For the last two and a half months, we have been looking at the topic of worship and how it applies to our lives. Today is no exception and again it appears that God knew during the planning stages of this series what was going to happen and directed me toward this message. We want to take a look at “Holy Worship, Holy Living, Holy Marriage.”

What does it mean to be holy? Many times when we look at that word, we think of pure. We think of something that is untarnished. We may think of sinlessness. We may think of the word perfect. These are definitions that we have thought of over the years when we say the word holy. But holy also means to be set apart. Our worship is to set apart to God. We worship Him and Him alone. We are to honor God in everything that we do. He alone gets the glory. Our worship is set apart. We’ve looked at this subject in depth over the past few weeks, but let’s remind ourselves of what Paul wrote about worship in Romans 12:1-2:

¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.^[i]

So we are called to be a living and holy sacrifice and worship God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. When we do that, it will naturally lead to holy living. Originally, we were going to look at Ephesians 5:21-33. But in light of the events over the end of this week, I want to start in Ephesians 5:15-20. Paul writes:

¹⁵ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. ¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. ¹⁸ Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹ singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. ²⁰ And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to live holy lives – lives that are set apart to God? Paul says we should be careful how we live. This has been an interesting week, not only in our local area, but also around the United States. Most of us are well aware of the scandal that is now open for all to see in our local county government. I’m sure it will take some time to sort it all out. Were you also aware of another scandal, which broke Thursday and Friday? A well known a pastor in Colorado was accused of buying drugs and being involved in a homosexual affair. Again this will probably take some time to sort out all the facts. I am not convinced that it wasn’t politically motivated, but that’s not the point I want to make. He was a leader in the evangelical church. He has admitted to some of what he was accused. This is a black eye once again on the church. First and foremost, we need to pray for our brother. He is in the limelight now. Some will say, “See, there is no reason to trust the church. Some will say, “See the, church is nothing but hypocrites.” This is why we must live our lives above reproach. We need to live holy lives, lives that are set apart to God. Second, this is a reminder for you to pray for your pastor and wife continually. The devil is setting his traps. Last year at my ordination interview, the chair of the interview told me that one Wesleyan pastor a week falls morally. This is sobering news indeed. There but by the grace of God go I. Pray that Pam and I will continue to be the examples of shepherds that we are suppose to be. Pray that we will continue live lives set apart to God. That is my prayer for you. That is my prayer for our church – that we live set apart to God. That is what it means to live holy. It is not a bunch of rules, but a relationship with holy God. He is holy and he requires us to be holy. When we live holy lives it will show up everywhere and if we are married, it will show up there as well. Which is what I really wanted to speak about today.

Let’s start at verse 21.

²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. ²⁷ He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹ No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰ And we are members of his body.

³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” ³² This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. ³³ So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Guess what? Pastor Dale is going to meddle again. Those who attend on Sunday nights have already heard this and it bears repeating. Too many times, we men like to pick up at verse 22, but we skim over verse 21. What does it say? ”And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” If we get anything today, we need to get this. Marriage is a mutual submission to each other. The next verses are only an expansion of verse 21. Ladies, stick with me and hear me out. Yes, Paul write that the wife should be submissive to the husband, but and it’s a big but, husbands are to love their wives the way Christ loved the church. Christ loved the church so much that He was willing to give his very life for the church. He did this so we could be set apart and pure. Think about the implications for the husband. What does it mean to love your wife as Christ loves you? Are you willing to give your life for your wife, as Christ gave His life for you? Paul continues and says that we men should love our wives as we love our own bodies. Am I stepping on toes? I know that I’m stepping on mine. Paul is being much tougher on the husband than he is the wife. He goes on to say that when we love our wife with a genuine love, we show love for ourselves. Talk about counter-cultural! We feed and care for our body, so we need to feed and care for our wife. He summarizes by saying, “each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” This is the way to have a marriage that is set apart or holy. God wants us to honor Him in our marriages. Only when our marriages are set apart to Him do they bring Him the glory.

Over the past week, marriage has taken a beating. An well-known pastor has been accused. Those charged with keeping the law had extra-marital affairs, and so it goes. I plead with you, to keep your marriages holy. That is what God would want you to do.

Why do I bring all this up? Many of you know that Tuesday is Election Day. Here in Virginia we have a question on the ballot regarding marriage. Marriage between a man and woman is God’s plan for our life. If this question is approved it will add the definition of marriage as the “union between one man and one woman.” One of the things I believe God is calling on us as the church to do is pray. Earlier, you will note that we skipped over the pastoral prayer. I want to devote the rest of our service to prayer. I invite and encourage you to come to the altar. What should we pray about?

1. Let’s pray that we would set ourselves apart to worship our God.
2. Let’s pray that we would live lives set apart to God.
3. Let’s pray that we would set apart our marriages to God.

The altar is open; let’s gather together to pray.