Address—C. Little
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Could we turn to 1St Epistle of Peter first Peter chapter 3?
Beginning at verse one, likewise.
You wives.
Being subject subjection to your own husbands, that if any, obey not the word.
They may 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 the outward adorning of plating, the hair, wearing of gold, 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 a quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.
For after this manner in all, 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 you do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise ye husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.
Finally, be all of one mind, having compassion one of another.
Love is brethren, be pitiful, be courteous, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrary wise blessing, knowing that as ye therefore are called, that you should inherit a blessing.
For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile venomous, chew evil and do good.
Let him seek peace and ensure it, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open.
Unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them.
That do evil. What I have on my heart is the thoughts that that our brother.
Has brought before us concerning the relationship of husband and wife and also a brother Clem has just brought before us.
The attitude of worship on Lord's Day morning, Beloved Saints of God, is it not true that if there is a happy relationship at home?
When we come into the assembly as gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
We're bringing into the assembly.
A happiness and a joy.
And a communion.
That begins in the family life.
To begin, that with the husband and wife in the home, the children and I believe in Peter, we have this blessed truth brought out concerning the relationship of the husband and wife and that there should be in that home that compatibility and that love expressed. And I've said this before and I'll, I'll say it again.
I ask each husband here, each wife here.
Have you this very day said to their your partner, your loved one?
I really love you expressing it in love, not only so, but making it known. And that communion, communion in a family.
As gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a responsibility we have. How can we as we have?
Have disunion in the family? A disunion between husband and wife? How can we truly worship the Lord?
In spirit and truth.
I speak very plainly because I believe that this is one of the things that is causing the silences. We are coming with empty baskets.
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Because of a condition in the home.
Where the husband does not assume his right place and the wife doesn't, there's not that compatibility, that love that should be expressed there. And I believe that here in Peter.
In Peter's epistle, you know, we have the the thought brought before us. I'm not going into all these verses, there wouldn't even be time for it, but just a thought of the place of the husband and the place of the wife.
And isn't it a beautiful thing when you think of it? It expresses the one body of Christ. It expresses Christ and the church, the husband and wife relationship.
Oh, I ask my own soul. You ask. You can ask yourself.
Am I expressing that in my home?
Oh, if you are when you come into the assembly.
And you bring your peace into that assembly, your compatibility with your loved one, and you're together in this, in union before the Lord. What a happy time there is. We remember, we can remember the Lord in his death, in communion as husband and wife. But I would say this also too.
That we don't remember the Lord as husband and wife. We don't. It's not each one remember the Lord individually. But husbands, if you're not treating your wife as the Lord would have your her to be treated, you're not in communion with the Lord. And wives, if you're not treating your husband, if you're not giving him the place that's his, you're not in communion with the Lord either. And so isn't it, isn't it?
Doesn't it touch our hearts and consciences to realize that we have won the Lord Jesus Christ?
Who gave his life. He did everything for you. He's made provision for you as our brother has been bringing before us that provision that has been made for that inward thing that we're with, that drive of human nature that we have, and God has made provision for that.
Oh, how do we treat it? How do we relate to it? And I think that these two things.
Are bring before us the fact of of a worship that could please God because it begins in the home. It begins in the home. I noticed in your verses here. Just notice where it says.
The begins by the wives, it says, and be subjection to your own husbands.
And of course, again, it brings in if they obey not the word. This puts it a very extreme case, doesn't it, that if they obey not the word, even it says that they may without the word, be won by the conversation of the wives. I knew of a case of a dear sister.
Who had a husband? She got saved and her husband was not saved and for 20 years.
She prayed for her husband, 20 long years she was in fellowship. Her husband was not saved, was not in fellowship. And I remember her coming and asking what can I do? I said Sister, live Christ.
With your husband.
You don't have to say anything it says here can be won by the conversation of the wives even without without a word. Live Christ.
Show your husband love and compassion.
Well, the end of that story was 20 some years later he got saved and he too is gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Can God be? Can you?
Can you overstepped God's grace and bonds? You can't do that.
If we bow to the word of God, and so I think of it here with a wife who had a husband that wasn't saved.
A very trying thing, but then we go down here and it says.
Concerning the husbands verse.
Verse 7 Likewise your husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. While I believe this too is a more a very, very important thing in the marriage life. Marriage time.
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Being heirs together.
Of the grace of life. It's the grace of God that saved you and your wife. If you're both the Lords and this marvelous thing, the grace of life, you can go on together through this world in the grace of life, God's matchless grace. And when we come, and when you come into the assembly to remember the Lord in his death, there is.
Fruit. There is something that can be offered. There's communion.
In our personal life and that bring is brought into as our brother has been bringing before us.
The fact of not being empty before the Lord.
So I believe that there are many things here. I, I don't take up all time. I won't take many more time. But I just to remind you of this, how that Peter tells us about our pathway through this world, through this world, the grace of life. We won't need that in heaven. We won't need it in glory, but we need it now.
And I again again feel that if.
That relationship if the husband reminds his wife each day that he loves her, not just assume it. Speaking to a young man here the other day about this same matter is this comes up quite often lately because of the breakups of families and and marriages and so on. And I just mentioned to him, I said, you know.
Why does it say husbands love your wives?
Well, he said, because God said so. That's true, I said, but I'm going to tell you why.
Because you don't have love in your heart. You're not made that way.
I said the dear woman, the female has this innate love in her heart.
And your kindness to her will draw it out.
But, I said we're reminded.
The husband love your wives because you don't.
You don't and I believe it's a searching thought. It's a searching thought, but I think it's good for each one of us to remember that and tell your loving wife you love her. Make it known to her. Don't just assume it because when the when the wife.
Who has this innate love in her heart? And she has a husband who says to her, I love you.
It's going to come out as she's going to respond to this. Oh, I believe it's true with both, but I really believe that the greater responsibility belongs to the man. He's the responsible one. He's the aggressor and he is very responsible in this to treat her as as unto the weaker vessel.
The heirs of the of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.
Prayers. Intercessions.
Remembering the Lord, all these things are hindered if we're not compatible, if we're going in different directions. But then it goes on and it also says finally in verse 8.
Finally, be all of one mind, one mind, one mind.
This is God's desire, that oneness of mind because.
We too are in the oneness of Christ and I believe that there's, there's, there's much here and speaking about loving life and seeing good days. This really is what we need. We need to get down to the practical everyday living of the truth of God. Not just doctrines and truths that we say we know, but put them into practice.
And this love life and secret days.
Let him refrain his tongue from evil in his lips they speak no guile, and seek peace, or follow, follow.
Avoid evil and do good and seek peace and insult or follow it. So I believe that these things to me fit together in connection with what our brothers have said.
Concerning the the relationship of the husband and wife and then coming into the assembly in a commune, a communicable way in communion with the Lord, and then praise and rise up and honor the precious Savior who died for us.