Your Wife is Your Toughest Challenge

Dominion: Real Men 201 

Your Wife is Your Toughest Challenge

Viral social media – young women – lie from women who’ve been lied to 

1.    XMAS (every other night) alone @ the office before drinks & hooking up = sad 

2.    I’ve walked many people to Heaven – 0 regretted marrying, kids, serving Jesus 

Isaiah 3:12 (NIV) Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path.

=Ruin culture – let young women rule culture & have influencers support them 

Gold-standard in social science research =50+ yr old General Social Survey (GSS)

?Why are emerging generations the least likely to get married & have kids? 

=SIMPLE. It’s tough (relationally, financially, practically, emotionally) 

1. Bible has a lot to say about serving & selfishness. All good & all bad.
2. Blessing is in giving not taking 
3. The older you get, the more you learn it’s not what you have, what you do, but who you are and who loves you that makes life meaningful 
4. A). Your wife will drive you crazy. B). you will drive your wife crazy. 

Your Father made you to be a husband and father  

Genesis 2:18-24 the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now…the Lord God had formed every beast…and every bird…and brought them to the man to see what he would call them…But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man…And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Genesis 1:26-27 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…over all the earth…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

1.    Men were made to mirror

• Relationship – w/God & others (God is relational) 
• Reflection – mirror God to others, starting wife & kids 

2.    Men were made to marry 

• God is relational &  exercises dominion w/singular headship, plural leadership 
• From side = not domineering but completing 

3.    Men were made to multiply 

• Kids & culture 
• Foundation for everything is family, 1^st governance 

= Everything/Everyone “good” & “very good” = perfect naked people perfect environment w/God

Hell at home

Genesis 3:1-17 the serpent was…crafty…He said to the woman…“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God”…she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths…and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God…But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?…To the woman he said…”in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife…cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life…”

1. Husband will focus on dominion @ work
2. Wife will focus on dominion @ home 
3. When he comes home = battle over dominion/domineering 

Overt (volume, divorce threat, social media, gossip kids/family/friends) 

Covert (not coming home, man cave, sex & $ negotiation, high emotion to control) 

How many of you grew up in a home where either mom or dad was domineering?

How many of you consider that domineering home a negative experience? 

1. Shoulder – Shoulder – raising kids
2. Back – Back – kids older
3. Over – Under = the battle that leads to divorce (legal or not) 

Making Marriage Decisions

1 Peter 3:7 husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Your dominion is not OVER your wife, but WITH your wife 

1. They both agree, he takes first responsibility as head (AZ move) 
2. He decides, he takes first responsibility as head (housing) 
3. She decides, he takes first responsibility as head (medical) 
4. They both seek wise counsel together, he takes first responsibility as head (RF, TC) 

Discussion Questions

1. Growing up, did either parent domineer the other? If so, how did this negatively affect the marriage and family? 
2. What is your current relational status and what did the Holy Spirit highlight for you in the talk?
3. How can we be praying for you?