So, as we look at our passage, we see that actually connection to previous thought, connection to previous passages, the idea and theme remains that this major exhortation to be able to submit is a running theme in this passage, right? We saw that if you just take a look at your Bibles all the way from chapter 2, that the idea of submission runs from verse 13, that you need to submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to human institutions, governors, all this kind of stuff.

Then in verse 18, he asked that servants, so whether it be slaves to masters, and I kind of expanded out to workers and et cetera, you need to learn how to submit. And then there was this huge exhortation that we need to do this for the sake of Christ.

And then here we are with this idea of submission in the home. But if you ask how, you know, in terms of the connection of the thought, the flow of this actually started way back in chapter 1, verse 13. When we saw that in chapter 1, that there was a huge kind of push for us to remember and appreciate the salvation that we have, chapter 1, verse 13 made the transition, made the flip and said, "This is how you start to apply." And the reason why I bring that up is with 1 Peter, there is a overarching, big umbrella theme that how we apply the gospel in our lives is learning how to surrender and submit in various applications, various circumstances of our lives, right?

Quite surprising. And I said how this book for me has been a challenge to my expectations, a challenge to what I view as normal, right? The challenge to what I view as acceptable in our response to difficulty, suffering, and persecution. And that's really also what's going to be the case for chapter 3, verses 1 through 7.

That in terms of the situation that maybe can be found in the home, practically speaking, what is going to be the application of the gospel? The gospel has to work itself out. The faith that we have has to express itself. It's not only going to be just in the moment of salvation, but in the home too, the regular experiences of our lives.

He says, "This is what I expect of you," for the Christian, okay? So reading verse 1 through 2 again, let's read it and I'll read it for us. It says, "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior." If I were to just do a simple summary and outline of this passage, I would just make it this four-point outline that I have there.

There is a command, the main point, be submissive. There is a clear, "so that" the non-believers may be won. There is a means or the content of how you're going to apply that. It says, "By the behavior and character of your life." And then there's an example, "Just like Sarah and holy women of the past." So this is actually a nice, what you call a pericope.

It's like a nice section that you can take and say, "Hmm, there's just this nice flow of thought in the outline." There's the command, the punch, boom, you need to be submissive. And then there's the supporting ideas, giving you both the rationale and the purpose, the means and the example of how we're to do that.

So as I was thinking about this, I could have just followed the same line of thought and went through it. But you know how in volleyball, there's like serve, bump, set, and then spike? So I was hoping that maybe we can just kind of flip it around. In terms of giving you the example first, saying this is the example of how God is seeing what women should be like, and then the means by which they're going to achieve, and then et cetera, et cetera, down to the command.

So I'm going to reorder it and kind of work backwards for the section on the ladies. So let's jump to verse five, verse five and six, and look at the example. So this is the example for you to follow. He says, "For in this way in former times, the holy women also who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.

Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear." So the example for you to follow is to be this holy woman, just as they were in the past. And if I were to give a sermon title for this, I would just call it Be Holy Woman.

But what's more, there is just these running themes about what they did that will really challenge us. First, what did these holy women do? It says that they hoped in God. As an example of what you should mimic, it says that they placed their hope in God. Now as we think about this, I ask this question, what does hope have to do with this command to submit?

Right? Now as we think about that for a moment, how does hope relate to this command to submit? Right? We get actually one of the greatest things that's going to be the solution for every scenario of our lives. Isn't hope that thing which really is synonymous with faith that caused every single individual in Hebrews chapter 11 to be able to do what they did?

Isn't hope what they possessed in their heart that encouraged them to both suffer, to have loss of their possession, and continue to persevere even in the midst of all their suffering? Hope is actually so tied to any kind of difficulty, any act and application of our faith, that hope is what's revealed when we continue to do things like submit.

So what do I mean by that? The evidence that we have hope is the application of submitting, enduring, and continuing to press on even in the circumstances that we find ourselves in. So think about this for a moment. The woman that he is speaking to, specifically on a circumstance that could be incredibly difficult.

What is that namely? He calls out that these are women who potentially are wives to unbelieving husbands. Not only is it just simply unbelieving, but says they're disobedient to the word. Now in relation, I just want to ask this question, in relation to various things that can go wrong in your life, where would that measure?

Now it's kind of like a, I guess you can say a messed up question to ask. It's like, "Dang, you know? Are we trying to, what if there was somebody in here who was, you know? What if? What if we knew people?" It's like, "Yeah, you're married to an unbelieving husband." And the reason why I ask that is because we have to kind of put ourselves in their shoes and realize that however bad we might think that it is today, that in their time, being married to an unbelieving husband could have been so detrimental to the well-being of their lives.

I mean, already they lived in a culture where women was seen as a possession. Already they lived in a culture where men had the right to do whatever they wanted to their wives. To the degree that if they believed that the wife has sinned or committed some kind of offense worthy, the husband could execute her.

So if this man is an unbelieving individual, think of the situation they find themselves in. Right? And the reason why I say, then in that moment, in that moment, their ability to continue on shows and proves they have a hope greater than just in their circumstance. Right? Just as every single disappointing moment that we could potentially have in this life with some sense you're young to when you're older, whether it be you're hoping that you'll go to a good college or you're hoping that you'll land a good job or you're hoping that you'll get married to a good, nice Christian individual or you're hoping you'll have a nice family, hoping you can raise a good family at a good church and hoping X, Y, and Z.

Every single one of those moments is going to be a test of your hope. What are you placing? Where have you placed your hope? So I'm coming at this forefront of the idea that the holy woman that Apostle Peter is thinking about weren't just simply women who took a beating and then they survived.

Right? We're talking about women who had an incredible amount of hope in the God they trusted that caused their ability and gave them power to continue to endure. Okay? In thinking about that then, in terms of the hope that they had in God, this is the source of their ability to submit.

And it says with that ability, they adorned themselves with submission. I want to move on to a second question. If you guys can, I have a little table for you there asking the question, you know, how should wives be submissive? On a grand scale of things, we might have a very, I don't know, subconsciously very chauvinistic view of what submission would look like.

It's like, you know, just be quiet and do what they say versus, you know, something that's good in terms of what submission would look like. So as a table, as a group, please fill in that table. What would be some markers or principles of good submission that a wife could show versus bad submission?

Bad submission. Okay? Go. So at this time, you guys should at least have a couple in each box. Let's share a few. Let's just share a few. If I could have a raise of hand of someone who wants to just share what they put on the good side. Just raise of hand.

Yes. Okay. So bearing with your husband even if he's wrong. Having that patience to, you know, even when he's wrong or whatnot, to bear with him. What else? If, huh? There you go. Next. What's another one? How about, let's see, that was a guy's table. So far table on the right, on the good side of submission.

Joyfully. Good. In terms of the attitude of the heart. Okay? And one more for the good side of the submission. Okay. Good. So honoring and respecting the one that you are submitting to. What about on the bad side of submission? I'll just call on a few. How about directly ahead of me with Anson, Jeremy, Paul?

Just following without considering if that's sin or not. From the woman's side, she's got to be thinking, right? Whether this is the will of God or whether it's contrary and actual sin. What else? Yes? Okay. Submitting with a level of arrogance and pride, because you can do that. What else?

Let's see. Group to my left here with Rachel, Janine. Okay. Being resentful while you're submitting. So as we kind of described these two categories of what submission is, part of the reason why I had you guys do this is because I think submission is, one, the passage or the book that we're studying makes it a big topic.

A topic where you're applying this in various scenarios in various ways. But what's more, it's actually a large topic conceptually for us too. Even when it's specific to the home. So the Ephesians passage, when it talks about subjection and submission, I'm just going to read it to you. It says, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the savior of the body.

But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything." And if you just take that and say, "Okay, that's it." There is danger of you misapplying. There's a danger of you going outside of the bounds of scripture, so to speak.

Because there are ways in which what submission shouldn't be. I absolutely agree with all the various things that you guys said in terms of what submission should not be. Submission should not be, I turn off my brain and whatever this man says, that's what's going to go. Rather, the way that even the passage that we're looking at, there is an intentional, there is an attitude that makes submission what it is.

What's more, this kind of submission where if you are to just submit in every single way that you're avoiding to change your husband in any single way and there's nothing you're trying to exhort the husband to do, rather he's commanding you. Because that's not necessarily submission either. So sometimes when I hear these, I go to some weddings and they have these wedding vows like, "I'll never make you stop playing video games.

I'll always let you do this." And that I'm just like, "That's not submission either." You know? That's not submission either. Why? Because the passage itself says you're trying to win your husband. You know what I mean? You're trying to win your husband. What's more, having a kind of dependency on your husband where in every single aspect of your life, both physically and spiritually, where you're so tied to your husband that he is your hope, that's a wrong kind of submission.

We just talked about how even when the wife is in the relationship with her husband, that kind of relationship has to be one which her hope is in God. Her hope is in God. So as we think about that a little bit, we're going to describe in greater detail through going through this passage what submission rightly is.

Think about this. In that example of what holy women did, it started off with saying they hoped in God that they were being submissive and then later it says, "Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord and you have become her children, if you," what? "Do what is right." Do what is right.

So I have a cross-reference for you there. Please turn your Bibles over to 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 11. Okay? 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 11. It says, starting from verse 11 down to verse 12, it says, "For behold what earnestness in this very thing, this godly sorrow has produced in you, what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong.

In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God." Okay?

So there is a sense in which when we think about good submission, that good submission has the idea of both being innocent and doing what is right in the sight of God in every instance. In good submission, there is a constant intentionality and thinking of what's good in this moment.

What's good for my husband who is not a believer? What's good for our family, you know, who we will, even if we find ourselves in desperate and hard circumstances. So rather than actually think of submission at an attitude of, "Fine, have it your way." Right? Fine, right? No, the person who is submitting is actually constantly thinking intentionally what is good, godly, kind, peaceful, lovely in the sight of God in this circumstance.

So there's a sense in which the one who is submitting in this scenario to a husband who is not a believer is thinking even harder than the husband. Does that make sense? Is thinking even far above and beyond what the husband might be thinking. That they are desiring to have a clarity of conscience before the Lord, doing what is right and peaceable in his sight.

What's more, good submission is without fear. Right? He says, or the passage says that we are, or the ladies are children of Sarah if they do right without being frightened by fear. Think about that for a moment on how that connects. Right? How that connects. There I said is a bad form of submission.

You know what that is? A bad form of submission is when you're so frightened of the consequences that your motivation to do what they say is you're just scared. Right? That you're just scared of what's going to happen, you're just scared of etc, etc. That's not the proper motivation for submission.

So that kind of submission will always bear its fruit. You know? Especially even with us and any relationship that we have, especially with us and our relationship with God, that kind of submission and obedience is going to bear its own fruit. But just like we said earlier, the hope that we have in God is going to remove that fear, is going to tend to that fear and cause us to have an ability to submit with a proper attitude.

And we're going to talk about that more as we move forward. Okay? So, so far we've described the submission that ladies are supposed to have in these ways. But and um, I'm just going to skip number six where it says, "Abraham and Sarah, why do you think he refers to this couple?" By just kind of brief, just for the sake of time, you know, he's making this case that this design of the structure was not something that he just made up.

That this design was a calling of God, especially because his readers have an element of the Jewishness to them. If you notice, there's a lot of Jewish terminology, lots of quotation of the Old Testament. And as they see Abraham and Sarah as the father, you know, father Abraham of their, of their nation, um, he said, he's pointing to that saying, this is the calling of God and the pattern of God that he set long before.

Okay? But what we're going to do is change gear a little bit and go to verse three and verse four. Okay? So let's read this here. He says, "Your adornment must not be merely external, braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." Okay?

So earlier, the way that I put it was, here is the example of what you want to be, right? And then here in verse three and four is describing in greater detail the content of that example and the means by which you're going to accomplish what God has designed for you.

Right? He talks about first what not to do, just simply trying to win the heart of people by externals, simply trying to change what's on the outside, simply trying to improve whatever is on the external side. But he says to work on the internal, the quality of being gentle and quiet in spirit.

Right? Now I want to ask you, for those of you guys who did your homework, if you guys noticed, I said, go to a website that has Bible helps of looking up Greek words, and there's a resource of what's called Strong's Number. I'm not sure if you guys were able to do that, but did you guys get a chance to look at that?

If someone did, can you kind of yell out what you found as a definition or a gloss of that word? Yes? Okay, no? Yes? Humble and meek. So this idea of gentleness, yeah, in the way that it's used in scripture, it has got very elaborate kind of use. When you think about this idea of being gentle, right?

I mean, there's a sense that sometimes the way we can use it, but when you go to that website and you look at the resource, here's one of the definitions that it has as like a longer how it's used in the Bible. Right? I'm just going to read it to you.

He says, "This idea of gentleness has an idea of meekness toward God in the disposition of the spirit where we accept his dealings with us as good, and therefore, without disputing or resisting what's happening. In the Old Testament, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strengths to defend against injustice.

Thus, meekness towards evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that he is using them to purify his elect, and that he will deliver his elect in time. Gentleness and meekness as opposite of being self-assertive and self-interested, it stems from this trust and hope in God's goodness and control over the situation." Right?

So just as a means of like Bible study for you guys, that blueletter.com, for just anybody who doesn't necessarily know the Greek can just click onto it to get a bigger sense of how is this word used generally in the scripture. It definitely, it generally gives like a nice description of what that word would mean.

But I think as a combination of the two, just think about this individual, where their submission is not, you know, again, just simply yielding and saying, "Fine, I'll do what you say." Right? Rather, it is a peace that one has. It is an attitude of the heart where they express to the unbelieving spouse, or whether in the cases of our submission to believing spouses, even whatever it may be, that there is an attitude of hope and faith where we can have peace.

Why? Because we trust in God. Right? The kind of submission that he's asking for here, yes, involves yielding to the leadership of the husband, but realize that it involves this aspect of a character, the quality, and the attitude of the heart as well. Okay? This he says is precious in the sight of God.

Why? Because our ability to not retaliate, our ability to not get revenge, our ability to not just, you know, combat them, compete with them, and try to, you know, to basically dominate them, what that shows is our faith. What that shows is our hope. What I mentioned earlier. Okay?

All right. So, in thinking about this then, going back to verse one, going back to verse one, and verse two, it says, "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that, even if any one of them are obedient to the word, disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior." The challenge is that even in the home, even in an environment where, you know, naturally there's supposed to be a, you know, kind of comfort level, naturally you're supposed to let your guard down and all that kind of stuff, there is an expectation that we have winsome behavior.

Right? That there is a purposeful intentionality where we're saying that in all we're doing, in our both submissiveness, in what we're doing in terms of just, you know, respecting them, in what we're doing with our, you know, our own purity, whatever it may be, we're trying to win them over.

Right? So, for those of you guys who, you know, might be thinking, "Yeah, this specific passage doesn't directly apply to you because you're not a spouse of an unbeliever in the home." But this same attitude should be exhibited by every single one of us. Right? Whether we're dealing with difficult people, whether we're dealing with various circumstances outside of the house, this is the attitude we should have.

That by our behavior and our attitude, they're being won over. I mean, for you personally, you know, personally, there is this question. When we experience injustice, our normal thoughts are not, "Win this individual over." But can we get there? Can we get there where we're not thinking, "This individual needs to recognize their injustice." You know?

"This individual needs to pay me back. This individual better get it right." But rather, you're thinking on the level of, you know, winning that individual over to the grace of God. Okay? Alright. Any questions, thoughts about verses 1 through 7? I just want to summarize that section by saying this.

Earlier I mentioned that the challenge in this passage, especially given the context they find themselves in, it is a kind of worldview-changing concept. Now, for many of you, you guys have heard this before in terms of roles of women to submit to their husbands. Yes. Now, that's something common to all of us who, let's say, are Bible-teaching churches or especially at our church too.

But, if you were to place yourself in their shoes and just think, right? Just think that these ladies who, he's talking to people who for their faith have already been oppressed. He's talking to people where there is systematic suffering for the people who call themselves Christian. And I would imagine then that the husband, should he be a disobedient man, should he be a pagan who buys into the philosophy of the world, might be thinking, "Look, now he has reason and rationale because of what's going on in the government to even be harsher on his wife." And in that moment, what's natural for most people is either flee, run, get out of there.

Right? But the scripture, rather than contrary to what is our natural reaction, says, "Even in those moments, let your attitude shine. Let your hope and faith shine even in one of those dire moments." Okay? All right. Then, I'm going to wrap up with exhortation to husbands. Okay? And I know today, I think it's Husband's Day, right?

So I mean, not Husband's Day, but Father, Dads, there's people who are alternating. So you guys can make sure you really pay attention here. Let's take a look on verse 7. It says, "You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman, and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered." Okay?

Now, I want to ask you this question, and please take a moment to think about this. Notice something from the beginning of the passage, that there is a continuity and connection of thought. Just as there was at the beginning of verse 1, "In the same way, you wives submit." Right?

And we saw a trail of thinking, a trail of rationale, which for us, we can easily connect. Yeah, just like he said, "Submit to the government," there should be submission in the home. But look at this. With all the commands that are given here, how is this in the same pattern?

How is this in the same way? Aren't husbands supposed to not submit and lead? Aren't husbands supposed to set the tone? Aren't husbands supposed to direct the wives? Aren't husbands supposed to command and be that figure of strength or whatnot? So how is this in the same way? Think about that for a moment.

Think about it, think about it. Okay. Anybody have a shot at that? How is this for the command for the husband the same way as it is what we just read for the wives? To have an attitude and heart as one who hopes in God. Okay, to have an attitude and heart as one who hopes in God.

Excellent. What else? Yes? It's a chain of authority leading all the way back to God. So the men don't have anything easier or better per se. They have to submit to the authority surrounding them. They have to submit to God as well. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se.

They have to submit to God as well. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se.

And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se.

And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se.

And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. And the men don't have anything easier or better per se. hierarchy right? Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. But nonetheless we are all still under the authority of God. Together. Okay? But what's more, even in the concept of how we view, how we view leadership, how we view the call of man, there's a sense in which both what we do and both what women do are both dying to ourselves.

Right? There's a sense in which what we're called to do, a lot of times maybe we're thinking because we lead, because we etc, etc, maybe that translates to us then, so now I'm in charge and I get to benefit from their submission. But that's not the way God put it.

The way that God put it is, even for just as the wife is called to submit and therefore die to herself and make herself vulnerable, there's a sense with the man as he leads, he dies to himself and he takes responsibility for that vulnerable person. And so I want to make a call to all the guys in here.

If you think about leadership, we're going to have lots of different styles of leadership. Some of us are going to be like real vocal, some of us are going to come off real strong, etc, etc. But nonetheless, the summary of our leadership is going to be we now have a huge burden and responsibility for the well-being of the individual.

What did I say about submission? Your submission is not just simply fine, you just tell me what to do and I'll do it, because that's not real submission. You have to be constantly thinking what is in the best in the sight of God. So likewise, husbands, thinking to and asking what is spiritually, physically best for the people that I'm leading, it's in the same thing, same category.

We're trying to achieve and accomplish the same goal, yet we have now different roles. And so I want to talk about that because I really do feel like there is still a continuity behind what Apostle Peter is calling the wives to do and what Apostle Peter is calling the husbands to do.

And because for both concepts of submission and leadership, this world has tainted it, we kind of find that it's just always like this. We always find that it's always like at odds with each other in some way or another. But that's typically because whatever gift we've been given by God, we learn to exploit.

So I want to start off with this idea that there is this continuity of idea and then this passage challenges husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way. Let me ask you another question. What are men supposed to understand? Now what's really interesting as a kind of a setup for you guys while you think about that, is the NIV kind of says like be considerate.

And I'm going to be honest with you, many people have interpreted this passage and I'll confess, six years ago, it's already been a long time, six years ago I gave a sermon on being a man. And then I actually referenced this passage. And the way I interpreted it was you have to be understanding because you know, woman logic.

It's pretty bad, I'm just confessing. The way I kind of made it sound was, yeah, there's a sense in which men just have to be patient. You understand the struggles of women. You know how sometimes insecure they are, you know, sometimes, et cetera, et cetera, they struggle with their emotions and I'm just digging myself a hole.

And then you just, men just have to understand that, you know, have you guys seen those memes? Woman logic. And then it's just like, is that what the Bible is saying? Live with women in an understanding way, which means you're just supposed to be patient, you're just supposed to understand that they're, you know, they're X, Y, and Z.

Is that all it's saying? Like, what are you supposed to understand? Again, there are a lot of people who interpret this passage by way of saying, understanding just means just consider, be considerate of them, be patient with them. Is that all he's saying? Okay. For the sake of time, I'm going to let you think about that for a little bit and then I make this case.

No way. Right? Otherwise it would seem kind of not fair. Right? To the woman, like we just went six verses of like, you need to submit, you need to have character in the heart, you need to do this. And it's like, guys, just be patient with them. Okay? Like, is that, is that all he's saying?

And absolutely not. I don't think so. I think when he's saying this, the, you have to, you have to take into consideration how it actually comes off. In the Greek, the way it reads is husbands, likewise dwelling together with knowledge. Okay? So it doesn't just say be patient with these women.

In the Greek, the way it reads is husbands dwell together with knowledge. Okay? So by way of application, you're supposed to live and be with her with full knowledge. But I asked the question of what if you think the answer to that is just the way she thinks that would be too small.

Why? Because the huge chunk, remember earlier I said that the application, the application of all that we know of the gospel comes in first Peter chapter one, verse 13. We'll take a look at it. Okay? So let's go back in your Bible. It's chapter one, verse 12, 13 and 14.

And this is what it says. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you and these things which are now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels long to look.

Therefore, what prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit and fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children do not be conformed to the former lusts, which were yours in what in your ignorance. So when the apostle says you need to live in knowledge, he's not just talking about, Oh, you just need to be patient with these women.

No, he's saying all that is pertaining to a higher knowledge of your worldview in Christ, of your worldly through the spirit that all applies. So namely he says, stop giving into your pagan lust. Stop being so selfish like you were before, where all you thought about is gratifying your flesh, exploiting this woman who's called to serve, called to submit and then saying, serve me, give me what I want.

Right? So your worldview of what marriage commitment should look like your worldview of your role as a husband, your worldview of her role, your worldview of family contentment and wellbeing, all this stuff matters. And then as a subset, there's an understanding of who she is. That would only be a small part of the greater knowledge he wants us to live by.

So that's why I'm not sure if many of you guys have read this book. For those of you guys who are single, I recommend you read it. For those of you guys are married, I recommend you read it. There's a guy named Stuart Scott who wrote a book called exemplary husband, first three chapters, theology.

He says, this is what a leader should know. Why? Because if you have no idea what you should do, you're not a leader. Makes sense. You should be leading with full knowledge. Well, of a worldview, you should be a, in many ways, a theologian of what God is expecting from us.

Okay? So in thinking about that a little bit, when it says for us to dwell with, with her in knowledge, it is challenging us, especially as men to apply the gospel in how we are dwelling and living with her. What's more moving forward. It says living with her in an understanding way as with someone weaker since she is a woman.

Okay. And, uh, Oh wait, I think I kind of messed up the order here. Sorry. Um, we're going to kind of go out of order a little bit in terms of, um, that section where it says weaker, we'll come back to that. And then it says this command, show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life.

Okay. Putting the two commands together. One live with knowledge to show her honor. Now in showing an individual honor as what men should be doing, I think there's a difference between just showing somebody respect as opposed to showing someone honor. Right? I think there's a difference between just appreciating somebody versus showing someone honor.

And I want us to think about that for a little bit. You know, what would this idea of honoring look like? Because truthfully speaking, we respect a lot of things, you know, for those of you guys play basketball, you respect referees, you know, but you don't run over and be like, well, bam flower, you know, you did such a good job.

You respect, you know, the laws of the land, but you don't stop at every speed light to just be like, bow. I honor you. You know, we, there's a difference between just simply respecting and acknowledging something that's there versus honoring. And you know, what's really crazy about this is the word for honor to show her honor is actually the same word translated precious in chapter two, verse seven.

So earlier in chapter two, verse seven, he talked about this precious stone, this precious stone to which to us is a huge advantage. And that word for precious is the same word that he uses to honor. So if there is anything fragile we've ever owned, if there's anything valuable, like a family heirloom, if there's something that we've moved, carried up, carries an incredible amount of value, that's the way that we should treat the woman that treat the wives.

For those of you guys who are married, there is this question. And I was really personally convicted by this. And as I was kind of thinking, and truthfully speaking in the last, I don't know, I feel like dating back from last July, life has been kind of crazy. There's just been so much going on.

And in the last like month or two, I've personally been sick and all this kind of happens. And then there's a sense to which, yeah, like I communicate my love to my wife. But I have to follow up a second question to that, which is, does she understand what I'm communicating?

What I mean by that is sometimes as a man, you communicate your love, but then you think you're done because you just communicated whatever you needed to say. But then in this, when he talks about honoring your wife, there's a sense to which is calling us to go above and beyond whatever we think is just simply acceptable, to the degree where we can ask ourselves, does she understand and get that on a human level, she is the most important, precious, valuable thing that I have?

That she has the honor and the affection of my heart. And the reason why I kind of gave you my own personal kind of life example is because again, I think sometimes if let's say I schedule in, "Hey, I'm busy. So on Tuesday, we're going to go out. Okay." I mean, you guys know that's just not enough.

What if I ever just said like, "Hey, we had Tuesday, you know, a Tuesday date night, so I'm done." That don't make any sense. We need to be constantly pursuing, honoring, and showing as precious who they are in our lives. So I make a challenge that this passage, this call to the man, again, it's not just simply like, "Okay, guys, you know, you know how women are and just be understanding, whatever." But there is this even higher calling that in the heart condition, you're seeing her as something precious.

And if she is then, then all the various applications of what we said, seeking her best interest, taking responsibility for the wellbeing. This is the kind of attitude that men should have. And for those of you who aren't married yet, think about that. If you're an individual who doesn't know how to respect first and foremost, and then to honor somebody, we need to learn how to do that.

Right? If you're a guy who's regularly given not to uplift, like exhort and really affirm people, but rather you're always just making fun of people, crashing them down and breaking them, because you think that's what, you know, cool guys or whatever it may be do, we got to realize that's not showing what men need to be doing and learn to do for the future.

Okay. And what's more, I want to kind of wrap up with this next two points right here. The passage talks about how, in terms of why we need to be understanding, in terms of why we need to make sure that we're, you know, being careful and see somebody as precious, is that this individual is someone weaker since she is a woman.

Right? I want to ask you this question. In what way is she weaker? Does this refer to only physical weakness? And again, as I studied this passage, I kind of realized like, maybe the common way that people looked at this, like, yeah, you know, she can't carry as much.

She can't carry as many bags in the, in the whatever. She can't carry the heavy trash. I don't know. Maybe that's how some people might've thought. That's just physically this individual happens to be weaker than men. But is that, is that what it's really just talking about? Maybe just a physical weakness that one has?

I would like to say again, no, that is not necessarily what it's talking about. I want to kind of highlight this thing. And I got this from the Baker commentary by Jobes. The author highlighted the fact that the passage has a comparative word, weaker, not like this person is weak.

Okay. In comparison, there is a weakness, but what is this weakness? And this is the case that I want to make. And it was important enough. I know we've kind of gone long already, almost a full hour, but I just want to kind of put this in here. Okay.

That what we need to realize is there is a two kinds of strengths that people need to make sure that the husband and wife role operate correctly. What do I mean by this two strengths? A man needs to have a kind of strength where he's leading and he's not stumbled by fear because he's so afraid he's going to mess up in his leading or he's going to mess up in X, Y, and Z.

He's not going to do a good job and his pride is going to get hurt. And he needs to have strength to overcome that. Men have a lot of fear when it comes to performance anxiety. Like I need to do this, this, this, this. And if it doesn't go well and I fail, then, uh, and they have a big fear about that.

But in terms of for the ladies, there is a strength that they need where the role that God has called them to is one of vulnerability, right? In many ways, women are placed into a role where they make themselves vulnerable because they're making their, they've been asked to follow.

They've been asked to submit by the call of God, right? And this is where the passage is teaching men, you need to understand she's not just physically weak. God has placed you in a role of vulnerability. Do not exploit that. We're so in tune or that's typically like what we do with anything good and opportunity we have.

We exploit the opportunities we have to be selfish. So we exploit the opportunity in our, in our liberty, liberty and Christian freedom and exploit that for selfishness, grace and mercy, which we receive free. We exploit that for selfishness. But this passage is saying, think otherwise. God has called the lady to a position that is more vulnerable than you live with them with knowledge and understanding, see them as precious and honor them.

Right? So as I think about that, I don't think it's just, just a, um, a call for men to understand, Oh, she's weaker physically. So make sure you carry the heavy stuff, right? It's far more than that. It's far more than that. Now I want to conclude by saying, so in all of this, a big challenge for us to think through the roles that God has given us and how our hope in God is challenging us to fulfill these roles.

But what's more, he says at the very tail end of the exhortation to the husband, he says at the very end that, you know, we need to show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life so that your prayers may not be hindered. So the rationale for all this, why husbands need to do this, be understanding, why wives need to submit, the rationale for all that is not so that you would have a fine and dandy, peaceful home, right?

The rationale for all that is not so that you will have a, you know, a marriage life to envy where everybody's looking at you like, wow, you know, the rationale behind that is your conscience before God. So you can pray to him and you will notice that when you read the passage before and you read the passes after that in terms of why we are doing what we're doing, taking on the call that God has given us just so that one, we're seeking his good pleasure and two, that our consciousness be clear before God, that there is an innocence between us and God and that when we can, when we are in our relationship with the Lord, that there is a clarity, right?

So everything here is motivated by our relationship with our father, that before him, we have clarity of conscience, okay? All right. I know that was kind of a long study. There's like much to be said through that. Is there any questions or thoughts on that passage? Okay, well, let's take some time to pray.

Let's pray. Heavenly father, we want to pray and ask Lord that when we hear the challenge of the scripture for us to do things that typically are not natural to our flesh, when we're called to do things that really are at the standard of God and Lord, maybe standards that we've accepted before are blown away and we realize father God that what you expect is so much greater.

I pray Lord that you grant to us first just a commitment that with all effort, with all our hearts, we will try to follow your way. And I ask God that you would continue to grant to us great faith so that we would have the power to do so.

Lord, I ask that as the family is truly so important and as the relationship between husband and wife, who we are as men and women is so important father God, I ask Lord that especially at our church, Lord, you would challenge us to really fulfill what you have designed.

We know father God that we're going to experience conflict with the philosophy of the world. We know father God that oftentimes we're going to experience just big hurdles because of the worldview in which we live, the surrounding that we have. But again, I ask Lord that you grant to us just a heart of perseverance and endurance Lord.

Father, we thank you again in Christ name we pray. Amen.