[Colossians 3:1
1 If ye then
be risen with Christ, . . . ]
[Our Lord Jesus Christ physically resurrected from the grave and is
alive today, seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
As surely as He is resurrected, when we receive Him as our Lord and
Savior, then we are resurrected with Him.
We ought to live resurrected lives.
We ought to walk and talk as the citizens of heaven that we are.
Our homes ought to be resurrection homes, our men and husbands ought
to be resurrection men. What
glorious homes and families we would have if we all lived the resurrection
life in our homes.]
[Last week we focused on being resurrection men and the characteristics
of resurrection saints. Today we
will focus on being a resurrection woman and wife.
What does a resurrection woman look like?
How is she described in the Bible? ]
A Resurrection Woman,
A.
Is Submissive (vs 18;
Eph 5.22-23) [-
Wives, submit yourselves unto your
own husbands, . . . -
Without any doubt a student of the
Word of God will find that God has placed an order in the home.
This established order began in the Garden of Eden, existed when our
Lord Jesus Christ walked upon this earth, was written into the New
Testament, and continues even today.
The Bible states,]
[Ephesians 5:22-23
22 Wives,
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the
wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the
body.]
[The order
placed within the home was ordained by God and is undergirded by God.
Men did not establish this order, But God did.
So to resist the order that has been put in place will result in
frustration, confusion, and division.]
[So, lets
remind ourselves of what this divinely ordained order is so that we can
willingly and purposefully develop a resurrection marriage and home.]
1.
Submission is Subordination
(vs 18) [–
Wives, submit . . . -
The word submission comes from
a Greek compound word.]
[Submit -
ὑποτάσσεσθε
(Gk) - from
hupó (5259), and
tássō (5021), to place in
order. To place under in an orderly fashion. (I) Act., to subjugate,
place in submission. . . . (II) Mid.
hupotássomai, to subject
oneself, place oneself in submission. (A) In the relation of a wife
to her husband: (1) Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1, 5; Titus 2:5.
In these verses the duty of the wife to submit herself to her own husband is
clearly enunciated (Gal. 3:28; 1 Pet. 3:7). Although there is an ontological
spiritual equality between men and women, there remain physical, positional
and functional differences. There are designated functions for a husband and
a wife which man cannot change because God has ordained them. Any endeavor
to effect change will bring frustration, vanity, and emptiness (mataiótēs
[3153] in Rom. 8:20).[1]]
[If one is being submissive then they are willingly placing themselves under
the authority of another. This word
has a military sense to it and refers us to the idea of a soldier placing
himself under the authority of his superiors.
Everything in life demonstrates order.
Our natural bodies function in an orderly fashion, as it was
fashioned.]
[Adrian Rogers once said, “Anything with two heads is a freak, anything with
no head is dead.” Order is a
part of life, it is a part of our Lord kingdom, it is a part of our world
and it must be a part of our homes.]
[Submission is not Inferiority
– To submit to an authority does not mean that the individual is inferior to
their authority. A wise
authority will realize this and will value those under their authority.
Men, we must understand that many woman struggle to be submissive
because their husband make them feel inferior to them.
A wise husband can help his wife to be submissive by valuing her as
his wife and the queen of the home.
A wife is meant to complete her husband.
She is a man’s partner in life.
A resurrection man will have a resurrection wife, that is a joy, if
he will affectionately lead her as the queen of his home.]
[Submission is not a
Devaluation – To
submit to ones authority does not mean you are of less value than your
authority. Men and women are of
equal value in our Lord’s kingdom.
But order is a part of absolutely everything in life.
There is order in heaven (Trinity), there is order in nature, there
will be order in eternity to come. ]
[What is stronger a two pound hammer or a tea cup?
Which is of more value?
They both have their place and purpose.
Men and women are not the same, we were created differently.
We have different positions and purposes in God’s creation.
We were created to be joined together and to serve our Lord in His
kingdom work together. We were
created to recognize our Lord’s order for our homes and will find our
greatest joy and contentment when we submit to God’s plan.]
2.
Submission is Consecration
(vs 18) [–
Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands,
as it is fit in the
Lord. –
Submission is yielding
to God’s plan and purpose for you and your home.
Consecration is not consecration unless it is a
decisive act of the
will. In other words,
wives you must decide that you will hear and yield to God and submit to your
husband because God asks you to submit to your husband. ]
[Submission is not natural
– Our American, western culture is anything but given to submission.
Our natural human desires want to be liberated, individual, and
absolutely free. It takes a
purposeful, and continuous act of the will and mind to be submissive to
anything. But your God, the Lord
of all creation, the Savior who loved you enough to save you from your sins,
and loves so much that He wants you to experience an abounding life has
asked you to willingly submit to Him by submitting to His plan for your home
and family. You will not know a
resurrection family and home until you yield to the resurrected Savior’s
plan for your family.]
[Rebellious at heart
- We are all rebellious at
heart. It takes discipline,
dedication, and determination to be and live the Christian life.
It is as much a challenge for a man to yield himself to God as it is
for a woman to yield herself to her husband.
Ladies God knows how hard it is to submit to these men or to
anything. God revealed the
worldly, natural bent of a corrupt sinful heart in the Garden of Eden.]
[Genesis 3:16
16 Unto the
woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in
sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;
and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and
he shall rule over thee.]
[God knows that we all want to be our own authority in life, and in a great
way, we are, especially in our culture.
But God asks us all to resist our strong self will and to submit
appropriately to the authorities God has place in our life.
Children, don’t be surprised by your hearts desire to be your own
authority and command your own decisions.
Those desires are natural for corrupt human beings.
But God asks you as a born again Christian to submit to your parents.
Wives God asks you to submit to your husbands.
Men God asks you to submit to Him.
In God’s plan and purpose we will discover the resurrection family.
In every other rebellious family economy there is division,
confusion, and disaster.]
[No one can force you to submit, you must choose to follow God’s plan.]
3.
Submission is Evangelism
(1 Pet 3.1-5) [– While the Bible is clear, a born again Christian should
never marry a lost
person. Young ladies
mark it down clear, get it into your hearts and minds, you should never date
or be endeared to a lost man, because you should never marry a lost man.
But if a woman finds herself a born again Christian married to an
unredeemed man then should she submit to her lost husband?
I believe that Peter wrote these verses to those who married as a
lost soul and then received Christ and experienced the new birth.
What should she do about her lost husband?
It is important for woman who finds herself in such a situation to
know how to conduct herself. She
must understand that she,]
a.
[Is not to divorce their
husband (cf. 1 Cor 7.12-16)
– They ought to live for Christ
while being appropriately submissive to their husband, because they might
bring him to Christ.]
b.
[Is to appropriately submit to
her husband (1 Pet 3.1-15)]
[1 Peter 3:1-5
1 Likewise, ye
wives, be in subjection
to your own husbands;
that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the
conversation of the wives; 2
While they behold your chaste conversation
coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that
outward adorning of plaiting
the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But
let it be the hidden man of
the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5 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: ]
c.
[Is to properly appeal to her
authority, her husband
(Rom 13.1-2)]
[Romans 13:1-2
1 Let every
soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God:
the powers that be are ordained of God. 2
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation. ]
[A
Christian woman who fails to submit to her husband’s proper place of
authority in her home and life will bring contention, confusion, and
division into her home and family.
As a matter of fact any rebellion to God’s plan for the family will
devastate a home. If children
resist the authority of their parents over them there will be devastating
consequences for the home.]
B.
Is Sacrificial (Prov
31.10-31) [- In Proverbs 31 we read about the Virtuous Woman.
The passage starts with,]
[Proverbs 31:10
10 Who can
find a virtuous woman? for her price
is far above rubies.]
[If there is
anything we learn about a valuable woman in this passage it is that she is
purposefully sacrificial. It
seems in our day that many women think that they will find their greatest
value in life by being like men.
But God reveals where a woman will find her greatest value and purpose in
life. This passage reveals what
God made a woman to be; sacrificial. If there is anything this passage
teaches it teaches that a virtuous woman, a valuable woman, a godly woman is
sacrificial.]
[She is sacrificial in the way
she,]
1.
Honors Her
Husband (vs 11)
[- The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have
no need of spoil. – For a
husband’s heart to safely trust his wife means that she always honors,
respects, and protects her husband.
He trusts her in every regard.]
2.
Handles Her Home
(vs 12-22; Titus 2.4-5)
[– She does him good by doing her home good.
She takes care of her home in every way.
In food and clothing.]
[Titus 2:4-5
4 That they
may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children, 5
To be discreet, chaste,
keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God
be not blasphemed. ]
[Notice in Proverbs 31 that this virtuous woman,]
·
[Labors for her home (vs 13)]
·
[Feeds her home (vs 14)]
·
[Rises for her home (vs 15)]
·
[Carry’s on for her home (vs 18)]
·
[Clothes her home (vs 19)]
3.
Hears Her Home (vs
28) [–
Her children arise up, and call
her blessed; her husband also,
and he praiseth her. – A
God honoring woman does not need to receive praise from her community
because she will receive praise from her home and family.
Her husband and children will praise her.]
C.
Is Sanctified (vs 18;
Prov 31.29-30) [- . . . as it is fit in the
Lord. – There is no greater virtue to be named among women or a wife
than that a woman is godly and sanctified.
The last thing proclaimed about a virtuous woman in Proverbs is, ]
[Proverbs 31:29-30
29 Many
daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour
is deceitful, and beauty
is vain:
but a woman
that feareth the Lord, she
shall be praised. ]
[There are
those confused minds in our day that think that worldliness is the greatest
characteristic that one can possess.
But even lost worldly people will quickly admit that an unchaste
woman is undesirable. Oh, lost
sinful worldly men love to use and abuse worldly women, but in the end there
is no faithfulness or glory in such a life.
Our world’s sinfulness removes all faithfulness and trust from life.
It destroys intimacy and replaces it with lust and lust is always
short lived.]
[Even the
lost world knows that faithfulness, purity, and trust are the essentials of
a lasting and trustworthy relationship.
I find it curious that those who have not been chaste before
marriage, wonder why there is no faithfulness and trust in their marriage.
A sanctified godly woman is a woman who is fit in the Lord.
How can you conduct yourself in a way that is fit to God if you are
not fit in Christ.]
[Having a
resurrection home means being a resurrection wife.
To be a resurrection wife you must be a resurrection woman.
To be a resurrection woman you must be born again.]
CrossRoads Baptist
Church, May 16, 2010
