The Things That Matter Most

Transcripts for Dr. Wiersbe's sermons are forthcoming. Below is an outline of his message.

Today we have more studies and experts on marriage than ever before, yet we are having more problems among married people than ever before.

Our culture has a problem in the home.

The family and home are some of the remnants of paradise we still have on Earth.

A home can be a happy, holy Christian home if husbands and wives fulfill their biblical duties to one another.

-       Wives have the duty of submission.

• Peter said more to the women because Christianity gave them a whole new status.
• Submission is an obligation; God commands it.
  • Submission is not subjugation or slavery. 
  • Submission is a joyful act of love. It brings out the best in you and leads to freedom.
  • Submission is not about superiority but about order and authority.
  • If there is not authority in the home, there is chaos.
  • Don’t marry a man you cannot lovingly submit to. It would be better to be single.
• Submission is an opportunity.
  • Wives are a spiritual blessing to their husbands.
  • Marriage does not create problems, it reveals problems. Work on problems before marriage, not after.
  • God can work through you to encourage and build each other up.
• Submission brings about development of Christian character.
  • Focus on an inner beauty not an artificial glamor.
  • Building character in marriage helps you learn how to love other people.

-       Husbands have the duty of consideration.

• If a husband is considerate of his wife, she will have no problem being submissive.
• Being considerate requires knowledge.
  • A husband should understand his wife’s personalities, wants, moods, and needs.
  • You can’t have knowledge without communication. Listen with your heart.
  • Read the Word of God and learn what a husband is supposed to do.
• Being considerate requires honor.
  • Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. These should compensate for one another.
  • Husbands should never stop being courteous or take his wife for granted.
• Being considerate requires prayer.
  • A Christian home is an investment in eternity.
  • Husbands have the privilege of being the spiritual leader of the home. The man gets to lead his wife and children closer to God.
  • Answered prayer is the thermometer of a spiritual marriage and home.

Taking a spiritual inventory of your home can help assess the health of a godly marriage.

-       Are you and your husband partners or competitors?

-       Are you a better person spiritually because of this marriage?

-       Is your marriage about the things that really count? Does it rely on acquiring possessions or building Christian character?

-       Do you understand each other better today than you did yesterday?

-       Do you take each other for granted?

-       Is God answering your prayers?

Submission and consideration both come from love and leads to openness and growth.