How to Treat Royalty

It's going to be the gospel that will make seismic changes the value of a woman gospel commands to love his wife loves himself better. Yeah like Christ loved the church 525. The gospel informed women their inheritance in the coming kingdom is what the men did. It is equal to what the men received first Peter 37. I think everybody began to just whisper this is staggering shocking revelation.

The apostle Peter treats this topic with great seriousness because of the way God views the marriage relationships. Our wives should be treated with honor, not just because they're women, but also because their fellow heirs, of the grace that comes through Jesus Christ. If we don't have the right attitude toward our lives. Peter warns us that our own relationship with the Lord will suffer because of that disobedience here Stephen Devi with a message from a man called how to treat royalty not been with us.

This is how Peter open his letter letter chapter 1 he referred to our unfading inheritance that's been kept for us. It is reserved for us in heaven protected now. Later in this letter will turn back with me to chapter 3 offers Peter the apostle Peter is going to bring this truth up again affected were inheritors there were errors, only this time he's going to use it to challenge the thinking and behavior of every married man in the body of Christ first Peter three and verse seven Peter is written to us and we spent that we spent seven sessions in this paragraph three. In this verse you been with us you husbands in the same way.

Peter writes live with your wives.

That is, make all home with them. The home dweller. By the way, you can understand it. In today's value of your homemaker, your wife is in the only homemaker your husband's you are homemakers with her make a home with your wives in an understanding way. That is, as we learned with kindness and consideration. As with someone weaker since she is a woman we in our last study talk about Peter is writing that she's weak but that she's weaker. We explored the glorious creative act of God creating gender male and female that notice for today we conclude our study and show her honor as a fellow air of the grace of life that your prayers will not be hindered. It's easy to outline this last phrase is gonna deliver to every husband, a daily assignment a prophetic announcement in a serious advisement of the daily assignment.

Notice again. Show her honor. Show her honor.

The present tense by the way tells us this is an ongoing thing. This is just on her birthday or anniversary or when she's a little down. This is daily and you can understand this to mean assignment. Her honor is not just showing it is actually believing that she is worthy of honor that this is the only times compound participle appears in the New Testament and it has the idea of assigning to someone something they are due carries the idea of making an assessment of her value and and with it the implication that that that assessment is really high in this high assessment, by the way, is it because there's a nice guy kind thing to do.

That happens to be related to who she happens to be look at that moment, but by way of illustration, is it relates to giving this assessment, or appraisal is fresh on our minds. Some of you know that this past summer.

Marsha and I moved into an apartment for what ended up being four months.

We put our home through some major first-floor renovations that included adding a small elevator. We attended live in this house until the card is a way and building a library space you can just come to think of a big garage behind the garage large enough to house my library of 6000 volumes and counting 6500 is the first time in 20 years I have all of my books at one location at my disposal. All of the sermons are going to get longer because I do have all those books will as a result of the added square footage we had an appraiser come out yesterday as we prepared for refinancing young lady you shut off the tablet.

The tape measure in her hand she's very thorough, very careful. And for that I was grateful that you know this wasn't just a quick flyover right because the higher better results. The greater the cash equity value in our our home and I was grateful. She wanted to make sure we were the first house. She prays that it was it was in the morning so she was fresh alert and I showed her everything. I mean, I pointed out every had architectural plans. The renovation of their rights.

I do wonder things a few nails in order to this was this was a big job and and I pointed out the width of this is the height of that and look at this a look at that.

This week we took those LED lights on literally 2499, but we did you know 20 of them that at some make sure you're right that there and everything. I mean even a new ceiling fan in the ceiling.

I didn't know if I was given away. My first clue was when she told me it would be okay if I went back to work but you know what I can tell you listen, but I'm convinced that our home is not going to get the appraisal it deserves. I'm just sort of set myself up for disappointment probably spent two months complaining about the marshes that you know she missed this and she missed that she undervalue this and see if she didn't really add that in their and it's not going to get to the appraisal. I know it deserves. Here is the idea in this text is your wife getting the appraisal that God knows she deserves husbands what might we be overlooking, what are we missing we understand the value of that and now that accepted that. Are we missing something God through the apostle Peter is telling husbands to assign their wives honor you put it in terms of this analogy give her the highest appraisal in the neighborhood. Don't miss anything. Show her honor to the highest degree is how one Greek scholar translated get this Peter is telling husbands to decide whether or not their wives have earned or deserved. This high appraisal he's telling husbands to give them that kind of appraisal daily and act accordingly simply because she is a believing wife, a fellow air. So what's what's the price tag of royalty money changing analogy a little bit this word for honor is also used in the first century outside of Scripture to valuing a gemstone or a treasure. So how do you handle the daily assignments of handling your life like a valuable treasure for starters.

If you have something you really treasure you was going to be reflected in the way you talk about right.

You talk about a certain way.

So how do you talk about your wife. Your wife and work talk about your wife to your friends any talk about your wife on the golf course you talk about your wife, your kids, how do you talk about your wife to your wife determine how we talked about for this can be reflected in the way provide for you provide for treasure one New Testament author pointed out the fact that this word honor in noun form gives us the word honorarium compensation. It is a financial undertone to it depending on the context. It has to do with money later say I like where this is going to Bridget wake up. Be generous is an attitude of generosity. One of the medicine our church recently sent me this Doug Smith is on his deathbed knows the end is near his nurse, his wife his daughter and two sons are with you in the bedroom waiting for his last breath and is only roused himself and asked the nurse to write down his last wishes. You will amend his will he begin to my son Bernie I want you to take the Mayfair houses to my daughter simple. You take the apartments over and he said to my son Jamie.

You take all the offices over in city Central and Sarah.

My dear wife, please take all the residential buildings on the bank of the river with that he breathed his last nurse was blown away by the generosity of these you know emendations do as well as she said it was like this is your husband.

What a generous thoughtful man work so hard to give you and your children. All this property. Wife replied not really. He just had a big paper route probably enjoyed it more than you did. Peter's in this context is is not referring to property or monies is referring to protecting gardening and providing for her like you would protect and guard and make provision for something treasure me think about it you keep expensive jewelry in cloth covered drawers or in safety deposit boxes you put deeds important document to you. Put important pictures behind glass so that it is protected from light exposure. You keep pressure rifles are your tennis racket or your golf clubs or whatever you know you will leave that stuff lying around. You don't treat a careless. How are you protecting gardening and keeping and taking care of your relationship with your and plainly, why does God believe that she deserves such honorable treatment.

Why does God believe that your wife is inherently worthy of the highest appraisal will Peter, who by the way, is a married man I think anticipates that kind of question is if he says I'm glad you asked.

Let me tell you why this again show her honor as a fellow air of the grace of life.

In other words, the high appraisal is not based on something she did or does work earns or deserves this highest appraisal is based on who she is.

Peter gives the daily assignment and I delivers this prophetic announcement. She is a fellow air.

She stands to inherit the full measure of the gift of life.

Most evangelical scholars take this inheritance context connect with chapter 1. Determine the Peter's one hairy husband look down the road to that moment when his bride is going to be crowned and jeweled and row and seated as a bride of Christ.

She is a fellow air. She is a joint error of eternal splendor because of the grace of God, brothers, you are not just married to a woman you are married to a royal air and Aris of the glory of God and his kingdom. While the husband as we studied is been given greater authority and accountability to God is that it all becomes to the gospel when it comes to spiritual privileges when it comes to eternal importance in the crown and the throne of the coming kingdom husbands and wives are co-regents, co-regents with a redeem.

And I gotta tell you enough for us.

It's sort of is if you're old enough in the faith in you read it in our culture is like well you should certainly that's not all that surprising.

We understand the gospel. When this is read in the first century assembly. I think at certain points in this would be one of those points that there is a commotion in the assembly, there is a stir. There is surprise there is excitement.

I think women their heads go together as they whisper in their excitement and they were mystified and in shock that this kind of prophetic announcement the gospel has elevated women to an entirely new level. They've never seen before, but this is staggering about even the future. By the way what anybody tells you the Christianity holds women down. No history you go back to the century in the Greek and Roman cultures begin their wives lead quiet lives of misery. They had no personal rights they want without legal protection. They were exploited they were treated like beasts of burden. They were viewed by their Greek and Roman husbands to be far beneath them in status inner work. The Athenian orator Demosthenes is to summarize it all in a classic quote where he said that husbands in his day had mistresses for companionship and pleasure and wives for bearing legitimate heirs to the family name no idea or concept of a friendship and companionship even in the Jewish culture during the days of the apostles. Jewish wives were treated terribly within the legal rights. Divorce was rampant and just for about anything that might displease God in all you do is walk out on the front stoop and clap 3.I divorce I divorce you over that Jewish men would offer typical morning prayer that included the phrase, blessed are thou, Lord, or not having made me a Gentile or a woman who would want that terribly difficult to meeting life. Even today cultures without a Christian influence such as Islamic country, they continue the Greek and Roman view that women could be denied equal value and personal rights husband effect has the legal and religious rights to beat his wife for disobedience. Inheritance rights are 1/2 at best to that of male errors because it's going to be the gospel that will make seismic changes in the value of a woman that one historian put it this way. He wrote that the birth of Jesus Christ marked the turning point in the history of the woman gospel commands a husband to love his wife like he loves himself, or better yet, like Christ loves the church. Ephesians 525. The gospel informs women their inheritance in the coming kingdom isn't half what the men did.

It is equal to what the men receive first Peter 37. I think everybody began to just whisper this is staggering shocking new revelation. This is causing men in the church, especially to change their value system to change the price tag. They place upon their wives to treat their wives like royalty as if it were because of the gospel, a treasure discomfort. She means that much to God. What must she mean to me. I read recently about Amanda with inherited an old blanket present and he generally inherited just I guess somehow ended up with never thought much other factors casually thrown over the arm of the chair in the bedroom where it stayed for years. Here's his dad had once told him that it belonged to Kit Carson he thought she was pseudo-not exactly gripping reality. She said, and he never did think about it, but then the antique roadshow came through Tucson and on a whim. He said it was like there was think that'll blanket and see if it's worth anything, according the article I read, the appraiser almost fainted.

He saw the blanket all we could prove it once belonged to Kit Carson. There was no evidence of that. It did date back to several centuries old. In fact he said it was an original Navajo creation and only 50 were known to be in existence and he valued that old blanket that little throw blanket at $350,000 and they did what you and I would do quickly.

Auction did for half of million dollars.

That old thing. Yeah I have read that people arrived.

By the way that antique show alone and they leave. Surrounded by armed guard. Why because they came in casually, you know I got this little throw rug like and and all of a sudden it is something now to guard at all because we gotta get this thing the safety we that's the idea. You gotta get your wife visit world hello guard her.

Along the way she is in a casual throw blanket. She is a treasure discomfort. This is giving us this prophetic revelation of her future treat her that way. Along the way. Now, finally, he gives a very serious advisement shoulder honors a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered expression. Your prayers can certainly be broadly understood relate to prayers and the householder prayers of a couple, but in this text. Your prayers has a direct reference to the prayer life of the husbands themselves. Peter is assuming that every believing a husband is interested in praying.

It's only attaches all that this warning so that your prayers will not be hindered, and maybe you guys. You know I certainly thought about it is sort of a way.

The second there's no storm warning given the women you know they don't submit if they don't give their husbands do respect it. If they fail in their responsibilities is no and if you don't, here's what's gonna happen. Why the husband Peter to explain it. But as I thought about it when you track the marital relationship through the New Testament. You understand that the wife represents the mystery of the church united with Christ, but the husband represents the mystery of Christ, united with his church, which means that at her past. The wife is like the church.

She represents the church but had his best.

The husband represents Christ, just let that sink in. The husband represents God in the home so the stakes are much higher. I mean his faithfulness is that much more foundational and in the reflection of the faithfulness of God. His influence is all the more critical his failure is all the more devastating understood rather bluntly husbands if you do not care about your wife. God does not care about your prayer.

Stop praying they just paying it all over the walls. Your prayers will not be hindered while the word Peter uses for hindered is a term used for making a road impassable enemy soldiers with whole boulders on the roadways, create obstacles and blockades. Paul use the same word to explain that he had been hindered in visiting the Roman believers. Romans 1522. He also tells the Thessalonians that he's been hindered more than once in his efforts to to see them for Thessalonians 218. He also uses the word to rebuke the Galatian believers when he writes to them you done so well in your progress is who is now hindering who is blocked the road of spiritual growth and progress is gotten in the way were also carried being interrupted or cut in did you present any more serious divine threat to our growth then this that there could possibly be the interruption of all of the promises of prayers being heard and answered. Imagine the implications. The man his sins against his wife and knowingly refusing to show her due consideration and honor and kindness finds a barrier between him and God.

In other words, don't go to God as if everything is all right if you don't care to go to your wife to make thing right. That's incredible warning if you're not interested in listening to the needs of your why God is interested in listening to the needs of your life so your marriage becomes a barometer of the reality of your Christian growth that the reality of your Christianity that matter what people say out there all think he is a he is a Christian wow I've seen in the larger of the thousands that reads logic from everybody what a godly man, wonderful by the way, Hope you're doing that matter nearly as much as what your wife says about you and what your wife's assessment of the reality of your Christianity.

Peters drawing the connection between that and your assessment of the value of your wife. She according to Peter your fellowship with God is related to your fellowship with your wife see you get out of fellowship with God and it's possible we gotta fellowship with your wife right. We men know that all too well.

We get out of fellowship with God.

All household was about a dog kick the cat is actually but here's peters. You act sinfully and and proudly and selfishly and you don't care about living with your wife with the courtesy and kindness to her you get out of fellowship in that way with your wife. You are in fact out of fellowship with God. Guaranty you say brothers when we send our wives we can God's a big your wife, your servant placed on meet your every need.

Do you view her as a fellow heir coming kingdom. Someone God is allowing chaperone were kindness home well men, I hope you continue to treat your wife is God's special treasure and if you haven't today's message as a challenge for you to change your attitude and your behavior with this message. Stephen concludes his series on marriage called for better or for worse visit wisdom online.org or call us right now at 86 648 Bible on her next broadcast. We begin a brand-new series called into the spotlight.

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