Sunday, January 24, 2016

Todays Sermon notes



2016.01.24                                  Ephesians 6: 1-12
                  Children obey your parents!
Good morning everyone…. It´s great to see all of you… I am glad that you are here….. I have Good News for you…. His name is Jesus… As most of you know… Here at Calvary Chapel Wiesbaden we teach through the Bible verse by verse… Because we want to see the Big picture…. We want to know and understand our great God and Savior…. The Lord Jesus Christ…. We are studying Paul´s letter to the Ephesians this morning… This morning we will pick up chapter 6…
We need the Holy Spirit´s help to love and care for our each other and our families… Once again this morning… Our text for today points us in the right direction… We are going to look again at God´s plan for marriage and Family… The title for today´s sermon is…
                  Children obey your parents!
This sermon is not just for our children…. It is for everyone of us…! Do you remember Eph 5…v1…
Let´s look at it again…
Ephesians 5:1,2                    KJV   slt 2000
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
1 Werdet nun Gottes Nachahmer als geliebte Kinder 2 und wandelt in der Liebe, gleichwie auch Christus uns geliebt und sich selbst für uns gegeben hat als Darbringung und Schlachtopfer, zu einem lieblichen Geruch für Gott.
Another translation says follow the Lord God as dearly loved children… In the truest possible sense…. Everyone of us are God´s truly loved children… We are exhorted to follow Him and to walk in love… Brothers and sisters if we would only do these 2 things… We would transform our families and our marriages…. We would truly shake the city… Amen? I would like remind us of the context for our text this morning… Paul is writing us about order in the church and in the home… He is writing not only about our Walk…. We just read…. Walk in Love… He is also talking about our loving submission… To the Lord and to each other… look at Eph 5… v21…
Ephesians 5: 21                  NLT   Neues Leben
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
21 Ordnet euch aus Achtung vor dem Herrn bereitwillig einander unter.
v21… submit to one another out of reverence for Christ… The NKJV says…. Submitting to one another in the fear of God… The motive for all submission is love and respect for the Lord Jesus Christ...   It has to do with our relationship with the Lord Jesus…. We need to have an attitude of mutual submission in the church and in our families…   In this next section Paul gives us practical advice for our families…  We could call this…
God’s plan for marriage and the family
When we look at the family… We have structure in place as well… Ideally the husband takes on the role of loving and protecting the family… He lovingly leads and serves them… When a man is Spirit-filled… when he is so filled with joy and gratitude to God for all that Christ has done… And when he loves his wife as himself… he will serve her and sacrifice himself for her… and will not lord over her… his authority will be gentle… And sacrificial… and he will help her to feel safe and secure… and she will be willing to follow him…
When we submit to God… we recognize God's authority… Which he uses for our good…
And by the way gentlemen… All through these passages… Paul focuses on us… and men… As leaders in the home… we are responsible…. Again this morning… Paul is going to help us understand our responsibilities…  Especially as husbands and fathers… As husbands and fathers we are called to love and care for our families…. We are expected to disciple them… We do that by teaching them about our great God and Savior… The Lord Jesus Christ…
Last week we focused on loving and serving our wives…
Today we will look at our responsibility to love nad disciple our children… Our text this morning is Ephesians chapter 6… v1…
Ephesians 6: 1- 4         NLT   Neues Leben
1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
1 Ihr Kinder sollt euren Eltern gehorchen, weil ihr dem Herrn gehört, denn so handelt ihr richtig. 2 »Ihr sollt Vater und Mutter ehren.« Das ist das erste der Gebote, an das eine Zusage Gottes geknüpft ist: 3 Wenn du deinen Vater und deine Mutter ehrst, »wird es dir gut gehen und du wirst ein langes Leben haben.« 4 Und ihr Väter, seid nicht ungerecht gegen eure Kinder. Erzieht sie vielmehr mit Disziplin und zeigt ihnen den richtigen Weg, so wie es Christus entspricht.

v1… Children, obey your parents In the Lord, for this is right… That is simple... Children are to obey their parents… This not only means that children have the responsibility to obey… But we as parents have the responsibility to teach our children obedience… This is one of the most important jobs for   parents…
We don't need to teach our children how to disobey… They have inherited a tendency to sin from Adam… But obedience must be taught…
It is important that parents teach children obedience… That means that we help them learn to obey by insisting on it…. And when necessary we lovingly discipline them… We need to help them learn obedience to parents and to God our heavenly Father…
Our heavenly Father teaches us and disciplines us…. So that we grow up knowing how to obey Him… We obey willingly because we have grown to know and love Him…. We know that He disciplines us for our own good… We learn to trust Him… And we even when we don´t understand everything that He tells us… We obey the Lord… even when we don´t really want to… This obedience can be learned… We must teach and discipline our children… So that they grow obeying us and their heavenly Father as well… Men we are commanded to love and care for… And Disciple our children…

Paul gives us two reasons for children to obey… First, they are to obey in the Lord… This means that their obedience is part of their Christian obedience… Just like the wife's command to submit to her husband…. Not because he deserves it… But rather as to the Lord… Ephesians 5:22… We show loving and willing submission to each other…. And to all of those whom the Lord has put in our lives to love and protect us… Pastors… Elders…. Husbands…. All of it because the Lord tells us to…   
The second reason is the 5th commandment… v2,3..
2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
Now… What it means to honor our father and mother may change as we grow into adulthood… but the principle always endures... The adult child does not owe the parent obedience… but they do owe the parent honor...
In Deuteronomy 5:16… God promised to bless the obedient child…

v4a… Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them… Parents certainly have the opportunity to provoke their children to anger or wrath… For example an unkind… over-critical attitude can frustrate our children… instead of helping them to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus… We must remember that the goal is lead our Children to the Lord Jesus Christ…. We are Discipling them…. Not lording over them… Christian parents should never be like that… By the way…. Everything that Paul is writing to husbands and fathers was very radical in those days… In those days and cultures Man had absolute authority and his word was law and to be feared….. Paul says Christian…. Love and care for and disciple your families… Jesus our your example… Not the culture…
v4b… Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord… This does not mean merely scolding your children…  It means to train and admonish… Encouragement and rebuke must be combined with training and teaching… The phrase translated here as… discipline and instruction…
(various Forms of paideia… To Counsel, discipline, or  chastise… and  nouthesia… To admonish , or exhort…)   Is applied to us in Hebrews 12… There we see our Heavenly father disciplining us…. Because he loves us… look with me please at Heb 12… v5…
Hebrews 12: 5-10                  NLT    Neues Leben
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6  For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.
Hebrews 12: 5-10               NLT    Neues Leben
5 Und habt ihr die ermutigenden Worte völlig vergessen, die Gott zu euch sprach? »Mein Sohn, lehne dich nicht dagegen auf, wenn der Herr dich zurechtweist und lass dich dadurch nicht entmutigen!
6 Denn der Herr weist die zurecht, die er liebt, und er straft jeden, den er als seinen Sohn annimmt.«
7 Wenn ihr Schweres ertragen müsst, dann erkennt darin die Zurechtweisung Gottes; denkt daran, dass Gott euch als seine Kinder behandelt. Wer hätte je von einem Sohn gehört, der nie bestraft wurde?
8 Wenn Gott euch nicht zurechtweist, wie er es doch bei allen Menschen tut, dann heißt das, dass ihr nicht seine rechtmäßigen Kinder seid.
9 Unsere leiblichen Väter erzogen uns mit Strafe, und wir hatten trotzdem Achtung vor ihnen. Sollten wir uns da nicht umso bereitwilliger der Erziehung unseres himmlischen Vaters unterordnen, damit wir leben?
10 Denn unsere leiblichen Väter haben uns eine Zeit lang erzogen, so gut sie es konnten. Aber Gottes Erziehung ist immer richtig und gut für uns, weil sie bedeutet, dass wir Anteil an seiner Heiligkeit erhalten.
v5,6… We are given these encouraging words… Our Heavenly father disciplines us…. Because he loves us… That has to be the way and motive that we use in our homes…
This very same phrase is also used in 2 Timothy 3…v15-17… It is used to describe the purposes of the Scriptures in our lives…   Parents… We are to raise our children on the Word of God… Back to Ephesians 6…v4… Look at the middle of verse 4…
Ephesians 6: 4                     NLT   Neues Leben
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
4 Und ihr Väter, seid nicht ungerecht gegen eure Kinder. Erzieht sie vielmehr mit Disziplin und zeigt ihnen den richtigen Weg, so wie es Christus entspricht.
v4… Bring them up… Calvin translated this phrase "Let them be fondly cherished…
This tender love and care that our Heavenly Father has poured out on our lives…. Is the same love and care that we are to pour out on our wives and children… That´s right…. Our Lord Jesus Christ… Who is the Instrument of the Father in all of our lives… He is our example…. When we love and care for are families like Jesus loves and cares for us…. We will disciple our children His way…
We need to keep the text from Hebrews 12 in our hearts and minds as we care for our families… It reminds us of God´s loving discipline with produces wonderful results in us… Look at Hebrews 12… this time v10…
Hebrews 12: 10-13               NLT    Neues Leben
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
10 Denn unsere leiblichen Väter haben uns eine Zeit lang erzogen, so gut sie es konnten. Aber Gottes Erziehung ist immer richtig und gut für uns, weil sie bedeutet, dass wir Anteil an seiner Heiligkeit erhalten.11 Keine Strafe ist angenehm, und während wir sie erleiden, ist sie immer schmerzlich! Doch danach werden diejenigen, die auf diese Weise geformt werden, inneren Frieden und ein Leben in der Gerechtigkeit gewinnen. 12 Stärkt also eure müde gewordenen Hände und stellt euch fest auf eure zitternden Knie!13 Schafft gerade Wege für eure Füße. Dann werden alle, auch wenn sie schwach und lahm sind, nicht stolpern und fallen, sondern stark werden.
Look at the results of God´s loving Discipline in this text…
Loving Godly Discipline
1 Holiness… v10… The scriptures call us to Holy and Godly living… 2 Peter 3:11…
2 Right living… v11… The German translation says… inner peace and righteousness…
3 Makes us strong believers… v12…
4 We follow a straight path… v13... We learn to mark a straight path for ourselves and others to follow… Discipline from the Lord produces Discipleship in us… We will learn and grow in grace…Then as we love and disciple our families... They will follow our path of Holiness and obedience… We will become disciplers of others…. our families… and our brothers and sisters in the church… We minister to each other…
Application…. That means that we must be in the Word of God ourselves… 2 Timothy 3:15-17…. God will use it in us… He will make us Godly parents and Leaders…. In the home and in the church…. And in this lost and dying world… back to Ephesians 6… v…5
Ephesians 6: 5- 9                 NLT   Neues Leben
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
5 Ihr Sklaven sollt euren irdischen Herren gehorchen. Achtet und ehrt sie und dient ihnen mit aufrichtigen Herzen, wie ihr Christus dient.
6 Arbeitet hart, aber nicht nur, um euren Herren zu gefallen, wenn sie euch dabei sehen. Versteht euch vielmehr als Sklaven, die Christus gehören und die von Herzen den Willen Gottes erfüllen.
7 Arbeitet so bereitwillig, als würdet ihr Gott dienen und nicht Menschen.
8 Denkt daran, dass der Herr jeden von uns für das Gute belohnen wird, das wir tun, ob wir nun Sklaven sind oder frei.
9 Und genauso sollt auch ihr Herren eure Sklaven behandeln. Droht ihnen nicht, sondern denkt immer daran, dass ihr beide denselben Herrn im Himmel habt, der keinen Menschen bevorzugt.
v5… Slaves, obey your earthly masters…  Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ… Do you see the pattern in Paul´s exhortations to us…? We are learning about all forms of submission in life… For Christians all submission… Is rooted in our submission to the Lord Jesus Christ… He is our example... He became obedient even unto death… Death on the cross… Phil 2:8 and Hebrews 5:8…
He is not only our example…. He is the reason that we submit to each other… and to the authority that He Himself has placed in the home and in the church…. It´s all because of Jesus.. We trust Him…. We love and serve and obey the Lord Jesus…. He is the one we are following… As we submit to the Lord… We submit to the authorities that the Lord has put in our lives… The Lord has given us parents and husbands and bosses and pastors…. And because we are genuine believers… we follow them… Unless what we are told to do something that is sinful… Something that violates the Word of God…. No one can command you to disobey the Word of God…
The truth that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ changes our whole perspective as workers and as bosses… It reminds us that our work should be done as if we were working for the Lord…
While the Gospel in one respect left slavery alone… it doomed it in another… Because the Good News of the Gospel combats all forms of oppression… The Glorious Light of the Gospel Burst into the Greco-Roman world with great power…  The Gospel brings the message of mutual submission and  redeeming love…. To a world dominated by power and wickedness…  

v8… Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do… Paul reminds us that God will bless and reward us for our hard work…
v9… Masters… Don’t threaten them… remember, you both have the same Master in heaven…  
We are commanded to be kind and not harsh… This applies to our families and our employees and of course… It applies to the way we treat each other here in the church…  Again we see Jesus as our example… let´s look at the next section… Eph 6… v10…
Ephesians 6: 10,11                   NLT  Neues Leben
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
10 Noch ein Wort zum Schluss: Werdet stark durch den Herrn und durch die mächtige Kraft seiner Stärke!
11 Legt die komplette Waffenrüstung Gottes an, damit ihr allen hinterhältigen Angriffen des Teufels widerstehen könnt.
v10a… A final word: Be strong in the Lord… This comes at the end of the letter… In this  letter Paul has carefully established our place in Jesus… He has taught solid doctrinal proof…  And then He applied these truths to our   Christian walk… This is his last section dealing with that walk… Literally speaking…  Paul wrote… strengthen yourselves in the Lord… He probably took the idea from 1 Samuel 30:6… where it is said that David strengthened himself in the LORD his God…
There are 2 two essential components to this final exhortation… First, you must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might... Then, you must put on the whole armor of God... Both of these components are essential…   If you take a weak man who can barely stand… and put the best armor on him…  He will be easily beaten…
So equipping for Christian combat must begin with be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might…
v10b... And in the power of His might… This shows how to get the strength that we need for the spiritual battle that we find ourselves in…   
Might is a clearly seen proof of power or force… A muscular man's big muscles display his might… even if he doesn't use them… It is a reservoir of his strength for whatever task he takes on… A soldiers weapons are also reservoirs of his power and ability to fight and win…
God has vast reservoirs of might that can be realized as power in our Christian life… But His might does not work in me as I sit passively… His might works in me… as I  step out to do the work…
The key for us is to by faith rely on His might… And then do the work…. Proclaim and defend the Gospel with His power and wisdom… v11…
v11a… Put on all of God’s armor… God gives the believer a full set of equipment… and He sends us out into battle with everything we need…
This is the armor is of God… Is from Him… It is His actual armor… In the Old Testament, it is the LORD who wears the armor as he fights for us… Isaiah 59:17… Paul says that He now shares that armor with us… No wonder Paul writes to the Romans…. That we are more than conquerors!.. Romans 8:37… look at the next phrase…
v11b… That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil… We need the Lord´s power and armor to do battle with our enemies… If we try to resist the devil on our own… We are toast
Satan's schemes against us fail…  When we stand against them in the power of God… v12…
Ephesians 6: 12                        NLT Neues Leben
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 12 Denn wir kämpfen nicht gegen Menschen aus Fleisch und Blut, sondern gegen die bösen Mächte und Gewalten der unsichtbaren Welt, gegen jene Mächte der Finsternis, die diese Welt beherrschen, und gegen die bösen Geister in der Himmelswelt.
v12a… For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies… Paul does not call   believers to enter into spiritual warfare… He simply announces our spiritual battles as facts… We are in a spiritual battle… We are out of time. We will pick up this text and go a bit deeper next time…. For let´s stop right here and pray…

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Todays Sermon notes



2016.01.17                   Ephesians 5: 21-33
                   Walk in Wisdom in Family Life
Good morning everyone…. It´s great to see all of you… I am glad that you are here….. I have Good News for you…. His name is Jesus… As most of you know… Here at Calvary Chapel Wiesbaden we teach through the Bible verse by verse… Because we want to see the Big picture…. We want to know and understand our great God and Savior…. The Lord Jesus Christ…. We are studying Paul´s letter to the Ephesians this morning… This morning we will pick up the 5th point from last week…
5 Walk in Wisdom ch 5 15-33
We all need wisdom for the many challenges that face us in 2016… In this day and culture… Our families and our marriages are in great danger… We desperately need wisdom…. Wisdom to survive and protect our families in these difficult times… This Wisdom must come from the Word of God… That is what the Holy Spirit uses as He teaches us and shapes our hearts…
We need the Holy Spirit´s help to love and care for our each other and our families… Once again this morning… Our text for today points us in the right direction… We are going to look at God´s plan for marriage and Family…  I will back up a few verses to  remind us of the context… In Eph 5… v10… First Paul says…
Ephesians 5: 10             NLT     Neues Leben
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.
10 Findet heraus, was dem Herrn Freude macht.
That´s very good advice… Since God in His grace and mercy has forgiven us… Since because of His unfailing love… He has washed away our sins… We should… We need to…  Carefully determine what pleases the LORD… then in ch v..15… we read
Ephesians 5: 15                      NLT  Neues Leben
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
15 Achtet sorgfältig darauf, wie ihr lebt; handelt nicht unklug, sondern bemüht euch, weise zu sein.
Paul says come on now… be smart… be wise… Then in verse 17 we read
Ephesians 5: 17             NLT Neues Leben
17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
17 Handelt nicht gedankenlos, sondern versucht zu begreifen, was der Herr von euch will.

v17… Understand what the will of the Lord is… This is what real wisdom is… It is the opposite of being selfish and foolish…  
Our knowledge of the will of God comes from a solid understanding of His Word
It helps us to be careful how we live… It helps us to love and care for each other…
then in verse 20 Paul says…
Ephesians 5: 20             NLT   Neues Leben
20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
20 Und dankt Gott, dem Vater, zu jeder Zeit für alles im Namen unseres Herrn Jesus Christus.
v20… give thanks for everything to God the Father… The NKJV says… Giving thanks always for all things to God… We are commanded to be filled with thanksgiving….
We among all people…. Should be so filled with thankfulness…. That we overflow with it… We can and should give thanks for everything… Yes… Even the hard times…
Even difficult marriages and family life… God uses the hard times… The difficult challenges to shape us and transform us… verse 21…
Ephesians 5: 21                  NLT   Neues Leben
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
21 Ordnet euch aus Achtung vor dem Herrn bereitwillig einander unter.
v21… submit to one another out of reverence for Christ…. The NKJV says…. Submitting to one another in the fear of God… The motive for all submission is love and respect for the Lord Jesus Christ...   It has to do with our relationship with the Lord Jesus…. We need to have an attitude of mutual submission in the church and in our families…   In this next section Paul gives us practical advice for our families…  We could call this…
God’s plan for marriage and the family
And by the way gentlemen… Paul focuses on us… and men… As leaders in the home… we are responsible…. Paul is going to help us understand our responsibitities…  Especially   as husbands and fathers… Paul spends a lot of time exhorting us… Most of this next section is aimed at counseling us… Paul does not hold back anything when he gives us godly advice… So Hold on to your seats…
look with me at the next section in Eph ch5… starting with v21…
Ephesians 5: 21-24                     NLT   Neues Leben
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
21 Ordnet euch aus Achtung vor dem Herrn bereitwillig einander unter. 22 Ihr Ehefrauen sollt euch euren Männern unterordnen, so wie ihr euch dem Herrn unterordnet. 23 Denn der Mann ist das Haupt seiner Frau, wie Christus das Haupt seines Leibes - der Gemeinde - ist, für die er sein Leben gab, um sie zu retten.24 So wie die Gemeinde sich Christus unterordnet, sollt ihr Ehefrauen euch auch euren Männern in allem unterordnen.
v22… For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord… 
We have just read about mutual submission…. As genuine believers we submit to each other as unto the Lord… Most of the time we can express our love and trust with mutual submission…. We can function as a team with the same goals… Using the analogy of a team from last week… We do still have coaches… leaders…. And we follow our leaders… We have pastors and elders in the church…. They carry a great responsibility to love and disciple and protect the church…
Our leader… The Lord Jesus Christ… Is our perfect example… He is the one we look to… Paul continues now with very practical advice for our families…
When we look at the family… We have structure in place as well… Ideally the husband takes on the role of loving and protecting the family… He lovingly leads and serves them… When a man is Spirit-filled… when he is so filled with joy and gratitude to God for all that Christ has done… And when he loves his wife as himself… he will serve her and sacrifice himself for her… and will not lord over her… his authority will be gentle… And sacrificial… and he will help her to feel safe and secure… and she will be willing to follow him…
When we submit to God… we recognize God's authority… Which he uses for our good…
Submission is a very difficult subject in today´s culture… We live in a time of self-fulfillment… I am the boss of me…
But Submission does not mean inferiority… As well, submission does not mean silence… Submission means "sub-mission." There is a mission for the Christian marriage… and that mission is obeying and glorifying God in everything that we are... look at the last part of v22…
v22b… To your own husbands as to the Lord… This is a very important context for submission… This defines the limits of a wife's submission... The Bible never commands a general submission of women unto men in society... This order is commanded only in the areas of the home and the church… God has not commanded in His word that men have exclusive authority in other areas… The example in in the church and in the home is the LORD Jesus Himself… How we need Him in our homes and in the church… Now Men we have the ball… But with it comes great responsibility… let´s look at the next section… v28…
Ephesians 5: 25-28                   NLT   Neues Leben
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.
25 Und ihr Ehemänner, liebt eure Frauen mit derselben Liebe, mit der auch Christus die Gemeinde geliebt hat. Er gab sein Leben für sie,
26 damit sie befreit von Schuld ganz ihm gehört, rein gewaschen durch Gottes Wort.
27 Er tat dies, um sie als herrliche Gemeinde vor sich hinzustellen, ohne Flecken und Runzeln oder dergleichen, sondern heilig und makellos.
28 Genauso sollten auch die Ehemänner ihre Frauen lieben, wie sie ihren eigenen Körper lieben. Denn ein Mann liebt auch sich selbst, wenn er seine Frau liebt.
A clear principle is given to us in verse 25… the husband’s responsibility is to love his wife…  It doesn’t say rule over her…. He already has that tendency… even a tendency to dominate her… to control her… to command her…  The curse does that…  He is told here… He is to love and protect her…  She is submitting to him as unto the LORD….  His leadership is the leadership self-sacrificial love  and care…  It is his responsibility to give direction… and to provide for her…   and to display godly leadership…  But it is always in the context of love… Paul exhorts the church in Colossae about these very same things…. Look with me at Col 3: 16…


Colossians 3: 16-19              NLT   Neues Leben
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

16 Gebt den Worten von Christus viel Raum in euren Herzen. Gebraucht seine Worte weise, um einander zu lehren und zu ermahnen. Singt Gott aus ganzem Herzen Psalmen, Lobgesänge und geistliche Lieder. 17 Doch alles, was auch immer ihr tut oder sagt, soll im Namen von Jesus, dem Herrn, geschehen, durch den ihr Gott, dem Vater, danken sollt! 18 Ihr Frauen, ordnet euch euren Männern unter, wie es für Menschen angemessen ist, die dem Herrn gehören! 19 Ihr Männer, liebt eure Frauen und behandelt sie nicht grob!
This text is wonderful and clear…. It talks about our ministry to each other in the church… We teach and counsel each other… We follow the biblical pattern for the church… and for our families… Then here Paul exhorts  the men…
Do not be harsh with your wives…  There is always the danger of the loss of love in a marriage…  There is a great risk that the husband  forgets the loving example of the Lord Jesus... His simply loved us and laid down His life for us… No preconditions…. Well if she respects me enough…. Then I will love her… No… It is not that we loved Him….. It is that He first loved us…. Jesus loved us and redeemed us when we were dirty rotten sinners…. There was nothing good about us… It is just  like we read in Ephesians 2…. We were dead in sins…. V4… but God who is so rich in mercy…  
When Paul says to husbands… “Love your wives and sacrifice your lives for them as Christ gave Himself up for His church… this is radical…  It is a self-sacrificing love…  It is humble and unselfish… look again at Eph 5v 25…
Ephesians 5:25                    NLT   Neues Leben
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her
25 Und ihr Ehemänner, liebt eure Frauen mit derselben Liebe, mit der auch Christus die Gemeinde geliebt hat. Er gab sein Leben für sie,
v25a… 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her… Husbands… We are to love our wives…  That is a command...  You cannot say…  I don’t love her anymore…  You cannot say…You don’t understand…. You don´t know how she’s treated me…  How she treats you is not the issue…  We are commanded to love them…   The Lord Jesus loved sinners when they hated Him…  Didn´t He?  And Jesus is our example and our standard… 
v25b…just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her…    The godly husband loves his wife… not for what she can do for him… but what he can do for her...  That’s how Christ’s love works…  He loves us not because there’s something in us that attracts Him… He loves us because He decided to love us in spite of our sins and ugliness…  He loves us with a love that never fails… It is based on His promise and faithfulness…. Not in any sense on us… We did not deserve His love… We still do not deserve his love…. He promised to love and save us….   We don’t deserve His love...  There’s nothing attractive in us...  Jesus simply loves us…  It is a love that never dies….  It cannot be killed…  It is a love that is utterly and completely self-sacrificing…
If there’s   one simple way to explain what this love means for us as husbands… it would be to say it means death to self…  Swallow your pride… swallow your personal desires… swallow your personal ambitions… swallow your fantasies and dreams about how life might have been with someone else…  put all of that aside… it is all meaningless…  It only boils down to temptation…  And love your wives with a love that knows nothing of self… Focus on her needs… nurture her heart… And lay down your life for her… Impossible you say… Stimmt das… It is impossible without the Lord´s help…   
This is the kind of love that only the Spirit of God can give  us… He gives us the capacity to love like this…   This is the very love which Christ Himself demonstrated toward us…. And now because of His work in us and through us…  we live in that love…. And we are able to love others through Him…  It is the Holy Spirit produces this incredible love in us…   This is the kind of love that belongs only to people who have been born again… People who have had their lives transformed…
In 1 Corinthians 13… every characteristic of love listed in that chapter is  a verb…        Love acts…  Let´s look at 1 Cor 13… v4…
1 Corinthians 13: 4- 7                NLT   Neues Leben
 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
4 Die Liebe ist geduldig und freundlich. Sie ist nicht neidisch oder überheblich, stolz
5 oder anstößig. Die Liebe ist nicht selbstsüchtig. Sie lässt sich nicht reizen, und wenn man ihr Böses tut, trägt sie es nicht nach. 6 Sie freut sich niemals über Ungerechtigkeit, sondern sie freut sich immer an der Wahrheit. 7 Die Liebe erträgt alles, verliert nie den Glauben, bewahrt stets die Hoffnung und bleibt bestehen, was auch geschieht
v4… Love is patient and kind…
That’s the character of God´s love… and that’s how we are to love our wives…
It is always a verb… it is always acting on someone…  We have been given the capacity to love like this by the Holy Spirit…  Because we have been transformed and born again… the Spirit of God has come into us… we have received the fruit of the Spirit which is love… and we can actively share that love…    Christian…  you cannot  say… “Well, I’m sorry I really tried to love her…  but I don’t have the ability… I can´t love her anymore…  Yes, you can…  God´s supernatural love is there for you to tap into… 
And it is a love that is not dependent on the object… In other words… Because of Jesus work in me… I can decide to love my wife no matter what...
In verse 7… Paul says… Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance… To summarize this list… love forgives everything done against it…  The loving person doesn’t keep a record of wrongs…
Would you like to know what destroys marriages…? It  is unforgiveness…  If you continually forgive one another all the time… there’s no record of wrong kept… If we refuse to forgive we start to build a wall of bitterness… It is poison to any relationship…. IT can be death to a marriage… Nothing is more important in our marriage than forgiveness… Immediate and  spontaneous forgiveness will protect your marriage…   
I suppose, men, we might even ask the question: when was the last time you made a sacrifice for your wife?  I’m not talking about something trivial, something significant.  Have you crucified self, set something aside to focus on her?  I know many men are anxious to be leaders and spiritual giants, and they want to appear as they’re in control of everything and they are the pious leader of the family.  True godly leadership is death to self… 
Death to self is the issue...   It saves us from being defensive and hostile… Even when our wives are accumulating that list of things against us…  You know… You never…. You always…. You should have… We want to defend ourselves…  We are tempted to build a list of our own…. Big Mistake…. The scriptures say that a soft answer turns away wrath…Proverbs 15… v1…

When your good is evil spoken of… when she misunderstands you… when your desires are not important to her… when your advice is disregarded… and your opinions are ridiculed… and when you are abused… when you are mistreated… or misunderstood… and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself… that is dying to self… John MacArthur
Do you want to know what makes you the leader God wants you to be in your home…? It´s not when you show her who´s boss…   It’s when you die to yourself…  The manner with which we are to love our wives is the manner with which Christ loved the church...  It is a sacrificial love that demands death to self...    To constantly deny ourselves is a great spiritual challenge...  But that’s what God calls for…  And when we lead in an environment of sacrificial love and self-denial… We create the godly and loving home that a woman longs for… let´s take the next section beginning at verse 26…
Ephesians 5: 25b -29                         NLT   Neues Leben
He gave His life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
Er gab sein Leben für sie, 26 damit sie befreit von Schuld ganz ihm gehört, rein gewaschen durch   Gottes Wort. 27 Er tat dies, um sie als herrliche Gemeinde vor sich hinzustellen, ohne Flecken und Runzeln oder dergleichen, sondern heilig und makellos. 28 Genauso sollten auch die Ehemänner ihre Frauen lieben, wie sie ihren eigenen Körper lieben. Denn ein Mann liebt auch sich selbst, wenn er seine Frau liebt. 29 Niemand hasst doch seinen eigenen Körper, sondern sorgt liebevoll für ihn, wie auch Christus für seinen Leib, also für die Gemeinde, sorgt.
Ephesians 5: 30-33                 NLT Neues Leben
30 And we are members of his body. 31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
30 Und wir gehören zu seinem Leib. 31 In der Schrift heißt es: »Deshalb wird ein Mann Vater und Mutter verlassen und sich an seine Frau binden und die beiden werden zu einer Einheit.«
32 Das ist ein großes Geheimnis, aber ich deute es als ein Bild für die Einheit von Christus und der Gemeinde.
33 Deshalb sage ich noch einmal, dass jeder Ehemann seine Frau so lieben soll, wie er sich selbst liebt, und dass die Ehefrau ihren Mann achten und respektieren soll.
This is a beautiful picture… Paul drives home this comparison of man and wife in Marriage… He reminds us of Christ and the church… Jesus loves His church with a sacrificial and   sanctifying love…  He forgave us everything… forgotten…. I love you…. I refuse to remember the things that you have done to me…. It´s all under the cross… The Lord Jesus loves His church enough to cleanse her from every sin and failure…  He loves His church enough to present her without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but holy and blameless… In His eyes we are all perfect…. Men…. In your eyes your… our wives and families should be perfect…. Because we refuse to hold things against them…
In verse 26 we see that He does this process of making the church Holy with the Word of God… As men we need to disciple our wives and children… We need to help them grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ…
Jesus is at work purifying His church… and a husband needs to help his wife towards holiness… 
How ?
By discipling and living out the Word of God for her… By teaching and sharing the faithful study of the scriptures with your family… Being here and making church life the most important part of learning to do life together…
Close
look at verse 33…
v33…  So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Here Paul sums it all up…. Here is the formula for an excellent marriage… Love and respect…. These are commands… Impossible? Yes in our own strength… Impossible…  But… Because of Jesus´ work in our hearts and lives…. We love and serve her with the love that Jesus has made alive in us…. She loves and respects us because of Jesus´ work in her heart and life… This is the secret to a wonderful and Godly marriage… Love and Respect… Easier said than done… I fail my wife… Perhaps every day… We have wonderful resources at our disposal… First… Right here… The Word of God…
But we also have the examples of Godly men and women who shared their life experiences and understanding with us… A web page of resources for marriage…
Counseling God´s way and Love and Respect ministries…
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood…
Let´s review the first 2 verse of Eph5… beginning at v1..
Ephesians 5: 1,2          NLT    Neues Leben
1  Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
1 Folgt in allem Gottes Beispiel, denn ihr seid seine geliebten Kinder. 2 Euer Leben soll von Liebe geprägt sein, wie auch Christus uns geliebt hat, denn er hat sich selbst als Gabe und Opfer für unsere Sünden gegeben. Und Gott hatte Gefallen an diesem Opfer, das wie ein wohlriechender Duft zu ihm aufstieg.

Now a final word from James to end this morning…

James 1: 2-4                NLT   Neues Leben
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
2 Liebe Brüder, wenn in schwierigen Situationen euer Glaube geprüft wird, dann freut euch darüber.3 Denn wenn ihr euch darin bewährt, wächst eure Geduld.4 Und durch die Geduld werdet ihr bis zum Ende durchhalten, denn dann wird euer Glaube zur vollen Reife gelangen und vollkommen sein und nichts wird euch fehlen.
Let’s pray.