This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly.This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.This mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of the church.
6 sermons cite this verse
… verse 26 through 28, God's creation of man and woman in his image to Genesis chapter 2, verse 24, God's institution of marriage between a man and a woman for the purpose, Ephesians chapter 5, verses 22 through 33 of displaying the gospel and a husband's selfless sacrificial love for his wife, a wife's submissive respect and love for her husband, which leads to Ephesians chapter 6, verses 1 through 4, and a father and a mother loving their child in a way that reflects the love of God for that child. There's so much we could talk about here, but just to bring the data on to bear on why this is so important, do you know what percentage of women seeking abortions are unmarried in our country. Approximately 86%. So almost nine out of 10 women in our country who seek abortions are unmarried. We in our culture have decoupled sex from marriage and the effects are tragic for children in the womb. the devilish fruit of sexual immorality is the death of millions of boys and girls and do you know who's the most influential person in a woman's decision to have an abortion research shows it's the father of that baby there's not even a close second And most fathers are at best abdicating that decision, if not encouraging it. …
… and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and wife must see to it that she respects her husband." Now I understand in the culture in which we live the outright offense of a portion of Scripture like this, and there are many others that I will take you to this morning before we are finished. We are living in a culture that is making a complete effort to destroy men, to destroy women, to destroy children, to destroy families, to destroy marriage. This is an all-out massive assault. An illustration of this happened just very recently at the University of Wisconsin, where Matt Walsh, who produced a documentary called What is a Woman? A pretty easy question to answer, but amazingly one that engendered tremendous hostility. He went to the University of Wisconsin to speak to the students and to show the documentary. …
… body of Christ I'm gonna read it out the version that Tom Rainer has and then I want to read it out of the message bible Ephesians chapter 5 verse 29 and 33 listen to the language of how family shows up in the body of Christ Ephesians 5 verse 29 reads like this for no one ever hates his own flesh but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it just as Christ does for the church verse 30 because we are members of his body for this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined his wife and and the two will become one flesh this is great mystery but I am speaking about Christ and the church each of you however should love his wife as himself and a wife should respect her husband check this language Paul is using all this language that kind of interweaves between Christ loving the church how a husband should love his wife and Christ has given his life to care for the church is as if the the church is the bride of Christ or the wife quote unquote of Christ and be just like a husband takes care of his bride or supposed to and just like a bride is supposed to respect her husband supposed to catch me right there that's the that's the kind of imagery that Christ has with the church it is something you nourish it is something that you spend time with and so because no church is perfect we've got to love this place like Christ …
… For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Now, folks, let me just tell you something here very plainly. Here's God's plan for marriage. All a marriage is just wrapped up in verse 31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife. Do you know what the highest relationship on this earth is? It is not parent-child. And it is not child-parent. It is husband and wife. For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife. It's so important here that we see that the priority of marriage is the relationship between a man and his wife. And the permanence of marriage is, shall be joined unto his wife. …
… and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. That is, it's difficult to understand. But then he says, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. I give you the illustration, he says. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself. and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Gentlemen, let's start with you first. I'll start with me. What am I to do if I would tune up my marriage? Well, I am to be to Joyce what Jesus is to the church. I am to give to Joyce what Jesus gives to the church. Now that means three major things. First of all it means leadership. Look if you will in verse 23, for the husband is the head of the wife. Do you see that lady? Do you see that sir? The husband is the head of the wife. How is he the head of the wife? As Christ is the head of the church. Now how is Christ the head of the church? …
… For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Harmony in the home. We told you that in order for there to be music, and music that we like to listen to, there must be melody. We sing the same song. There can be harmony. we sing different parts. There ought to be rhythm where we sing it together. So what an illustration of what a marriage ought to be and the music of marriage. Now we were talking this morning about the fact that God made men and women different that He might make us one. And how that we sing the same song but the man sings one part and takes the lead and the woman sings the other part and harmonizes with her husband. But the things that I have given to you about the differences between men and women, I'm just going to take these off just to remind you that God teaches that the man is to be the provider, and the woman is to be his helper. …