Wives

Introduction

Good Morning and this is week two of our sub section of 1 Peter

this is the section on SUBMISSION

Last week we discussed our willing submission to GOD through our submission to the authorities that God has put in place.

I want to take a moment and get ready for the message today

[put on vest]

Standing Apart

{Then show slide]

all week made me realize the DEPTH that society and God are at odds

I promised you all to do my best to ONLY speak what the Holy Spirit gives me weekly

and be courageous and bold to speak only HIS truth

My one sentence STAND OUT from last week was that:

We submit out of our position of Strength, Not out of weakness

We are the Lord’s dearly loved children

Heirs to the Kingdom of God

We surrender, submit, and become subject to because of our call from GOD to be

Do-Gooders on this earth.

This same theme will need to be for front in our lesson today.

Open your Bibles to 1 Peter 3:1-6

1 Peter 3:1–6 (ESV)

1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

In the last few weeks we have had some basic reminders of good Bible study

we had a THEREFORE in 1:13,

a SO in 2:1, a command statement in 2:13

and today a

LIKEWISE

These are important for our understanding and keeping with a good understanding

In Seminary, CONTEXT is King

Peter is writing to persecuted Christian

Peter has established that we are BORN AGAIN - NEW

that we have a CALL or COMMAND from GOD TO BE HOLY

to set our Hope on Christ

to be obedient to HIM

that we are part of something bigger — we are living stone, set on the foundation of GOD in which CHRIST is the Cornerstone

Then we saw that

CONDUCT is CHANGED as a RESULT of our COMMITMENT (READ 2X)

and Peter is also teaching us that there must be hierarchy and order in all things

Submission to boss at fear, is based on FEAR OF LOSING JOB

Submission at an event, is based on FEAR OF GETTING KICKED OUT

Submission to the speed limit when we are notified of an OFFICER up ahead, Fear of a FINE

our FEAR must move to

I DO ALL THE ABOVE THINGS BECAUSE OF GOD FIRST

FEAR OF DISAPPOINTING HIM

God of Order

God is the God of Order, it is His way

He makes our paths straight, plans and knows our way, and provides and protects along the way

we are part of as living stone is perfectly fit together

and perfectly according to HIS plan

Our lesson on marriage must start in Genesis today.

First we are made in God’s image — Gen 1:26-27

Genesis 1:26–27 ESV

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Second - God made us Male and Female

Third God created women from man as a Helpmate ( 2:18)

Finally God commanded that they be joined as ONE FLESH

God has never changed His plan, but man has certain attempted to imply his will over HIS WILL

Wives

Our marriage is to be a partnership of equals in Christ with the Husband being the head, as Christ is the Head of the Church.

HEAR ME CHURCH --- NEVER IS A WIFE LESS THAN

SHE is DIFFERENT --- SHE IS TO BE STRENGTH

EVERY WIFE HAS A GOD GIVEN ROLE and PURPOSE

In Fact our marriage is a duality of bonding together one man and one woman as ONE in God’s sight.

our marriage is a cord of THREE

This is VERY IMPORTANT ---

you don’t honor you spouse simply because of your marriage vows, but because your marriage vows are based and sealed by the COVENANT you MADE WITH GOD.

lets look at the verse

Ephesians 5:22–33 ESV

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Our Lord has given us ORDER, and a wife is to submit as God called from a “position of Strength and not of weakness”

Ladies you are a CHILD OF GOD, HEIR TO THE KINGDOM

You are God’s daughter, HUSBANDS you are married to GOD’s DAUGHTER

and I suggest you FEAR THAT FATHER IN LAW

Ladies should be treated with

LOVE, the FRUITS of the SPIRIT, and as a PRECIOUS GIFT from GOD to your HUSBAND.

BUT if not you are not able to RUN AWAY - you MUST stay and FIGHT in the LORD

Peter tells us that YOUR CONDUCT is a Mechanism for winning and helping to CHANGE your HUSBAND

Winning with Conduct

1 Peter 3:1–2 (ESV)

1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

So times we come to commands in the BIBLE that we don’t like

and SORRY to be BLUNT --- but we obey because JESUS SAID.

It is not Culture, then Bible

But Bible then Culture.

There is a concept here that you may have heard,

RESPECT BREEDS RESPECT

and again the word CONDUCT

Peter has a theme running through this letter that our

CONDUCT is to Honor GOD, HONOR OTHERS

Peter gets specific here and states that a wife can WIN their spouse to the LORD,

or I would insert that a Respectful spouse can HELP there spouse grow closer.

Illustration:

Picture a scene in a grocery store.

scene 1 - two people arguing over the last roll of toilet paper. It escalates to screaming at each other

scene 2 - two people reaching for toilet paper and ONE gets LOUD and aggressive, the other stays calm, and speaks in gentle, surrendering words --- WHICH one looks that FOOL?

The concept that Peter is stating is the if the wife, is the Bigger Christian than ACT like it.

Years ago — i was ranting in a marriage counselling session about all the things my wife was doing wrong and i threw in a few things that i was doing with excellence.

My counselor stopped me and ask --- DO you think your the Bigger CHRISTIAN, i said YES, then he said… when are you going to start to ACT like it.

We are called to ACT like LITTLE CHRISTS all the TIME --

We must continue to move towards CHRIST like behaviour and YUP our Dress matters.

Adornments

1 Peter 3:3 “3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—”

I am not going to spend much time on this verse BUT to say this.

Your dress, your makeup, your hair

should be done FIRST to honor GOD

Second to honor, and please your SPOUSE

You don’t want to be loved because of your LOOKS alone,

so SHOW your HEART not your body on social media and in all areas of your life.

Peter is reminding wife that your attractiveness is your heart, your love, your actions (CONDUCT)

for the Lord and your spouse.

there is a sense of HUMILITY that must be addressed.

Peter is NOT saying that you cannot dress, and feel good about the gifts that God gave you and you care for

He is warning against Boosting, and drawing others to you, TO LEAD WITH WRONG intentions

It was a common thing in Greco- Roman Culture for the women to flaunt there wealth with their hair and there dress.

Peter is instructing that time and energy should be put into being the best Daughter of Christ, and a spouse that models the FRUIT of the SPIRIT.

Flaunting your earthly wealth is not honoring to GOD, that is idolatry to the WORLD

Modeling the Fruit of the Spirit to your spouse, and there for honoring God shows that you wealth is in Heaven, that you FEAR GOD, and HONOR Him.

Conclusion

Peter sums up this section on Wifely Behavior with a reference to SARAH

This would have been deeply understood by the women hearing this message.

God has a Purpose with every word, sentence, phrase and story in the BIBLE

and women in our congregation i encourage you to READ both Genesis Ch.12- about ch 22

Read it looking a the actions of SARAH

and then read Proverbs 31 and then come back to these verses today.

You are a blessing to GOD

YOU are a blessing and a GIFT to your Husband

You are called to be submissive to your Husband, not subordinate

Your are Called to BE who GOD made you

You are to be EXAMPLES of the FRUIT of THE SPIRIT

You should submit so that you HONOR and FEAR God

You should be selfless, like you wish your spouse to be

You are your Husband's Helper to Lead Him to CHRIST and To Grow Him in CHRIST.

My Sisters in CHRIST

you are to with all your heart, mind and Spirit

GLORIFY GOD, by GROWING OTHERS in CHRIST

Lets PRAY