Vs. 20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul’s epistles abound with thanksgiving unto God, and he exhorts the Ephesians to cease foolish talking, and replace it with the giving of thanks (5:4).
Not only are we to give thanks unto God for the things which we reckon to be blessings, but as Paul says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God...” Even those things which are in our opinion contrary to us are as much under the providential control of God as those things which we deem to be positive blessings, and therefore we should give God thanks for those things.
2 Thes. 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Romans 8:28 is easily quoted and referred to when things are rosy, and favorable for us, but let the pathway become difficult to traverse, being cluttered with problem after problem then too often the blessed text is negated by faithlessness, and thanksgiving to God is replaced with murmuring, complaining, which if, persisted in, will develop an attitude which is in perfect accord with the old nature.
Romans 8:28 is an all weather garment, and should serve to generate thanksgiving unto God for all things.

 

Vs. 21 “Submitting your-selves one to another in the fear of God.”
 

The term “submitting” in this text is a very good translation of the original word, it conveys exactly what was meant by the Greek term, “hupotasso”. That is, to be subordinate, or to be in subjection.
Sub, is a prefix meaning, under, below, or subordinate.
As compounded with the Greek verb “tasso” it means more than passive submission, it means more than a lack of self assertion, it carries the meaning of being filled with the Holy Spirit to the extent that a brother or sister’s welfare is preferred
above that of your own, and the power of this preference makes one actively subject to the object of his preference.
That is to say, “I stand submissively below you brother, command me for your good,”

The words of this text (Eph. 5:21) are addressed to the church at Ephesus, and through them to all New Testament churches, and if obeyed (being a commandment leaves no room for disobedience), will serve to keep out of the church all bickering, anger,
harshness, wrath, verbal brawling. The autocratic spirit will be crucified, along with those things which grieve the Holy Spirit. In opposition to the assertion of self-will, there will prevail a sweet spirit, manifested by a reasonableness permeated with grace. A raised and blustering voice is incongruous to the new nature, and more especially so when it is in the assembly of the saints.

It cannot and will not be tolerated by this church as long as I am its Pastor. I have in
the past stood, without raising my voice against some of the most vicious and vociferous enemies of this church, all the while preaching brotherly love, nevertheless bold, firm, and fearing not what man could do unto me. The Lord was my helper, providing all
the strength, and I am confident He will perpetuate this church in the face of all of hell’s opposition. (See Heb. 13:1—6).

Vs. 22 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.”
Vs. 23 “for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body.”
Vs. 24 “therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

I will not dwell at any great length on this portion of scripture, for the simple reason we have had two lessons on the subject in the two preceding Sunday’s. Thus, our comments will be brief.

Paul, in this scripture is saying, the lives of saved husbands and wives in their relationship to each other should be copied after the relationship of Christ and his church (es). Christ is the head of the church, and the church was so precious to him that he died for it. A Holy Spirit filled husband with a wife who pays him due reverence (Eph. 5:33), will love her even as he loves himself, and would with joy lay down his life for his wife if need be.

the biblical order of rank is, “...the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Cor. 11:3). Godly women who love the Lord Jesus, will love His word, and will therefore have no problem in owning their subordination to the man, and more especially unto their own husband. Furthermore, a woman would have to take leave of all her sense to consider it degrading to be in obedience to a husband who loves her enough to die for her.
Titus 2:5 says that wives are to be “obedient to their own husbands...” And the wife seeking to honor her Lord has a beautiful example in the person of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, of whom we read, “even Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord…” (1 Pet. 3:6).

A woman is not to usurp authority over the man in the home and domestic affairs, and most certainly not in the church and ecclesiastical affairs. Before a woman acts in any decisive way, she is to first get her husband’s consent, to act without it is to show disrespect for the position God has given him.

A wife’s insubordination to her husband is a sin of the greatest magnitude, and is in part responsible for the gross immorality prevailing in the united states, when in a home a son or a daughter sees the constant flaunting of the father’s authority by the mother, they soon lose respect for parental authority, and embark upon a “do as you please binge,” resulting in a further weaking of the already crumbling home, and national morality.

A saved wife’s desire to please her husband should be second only to her desire to please her Lord, and a wife who truly seeks to please either God or her husband will please both.

 
On the other hand every godly husband will labor fervently to take care of his wife, and children. Second to praising his God, will be praise of his wife. The husband will take
great delight in telling his fellows of his wife’s care of him, thus it will be seen that the care is reciprocal. They take care of each other, while God takes care of both of them.

We have not said, a saved wife’s role is an easy one, on the contrary, we know it is not. The world, the devil, and the flesh make it most difficult. But while it is not easy, it
can be and should be one in which she delights. The happiest wife is the one that owns her subjection to her husband, for no saved wife can be happy while in open rebellion against this plain precept of God’s word. The husband’s role is not an easy one, for it is the husband God has charged with the responsibility of a proper home, and husbands collectively are charged with the responsibility for maintaining a proper church. Every husband in the exercise of his headship will on occasion err, but his mistake is not grounds fop insubordination by the wife. Two wrongs never make one right. It is in
time of difficulty the husband needs his wife’s support more.

The general responsibility of the woman to the man becomes more specific and significant when the marriage relationship is entered into. Woman is yet to reverence man in general, but she is to reverence her husband in particular. Thus it is, Paul says, “the husband is the head of the wife,” the bible plainly assigns man the headship of the family, an important question is, husband are you willing to assume this headship and the reasonability annexed to it? It is feared, some men would like to have the lead ship, minus the responsibility.

It cannot be successfully denied, God has vested the authority for family leadership in the husband, and he is to rule with a loving dominance in the home. God holds the husband responsible for every action of his family, and every action of his family reflects either favorably or unfavorably on his office of head ship. If the action of the family member be ill, it not only brings shame on the husband’s office of family head, but worse yet, it brings reproach on God. If one of the children fail in the moral arena, the general public criticizes the father, say “he sure let that child down.” The wife’s responsibility is great,
the husband’s is awesome.

Never once has Christ shirked His duty as head of the church (bride), He guides and provides for her, even to the extent of shedding his blood to purchase her. The greatest dowry! Christ has promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His betrothed, and He is faithful that promised, (Matt.16:18). In Ephesians we have the words of the divine marriage counselor who Himself created the husband - wife relationship. God gave man a wife (“helpmeet”) in the Garden of Eden, not a co-authority, but a subordinate and they are to exercise every ounce of their strength in seeing that their union is perpetuated in a God honoring way. For either the husband or the wife to neglect their duty as outlined in scripture is to take a giant step toward becoming a statistic in the divorce court records, and an object of Divine rebuke.