The man said, "Young lady, may I please talk with your Mother?" The young girl said, "She is not here, she is in the insane asylum.” The man said, "I am sorry to hear that, would you let me talk to your daddy?" She said, "He isn't here either, he is in jail.” He said "Young lady I am really sorry to hear that, perhaps I can talk to your sister?" The young girl said, "She isn't here either, she is in reform school." The man said, "Young lady I feel so bad about the members of your family. Perhaps you have a brother I can talk to?" She said, "He is not here either, he is at Harvard University." The man said, "Well, I am glad to hear that your brother is at Harvard University, do you know what he is studying?" She said, "He is not studying anything, they are studying him."
This passage deals with marriage.
(1) It speaks to those who are presently married
(2) It speaks to those who will one day be married
In some way this passage of Scripture applies to your life. Let us take a close look and see how it affects you.
I. THE WOMAN
It is amazing that one of the most important things in our life is marriage. What is more astounding, since this is one of the most important things in our life that we have to deal with, is that none of the schools, colleges or universities that I am aware of have a course on how to be a good husband, or a good wife.
But there is good news. God’s Word has a great deal to say about it. God is the one who instituted marriage, and God knows what it is going to take to make marriage function.
In this day when so many marriages are in trouble, people all around the world should be seeking Him for advice on how to have a successful marriage.
Instead, they are seeking the advice of people who do not have the slightest idea about how to have a successful marriage.
Illus: People would not dare seek financial advice from someone who has filed for bankruptcy, and whose credit cards are “maxed-out”. But so often they will turn to someone who has had multiple failed marriages, and ask them what should they do about the problems in their marriage.
One of the reasons today’s marriages are failing is because people today are going to the wrong places for instruction in marriage, when they should be going to the Word of God.
The devil knows how important it is, that people turn to the Word of God for instruction in marriage. That is why, when the Bible preacher preaches the Word of God, the devil tries to brand it as archaic and no longer having a place in this modern society in which we live.
For example, the modern day “Equal Rights” people claim their way exalts womanhood, and that God’s Word degrades womanhood.
We have had several decades of this unscriptural philosophy pushed on us, but I want to ask you this question, "Are women more exalted today than they were when Bible truths were practiced in the past?" Bible-believing Christians, and even most unbelievers, do not think so!
If equal rights meant equal pay for equal work and experience, any fair and sensible person would be for it. But this ERA crowd has more on their minds than equal pay for equal work.
According to those who back the ERA, such as the National Organization of Women, (the “NOW” gang), every woman who wants to fulfill her role in life as a wife and mother is degrading herself.
Let me give you a few reasons why Bible-believing Christians are against this unscriptural view of womanhood.
A. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA that allows women to fight on the battlefields where they could be wounded and/or killed in combat.
Illus: We saw a good example of this during the Persian Gulf war when mothers were forced to leave their homes. Children and husbands stood in the airports of this nation and watched their mothers and wives go off to war. The men stood in the airports waving good bye to their wives as they left to fight for our freedom. Something is wrong with that picture. Equal rights laws now demand that they be fighting alongside the men who are there.
B. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA that allows women and men to share military sleeping quarters.
Illus: The Wisconsin State Journal, August 13, 1978, gave us a preview of what women can expect if the ERA promoters continue to have their way. The report was of six female soldiers who were forced to live in a tent with male soldiers for a week! The women and their husbands objected, but to no avail.
C. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA that forces women to share bathrooms with men.
Illus: Washington Post, February 7, 1976: "The Forestry Service in California is dropping the men and women signs over restrooms at the Bass Lake recreation area in favor of unisex facilities. Officials said each of the 28 buildings under construction will contain cubicles with doors on them and they will be for both men and women.”
D. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA because captured women will be placed in POW camps where they can be raped and molested at the will of prison guards.
E. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA because it opens the door for homosexuals to desecrate the sanctity of marriage by allowing men to marry men and women to marry women.
F. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA because it opens the door for homosexual couples to be able to adopt children and to raise them, teaching them that their perverted life style is acceptable.
Illus: Activist Jean O'Leary, of the National Gay Group, stated, "We've been waiting for the Federal ERA to pass, before filing some of the test cases that we have been contemplating. Lesbian and homosexual couples can be loving parents and teachers, and we want the right to adopt or teach children without discrimination based on the sex of the person we are married to." She went on to say, "Eventually we will be able to teach children that homosexuality and lesbianism are positive, alternative life styles. The future looks bright for gay people."
G. Bible-believing Christians are against the ERA that would allow a 110 pound woman to be put on the police force to try to arrest a 230 pound man.
We have been fed a lot of "Phony Baloney" and it is time that Christians, who believe this Bible to be God's Word, quit allowing this sinful world and the liberal news media to do their thinking for them.
Romans 12:2 still says, "And BE NOT CONFORMED to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
The Bible gives us the right perspective of womanhood. We see so much of the false view of womanhood. They have rammed it down our throats, and it is time we stand up and say WE ARE NOT SWALLOWING THIS UNSCRIPTURAL STUFF ANYMORE!
We have looked at THE WOMAN, now let’s look at-
II. THE WIFE
Let’s look at-
A. THE ADORATION OF THE WIFE
We have many today who would have us believe they care about the rights of women, but the fact is, all they care about is the ATTENTION they are getting, and MONEY they are making by promoting their warped view on womanhood.
Many of the women who are leading the fight for womanhood and the ERA, make you ask yourself, “WHAT DO THEY KNOW ABOUT WOMANHOOD?”
Many of them are lesbians, and they do not even know that GOD MADE MAN FOR WOMAN and WOMAN FOR MAN. Still, they give the impression that all they really care about are women's rights, and if anyone contradicts what they are promoting, then they claim that the one contradicting does not care about women.
Illus: Dr. Laura Schlesinger, on her daily radio talk show, has spoken out against this sinful life style and the homosexual community has tried to destroy her career.
These who promote this evil lifestyle do not love womanhood, what they love is sin. And if anyone speaks out against their life style they are out to destroy them any way they can.
God's Word teaches that God loves womanhood. He is the one Who gave His only beloved Son for them so that they can be eternally saved.
God's Word exalts womanhood, in that He expects a man to honor and love his wife greatly.
God's Word says in Proverbs 18:22, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.” When a man finds a godly woman, he has found the greatest blessing God can bestow upon his life.
God's Word says in Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Notice, this is a question, “WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS WOMAN”. In other words, there are plenty of females around, but to find a virtuous woman you have to seek for her.
God exalts womanhood. God's Word says in Genesis 2:18, “And the Lord said it is not good that man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him.” Every time we men who know the Lord read that verse, we need to stop and say, “Yes, Lord you made a help meet for me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Illus: When God saw Adam in the Garden of Eden alone, God recognized something that is precious. He had created man for fellowship. God recognized Adam could come to Him and fellowship with Him, but He saw that even with this blessing in his life, something was missing. He recognized the difference between Himself and Adam: He was immortal and Adam was a mortal man who needed someone, like himself, in his life, but yet different and God said, "I will make him an help meet for him."
As we read the Bible, we find that God shows nothing but love and respect for womanhood. We looked at THE ADORATION OF THE WIFE, now let us look at-
B. THE ADORING OF THE WIFE
Look at verses 1-4, we read, "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 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.”
The world not only wants to dictate our perception of womanhood, but also the world wants to give a woman her perception of how she should live her life.
God, Who created woman, shows her that if she wants to have a positive influence in winning her lost husband, family, and friends to Christ, it has to be the Biblical way, not the world's way.
• The world’s way places all the emphasis on the OUTWARD beauty of a woman
• God’s way places all the emphasis on the INWARD beauty of a woman
When we get to heaven, it may surprise us that more people are there because of godly women than any other reason.
Peter shows us two kinds of adornment women have at their disposal.
(1) THE WORLDLY WOMAN'S ADORNMENT
Illus: God saw that it was not good that man should be alone, and He made Adam a help meet. If Mrs. Adam had been a member of ERA she would have said, "I do not care what God made me for, I am going to do with my life as I please, do you understand that Mr. Adam?”
The word, "Adorn" means to decorate. For example, each Christmas we "adorn" our Christmas trees. The decorations make the trees appealing to the eye.
Notice that Peter says to the wife, if you want to catch the attention of your husband, “...be in subjection” to him. Let him know that above anyone or anything he is first in your life.
Illus: We all know professing Christian women who talk to their husbands like dogs, yet if some other man asks them something, they are all SUGAR and SPICE and everything nice.
Illus: We have seen women who would clean every room in the house, and get all dressed up for some man who was going to eat supper with them, but she would not turn her hand for that husband who is supposed to be first in her life.
Worldly women refuse to accept their role in life, and shake their fists in the face of God and say, “I will not live my life in that manner!” They are not willing to live like the women in (verses 4-6) who lived in subjection to their husbands.
(2) THE GODLY WOMAN'S ADORNMENT
Look at verses 2-3. We read, “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.”
Wives, if you want to win your lost husbands they should be able to tell by your speech that they are first.
Illus: One husband said, “My wife is an angel: she is always up in the air and harping about something.”
Illus: A man said to another one, “I hear that your wife is outspoken.” The man replied, “Who out-spoke her?”
Illus: Another husband said, “I do not care if my wife gets the last word in, but the problem is that she never gets to the last word.”
If a wife is going to win her lost husband to the Lord, Verse 2 says it can happen, “While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”
The world has taught "Saved" and "Unsaved" women that the way you get a man and keep a man, is by using "Maybelline.” Listen, you might get a man that way, but that does not mean you will keep him that way.
Every day our divorce courts are filled with women who have expensive jewelry, wear expensive clothing and perfume, and have the best hairdos in town, and yet men are saying to the Judge, "I do not want her!"
Illus: This reminds me of the story of the divorce case where the judge said, “I am going to give this woman $300.00 dollars a week!” Her husband spoke up and said, “That is mighty nice of you judge. If I have a few dollars extra every now and then, I will also give her something.”
Peter tells the Godly woman to let her adorning be an inward adorning. He was not saying that you are not to fix yourself up externally, but that you should place as much emphasis on inward beauty as the outward beauty.
Illus: I have seen women go to the beauty parlor and sit under those space helmets for hours in an effort to fix up the outside.
Peter says to spend at least the same amount of time at the feet of Jesus letting Him give you a real "beauty" treatment.
If women across this nation spent as much time fixing the inside up as they do the outside, this nation would not be in the shape it is today. I believe the great need among Christian women today is not to be led by trends and fashions, but by the Holy Spirit of God. They must recognize that there is a beauty that is inward that does not disappear with age.
Look at Verses 5-6. They give examples that Christian women today should pattern their lives after.
Conclusion:
I. THE WOMAN
II. THE WIFE
