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Bro. Otis Fisher
We're in the book of Peter, 1st Peter, and at the 3rd verse, I'll get it right in a minute, 3rd chapter, 1st verse, 1st Peter. 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 you of the wives.
First of all, we see that people were married, and that some men liked to lord it over all the women. But Peter tells the woman, since you are a wife, you be in subjection to your own husband. Now the word subjection is not subjection like a child.
Subjection has to do with that which is voluntary. God made women to be the responders. I care less what they do. As the husband displays this behavior, the wife will respond to it. And that's just natural.
This is why the husband is told to love his wife. The wife's not told to love her husband because she will respond to him. This in no way means that the husband is saved, only that the wife has done all that she can in obedience to God.
After they had done all that they can, leave the rest of it to the sovereignty of God. Clarence told me last week that he saw the sovereignty of God more clearly than ever before. Judas Iscariot did what he did because he wanted to.
But it was ordained that he do that. We sometimes have a problem, and if God has ordained it, then why do anything? Well, you do what you do because you want to do it. Second verse, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning let it be outward of plaiting the hair and wearing of gold or of putting on apparel.
And I didn't get a reaction from anybody. Let it not be. That's so, so important. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning. Be what's meant by outward adorning. And he gives some examples, plaiting the hair and wearing of gold or putting on apparel.
When the Christian woman or church appearance appeals to the appetites, it gratifies totally the depraved nature of that person. She is feeding the person's appetite for sin instead of appealing to the person's concern for obedience to God.
Christian people should take care that all of their external behavior be answerable to their profession of faith. Now, this does not prohibit all adorning, but prohibit all wearing of apparel. So it's not that.
But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is corruptible. Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God great price. But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible.
Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God great price. I don't see not. Oh, is not corruptible. David, what does it mean, corruptible? A woman is to wear an ornament, but it's not supposed to be on the outside, but on the inside.
Now, that doesn't mean that you can't wear ornaments, I hope. But it's to be good taste and not concentrate on that ornament. Your beauty comes from where, Greg? And he's inside. Greg, read Romans 12, 2.
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. There's a great many examples in the Bible. We're also told that Rachel was a very beautiful woman, you remember?
Jacob fell in love with her. She was the one bright spot in that man's life, and there wasn't many. 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.
Sarah was a beautiful, beautiful woman. So beautiful that several kings wanted her for their wife, and that caused a problem in Abraham's life. She called Abraham Lord. I think it's so wonderful when a wife looks up to a woman.
Likewise, ye husbands. Is that Dennis back there? All right. What does it mean, likewise? All right, Joy, also what? In this case, it's applying to what? All right. 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.
Now, we have in this verse several things. The same instructions given to the man that is given to the wife, dwell with them according to knowledge. Virg, what's it mean, according to knowledge? All right.
Giving honor unto the wife, as unto a weaker vessel. David, what's that mean? Yes. Yes. Weaker physically, and that's all. Not in moral, intellect, or spiritual. Husbands treat his wife as the weaker vessel, and he is to give her honor because of that.
I do not think the current women's lib is going to last. Women like to be treated as women, as men like to be treated as men. Because she is the weaker vessel, she is to be treated with honor. Greg, what's honor mean?
All right. The man is to give her first place. She is to get into the car first as he holds the door open for her. When they enter a room, she goes first because there may be snakes. As they walk down the sidewalk, he walks on the outside for her protection.
He is to treat her with honor. When a woman loses her place, she doesn't go up, she goes down. When she takes her place, she can be treated with honor and given her rightful position. I think every husband ought to treat his wife as something special.
Now, that your prayers be not hindered. What's that mean, Dennis? The Verge expound on that.
When they pray together, when you pray, then there is no hindrance. It's like a companionship, a fellowship that we have with one another, just like God. All right.
Peter says that if you're not getting along with your husband and wife, it will ruin your family altar. And there is no use praying together if the family altar is ruined. If you're fighting like cats and dogs, God doesn't hear cats and dogs.
You are in agreement. You can pray together and your prayers will not be hindered. Now, before we leave this section, I would like to add one further word. Marriage is something which God has given to the entire human family.
Not only to Christians or to the nation Israel. In the book of Genesis, we are told that God made man and at that time man was alone. I think the Lord let Adam alone for a long time to make him know he was missing something.
Then scripture says that God took man and from man he made a woman. Using the Hebrew words in Genesis 2 .22, what do we find, Greg? And the next verse. Yes, yes. Well, it might be significant, but Adam had blood as Eve did.
I haven't thought about it, but I will. Whether it's significant that it wasn't mentioned. That is a help which fits for him. In other words, she was to be the other half of him. With that in mind, you can see that the marriage relationship is not to be one of them.
Man insisting on treating his wife like a little child who has to jump every time he says so. She is there to help him. She is there to be a part of him. She is there to love him. And he is there to love and protect her.
The ideal marriage relationship. Now, 1 Peter 3 .8, finally. Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one on another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. Peter is admonishing all of us to have unanimity in the family.
David, what does unanimity mean? Is a unanimous vote unanimity? Believers to be like-minded. Not rendering evil for evil. Or railing for railing. But counterwise blessing. Knowing that you are there unto called, that you should inherit a blessing.
If another believer says something evil about you, something that is not true, what do you do, Greg? If a believer says something about you that is evil, is not true, what are you to do? Why are you emphasizing just a believer?
What if the person that said that won't change his mind? Then what are you to do? What? So what are you to do? You leave it to God. You've addressed it as far as you can, so forget it. You know that you did not do that, therefore you're not guilty no matter what he thinks.
You went to him, discussed it with him, and he still won't change his mind, then leave him to God. If we take this position, it will break down all the cliques and stop all the fighting within the church.
Remember, we are representing the Lord in everything that we do and say. 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. All of us want to live, and unfortunately there are a lot of believers today who are not enjoying life.
That's so sad. They're not living life to its fullest. So sad. Not getting all they should out of life. So sad. Peter says that we are to refrain from constantly speaking evil of others. To refrain from speaking guile, from being deceptive, and not telling the truth.
Let him eschew. What does eschew mean, David? Not exactly. Did I see Bill come in? What does eschew mean? It means to turn aside from evil. All right. It means to avoid. Now he may have done what you said, David, but we are to avoid evil and do good.
Let him seek peace and ensue it. Now ensue is different than eschew. A child of God is not to sit back and act piously. I don't think we have any here that do that. Let's live it up. But he's not living it up by indulging in gossip and evil.
Let's live it up by turning away from evil, pursuing that which ministers to peace. Let's live for God today, right now, while you're alive. It's the only minute you are. And how important it is to know this.
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. Is Clarence back there? Okay, what does the verse 12 convey to you?
No, verse 12. All right. He's open to our prayers. He's open to our actions. But the face of him is against them that do evil. Now them here is the lost person. The face of him. David, why did it say the face of him?
All right. The whole verse is written in anthropomorphic type speech. God doesn't have eyes and ears. The Lord does not have eyes and ears and a face. This is an amazing passage of Scripture. Peter is quoting here from Psalms 34.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. His ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil. To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Burge, why is it people speak evil of you?
For those of us who are human-sized people, I wouldn't say that they're wrong. But there are some Christians who do the same thing.
I don't really know the person. It's just gospel. All right. Greg, why did they single you out when they speak evil of you? All right. Bill, why did the person just single you out to say that? All right.
David, why is it that people will speak evil of you? I'm not interested in all people. I'm talking about you. All right. That's true. What motivated their saying that? All right. You're all answering correctly.
But I want you to get one layer below that. Yes. They spoke evil of you. That's true. Say that again. The spirit that died in me. All right. Why has this person spoken evil to you, Joy? That's true, but that's not the bottom line.
That's right. That's as far, that's as deep as he can go if he has uncovered that. But there is yet another reason, and that is that God or the Lord has someone come and speak evil to you. He has them come and say this for you.
He has them say something evil about you, whether it's true or not, and that's for you. Well, that's true. That's part of your suffering, but for you. You needed that, and you received that. Even though it seems in the world it's for another reason, the real reason is that I needed that.
Now, I rebelled usually at that. I shouldn't. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's true. Don't fight God. And who is he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good? Does that mean that God gives you an armor so that nobody can touch you at all?
Since God takes such good care of you, then who can harm you? Virge, who is there in this world that can harm you? Nobody. If we could just assimilate that, just get that in and believe it. Nobody. But, and if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are you, and be not afraid of their terror, and neither be troubled.
Suffering for the right should bring joy to the child of God. That goes back to what I said about that other verse. It is for you. Some Christians actually make themselves obnoxious in their witness to others, thinking they are taking a stand for the Lord.
That's not true. But if we have a simple, but if we have simply taken a quiet stand for the right and for God, that's what we should do. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
Now, we are to sanctify the Lord in our hearts. That's primary. Then we can give an answer. Always be ready to give this answer to any man that ask you about your hope. What is our hope, Bill? That aggravates some people.
That it doesn't seem to bother you. Any of us. Now, first of all, to those looking for the truth is who we are talking to here. Always be ready to give an answer to them. Not to the world. Not for those that are looking for an argument.
All other religious systems are incapable of a rational atonement because they are founded on some misconception of the divine truth. I think we all understand that all other religions are man-made. I hope you do.
There's some in our religious circles that think there's more than one way you can be saved, but that's not true. Having a good conscience. Good conscience, no guilt. Whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, that they be ashamed that falsely accuse you, your good conversations in Christ.
For it is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil doing. If you suffer for Christ's sake, you can rejoice in that. But if you're suffering because you've played a fool, because you have gotten into trouble, into sin, yes.
The will of God is done. That's all it's done, by the way. Isn't it amazing to know that everything is according to our Lord? That the evilness that is in the world is according to Him? Now, please don't repeat that outside this class, because they wouldn't understand.
But God used the evil to bring you to where you are. That's hard to comprehend, but it's the truth. That's right. For if you suffer for Christ's sake, you can rejoice in that. But if you are suffering because you've played a fool, that's a different story.
18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. It's important for us to see this, that Christ became a human being.
It was Jesus. And it was in his humanity that he died on the cross. Christ didn't die. Jesus did. He died on the cross, and it was the Holy Spirit who raised him from the dead. Christ does not now deal with sin.
He does deal with me in my new nature. He dealt with sin once, which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Now, if we just stop there, then we're in trouble. 19. Which sometimes were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.
Now, these two verses are totally misunderstood by most people. They have gleaned from this verse, let me find it, 19, by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, they say God went to hell and preached to them.
That's not true. The souls are now in prison of them. Do you see that? They died, and they're in prison. But Christ, in Noah, preached to them while they were yet alive. Christ didn't go to hell. He preached through Noah, in Noah, to those that have now died.
Any questions? Well, that was as it was. Verge, who closed the door of the ark? God did. David, what if Noah had been given that responsibility? That's right. I think it will. The apostasy. What? No. Ike figure, wherein to even baptize, baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the like figure, wherein to even baptism doth now also save us.
What if we just stopped right there? That's right. But he explains that not the putting away of the dirty body, he's not talking about that, but a good conscience by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The meaning of the word baptize is placed into.
Just as eight souls were saved from the water, even are being placed into Christ on the cross, saves us. Yes, that's right. So the meaning of baptism is being placed into just as eight souls were saved, they were placed into the ark.
Greg, I missed one. Go to Romans 6 .3. There's no water in that verse. 22, who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God's angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Angels, authorities, and powers.
He's gone into heaven. This answers to the coming of Christ into the world. He's gone into, who has gone into the heaven. Notice that? He left this universe and went into heaven. He's going to leave that and come into this universe.
So finishes the third chapter. Anything from anybody. Burge dismisses, please.