Stone's Hill Community Church
Our series is called "Letters from Prison" - which is a study of Paul's prison epistles or letters. We've covered Philippians and Philemon. Now, we look at Ephesians!
Even though Paul is chained up in prison (Ephesians 6:20), he feels incredibly blessed—and he wants his Christian readers, then and now, to realize how incredibly privileged we are as well. This letter to the Ephesians is really nothing more than a description of the riches that we have in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul emphasized these riches a great deal: Ephesians 1:7 talks about the riches of His grace, at the end of the verse. Chapter 3:8 talks about the unsearchable riches of Christ. Chapter 3:16—the riches of His glory. So you have the riches of His grace, the riches of His glory and the riches of His Son. In other words, God is unloading all of His riches in the book of Ephesians. The vault is open! The word grace is used 12 times in this book. There are enough resources in heaven to… cover all past debts, present liabilities and future needs and still not diminish your account. That’s God’s plan.
This letter is about that... and it's about us...Welcome to "Ephesians". And welcome to Stones Hill Community Church and Online Notes!
Welcome!
We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!
A typical Stone's Hill service has music (feel free to sing out); some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of); a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word); and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your life.)
So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!
Ephesians 5:22-33 NIV
Letters from Prison - Ephesians 5:22-33
After reading through this passage, tucked away within the seams of these verses are two questions. There’s so much controversy in all this. How can we bypass all of it and get right to the heart of the issue?
Two questions:
Question #1: The wife must set aside self-centeredness and come to terms with her calling and ask: “Do I love my husband enough to live for him?”
Question #2: And equally important, the husband must set aside self-centeredness and come to terms with his role and ask: “Do I love my wife enough to die for her?”
The wife is told to love her husband so much that she lives for him, but the husband is told to love his wife so much, he would die for her. The wife is given the analogy of the Savior’s life. But the husband is given the analogy of His death (help from Strike the Original Match, Charles R. Swindoll).
Application:
“Do I love my husband enough to live for him?”
As I examine these verses, I find that a wife’s primary responsibility is to know herself so well and to respect herself so much and walk with Jesus so closely, that she gives herself to her husband without hesitation. She chooses to honor and respect her husband as an overflow in her walk with Christ regardless of how much she’s being loved or neglected.
“Do I love my wife enough to die for her?”
I find that the primary responsibility of a husband is to love his Lord so deeply and to accept himself so completely, that he gives himself to his wife without conditions. He chooses to lead and love and serve his wife and family regardless of how much respect he is shown or isn’t shown.
Notice, the husband is not told to demand respect from his wife – that’s something you earn. And the wife is not told to demand love from her husband – that’s something you woo him to do.
Marriage is a primary focus and center of your life. If everything around you is weak, but your marriage is strong, it doesn’t matter about the rest of life. You move out into the world in strength. If everything around you is strong, but your marriage is weak, it doesn’t matter what’s out there. You move out into the world in weakness. Your marriage is the center of everything. It’s the vortex of your life. If you neglect it, you’ll struggle so much in so many other ways (Tim Keller).
"I want to get married someday. What should I be looking for?"
For those who are single and who would like some general guidance as to what to look for in a potential spouse someday. And for parents who will be sending their kids out into the world to meet others and you’d like to give your kids an idea of what to look for - then the following may help: (I'll fill in the information in the actual message, but her are the key points on this)...
Spiritual Life:
Parental Input:
Sexual History:
Personal Identity:
Biblical Worldview:
Vocational Clarity:
Conflict Resolution:
Forgiving Heart:
Grateful Service:
Marital Interests:
Family Priority:
Add Value:
Moral Highground:
Addiction Free: