Love Her as Christ Loved the Church: The Husband as Priest, Teacher and Provider
"Love her as Christ loved the church. Cherish her, cover her, teach your home the Word, and leave something behind for your children's children."
This is the concluding part on the role of men. Teaching in a series, week by week, has a real effect. People remember it, and it changes them. Let's recap and then go further.
Man was made in the image of God and is the glory of God. A man is meant to be a blessing.
Freedom With Wisdom
"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient" (1 Corinthians 10:23). You may be free to do something, but is it helpful? A godly man asks not only, "Can I?" but also, "Will it build?"
Bold and Confident in the Lord
A man should be bold and confident in the Lord. Weak, compromising men are not good for a home. We saw in Isaiah 3 that removing godly men is a judgment. The man is the leader. A wise wife gives counsel and her opinion, and the man carries the responsibility to lead.
A wife loves more deeply when she sees her husband as a strong, confident leader.
Honor the Authority Over You
If our parents, our pastor or our teachers are against us, we will not progress. Honor the authority God has placed over you.
Devotion, as Unto the Lord
Peter speaks to wives again in 1 Peter 3:1. I prefer the word devoted. As the man is under Jesus, the woman is under Jesus too, and in that order she honors her husband. Sarah called Abraham lord (1 Peter 3:6). Culture has changed. God's Word has not.
The One Area Without Compromise
There is one area where you can never compromise: following Jesus. That is why an unequal yoke leaves a rift that cannot be fixed unless someone compromises.
Peace in a Believer's Home
Suffering comes either from our own sin or from the sin of others, especially those in authority over us. In suffering we come closer to God. But a believer's home should not be full of stress. And there is no quick fix. Healthy homes are built.
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25). Worship in hard places is a powerful witness. Let your home be like that.
Love as Christ Loved the Church
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25). Read Ephesians 5:25-33.
This love is sacrificial and self-giving. Christ is the covering, the protection and the security of His church. A husband is called to be that for his wife.
"So ought men to 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" (Ephesians 5:28-29).
Cherish Her
Cherish your wife. Enjoy her. Treat her as special. One sign of a successful marriage is a husband who is proud of his wife. God put the Song of Solomon in the Bible. Love matters to Him.
The Husband as Priest and Teacher
The man is the first pastor and the primary teacher of his children. He must be trained in the Word himself so that he can lead his wife in the Word and in life.
Guard your home from wrong morals and wrong teaching. Don't allow your children to drift into ungodly relationships.
When Job's children feasted, "Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all... Thus did Job continually" (Job 1:5). Jacob gathered his sons before he died and spoke over each of them (Genesis 49). A father is the judge of his household. He sets the standard and applies it.
Honor Your Parents and Establish Your Life
I have seen those who ignored their parents suffer for it. Honor your parents while they are alive, and receive their blessing. Esau later wept for his father's blessing.
Establish your life and your work before you marry. If a man does not know himself, how can a wife help him? Marriage itself is not the great thing. A good marriage is the blessing.
The Husband as Provider
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (1 Timothy 5:8).
"A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children" (Proverbs 13:22). An inheritance lets your children start the race of life further ahead than you did.
Men Who Build
Teach like this for twenty years and a generation changes. Men like this make a city great, a nation great and a church great. It is from such men that bishops and deacons are chosen (1 Timothy 3).
I pray for reconciliation in families, and for children to be restored to their parents.
The Marriage in the Lord Series
This is Part 6 of a 9-part teaching on marriage in the Lord. Here is the full series in order:
Part 1: Marry Only in the Lord: Why Your Marriage Covenant Shapes Your Destiny
Part 2: The Wife's Role in Marriage: Helper, Glory and Keeper of the Home
Part 3: The Husband's Role in Marriage: Dwell With Understanding and Honor
Part 4: Becoming Ready for Marriage: Leave, Cleave and Choose Wisely
Part 5: The Family God Builds: A Man's Calling as Leader, Lover and Protector
Part 6: Love Her as Christ Loved the Church: The Husband as Priest, Teacher and Provider (you are here)
Part 7: How to Make Your Marriage Blessed: Fear God and Keep His Word
Part 8: What God Has Joined: Faithfulness, Agreement and a Godly Seed
Part 9: Pursue Peace in Your Marriage: Recognizing and Breaking Toxic Patterns
Previous: Part 5: The Family God Builds
More Teaching Series
The Mystery of Open and Closed Doors: Start with Part 1: The Stealer of Joy
The Decision Series: Start with Part 1: Why Decisions Matter
The Lordship Series: Start with Part 1: Is Jesus Your Lord or Only Your Savior?
Declarations
I will love my wife as Christ loved the church.
I will cherish my wife and be proud of her.
I will be the first teacher of the Word in my home.
I will guard my home from wrong teaching and wrong morals.
I will provide for my household.
I will leave an inheritance for my children's children.
I will be bold and confident in the Lord.
Stay Connected & Grow Deeper
Watch the full message: Part 6 of the Marriage in the Lord series on YouTube. Please note that the message is preached in Hindi.
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