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Ephesians 5:21-6:9 · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  I get to talk about wives submitting to your husband. And I'll tell you one thing, I've been praying about that a lot. Because if I don't get this right, it's going to be a really lousy trip home. And I look at God, and I say, God, you've got a sense of humor. There are more singles out there than couples. What am I talking about marriage for, you know? And I've just got to say, Lord, that's okay.
• 0:32
  you guys are going to be my prayer warriors. Right? So I want you praying for me, and I want you praying for the couples here, and for the couples you know. Because God's going to do a good work. It's going to be fun tonight, I hope. How many of you have been through this scripture on, you know, wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your... How many of you have been at least three or four times through that, right?
• 1:00
  So I'm going, Lord, they got this thing memorized. What is there? And the other day we're driving along and on this plumbing truck, plumbing truck, you know, there's this woman on the side of the truck, a picture of this woman. I'll be a little more specific. This is the side of the truck. And she's standing with a sign and it says, don't sleep with the drip.
• 1:31
  Now you can take that one of two ways, right? So if you're here with your spouse, will you turn to him and just say, you're not the drip. Very clear, you're not the drip. But I thought that was cute. I thought, Lord, you know, we're not a bunch of drips. We're people that you love, people that you want us to be whole and well. And part of that is to be who you created us to be as husband and wife. And so if you'll turn over.
• 2:01
  If you aren't there already, Ephesians 5, chapter 5, verse 21. And we're going to start reading from there. And I really feel like we're only going to cover husbands and wives. Pastor Danny gave me the whole time to cover not only that, but Paul is also going through three examples that he wants us to look at.
• 2:32
  In terms of submitting, his first one is going to see his husband and wife. But the next one in chapter 6, verse 1, is what? It's parental. It's parent and child. And then the next one is slave and master, or supervisor and employee, right? Unfortunately, we're not going to get that far. I'll let you look at that. But I am going to be talking about submission in general at first.
• 3:01
  The same general principles that apply to husbands and wives apply to children and parent and employee, employer. Okay? So, let's start with verse 21. And he says, Paul's saying this, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, now he's getting specific. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife.
• 3:29
  even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Now, husbands, wake up. Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water,
• 3:59
  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. That means without any other fault. Wow. Well, in the same way, verse 28. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
• 4:29
  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore, or for this reason, 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.
• 4:58
  How many husbands can say it is a mystery? My wife is a mystery. Marriage is a mystery. Amen to that, Lord. Okay, keep going, Tom. And I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you, each one of you love his wife as himself. And let the wife see that she respects her husband. Well, there's a couple of...
• 5:32
  Disclaimers that I want to share real quick before we get into it. One is, kind of like I said earlier, if you're not a couple, if you are not a family unit, please, please, please be praying for those that are here and just know that God's got a plan. God's got a plan. Secondly, for those that aren't married, don't compare your marriage.
• 6:01
  It just doesn't work. Don't compare your spouse with anybody else. Because you're either going to be discouraged or you're going to be in pride. And either way, you're going to be wrong. God has given you that mate. I believe he's given you that mate exactly the one that you deserve. The one that you get. That you have. I'll get there yet. That God has given you. Okay? Because I do believe they're special.
• 6:33
  I do believe that. So don't, please, don't compare. Alright, let me pray. Father, I do thank you for tonight. I thank you for the couples that are here. I thank you for the singles that are here. I thank you for your word and your presence that's here. So Lord, we commit this time into your hands. Commit the words. It'll be clear. It'll be simple. And Lord, it will be transforming. Father, I want every one of us to go out of here differently than we came in.
• 7:03
  filled with your Spirit, and just ministered to now. Lord, I thank you now in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, I've given you a handout, so there are certain things that I want you to fill in as we go through it, if you're so inclined. And so, this introduction is for all of us. It's for singles, for wives, for husbands. It's for all of us. Paul has been impressing upon his readers the need and importance of love.
• 7:31
  And unity. All through Ephesians. Hasn't he been talking about love. And unity. For the church. And for the people. That are part of the body of Christ. And he will now focus on the practicality. Of living out that same love. And unity. In our homes. And in the workplace. And that's where we pick up verse 21. Verse 21. Simply says. Submitting to one another out of reverence.
• 8:01
  For Christ and for Paul, that's a universal principle. He's saying that to every one of us. I am to submit to Pastor Danny. I'm to submit to you. I'm to submit to Linda. We are to submit to each other. There is a climate and an environment in the body of Christ of submitting one to another. And that's why we can do all that we can do because we do it together.
• 8:30
  You're submitting to me, I'm submitting to you. I expect your help, you expect mine. I have giftings, you have giftings. That's how we march in unity and in love. By that submitting universally. And then it says in verse 22, wives, now he's being specific, submit to your own husband as to the Lord. That's a specific example Paul now is boring down into.
• 8:58
  See, it's out of reverence for Christ that we submit to each other. See, as I read, so I'm referencing Christ, coming under that authority, that's how he can trust me with Linda, trust me with my wife. It is a mutual act of respect. As I submit to you, it's a point of respecting each other.
• 9:26
  See, Paul is commanding us to submit and he's implying that it's good for us. Contrary to the world. The world doesn't like that concept, does it? I'm standing up. I'm an individual. It's me, period. Over and out. See, the world's view of submission is definitely negative. See, we tend to focus on the person doing the submitting as if they're a victim. Don't we?
• 9:57
  You're just a victim. That wife's a victim. That child or that employee, we view them as a victim. See, the concept of submission often creates negative feelings toward authority. But, you know, we have seen authority misused, right? There's no doubt about that. See, misused authority creates domination, oppression, and unreasonable control.
• 10:26
  How much do we hear about spousal abuse over and over and over again? That's the world's view of submission. And it's bad and it's wrong, right? How do we, back to your notes, how do we submit to each other? And specifically, how does the wife submit to her husband? And I need to go to the definition of that word submission. Now in the Greek,
• 10:59
  It's the word hupotasso. It's two parts. Hupo means under. Hupo means under. And tasso is to arrange in an orderly manner. It's a military term which describes troops being arranged in a precise formation by their superior. See, it's to assign to a particular position, a place or assignment. So it's under and it's under.
• 11:30
  orderly arrangement. And it's also a present participle. Now, I'm no English major, so I had to look that up. Present participle is simply meaning it's a continuous action. Gals, you can't submit last Thursday and think that was enough for the month. It's a continuous action. You keep submitting, and you submit, and you submit some more, and it's a continuous
• 12:02
  of coming under that authority. And I want you to see there's two different relationships when it comes to the definition. There's a vertical relationship. You know, you and God. And it's the idea of under. Under. And there's a picture of someone who willfully places himself or herself under authority. It's a self-willing place.
• 12:30
  position. It's a deliberate choice. And it suggests a chain of command where God is first. That's what you've got to get. God is the top of the chain of command. In 1 Corinthians 11.3, Paul says, I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ. The head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Do you see the divine
• 12:59
  chain of command. It's God, Christ, the husband, and the wife. And we're going to come to this in a minute, but I want to say this. Paul is describing our role. You'll get that in a minute, but he's describing the role that we are able and are required to be at that point in our life. Okay? And it's that chain of command. God, Christ,
• 13:31
  the husband and the wife. But there's a horizontal relationship to this definition, meaning an orderly arrangement or a formation, and it suggests a side-by-side arrangement where we submit to each other. See, it's a partnership. That's your first fill-in, by the way. That's a hint. It's a partnership.
• 13:58
  That's a good way to describe this part of the definition. Linda and I are in partnership. We're not against each other. But there's that side-by-side formation part of this definition. Does that make sense? Okay. Now, let's see God's view of submission. Instead of focusing on the victim, biblical submission focuses and starts with God. That's our starting point.
• 14:29
  See, the key to successfully submitting to those in authority over us is to totally submit to God first. And the only way to totally submit to God, and this is important, is to be convinced that He's a good God who loves us and always wants the best for us. And this is called trust. That's your next villain, by the way. Trust.
• 15:01
  That's a huge word. But how can we submit to a God we don't trust? You're not going to do it. If you don't trust God enough to submit to God, you're not going to trust your husband enough to submit to Him. So it starts with God, but it starts with the character of God. We've got to believe that He is a good God. We can only truly submit to...
• 15:34
  our earthly authority when we sincerely submit to our heavenly authority first. Submission is always an act of faith. You've got to do it in faith. Because you're probably going to have to do it before you see any result. I can almost guarantee you're going to have to do it before you see any kind of comeback. And that's called trust and faith. Page 2. This is hugely important. You've got to catch the top of page 2 now, right?
• 16:07
  We have all been created in the image of God. Okay? That word created is your next fill in. And we know that, right? Genesis tells us that. He created us in his own image. Our equal dignity of God created beings is endowed from God and is bestowed upon every individual. Our equal dignity. The wife, the husband have...
• 16:37
  You have equal dignity in standing before God the Father. You've got to catch that. Satan would want us not to believe that. The world would want us not to believe that. See, we're endowed from God and it's bestowed upon every individual, man and woman, husband, wife, parent, child, boss, employee, everyone. This means we all have God-given dignity and equality within God.
• 17:08
  God-appointed order. Period. Over and out. There is no difference between Jew and Greek. There's no difference between husband and wife. That verse. You know that verse. There's no difference. We are created equal. However, we find ourselves in different God-appointed roles. I have a role God has appointed me to play as a husband.
• 17:38
  Linda has a role as a wife. We have a role as parents. We had a role as employees or as supervisors. Some of those roles we choose for ourselves. Some of them we don't have choices. But do you see the difference between our role and our God-given dignity and equality? There's a difference between that, okay?
• 18:06
  And see, our roles are wives and husbands, parents, child, employee, boss, student, teacher. Those are all roles that we play. See, and it goes on, in our role, this is important, in our role as the one submitting, let's see who we're actually submitting to. Look at verse 21. We, or all of us, are to submit out of reference for Christ. Who are we submitting to? To Christ.
• 18:38
  Wives, submit to whom? The Lord. Children, obey unto the Lord. Bond servants, obey as you would Christ. See, behind the husband and the parent and the master is Jesus Christ. So when you're submitting to your husband, you're ultimately submitting to whom? Christ, right behind me. Right?
• 19:10
  And that is so simple. But it's important. We must recognize the Lord Himself is the one we are ultimately submitting to. However, there's a caveat here. We must recognize that the delegated authority given to husbands must never be abused. See, that's the issue. That's the struggle. And I know that. See, it can't be abused.
• 19:39
  And it can't be used for self-serving purposes. It's always for the benefit of the wife doing the submitting. My authority is for your good, the wife's good. It is a position, men, it is a position of service, not superiority. And it's a position of trust. God has entrusted your wife into your hands. And I hope that at that point, that's why she can,
• 20:11
  easily and willfully submit to your oversight. Well, let's look at Paul's specific word for wives, okay? Back to verse 22. Simple, right? Wives, submit to your own husband. How many times have you heard that? Asking to the Lord, alright? And in verse 33, let the wife see that she respects her husband. So, you're told to submit and to respect.
• 20:44
  See, wives, ask God to show you how that respect works for your husband. See, your wife is going to respect you and work in your life differently than Linda's going to do me. Because I'm different than your husband. She's different than you. And those differences are going to come out in our relationship, come out in the differences of our marriage relationship. Right?
• 21:17
  How many marriages are just crazy? We know this one couple. The first time we were with them, they started yelling and screaming and telling me, holy cow, they're in trouble. And as we kept staying with them, we figured out that's how they communicate. That was normal. We would never raise our voice hard. We would never fight. And one time, they were a group, and Linda was in this group, and they were practicing and stuff. And suddenly, I said something, and Linda didn't like it or something. She says, what?
• 21:48
  I don't like that. Suddenly they stop and say, wow. But see, your relationship is so different, ladies. And you've got to sit there and say, Lord, how do I respect my husband? And I can't fault you for the fact that you do it your own way. Right? And I've got to let you do it your own way. Because it's your relationship. And God will honor that.
• 22:22
  See, and the key is your attitude is perhaps the most important aspect in the whole submitting process. Right? Your attitude is so very important. I'm taking a little liberty here. It actually comes from a preschooler and a kindergarten. But when you sit a kid in the corner, the attitude is I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm what? Well, sometimes I wonder, okay, I'm giving you your dinner, but I'm not.
• 22:54
  This is not what I really want to do. And, okay, that attitude is so very important. Let's look at verse 23. Verse 23. For the husband is the head, because this gets us in a lot of trouble as a church. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. His body, and is himself its Savior. See, I got to laugh. It's not really a problem if you remember.
• 23:22
  the big fat Greek wedding. Remember that? Not a problem letting us be the head because we know you're the neck. And the neck turns the head. It's just a funny scene. Like, yeah, all of us guys went, yeah, I know. I just don't want her to tell me that she knows. But as the head, see,
• 23:53
  If the husband is to follow Christ's example, headship expresses care rather than control. That's your next fill in. Headship, I am to care for Linda, not control her. And responsibility rather than rule. I have a responsibility as her husband in so many different ways. And it's not rulership. I'll guarantee you that. And another side note, real fast, is
• 24:26
  Wives are never told to obey us guys. Note that children are to what? Obey. And slaves are to obey. See, there's a superior position there. God doesn't tell Linda to obey me. Like she's some kind of subservient individual that has to jump when I say jump. That's not.
• 24:57
  That's not her submission. See? There's an attitude there. And also, wives are never, ever expected to do something that's immoral, illegal, unethical, or against the Word of God. Guys, you do have the right to stand up and say, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that. And you don't rule over me. I will submit. But there is a point where you say no more. Right?
• 25:30
  Submission doesn't mean that you're going to get walked on. See, there's nothing demeaning about willingly submitting to your husband. Because your submission is not to be unthinkable, absolute obedience to his rule, but rather a grateful acceptance of his care. I like Marcus Barth said this, it's in your note. The submission to and respect for the husband
• 26:02
  to which the wife is specifically admonished, is by no means the submissiveness of a pussycat or a crouching dog. Paul is thinking of a voluntary, free, joyful, and thankful partnership. Back to that partnership. As the analogy of the relationship of the church to Christ shows, whenever the husband's headship
• 26:29
  mirrors the headship of Christ, then your submission to the protection and provision of his love, far from detracting from your womanhood, will positively enrich it. If the world would only know, I believe the safest, most empowering place for the wife to be is under that submitting husband. There's no better safety net, no better place to be.
• 27:02
  A while back ago, a couple years ago, I've always kind of had a critical attitude. I'm just critical. I'm just judging everything. And most of that criticism landed on Linda. And I would just, you know, if it didn't go right, it was Linda's fault. Always. And one day, man, I was grumbling. I was grouching.
• 27:26
  all by myself, but I was just irritated. I was irritated at everything. I was irritated at Linda. I was grumbling about Linda. And suddenly, almost a voice, I heard God say, that's my daughter you're talking about. And I was just, it still makes me goosebumps. And it jerked me up. Why are you talking about my daughter like that? Your daughter? Yeah. And personally, I thought of,
• 28:01
  I bet he's got a big shotgun. God, I never thought about that, God. That's your daughter. I'm sorry, Lord. I don't have rulership. See, I don't own Linda. That's God's daughter. He's loaning her to me, guys. He's loaning your wife to you. And you have a responsibility to take care of his daughter. Because I'm going to answer. And I'll tell you what that has.
• 28:35
  changed the way I look at my wife. It's not my wife, it's his daughter. I'm able to be your husband by his grace. So I've never forgotten that. Let's look at Paul's word to husbands. It's your turn, husbands. But I hope you see God's grace in what we just shared about your wife. Because now I pray that you're going to see God's grace in how I'm going to share about your opportunity to be a husband.
• 29:11
  And it is. It's a wonderful opportunity. So, verse 25. It says, Husbands, love your wives. Now, that word love is agape. That is the highest, most amazing type of love. It's a God type of love. It is not based upon being reciprocal. I do this, you do that. I mow the lawn, you... No, no, no, no, no. It's not self-serving.
• 29:41
  And it's not when it's convenient, guys. God doesn't love me like that. He loves me, period, all the time. And that's the kind of love we give our wives. See, it is a God-like, sacrificial love toward our wives. That's the fill-in. Sacrificial. Jesus sacrificed for you and me. God so loved the world.
• 30:12
  I can't imagine that kind of love. I know I'm not doing that to Linda. But that's the target I'm shooting for. See, to properly understand this whole thing, let's begin to see how Paul breaks it down. I'm going to skip down to recognize, to the seven, let me back up. Let me skip down to the seven.
• 30:41
  ways Paul is going to describe how we are supposed to love our wives. Just like Christ loved the church. And you'll remember, Paul's using the analogy of the church and Jesus. But he's still talking about marriage. So I've pulled this out of that, and we're going to look at seven different ways that Jesus loves the church. And then seven different ways, so men, how are you going to love your wife?
• 31:10
  But I recognize that we can only do that through Jesus. I can't do it myself. If I try to do it myself, it's not going to work. Only Jesus working through me is this thing going to get done. And probably I can't work on all seven at once. I'm going to need to work on kind of one at a time. Okay? So let's see how far we get. First, it's a sacrificial love, verse 25. Husbands.
• 31:43
  Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. See, the whole idea is as I sacrifice for Linda, I'm able to build her up. I'm able to allow her to become her full potential in who she was made to be. Just like Christ, as he sacrifices for you and me, we become more and more like Christ. He allows us to become who we are in Christ Jesus.
• 32:14
  So as I sacrifice for Linda, and again, sacrifice is going to look different for me than for you. Number two, it's a serving love. This is implied. When you look at Jesus' ministry, it was always serving. He washed the disciples' feet. He fed the 5,000 and the 4,000. He raised up how many people?
• 32:44
  and minister to so many people, serving them day and night. I don't get to serve Linda just when it's convenient. I serve her because that's who God created me to be. I'm to serve Linda all the time. And again, that's going to look different. It's a structured love. Verse 23, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.
• 33:18
  So, the husband is the head of the wife and his whole family. Guys, you're supposed to be the head of your whole family. You're the covering. You're the covering. Nothing should get into your home. If we had time, I'd take you to Genesis and it says, God told Adam, you're to tend and protect the garden. He was to protect the garden.
• 33:49
  Satan should have never gotten past Adam in the garden in the first place. If he was doing his job, guys, things should not be getting in your home. You're the head. You're the covering. It stops with you. You take the responsibility for what happened. While back ago, God said, yeah, I haven't got there yet. But he began to say, Tom, you start shouldering the responsibility for everything.
• 34:23
  I don't care if Linda crunched in the fender. It's your fault. Hey, fair. You let her drive. Oh, okay. Sooner or later, it's my fault. That sounds weird, but basically you say, you cover your wife. She wasn't built to that way. You were. You're the warrior. Take up your spear. Take up that shield of faith and stop those fiery darts, guys.
• 34:55
  It's your family. You don't let Satan pillage your family. Period. Over and out. Number four. It's a sanctifying love. Next feeling is sanctifying. Verse 26. Sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. Washing her with prayer. Have you prayed for your wife this morning? Today yet?
• 35:24
  Every day, praying, support, words of encouragement. Rhema, that talks about washing with the word, the water of the word. That word is rhema. And it means the spoken word. It's a specific spoken word. It actually talks about scriptural. You take out a scriptural word, you give her a spoken word. You speak life.
• 35:51
  To your wife. You don't speak death. You don't speak critical attitude. Like I was doing. You speak life. To her. You build her up. Mentally. Physically. Socially. Spiritually. You build her up. When she asks. How does she look? How do I look? I go. Wonderful. You look great. I got to say this. I. You know. I don't ever notice her hair.
• 36:27
  I don't notice anything. I'm just a dumb, stupid guy. So she goes and gets her hair cut. Right? She comes home. She's got her hair. You know, she's gone to the beauty parlor. She comes home. I say, and I never notice it. So I say, honey, I love your hair that way. It's so pretty. She said, I didn't go. My one shot in life. I remembered one time. And she didn't go. But give it a try. Give it a try. Okay?
• 37:01
  Number five, it's a caring love. 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. Guys, we're to nourish and cherish our wives. I don't care how big, tough guy you are. There's the tenderness and a caring for your wife. Because,
• 37:35
  She functions in safety. You give her safety, and I guarantee you, you get a lot of things. It just is a place of safety. That's her nest. Cherish her. It's an unbreakable love. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. And that word, hold fast, is glued.
• 38:05
  You're not moving away from her, guys. You're always holding on to her with all your might. Number seven. Like I said earlier, it's a mysterious love. The mystery is profound. It refers to Christ and the church. A mystery is a truth that has been hidden, but now revealed, which people cannot understand except by divine revelation. That's marriage.
• 38:34
  I don't have to understand it, but I know it works when it's in godly order. In godly order. 1 Corinthians. You can't leave this topic without going to 1 Corinthians, right? 13. And it says this. And this is for both husband and wives, guys. Now we're together. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
• 39:06
  It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable. And it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices when the truth wins out. Love never gives up. It never loses faith. It is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever. That's it.
• 39:38
  That's God's desire for our marriage. Well, verse 33, and we'll end. Verse 33, Paul is summarizing what we've just said. And he says it again. However, let each one of you agape his wife as he loves himself. And let the wife see that she respects her husband. And then I ran across this in the Amplified.
• 40:09
  So it'll take us about two hours to read it, but we'll be there. It says this, and I love it. However, this is the same verse we just read, by the way, because it may not look like it, but however, each man among you, without exception, is to love agape his wife as his very own self, with behavior worthy of respect and esteem, always seeking the best for her.
• 40:37
  with an attitude of loving kindness. That's your part, guys. Wives must see to it that she respects and delights in her husband, that she notices him, prefers him, treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear. That's precious. I'm going to ask Linda to come on up. I want to do something. I want to finish with just...
• 41:13
  Simply showing you, I think, a picture of what God wants us to see in marriage. See, my agape love, my love is to open this umbrella. I should have tried it before, huh? Ha! That's a terrible umbrella. That's the best I can do. Okay. We'll do that. Do the best I can do.
• 41:48
  But see, my job is to somehow open an umbrella and cover my family. And actually, it's God's covering. I just get a chance to hold it. And then as I hold that covering, then Linda is invited to submit. And as she comes under that authority, comes under that covering, and submits to me,
• 42:18
  then we both have that covering. We're both living under the almighty covering of the shadow of the almighty. And as I know my place and my covering is her head and her protector, there's no safer place for her to be. And if she chooses to walk out from under that covering, then that's her choice. But my job is to continue to keep that covering with God's help.
• 42:50
  And the other issue, the other beautiful thing about that is, remember it's vertical and it's horizontal. Do you notice how we're standing? We're standing side by side. There is no mightier part of God's army than when husband and wife are together in agreement, in submission, and in proper covering. There's nothing more powerful.
• 43:23
  And together, see, we fight anything that comes toward our family. Anything that comes toward our marriage. And we stand under God's covering. And we each have a role to play. But we also know we are created in God's image. I'm not better than Linda. She's not better than me. I may ask her to do the bookkeeping and do the accounting. Or she may want me to. It doesn't matter.
• 43:54
  That's our marriage. It's our relationship. I can't compare. But by God's grace, I get to stand with her. We just finished 50 years. I can do it for another 50 if God wants me to. Because it's that precious. Let's pray. Father, I thank You. I thank You for Your Word. I thank You for this opportunity to share. I thank You, Lord, for the insight that You're able to show us.
• 44:26
  Father, I pray that whether they're couples or singles, Father, the word is just so amazing. And I pray, Lord, that it's impactful, that it changes us, that we're different because of what you shared with us tonight. So, Lord, I pray for each individual here. I pray for each individual marriage. Bless it. Lord, help us to walk.
• 44:56
  Lord, knowing that we are created equal, we aren't endowed with your blessing and anointings, but Lord, we have a role that you've given us. And Lord, I thank you that you'll help the wives to just lovingly submit as unto you. And Lord, I pray for the husbands that they will, with agape love, love their wife with an everlasting, sacrificial love.
• 45:27
  Lord, we need your help to do that now. But I thank you because it's a great journey. It's worth the effort. It's worth the battle. You're so good to us. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.