Well all right. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to
Ephesians 5. We're gonna finish up
chapter five today. Uh but before we do, yeah, I just want to say uh say something like with a caveat, like no, I'll say it after please. You've been on my heart like I could have said something privately, but I think there's something sometimes about public things for the body to hear some things. That's just not an embarrassment or anything, dude. I just I knew you were playing drums today. And I just think about picking that I picked this joke like fourteen years old to go play drums at church. 14 and 15 before he could drive. So just to see that today, and then like see the faithfulness of God in your life over the years. There's something about a 14-year-old. How old are you? How old are you? He's too old now. He's having the math. Y'all do the 14 to 32. Um lot of life in there, but see, God just continue to do stuff. It's just encourages me. Really does. And I just saw you pray playing. This is not about skill. This is what the Lord wants you to know. But He has given you skill to play drums. He's given you a gift to pray. I just saw playing drums and praying over. The place would just stir up that gift of prayer in your life because it's not about skills and talents, guys. We all got skills and talents, it's about the gifts of God in your life. That's really ultimately what I what I care about, what we should all care about, man. It's like God, not what talent do I have. And some of you, I feel like that could unlock some things in this room today that you feel like you don't have a talent, or you don't have a skill. God is not after skills and talents, that the Holy Spirit has given gifts for him. I just pray that the gifts of God will just be stirred in your life. I've been reading scripture recently and just like seeing all these things, particularly in the Old Testament and in acts of just powerful act of things of God that you can't tie to human skills and abilities. You can only credit the power of God. And I'm just like, God, I still believe that you do those things. And just thinking about what Caleb was really challenging us with this morning. Man, God is still making ways. In our lives. Sometimes we think it's all tied up into what we can and can't do. And it it really isn't. It really is in the belief of who God is, guys. And I don't know about you, but I want to see guys still move. I want to see guys still do stuff. That's one of the benefits of being a Pentecostal church is we believe in the gifts of God, that He is still active and He's still moving in our midst until He comes back. And so I don't want to know about you guys, but I just want to stir in faith in our life because it really is needed even for a word like today. And I don't know if it's because I'm sleep deprived. If my son is like kick, he's kicking my tail from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. But last week when Johnson was preaching, he was talking, he was challenging the ladies. I was just sitting over there like, oh, I can't wait to preach next week because I'm gonna just smack some men in the face and all that. Like, and honestly, this week it has not been like even putting this stuff together, it's not a hard message. I'm not smacking anybody in the face today. I I just I really do feel like God wants to do something in families. And I really do like I want to encourage every person here because you all have like we're one spiritual family, but in that we make up these these small other than the posies, these small families and the Branums, these small families. Four to five. That's not even small, but in our church it is. Um God is wanting to do stuff in our families. And uh I was I was I was I was as I was preparing this, I was thinking about this like TV show that my kids watch on Disney. And it's like it's this little like animated softball team, whatever. And they break down each person and their home life. And I went back because like I'm pretty positive this is true. I went back and looked at every episode and in and of the like eight episodes, there's not a single episode where there is a functioning family. Where mom and dad are both present in the home. Every single one of these stories is about an individual family or a family going through some something that, but but they're all divided. And I just my heart really is like for the family unit. That's why I love this series that God is wanting not just to do, He wants to do new things, but He's wanting to redeem and restore some things as well so that we can move forward because God is always moving through family and culture. Hates family. Our society, our secular society, hates family. I don't have to do a lot to convince you of those things. I really don't. I just said there's this news show on Disney that there's not a single healthy family unit represented. Why? Because what they wanted, what culture would love for you to know is to believe is you don't need a family unit. You don't need it. You can make it without a family union. Now I know that we're in even in this room, there's not there, there are families that are whole and there are families that are divided. And it's not, it is nothing to do with those things. I want you to hear some good words from Jesus today on these particular things, but I want to cast vision for what I said earlier. God, I still believe you're working, doing something. I believe God can create and God will redeem and God will empower healthy families in this church. I really do. Because you know, we don't need representation on a Disney channel. We don't need representation on ABC or on TV. We don't need it. What we need is the lives of you all living those things out to show what healthy families do and the power of what God is trying to do in those relationships. And I believe it's still possible. Amidst the culture that is so anti family, anti authority, anti husbands and wives, and their gender roles. Like I believe. It is still possible.
Okay, so let's read
Ephesians 5, 25 through 33 today. Husbands, love your wives as Christ saved the church and gave himself up for. That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. So that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does in church. Because we are members of his body. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound. And I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects the husband. This is the word of the Lord. But I want you to know, I want you to know on the front end. Is a husband is called to love his wife the way Christ has already loved him. Alright. If you're a female in the house, do not check out on me. If you are a single in the house, do not check out on me. In fact, if you are a teenage boy in the house, this is where you should listen. If you're a single parent in the house, don't check out. Listen to what I'm about to say. Because a husband is called to love his wife in what way, though? The way Christ has already loved him. So my my encouragement to everyone in this place: God has already loved you through Christ. This is not just for that God doesn't just love men a specific way and females a specific way. He doesn't love dads a specific way and moms a specific way, adults a specific way, and kids a specific way. God loves us all the same, and it's through Christ what He did on the cross. So that's good news for everyone in the room that we're not missing out on, we lack nothing because of Christ and His love for us. That is where it all starts from Christ's love for us. That's what I want to spend today really talking about. Culture, like I already said, shows us that you don't need the family unit. But what it also says, because I had a very unhealthy view of marriage growing up, but I thought the whole point of finding a spouse was so that I would not live alone. Anyone ever thought that I need to find someone to marry so I don't go through this thing called life alone. And really, that is what movies have shown us, that's what songs have shown us, that's what culture has shown us. Is that look, if you don't find it, you're missing out on what life is, right? And maybe like some of my singles are in here saying, Yeah, that that's not the truth. That is not what marriage is about. That's not the point of marriage. Marriage is not so that you can go through this life not feeling alone. We need a better view of what marriage is. A better understanding of what it is. There is a point to marriage. And there is responsibility of the man in marriage. There is a responsibility. A few things. Verse 25 says, This
husbands love your wives, what? As Christ loved the church and gave himself Likely quoting Ephesians 5:25 upwards. So we see first and foremost that this is about Christ loving himself, loving the church, and how he gave himself for the church. We see this in
Ezekiel 16 as well. It's in your notes. It won't be on the screen. But if you have a Bible, check this out with. This is pre-Jesus in the Old Testament. I want you to see this because this will help us make sense of the meaning of marriage. Right? So if you're married in the room and you've missed the mark because you got married the same way I got married, thinking I was just trying to find someone, a partner in life. This is something we need to lean into. If you're a single in the room, this helps you understand what you're looking for and why God would want you to be married, why he purposed it these ways.
Ezekiel 16:8–14. When I pass by you, this is the Lord. He's speaking to the nation of Israel. God speaks through the prophet Ezekiel to a whole nation. Okay, isn't it cool that God now individually speaks to us through the power of the Holy Spirit? Before in the before Jesus, he would use prophets to speak to nations. But now God individually can give us words for ourselves. It's really cool. But this is what God's talking to an entire nation at this point in time. He says, When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from your anointing and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. This sounds like someone before this that was really beaten and battered down. Someone that wasn't worth having anything to do with. And God sees He's comparing this nation to someone who like they basically go through a beauty makeover. They were not beautiful, and God does all of these things.
Verse 11, and I adorned you with ornaments. And put cup and put bracelets on your wrists and chains on your neck, and I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God. What does this show in? What is the point of this? How does this even tie to marriage? The whole point of it is God saw something that wasn't beautiful. God saw something that was of nothing and made it something. He made it treasurable. He he through time and through energy and through effort, it was a sanctification process. What this shows us is that we needed God, not just the Israelites needed God, but through Jesus, this is foreshadowing that Jesus finds us. Messed up, Jesus finds us in these dark places. Jesus finds us not attractive at all. And he works this process through the cross to redeem and restore and to walk us through saying, Hey, this is who you were, but this is who you now are. That's that's what that's what God was showing us in the old testament is foreshadowed to what Jesus did. Jesus has already done this. So when you see
husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church Likely quoting Ephesians 5:25, we see right here this is how Christ loved the church. It wasn't based on attractiveness, it wasn't based on how he felt in an instance, it wasn't about what he could get out of something. The whole point was he saw something that needed to be brought forth to lay down life for. And that is ultimately, as a husband, that is the goal. It is not to lord over, it's not to have power over, it's not to just get your way all the time. That's not the point of being a husband. The point of being a husband is to
lay down your life for Possibly quoting John 13:38 your spouse, to serve as Jesus served, to love as Jesus loved, even when you don't feel like it. I think it's important to hear these scriptures because sometimes, like maybe you're sitting there as a husband, and you're like, man, I really missed the mark. Well, here's the thing: go back to that scripture. In Ezekiel, what happened? God found this nation and made them something else. God found you, husbands in the room, men in the room, women in the room, God found you, and He made you something that you were never to begin with. And only through the power of God, remember we go back to the series just before this, walking it out. This this these scriptures are tied to those particular things. We're living a life in the spirit. Part of a spirit-filled life is husbands who lay down their lives for their spouse. Part of living a spirit-filled life is wives submitting to their husbands. That's part of walking by the spirit. But we see those things. So, how, like, if our goal is to be like Jesus as husbands towards our spouse, what is what does that look like? First is this: you're
the head of your wife, is Christ as the head of the church Likely quoting Ephesians 5:23. And I know you could hear that and be like, what the heck? Right? My Taylor Swift fans in the house are like, uh-uh, not my no, not anymore. But I really do want you to see that God orders things and designs things for a very particular reason. And done rightly, done the way God intended. There is power in the family, there's power in the home, there's power in submission and authority, there is power in these things. And our roles and responsibilities. So let's just talk about it. These are not my opinions. This is what I love it. Jonathan said it last week. These are not my opinions. I know I say this as a male today, but this is not my opinion. This is what God says. He
is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church Likely quoting Ephesians 5:23. So what does that mean? First and foremost, I've already said it once, I'll say it again. He gives himself up. How does Christ do that? If Christ is the head of the church, what and
the husband is the head of the family, the head of the Possibly quoting Ephesians 5:23 home, what does that look like? Well, let's look to Jesus first. What did Jesus do? He gave himself up. Four people already said that. He was sacrificial. Let's look at
John 13, verses 12 through 17. It's in your notes. This is right before Jesus goes to die on the cross. He's with his disciples. He's gonna wash their feet, which is preposterous. Their feet were absolutely disgusting. They didn't have cool shoes, they didn't have concrete floors. It was disgusting. Feet were gross, feet still aren't gross. But they were extra gross. And Jesus washes his disciples' feet. Which is not what a rabbi would do. Disciples would re would wash, they would hold him in esteem, the rabbi in esteem and wash his feet. Leaders didn't wash feet. Slaves washed feet. The least of these washed feet. But Jesus is our ultimate example of leader. What do we see Jesus do? When he washed their feet, put on his outer garments and resumed his place. He said to them, This is right after he washed their feet. Do you understand what I've done? So I'm gonna pause right there. I'm gonna ask the same thing to every husband in the room. Hear this question. Do you understand what Jesus has done when he washes your feet? Jesus serves you. Husbands in the room, men in the room. Do you understand what Jesus has done for you through the power of the voice? Do you really understand? Because if you really understood, you would see authority and responsibility and leadership totally different. Do you understand what I've done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I am done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you a servant is no greater than his master, or is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. What a great work. For husbands and for those boys that are like longing to be a husband one day, that is a good word for you to hear. For for wives in the room who are like, man, this I'm hopeful for this. I believe that this could be so. That if I submitted to my husband that this is possible, but I'm also scared. Man, what great words today for the single mom in the house today? What great words for those who are looking to get married one day. What what good words? Because we're not asking you to trust in someone who could be uh mischievous or overbearing or dominant. That's not what we're looking for. We're looking for someone who would serve in the same way that Jesus served. Who would love to the point even to death. And that is what God longs for in the home. That is what God longs for as husbands, as men of the house. God longs for you to
lay down your life for Possibly quoting John 13:38 your family. That's different than what culture would tell you. Men just want all the power, men just want to dominate. That we just we go home, we go to work, we come home, you better have our food cooked, you better let us watch what we want to watch on TV. And when it's time to mate, it's time to mate, right? That's what that's what culture was like. Let's be honest. From I look, I love studying uh history, and I understand the argument of feminism. I 100% do. The whole reason feminism exists is because guys that are men did a really crappy job at being men. We did. And because of that, there are some voids, there's some holes. And look, we are not perfect people. And so there's probably voids and holes in your life. And God is walking us down a process to be redeemed and restored, holy, sanctified in these places. So of course, you mess up along the way. Now understand, there's some there's been people who probably done some jacked up stuff, but to everything that is true, there is a counterfeit. That doesn't mean that it's not true anymore. It just means we have to wade through and see what is counterfeit and not true and what is true. We don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. That's not what we're looking for. We're looking for men who will lay down their life for their spouse, for their wife. I guess I can make that clear in 2026, too. That men would lay down their wife for the lay down their life for their spouse that is their wife. Believe it. It's possible. We gotta do it. If you're not married in the room, and don't be looking for someone who's gonna meet your needs and fill voids in your life that only Jesus can fill. That's not the point of marriage. That's not just for men, that's for ladies too. Jesus has already met those needs in your life. We have to move past because some of us might be even saying, Yeah, I believe that, but we are not living our lives that way. Because I believed a lot of things here that didn't live out here. What? This being one of them. I want to cast big vision for the home. And it is so possible that men can lay down their lives for their spouse. That doesn't mean you get walked over. Doesn't mean you're a passive aggressive, not passive aggressive, you are a submissive husband, just happy wife, happy life. That's bogus baloney, by the way. If you say that around me, I might, based on how well I know you, I might punch you in the face. The goal is not happy life, happy life. Maybe you've said that in the room before. Hey, there's grace for you, mother. There is. There's grace. Happy life is a man who will
lay down his life for his Possibly quoting John 15:13 wife. That's life. And guess what? It's actually not always happened. Sometimes that actually stinks. But it's needed. Alright, just keep going, or I'm gonna run out of time. Secondly, uh a man aims for holiness. Aims for holiness in your spouse. You are responsible. Men in the room, you are responsible. One of the responsibilities that God has given you as a husband is to be a part of your wife's sanctification process, to see her brought into holiness. We see it in Ezekiel, where God was. Working through the nation of Israel to make them holy. We see it through Christ sanctifying and making the church holy. That is part of what we believe. We don't believe we just get saved and we just hang out here one day until we poof go to heaven. No, we believe that the Holy Spirit is active in us right here, right now, and He's changing who we were. I don't we don't want to look the same as we did yesterday. We want to keep moving towards the things of God in our life here and now, until we die or until Jesus comes back. We are constantly being moved towards that. And guess what? Part of that being moved towards that is husbands helping your wife. Become more holy. The flip side of that, wives, you you are a part of your husband's sanctification process as well. As because as you're being sanctified, as you're being made more holy and more to the image of God, you're seeing the things of God in your husband's life and you're participating in those things as well. It's a both and type thing. I love this phrase from Tim Keller in uh his book, The Meaning of Marriage. Anyone who's ever thinking about getting married, you should definitely read Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller. But I love this quote. Because it has to do completely, hey lady, lady's waving me in the back. Hey, lady, good to see you. It has to do with sanctification. I want y'all to see this because this excites me about marriage. We're a part of our spouse's sanctification process. What does that look like? It says this I see who God is making you, and it excites me. Sometimes you see who God is making your spouse to be, and they don't see it yet, and it excites you. If you're discipling anybody in the room, and you're just like, maybe all discipleship is is just being one step in front of the person as you're leading and you're pulling them along the way. That's all really discipleship is, which was we're moving together, but you're just one step ahead, helping somebody else make their next step. But you see things, maybe you've seen this. You've seen something in someone's life that they haven't seen yet, and you see their capability, and you see the possibilities of what God can do in their life, and it excites you. That's what it's like as a husband and as a wife. You see the things of God, the potential things of God in their life, and it should excite you. But yeah, I see that. I want to see those things done in your life. Think about God telling your spouse one day,
well done, my good and faithful servant Likely quoting Matthew 25:21. We want to be a part of that. We want to be a part of that process.
Well done, my good and faithful servant Likely quoting Matthew 25:21. You're like, yeah, I knew that you were gonna be good. I knew that you were gonna be faithful. And I'm glad that I could be a part of those things with you. Then Keller says it this way, and this is a paraphrase at the end. He says, We're gonna look ahead to one day. Like, do you stand before the Lord? Just imagine if you could stand before the Lord with your spouse one day. Husbands, imagine this you're standing before God. And your wife is there, full and complete, the way God designed her to be, lacking nothing. And you can say, I saw this in you all along. Could you see that? If you're too manly in the room, like if that doesn't move, I didn't even have to cry. But my goodness, you should long to see what God wants for your wife right here, right now. And you should long to want to be a part of it. Wives in the room, you should long to want to be a part of that finished work that God's doing in your in your husband. So yeah, Pi spol that even when you did, I saw it. And I wanted to be a part of it. And doesn't that change marriage? Isn't that put a little more you like you might think about it a little longer before you just jump into it? That should be part of the really, I wish that was a part of every marriage ceremony. Yeah, I want to be a part of what God is trying to do so that I see the things of God. Maybe it wouldn't be great if husbands and husbands and wife had to prophesy over their their spouse at the altar of who they see God wanting them to be, rather than if we got the Cupid Shuffle and all that other stuff on the playlist for afterwards. That would be awesome. Maybe we can do that with the next generation if you ever get married. They're like, I'm not asking you to do my wedding now. Darn, sorry, folks, you got them. But he aims for holiness. The husband aims for holiness with his wife. Next would be this he nourishes and cherishes her. I think this is one that we actually do really well, but then we forget about all the other things as husbands because we do this one. You are to nourish and cherish her, you are to be their protector, you are to be their provider. You are. So if to every husband who works hard, work like long hours and does those things, great, great on you for providing for your family. For being one who can protect and take care to nourish and cherish. It's so great to feed them, to protect, to provide. Kudos. And I want to say some of you are doing that really good. This is not just uh, oh, you're not doing it. Hey, kudos, guys, in the room, Adam, working all the jobs you do, kudos. Kudos. I know many firemen who work the way you do, and their lives are far from God. Kudos. Do I hope that you work 48 forever? No. In the name of Jesus, you're like me too. But good job. Good job. Anybody in this room is working crazy hours to provide for their families, protect their families. Every man in the room who is not who can protect their family if pushed come to show. Kudos to you. Good job. Now that doesn't negate all the other things that we still need to do, right? I'm glad and culture is culture is fine with you protecting and providing, but they want you to sacrifice all these other things. Laying your life down to your spouse, being one that participates in their holiness, their sanctification process. We don't sacrifice those things on the altar of nourishing and cherishing and providing. Jesus did all of those things, and he is our ultimately who we're looking for as how to be husbands. So we look to him. And in our lack, say, I man, I can't do that in my own strength. You're right. That's why we need the power of the Holy Spirit. Where we are lacking, God saying, I will provide abundantly. I will give you more. If you're like, man, Trace, I'm good with providing for my family. I'm good with just like putting my nose down and I'll grind and I'll work 12 hours or 14 hours and all these different things, but I really struggle with this holiness piece or how to speak the things of God. Like, hey, God, God sees that. In your your lack, God says, I'll give you more. I'll take them. In your weakness, that's where I'm the strongest. And God will work and do those things in your life. And I really do believe Him. He will nourish and cherish you. In those places where you feel like you're lacking, God will provide. You don't have to like man up and do this stuff on your own. God will give you those things. Next, beyond just nourishing and cherishing, He holds fast. This just shows that because then he he he he Paul like quotes
Genesis 2:24 for the two become one flesh. This is where uh uh a man will leave his his home and join with the other two will become one flesh. I love this because what it's showing is that that marriage was grounded in creation and not culture. Marriage is not a culture thing, marriage is a creation thing. That's why Paul is pushing to Genesis here. Say, hey, when you leave to do this, it's not because culturally it's the thing to do, right? Because that's me, honestly, we see cultural marriages all the time. That is not what God designed. God didn't design it just because culturally it's the right thing to do. Honestly, those are the things culturally, those are those are things that they write songs about, they make movies about, they have TV shows about. Like that's cultural marriage. We're not after cultural marriage. I don't care if you get the rose and you cry and you feel all good inside. Like, I don't care about that. What I care about is you finding someone that you will participate in seeing God's work in their life until the end faithfully. That's what I want. You may not feel it's so quiet in here. That is wild how quiet it is. I was hoping to get some amens there, but like look here. Like it's the truth. That is that's what we face. It's what we face. We got we we got sold the wrong bag of goods when it comes to marriage. We got one done over on us, been hoodwinked. And I want to see it redeemed and restored back to its rightful place. Let's really see what God says about what marriage is. And I understand that might mean that some of us in this room, probably all of us in this room, have some things tied to marriage that are not things of God in marriage, and we have to work those things out of our lives. That's sanctification, that's holiness. That is God working those things out. So if you feel yourself like oh man, that's me, like don't feel condemned. You can feel that's the that's the Holy Spirit convicting you. More just keep walking, just keep walking. Marriage is not a contract, it is not a reality show, and it is not a tax break. That is not what marriage is. That's what culture would love to tell marriage is. Get married so you can get a different tax bracket, so you can file your taxes differently. That is not what marriage is. That's not. It's a covenant between two people who say, I will be with you till the end. Working out processes so that we're made more and more into the image of God so that people can see Christ and how Christ loved the church. That is what I want to do until the end with you. All right. Cool. Cabby can come up here. Because what's the goal of marriage? What is the goal? I want you to be faithful to one another, to be joined to one another. No one should not lead one another to the end, be faithful.
Titus 3:4 through seven says this when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us. This is great, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own personal washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ and Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the eternal life. Why do I read that? It just shows this is reliance on the Holy Spirit. Everyone in the room, single, married, divorced, widowed. You lack nothing. We have all through the power of the Holy Spirit in our life. And God is wanting to move you into these places. So it doesn't matter where you find yourself. If you find yourself widowed, Divorced or singled, you're like, oh, this is just a marriage uh uh sermon today. No, it's not just a marriage sermon, there's something for all of us, every step of the way. Because Christ has called us through the power of the cross into relationship with him, and we lack nothing in our life. And for those of you who are in marriage, God is wanting to use your marriage to put that message on display. That's the whole point of marriage is for people to see how
Christ loved the church and Possibly quoting Ephesians 5:25 laid down his life for Possibly quoting 1 John 3:16 the church. That's what a husband's supposed to do for the wife. How we as a church we submit to the Lordship of Jesus. We know that Jesus is in control in this room. And that Jesus has our best interest in mind. That his way is better than our way. Even when we don't see it that way, we know that his way is always better. He is always found faithful. He is always found true. That's why we submit to him. Wives, that's why we submit to our husbands. It's a great opportunity in your daily life to show how much you trust Jesus. And husbands, I feel like this part is way harder. Nothing against the females in the room. The responsibility that you have to represent Jesus in your home, your wife, and to if you have kids, to your kids, what a responsibility. That's a lot. And I hope you see that God is asking that of you. He is not asking you to do all these other things. He's wanting you to
lay down your life for Possibly quoting John 13:38 your family so they can see a physical representation of what Jesus did for you and for them. So that they might decide to love, trust, and obey Jesus for all of their life. That is way more important than teaching your kid how to throw a curveball. Or how to work out or how to have good work ethic. All those things come, but we you miss the mark if this is not the thing you're remembered for as a man. How to lay down your life, how Jesus laid down his life, you are missing the mark, brother. So, husbands, let me ask this. Actually, I don't want to ask it yet. One more thing, one more verse. I want you to see this because I love in uh marriage where like we say the two become one. We just read it in Ephesians, but that is a phrase that's said a lot. To become one, right? And I and as I was reading that and thinking through that, I'm like, where is there other places where you hear similar phrases in scripture of becoming one? And I think of the instantly what came to mind was Jesus' prayer. Um For us. I don't know, like I don't know if you know this or not, but in
John 17, Jesus literally prays for you. It's in your notes. If you don't have the app, like turn with your in your Bibles with me to
John chapter 17, verses 20 through 23. And Jesus saw you in this prayer. He wasn't just praying for a select few people, he was praying for you right here. And this is what Jesus prays to the Father. He says, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. That's us. We believe through the words of the disciples and through the church fathers, we believe.
Verse 21, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you. That they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them and you and me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. And guys, that is the meaning of marriage. Husbands, that's the point of why you do this. Two flesh becoming one. What a great representation of the Father and Son being one. Jesus saying, Hey, just as we are one, let them see that. Your marriage is an opportunity for people to see how we can be made one with God. How two people in two totally different walks of life, two different upbringings, come together and learn to create and live a life as one. And that is what our life with God is one person who is far away, dead in sin, dead in trespasses, have no wantants or longings for anything of the thing of God, could meet God in an instance, and my flesh and my spirit become one. To see God do things in my life to be changed. That is what your marriage is. How great would it be for someone one day, your kid, someone that you're around, say, hey, look, I didn't really understand God's love for me until I saw the way you loved your wife, until the way I saw you lay down your life for mom. I didn't know it. But now I know it. That's the point. You will never see that reality show on Netflix. You won't. You will never hear your favorite pop star write a song about that. You won't. But you can see it in this place. You can see it in real time here in this place. Do you want that? Husbands, do you want that for your family? Wives, do you want that for your family? Do you want that for your kids? Singles, is that the kind of relationship you want one day? You're not looking for a prince charming, but you're looking for someone who will love you and serve you and lead you into the ways of God, call out your bull crap in your life, but love you through the process and be open to hearing the things that you see in their life as you are made more and more into the image of Jesus. That's it. That's what we want. And I really just want to pray that over this house. Because every marriage is a small sign of the one marriage that will last forever. We are the bride of Christ. And one day Jesus will return for his bride, and we will be made complete. And that marriage will last forever. I hope I have a 50, 60 year marriage. Longer than that, maybe if I'm helping. Who knows? Like, I hope it's a long marriage. But I hope those years spent are pointing to a marriage that will last forever. If not, it was for naught. Just for not. So I just want to pray that over the house. If we can, close our eyes, bow our heads. Father, I really I just want to I want to prophesy over this place. Lord, that there will be marriages that point to you. Until the end. God, that there will be husbands who accept the call, who will lay down their life to serve their family, who do not live just for their needs to be met, but to see your work done in their spouse. God, I pray for trust in this room. I pray for vulnerability in this room between spouses. God, any walls of hostility or any uh uh gaps or divides in marriages that you would that your power. That you could bridge that gap through the cross. Not through years of proving themselves or having to do these other things in order to gain trust back, but through the power of the cross. Lord, you fill gaps so that people can move to the other side. God, I pray for marriages to move to the other side. That what we bought, what we thought marriage was, what we thought a husband would be, what we thought a wife would be. God, that now that you have pulled back the scales from our eyes for us to see what it truly is, God, that you would help us to move. To the other side. God, I pray for every marriage in this room, current marriages and future marriages. I pray for this be a place where we understand the meaning of marriage. God, you would bless families, you would bless the homes. God, I pray that this be representations of your power and your work through the family. God, we don't need to be represented on TV. God, we're not asking to be represented on TV or represented in culture or represented in pop culture. God, we'll be it. We'll be the representations of your kingdom at work in the home. God, we'll be the ones to show what a husband that lays down his life as he leads his wife and what a wife who trusts their husband and submits to his headship and submits to his leadership. God, we'll be the ones to show what fruit comes from those things. So that you would receive glory. God, so that someone somewhere could look to our home, could look to our marriage and see how Christ loved the church, how they can see how much you love them, that you would lay down your life so that they could be in right standing with you, God. Let it be so. Let it be so in our homes. God, I pray for every single person in here. Those who are not married, God, in this place right now, God, I pray that you would give them a new view of what marriage could be. You would give them a new view of what they should be looking for in a spouse. God, for the 13 year old girl in here. Who might date for the very first time, God, that you would you would uh you would you would help her to see God what characteristics and what things she should be looking for in a husband one day. God, for that 16-year-old boy, to see what it's like to be really be a man. One that loves you and trusts you and obeys you his whole heart and his whole mind. God, please let it be so. For the single adult in the room, God, I pray that you would break down any cynicism in their heart. That hope could rise, that hope would rise, that there would be a stirring and a longing for marriage, not so that they would feel a void or feel like they're lonely and they're missing out on something in life, but so they can continue to participate in the things of God in their lives through marriage. Please, Lord, let it be so. Please. God, for broken marriages, God, I pray that you would redeem and restore. God, for those which are given second chances at these things. God, I pray, Lord, your grace
covers a multitude of sins Possibly quoting James 5:20, God. And so that in those places, Lord, you can continue to work and you can continue to redeem and you can continue to restore. I pray they don't limp through this life, but they run towards the things of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, not in their own strength, God, but through the power of your spirit. I pray that you would break off any shame or con or condemnation in the name of Jesus. And it would fill them with hope for the things of God in their life as they continue to run their race faithfully. And I thank you for the work of family. I thank you for the work of spiritual family in this room that you have brought us together. I pray that we would run this race together. Husbands and wives, moms and dads, brothers and sisters together. To glorify you, to make your name famous in all the earth. It's in your name we pray. Amen. Thank you, Trace. We're praying over each and every one of you throughout this week. It has been an honor to see some of you men grow up in this way. And I'm just gonna say, there is no wife in here who has the revelation of God that will regret you doing everything he just said because we need you. We want to see you grow up in the fullness of who you've been called to be. And it's an honor to get to watch some of you do that. And so I'm praying over you all month long as we have this series for the seeds that are being planted, for the ones that are being watered, and to watch God grow them up in you. It's a real honor to get to do that. As we close out, I want to go over some announcements real quick. We really have been praying for years now to become a house of prayer. And the Lord has led us to really layer it in. We have Three annual times of prayer and fasting. Our last one of the year starts a week from tomorrow on the 19th. We will be entering into a seven day of prayer and fasting. So be thinking all week long how you can best prepare for that. There is teaching in the app that you can go to to prepare yourself. If you need help with that, just find somebody who can tell you. We also have monthly prayer, and that is tonight at five o'clock here at the armory. And then we now have weekly midweek prayer at 5 30 in the morning. I know it's early, but there's something so sweet and so good and so strengthening. When you get up to pray. And so even if you can only be here 15 minutes, I encourage you all to come. It's right here in the armory. You just show up anytime between 5 30 and 6 30 and we'll be here. So you see, we've layered it in annual, monthly, weekly. We really are watching God build us up into a house of prayer. So other things that are happening, it's a very busy weekend. We have the men's breakfast on Saturday morning. It's going to be so much fun. Heard so much good feedback from the last time y'all did that. If you are coming, go into the app, go to the calendar and register. It's free. You're just giving us a headcount because we want to have enough food for you. And then that night at the Taft's house, raise your hands. The task. They are going to be hosting a young adult get together. We've got a lot of kids in that range. Not kids, they're adults, I know, but that age range uh is an important age to be in. And they're going to give you a place to come and hang out and just chill. If you need their address or anything, you can come and ask them and talk to them. And then Sunday night, we will be having our third and last Sunday night church here. It's a really fun time. The kids get to have a lot of fun. We will have the juniors open for your littles. And then we have service in here. It's more intimate, it's more fun. It is a place in which you can be ministered to. Lots of prayer, lots of good worship. So come and join us afterwards. We will have dinner together. It'll be a light dinner, but come ready to eat. Now, if you'll go ahead and stand with us, I think that's all of the announcements. I said it was a busy weekend, so it's gonna be a really good weekend though. So uh go ahead and say this, Cindy. Remember that you're not leaving, you're being sent as ambassadors for Christ. Go ahead and read this with me. We are not leaving this place, we are being sent. We are not obeying the command of our Lord to go. So send us, Lord, to find you in secret in prayer and devotion. To love and care for our families, to strengthen and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, to faithfully work as unto the Lord in the marketplace and home, to wisely steward all you have given us, to recognize our place and ability in our community, to witness of your goodness and grace to neighbors and nations. Send us now in your presence and power. Amen. We will see you all next week.
