1 Peter 3:1-17
Notes
Transcript
1 Peter 3
1 Peter 3
Good morning church!
Baby Dedication- Axel Wallace Choiniere Eli and Tori
Pray and pray for service
1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
Now, perhaps you have noticed, maybe you haven’t, but there appears to be a whole lot more verses here for the wives than there are for the husbands...
It’s not because women can multitask and men don’t. I didn’t say that they can’t, I only admitted that we don’t.
What we need to understand is that good Bible study considers what culture the original writer was writing to. At this time frame in Jewish history, there was no equality between women and men, not in Jewish culture, not in the Roman culture, or even in the Greek culture. A wife was not equal, in fact, a wife did not have much higher of a standard than did a cow, or a goat, in regards to belonging to the man. Not having authority over the man.
So, unlike today, if a couple was married and the wife decided to become a Christian and the husband is not a Christian, it’s kinda no big deal. But we have to understand that in the day that Peter wrote this it was a huge deal. If the man became a Christian then that was then the religion of his family and the wife and the kids would go to church like he did.
But for a wife to become a Christian. To chose to follow Jesus as Messiah rather than the religion of her husband, well that was unheard of…but the gospel was spreading and it was happening!
So when these women would come to Christ, when they got saved and their husband wasn’t it raised all kinds of questions. What now? What do I do now that I am a Christian and my husband is not? Should I leave him? Will staying with him make me unclean?
I find Peter’s instructions to be fascinating, especially when we look at what he doesn’t tell her to do. He doesn’t tell her to leave him. He doesn’t tell her to preach at him. To hold out sexually from him, until he gets baptized. He basically just tells her to be a good wife. To love him.
To trust God enough to follow His instructions to her and submit to her husband....even if he’s not a believer, even if he doesn’t obey the Word himself. That by your conduct, not your words, but by the preaching of your conduct perhaps he may be won to Jesus. When he sees that Jesus has changed your life, he may be willing to allow Jesus to change his.
This sounds alot like what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. It’s in 1 Cor, chapter 7
13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
This says the same thing. If we stay with them and we live like a Christian is supposed to live, they are going to see that our life has changed, that we are a new creation in Jesus, not because we say so, but because our life says so, because suddenly we are a good wife, or a good husband that loves and serves our spouse, in the ways that we talked about last Sunday night at the marriage conference.
Peter keeps going in verse 3....
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
True beauty in on the inside and is incorruptible, it doesn’t fade with time, it grows over time.
5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,
6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
Sarah is used as the example here because she submitted to Abraham when it was difficult for her to do so, and even when he was wrong. Ladies, well ladies that have ever done this. Is it easy to submit to your husband when you don’t agree with him? No, it is not. But what is happening when it is done. Is she is submitting to God and to what He has asked her to do, and she is trusting God with the results, not only when her husband is right, but when he is wrong.
Notice that it also says she called him Lord. Now, I’m not saying you need to do that in your home, Nicole likes to do it in ours, but that’s between her and the Lord…No, I shouldn’t lie to you all, especially from up here. But it does mean that Sarah respected her husband, and wives you are to do the same with yours…Paul says in
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Dwell with them, not lord over them. Not just with understanding…but giving her honor....heirs together of the grace of life…and there are consequences to not getting this right....prayers hindered.
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
What is this being of one mind?
16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
How can we know the mind of Christ? How can we share the mind of Christ?
Next Peter quotes from Psalm 34 beginning in verse 10
10 For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
Notice Peter is really quoting Jesus here from the sermon on the mount.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Sanctify set apart. That means to let Him rule your heart.
You guys hear me talk about hope a lot. The world needs hope and they don’t have it.
Listen to what the bible says about hope. In Romans 5:1-3
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Jim Carrey once said, oh wait, I’m sorry, Jim Carrey actor, comedian, with an estimated net worth of $180 million “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”
romans 5:1 hope in the glory of God
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where does that kind of hope come from? It’s only in one place, drop down to verse 13 in that same chapter...
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have the hope of righteousness, not being stuck as a slave to our sin for the rest of our lives. Life does not have to be how it has always been..
5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
The bible tells us we have the hope of glory....
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
The hope of an inheritance....
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Before Jesus we didn’t have hope....we might have thought we did, if we didn’t figure it out like Jim Carrey, the bible tells us...
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
We can have hope, we can have peace, and be at peace with God. Some of you have that, and some of you can’t imagine having that…just ask.
Grace and Peace