Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Our society gives us very little Help in gender roles and relationships.
So we're going to read. From Peter's leather. First Peter chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, and we're going to learn by the Christian wife.
So this is directed to wise.
So wise, I want you particularly to be listening. Yeah. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Today, we're continuing our exploration of Peter's teaching to Christian wives with a fascinating contrast. Consider who shapes women's ideals of beauty and success in our culture.
Peter points to Sarah, a legendary beauty whose character was rooted in trusting God.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with part two of his message. The Christian wife. Last time we looked at the first six verses of 1 Peter chapter 3, where Peter teaches on the Christian wife. Contemporary wives may struggle when Peter explains that Christian wives are to be in submission to their husbands. But we saw that followers of Jesus are to display a respectful spirit in all of their relationships.
After all, We follow a Saviour. who patiently endure suffering, and who was in submission to his heavenly father. Biblical submission is not demeaning or negative. but emphasizes that in marriage the wife is to complement and support her husband.
So, this is not a matter of husbands demanding obedience. Christian marriages are to be characterized by love and joy. Let's return to Peter as he continues teaching on the Christian wife. First Peter three, then 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 and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external. the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear.
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. very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves. by submitting to their own husbands.
as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And you are her children. If you do good. and do not fear anything that is frightening. Interesting, isn't it?
Well, we're going to see from this text. First of all, that wives are to display submission to their husbands. What does it mean to be in submission? Submission is a way of life for every Christian. Not just women.
This concept of being submission to some people is the meaning.
Nowhere in the New Testament Does this word? Subject to Botasso in Greek, nowhere does it mean inferiority. When our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth, He was subject to his father. Equal That is true. No inferiority.
But subject to his father.
So, this subjection that Peter is talking about is God's order.
Now, husbands shouldn't demand that their wives be submission. Notice it's addressed to the wives. We'll deal with the husband next week in verse 7. This submission of the wife is a voluntary surrender of her rights and her will. It's not a biblical warrant for husbands insisting that their wives obey them.
I know this. The reference, Peter says, be subject to your own husbands. It's not that wives generally are subject to men, that's not the point. The relationship is in view. Here is an unbelieving husband and a believing wife, and that wife is to be in submission to that husband.
So, first of all, wives are to display submission to their own husbands. Secondly, wives are to display Godly behavior. Again, their tax. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even You're listening? Even if some do not obey the word, they may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see.
You're respectful. and pure Conduct.
So, first, wives are to display submission to their own husbands. Secondly, wives are to display godly Behave your conduct. And then thirdly, wives are to display true beauty. Verses three and four. Do not let, first the negative, do not let your adorning be external.
the braiding of hair. The putting on of gold jewelry or the clothing you wear, but here it is, 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. Notice the contrast, verse 3: Do not let your adorning be external.
Verse 4, but let your adorning be the hidden person of. The heart.
Now, clearly, Peter is not prohibiting a woman from taking care of their hair or wearing jewelry or clothes. Obviously, they're to wear clothes. And that's important. I think a godly woman will take care of herself. and not deny her femininity.
After all, the godly women of the Old Testament, such as Sarah, he's going to mention, and Rebekah, are described as very beautiful in Genesis, and they also wore jewelry. That's not the point.
So these verses shouldn't be interpreted as a recipe for the Christian wife to look like some kind of frump. Absolutely not. I'm serious guys, right? The point is That the beauty is not ostentatious. It's not the external Adorning that God is concerned, that we should be concerned.
But true beauty. Positively impacts husbands and pleases God. Did you notice that at the end of verse four? which in God's sight is very precious How does our society determine Beauty. Peter is saying, listen.
The measure of true beauty doesn't lie in the external. True and lasting beauty is internal rather than external. It's not cosmetic. No amount of elaborate hairstyles. No amount of expensive jewellery.
Can cover up an ungodly, shallow, mean-spirited woman. Am I right? Have you met women like that? That's not the kind of woman you want to be married to, is it? No, a wife.
A Christian wife. will reflect True beauty which is inside. How will she do that? Peter is telling us by her conduct. By her respect.
by her purity, by her demeanor. She will conduct herself with a quiet dignity and gentleness. That's what he says. The imperishable beauty, what is imperishable beauty? Of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
This gentleness This elegance and dignity of true beauty is the opposite of the pushy, loud, selfish, manipulative attitudes and conduct of some women. This beauty is in Perishable. They say when you get married, you take a look at the mother. and saying that's what she's going to be like and Several years. It's not always true, is it?
But when you get married You think, okay, I'm marrying this beautiful woman. Is that beauty going to continue to get married? See, Peter is emphasizing not a personality type. But virtues all Christian women can demonstrate. Respect.
Gentleness. Dignity. Purity. Trust. and sincerity.
And a woman who is beautiful In the inside, Will radiate on the outside so that the unbelieving husband will see that God is working through the life of this woman, that she is displaying the imperishable beauty. of a gentle and quiet spirit. She's not nagging him. Every time she meets him, she's not presenting the gospel to him and trying to get him to come to church and on and on and on. No.
Instead, he's gonna look at her. She grows in the Lord. As she displays Christ. He's going to look on that imperishable beauty. of a gentle And quite Spirit.
Can I speak to the girls here? And I speak to the young woman. Can speak to the wives. Pursue this imperishable Beauty. Do you take a lot of time with the external?
Are you cultivating the Internal. Are you walking with Christ? Are you looking at Christ? Because the more you look at Christ, the more you read of him. The more you commune with Him, the more you see Christ in action in the Gospels.
And as you read about the doctrine of Christ in the epistles, there is an amazing thing happening: that you are being transformed so that you're becoming more and more like Christ and reflecting His gentleness. Remember. The Lord says in one of his few self-descriptions. I um Gentle. In spirit.
Come unto me, all ye who labour. And they're heavy laden, I will give you rest, for I am. Gentle. Think of the gentleness of the Lord. Think of his strength.
Think of his righteousness. Think of his truth. But the strength Of this imperishable beauty.
Now, there's one more before we. Tie this up, wives are to trust in God and respect their husbands. You are to trust in God and respect your husband. Verse 5. Peter's going to give an example.
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves. Same word. Here it is. How do you adorn adorn themselves? By submitting to their own husbands.
And Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And you are her children if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Christian wives trust In God. The holy women in the Old Testament, Peter is saying in verse 5, they hoped in God. That has the same force.
They believed in God. They trusted in God. They believed the promises of God. They claimed the promises of God. Their hope was not in this world.
Their hope was in God. Even in difficult circumstances, even in very dangerous circumstances, as you read the Old Testament, these godly women were trusting in God. And Christian wives demonstrate their hope in God, their trust in God, by acknowledging the divine pattern, acknowledging the divine order and graciously submitting to their husbands. Wise will demonstrate their trust in God then by pursuing an internal beauty rather than the external one. Their internal beauty is going to be vastly more important than the external.
A Christian wife. Who is hoping in God? Peter is telling us. will adorn herself. With the jewels.
Of a gentle and quiet spirit, and demonstrate that by submitting to her husband, her own husband. Christian wives. Provide positive models of trust. and respect, and that is true beauty. Who are today's models?
For women. Who the who the young woman? And even older women looked her. As the model of beauty. Who shapes the styles of women's appearances, their attitudes, their beauty, their hairstyles?
What they wear. Largely, isn't it true, the glamorous celebrity woman of Hollywood? The so-called celebrity, the singer, the actress. The models who appear on the covers of the glossary of the glossary magazines are on social media. They are the models.
And thousands, if not millions, look at them and copy them. You see that when some celebrity wears a certain wedding dress. The stores take that. Model And people buy it.
Now Christian woman will not follow these models. Many of whom are Shallow and immoral. What models should the young women follow? A young woman should follow the model of older women. Yes, if you're a young woman.
Get to know some of the older women. That's what Peter is doing. He's giving the example of a holy woman, Sarah.
Now if you read about Sarah, physically she was a very beautiful woman. But Peter presents her not of Not as an example of external beauty. but of a spiritual model of godliness and of submission, of respect, of true beauty. She hoped in God. She's in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, where it says in verse 11, that she considered God faithful who had promised.
And she obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. When she heard of the promise of the son, You remember the men coming and in Genesis 18, And at long last, there is the promise of a son, and she addresses Abraham as Lord.
Now, Peter is not saying that Christian wives all are to call their husbands Lord. No, this was a conventional term in that culture, showing respect. In fact, as the men come to Abraham's tent in Hebrews, in Genesis 18, he refers to them as Lord, my Lord. It was a term of respect. What's the point?
Sarah is showing a respect for her husband by calling him Lord. She showed respect to Abraham in accordance with the culture and the custom of that day. And it is very important. Paul is going to say this in Ephesians 5. that wives respect.
Their husbands. That is very important. Let me say to A young woman who's dating Someone even contemplated a marriage. Do not marry anyone. that you do not respect.
It is very, very important. For a successful marriage, let the wife respect her husband. And wives. Demonstrate your respect for your husband. You don't always agree with him that it's true.
But you are to show respect for them. It is very, very. Hard for a husband, and I've spoken to many over the years, when they come and say, My wife no longer respects me. But it's very important. That you demonstrate your respect for your husband.
And Sarah demonstrates her hope in God. And her submission to Abraham in many ways. Think of Sarah being married to Abraham. They're in Ur of the Chaldeans. He's a wealthy man.
But God says to Abraham, No, I want you to go to a country you don't know. And he goes, who's with him? His wife Sarah. She's following his Leadership. We're in the promised land.
There's a famine. And Abraham decides to go to Egypt. Not the wisest thing, but Sarah goes with a She's showing her respect for her husband. Then think of it when Abraham comes and says that he's going to sacrifice. Their son, the son of promise.
The one through whom God is going to fulfill his covenant. And Abraham says, Now, God sold me, I've got to go to the mount of Moriah and offer my son as a sacrifice, our son. Imagine what the wife would say. And Sarah clearly doesn't tell us in the text in Genesis, but clearly. She's short.
Her respect, her hope was in God, her trust was in God. And women who follow Sarah's example of submission and respect for their husband are known as, verse 6: Sarah's daughters, you are her children. Such women will do good even in difficult and dangerous circumstances. If you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Sarah had, humanly speaking, frightening experiences, but her trust was in God and her respect was in her husband.
And her obedience to God and her respect for her husband produced. No fear. And so here is this unbelieving A man married to this believing woman that Peter is talking about, and he's saying to this woman: If you do what I'm telling you, if you submit to your husband, if you demonstrate this true beauty with your purity of conduct and your respect, there's nothing to fear. Is that wonderful to go through life? Isn't that wonderful?
When a wife Respects. Her husband? I remember many years now going to Goodney and saying, God, Is calling me to leave my law practice and to go into full-time ministry. And by the way, I'm going to study at Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas, the United States, where I've never been. And Goodney did not immediately say, Hallelujah, that's what I've been waiting to hear.
She was still learning English. getting accustomed to the wonderful Scottish culture. Couldn't embrace all of it. But she was learning. And now I was saying that God was leading me.
to another country A different career, as it were. And I said, just pray about it. She said, I don't want to pray about it. I say pray about it. If God is calling me, He will give you that peace.
and the understanding And the calling that this is what we're going to do, that we're going to go forward and trust God. And that's what happens. And since that day, Goodness has never said to me once, What a silly Decision that was. In fact, over the years, when I've got come home very frustrated with different things in the church and with different individuals and different circumstances and said, I'm going to get out of this, I'm tired of this, she has said many times to me, didn't God call you? I praise God for such.
a wife as he gave me. Peter is reminding us then that living for Christ can be difficult. There are dangerous circumstances, and as we follow the word of God, it does not mean that we're immune from suffering and difficulties. Perhaps you are a believing wife married to an unbelieving husband. That's difficult.
Perhaps your husband is a believer. But he's not strong in his faith. And your marriage continues to be difficult. What are you to do? You're to follow the Word of God.
You're to demonstrate by your conduct. by your purity. by your respect for him. and you will display to him the imperishable beauty. of a gentle and quiet spirit.
We as Christians are to conduct ourselves with respect. We're to follow the divinely instituted order for the Lord's sake. We are to trust God in difficult circumstances. We are, in all circumstances, continuing to display Jesus Christ. We're not in despair.
We're not to expect everything to go smoothly because we're following Christ. We're not to nag people. We're not to manipulate people into making a profession of salvation. No, by a respectful attitude. By our holy conduct, by displaying the Lord Jesus Christ, our homes, our workplace, society will be transformed as we live for the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and the conclusion of his message titled The Christian Wife. John will be back with closing remarks in just a moment. What a powerful reminder that true beauty is manifested in character, not superficial externals. Peter's teaching challenges every assumption our culture makes about influence and beauty. the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
creates lasting change that no mere physical beauty can achieve. This eternal perspective underscores the importance of developing a Biblical world view. Our current featured resource, for the time is near, helps you understand how the Book of Revelation reveals what truly matters in life. When you better understand God's plan of salvation and the truth of Christ's return, your priorities will be transformed. You'll understand why it's so important to invest in character over appearance, spiritual growth over worldly success, and kingdom values over cultural trends.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? If you're a woman, how do you look on beauty? Our society emphasizes the external. I think you'll agree that true beauty is seen in our behavior and attitude. How we worship and obey God.
How we treat others.
So make sure Your beauty is internal. and that you've not become narcissistic or self-absorbed. Put your trust in God. Respect your husband. Display Jesus.
Next time, we'll continue in 1 Peter and discuss the Christian husband. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
