Alright, while you're opening your Bibles to 1 Peter 3, we will be in this text again, verses 1-6, 1 Peter 3, verses 1-6, we are talking about marriage, we are talking about specifically reforming marriage, meaning that, based on the authority of Scripture, we want to return ourselves 2. Abiding by, joyfully abiding by, God's original design for marriage. In God's image, the man and the woman were created, and they were created for each other, to dwell with one another as man and wife. in obedience to the command of God and to live under His lordship, to cultivate the earth, to be fruitful and multiply, and to spread His name throughout the world. So what a joy that is. And of course we understand that in doing that together, right, as man and wife, in one flesh, before the living God, we have particular responsibilities that have been clearly enumerated in Scripture. And we are in a point that has no shortage of controversy. And I think when we read Scripture, it is very clear as to what God's design is for the man and also for the woman. And one thing that remains very strange, at least it should be strange to the church, is that it is often the clearest things that generate the greatest resistance. The clearest things that end up generating the most controversy, oddly enough. And yet, As God's Word remains our starting point, we can understand that it is very, very clear as to what He demands of us, what those responsibilities are, and that those responsibilities can be pursued and obeyed, and that there is a great blessing within that. We understand that God's Word is true and authoritative, and no matter who says otherwise, it does not undo what God has said. Paul says very clearly in Romans, let God be true and every man a liar. God's Word is true. And we believe that, and that is our starting point. And if that's our starting point, we understand that it is true and authoritative, and it is for our good, and it leads to joy and blessing. And of course, the greatest priority is also achieving that God is glorified. That God is glorified, He is honored in our marriages when we live in accordance with His revealed Word. And I would say, of course, not living in fear, but living by faith in His revealed Word. And so, we come to 1 Peter 3. We are in the topic of submission, the most blessed subject of submission. We've talked about husbands loving their wives, and so we come to the part where we are discussing submission. And of course, as we've said, this generates no shortage of controversy, yet God's word is clear. And so I think 1 Peter 3 is a great model for that, and we are in 1 Peter 3 specifically for those of you who are Joining us as visitors today, we are exploring 1 Peter 3, because it provides a very helpful model of what submission in marriage looks like. And not only helpful, but a very realistic model as well. where we're not relegated to some kind of, we're not relegated to our own imagination, we're not relegated to some sort of fantasy marriage that is unattainable. The relationship that is described here I think is one that we can all relate to, specifically the marriage between Sarah, whose name means princess, a mother of multitudes, between Sarah and Abraham, a father of multitudes. So if you're there, let's read our text this morning, 1 Peter 3, verses 1-6. 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, your adornment must not be merely external, braiding the hair and 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. 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 that is our text this morning, and we should be able to round that out today. We started last Lord's Day and got through the first couple of points and the first few verses. So, in kind of bringing us up to speed here, we've discovered through the example that Sarah sets, that there are several principles that wives in particular can draw from this. And of course, husbands, you understand that you are not off the hook either. While this text is primarily for women, I would like to begin by saying once again, so you hear it again, so it's fresh in your mind, that if you want your wife to be submissive, then live as a man who is worthy of that submission. Love your wife well so that it is not difficult for her to follow your lead. Remember that loving confers loveliness. And part of the wife's loveliness is her willingness to follow your lead, to acknowledge your headship, to honor you as the leader of the household, and submit herself to that leadership. So the exhortation is don't make that difficult on her by loving her half-heartedly, by loving her without excellence, by loving her in such a way where it's sort of an off and on kind of love that is based on her behavior. Love her well as Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her. And so wives, In reference to the church, submit yourselves to your husbands, as the church is supposed to submit herself to her Savior. And so we've drawn out several examples, trying to answer the question, what does this submissiveness look like? What is the example that is set? What is the example that then can be followed by Sarah in particular, and also by these godly women of old, these godly matriarchs? So in the opening verse, we kind of see the first principle here. 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 husbands. And of course, the principle there was to submit to your husbands or to respect your husband, even if they sin, even if they are disobedient. See, this immediately tells us what a realistic example this is. This is not the picture of a woman who is married to a morally perfect man, a man without flaws. And you probably laughed yourself, a man without flaws. Exactly. All men, all godly men, especially, they deal with the battle, they deal with the battle against sin. And as God's spirit works in them, they are given victory as they are sanctified over the power of sin. But here is the reality, women, is that your husband is not perfect. He has his weaknesses and he will stumble. It's inevitable. And so this is not a license to engage in unsubmissive behavior toward your husbands. I think that's one of the, I think that's the most difficult thing and it's right out of the gate, thankfully. Even if your husband is disobedient to the Word, the instruction then is not to disassociate yourself, it is not to leave him, it is not to find a man who is worth his salt, who is righteous, who is perfect, nor is it an excuse to rebel against his headship. Rather, Peter says, Win him over by your behavior as they observe, as your husband watches you, as he scrutinizes you. Win him to obedience to the Lord as he observes your chaste and respectful behavior. And so the point, of course, was that what is your recourse when your husband is disobedient to the word? And this is not necessarily an unbelieving husband. This is just a husband who is disobedient to the word. So what's the immediate recourse that you have? It is to go on obeying Jesus Christ. It is to obey God and demonstrate the power of the gospel in your own life. And as your husband scrutinizes you, and he sees that the gospel is at work in your life, he may be won over. Because your chaste and respectful behavior does not depend on his obedience to the Lord. See, a woman like this looks at the Lord and says, the Lord, because He is righteous, because He is my Savior, because He is worthy, is worthy of my obedience. Because the Lord is who He is, I will, in obedience to Him, submit to my husband. Even though from a human point of view, he's acting unworthy of that submission. So the second thing following on this, is to submit to your husband, as Sarah did, even if you are beautiful. And of course, the main application of that was not to use your outer beauty, even though beauty is a good thing, is to not use your outer beauty in the place of what Peter calls inner beauty. That is, look at your scriptures again. He says in verse 3, your adornment must not be merely external, braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses. Again, these are all things which fade with time. They are not bad things, but they are not eternal things. And so he says, 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. So the instruction for women is to value the things that God values. Once again, it's not that beauty is not to be valued, but he is drawing your attention to the eternal things, things that are going to win your husband over. I think the point is to win your husband over to obedience, to eternal truths, through eternal qualities that those very truths produce, that you are putting on display. That is what you want to win your husband over to. So if you focus on things that fade with time, what may happen is that you are going to win your husband over temporarily. but you want to win your husband over to obedience to eternal truths. So you put on display those imperishable qualities of a gentle and quiet spirit. Those are the things which matter most. And so in that way, you submit yourselves to God and you submit yourselves to your husbands, your own husband, not to another man, but to your own husband. So we come to We come to verse five, and of course, this is connected to verse four. And so he's drawing a historical example. He's saying, what I am instructing you to do is nothing new. This isn't new. This is something that has happened throughout redemptive history regarding godly women. So in verse five, 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. So he's continuing. He's drawing from a historical example. He's drawing from a precedent. So the standard hasn't changed here. He's simply explaining to them what always has been. And so he's going back to what you'd call the matriarchal period. So there have been godly women who have set this example. And I think he uses Sarah specifically as an example, but he does say, holy women. So there's not an example here that exists in isolation. There are several examples that we could perhaps draw our attention to. But what's interesting is that when he says, your adornment must not merely be external, braiding the hair, basically looking beautiful physically. being attractive physically. And I think when he says these women of old, he has definitely Sarah in mind because he brings her up in just a little bit. But we could also go to Rebecca and Rachel, these godly women in the book of Genesis, perhaps even Ruth from the book of Ruth. And what I think is particularly outstanding, especially as it regards the first three women, is that they are all described as being beautiful. Sarah is called beautiful, at least on two occasions. Rebecca, Isaac's wife, is described as being lovely in form and appearance. Rachel is described as being beautiful. And so she has Jacob's attention more than her older sister Leah. So they are all known for being physically beautiful, and yet, where Peter really draws the attention is these imperishable qualities that they embody. The real imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit was expressed in the fact that they were submissive to their own husbands. That is how they used to adorn themselves. And he calls these women holy. They were devoted to the glory of God. They believed in God. They believed His promises. And these are the women that are to set the example for wives today. As one writer says, the deepest root of Christian womanhood mentioned in this text is hope in God. Holy women hoped in God. That is, she does not put her hope in her external adornment. Her adornment is the beauty of holy living and of hope in God. So that's where this comes from. Notice where her hope does not lie. And I think many women can get scrambled this way, is that even in a Christian marriage, and I speak specifically in this context, women, I think, can mistakenly put their hope in their husbands, even a godly husband. Where here, I think the directive is clear, is that women are to put their hope in God. These are what these matriarchs were known for, these holy women. They put their hope in God, and that was the basis. That was the basis of submission to their husbands. They could submit to their husbands because they ultimately hoped in God. And so of course, do not make the mistake of putting your hope, your ultimate hope in your husband. I understand, yes, you are to depend on your husband for certain things, right? We went over that, those responsibilities when we talked about a man who is called to love his wife. So there are particular responsibilities. A woman would hope that or depend on her husband being a godly man, loving the Lord with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. You would hope that your husband has a good work ethic. that he knows how to get after it, that he applies himself, he's diligent in his employment, and that he can provide for you. You would hope that. And that is, of course, biblical, that is realistic. You depend on him, you look to him for those things. But when it comes to submission, ultimately, you are able to submit to your husband because you submit to God, because you care first and foremost about trusting in him. that your hope is in Him ultimately. Your hope is in Him precisely because the Lord does not sin. He is perfectly righteous. He keeps His promises. So your hope in Him, there's never a catalyst for failure or compromise in your hope for God because God is always true. And so Peter's exhortation here, I think, for women is to keep hoping in God. That as godly as your husband is, or if he is compromised, and we see even Abraham went through moments of compromise where he failed to trust in God. But the encouragement is that you were never supposed to put your ultimate hope in your husband anyway. You hope in God, and that is the basis of your submission to your husband. So again, when your husband is sinning, when he falls short of the glory of God, when he is not performing his husbandly duties as he is supposed to, remember that your hope is not in your husband. Your hope is in God, and that is the basis of your submission to your man. that your hope is anchored in God, that you're not driven by fear. See, remember, the woman that hopes in God believes God's Word. That is the woman who eagerly anticipates all of the blessings that God has promised in Christ. Blessings of which we are current beneficiaries. As believers in Jesus Christ, we experience the blessings of God every day. Our hope is found in Him. Our very identity is found in Him. We rest in His promises alone, and you can know, wives, that even when your husband fails to do what is right, God is faithful, and He will always do what is right. You can trust that He will meet your needs, you can trust in His faithfulness, and your relationship with your husband doesn't even have to be ideal. Honestly, if it were ideal, it would be perfect. But as I said, this is a realistic look at an imperfect marriage. Sarah, an imperfect woman, married to Abraham, an imperfect man, even though Abraham had faith, he still fell short from time to time. And so the great example for wives is found in these holy women who hoped in God. And they adorned themselves with that imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, and they knew that was precious in the sight of God, and so they maintained that gentle and quiet spirit. And they honored their husbands as head of their household. And so this hope, I think this is well described in the Proverbs 31 woman, A passage we often return to when it comes to being a godly wife. In Proverbs 31, verse 25, we read this of the godly wife. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. We think, well, why would she laugh? It's a pretty funny saying, but I think the point here is this is how her hope in God is expressed. When you trust something, when you hope in something, laughter is not uncommon. It's not that it's funny, but it is a laughing of trust that when you look in the future, you anticipate the good things that God will bring. You anticipate the fulfillment of His promises. You anticipate His goodness. You anticipate His grace. And so you can look upon that future with joy, right? We laugh for joy. We laugh when we are happy about things. We laugh when we don't have the cares that this world has, because we know God has it taken care of. We know that He is faithful. And this is the kind of laughter we would all desire. And then, of course, Peter moves on to this respectful trend found in Sarah. She is the one who has the spotlight. Sarah, the princess bride, as we have called her. But listen to this. Let's go to v. 6. Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. So just as Sarah obeyed Abraham. So that's pretty clear. A wife obeying her husband, I realize, is something that is frowned upon. We think of subjugation, we think of an ungodly kind of tyrannical domination, but just like I said, it's the clearest things in Scripture that often generate the greatest resistance. There is no cause for controversy in here. Sarah is praised for obeying Abraham, and this is an obedience that lends itself to listening carefully. She listened to the instruction from her husband. And she responded to it in obedience. And I think that's very important because considering the context, Abraham was the one who received the promise from God to become a great nation, to become a father of multitudes. And do you think for one minute, any of you men out there, that if the Lord of heaven and earth came to you and said, hey, here's what I'm going to do for you. Get out of your hometown, go to a land that I'm going to show you. First he does that, okay, it's time to move. Gather up your things, right? You're just a pagan too, keep that in mind. You're an unbeliever, you're a pagan, doing pagan things. Lord comes to you and makes you all these really unbelievable promises. And yet Abraham obeys, Abraham believes him. Do you think for one minute, if God made a promise like that to you, that nations and multitudes and kings would come from you, and that through your line, all the world would be blessed, do you think that you would keep that to yourself? I don't think so. The natural thing would be to go and tell the person closest to you, that is your wife. Hey, Sarai, guess what just happened? The Lord came to me. I mean, in today's world, you think automatically that would be suspicious, right? Yeah, sure he did. And yet we see Sarai at that point go out with him. And we know that she, even she believed in the promises. God she honored her husband went out with him she submitted to him and here's the big one oh man here's the one that offends everybody Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. Calling him Lord. Small l. Small l. And yet, this is the way she is described as honoring her husband. Honoring his headship. Lord, often meaning master. That is, master of his household. You know, we've talked a lot about some of the difference between being a servant leader and being a servant Lord, right? The importance, men, of taking dominion, right? of being master of your domain, of being a faithful, wise, and good steward over the things that God has entrusted to you. All good things. And this is how Sarah regarded her husband. She called him Lord. Now, I don't want to do a quick show of hands, but I wonder how many of you wives in here call your husband Lord. My Lord, breakfast is ready. My Lord, time to take out the trash. And I think, and I don't think what Peter's main point here is that you are to address your husband as Lord, although I highly doubt your husband would be bothered if you addressed him as Lord. I mean, it took Katie and I maybe 10 years to really find our groove with her addressing me as Lord, but you can talk to her about that later. But I think the main point here is how does a wife think about her husband, right? We know talk is cheap. It's easy to say certain things. But I think this is so beautifully expressed because given the context in which Sarah addresses Abraham, her husband, as Lord. Abraham, even though he was imperfect, even though he acted without faith sometimes, Sarah still honored him. Sarah still respected him. And I think Peter, using this example, shows the depth, the degree to which Sarah honored and respected her husband. And that's where the example is, especially when we consider Sarah's circumstances. And I mean, we talked about this in a previous sermon, you know, regarding how men are to be loving toward their wives, even if they are unsubmissive, untrusting, unreasonable, or even crushed by the sorrows of life, right? We enter marriage with all kinds of expectations, some realistic, sometimes unrealistic. And yet, when those expectations do not match the reality, sometimes we are tempted, of course, to absolve ourselves from our God-given responsibilities toward one another. Those responsibilities that, when obeyed completely and willingly and joyfully, produce a very Happy marriage. A unified marriage. A God-glorifying marriage. Husbands with respect to love. Wives with respect to submission. So let's understand the context of Sarah's circumstances. And we read this last Lord's Day in our Scripture reading. But if you want to turn with me, keep your finger on 1 Peter 3, but turn with me to the book of Genesis 18, where the Lord visits Abraham on the plains. Genesis 18. The angel of the Lord comes and appears to Abraham. And here we see Sarah honoring her husband. In v. 6, it says, Abraham hurried to the tent. I think he realized he was in the presence of the Lord. And he says, don't pass by. Stay with me. Refresh yourselves. It says, so Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes. Sarah also ran to the herd and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared and placed it before them and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate." And so you see Sarah hearken to the voice of her husband right here, once again setting this example. But here is the main meat of this passage is that The Lord is coming to Abraham once again to reiterate this promise that He has made to him. And right now, he is very old. He's 99 years old, right? Sarah, of course, also old, well past the age of childbearing. And so, the Lord comes to Abraham and tells him that Sarah is going to bear a son in the next year. And of course, Sarah was in the tent, eavesdropping. She was listening to this conversation. It's sort of like, think like you're, you know, when you're out of the room, your wife goes through your phone, you know, you forgot to put the password on there, and she's looking through your text, she wants to see what's going on in your life. So, sort of an ancient version of that here. So, now Sarah, the text says, was listening at the entrance of the tent which was behind him. Verse 11, Abraham and Sarah were very old and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, after I am worn out and my Lord is old, will I now have this pleasure? So that's what she thought in her heart. And that's what I think is remarkable about her respect shown toward her husband, Abraham. Once we consider all these circumstances, we've already covered the fact that she was married to an imperfect man and she called him Lord as master, even though he was imperfect, but she still respected him. So here's the third thing that I think is really important if you want to write this down. Right? Respect for one's husband, even if he sins, even if he's imperfect. Secondly, even though you are beautiful. Thirdly, she respected Abraham even when she was alone. And I think this is very profound. She is saying this to herself, my Lord Abraham, when there's no one else around. She is by herself. You know what they say character is? Character is what you are when you're by yourself. What you are when no one's looking. When all pretensions are gone. When you have no one to impress. When you have no one to think better of you because you compliment your spouse. And this is something that if I have the opportunity and pleasure to do any kind of marital counseling, whether pre, mid, or almost post, this is something that I reinforce is that as both man and wife, you need to praise one another. You need to acknowledge the Lord's work. You need to acknowledge to one another regularly when you do what is right. You need to acknowledge growth in one another. These are all good things, right? Even Proverbs 31, her children rise up and bless her, her husband also, and he praises her saying, many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all. This seems to be public praise. And that's a good thing. Praise should be public. It should be regular, but it should also be honest. It should be done truthfully. And so the thing remarkable about Sarah here is that she's alone, so she's not pretentious. What she says regarding her husband reflects her true attitude toward him. This is Sarah's honest reckoning, her heart attitude toward Abraham, her imperfect yet faithful husband. And I think that is, you know, so we may initially gloss over a text like this in 1 Peter 3 and think nothing of it, but this is why Peter brings this up. She called him Lord. We know the what, but where was she? Right? No one to impress. And yet that is how she regarded her husband in her heart. And that is the example that she sets. especially to Christian women. No one else around. Here's another thing I think we can add to this, just regarding the circumstances that Sarah found herself in. She respected her husband, even when she was old, right? Calling him Lord, even when they were old and advanced in age. Even Sarah said, shall I have this pleasure? Right? My Lord being old. And we understand that the years can take a toll. Sometimes, unfortunately in marriage, familiarity can breed contempt. And yet I think she sets an example toward respect for her husband is that that respect didn't expire with old age. I think sometimes a man and wife, even though claiming faith in Jesus Christ, can get to a point where they are just tragically sick of each other. They don't want to talk to one another anymore. They don't want to just, they don't want to get in a fight anymore. They don't want to disagree on things anymore. And so they don't really communicate very well, but they figured, well, we've gotten this far. We might as well stick it out together. And of course, I don't want that to be any of your attitudes as you grow old with one another. I want you to love one another. I want you to, and I also want you wives to respect your husbands and to honor them accordingly. And so even old age didn't disrupt her respect to her husband. Here's another one to think about. She respected her husband even though she laughed. Think, well, why is this significant? What does that matter? I think it matters immensely. You look back in Genesis 18 again, what is she laughing about? She's laughing in disbelief. Yes, there is something humorous about that, too, or the fact that God comes, He shows up and gives this promise to Abraham, and she's in the tent. In verse 12, Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "'After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also?' And the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old? This is a laugh of disbelief, right? And she's familiar with the promises of God. She is familiar. Think about this. Her name has already been changed. She is already called Sarah, princess, mother of multitudes, and yet, Something, this promise is so wonderful, it's almost incredible, and it's so incredible, it's practically unbelievable. And you think about, you connect that to even the promise of the gospel. There is something so wonderful about the gospel of Jesus Christ, right? There's something so incredible about it that God would take on human flesh, be among sinners, tabernacle among us, and die for people who hate him. That's unbelievable. That's incredible. And yet we are commanded to believe that message. And yet that is often the first reaction. No way, no way. I couldn't believe something like that. And so Sarah here laughs in disbelief. And yet we see how that laughter is later transformed. And this is significant because God's promise to her was God's promise to Abraham. Sarah was to partake and be a beneficiary of those promises. And so I think the fact that she is even here with her husband demonstrates faith on her part, even though that faith experienced quite a bumpy ride. But remember, it's not our faith ultimately that matters. It's that God is faithful. So I think we go on and we can also understand that Sarah respected her husband even though she was afraid. I think this is really interesting, especially if you go back. And I've been kind of puzzling over this because It was difficult to understand the connection, but flip back to 1 Peter 3 really quickly again. It says, 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. And we think, well, is there fear demonstrated in Genesis 18? And there is. If you look at Genesis 18, after Sarah laughs, it says, And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old? And then of course, the question of the ages, friends, verse 14, is anything too difficult for the Lord? Think about that, wives, especially in your varying circumstances with the way life is currently going, the type of man you're married to. Always view your husband in that light. Is anything too difficult for the Lord? And sometimes you may think, man, my husband, he is incorrigible, he is a grump, he doesn't lead me well, but then your question is, is anything too difficult for the Lord? So hope in God, obey Him, and keep that question at the forefront of your mind. Is anything too difficult for the Lord? Is it too difficult for my husband to be sanctified? No! Is it too difficult to the Lord for my husband to be obedient? No! Is it too difficult for the Lord to transform my husband in such a way that he actually loves well and leads well? No! That's what makes a remarkable submissive wife, is her hope and trust are ultimately in the Lord, and her question, which refreshes her, not discourages her, is, is anything too difficult for the Lord? It's the great rhetorical question of the ages. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord. And so he says, why did Sarah laugh? At the appointed time, I will return to you, and at this time next year, Sarah will have a son." Sarah denied it, however, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. She feared. And I think the answer is obvious, because God knew what she was thinking. Her unbelief was found out. She said this to herself. And yet God knew. And so she was afraid. And in that sense, she was being confronted with her unbelief. Her laugh of derision toward the promises of God. And we understand that, as Peter goes back to say, and you have become her children." Whose children? Sarah's children, if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. And so just as Sarah had to confront her unbelief and fear, I think what she was afraid of, honestly, was that, not only of being found out, but I think there was a fear as she was becoming more and more advanced in age, that God would not keep His promise. And yet, We see this. Here's my authority for this, because I do believe she confronted her fear with faith. That is how fear is overcome, is by faith. If we believe in God and His promises, there is no need to fear. So we read this in Hebrews 11.11. By faith, even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised." So we see, even though she laughs here, right? Yes, she laughed. Maybe we could say, yes, that was a lapse in faith. We understand, ultimately, her faith in the promises of God was firm. She received ability to conceive by faith. She ultimately trusted in the promise of God, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. So that is the challenge to the wives this morning. Do you consider Him faithful who has promised? Do you understand that in Christ there is no need to fear? We understand that, yes, fear is a sin. Fear is sinful. We're called to fear not, but to trust in God. Fear is unnecessary. Sometimes I think we just think it's part of life. Yes, we have to be afraid right here. But fear, most importantly, is overcome by faith. And so we read in Genesis 21, Sarah said, verse six, God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh with me. And she said, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have born him a son in his old age. A laugh of doubt becomes a laugh of joy. You know, sometimes when we say the word unbelievable, the tone matters. Unbelievable. And then unbelievable, right? One is set in doubt, one is set in joyous, triumphant faith. And that's the example that Sarah sets for women everywhere. God has made laughter for me. The name Isaac means he laughs. He laughs. If you say it a certain way, even Isaac, just the name Isaac sounds like a laugh. A very silly one, but a laugh that remains. So Sarah was faithful and was able to, because she put her hope in God, submit to her husband. So let's go to verse 6 of 1 Peter 3. And you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. So we read earlier in this text regarding wives to their husbands, that they revere, sort of the same word that is used in the opening verses of this text versus this now, this frightened by any fear, this refers to terror, to being terrified, really afraid that something is not going to come about, a fear of doubt, a fear of unbelief. And it says, hey, the proof is in the pudding here. If you are not frightened by any fear, that demonstrates, that is the proof that you have become her children. Just as we are spoken of as sons of Abraham, so are believing women reckoned as daughters of Sarah. Once again, we see the gospel overcoming this Jew-Gentile divide. Especially since 1 Peter is written primarily to Gentile believers scattered throughout the realm of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Asia. So it brings great hope to them. You have become her children. Galatians chapter 4. This is where we find this described elsewhere. In Galatians 4, Sarah is an illustration for those who are in Christ by faith. You have the children of the bondwoman, and then you have the children of the free woman. If you look in Galatians 4, look at verse 22 it says for it is written that Abraham had two sons one by the bondwoman one by the free woman so the bondwoman of course is Hagar the free woman is Sarah but the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh and the son by the free woman through the promise so this is an illustration of the work of the gospel this supernatural transformation that is no doubt in work within those who trust Christ and And then are reckoned as children of the free woman. The daughters, as it were, of Sarah. Because we look back and we say, these women who hoped in God, what was their ultimate hope found in? It was the hope of the promised Messiah. It was the hope of this seed to whom all the promises had been given. The hope of the nations. And so to believe as they do, is to be a holy woman, is to be a daughter of Sarah, and is to be one who is free from fear. Reading on in Galatians, this is allegorically speaking. For these women are two covenants, one proceeding from Mount Sinai, bearing children who are to be slaves. She is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem. For she is in slavery with her children. with her children, but the Jerusalem above is free. She is our mother. So those who are the offspring of Sarah are free children and are sons and daughters of the Jerusalem above, the heavenly city, the heavenly city to which the patriarchs were looking forward. And so in this, Paul concludes, so then brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. And this is the very truth to which Peter is speaking. And that truth is compounded by the encouragement that if you put your hope in God, that if you adorn yourself with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit precious in the sight of God, If you trust in the Lord as the women of old did, you do not have anything to fear. You have no reason to be afraid. And we emphasize this because we live definitely in an age of fear. We live in an age of fear. Fear regarding something as simple as being a wife, being afraid of something as simple as motherhood, And once again, do we see Sarah after she has given birth to Isaac and saying, Oh man, guess my career is over. So I'm not, I'm never going to be able to take that, those steps up the corporate ladder that I thought I'd be able. I'm not going to be able to reach my potential. Do we see her complaining about any of that? No, we see her laughing, right? So women, that's the encouragement. Never let, never be intimidated by any assertion that by being a submissive wife, a faithful wife, and a God-fearing mom, that somehow you're missing out. That somehow God is holding out on you. That somehow there is way more to be desired. Very important point there. Start seeing the call and privilege to raise the next godly generation as a privilege that is superior. That you never have to look at and say, man, there must be something more for me. I just wish there was something else. Because we definitely see the fruit of this in Sarah. The eventual birth of the Messiah of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. So in wrapping all of this up, Don't be terrified. Don't be afraid. By any fear. By anything that may come and say, you need to be afraid of this. Or you need to change your mind on this. You need to question God's promises. So don't be afraid of God failing to keep His promises because His Word is true and His promises are always good. Don't think that anything is too difficult for the Lord. Even in regards to your knucklehead husband. Which leads to the second thing. Don't be afraid of a disobedient husband. May your hope be in the Lord. May you fear the Lord. I would say, God is the ultimate faithful husband. So put your trust in Him. And here's the other thing. We'll sum this up as tightly as possible. Do not fear the unbeliever. Do not be afraid of these threats that unbelievers make. Oh, if you have godly offspring, oh, if you submit to your husband, here is what you're going to miss out on. Here's how you're going to be shortchanged. Don't be afraid of what the unbeliever has to say. Listen to what the Lord says in his own word concerning how you relate to your husband and the beauty and blessing of a godly marriage and of bearing children and raising them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. There can be no greater calling, no greater privilege, but that all comes and all begins when you repent from your fear, and put your hope in God. And understand that He is good, He is faithful, He is true, and will always keep His promises. And what a joy that is to be able now to live in light of that. So once again, wives, don't follow your heart. Follow the Lord. And anticipate the blessings that will follow. Let's pray. Father, thank you again for your Word, for its truth, for its clarity, for its beauty, for its saving and sanctifying power. It's all sufficient. We can read it knowing, Lord, that you love us, that these are not myths from a bygone era where we were so oppressed, but it's eternal truth, truth for every age. and truth that is meant to transform our hearts, Lord, we pray that we would live in accordance with it. I pray for, once again, for every wife in this room that they would see the truth of your word, the beauty of its promises, and cling to those promises, Lord, to anchor their hope in you, that while while they desire to trust their husbands, ultimately their hope is not in them, it's in you. And I do pray, Lord, that also for the husbands here, that they would be godly men, worthy of the submission and honor of their wives, that they would love well, that they would persevere in that love, to not be men who make excuses. Once again, to not be men who are simps or who are white knights or who are nice guys, but men of conviction. Men who pursue Christlikeness. Men who love their wives sacrificially and with excellence. And men who walk with You, Lord. Pray that we would be those men. Men who are worthy to follow. So Lord, with that, pray that for the women in here, once again, that they would be respectful, be submissive to their own husbands, and adorn themselves with those imperishable qualities of holiness. And that you would bless them for it, give them the joy that comes with obeying you. Thank you, God, for the gift of marriage. Thank you for all that you have done, and above all, thank you, God, for the truth and power of the gospel, which is the ultimate standard that our marriages should illustrate. We thank you for our Savior Jesus, and it's His name we pray. Amen.