I. Introduction (Nehemiah 4:10-14)
“Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
A. We Need to Fight FOR our families - not against them
- This year we are learning from a great book in the Bible called Nehemiah
- It is a personal record of what Nehemiah thought, felt and did as he led a few thousand families in a massive reconstruction project
- The Jews that had returned to the rubble of Jerusalem
- And had started to rebuild their capital city
- But they were surrounded and threatened by an enemy called the Samaritans
- These were not nice neighbours - they were aggressive enemies of the Jews
- The people’s lives were in constant danger
- It was no game
- The Jews lived in the constant fear of being killed
- Everything that the Jews were trying to build and protect was at risk
- Nehemiah knew that only strong, high walls would be able to keep back this enemy
- So they began to rebuild the high broad walls of Jerusalem, block by block, gate by gate, beam by beam
- But that was not enough - until the walls were finished, they would remain vulnerable
- So, we learned in chapter 4, that Nehemiah armed all the people with handy weapons
- He knew that only weapons at the side of especially every DAD would discourage their enemies from attacking
- What was Nehemiah doing? Teaching the parents, and especially the men and fathers to fight to protect their homes!
- Our enemy, Satan is against anything that God loves
- And that includes every human family
- Too many homes / MOST families have been destroyed by Satan’s lies, and pressures, and temptations and sorrows
- Our homes need saving Gentlemen!
B. It Starts with Loving your Wife, Gentlemen
- Probably THE most important thing you need to do well
- NOT that you ignore loving your children
- But that you do THIS well, and most problems in a home will greatly improve!
- Men believe they already DO love their wives
- But we don’t - not like we should
- We have believed Hollywood’s style of love and attraction
- Only to find it a very selfish and destructive kind of love and lust
- We don’t love, like our wives need us to
- And, We just don’t love like Christ loves us!
C. Gentlemen… Fight for your family, by loving your wife
- Both you and your wife are human
- That means BOTH of you are messed up, broken, sinful
- Instead of being spiritual, BOTH of you are wicked in different ways - selfish, sinful, arrogant, proud, self-centred, mean, hurtful
- Both of you fight and war and never win
- And then, when someone tries to intervene and help you, you turn on them
- People have survived marriage for the past 6,000 years only because of 2 things:
- Biblical Rules and restraints
- And the enabling power of the Spirit of Christ
II. What a Husband’s Love Should Look Like (Ephesians 5)
A. A Husband’s Love is Purposeful (5:25-27)
- Christ’s love had a purpose - to present the church holy and without blemish
- Your love should have a goal beyond just feeling good
- It should be aimed at your wife’s spiritual growth
B. A Husband’s Love is Personal (5:28)
- “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies”
- You care for yourself - do the same for her
- Her needs become your needs
C. A Husband’s Love is Practical
- It shows up in actions, not just words
- It’s demonstrated daily, not just on special occasions
- It costs something
D. A Husband’s Love is Patient
- Christ has been patient with the church for 2,000 years
- Your wife will test your patience
- Love her anyway
III. Application
- How are you loving your wife compared to Christ’s standard?
- What practical changes can you make this week?
- Are you being patient with her faults while working on your own?
- Is the Holy Spirit filling you and enabling you to love?
Marriage is not easy. But with Christ as your example and the Holy Spirit as your power, you can love your wife the way God designed.