The Husband God Wants You To Be

Temple Baptist Church - 7-27-2011

Ephesians 5:25-29

Introduction:

A. We dealt with “The Wife God Wants You To Be” in our last study and now, we will deal with the “better half” or the “worst half” as it sometimes seems to be. The wife cannot be all that she needs to be unless the man of the home is what he needs to be. We are “heirs together of the grace of this life” and, therefore, we must work together in the will of God if the home is to be right.

B. I preached on Father’s Day on the subject “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” Though good men may be a rarity in the worldly homes, they should be the general rule in the Christian home. Isaiah 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. (Ladies, if you have one and I am talking about a good one, you had better hang on to him tight! We need men that are strong instead of effeminate. Men that act like men, walk like men, talk like men, and make decisions like men! As the women get tougher in our society, the men get softer. Today, men get their hair “done” instead of cut! I will stop there because I could spend the evening on that subject. I think you “get my drift!”)

C. Because good men are hard to find, good homes are hard to find. So many churches are filled with women who come to church without their husbands. There are some men who come alone but the majority are women. When I speak of good men, I am not necessarily speaking of a nice, well-mannered man. Though men need to be such, I am talking about a real man’s man. As few girls today are being trained to be biblical wives, neither are the young men being trained to be biblical husbands.

D. I just want to look at a few areas of biblical manhood and how to be a good husband and father tonight.

1. Godly Men Love their families! – vs. 25 A love that is shown! Show that love to your wife and children. Saying “I love you” to a family member means very little when it is only lip service.

a. A husband’s love is a sacrificial love – vs. 25 “even as Christ loved…and gave himself” (He is to place his home above self!)

b. A husband’s love is a sanctifying love – vs. 26 “sanctify and cleanse it” (He is to protect his home from both physical and spiritual enemies!)

c. A husband’s love is a selfish love – vs. 27 “He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (As his home glorifies the Lord, it also brings about a right pride to the husband! He is proud of his wife, his children, and his home.)

2. Godly Men Give Their Lives for their families! – vs. 24 Be there with them and for them physically, spiritually, financially, and time wise! Learn to spend quality time with all and each individually. It will show your love while building fond memories. (It is of interest to this preacher that the Lord compared the love and care of the husband for his wife to the love and care of Christ for His church! Now, we find in these verses a few characteristics of that relationship.)

3. Godly Men Sanctify their families! – vs. 26 Separate them from the effects of and conformity to the world! Separation is a two-edged sword: separation from the world and separation to the Lord. Abstain from the appearance of evil while saturating them in the Word of God. (The husband is to shield his family from the world and lead them to the Lord. Faithful, godly men are a rarity in these days. They are the “glory” of the children and should be a proper, biblical example to them.)

4. Godly Men Are Responsible for their families! – vs. 27 Their outcome is to be important to us men! We are responsible for their protection, provision, and perpetual care. We will one day stand before the Lord with our families. (Men are to take charge and the oversight of the home. Genesis 3:16 says, “he shall rule over thee.” The husband is to take the oversight thereof as the pastor does in the church. The man will have accountability for the home. Genesis 3:17 says, “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife!” The Lord did not confront Eve because she was not the head of the home. The Lord confronted Adam! Adam blamed God for the sin; Eve blamed the Serpent; and the only honest one was the Serpent as he said nothing. He is not a dictator but a loving shepherd of the home. My wife and I work together and her input is of great value in our decision making but the final authority is still in my hands. Decisions should be biblical and consistent in the home. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Through good and bad times, the Lord should always be first and the bible should be our guide. He is both responsible for the decisions and direction of the home. )

5. Godly Men Cherish their families! – vs. 29 (They need to be precious to us! Outside of Christ, our wives, children, and grandchildren are the most precious thing in the world. Thank God for them daily; pray for them daily; and never take them for granted. Be there with them and for them as you are important to them.)