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HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR HUSBAND?

October 14, 2001 PM

Sermon Outline

1 Pet 3:3-6

INTRO: The husband/wife relationship is very special in Gods view. Yet, humanity has done all sorts of things to that relationship. Because there has been so much problem in marriage over the years, the Bible has said a great deal about how God designed marriage to be and how it develops into a truly happy and serene experience for both partners in the marriage. The Bible does not answer every question, but it does give guidelines and principles which are a basis for successfully solving problems. Because this is such an important relationship, the apostle Peter addresses it. Tonight we will consider How To Live With Your Husband.

I. IN GENERAL, SUCCESS BEGINS WITH ME!

A. Two things Peter does not say

1. he does not say leave your unbelieving husband

2. he does not say remake a husband who has some traits you dont like (although that effect is likely through what Peter will advise)

B. Peter says to the wife, Look at yourself first

1. one has said, a successful marriage does not depend on finding the right person, but on being the right person

2. that is the emphasis of the text before us

II A WIFES ADORNMENT

A. Should she give no thought to personal appearance (3:3)

1. that is certainly not what Peter says

2. so many women then devoted themselves to beautification of the bodyhair was arrayed with gold and precious stones; clothes were of expensive cloth with a decking of pearls; might spend hours in such beautifying

3. this si the kind of thing Peter criticizes

4. there is a forgetfulness of what real beauty is

5. but women should most assuredly give attention to themselvesto be all out for the Lord, you dont have to look all in!

B. Peters concernthe real youthe hidden man of the heart (3:4a)

1. 1 Sam 16:7 what God sees (note 3:4c)

2. Prov 23:7a the important thing for anyone (the wife in the text) is to be concerned about the qualities of character and behavior

3. beauty is truly more than a face, a garment!

C. incorruptible ornaments? (3:4b)

1. the point here is similar to Mt 7:19,20

2. physical beauty is a fading thing (explain)-beauty queens have a perishing commodity

3. ah, but meekness! opposite of self-assertiveness, of ambition for self...is self-suppression leading to loving service

4. and the quiet spirit! she is not showy, boistrous...she is calm and controlled (Prov 19:13)she, in fact, is an ornament to her husband (Prov 18:22)

D. The example of saintly wives of old (3:5)

1. meekness, quietness, submission to husband are not confined to a culture or time frame...Sarah was an ancient woman by 1st Century standards; yet, she is the example

2. and she is the example for the 20th century wife!

3. the qualities Peter has mentioned are the manner of the wife who trusts in Godothers may behave in ways contrary to Gods design...but not the wife who is a Christian (her goal in all things: 1 Cor 10:31)

4. their own husbands again as in 3:1noroving eye

E. The sweet example of Sarah (3:6)

1. Christian wives are daughters of Sarah

2. Sarah was an example of submission; of devotion to her husband; of concern for him

3. and, Peter says, she called him lord...He was her life; she exalted him (comment on the danger and future in devoting self to children)

4. her calling him lord evidenced an attitude which is right and correct in Gods plan (Eph 5:33b)

CLOSE: Is there anything to fear in such wifely behavior? Perhaps there are exceptions. But in general, her following the teaching of these verses should enrich markedly her relationship with her husband. And if he is a Christian husband, his reciprocation will make her life a joy of true fulfillment.

Cecil A. Hutson

14 October 2001

God's Plan of Salvation

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

You must believe and have faith in God because "without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called "Sinner's Prayer" that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the "Sinner's Prayer" to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus "Lord of your life." Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just "accept Jesus as your personal savior." We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God's grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God's grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)