manner God intended us to behave.
I also pray that you understand these verses better now. That by getting the
word in you that you will come to know the Lord more. You will grow in Him
and love every minute of it.
God bless you and your family, may the Lord keep you close to you.
PRAISE GOD OUR FATHER, JESUS OUR SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
THAT LIVES WITHIN ALL CHRISTIANS.
