Col. 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Submit is not a cuss word.

The Bible calls all Christians to submit to governing institutions. 1 Peter 2:13

The Bible calls all Christians to submit to church leaders. Heb. 13:17

The Bible calls all Christians to submit to God. James 4:7

The Bible calls all Christians to submit doesn’t not mean…

A husband is free to be a chauvinist.

A wife doesn’t have her own thoughts

A wife doesn’t seek to influence her husband. Prov. 19:14

A wife must obey her husbands command to sin.

A wife is less intelligent or competent than her husband.

Submit does mean

A husband and wife are equal with complementary roles Gen. 2:24

Wives are to submit like Jesus. Luke 22:42

Husbands are to lead like Jesus Eph. 5:25

A women should only marry a man she can follow.

Women shouldn’t nag about something continually.

Women should not manipulate their husbands

Women should not hide things and lie to their husbands

God at Your House Series

Men that Make Marriage Great…

Col. 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Love their wives.

• Loving your wife begins with loving God.
• You can’t love like God unless you know God.

Are responsible Men.

• Adam is held responsible for their sin. Gen. 3:9
• Not everything that happens in your family is your fault, but it is your responsibility.

Don’t neglect their wives

• Neglect is the opposite of responsibility.
• What you don’t do right can be as harmful to your marriage as what you do wrong.

Honor their wives

1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

• Honor wives maritally
• A man should honor his marriage to his wife by treating his marriage as higher priority than being with the guys, spending time with the TV watching sports, and even higher than the kids.
• Honor wives physically.
• A man that harms his wife physically is a poor excuse for a man.
• Honor wives emotionally.
• God did not make men (generally speaking) emotionally more stable so they could walk all over their wife. He did that so that men could be there to support and care for them.
• Honor wives verbally.
• A man that speaks bad about his wife to her face or to his friends is failing to honor is wife.
• Honor wives parentally.
• A man that doesn’t lead out in parenting, will find that his marriage suffers for it.
• Honor wives spiritually.
• A man that does not lead out spiritually will generally fail at most every other level as well.

Men that don’t do these things

• Fail to be a men.
• Are NOT right with God.
• Are bad examples to their children.

This Sunday I’m in the middle of a series called “God at Your House.”  This week we focus in on the ladies side of the marriage with “Women that Make Marriage Great.”  (BTW if you missed last week for the men, you might want to get the notes.)

So If I’m preaching to the women about marriage, who should come?

Married ladies, for sure, duh!  There is not a lady who is perfect and can say with all honesty, “I’m such a good wife, I don’t even need to here what the Bible says about it. I am the definition of a women that makes marriage great!”  If you do say that, come on because you might need it more than anyone.

All the single ladies! No really, I mean all the single ladies who are wanting the have a great marriage one day need to hear what the Bible says about honoring God in marriage.

Teenagers! In some ways I think teenagers could benefit the most from it.  If teen girls could embrace what the Bible says about marriage, God would bless their future marriages in ways that would blow their mind.  If teen guys understood this they could be such a blessing to their future wives that they would never second guess whether they married the right person or not.

Men.  Yes Men. Men need to here this sermon because Men will be mentioned in it.  Much of the reason women find it difficult to honor God in their marriage is because men haven’t stepped it up spiritually.  Men will be better husbands and fathers when they understand God’s design for the lady he blessed them with.

Everybody. Everybody needs to know what the Bible says about the women making marriage great, because at the heart of the gospel message is God’s desire to love us, rescue us, forgive us, and give us new lives that will help us make marriage a blessing and not a ball and chain.