WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.300 As we open up the Word of God, I think it's going to be a great help to us. 00:00:02.300 --> 00:00:04.860 Anybody read 1 Peter 3, the first seven verses this afternoon? 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:07.240 ! Alright, we're going to read it right now together, though. 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:11.919 And I think you'll see, and listen, sometimes we read these and initially like, 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:14.000 whoa, man, this is going to be a crazy message. 00:00:14.519 --> 00:00:18.559 But I've just learned that sometimes we look at these and we kind of get scared away by them. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:21.179 But there's just some great practical truths. 00:00:21.900 --> 00:00:23.940 And we're going to be talking about husbands and wives, 00:00:24.080 --> 00:00:26.620 we're going to be talking about marriage, and you think, well, that's not me, 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:27.859 so I don't have to pay attention. 00:00:27.859 --> 00:00:30.419 No, the application applies to all of us, though. 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:34.019 And really the idea is that we're to become more and more like Christ, 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:35.759 no matter what relationship we're in. 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:38.939 And God has a set, He has an order, He has a design. 00:00:39.219 --> 00:00:43.019 And when we follow that, life is going to work the way it's designed to. 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:45.060 And that's what Peter's going to remind us here. 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:47.739 So you found your place there in 1 Peter 3. 00:00:47.859 --> 00:00:49.519 We're just going to read the first seven verses. 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:51.120 The Bible says, 00:00:51.120 --> 00:00:55.239 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:58.240 that if any obey not the word, 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:03.520 that they also may be without the word won by the conversation of the wives, 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:07.019 while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear, 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:09.879 whose adorning let it not be outward adorning, 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.280 of plaiting of hair or wearing of gold or of putting on an apparel, 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:15.560 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.000 in which is not corruptible, 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:20.579 even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:23.280 which is in the sight of God of great price. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:29.159 For after this manner is in the old time the holy women also, 00:01:29.579 --> 00:01:30.780 who trusted God, 00:01:31.099 --> 00:01:35.620 adorned themselves being in subjection unto their own husbands. 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:39.500 Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:42.900 whose daughters ye are as long as ye do well, 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:45.599 and are not afraid with any amazement. 00:01:46.259 --> 00:01:46.780 Verse 7, 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:49.719 And likewise ye husbands dwell with them according to knowledge. 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:52.739 Give honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:56.240 and as being heirs together of the grace of life, 00:01:56.420 --> 00:01:59.560 that your prayers be not hindered. 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:02.840 So we see Peter is kind of dealing with 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:06.180 how we live as pilgrims in a broken world. 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:08.360 As we continue to move forward, 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:11.800 and we live in a world that's not really for Christianity, 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:14.719 he's addressed kind of how we deal with the government, 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.340 how we address, deal with unfair situations. 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:19.080 And he wants us to do this. 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:20.520 He wants us to live the gospel out. 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.659 But he also wants it not just to be outside of the church, 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:24.840 and outside of our home. 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:26.680 He wants it to be in those places as well. 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:30.099 So really I want to preach a message entitled this evening, 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:32.520 Living Out the Gospel at Home. 00:02:33.139 --> 00:02:34.680 That's what Peter really wants us to see. 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:36.319 So let's go to the Lord in prayer tonight, 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:37.139 and ask him to help us. 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:38.599 Father, thank you for this time together. 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:41.319 Thank you for the good singing that we've had already, 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:43.879 and been reminded that you are worthy of our praise. 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:46.680 And Lord, I pray that you would be honored and glorified 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:49.659 in what we say and do from here on out in the service. 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:51.799 Lord, that you would help me, Lord, 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:56.639 just to clearly articulate your word here this evening. 00:02:56.759 --> 00:02:59.000 I pray that no matter what stage of life, 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:02.139 no matter what relationships we may have currently, 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:04.560 Lord, I pray that you would help us to honor you 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:05.939 and to point others to you as well. 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:07.800 Lord, I pray that you would just be with us now. 00:03:07.859 --> 00:03:09.919 We'll give you all the praise that's due your name. 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:11.000 We ask it in Christ's name. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:11.919 Amen. 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:12.439 Thank you. 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:12.979 You may be seated. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:20.079 You know, there's a lot of things in life that look simple but aren't. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:23.479 How many of you know you should drink more water? 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:26.680 And you're thinking, like, today's the day I'm going to drink water. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:28.819 And you Google, like, how much water you should drink, 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:31.740 and you're thinking, that's not as simple as I thought it was 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:33.900 because it's a lot more than you realize. 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:37.840 I mean, maybe something simple is going to bed on time. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:41.900 I mean, I don't know if you're like me. 00:03:41.980 --> 00:03:45.000 Almost every morning when I wake up, I'm like, you know what? 00:03:45.020 --> 00:03:46.719 I'm going to go to bed on time tonight. 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:48.980 It sounds simple, but it's not. 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:51.740 And on the flip side of that coin, waking up early, 00:03:51.819 --> 00:03:55.099 it sounds like it should be easy, but we all know how that alarm sounds. 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:57.640 You know, you try to hit this snooze as quick as possible, 00:03:57.640 --> 00:03:59.719 and you really don't care for it. 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:03.520 Sometimes, I mean, some of you are just generally good at it, 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:05.599 but sometimes cooking, it seems simple. 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:09.039 You can watch a cooking show, and you can have the cookbook right on the counter. 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:10.039 It has a beautiful picture. 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:14.620 And what is in that picture and what comes out of your oven is not the same thing. 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:16.000 Looks simple. 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:17.620 I mean, they got every instruction in there. 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.800 They tell you exactly what to do, and you're thinking, where did I mess up? 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:25.079 And it could be a DIY Pinterest project or whatever it might be. 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:29.220 Sometimes, I think we've learned that the hard way, more than likely, 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:33.900 that because something looks simple doesn't mean that it is. 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:38.980 And I think one of those things in life, if we kind of step back, is marriage. 00:04:39.900 --> 00:04:43.560 I mean, before you're married, before you have kids, you think, oh, yeah, I could do that. 00:04:43.880 --> 00:04:44.960 I mean, marriage is easy. 00:04:45.200 --> 00:04:46.780 Raising kids has to be easy. 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:51.320 And I think most couples, when you stand at the altar, you're filled with excitement. 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:51.940 You should be. 00:04:52.440 --> 00:04:54.060 I mean, if you're standing at the altar and you're dreading it, 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:55.780 you probably shouldn't be standing there. 00:04:55.779 --> 00:04:57.619 But you're filled with excitement. 00:04:57.779 --> 00:05:00.059 You have some dreams, and you have some hopes about the future. 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:04.459 And you stand there, and as you're in the audience, you listen to them make their vows to each other 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:07.819 and before God, and they say things like, for better or worse. 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:09.719 And I believe they mean it. 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:14.159 I know that I meant it when I stood up there, but the reality is, is life happens. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:20.700 And it doesn't mean that we weren't serious about that commitment, but, you know, as you kind of get past that, 00:05:20.880 --> 00:05:25.140 those first little, the honeymoon stage, so to speak, and I think you can stay there for a long time. 00:05:25.200 --> 00:05:26.540 I think we should try to stay there. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:33.780 But listen, bills come, children come, schedules get busy, and sometimes those personality traits you love so much, 00:05:33.900 --> 00:05:34.840 now they're clashing. 00:05:35.640 --> 00:05:40.280 Now they're things that's like, you know, this isn't who I signed up to be with. 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:44.159 In a marriage book that I recently read, the author said this, 00:05:44.559 --> 00:05:49.479 marriage doesn't create problems nearly as much as it just reveals them. 00:05:50.299 --> 00:05:51.319 I think that's so true. 00:05:51.979 --> 00:05:53.659 It's not that the problems weren't there. 00:05:53.799 --> 00:05:57.519 It's just, you know, sometimes at the beginning stages and in the dating stages, 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:00.439 you're kind of just enamored, and you kind of just let it go. 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:02.119 Oh, that's not that big a deal. 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:07.759 But the further you get into maybe a marriage relationship or really any marriage, any relationship, 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:10.740 it begins to reveal our selfishness. 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:14.579 It begins to reveal maybe some impatience on our part. 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:17.599 Maybe some pride rears its ugly head. 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:23.099 And while marriage can be difficult at times and it can be hard, 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:27.699 thankfully God can use it as one of his greatest classrooms for teaching. 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:30.019 Because you learn a lot about yourself. 00:06:30.139 --> 00:06:33.920 You're going to learn about humility and forgiveness and sacrifice 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:39.900 and really what a Christ-like love looks like and how it acts and how it responds. 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:44.420 And that's really what Peter is doing here in these first seven verses. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:49.840 That he's taking us and showing us what a marriage should look like. 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.740 That God has very defined roles in marriage. 00:06:54.340 --> 00:06:58.420 And before we really move into this text, I want us to remember just a few things. 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:02.259 That marriage really has been under attack since the Garden of Eden. 00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:06.719 The things that we're dealing with in our culture and our society, 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:11.560 our society seems to be on a quest to constantly redefine what marriage is. 00:07:12.039 --> 00:07:13.219 The Bible is super clear. 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:15.519 It's one man, one woman, one lifetime. 00:07:15.980 --> 00:07:19.159 There's really no debate about it, even though our culture says there is. 00:07:19.579 --> 00:07:24.620 And yet they question God's design and they completely reject biblical roles. 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:26.240 They call it outdated. 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:28.099 And hey, it's 2026. 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:29.959 We've got to get up with the times. 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:35.239 But really we just see the devil has been trying to destroy marriage since the very beginning. 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:38.599 But yet God's design has not changed. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:40.560 Marriage is not our idea. 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:44.459 It's not something that we've constructed in our minds and in our society. 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:47.859 No, Genesis 2 tells us that God created it. 00:07:48.259 --> 00:07:50.399 That he established it before he established the government, 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:53.799 before he established nations, before he even established the church. 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:59.680 That marriage is one of God's oldest and greatest gifts to mankind. 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:06.259 But because two sinners live together under one roof, it can be a great challenge at times. 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:10.199 It can be something that is a very hard learning process. 00:08:10.400 --> 00:08:12.120 And Peter understands that. 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:18.759 And he's writing, as we were reminded, to a people that are having difficulty in life. 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:25.899 And sometimes when difficulty is outside of the home and work is stressful and life is stressful and they're dealing with persecution, 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:29.959 sometimes it only intensifies kind of the pressure with inside the home. 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:39.220 And who Peter is writing to as his initial readers is some of the believers that would have received this letter were married to unbelieving spouses. 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:42.759 At this time, Christianity was still a new thing. 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:47.480 So it wasn't like everybody just had been passed down from generations and generations. 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:49.179 No, it's still relatively new. 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:55.240 And some people had come to Christ just recently and their spouse would have been still an unbeliever. 00:08:55.240 --> 00:09:00.419 And some of the wives who had trusted Christ, their husbands had not. 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:01.580 And Paul's going to address that. 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:02.200 We see that. 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:10.279 And some of the husbands here are trying to learn what it means to lead like Jesus in a culture that doesn't lead like that. 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:14.200 In a culture that really viewed, we'll see in a minute, viewed women as property. 00:09:14.820 --> 00:09:15.779 That they had no say. 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:18.159 They had no ability to help. 00:09:18.340 --> 00:09:21.360 And that's not what Peter is saying. 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:28.300 And he's saying, listen, God has a design and Peter writes to show them and to show us that the gospel doesn't just change where our eternity is. 00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:34.879 Just like it changes how we respond to government and unfair circumstances, the gospel also changes how we live within our own home. 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:37.560 How we treat one another as husband and wife. 00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:38.899 How we treat our children. 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:45.139 And as we've walked through 1 Peter, we've noticed that he's been building this continuous argument. 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:52.840 He's been answering these questions that what does it look like to live as God's people in a world that often just opposes him. 00:09:54.419 --> 00:10:01.659 And Peter's shown us that our heavenly citizenship should affect every earthly relationship. 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:03.460 No matter who it is. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:05.879 It should affect how you respond to your boss. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.799 It should affect how you respond to your coworkers. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:12.299 And even if you don't get along with them and you have some difficulty there. 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:16.979 But it surely should help you live life with your spouse. 00:10:18.079 --> 00:10:19.299 And so he addresses that. 00:10:19.459 --> 00:10:23.620 And he brings these gospel principles inside the front door of our homes. 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:30.799 And really the common thread that is running through chapter 2 and into these first seven verses of 1 Peter chapter 3. 00:10:31.259 --> 00:10:33.459 It's not just about submission. 00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:35.759 We talked about that a little bit last week. 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:38.840 And submission is a word that sometimes we run from and we misunderstand. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:41.759 But really the theme is this. 00:10:42.100 --> 00:10:49.800 It's about living under the lordship and the authority of Jesus Christ in every single area of our life. 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:57.879 That's what Peter wants us to understand and to be reminded that when we do that, life is going to be much better for us. 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:06.500 See, every relationship that we have, every relationship that is real in our life, it asks the same question. 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:10.340 Will Christ be lord in this relationship? 00:11:11.059 --> 00:11:13.720 Is Christ the main thing in this relationship? 00:11:13.899 --> 00:11:16.939 Because here's a problem sometimes whether it's in the home or at work or wherever. 00:11:17.179 --> 00:11:22.559 When we think that we're the authority, when we think we're the one in charge, everything else gets out of whack. 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:25.399 It gets all in a bad situation. 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:33.000 And it's just as the previous section that we looked at at the end of chapter number 2 ended with the example of Christ. 00:11:33.579 --> 00:11:34.779 Because he's the goal. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:35.860 He's the aim. 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:37.480 We saw his suffering. 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:38.860 We saw his submission. 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:44.980 Peter shows us now what it looks like to submit to him within the marriage and how it can affect it there. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.840 So here's the big idea that we're going to look at as we walk through this text. 00:11:48.840 --> 00:12:00.259 That the gospel transforms marriage as husbands and wives willingly honor Christ by fulfilling his design and submitting to his authority. 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:02.580 That is what he is showing us here. 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:09.340 And we do that by how we humble ourselves, how we love each other, and how we extend grace back and forth. 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:11.139 Kind of like a little bit we talked about this morning. 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:14.879 So here's the question if you're taking notes. 00:12:15.179 --> 00:12:19.279 How does the gospel shape a Christ-centered marriage? 00:12:19.899 --> 00:12:23.659 The first thing that we're going to see is really found in the first six verses is this. 00:12:24.019 --> 00:12:29.120 It changes this by wives display the beauty of Christ. 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:34.159 Now Peter starts here in these verses addressing the wives. 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:36.580 Not because of the order and different things. 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:40.280 Because we have to remember the Bible was not written to us. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:44.100 We have to go back to the context of who it was written to. 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:51.860 And especially in these days, the women and the wives were in a very difficult position culturally. 00:12:52.900 --> 00:12:56.460 The Roman world was a difficult place for a woman. 00:12:56.920 --> 00:12:58.320 She didn't really have any rights. 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:02.000 And she was generally expected to adopt the religion of her husband. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:06.940 And so Paul's addressing kind of a situation that many of these people who have been reading it, 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:11.120 they would have been women that had been saved by Jesus Christ, but their husbands haven't. 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:12.759 So how do they deal with that? 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:14.080 How do they move forward? 00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:17.259 Because culture says, listen, you've got to be the same religion your husband is. 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:18.419 You've got to be this situation. 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:22.620 And so imagine a woman hearing the gospel, placing her faith in Christ, 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:26.320 and returning to her home that wants nothing to do with Jesus. 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:28.460 What should she do? 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:31.440 Should she constantly argue with him? 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.040 Should she lecture him every day about how he's wrong? 00:13:34.160 --> 00:13:36.260 Should she demand that he change? 00:13:37.060 --> 00:13:39.020 That's kind of what Peter is going to answer here. 00:13:39.400 --> 00:13:42.240 He answers with wisdom through the Holy Spirit. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:44.100 And he shows us this in verse number one. 00:13:44.160 --> 00:13:48.460 He says, likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. 00:13:49.380 --> 00:13:51.080 Now right off the get-go, I just want to mention this. 00:13:51.280 --> 00:13:55.880 Some people misapply this and kind of connect that likewise to the end of chapter two 00:13:55.880 --> 00:13:59.280 and kind of lump wives in them with the same idea of servants. 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.000 That is not what Peter is saying here. 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:06.399 What Peter is talking about, he really is just using it as a transition. 00:14:06.699 --> 00:14:09.459 He could have said, okay, we've talked about it in this place and this place. 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:14.399 Now I want to talk about this same situation, the same submission when it comes to marriage. 00:14:15.059 --> 00:14:17.039 Because that is the goal. 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:18.019 That is the theme. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:24.139 And in every case that we look at, and same in this one with husbands and wives, the motivation is the same. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:27.679 We are to submit to one another because Jesus is Lord. 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:29.500 That is his goal. 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:31.740 That is his aim in that situation. 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:37.360 And before we go any further, I just want to make sure we do understand something important. 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:39.699 That we hear the word submission. 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:41.759 You know, we hear subjection here. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:46.639 You go to Ephesians chapter five and wives submit to your husbands and we hear that word. 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:52.720 And maybe in our culture today we think immediately of weakness, inferiority, or oppression. 00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:56.039 But that is not biblical submission. 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:58.720 That is not what Jesus is talking about. 00:14:59.019 --> 00:15:01.139 Biblical submission is none of those definitions. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.679 See, submission is not about value. 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:06.379 It's about order. 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:08.659 That is what Jesus is teaching. 00:15:08.939 --> 00:15:10.240 That is what Peter is teaching. 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.700 And Jesus himself, you know what he did? 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:16.919 He submitted to the Father's will while he was here on earth. 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.960 And I think we would agree that Jesus wasn't lower. 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:22.840 No, he was equal with God. 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:24.299 Yet he thought it not robbery. 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:26.259 But he submitted himself. 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:30.620 And what Peter is telling us right off the get-go when we talk about subjection. 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:35.299 That marriage works best when both, not just the wife. 00:15:35.299 --> 00:15:42.379 But when both the husband and the wife, they joyfully embrace the role God has designed. 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:44.939 That God has placed into the relationship. 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:47.899 That God has required of them. 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:57.059 So Peter is not saying here in these few opening words of chapter number three, he is not telling women to become silent doormats. 00:15:57.059 --> 00:16:01.739 Because people have taken this text and they have wrenched it to pieces. 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:04.679 That is not what Peter is saying. 00:16:05.179 --> 00:16:08.659 He's not saying that a woman has no voice and no say in the home. 00:16:08.859 --> 00:16:12.019 No, here's what he's calling women, especially in wives, to do. 00:16:12.239 --> 00:16:16.279 To display the beauty of Christ through humble trust in God. 00:16:16.939 --> 00:16:18.339 Knowing that God is in control. 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:19.799 So here's what he says. 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:23.299 He says, likewise ye wives be in subjection. 00:16:23.579 --> 00:16:24.679 Notice this phrase. 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:28.199 To your own husbands. 00:16:29.319 --> 00:16:30.519 That's super important. 00:16:31.359 --> 00:16:37.019 Peter does not say, hey listen up ladies, you have to submit to all men. 00:16:37.839 --> 00:16:40.740 That is nowhere to be found here in this text. 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:44.519 No, what he is dealing with is marriage. 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:47.039 He's saying, listen, this is the order. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:51.039 That doesn't mean that a woman, every time a man does, she has to do whatever any man says. 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:51.480 No, no. 00:16:51.579 --> 00:16:53.839 He said, be in subjection to your own husband. 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:57.740 And then he presents a kind of an unusual situation. 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:02.000 He's talking about a husband that does not know the word. 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:03.219 Does not know Christ. 00:17:03.339 --> 00:17:05.159 Does not know him as his savior. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.420 And the wives now face a difficult situation. 00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:14.680 How do you influence somebody who doesn't believe what you believe? 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:19.460 And that situation, it wasn't just a situation in Peter's day. 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.019 It still is a situation today. 00:17:21.820 --> 00:17:24.320 And many wives are maybe in a relationship like that. 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:26.220 And Peter's answer surprises us. 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:28.519 He says this in verse number one. 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:33.480 They also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives. 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:40.440 Now what Peter is not saying, he isn't saying that husbands can be saved apart from the word of God. 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:47.799 Now the Bible is still very clear in Romans chapter 10 verse 17 that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.500 The gospel must still be heard and still be believed and place our faith and trust in Christ. 00:17:53.779 --> 00:17:57.299 But what he is saying, that word conversation is conduct. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:17:59.039 Lifestyle. 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:00.700 How we live our lives. 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:07.299 He is saying, what a wife can do is she can make the gospel attractive by how she lives her life. 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:09.380 By how she responds. 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:13.580 That she doesn't, she's not setting out to win every single argument. 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:15.940 She doesn't need to preach a sermon every single morning. 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:18.180 Instead her life becomes the sermon. 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.900 And that's true in any relationship. 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:27.039 Listen, God didn't call you to go to your workplace and drop the hammer on him all the time. 00:18:27.460 --> 00:18:28.440 You know what he called you to do? 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:29.980 Live the gospel out. 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:31.519 That we are to speak the truth. 00:18:31.600 --> 00:18:35.740 But we're to speak it in love and we're to show Christ to those around us. 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:41.340 And it doesn't mean that a wife is never to speak about Christ in a relationship like this. 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:43.539 Or any relationship that we come across. 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:49.700 But it means that she knows the gospel sounds much louder when it's backed up by a life that's transformed. 00:18:50.860 --> 00:18:51.779 You know, we say it like this. 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:53.980 We need to practice what we preach. 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:56.700 That's what Peter is saying here. 00:18:56.700 --> 00:19:01.539 If you're in a situation like this or you know somebody's in a situation and they say, what should I do here? 00:19:01.700 --> 00:19:02.360 Here's what he says. 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:03.580 Hey, practice what you preach. 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:07.840 If Jesus Christ really changed your life, then it needs to show up in your life. 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:09.680 That's what Peter says in verse number two. 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:10.319 He says, why? 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:11.580 Because your husband is watching. 00:19:12.259 --> 00:19:17.240 He's speaking of the husbands while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:19.960 They see the conduct. 00:19:20.120 --> 00:19:21.380 They see the way of life. 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:32.620 And believers with unbelieving spouses should live every day in such a way that every conversation, every response, every act that they do points their spouse towards Christ. 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:34.839 That's what Peter is saying. 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:37.579 That's how we should live our life. 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:44.119 And while Peter is addressing wives with unbelieving husbands, the principle goes much further. 00:19:45.199 --> 00:19:49.299 We're kind of piggybacking on what Jesus was teaching there in Luke 17 this morning. 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:52.939 That every Christian, we have to remember there are people watching us. 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:57.659 There are people seeing how we respond, how we live, what our life really points to. 00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:00.240 Does it match up to what we say we believe? 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:06.340 And he's just telling them, listen, your life should constantly reinforce the gospel. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:08.400 It should not contradict it. 00:20:09.040 --> 00:20:12.279 It shouldn't say, well, I thought you go to church all the time, but that's how you're going to act? 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:15.420 You know, and listen, they're wrong for that. 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:19.759 But we have to make sure that we are presenting Christ in a way that is attracted. 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:21.320 That's what God has called us to do. 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:31.359 And so what Peter does now is he kind of moves from this outward influence to really the inward character of these wives that he is addressing. 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:34.259 Verse number 3 and 4, the Bible says this. 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:56.519 Now, at first glance, these verses seem a little confusing. 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:04.940 These verses, and there's some other verses similar to this in 1 Corinthians, that people take and I don't know where they go with it. 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:06.720 It gets a little crazy. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.279 Is Peter saying that Christian women shouldn't braid their hair? 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:13.759 They shouldn't wear jewelry? 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:16.220 They shouldn't have nice clothes? 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:18.160 Absolutely not. 00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:20.240 That is not what Peter is talking about. 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:23.680 There are people that have taken that and built a whole doctrine around these type of things. 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:29.620 Peter is not forbidding outward beauty, but what he is wanting us to understand, he's wanting wives especially to understand, 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:32.860 he's wanting to make sure that our priorities are in the right place. 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:38.860 Because Peter is contrasting what the world emphasizes and what God treasures. 00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:43.259 See, it was the same here in the first century as it is today. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.779 The world says this, beauty is on the outside. 00:21:46.740 --> 00:21:50.820 But God reminds us constantly throughout Scripture that beauty begins on the inside. 00:21:50.819 --> 00:21:54.339 Everything about the Christian life is an inward transformation. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.839 God changes our heart before he changes the outside many times. 00:21:58.419 --> 00:22:01.639 That's what he wants because if he has your heart, then things are going to change. 00:22:02.159 --> 00:22:03.980 And he wants us to focus on that. 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:09.799 And I mean, we look at our own culture, and especially when it comes to hygiene and makeup and all that stuff, 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.200 man, places like Ulta scare me to death. 00:22:13.139 --> 00:22:15.019 Because I go in there because I'm like, I've got to buy a present. 00:22:15.439 --> 00:22:16.539 And they're like, sir, what are you looking for? 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:18.099 I'm like, I have no idea. 00:22:18.740 --> 00:22:20.579 I'm like, I'm just here, I'm just picking up things. 00:22:20.659 --> 00:22:23.139 I'm like, well, I know she likes chapsticks, so I'm just going to get a bunch of that, you know. 00:22:25.139 --> 00:22:33.799 But I mean, in all seriousness, our culture spends billions of dollars, billions of dollars every year convincing people, 00:22:34.159 --> 00:22:40.179 convincing women that, hey, happiness is found in this product, and it can be found in the latest fashion. 00:22:40.179 --> 00:22:45.119 And Peter's reminding us all the way back in the first century, those things don't reach the heart. 00:22:46.059 --> 00:22:47.719 That's not going to change how we live. 00:22:48.099 --> 00:22:49.740 That's not going to change our conversation. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:52.619 That's not going to point other people to the gospel. 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:55.319 Because I'm sure you have found this out as well. 00:22:55.399 --> 00:22:56.480 If not, just look at old photos. 00:22:56.819 --> 00:22:57.559 Hair changes. 00:22:57.879 --> 00:22:58.740 Style changes. 00:22:59.679 --> 00:23:00.799 Thankfully on some of it. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:05.439 I love looking at old photos when I go to my grandma's house, and I'm like, you know, back in their yearbook, 00:23:05.659 --> 00:23:06.740 they had the little squares. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.439 Their hair was so tall, it couldn't even fit in the little squares. 00:23:09.439 --> 00:23:11.119 It just looked like a beehive up there. 00:23:11.899 --> 00:23:15.879 I'm like, you know, if you saw somebody like that today, you're like, I think that's out of style a little bit. 00:23:15.880 --> 00:23:24.180 The idea is sometimes we put so much effort into being in style and being in vogue, and there's nothing wrong with, like, taking care of yourself. 00:23:24.300 --> 00:23:25.740 Peter's not going against that. 00:23:26.020 --> 00:23:27.060 But here's the thing. 00:23:27.340 --> 00:23:31.320 Bodies age and wrinkles come, and Peter says all those things are going to fade away. 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:37.740 But if God has your heart, if you're displaying the beauty of Christ and not just some outward beauty, 00:23:37.939 --> 00:23:40.139 that's going to make a difference in the life of your husband. 00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:42.519 That's going to make a difference in the lives of those around you. 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:44.639 That's what Peter says in verse number four. 00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:48.179 He said, but let it be the hidden man of the heart. 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:55.720 That idea is it's focused, that we need to focus, and he's telling these wives especially, focus on who you really are. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:24:01.200 The person that God sees, because that's what your husband needs to see. 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:03.240 That's what your kids need to see. 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:05.240 That's what your friends need to see. 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:10.920 Not this outward facade, but who you really are, that God is working in your life. 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:16.680 And then Peter specifically highlights this, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:21.060 I think every verse we go through is extremely misunderstood. 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:28.360 And I think this is one of these phrases, that Peter is not describing personality. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:32.060 That is not what a meek and quiet spirit is. 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:37.620 It's not the fact that he's saying that if you're a Christian woman, you have to be naturally quiet. 00:24:38.779 --> 00:24:40.400 Some of you, that's a good thing. 00:24:44.080 --> 00:24:46.060 My wife is so quiet naturally. 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:54.299 No, but in all seriousness, we've had conversations about it. 00:24:55.100 --> 00:25:00.060 For a long time, I mean, growing up, I've even heard this, and I thought, and she even wrestled with it. 00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:02.160 But that's not what the Bible is talking about. 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:06.500 It's not talking about you have to have this very quiet personality. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:07.400 You can't speak up. 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:11.440 In fact, I think when you read the Bible, the Bible is full of very bold women. 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:17.120 I think of people like Deborah and Esther and Priscilla and Lydia and Martha and Mary Magdalene. 00:25:17.340 --> 00:25:22.460 I think when you read Proverbs 31, the woman, the Proverbs 31 woman, she certainly isn't passive. 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:24.860 I mean, she's a go-getter. 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:26.059 She gets it done. 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:27.160 She takes care of her family. 00:25:27.420 --> 00:25:29.360 I'm not sure when she sleeps because she rises early. 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:29.960 She's up late. 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:30.820 She's doing these things. 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:36.740 I mean, we see women all throughout the Bible that are bold, and they love the Lord. 00:25:36.939 --> 00:25:42.839 But what Peter describes when it comes to a meek and quiet spirit is a spirit of humble trust in God. 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:45.220 That meekness, here's what it is. 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:47.119 It is power under control. 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:49.200 It's not that they can't do it. 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.899 No, it's the fact they decide, I'm going to come under the authority of Christ. 00:25:53.099 --> 00:25:54.299 I'm going to submit to that. 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:56.439 That is what a meek and quiet spirit is. 00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:00.460 That it's not like, hey, our world's all about, hey, be a boss lady. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:04.039 No, here's what Jesus says, that we all should submit to Christ. 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:05.539 That we all should be under him. 00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:09.360 That we take what power and gifts we have, and we place them under his authority. 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:14.680 A woman that has a meek and quiet spirit is a woman whose heart rests confidently in God. 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:18.360 Who's gentle because she is secure in Christ. 00:26:18.360 --> 00:26:21.840 A woman whose peace is not controlled by circumstances. 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:24.840 She understands that God is in control of her life. 00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:27.099 She doesn't have to dominate every conversation. 00:26:27.399 --> 00:26:28.899 She doesn't have to be in control of everything. 00:26:29.159 --> 00:26:31.359 No, here's what a woman like that does. 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:32.639 She just trusts the Lord. 00:26:33.959 --> 00:26:35.720 He says that's what you should strive for. 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:39.879 That's going to make a difference when people get to know who you really are. 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:42.099 And then Peter says something remarkable. 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:47.359 That type of woman, which is in the sight of God, of great price. 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:54.740 See, what God is describing here, the world doesn't applaud that. 00:26:54.839 --> 00:27:03.939 The world applauds physical beauty and notices expensive clothes and measures people, especially women, by appearance. 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:09.359 But what Peter's describing here is God applauds spiritual beauty. 00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:12.699 He notices humble hearts. 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:15.899 He measures the character of the woman. 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:18.119 That's what God looks at. 00:27:18.679 --> 00:27:23.279 I mean, we know the verse, and it's been misquoted and misused many times to do whatever you want. 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:28.279 No, but what the truth is, is as God reminded Samuel, man looketh on the outward appearance. 00:27:28.939 --> 00:27:30.179 But God looks on the heart. 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:33.959 See, he looked, Samuel came and said, man, David's got to be the king. 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:36.019 He said, listen, it's not about how they look. 00:27:36.099 --> 00:27:37.779 I mean, he said, David's brother's got to be the king. 00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:38.819 He said, not how he looks. 00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:40.599 I'm looking for a man after my own heart. 00:27:41.199 --> 00:27:42.319 That's why David was king. 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:48.240 See, that's always been true, whether it's King David or a wife or a husband or a child, 00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:54.539 that we need to focus on the inward man, the hidden man, the things that really make a difference. 00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:59.599 Proverbs 31, 30 summarizes Peter's point so beautifully. 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:08.439 It says this, favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:11.340 Listen, God's not against beauty. 00:28:12.340 --> 00:28:15.460 Thankfully, he made women a lot more beautiful than he did men. 00:28:16.620 --> 00:28:17.920 You should be thankful if you're married. 00:28:18.059 --> 00:28:21.259 I mean, like, that was your chance, man, setting you up, softball. 00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:23.080 Hit it out of the park next time. 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:26.320 But here's what he reminds us, that beauty is temporary. 00:28:28.059 --> 00:28:31.500 The fear of the Lord becomes more beautiful with every passing year. 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:41.720 The woman who walks closely with Jesus becomes increasingly more beautiful to her husband and to her children and to those around her. 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:41.920 Why? 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:44.160 Because Christ is shaping her heart. 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:46.460 That's what Peter is saying. 00:28:46.779 --> 00:28:50.660 That's what, especially to this group of people that were maybe living with unbelieving husbands, 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:53.539 he said, that's what your husband needs to see. 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.079 That's the beauty you should pursue. 00:28:57.079 --> 00:29:00.899 And that's the application for all of us, not just for women. 00:29:01.879 --> 00:29:04.019 I mean, we naturally spend time caring for our bodies. 00:29:04.939 --> 00:29:06.359 I mean, we exercise sometimes. 00:29:06.879 --> 00:29:09.819 We eat all the time because our stomach tells us, hey, it's time to eat. 00:29:09.879 --> 00:29:10.819 We take care of it that way. 00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:12.819 Hopefully, we brush our teeth. 00:29:13.399 --> 00:29:15.919 We try to fix our hair to the best of our ability. 00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:19.019 There's nothing wrong with these things. 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:23.279 But Peter's kind of helping us focus in on this thought. 00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:26.960 How much time do we spend cultivating our soul? 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:30.839 How much time do we allow God to shape our heart? 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:35.879 Do we spend as much time in God's word as we do in front of a mirror? 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:42.619 Do we care as much about Christ-likeness as we do our appearance? 00:29:43.819 --> 00:29:45.720 That's what he wants us to ask ourselves. 00:29:46.579 --> 00:29:47.539 Because that's what's going to matter. 00:29:47.859 --> 00:29:50.259 In the long run, that's what's going to help our life. 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:55.799 See, God never is condemning outward care and appearance of our life. 00:29:55.900 --> 00:30:00.119 But he simply insists that the inward beauty always should come first. 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:02.660 That that should be the priority of our life. 00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:08.539 So Peter has shown us where true beauty comes from. 00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:12.700 It comes inward from the heart that God is controlling, that God is shaping. 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:15.580 And now he gives some examples. 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:19.420 He points to some women who actually live this way. 00:30:20.380 --> 00:30:24.740 Because just like we mentioned this morning, sometimes it's easier to learn a truth when you see it played out. 00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:26.819 Because sometimes you think, well, I'm not sure. 00:30:27.059 --> 00:30:28.279 That's not even possible. 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:31.359 But he gives us some role models in verse number 5. 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:44.160 For after this manner, in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham. 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:48.299 Notice what Peter says there at the very beginning, though. 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:52.279 He says their greatest characteristic wasn't submission. 00:30:52.819 --> 00:30:53.920 It wasn't their beauty. 00:30:54.200 --> 00:30:55.579 It wasn't their hospitality. 00:30:55.579 --> 00:30:59.799 No, in verse 5, here's the great characteristic of godly women. 00:31:00.179 --> 00:31:01.679 They trusted God. 00:31:02.399 --> 00:31:03.740 That's the very first thing he mentions. 00:31:04.439 --> 00:31:09.399 For after this manner, in the holy time, holy women also, who trusted in God. 00:31:10.439 --> 00:31:12.720 What he's reminding us is their hope. 00:31:12.859 --> 00:31:14.319 And he gives Sarah as an example. 00:31:14.639 --> 00:31:15.839 It wasn't in their husband. 00:31:17.099 --> 00:31:19.619 Sarah wasn't hoping that Abraham was going to save her life. 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:22.519 No, her confidence wasn't in the circumstances around it. 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:25.419 Their security wasn't found in all of the things that they had. 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:28.079 No, their hope was in the Lord. 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:30.619 And she was willing to submit. 00:31:31.240 --> 00:31:34.220 Because she understood what God was doing and how God was working in her life. 00:31:34.379 --> 00:31:38.339 And when we trust God's wisdom, we're going to willingly obey his design. 00:31:39.139 --> 00:31:39.960 And that's what we see. 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:45.079 Now, if you've read the book of Genesis, and you've read the story of Abraham and Sarah, 00:31:45.079 --> 00:31:48.599 you know very quickly, Sarah was not perfect. 00:31:49.779 --> 00:31:52.859 Sarah laughed when God promised her a son. 00:31:53.699 --> 00:31:57.740 And I'd imagine pretty much all the women in here and the husbands would have laughed. 00:31:58.059 --> 00:31:59.559 Because they weren't real young. 00:32:00.139 --> 00:32:01.539 They were way up there in years. 00:32:01.740 --> 00:32:03.740 She said, I'm way too old for that. 00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:05.379 And God said, I'm going to give you a son. 00:32:05.439 --> 00:32:06.179 She said, yeah, right. 00:32:06.879 --> 00:32:08.839 And they named him Isaac, which means laughter. 00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:14.819 She was the one that suggested that Abraham go into Hagar, the handmaid. 00:32:15.339 --> 00:32:17.539 Because it seemed like God had forgotten the promises. 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:20.259 She had moments of weakness. 00:32:20.919 --> 00:32:24.419 And Peter isn't presenting Sarah as this perfect woman. 00:32:24.639 --> 00:32:28.379 No, he's presenting her as a woman whose hope was ultimately in the Lord. 00:32:29.339 --> 00:32:32.399 And I'm thankful God doesn't, hey, she wasn't perfect. 00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:33.799 God doesn't use perfect people. 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:34.599 There are none. 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:36.699 You know who he uses, though? 00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:37.959 People that trust him. 00:32:38.779 --> 00:32:39.639 That's what Sarah did. 00:32:40.359 --> 00:32:43.619 She had ups and downs, but ultimately she trusted God. 00:32:44.059 --> 00:32:46.699 And she was on board and she knew that God was going to do it. 00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:49.719 And Peter reminds them at the end of verse number six, 00:32:50.139 --> 00:32:55.980 whose daughters ye are, as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:00.019 That last little phrase, it could be translated like this, 00:33:00.299 --> 00:33:01.179 don't give in to fear. 00:33:01.180 --> 00:33:07.080 Because maybe they would have got down to this point and said, okay, I can do that. 00:33:07.140 --> 00:33:07.640 But you know what? 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:09.000 Sometimes we start thinking about it. 00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:10.880 It's easy to agree with it off the bat. 00:33:11.120 --> 00:33:14.060 But how does it happen when you walk out of these doors and live it? 00:33:15.120 --> 00:33:16.400 You know what happens a lot of times? 00:33:16.700 --> 00:33:17.900 Fear starts to creep in. 00:33:18.680 --> 00:33:22.660 I think fear is one of the greatest tools that Satan uses in his arsenal. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:26.420 Maybe some of the women were thinking, well, what if my husband never changes? 00:33:26.420 --> 00:33:32.380 What if I do all these things and really live a life like this and he doesn't change? 00:33:32.460 --> 00:33:37.620 What if following God's design, what if I try these things and it makes my life so much harder? 00:33:38.360 --> 00:33:41.220 It's just easy right now and, you know, I'm comfortable with it. 00:33:41.360 --> 00:33:43.259 And why don't we just let it be this way? 00:33:44.420 --> 00:33:47.180 What if I lose what little control that I have? 00:33:47.180 --> 00:33:55.500 And Peter's reminding these believing wives, your confidence isn't how your husband reacts. 00:33:55.620 --> 00:34:00.100 Your confidence should be in how your holy father, your heavenly father, will take care of you. 00:34:00.700 --> 00:34:02.279 That's what he wants them to understand. 00:34:03.660 --> 00:34:08.079 And before we move on to husbands, I just want to make sure we make something very clear. 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:10.920 Because Peter is addressing believers. 00:34:11.579 --> 00:34:13.300 He's addressing within a local church. 00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:14.180 He's writing these letters. 00:34:14.340 --> 00:34:15.599 They would have received it. 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:22.259 Because this passage many times has been misunderstood and even really misused throughout the history of the church. 00:34:23.759 --> 00:34:29.980 Because I want us to make sure that we understand this, that biblical submission never means participating in sin. 00:34:31.500 --> 00:34:35.759 Because it says to honor your husband and be in subjection to him. 00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:43.279 But if a husband asks his wife to disobey Christ, Christ's authority always comes first in any relationship. 00:34:43.280 --> 00:34:46.880 I mean, Peter was in the same spot when they were arrested for preaching the gospel. 00:34:47.220 --> 00:34:52.240 And he told the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, he said, hey, we ought to obey God rather than men. 00:34:53.040 --> 00:34:55.860 My allegiance isn't to you. 00:34:55.940 --> 00:34:57.840 My allegiance is to Christ and Christ alone. 00:34:58.780 --> 00:35:02.380 And submission is never permission for abuse. 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:11.119 Peter is not telling women here to remain silent in the face of physical abuse or sexual abuse or sinful manipulation. 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:13.260 That is not what he is saying here. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:19.519 We can't take this out of context and apply it to situations that are knowingly wrong. 00:35:20.260 --> 00:35:24.160 That the ultimate authority in every Christian marriage is not the husband. 00:35:24.420 --> 00:35:25.800 It is Christ alone. 00:35:26.500 --> 00:35:27.680 That is who is in control. 00:35:27.679 --> 00:35:34.579 So now Peter turns from wives in the first six verses and to the husbands in verse number seven. 00:35:35.500 --> 00:35:39.699 And you think, well, why do wives get six verses and husbands only get one? 00:35:40.299 --> 00:35:41.500 That's all we can handle. 00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:46.899 I mean, I thought about it a long time. 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:48.559 I think that's a really good explanation. 00:35:49.219 --> 00:35:53.000 Because I would imagine most of you would say, I mean, your wives can do six different things at one time. 00:35:53.099 --> 00:35:53.839 Like I am. 00:35:53.919 --> 00:35:55.679 I got to focus on one thing. 00:35:55.679 --> 00:36:00.940 I'm like, just tell me, just tell her, tell me what you want me to do right here and I can do that. 00:36:01.539 --> 00:36:07.839 But in all seriousness, in this one verse, Peter calls Christian husbands, here's what he wants them to do. 00:36:08.019 --> 00:36:10.299 He wants them to reflect the heart of Christ. 00:36:11.940 --> 00:36:13.379 That is the job of a husband. 00:36:13.380 --> 00:36:26.260 Just as likewise connected the first six verses to the other idea of submission, it connects the husband to submission as well. 00:36:27.079 --> 00:36:28.260 And he's not changing thoughts. 00:36:28.340 --> 00:36:29.640 He's not changing the conversation. 00:36:29.980 --> 00:36:30.980 No, he's saying this. 00:36:31.180 --> 00:36:35.700 The husband is no less responsible to live under the authority of Christ than his wife. 00:36:36.660 --> 00:36:38.260 That he has the same submission. 00:36:38.519 --> 00:36:40.440 That God is calling him to submit as well. 00:36:40.440 --> 00:36:45.420 And if anything, I think Peter raises the bar a little bit higher as he should for the man. 00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:56.579 Because if he is the one that is the leader in the home, we see it in Ephesians chapter 5 as well, that he shows, hey, a husband is to love his wife like Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. 00:36:57.200 --> 00:36:59.039 That is the love that he is supposed to display. 00:36:59.039 --> 00:37:01.199 So what is a husband called to do? 00:37:02.099 --> 00:37:07.279 In verse number 7, he's called to dwell with them according to knowledge. 00:37:08.920 --> 00:37:12.880 He's giving husbands really just some super practical advice. 00:37:13.759 --> 00:37:15.099 I mean, you can read all kinds of marriage books. 00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:17.099 Peter just nails it in one verse. 00:37:17.619 --> 00:37:20.539 Here's what he's saying to us as husbands, to the men. 00:37:20.539 --> 00:37:22.340 He's saying, you need to know your wife. 00:37:23.159 --> 00:37:24.239 You need to study her. 00:37:24.940 --> 00:37:26.420 You need to understand her. 00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:30.420 You need to become a lifelong student of your wife. 00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:32.239 Here's what he's saying. 00:37:32.519 --> 00:37:34.539 Men, pay attention. 00:37:35.940 --> 00:37:36.900 You're welcome, ladies. 00:37:39.000 --> 00:37:41.300 I'm trying to do the best I can in my own marriage. 00:37:41.800 --> 00:37:43.340 But that's really what he's saying. 00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:45.519 I mean, go back to when you were dating. 00:37:46.300 --> 00:37:47.420 I mean, you knew everything. 00:37:48.079 --> 00:37:48.420 Why? 00:37:48.619 --> 00:37:49.940 Because you were trying to impress her. 00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:51.760 You were trying to show her that you listened. 00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:53.220 You're trying to show her that you cared. 00:37:53.380 --> 00:37:55.519 I mean, you took care of yourself. 00:37:55.599 --> 00:37:56.220 You fixed your hair. 00:37:56.300 --> 00:37:56.960 You brushed your teeth. 00:37:57.019 --> 00:37:58.659 You did all the things that we talked about earlier. 00:37:58.940 --> 00:38:01.700 I mean, you were there, and you noticed what encouraged her. 00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:04.599 You noticed what brought her joy, and you brought those things. 00:38:05.139 --> 00:38:11.079 You'd show up randomly and bring her coffee or bring her flowers or whatever kind of what she appreciated. 00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:12.599 You knew what discouraged her. 00:38:12.780 --> 00:38:14.000 You learned what not to say. 00:38:15.579 --> 00:38:16.500 Now you're like, we're married. 00:38:16.559 --> 00:38:17.679 I can say whatever I want. 00:38:17.679 --> 00:38:20.319 I'm pretty sure that's not what Peter says right here. 00:38:20.960 --> 00:38:22.399 I'm pretty sure that's not how he tells us to live. 00:38:22.619 --> 00:38:24.440 He said, learn what weighs on her heart. 00:38:25.839 --> 00:38:29.379 See, the longer that you're married, the more you should know about your wife, not less. 00:38:30.960 --> 00:38:35.539 That every day is an opportunity to know her more, to learn more about her. 00:38:35.539 --> 00:38:41.179 I mean, if we're not careful, it can be easy for us to assume, well, I've known her for 20 years. 00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:42.460 Wow. 00:38:42.619 --> 00:38:44.820 This is going to be shocking news, but sometimes people grow. 00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:46.699 Sometimes people change. 00:38:47.420 --> 00:38:48.579 Sometimes likes change. 00:38:48.639 --> 00:38:49.199 Sometimes things. 00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:53.039 I mean, my wife just found out I like golden Oreos more than regular Oreos. 00:38:53.900 --> 00:38:56.139 See, it's just a constant process. 00:38:57.059 --> 00:38:58.019 Life changes. 00:38:58.420 --> 00:38:59.300 Needs change. 00:38:59.940 --> 00:39:00.860 Responsibilities change. 00:39:01.159 --> 00:39:01.940 Work changes. 00:39:01.940 --> 00:39:02.900 Whatever it may be. 00:39:03.079 --> 00:39:05.099 And we can't just assume, well, you know what? 00:39:05.179 --> 00:39:08.000 I told her I loved her when I was at the altar, and if it changes, I'll let her know. 00:39:08.860 --> 00:39:10.360 It's just not a great way to live. 00:39:11.360 --> 00:39:12.260 I mean, that's what Peter's saying. 00:39:12.720 --> 00:39:14.340 You've got to have some knowledge about it. 00:39:14.820 --> 00:39:16.460 You've got to be serious about it. 00:39:16.460 --> 00:39:24.539 We're not just to love our wives a whole bunch at the beginning and then just kind of let it be and just let it coast through the rest. 00:39:25.860 --> 00:39:27.699 Think about how Jesus loves you. 00:39:29.500 --> 00:39:34.659 He knows you better than anybody, and he loves you better than anybody. 00:39:35.599 --> 00:39:36.539 He knows your weakness. 00:39:37.139 --> 00:39:38.019 He knows your fears. 00:39:38.300 --> 00:39:39.179 He knows your joys. 00:39:39.380 --> 00:39:40.519 He knows everything about it. 00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:44.219 And he doesn't love from a distance and say, hey, I told you I loved you a long time ago when you got saved. 00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:48.219 No, I feel in my own life that he loves me more every single day. 00:39:49.079 --> 00:39:51.119 That he's constantly pursuing me. 00:39:51.300 --> 00:39:53.800 That he's constantly desiring a relationship for me. 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:57.599 And Christian husbands should reflect that same kind of intentional love. 00:39:59.119 --> 00:40:01.179 That's what Peter's reminding us. 00:40:01.179 --> 00:40:04.179 That we're not just to grow in our knowledge of them personally. 00:40:04.839 --> 00:40:11.579 We're to grow into our knowledge of them as humans, in a physical way. 00:40:12.719 --> 00:40:13.619 Notice what he says there. 00:40:13.699 --> 00:40:18.539 He says, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. 00:40:19.799 --> 00:40:25.119 As you can see, almost every one of these verses, I'm sure you probably heard them just kind of messed all up. 00:40:26.500 --> 00:40:28.819 Peter is not saying that women are spiritually weaker. 00:40:28.820 --> 00:40:33.820 I would submit the majority of women are spiritually stronger than most men. 00:40:35.019 --> 00:40:39.059 And I think that somewhat is the issue even in Christianity and our culture. 00:40:39.340 --> 00:40:43.320 It's not that women can't do it, but it's the fact that men are so lazy they're just going to let their wife do it. 00:40:44.360 --> 00:40:47.240 I think it's a big problem within the church. 00:40:48.320 --> 00:40:51.280 He's not saying that women are intellectually weaker. 00:40:51.600 --> 00:40:53.300 He's not saying that they're less valuable. 00:40:54.300 --> 00:40:55.460 No, in just a minute we're going to look at it. 00:40:55.539 --> 00:40:57.700 He says, no, they get the same things you do. 00:40:57.699 --> 00:40:59.779 They're heirs of the same grace. 00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:02.619 But here's what Peter's doing. 00:41:02.839 --> 00:41:05.079 He's just simply recognizing what God designed. 00:41:06.619 --> 00:41:11.559 I mean, generally speaking, God has given men greater physical strength. 00:41:12.779 --> 00:41:16.539 But notice what Peter does not say to use that strength for. 00:41:17.219 --> 00:41:19.279 He doesn't say, use your strength to control. 00:41:20.359 --> 00:41:22.759 He doesn't say, use your strength to intimidate. 00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:25.159 Use your strength to demand your way. 00:41:25.159 --> 00:41:27.940 Here's what he says to use your strength for, to honor her. 00:41:29.319 --> 00:41:33.420 To show her that you love her. 00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:41.659 See, God gave husbands the strength they have so they can protect and they can provide and they can serve and they can sacrifice. 00:41:43.099 --> 00:41:44.480 That's what he's called us to do. 00:41:45.259 --> 00:41:46.539 That sounds familiar, doesn't it? 00:41:47.599 --> 00:41:49.399 Because that's exactly what Jesus did. 00:41:49.400 --> 00:41:53.700 That's why we're to reflect the heart of Christ because that's what he did. 00:41:54.360 --> 00:41:58.360 Jesus possessed all authority and yet he washed feet. 00:41:59.619 --> 00:42:03.460 Jesus possessed all power and yet he served. 00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:08.840 Jesus possessed all glory and yet he humbled himself. 00:42:08.840 --> 00:42:16.100 Biblical leadership, biblical submission always uses strength to serve. 00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:21.340 And men, I just want to remind you, your wife should never have to wonder if she's safe with you. 00:42:21.579 --> 00:42:27.280 Your words and your actions and your leadership, it should make her feel loved and valued and protected and cherished. 00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:29.220 That's what Peter is reminding us. 00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:31.780 That's what he calls us to do. 00:42:31.780 --> 00:42:38.460 And we're not just to grow in our knowledge of our wives personally, but of them spiritually. 00:42:39.300 --> 00:42:45.660 It says there in verse number 7, and being heirs together of the grace of life. 00:42:46.960 --> 00:42:48.180 I mean, what a beautiful statement. 00:42:49.800 --> 00:42:51.640 Especially in this setting. 00:42:52.519 --> 00:42:53.980 Especially in the first century. 00:42:54.620 --> 00:42:59.160 In a culture where women were much treated like property. 00:42:59.860 --> 00:43:01.600 And here's what Peter is saying. 00:43:01.780 --> 00:43:05.440 Men, I want you to remember who she is. 00:43:06.440 --> 00:43:08.400 What value she has. 00:43:08.800 --> 00:43:12.100 And I want to remind all the husbands in here tonight and future husbands. 00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:16.380 Before she's your wife, she is a daughter of God. 00:43:16.720 --> 00:43:17.840 That's what Peter is saying. 00:43:18.560 --> 00:43:22.840 That as men, we don't have some special privilege and we get certain things when we get to heaven. 00:43:23.040 --> 00:43:25.800 No, we're all saved by the same blood. 00:43:26.040 --> 00:43:28.880 We're all forgiven the same way, by the same Savior. 00:43:28.880 --> 00:43:30.900 We're indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. 00:43:31.160 --> 00:43:34.320 And we are all fellow heirs of the same eternal life. 00:43:34.900 --> 00:43:37.820 He's reminding us that we're equal before the cross. 00:43:37.940 --> 00:43:39.260 That we're equal in salvation. 00:43:39.579 --> 00:43:40.599 That we're equal in value. 00:43:40.820 --> 00:43:42.579 But yes, God has given us different roles. 00:43:43.599 --> 00:43:48.000 And when you remember that as a husband, you're going to speak differently to her. 00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:50.179 You're going to lead differently. 00:43:50.760 --> 00:43:52.000 You're going to listen differently. 00:43:52.820 --> 00:43:54.000 You're going to forgive differently. 00:43:56.159 --> 00:44:00.460 And then Peter closes with a really strong warning given to the husbands. 00:44:00.880 --> 00:44:02.300 He said, why should you live like this? 00:44:02.360 --> 00:44:03.780 Why should you do these things? 00:44:04.159 --> 00:44:08.280 The very last phrase, that your prayers be not hindered. 00:44:08.280 --> 00:44:20.460 See, what Peter is saying in this last little phrase of verse number 7 is that your relationship with your wife is going to affect your relationship with your heavenly father. 00:44:21.740 --> 00:44:30.920 That a husband cannot continually ignore and belittle and dishonor and mistreat his wife and expect some intimate fellowship with his heavenly father. 00:44:32.160 --> 00:44:34.620 And it really, honestly, it doesn't matter what relationship it is. 00:44:34.940 --> 00:44:36.820 Sin always affects fellowship. 00:44:36.820 --> 00:44:45.680 If we're having problems here vertically with people, we're going to have issues here, I mean horizontally, we're going to have issues vertically with God. 00:44:46.460 --> 00:44:50.900 Because I'm pretty sure Jesus said this, love God, love people. 00:44:51.700 --> 00:44:57.640 We can't have this wonderful relationship with God and just have problems all the time with everybody else. 00:44:57.860 --> 00:44:59.340 It does not work that way. 00:45:00.500 --> 00:45:04.519 See, God takes the way that we treat our spouse very seriously. 00:45:04.519 --> 00:45:11.239 I mean, men, you can know the Bible, you can teach a class, you can serve in the church, you can preach a sermon. 00:45:11.519 --> 00:45:16.980 But if we continually fail to love and honor our wives, Peter says this, something spiritually is bad wrong. 00:45:18.239 --> 00:45:19.519 We need to check our heart. 00:45:21.579 --> 00:45:24.019 And as I close, I just want to remind us of one last truth. 00:45:25.259 --> 00:45:28.500 That marriage is not just about you and your spouse. 00:45:28.500 --> 00:45:30.860 Marriage ultimately is about this. 00:45:31.199 --> 00:45:33.360 It's about pointing people to Christ. 00:45:34.500 --> 00:45:35.500 That's what it is. 00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:43.039 If all you saw in these seven verses was marriage advice, I think you missed Peter's point. 00:45:44.139 --> 00:45:46.500 I think when you go to Ephesians chapter 5, you missed Paul's point. 00:45:47.159 --> 00:45:49.980 That marriage was never intended to be an end of itself. 00:45:50.820 --> 00:45:53.219 No, it was designed to point people to Christ. 00:45:53.219 --> 00:46:01.819 After Paul gives that big list, much like this one in Ephesians 5, he talks about wives submitting to your husbands and husbands loving your wives as the church. 00:46:01.980 --> 00:46:04.579 He says this, this is a great mystery. 00:46:04.819 --> 00:46:06.119 He said, but I'm going to let you know what it is. 00:46:06.339 --> 00:46:09.500 I speak concerning Christ and the church. 00:46:10.599 --> 00:46:12.299 You know what every marriage is intended to be? 00:46:12.480 --> 00:46:14.819 It's intended to be a living picture of the gospel. 00:46:14.820 --> 00:46:23.440 See, when a husband sacrificially loves his wife, he reflects the love that Christ had for his church. 00:46:24.280 --> 00:46:31.519 And when a wife honors and supports her husband, she reflects the church's joyful submission to Jesus' authority. 00:46:32.280 --> 00:46:33.240 That is the picture. 00:46:34.200 --> 00:46:38.900 Neither role, a husband or a wife, exists to elevate themselves. 00:46:39.360 --> 00:46:43.580 Both roles exist for one thing, to exalt Jesus Christ. 00:46:43.579 --> 00:46:45.940 Christ, that's exactly what Paul is saying. 00:46:46.119 --> 00:46:47.500 That's exactly what Peter is saying. 00:46:49.059 --> 00:46:56.299 And Peter has reminded us throughout this letter, and he's going to continue to do so, that the world is watching. 00:46:57.519 --> 00:47:04.239 And our marriages are either going to adorn the gospel, they're going to beautify it, or they're going to obscure it. 00:47:04.860 --> 00:47:09.880 They're going to say, if that's what a Christian marriage looks like, I think I'll just take my chances doing it the way the world does it. 00:47:10.599 --> 00:47:11.699 I don't even need to get married. 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:15.059 We'll just say, hey, we're just going to live together, and we'll just be fine, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. 00:47:15.239 --> 00:47:16.739 That's not how God designed marriage. 00:47:17.179 --> 00:47:20.679 That's not why he calls us to marriage. 00:47:21.839 --> 00:47:25.159 But we do understand this, that no marriage is perfect. 00:47:26.679 --> 00:47:29.960 And that's why the answer isn't, if you're having marriage problems, try harder. 00:47:31.039 --> 00:47:33.579 No, the answer to any situation in marriage is this. 00:47:33.980 --> 00:47:36.419 Walk closer with Jesus. 00:47:36.420 --> 00:47:40.320 And that goes for any relationship that we have. 00:47:40.940 --> 00:47:42.400 You want your life to be better? 00:47:42.440 --> 00:47:46.519 You want to be a better husband, a better wife, a better son, a better daughter, a better friend, a better co-worker? 00:47:46.900 --> 00:47:49.559 Walk closer with Jesus. 00:47:50.539 --> 00:47:52.980 Submit to the authority of Christ. 00:47:54.099 --> 00:48:00.079 See, when two people are both pursuing Jesus, they naturally grow closer to one another. 00:48:00.079 --> 00:48:02.819 That's how he wants it to be. 00:48:04.319 --> 00:48:09.279 See, a Christ-centered marriage doesn't point people to a perfect husband or a perfect wife. 00:48:10.519 --> 00:48:13.360 No, really what it should do is say, I want what they have. 00:48:13.380 --> 00:48:14.420 How do they have that? 00:48:15.039 --> 00:48:16.319 You ask them, here's what they're going to say. 00:48:16.940 --> 00:48:17.340 Jesus. 00:48:19.079 --> 00:48:20.619 Listen, we have our problems. 00:48:20.619 --> 00:48:24.359 I love talking to older people that have been married a long time. 00:48:25.500 --> 00:48:32.480 Some of my favorite people to talk to was Brother Ross and Miss Merrill Tamplin. 00:48:36.920 --> 00:48:38.119 I didn't know I was going to say this. 00:48:41.460 --> 00:48:42.480 But they would come in here. 00:48:42.539 --> 00:48:46.900 They've been married, what, 74 years and nine months, holding hands. 00:48:46.900 --> 00:48:50.740 I always thought to myself, man, I want that. 00:48:52.180 --> 00:48:56.200 I want to make it all the way to the end, loving my wife like that. 00:48:58.840 --> 00:49:00.400 Brother Ross said, you know how we got here? 00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:01.320 Jesus. 00:49:02.800 --> 00:49:04.320 That's exactly how it happens. 00:49:05.400 --> 00:49:06.400 It wasn't some secret formula. 00:49:06.480 --> 00:49:08.039 He didn't give me ten books to go read. 00:49:08.360 --> 00:49:09.000 I'm not against that. 00:49:09.059 --> 00:49:11.119 I think sometimes we need some help in different things like that. 00:49:11.880 --> 00:49:14.180 But I'm thankful for people that lived it out in this church. 00:49:14.180 --> 00:49:16.139 And we have some people in here that have been married a long, long time. 00:49:16.900 --> 00:49:20.800 If you're a younger married couple, look at those people. 00:49:21.619 --> 00:49:22.940 You're going to find out real quickly. 00:49:23.019 --> 00:49:24.519 You spend some time with them, ask the wife. 00:49:24.559 --> 00:49:26.180 They'll tell you they're not perfect, at least the husband. 00:49:28.400 --> 00:49:28.960 But you know what? 00:49:28.980 --> 00:49:30.099 You're going to find out they love Jesus. 00:49:30.860 --> 00:49:32.700 They're trying the very best they can to serve him. 00:49:34.840 --> 00:49:37.240 See, because the gospel isn't something we simply believe. 00:49:37.300 --> 00:49:38.320 It's something we live. 00:49:38.320 --> 00:49:43.660 And when two people live out the gospel, it changes a marriage. 00:49:44.480 --> 00:49:45.539 It changes a relationship. 00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:50.360 Anybody can appear spiritual for an hour on a Sunday. 00:49:50.360 --> 00:50:00.740 But the people who know us best, our spouse, our children, our family, they know who we really are. 00:50:02.059 --> 00:50:05.340 Jesus didn't say go out and preach the gospel to the whole world and just the world. 00:50:05.440 --> 00:50:06.920 You know, he said, take it home with you. 00:50:06.920 --> 00:50:10.659 That's one of the greatest training grounds that we have. 00:50:11.579 --> 00:50:13.860 That we live the gospel out. 00:50:14.440 --> 00:50:16.619 The things we hear, we teach to our children. 00:50:17.159 --> 00:50:19.340 That we love our wives the same way. 00:50:20.619 --> 00:50:22.740 It needs to be on display at home. 00:50:22.739 --> 00:50:26.059 And I'll leave you with this thought and we're done. 00:50:27.079 --> 00:50:30.439 A Christ-centered marriage isn't built by two perfect people. 00:50:31.619 --> 00:50:38.079 It's built by two imperfect people who continually surrender to a perfect Savior. 00:50:39.419 --> 00:50:43.739 See, Peter's not addressing all this weird submission things and things that our world takes. 00:50:43.899 --> 00:50:45.059 No, that's what he's saying. 00:50:46.099 --> 00:50:47.539 That's what's going to make a difference. 00:50:48.399 --> 00:50:50.359 And will we be a people that live that way? 00:50:50.360 --> 00:50:54.720 So that we can share the gospel with everybody that we come in contact with. 00:50:54.740 --> 00:50:55.620 Would you stand with your head?