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I would like to take you back to the beginning again this morning as we set the stage for
the topic today. So, turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 2:21-25.
“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one
of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had
taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was
taken out of Man.
Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and
they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.”
In my mind, the heart of this story is the oneness of the union between the first couple. We
can only imagine the implications of what it meant for them to be together, as one flesh,
totally naked, and totally unashamed.
We can only imagine the intimacy they must have enjoyed – the joy – the excitement of
having no sin, and consequently, no shame, inhibitions, boundaries, secrets, or emotional
hiding places.
Adam and Eve were, in that moment, perfectly harmonious.
But they sinned; and the result was the penalty of separation, not only from God, but also
from each other. They lost harmony. And it has eluded us ever since.
Oh, but not for lack of a search party! No, because every time a man and woman and
exchange their vows, they are searching for that harmony again.
In marriage, a couple seeks harmony, unity, and emotional connectedness. They look for a
deep bond that they feel must exist, but they cannot seem to grasp. They hope, somehow,
that marriage will provide the music that they can sing together in perfect harmony.
But more often, marriage is played out as a discordant note - brassy, shallow, twangy, and
dissonant.
Instead of harmony, we find conflict, friction, and dissention. Instead of connectedness, we
experience detachment and emotional isolation. Instead of growing closer to the one we
love, we tend to drift apart.
In short, we find that the music of a good marriage requires a great deal of work. Sadly,
when finding this, some simply give up, quit, or just get along as it is; and the union is
never quite what it could be, or what God wants it to be.
But, as I often remind those I counsel, there is hope because Romans 15:13 tells us that
God is the “God of Hope” who seeks to give us all joy and peace, so that we may abound
with hope, as we trust Christ and let Him work in our lives through the presence of the
Holy Spirit.
God has hope for your marriage… do you? Things may seem tough, even almost hopeless
for some of you, but God is the God of Hope, and He can do anything. Our place is to trust
Him to do it.
So today, I want to take the next step in this For Better or For Worse series by dealing with
the issue of a husband’s responsibility to his wife.
The Title of today’s message is ‘Loving Her – 3 steps to a great marriage!
So, please open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5:25-31. Let us read…
First, notice God’s Instruction - “Husbands, love your wives…”
Then, His Illustration - “…even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Next, His Intention - “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
When I hear God commanding me to love my wife as Christ loved, I am intimidated. How
can I possibly love as He did?
Here is the Answer…
“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as
the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
How do we love our wives? We love them by treating them as we want to be treated. We
care, provide for, nurture, and seek to please her. And we do it with purpose.
What is that purpose? Is it because God commanded it?
Rest assured that God would not be pleased with such a motive. Yes, we are commanded
to love, but the command must not be the motive, or marriage becomes forced servitude.
There is a higher motive, and it is love. It is that which we have been searching for since
the beginning, that harmony I spoke of earlier. Notice that Paul shows us that reminder…
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife,
and they two shall be one flesh.
There it is! There is the real motive… to find that oneness – that unity – that connectedness
that only love can provide in the union of marriage. It is what God planned from the very
beginning, and it is what every man should go after with all his might!
But again, the question arises… How? Yes, we men are a practical bunch, and we need to
know how? No, we cannot read minds, or understand the nuances of a woman’s moods.
We have no intuition of sixth sense (and if we did, it would only apply to which team is
likely to win the big game!)
So, as much as we hate to admit it, we need instructions. We need a step-by-step guide to
help us build a good marriage, just like we do to build a nice home, or an engine, or a
model.
And thank God, we have one! We have an Instruction Book on marriage that beats them
all. It is a Divine guide to loving our wives as Christ loved the Church.
Today we’re going to look at those instructions in a precise, practical way in which I’m
going to give you two steps to a great marriage.
So let’s begin with the first step towards a great marriage…
Step#1 – Set Your Wife in First Place
Turn with me to 1Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to
knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs
together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
I’ve heard this verse taught and preached before. In fact, more than once. And the focus is
usually on the nature of a woman – she is the weaker vessel. Boy, we like to hear that,
right guys? It makes us feel manly – all strong, and protective. We enjoy the feelings that
thought invokes.
But I don’t think that’s what God intends. The focus of thought here is not the nature of the
woman, but the actions of the husband towards her. It’s not about her weakness, but about
what you are to do to strengthen her and honor her. It’s about putting your wife first.
How do you put your wife first place?
Be Attentive Towards Her - Notice the verse says to, live with her “according to
knowledge”. The English Standard Version translates it to live “…with your wives in an
understanding way,” The CEV says, “If you are a husband, you should be thoughtful of
your wife.”
How do you show thoughtfulness? Here are a couple of things…
Take notice of her - Pay attention to her efforts to please you. Many women make a lot of
effort to please their husbands, only for him to overlook it or ignore the effort involved.
Praise her for the clean house. She’s worked hard, let her know you appreciate it by saying
so, and by making the effort to pick up after yourself and help out. Note her perfume, her
hair, and the way she dresses, and tell her how good she looks.
Help her - No matter if she is a homemaker or works a job like you, your home is a joint-
venture – a partnership. If you want harmony, help out around the house. Keep the honey
do list short.
Do these things, and your thoughtfulness will shine through!
Be Enamored By Her – Peter says we are to give, “…honour unto the wife,” The Greek
word for ‘honor’ is ‘time’ (tee-may) and it carries the idea of …value. By analogy, it
means to ‘esteem (especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself:--honour,
precious…”
When a guy dates a girl, he will do just about anything for her. He will talk with her for
hours on end over the phone. He’ll be interested in her family. He’ll spend his money.
He’ll think about her. He’ll think she’s the best thing on planet earth.
Then he marries her, and after five or ten years, the shine has worn from the marriage. The
newness is gone. And sometimes the value that he should have for her is lost. And when
this happens, he no longer loves her, as he should.
She no longer makes his heart beat faster. She no longer invokes in him as sense of
chivalry and pride. He no longer sees her as his greatest earthly treasure.
Simply put, he takes her for granted. But God’s Word cries, “Foul!”
God calls to the man to see his wife afresh and anew. She is the greatest treasure this earth
affords a man. She is your closest ally, your confidant, your life partner, your helper, your
co-laborer, your homemaker, your children’s mother.
She is greater than all the riches this world affords! Do you see her that way? Or, have you
lost this perspective?
Proverbs 19:14 says, “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: (but) a prudent wife
is from the LORD.” And Proverbs 31:10 asks, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her
price is far above rubies.
I have a feeling that men who take their wives for granted drifted into that place. It didn’t
just happen. Over time, he let his guard down and stopped putting her first. How does he
restore the value of his wife? There are two primary things.
First, spend time with her – The drift can occur through simply living day-to-day and not
making time alone doing enjoyable things for and with her. Soon, it was the routine – go
to work, come home, have dinner, watch TV, go to bed.
It may be that she’s still your living partner, but not the person you’re enamored with.
You’ve lost that wonder – that funny feeling inside – that value. And it’s not her fault – it’s
yours.
You need to initiate conversation. You need to take her places. You need to spend time with
her doing the things she likes to do. She is your best friend and you need to guard that, lest
some other interest impress you more and takes your attention from the most important
relationship God has given you.
Communicate with her – When you do make time with her, be sure to talk with her. Take
interest in conversation. Be a good listener and open up and share your own thoughts.
Just doing these two things will give you a fresh appreciation of your wife. Your view of
her will be elevated. Her uniqueness will shine. He value will increase!
CONCLUSION
In his book, Every Woman’s Desire, Stephen Arterburn identifies 10 things that, in his
words, render men “eminently unqualified to love like Christ”…
1. Men are rebellious by nature.
Conclusion? By nature we quickly tire of submitting to the needs of our mates. We’d
rather have things our own interesting way.
2. The male ego is bigger but more fragile than the female ego –
Conclusion? This easily prevents oneness and intimacy.