SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/18/2019
8:42 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “Intro
into the Role of the Husband”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
5:25-33
Message of the verses: “25 Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with
the word, 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. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own
flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the
church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL
LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL
BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to
Christ and the church. 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.”
We
want to go to the beginning of the Word of God this evening as we begin this
SD, and remember that before the fall, Adam and Eve lived in the beautiful
harmony and satisfaction of the perfect marriage. That is surely something to
think about as marriages at best are at times difficult in the days we live
in. Adam had looked at all of the
animals that God had created and because he had full use of his brain he named
them all but was disappointed that looking at the animals who all had mates, he
did not have one. When Adam first saw
Eve, he immediately recognized her as his perfect companion, “This is now bone
of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,” Adam said in Genesis 2:23. Adam saw no blemishes or shortcomings in Eve
because both her character and his attitude were pure. There was not a thing to criticize in Eve and
there was no critical spirit in Adam.
Though they were both naked, they were not ashamed (v. 25), because
there was no such thing as an evil, impure, or even any perverse thought. Again that is far different than what we see
today, and it all has to do with sin.
John
MacArthur writes “Man was created first and was given headship over the woman
and over creation. But their original relationship
was so pure and perfect that his headship over her was a manifestation of his
consuming love for her, and her submission to him was manifestation of her
consuming love for him. No selfishness
or self-will marred their relationship.
Each lived for the other in perfect fulfillment of their create purpose
and under God’s perfect provision and care.
“The
man and woman were so closely identified with each other that God’s command was
for ‘them [to rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and
over the cattle and over all the earth…God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that
moves on the earth’’ (Gen. 1:26-28).”
Some
may wonder why marriage was instituted.
It was instituted to procreate mankind, to raise up children to fill the
earth as stated in Genesis 1:28. There
is more as it is also for the purpose of companionship, so that man would not
be alone as seen in Genesis 2:18, and also for the purpose of sexual
fulfillment and pleasure as can be seen in 1 Corinthians 7:4-5; compare Hebrew
13:4. I think we better look at these
verses: “4 The wife does not have authority
over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband
does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Stop
depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote
yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you
because of your lack of self-control.” “Marriage
is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to
be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
When
we were looking at the role of the wife we discussed why the perfect marriage
relationship of Adam and Eve was interrupted.
The fall itself involved a perversion of marital roles, and God’s cure
because of the Fall also affected marriage.
Eve sinned not only in disobeying what God specifically commanded but
also in acting independently of her husband and then failing to consult Adam
about the serpent’s temptation. Adam
sinned not only by disobeying God’s command but by succumbing to Eve’s
leadership, thus failing to exercise his God-given authority. Now it was because of her disobedience, God
cursed the woman to pain in giving birth to children and to a perverted desire
to rule over the man. Then the man was
cursed to toil, to difficulty, to frustration in wresting sustenance from the
land, and to conflict with his wife over her submission. I think we can all understand this. Then they were both cursed with death as the
penalty for their sins as seen in Genesis 3:16-19; and then we can also look at
Romans 5:15-19, and as we look at these sets of verses that will end today’s
SD.
“16
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In
pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you." 17 Then
to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and
have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ’You shall not
eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life. 18 "Both
thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the
field; 19 By the sweat of your face You
will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust, And to dust you shall return’” (Gen. 3:16-19).
15
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of
the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace
of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that
which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose
from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand
the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.
17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much
more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one
transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act
of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as
through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through
the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:15-19)
Today we look at the last of the verses
that go along with the quotations that have been posted. Yesterday we looked at a quotation from
Brother Lawrence, and 1 John 4:7 is the verse that goes along with this
quotation: “Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God.”
I
have a little booklet entitled “Love in Action, changing lives with the power
of Encouragement” written by David Jeremiah and my plans are to use quotations
from this book at the end of each of my Spiritual Diaries. I remember listening to some sermons about 20+
years ago on encouragement by Dr. Jeremiah and he stated the encouragement was
like pouring courage into a person so I hope that will be the outcome as these
quotations are quoted from this book. I
will begin with the introduction to this book in our next SD, Lord willing.
8/18/2019 9:21 PM
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