The Husband's Responsibility Series

Visitors to the forthcoming Calgary Stampede who are feeling extra frisky can now leave their wedding rings at the door. A local Calgary hotel is offering to let guests check in their wedding rings as they might their cars or their coats. Hotel Arts’ staff will even airbrush ring tan lines, so all the telltale signs of commitment vanish. "The stampede has a reputation for promiscuity, kissing and a little bit of infidelity," said Stephen Carter, an event planner who has been hired by the hotel to plan their corporate party tent during Calgary’s western-themed extravaganza. "That naturally led to the creation of a ring check." While eyebrows are being raised over the appropriateness of an ad campaign that appears to facilitate and condone cheating, the promotional video is receiving some attention on YouTube.(National Post: Published: Saturday, June 23, 2007).

Unfortunately this kind of pandering is not uncommon. From dating services reserved for married couples to communities that practice polygamy, like in Bountiful BC, a failure to live up to God’s standards of marriage are rampant.

Part of the problem is that men and women often have radically different expectations in marriage. Coming in with a rosy fog of blind optimism, unsaid and unconsidered expectations, often change to resentment, bitterness and too often lead to divorce, often at just the same rates for those who profess to be Christians and non-christians.

When the failure to implement the selfless submission of 1 Peter comes, everything breaks down. Relationships with family and friends are strained and often broken, finances are lost in arguing, and the name of Christ is tarnished.

No doubt in your wedding you exchanged vows with your spouse. Marriage vows traditionally include the notions of affection ("love, comfort, keep"), faithfulness ("forsaking all others"), unconditionality ("for richer or for poorer", "in sickness and in health"), and permanence ("as long as we both shall live", "until death do us part"). As grand as these are, the standards that God indicates goes well beyond. As difficult as the calling has been for wives in submission, the demand for Husbands goes far and above.

1 Peter 3:7 presents the Husbands Responsibility of A) Consideration, B) Chivalry, and C) COMPANIONSHIP

1 Peter 3:7 [7]Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (ESV)

Likewise /In the same way refers again to the duty of submission (2:13, 18; 3:1).

We have seen this in three regards so far all for the same reason:

1 Peter 2:13 [13]Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, (ESV)

1 Peter 2:18 [18]Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. (ESV)

1 Peter 3:1 [3:1]Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, (ESV)

This time it is the believing husband who submits to serve his wife.

Husbands obey that duty by adhering to three basic responsibilities in caring for their wives’ needs: A) consideration, B) chivalry, and C) companionship.

A) CONSIDERATION

1 Peter 3:7a live with your wives in an understanding way

Please turn to Eph. 5

In 1 Peter 3:7a, husbands are to live with their wives in an understanding way, which means they must be considerate. Understanding speaks of being sensitive and considering the wife’s deepest physical and emotional needs.

Illustration: Understanding Each Other

Someone has said:

A man is a person who, if a woman says, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” lets her.

A woman is a person who, if she says to a man, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her, gets mad.

A man is a person who, if a woman says to him, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her and she gets mad, says, “Now what are you mad about?

A woman is a person who, if she says to a man, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her, and she gets mad, and he says, “Now what are you mad about?” says, “If you don’t know I’m not going to tell you.”

(Galaxie Software: 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press, 2002)

Understanding our spouses often takes a lifetime of searching.

Well before we can figure out the intricies of our spouse, we must look to the standard, as men, of care:

What is the degree to which we are to love our wives?

Ephesians 5:25-28 [25]Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26]that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27]so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [28]In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (ESV)