It is estimated that there have been written over 100 million songs about love. Out of the 1.1 million feature films, short films and made-for-tv-movies, the majority of them are about love. Half of all adult aged Americans today are married. There are an estimated 100 billion jokes about wives, husbands and marriages…ok that’s just my estimate…but I have brought you one, of course.
A woman was caught shoplifting at the grocery store and had to go to court. Her loving husband of course went with her to be by her side. The judge asked her what she stole and her response was, “A can of pears.” The judge looked puzzled for a moment and asked, “How many pears were in the can?” The lady replied, “Six.” Thinking for a minute, the judge said, “Well I am going to sentence you to six years in jail, one for each pair.” The woman was stunned and just then her husband raised her hand. She breathed in an air of relief knowing her husband would reason with the judge. Then he said, “Your honor, she also stole a can of peas!” HA!!
We just finished, well three weeks back, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 which is the chapter in the Bible that gives us the display, the manifestation, the sounding of the more excellent way than any ever created or knowable to man…agape…unconditional self-less love is put on display for us in this chapter. That if you truly do love someone the way that God loves you, the way that God has commanded us to love others, then with them, our love for them is patient, it is kind, it doesn’t envy, doesn’t seek its own…for them and with them, just as Jesus does with me, love bears ALL things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. And no matter what this worldly circumstance turns out to be, love never, in the long run, fails…it’s unstoppable. No expiration and no deterrence.
It’s interesting. This kind of love, between God and mankind, bilateral, has a purity factor that pre-dates the fall. And what is equally as important to mention is that so does marriage. God instituted marriage before the fall. It is therefore the original, along with the man’s fellowship agape with his Creator, marriage is the original target of the enemy. Put them together, agape and marriage…number one on the hit list and hate list of Satan himself.
You see we all have issues. Every marriage has problems. But, as you walk with the Lord, sanctification has a reversing effect of the fall in your heart and life. Romans 12:1-2 explains that perfectly. And I love what Tony Evans explained once, cracks in your walls cannot be fixed and more will always come, you’ll always be doing patchwork, if you do not fix the foundation that keeps shifting. That foundation…of your walk with the Lord…and primarily in the marriage…is love.
The relationship between a man and his wife, a woman and her husband, this is the target bullseye where the enemy does not want love to reign. Why? Because if he can take out the parents, he can harm the children. And if he can destroy the family, he will deal a death blow to the church. And a death blow to the church is a death sentence for the world. Malachi 2:16 says, “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” says the Lord of hosts, “Therefore take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously.”
Two things there to point out…the absence of love in the home, in the covenant of marriage, is a suit of violence for the family. We dress for our employment don’t we? If you work at Chick-Fil-A then you wear your name tag, your shirt…khakis and a red polo if you work at State Farm…you gear up if you’re a policeman or policewoman…if love is not present in your marriage, in your dealings with your spouse, you’re employed in violence in your home. Perhaps not even seen…but there is violence happening within the heart and spirit of all members of your family.
Second thing to see, God says to “take heed to your spirit.” Divorce, love, marital problems…these are spiritual issues. I don’t care if the problem is money, intimacy, stress, in-laws…let the list build…the issue is spiritual every time a marriage ends in divorce…every time love is not present in a marriage…and the enemy knows that if he can ensure love does not reign in your marriage, he can spiritually harm, take a spiritual sucker punch swing…at the children. Which he absolutely loves because they are absolutely innocent, and they are absolutely harmed. Reminds him of the cross…
The enemy also knows that if he disrupts the family then he can disrupt the church. In 1 Timothy 3 Paul gives the requirements, the qualifications for leadership within the church and he speaks of being a husband, a temperate leader of the home having his children in submission. He says in 1 Timothy 3:5, “For if a man does not know how to lead his own home, how will he take care of the church of God?”
But, if love reigns, 1 Corinthians love, the love that is available to you, given for you, waiting in the hands of the Savior for you, the love that pre-dates sin…if love reigns then everything is reversed. You’re not suited in violence, now you awake every day, woke to the mission…aware of your enemy and yet winning, waking every day and putting on a suit of peace! That’s the opposite of violence! Peace. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you!” He is where you obtain agape love and He is the tailor to this suit!
If love reigns, then the children are secured. They are protected and provided for spiritually. That is spiritual leadership in the house. Not barking bible verses to correct behaviors…but walking with the Lord and leading in love. If love reigns then the body of Christ fortifies and the enemy stands no chance. We’ve spent time going verse by verse through the chapter that puts love on display and marriage is the single-most God-designed other-centered union in the world. It is the place of primary application on this earth of the love we learn of in 1 Corinthians 13.
Why on this earth? Because the primary application as a whole where love ought to be applied, sought, strived for…MUST HAVE…is from my heart, from your heart, to God. Jesus said that we ought to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength…primary…and then we can love others as ourselves. Love must reign in your marriage. Love must reign in your homes…or you’re suited up to harm all that you love and all that the Lord is wanting to do through His church.
The first thing you need to understand practically about marriage is that God did not create marriage for you to find happiness and fulfillment. That is only and can only be found in a God! In fact, get ready for the flesh to be greatly enhanced! If you have a problem now, getting married will only serve to bring it to the surface! If you’re unhappy now, unfulfilled now, you will be the same as a wife…as a husband. In fact, it will be multiplied. Satan never messed with mankind until they were married…
Oh, and he will mess you with. Exploit the vast differences between a man and a woman. Here’s one example. Wife texts her husband, “I got lost!” Husband texts back, “Where are you?” Wife texts back, “In the car!” HA! Happens all the time. Just yesterday, I texted April, “Do we have any extra tickets to the Newsboys concert?” Her response, “Do you want to go!?” THAT’s NOT WHAT I ASKED! HA!! See, let the testing begin!!
Genesis 1:27. Marriage was given to us by God that in it we would bear His image on earth. What is the image of God? 1 John 4:8, God is love. Love is everything we’ve learned in 1 Corinthians 13. It is unconditional, unrestricted, unlimited and unequivocal…and that is why divorce is not of God. It is foreign to His nature. Marriage is not a contract, it is a covenant. Malachi 2:14. The difference is that there is no out of a covenant. This is a direct reflection of the image of God…whether the Old or the New Covenant, God gave Himself no out and not for a moment was He or has He been or will He ever turn, He is forever faithful…He has no out. That is a covenant. Marriage is not a deal between two people…it is a covenant between you and God. What is marriage primarily designed to be? A reflection, an image of the power of God, the love of God and the faithfulness of God through His creation.
Genesis 1: 28a. Marriage is the primary avenue that God has ordained on earth for the proliferation of His image. Offspring and lineage are not to preserve your name…they are given, the design from the beginning, is that they are to preserve the name of God. This is why God always calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because this is how He reveals Himself to the generations…through the generations! If the enemy can kill the agape, he can kill the lineage…stop the gospel. We wonder how the world has gotten so far off…it’s because the husbands and wives of the church have gotten so far off! And generations that do not worship God are coming out of “church families!”
Listen, in marriage you need to establish your home. Genesis 2:24 says, “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Close the circle…seal your home. As for me and my house…we shall serve the Lord. Is that true of your home including your dealings with your spouse AND your priorities of schedule with your children? Neglect the whole world rather than neglect what your children need to be spiritually healthy…you say, whatever…he is going to be the next NBA star…that’s exactly what the enemy would want for him too…
These are the tenants of a Godly marriage…here are a few bite-size steaks before we close.
You can have control, or, you can have connection. But you cannot have both. 1 Corinthians 13:5, “Love does not seek its own.”
Forgiveness is strong…love is stronger. 1 Peter 4:8 in quoting Proverbs 10:12 the word used in the Greek for “cover” means to hide the knowledge of a thing…if you love, forgiveness need not be applied. Love is long suffering…not provoked…bears and endures all things. These are the four rings of marriage…the engagement ring, the wedding ring, suffering…and enduring!
God never blesses compromise…that’s contract talk. God always blesses sacrifice…because when sacrifice is perceived, mercy arrives. Jesus said in Matthew 9:13, “Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Sacrifice for your spouse welcomes and ignites love…in both hearts.
Go-do’s. Erase divorce from your thought-file, option list and word bank. Compliment your spouse. Create pleasurable interactions with and for your spouse. Focus on appreciating your spouse. Say “I love you,” not, “love you,” and say it every day. After being apart for any length of time more than an hour or so, always greet your spouse with affection. Always. And remember, if you get upset with her, if you’re fed up with him, it’s not their fault…it’s God’s. He’s the One that brought you together! HA! Take it to Him…let love lead and reign…fix the foundation…the cracks won’t just fix themselves…they just won’t happen any longer.
Marriage Series Session 1 - Let Love Reign
Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek
October 6, 2019 • Pastor Matt Korniotes
Ephesians 5 vs 22-33 Study 3
June 4, 2023 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Ephesians 5:22–33
Assembly instructions have come with marriage just like a piece of Ikea furniture. It’s there, in the box, but it begins in pieces. But there’s hope. A little piece of paper that says, this piece goes here and this piece goes there. And if you follow the instructions, you get what you intended to buy…, if not, you have a pile of pieces. Now, sometimes putting that piece of furniture together with your spouse can be…trying, and the tools they give you in the box are just the worst. HA! But nevertheless, follow the instructions, and you’ll get what you want… Ephesians Chapter 5 Verses 25 - 33 In these verses there is essentially only one directive towards husbands, God’s intention for him, us, me…and it’s not only the key but also the only imperative, the must have that God has given to us in designing the family and the home, not to subject us to some sort of life-long hardship but rather to establish us as kingdom men, husbands, fathers and sons. Now, we’ll look at all of what Paul has said, but none of it works or even makes sense unless we understand, accept and apply the one directive. And that must for a husband towards his wife is to love her. Now, men, we aren’t finished. Because inherent in God’s command/call is also the necessity to seek the Lord. Why? You aren’t going to naturally love your wives and you don’t naturally even know what this love is… And here’s the problem, she does. She’s wired this way. To understand love and to understand and sense when she is loved and when she is not being loved. And so, to figure this out, it’s not “ok let me go love my wife,” unfortunately and frustratingly its far more than that… What we are going to see is that to do these things as God has commanded, requires tremendous determination and as we look at this together, try not to get discouraged, because it’s been said, “Everything is hard until its easy.” We first need to understand this word. Words are cheap in the English language and I love my car, I love my job, I love a perfectly prepared steak, is that, are those how I should love my wife? (Maybe if you’re Jeffrey Dahmer! HA!) What happens when my car breaks down? When my job gets hard and people make my day cruddy? Still love my job? What happens when the steak is well done? Blasphemy! HA! In the Greek, there are actually four words for love. And the word used in conversation, what word was used, made all the difference. There’s “storge” which is the word for familial love. The naturally developing affectionate bond between parents, siblings, etc. And that’s an important one because it’s quite special. You don’t quite love anyone the way you love your child. That’s “storge.” Not what we’re talking about in Ephesians Chapter 5. There’s “phileo.” This is the emotional love between good friends. A brotherly love. This a love founded on, based in and maintained in a give and take type relationship. This love is a response to someone who treats you a certain way. If your friend doesn’t treat you right, you say, “I thought we were friends.” Therefore, this is a “you stop, I stop” love. This is not what we’re talking about in Ephesian Chapter 5. There’s another word for love that is most popular and prevalent today and that is the Greek word “eros.” Eros is a sensual, romantic, fleshly need type love, and this is the love that we hear of in all the songs, see in all the movies and this is the love that our global society is most, if not only, concerned with. Eros love is basically lust. I have needs, those needs are natural, I want those needs filled, and the filling of my needs is to love and to be loved. This is the love that men very naturally understand… but not the love we’re talking about in Ephesians 5… This is why “love is love” is absolutely correct. Whether I choose an animal, a tree, or another human to marry, love is most certainly love when we are talking eros. And eros is not mentioned once in the Bible. Hold that thought. The final and fourth word for love in the Greek language is “agape.” This is the highest of the four types of love and truly in the company of the other three words, this one stands alone and one could say that this is the only one we should even call love once you understand what it is. The problem is that we (English language) have one word for the four ideas we’ve learned… Agape is perfect. God is perfect and 1 John 4:8 says, “God IS love,” and therefore this love is…, perfect. It is pure. Without blemish. Without fail and fallacy. It is unconditional. This is not an emotion at all…, that’s “phileo.” This is not a feeling at all…, that’s “eros.” This is agape and it means “decision, commitment, covenant.” This word for love means discipline and determination. We will build this out but this is the love we are, non-negotiable, to have and to express for and towards our wives. It’s major. And let me tell you men this, “discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons, and success is tons of discipline!” This is truly impossible if your focus is on your relationship with her… I believe that’s why Paul points us to Jesus here in Ephesians 5… Ok, back to an earlier thought for just a moment. This is why “love is love” is correct but it’s also incorrect. In the understanding of the world, “eros is eros” is entirely right! Applaud! Makes sense! Duh! Marry your car! HA! But “love is love,” “eros is agape,” is entirely WRONG because unconditional, commitment love has nothing to do with the filling of fleshly needs/wants love. Totally wrong. In fact, to affirm “eros is agape,” is to make God into some sort of humanistic physical force, which in other words, the flesh. But Jesus said in John 4:24 that “God is Spirit…” So, is eros eros? OF COURSE. Is eros agape? Not even in the same category and to get there, one has to deny God… See the problem? Between the church and the world, same word, different language… When you take a wife unto yourself, this is the command, key, advice, counsel and non-negotiable that God has directed of His sons. To love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her… The decision of agape, the commitment, the covenant is that no longer are my needs, emotions, thoughts and priorities the aim and goal of my moment, day, or life… But all of those things are now her. Let’s put this in context… Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church. Who is the church? Its you and its me. So, husbands, love your wives as Jesus loves you. How does Jesus love you? What are the conditions? The only condition is His goodness. What if you never do anything right? Does Jesus still love you? Duh. What if you deny Him over and over again, does Jesus still love you? Duh… Do the priorities, thoughts, aims and goals of Jesus matter? Absolutely. And these are presented to us in the Word and in our relationship with Him. Is there intense blessing in submitting to Jesus? Absolutely! But, does Jesus love me even if I couldn’t care less about His priorities? Duh. Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” But what if…, there are no what ifs in agape… And this is the single directive of God towards husbands… All of the problems in your relationship with your wife, if you really think about it, are due to our wives not phileo-ing us or our wives not eros-ing us. If you wrap everything into and around agape, your problems disappear. Romans 5:8 says that while we were yet sinners, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that He gave His life! Do you know how much God hates sin? Psalm 7:11 says, “God is angry with the wicked every day!” He sees all my mess, my sin, my mistakes, my rebellion, my attitude, my terrible…all of it…and decides to love me anyway! “I hate what you’re doing but even so I’m going to demonstrate My love towards you.” That is agape and the single call, directive or the husband or the marriage will remain in pieces. In John 14:21 we read, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” There is a direct correlation to love and action. A direct correlation to love and what you DO. Agape love is demonstrated. That is how it is expressed, communicated and carried out. You can look at the cross and see love. Love/agape is always measured in action. “I tell my wife I love her all the time.” Worthless. That’s respect. You ought to do that as the Bible does say to give honor to your wife, but in the grand scheme of the love she needs and the love we are directed to demonstrate, words on their own are worthless. Paul writes that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and Isaiah tells us in chapter 53:5, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” AND verse 7 says, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” That is love and character and grit all wrapped into one…that is husbandry. Men, husbands, when we say I do what we are vowing to do is to take stripes for the rest of our lives in order to heal our wives. God will work in your wife and change your wife but not without you taking stripes. And Agape expects nothing, asks for nothing and complains about nothing. It just agape’s… This is the love you must decide is the way you are going to love your wives… Here’s why intense, tremendous determination is involved! Big statement: “The quality of your thinking is the ability to determine the long term effects of your current actions.” Paul says in Ephesians 5 that sanctifying and cleansing and washing her with the water of the Word of God, making her a glorious wife without spot or wrinkle or any such things, making your marriage and home holy and without blemish and ultimately being like Christ is nothing but and everything about agape love of the husband toward the wife. She will heal as you take stripes without any expectation of anything in return… Let’s get ultra practical just for a moment and then we are done. 1 Peter 3:7 says, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife…” What this means, which is a critical part of agepe-ing your wife is that you are to understand her! Which husband in here can understand his wife? HAHAHAHA! ZERO of us, and so we need help! Who is the greatest help in understanding our wives? OUR WIVES! But they won’t tell us! HA! SO, what must we do? Study them and ask questions and try things and figure it out. Look, if y’all can be mechanics and figure out that noise when you were making that turn is the CV Boot leaking grease off the CV Axle…, just from a click during a turn, you can learn what your wife does and doesn’t like! What makes her tick! But you’re going to need to study her in order to agape her… Without knowing what makes her tick, you can’t honor her…, and here is perhaps the most critical demonstration of agape from you to her…, to honor her is to make her feel good about who she is… We MUST do that! You used to do that…, remember, BEFORE you were married! Words won’t do it. Agape does it… And a woman that feels good about who she is, will make you feel good about who you are…, just sayin! So, do something small every day. Something just for her. And don’t tell her, don’t expect anything in return, just serve her. Empty the dishwasher. Wash her car. Make the bed. Just something like that. Many wives may have a heart attack after today…, HA! Stop being so boring! Be silly, be funny, do something out of the ordinary a few times a month. Be creative! You were before you got married, what happened? Date her. Make her think during her day, “I can’t wait to be with him.” Give her “me” time away from you and the kids. Letting her unwind and have some time to herself messages to her that she is important… Do love her with words, but do this during the day…, not just at 10pm when you’re hoping they pay off! HA! No, love her with kindness and with husband type words at 10am and expect nothing in return. Do it simply because this is how you obey God in your marriage. I know all this sounds difficult but to be a husband that agape’s his wife is to follow Jesus and truer words have not been spoken during our times today than these…, husbandry is the primary way that God is making every married man like Himself. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.” Because this is the primary avenue God is going to work in your life to make you more like Him. And He is awesome. Husbands as you agape her, you’ll be blessed in your relationship with God and your relationship with your wife. This is your only directive…, requires tremendous determination, but it will get good…, everything is hard until its easy! Imagine if this was no longer a burden task, but just simply who you are as a man…, I DEFINITELY want to be that!
Ephesians 5 vs 22-33 Study 2
May 28, 2023 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Ephesians 5:22–33
Assembly instructions have come with marriage just like a piece of Ikea furniture. It’s there, in the box, but it begins in pieces. But there’s hope. A little piece of paper that says, this piece goes here and this piece goes there. And if you follow the instructions, you get what you intended to buy…, if not, you have a pile of pieces. Now, sometimes putting that piece of furniture together with your spouse can be…trying, and the tools they give you in the box are just the worst. HA! But nevertheless, follow the instructions, and you’ll get what you want… Ephesians Chapter 5 Verses 22 – 24, 33 In these verses there are essentially two directives towards wives, intentions that God had in designing the family and the home, that He has given us not to subject us to some sort of life-long hardship but rather to give us the keys to unlocking His plan for our marriages. There are only two things here and we will spend our time today exploring them. Submit The directive to submit has been so very damaged and twisted. No wonder. Jesus came and said, “God has said,” but the enemy came and said, “Has God said…” He’s been twisting scriptures since before they were scriptures. Submission is spiritually nothing about human person over person authority and everything about assembly instructions…, everything about love. Most men, the vast majority and truly all Godly men, we don’t want or need or even truly benefit from submission, what we need and benefit from as a family and truly what we want is support support. One team. One purpose. One Home. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to His wife and the two shall become one. It is the support of one thing that allows the formation of the other. Unless the foundation supports the flooring, there will be no home. Unless the fuel supports the combustion, there will be no acceleration. To submit to your own husband is to formulate a response to faith personally that results in a peace within your home, family and even your husband himself. Wives, as the earthly companion to your husband, he should be able to assume with ease his God given responsibility in the home… Proverbs 31:10-11, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so, he will have no lack of gain.” A submissive wife is not a mousy wife but rather a life partner that adds to her home and to her husband all the things he has not on his own. Affirmation, stability, construction towards usefulness in the kingdom. God looked at man and said it’s not good for him to be alone. Even in the midst of perfection there was a discouragement in the man as he looked at how each animal had his companion and yet he did not. And so, God gave Eve to Adam to complete him and be his help-mate. Proverbs 31:12, “She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” She is not his battle, she is the reason he wins his battles. And together they take on the world which pleases the Father as both His children whom He loves so dearly are sent out two by two to not be discouraged nor destroyed but to be established. Proverbs 31:23, “Her husband is known in the gates,” respected as a judge and leader of men…, because she supports his own growth towards Godliness and she props us his good reputation. Proverbs 31:26, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” This is the key ingredient in the recipe for support in the home towards your man. Kindness. Kindness is everything. Kindness means you work to center…, you wives initiate and lead the charge towards goodness in your relationship. This is the desire of your husband but he has no idea how to do it, and yet for the wife, this is the greatest and most effective tool you have in your quiver. Men are EASY. Tell us we’re pretty and show us kindness and we will thrive. Proverbs 31:27, “She watches over her household,” takes accountability for the home, and her children and husband call her their biggest blessing and praise. This is all that it is to submit to and support your husband and this is why God has given him, brought him to you. Proverbs 31:30, “A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Your reward of supporting your husband will be that you are celebrated and the pieces come together to make what they were intended to become. This is to submit to your own husband as unto the Lord because all of that comes from fearing the Lord. Which leads us to the second thing, directive two of two towards wives in Ephesians 5. FEAR In the end of this verse set, this advice, guidance, counsel, design and directive of the Holy Spirit, we read, “Let the wife see that she respects her husband.” This is the only time, out of 93 times, that this word in the Greek is translated as “respect” in all of scripture. The word in the Greek is “phobeo,” which is every other time translated, all 92 other times, as to fear. What on earth are we talking about here? Is respect an appropriate translation? Absolutely. After we look at this a bit in context of the entirety of scripture, I think “respect” hit the mark well. Other well mark hitters include, “reverence,” and to “treat with deference.” There’s something entirely special and unlike any other the way the wife is to treat the husband. Perhaps better said, the way the husband so desperately desires to be treated by his wife. Ok, lets look at this word fear. Is it the right word to use here in the Greek? OF COURSE! This is the word of God! So is the wife to fear her own husband. Absolutely! BUT, what does that mean? Scripture really helps us out here and I want to step through a few things that make total sense and really, as a man, as a husband, resonate in my own mind and heart. Just one statement though, wife, are you afraid of your husband suffering? This really is the fear that I believe God is talking about… Do you care, is it something that even sets you to flight, puts you to action, the thought that he’s hurting and you could either turn that hurt off or help him in it? If so, you’re a good wife. And I think that is the foundation of this directive design given to us by God. What does God mean by wives, a good wife, fears her husband (because that is literally what it says here)? Looking at the other 92 times this word is used in scripture is a huge HUGE help. Let’s start with what it is NOT. It is NOT to fear your husband in some sort of way in terms of hurt, abuse, misuse or domination. 365 times we read in the Bible that we are to “fear not,” and so there is no way God repeated Himself hundreds of times telling us to not be fearful and then turns around and tells wives to be fearful, so we are talking about something else entirely with what is demanded of wives in Ephesians 5. 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” And so, we know this fear as wives are to fear their husbands, has nothing to do with torment in anyway towards wives from husbands. Ok, first stop, and I want to move through these rather quickly, Mark 4:41, “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” To fear your husband is to look for things about him and physically affirm what it is in him that is admirable and wow-ing. Husbands, we love that, and from our wives turns our heart to joy. Here's another example of that. Mark 5:15, “Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.” They weren’t afraid that Jesus was going to hurt or dominate them here. That’s not why they feared. They feared because they acknowledged His greatness and His power. A good wife will do this often for her husband. (Ladies are you taking notes? If not, what is wrong with you!? HA) Mark 5:25-34, “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the [affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her (that she had been healed), came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” Is she afraid in a bad way of Jesus? Absolutely not. She is knowing, acknowledging, seeing, expressing, communicating how He has helped and supported and healed her and that is the emotion, the action of fear here. Wives, you are better for having your husband. What God has brought together, let no man break apart. A good wife takes the time to think through how she has been healed, helped, positively supported, partnershipped by her husband and she hides it in her heart and that creates KINDNESS towards him. And oh, by the way, if you tell him, you’ll heal anything broken in him… This woman told Jesus the WHOLE truth! Next up, Mark 6:20, “For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” This is a great example of such a wonderful fear from one person towards another. Most wives will receive Biblical counsel and correction from any man except her own husband and that is not only tragic but disastrous to a man’s inner self. When your man prays, teaches, exhorts, and perhaps even corrects, he ought to be treated with deference by his wife. Do you know that your husband is just and holy? See, so much needs to be corrected not in the relationship but in your own heart because if he is a Christian like you, he’s just and he is holy…, or you’re not… And this fear produced a desire to protect John. A good wife is protective of her husband and the first threat is her own sin…that is respect at its finest! Look at this one…, Mark 10:32, “Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed (fearful). And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him.” Let your husband amaze you… Do you know why he doesn’t? Because you take him for granted… How’d you get here today? In a car, right… First time you rode in a car, amazing…. 10,000th time, not so amazing. What changed? Being a good wife has very little to do with him, doesn’t it? See, we’re scratching on the intent behind Ephesians 5… A few more, Luke 1:50, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.” Every man in this room who is a Christian is extremely EXTREMELY merciful…, to those who fear hurting him… Acts 10:2, “A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.” A person that is fearful in a great and Godly way is a giving person. Are you giving towards your husband? Good wives are, and without condition…. Enough said there… Romans 11:20, “Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.” The opposite of fearfulness is pridefulness. A wife is to not approach her husband with a haughty spirit. There are only a few things that destroy a marriage faster and worse than that. Work towards center. When you argue, argue for the health of the relationship, not for the personal perspective you have… That is to fear… One final one, Gal 2:12, “For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.” This is an interesting use of the word and applicable in context to our discussion today. If you don’t fear your husband in a Godly way, he will fear you in a tragic way. A way that drives you apart. Respect is so important and such a need to a man, and specifically a husband, that to remain in close proximity to someone who doesn’t respect him literally destroys him over and over again in his heart of hearts. So, he will, MUST, withdrawal… Now, this is a lot, I know…, wives, you’ll need to probably listen to this again, read these notes again, and if you truly desire to honor the Lord in your marriage, well, Paul says here, “Let the wife SEE that she respects her husband,” the result of what you’ve learned today won’t be a feeling, emotion, decision or thought but it will be action that you not only watch for and take inventory of but because you love the Lord and love your husband, these (just like they are to the Lord) are today non-negotiables to you personally. And God is going to richly richly bless your marriage and your family through you because you are now not submitted to your husband, but truly you are submitted and trusting in God. Summary Wives, two directives or the marriage remains in pieces: 1. Submit a. Be your husband’s greatest support b. Cultivate ease in your husband’s life c. Affirm and stabilize your husband d. Be the reason he wins his battles e. Support his good reputation f. Lead with kindness in your home and work to center g. Watch over and protect your husband 2. Fear a. Express respect towards your husbands b. Treat your husband with deference c. Be afraid of your husband suffering d. Look for things about him that wow you e. Acknowledge the great/powerful things about your husband f. Be thankful for how he has partnered with you in life g. Don’t take your husband for granted h. Unconditionally Giving i. Present Humility j. Respect should be able to be inventoried