Hypocrite's Prayer Series

Dangerous Prayers Part 4, By Pastor Rob Ketterling

Well, we are continuing our series today that we are calling Dangerous Prayers. And I want to let you know that today is the only prayer that really is a dangerous prayer to pray. Or I would say that it's dangerous to pray this one way. We've been calling all the other ones dangerous prayers, but really they are amazing prayers that you should be praying. They are prayers that you have no idea where they will take you, but they are the prayers that God wants you pray, but our flesh is afraid to pray them because we think they are dangerous. Okay?

But this one really is dangerous for you to pray this way, and I'm specifically talking to the men today. I'm specifically talking to the men. When we read this text, you're going to realize that this is for the men, and then even more specifically it's for husbands. So, husbands, I need your attention. Ladies, I know I have yours already. All right?

This one is found in 1 Peter, chapter 3. If you have your Bibles, you can turn there, smartphone, whatever. Get to 1 Peter, chapter 3. We are going to read verse 7, but let me just set the stage for you as we get to this reading. The apostle Peter has just taken some time to talk to ladies in versus 1 through 6. He's talking about how a wife should be and what should be attractive about her and the beauty and how she should be a woman of God. So he's doing these things and he's writing to her. And then verse 7 he writes to husbands.

Now, I want to let you know that a lot of the Bible in the last part of the Bible, in the New Testament and in the last part of it, the New Testament is telling us, as followers of Jesus Christ, how do we live. How do we live. How do you take from living for yourself and living in a culture that's so full of sin and how do you become a follower of Jesus Christ, be a husband, a wife, how to be an owner, a business owner, a worker. How do you live in the community, how do you work with government. How does Jesus Christ change the way you live. And so you will see that in the New Testament. And it is wonderful that the Bible gives us this instruction.

So this is one of those moments that Peter is giving instruction now to husbands. And in verse 7 he says this: Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Okay, so he says that right there. There is the dangerous prayer part. He's saying, "Husbands, if you don't treat your wife right, if you don't take care of her, there is going to be a hindrance to your prayer." And it's a dangerous prayer for you to pray to think that you can live any way you want, not take care of your wife, that it is actually dangerous to be thinking you're getting through to heaven, because you are not getting through to heaven. It is a dangerous way to pray.

Now if I can explain this. I want to explain this, just this one verse so you can really get it. And, men, it can go in deep here. And I want to say this to the ladies, too. I think this is very much a sermon that ministers to you, because there may be men right now that you're going to have to forgive. There may be some men in your life; a father that abused you. You may have an ex spouse that was mean and horrible to you. You may have a husband right now that everything within you is just wanting to amen right now and shout out for me, but you know that your husband is sitting next to you and you don't even want to flinch right now. You're like, "Holy Spirit, you do the work, okay?" But you're going to have to forgive. We are all in this together, but there is something for all of us.

Let me start in the middle of this. He said, you know, you've got to realize they are heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. He is saying you are equal. He is saying men and women are equal in Christ. They both receive grace. There is no class distinction that it is men and then women. It's not like that. He's saying you've got to know that Jesus made it different and made it so that women were elevated, that women had respect. And you think about it. Christianity is the religion that has elevated women. It's not women's lib. It has been Christianity that has elevated women. And Peter is saying, "Guys, treat them as co heirs. We both get grace."