Mother’s Day is special because Mothers and woman are part of God’s plan for a blessed world. A family and even nations will not exist without women. I’m departing from the book of Hebrews to explore the passage of 1 Peter 3 to honor godly women.
A man went to the doctor after weeks of feeling fatigued. The doctor had a blood test completed and examined him carefully, then when out of the room to talk to the patient’s wife privately.
“Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without treatment, he might only live a year or two. The good news is it can be treated with proper nutrition.” There is no pharmacy prescription I can give you, but you must follow my verbal prescription in order that your husband will live.
“You will need to make three hot meals a day. The food needs to be from scratch and all natural ingredients. It’s best to serve organic foods and no microwave cooking. Bake your own bread using whole gains and no wheat. Absolutely remove all chocolate from the house, limit sugars and sweets, however once a week you may bake a cake from scratch for something sweet to eat.
“More importantly his immune system is weak, so your home must clean and sanitized by HEPA vacuuming every carpet, soft linen and drapery item daily. You must use mild bleach cleaner on every hard surface like floors, walls and ceilings every evening. His laundry and bedding must be cleaned daily to limit bacteria and contamination. Do you have any questions?” The wife had none.
“Do you want to break the news, or shall I?” asked the doctor.
“I will,” the wife replied.
She walked into the exam room. The husband, sensing the seriousness of his illness, asked her, “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “What’s going to happen to me?” he asked.
With a sob, the wife blurted out, “The doctor says you’re gonna die!” (Leadership, Vol. 19, No. 3)
That woman was not very supportive of her husband. What would a Godly woman do for her husband? It certainly doesn’t mean a godly woman must get up early every morning and cook her husband a hot breakfast. A godly woman is not a slave, but she should understand God’s plan for her. Let’s see what God’s plan is about?
1 Peter 3:1-2 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
There are three points that I would like to share from this passage for Mother’s Day.
- A GODLY WOMAN WILL LIVE TO HONOR GOD.
First, there is an exhortation: “Be submissive.” Other bible translations have the words “be subject” which I like better since it seems to have a better semantic idea. In the Greek language, the words “be subject” are a military phrase which means “to rank under.” It has the idea of placing yourself under someone else, looking to that person as your leader. The reality is that every person is under authority of another so this is not a plight to avoid.
The words “be subject” are also verbs that are a command. That means “being subject” is an activity that is God’s plan and desire. Since it is a military phrase this could be seen as a military chain of command, it would be compared to the commander and chief, the highest ranking person there is making this order.
Let’s take a look phrase in the Greek language. The Greek language is different than the English language in that it has six inflectional categories for a verb. The six inflections are person, number, tense, aspect, mood, and voice. Two of these inflections are important to address concerning the phrase “be subject.”
The verb “be subject” is in the present tense. That means it is to be an ongoing action. In other words, a godly woman will desire to be subject to her husband not just when she feels like it, but it is an ongoing endeavor for her.
The verb, “be subject,” is a command in the middle voice. The middle voice is reflexive and that means you do it to yourself, ladies, and that’s important because God would not have you do something that’s not for your best.
It is always a voluntary submission on the wife’s part to honor God’s command. However in the Bible there is nowhere that the husband is told to make his wife submit. I know from experience that for a wife to “be subject” to her husband means that many times it is a code word that says duck so God can knock some sense into your husbands head.
And husbands, the command for the wife to “submit” is always balanced with a command for you to “love and/or honor your wife” whether or not she is subject to you. Notice that in in verse 7
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
What God commands is that she is to look to him as her leader. But he is to honor her as an equal in God’s grace of life that was given to both of them. A woman is just as important to God as a man. She is Gods child as much as you are!
In giving her honor means going beyond equality, it’s to treat her as special because the term “weaker” infers that she is delicate. A man must submit to God by honoring and treating your wife as a special and delicate creation of God. God desires for a man to protect, provide, and promise to love her all the days of your life. God commands a man to be loyal and faithful in your love and devotion.
Author Gary Thomas, in his book Holy Available said, “When I realized that I was married to God’s daughter, everything changed in the way I viewed marriage.”
He talks about his own three children, about whom he fervently prays “that each one will marry a spouse who will love them generously, respect them, and enjoy them… despite their weaknesses.” In the same way, he says, “God… is just as eager for us to be kind and generous” with His child, who is also our spouse. (Gary Thomas, Holy Available, Zondervan, 2009, pp. 63-64; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s God’s plan. The husband is to treat his wife with honor as God’s daughter, and she is enlisted (a military term) to follow him through life.
So there is an exhortation – Be subject. But additionally, we have the explanation – Be beautiful. The meaning is to adorn yourself not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.
- A GODLY WOMAN WILL HAVE A TENDER SPIRIT.
1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
The description in this context is that part of what it means to “be subject” is to have the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit on the inside.
The exhortation – Be subject. The explanation – Be beautiful.
1 Peter 3:5-6For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
A beautiful woman will adorn yourself with a gentle and quiet spirit and can willingly follow her husband’s lead by submitting herself to be on his team.
Notice the example in the bible passage that is used for our benefit of learning, it was Sarah.
Now put yourself in Sarah’s shoes. You’re living in an established home. You have got family and friends all around. You’re happy, settled and secure. Then one day, Abraham comes into the house and says, “Honey, pack up your bags. We’re moving!”
“Where?” you ask.
“I don’t know,” Abraham answers. “God just revealed to me to move to a place He would show me. By the way, we are moving to a remote land.
I wouldn’t think Sarah was too thrilled at the prospect of going to “an unknown place” and roaming the land. But she submitted to her husband, because, he followed God’s direction and God’s promise of blessing. So together they moved with all their possessions to a land they had never seen before. She even obeyed when her husband failed to trust God while in Egypt, she didn’t oppose him. She went along with it and let God cause Abraham to learn to be subject. (Genesis 12:11-13).
A Godly woman will #1, live for God’s glory. #2, have a gentle and quiet spirit. And #3…
- A GODLY WOMAN WILL BELIEVE IN THE PROMISES OF GOD.
Put your trust in God’s Word. Depend upon the Lord. That’s what Sarah did. Notice this Hebrews 11:11, where we have another New Testament reference to Sarah.
Hebrews 11:11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
She trusted in the promises of God, and God gave her a son in her old age. Notice her faith was the key! It’s the only way she could go with her husband to an unknown land. It’s the only way she could follow the lead of a man that wasn’t always perfect. It’s the only way she could adorn herself with a gentle and quiet spirit. She believed that God would protect her even if her husband was wrong. Faith is the key to everything in her life, and it is the key for a godly woman.
A godly woman must depend on the Lord and trust in His Word.
When we talk about faith in God, we are not talking about wishful thinking, as if we are trying to make something true that isn’t. We are talking about embracing God’s Word even when it doesn’t seem right or best in our eyes. It wouldn’t be called faith if you could really see everything clearly.
Hebrews 11:1,3 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
A lady needs a foundation of faith in God that is found in the hope of the good news. That good news is that Christ died for your sins and rose again. Christ’s death and resurrection is a completed event that we haven’t seen, however God has announced it in His Word, and it is a historical fact. It is for every person to trust what God has said about salvation in Jesus Christ and attain a faith as Sarah had.
I want to come back to the point of “being subject” for our celebration of communion. Jesus submitted Himself to us without us ever being submissive to Him. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He loved us that way! His submission is an example for us to follow.
Philippians 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Let’s celebrate with communion and rededicate ourselves to honor God, to keep a gentle and quiet spirit and to trusting in God’s promises.
Would the servers come forward at this time please … and as they come I would remind you that the elements on this table, the bread and the cup that you will soon hold in your own hands, is a tangible reminder, both of our forgiveness found in Jesus sacrifice, and God’s grace that should be extended to every member of His family.
Please take the double cup. The top has the fruit of the vine and the bottom cup has the bread.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 11:23:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
To conclude our communion we take a collection. This offering is for needs for our brothers and sisters in Christ and is a tangible way we can show God’s love and grace to others. This is a voluntary offering and we ask that you give as you are led. We base our giving on the Scriptural text:
I John 3:17-24 “But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.