Ephesians 5:27-33

[Shield]

Shield> Hello and welcome to tonight's Bible study:)
Shield> It is an honor to have you here tonight.
Shield> Lets pray
Shield> Our Father and our God we come to you
Shield> and we are grateful
Shield> humbly we submit our hearts and minds to learn at your feet
Shield> change our hearts Lord God
Shield> help us make application of the biblical text we are about to engage in considering
Shield> in the mighty name of Jesus we pray
Shield> amen
Shield> I am going to post the six verses we studied three weeks ago
Shield> for the sake of review and context
Shield> and then I will voice you and we will move forward in our text
Shield> Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Shield> Ephesians 5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Shield> Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
Shield> Ephesians 5:24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Shield> Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
Shield> Ephesians 5:26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
Shield> Ephesians 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Shield> if you recall we learned that the relationship between a husband and wife is compared to that of Christ to the Church
Hattie> Yes
Shield> and so we see that played out here in the text
Shield> what does verse 27 say?
Shield> what is happening here?
Hattie> This passage to me equates the same way that Lambs were sacrificed to God by his people, the Jews.
Bride> we are to be cleansed and presented without blemish
Shield> yes indeed
Bride> made holy
Shield> there is a consideration for holiness to be sure
HolyHeart> we are BEING cleansed...BEING made holy already!
HolyHeart> God's good works in progress we all are!
Shield> yes indeed
Hattie> Amen, HolyHeart
Shield> the word holy speaks of consecration
Shield> being set apart
Shield> moral purity and uprightness is in view here
Shield> here is the thing...
Shield> in this verse we see love in its full bloom
Shield> Ephesians 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Shield> God loves the church
Shield> the love He demonstrated to the church is the example for how husbands ought to love their wives
Hattie> Yes, true.
Shield> Ephesians 5:28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
Shield> what a beautiful verse
Hattie> Indeed!
Shield> and a fitting tribute for the intent of marriage
Shield> Ephesians 5:29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
Shield> just as Christ cherishes the church
Shield> Husbands also ought to cherish their wives
Shield> the natural corollary to that statement is this
Shield> wives also ought to give themselves in holy love to their husbands as Christ intended the church to give itself to Him
Shield> many of you are aware that I have never been married.... and you may recall me stating that my mother and father have been married 43 years i think it is
Hattie> That's the ultimate goal.
Shield> I have seen their love mature
Shield> especially since I have begun to learn to view their marriage in a more mature light
gara> It appears to me that God gave us a perfect picture of our relationship with him-in the way the family is set up.
Shield> I can assure you its possible to have a lifelong meaningful loving marriage
Shield> yes indeed gara
Shield> Ephesians 5:30 because we are members of His body.
Hattie> Yes
Shield> this goes back to the body metaphor we have already developed
Shield> the church is the body of Christ
Shield> Ephesians 5:31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
Hattie> Being a member of church is being a member of Christ's body.
Shield> amen Hattie
Shield> now allow me to clarify something here
Shield> because what I am about to describe is one of the most common misconceptions about the church
Shield> many people view the church as a arbitrary organization
Hattie> I would like to ask a question in a sec. also, Shield
Shield> sure Hattie
Shield> this has been true throughout history
Hattie> If you're a child of God, aren't you a member of Christ's body?
Shield> yes Hattie
Hattie> Thank you, Shield
Shield> yet so often we hear the statement...
Shield> "I don't go to church"
Hattie> That's why I asked, Shield.
Shield> "its full of hypocrites"
Shield> allow me to speak to that for a moment
Shield> the church is Gods idea
Rock> Yes..the church is full of hypocrites...of which I am the worst.
Shield> the church is people in relationship to the Lord God
Shield> well i spose we all can be a bit hypocritical at times Rock..I know I have been guilty of that
Shield> in any event...
Shield> the church is people in relationship to God...
Shield> God designed and ordained it
Shield> so if Christians say they want nothing to do with the church...
Shield> because of hypocrisy....
Shield> what I am saying is this
Shield> in a sense....
gara> The church is the whole family of God-not one group of section of that family.
Shield> this small gathering here is the church in action
gara> amen
Hattie> Amen, Shield
Shield> I will say this as well
Shield> we do need to be in consistent offline fellowship with believers in the context of church life
Shield> Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
Shield> Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Shield> the principle is very clear and two-fold
Shield> Husbands....
Shield> love your wives
Shield> in so doing she will willingly and lovingly respect you and give herself to you for a lifetime
HolyHeart> loving hubbies r sure easy to respect!
Shield> amen HolyHeart
Shield> wives
Shield> respect your husbands
Shield> in so doing...
Bride> husbands who are respected find it easier to love their wives :)
gara> amen
Hattie> I know that to be true, Bride.
Shield> your husbands will realize you love them and they will love you for a lifetime
Shield> amen Bride
Shield> church
Shield> respect the Lord God
Shield> submit to Him
Shield> for Jesus Christ died for you
Shield> and rose again
Shield> to provide for you the free gift of eternal life
Bride> \0/
Hattie> Amen
Shield> people of God..
Shield> lets join together for a few moments to worship
Shield> thank you Jesus
Shield> we praise you holy name
gara> I praise your Holy Name our Lord
Shield> we bow our hearts to you
Hattie> humbly
Shield> you alone are worthy oh God
Shield> God I ask that you will heal hurting hearts in this room
gara> There is none so great as our King of Kings
Shield> I ask that you will heal hurting marriages
Bride> we lift our voices in a chorus of praise....
gara> amen very humbly
HolyHeart> Thank You Lord that You are our faithful Jehovah Jireh!!!!! Meeting our every need!!!!!!!
Shield> I ask that you will minister to those who feel disenfranchised from the churches of which they have been a part
Shield> Lord God we give you all the glory!
Shield> thank You Lord
Hattie> Amen, HolyHeart
Shield> and now Lord we bring this time to a close
Shield> may each person hear experience a special touch of your loving presence
Hattie> Thank you Lord, for providing the opportunity to join in this Bible Study
Shield> thank you Lord
Hattie> I most humbly thank you, Lord
Shield> we pray these tings in Jesus name amen
Hattie> In Jesus' Name, Amen
Shield> God Bless each of you and thank you for parti****ting: