Sermon
Ep 391 | A Godly Wife and Mother - Frank Brancato 5-9-21
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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It's good to be here with all of you today.
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I have on the screen here, the passages under consideration in
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First Peter chapter 3 and beginning there in verse 1.
1 Peter 3 chapter mention
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And you might remember that about four years ago, I taught
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on these passages but I just thought today especially as
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today is Mother's Day, that these would be passages that
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would be helpful to us and encouraging to us as we've given
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our lesson a title. And that is a Godly wife.
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And mother are passages are found in First Peter chapter 3.
1 Peter 3 chapter mention
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Three and as we begin in verse 1, we will read wives, likewise,
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be submissive to your own husband's that.
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Even if some do not obey the word, they without a word, may
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be won by the conduct of their wives.
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When they observe your chaste, conduct accompanied by fear, do
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not let your adornment be merely outward.
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Arranging the hair wearing gold or putting on a fine apparel,
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but rather let it be the hidden person of the heart with the The
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Incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet Spirit, which is very
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precious in the sight of God. May I just say that the two
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great decisions that we have to make in life?
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That are the most important decisions we will ever make.
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Number one is our decision to obey the gospel and become a
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Christian. There's no greater decision that
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we will ever make. But the second great decision
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that will determine so many things in our life, especially
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our happiness is who were going to marry.
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And if you as a man, find the right woman that is a Godly wife
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and Godly mother. You are extremely blessed.
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So valuable a Godly wife and mother.
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I want to talk about these passages for just a little
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while, but first of all, as we go to verse one, verse one
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wives, likewise be submissive to your own husband's a little bit
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of background here. When Peter begins with the word
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likewise, what he's talking about is a continuation from
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what he just said. In the second chapter Peter said
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to be submissive to Civil Authorities.
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He's he also said Masters be submissive to your or servants
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be submissive to your Masters. So what he's saying here is
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likewise be submissive to your own husbands and these are
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talking about wipes you know I have to make a point here.
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This passage is not talking about somebody that marry
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somebody. That's not a Christian.
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The background is this. There are two people that are
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married and they hear the gospel, the wife obeys.
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The gospel becomes a faithful child of God but the husband has
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not done so. So what Peter's talking about is
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he's talking about, what should your relationship be?
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And what are your duties? As those wives he says wives in
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this category? Wise, be submissive to your own
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husbands. Now I got to say sometimes
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people think that submission is an act of weakness sometimes
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people even say this putting somebody in their place, there
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is nothing more unscriptural than the interpretation of a
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woman being in submission or subjection.
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There's nothing more unscriptural than interpreting.
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It like this, that the woman is to get in her place, that is not
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found in the Bible. In fact, this word submission is
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found in the King James version as subjection.
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It is this Greek word here and it means to arrange under or
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Subordinate. Now here's where it's an act of
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strength. It's a willful act.
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I'm going to tell you something. Jesus thought it not robbery to
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be counted equal with God but made himself of no reputation.
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There's no greater example than Jesus who made the willful act
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of submission to God and God's plan in the scheme of
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redemption. Jesus was a strongest man that
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ever lived not weak at all, he submitted himself.
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What else did Jesus do? He made himself to be for a
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time, a little lower than the Angels so that he could die and
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All that means is this it didn't mean that the Angels were
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greater than Jesus. It meant that the Angels were
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ones who could not die. So therefore, he made himself
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lower than the Angels like a human being because we can die.
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That was a willful act of strength.
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It's the same kind of connotation about wives being in
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submission to their husbands. It is a willful act Peters
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teaching is in perfect, Accord with Paul's instructions in
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Ephesians, chapter 5, listen to this wives, submit yourself to
Ephesians 5 chapter mention
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your own husband's as to the Lord, for the husband, is the
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head of the wife. As also Christ is the head of
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the church, and he is the savior of the body.
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Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ.
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So let the wives be to their own husband's in everything.
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One more passage Colossians chapter 3 and beginning in verse
Colossians 3 chapter mention
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18 wives, submit yourself to your own husband's as is fitting
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in the Lord. Husbands love your wife and do
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not be bitter toward them. You know this is God's plan.
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I heard somebody say one time. Yeah, I know it says all that
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but times have changed and I really think God wants us to use
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our heads. You know, that's not found in
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the Bible. If God said for me to do
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something or any of us to do something, it really doesn't
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matter what we think about it. We might think that by way of
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our own wisdom and our own human reasoning, we might think that
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it's a better idea to do something else.
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That's not the point. The point is, it's about what
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God wants and what God Said is in the structure of this
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marriage relationship that a woman would be submissive to
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their own husband's. That a husband would love his
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wife. As Christ.
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Also loved the church, it's a willful act.
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Therefore it's nothing of inferiority.
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It's an act of Courage, obedience and strength.
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Have you ever considered that the woman's role is a position
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of Courage, obedience, and strength.
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Absolutely. So Even if the husband is not a
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Christian, First Corinthians 7:2, Paul gave the physical side
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of the physical reasons, he said, nevertheless, because of
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sexual immorality. Let each man have his own wife
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and let each woman have her own husband.
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Now, Peter is now giving reasons on the spiritual level and here
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they are, here's the reasons on the spiritual level that even if
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some do not obey the word very important here.
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Okay? The Word obey is a word that
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describes as Thayer says, somebody that absolutely will
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not be subjected to what is said.
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In other words, here's somebody that hears, the word of God,
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they hear what the Bible says, and by the way, that's the
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gospel, but they absolutely will not submit to it.
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That's what he's saying. So here's the picture, you have
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a Godly Christian woman, she's a faithful member of the Lord's
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Church. You have a husband that wants
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absolutely nothing to do with it.
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In fact, when he heard the word of God, he has rejected it at
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least for a Time. But look at the power of a Godly
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wife. Notice right here.
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In fact, one scholar said these husbands were obstinate non
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persuadable. They were the type that would
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not listen to reason and Peter says this, even if some do not
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obey the word, they without a word may be won by the conduct
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of their wives. Now, we have to make a couple
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points here about what has the power to save.
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Peter's not saying that a woman has the power to save because
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you know what, nobody in the world has the power to save.
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We can be an influence on people, but nothing in the world
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has the power to save accept the gospel.
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Paul said, in Romans 1:16 for, I am not ashamed of the gospel of
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Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
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who believes to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, or the
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Greek as the King James says. So in that we understand the
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word of God, only the word of God has the power to save but
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look at the power of a Godly life of his wife.
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He heard the word of God. At one point wants nothing to do
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with it, but he may be won by the conduct of their wife
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without her saying a word. That's what that means.
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Now, I'm going to tell you, when you look at the King James
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version on this passage, it says this that even if some do not
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obey the word, they without the word may be won by the conduct
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of their wives, it seems a little confusing.
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But what he's talking about is this not obeying the word of
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God, but they will in the future.
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Perhaps, without the woman saying a word May be persuaded
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to hear the gospel again and Obey it down the line because
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the gospel is the only thing that has the power to save what
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we're saying is this. The silent.
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But powerful persuasion of a believing Behavior has the power
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to do great things. One man said one time that Godly
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conduct is more powerful. Than persistent speech.
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Now that brings us to verse 2 when they observe your chaste
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conduct accompanied by fear. You know this words, observe is
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in the King James it says behold and it's only found in the
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Epistle of Peter. It's only found in First Peter
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and it's found in two places. It's found right here and it's
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also founded. I'll read you the passage in 1st
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Peter chapter 2 and verse 12. Listen to this.
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Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles that when
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they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good
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works which they observe glorify God.
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In the day of visitation what a powerful passage that even
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people, that would criticize you and speak evil of you.
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You live your life in such a way that they'll be ashamed.
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When they see how you live, it'll make everything that
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they're saying by way of an evildoer false.
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And What else? They may even have an
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opportunity to observe you, therefore glorify God in the day
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of visitation? What does it mean in the day of
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visitation? Well, if you look back into the
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Old Testament, you find the day of visitation where oftentimes,
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as, when God came and judgment but here in that passage and
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found in the New Testament, it's talking about the offer of
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Salvation. So notice this you live your
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life in such a way that when people in the world, observe
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your life, they will be. Shame that would falsely accuse
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you absolutely as an evildoer. But what else?
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It will have the power or the influence that when they hear
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the word of God, the day of visitation, they'll obey it and
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become a Christian. Now, that's the same thing as
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the wife. But what are they going to
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observe those husbands? First of all, they're chased
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conduct accompanied by fear. Chased means pure from Fault
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Immaculate, and by the way, That doesn't mean perfect.
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It doesn't mean perfect being Immaculate means free from
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accusation. So what he's saying is this when
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your husband's continually observe, your chaste, or pure
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from fault or or Immaculate conduct, it will have that kind
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of power fear. They are says, is the term of
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reverence and respect. So, in conclusion of that,
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thought the immaculate Life manifested by Godly living will
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be seen by the Believing partner who otherwise would never see
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the word of God. But the word of God is the only
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thing that has the power to save, but The Godly life of a
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Christian spouse can lead the unbeliever to respond and listen
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to the gospel and Obey it in the future.
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All right, all of that is now the foundational proportion.
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In general of our lesson. Now we go to verse 3 and
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sometimes verse 3 is very much misunderstood.
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So let's begin verse 3. Do not let your adornment be
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merely outward. Arranging the hair wearing gold
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or putting on fine apparel. The Christian wife is not to
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depend on outward, adornment to win her husband.
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To Christ her adornment Rises From Within it, comes from what
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is on the inside. And by the way, what you are in
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every way on the inside is what you will be on the outside.
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Side. In every way.
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Sometimes people say the, I know he does all this stuff.
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But he has a really good heart. Really.
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If you're good on the inside, it will manifest itself as good on
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the outside. You can't say I am one way when
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really, I'm not and you can't separate your behavior and your
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choices and your actions from what you are on the inside, they
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go hand in hand. So what he's saying is this, you
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wives, do not let the adornment be merely outward.
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It's what is on the inside. So three distinct areas.
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Now, here they are the way she wears her hair, the jewelry.
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She selects and the Carol that she puts on now here it says the
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adorned merely outward arranging of the hair but we also find
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that that word is to plate or be either woven or braiding.
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According to the King James version and by the way, this
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doesn't mean that a girl cannot braid her hair.
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Not with that means at all. fact, I used to say this one
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Taylor was little Wherever she would have some activity.
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Need to have her hair braided, I would do it.
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I can why you get it tight, you know, when you grew up riding
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horses, tails you figure out how to do that.
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So I learned how to do that. Breda tell you can braid some
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hair and I was good at it because I got a real tight.
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Real tight braids. Is that what that's talking
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about is it forbidden for a woman to braid her hair?
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Absolutely not. Let's notice what it actually
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means. According to the King James
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version, it is called plating or boarding abroad.
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Bring the hair. Now, in 1st, Timothy Chapter 2
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and beginning in verse 9, Paul said this.
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In like manner also that the woman Adorn themselves in modest
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apparel with propriety and moderation.
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Not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing but
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which is proper for women. Professing godliness.
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Now, evidently Paul is giving insight into the extravagant
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excesses among women in the first century.
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Roman Empire noticed what mr. Vincent said and I quote The
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attendants will vote on the dressing of the hair as if a
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question of reputation, or of life worth steak.
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So great is the trouble. She takes in quest of Beauty
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with so many tears. Does she load?
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I tried to figure out what that look like.
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We're so many tears, does she load with so many continuous
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stories? Does she build up on high her
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head? She is.
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As tall as and Rumaki in front. Which by the way, was the Greek
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mythology. The Wife of Hector captured by
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the Greeks at the white at the fall of Troy, in the front
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behind she's shorter, you would think her another person.
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That's somebody that went out of their way to do something by way
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of a personal outward. Look Clement of Alexandria.
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Said, this first century women were given to Great Extremes in
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braiding and plaiting, their hair, gold and silver were
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intertwined and twisted within the strands with pearls.
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Now, this is what Peter and Paul is condemning not by braiding.
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The hair, would you talking about?
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He's talking about This he's talking about stuck in the hair.
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Mile-high with all of this show and then interweaving Pearl and
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gold and all of that in it, an outward show.
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In other words, don't try to win your husband to Christ by the
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outward show. And I want to make a side point
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here. This is talking about in
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context, somebody that's a Christian trying to convert
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their non converted spouse. But there's a secondary thought
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here. Is there not If you're a young
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lady, don't try to attract a young boy by doing the same
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things. Let it be on the inward side,
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and we're going to get more to that in just a minute, but never
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let it be from an outward show. Paul said, Peter says, don't do
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that. Don't let it be that which is on
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the out side. Now, the wearing of gold wearing
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is to put around or hang down according to mr.
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Thayer now, it seems as though in passing by That there is a
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general prohibit prohibition to wearing gold but that's not the
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case. That's not the context in the
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Greek text at all wearing gold. It was the adornment of the
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golden ornaments that were placed around the head or the
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body. And the Greek text really is
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talking about that is talking about lavish conspicuous
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displays of jewelry, the wearing of jewelry is not forbidden for
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a Ian woman, but garlic gaudy, elaborate displays of expensive.
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Jewelry is the same thing. As the artificial manner of
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wearing the hair and then he says this.
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So don't do that. Don't Let It Be by way of
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arranging, the hair, or wearing gold.
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But then he says this, or putting on of fine apparel.
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The Greek uses two words for clothing.
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One word is clothing to protect and cover the body.
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That's not the word here in this passage.
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The other is a word that describes clothing, that is
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ornate, its decorative with complex patterns or fancy and so
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on and so forth. The putting on of apparel is not
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to be understood unconditionally prohibited just like braiding
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the hair or wearing gold. They're not unconditionally
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prohibitive. So, The point is this Christian
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women are not to depend on outward adornment to win their
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husbands and their adornment must come from the Christian
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heart and that brings us to verse 4.
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Here it is. This is what how we should do.
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So But let it be the hidden person of the heart.
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Now, what's the heart sometimes in the Bible?
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Heart refers to your deep feelings.
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Like when you would say, for example, I love you with all of
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my heart or when Paul was writing to Philemon and wanted
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Philemon to forgive onesimus. He says, this is my whole heart,
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in other words, that's the deepest part of my feelings.
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That's not the word heart hear the word heart and this passage
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is talking about intelligence reason and will So let it be
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from the intelligence reason and will the hidden man of the heart
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First Corinthians 4:16? Therefore, we do not lose heart.
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Even though our outward man is perishing yet the inward man is
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being renewed day by day by the word of God.
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So, the Inner Man of the heart is, what is under consideration?
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In other words, as Christians, Christians clothing should be
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consistent with the Purity and beauty of the Lord who, dwells
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in his, or her heart. I want to say something.
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You know. To the young ladies.
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And by the way, the end of this little lesson is my favorite
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part. Because we're going to talk
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about how valuable our precious daughters are, that's my
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favorite part of this whole thing.
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Okay, can't wait to get there but I want to say something to
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the young lady's right now. if you have to dress a certain way,
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To attract a boy, he ain't for you.
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We don't need him here in worthy.
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And if you feel like you what to do that to attract the boy, A
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little problem with the heart. We don't want to do that when we
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get our heart, right? If a boy cannot look at you and
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see the inner beauty that you are as a child of God, we don't
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need him around. He ain't for us.
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And remember this, remember this, the hidden man of the
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heart. What's on the inside?
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Again, will manifest itself on the outside?
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And may I also say this, if we're having trouble with being
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modest, Fitting in and I'm going to say this to listen, I'm
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almost 55 years old, had been that long ago, that I was a
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young person to. And when I was a young person, I
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know how peer pressure's come down and you want to fit in.
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And sometimes you feel alienated and ostracized, because you
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don't feel like you fit in, I get it.
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It's sometimes hard to stand and be the outsider, right?
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I get it. But I'm going to tell you
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something folks, if we're having struggles with that, because
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there is a way to dressed. It's worldly.
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There's a way to dress that's in modest.
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And if we do that, we struggle with that, it's because we're
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struggling with the heart. Got to fix it on the inside and
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a precious godly woman is what's important.
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And may I say this too. Don't ever think you have to
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settle or compromise. Oh, I better compromise or I'm
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never going to get a spouse. No.
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Be the Christian. You should be be the best person
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that you could be. Let Jesus come forth in your
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life and other see it and somewhere along the line.
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You may find somebody that's worthy of you.
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I got to tell you I was going to say this at the wedding when
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Taylor and way got married, but I start bawling, I could have
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done it. But I went up, I cut it out.
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She doesn't even know this, but I cut it out and I was going to
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say that. I, when Taylor was born, I
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remember, I remember when she came out and I got to go into
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the NICU unit with her, and I remember I couldn't stop crying.
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I was so thankful that I had a little girl.
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And I'm going to take something as a dad.
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I don't know if a greater gift that have a daughter.
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I just don't incredible. And I now have a little girl.
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And I thought man there's nobody in this world going to be worthy
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of that, little girl. Nobody. and then when Wade came
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along, I started praying for it because that's the right kind of
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man that will see my daughter to understand.
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Hey, I Loved Her First and God loves her too.
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And Jesus loves her too. And a man that is willing to see
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those things. That's what's important.
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They are worthy of their affection, their love and their
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worthy of having those Godly women for their wife.
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Don't ever settle. Don't ever ever settle a
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Christians clothing. Should be consistent with the
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Purity and beauty of the Lord who dwells in their heart.
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Now I want to say this now What is the importance of a wife or
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the importance of the role of a mother?
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And a wife, how important is that?
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We bring up our daughters to Aspire to fulfill that role.
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And I got to tell you, we spend a lot of time, don't we?
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We need to, we need to bring up young boys at they'll be
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teachers in the church. That true.
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Yeah, well, we need some evangelists reason preachers.
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We got to train, those guys to be preachers that true.
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Yeah, we need to get those guys that want to be elders.
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And Dickens, in the Lord's church, is that important.
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Absolutely, you've heard my series on that, and I said that
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a person is going to be a deacon or an elder.
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Someday has to purpose in their mind Wayne Advance before when
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they're young to be a Godly person and pursue it is all that
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true. Yes, it is.
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We spend a lot of time talking about the young men because of
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this passage right here. Psalm 144 and 12 that our sons
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may be as plants grown up in their youth.
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Is that true? Absolutely true.
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Absolutely true in the Hebrew, by the way, you know, it says in
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the Hebrew, it says they'll be grown large in their youth.
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The meaning the direct meaning of that is they'll cut become
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Stout, strong, and vigorous and well-formed, even early in life.
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One scholar said it like this. He offered this paraphrase.
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I love this. Make our sons in their Prime, be
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like, sturdy, Oaks in other words, not going out in sowing,
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their Wild, Oats, as it were, but being strong in the Lord in
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their youth. You know, I'm going to tell you
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something, I don't know anybody. Including me.
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I don't know anybody that reflects back on their youth.
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Without at least a little bit of regret.
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Right. I mean, if you can say that you
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look back on your youth with no regret more power to you, I
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can't I haven't made every decision, just right.
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So is it important that we understand this?
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Absolutely. We need those young men to grow
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up as plants grown up in their youth.
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Be strong oak trees. Absolutely, we need to do that.
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That's true. But the second part is what I
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love so much. One translation.
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Renders it like this. Look at this, our daughters will
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be like carved columns shapely as those of the temple.
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The new English version, adds this crucial picture.
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Look at this. It says, our daughters will be
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like Corner, pillars, carved, like those in a pelops before I
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go any further, let me ask you something.
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Young ladies daughters. Do you have even a clue as to
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how valuable you are? How necessary you are.
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Look, not only about the young boys, but what about this?
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Our daughters will be carved. Like, carved column shapely and
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of those of the temple, our daughters will be like Corner
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pillars and the King. James know, it says they'll be
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Corner Stones. That's pretty important in it.
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You know, that words being used to that Cornerstone words.
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Been used again with the Lord. When you talk about the church,
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the kingdom and Jesus is the chief Corner Stone, same
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language about the home. Cornerstones.
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I want to read you something bear with me while I read it
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all. Listen to this, listen to what
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was being described by way of Bible palaces back in those
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days. Listen to this.
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In Bible times, Palace has contained a number of large
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columns. They were both decorative and
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weight-bearing. The most expensive columns were
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cut from Marble. They were highly polished and
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carefully put in place. The most important of those
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columns were placed at the intersection of two or more
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walls. These core columns were crucial
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because they held everything together.
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The master Craftsman would take extra time, choosing the best
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materials working overtime, to produce a stone that's cut to
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exact measurements and Polished to a high degree of Brilliance.
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If they were cut wrong or play strong, the entire building
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would be unsound but when properly placed, they became the
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foundation and Connecting Point for everything else.
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Don't be deceived though by the emphasis on beauty and Grace.
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These columns were Not Mere ornaments added to please the
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eye. They were Corner pillars that
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held the palace together and folks such is the image of Godly
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daughters. They're like highly polished
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carefully, chosen perfectly placed Corner columns that hold
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together. The palace where the king,
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dwells such a noble goal for our daughters to raise a polished
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Corner pillar That will one day hold her family together with
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strength, and joy, and love and laughter, having a contagious
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faith in Jesus Christ. Yes.
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As I've stated God's base, God's best gift to any man is a Godly
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woman of strength and beauty. Her worth is far more above
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rubies. Such a woman is truly God's
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Masterpiece. And I like, what one man said,
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one time about the family He said the father is the head of
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the home? But the mother.
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Is the heart. And the children.
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Are the hope. The structure in God's eyes, or
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how it should be. Make no mistake about it.
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Young ladies, when you grow up, you don't have a role.
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That is inferior. You just have a different one
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that's all and you're not inferior.
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And any way shape, or form, in fact, you realize, how valuable
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you are. I'm going to tell you right now,
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man. Can't do anything to their
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maximum capacity without the right woman in their Corner.
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Can't happen. You know the old saying behind
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every good man is a good woman. Oh, that is so true.
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So true. So we need to raise our
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daughters, to be those kind of women.
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Let it be the inner part of the heart that attracts others.
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And not only did Peter say you can win your unbelieving spouse
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or even. That's the kind of person that
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you'll attract one day for you. As you are the right woman, that
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godly woman in your own, I'm finished this morning.
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Thank you for your kind listening, to what we had to
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consider. And I hope something was said,
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that was edifying to you in some way.
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Encouraging to you in some way. Way a Godly wife and mother.
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We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
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would like any additional information, or you would like
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to receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
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Please email us at info at her Church of Christ
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Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays
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at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
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Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
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honored guest.