1 Peter 3:1-7

Peter, the author of this letter, was a married man. We know this because he had a mother-in-law (Mark 1:30-31) and because Paul implied it (1 Corinthians 9:5).

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands (1 Peter 3:1-6).

What this does not mean:

• A wife should submit to abuse … Let’s make it clear that Christians believe wives should not submit to abuse.

• 1-800-799-SAFE is the hotline to call if you suffer abuse

• That the husband is superior … There is equality between husband and wife. How is their equality when there is submission? Let’s look at the Trinity. All three Persons are equal, but the Son submits (or defers) to the Father.They serve different roles.

• A wife should always agree with her husband … The wife does not (and likely should not) always agree with her husband

What this does mean:

• A wife should follow the husband’s lead. … The wife is to follow her husband as long as he is leading down the right path. Marriage is a bit of a team sport and the wife needs to be on the husband’s team. … If the husband is not a Christian, the wife is told to still follow their lead with the hope that her behavior and actions will win him over.

Let your beauty come from the character of your life. … It’s not wrong to wear jewelry or fine clothes or a fancy hairstyle, but those outward decorations should be secondary to your character.

Peter uses Abraham and Sarah as an example. These two were not a perfect couple by any means, but they do show a wife submissive to her husband.

Husbands, honor your wives (1 Peter 3:7).

Be considerate of your wife as physically weaker but spiritually equal. Failure to be considerate of your wife hinders your prayers. … The husband’s role is not to tell the wife to submit. The husband’s role is to respect her and be considerate of her. … Men and women are created differently. Generally, men are bigger and stronger than women. The husband should never touch the wife in anger. … Spiritually, men and women are equal. Just because the husband is meant to lead, that doesn’t mean he is superior in spirit. … The relationship with your wife affects your relationship with God. If a husband is abusive towards his wife either physically, emotionally, or spiritually, then his relationship with God is hindered.

Our youth pastor preached today as our church recognized the graduating seniors.

Warning: Research shows that 70-80% of high school graduates are dropping out of church or taking an extended hiatus during the 4 years post-graduation.

Young adults are the only ones leaving the church though; every age group sees people leaving the church. Some researchers call this the great Exodus.

Exodus 33:14-16; 32:7-10

1. Go in God’s Presence (Exodus 33:14-16).

1. God goes with us. He gives us signs that He is with us.

2. The people of God desire to be in His presence. Be intentional in wanting to be in God’s presence.

2. Trust in God’s Power (Exodus 14:31).

1. Moses doesn’t have the power to free the Israelites on his own; he has to rely on God’s power and so do we.

2. Even after they left Egypt, the Israelites still needed to rely on God’s power to sustain them.

3. Pursue God’s Purity (Exodus 32:7-10).

1. The Israelites temporarily worshipped a golden calf they made as they waited for Moses to return from the mountain. God desires for His people to live pure lives which means pursuing God and His perfect purity.

2. We may not have a golden calf, but we have plenty of other idols that lead to impurity. Anything we put before God does this. Romance, money, popularity, drugs, and really just anything can be an idol.

1 Corinthians 7:1-6, 10-24

An interesting aspect of this passage is that Paul says the same thing to both the husband and wife. This would have been a revolutionary idea back then.

1. One should deprive one’s marriage partner of sexual intimacy except by mutual consent. Distance or separation in a marriage relationship is dangerous (1 Corinthians 7:1-6). … Paul was talking about intimacy. A lack of intimacy likely indicates problems that put distance between husband and wife. That distance is something Satan can use to create even more issues.

2. Two Christians should not divorce (1 Corinthians :10-11). Jesus said the only exception is adultery (Matthew 19:9). … Paul references what Jesus has said on this issue and tells Christians to work through their problems.

3. A believer should _ to an unbeliever if the unbelieving spouse is willing to do so (1 Corinthians 7:12-16). The presence of one Christians in a family sanctifies the family. … This time Paul uses his own discernment and tells us that Christians should remain with their unbelieving spouse if their spouse is willing to remain married. He says that the Christian spouse can “sanctify” the family. That doesn’t mean a family is saved just because one of the parents is a Christian, but that the family may be blessed because of it.

4. Be content regardless of your material situation (1 Corinthians 7:17-24). Serve God where you are until He moves you into different circumstances. You can be content where you are (Philippians 4:10-13). … We are told not to wish we were somewhere else or with someone else, but to be content. Our circumstances don’t determine our happiness or contentedness. We are defined by God, not our marital status.

The church of Corinth wrote to Paul and asked him some questions about how to live as a Christian. One of the topics was marriage. We don’t have the actual question that was asked, but chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s answer to the question.

Four Things to Consider When Deciding Whether to Marry

1. Am I able to lead a chaste as a single? (1 Corinthians 7:2, 7-9) … For a Christian there needs to be purity, so a single Christian should remain celibate. Paul says not everyone is able to remain chaste and that one reason to get married is so that we don’t burn with passion.

2. Are the circumstances right at this time for me to marry? (1 Corinthians 7:25-28; 1 Timothy 5:14) … There are some situations in which getting married is not a wise thing to do. And there are other circumstances where marrying is wise.

3. How will marriage or singleness affect my service to Christ? (1 Corinthians 7:32-35) … Serving Christ is the most thing we do. If being married makes your service to the Lord more effective, get married. If being single makes you more effective, remain single.

4. Am I marrying a believer in Christ? (1 Corinthians 7:39-40) … Marriage is for a lifetime and it is important to be married to another believer, should you choose to marry.

Four Purposes of Marriage

1. Partnership (Malachi 2:14; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) … Marriage is a partnership. Life easier with a partner.

2. Procreation (Genesis 1:27-28) … Having children is another reason

3. Pleasure (Song of Solomon 1:2) … God created marriage for pleasure. God gives good gifts.

4. Purity (1 Corinthians 7:9) … It is better to marry than to burn with passion.

For singles, these purposes can fulfilled in other ways

1. Partnership can come friends and the church

2. Singles may not have biological children, but they can have spiritual children

3. Pleasure can come from many different sources

4. Purity comes from being chaste.