1 Peter 3:1-6 The Adornment of Submission
This
morning we are considering the subject
of marriage relationships / the roles
of husbands & wives –
A)Temptation is to campout here Easy to break into an 8 wk
series really look at the subject of marriage ( we did that not to long ago on
Sun. night)
B) The reason there is a
temptation – is because the subject of Christian marriages & family – near & dear to my heart
1) After the Lord – Family is to be our #1 Priority & Ministry
D)
Has it HELPED ?
E) In
fact in recent issue of Christianity today – stated that the divorce
rate in the Church was equal to that in the World – 1 out of 2
1)
I
would venture to say in a group this size that all of you here know of a
Christian couple who has got divorced – one reason or another
F) Something is wrong - - We
have a plethora of information but still lots & lots of problems
Now we
could spend some time this morning talking about the Negative influences that
the Feminist movement has caused in marriage
A)The confusion that it has
caused in the minds of both men & women
But in reality in this church body –those
influences are minimal
B) Too be honest the
PROBLEMS that we see in marriages in
this body have less to do w/ CONFUSION of roles
1)
And more to do w/
REBELLION IN THE HEARTS
C) The issue is not knowing what to do / but rather doing what
we know
1)
It is not more books
& counseling that is needed – but rather men & women w/ YIELDED HEARTS
c) Willing to allow the
Lord to mold & shape them & bring them into alignment w/ His heart /
His will/ His role – for their lives
1) Men & women – who will depend upon the power & the
leading of God’s Spirit to help them be what God Desires ( Eph. 5:18)
Success in marriage is more than being
w/ the right person: it is being the
right person.
D) Marriage problems are
– 95% heart problems & it is the heart that
Peter deals w/ in this section of scripture on this subject of marriage!! RD 1-7
Now Peter is writing in 64
A.D., ROUGH time to be a Woman
A)The Roman culture was geared for the suppression of women,
B)the Roman philosopher, political leader Seneca (65 A.D) - 'Women were married to be divorced and divorced to be married.'
C) The concept of home and family was nearing in extinction; adultery was rampant & faithfulness was out of vogue.
1) Prostitution was an essential part of their society Speaking of that society, one philosopher of the day wrote,
'We have prostitutes for the sake of
pleasure, concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation, and wives to have
legitimate children.'
D)Respectable Greek women led secluded lives. They had no part in public life, and no opportunity to express themselves or appear at public events.
E) This lifestyle of Greek women of that day, 64 A.D.,
was designed so that they might see, hear and ask as
little as possible.
1) That philosophy was aptly summed up by Socrates
'Is
there anyone to whom you entrust more serious matters than your wives, and is
there anyone to whom you talk less?'
F) The hardness of heart of Jewish men toward women was summed up in one prayer that said, 'Thank you God that you did not make me a gentile, a slave, or a woman.'
So ladies Imagine living
under those type of conditions
Now
Peter was Primarily writing to women
who’s husbands –were not believers ( Although phrase ….word = carnal -
rebellious
A)His instruction
is not to run not try to escape – but to submit
B) 'Submit' is a military word, It means 'to rank under,' 'to come into order.'
C) It has the idea of soldiers who are resting, standing around in disarray but then they are suddenly called to order and they immediately line up,
1) ranking under their commanding officer and surrendering their own rights so that order is restored.
D) In a non military use submission speaks of a voluntary attitude of cooperation, sharing responsibility and carrying a burden
1)
The idea is not that
of subservience but of willingly
functioning under
the husband’s leadership.
Peter
is saying that marriage in that day was, in a sense, out of order. We would
agree that that is true of marriage in our own day.
A)The correct order, is clearly revealed in Scripture: 'Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of
the woman,
When
God made Adam and Eve - He made them in complete unity. Looked at them as one! Adam
A.) And Together they were given dominion
over the creation to fill the earth and subdue it.
B) God didn’t say to Adam now
you have this Job to take care of this place where I have placed you. and this woman is going to be your slave -
1) Gen. 1:28 say 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it
C) There was an EQUALITY between
the man & the woman - but listen it was an ordered equality WHAT MEAN?
ROLES
D)
God had a big picture in mind -
picture that would be so incredible / so
powerful - so deep
1) The role of the husband
& wife would be a picture of Christ's …Church
LIKE
WISE – refers to what previous saying this section that begins in Ch.2:13 Peter is
talking about SUBMISSION / GOVT./ work
place
A)But an Underlying point
that Peter makes very Clear is this: the Key to Submission in any of those
areas – starts w/ Being submitted to the LORD
B) Concerning Govt. Peter
instructs – that we need to conduct ourselves as model Citizens – no
accusations – Key verse 16 As Bondservants of God
1)
Most of you Know that
a Bondservant was a willing servant
C)
Once a slave – had served his 6 yrs he would be
set free – but if he loved his master – he could volunteer – be a Bondservant –
Ear
1)
SAYING : He was
willing – linking himself to his master forever
C) We
are to be willing servants of God - (
We submit to Govt. because we are first submitted to the Lord – who put those
officials in place
Concerning
the Work place – again we are called to submit – to rank ourselves under bosses
by Following Christ example
A)Jesus submitted willingly to his oppressors because He was willingly submitted to the Father
B) I do all things to please the father – Glorify the father
1) In the Garden considering the cross - ………..Not my will
but yours be done
C) Too often our attitude
can be the opposite / Not Your will God / but my will be done – ( if you do
what I want – great I am happy )
1)
Not the heart of the
person who is seeking to follow Christ example
D) So
submission starts in those areas w/ being submitted to the Lord
Same is
true in MARRIAGE : Successful / fruitful marriages begin w/ Submission to God!
A)Eph. 5:21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
B) Start backwards –
Fear of the Lord – Implies a Reverence & a respect on the part of the
husband & the wife
1)
Not wanting to do
anything that that would grieve the Lord – but an intense desire to please Him
in that relationship
C) A mutual desire to
align their hearts – according to the roles that He has designed for the
marriage relationship
1)
So before addressing
the Husband & wife individually – Paul addresses them – together – Mutual
submission –starts w/ being submitted to Him
What submission is not- word is
different from obey – ( Child to Parent)
A)The wife is not commanded to obey her husband, as children are to obey their parents or as slaves their masters
B) A husband is not to treat his wife as a servant or as a child, but as an equal for whom God has given him the care & responsibility for
1) provision and protection, to be exercised in love.
C) She is not his to order
about, - but Paul explains in considerable detail (Eph.5: 25–33), the husband’s
primary responsibility as head of the house
1) is to love, provide, protect, and serve his wife and family—not to lord it over them according to his personal whims and desires
E) Nor is a wife called to submit or support her husband in things that go against the word of God
1) Col. 2 Wives …… as is fitting in the Lord
So the biblical view of submission is really that of a
mutual partnership where the wife understands that God has placed the Husband
leader
A)And the Husband understands that the wife is there
to be
B)That is the order & operation of this equality
! There can’t
be 2 heads ! MONSTER
smarter or more spiritual / BUT because that is the Lord’s design.
1) And so Wives are to place
themselves under the headship /
leadership of the husband allow to lead!
A)Please
note that sisters your husbands actions don’t excuse you of your calling &
responsibility in the relationship
B) What these wives needed to do, therefore, was find a way to communicate the truth of the gospel to their husbands
1) They were to Live it !!!!
C) SO that w/out a word – their husbands may be won !!!
1)Then their
husbands would experience the righteousness, peace and joy which their wives
had in their lives.
D)Instead of nagging, criticizing, and preaching to her husband, a wife should simply set a godly example before him
1) showing him the power and beauty of the gospel through its effect in her own life.
Peter says the possibility of them getting saved occurs 'As they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.'
A)The word 'observe' could be used in the sense of watching a sporting event, when the eyes are glued to what is happening.
B) Husbands may act deaf at times, but they don't go blind! – They watch
1) The word Chaste refers to
Purity / speaks of a conduct free from
carnality
! Free from compromise!
C) Paul uses the same word in 2 Cor. 11: 2 speaking
to the Church
For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
D) Christian Un adulterated – not worldly
E.) The godly woman is one who's life is marked by a purity in her conduct and in her motives!
1.) Her behavior resembles that
of Christ - so that where ever she goes - people see Jesus in her! Shine!
Speaking of such a women, Proverbs 31:12 says 'She does him good and not evil all the days of her life'; while
Prov.12:4 says, 'An excellent wife is the crown of
her husband; but she who shames him is a rottenness in his bones.'
Humility, love, moral purity, kindness, and
respect are the most powerful means a woman has for winning her husband to the
Lord
How is this type of heart developed ?
v.3,4 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.
'Adornment'
comes from the Greek word 'cosmos.' It means 'to put in order, to arrange.'
A.) The emphasis here
is on priority! Is your focus going to be on inward
beauty
or outward beauty
B) Now
Understand Peter is in no way advocating neglecting yourself physically - not
wearing make up or jewelry
1)
MAGGEE barn needs painting
C) The focus is on balance!
1)
This
can be a hard balance in our culture where there is so much emphasis put on physical appearance!
D)As a result Many women get wrapped up in following
the input of the
world -
to be overly concerned about appearance - externals
1) Down at the Gym - working
out - body becomes their main focus
Tummy
tucks / face lifts / so on & so forth
E)That Beauty is corruptible – doesn’t last – only
temporary
1) SINGLE – the man who would marry a girl for her
outward appearance is like a man who would buy a house for its paint – ( old
re- paint )
I am reminded of Proverbs 11:22: 'Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.'
A)She is precious in the sight of the world but not precious in the sight of God. Her adornment is temporal and decaying.
1) Your real beauty is going to
be seen in the internal hidden person
- who
you are on inside
"Glamour is artificial and external true beauty is real & internal. Glamour
is something you can put on and take off
But true beauty is always present -
Glamour is something
that is corruptible it decays & fades
True beauty is from the heart & grows more wonderful as the years
pass! Imperishable - incorruptible -
can't taint it -
C)To
the woman who wants to be godly woman, wife - Peter says - give
greater attention to the inner person
1.) concentrate on beautifying
the inner person - the hidden
person
of the heart!
D)As you do - your husband is going to be so
attracted to the Lord shining in
you!
1)
That
is the real issue when it comes to these subjects of marriage / roles /
submission – and the like – If the heart is right – everything fall into place
E) Ladies if your heart is submitted to Jesus – He
will show you where you need to grow – in that area
Peter tells us what the Priority of the
inner person will look like
A.)Resulting
in a gentle and quiet spirit!
Which Peter says is precious
in
the
sight of God!
B.) Now before you
get the image in your mind of a wallflower or doormat - let's explain what
words mean!
C.) Word gentle is really meek -
meekness is not weakness - meekness
means power under control!
1.) It speaks of strength of character
and strong
self control / of elegance and dignity
D.) Prov 31:25 - Virtuous wife "strength and dignity are her clothing -
she smiles at the future!"
1.) She is inwardly clothed w/ strength of
character and confidence
Meekness is inner strength that comes from being confident
of who you are in Christ / realizing
that inner beauty is what counts the most !
A.) Inner strength that results
in the self-control of a person who is
being led
by the
spirit not the outburst of the flesh!
B.) It results in a humility and
gentleness w/ others contrasted by arrogance
and
putting down of others!
1.) Sad to day - the latter is the
characteristics of many women talking about others and putting them down/
make themselves look better
A.) Again
suggesting the idea of self
- control
B.) The
godly wife is a woman of strong character & self control
1.)Which
is the Result of cultivating the inner garden!
C.) Ladies understand that it
only takes a short time to doll up the outside the
shell!
/ but
cultivating the inner person is a lifetime process!
V.4 It is Precious in the
sight of the Lord
A)The Greek word for “precious” pertains to that which is of extraordinary value.
B)It is the term used of “the alabaster vial of very costly perfume that MARY anointed Jesus’ feet W/ IN (Mark 14:3).
1) God is not impressed w/ gold, expensive gems, & fashionable clothing, but with the woman who is genuinely humble, submissive, gentle, and quiet
C) That type of life is like a
Beautiful flower before his eyes and a wonderful perfume like aroma to His
heart
Peter
draws their attention to the examples of Holy Women of old
Specifically
Sarah v.5,6
A)Key phrase here - "Who trusted in God" - this reveals to us that they were
responsive to God's will / heart and Word
B) She was submitted to the Lord which made it
easier for her to be submitted to her husband !!!!
C) Because Sarah had no fear of obeying God, she had no fear of what her husband, or any other person or circumstance, might do to her.
1) God will take care of the consequences when His children are obedient
to Him