Ephesians, Chapter 5: submitting yourself to one another in the fear if God. Wives, submit yourselves unto the husbands, as unto the Lord. Now I don't want to go there too much. You can read it, it's just what it says - for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and the Saviour of the body. That's what I want to link to. The husband is the head of the wife, as - now that word means like this. In the original language it's stronger than just 'as', it means this: He says the husband is the head of the wife, and that's exactly the same thing as what follows, which is: Christ, the head of the church, and the Saviour of the body. So you've got to understand this, that if you relate to Christ with respect and honour and reverence, and you follow His direction for your life - now that's the same deal with your husband. That's how it should be. That's what God intended. Now it says that Jesus is the Saviour of the body - look what that word 'saviour' means. It means literally this: it means to deliver, to protect, or to make safe. So a husband's role, he must Deliver his wife and family from demonic powers. He must Protect them from demonic attacks, and he must make it Safe for them in the relationship, in the family. How about that?
He can't save his family from their sins, but he can fulfil those meanings of the word 'saviour' - to protect, to make safe, or to deliver. Now one of the basic needs a woman has, is to feel secure; so the husband is given the role to make her feel safe under your leadership, by loving her. I'll give you a few things a man can do to help this thing happen, because we've got to get some practical things on it, in a moment. I just want to just take it a little further, just bear with me just for a moment - so then the Bible says: now the wife, be subject to her husband, or place herself under his leadership, so as a unit you can flow together, and fulfil what God has called you to do together. What an amazing thing. Now if the husband loves and serves his wife, that's not a big deal. If the husband doesn't do it the way God said, it becomes hard for her, she reacts to him, she pulls herself away from being committed to him, and under his authority and leadership. She becomes exposed to demonic attack, has all kinds of problems mentally and emotionally, and so she reacts even more at him, more resentful because of his lacks and failures. He sees it, and reacts against her, not realising he's in charge - DO SOMETHING!
Adam stood by, and allowed his wife to be deceived by the enemy. God held him responsible for that thing that was going on in there, and the same he does with the men in the home; so the man is given the task of protecting his home, and those who are more vulnerable than he is. Because he's the head, do you know what it means? Men, you are to be the covering for the home. Now each person in the home must get their own relationship with Christ, but you are to provide a spiritual covering over the home, that makes it safe, it protects them, and defends them, when there's demonic attacks. How does a guy do that? Let me just finish with these practical keys, then I'm going to ask a question of men. I want to ask you to do something, just want to ask if you're willing to do one little thing - it won't be too hard, one little thing. You better believe it won't be easy. [Laughter] Okay, here it is. So how do you do it? Now this is how a husband, or a man, gives spiritual protection.
Now if the men properly protected their marriages and families, they would be in a good place to offer that protection to some of the single parents, and some of the young singles, who come from broken families. In fact if men in the church would just arise and do what God says to do, you'd be amazed the peace that would come into the church, and into families. Do you realise that? Do you realise how much it would - you know something? The men in this church ought to protect the sisters, the women, from any scumbag man who comes into the church, who wants to take advantage of them, and get them in bed. The guys ought to stand up and say: listen, that's one of our sisters. You don't treat her like that. You treat her like that, you're out! [Yeah! Applause] You understand? You got it? That's what the man's role is to do, makes the church safe for the women. Instead you get these guys coming in, now they come in, they've got problems from the world, but what we really want is to get into repentance, get their life cleaned up; and so the men, you talk into them. You see someone, and they're conning some girl up in the corner, go talk to him, say: listen, we look after girls here. We don't believe in all this messing around like they do in the world, this is a safe place.