Authentic Faith: Living Out Submission and Witness

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So Peter is not talking about this. He's using this as an example. There's there's different roles in the home, right? Husband and wife, they have different roles. They have the same value, right? God created us as equals. So different roles but the same value. And wives, yes, they should submit to the husbands because God has assigned different roles in the home. [00:28:42]

The definition of a Christian is not just someone who who goes to church and and learns some stuff, but is someone who believes and who obeys, right? So ask yourself, are you a believer? Yeah, I believe. What does it mean to you? Obey God's word. That is the key. [00:31:49]

We have to do it. But we always fall short. But that's not an excuse. Ah, nobody's perfect, so no big deal. The call is you need to obey. the word as a believer. So read the Bible. Peter writes to these believers, right? He he writes to the elect exiles. [00:32:49]

Wives, submit to your unbelieving husbands. So that they may not they will there's not a promise here guarantee but they may be one they may you may get them over to your side but it's not about you okay it's about their for for their sake not for your sake is so they can meet Jesus they can they can get to know Jesus so how do you do this well you submit but you you can't do this by yourself okay we don't change people's hearts you cannot change your husband's heart you can just live in a way that reflects Jesus. [00:33:24]

God is the one who works in in our in in people's hearts. We cannot do that. Right? But there's some principles. So Peter brings up this idea. Okay? They can be one and he says without a word don't talk. Okay? Now talking is important but you know what sometimes we talk too much right and you know maybe there's some I don't know nagging. [00:34:01]

You witness with your life, with your conduct. Not with words, but with the conduct of their wives. And I want to I want to give you three three areas maybe that you can focus on. First one is invest personally. What does that mean? Well, wife, Christian wife, you are responsible, okay, to to share with your husband to live in a in an understanding way and to to to witness to him. [00:35:36]

Parents, you bring up kids in the Lord. That is first of all, you invest personally. Don't outsource this to the church. Okay? It's not like here is my kid now. Convert him and make him holy, right? And then bring him back home. No, you start at home. That's your that's the main meal, main dish. Okay. And then you supplement that with church. The church can help and the church must help. [00:36:56]

Focus on perfection. You're not going to be perfect. Focus on the direction. It's about your attitude, your humility. You confess, you know, if you do wrong, I'm sorry. You can apologize. You try to honor Christ in your life. Be honest. Be real. Right? and then continue to grow to become more like Christ. It's a process. [00:38:18]

So connect with your husband. And when they see that, when they see your respectful and pure conduct, they might be one over. As you live your life, you respect him and you say, "No, no, he doesn't deserve my respect." Well, it's not actually about him. Just like it's not about Pilot or Nero or or or the unjust employer. [00:40:19]

If someone hits you or or harms you or breaks your toy or whatever it is, right? They're wrong. But that doesn't give you the right to do wrong as well. Okay, one person's sin against us does not give us an excuse to sin against them. Does that make sense? If sin is always wrong, it doesn't matter why we do it, right? [00:42:13]

But if we're Christian, we're calling ourselves Christ followers. Then we're supposed to follow him. We should supposed to imitate him. It's like, "No, I can't do that." Of course, you can't do that. Nobody can. So pray to God. God help me with this because this is difficult. Self-denial is difficult. If it's easy, then everybody's a Christian. [00:43:05]

But wives, your respectful, your pure conduct can win your husband over to Christ. That's a good thing. And then Peter talks about about beauty to explain how how a wife can guide guide her husband to God by being gorgeous. Okay, gorgeous girls guide guys to God. [00:43:31]

You want to be beautiful, start on the inside. That's what matters. Don't be shallow. Right? Imagine the wife comes back and says, "Honey, I went to a beauty." No, I went to a different kind of beauty clinic. Okay? And then she she changes her character and she's loving and kind and and she displays the fruit of her spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, all these things. [00:47:08]

Let the adorning be the hidden person of the heart. Imperishable beauty. Something that doesn't perish. Okay. Again, hair. Hair is here today and gone tomorrow, right? Gone yesterday, way long time ago. Okay. It doesn't last. If you have beautiful hair, some of you have nice full hair. Great. It will it will not last. [00:48:24]

Focus on the imperishable imperishable beauty. What is it? Gentle and quiet spirit. Be gentle, meek, humble like Christ. Quiet. Be quiet. No, no, that's not about being quiet. Okay, it's not about not talking, but be calm. Have a calm spirit. Free from from inner turmoil. Free from making turmoil. [00:49:12]

Christian submission never requires us to disobey God. It never requires us to submit to abuse. And also, and I like this one, not to participate in what our Holy Spirit directed conscience forbids. Okay? Not just my conscience. Oh, well, I kind of don't feel comfortable. I won't do that. Sorry. It's not just about our preferences. It is guided by the Holy Spirit. [00:53:42]

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