1 Peter 3 (2)

People matter

Good morning rivertree. It is a joy to be with you. Wheteher you are hear at the downtown campus, watching online or at hampton cove I am so excited to open the bible together today.

It’s been a pretty special morning at both campuses hearing tesomonies and seeing people baptized is always amazing.

If you hav eyour Bibles go ahead and open up to 1 peter chapter 3 and we are going be reading verses 1-7 together this morning.As we conitnue our series called “diffent” in 1st peter we are concluding this section peter is writing about human relationships

He writes about how christians should interact with the govermnent and other human institianos

Then whe writes about how servets and masters interact

and finally the passage we are looking at today deals with one of most signficant human relatioships anyone can have which is a marriage relationship

What peter is holding out the church is how to live different within the context of marriage

As relevant as this was in peters day it’s relevant today also. It’s something we have in common with the early church. If are married we ought to want to know how our marriages can be different. If we aren’t married we should desire to know what a marriage which honors God looks like

Something I think we all have in common is we know relationships are difficult. They aren’t always black and white. They look different for everyone and they defently have different seasons to them

Most relationships on earth are far more naucnced then we realize

so this morning if you are married

and you find yourself in a good marraige,

a great marriage

a difficult marriage

a hopeless marriage

a defeated marraige

Peter offers hope no matter where you are

IIf you aren’t married Peter also offers great hope because whether we are married or not

this section of scriputre reminds us PEOPLE really matter and our relationships with People really matter. Because ulimently our relationshjips have an oppurtunity to reflect the Person of Jesus to the world

the world where we are exiles and called to be different

Let’s read

1 Peter 3:1–7 ESV

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, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 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. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, 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.

This is the 3rd section of a text which starts in 2:21

Peteree is teaching on the principle of submission. He is encourage the Christians to submit in a way which would emulate Jesus

As peter encourages wives to submit to their husbands he Has Jesus submission in mind as his example

The greatest example of all. Peter is holding out some backwards view of what submission looks like. Instead he is holding out the most profound view of what real submission looks like. When he says “likewise” he is pointing wives in difficulty marriages to look at the life of Jesus as their example.

look at verse 21-25 of chapter 2 with me

1 Peter 2:21–25 ESV

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

He is linking 3 groups of people

The empror

The master

the husband

all in these verse

and says if you follow Jesus you should expect to follow in his footsteps

Jesus washed Peters fit. He humbled himself beneath the cross to bear peters sin.

and know this is the call peter has on us as we think about the reltionshjips in our life

Jesus Trusted the fatehr and we can do this also!

The christian who follows Jesus does not grasp for priveldge.

INstead the christian imates Jesus

and you can have great enc ouragement becasue as Jesus suffered He didn’t sin.

great hope there already. when we find ourselves in difficult relationships we can navigate those without sinning agaisnt others

Jesus didn’t threaten, But he entrusted himself to the father.

and then provided healing for us becasue of his work on the cross.

And Petere is saying to wives when you submitt to Jesus, when you look to Jesus, when you follow Jesus. and you are married to someone who doesn’t beleive in Jesus

your very life will look so different to them there is a chance they will be won to Christ without even a word.

Think about the majesty of what peter is writing here. He says If the Husband doesn’t belive the word they could be won without a word by the way the wife conducts here life.

In other words her inward life is matching her outward connection. The husbands sees her go to church. He hears her confess Christ. and here life matches up in this way. She is in a difficult reltionship and lives in a respectful and pure way. This changes everything

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When your example and the pattern of your life matches the example and pattern laid out by Jesus it is so amazing. So remarkable so wonderful it has the power to display the gospel in a transformational way where someone who is dead in their sins, doesn’t know Christ is changed forever.

and then peter gives examples on how to do this. He tells wives don’t be like the culuture around you obessed with how you look on the outside.

Here is what peters not saying. He isn’t saying you shouldn’t take care of yourself. This is not an excuse to abadon hygenie. I know there might be some middle schoolers are hopeful about that

but what Peter knows is what we know. His culutre just like ours has an obsession with how someone looks on the outsides.

Women in peters day and in our day are under enormous pressure to look beautiful.

and just incase you aren’t conviced think about the pressure placed on women in todays culture. You can’t walk into a store without being bombarded with things to make you look more beatiful

and in the connected world will live in if it’s not enough for product and adverstimesment to bombard people with promises of beauty our apps help us even more

We live this sort of filtred life. Whether it’s tiktok, snapchat, facebook or instagram there are filters we can use

Some of them are super fun. But others are put in place to make something the way we think it should be

Just this past week I took a picture and I wasn’t pleased with how it looked. I wanted the picture to look better. In other words to appear more beutiful. So I jumped into my photo editing app spent 15 mins and was like WOW I did it. This is stunning. When I shjow people this picture they will think I was in the most amazing place in the world

and while the place I was in was amazing the problem the picture wasn’t reality. It had been filitred to appear different

and if you are facing this pressure know this. You aren’t the first person in human history to face this pressure. But it’s not a wieght you were meant to carry. If Jesus yoke is easy and burden is light he invites you to let go of this pressure and see his way is better.

It’s what Peter writes the wives of the early church about

He says don’t live this filtred life. Don’t think your beaty comes first from the outside. He says there is a greater beatuy

What is it?

1 Peter 3:4 ESV

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.

Peter is encouraging the women to realize ultente beauty is what’s on the inside

FOcus on thehidden person. Pay attention with what you are dressing in the interior of your souls

What are those things yoru soul needs the most?

How do you nurish your soul?

He is saying when you wake up say to yourself

“Arise, put your feet on the ground, and get dressed from the inside out.”

Take the time to allow yourself to expierence the love of

IN other words when we emulate Jesus our life has the potential to change families for generations

(AUGISTINE MOM)

(LOGAN) Your life matches what you confess and who you emulate

PLAYING OFF WORD AND WORD

HONOR YOU LIKE THE CHINA GLASS as the weaker vessel

Abusive

ROLE and VOcation

Jump down to v8-12

adorning

UNITY CANDLE????