OUR NATION MATTERS: “DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY”
THESIS: Promote The Peace
TEXT: Ephesians 5:21—6:12
OPEN: I’m going to use a four-letter word in this message that may get me in trouble. Scripture refers to church as
God’s household. In Ephesians 5:21—6:12 let’s discover how to promote the peace in family relationships and at
work. It has much to do with that “four-letter” word.
The Lord says to the faithful—those who belong to Jesus—“Submit one another out of reverence for Christ”
(Ephesians 5:21). The word “submit” (Greek: hupotasso) means to listen to or obey.
1.
PROMOTE THE PEACE AT HOME.
A. If you’re a wife—do your part to promote peace at home by respecting your husband.
1. How should a wife respect her husband according to God’s will?
a. Eph 5:22-23 “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 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.”
2. Why should a wife respect her husband according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 5:24 “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their
husbands in everything.”
B. If you’re a husband—do your part to promote peace at home by loving your wife.
1. How should a husband love his wife according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 5:25-27a “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave
Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
and to present her to himself as a radiant church…”
2. Why should a husband love his wife according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 5:28-29 (KJV) “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth
his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it,
even as the Lord the church.”
1. Nourish (Greek: ektrepho) means to nurture, feed, or bring up which relates to Christian
development that shapes character.
a. Man, love your wife by nourishing her with words of Scripture.
1. Matthew 4:4 “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God.’”
b. Man, love your wife by nourishing her with words of affection and appreciation.
1. Affection (Song of Songs 6:8-9): “Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique.”
2. Appreciation (Prov 31:27-30): “A wife of noble character watches over the affairs of
her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her
blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but
you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who
fears the Lord is to be praised.”
2. Cherish (Greek: thalpo) means to heat or soften, to keep warm.
a. Man, love your wife by warming her up to you with works of commitment.
1. Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a
life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God.”
b. Man, love your wife by warming her up to you with works of consideration.
1. 1 Tim 5:8 “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his
immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
c. Man, love your wife by warming her up to you with works of contriteness.
1. 1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives,
and treat them with respect…”
C. If you’re a child—do your part to promote peace at home by honoring your parents.
1. How should children honor their parents according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”
2. Why should children honor their parents according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:2-3 “Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a
promise—that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
D. If you’re a father—do your part to promote peace at home by training your children..
1. Why should fathers train their children according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:4a “Fathers, do not exasperate (embitter) your children…”
2. How should fathers train their children according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:4b “Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
2.
PROMOTE THE PEACE AT WORK.
A. If you’re an employee—do your part to promote peace at work by respecting your supervisor.
1. How should employees respect their supervisors according to God’s will?
a. Eph 6:5-6 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart,
just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you,
but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.”
2. Why should employees respect their supervisors according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:7-8 “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you
know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
b. Illustration: In his book How to Sell Your Way Through Life, Napoleon Hill encourages his
readers to play “a good joke” on their employers by getting to work earlier and staying there
longer than required…handling their boss’s tools with the same care they would give their
own…being kind to their fellow workers, and volunteering extra work that needs to be done.
Then, he adds, they should not be surprised when they are offered oversight of a department or
partnership in the business. Hill says this is the best part of “the joke.” The Lord calls it going the
extra mile as serving Him
B. If you’re a supervisor—do your part to promote peace at work by respecting your employees.
1. How should employers respect their employees according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:9a “Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them…”
2. Why should employers respect their employees according to God’s will?
a. Ephesians 6:9b “You know that He who is both their Master and yours is in Heaven, and there is
no favoritism with Him.”
CONCLUSION: Our enemy is not men, women, husbands, wives, children, moms, dads, leaders, bosses, or
employees. Our adversary is the devil and his spiritual forces of evil. Let’s remember that and not give the
adversary (i.e. satan) a foothold in our relationships.
Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that
you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.”
CLOSE: Let’s promote the peace (domestic tranquility) at home and work because our nation—the Church--matters.