Thirsting Souls Bible Teaching

(Eph 6:1) “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.”  Sadly, we live in a day when parents fail to train their children to obey. Discipline is a part of that training. If they are taught to obey parents, it is easier for them to obey God. But if the parents fail to discipline, or to do so consistently, or appease instead, or bribe into obedience, they will expect those things from God. Friend, the Lord will do none of those things with you or for you. Hebrews tells us He disciplines every child of His. If He does not do so with you, then you are not His! (Hebrews Chapter 12)

(Eph 5:33)  “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”  When a young Christian and newlywed, when angered with me, my wife would say, “The Bible doesn’t tell me to love you but to respect you.” She had me going for awhile until I ran across the Scripture where the older women are to teach the younger,  (Tit_2:4) “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,”  What a relief! Love is the command of God. It begins at home and then outward to all!

(Eph 5:30) “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (31) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”  Mystery, but no less reality! Rejoice Christian, for we are one with our Lord. Rejoice, O Christian, for we have been made one with our mate!  One man, one woman, for a lifetime is God’s plan. Enjoy it.  

(Eph 5:30) “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”  Believers seem  quick to dismiss God’s plain declarations as symbolic.  He tells us husbands and wives are made one flesh before Him (Gen 24; Matt 19:5). Truth. Reality.  Remember that He is God. All things are possible for Him. He says husbands and wives are made one spirit (Mal 2:15). When one has the salvation experience (By the way, only seen in Scripture as taking place in adults. Interesting) we are literally made a part of His body, His flesh, His bones. Love wives and husbands as self; love our Savior as such!

(Eph 5:28) “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:”    I have had a person say to me, “I did this and she didn’t respond”, so he quit trying to practice the Scripture. Friend, we are not to do unto others with the mindset of getting something back. Jesus loved the world and was crucified for it. We are to love because it is right to do; it is what our God wants. So, husband, wife, unmarried, just love.

(Eph 5:28) “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:”   Imagine being able to truly love in such a degree that you can mentally and in practice truly put others first in every way! Jesus was a walking, talking, practicing example of this. I cannot help but to love Him for it! I pray He will help me to be such a man, and that you will want Him to make you such a person. 

 (Eph 5:27)  “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”  We cannot expect godliness in our mate if there is not godliness in us. To love our wives as ourselves is to put them first in our lives rather than ourselves: to want what is best for them, spiritually as well as physically. Remember, because we are in this flesh, we mentally have life’s priorities backward. The flesh says the things of this earth first, which is reflected in how most professing believers live. Yet, God says, “The spirit first, seeking Him, looking for His return, thinking about heaven and the things of God first, then the world.

(Eph 5:27) “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”  The church is not the building, but people. When you enter the presence of the church, visually you will see spots, plenty of wrinkles, and that which does not appeal to the eye. Oh, but what does our God see? He sees the removal of sin through the blood of His Son, souls without spot of wrinkle. He sees sons and daughters who seek to keep such out of their lives by time spent at His feet in His Word.  

(Eph 5:26) “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,”  There was a requirement of washing before the priest could offer sacrifices to God. They had to do this each time they began to carry out their duties for the day. Each day we arise, the Word of God is there to wash us so that we can carry out our spiritual duties of the day.