Ephesians: Marriage and the Gospel

Listen in as Jon and Karen walk through Ephesians 5:22-33 and deconstruct unhealthy views of marriage, rebuild around the truth of scripture and offer some practicalities for the road forward.

 

Sermon notes/quotes:

Ephesians 5:22-33

“Men and women today see marriage not as a way of creating character and community but as a way to reach personal life goals. They are all looking for a marriage partner who will fulfill their emotional, sexual, and spiritual desires. And that creates an extreme idealism that in turn leads to deep pessimism that you will ever find the right person to marry.” - Tim and Kathy Keller

“Marriage means, one mortal life fully shared.  Two selfish me’s start learning to think like one unified us, sharing one everything: one life, one reputation, one bed, one suffering, one budget, one family, one mission, and so forth.  No barriers.  No hiding.  No aloofness.  Now total openness with total sharing and total solidarity, until death parts them.” - Ray Ortlund

Genesis 2:18-25 (The Story of Marriage from Creation)

“Marriage is the display of Christ and his Bride in love together.  A beautiful, tender, thriving marriage makes the gospel visible on earth, bringing hope to people who have given up believing there could be any love anywhere for them.  That is why biblical marriage deserves our courageous loyalty and articulate defense today.  Its true meaning is understood and embodied and sustained only by the power of the gospel.” - Ray Ortlund

“Submission is the divine calling of a wife to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts.” - John Piper

“A husband’s leadership of his wife is meant to be a picture of Christ’s sacrificial lordship over us, driven by selfless love, full of grace, and aimed squarely at another’s benefit and joy. Christ himself, the eternal Lord of the universe, is “gentle and lowly in heart” Christian husbands are called to this same heart.” - ESV Study Bible

1 Cor 7:7-9 (Embracing the gift God has given you)

Practicalities:

Stay Centered

Cultivate Communication

Sense Seasons

Redeem Routines

Practice Joy

Live in Community

“When over the years someone has seen you at your worst, and knows you with all your strengths and flaws, yet commits him-or herself to you wholly, it is a consummate experience. To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

“In too many marital conflicts, we work too hard at winning the argument and too little at winning the heart. You can express your feelings and thoughts, even share criticisms and complaints, but the end goal of marital conflict should be care for your spouse’s soul, not trying to rack up the most points. Seeking to win is not love.” Matt Chandler

“The reason marriage is so painful and yet wonderful is because it is a reflection of the gospel, which is painful and wonderful at once. The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. This is the only kind of relationship that will really transform us…God’s saving love in Christ is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us…Through the gospel, we get both the power and pattern for the journey of marriage” - Tim and Kathy Keller