Sermon Notes - Uncommon Marriage - Sacrifice

Uncommon Marriage - Sacrifice, Ephesians 5:21-25
Larry Parsley, Valley Ranch Baptist Church, attended October 25, 2009

We are walking into a “holy mystery” of gender as we look at this. Christians often disagree about this text, so may be walking into a “minefield” here. (?)

Psychologists tell us there are gender differences, i.e. girls walk around and boys walk through, so there are differences.

1. Both husband and wife are called to serve one another – Ephesians 5:21. Christians filled with the Spirit submit and serve one another. This is the thesis statement of this entire text on marriage. (?) Christians filled with the Holy Spirit submit and serve one another. Perhaps she majors on earning wages and she minors on the children. (?)

2. Unique roles in marriage – Ephesians 5:22-25. There are parallels between the husband and Christ and between the wife and the church. Obviously the husbands aren’t saviors and aren’t equal to Christ but is a parallel.

Wives are called to a special submission here. This submission cannot be forced or demanded by the husband but must be freely given. In a culture of equality this is backwards.

3. Paul’s motives for describing unique roles – This was revolutionary at the time. He would have been considered a radical feminist at the time. We live in a different understanding of equality of men and women but we shouldn’t ignore this teaching because we are in a different culture.

There are more similarities than differences between men and women, e.g. we all have eyes, hearts, etc. (?) Adam does have bias to independence from Genesis, i.e. naming animals, etc., while Eve has bias to interdependence, i.e. helper, etc. (?)

4. What Paul is not endorsing – not endorsing a military hierarchy or rigid stereotypes, i.e. one works outside other works inside. The culture tells us can have women CEO’s, women Secretary of State, etc. Bible also tells us this with Deborah, Miriam, Phoebe and the Proverbs 31 woman. Bible women show leadership. Paul wants us to discover the main focus of Ephesians – unity.

5. What Paul is endorsing – discover what God made you to be. She sacrificially undergirds him. She strengthens him to do what he is called to do and it is all done to the honor of Christ.