2020-05-20 1 Peter 3
Notes
Transcript
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
I. Live with your wife.
I. Live with your wife.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
A. Don’t use submission as an excuse to change God’s intended one flesh relationship.
A. Don’t use submission as an excuse to change God’s intended one flesh relationship.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Illus: When it comes to the bible people read into the text what they want to here.
In other words as people study the bible they say “what do I believe” and then twist the text to mirror themselves.
For these readers they are the ultimate judge of what scriptures says.
No where is this butchery of God’s word more apparent than when it comes to gender roles.
If you are a male chauvinist who comes to the text looking for a bat to strip your wife of her humanness and worth, you can absolutely twist God’s Word to fit your desires.
If you are a raging feminist who comes to the text looking for words to usurp the traditional family and create a new order, you can absolutely twist God’s word for your purposes.
When you read the bible for your truth you will find what you want to read in it.
But the goal of scriptural study is not to find your truth, but instead God’s truth.
In a world of extremes, God’s word is often nuanced. It is neither a feminist manifesto, nor a chauvinist bat.
God’s word builds the case for a one flesh relationship built to mirror and magnify God.
The question of feminism and chauvinism asks how do you compare to me. Scripture makes the case for how do you complete me.
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”
19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.
20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him.
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place.
22 Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.
23 And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man.
24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.
B. Live WITH your wife.
B. Live WITH your wife.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Illus: Genesis says that man needed a helper, a companion. It teaches that God specifically made Eve from Adams very body.
God could have just spoken eve into existence as He did with all the rest of creation, but the way God created eve defined the intentions he had for both adam and eve.
He wanted them to be in a one flesh relationship.
The words here in 1 peter live WITH you wife is important.
In the roman world, women were not companions, but instead seen a second class citizens. They were tolerated, not loved.
The call of scripture to live with your wife is huge. It places the wife as a companion, not a servant.
Practically today one of the great dangers I see to marriages is when both spouses look for their companionship outside of the home.
Many hold unhealthy relationships with their parents. Because they never left the home, they find their companionship which God intended for their husband in their parents. It is important to see that genesis says “for this reason a a man will leave his father and mother and become one flesh”. It is the same for the wife as well.
Leave and cleave. If you do not leave, you cannot cleave. Live with your wife.
Parents, do not guilt or coerce your kids to continue a relationship with you that should be with their spouse. As hard as it is, help them leave for the sake of their marriage.
This is not just a parent thing… many look to find companionship in friends as well.
Hear me… the main source of your companionship should be your spouse.
God did not create your boys to be your companions. God did not create your girlfriends to be your companions. He created your spouse.
The moment the you begin to look to parents, kids, or friends for your relationship needs, you need to be aware that there are massive warning lights for your marriage.
Live with your spouse.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.
27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
II. What’s this about a weaker partner?
II. What’s this about a weaker partner?
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
A. Paul begins with the Roman mindset and finishes with God’s mindset.
A. Paul begins with the Roman mindset and finishes with God’s mindset.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Illus: I am going to shoot straight… this passage is difficult. It both anti chauvinistic and anti feministic.
In regards to the bible saying that women are the weaker partner, you cannot deny the physical differences between men and women. They are there. Scripture also builds order in the family. That is there.
On the other hand, under Roman culture, women were held sinfully in an unnecessary place. The roman household did not give them equality in personhood.
Is the bible signaling towards family order, or the roman view of personhood. I think a fair case can be made for both.
As I have studied, I believe that peter is starting his argument with the roman view of personhood because of what follows.
In other words, Peter is saying… you see women this way, but God sees women this way.
It is saying, you see them as a less than person, God sees them as a coheir of grace.
The Bible is calling you to see them through the eyes of God, as a coheir with you.
Women are not less than persons, but coheirs in God’s kingdom who deserve honor.
27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
B. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
B. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Illus: So we have seen that scripture speaks about the chauvinism of the roman world challenging the foolishness that women are not equal and giving them the rightful place as coheirs of grace.
So if God has done that then we need to destroy all semblance of gender separations because gender separation and order are a mark of the broken way women were treated throughout history… right?
Not exactly. We must avoid pendulum swings from one extreme to the other. Our goal today is not to read feminism or chauvinism into the text, but instead to ask what God intends from not only this text, but all texts regarding gender and family order.
As a pastor I do not believe any passage of scripture stands by itself. That is proof texting and a very dangerous way to use the bible. If the bible makes the case for something, I guarantee it will be affirmed not just once, but throughout the entirety of scripture.
Regarding the brokenness of chauvinism, the Old Testament shows example after example of sin’s effects on the family where Adam and Eve’s one flesh relationship spiraled into the madness we see in our bible heroes.
At one point you have the nation of Israel formed by two women fighting over who could sleep with their husband trading fruit for a night. Throw in a few concubines and you have a full and sad picture of the brokenness state families became when sin made women less than human. The polygamy seen in the early stages of the bible is not an endorsement of the practice, but instead a full picture of the depravity of the human heart.
Once Jesus came, the New Testament sought to restore the broken family. Jesus’ genealogy shows this very intent including women restored by grace. More than that Jesus gave women a place in his life and ministry that would not normally be found in a distinguished Rabbi's life. So much so that the first evangelists of Jesus’ resurrection were women.
Paul and Peter continued the work by establishing the blue print for the family given built in the garden of eden before sin. God built both equality and order into the family.
When you read 1 peter 3, also read galatians, ephesians and colossians discussion on the family. When you read the bible as a whole you will come to see that God created men and women distinctivly different to compliment one another with order in the family.
Men are called to sacrifically lead and women are called to graciously submit.
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,
23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.
27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
III. Your family life affects your spiritual life.
III. Your family life affects your spiritual life.
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
A. Your family sees your faith up close. If you don’t practice it at home, there is probably not much there.
A. Your family sees your faith up close. If you don’t practice it at home, there is probably not much there.
Illus: There is a temptation for men knowing that their wife is to serve him to check out, not lead, or not live WITH his wife.
When Christ changes your heart you should want to live for him and follow his design for your family.
When you cease to to live for christ, it will be evident first in your own house.
There is a direct correlation to the vibrance of your relationship with God and your obedience to him.
A man who treats his family poorly probably is not in an active real relationship with Christ.
The sin and lack of repentance for a man who treats his family poor will keep him from a relationship with Christ.
12 “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.
