Empowered Submission: Strength and Hope in Marriage

Devotional

Sermon Summary

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips


Submission does not mean putting the will of the husband above the will of Christ. So here's a woman who's been called to be a follower of Jesus. Now she's a follower of Jesus first, before and above being a follower of her husband. When it says in verse six that Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, that's Lord with a little l. [00:07:58]

This woman in this text gets her strength, her depth, her hope from God. Verse five says that she's like the Holy Women of old who hoped in God. When her husband is no strength for her, she is not bereft of strength because she hopes in God. Her arms are outstretched to God and her heart is open to God. [00:10:34]

Whatever submission means, it is not a cowering, coerced, fearful act. It is an act of freedom that is fearless because it's coming from strength, which flows from hope in God. Now those are six things that submission is not. So let me just ask briefly then, what positively can we say? [00:11:55]

The source of her strength is not in herself but in God. Verse 5: For in this way, in former times, the holy women also who hoped in God—there's the key phrase, circle that in your Bible—who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. The secret of flourishing as a human being in relationships that are hard. [00:16:16]

Let your hope in God then go to work on your inner being to produce a gentle, quiet, fearless person. The inner person—gentle, quiet fearlessness—will look different in men and women, but it will be there in men and women. Men will be gentle, men will be tranquil, men will be fearless. Women will be gentle, women will be tranquil, women will be fearless. [00:17:10]

Let hope in God go down into the inner being and create fearlessness before all circumstances because you're so secure in God. And that fearlessness begins to ripple out in a kind of tranquility and quietness and gentleness that doesn't need to be all frenzied and all controlling but relaxed so that people take strength from being around you. [00:18:32]

Let the hope in God come on in, let it create a fearlessness and security and beautiful serenity and tranquility and quietness that doesn't get all worked up about clothes and style and makeup and earrings and fashion and the outer person. Devote your energies to becoming a kind of character. [00:20:54]

People who hope in God and become deep, tranquil, strong, fearless people will, little by little—it doesn't happen overnight—take on a behavior that's described in verses 1 and 2. An outward behavior now comes from this inner person. You see that? So that they may be won over without a word by the behavior. [00:22:36]

The secret of flourishing in relationships that are hard is not to get your strength from those relationships but from God. That's the secret, so that you bring strength to the relationship for the relationship, rather than being a depleted person who must drink all of its strength from the relationship. [00:16:16]

The word of the Lord to you this morning is, number one, don't get your strength from those relationships. Hope in God for love, hope in God for acceptance, hope in God for security, hope in God for strength. And then let that hope and all of that relation to God go down into the inner person. [00:23:56]

Let that hope little by little shape into being a fearless, hope-filled, tranquil, deep, strong, quiet woman of valor or man of valor. And then thirdly, let that begin to spill over into a behavior that is chaste and pure and respectful and servant-like. And God, may it happen. [00:22:36]

I pray that your people now would hope in you. Some of them are almost depleted this morning because the relationships are so hard. I pray for the gift of hope in their lives, and would you send that hope down now to do the work of peace-giving, fearlessness-giving, purity-giving, tranquility-creating. [00:23:56]

Ask a question about this sermon