The Christian Husband – Part 1
- This evening looking at just verse
- Paul says much more to the Christian husband's than he does the wives
- v25
- Who has the hardest role?
- Who has the greatest privilege?
- The marriage relationship is the strongest relationship of all
- If this relationship is right it helps in so many other relationships
- This is addressing Christian relationships
- Only the Christian man can love with this agape love
- This is because God's love is in him
- The fall and curse changed the relationship of husband and wife
- Christ came to redeem us from the curse and redeem marriage
- Christ came to redeems us from our sin and transform our lives and our marriages
- We have considered the Christan woman married to the
non-Christian man - This is a word in particular to Christian husbands
- 5:18 - be filled with the Spirit
- As Christian men we can all think of times when we have not loved our wives as we ought
- This teaching would have struck into the heart of Roman society
- Man had all authority over his wife and his children
- Paul states that Christ says we must love our wives
- It is not hard to think about our role as a Christian husband, wife, children or parents
- Col 3:18-21
- One main word given to each
- Wife - submit
- Husband - love (no command to be the head)
- Many Christian men get this wrong
- Headship is a position of service and love, not of suppression but support
- Child - obey
- Parents - not provoking or discouraging your children
- Why this command to love?
- There is a tendency at times to be hard, cold or clinical in our thinking
- Col 3:19 - "Do not be bitter toward them"
- The command is because of the fall/the curse - the tendency to rule or dominate
- The home is the place of most testing
- Where we let down our guard
- The place where we can be both most understood and mis-understood
- In some respects the most difficult place to be a Christian
- It can also be the place of tremendous blessing
- Leaders are always encouraged to be good husbands at home
- Husbands - are you more interested in what God is saying to you or you wife?
- What is the agape love?
- Christ came to love with sacrifice
- He laid down His life on the cross
- He loved us whilst we were still sinners
- Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the Church
- Husbands love their wife because both have faults and failings
- Husbands consider their wives limitations
- Husbands do not let things come between him and his wife
(hobbies, work, etc) - Example of Tim Keller, John Piper, Stuart Olliet
- Christ loves us despite our sins and deficiencies
- A husband should never humiliate or expose a wife's sins and failings - because he has many himself
- 1 Peter 3:7
- Understands your wives limitations
- Give honour and preference to your wife
- The "weaker vessel" - not degrading but physical differences
- A wife needs to know that she is valued
- We as men need to be given grace to love our wives
- Christ's love was in action
- Our love should be in action
- Unselfish deeds of kindness
- Seeking the blessing of others
- Christ's love never ends
- We are to love our wife completely and fully
- We are to love our wife even when infidelity occurs
- Incompatibility can be used for our good and our sanctification
- Key to loving our wives as Christ loved the Church is to walk closely with Christ
- Our love of Christ is above the love of our wife
- As we love Christ, He enables us to love our wife
- May it be that as we hear the word of God we will not just be 'hearers, but doers also'
- "Husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her"
- Closing remarks