The Godly Woman’s Charm
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.580 | The influence of a godly woman is not to be underestimated.
00:00:08.720 | Peter makes that point in 1 Peter 3,
00:00:10.440 | a chapter we've been focused on recently.
00:00:12.660 | We looked at 1 Peter 3, 3 and asked,
00:00:15.360 | "How much jewelry is too much jewelry?"
00:00:17.720 | That was last time on Monday in APJ 1834.
00:00:21.020 | Earlier, we looked at 1 Peter 3, verses one to two,
00:00:24.080 | two verses about the husband-wife relationship
00:00:26.120 | and how a wife responds to her husband's
00:00:28.480 | ongoing sin patterns.
00:00:30.280 | That was APJ 1830.
00:00:32.240 | And we are back to this theme of a godly woman's influence,
00:00:35.440 | especially on her husband in 1 Peter 3, verses three to four.
00:00:39.320 | There's a connection in this verse about a wife's jewelry
00:00:42.760 | and her influence on her husband,
00:00:45.320 | an interesting connection made by Peter in his epistle
00:00:48.680 | and pointed out briefly by Pastor John in Monday's episode,
00:00:52.040 | a point expanded on in a sermon clip
00:00:54.000 | from a 1986 sermon by John Piper.
00:00:57.280 | Here he is to explain.
00:00:58.440 | - You remember what it says of Sarah in Hebrews 11?
00:01:04.080 | Hebrews 11 begins with a definition of faith.
00:01:07.040 | Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.
00:01:11.840 | And all you see through chapter 11
00:01:16.160 | is heroes and heroines who hope in God.
00:01:19.400 | For example, by faith, Sarah herself received power
00:01:24.360 | to conceive even when she was past the age,
00:01:26.920 | since she considered him faithful who had promised.
00:01:31.920 | In other words, we learn from Sarah
00:01:36.640 | that women who are holy look away from the frustrations,
00:01:41.640 | the miseries, the tragedies,
00:01:45.280 | the obstacles of joy in this life to God.
00:01:50.040 | And they reckon him faithful and sovereign and powerful
00:01:53.280 | and loving and kind and unfailing in his promises.
00:01:58.040 | And they strengthen their soul with hope
00:02:01.520 | and pick up and go on, dirty diapers and all,
00:02:06.520 | loss of husband, divorce, they go on
00:02:11.880 | because they hope in God.
00:02:14.600 | Not only that, but they are freed from something
00:02:20.920 | that tends to make life miserable.
00:02:23.120 | Look at verse six at the end.
00:02:25.920 | "And you women are now her children, Sarah's children,
00:02:32.080 | if you do right and let nothing terrify you."
00:02:37.520 | You wanna be a daughter of Sarah?
00:02:40.560 | Hope in God and allow that hope to drive fear out.
00:02:50.480 | Holy women aren't afraid of things,
00:02:53.520 | except one thing, displeasing God.
00:02:58.160 | Or let's not overstate the case.
00:03:00.800 | Let's be accurate and realistic.
00:03:05.640 | Let's say it this way.
00:03:06.800 | Holy women who hope in God,
00:03:12.440 | when fears and anxieties rise,
00:03:17.360 | make war on those fears with a weapon of the word
00:03:22.360 | until they drive it out and have hope filling them
00:03:27.720 | and thus gain strength to get on with life.
00:03:32.520 | That's number one in this text,
00:03:35.120 | holy women hope in God and allow no terror
00:03:40.120 | to immobilize them in their duties.
00:03:43.840 | Second, this hope in God results
00:03:48.840 | in a kind of clothing within.
00:03:52.760 | It says, "So holy women who hoped in God
00:03:56.800 | used to adorn themselves."
00:04:00.440 | And the adornment is referring back to verses three and four.
00:04:03.560 | Let's read it.
00:04:04.400 | Here's the description of the garment within.
00:04:07.280 | "Let not yours be the outward adorning
00:04:11.120 | with braiding of hair, decoration of gold,
00:04:14.160 | and wearing of robes,
00:04:15.680 | but let it be the hidden person of the heart
00:04:19.440 | with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet,"
00:04:24.520 | or we could say a meek and tranquil, "spirit,
00:04:29.480 | which in God's sight is very precious."
00:04:34.480 | Now, why did Peter bring up the issue of clothes
00:04:38.440 | and hairstyles and jewelry?
00:04:42.200 | Doesn't seem to fit.
00:04:45.120 | Let me try to show you why I think he brought it up.
00:04:49.320 | I think verses one and two give us the clue
00:04:52.520 | that explain why he brings it up.
00:04:55.440 | He has in mind not only Christian wives
00:04:58.800 | of Christian husbands,
00:04:59.840 | but Christian wives of non-Christian husbands.
00:05:04.200 | And he says to them, "Likewise, you wives,
00:05:06.080 | be submissive to your husbands,
00:05:08.480 | so that some, though they do not obey the word,
00:05:12.040 | may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives
00:05:16.880 | when they see your reverent and chaste behavior."
00:05:21.040 | Now, it's Peter's desire
00:05:22.760 | that Christian wives live in such a way
00:05:28.360 | that unbelieving husbands will be persuaded
00:05:33.360 | that God is real.
00:05:36.400 | Isn't that an awesome challenge?
00:05:39.120 | To so live that the conscience of an unbelieving husband
00:05:43.360 | will be stricken with guilt.
00:05:47.320 | The reality of God will shine and he will embrace her God.
00:05:52.320 | It's an awesome call for this woman to influence her husband,
00:05:58.040 | but he warns them, "Don't preach at him."
00:06:01.040 | You see that?
00:06:01.960 | He says, "Without a word."
00:06:05.040 | That's a warning to the wives.
00:06:06.680 | Watch out, lest you drive him away
00:06:09.480 | by nagging him about religion, okay?
00:06:13.640 | I think verses three and four are another warning
00:06:17.840 | for how not to try to win an unbelieving husband.
00:06:21.960 | Namely, don't try to do it with trendy hairstyles,
00:06:26.960 | a better tan, delicate jewelry, clinging robes.
00:06:33.880 | You might attract him to the bedroom
00:06:36.040 | and there's nothing wrong with that,
00:06:38.760 | but you won't attract him to God.
00:06:41.600 | And if your goal is to attract him or anybody to God,
00:06:47.840 | it's gotta be from within.
00:06:52.600 | The world can tell you how to attract men to yourself.
00:06:56.800 | Only the scriptures can tell you how to attract men to God.
00:06:59.920 | And let me insert here for the single women,
00:07:04.360 | that your hope ought to be in God,
00:07:07.960 | not in getting a husband,
00:07:10.680 | because the only husband worth getting
00:07:14.760 | is one who wants to play second fiddle in your life.
00:07:19.600 | - That was from John Piper's 1986 sermon titled,
00:07:21.800 | "Holy Women Who Hoped in God,"
00:07:24.240 | a classic message on biblical femininity.
00:07:27.360 | And if you have a sermon clip to share with all of us,
00:07:29.480 | email me, give me your name, hometown, the sermon title,
00:07:31.960 | the timestamp of where the clip happens in the audio
00:07:33.800 | and make a note of what stands out to you.
00:07:35.360 | Put the word clip in the subject line of an email
00:07:37.160 | and send it to me at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org.
00:07:40.440 | That's an email address, askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org.
00:07:45.360 | Well, we've been picking on men recently on the podcast,
00:07:49.520 | but who is more sinful, men or women?
00:07:54.520 | Well, now that is a, it's an international question
00:07:57.840 | and it's up next time.
00:07:58.960 | I'm your host, Tony Reiki.
00:07:59.800 | We are rejoined in studio with Pastor John
00:08:02.520 | when we return on Friday.
00:08:04.800 | We'll see you then.
00:08:05.760 | (upbeat music)
00:08:08.340 | (upbeat music)
00:08:10.920 | [BLANK_AUDIO]