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Or by thy Holy Spirit reveal in US thy laws, the joy we shall inherit, and with thee our head above 187.
Uh, they are called my home. Thy people delivering, however.
Lord's grace and help Grace.
Ourselves enjoying the life, the world and far and joy. Grace Joyce.
And whatsoever.
Again.
Makes everything everything happened.
Waiting for my die, so I thought I'd throw.
And straightener we arrived, there was a problem.
Oh, the water's not good. All I want to say is that.
It's very thin.
For highlighting.
So.
I love that one.
I went thy heart again.
All gracious to me.
Uh, where to see our head and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Other We have, uh, much to be thankful for this morning.
I'm thankful most of all that I saw in the Lord Jesus.
We're thankful that through His work on the Cross, we've been brought nigh unto Thee. We're thankful that this morning we were able to make a request known unto Thee. We're thankful now for these two days that we have before us to spend in My Word. We're thankful for Thy Word, thankful that we can have it before us in this way here in these lands. We're thankful for Thy Spirit, which will.
Work to make Thy word quite plain to each one of us, to make it have us through and proper effect in our hearts.
And, uh, with these things, we also have many things that, uh, come about us in this way. And we know that thou has given us all the things that are necessary to go through them. And so, uh, we thank you for the promise that, uh, that will send my son again.
00:05:15
Uh, we look forward to that time and for this.
Interim here. We pray that that would, uh, give us in this time here.
Always give us the words that each one of us needs, umm, for strength, uh, to endure, uh, the things here, not only to endure, but to uh, be a light and a testimony to those around us, uh.
These times that we hear of now, umm, these hurricanes, wildfires, umm.
There is a time of opportunity for the gospel to go out. There is a time now to find safety. And myself, we just ask that, uh, through thy word here, uh, both now and for the time to follow, that we would have a portion that would, umm, be of use, be, uh, of good use to each one here. And pray as well that, uh, we would make use if Thy word which will be presented to us.
So we just ask these things in faith, in the name of thy Son the Lord Jesus, and for his honor and glory.
Amen.
A little over a year ago at Vestal Conference, we had.
Had before Ephesians chapter 5, and for those of us who were there, we had gotten down.
About a little over halfway through that chapter, and it was later complained by some that we seem to get about halfway through chapters and then we never get to what's beyond that and what comes beyond that. Ephesians chapter 5 is the whole section about submissions.
In relationships starting with husband and wife.
And going on to service our children and fathers and then to the master servant relationship, all the different relationships that we have in life. And I was just wondering if that might be profitable for us to go on and take from maybe Ephesians chapter 5 and and verse 20 going down to the first part of chapter 6.
Perhaps down to verse 9.
That would be profitable.
I think that would be very nice, brother. We live in a world that is not submissive in any way to God is in living in rebellion and opposition to His Word and will, and so we are sometimes influenced by that spirit of things ourselves. Would be nice to take up a passage that has to do largely with submission.
Tim, is there any reason why you're suggesting verse 20 rather than the beginning of the sentence verse 18?
No, that'd be just fine.
I was thinking too, we sang in this opening hymn, O by thy Holy Spirit revealed in US Thy love. And so here in this portion we have the love of Christ for the Church.
So Ephesians chapter 5 beginning with verse 18.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves 1 to another in the fear of God.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.
And he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives see through their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it, and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the Word, that He might present it to Himself. A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle.
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Or any such thing but that, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men who love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 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 that I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless, let everyone of you in particular so love his wife, even as himself and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment, with promise, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart as unto Christ.
Not with I service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill, doing service as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bonds or free. And ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your Master also is in heaven.
Neither is there respective persons with him.
I'd like to put a context on what our brother Jonathan just read by pointing out that, uh, verse 17 gives us this instruction not to be unwise. So if you want to be wise, pay attention to what our brother just read. And when I was a teenager, and even now as I go through my life, I'm often wondering, why is the will of the Lord? What would please the Lord make my God happy in my life?
And that 17th verse.
Tells us the same thing. It says, uh, understand what the will of the Lord is. So as we go through these meetings, as we spend time meditating on the 5th and 6th chapter, which we've just read, these are things that are extremely practical. And as our brother Robert was at mentioning, uh, just before Jonathan read this whole principle and concept of submission to God first and then to the authority that he's put in place and to one another is the principle that really gives, uh, peace.
And, uh, order and harmony.
In a family, in a relationship, in the assembly and in society.
It is important that the uh, Spirit of God, uh, do not, uh, breathe in our walk and ways to go back in uh, Ephesians chapter 4 and 30, it says, uh and green, not the Holy Spirit of God.
Whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. There is no exhortation to be sealed that took place when we believe in the finished work of Christ, whose death and resurrection, but there are exploitations as in our passage to be filled with the Spirit. What is the difference? Well, we have the spirit of God is a divine person, however.
Uh, alas, we sometimes grieve him.
And, uh, we are filled with, uh, our own ambitions and, uh.
Plans and pleasures and the Spirit of God is there. He is not removed. He is sealing us until the day of redemption when the Lord comes, but He is not controlling our lives.
There are other things that are interfering with the ministry of the Holy Spirit so.
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Uh, we are not fruitful for the Lord because the Spirit of God is not in control of our lives. We're not owning the Lordship of Christ. So I think this, uh, comes out in this passage of the exhortation, uh, that we need, uh, day by day because there is so much that, uh, hinders.
The the new nature explaining itself and the Spirit of God.
Whose UH office is to take up the things of Christ and to minister them to us, to strengthen us in our service for the Lord.
There are two things that ought to.
That's those that are believers, and our brother has mentioned one of them here in this verse 17, the will of the Lord. And so the Lord, it brings out His Lordship authority over us. Because brother Norman very used to remind us in older days, he used to say that when we took Christ as our Savior, we gave up our right to choose. He is the Lord, He has the right to choose. Do we give him that?
Right. Do we allow him to have that authority in our lives?
The other thing that governs our lives is the word of God. And you'll see that in the apostles writings he quotes the word of God. And so forever thy word to settle in heaven. And every word of God is pure and we know that here he quotes the scriptures, the Old Testament passage in Ephesians chapter six he says honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise.
That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest lived long on the earth. So those two principles we need the word of God.
At the fall, when man fell into sin, he lost the ability.
To guide himself, he had to have the influence of the word of God. He needed divine intervention. He needed divine wisdom to show him the proper guide, and then he needed to understand the will of the Lord. And so that's these are two things that we need to be cognizant of that in all of our daily pathway and our responsibilities as as brought out in these this passage that we've read, we have true responsibilities.
And our responsibility can be fulfilled if we know what the will of the Lord is and we abide in the truth of the Word of God. It doesn't bring in opinions here. We're not talking about opinions. This is not just your exercise or my exercise. This is the will of the Lord and the Word of God.
We have only two reading meetings, except for the final one on the Evening of Lords Day. I'd like to ask our brother Tim Ruga, did you have some special thoughts you would like us to dwell on in this chapter?
Well, I really would like to get down to versus 21 on down if we could, but it seems to me that going back as we did is helpful because it does bring out the the Spirit of God and being filled with the Spirit. There are things that that would lead to in our Christian life and the first of those things are found in verses 19 and 20. I believe there might be four of them here. In 19 we have two.
The first would be speaking to yourselves and palms and hymns and spiritual songs, and that is really to, uh, exhort ourselves in the things of the Lord and have Him constantly before us in a a way that is quite put in contrast to being drunk with wine.
It might be some similarities to somebody look on the outside is Eli. But uh, Hannah certainly didn't have wine.
On her, yet there was something about a heart overflowing. And that's what we can do with song. And then it says making melody in your heart and not just the outside, but the inside. To have that absolutely failing us, not just to have the spirit within us in a, umm, morose way, but in a way that has the joy of the Lord. And then in verse 20, it goes on to really what I think sets a stage for the fourth thing, which is submission.
Verse 20 gives us giving thanks always.
For all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We already had this earlier in the chapter. Umm verse 4 giving of thanks.
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Very essential for the Christian to do this, to have thankful hearts to God and express that to him. And we have these first three things in order.
The song in our heart and that flows out and Thanksgiving going back to God.
Then it puts us in the right frame of mind for the fourth thing, which is the submission that we have in all these different aspects of our lives and the verses going down from verse 21.
Yes, and I believe verse 21 also in that sense sets the stage for all of the exhortations that go on further in a general way. There are those who are given positions of responsibility and authority and leadership, and there are those of us who are in a position of submission. Both are very important in the Word of God.
But it says here in verse 21, submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God. We find, for example, here that wives are, uh, exhorted to submit to their husbands. But as we well remember, for example, in Abraham's life, there was a time when Sarah had intelligence, spiritual intelligence that.
Abraham had to recognize, and the Lord had to tell him to recognize, that her advice was good and proper and he should follow it. So a spirit of submission on the part of all of us, whether or not we are in that sense in a position of authority and responsibility, is very good, isn't it? None of us can be so sure of everything that we cannot afford to listen to the.
Advice and counsel, and perhaps.
Feelings of others in any particular situation. And then of course, to take it before the Lord as to whether it is from the Lord or not.
Let's make one observation on the four points that brother. The first being that, umm, we often ask ourselves the question, what does it mean to be filled with the spirit? That's a state we're supposed to be in. But umm, the four points that Tim mentioned are all verbs, which means there are things that we can do and I believe if we practice them, we will be filled with the spirit.
This epistle deals with the Christian umm standing and the umm blessings that are ours in the heavenlies in Christ and deals with the church as and this instruction as the church is going on in good order. It's not addressing a condition of disorder. And so this is what you might say a presentation of normal Christianity. And so it says in verse 24. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ.
Well, is the church subject unto Christ today? No. It's splintered into something like 1500 different groups, Whatever.
And the church, if we really searched our own hearts, we have a problem with submission. And the assembly is not often submissive to the order that God has placed in this scene. So here we have the order that's given and submission spoken of in its normal context and to those that are the most likely to fail in the relationship are addressed first. And so he addressed.
He addresses umm in verse 21, submitting yourselves 1 to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. So we addresses the wives there. Our sisters might have trouble submitting to the authority and the leadership of her of the husband. And why is that? Because perhaps the husband might not be walking in the spirit.
And he might be walking in the flesh and he might be treating his wife in a way that ought not to be. But in the Epistle to the Ephesians, it's taken as the wife is, the husband is walking in a right way, and the wife is exhorted to submit to the authority. It's a little bit different in first Peter chapter 3 because it's reverence. She's to reverence her husband. She's to have respect for her husband.
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Brother Gordon used to remind us as young people, maybe some of us remember, he used to say, young sister, if a young man shows interest in you and you can't seem to respect that man, that young man, don't marry someone that you can't respect. You're exhorted in the Scriptures to reverence or to respect the one that you marry, and then you're going to need to submit to the leadership of that one. It's a God-given authority.
It's a God-given responsibility. It's not something that man took upon himself.
But it's something that God has placed man under. He's got responsibility as he takes the leadership in the home spiritually and in natural things. And so it will require submission. And it says as unto the Lord, not nice. You know, the Lord just gives these instructions and He gives them within an encouraging way as unto the Lord.
That expression, fear, the fear of God in the verse 21, is really, uh, a key.
You know to submit.
At any level we must have a very old confidence in God Himself.
We will not be able to submit to anything if we really do not trust God.
Problem we have off the time with submission is uh.
We're thinking of the ones we're submitting to as being the ones we're supposed to fear.
And uh, this says submitting to one another.
In the fear of God, It's in the fear of God which.
More or less implies a distrust of yourself, doesn't it? Anyone who knows God knows that he can't trust himself. And, uh.
Some been asked a couple of times about.
Statements I've made in meetings about submitting to one another, especially by younger ones.
And I can think of cases where I've submitted to ones much younger than I.
It was not in the fear of death, it was in the fear of God.
And, uh, it's not a matter of submitting to some order.
That they said to do something.
Uh, submission is an attitude and you recognize that the Holy Spirit is in every believer.
And it doesn't matter how old they are, whether it's a brother or sister, submission is an attitude and a submission in the fear of God, And it's for His glory, because it's His assembly.
So this is an important point that Brother Bruce is making. It's in the fear of God, not in the fear of the ones we're submitting to.
Had one thing to I I agree with that about it being in the fear of God, but I think in the new translation.
Makes it not just God, but Christ, and there's something very precious about that because it takes in all of what was just said. But throughout this passage, everything is brought back to Christ himself. The perfect example in these things, even even the verse that was read earlier in verse 24. And therefore, as the church is subject, I think it should be subjected onto Christ.
That is that we are put into a perfect relationship with him.
And that's the overriding thought is we go through this particularly with the husbands and wives, but also with the other examples that we have an object and a relationship even more importantly with that object that in absolute perfection. And if everything we do is with reference to that person who with whom we have that relationship to then whatever others.
Relationships we have in in life, whether it's with our wives or husbands, our bosses.
Our children, our fathers, will be able to take them up in a proper way. We'll understand the true meaning that we have in Christianity for that submission. The Lord put the authority there, but when we do it, it's really is unto Him. It goes beyond whatever the object of authority is to the one who's behind it, and it sees beyond whatever the mistakes are with the one who has.
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The authority it sees beyond all of that to the perfect one who set that authority in its place. And that's the point, isn't it?
That we can think of, has been displayed perfectly in Christ, as you're saying, in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and as a man he displayed this virtue.
Of submission to his father. I do always those things which please my father, he could say.
And so when he invited us to come to him in Matthew Chapter 11, he then says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, or I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Normally when we think of taking on a yoke, we think we're getting ready for some, for some strenuous activity. We're getting ready to work. And so what's striking? How it says the end of that verse.
Shall find rest under your souls. Where my yoke is easy, my burden is light. And why was that? It was because as as Tim is saying.
In perfection he always understood the true import of every situation, circumstance, and he could even look beyond pilot think of it, and in calm dignity and the majesty of his soul he could give an intelligent answer.
In spite of all that was being thrown at him on that momentous occasion. And so as someone mentioned that it's often been mentioned that the person in the subject position is mentioned first year, the servants before the masters, the children before the parents, the wife before the husband. The person in the subject place has the has the opportunity by Christ displayed here in his entire life.
To show that beautiful virtue of submission to the will of God. In this case, as you point out, Tim, in the fear of Christ, when Paul writes to Titus, he speaks to those that were servants there, and without turning to it, he does say that they may adorn the doctrine of our God, our Savior in all things. You stop and think about that.
How? What does it mean? I remember the one of the first times I read that adorn. I even looked the word up in English. It means to enhance something's beauty.
How can you possibly enhance the beauty of the word of God? It's perfect, purified. Nothing can be added to it except when it's displayed in life. It adorns the doctrine when it's displayed in their life. It was displayed perfectly in him. And so whether it's in the workplace as we may get to, or in the family, as I mentioned before, I have a father, a living father and I, he's always my father and he's always.
Uh, has that honor and respect from us children that doesn't go away, whether it's in the home again, all of it. We have these opportunities, uh, to adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior in all things.
Thought on the choice cleaning's calendar this morning in connection with that verse that you mentioned in uh, Matthew Chapter 11, connection with the yoke and where it says my burden is light. We know that the Tabernacle was to be carried through the wilderness and the verse that appeared on the calendar this morning was a verse from.
Exodus chapter 27 it gives a description of the brazen altar and.
In verse 8.
Uh.
I should have mentioned in connection with the Brazen Al Alter rather than the Tabernacle.
Uh, it says hollow with boards, shalt thou make it? Well, the thought was if that was made so solid, it would be such a burden for those that carried it. And so God had given some thought to that too. And uh, I enjoyed that thought and there was some connection with, uh.
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Matthew 11 and 29 in connection with this scripture. I had never thought of it that way, but it's one of the things you see sometimes after you read something again and again.
Might be good to point out that the fear of the Lord and pointed out a little earlier in verse 21 is the fear of Christ, but a little later on we have the fear of the Lord.
It's not being afraid of God. It's as an older brother used to remind us when we were younger, it's being afraid to displease the Lord. And so you could read it this way in verse 21, submitting yourselves 1 to another being afraid to displease Christ. And so let's never be afraid of the Lord. It's not our place that says that we don't have the spirit of fear.
And because we know the Lord as our Savior and so on, let's read that in just to make this point clear.
First, John.
Chapter 5, I think it is no chapter 4, verse 18, there is No Fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that fear, it is not made perfect in love. So we're not talking about being afraid of the Lord Jesus. We're not talking about being afraid of God, but being afraid of displeasing him. Because as the verse has already been quoted that the Lord Jesus could say truthfully, I do always those things that please my Father. He walked in the fear of the Lord.
All his pathway.
Never disobeyed, not once. And so we have this principle that we want to obey in connection with submission in these natural relationships, that it might please Christ. Someone has said that the happiest people upon the earth are those that are occupied with Christ and those that are trying to please someone else. You're going to have a happy marriage if you're trying to please someone else, if you're trying to please your marriage partner.
You're not trying to please yourself.
And you're going to have a happy Christian life if you're trying to please the Lord, you're not trying to please yourself, you're not trying to make Christian doctrine suit the course of activity that you want to go in. And so it's wonderful to think of how the Lord sets before us Christ as the object, and then his, his submission as well, and then gives these practical instructions.
As to the order that God himself has established.
For our blessing.
Help us to see that.
There are three circles which we're all familiar with. Umm, the first one is the sphere of the body. The second one is the sphere of profession, and the last one is the sphere of Christianity. From from, uh, chapter 4 to the end of the portion that has been read, umm is divided up into these three different sections and explains those sections. Umm, and we'll go through each section, but this last section that has were taken up with is creation.
So if you look at those circles.
And it says one God, one Father of all in verse, I'm sorry, chapter 4 and verse six. It's one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all that has to do with creation. That is to say that what we're taking up with here is what God's order for us is in creation.
That is that in this world, you look around this whole world and no one is living and walking in these principles.
Why is there not honoring their husbands?
God and creation has set us in an orderly way, giving Christ as an example that we might live in the creation that he has set up in a way that's according to his mind. And so we do it in the fear of Christ because he is he is the one in whom is our example, in whom we follow. And so I just, I just say this because it brings out something that really is preceding this portion.
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So when we're reading this, what we're really reading is that we have the privilege of walking in God's creation according to his mind. You can only do that if you're filled with the spirit. You can only do that if you're enjoying the the, the pathway, the trials, the spiritual exercise, the praise that we have in these hands and and that that what do we do that we that we're obedient 1 to another.
And everything flows from that. So I just say that just so it's, it's beautiful to see that that what this is, is in this world that God has created. Only God's people live like this. Only God's people have the privilege of walking according to his mind.
Yes, that's very, very good.
Good. What others have said too, if we can be practical about it. What kind of a world do we live in today? We live in a world of self, don't we? And we have to recognize that that attitude and spirit can creep in and does creep in among believers. And without wanting to point the finger anywhere but back here, sometimes we approach marriage as if it's going to be the.
Panacea for all the problems in our lives. Everything is going to straighten out. Everything is going to go well. Once I get a life partner, everything will be nice and smooth and even. But if self is before me, it only compounds the problem, doesn't it? Because I am then expecting my partner to do everything that I want while I sit there and have my own needs satisfied.
It's a prescription for disaster, isn't it?
But what do we have here? We have Christ as the perfect example, whether it's one in submission or one in leadership.
We have said that everything and I agree with our brother Robert when he said this was written when the church was in order.
And it's true. But I think you will agree, Robert, that even when the church was in order, no one carried this out perfectly, did they? Did anyone ever submit as Christ submitted? I don't believe so.
Did any wife ever submit the way Christ submitted perfectly to the Father? No, and not only that, but the Lord submitted to the authority in this world wicked and.
Wrong as it was, he submitted to it. He showed his power. But then he allowed the Jewish leaders and the soldiers to arrest them to bind him. He allowed Pilate and the Roman soldiers to mistreat him.
Did anyone ever submit as he did? No. But did anyone ever love as He does love the church? Did any husband after love ever love his wife as Christ has loved the church? There's a husband here that does that. I'd like to meet him after the meeting. No, we didn't. We don't do that, do we? But God never sets before us an example any less than His beloved son, knowing, if we could say it reverently, full well.
That will never reach that height down here, but He sets Christ before us and as has been brought out, and I agree 100% with it, we are to look beyond the human vessel in this world and see the honor and glory of Christ beyond it.
And I suppose that, uh, this would, uh.
Also apply in the assembly situation because.
Submission is a healing principle.
Most of the divisions.
Have, uh, denied this, uh, this principle in, uh, in opposing, uh, an authority of the assembly imparted by the ward, resulting in some serious division. So the submission here, uh, in the family, so important, but also in the assembly and in the work world because, uh, there is so much, uh.
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Uh, agitation now to, uh, to oppose the authority in the, uh, secular world in order to obtain what we want. We shouldn't be part of that. We should accept our circumstances from the Lord and, uh.
And take our difficulties to the board.
Responsible position in this world isn't he. To be the husband is to take the leadership and to be in responsibility that there might be fruitfulness in the home for God. A husbandman is a farmer, another word for a farmer, and he tills the ground and so on. He's responsible to bear fruit and that's how he makes his living. But you and I that are married, we are responsible to God.
That there might be a spirit, a condition of things in the home, that there might be fruit for God, and that the whole might be ordered in such a way that there is fruit for him. And so we have the Lord Jesus. And it says in verse 25 that I'm just going to point out the actions that the Lord is presented as doing in this little passage. It says love your wives, and even as Christ also love the church.
He did that in the past. He gave himself for it. He gave, so He loved. He gave. And then what's he doing presently in verse 26? He sanctified. He's sanctifying it and cleansing it with washing of water by the Word. And then he's going to, in the future, He's going to present it to himself, a glorious church. And what's he doing right now in verse 29? He's nourishing it and cherishing it. It's wonderful to think of how Christ is cherishing.
The church he will in a future day, but he does now. He cherishes you. He nourishes you day by day and so a husband is to be the head. He is the head of the wife in verse 23 as Christ is the head of the church or the assembly. We know that this word church should be translated assembly and he is the savior of the body. Well, the body isn't saved yet. Is it worthy? We're still have.
We're waiting for the redemption of our bodies, and the Lord Jesus is going to have a perfect bride.
The man in this world doesn't have a perfect bride, and the wife doesn't have a perfect husband, but in that day the perfect husband is going to have the perfect bride, and that's what's presented to us here in this passage. And so he, Christ, is the head of the assembly. He is the Savior of the body, and he presents this fact that the church is subject under Christ.
And so let the wise be to their own husbands and everything husbands. Now we have that responsibility.
Would it be possible for a wife not to submit to a husband that dearly loved her and proved it every day? I suggest that our wives would be more, umm, fruitful in this way as they walked in the fear of Christ, as they experience the love of their husbands in a very real way. Love and giving. Marriage is a sacrificial relationship, and that's what's brought out here in verse 25. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
And so.
If our if the husbands were much more exercised about this and loving their wives, and not only just saying that they love their wives, but acting in a practical way, there would be fruit in the home.
Fruit for Christ, and there would be that submission.
I'd like to read a couple of verses in first Peter chapter 5, but I think applied to our topic.
First Peter, chapter 5, verse 5.
Likewise, the younger submit yourselves under the elder. Yay, all of you be subject 1 to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.
Casting all your care upon you. Free territory. And on the topic of submission, I think that.
00:50:05
It can be helpful to remember that a lack of submission exhibits itself in many different ways in different people, and when I was growing up and needed to submit myself to my parents quite often that meant doing some chore that I didn't want to do. But I find that.
As an adult.
It is so much more difficult to accept health than to do work that you're asked to do and so.
There in verse seven, casting all your care upon him for he cares for you. Our pride often times says I can carry it all myself. I don't need any help. I'm strong enough to carry it but.
It's interesting to me that submission follows with casting your care.
On the Lord and to our brother's comments that the the yoke is easy and the burden is light, and to trust the will of God because as was mentioned, He's our Creator and our Savior. And we may think His way is more difficult, but He knows us better than we know ourselves. And so when we can submit to His plan for our lives, and that may mean accepting help from others.
But when we can submit to his plan, he knows the best way forward for us and it's going to bring much more joy and it's going to be much easier for the believer to follow His will.
Why does it say your own husband?
As opposed even 11 I I was sitting here thinking of the same language because it's in both verses. I suppose there might be a temptation to just kind of pick and choose what principles or what line of things you may you may want to adhere to. But as has been mentioned before, and I have I mentioned this to my.
Daughter when she was about to be married.
I, I spoke with, with her. Uh, seriously, if this isn't a man that you feel you can happily submit to and respect, then don't proceed into this marriage. Because the woman is the glory of the man, so to speak, in a natural sense, and is responsible to adapt to that man. Not men in general, but to that man.
And in that marriage and in that home, and she and he together, uh, uh, are responsible for the tone of things in that family. So I suppose, you know, putting myself, if I were to put myself into that position as a wife in the assembly and listening to the ministry and different brothers have a different exercises and line of things. He said, oh, I kind of like that. And I like a little this and a little of the other. Yeah. We're all members of the body of Christ and we listen, uh, re, regardless of whether we're male or female.
But when it comes to these practical matters of submission and how the principles of God, the word of God is translated into a life, it's it's your husband and your family and and that's the way it should be. It's not a pick and choose its own husband said twice. And I think in other places in the New Testament, it may say it as well.
In First Corinthians Chapter 11.
Says this, but I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. You'll notice there it doesn't say husband because a woman wears a head covering when she's in the presence of Mass, because Christ has placed man as head representative of his world. But it would be very wrong.
For my wife to be subject to Steve.
To be subject to her own husband because in creation God has given me the headship of my home and I believe that's part of the reason it says the head of your husband. It would be very irresponsible for another man to feel is still somehow my wife should should be under his headship or that he has some right to dictate to her. That's my responsibility and care.
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So it's the order in which God has set up a husband and a wife.
Deal to have one man and one woman married. We know that these institutions that God has introduced and and has established in creation for man's blessing and to display some little picture of Christ in the church. Those pictures, those illustrations have been corrupted by man, corrupted thoroughly. But in first Corinthians Chapter 11.
Verse seven it says for a man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as he is the image and.
Glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man, so she will represent the glory of the natural man. And so she covers her head as an act of submission, showing that she submits to the order that God has created and established in creation. And so the man represents the glory of God. He's not to cover his head. There's only the room, the place for the display of one glory.
When we're engaged in divine things, whether it's singing or praying or reading the Scriptures, we're divine. We're engaged in divine activities. Why the sister has to cover her hair, her head. It's the glory of the natural man, and there's only room for the display of God in his glory, the glory of the first of the the last Adam or the last man.
I'm getting it mixed up. What is it the 1St?
Last Adam's second man, so the last Adam, his glory as a sinless man needs to shine forth. And so that's why it speaks. Paul speaks different aspects of the truth in connection with submission in there in First Corinthians Chapter 11. It speaks of when we're engaged in spiritual activity.
Was there's one condition that, uh, could be, uh, mentioned in this, uh, line of truth, and that is, uh, we ought to obey God rather than man. So if the government or the authority imposed.
A regulation, uh, contrary to the word of God, uh, we should not submit to that.
Uh, he is the highest authority of all.
Umm.
I think I heard the story of a.
The husband who was not a believer.
Who forbid his wife to attend the Lord's Day morning meeting?
Uh, some brothers that, uh, I have heard, they said, well, she should have proceeded because that is a command of the Lord, but it's not a command of the Lord. It is a request. And, uh, brother who told the story.
Was right for the wife to submit to that.
Uh, although she.
Did not want to, as she wanted to remember the Lord in his death, but she submitted to her husband in that regard. And if I remember correctly, probably Bill remembers the story that the Lord came in in a remarkable way and delivered her from that imposition.
I just wanna make a little comment in connection with the thoughts that were brought out. It would be, uh, easier for a wife to take that place that God has given her if her husband shows her the love that God intends the husband to show. I'd like to take the inverse.
Sisters, if your husband is reticent.
To take the place that God has given him as head.
Takes the place of being subject to him. Let him take that headship. You may see some activity that you discern should take place, should be happening, and he's not stepping up to what he should be doing.
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Take the subject place. Be patient, Give him the time and space to take that place. You can't force him to take it by words.
But in a certain sense you can by taking the retiring place and saying I'm not going to fill those shoes. You have to do it.
By just taking the quiet and retiring place, there's an inverse of it as well. And there's such a great temptation to go fill those shoes and to take up. And perhaps there's more energy with the wife and more discernment.
Than the husband don't take the temptation to step into those shoes. If that activity doesn't take place, can you just submit your will to the to the will of God and leave it there and go on happily with your husband? Or you become agitated that the thing you think should be happening isn't and then you step out of the place where the Lord has given you.
To get a similar thought, don't you in First Peter chapter 3 where there is a sister that is married unbeliever?
And she's to be subject to him and everything and not adorning herself by dressing up and and her apparel, but by an obedient heart. And that it was the whole interesting in the Lord that she may win her husband to Christ by living obedience. And that's really the proper. And that's similar to what you're saying there, Steve, except you're talking about a believing husband that doesn't walk up to his responsibility.
That's very wise to give that advice, I believe.
And there is an.
Believe that perhaps we could mention here, and I believe it's an important one.
It was already pointed out that generally speaking, in Scripture, those in the position of submission are addressed first. And perhaps.
Uh, with the thought that yes, as we have just been hearing, the one in a position of leadership and authority may not be carrying that out in the right way, may not be stepping up to his or.
In some cases, her responsibilities, in the case of children perhaps. Uh, but generally the one in submission is addressed first, showing that we should submit even if the one in authority over us is not exercising it in the right way.
But then what do we find toward the end of the chapter, right in the last verse? Oh, we find the orders reversed, don't we? Verse 33 Nevertheless, let everyone of you in particular so love his wife even as himself. And then it says and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Mr. Wigram points out in his ministry and uh, I read it many, many years ago, was quite impressed with it, he said. Generally speaking, in my experience, whenever there is failure in a sphere of authority that God has set up, it has been the higher member that failed first.
That hit me hard, but the more I have seen it in my observation and experience over the years, I feel that generally it's true. That is, that when God puts a husband, puts a master, puts parents within a sphere of authority, and gives them a charge, He holds them responsible for the character of things which they foster in that sphere of authority.
Does that excuse the one in a position of submission, as has been brought out for acting improperly? By no means. I am called, as we have sometimes said, to read my own mail. When it comes to Scripture. If I am in a position of submission, I am not to step out of it, even if the one in authority is not doing what he or she should. But at the same time, let us recognize that generally.
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The failure starts with the one who's in the higher position. Now. Again, I heartily agree. Much trouble has come about from a lack of submission. I don't take away from that at all. But let's remember there is a serious responsibility on both sides of the equation.
Is that right, Robert?
Here it speaks in verse 32. This is a great mystery. Now under Judaism and in the previous days as Adam and his wife were created and placed in the garden, man didn't know what this relationship represented, the marriage relationship. They had no idea. The Jews had no idea. They said to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 19. Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause?
They abused the marriage relationship. They didn't have any respect or reverence for it, but a believer brought into the knowledge of the truth that Christ is the head of the body and he is the bridegroom. That heavenly bridegroom were soon to be united to him, and we are a part of that bride. We acknowledge and we enjoy the fact that man, that little picture of Adam and Eve in the garden of the Lord is a picture of Christ in the church.
Price went down into death, a little picture of Adam falling into the deep sleep and the bone taken out of his rib taken out of his side and a woman built by that with that rib. It's a picture of Christ in the church. There were many mysteries that were given those things that were hidden in the past. But he says in verse 32, it's a great mystery. And so This is why.
It's brought out here in such loveliness as the.
Picture of Christ in the church is to be maintained in Christian marriage. There should be an abundant evidence, a witness, a testimony to a Christian household in the neighborhood that you live in, that I live in. It should be distinctly different to a worldly household. There should be real evidence that there's we represent Christ in the church.
And I'll just point out in verse 31, I didn't mean to go on too long, but it's umm.
The husband and the wife don't become one person.
There's still two peoples, there are two persons, there are still two wills, there's still two opinions, there's still two people that are married, but they're one flesh and so.
We need to be accurate in connection with this. That's why the Spirit of God gives this instruction. Nevertheless, let let everyone of you be in so in particular so love his wife a different person even as himself a different person and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
I feel pressed to just add one comment that I don't think has been touched on, and to do so I try to briefly tell a story that right after my wife and I were married, we were at a conference and brother Norman Barry came up to me and squared me up like he would had a habit of doing and umm.
And, uh, when he got my full attention, he looked at me very seriously and he said, I have something to tell you that which was obvious. And, and then he, you know, he kind of sit there and pause for that seemed like the longest time ever. And I thought, well, this is really gonna be heavy and he's, he's really gonna give me something good here. When he and he did, and he said, and the way Norman did, he kind of pause between each word and he said.
Listen to your wife.
Now, unfortunately my wife was standing by and heard this communication and I had been reminded of it over the years a few times. But it's important.
In in the story of that Nathan gave to David after David sends so grievously he he laid that parable out and the little you lamb was like a daughter to the man and drank out of his cup and.
And so the husband and, and we men, many of us find this difficult, but we have to open up and allow the wife to come close spiritually and emotionally.
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Because we need that.
And it's helpful to us, and so to the brothers, I think especially we are encouraged in the Scriptures to wait upon one another.
The sisters who are silent in ministry and the assembly have the advantage of just listening and taking things in. And that's a big advantage. And so I'm sure I'm not the only one who's, you know, you if you get done speaking. And so I enjoyed that. You never know what to say. I enjoyed that. But when you get back to your room, you kind of hear hopefully the other side and you need that. And sometimes when we misbehave, brothers.
The sisters see that and not to quote any particular sister, but they say.
Don't, don't they have a wife? Don't their wives, you know, don't they ever say anything? And so submission is not being totally.
Dialing down the energy and not saying anything ever. But submission includes being a wise counselor that's in the inner circle of the man to be a help. Think of Abigail, how she handled David and she thought of his best interests and looked forward to what would be for his glory and and not to his regret. And she made a suggestion that David took in and said, wow, am I glad I listened to that. And he he took the counsel and she went home and submitted to her husband.
Who the Lord dealt with, but I just say that I'm sorry to run over the time, but I feel it's important to add that side of things for the sisters. They have spiritual understanding and wisdom and they have a special perch to be a help to that husband that no one else possibly has that opportunity to be a help. Maybe not even the brothers dearest male friend. And so don't don't ignore that that helpful portion that's yours.
So we just closed with fair.
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee for thy precious word. We.
Exactly. That's, uh, the loftiest truths have such a practical, uh, outworking in their display in our lives. We think of the things that have been before us and how they affect our walks So, uh, intimately down here in our individual pathway and our, uh, family life and in the assembly life too, for that is, uh, largely touched by, uh, our individual and family life. And so we pray.
That we might take in these directions, these exhortations, uh, words of wisdom that uh, the Spirit of God would uh, bring before our souls and uh, to walk in the good of them. We thank thee for, uh.
Practical wisdom for the pathway, but also for that high motive given to us of having everything in our lives directed towards Thy beloved Son and and as the perfect example for us, and then submission to him and His Lordship over. So we ask for help. We feel how far short we each come in these things.
And, uh, we need thy help. May we, uh, indeed have lives that are, uh, in the PO walked in the power of the Spirit of God that would exclude things of nature that otherwise would control us. So we just ask this, our God and Father and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen, Amen, Amen.