Hope for the Family - Part 1

Intro - the year was 1871. A man had heard the great invitation to “Go West!” and as setting out with his family to a new beginning. Amazingly, his wife went along with his plan and set about packing up their things for the move…

Our world has confused the God-given roles of husbands and wives and traded it for unfulfilling pursuit of “self-realization”.

Women of grace seek to honor the Lord through their submitted witness, their spiritual wardrobe, and their surrendered worship.

The Power of Submitted Witness

The word for “be subject” is the same word used of the Lord Jesus as a young man submitted to the authority of His parents.

Luke 2:51–52 ESV

51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

The exhortation is contrary to our current cultural trends, indeed it was prophesied that it would be this way as part of the fall. Genesis 3:16

We are created equal in the site of God (Gal 3.28), however we are created with God-given distinctions for His glory!

God’s order is one of equality with distinctive roles. - The Father - The Son - The husband - The wife

1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV

3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

“Anything with two heads is a freak and anything with no head is dead. And, there is to be a head in the home, and the sovereign God has said that it is to be the husband.” - Adrian Rogers

The focus in on an attitude of respect toward your husband and the affect that it will have on your witness.

The Priority of the Spiritual Wardrobe

The emphasis is not on the external appearance, but the internal character.

This does not mean that appearance is ignored, nor does it prohibit any outward “adorning” otherwise it would prohibit clothes.

It simply means that your highest virtue is the “imperishable beauty” of a gentle and quiet spirit.

In contrast to the foolish woman of Proverbs who is loud and rebellious.

Proverbs 7:10–12 ESV

10 And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. 11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; 12 now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.

The gentle and quiet spirit is one of peace and contentment.

The Lord places high value upon the woman who seeks to aid her husband in his calling, nurture her children, and build a home. - Proverbs 31

The Pattern of Surrendered Worship

To have these attitudes, a woman must be surrendered to God’s purpose for her in His creation.

Surrender in this case is actually an act of worship, because it expresses trust in God.

The example of Sarah, who received the promise of a son, after following Abraham’s lead by faith.