More Than Skin Deep, Part 2

Make sure were modeling the heart of God, make, make sure were attaching the same price tag of the things he says are valued. Make sure we communicate reformed my let's make sure the way we talked to our sisters in the assembly that we communicate by the way, we can talk and act that are more interested not so much on their face or their figure or their fashion. We are interested in encouraging their that will be adopted can be difficult to live as God intended. God never commands that we neglect our appearance. We should take care of ourselves, but he's very clear that it's the heart that really matters. True beauty as God defines it is more than skin deep. That's the title of Stephen's message today were continuing through a series on marriage entitled for better or for worse today. Stephen has an important message for women and men called more than skin. There are people that go to this text.

There are nations that go to this text and then come to the conclusion that a woman cannot let her hair down in public either braided or lose they take their cues from the stacks. Others take from this text.

The fact that a woman cannot wear jewelry public what we apply this first consistently as Bible students. If Peter is forbidding a woman from braiding her hair and wearing jewelry is forbidding a woman from wearing a dress which I doubt he's doing right.

I think the words are telling the word Peter uses your four braiding occurs in the New Testament. Only in this verse is not a reference to hairstyle as much as it is a reference to the activity of braiding of the time that it took.

This isn't just a couple of pigtails and you're out the door. Just look at some of the pictures I come from the first century of the braiding.

The extensive braiding this kind of braiding. Peter refers to took hours of time each day.

Hours of attention, and in Peter's day.

It had become a public iconic statement of leisure and wealth. It was a way of sort of showing off it set you apart again. Peter's not forbidding it is not concerned about pigtails is concerned with priorities here notice. Further, the word he uses for wearing gold during the war for wearing again is rare, found only here that they can be translated putting around.

It's a broader picture. This isn't just a gold ring is actually an ostentatious display of wealth effect. Isaiah we will turn to for the sake of time, but in an earlier chapter, he gives us kind of a rare look into use of jewelry and other ornaments women war in the early centuries talked about the practice that included wearing expensive bells jewels on her sandals. What women wearing jewelry around her ankles wearing multiple bracelets on the wrists and upper arms and next wearing finger rings, nose rings, dangling earring words, you don't just see this woman coming you here coming Isaiah's description and Peter's description as well is of a woman who loads it on to get attention.

Men do the same, though jewelry might change through the centuries, but the principal warning remains the same. Women be careful what you wear. Be careful how you gain attention, careful in what you might be communicating through what you wear, don't wear your wealth on your sleeve so to speak, don't show all this, especially in the church right here to tell everybody how much money we've got it, especially outside the church. That is, you represent the gospel don't demonstrate to your world that you're all about the stuff thereafter.

So be careful. Don't focus on the physical. The third adornment mention you notice in the text. The anniversaries putting on dresses doesn't mean you can't wear dress doesn't mean you can't wear beautiful clothing fact Peter, but I only say this is the side is not telling Christian women to look unkempt. You do your best to look in no unattractive claim in their churches believe that and serve anywhere is one or two colors in this plane as it can be is not is not suggesting that using forbidding braiding here jewelry is nice close but but what Peter's going to do it is because setting it all out. This is gonna redefine beauty is gonna tell us what true beauty is is good until the women in the assembly. The true beauty is more than skin deep. The world ever get past the skin. True beauty is beneath that the Peter was on the Telus what and how will givers for but let it be the hidden person of the heart before we dive and let me just make a commoner to the word for heart here is card Dia gives us our word cardiology. It's it's the seat of who you are as a man thinks in his heart, your heart doesn't think their hearts are muscled with pumping but it represents the seat of who you are. The man thinks in his heart so is he is a lot of debate you know about the asking Jesus in your heart you know I gives that's a terrible express. I was a great expression. You're asking Jesus to come into the very seat of who you are represented by your heart. In biblical terms, the heart of the believer represents the regenerated nature. That's the place for the Holy Spirit in his inner private work of grace is is bringing about what we call the fruits of the spirit that demonstrates itself outwardly.

One author writes it is in the hearts were true beauty becomes real and long-lasting than the peers contrasting that he's on a play on words ease contrasting the physical world because Moss with the spiritual world. The card Dia he's he's drawing a contrast between cosmetics and the card Dia that which is external and that which is internal, that which is physical and that which is spiritual peace is basically telling women to focus on their heart to get dressed up from the inside out. First and foremost to spend more time grooming their heart than the groom their bodies to spend more time spiritually and physically. Just what should we be developing in the privacy of our hearts.

Peter is giving these women to qualities. Notice verse for a gentle and quiet spirit, gentle spirit. This is a word that could mean gracious, you might write that in the margin. Your Bible or considerate.

It's a word that refers to kindness, as opposed to being demanding bodily gentleness is in the list of one of the fruits of the spirit right. Galatians chapter 5 the fruit of the spirit includes this word which means this is it for women only.

This is just a feminine quality but masculine quality will get to men.

Eventually this text audience will be packed with women.

Sure, sometimes or gentlest translated me. You might pick that up in your memory and you might remember the Jesus is called me. Matthew 1129 meekness doesn't mean doormat that's on this word gentleness does not mean weakness. It's actually a word that refers to power under control its emotion under control so Peter is in recommending that women become doormats the best door open to abuse. Worse isn't suggesting that women can't share their minds or their opinions. In fact, Jesus was known by the same quality definitely spoke his mind share his opinion, but the Lord was never out of control. He was intentional. That's going to the next Peter as the second quality. He has a quiet spirit.

She's quiet and all the men said wisely. Nothing that with this means especially in church come and be quiet. No doesn't mean she never makes noise. The word Peter uses is it is a word that relates to peace. She is literally at this is a unique Christian distinctive out there in the world.

A woman is not at peace with who she is.

The gospel allows you to understand your identity is in Christ, and when you understand who you are in relation to the gospel of Christ that can give you a settled confidence. You belong to him is made you the way he's made you is crafted uniquely by his creative hand in your at peace and in a NL multivolume Greek dictionary known to seminary students in here so is Kittle describes this word as someone who calmly bears the disturbances created by others without creating disturbances themselves have someone who calmly bears the disturbances created by others without creating disturbances themselves. And when you think of the immediate context here. This inequality is is critical and totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit and years of believing wife she's married to an obstinate man who cares nothing about the gospel as we learn he wants nothing to do with it and in the midst of that obvious distressing turmoil. She has a sense of peace things around her are you know like like war at times not to mention the culture, but she has settled confidence of her acceptance with Christ. This is an undeniable work of God spirit. It can be so unusual that Peter implies that the unbelieving husband will be able to ignore the fact that there's something different about her. He's caught up in the war she seems to be at peace there. There's turmoil everywhere, and she has this sense of graciousness and confidence, especially critical in this immediate context. Why because an unbelieving husband is in a take note of how many times you go to church many times you pray of any verses you memorize many chapters you read he's gonna notice the demeanor and how you go about the routine drudgery's of life, how you handle the turmoil and difficulties around you you you talk in terms of these qualities in your in your talking about attention grabbing for the right reason you're talking about different you're talking about unusual and in his vocabulary you are talking about beautiful truly beautiful and old proverb puts it this way, a woman whose smile is why in his expression is glad has a kind of beauty. No matter what she wears, or how she looks. This beauty is more than skin deep. You can buy these qualities. He defines first here if they aren't sold over-the-counter. You'll never find them on sale.

In fact they can be purchased they are developed by the spirit of God.

Down deep below the skin in the heart now want to point out quickly there to qualities about these that he mentions gentleness, quietness, and that makes them unique notice earlier in verse four Peter writes these qualities are imperishable, imperishable, in simple terms, is saying this stuff lasts what's in fashion out there will go out of fashion. You notice that, haven't you, if you live long enough, I mean girls are wearing the same shoes you were in high school may have a cork I was I was in the 70s tie-dye. I went to the Volkswagen dealership yesterday to get the repairs done on my daughter's blog and in their own words tie-dye T-shirts and they think they're cool. We know they look stupid, but don't say a word to you. Look at pictures.

One day I wore that those of you that were neckties all all two of you. You've noticed that they get wide and then skinny and then wind and in skinny just don't throw any away. You will be in style year-round. It's going to fade away. It's imperishable, it means literally unfading. These qualities never go out of style graciousness, quiet confidence that's never yesterday, always fresh even know everything about us is getting older. Even though we might try to deny it.

The temporary is fading away, no matter how young we still see ourselves and if you're older you know if your past 35, you realize you you sort of stopped at 35. You still see yourself as younger and that's why you avoid the mirror at all costs but you just said is really strange is that was only let this get value and I have this sent to me in an email or woman illustrated a perfect humorously woman was sitting in the waiting room for first point with a new dentist. She noticed his diploma and a law that ends full name as you recognize that name and then she remembered in it could be that that handsome young man with the same name who had been in her high school graduating class so many years ago.

She wondered, could this be the dentist could this be the same guy my new dentist that I had a crush on way back then that she discarded those thoughts when he walked in he was slightly bent over and balding gray-headed deep wrinkles in his face, and she thought is way too old and my classmates cell after he examined her teeth.

She asked you by any chance attend Morgan Park high school said yes and with pride is I'm still a Morgan Mustang well.

She asked when did you graduate you so I was in the graduating class of 1959 wide US. He said I knew you look familiar.

You are in my class really. He said looking at her closely. Then he asked her what class did you teach Peter back to the text is is reminding his audience. You you're focusing on stuff that's waiting fading away and try to keep up with. This can require more more help cosmetics focus instead on dressing your heart. Allow the interworking of the Holy Spirit to produce character character like these attributes never fade away.

They never go out of style, many ads for last part. These qualities are precious in the sight of God that Edward precious Lisa, my translation doesn't mean it when that sweet that's precious know this word means valuable, costly, even priceless, and again this is a play on on concepts the world lavishes money on expensive stuff.

It's precious to them costly.

It's valuable. That's is not an this is valuable.

This is costly. This is precious, gentle, gracious, quiet, calm confidence, spirit, and he stamps on those the price tag of the highest value money before we get too far here only let me just encourage the men. The brothers in this assembly make sure were modeling the heart of God, make, make sure were attaching the same price tag to the to the things he says are valuable. Make sure we communicate a reformed mind in the assembly, especially certainly out there in the workaday world. Let's let's make sure the way we talk to our sisters in the assembly that we communicate by the way we look and talk in an act that that were more interested not so much on their face or their figure or their fashion.

We are interested in encouraging their faith and their faithfulness to Christ to allow them, especially in the church to get off that to get off that wheel that just keeps spinning this attitude, this obsession which has brought such a terrible cost, especially for women, in the sense of never looking good enough know, never being pretty enough, never measuring feeling ugly, inferior and lovable.

I want you to know as your pastor, teacher, I have had women come to me and say there is a man or there are men in this church. I don't know how to respond.

They treat me. Obviously, in relation to my figure in my face, but the told one. After the first hour. Give me their name and I'll call them up stuff.

Do that in here, what with my whole what God considers valuable priceless.

What matters most about you ladies will never be hanging in your closet, it'll never be tucked inside a jewelry case. What matters has nothing to do with style. Even though you have a stolid week.

We like that everybody is a different style.

I got daughter's what matters most is spirit is nothing to do with less wrinkles or less weight or newer clothes were shinier, more expensive jewelry. That stuff isn't eternally valuable. Guess what is fading away.

I've seen first century jewelry and none of you would wear it. None of you would wear it with God is doing in your heart is priceless. What impacts your husband for those of you who are married, especially those of you who are married to unbelieving husbands. What brings God great glory will not be your appearance, but your attitude, graciousness and calmness that the spirit of God is developing in your heart but be careful that we avoid the obsession of our world unit, you know, I've got a little time hereunder were getting it closer over time, but maybe you've noticed the natural inclination will will do it. We try not to be obvious, but we need someone for the first time we have this mental inventory.

We kind of size of mobs unconscious were not, you know, writing things down, but you notice you know there there that the color of their hair and their complexion and their clothing and maybe even their accent door you know there there there shoes their fashion. Whatever. And we sort of size them up and then we started young started very young… Elementary school teachers and our assembly of said you know by the first grade. Everybody in the class is rated by the backpack. They have even by the food in their lunchbox. The name brands on their close any first grade. I got one teacher tell me if if in the third grade you don't have a smart phone. You are a nobody were supposed to grow out of that Ali kind and inventory. That's the way the world sizes everybody you notice however as you get to know somebody is you get to really know someone that early inventory really doesn't matter does it the accent you might not even hardly notice the clothing doesn't define who they are in fact is you get to know that you measure their value by personality and work ethic and faithfulness spirit. Not anymore. With what time she is aware, Carly pulled up ever thought about the fact that the world that there never gets past that initial inventory they never get past the face in the fashion that's why when you pull up in the grocery store I'll you know to buy that stuff and I'm looking at the magazine, guess what it's all about the face.

The fashion was in whose out who has the most stuff. This is the most popular they never get past the physical. It is Jesus Christ that wants to take us deeper than skin deep. Take us to matters the matter is the heart character and spirit. Peter writes to women in his culture into women today in this culture, who are enslaved to their bodies bound up with the physical focused on the temporary says let me define for you what's really dutiful and if no one else in your world and in this context, your husband seems to notice. Let me just remind you, God does considers you precious as you pursue this was a lesson called more than skin here on wisdom from the heart.

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