I know today all the ladies are excited. Have you looked at 1 Peter 3? Guess who I'm preaching to? Now, I can't skip these six verses. I can't be a coward. I want to be. Man, preaching to ladies? Me telling ladies how to do right? That's what Peter does. I wonder how his wife felt about 1 Peter 3. Peter was married, wasn't he? He wasn't a pope, he was married. Amen. And I wonder if his wife read this. I bet she looked at him and said, what audacity. I just wonder about those things sometimes. 1 Peter chapter 3, likewise, ye wives, be in subjection. Boy, he's off to a good start, isn't he? 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, your husbands, 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, But let it be," and he's still talking to the wives, "...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. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham." calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." Let's pray. Father, I have already had a great time this morning. I so rejoice in our time in Sunday school and how you've blessed the work in the Philippines and appreciate Brother Brad's charge and challenge to the young people. And Lord, I pray that our men would rise up this week as never before. or as they have in the past, and recommit their lives and their homes, their families, their wives, their children to You. God, I pray right now that the Holy Spirit will do what I can't, and we'll thank You for it in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, and you can be seated. Now, the challenge to the men remains. It is a challenge to respond at the end of this message. But I must be honest and say the text we are at, I almost, and I would like to, may even go backwards next week. I'd love to spend some time on verse 25 in chapter 2. But the text today is chapter 3, 1 to 6. Let me tell you the title. Well, let me ask you this first. Have you ever heard somebody say, you can't go back? You can't go back. And there's certainly a lot of truth in that. Surely, every one of us would love to go back and do some things differently. How many of you would like to go back and do some things differently? Boy, would I. I, especially in the context of the home and the family, I'd like to go back and do some things differently. But we can't. In that sense, we can't go back. But I was driving in Kentucky the other day, thinking about these verses. Believe it or not, I was. I'd already been praying about and sort of going over in my mind what the Lord would have me to preach on. And I was thinking about these verses, driving down the road with my wife, And this morning's sermon, God gave it to me. He spoke to my heart about really this thought, you can go back. You can go back. You know the words I was thinking about when that title came to my mind? Verse 6, even as Sarah. You know what he's telling the women in his day? Peter said, hey, you can go back to acting like Sarah. Sarah is the example and that's not talking about living in a tent. Not talking about some other thing. He's talking about spirit and attitude. And he says, let's go back and learn from Sarah. Let's go back to the way it used to be. There are some things you can go back to. No question about it. You can go back. Peter is telling these wives that he's addressing how to behave, and he says, even as Sarah. Ladies, Go back to living like Sarah did. That's basically what he's telling them in particular in terms of her spirit and her attitude. And we're going to come back to that. And then I thought of verse 25 in chapter 2. Chapter 2, verse 25. For you were a sheep going astray, but are now what? Returned. You can go back. You can go back to the shepherds. You can go back to the Lord. You can go back to the things that used to be important to you. You can go back. Naomi went back. She went back to Bethlehem. Judah. Hey, Jacob went back to Bethel. The prodigal son went back home. There is a sense in which you can go back. I'm glad that you can go back. I love the song and I've asked Ms. Lucinda to play it during the invitation. I've wandered far away from God. Now, I'm coming home. The path of sin too long I've trod, Lord, I'm coming home. I've wasted many precious years, now I'm coming home. I now repent with bitter tears, Lord, I'm coming home. Coming home, coming home, never more to roam. Open now thine arms of love, Lord, I'm coming home." I'm glad you can go back. I'm glad you can go back to Bethel and rekindle that love for the Lord that you had when you got saved. Hey, I'm glad you can go back to your roots, the things that helped you as an individual and as a family, and you've gotten away from those things, and you can go back to those roots. I'm glad as a church you can go back to the things that God blessed and God honored in the local church. You can go back in one sense of the word. In Revelation 2, Jesus told the church at Ephesus, Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works. What do they say about a boy and a girl? Dance with the one that brung you. Hey, let's dance with the one that saved us. Honestly, you can go back to that first love. You can go back to the way it was when you first got saved and took notes and read your Bible and prayed and was hungry when you went to church and wanted God to speak to you personally. In that sense, you can go back to what you used to do. In sports, they say we've got to get back to the fundamentals. Just got to get back to the basics. Hey, in America, there are some things I'd like to go back to. I'd like to go back to the days when the flag was saluted and respected. I'd like to go back to those days. I'd like to go back to the days when boys called girls. Well, I didn't get many amens there. Y'all don't want to go back to those days. Girls are too forward. Girls are too aggressive. Girls are too flirtatious. Amen. I'd like to go back to some of those things. I'd like to go back to when families ate around the table. I'd like to go back to the days when businesses closed on Sunday. I'd like to go back when Walmart wasn't open 24-7. Amen. I'd like to go back. There are some things you can go back to. 1 Peter 3, though, is really not politically correct. Did anybody figure that out while we were reading it? It's just not a politically correct text for our day. The first word is likewise. What does he mean likewise? Well, he's got a whole chapter, chapter 2, on submission and subjection. And now he says likewise. Just like he talked to the citizens back there in verse 13 of chapter 2. Just like he talked to the servants in chapter 2, verse 18. Just like he used Jesus as an example in verse 21, 22, and 23. As I said in Sunday school, I've preached three family meetings. this year, because homes and families are hurting. But let me tell you what I told them Thursday night. Most people don't want to go back. I've started almost everywhere I preach now by starting off the service by saying, you know, I'm going to preach tonight, but there ain't none of you going to do anything about it. That's how I start a lot of sermons now in these other meetings. that I'm going to challenge you to quit this and quit that and start this and start that, and I start family meetings by reminding them that they're sick of America and they're sick of what's going on, but they're not going to do anything about it even in their own home. And I preached to them on Friday night about molasses. Some of you have heard the sermon, probably all of you. And I talked about the things that are not necessarily wrong until they become all-consuming and all-controlling in our homes. And you need to get rid of some of those things, or at least curb some of those things, or moderate some of those things. But you're not going to. You're going to sit here and nod and say, Amen, that's right, and do nothing about it. Because we don't want to go back. We like this comfort. We like the luxury. We like all this stuff that has made us carnal. And so I start those meetings by reminding them that they're not going to do anything about it. What about you this morning? If God pricks your heart, what are you going to do? I've issued you a challenge. What are you going to do? How are you going to respond? Not just once, but for the rest of your life. What changes need to be made at your house? There is a liberal, Feminist, unisex, bi, tri, trans, unidentified philosophy being promoted in our country. I don't even know what to call it that's being promoted by these so-called progressives. And they can yell, they can have rallies, they can advertise, they can indoctrinate, they can pretty well do anything they want to because we've given them their rights including freedom of speech. That's where we are. But on the other hand, you and I promote a biblical society, and we're labeled hate mongers. We're labeled homophobes. We're right-wing extremists. They want their rights, but they don't want us to have ours. But the Bible is not politically correct. Saints, you should have no trouble enjoying, supporting, and amening the sermon I'm going to preach today on 1 Peter 3 and what the Bible says about women. You should have no trouble saying, boy, that is right, amen. You shouldn't have any problems with it unless you have been corrupted by worldly philosophy or unless you are in the dark about the truth. So verse 1 says, likewise ye wives be in subjection to your own husbands. Did I read it correctly? Is that what the Bible says? Can anybody say amen? And before you ladies start saying, but what if? Because that will be the temptation. I want to remind you that Peter is talking to women whose husband is either unsaved or simply not right with God. Because what he says in verse 1 is that if any obey not the Word, they also may without the Word be won by the conversation of the wife. So if they obey not the Word, and that word W-O-N causes some preachers to say, this is clearly a lost man. I don't think that's clear at all. It might be a lost man or it might be a man that's saved, but he's not living for God and he's not living according to the Word of God, and he's not really... God doesn't have his heart. And so when you say, well, should I submit when? Be careful what you say. The context is already clear. This guy's not right with God. This guy's not living for God. So be real careful when the Bible says that you're to be in subjection to somebody that is not obeying the Word of God. Now, get this, ladies. It says be in subjection, or it doesn't say. It doesn't say be in subjection when your husband is perfect. It doesn't say be in subjection when he has no annoying habits. It's okay to giggle. We have some annoying habits. Us men... Listen, can I just be honest with you? I wouldn't want to obey this verse. But I didn't write the verse. I didn't write the book. I can understand ladies having trouble with this. But it doesn't say be in subjection when he treats you like a queen. It doesn't say be in subjection when He caters to all your whims. Does it? Listen, I understand. It's a difficult verse in some ways. By the way, it is difficult and that may be why God put it in here. It's difficult for man to hear, don't be bitter at your wife, Colossians chapter 3. But that's why God put it in there, because He knew your propensity. And He knew how proudful we are sometimes, men. And He knows that we don't like And so he tells us some things that are not necessarily easy for us, but it doesn't make it untrue. In other words, ladies, I understand there may be some difficulty here. You're thinking, man, you mean I've got to submit to what he's... You've got... No, brother Ron, remember 1 Peter chapter 2 when he said that when Jesus was reviled, He reviled not. And all that illustration we gave last week, it wasn't easy for Jesus to submit either. It wasn't easy for Peter to submit to Nero either. It wasn't easy for some of those servants to submit to masters who were treating them wrong. I'm not suggesting that this should be easy, or everything's going to go the way you want it, or the moment you submit, everybody's going to get right with God. I know better than that. But tough or not, cornerstone, can I preach the Bible? Do I have liberty now still at Cornerstone in 2019 in this weird world that we're living in? Do I have liberty here to preach the Word of God? That's what I must do. And so without having to qualify every command, I must preach this passage. And I will give you this so that we can move on. Ultimately, I will give you this. Ultimately, God's Word, God's authority trumps man's authority. I do realize. And some ladies have a very difficult situation. And there's times a man may require of you something that goes completely against the Word of God. And at that point, you've got a very tough choice to make. I've had ladies come to me, my husband expects this. I've had this happening since 1988 in East Tennessee. Rhonda had a good friendship with a lady and she'd say, but my husband wants this and my husband wants that. What do I do? What do you do when your husband says, you ain't going to church tonight? You're going to watch this dirty movie on HBO with me. We're going to the honky-tonk tonight. What do you do then, ladies? So believe you me, I've dealt with these things, and I know sometimes it's not easy. But can I be honest with you? Most ladies don't have that problem. Most of you, your husband's not asking you to do something unscriptural. And it's still tough. It just is. And I understand it, but I didn't write the book. Your husband being rude, sloppy, backslidden, or lazy is not a license for you to ignore the verse. It's not a license for you to ignore the passage. And by the way, I'm not for sure why Peter wrote this passage. The Bible doesn't tell you why Peter put this here, or why God put it here. It might be that there were some real loud, overbearing, controlling women in the church, and he needed to address it. It might be. It might be that some of these women were arguing constantly with each other about how to handle their husbands. I've preached this for 27 years at Cornerstone. Don't be having hen parties and bashing your husbands. That is not right. You should not be talking to other ladies about how sorry your husband is. Amen. So Peter may be doing this because there are a bunch of loud, overbearing women. Maybe there's some women arguing about how to handle their husbands. Or maybe there's just a bunch of godly women in this church that have some carnal husbands and Peter's trying to tell them how to deal with it. It might be that all these are good women. with sorry husbands. And maybe Peter is obviously under the unction of the Holy Spirit trying to help those ladies. That may be the case. So we come to verse 1, and it says, likewise you wives, be in subjection, now get this, because I'm not going to preach on it, to your own husbands. You ever wondered why it's worded that way? It's worded that way in Ephesians 5.22, Ephesians 5.24, Colossians 3.8, and Titus 2.5. It says to the women, you be in subjection to your own husbands. America has almost made that impossible. I'll let you decide what that verse means. That's not my text today. That's not what I intend to cover. But ladies, let me remind you, your first goal should be to honor God as a wife, And you ought to be motivated by a desire to have your husband's heart, and maybe more important than that, that God have your husband's heart. Please hear me, ladies. Your first goal should be to honor God as a wife, but you should also be motivated by a desire to have your husband's heart, and even more important, for God to have your husband's heart. I want to ask you a question, ladies. Do you want your husband to please you? or do you want him to please God? In other words, ladies, if you want your husband to be right with God, make sure that your motivation is not selfish. I'll tell you a good way to test it. What if your husband does get right with God and tell you you've got to get rid of some of them clothes in your closet? You prayed he'd get right with God. What if he gets right with God and decides you're going to the mission field? You want him to get right with God? Or do you just want Him to treat you better? It's a fair question. Ladies, question your motive sometimes. Don't you want God to have the heart of your husband? There's nothing more important than that. And by the way, if God's got His heart, He'll treat you better. If God's got His heart, He'll obey Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 and you'll be the happiest lady on the planet. If God gets his heart, it'll help you. But get this, in 1 Peter 3, I think this is a little bit... I don't know what to call it. We've got a man that's not right with God and God's given the woman instruction. Did I get it right? The man's got the problem and he's talking to the woman. I guess there's a lot of reasons for that. Maybe because... He knows that's the only way to get to that man. See, I've preached for years that your submission is powerful, maybe more powerful than my preaching. You may want God to give Brother Ron a message that will straighten out your husband, and God may want me to have a message that will help you to straighten out your husband. The man's got the problem and Peter instructs the woman. As a matter of fact, he gives her six verses and gives the man one, which we'll get to next week, men. Don't take a vacation. We'll get to verse 7, Lord willing, next week. Why only one verse for him? I think I know the women can handle preaching better. Men, stiffen up on you. Yeah, pride. That's right. Oh, listen, I've preached to men and women for I don't know how many years, and you can tell who enjoys it and who just endures it. And so Peter's giving the women instruction because their menfolk are not right. But I'm telling you, ladies, your submission is powerful. As one writer said, a man may embrace your God because of your happy influence. That's the way he worded it. I love that terminology, that the man needs to see your happy influence, not your miserable influence, not your molly grub influence, but your happy influence. What a thing! God says, let me help you with your disobedient husband. And the solution is not fussing and arguing and nagging and ignoring him. The solution is not your mama, your daddy, your friends, or Facebook. Your solution is not medication, vacations, or reliving your twenties. You ain't going to look like you did on your honeymoon. So forget it. and just be in subjection. Man, I thought this was going to go over a lot better. Man, people have been asking me how it was the other night, and men around the boat said, boy, it was stiff, it was tight. And I don't know why, I just told them to get rid of all their technology and start living for God again. I just told them that Facebook and video games and PlayStation was running home, I don't know why it was so stiff, and all I'm telling you this morning is God says, God says to the wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. You've got a man that's not right with God, he's carnal, he's not living by the Word of God, and I'm telling you the solution is not fussing and arguing and nagging, the solution is not mama and daddy, the solution is not pills or a vacation, the solution is not reliving your twenties, and the solution is certainly not running. to an equal or worse problem, which is what a woman has a tendency to do. Because there's a lot of Casanovas out there that'll make you think, well, life would be pleasurable with Him. When things aren't going right at home, don't you even consider that as an option. It's not what Paul says, it's not what Peter says, and it's not what the Bible says. In our day, the home is in trouble, and it's because we've departed from God's established order in the home. And now, if we follow God's plan and preach God's plan, we're a misogynist, a word we didn't even know ten years ago. We now hate women. If you preach Bible truth on the roles of men and women, you are linked with racism, sexism, white supremacy, male supremacy. All of that's a lie. But they put us in that lump! They put us in that crowd! The Bible, and Bible-believing Christians, and Bible-believing preachers, and Bible-believing men do not put women down! It's a strongman argument. They try to pretend like here's what we stand for and here's what we believe. And so then they can promote their agenda, but they start out with the wrong premise. That is not what we believe. We believe that Jesus Christ and the Bible exalts women to a higher place than they could ever be without Him. And so they lie about our position. Bible Christianity believes in honoring women, recognizing their vital role in the work of God. bragged on a woman and said, I've never seen such great faith. He bragged on a woman and said, I've never seen such great love. We know that it was the women who were the last to leave the cross and the first to the empty tomb. It was a bunch of women that helped establish the church in Philippi. Paul commended women almost, it's unbelievable how many women he commended for their faith and their labor of love for the Lord. We understand the role of women. It's not an inferior role. It's a different role. Different does not mean inferior. And so all of the things they say do not negate God's established order for the home. So go to 1 Corinthians 11 for just a moment. 1 Corinthians 11. They hear a preacher quote a passage or preach a sermon that says, okay, ladies, according to the Bible, you need to submit to your husbands. You need to be in subjection. And they say, see there? They think a woman is a second-class citizen. They treat her like a doormat. They think women are supposed to be slaves. That's how they twist it. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 3, it would be a great verse to preach on CNN, but I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Did you notice in the same verse the head of Christ is God? Even Jesus had to be in subjection to His Father. Even Jesus had to be submissive to the will of God. I guess Jesus was a second-class citizen. I guess He was a doormat. I guess Jesus was inferior even if He said that He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Jesus isn't a second-class citizen because He's in subjection. He's the most exalted person in the universe because of His submission to God. Submission doesn't make you lesser. The submission doesn't make you inferior. God just gives you a different role than He gives us. By the way, we have a head too. According to this passage, verse 3, the head of every man is Christ. You know what's wrong with most men? They've lost their head. Yeah. They want their wives to submit, but they won't submit. They want their wives to be in subjection, but they won't be in subjection. The best fix for the home. Men, listen to me. This is a message to the women, but I'm going to mention this. According to the Bible, the head of the man is Christ. And if you'd get that right, we could fix our homes. But I cannot ignore. because I'm in 1 Peter 3, that the Bible says here in 1 Corinthians 11 that the head of the woman is the man. And you read that and all the Bible-phobes go crazy. Yeah, that's right, Bible-phobes. By the time we turn the tables, they're afraid of the truth, they're afraid of the Bible, and they're afraid of Christianity. And they hate us. That's the problem with culture. But men, the head does not mean boss or tyrant or dictator. The head is where things originate. It's literally the one who initiates. If you study the word head in most dictionaries, especially etymology dictionaries, it says beside the word head, it says initiator, originator. So I challenge you in Sunday school to be proactive, for you to take the lead, for you to shake things up, for you to pray, for you to step out of that comfort zone, for you to do something that might be a little awkward but that God would bless. And so when the Bible says that the man is the head, it does not mean boss or tyrant or dictator. Men, your head is Christ. Submission to Him is where you'll find... Listen, please hear this. Men, your head is Christ and submission to Him is where you'll find your greatest joy, pleasure, fulfillment and purpose. Now ladies, you make the application. I'm telling you, according to this passage, we all know who our head is. The head of the woman is, the head of the man is, and I'm saying to the men that your head is Christ, and that's where you'll find your greatest joy, pleasure, fulfillment, and purpose, and ladies, you ought to be able to figure out the rest of that. You know, God told Eve, thy desire shall be to thy husband. And it's the progressives who make that a bad thing. and twist the teaching and promote their anti-biblical agenda. But take your Bible and turn to Titus for a moment, chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. We'll get to 1 Peter 3 momentarily. Turn to Titus chapter 2. You folks believe the Bible? Let's see what it says. We're talking about God's established order and I'm saying you can go back to it. You can go back to it. The Bible says in Titus chapter 2, a very familiar passage to Bible believers, verse 1, But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, that the aged men may be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience, the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior." And by the way, when the Bible talks about sound doctrine in verse 1, it's talking about our behavior, not our beliefs. Doctrine is connected to beliefs and behavior. And sound doctrine is the aged women, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste." That word is in 1 Peter 3. Keepers at home. Boy, don't you know the world loves those words? Keepers at home. Good, obedient to their own husbands. There it is again, that the Word of God be not blasphemed. God's established order, and the Bible says in verse 5, obedient to their own husbands. Paul was a misogynist according to the world. Church, would you listen to me? From the 1960s at least, maybe I should go back further, but I can go back to the 60s with confidence. From the 1960s until now, we're seeing the fruit of the anti-biblical crowd. and our departure from the Word of God when it comes to the home. And it's not an impressive sight. The home is being destroyed. There used to be strong, happy homes with men, women, and children knowing their roles and happy to fulfill them. And now the home is confused. And no telling how many grow up with a single parent. No telling how many children leave the house in the morning with nobody there and come home with nobody there. We're living in a world that is working to destroy the Christian home. And it started way back there. And I'm saying to you this morning, let's go back to the days when the Bible was revered, men were respected, and women were honored. So now we come to 1 Peter 3. I think there might only be one other place we'll go to, and that's in 1 Timothy 2, if you want to get there. But let's go to 1 Peter 3, teach this passage. It won't take long, and then we'll see what the Lord wants to do. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3, verse 1, "...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." Notice, conversation, behavior, and it's what men behold. There used to be an old saying, women love what they hear, men love what they see. Would you agree with me there's a lot of truth in that? Think about it, men. When you met her, what got your attention? I remember well when I met Rhonda. You know how we even say it, what caught your eye? We don't say what caught your ear. The principle is men love what they see and they're watching and things get their attention. And I remember well when I met Rhonda what got my attention. She walked up to me and said, I made 29 on my ACT. I said, let's go on a date. I was so impressed with that. I mean, if you believe that. And then she said, and I'm real good at math. I said, let's get married. Good at math? I mean, ACT math, that's the woman for me. And I'm on the softball team. I have found the ultimate female. You know better than that. You know better than that. What really got my attention was she said, and I'm on the debate team, you know better than that. I've been married for 40 years. You do what you want to with this and you can think what you want to think. My wife has never gained any ground with me by preaching to me. You know that continual dropping that Proverbs talks about. And if he's a man, you're not going to stick your finger in his face and get something accomplished. Because he's going to man up on you. And Peter knows that. And the Lord knows that. And He says, if you've got a man that ain't right, here's how to get him to respond. Everybody okay? It's not by you preaching to him, nagging him, criticizing him, running him down the road, screaming and yelling at him. He's not going to respond to that, not the way you want Him to. Unfortunately, He probably will respond, and it won't be the way He ought to. Why? Because He's got the same flesh that you're displaying. Ladies, do you want some help from the Bible? Can you say, Amen, ladies? Let me show you how you can honor and glorify God and win your husband's heart according to the Bible. In verse 1 and 2, your faithfulness to God. Your faithfulness to God. Your behavior that honors God. Your consistent behavior. That's what the Bible teaches. Your faithfulness. Look what it says. I find this so amazing. Peter says in verse 2, "...while they behold your..." what? C-H-A-S-T-E conversation. So I looked up C-H-A-S-T-E in my 1956 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. New Collegiate Dictionary! Not an 1828 Webster's, but a 1956 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary set about the word chaste. It means pure in thought and action. It means modest, not ornate. Avoidance of anything that would debase or cheapen as in style. Modest and decent are especially applied to behavior and dress as outward manifestations of inward chastity and purity. The dictionary in 1956 said this word chaste has to do with your apparel as well as your behavior. And the next thing Peter starts talking about in verse 3 is your apparel. I think we might be on the same page here, ladies. And so the first thing I'm going to tell you will help you to win your husband's heart and honor God is your faithfulness to God. Verse 3, your focus. Verse 3 says, who's adorning? Watch it, let it not be. So Peter's going to tell you to watch out about this. He says you're adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel. So we go to 1 Timothy chapter 2, a passage most of you know very well. What does it teach? And the Bible says clearly in 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 9, if you want to look it up, 1 Timothy 2, verse 9, in connection with what Peter just said, in order to get the balance, it says, "...and like men are also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness," that's got to do with your humility and attitude and sobriety, "...a seriousness not with broided hair, or gold, or pearl, or costly array, but which becometh women professing godliness with good works." Matches 1 Peter 3. So in 1 Peter 3, when Peter says, don't focus on this kind of adorning, focus on the other. I just about believe that Peter knows if you're consumed with yourself, you're not going to win your husband's heart. If you are eat up with fashion and fad and style and consumed with yourself, that is not going to help your husband. You can look nice, ladies, and elegant, and be a beautiful lady without being gaudy or showing off your body. The focus is what we're talking about. What is the focus? Look at verse 3. "...whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel, but let it be." You'll say, what is it supposed to be? the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." Wow. Notice this. There's a lot of costly apparel in verse 3, but here's what God says is worth a lot, which is in the sight of God of great price. He says, your inner spirit is worth more than all that money you're spending on the outer clothes. The greatest beauty cannot be bought. A woman, on the other hand, can get all the outside right and be full of gossiping and whispering and a sort of discord in a busy body. And her husband may go along, but he will not admire her. Ladies, you can get the outside right You can focus on the outside, but be a busybody and a gossip, a sore of discord, a backbiter, etc., and your husband may go along, but he will not admire you. He's watching you, and he's watching your heart. Simply stated, God does not want women to be loud, bossy, or controlling, nor does He want them to manipulate with the wrong things. And so how do you win your husband's heart and honor God? With your faithfulness, your focus, and then number three, your faith. Notice verse 5. Verse 5. For after this manner in the old time, the holy women also, here it is, who trusted in God, adorned themselves being in subjection to their own husbands. You see, this goes against the grain. For you to submit to somebody when you don't see the results as quick as you want to requires you to trust what God says. Listen, the only way I can imagine a woman submitting to a man who's carnal and backslidden and not living right is to do it because God says so, and then waiting on God to bring about the fruit of your behavior. It requires you to have faith in what God says. Because in essence, here's what we do. The Bible says, lean not to thine own understanding, and we have a hard time obeying that verse. What we see and feel, and ladies, you especially, with your emotions and your mind and your feelings, you're thinking, well, that's crazy. That's God. Are you willing to put your faith in what God says? Because it's going to take faith. And so how do you win your husband's heart and honor God at the same time? Your faithfulness, your focus, your faith. And then verse 4, your forerunner. Your forerunner, which is Sarah. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. Now that is not Peter telling you to call your husband Lord and Master. You know that. The people who go to this verse and try to say, well, looky there. That was Sarah's spirit and mind and heart in that day. This is not about what you call your husband. It is your attitude towards your husband, an attitude of respect, having the right spirit. We're talking about Sarah as your forerunner, and I believe that she'll give you some fight. We're talking about how you can honor God and win your husband's heart. Have you ever studied in Genesis 18 and 19 the difference between Lot's wife and Abraham's wife? They both had angels show up at the door. And if you study about Lot, he ran in, prepared a meal, and did all the work, and his wife's not even mentioned. If you look at Abraham in Genesis 18, he goes in and tells Sarah, fix supper. And she does. And he helps her. And they work together. It's not him bossing as much as it is him leading. And I'd like to go to that passage and show you the contrast of Lot's wife and Sarah, but more importantly than that, is here's a passage telling you, you ought to act like Sarah. Go back to living like Sarah did, but it's talking about her attitude. And isn't it interesting that in a passage on submission, Peter mentions Abraham and Sarah, And what caused all their trouble was him doing what she said. Am I right? Ishmael. Because Sarah said, do this. Abraham did it. Then Sarah got mad at him and said, it's your fault. Read it. What did you listen to me for? Which tells me, by the way, most women want their husband to be a leader. I don't claim to be an authority on the home, but God is. And God has given us a passage today about how the woman is to win her husband's heart and honor God at the same time, and I'm asking you to consider going back. Let's go back to respecting the flag. Let's go back to families with biblical order, gender distinction. Let's go back to families fellowshipping around the table at mealtime. Let's go back to Sunday afternoon drives instead of sports. Let's go back to having company over from the church house, mutual respect for people we don't always agree with, hospitality, and the family altar. I'm saying you can go back to some things. It's just a matter of whether or not we'll submit to the will of God. The challenge is for us men to take the lead. Let's all stand.