A Word to Husbands (Part 2 of 4)

As most people why they got married and they'll tell you it's because they were in love the other person made them happy.

Those are wonderful things but is that really the point of marriage today on Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg urges us to look at the higher purpose of holy matrimony as he continues her series called life together. Ephesians 525 husbands, love your wife's as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Chrysostom was the Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the early church fathers see was the Archbishop in the fourth century. He died in 407 A.D. and he had his own comments on this section of Ephesians 5 and at one point he made this observation.

He asked this question, hast thou seen the measure of obedience, referring to the call to the wife to submit to her husband has I see in the measure of obedience here also the measure of love which the die wife shoot a baby as the church Darth Christ have care thyself for her as Christ for the church in considering what was just the opening phrase we sought to understand the meaning of love in light of the word that Paul uses. We observed that he does not use the word Euros which we might characterize as being all take nor did he use the word for allele which we might characterize as being give and take, but he actually use the word either pay which is faithfully to be that of all giving and so we noted that what is issued here to the husbands is a call to self giving devotion had to borrow a phrase from the late Pres. Kennedy. Ask not what your wife can do for you that ask for. You can do for your wife.

That is the whole impetus of either pay here and we said this morning that what we discover in terms of the meaning of love is then further clarified by the model that he provides and you will notice that the model is straightforwardly the love of Christ for the church as a model for on the measure of a husband's love is quite simply, Jesus Christ. In other words, the test of it is the test of the cross and that which is then borne out in the language that Paul uses to clarify this. What he's doing here is acknowledging the fight died in the Old Testament the picture that is given of the people of God and the relationship of God with the people, whether it's in Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel or in Hosea is consistently a picture that is framed by the covenant of marriage. For example, and at the beginning of Jeremiah, God speaks of the people and he says I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a brined. I don't know those of you who are reading through the Bible. At the moment through the year as as some of us are trying to do is pretty difficult with four chapters every day is not. I find it so.

But if you have if you've been in Mark's gospel.

Then you will have already read of the occasion when the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting and remember the people came to him and they said, why do John's disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples don't fast and Jesus said to them, can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with as long as they have the bridegroom with them. They cannot fast the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and they will fast in the day.

What is Jesus doing their is simply identifying himself as the bridegroom you find the same thing in John chapter 3 in relationship to John the Baptist. John the Baptist says I am not. I am not the Messiah, the one who has the bright need is the bridegroom and so there is nothing peculiarly new is where in this matter for that is use them throughout the New Testament, it is picking up on that which is there in the old and so Paul makes it clear that if were going to love our wives in this way, as Christ loved the church, then we should look at what Christ and has done well first of all, he's love the church always there that's pretty straightforward. Well it is but we ought to ponder Jesus did not love the church because the church submitted in loving obedience to him God that he didn't love the church because the church submitted in loving obedience to him. He loved the church.

First is why we sang tonight all the deep, deep love of Jesus fast unmeasured, boundless, free or in the words of another him.

I found a friend in Jesus or such a friend.

He loved me ere I knew him. He drew me with the cords of love and Bessie found me to how you see here is a great distinguishing feature because in human love in human love, the best of human love is a mixture of selflessness and self-interest. It is routinely especially in the marriage bond we love in response to loveliness in Louisville this morning about the place of affectionate attraction and so on is a strange thing if that that those measures are not present. We we understand that but here is the great distinction we love in response to loveliness, but not so with Jesus because Jesus loved us in order to make us lovely. See the difference and you see how this then applies to the privilege of the husband to love his wife. Not only did he love, but he gave himself up in fight if you just look at the text.

It's easy to expound this. He gave himself up for her. What is this mean well he left all the glory of heaven. Father, son and Holy Spirit, coequal enjoyed call eternal totally satisfied. If you like, we might say so reverently and humbly in the companionship of one another and yet entering into a covenant, the second person of the Trinity steps down is born in a manger. He works in a carpenters workshop, he finds himself nailed to a cross is raised to life. He ascends to heaven he will come in glory. That kind of material is wonderfully captured again and hymnody and those of you who are of a certain vintage will have your minds going exactly where mine goes now to the song that begins down from his glory ever living story my God and Savior came and Jesus was his name, born in a manger to his own. A stranger, a man of sorrows, tears and agony in the second verse begins what condescension bringing us redemption I don't forget husbands what football is doing here is he is using this model to remind others husbands of what is to characterize the nature of our love for our life's loft gave himself up for to sanctify in other words, to make her holy to fashion her according to his plan and his purpose ideas done this. Having cleansed her cleansing her by the washing of water with the word as we sang again this morning and the him the church's one foundation.

She is his new creation by water and the word is to make us think of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. The picture is absolutely clear the spiritual washing takes place by means of the word of God and that reality is portrayed in, but is not performed by baptism so that baptism portrays the reality of that which the word performance and why has he done this while it was on to tell us cleansed by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor in dazzling magnificence. Only God can do this. Only God can do this. Those of you who remember the 60s will remember Leo Gaither song, something beautiful, something good all my confusion. He understood and all I had to offer him was brokenness and strife. He made something beautiful out of my life and what he does is an individual basis is part of the big picture I when he puts the congregation together and as he makes those congregations throughout the world testify to the reality of his kindness. So tonight this little gathering here looks is nothing in the city of Cleveland. Nobody send anything here to find out about us.

You could largely say that nobody really cares about as long as we keep ourselves to ourselves to go back to business tomorrow, and you may make some mention of it and by and large, although people may be polite to you. They disregard this is an irrelevance.

The church in terms of the watching world looks like a Cinderella sitting in the ashes and nondescript meaningless gesture in a world that is going on on its own. But here's what the Bible says that although we may look like a Cinderella.

Now to the watching world. This is nothing compared to what he has planned for us when he will present his church as it says here in splendor, minor spots, wrinkles, or any such thing, that she might be holy and with a blemish that actually shooting is all the way back to the beginning of Ephesians and of the wonderful Paul says there in that great PR and of praise with which he begins in terms of the electing love of God than as he encourages those who are the readers of the early part of the letter to see themselves in light of what Christ is done that he's raised us up with him.

He seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus for grace by grace you have been saved through faith and this not your own doing it. If it is not of works lest any man should boast.

Another was.

He said here you are tonight, a tiny group like the little flock that Jesus left behind when he took his leave of his disciples and he said to them, fear not, little flock, but it is the father's purpose to give you the kingdom.

And I must've looked at one another and said now in the world is going to happen look at us. Most of us have run off and fled human to give the kingdom to us to a nondescript band of characters such as this. Yes and here throughout the world tonight, even as we pray.

Unbeknownst to the watching gaze of the eyes of my God is working his purposes. Know the reason that we are reading this the reason that this is written here concerning the magnificence of the work of Christ for the church is in order that the husbands whom Paul is addressing may understand that this provides the model for the husbands, love for his wife so that the sacrificial love of a husband has in view the personal growth and spiritual beauty of his wife. I said to you again. What Paul is saying here is this that just as Christ has loved the church so as to give himself up for her, so as to fashion her in such a way that she will appear. Finally, in all of her magnificent glory and splendor the responsibility of the husband's love is about that more than anything else. Now that strikes is as uncommon doesn't because most of our preoccupation as a result of an ignorance of the Bible and as a result of being unduly influenced by a secular culture has to do with our own personal well-being and whether we are getting satisfaction and whether this wife is been performing as we had anticipated and whether this husband is doing as we expectance all failing to recognize that the gospel says Paul is being proclaimed get this summer.

You think you're not doing very much for the gospel. You're not very good at conversation you never give talks. You have difficulty handing out the New Testament were not all the same. In this way are you living your community, you're on your street, you haven't gone door-to-door you're not knocking doors are not splitting stickers on doors and everything you're saying to yourself to be as a husband and wife.

I don't and were doing very much at all, let me tell you what you're doing if you are loving one another.

If you are submitting to your husband. If you are loving your wife that although you do nothing else, you are proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ for the picture is exactly that, that the submission of the wife to her husband under Christ and the love of Christ for his wife is then paradigmatic of the very nature of what God has done for us in Jesus. You know it to try and speak of these things. I almost always feel as though I don't know how to talk about it at all.

I did II come out of a morning like this morning I want to go back and start again and tried again. I hear myself talking on a sick but this does not actually convey the grandeur of this. Hopefully these people whose read the Bible for themselves will I hope you do. I need to, and how thankful we are for those who are older than eyes and beyond is in before us who have modeled this very love for their wives. I think I can take a moment to read to you part of a letter from one of my heroes. One of my mentors is a well or a mentor shared with many others, one whom I listen to preach one whom I met but I never went for coffee within, and I guess if you have gone for coffee then you can call in your mentor under contemporary terminology, but this is a letter that was penned on 18 May 1937 by Martyn Lloyd Jones as he boarded a ship to come to America and he wrote to his wife as follows my dear Beth and the fact that I'm writing to you from here on this particular date is altogether wrong makes me feel very all as far as I can remember this the first time ever that I have written to you for your birthday. I hope that the ship letter, telegram that I sent you this morning arrived safely on your birthday morning the authorities told me that there was no doubt about. I had endless pleasure and happiness and sending it.

I somehow felt I was in touch with you once more in this awful distance of separation a thing like that is a great help.

But all what a poor substitute. I cannot describe the various feelings I've experienced since I saw you last one Waterloo station will goodness that was only a few hours before all the feelings I've had since I saw you last one Waterloo station and I had better not try to do so, let me suggest this much.

Think of you gives me endless happiness and I am more certain than the than ever that there is no one in the world like not even approaching Norton all the world. I don't know if I'm losing my reason but I often feel that you're with me and I could almost talk to you I have at times tried to imagine where you all three are and what you're doing.

I would give the whole world.

If you could've been with me, but there I must be content to look forward to some four weeks. Today when I show God willing be back with you again looking into your eyes and sitting beside you. I think I shall be perfectly content just to be with you and Elizabeth and Ann just sitting with the three of you and doing nothing else I've said in my letter, telegram that I'm sending you all my love, and here I am seeing it once more. You shall give some bits of it to the two girls, I've been thinking of 11 years ago tonight her birthday night when we went together to Covent Garden and then back to delicious.

I thought at that time that I left, but I had to live with you for over 10 years to know you properly, and so to love you truly, I know that I am deficient in many things and must at times disappoint you that really grieves me and I'm trying to improve but believe me, if you could see my heart you would be amazed at how great is my love.

I hope you know indeed. I know that you know in spite of all my failings, I can do nothing but say again that from the human standpoint I belong entirely to you. I tell you guys are my pastoral team you get this letter in use at least on your wife's birthday and feel like she's here this evening. She'll never know that it wasn't unoriginal and I say to you. Husband says Paul. So go ahead and love your wife, lover, love as Christ loved the church lover is the one who is preparing for himself a bride. As John says I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me saying, I will show you the bride, the wife of the land. Every earthly marriage is picture of the coming marriage between Jesus, the Lamb and his bride, the church listing to Truth for Life Bible teaching ministry of Alistair Begg before we wrap up. Alister has a few thoughts. He wants to share with us. Alister, one of the things I like to say around here is that world better together than any one of us is on our own.

And while it's true for us as a team here in Truth for Life. It's certainly true in relationship to the extended body of people who are part and parcel of our life's and during these past weeks of uncertainty and chaos in many ways it's been a tremendous encouragement to realize just how much we have been sustained by your cards, your notes, your prayers and not least of all your giving and those of your truth partners I think will understand the extent to which we rely upon you and how much we appreciate you are you've made it possible for Estes to keep going without interruption, et al., and for us to be able to continue to make our online teaching freely available to people and so on behalf of our team to use the big team and on behalf of all our grateful listeners and places all around the world now, and we thank you for your heartfelt commitment to the gospel may be that you're listening and you're not a truth partners and would like actually to be part and parcel of that. So let me extend an invitation to you to do so, let me assure you that your contribution will make a significant difference in the lives of those who are our listeners. Thank you. Well, as Alister mentioned were so grateful for the team of truth partners.

People who have so faithfully supported this ministry during what have been trying months for us as our world is faced so much uncertainty. It's truly been an extraordinary blessing to share the hope the peace in the truth of the gospel with listeners every day. We've heard from so many people all around the world who told us how much they relied on these daily messages during the outbreak. Just a reminder to us of how important it is for Christian programming like Truth for Life to be available and to reach as far and wide into our world is possible. If you been encouraged and strengthened through Alister's teaching, I will extend you an invitation to join the team of truth partners. Your ongoing monthly donations will provide financial stability that keeps this ministry strong during difficult seasons so that we can continue to be a source of clear and relevant Bible teaching.

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We have a book would like to send you. It's titled aspects of love to follow-up to today's message just about all of us have experienced some kind of broken relationship with her. It's been divorced for infidelity or fractured friendships, family conflict, most of us can look back on relationships where we wish we'd handled things differently in this book, author William Philip helps us address past relationship disappointments.

There is grace and regeneration for a new start aspects of love helps us examine our own contribution to our relationships gives us God's framework for how we can move forward requester copy of the book aspects of love. When you donate or join the truth partner team today@truthforlife.org/truth partner Bob Lapine hope you can join us tomorrow to continue learning about the ultimate purpose of marriage.

The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by truth where the Learning is for Living