Submission: Training for Exiles, Part 2

Today on Senate life with JD Greer and controversial subject. Likewise, husbands shall honor to the woman so that your prayers may not be hindered when you use your power to course you might be able to manipulate or control your wife to get what you want from her but your prayers. You lose God's blessing and that's far more devastating life. Trust your spending time with those you lead in remembering all the Lord's blessings today. He has been so good despite the craziness this year and for that we give him thanks okay were going a bit deeper today on the program and tackling often misunderstood passage of Scripture. Looking at the biblical roles husbands and wives will agree that God has a reason for the way he said things that we must allow the gospel to transform the way we think about marriage were diving in the first Peter to discover this wisdom with the message title submission training for exiles first watch out. Likewise, wives subject to your own. Okay, do not reflect remote to turn me off your me out okay. The most overlooked word in this whole passage is the first work. Likewise likewise means in the same way. Remember, this is the third of three relationships that Peter is using to illustrate a principal.

How should a stranger and exile respond to difficult relationships or unjust rate member identity and first Peter is strangers and exiles strangers exile respond difficulty relationships and even unjust treatment in this relationships the previous two relationships that you looked at were submitting to an imperfect and sometimes unjust government that was chapter 2 verse 13 to 17 and then secondly been under the control of an unjust master. That's the last part of chapter 2.

These are all just applications of the principal the principle is what is important because this could apply to any relationship or example in all of these relationships, Peter says is Christ in any relationship where you were experiencing hardship or suffering or injustice. Peter says, for you were called to this because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. He did not commit sin and no deceit was found in his mouth when he was insulted. He did not insult in return when he suffered, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that, having died to sins we might live for righteousness by his wounds you have been healed okay this passage what it says is that Christ did three things in the face of injustice number one. He was patient understood suffering was an integral part of God's plan of salvation to follow in Jesus's steps means that you should expect unjust suffering number two, number two, this passage of the chapter 2 shows us that he committed himself to him who judges justly.

That's verse 23 he knew the earthly justice may never come. But he knew that God would give full justice to him as heavenly country of and he he was willing to be patient and wait for that number three.

This passage tells us that Jesus Doing good. Verse 23. Even when he was being slandered even when others wronged and he kept doing the right thing, knowing that in all situations.

He would respond first and foremost to God that God would would vindicate him one day okay I better let your example we've applied it to government with its product, unjust masters. Now let's apply that mentality to marriage. I back to chapter 3, verse one.

Likewise wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful of your conduct. Do not let your adorning the external the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or clothing you wear, but let your adorning me the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious for this is how the holy women who hope to God you still doing cells by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord now hold on you like that's a jarring statement to modern ears right you like is upward on the day.

More on that a couple minutes to get a list agree you were her children. If you do good in you not hear anything that is frightening ladies a question for you is going to be. How do you submit your husband in a Christlike way. By the way foremost in Peter's mind is a life with an unsaved husband because I was really common in the early church. A lot of ladies would get saved in their husbands did not. The earliest church converts were were women and so they had this question of how do you live with a spouse that doesn't share some of your deepest convictions.

That's why he says that those who do not obey your husbands or your wife if it's an unbelieving wife will be one without a word through your conduct private even if you're both Christians.

Surely all of us. You still got moments of frustration were your spouse let you down.

Even just flat out wrong. The question for for you and that moment is, how do you respond in a marriage relationship like that honey respond like Christ in that moment, I verse seven. Likewise, husbands in the same way, husbands members give me an application for you here also write you should live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman is the weaker vessel, now that's another phrase that sounds pretty strange to the modern ears right will will get about a minute on since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, you should do this, he says, so that your prayers may not be hindered meant question for you is going to be what does it mean to show honor to your wife in a Christlike way. Okay, so let's talk about three ways Peter tells you in the seven versus three ways you are to honor your spouse, after the example of Christ. One use your power to bless and serve not manipulate or control. Peter points in this passage to different powers that both men and women have in the relationship and he shows you what to do with it.

If you're following the example of Christ. I so sorry amendment. Of course usually have physical power in the relationship. There typically bigger and stronger. I think that's primarily what Peter means number seven, when he calls the wife the weaker vessel. Also, I would add in Rome weaker probably met weaker in her power in the marriage.

Marriage law in Rome was way better for man that it was for for women, a member example could have affairs were almost expected to the wife.

She could be killed if she had an affair. Men could divorce their wives for pretty much any reason.

Wives, for the most part could not divorce their husbands for any reason and divorce is always favor the man money was his.

The kids remained is many divorced women in those days had to resort to prostitution was a horribly unjust system with the point is that she was a weaker vessel legal is also weaker in the sense that that that the New Testament gives to the husband in a Christian marriage.

It gives the husband the position of leadership in the whole. I she is told to submit the wife is told to submit to the husband in a way that he is not told to submit to her. That's not a bad thing of course is a beautiful Christlike thing but it makes her positionally weaker so he physical weakness legal weakness positional. Some commentators also say that his reference to Herbie weaker might be a general reference to the fact that God has endowed many women with an emotional sensitivity it makes them more nurturing and compassionate the mothering instinct appears. Point is that none of these aspects of weakness if their truest to make her hear you're in the relationship. Peter means when he says, since it said to the husband. She is an heir with you in the grace of life and heir alongside of you in Christ. Use your full legal, not behind. He's right there with you and Peter's point to that of the man is whatever power you have the relationship ought to be used as leverage to honor her and serve her not not exploit or you to live with her in an understanding way she is emotionally wired differently than you will despise that seek to understand her learn her love language. I love her on her terms remind me of what one of the marriage counselor that my wife and I Veronica and I saw early on in our marriage.

You told me you said you you need to become a student of your wife to live with her in an understanding way in and love her on her terms, and not just in ways that are convenient for for you. You should use any position of strength or power to serve her auto hurts to pursue meeting her needs. Because right minutes is what Christ did with his strength.

Let me tell you something that is absolutely wicked. When a man uses his physical power to dominate his wife.

Even worse is when he uses the Christian idea of submission and marriage that the dominator that's not what Christ did with his power is Christ use his power to serve Christ laid down his life is like CS Lewis used to say the crown that a man wears in a marriage is verse one affords.

That means I use the leadership that I have I use whatever position of strength that I have to serve her radically. That means is, as a leader of the family should voluntarily lose 90% of the disagreements we have right now plot the submission card to get her to do what I what I want to do a man's leadership in the marriage we say is never a license to do what he wants to do a man's leadership is empowerment to do what he ought to do. I know this is a difficult subject. Some of you wonder what it looks like a great story Tim Keller as Pastor New York City, his wife Kathy Keller before he was in New York City.

They were in Hopewell, Virginia, and this opportunity came up to go to New York City and their print about what they should do and after praying about it for a while. Tim and Kathy and she said, working on different sides timber like they should go get a vote like they should stay and I talked for hours and just could not come to resolution. So finally Tim said okay I will do what you want will stay here Is that I look back at him and I said oh no you know you are not put Miss when I make right I gave you about in this marriage.

He gave me about them and he gave you the deciding vote. You gotta decide what you think got to say to our family. That's the kind of leadership that's the kind of positional leadership that that demand.

Husband is given in the relationship that Peter is talking about. He said whatever you're using whatever power right physical, positional, financial, even the dominance of your personality you use that to bless and to serve and honor her rights never license to do what you want to do is empowerment to do which audited okay for women right. What kind of power did they have out of the use that in the Christlike way will first Peter says he says you get your beauty and your sexuality. Peter indicates many women can build their identity on their beauty and their sexuality and even use that as a means of power when he says in verse three to do not let your adorning the external the breaking of hair, the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing that you wear. He's not saying that you can't braid your hair and you will wear it in a messy bun he saying that the substance of your life should not be beauty. Listen early on women in our culture back then to get taught that their value in the worth and even the power come from their beauty there taught by our culture that a woman with great physical beauty will have power to get what she wants and they will be greatly valued. What Peter says is no what is valuable to God's Christlike character, a calm, steadfast faith in him.

Verse four he says but but but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious, gentle and quiet spirit that I mean being introverted and shy that like like extroverted, loud women are offensive to God. Gentle and quiet spirit means somebody who is at peace. Not trying to use her position to manipulate and control, but someone was full of trust in God.

That's what's precious to God. Very precious to God because that's the spirit that Jesus submission with a quiet spirit was a core dimension of Jesus's character that's more valuable to God in your beauty and in tough situations. You should likewise be more concerned about what God thinks.

Then, and what you can use your power to manipulate and get for yourself, since it's a saver simply the Christ likeness of your person is more viable to God than the stylishness of your purse, your faith is more precious to God than your face or your figure submission to God is ultimately more powerful than anything beauty can procure for you single ladies. The essay your future is going to be determined not by how beautiful you can make yourself or how you can perfectly present yourself what you're looking for is found in the presence and the promise of your heavenly father right don't adorn yourself he would say with filtered instrument photos only got the focus of your identity. Here's another application for bidders words married ladies. It's wrong to use your sexual appeal to the manipulate your husband to do what what what you want to withhold that relationship from him until he conforms to the way that you wanted to be a visit as using your your beauty or spear sexuality is power by giving him the cold shoulder making life miserable for him until he does what you want what Peter says to be like Christ in your marriage Christ likeness means that you use your power, whatever it is you find it to bless and serve never manipulated control ice that raises the question what you're doing your part, but your spouse doesn't seem to be keeping up there in the bargain and they're not doing what they're supposed to do. I what they're not even a Christian that leads us number two in all things he says do good obey God and trust him was the example of Christ.

Right in the face of incompetence and injustice. What did Christ do while we saw that at the beginning right. He committed himself to him who judges justly and many Doing good and trusted God. The results look at Peter's example of Sarah and in verse five for this is how holy women who hope to God you still doing themselves by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, and you were her children. If you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening use of Sarah as an example here is really help. Abraham was not a perfect man, my longshot. I know we are songs about father Abraham had many sons and I being one of them and so are you.

But if you read Genesis see the Abraham really blew it. A number of times he led their family to places he shouldn't have led them and he made some truly boneheaded decisions, but Sarah Peter says stayed by him and was submitted to his leadership serves not light like this guy does not know what he is doing clearly would be better with me in charge. It might've been right, but once you do verse six. She did the right thing she knew to do which was honoring her husband's leadership in committing herself to God and as a result, says she didn't fear what was frightening right. This doesn't mean by the way ladies you offer your opinion even strongly at times any man.

I will tell you makes decisions for his family without counsel of his wife is a full, it means that your attitude and marriage is dominated by a call. Trust in God, not a frantic manipulation to get what you want to take care of yourself as you committed yourself to him use this moment to say to be really clear on something so nobody's confused, Peter is not saying that spousal abuse is okay or the God want you stay home where you're being abuse and just take it like some sort of expression of Christ likeness y'all. There is no passage of Scripture that would encourage you to do that, if for no other reason than staying in an abusive home is enabling somebody to send Psalm 11 says of the Lord hates those who do violence should not subject yourself or your children to that need to protect yourself and your kids and and and help your spouse get help.

Also, I'm now I realize, of course, these are that's a very difficult situation. It's impossible for me to address the particulars of of different situations and general ways regardless to get back to the point. Peter's point is that in any situation you find yourself in right regardless of what your spouse is doing you got to continue doing good and trusting God with the results. Nobody else's sin justifies your sin, your husband or your wife there being dominant act like an idiot. You keep obeying God trusted him. When you do that, God promises to help you, just like he did Christ. Psalm 125 the Lord is good to those who walk up rightly. He is their shield and their support.

Psalm 34 the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.

The Lord will rescue his servants.

No one who takes refuge in him will ever be. For sake, so when all things you you you you do good and you obey God and trust him. God promises to be your refuge and ill will take care of you on the flipside, Peter says when you take matters in your own hands. A mess everything up and then God becomes your enemy saver seven. Likewise, husbands show honor to the woman so that your prayers may not be hindered. Man, when you use your power to coerce you might be able to tête-à-tête the manipulate or control your wife to get what you want from her but your prayers are to be entered in your lives. God's blessing and that's far more devastating when you're a jerk to your wife and your unkind and you're not.

I think about a loving bless and take care of her, but her needs.

First, God says, I literally caught off the answers to prayer. That's not a place you want to be on honor her because that's the path that provides God's protection. Listen, I told you this before you take vengeance matters in your own hands and marriage you messed everything up as you trust God to keep doing good you let God deal with it because God deals with it much better than you. So finally, number three, Peter teaches us that in marriage grace is a more powerful change agent then is retribution.

Now when I say that if I nods her head this but nobody actually believes it but but what Scripture teaches is that in the relationship why marriage grace changes people far more quickly than retribution can because grace changes the heart. Victor Hugo had that great seeing the beginning of lame is where the hardened criminals.

Almost all has his heart transform not mine at the retribution by an act of grace under my dad tell a story about a lady that he worked with who was going to his his sworn enemies, she just did not like him at all and she settled his unkind things and even spread false rumors about him and that then something went wrong in her life from my dad. It was her boss was able to minister her to help her and just said to be there for her and Annie said she looked at one point she said why are you here. I don't understand why, why, with the way that I treated you.

You would be there, but it's that path of grace that open up relationship that ultimately led not just to your relationship, but the opportunities for the gospel are an African-American lady. I'm sure the story of her grandfather. The Rev. Willie Jenkins who grew up in Mississippi.

I'm under the hardship of Jim Crow in his later years he worked for for for the integration of public schools because of some white teenagers cruise their their neighborhood firebombing homes, vandalizing homes they came to the Jenkins house. She said many unexpected happened.

I ran out of gas right from his house.

Rev. Jake and sons were.

They were ready to fight.

You know they were rated to defendant said that resentment of a glass bottle and busted. They were soon as you find that he walked over to the car. It was out of gas in the use that busted glass to create a funnel in and siphon some gas from his own car build antitank of those boys would come to vandalize their property back to grace.

She said change them change the relationship. It ultimately opened up a path of healing. They left the experience and shame changed by the experience. You see, that's what peters is referring to that kind of grace when he says ladies even when you're in the home of a unkind even unsaved man keep doing good. Keep respondent like Christ, so that so that the unsaved husband might be one without a word by the conduct of your wife because of grace that gives them a taste of Jesus, you're not going to change his heart by manipulating him, berating him wearing them down is best shot at being changed is seeing the humble trusting Christlike spirit working through that you win them see how Peter uses that word. This is the way of Christ and how he changed us. Peter says left us an example of violent stands by the way, as he changed you this way. The Scripture tells us that Jesus came to earth, not to continue with the same John 317, God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but will do him might be saved. Right now we offer. She was merciful.

If you receive it.on the cross suffer the penalty of your sin in your place.

You ignore that one day he will come again in judgment but you right now could you choose term from your sent and received his offer to be saying to be united to him immersing John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him receives them will not perish but have eternal life. You want to do that you want to receive him, so I would just invite you to pray with me right now. You never have before.

I was Bauer has father you say I know that I deserve punishment but Jesus talking to my place. I surrender my life to you and received your offer of forgiveness.

Thank you Jesus for saving me a minute grace, grace, changes the heart this Thanksgiving. Our team here at Summit light is especially thankful for you JD tells a little bit about why that this year I think is been a year unlike any other. A lot of people are not able to go about life the way they typically go about it and people are stuck in their homes, a lot of people for safety reasons or is not able to get out. I think people have been especially open for a message of hope, because in a time of great darkness and uncertainty. That's when the gospel sounds the brightest and you listeners you you've made that ministry possible in every way, so I just want to say to anybody who has seen the possibility of this got that burden and given anything at all. The shadows want to savor the bottom of my heart. Thank you that your gift in the faith that accompanied that gift made this possible and multiplied the power of the gospel spread of the gospel in the hearts of people and made it accessible for people to say a special thank you to those you join her gospel partner team by committee to monthly giving your generosity especially helps us to be able to plan how to reach people with the gospel and so I hope in the stories that that we are able to share from time to time about people's lives are transformed, you get a great deal of gratification, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. So were very grateful for you and I want you to hear that happy Thanksgiving and know that one of the things were thankful for your summer like to really are. Think and as a token of thanks to those who give today new, but I don't searching remember to bring your two copies will become gospel partner, or when you make a one-time donation of $25 if you're searching for the latest here neighbor remember the special offer dollars and copies forget hundred dollars, 868-335-8654. Get online to clear.com, and Molly motivates you join us tonight.

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