Good morning and welcome to our Typhoon Sunday family worship service.
I hope you are warm and cozy, safe and secure at home.
Thanks for joining us today, even if via the internet.
It was Elizabeth Elliot who said,
The secular world looks for happiness through self-assertion.
The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment.
Elizabeth Elliot was a missionary in the jungles of Ecuador amongst Indian tribespeople in the 1950s,
along with her husband Jim Elliot.
They had met at university and gone to the mission field in Ecuador independently of each other.
But there they met again, they had married and they had their first child there.
Soon afterwards, Elizabeth's husband Jim, along with four friends,
decided to try and meet the Hurani Indians face to face.
In order to get to know them, to love them, to tell them about Jesus.
It was a risk as these Indians were known by neighboring tribes to be savages.
A few hours after these five men left, news came back to the camp.
Jim and the other four missionaries had been found speared to death,
lying on the beaches near the Hurani tribe.
Jim and Elizabeth Elliot's daughter was just 10 months old.
But rather than returning to America to pursue a life of comfort and convenience,
she decided to stay in Ecuador to continue to live and work amongst the tribe's people.
And two years later, she and her daughter moved to live amongst the Hurani people,
the very tribe who had killed her husband just a few years before.
Elizabeth Elliot writes,
The secular world looks for happiness through self-assertion and self-preservation.
The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment.
Today's passage of scripture is 1 Peter 3, verse 1-7.
But we're going to start by looking at chapter 2, verse 21.
It's a passage of scripture which has caused more heat than light.
And yet because these are the words of a good God,
who knows us better than we know ourselves,
and because Jesus really is who he said he is,
the passage of scripture we look at today are words of good news.
Good news for our own hearts.
Good news for our marriages.
Good news for our homes.
If Elizabeth Elliot is right,
if Jesus Christ is right,
that true joy is found in self-abandonment,
not self-assertion,
today's passage is a call to true joy.
This morning's passage really is part two of the arguments Chris unpacked for us last week.
These two passages together are one unit of thought with three applications.
And last week Chris looked at the first two applications.
Today's passage of scripture looks at the third.
So let's recap the flow of thought.
Remember the whole book of 1 Peter is a call for Christians to live lives that are distinctive and devoted.
Because this world is not our home,
because we belong to Jesus,
and therefore we live with a different hope.
We walk to a different tune.
So in chapter 2 verse 11 to 20,
Peter encourages the Christians to live distinctively in an unjust society.
The people to whom Peter is writing are being ostracized and criticized.
They are being marginalized and discriminated against because they are Christians.
They are regarded as bad news for society because they would not worship the cultural gods.
They are persecuted because they are followers of Jesus.
And yet rather than fighting back or protesting against this abuse or standing up for their rights
or even being passive aggressive, disrespecting their bosses behind their backs,
Peter says don't do that.
That's how you live if your hope is tied up to this world.
But you are born again to a living hope.
A hope which cannot perish, spoil or fade.
And so live distinctively.
Live devoted to Jesus.
And the reason he says this is because, verse 21,
because of Jesus.
The main point there was that Jesus Christ is the most perfect example of someone who did not demand his rights.
But he submitted himself to what was unworthy of him,
being treated unjustly.
But he did so because this world was not his home,
because his identity is found in God.
And as verse 23 said,
he entrusted himself to God the Father.
That's the key.
Jesus entrusted himself to God the Father.
He trusted in God even as he approached the cross.
He trusted that his life and his hope were not found in the hands of those who tied him up.
His life was not in the hands of those who bound him or beat him.
But even in the midst of what seemed as if it was not right,
he trusted in God as Father.
And therefore,
he could lay down his life.
He could forego what he was legitimately entitled to,
to live selflessly and sacrificially,
saying,
not my will,
but your will be done.
Throughout this letter,
Peter has been telling us that being a Christian is not just about praying a prayer,
or knowing Bible stories.
It's about a changed life,
a different way of seeing the world.
Being a Christian means everything is different,
because we have a new hope,
and a new purpose in Jesus.
And this has been Peter's plea to his readers the whole time.
That because your life is found in Jesus,
you have a different view of suffering.
Because your life is found in Jesus,
you can handle injustice.
Because of Jesus,
although you are treated like the rubbish of the earth,
you are in fact a royal priesthood,
a holy people.
Because of Jesus,
you don't need to fight for your rights.
You don't need to demand what you think you're entitled to.
You don't need to go about life feeling like a victim when things don't go your way.
Because what you have in Jesus,
and what you have in the gospel,
is more than sufficient to cover any shame you may suffer,
for being a follower of Jesus.
Because Jesus Christ is enough.
Friends, do you know this?
Do you know in your heart that Jesus Christ is more than enough?
Because otherwise,
when pressure comes,
and life gets difficult,
and persecution comes,
or people don't treat you fairly,
you may feel tempted to feel sorry for yourself,
and when things get really bad,
you will shake your fists in the air at God,
and say,
why is this happening to me?
I thought you were meant to be a good God.
Friends,
we have to know this,
that Jesus Christ is enough.
Robert Murray McShane was a Scottish minister,
and he actually died at the very young age of 29,
from a sickness he contracted.
He said this,
And so this has been Peter's plea,
keep your eyes fixed on Jesus,
because he's more than enough.
And so as we saw last week,
because Jesus is enough,
you don't need to insist on your rights,
and your privileges,
but you can live distinctively like Jesus,
in both society,
and the workplace,
even when you're being treated unfairly.
And now Peter gives us a third application,
live distinctively like Jesus,
at home.
Peter's going to,
first address the married woman,
and then married men.
And show how this gospel,
speaks to our marriages.
Now for those of you,
who are not yet married,
don't dial out just yet,
because what Peter's going to say,
to us actually addresses our hearts,
not just our behavior.
And in some ways,
this will be applicable to all of us.
So firstly,
wives be distinctive,
in your womanhood.
Let's look at chapter 3,
verse 1 to 2 together.
Peter says,
Likewise,
wives be subject,
to your own husbands,
so that even if some do not obey the word,
they may be won without a word,
by the conduct of their wives,
when they see your respectful,
and pure conduct.
Now in order to understand this,
we need to notice a few things.
First,
notice the first word.
What does it say?
It says likewise.
Well,
like what?
Well,
like he said in chapter 2,
verse 13,
Christians be subject,
to human institutions.
And in verse 18,
servants be subject,
to your masters.
And now he says,
likewise,
wives be subject,
to your husbands.
So let's think about this.
If you are a Christian,
who is your highest authority?
That's right.
It's King Jesus.
That's what it means,
to be a Christian.
It means you've turned away,
from a life,
where you are your own master.
You acknowledge your sin,
and you surrender to Jesus.
You hand over the throne,
of your life,
to King Jesus.
Now he is your Lord,
and master.
He is your king.
And now you live a life,
of faith in him,
obeying him,
trusting him,
and loving him,
as Lord.
So,
in chapter 2,
verse 13,
when the Roman rulers,
were threatening the Christians,
or giving them a hard time,
they might have been tempted,
to say,
well I'm not under your authority,
I'm under Jesus' authority.
Or they could have said,
we have a higher authority,
than you.
I don't need to listen to you,
I only listen to Jesus.
But actually,
Peter says something,
counterintuitive.
He says,
because Jesus is your Lord,
follow his example.
Lay down your rights,
choose to submit to the emperor,
as part of your worship,
to King Jesus.
And then he says the same thing,
in chapter 2,
verse 18.
If a Christian's boss,
or master,
was giving them a hard time,
they might have been tempted,
to say,
well I'm not under your authority,
I'm under Jesus' authority.
Or they could have said,
I have a higher authority,
than you.
I won't listen to you,
I only listen to Jesus.
But what does Peter say?
As part of your worship,
and your submission to King Jesus,
follow his example,
by laying down your rights,
and choose to submit to your boss.
And now he says the same thing.
Likewise,
in the same way,
wives submit to your husbands.
In other words,
as part of your worship,
as part of your submission,
to King Jesus,
follow his example,
by laying down your rights,
and choose to follow your husband.
Another way of saying it is,
because your life is found in Jesus,
and because Jesus is more than enough,
live selflessly,
live sacrificially,
not insisting on your own rights,
or demanding your own way.
Now why does Peter say this?
What's going on here,
that makes Peter say this?
Well the next part of the sentence tells us,
look what it says,
it says,
likewise,
wives be subject to your own husbands,
so that,
even if some do not obey God's word,
they may be won without a word,
by the conduct of their wives,
when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
You see,
what's going on here,
is that some of these ladies in the church,
had become Christians,
but their husbands weren't believers.
Or they,
maybe were Christians,
but they didn't take God's word very seriously.
Now the custom in,
Greek or Roman world at the time,
was that a husband's position,
and honor in society,
was very much dependent,
on how his wife and children were,
and whether they honored him,
as the head of the home.
In fact,
in this society,
it was expected,
that a man's wife,
would have no friends of her own,
because all her social relationships,
were tied to that of her own husbands.
And certainly a wife,
would not worship a God,
foreign to her husband's gods.
And so if a woman became a Christian,
this was a big deal.
This would put massive pressure on the family,
and the marriage,
because firstly,
it would automatically be considered rebellion,
which would bring shame,
and loss of face to her husband.
But additionally,
if she joined the community of believers,
and joined the church,
developing friends,
outside of her husband's circle of friends,
this would be received,
as being shameful for her husband.
And so what should a Christian wife do?
Should she honor her husband's desires,
which might mean not going to church?
Or should she insist on her own rights,
and freedoms that her newfound faith in Jesus gave her?
Peter doesn't tell these women,
to do this or that.
But he goes after the heart.
And this is what he says,
You see,
friends,
this is the very opposite of the world's understanding of freedom.
In the secular world's understanding of freedom,
freedom means having no constraints,
being able to live as I want,
how I want,
to pursue my own dreams and my own desires unhindered.
In the world's understanding of freedom,
I get to do what I want,
when I want,
how I want.
But actually,
in the end,
we become slaves to our own desires.
But Peter says that Jesus gives you a freedom to live selflessly,
sacrificially,
to say no to your own desires for the benefit of another.
And the reason is simple,
because the spirit of Jesus,
the most selfless,
sacrificial man who ever lived,
now lives inside of us,
because you've been mastered by him.
What is astonishing is that in Peter's day,
the secular philosophers would never address women or slaves.
That was a prerogative of the husbands or the head of the home.
Women and slaves were considered second class citizens.
And so no religious leader would dare address them.
But Peter does address them.
And so on the one hand,
Peter is cutting across the culture of his day
by affirming the value and the dignity of these women.
And the fact that they're not just objects in a man's household,
but responsible human beings,
capable of making their own choices and choosing their own behavior.
So Peter gives them a dignity and a respect,
which is unprecedented in Greek thought.
But at the same time,
no husband could ever complain that Peter's encouraging rebellion
or undermining his own authority,
because Peter explicitly affirms the husband's leadership
and position in the home.
And what is his rationale for this submission?
It's not the expectations of Greek or Roman society.
It's the authority and the example of Jesus.
Because Jesus is enough.
Because in Jesus,
you have such a depth of freedom
that you can freely deny your own desires
for the sake of another.
That in Jesus,
you have a treasure deep enough
that you don't need to fight for your individuality and your rights.
Jesus Christ is enough.
You see,
this freedom to serve rather than to be served,
this freedom to give love rather than demand love,
this freedom to give of yourself
rather than thinking of yourself
is what characterized New Testament Christianity.
And the reason is because this is the heart of Jesus.
New Testament scholar F.F. Bruce
sums this up in a remarkable way.
He says,
Do you see that?
Peter is so free,
he's not even enslaved to the idea of being free.
He's so free,
he could give up his independence
when it benefited others for him to do so.
Because Jesus Christ was enough.
Now,
what do you think happens
when a Roman or Greek wife
responds to her husband like this?
Well,
Peter gives us two consequences.
First,
a wordless sermon.
Look at what he says here.
He says,
Wives,
be subject to your husbands
so that even if some do not obey the word,
they may be won over
without a word
by the conduct of their wives
when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
Last week,
Chris quoted that amazing statement
by Bill Clinton
after Mother Teresa
had just challenged his views on abortion.
Bill Clinton stood up,
not knowing what to say.
He simply said,
It's difficult to argue with a life well lived.
And this is what Peter is saying.
Your unbelieving husband may not agree with you.
He may not even like Christianity,
but it's going to be hard for him to argue
with a well lived life.
Your life will preach the gospel
and testify to the beauty of Jesus.
But then there's a second consequence of this.
It's an untouchable beauty.
Look at verse 3 to 5 with me.
He says,
Wives,
An untouchable beauty.
In Hong Kong,
we spend an inordinate amount of money
on beauty and cosmetic products.
The beauty and cosmetic products industry
in Hong Kong is worth billions of dollars
and is projected to grow
by almost 50% in the next three years.
Just think of how many billboards
advertising products and treatment
filled the corridors of our NTR stations.
But what is devastating about this industry
is that so many of the people
who really do spend thousands and thousands of dollars
feel no more worthwhile,
no more lovely,
no more lovable
for all the investment in the industry.
A few years ago,
a 19-year-old Australian model,
Essena O'Neill,
had half a million Instagram followers
and she decided to quit social media
and to be honest about her life
striving to look beautiful on social media.
This is what she writes,
I would spend hours
looking at everybody else's perfect lives
and I strived to make mine look just as good.
I had half a million followers
and I was famous
but I still felt average.
I'm just a girl.
It suffocated me.
I was lonely
and I was miserable.
Now friends,
is it wrong to want to look beautiful or attractive?
Should Christian women be banned
from wearing makeup
or wearing good clothing?
Does Peter say,
Now I don't want women to look attractive
but rather make yourselves
as ordinary and as boring as possible?
Is that what Peter is saying?
Of course not.
But he does call us to a much higher calling.
He says,
Let your adorning,
your beautification,
be the hidden person of the heart.
So what's Peter saying here?
He's calling Christian women
to be so stunningly beautiful,
so exquisitely attractive
and so spectacularly gorgeous
that others cannot help
but stop and take notice of you.
But not because of your expensive clothing,
not because of your fashionable accessories,
but because of the stunning beauty
of your character,
because of the beauty of your security in Jesus,
and because of the attractiveness
of your unshakable hope
and confidence in the living God.
He says,
This is how holy women
who hoped in God
used to adorn themselves.
Friends,
if you are a teenager,
let me ask you to sit up
and listen for just a second.
Every day,
you are being lied to
and you are being disrespected
by social media
and by advertising companies
which lie to you,
telling you that your value
and your dignity
are found
in your physical appearance
or how socially acceptable you are.
How you look,
where you shop,
who's interested in you,
what clothes you are wearing
or accessories you have.
Friends,
it's a lie.
And for some of you,
it's already become a rope
around your neck.
You're a slave
to other people's opinions
and it's killing you.
There is a way
to be free from that.
It's to be adorned
with the beauty
that comes from
a rock solid security
and confidence in Jesus.
Friends,
if you don't want to be ordinary,
if you want to glow
with a beauty
that takes people's breath away.
Friends,
if you want to glow
with a beauty
that neither age
nor changing fashion
can steal from you,
if you want to be free
from the cruelty
and the tyranny
of wondering about your appearance
and what people think about you
or whether you look good enough,
follow the footsteps
of the godly women
who have gone before you.
They may never make it
on the cover of magazines,
but their lives
have radiated
with a beauty
and a magnificence
that very few others
have ever known.
Friends,
Jesus Christ
is enough
and therefore
you can live lives
of self-sacrifice,
finding your hope
and your identity
in him.
Well,
what about the men?
Does Peter have anything
to say to them?
Well,
secondly,
husbands,
be distinctive
in your manhood.
Let's look at verse 7 together.
Peter writes this,
Likewise,
husbands,
live with your wives
in an understanding way,
showing honor to the woman
as the weaker vessel,
since they are heirs with you
of the grace of life,
so that your prayers
may not be hindered.
Up until now,
Peter has spoken to citizens
to submit to the emperor
and governors.
He's spoken to slaves
to submit to their bosses.
He's spoken to wives
to submit to their husbands.
And now he speaks
to those
who have all the power
and all the authority
in the Greek and Roman world,
the men.
Peter's going to show
how the gospel cuts
right across male privilege
and he calls these men
to display the distinctiveness
of the gospel
by also living lives
of selfless
and sacrificial love.
Look at what he says.
He starts off saying,
Likewise,
in the same way.
In other words,
the very attitude
he has just called
these Christian women
to display
is the exact same attitude
he calls these Christian men
to display,
which is to follow Jesus
and to live lives
of selflessness
and sacrificial love,
knowing that Jesus
is enough.
Now it's going to look different
for wives,
their distinctiveness
was displayed
in selfless
and sacrificial surrender.
For husbands,
their distinctiveness
is going to be displayed
in selfless,
servant-hearted leadership.
So what does Peter say
to these Christian men?
Well, he says three things.
He says,
Be selfless
by loving your wives
with understanding.
Earlier this year,
Claire and I
went through
one of those times
in marriage
when we weren't
quite seeing eye to eye.
We weren't fighting,
but there was
a certain coldness,
a certain tension
between us.
And what was frustrating
for me was that
because I knew this,
I tried to go
the extra mile.
I tried to be around more.
I tried to serve more.
I tried to wash more dishes.
I tried to help
around the house more
in order to ease
the tension.
But it didn't seem
to help.
There was still
this coldness,
this distance
between us.
And so one day,
I had the day off.
The kids were at school
and we went for a walk
around the peak
and we both knew
it was coming.
So eventually,
we said,
okay,
what's going on
between us?
Why the distance?
I can't really remember
what I said,
but I do remember
what Claire said.
She said,
I can see you're trying
and you're doing
all the right things,
but you're not showing
any tenderness
towards me.
You see,
I was trying to do
the right things.
I was doing what I thought
was a good idea,
what seemed like
the right thing,
but it wasn't
what she needed.
It wasn't what made
her feel loved
or appreciated.
What Claire didn't need
was more service
or more flowers.
What she needed
was an apology.
Men,
do our wives
feel understood?
Do our wives
feel heard?
Do we demonstrate
thoughtfulness
to our wives?
Peter calls us
to honor the women
in our lives
by loving them
with thoughtfulness,
with understanding,
knowing what makes
them feel loved
and appreciated.
Secondly,
he says,
be selfless,
not only by loving
your wives
with understanding,
but loving your wives
with your strength.
Look what he says here.
He says,
live with your wives
in understanding,
showing honor
to the woman
as the weaker vessel.
Now,
when Peter talks
about being weaker,
it doesn't mean
weaker emotionally
or spiritually
or psychologically,
as if women
are just fragile
rose petals.
It literally just
means physically
weaker.
In Peter's day,
no one would have
contested that,
generally speaking,
men,
many of whom
were soldiers
or farmers,
were more physical
than women.
But what's Peter's point?
What's he saying?
He's saying,
husbands,
use your strength
not to serve yourself,
but to selflessly
and sacrificially
serve the woman
in your life.
His point is that
because you,
husband,
are stronger physically,
don't use that
to your advantage.
Don't take advantage
of your wife,
but in the fear of God,
use your strength
to honor her,
to encourage her,
to make much of her,
to see your wife flourish.
One of the greatest
tragedies of the fall
of humanity
and the deceitfulness
of sin in our hearts
is that as men,
we tend to use
our strength
to dominate,
to manipulate,
and to control women
rather than serving
the women in our lives.
The recent hashtag
MeToo movement
around the world
has thankfully exposed
and highlighted
some of the ways
that we as men
do this,
exploit and harass women.
But the tragedy
is that even in the church
we're not immune
from this.
And so while very few
of us will have our names
written in headlines
or plastered
across the internet,
the truth is that
the same sin
and the same tendency
to exploit
rather than to serve
is not far from
our own hearts
and therefore
not far from
our own homes.
And while this is
applicable to both
men and women,
for women are stronger
than men in other areas,
I want to address
the men for a second
and I want to ask
you if the women
in your life,
that may be your wife,
your daughters,
your girlfriend,
your colleague,
or even just female friends,
do they feel
like you use
the strengths
God has given you
to their advantage
or to your own advantage?
When you have a disagreement
with your wife,
does she feel scared
or does she feel safe?
Peter says that
one of the ways
we demonstrate
the distinctiveness
of the gospel
is the way that
we use the strength
God has given us
to selflessly
and sacrificially
serve and love
our wives.
And then thirdly,
Peter says this,
be selfless
not only by
loving your wives
with understanding,
not only by loving
your wives
with your strength,
be selfless
by loving your wife
as your equal.
Look what he says here,
he says,
husbands,
live with your wives
in an understanding way,
showing honor to the woman
as the weaker vessel,
since they are joint
heirs with you
of the grace of life,
so that your prayers
may not be hindered.
In a culture
which elevated masculinity
and looked down
upon femininity,
in a culture
which undeniably favored
men and not women,
in a culture
which honored
and advantaged men
over women,
the gospel of Jesus Christ
speaks radically
and counter-culturally
when it says
both men and women,
both husbands and wives,
both sons and daughters,
both singles and married,
both rich and poor,
both educated
and uneducated,
are completely
and utterly
equal
and worthy of honor
because both men and women,
boys and girls,
married and singles,
rich and poor,
are sinners
without hope
apart from Jesus.
Our hearts
have turned away from God.
We've become our own God
and yet in Christ
both are equally saved
and equally loved by God
and equally welcomed
into his family.
You see,
in a Roman or Greek culture
a woman wasn't really expected
to even have her own faith.
Her religion was just assumed
to be that of her husband's
and if there was a God
she would access
that God
by her husband's devotion.
But here Peter reminds us
that the ground
is equal at the cross.
He calls husbands
to see that
in the most important
area of life
who God is
and how you can know Him
and how you can be accepted
by Him.
In this most important
area of life
he calls husbands
to recognize
their wives
as equals
since they are
joint heirs with you
of the grace
of life.
And then look
what he says.
He says,
Do this
so that your prayers
may be heard.
Brothers,
it doesn't matter
how much we serve,
preach,
pray,
how much money
we give to the church
or the kingdom of God.
If we do not love
the woman in our lives
like Jesus
selflessly
and sacrificially
it's meaningless.
We know better
than the 19 year old
supermodel
posting photos
of herself
looking happy
and carefree
or being miserable
and alone
inside.
And while the world
may be fooled
Jesus is not.
And so because
Jesus is enough
husbands live
distinctively
in your manhood
by leading
the woman in your lives
with servant heart
sacrificial love.
As we come to close
let me land
with three
very quick
practical applications.
Firstly,
for those of you
who are married
can I ask you
to start today.
Start today.
This passage
calls us to follow Jesus
and to live lives
of selfless
and sacrificial love
and surrender.
Husbands,
can you today
choose to love
your wife
in this way?
Can you today
choose to lay aside
what you may think
be your right
knowing that Jesus
is enough
and selflessly
and sacrificially
serve your wife?
Wife,
can you surrender
to Jesus
and sacrificially
serve your husband?
You may have been
married for 30 years
or three weeks.
There may be much
water under the bridge
but start today.
It's interesting
to note that
Peter tells
neither husbands
nor wives
to get their spouses
in order
to help their spouses
see the error
in their ways.
He merely calls
both husbands
and wives
to follow Jesus
in selflessly
laying aside
their rights
in order to serve
and love the other.
Maybe it needs
to start with an apology
asking your spouse
to forgive you
asking your spouse
to gently
and graciously
help you
whatever it takes
start today.
Secondly
for those of you
who are not yet married
be careful
who you date
and be extra careful
who you marry.
No marriage partner
is perfect
every marriage
consists of two sinners
whose natural bent
is to look after themselves
and think about themselves.
Coming to Jesus
doesn't completely
eradicate that overnight
but Christ does
give us a new heart
and he does give us
an example
and the power
to live differently.
Dating and then
marrying someone
who's not a follower
of Jesus
opens the door
to many of the difficulties
that this passage
addresses.
Living with a spouse
who doesn't share
your ethic
or your understanding
of marriage
or being married
to a spouse
who doesn't see
the importance
of selfless
and sacrificial love.
Being married
to a spouse
who insists
on their own right
and their own privilege.
Friends
be very careful.
Pray about it.
Ask God
to lead you
in Godly
and ask God
to give you
a believing spouse
that will help you
to love Jesus more.
And finally
for all the couples
who have children
coach your children
that should God
call them
to get married
one day
coach them
what it looks like
to be a godly husband
or a godly wife.
Teach them now
that Christian marriage
is patterned
after the life
of Jesus.
Servanthood
selflessness
sacrificial love.
Teach your children
to use their strength
in order to serve
the others.
Teach your daughters
what a godly man
looks like
and how a godly man
treats a woman
so she'll recognize
a good man.
Teach your sons
how to be selfless
and understanding
thoughtful and caring
towards the women
in their lives.
Teach your daughters
to desire to be
stunningly beautiful
and attractive
in character
in godliness
and confidence
and in faith.
when Elizabeth
Elliot died
in 2015
John Piper
wrote this of her
whether it was
the spears
of the Ecuadorian
jungle
or the standards
of American glamour
Elizabeth Elliot
would not be
frightened
or intimidated
she was captured
by Christ
she was not her own
she was supremely
mastered
not by any
ordinary man
but by the king
of the universe.
Let me close
with the words
of Elizabeth Elliot
herself
the missionary
to Ecuador
who watched
her husband
getting killed
and chose
to stay
and love
the people
that killed him
she says
for the Christian
woman
and this is also
true for Christian
men
but a Christian's
true freedom
lies on the other
side of a very
small gate
the gate
of humble obedience
but that gate
leads out
into a largeness
of life
into a freedom
undreamed of
by those
who consider
themselves
the liberators
of our modern
world
the world
looks for
happiness
through self
assertion
the Christian
knows
that true
joy is found
in self
abandonment
Watermark
because of the
beauty and the
wonder of Jesus
and because of
his supremely
glorious example
because our hope
is in him
and because
in Christ
we have found
all the treasures
that our hearts
seek
and because
no other being
in all the world
is so beautiful
and so worthy
of our lives
let's trust him
let's follow him
let us be men
and women
who follow him
living lives
of distinction
as men and women
who have been
mastered by Christ
and let us know
that true joy
is found
not in self
assertion
not in self
fulfillment
but in selfless
sacrificial
self abandon
thanks so much
for joining us
I hope you've
had a good morning
worshipping with
your family
we look forward
to seeing you
next Sunday
at our family
worship service
together
keep safe
keep warm
and we look forward
to seeing you soon
bye