Ephesians: United in Christ
Messaged notes by Pastor Ewings on a sermon based on Ephesians 5:21-33
When most people get married, they hope for a fairy tale marriage. A brand new bride likely expects her handsome beau to sweep her off her feet, her knight in shining armor to rescue her from all her dragons and demons and her prince charming to make sure that she lives happily ever after. A newly wed groom likely believes that the princess in his castle will always be the fairest one of all, that his Cinderella will joyfully and willingly fulfill all of his needs and desires and that the queen of his heart will submit to his rule. Many people come into marriage with the expectation that the fairy tale romance will be theirs only to find out soon enough that the lofty dreams are nothing more than a fantasy.
How’s your marriage? Are you and your spouse living the dream? Do you have the perfect marriage...or have you spent more time dealing with your imperfections and failures? Have you and your spouse had your fair share of nightmares? There are so many things that shatter the dreams of all who fantasize of living happily ever after. Premarital pregnancies, troubled marriages, no-fault divorces, overbearing or abusive husbands, domineering wives, and families caught in the crossfire of the war between the sexes—these are just a few of the reasons why this portion of God’s Word is so applicable to life in today’s Christian congregations.
Of all the advice offered by secular counselors, newspaper columnists and talk-show hosts, none compares to the marriage guidance which God gives in his Word. Who can better define the roles of husband and wife than He who created them in the first place? The Lord Jesus shows the extent of His love to His bride, the Church, as He describes the components of a perfect marriage. To the husband, He says love; love your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. To the wife, He says submit; submit to your husband as you submit to the Lord. These two qualities are what make marriage a little piece of Heaven on earth. United in Christ, your marriage is perfect—and that’s no fairy tale!
Lesson One: Joshua 14:1,2a,14-18
Lesson Two: Ephesians 5:21-33
Gospel: John 6:60-69
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