Be An Example Series

Opening and Introduction

In our lesson tonight, we heard part of a longer passage that’s a discussion on how a wife and husband should treat each other. It’s a message about relationships.

This text applies to all of us, married or not. We’re all in some form of relationship with each other… family, friends, co-workers, even the sales clerk that we bought our lunch from. We connect to people in different ways.

Some of these people, we can talk to easily about anything. Others we’re not comfortable sharing with. There are some who we can freely discuss our faith, and probably a few we avoid the topic at all costs. Whether we talk to people or not, we model our Christian faith by how we do things, how we act, and how we live.

Tonight, we’re going to look at how Peter wanted us to be an example of our faith. We’ll also look at how the world tries to lead us in a different direction. Finally, we’ll look at how we can be a better role model to those around us.

Live Faithfully

In the early church, there was a challenge with Christian believers marrying unbelievers. Some women were married to non-Christian husbands, and they needed some spiritual guidance and loving support.

When a woman married, it was assumed that she would follow the faith of her husband, and unlikely that she would challenge him about his faith. But here in our text, Peter addresses this very specific situation where conflict could, or had arisen.

Peter describes a wife who is a believer, but a husband who doesn’t obey the word. To disobey the word, he must’ve heard what scripture has to say. Either he’s rejected the message, or ignored it. He’s a

non-believer, or at the very least, one who is weak in his faith.

Men were considered the leaders of their family, as society was very patriarchal at this time. This meant that the husband ran the family. How can a wife convince her husband, of her honestly held faith, without starting an argument, without challenging his role in the family, and without disgracing him in the eyes of society?

Respect was a big deal. But so were appearances. Women followed the practices of the Romans and Greeks by dying their hair in bright colors and stacking it high on their heads, wearing jewelry and dressing in beautiful clothes. Entire fortunes were spent on wardrobes, and makeup, producing stunning looks.

Outward appearances were of the utmost importance. But, the inner beauty of character, heart, and faith… that’s what Peter was focusing on.

He addresses these concerns of maintaining a peaceful, respectful relationship. He says that they should win their husbands over, not with nagging, nor with arguing or protesting. But with a gentle, quiet spirit… through inner beauty, rather than outward appearance.

Peter was advising a way to build relationships, and demonstrate the gospel by being an example, show faith in our daily lives, and demonstrate what being a Christian is about. This is more important than decorating our exterior.

The Example Around Us

But, the world around us, tries to show us a different way to live, a different example to follow. Peer pressure is one example that tries to get us to change.

Our peers might try to convince us to do something or follow the crowd. If we don’t get in line, we could be excluded from their group, or maybe even made fun of. Peer pressure has resulted in people doing things they should’ve never done. And it’s not something only kids deal with.

A few years ago, a new type of robbery started to gain popularity, and accomplices were pressured into participating. It’s based on the idea that the police can’t catch everyone.

An organized mob goes to a store, all the people enter at the same time, and grab whatever they can, then leave as quickly as they arrive. In a few cases, more than 300 people have participated in a single crime, and over $30,000 dollars of merchandise have been stolen in less than 10 minutes.

The example here focuses on oneself, and is an attitude of take what you can, regardless of who’s hurt.

It’s the me-me-me mentality. I’m only concerned about what’s good for me. We call this self-centered approach narcissism, and narcissism is on the rise all around us.

Then there’s social networks and their example of how to behave. There are more than 65 social networking sites today with some of the more popular ones including Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and for the older crowd, there’s still Facebook.

These apps have made it easier to connect people across the globe. And can do some positive things. A few years ago, a challenge appeared on social media asking people to make a video of them getting a bucket of ice water poured over them. The Ice Bucket challenge increased awareness of the disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and raised over $115M for the cause. This was a challenge with a positive example. But, there’s also been some of the craziest bad ideas.