Lord's Day, International KJV Sunday School Lesson, Outline for Student's and Teacher's

August 25

Lesson 13 (KJV)

A Covenant of Love

Devotional Reading: Hebrews 12:7–13

Background Scripture: Ephesians 5:21–6:4

Ephesians 5:21–33

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

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.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Graphic: johavel / iStock / Thinkstock

Key Verse

[Submit] yourselves one to another in the fear of God.—Ephesians 5:21

Covenant in God

Unit 3: Covenant: A Personal Perspective

Lessons 10–13

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. List ways that being a Christian affects one’s role as husband or wife.

2. Explain why the “everyone to everyone” theory of Ephesians 5:21 is false.

3. Explain why Christian marriages are unique and commit to honoring that uniqueness.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. Not Like the Movies

B. Lesson Context

I. Transition (Ephesians 5:21)

II. Wives and the Lord (Ephesians 5:22–24)

A. What to Do (v. 22)

B. Why Do It (vv. 23, 24)

If I Could Turn Back Time

III. Husbands and Christ (Ephesians 5:25–32)

A. Pattern to Repeat (v. 25)

B. Results to Anticipate (vv. 26, 27)

C. Fact to Accept (vv. 28–32)

IV. Summary (Ephesians 5:33)

Perfect Union

Conclusion

A. A Beacon of Light

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

Corinthians	Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin).
Ephesians	Ee-fee-zhunz.
Ephesus	Ef-uh-sus.
Epistles	Ee-pis-uls.
Leviticus	Leh-vit-ih-kus.
Philippians	Fih-lip-ee-unz.
tabernacle	tah-burr-nah-kul.

What Do You Think? What steps will you take to make Ephesians 5:21 more of a reality in your life? Digging Deeper What changes will others see as you do so?

What Do You Think? What are some godly ways for a wife to demonstrate submission to her husband? Digging Deeper How do we distinguish between godly and ungodly ways?

What Do You Think? What are some godly ways many husbands can demonstrate loving self-sacrifice in their marriages? Digging Deeper How do we distinguish between godly and ungodly ways?

Visual for Lesson 13. Point to this visual to introduce the discussion question that is associated with Ephesians 5:21.

What Do You Think? In what ways can your church improve its premarital counseling program in light of today’s lesson? Digging Deeper Consider the benefits and drawbacks of such a program being mandatory.

What Do You Think? What steps can Christians take to increase the level of love and respect evident in their marriages? Digging Deeper Research these references to biblical characters as you form your conclusions: Genesis 12:10–20; 16:5; 20:1–13; 1 Samuel 19:11–17; 2 Samuel 6:16–23; Job 2:9, 10; Acts 5:1–10; Acts 18.

Conclusion

A. A Beacon of Light

This pattern set forth by Paul in today’s lesson challenged the ways people viewed marriage in his day. For people of pagan background, marriage placed the wife under the husband’s control for the benefit of the husband. The idea that marriage was for something other than the benefit of the husband was foreign. Yet to walk in a manner worthy of the good news of Jesus demanded that the pagan concept be replaced.

Romance is terrific. The Bible celebrates it (see the Song of Solomon). But romantic love is not the foundational stuff of a Christlike marriage. The Christian couple abandons cultural expectations of marriage and replaces them with Christ’s expectations. That will mean not the seeking of fulfillment of self but the losing of self.

B. Prayer

Lord, teach us to love as You love, with grace, forgiveness, and persistence. We pray this in the name of the one who died in our place. Amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Love without self-sacrifice—isn’t.

To print the reproducible activity page, simply click the highlighted text below to create a pdf file on your hard drive. Then open the pdf file in Acrobat Reader and print.

Activity Page (August 25: A Covenant of Love)

 Miller, Petra L. et al. “A Covenant of Love.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson et al. Vol. 66. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2018. 447. Print.