to 1 Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3 we want to continue in our series in 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 3 this morning. And, of course, we'll be looking at the first six verses here in 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3, verses 1 through 6. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may, without the word, be won by the conversation of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel, But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Heavenly Father, we praise you that we have another opportunity to come under the sound of the word of God. And we thank you for the wonderful design that you have established in creation. We know, Lord, that you do all things well. And yet, Lord, forgive us for failing to submit to that design. Open our eyes, Lord, to understand these things, even these truths in this passage that run counter to the culture that we live in. And give us grace to bring our lives into conformity with your perfect design. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. It is difficult to imagine words that could be more controversial or more counter-cultural in our 21st century American society than those. And they are counter-cultural words on a number of different levels. First, even the words that are used to describe the readers. Peter says, ye wives, and he talks about husbands. The Greek word wives is a word that is distinctly used for females. And the Greek word husbands is a word distinctly used for males. Peter assumes the existence of binary gender. There are two sets of pronouns in view, not the 30-some-odd pronouns that are in vogue in our contemporary culture. These pronouns, of course, comport to one's biological sex. Furthermore, heterosexuality is clearly in view with the language that's used here. It is not wives submitting to wives or husbands submitting to husbands. Whatever you could call a relationship between two, quote, husbands or two, quote, wives, you certainly couldn't call it a marriage according to Scripture. Jesus tells us as much. Now I know that it is fashionable to think of the meek and lowly Jesus as one who had nothing to say on this topic and who simply advocated love and tolerance for all. But have you ever read Matthew chapter 19? I won't trouble you to turn there, but let me just read to you Matthew 19 in verse four. Of course, Jesus is asked specifically about the question of divorce and remarriage, but notice what is said in verse four. And he answered and said unto them, have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them what? Male and female. and said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. And the language there again is inescapable. Jesus refers to men and women, to husbands and wives. It is a trite saying, but it is true nonetheless that God created Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve. Now, we can take things a step further. The passage here envisions, in our text that we read a moment ago, not just heterosexuality, but heterosexual marriage. Peter makes reference here, notice the very careful language he uses in verse one, to your own husbands. This is the language of possession or ownership. Scripture envisions no such ownership with a couple who is shacking up outside of marriage. Now, Scripture does warn us at length about the dangers of fornication, which is, scripturally speaking, any kind of sexual activity that occurs outside the bonds of marriage. 1 Thessalonians 4.3, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. 1 Corinthians 6.18, flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that commiteth fornication sinneth against his own body. Even before the LGBTQ and Of course, whatever other letters of the alphabet you want to add, even before that movement became as pervasive as it is today, the secular culture was already desensitizing us to the idea of men and women sharing sexual encounters outside the bounds of marriage. Should we be worked up about homosexual marriage? You bet. Should we be worked up about transgenderism? You bet. We have to recognize that the roots of the problem go far deeper than that. In fact, they go back to the sort of free love that was seen in the 1960s at events such as Woodstock. Now, we are already in a countercultural mode, and we haven't even gotten to the most controversial word in what I just read. And that, of course, is the word subjection. Be in subjection to your own husbands. And that's where the rubber meets the road. Because there are many church-going people that would probably agree with everything I've said up to this point. But the trouble comes in when we get to the notion of subjection. Because this flies in the face of everything that feminism has promoted over the past hundred plus years. We have an idea that men and women have distinctive roles in the context of the home. That wives are to be in a subordinate position to their husbands. And we saw in Ephesians 5 a few weeks ago that husbands are the heads of their households. Ephesians 5, 23, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. We also saw in 1 Corinthians 11, in verse 3, these words, But I would have you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man. and the head of Christ is God. And so it is in that light that we come to the main point of our passage that we've been covering over these weeks, 1 Peter 3, 1-6. And the main point is this, that wives must be subject to the God-given authority of their husbands. Now, Peter in this text gives us three aspects of a wife's submission to her husband. First, we consider the command of subjection in verse one. Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. And last week, we began considering the motivation for subjection. The motivation is stated for us in verses one and two, so let me read that for you. Notice in verse one that, if any obey not the word, they also may, without the word, be won by the conversation of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. The motivation for the wife's subjection is evangelistic in nature. even if she has an unsaved husband, she may be able to win him over to faith in Christ through her conversation. And you remember, of course, in the King James English, the conversation is not just a reference to speech, it's a reference to conduct or lifestyle. And Peter actually says here that she might do this without the word. In other words, she might do it without saying a single word. Now the type of conduct or lifestyle that Peter envisions here is chaste. It's characterized by purity, which of course is also very countercultural to our day. And it is a lifestyle characterized by the fear of God. Ultimately, the woman recognizes that God is evaluating her actions and will hold her accountable at the judgment seat of Christ. Of course, Peter envisions that most of the wives that he is writing to have husbands who know the Lord. And so the counsel here is not just applicable to wives that are seeking to win over their husbands in an evangelistic sense, but we could broaden this out that if your husband is doing all manner of things that you don't like, and what wife doesn't have a husband like that, right? But the way that you address that problem is not just by nagging or badgering, but it's by simply pursuing this chaste, submissive conduct in the fear of God. Last week, we considered the motivation stated. Now this morning, I wanna continue looking at this motivation for subjection. I wanna consider the motivation demonstrated. We've seen the motivation stated. Now we consider the motivation demonstrated. And this motivation has two different aspects to it. There's a negative aspect and a positive aspect. So first of all, let's consider the motivation demonstrated negatively. Look at verse three, if you could. whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel." Now that word whose, it looks back to the wives who are described in verses 1 and 2. Specifically, Peter is further explaining the idea that he has just explained when he has talked about wives pursuing this chaste conversation coupled with fear. What does that conversation or that conduct or that lifestyle look like? Well, Peter tells us, first of all, what it doesn't look like. Now notice the language he uses here. He says, who's adorning. And that word adorning there is the Greek word kosmos. You don't have to know the Greek word necessarily, but that may be of interest to you because that did come up at the recent conference that we had dealing with worldliness. And that word kosmos is the New Testament word for the world. Now that word is being used in a rather unusual way here. You don't see it used elsewhere in the New Testament this way, but you do find it used in secular Greek literature in this sense. And that is that this word can be used for adornments, ornaments, or dress. Just as the world around us demonstrates a certain level of order, so a woman demonstrates order through the adornments, the apparel, the type of dress that she wears. But notice what Peter says about this adorning or this dress or this ornamentation, if you like. He says, let it not be that outward adorning of plating the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel. Now if you were just a casual reader you might immediately conclude that Peter is just condemning all hairstyles, all jewelry and all clothing. But really in the context here he is condemning ostentatious and extravagant hairstyles, jewelry and clothing. So let's work through these. You notice, first of all, the plating of the hair here, the hairstyles. And one scholar has described the plating of the hair this way. He said, plating or interweaving of the hair, braiding, using costly and extravagant ways of dressing the hair, probably including interwoven ornaments. So the idea is just something that's very ostentatious, that draws a great deal of attention to itself. He mentions here the wearing of gold. That word gold, incidentally, it occurs two other times prior to this in 1 Peter. And there's an emphasis every time Peter brings this up. Let me read to you chapter one, verse seven. You could even turn back a page or two if you wanna look at it. And Peter says that the trial of your faith being much more precious, notice, than of gold that perisheth. If you go forward a few verses to verse 18 in chapter 1, In both of those passages, Peter highlights the temporary nature of gold. It's corruptible. It is perishable. Even though it is a commodity that is highly valued in our culture, gold, as with everything in this earth, is going to be subject to the end that Peter describes in his second epistle. 2 Peter 3 in verse 10, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. So it's temporary. Now, if we come back to 1 Peter 3, we also notice that Peter mentions garments, clothing. He says, in verse 3, the putting on of apparel. The King James gives us a pretty literal translation here, putting on of apparel, and this is the normal word for clothes or garments. But again, in the context, it's clear that Peter is not just condemning clothes, he is condemning ostentatious type of dress. Some translations say fine clothes in this context here. Now, you might look at this instruction, you might think that this is extremely counter-cultural, and it is. But it's worth noting that these instructions would not have been very counter-cultural in Peter's day. You actually find similar instructions to what Peter gives here, even among secular writers in the ancient culture. Let me give you a couple examples, the words of Juvenal, he says, Boy, you'd almost think he were writing today, wouldn't you? Plutarch writes, it is not gold or precious stones or scarlet that makes her such, that is, decorous, beautiful, but whatever invests her with that something which betokens dignity, good behavior, and modesty. And so, Peter reflects the same concerns of secular writers. Of course, those secular writers don't really have the tools at their disposal to deal with these problems. Whereas of course in the New Testament we have the Holy Spirit, we have the Bible, we have the tools to address these matters. Now Paul himself gives us very similar instructions to what we see here. If you turn back a few pages to 1 Timothy chapter 2, 1 Timothy chapter 2. 1 Timothy 2 and verse 9 and in the context here Paul is giving instructions specifically related to the gathering of the church, the gathering for worship. He has discussed in verse 8 the conduct of men Then in verse nine he discusses women. He says, in like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array, but which becometh women professing godliness with good works. Now I'm sure Many of us men in this room, maybe you've been in a service before, where on the platform there was a woman that was doing special music or giving a testimony and she was dressed in a very provocative manner. And I'm sure you found that to be very distracting. Ladies, maybe you've had the experience of visiting a church and you saw that all the women there, I mean, they just had very extravagant types of hairstyles, very expensive dress. But all of these types of things are very distracting. Because our purpose for gathering here is not a spirit of worldly competition among the congregation. Our purpose for gathering is the worship of the living God. And when we get caught up in the latest hairdos and the most expensive types of dress, we get the focus entirely on the wrong thing. We detract from the worship of Christ onto these worldly matters. Now, if we come back to 1 Peter, we see how Peter addresses all of these types of things, these elaborate hairstyles and dress and jewelry. Back in 1 Peter 3, notice how he describes all of this. In verse 3, who's adorning, let it not be that outward adorning. In other words, women should not be focused on the externals. We're of course reminded of God's famous words to Samuel as he is about to anoint King David. The Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. I know I might be meddling this morning, but ladies, how much time do you spend getting ready in the morning? How much time do you spend putting on makeup or doing your hair? How much money do you spend on your clothes or other sources of beautification? And how does all of that compare to the time and energy you put into your own personal character and walk with the Lord? And I'm afraid for many women, even in our conservative fundamental churches, I'm sure the answer to those questions might be very discouraging. There's nothing necessarily wrong with painting the barn, to use the old expression. Nothing wrong with jewelry or nice looking clothes, but there is a problem when your life is consumed with these things instead of with the things of God. And let me give a word of caution to single men. If you find a woman who is completely enamored with her own personal appearance, run away as fast as you can. If you see a woman that is constantly posting selfies on social media, this is a woman whose heart is in the wrong place. She's focused on self and not on Christ. What you need is the type of woman that's described here. Be very discerning, men, when looking for a life partner, when looking for a wife. So that's the negative perspective that Peter gives here. But now let's consider the motivation demonstrated positively. Notice verse 4. But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Wives are not to concentrate on the outward appearance. Instead, they are to concentrate on the hidden man of the heart. Now that word hidden there, that is a contrast with the word that's used in verse 3, that word outward. This word refers to what's inside, what's inward. The same word is used in Romans chapter two, verse 29. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart. So this is inward man, inward person, I guess we could say. And Peter tells us what this hidden person, this inner person, consists of. Let it be the hidden man of the heart. consists of the heart. The heart is the ultimate priority in the believer's life because everything we do flows from the heart. Proverbs 4.23, keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life. You may be reminded of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 27. You have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery. That seems to be, if you just take that and you say, okay, no adultery, no cheating on my wife, you take that as a pretty simple bar to jump over. And that's how it was taken by the Jews of Jesus' day. But Jesus takes things a step further in verse 28. But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already," what? In his heart. It's a function of the heart. It's one thing to say we're going to abstain from the physical act of adultery. It's another to say we're going to keep our hearts pure. Everything centers on the heart. By the way, friends, Did you know that your eternal salvation is a matter of the heart? Romans 10, 9, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe, what? In thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. You know that much of what the world calls religion is nothing more than externalism. The burning of the candles, the reciting of rote prayers, being baptized, catechized, You could do any of those things with an evil and unbelieving heart. Did you know that? And the author of Hebrews actually warns of that. That in this group of believers, professing believers we should say, that the author is writing to, there were some that had defected away back into the sacrifices of Old Testament Judaism. And the author has to give a warning to the readers of his day when he says, take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Is there an evil heart of unbelief in our midst this morning? Maybe you're coming here outwardly, you might be dressed nicely, but your heart is not with us. Your heart is somewhere else. Maybe even as I'm speaking, you wish you were somewhere else. You wish you were at the football game. You wish you were at some source of entertainment. You wish that you were just sitting on the sofa watching TV. It's possible to be here and to have a heart that is a million miles away from here. And friend, that's why salvation is a matter of the heart. Friend, are you really trusting in Jesus from the heart? I'm not asking if you're checking all the external boxes. Do you have a faith that is resting on Christ? And friend, this morning, wherever you're seated, you can call on the name of the Lord. You can say, Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner. I've broken your law. Please forgive me of my sin. I'm trusting in Christ and what he did on Calvary, what he did in rising from the dead. Friend, if you will come to Christ from the heart, you can be gloriously saved this morning. Friend, don't delay. Come to Christ with your heart. But Peter here, of course, is writing to believing wives, and he's urging them to give attention to their hearts. He explains here why it is so critical for a woman to make her adornment, we could say her source of beauty, that inner person of the heart. Notice he says, in that which is not corruptible. So there's a contrast here. The woman's outward appearance, the hairstyles, the dress, the jewelry, all of that is corruptible. But the woman's inner person, her heart, is incorruptible. There's a similar contrast that occurs back in 2 Corinthians. Let me draw your attention there. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. And verse 16, for which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. So Paul here is speaking of both an outward man and an inward man. And Paul says the outward man is perishing. It's wasting away. We would expect no less from a man who had endured multiple floggings, from a man who had been stoned and left for dead, for a man who had undertaken such rigors of missionary travel and gospel ministry. Certainly, all of this took its toll on the body of the apostle. But you know, for all of us, the outward man is perishing, isn't it? If I may speak frankly, as I look out in this audience, I see a lot of gray hair. I know that's no mystery to any of you. But you could point the finger back at me. I haven't yet cracked 40, but if you look carefully, you'll see quite a few gray hairs on my own head. I think we can all acknowledge that we don't have the same vitality, the same vigor that we had even 10 years ago. And yet, how much energy, how much money does our culture spend on beautifying the outward man? I got some statistics. In 2022, Americans spent more than $11.8 billion on plastic surgery. On average, American women spend $313 a month on cosmetics. That equals $3,756 a year. That's where all your money is going, right? Maybe you've heard about some of these weight loss drugs that are now becoming fashionable. Drugs like Ozempic. BMO Capital Markets anticipates that annual sales from weight loss drugs will reach $150 billion by 2033. You know what all of that is, friends? It's all vanity. Isn't that what we saw in Ecclesiastes, this idea of striving after the wind? Because all of this is perishing. And Paul here draws a contrast for us. The outward man is perishing, but he says in verse 16 that the inward man is renewed day by day. It's quite a contrast that regardless of what's happening on the outside, regardless of the deterioration of my body, my heart, Paul says, remains vibrant. The Lord continues working. The Lord continues giving me the building up of his word. I'm being renewed. And Paul goes on here to highlight the difference between the temporary and the eternal. Notice verse 17, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. You see that contrast there, a moment versus eternal. Verse 18, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. You know, those diamond earrings are temporary. That elaborate hairdo is temporary. The designer clothes are temporary. But ladies, as you give attention to the inner person, as you devote your time and talents to the heart, you are giving your attention to something that has eternal significance. Now, what kind of quality should you be pursuing in your inner person? Well, Paul, or I'm sorry, Peter will go on to explain. If you go back to 1 Peter 3, Peter explains for us exactly the qualities that should be demonstrated in the inner person. He says here, but let it be the hidden man of the heart and that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. The word that's translated meek here, pretty rare in the New Testament. But the first use of this term in the New Testament is in the Beatitudes. It's translated meek there as well, but I want you to go back there for a moment, if I could trouble you to do that, to Matthew chapter 5. Because it's notable, not only this description of the meek that Jesus gives here, but you notice all the other qualities that are connected with this person who is meek. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 3. This is Jesus, of course, his introduction, really, to the Sermon on the Mount. He says in verse three, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It's obvious that when Jesus speaks of those who are meek, these are those who don't have it all together, do they? They're not self-made men and women. These are those who recognize that they are poor in spirit. There's a spiritual bankruptcy. I've got nothing to offer God. These are those who mourn over their sins. Those who are hungering and thirsting for a righteousness that they don't yet have. Those who are merciful and pure and peaceable with others. Those who not are endeared by the world, but are persecuted by the world. Those who are lowly, they adopt a humble and gentle attitude toward God and toward others. I don't think I have to tell you that that flies in the face of everything that women are told today. The examples that are held up for women to follow sound nothing like the Beatitudes. Kamala Harris? I'm sorry, there's nothing in her life that resembles the Beatitudes to even the slightest degree. We've got women that are taking off their clothes, promoting themselves, being aggressive. This runs completely counter to what Peter is telling wives to do. Now Peter says not only that wives are to cultivate a meek spirit, but if you go back there you notice that it is also a quiet spirit, a meek and quiet spirit. This word occurs in 1 Timothy 2 where it's translated peaceable. This is a disposition that's not looking for conflict. It's at ease, it's tranquil. It is at peace in the Lord and it is seeking peace with others. I know we read a couple of these verses last week, but they're worth repeating in this context. Several of these instructions from Solomon in Proverbs. Proverbs 21 in verse 9, it is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house. Proverbs 21, 19, it is better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and an angry woman. Proverbs 27, 15, a continual dropping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman or a light. The woman with the meek and quiet spirit is the opposite of the contentious and brawling woman. This is a humble woman, a peaceable woman. A woman who's not looking to stir up conflict. A woman who meekly submits to God-given leadership in the home. Isn't that the type of wife that every man would love to have? But unfortunately what Peter says is that such a wife is rare. Notice what he says in verse four, which is, in the sight of God, of great price. Things that are of great price are not of great price because they're so abundant, it's because they're so scarce. This is costly. And such a woman that is characterized this way is not simply living in the sight of her husband. Notice, she's living in the sight of That connects back with what Peter said about the fact that she has the fear of God because she knows that God is watching her. Earlier on in 1 Peter, Peter spoke of servants obeying their masters out of conscience toward God. There's a consciousness that God is watching. Ladies, I can tell you that if you spend all of your life simply beautifying the exterior, you are spending all your time and energy on something that is vain. You remember the end of Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31, verse 30, fever is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. It is critical that you spend your best moments your best energy, your best resources on cultivating a meek and quiet spirit in the sight of God. That's true beauty. Now, you might think, you see me up here, I'm giving this kind of message, and you think, oh, well, you know, you're just totally comfortable with this. No, I'm really not. I'm not a lady. And you might think, well, Brother Nick, you've got no business addressing these issues. Well, if that's the case, then Peter had no business addressing these issues because he was a man too. And in fact, every book of the Old and New Testaments comes from the pen of a man. We don't have any books in our Bibles written by a woman. So if it is the case that because I'm a man, I can't address these issues, then that precludes Peter or Paul from addressing these issues. And of course we know that they were operating under the inspiration of the spirit. Now having said all of that though, I do want to encourage you ladies in this room that there's only so much that I can really do as a pastor to encourage these kinds of qualities. Let me ask you to turn to Titus chapter two for a moment. Because really this is the logical consequence. I mean I can get up here, I can give you the scriptures, but there has to be something more that takes place in our congregation to cultivate this kind of spirit among our women. Titus chapter 2. Notice verse one, but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, okay, or healthy teaching. There is the idea there are certain qualities that are befitting of sound doctrine or healthy teaching in the church. And Paul's about to explain what those are in verse two. That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. Now, notice verse three. the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. Boy, it's hard to find women like that in our culture, is it not? Women that are dedicated to holiness, whose lives are going to be distinct from those around them, not false accusers. That means they're not gossips. Not given to much wine. You see this. I see this all the time on social media. These women who have never seemed to have advanced beyond high school. Maybe you've seen this. I mean, yes, maybe they're adult women. They have a husband. They have children. But many of the hours of their week are given over to pretending like they're still in high school, partying with the friends that they had back then. And Peter describes here a self-controlled life, not one that's dominated by drunkenness. He goes on to say here, and teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women, verse four, to be sober, to love their husband, to love their children. There is an obligation here. And yes, as Paul is writing to Titus, there is this expectation that Titus is going to be leading the churches on Crete in these matters. But there is also, Titus needs to be teaching the people in the congregations to practice the kind of mentoring that is described here. And what Paul is describing, this isn't just these kinds of massive women's conferences that you see. I think, frankly, we've overdosed on that. It would be my burden and passion to see a lot more men's conferences, and ones that aren't just given over to nonsense, but that are given over to the preaching of the word. But this is more than that. This is a one-on-one mentoring that Peter is envisioning, or Paul, rather, is envisioning. that the aged women, as they see areas of concern among younger women, they don't just go back and gossip about it, but they actually take that younger woman under her wing and they try to disciple her and mentor her. Peter, or rather Paul, sorry, I get my Peters and Pauls mixed up here. He mentions here to love their husbands, to love their children. I love how Darby renders this. He says to be attached to their husbands, to be attached to their children. And you know, we have many women in our culture today that are not attached to their husbands and children. They are attached to the things of this world. They are attached to the fleeting pleasures. Like I said, going back to their high school years and trying to reminisce with their friends and go out partying. In some cases becoming the brief carrying CEO type woman. And in that type of environment it's difficult to see how the husbands and how the children are going to receive the nurture that they really need. Notice how Paul continues here in verse 5. To be discreet. Boy, that's hard to come by, is it not? Chased. Of course, we've seen that, haven't we, in 1 Peter? Keepers at home. It's an interesting story about that phrase. I was in Christian school, and in my English class, we were talking about the duties and the responsibilities of a wife, and of course, I had a female teacher. And she asked the class, she said, well, what are the things that a wife is supposed to do? I raised my hand, I said, keep her at home. And boy, I was tarred and feathered there on the spot. I think it's pretty clear, it's right here in the Bible. I didn't even explain what that meant. I'm just reading the verse. Now, if you want to talk about what it means, that's one thing, but we can't deny that it's there. Of course, I don't mean to suggest that it's wrong for a woman to have a job or something like that. There can be a place for that. You do see that the woman in Proverbs 31 was a very resourceful woman. She went out and she was involved in real estate and different things. But we do have to ask the question, with all of these women becoming bosses in these major organizations, where are the women to nurture husbands and children? Where are the women to keep the home? I would say any job that keeps a woman from fulfilling this responsibility is a job that is demanding too much of her attention and too much of her time. Even if it means your household has to take a cut in pay, you make the sacrifice for the sake of obeying this passage and maintaining order in the home. Keepers at home. He goes on here, obedient to their own husbands. Oh, there's that note again. But you notice that Paul has in mind a similar goal as that of Peter, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Again, it all comes down to this evangelistic impulse. Now ladies, that's what I hope to encourage in this congregation. older, mentoring younger, and we do see it in this congregation. And I don't mean to, you know, draw, I know she will be uncomfortable with the attention, but I know the multiple ladies in this room have mentioned the role that Ruth has played in mentoring you and discipling you. That's the kind of thing that we want to see. And again, I can get up here, I can preach on Sunday morning, and you say, well, I don't like your preaching. Well, okay, that's too bad. But it needs to go beyond this to out here, to the conversations that take place after services. And I praise the Lord that this is not a church where we just say amen and everybody runs to their cars. I know sometimes maybe we have legitimate reasons that we have to do that. But this is a church where there's fellowship. And it's not just people sitting around after the service to talk about the latest scores from the night before, but people actually talking about the scriptures, talking about spiritual matters, iron sharpening iron. And yes, I'm all for ministries and there's a place for programs, but a lot of what Paul is describing here occurs organically. It can't be forced. I can't stand over every woman in this congregation and force you to do what this passage says to do. But I praise the Lord that so many of you do this organically. You don't have to have me up here badgering you about it. But you take the word of God seriously and you do it. But there is a challenge that, older ladies, you can be involved in this. And I know it's easy for women to think, well, you know, there's so many things a woman can't do in the church. Well, here's something you can do, right? You don't need my permission to do it. You just do it. Take the initiative. And younger ladies, you have to be open to this. Older lady in the church comes to you and tries to encourage you that, hey, maybe the way you're dressing for church is not really that appropriate. Don't chafe against that, but respond to that with love and rejoice that God has brought you someone to guide you in the path of righteousness. Oh, friend, that we could devote ourselves to encouraging this kind of culture in our church. As we do that, friends, we will find that wives will live out these radically counter-cultural principles. And, Lord willing, as a result, that we will see God do great things, even in bringing unsaved husbands to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, we thank you for These precious words that we read in 1 Peter, we know, Lord, how much our culture chafes against this, how our culture resists all of this. But oh, Lord, we pray that we could be submissive. Give us hearts, Lord, that are ready to hear and to obey the word of God. I continue to pray for anyone here who is without Christ, whose heart maybe still is not with my preaching this moment. Lord, make that person's heart tender and bring that person to a saving knowledge of Jesus. And we ask this in Jesus' name.