Godly Womanhood- Submission, a Picture of Grace

Introduction

before we continue on in our series through the book of 1 Peter I feel like it would be a good idea for us to review our last couple of weeks.

Remember this letter has been written to Christian's in Exile.

They are hurting, they are afraid of what might happen to them as followers of Jesus.

They are walking through the question is it worth it to stand up for Christ in a world that seems to hate him more and more!

And in Chapter 2 of 1 Peter Peter begins to teach the church about how every relationship they have matters BecauseHow they live out those relationships they will either point people to Jesus or turn them away.

and in 1 Peter 2:11-12 Peter lays out the code by which all Christians should live their life by whether they are free or enslaved.

Listen to what He says.

1 Peter 2:11–12 (ESV)

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

The Code is simple

IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP WE have- our desire should be to

AVOID SINNING and LIVE A LIFE THAT REFLECTS the HOLINESS OF JESUS CHRIST..

Brothers and sisters if you are in Christ than this is your code to live by.

If you are going to live a life that brings God Glory than

in every relationship you have you must chose to avoid sinning and live a life that reflects Jesus in all you do.

Peter understood that these Christians in Asia Minor were living in hard times facing persecution for their faith,

He understood that they were suffering for the sake of Christ.

And in this text He is telling the church that in order to live a life that will bring God all the glory they must chose to submit to the authorities in theirs lives because through their submission the lost will see Jesus Christ and it points them to the gospel.

In 1 Peter 2:13-17 He tells the church to submit for the Lords Sake to every Human institution. Friends this Is pretty simple- the best way to be a gospel testimony in your community is to obey the laws, pay your taxes, Respect those in government potisions. - Avoid sinning and look like Jesus in your submission to every Human institution that is over you,

Peter goes on in chapter two verses 18-25 telling those who are enslaved to be submissive to their masters with all respect, even if they are not kind. For us today this simply means that when it comes to your work place and especially with your boss- Avoid sinning and and look like jesus in all you do- Even when things arent fair.

Why, Because your submission, Especially when you are treated poorly, points people to the gospel message of Jesus. It proclaims the radical change that new life in Christ has brought into your life.

And Now in our text this morning Peter addresses the relationship between a wife and her Husband in the home.

But before we jump into our text this morning I want us to remember that it is not about equality or comfort its about the Giving God the most glory in every relationship we have. its about Proclaiming the Good news of the gospel in everything we do.

and how do we do this in our Submission as Believers-?

-Avoid Sinning

- look like Jesus in all we do,

Turn with me in 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.

Peter in this text gives us a beautiful picture of what godly womanhood looks like through Her submission to her husband.

And in this text He gives us 4 characteristics of This Woman

I love how Peter opens up this text with the word “likewise”

He’s simply saying just like our submission to the government glorifies God and points people to Jesus

and just like a slave submitting to his masters authority points people to Jesus

Wives, You have the opportunity to proclaim the glory of God in the way that you submit to your husband’s leading in the home.

But I believe that in order for a wife to submit to her husband in the home the way that God intends for her to do , she needs to be the Woman God intends for her to be.

Ladies God has called you to GODLY WOMANHOOD- To live your life as testimony of what Jesus Can do for Sinners and to bring God all the Glory.

And Peter in this text gives us a beautiful description of what Godly Womanhood looks like in the believers life.

Look again with me at verse 1-2

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.

Our first point is that

Godly Womanhood produces Pure Conduct

Peter is a address the women of the church and apparently there where many women who had come to Christ and were growing in their walk with the Lord, who were married to men who had not accepted Christ yet in their lives.

I got to believe that these women were coming to Peter and saying “Pastor Peter, How can we live our lives in a way that will bring God glory when we live with a man who doesn’t love Jesus? What can we do to help our husbands see the gospel message ?

Peter simply says “the way that you live your life in the home will be the greatest gospel voice in their lives. “

Godly Womanhood say’s live a life of Pure Conduct.

A Godly Woman understands that her greatest purpose with her life is not her own comfort or happiness, its to bring God the most glory in everything She does Regardless of how others may be acting.

And When Gods Glory is your end goal- living a life of Pure Conduct is the natural outcome

To live a life of pure Conduct means that your life reflects the goodness of the Lord in all you do.

it means that you choose to do whats right even when it is hard

It means to follow Christ above all others and to exemplify his desires Him more than your own

Ladies the way that you respect your husband as the head of the home has the power to paint a picture of how the Believer submits to Christ as the Head of the church

And its your pure conduct that has the power to point people to Jesus or turn them away.

“Dont be a cantankerous wife even if your husbands a jerk, look like Jesus even when the situation is unfair”

“Dont be a selfish wife, dont be a vengeful wife, dont be a sinful wife- avoid sinning- Even when your husband doesn’t deservie it.”

WHY? Because when they see your respectfulness and pure conduct ,they see the character of Jesus Christ in you AND GOD RECEIVES THE GLORY.

Godly womanhood sees her submission to her husband as an opportunity to proclaim the transformative power of the gospel to the World through Her Respect and Pure Conduct in the Home.

Trans: lets move on to point # 2

Godly Womanhood Adorns Internal Beauty

1 Peter 3:3–4 (ESV)

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.

Just to be clear this does not mean that external beauty is a bad thing,

Some people have taken this verse out of context and try to use it as a proof text that Christians shouldn’t wear jewelry, or even style their hair.

But in all reality the verse doesn’t stop there does it, It goes on and says OR the clothing you wear,. YIKES If we take this verse to mean that we cant wear jewelry or style our hair, then we have to interpret the next thing the same way as well right? we cant wear clothes either.

Obviously that is not Peters intention from this verse. He is not telling us that all christians should run around naked.

His point is simple: Ladies, Don’t let your main focus be on your external beauty.

If you are looking more for the praise of Man than the praise of God than your adorning the wrong thing

Ladies its ok to look nice and to Jewelry and to comb your hair- We all actually appreciate that, But dont let the praise of man be your end goal.

Godly womanhood cares more about her heart’s Beauty than she does about her external looks.

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Ladies- if Gods glory is your end goal and not the praise of others than what your heart looks like matters so much more than how you do your hair and what you wear.

Simply put You value your time in Gods word more than your time in front of the mirror.

Peter in vs. 4 says “Ladies clothe yourselves with the beauty that comes from within,”

Ladies if you are in Christ- He has made you beautiful!

Remember, when you came to Christ- You were made brand New-

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Godly Womanhood embraces the internal beauty that God through Christ has changed you to be.

Gal. 5 describes this inner beauty that God has given you

Galatians 5:22–24 (ESV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

The world’s desires are selfish they are all about external beauty, it’s all about making ourselves look better than others so that we get the praise and glory that my selfish heart desires.

Ladies if you are in Christ this no longer is who you are- you no longer live for yourself, You have a new purpose and that is to bring God the most glory from your life- It’s no longer about what you look like but its alll about what Christ looks like through You

Godly Womanhood understands that it is no longer about you and your praise, its about proclaiming Christ through the Woman God has made you to be. its about letting his character flow in and through your life.

Godly Womanhood puts her energy into and is more concerned with her inner beauty that points people to Christ than she is with her outer beauty that points people to herself.

Trans: Peter moves on and He says in verse 5 that

Godly Womanhood Hopes in God

Look at the text

1 Peter 3:5–6a (ESV)

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.

Sarah was able to Submit to Her husband and respected Him Even when he made some really dumb decisions Because of her foundation of Hope in God

Godly womanhood, must be rooted in biblical principles, and grounded with an unwavering hope in God.

This hope goes beyond mere optimism or wishful thinking, like “I hope it doesn’t snow again tomorrow, Or I hope I get a new fishing pole for my birthday.

Hope in God transcends all circumstances and finds its foundation in the unchanging nature of God.

A godly woman places her hope not in the fleeting aspects of the world but in the eternal promises of God.

This hope is anchored in the belief that God is sovereign over all circumstance- including our trials

This hope is anchored in the belief that God is faithful - He will never leave me, He will never forsake me, he will never allow me to be tempted more than I can bear

This hope is anchored in the belief that God is compassionate and He only does what is best for my life

Ladies to put your hope in God means that you can remain steadfast through your trials, trusting that God's plans are perfect and His timing is impeccable.

Understand that This hope in God also shapes a godly woman's perspective on life.

It influences her attitudes, actions, and responses to every situation she is in.

In moments of joy, she acknowledges God as the source of all blessings, expressing gratitude and praise.

In times of difficulty, her hope becomes an anchor, providing strength and resilience.

Godly womanhood is marked by a hopeful anticipation of God's goodness, a reliance on His wisdom, and a patient trust in His unfolding purposes.

It is a transformative and empowering hope that permeates every aspect of a woman's life, including her submission to her husband as the head of the home..

Finally Paul says that

Godly Womanhood leads to Fearless Living

look with me at verse 6 again,

1 Peter 3:6 (ESV)

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.

Ladies when when your foundation is Hope in God and you believe in his sovereignty over all your life, and you believe that he does all things for your good- and you believe that your life is a picture of Jesus Christ to this world, it radically changes your perspective on life.

It leads to fearless living

You dont have to fear the past - Because God has forgiven you of all your in righteousness

You dont have to fear the Present- Because God is with you and will never lead you astray

You dont have to fear the future- Because God already knows the plan he has for your life.

a mature Christian understands that suffering and Hard times will come- But she knows that her Hope in the Lord has the power to drive out all fear.

and even with your mistakes You dont have to fear eternity- Because your hope is in the Lord and He has scurried you in his own perfection- and there is no sin that you could ever commit that his grace cannot forgive.

Godly womanhood embraces a fearless life because her hope is in the Lord- and its this Fearlessness that gives you boldness to do what you know God has called you to do even when it seems hard and unbearable.

Trans:

Ladies Godly womanhood embraces faithful submission to her husband, not because of how Good of a man he is, but because it brings God glory through her life.

Ladies when your end goal is your own pleasure or comfort or power than submission is hard to do. and doesn’t make sense.

But when God’s Glory is your greatest desire- faithful Submission to your husband is one of the greatest joys you can have in your life.

Trans: Before We bring it home this morning I want us to quickly look at what submission looks like in the marriage,

5 things submission is not:

1. Submission does not mean agreeing with everything her husband does

vs 1 tells us that even when a husbands views on life a radically different a wife can still lovingly submit

Submission does not mean giving up your own opinions

a godly woman who loves her husband will want to invest in his spiritual good and his physical good as well. She will walk through things with him to build him up

Submission does not mean to accept your husband the way he is and not help him change

Peters point was for the godly woman to be a picture of of Christ to her husband so that he would change and follow Him.

Submission does not mean that your husband is your primary source for spiritual growth

v 4 says its about your own heart ladies you are responsible for how you grow in your walk with the Lord.

Submission does not mean that you follow your husband over Christ

You are a follower of Jesus first and then a wife. No matter what your husband may ask, if it will cause you to sin dont do it because Christ is your first love.

So what does Godly Submission look like for a wife?

Submission is:

Let me read for your quickly Eph 5:22-24

Ephesians 5:22–24 (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.

Submission, in the context of Christian marriage, is a divine calling for a wife to be a visible picture of the church.

Submission is to respect and affirm her husband's leadership, and acknowledging Gods plan for his life.

Submission means that you actively use the gifts that God has given you to build your husband up in the Lord.

Submission involves a willingness to let your husband be the lead, and to encourage him to do well and to not discourage him when his decisions fail.

Submission doesn’t hold past failures as leverage over her husband but forgives them and allows him to grow from his mistakes

Submission means that when your husband is going down a path of sin you dont follow him there, or even leave him there alone, but you lovingly step into his life with heart to see him restored back to God.

Submission doesn't write off its responsibility because the other person isn’t as spiritual as you are at the time.

The submissive Wife communicates to her husband that “ I find my joy when you lead our family. I love knowing that you love me and want to take care of us. I find great peace in my life knowing that you carry the responsibility for our well being. And I am willing to submit and follow you because I know that you are following Christ.

Ladies a submissive wife let’s her husband know that she appreciates him as the leader of the home.

Bring It Home

Remember Peters Core Purpose in every relationship we have?

Avoid Sinning

and point People to Jesus

Ladies in your Submission to your own husband - Avoid sinning- Dont let selfishness creep into your marriage

and point People to Jesus. and especial your husband if he still does not know the Lord.

Ladies submission is not just your calling its a gift that God has given you to deepen your faith and dependency on Him. and its one of the greatest ways that you can point people to the Savior.

Pray.