Yesterday we studied 1 Peter 3:7 and Peter’s word with the men.  And we know because this is in Scripture, it is ultimately a word from God to every husband.  We learned that a Christ-like husband must constantly seek to know and honor his wife.  We saw that Peter points us to Christ the real man, he exhorts us to live with our wives according to knowledge, and commands us to show honor to our wives as the weaker vessel with two godly motivations.  As much as we can be aware of the many ways we fail and fall short, we can be confident knowing that because of Christ and His life, death, and resurrection we are forgiven of all of our many sins, we are credited with the perfect righteousness of the One who fulfilled every command in our place and He is at work in us given us power by His Spirit to become more and more like Him!  You can listen to or download the sermon here. I hope these questions will help you as you seek to grow by the grace of God.

1)  What characteristics of Jesus do we see in 1 Peter 2 that shows us what a real man is like?  Has your view of masculinity been more defined by culture or God’s word?  When you think about responsibility, sacrifice, servant-hood, humility, self-control, and trusting God – which area is least Christ-like in your life and what would change and growth look like in this area for you?

2)  How do you actively pursue knowing your wife (her soul, areas of concern, areas of enjoyment)?  Do you create contexts where you can communicate with your wife and ask her questions?  What stops you (pride, laziness, self-centeredness, etc.)?  How do you believe God wants you to change and grow?

3)  How do you actively show honor to your wife?  Are there any ways she would say she doesn’t feel honored by you?  How does God’s word convict you to change and grow in this area?

4)  At the end we spoke of marriages that are near the cross and marriages that are far from the cross.  How would you evaluate your marriage:  near to or far from the cross?  What is the effect in your heart or marriage when you are far from the cross?  How as a couple can you seek to remember the gospel in your marriage, remember what Christ has done for you and what He calls you to, and connect to the power He gives to change and grow?

How good it is to know that God is at work in our marriages.  His promises are true, He is faithful to complete His work in us, and He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to Him because He ever lives to intercede for us!

I hope you experience grace to become more like Christ this week!

Eric