In 1st Peter, Peter continues to tell us how to win others, including your spouse, to Christ. God's Word is... a GodSend!

3. Living at Home
Lesson Passages:
1 Peter 3: 1-12
Background:
1 Peter 3: 1-12

4. 1. Wives: Submit and
Influence (1 Pet. 3:1-6)
2. Husbands: Understand
and Honor (1 Pet. 3:7)
3. All: Love and Bless (1
Pet. 3:8-12)

5. Review of 1 Peter 2:18–25 (LEB)
18
Domestic slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only
to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unjust. 19
For this finds favor, if because of consciousness of God someone
endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when
you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you endure when you
do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God. 21 For to this you
were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an
example, so that you should follow in his footsteps, 22 who did not
commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, 23 who when he was
reviled, did not revile in return; when suffering, he did not threaten, but
entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, 24 who himself bore our
sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to
righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed. 25 For you were
going astray like sheep, but you have turned back now to the shepherd
and guardian of your souls.
•Matt. 5:44, the hard Way of winning those who curse or mistreat you
One day the “Bridge will be out”, the period of mercy shut, it will be
too late, very hard to repent. SO how CAN you win others (including
your significant other, your spouse) to Christ?

6. The world is afraid of death, of being rejected. To “counter” this,
it’s all about entertainment, to avoid being bored. Boredom is death.
“Hyperstimulation… Man, does that become boring, or what ??”
“Today’s” strategy (e.g. People mag): Fit in, BUT be a killer competitor!

7. Paul would say, “I will show you a still more
excellent way.”
Love!
(read 1 Corinthians 13)

8. 1.(a). Wives: Submit and Influence (1 Pet. 3:1-4) [LEB]
1
In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that
even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over
without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your
respectful, pure conduct.
3
Let your adornment not be the external kind, braiding hair and putting
on gold jewelry or putting on fine clothing, 4 but the hidden person of
the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is highly valuable in the sight of God.
•Living together isn’t always easy – look at People mag or other gos-sip
mags
•The world emphasize ‘sexiness’ (showy ‘attraction’): others abuse
•God’s ‘designer dress’ for women is from within (showing His Spirit)
•Feminine mystique is really all about revealing the Lord’s attitudes to
those open to listening
•Words (nags) might seem to gain an equal footing with hubby, BUT
‘servile’ actions serve up JESUS (Luke 22:21-30)! His Love woos,
wins, trumps all others, ‘enticing’ each of us to follow (Luke 6:38)
HOW about marriage to a born-again husb. who is not obeying God?

9. 1.(b). Cont’d: Wives: Submit and Influence (1 Pet. 3: 5-6) [LEB]
5
For in the same way formerly the holy women also, who hoped in
God, used to adorn themselves by being subject to their own
husbands, 6 like Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose
children you have become when you do good and are not frightened
with respect to any terror.
:3-6 Holy = “set apart”, ≠ “haloed”. Many great mentoring women in
bible! This should continue (Titus 2:3-4)
:6 Trusting in your REAL authority God, you WILL be faith-lifted in due
time (1 Pet. 5:6-10, Jam. 4:10, Lk. 14:10)
Can this advice work in a distressed situation?
How about in abusive relationships?
There are times when God wants us to flee from threats (Jesus Lk.4:30)
But there also may be opportunities to win MAJOR spiritual battles in
God’s timing, IF prepared.. Do you know what you’re up against (are
you truly discerning: Matt. 20:22, Lk. 9:55, Matt. 16:23)?
You MUST put on His supplied armor to win (Eph. 6:11-18)
PRAY for discernment to bring God’s will to that person’s life & yours!

10. Husbands: Understand and Honor (1 Pet. 3:7) [LEB]
7
Husbands, in the same way live with your wives knowledgeably, as
with the weaker female vessel, showing them honor as fellow heirs also
of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Considerately – very aware, ‘Yes, weaker’ YET by design, not
deficiency: Joint Heirs
God loves weakness! He honors His creation that trusts Him (1 Cor.
12:23 – ‘unseemly’ hidden functioning parts emerge with great honor).
There is much mystery to how God has crafted men, women and the
marriage relationship
Eph. 5: 21-33
•The submission of wife to husband is in respect to God
•The loving of husband for wife is also in respect to His role for the
husband to be a true-love Life leader
•Prayers unhindered (Matt. 5:23-24), after wooing her back to the altar
of submission to God

11. 3. All: Love and Bless (1 Pet. 3:8-12) [LEB]
8
And finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, showing mutual
affection, compassionate, humble, 9 not repaying evil for evil or insult for
insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason
you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing. 10 For
“The one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his
tongue from evil and his lips must not speak deceit. 11 And he must
turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are
open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do
evil.”
●Peter quotes Ps. 34:12-16, when David acted crazy to gain ‘asylum’
●He was beside himself. Before this, he was tempted to kill King Saul
on many occasions – but sought God’s best, even for murderous Saul
● We must not fall into the world’s ways to defend or ‘advance’
ourselves. All it takes is to obey and follow Christ. From this same
Psalm:
7
The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and He
rescues them.. 9 …there is no lack for those who fear Him.

12. (Backups)

13. God’s Great design for unity, “oneness”
1 Corinthians 12: (LEB)
21
Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, “I do not have need
of you,” or again, the head to the feet, “I do not have need of you.”
22
But by much more the members of the body which are thought
to be weaker are necessary, 23 and the parts of the body which we
think to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant
honor, and our unpresentable parts come to have more abundant
presentability, 24 but our presentable parts do not have need of
this. Yet God composed the body by giving more abundant honor
to the part which lacked it, 25 in order that there not be a division in
the body, but the members would have the same concern for one
another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer
together; if a member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

14. “Body” of a Marriage, by God! Ephesians 5:21–33 (LEB)
21
…being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ 22 —wives to
their own husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head
of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church (he himself being the
Savior of the body). 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, thus also
wives should be subject to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself
for her; 26 in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing her with the
washing of water by the word; 27 in order that he might present to himself
the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but
that she may be holy and blameless. 28 Thus also husbands ought to
love their own wives as their own bodies. The one who loves his own
wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes
and cherishes it, just as also Christ does the church, 30 because we are
members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32
(This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and
the church.) 33 Only you also, each one of you, must thus love his own
wife as himself, and the wife must respect her husband.