Marriage Pictures Our Relationship to Christ

Ephesians 5:22-27  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. 24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27  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.

Despite the fact that this is one of the most famous Bible passages regarding marriage, it is often the most disregarded. It gives clear instructions on how to have a successful marriage, and highlights the importance of a good marriage by pointing out the similarities between a husband-wife relationship and the relationship between Christ and the church. Yet, most American couples would rather flush this passage down the toilet than apply it to their lives. Why? Because following this passage requires selflessness and sacrifice, something no one wants to do. Is there any wonder that more than half of American marriages end in divorce, and many more non-marital relationships (read: living together without marriage) break up?

Since the scriptures begin with the wife, I'll begin with the wife... but ladies, hang in there, I'll get to the husband's responsibilities too. A good marriage is a two-way street.

Verses 22-23 tell wives to submit themselves to their husbands, as unto the Lord, reminding them that as Christ is head of the church, the husband is the head of the wife. Notice in verse 23, Paul adds that Christ is the savior of the body.

Most churches want to follow God's will. They want to follow the leadership of Christ, and they want to know what the will of Christ is.

The churches I have been a part of wanted to serve the Lord, wanted to submit to His leadership, longed for the Spirit to move and give direction... why? Because we love the Lord and want to be close to Him, to please Him, to see His will done, and to see Him victorious.

In the same way, wives should submit to their husbands. As a church sets aside its own vision to follow the Lord, so should a wife set aside her own dreams to follow her husband. I know this is not politically correct, but follow me here.

Just as a church is all about Jesus, a wife should be all about her husband. Her goal in life should be to honor her husband, to do his will, and to help him succeed. They say, behind every successful man is a good (and sometimes surprised) woman. Proverbs 31 says her husband sits in the city gates and is known by the elders of the land, all because of what she does for him. Read Proverbs 31. That woman did a lot. She wasn't just barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.

You never see a church sit around and complain about Christ, and you never hear a bunch of preachers at an association, fellowship or convention meeting sit around and list the ways Christ could be better. They may complain about each other, but not Christ.

In the same way, when wives berate their husbands in front of others, they are falling short of what God wants them to be. The same way a church loves and submits to the Lord, a wife should love and submit to her husband.

In verse 25, scripture turns the attention to the husband. The husband is to love his wife the same way Christ loved the church... and gave Himself for it.

How much did Christ love the church? Enough to die for it. He died for the church, He puts up with the faults of the church, is patient, caring, and guides the church. Not only that, but He is all about the church, and believers in general.

Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. He died on the cross so that sinners could be saved and grow closer to Him in a church. Since His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus has been all about the church. The church was the joy that was set before Him in Hebrews 12:2. He makes intercession for the church. He leads the church. He empowers the church. He blesses the church.

Sometimes churches drift away from Christ. They quit doing what He called them to do, or they drift away from Him doctrinally. Nevertheless, He stays with them, patiently guiding them back into His will.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives. A husband should love his wife enough to die for her... moreover, he should love her enough to live for her. The Bible says Christ gave Himself for the church. The same way, the husband should give himself for his wife... meaning that her needs come before his dreams.

The husband has the responsibility to sacrifice for the well being of his wife. He has the responsibility to come home after work and spend time with her instead of his buddies. (Oh, there's time for buddies, but not at the expense of his wife). He has the responsibility to place her and her needs above his.

Moreover, he has the responsibility to be patient with her. Women are emotional, at least the ones I have known are. Sometimes, they act out on those emotions. We are responsible as men to not become frustrated at those emotions, to continue to show our wives love and kindness despite the emotional state they are in.

We are also responsible to not go off the deep end every time we come home to a dirty house. We are responsible to allow our wives to have lives... I could go on.

I'm really having trouble expressing my view here... but basically, if wives submitted to their husbands unconditionally like the church submits to Christ, and men loved their wives unconditionally like Christ loved the church, and if both put themselves aside and loved each other like Christ and the church, then marriage would be a happy thing... not a dreaded thing that is the joke of sitcoms and break-rooms.

Wives, be all about your husbands. Let your hopes and dreams revolve around them, and help them to be the men God has called them to be. Husbands, love your wives. Put your desires aside and take care of her first. If we all do that, we can reduce stress, blood pressure, and the demand for marriage counselors and divorce lawyers... but more importantly, we will honor and glorify our Savior.

Night Time Photography

Seeing some of the wonderful photography by one of my church member's grandchildren, I was inspired to get my Nikon out and revisit some of the photography skills I learned in college. Below are my attempts at night time photography...

New Sermon Series at Grace Pointe...

Bursting at the Seams: Occupy Wall Street vs. TEA Party

Occupy Wall Street Protesters
Photo by: David Shankbone

Maybe I'm just waking up, but it seems that we have seen an increase in public protest rallies since the 2008 election. From the TEA Party rallies that hit mainstream on April 15, 2009, to the rallies at the Wisconsin State Capitol regarding collective bargaining rights for public employees, to the "Save Our Schools" rallies in Texas during the 2011 legislative session.

Granted, anytime in American history that a particular group has faced a situation that would hinder their well-being, they turned out to protest against it. However, it seems that now-days, everyone is ticked off.

The TEA Party feels it is overtaxed to pay for welfare programs to supplement those who will not work to earn a living for themselves. The Occupy Wall Street protesters feel that they can't get a fair chance in a world where the top 1 percent keep getting richer while the rest of the country struggles. Public employees feel they are being thrown under the bus. Teachers face more rigid standards and lower pay.

Environmentalists feel that corporations are ramping up pollution. Peace activists feel betrayed by an administration that has failed to close Guantanamo or end the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. (For the record, I have been very critical of the Obama Administration regarding domestic policy, but I feel that they have handled the war on terror well.)

Pro-military groups feel that the Obama administration is floundering on national defense and military issues. And the summer drought has left many Texans burnt out, on a number of issues. (It doesn't help that the Cowboys and Longhorns are struggling.)

I am not trying to agree, disagree, affirm or refute the viewpoints of any of these groups right now. My only objective is to point out that everyone is ticked off at the moment. The country is divided, and there is no easy fix. Can America overcome this time of national discontent? Or will the divide and conquer strategies of our two political parties tear our nation apart?

Our standard of living is tied up in the future of the United States (regardless of where you are when you read this. If the American economy tanks, or the country falls apart, it will have ripple effects throughout the world.)

Whatever happens in the future, I will be just fine. Psalm 23:4 says Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The Bible teaches that perilous times will come, but it also teaches that God is with His people through whatever trials they endure. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can know that He is talking to God on your behalf as you go through dark times.

I don't fear an economic apocalypse, nuclear disaster, terrorism or war. These things might happen, but I also know that God is in control and He will have the final victory. I trust Him to care for me in the process.

So turn off Fox News and CNN, open the Bible, and grow closer to the Lord. Life will become more peaceful, your blood pressure will drop, and your doctor will be happy.

God bless you. Keep the faith.

The Journey: Genesis 2:7 - God Made Man Different

Genesis 2:7 says "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

Genesis 2:4-6 recount various aspects of the creation and how things functioned before man was created. Verse 7 then explains how man was created differently from the rest of creation. Instead of speaking man into existence, God formed man from the dust of the ground... meaning He actually molded man... hand-crafted him to be what God wanted him to be.

Ephesians 2:10 speaks to this when it says "For we are His workmanship...." Workmanship means craftsmanship. If you want to see the craftsmanship of God, look in the mirror. There are parts of the human body that science cannot replicate. Despite the advances in computer technology, man cannot create a brain like God gave him.

To put it another way, God made us specially.

Not only did God handcraft us, He gave us a living soul. When Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life... it is not saying that God gave man mouth to mouth, it is saying that God gave man a living soul.

The Bible teaches that man is both flesh and spirit. The flesh is temporary, but the spirit (or the soul) lives forever. When it comes to salvation, we are not trying to save the life of the soul as much as we are trying to secure the eternal destination of the soul.

If a sinner dies without knowing Jesus Christ as his personal savior, his soul doesn't die. His soul spends eternity in Hell suffering the wrath of God.

However, if a sinner repents and trusts Jesus Christ as His savior, He looks forward to spending an eternity in Heaven with the Lord.

God handcrafted man, gave him life, and also gave him purpose. Genesis 2:15 says "God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

God gave Adam a purpose... to keep and dress the garden. God always intended for man to work... He didn't design work to be so hard and debilitating in the beginning. That came as part of the sin curse which we will discuss in Genesis 3.

God gave Adam a purpose, and He gave us a purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 says "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

God handcrafted us for a purpose, and He wants us to fulfill that purpose. He wants us to follow His plan for our life. But before you can do that, you must know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Do you know Him? Do you know God's will for your life? Are you doing what God has called you to do? May God bless you and keep you.

The Oracles of God (I preached this at the Annual Southwest Association Meeting)

SUBJECT: The Oracles of God

TEXT: Romans 3:1-2

INTRO:

A. Paul has just written that the Jews are no different than the Gentiles when it comes to sin.

1. All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.

2. All who are saved are saved by grace through faith.

B. So, what is the advantage of being a Jew?

1. Unto them were committed the oracles of God.
2. In other words, God committed His word to them.

I. Just as the Oracles of God were committed to the Jews, so have they been committed unto us.

A. God has committed His word to us.

1. The Gospel we preach is straight from the scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:3-4)

2. The scriptures that we have were given by the inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16-17)

a. Profitable for doctrine - a system of teaching.

1. Doctrine is important.

2. Doctrine is most powerful when taken from the scriptures.

3. Preach the scriptures to make sure you are giving doctrines the same priority that God has on them.

b. Profitable for reproof.

1. No one likes to be reproved.
2. But when you reprove according to the scriptures, your reproof has authority behind it.

c. Profitable for correction.
d. Profitable for instruction in righteousness.
e. That the man of God may be perfect.

1. Perfect = complete.
2. So that we can be complete Christians.
3. The real deal... like Job. (Job 1:1 says he was perfect and upright, one who feared God and eschewed evil.)

f. Thoroughly furnished unto good works... fully equipped.

3. God has given us His word, and His authority to preach the word. By extension, when we preach His word, we are preaching by His authority. We are not alone in the pulpit.
4. God expects that we will preach His word. (II Timothy 4:2)

a. Preach it!
b. Know it!
c. Disciple people from it!

B. God hasn't just given the word to the preachers, He has given it to His people.

1. The Old Testament wasn't given to the Jewish priests, it was given to the Jewish people, and they were expected to know it and teach it to their children. (Deuteronomy 6:7-8)
2. We need to teach our people the word, and teach them to study it.

a. So they'll know it.
b. So they'll be capable of discussing it.
c. So they'll teach it to their children.

II. The Word Liberates Us

A. Romans 3:10 - There is none righteous, no not one.

1. It liberates us from working for our salvation.

a. We are sinful.

b. God knows we are sinful.

c. We can't earn salvation, and God knows it.

d. So He paid for our sins on the cross that those who repent and believe can be saved.

2. It liberates us from responsibility for others' sin.

a. They are sinful.
b. God knows it.
c. It's not your fault that others sin, regardless of whether people try to blame you for their sin.

B. Romans 3:24 - Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

1. We are sinful.
2. Despite our sinfulness, God saved us.
3. Despite their sinfulness, God can save them. Don't let the sinfulness of others deter you from sharing the Gospel.

C. The word liberates us from the responsibility of the results of our evangelism.

1. In sales, failure to close a deal is failure, period.

a. It doesn't matter if the customer absolutely does not want to buy... if you fail to sell, you are a failure.
b. Aren't you glad God doesn't hold us to that standard?

2. Romans 8:29 - For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

a. We don't have to figure lost people out.
b. God has them figured out (foreknow).
c. He has already been working His plan in their life (predestinate).
d. All He requires of us in obedience in sharing the Gospel with them.

III. The Word Grows our Faith.

Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

A. The more we know His word, the more we know God.

B. The more we know God, the more we trust Him.

C. The more we trust Him, the more faith we have.

APPLICATION: Build your ministry around the word.

Profiting with God

No one disputes the fact that the Christian life comes with troubles. People ridicule your faith, some believers face persecution, and oftentimes we fore go personal pleasure, ambition or advancement in favor of something God has called us to do. While we make these sacrifices and observe people in the world living it up for themselves and enjoying life, it can become easy to be discouraged, or to blame God for all of our sufferings and problems.

That was the situation Job was in. He was perfect and upright, one who feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:1), yet God allowed him to suffer when his livelihood was wiped out and his children killed. As Job lamented about these problems during his speeches, he accepted a premise that God will allow the righteous to suffer for no cause, and that God doesn't have a special regard for the righteous. Now, the Bible says that Job neither sinned nor charged God foolishly, but Job did misunderstand what God was doing.

Enter Elihu, a young man who quietly listened to Job lament his suffering, and his friends accuse him of bringing his suffering on himself. After the elderly men have completed their thoughts, Elihu speaks up, and says that Job goes in the company of those who work iniquity and walks with wicked men, because he said, "It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God. (Job 34:9)"

Job's words were spoken out of intense anguish, suffering and mourning, but sadly, I think many of us have accepted the same premise - If you follow God, you will have no profit on this Earth. It'll be non-stop suffering and failure till you die, then you get your reward.

It's a discouraging premise, and one that is seemingly validated when you see people who leave the church get everything they wanted. It seems to be validated when you do massive amounts of outreach and evangelism, and see people reject the message of the Bible in favor of more entertaining venues. It seems to be validated when you strive to honor and glorify God the best you know how, and nothing seems to come from it.

With that discouragement in mind, let's look to Elihu's encouraging words.

Job 34:10-12 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. 11 For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. 12 Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

For God to constantly bring His people into captivity and force them into non-stop suffering and discouragement, He would have to deal wickedly with His people. However, Elihu says that goes against God's holy, righteous and just nature. God allows suffering, but God always rewards His people.

In the case of Job, (and Job didn't understand what was happening at this point), God was working a bigger picture. He was accomplishing another major victory over Satan, while simultaneously strengthening Job and bringing him closer to Himself. Job finally got it in Job 42:5-6.

In our cases, God allows our suffering, but it is never without purpose, and it is never without reward. If we are obedient, faithful, and unwavering in our trust of the Lord, we'll see the fruit of our labor and suffering, and we'll see God bless us mightily. Or as Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

So, do not accept the premise that life is nothing but suffering. Do not accept the premise that you can not make a difference. Do not accept the premise that people will no longer accept the Gospel, or that no one wants to hear the Word of God, and do not accept the premise that your church will never see better days.

Continue to labor for the Lord. He will bless you.