How To Love Your Husband And Not Lose Your Mind Series

HOME, SWEET HOME

1 Peter 3:1-7

Hope for the Home

"HOW TO LOVE YOUR HUSBAND AND NOT LOSE YOUR MIND"

INTRODUCTION:

There have been a lot of funny things told about marriage. For example, men if you want to know how NOT to have an argument with your wife, then take note of this guys example,

Charlie left work one Friday afternoon. But instead of going home, he stayed out the entire weekend fishing with the boys and spending his entire paycheck.

When he finally appeared at home Sunday night, he was confronted by his very angry wife and was barraged for nearly 2 hours with a tirade of his actions.

Finally his wife stopped the nagging and simply said to him "How would you like it if you didn’t see me for 2 or 3 days?" To which he replied, "That would be fine with me!

Monday went by and he didn’t see his wife. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with the same results.

On Thursday, the swelling went down just enough where he could see her a little out of the corner of his left eye.

To find a loving wife is definitely priceless, as Adam himself discovered,

Now I can’t find this in the Bible, but perhaps you’ve heard the story that before Eve was created, God was talking with Adam. He said, “You really need a helper, don’t you?” And Adam answered, “Yeah, I really do.”

So God said, “What if I make a woman? She’ll be perfect for you. She’ll be beautiful. She’ll rub your back at night, & your feet in the morning. She’ll plop grapes into your mouth. She’ll prepare all your favorite meals without fail. She’ll clean up the kitchen & take care of the kids. You’ll never have to do a thing, just sit around & be the king of your household.”

Adam said, “Boy, that sounds great, but how much is this going to cost?” God said, “Well, it’s pretty expensive. It will cost you an arm & a leg.”

Adam thought for a moment & then asked, “How much can I get for a rib?”

But nothing can compare to the simple yet brilliant insights which children give to marriage and the family.

Children & Marriage

“No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.”

Kirsten, age 10

“You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.”

Alan, age 10

When asked to give the right age to get married, six-year-old Freddie said,

“No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.”

Freddie, age 6

In answering the age-old question about whether it is better to be single or married,

“It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.”

Anita, age 9

And, when asked how best to make a marriage work, 10-year-old Ricky perceptively replied: “Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.”

Ricky, age 10

Finally, my favorite,

The pastor was visiting the fourth-grade Sunday School class to talk about marriage as part of the lesson. He asked the class, “What does God say about marriage?” Immediately one boy replied, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

It does not take a brain scientist to realize there is a disconnect in our society concerning marriage. There is more information on sex and marriage than ever before, yet we have more and more marriage problems and divorce.

Obviously something is wrong. It is not enough to say that God is needed in these homes, because we know many CHRISTIAN marriages are falling apart

Peter addressed this section of his letter to Christian wives and husbands who had unsaved partners, telling them how to win their spouses to Christ. Then he includes some important admonitions especially for the men.

This morning, it does not matter if you are married, single, widowed, divorced, or looking to get married this message is for everyone.

First I want to take note of two important factors which, if not understood biblically can tinge our perspective on marriage.

First of all, if you are going to move beyond romance into reality and build a strong and lasting life together, you will both need to develop a proper, biblical attitude towards marriage.

Philip Yancey, in an essay on the theme of arranged marriages, writes

In the U.S. and other western style cultures, people tend to marry because they are attracted to anothers appealing qualities; a fresh smile, wittiness, a pleasing figure, athletic ability, a cheerful disposition, charm. Over time, these qualities can change; physical attributes, especially will deteriorate with age. Meanwhile, surprises, may surface: slatternly housekeeping, a tendency toward depression, disagreements over sex. In contrast, the partnrers in an arranged marriage ( over half of all marriages in our international global villiage fit into this catergory) do NOT center their relationship on mutual attractions. Having heard your parents decisions, you accept that you will live for many years with someone you barely know. Thus the overriding question changes from whom should I marry, to given this partner, what kind of marriage can we construct TOGETHER.