The Most Hated Word: Submission

Message Notes

Ephesians 5:21-32

We need the power of the Holy Spirit to do what God asks of us.
We are empowered with the Spirit. That is an important piece of information for us, because without the Holy Spirit it is impossible for us to do any of what Paul is telling us in these verses.

Verse 21
We are to submit to one another our of reverence for Christ.

The greek word for “Submit” is Hypotassō

Hypotassō - “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden”.

“if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together”

“You my brothers and sisters were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love”.
Galatians 5:13

As we submit to on another, Hypotassō (give in, cooperate, assume responsibility, carry burdens), we are serving each other with strength under control, putting aside our selfishness to love others well.

Verse 22
Wives submit yourselves to your own husband and you do to the Lord.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, wives to your husbands as you do to the Lord.”
Ephesians 5:21-22

“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything”
Ephesians 5:23-24

The greek word for Submit is Hypotassō
The greek word for Obedience is Hupakoe

Submission is not blind obedience

God Created Women
“The Lord God said ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him’”
Genesis 2:18

The original Greek for “helper” is Ezer Kenegdo

Ezer Kenegdo
Helper, aid, strength.
Ezer is someone that strengthen or aided another in a way they could not do for themselves.
This is a word God uses to refer to himself throughout the Bible especially in relationship to helping Israel.

Submit
Willingly give in and put aside our desires in favor of what is the best, cooperate- listening and conversing so we move in unity, assume responsibility together and, carry burden

Verses 25-31 are addressing husbands’ treatment of wives

Verse 25
Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Verse 28
In this same way husband’s ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

The original Greek for “ought to love” is opheilō agapaō.

Opheilō agapaō
Owing or having a debt of love for their wife, a chosen love.

This isn’t just saying “I love you” it is living it out.
Loving in the sacrificial way that Christ demonstrated.

Choose to Love

Emotional love doesn’t hold up over time.
It is the chosen, pure sacrificial, love that we need.
Love that is shown over the years when things are not as pretty and exciting.

Love your Wife as you own body
When you care for your body your nourish it/feed it, exercise, rest it, pay attention to pain and figure out how to ease the pain, treat illnesses, do daily care for every part of your body.

Loving your wife is the same
Daily caring for her, being tender when there is pain, addressing problems to bring healing, giving her rest by helping her.

Submitting and loving these ways are how marriages reflect the relationship Christ has with the church.

Submission and love require us to be willing to put our own needs aside.
You cannot force someone to submit to another person, they have to willingly put aside their own wants and desires for the best outcome.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
John 10:18

“Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature (form) God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature (form) of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Philippians 2:2-8

We have this perfect example in Christ, who had all the power of God but led as a servant.
He didn’t lord over people but humbled himself and willingly laid down his life for us.

Verse 32
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

This sums up arguably in one sentence what a husband needs and what a wife needs.
Husbands need to feel respected and wives need to be loved.

We as believers all need to practice submission to each other- men and women.