The Most Challenging of All Relationships (Part Two), Part 2

The most valuable things in life. Take time and time to maintain time to nurture time to enjoy today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll presents part two of the message introduced last week is based on practical section of Scripture in Ephesians 5, Paul gives a strong admonition to husbands and wives as we examine his counsel will be reminded that cultivating a healthy marriage relationship requires hard work, intentional sacrifice, following the biblical pattern established thousands of years ago Chuck titled his message. The most challenging of all relationships working our way through the letter to the Ephesians and become to very important part wives have been waiting for. We arrive at it today as we search the Scriptures, especially in verses 25 to 33. I want us to bow our heads for a few moments of quietness you brought with yourself with you today certain needs want you to join with us in prayer one assault enter into this time's a great occasion for you to release whatever is heavy on your mind weighing you down as if you're carrying a burden.

This is an opportunity for us to remember another person that may come to mind today. They may be going through desperate situation. They may be in a dangerous place, or a painful place. Or you may be our father. Today we find relief in knowing that you're there and we talked to you as though you were sitting right next to us this day. For indeed the week cannot see you, by faith, we believe you're there whom having not seen. We love and whom, though now we see him not yet believing we rejoice with the joy that's unspeakable. You bring us such relief and release in life, our father to be so lonely without you. The nights would linger interminably.

The pressure would be more than we could bear the tests would be incalculable. Were we to be in this journey alone, but thankfully were not. We ask you to take every part of that which makes us who we are or temperament or personality are our gifts are drives our ambitions, our dreams or failures are our hopes or sorrows, disappointments, everything that makes up whatever is life for us take our lives and let them be set apart to the take whatever we have.

Take whoever we love take wherever you find us and let it be set apart to the we ask you to take care of those people and situations that are beyond our ability to fix or change relieve our minds of the worry of it of it all because like thorns and briars that grow around a lovely garden and finally choke out the balloons. These things have a way of choking us and we are not able even to hear what you have to say today. Even here the things that aren't said that are often the most important and while you're taking these things. Lord we ask you to take our silver in our gold autumn light would we withhold everything we have is yours. You own it all even things we call our savings and our investments in our our nest eggs in those things all terms from our culture you you own it all. We have the pleasure now like no other place in our lives to give to you for the work that will outlive us in a world that has long ago lost its way. Give us a sense of refreshment and redirection and rejoicing as we give to you today take our lives and let them be consecrated, Lord, to the in the sweet name of Jesus, our Savior and her tender God.

We pray for living to search the Scriptures Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures study by going to Insight world.or/studies. Today's message is titled the most challenging of all relationships. John RW Stott in his book on Ephesians writes this, and I agree with him. Whatever the husband's headship mirrors the headship of Christ than the wife's submission to the protection and provision of his love, far from detracting her womanhood will positively enrich it. A woman who is loved.

As she is to be loved by a husband, a woman who is led in the capacity of the spirits filling as she is meant to be led will absolutely find her life enriched in a marriage, the dominant thread for the woman is respect for her husband, which is seen in verse 33, the dominant thread for the man is to love his wife. Interestingly, the wife is not commanded to love the husband. It's great.

If she does, but she's not commanded to love her husband. We are commanded to love our wives to command. It's a verb it's a narrative coming right from the panel Paul before the word husbands is dry and ink.

The word love appears in verse 25. Husbands seek the highest good of your wife, seek her highest good. And as I've said, it's commanded it's a command it's imperative now. Let me give you a little quiz to see if you are fairly alert here. There are two analogies that the apostle uses to describe this love or to illustrate this love each one is introduced with the word as verse 25. Love her as Christ loved the church. That's the first one done in verse 28 is the second husbands ought also to love their own wives and there's that word again their own bodies circled the two words as in my Bible, as Christ loved the church. That's verse 25. As the man takes care over loves his own body's look at those two but study the pattern first verse 25 husbands, love your wives as Christ loves loved the church to give you four words, sacrifice, sanctify, forgive, honor, or do I get those words well from verses 25 through 27. All four words either appear or they are implied.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and how to be loved the church and gave himself up for her. That's the word sacrifice. Sacrifice my love is like the love of Christ for the church. I give up things for my wife, Christianity, engages in the subject of sacrifice. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice would say that in Romans 12 one present your bodies as a living sacrifice of this is to Christ.

This is to set apart oneself for the wife's benefit. Good question to ask ourselves husbands is this, do I love her enough to die for her. If I'm to love my wife as Christ loved the church and to be willing to give myself up for her. Forgive me for interrupting my talk here but maybe to get your attention. This is serious stuff guys this is straight talk. This is an entertaining, this isn't about what I want to tell you are what you'd like to hear. This is the pattern. These are the threads woven into his plan for the marriage.

It starts with sacrifice if you love isn't sacrificial. She knows it and it's having an impact on your marriage because your selfish you're unwilling to give up for her. She could tell it and she knows something is wrong. She just may not know exactly what it is. It just comes out as being an un-sacrificial kind of union that will work and will do.

Second, sanctify verse 26 so that he might sanctify her world was at me to sanctify something is to set it apart from its original purpose no miss that when something is sanctified is not a religious term.

It is has a religious connotation, but it's not a religious term.

For example, when you came into this building. You sanctified the chair when you sat down and it, you fulfilled its original purpose. It was made not to be carried.

It was made not to be put in your car.

It was made not to be painted. Originally, the chair was made to be set in when you sat and if you set it apart from its original purpose. What I put on this time. Today I set apart this tie because it's made to be worn not to hang in the closet.

When I put my glasses on.

Today immediately when I got out of bed so that I would know where I was.

I sanctified I set them apart for the original purpose so I could see clearly, I could read when you got in your car to drive to this meeting. You put your key in the ignition and when you started driving you sanctified your car you fulfilled its original purpose of being built now, having said all of that about chairs, advertising glasses and cars was that had to do with marriage you set your wife's purpose apart and you would she agree on what that is. You help her fulfill her purpose as a wife.

Now if you don't know where to start. Go back to the pattern.

Look at Genesis chapter 2.

Let's go when marriage was first invented, the Lord created it. So let's check with the creator. Genesis 2 verse 18 and I love this verse.

Then the Lord God said it is not good for the man to be alone I will make him helper suitable for him. The very first term used to describe the purpose of the wife is helping. She's one who assists in the fulfillment of this relationship. I often have said in teaching this, that the Lord gave the man the melody line in the music and he gave the woman the harmony part you sing the obligate auto if you will. If you love music you know what I'm referring to. You were the one that adds color and harmony and beauty to the relationship. Otherwise, it's rather meat and potatoes plain old primitive line called melody. The man leads in the melody, but the woman is the helper suitable for him. She fits him. She is arranged by God to know fulfillment in that relationship that setting her apart for that purpose.

You done that I read this past week of a husband sitting next to his wife as they as a couple were sitting in this place.

She was filling out an official document. She came to the line that said occupation and align their she wrote housewife. He frowned and tenderly put his arm around her and said honey you not a housewife.

My wife that you know what I went right there. The husbands are going well, and every wife is going. I know exactly what you're saying exactly what we are just different frequency. She felt a rush of fulfillment when his arm was placed around her shoulders and he pulled up close to her and said tenderly you wife in a house and mine mine. I couldn't be what I am without you I couldn't know what life is about without you in my life.

My wife is an enormous sense of pleasure and fulfillment, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word verse 26 closes when I read cleansing.

I think of forgiving so I chosen that word.

The Lord tells us that when it comes to the church. He is cleansed us. You and I came to the cross and are unsaved in our unsaved state in our lost condition when we came to salvation. When we came to the open arms of Jesus who said come to me all who work weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

When we came to him by faith and trust in him and him alone by faith alone. He cleansed our lives, never will he tell us now turn around and look dirty you were its cleansed, it's forgiven. He never shames us for the life we once lived. He never holds us in probation to get past the life we once lived. When we come to the cross. There is an immediate erasing of the chalkboard and it is blank. As far as the east is from West so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

He cleansed us. What does this have to do with marriage a lot. One of the threads you must choose as a husband in order to make this tapestry what it was meant to be is forgiveness regular forgiveness first John 17 says the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son keeps on cleansing us from all sin even uses the same word cleansed us keeps on cleansing that a great thought constantly cleansing every day I count on him for that. I go to him and I say Lord I spoke too quickly. I said what I shouldn't of said and I didn't say it well and I didn't say with the right motive ask you to cleanse my my verbal sin that I just committed my thoughts are clean and when they are clean and not come to terms with unclean thoughts all say Lord I ask you to clean my thoughts.

I ask you to forgive me for going there and thinking with greed or with lost her with anger. I ask you to cleanse me now.

Wives need forgiving me forgiveness.

She's imperfect. She chose you dingy.

I mean, tells you something right there better discernment and there are there are times that you will find she will do things for the wrong motive she will be stubborn.

She will be inappropriate. She will lash out and she will say things that later realizing her wrong shall feel terrible about your role is to forgive her, forgive her before she even asks forgiveness may check it is getting tougher.

Well that's part of the pattern. That's why he chooses the threads.

This is what makes it work. Chances are good hearing be right now are husbands who have dropped anchor. They dropped anchor in their and and gotten hung up on something that the wives have done that shouldn't of been done your stock pulling the anchor tell her she's forgiven if that's necessary.

Assure her of it. Lord cleanses us by the washing of water.

The word about it.

My fellow husbands. Your relationship with your now long-standing bride marked by forgiveness. There's 1/4. I'm calling honoring verse 27 that he might present to himself the church in all her glory is rate word picture you been to a great wedding. Pastors are fortunate who do weddings because they get to see the whole thing. I get to watch grooms as they stand there just nervous as I can be having just talked him into coming out and standing there and then I get to look at the bride a she's brought from the bride's room and she's prepared to come down and looking at her daddy's try to remember his one line that he has hope I get to see it all and I watch as the wedding march begins and she starts down that aisle. It is one of the glorious moment you can watch as a minister the gospel all of a sudden the groom is is enraptured with her.

She's wearing a garment so carefully chosen shall never again in her life.

Choose one more carefully and here she is in all of her glory. And here he stands ready to take her and to present themselves before these who have gathered his witnesses. It's wonderful romantic all over again every time I come to that setting is terrific most amazing things happen in weddings. All this emotion the father standing there thing, trying to remember. I've heard father say when I say who gives this woman. You'll save my mother and I do then he tries to sit down by his mother and sit by me in this great moment when they come stepping up to the platform and they are there and the lights are there and the other lights are low and the candles are burning and then the greatest words deliver shareholder valves that she is there and all honor call on.

We don't use it much outside the military on our wives placing them on our hearts as objects honor our topic today is cultivating love and respect in the home and in particular in our most treasured relationship you're listening to Insight for living. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org will hear this last day of November, most of us can feel the seasonal momentum beginning to pivot from Thanksgiving to the Christmas celebration ahead with December starting tomorrow, I'll take this occasion to draw your attention to a stunning illustrated resource offered by Insight for living and intended to brighten your holiday.

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Thanks so much for doing and here's how to respond to Chuck Swindoll right now to give a donation because listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go directly to our website and give online Insight.org. Many have chosen to get by using Insight for living's convenient mobile app, just click on the donate button and follow the simple instructions or if you prefer speak with one of our friendly ministry reps by calling listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go directly to our website and give online insight.Chuck Swindoll continues his message about the most challenging of all relationships Tuesday on Insight for living in the preceding message.

The most challenging of all relationships targeted was copyrighted in 2000 2001 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R.

Swindoll.

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