Wives - Leland Zehr

Good morning, greet you in Jesus name. Welcome everyone, a few visitors.

I'm glad that you're here with us this morning. Been blessed by the

Service in various ways this morning. Question I wondered about earlier this morning,

as if the Glory of the Lord is here or we'll be here. I

came early this morning, no one was here, it was dark, and

as I as I was leaving, I just was looking and thinking about the

place here, blood of asphalt, brick and mortar, benches that were empty.

And as I pulled out, I knew we'd be coming back your Lord

willing, and I I wondered if the if the Lord would meet us here

this morning, the Glory of the Lord would be here. And what Brother

Jason share to think fits that probably is a condition somewhat of the of whether

the Lord is here this morning or not, is a condition of our our

hands and our hearts and our minds, a trust and hope that he will

be because we need him. I was really blossed with the last two Sunday

school lessons, the timing of them for a couple of reasons. And you

have probably lost track. But I've been trying to preach to Ephesians when we

haven't been interrupted or distracted with something, and the last time I preached out

of there has been several months ago. This morning, I want to pick

back up there. But if you remember, the last message that I preached

from Ephesians was to the husbands, and so that makes it now this morning,

I'd like to talk to you wives primarily. And so I struggle in

life with just giving a real clear thought without trying to balance it out.

I feel like it's little opsided, and both of these messages are that way,

and so I was kind of I need to kind of consciously stay on

track, otherwise I can't get through my material. And so this morning Sunday

school lesson really kind of helped with that. There was some reminders, I

guess for us husbands and our part to play, and I won't be able

to help but drop some of them along the way this morning. But my

primary focus this morning is to speak on the subject of wives and the effusions

five here at verse twenty two is where it brings us to this topic.

And I know also that in our congregation here we have a range of wives

from newlyweds to maybe fifty years plus of marriage and all the stages in between,

and so there is a variation of application in this, but I think

the principles of God's word are solid from beginning to the end. In many

ways, I would have liked if an older sister could have came and spoke

for different reasons, both from that perspective and wisdom, and maybe that you

could receive it better. It feels just a slight conflict of interest for a

husband to stand up here and tell wives how they should behave. But I

want to rest on the authority of God's word. It's not me, but

I do want to give probably some of my own thoughts and practical applications,

but I trust that they'll rest on God's word, and I want to come

in the fear of God and the authority of the scriptures. I agreed with

a couple of thoughts, and I had one similar to that. I just

wanted to say up front the role similar to what brother Will said that although

in our in our society around us, there is a very aggressive movement both

politically and socially to combating the existence of genders and the finality of that,

let alone the biblical roles of the place in the home of a husband and

a wife. And and if I were to if we were to read even

just the scriptures this morning of what we plan to read in many settings in

our country and around the world, it would set off a firestorm of criticism

and outrage for the bigotry of it from their perspective. But I would just

say that what people are doing out there isn't working. It's not working.

It's bringing a lot of brokenness and heartache and pain and confusion. And so

I truly believe that the Bible, when lived rightly on both husband and wife,

is the answer to the most fulfilling and richest and meaningful marriage relationship.

Now, having said that about the movement out there, I feel like personally

in our in our congregations, and then when I say that, I mean

in the in our Anabaptist type churches, that for the most part we are

so blast with good godly wives. There's exceptions, and you have needs,

and sometimes you're selfish, and all of that's true, but I just think

you do so much. It's tremendous and we take it for granted men,

and we have no idea sometimes unless we stop and think and consider how blessed

we really are. And so in a way, I feel like I'm preaching

to the choir this morning, and I trust you'll bear with me, and

we will try to follow the words of the scriptures here. Now, we're

going to read a few in Ephesians, but I want to start with one

verse in Proverbs fourteen one that says, every wise woman buildeth her house,

but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. And I just want you

to think about that this morning, that that verse was true then and it's

true now. And and you have the ability as a wife, even though

you're a weaker vessel you are, you have power. You have influence with

your husband and your home, and you can decide how to use that.

You can build up your home, and that's little ways all along the way,

or you can pluck your home down, pluck your marriage down. You

have a part to play in this, a big part to play. I

think I'm wanting to just read some scriptures now for a little bit and just

kind of lay the ground work, and we'll go to Ephesians five, since

that's where we're starting. And I actually don't plan to preach out of these

verse as much as it brings us to this subject, although there is some

of that in here, And for the sake of time, I'm going to

just read just the verses that apply to the wives, primarily so Ephesians five,

verse twenty two. Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands is unto the

Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ

is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body.

Therefore, as a church is subject unto Christ. So let the wives

be to their own husbands in everything. And I'll jump ahead to verse thirty.

For we are members of his body, and of his flesh, and

of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,

and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one

flesh. This is a great mystery I speak concerning Christ in the church.

Nevertheless, let every one of you, in particular so love his wife even

as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband. And now

I'm going to just move over to Peter again. I was really listening to

the discussion both this morning and last week, but I want to read just

the first six verses again, because there's things in here that we want to

touch on first. Peter three. Likewise, you wives be in subjection to

your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, that they also

may without the word, be won by the conversation of the wives, while

they behold your chase, conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not

be the outward adorning of plaiting of the hair, and wearing of gold,

or putting on of apparel, But let it be the hidden man of the

heart, in which is not in that which is not corruptible, even the

ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which, in the sight of God

of great price. For after this manner, in the old time, the

holy women also who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto

their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose

daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not a