Sermon Tone Analysis

UPCOMING EVENTS & INFO

Trunk or Treat & Ladies Retreat went well!

Shoeboxes are HERE - Due Nov 14

Giving

Digital Church Sign - amount given (almost $14,000) - This is what we were considering - 2.5 by 7 Digital Sign with the UPPER ID CABINET with our Church Name.

We are doing our due diligence to make sure we are being good stewards and install a good product, so we had 2 demos this week that revealed something to us - the sign we were considering is NOT big enough to be seen on this road.

So, here’s the plan that your Church Council is proposing.

A bigger DIGITAL SIGN without the UPPER SIGN.

Though the digital sign will cost more, doing away with UPPER ID CABINET will help defer the cost.

Here is a picture of the size difference.

Further, we can put our CHURCH NAME on the sign at any time we desire - TOP,

BOTTOM, or even a scrolling column.

VIDEO: Here’s an idea of what this might look like as the screen runs and changes.

We told you earlier that the 1st sign was around $22,000.

This sign, with installation, is right around $29,000.

So, with the almost $14,000 already given, we need about $15,000 more which could come from our checking account or could be lowered if any of you choose to give to this project.

So, there you go.

Next Sunday - Covered Dish Lunch & Conference (Sunday, Nov 14 @ 12:15pm)

Finally, if you want to see our VISUAL NOTES - take a pic of this QR Code and open it on your digital device.

Now, turn to the person next to you and tell them...

__________________________

We are now in week 3 of this new series called “Hope for Suffering Saints”

from an ancient text, written by one of the closest disciples of Jesus, pointing beleaguered believers to their heavenly HOPE in the middle of difficult days.

Last week was a HARD teaching that some of us have wrestled with this past week.

As we learned the keys to Enduring Unjust Suffering.

Being AWARE that God is NEAR and sees all, and trusting that God is using our consistent obedience to point others to Jesus.

And today we continue traveling down that trail as we discover some practical ways to faithful in REVEALING THE GOD WHO SAVES to our family, to our faith family, and to our community.

Ask yourself this question, “How am I revealing the God who saves to those I live and work around?”

LET’S PRAY

Let’s read a chunk of the text regarding FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS and then dive deeper and chew on it.

1 Peter 3:1–7 (NIV)

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.

[v4] Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.

They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.

You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

[v7] Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

You see...The God who saves is REVEALED by Christlikeness in the Home.

Alright…let’s dig in!

1 Peter 3:1–2 (NIV)

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

In the same way as WHAT?

Remember the context of what we studied last week?

Followers of Jesus are to “submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority” (1 Pet 2:13-14a).

Beyond spiritual leaders, that includes governing leaders & employers.

And we are to submit for the Lord’s sake - this is HIS will.

When we don’t want to submit, we do…for Jesus.

When we submit to other authorities they might just be eternally impacted - even even unbelieving husbands who watch their godly wives WALK out purity and reverence.

While a Christian woman should never marry a non-Christian man (and vice versa), it is possible that the spouse who has now come to truly follow Christ can certainly play a HUGE ROLE in pointing the other spouse to Jesus by their behavior, not just their words.

Ladies, if your husband won’t lead you spiritually, ASK HIM TO and then POINT HIM TO some other men who will show him how.

Sadly, it is typically the man who is the last to surrender to Jesus - cause we’re knuckle-heads.

But when Daddy follows Jesus, the rest of the family usually does too.

So, ladies DON’T GIVE UP! Keep praying, keep asking, and keep demonstrating the goodness of Jesus through your purity.

The wife doesn’t influence the ungodly husband by nagging him, but by serving the Lord & serving him.

In this way, the wife who serves reveals the God who saves - by her purity and reverence.

What’s purity and reverence look like?

I’m glad you asked!

1 Peter 3:3–4 (NIV)

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.

Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Some have taken this to mean you ought to look as ‘homely’ as you can.

No makeup, no hairstyles, and no nice clothes.

But that’s not Peter’s point, nor the Holy Spirit who led him to write it.

Peter is reminding women that your beauty should be much more than skin deep.

Sadly, we live in a world where women are most often judged by what’s on the outside rather than what’s on the inside - by your body rather than your brains & heart.

Between ongoing plastic surgery, pounds of makeup, foot-long fake eyelashes (what’s up with that!), & anorexic practices - even older women can look younger - at least for a little while.

But the goal of the Christian woman isn’t to see how long you can look young & beautiful - something that WILL eventually fade.

Instead, it is to grow in the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Or put another way...

Scot McKnight writes: “External appearance is relatively unimportant, but internal virtue is the prime pursuit of life.”*

*Scot McKnight, 1 Peter, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 184.

When I first met Tonya I WAS blown away by her beauty.

But she wasn’t flaunting her body nor spotlighting herself.

The more I got to know her, the more I wanted to KNOW her! Her inward beauty - her character, her compassion, her purity - was like a bug zapper to an insect.

Like the insect flying toward it as the friends warned it not to, the bug responded, “I can’t help myself.”

That’s how I felt as I spent time with this wonderful woman who has an unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

I gave you MY example, but now Simon Peter gives us a biblical example.

1 Peter 3:5–6 (NIV)

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.

They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.

You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

I know what most women are thinking, “Uh-uh.

Nope!”

But Sarah’s submission and calling Abraham “lord” didn’t mean she thought he was God.

Instead, it shows that she placed herself under his authority, protection, & love - recognizing & respecting him as the leader of the home.

So too, ladies, you are to follow in Sarah’s footsteps and willingly place yourself under your husband’s leadership.

This does NOT mean you can’t disagree with a decision and neither of you should jockey for position.

You should make decisions as a team.

But when your husbands don’t listen to wisdom or to God, then just DUCK and let God get him!

1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Weaker partner is certainly not referring to mental or willful weakness.

Some of the strongest minds I know belong to women and some of the most bold stances were taken by women.

My grandmother in Mississippi (Paye-Paye) once had me pull off on the side of the road.

At the time in their community, advertisements for alcoholic drinks were not allowed on roadsigns.

When she saw one going up, she did something I would not have done.

She marched her small-framed self up to the poor man doing his job and DEMANDED that he stop.

She warned that she would call the police and likely did when we got home.

I DON’T THINK I HAD THE BOLDNESS TO DO THAT!

She wasn’t emotionally or mentally weaker than me.