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1 Corinthians Lesson 10 Part 2.
Copyright 1999 John Creamer All Rights Reserved
Questions: Why do people get married? Why do many people today choose some other ‘arrangement’ other
than marriage? What are some obstacles to a marriage surviving today? Why do marriages end? Why do you think the number of failed marriages is higher today than
50 years ago? Why is it a given that marriages do not exist many days before conflict
arises? When did conflict in marriage first occur in history? Husbands and Wives… (Genesis 3:16-19 NIV) To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase
your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
{17} To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate
from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed
is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life. {18} It will produce thorns and thistles for
you, and you will eat the plants of the field. {19} By the sweat of your
brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from
it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." What has just happened immediately before this passage? (Adam and Eve
disobeyed God.) As the result of her disobedience, what two hardships did God say Eve
will encounter? How have women reacted to this position of being ‘ruled over by
the husband’? What did God tell Adam his burden would be? Do you find it true to this day that husbands and wives still struggle
with these same issues? (Proverbs 5:15-23 NIV) Drink water from your own cistern, running
water from your own well. {16} Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares? {17} Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers. {18} May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. {19} A loving doe, a graceful
deer-- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated
by her love. {20} Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace
the bosom of another man's wife? {21} For a man's ways are in full view
of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. {22} The evil deeds of a wicked
man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. {23} He will die
for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly. What obstacle(s) to the marriage does verse 20 identify? What is the ‘ideal’ in verses 15-19? What does verse 21 remind us? What is the image created in verse 22 of the outcome of the affair? According to verse 23, what (who) lured him into the trap? (His own ‘great
folly’.) (Proverbs 7:10-27 NIV) Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed
like a prostitute and with crafty intent. {11} (She is loud and defiant,
her feet never stay at home; {12} now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.) {13} She took hold of him and kissed him and
with a brazen face she said: {14} "I have fellowship offerings at
home; today I fulfilled my vows. {15} So I came out to meet you; I looked
for you and have found you! {16} I have covered my bed with colored linens
from Egypt. {17} I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
{18} Come, let's drink deep of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves
with love! {19} My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
{20} He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full
moon." {21} With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced
him with her smooth talk. {22} All at once he followed her like an ox
going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose {23} till an
arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing
it will cost him his life. {24} Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention
to what I say. {25} Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into
her paths. {26} Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are
a mighty throng. {27} Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down
to the chambers of death. Verse 10…What is the first ‘tip-off’ of this woman’s
intent? Verses 11 & 12…What is her ‘routine’? Verses 19 & 20…What mindset does she have toward her husband?
(While the cat’s away the mouse will play.) Verse 21…How effective is she? Verses 22 & 23…To what is this man compared? Verse 26…Is this a rare occurrence? Is it always the woman who ‘starts’ the affair today? The Home… Questions: What were some of the television families in the 50’s and 60’s
that portrayed the model home? (The Cleavers—Leave It To Beaver,
The Nelsons—Ozzie and Harriet, Andy and Opie Griffith—Andy of
Mayberry, Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little
Joe Cartwright—Bonanza, etc.) What are some of the television families on TV today that serve as the
‘model family’? (The Simpsons, PJ’s, RoseAnne, Friends
etc.) Do you notice any difference in the two eras? When we say ‘The Home’, what are we talking about? What are some of the threats to ‘The Home’? What are the components of a ‘healthy home’? The Wife and Mother… (Proverbs 31:10-12 NIV) A wife of noble character who can find? She
is worth far more than rubies. {11} Her husband has full confidence in
her and lacks nothing of value. {12} She brings him good, not harm, all
the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:13-31 NIV) She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands. {14} She is like the merchant ships, bringing
her food from afar. {15} She gets up while it is still dark; she provides
food for her family and portions for her servant girls. {16} She considers
a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. {17} She
sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. {18}
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out
at night. {19} In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle
with her fingers. {20} She opens her arms to the poor and extends her
hands to the needy. {21} When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet. {22} She makes coverings for her
bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. {23} Her husband is respected
at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
{24} She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants
with sashes. {25} She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh
at the days to come. {26} She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction
is on her tongue. {27} She watches over the affairs of her household and
does not eat the bread of idleness. {28} Her children arise and call her
blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: {29} "Many women do
noble things, but you surpass them all." {30} Charm is deceptive,
and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
{31} Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise
at the city gate. Verse 10…How is this woman’s character described? Verse 11…What impact does her character have on her husband? What is the alternative to ‘full confidence? What causes husbands and wives to not have ‘full confidence’
in their mates today? Many today struggle with the dilemma of whether women should pursue a career or be a housewife and mother. Which did the woman in Proverbs 31 choose? It appears she never considered 2 options…rather only one priority.
Why (or how) do we make it an either/or option today? Verse 23…How is the husband impacted? What do you think verse 25 means? Verse 28…How do her husband and children regard her? Do you think this is a ‘need’ for women today…to be held
in high esteem by their families? Verse 30…What ‘value’ is assigned to charm? …to beauty? How should women be ‘rated’ according to this verse? How are women often ‘rated’ instead today? The Husband and Father… Although the next two passages are the standards for selecting leadership
in the church and not ‘rules of conduct’ for all the men, they
are the ideal all men should strive to achieve as believers. (1 Timothy 3:1-12 NIV) Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets
his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. {2} Now the overseer
must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach, {3} not given to drunkenness,
not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. {4} He
must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with
proper respect. {5} (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family,
how can he take care of God's church?) {6} He must not be a recent convert,
or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
{7} He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will
not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. {8} Deacons, likewise,
are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine,
and not pursuing dishonest gain. {9} They must keep hold of the deep truths
of the faith with a clear conscience. {10} They must first be tested;
and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
{11} In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not
malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. {12} A
deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children
and his household well. What impact do the qualities in verses 2 and 3 have on whether verse
4 takes place? (Titus 1:6-9 NIV) An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one
wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being
wild and disobedient. {7} Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work,
he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to
drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. {8} Rather he must
be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright,
holy and disciplined. {9} He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message
as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine
and refute those who oppose it. What are the first qualifications listed for the elder in verse 6? On that basis, how important is the man’s success in the home? (Ephesians 5:21-33 NIV) Submit to one another out of reverence for
Christ. {22} Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. {23} For the
husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his
body, of which he is the Savior. {24} Now as the church submits to Christ,
so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. {25} Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her {26} to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through
the word, {27} and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without
stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. {28} In
this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself. {29} After all, no one ever hated
his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--
{30} for we are members of his body. {31} "For this reason a man
will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two
will become one flesh." {32} This is a profound mystery--but I am
talking about Christ and the church. {33} However, each one of you also
must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her
husband. Let’s study these verses in reverse order: What does verses 25 set
as the standard for husbands? (He should love and care for his wife the
same way Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.) What is the husband’s spiritual responsibility? (To make the wife
holy.) What is the implication of the husband making the wife holy? (That
he needs to have his act together spiritually before he can lead her.
Often times, the wives are out in front of the husbands because the husbands
have defaulted their responsibility.) What is the husband’s responsibility for physical treatment of his
wife? Notice ‘without blemish’ in verse 27…this means the husband
cannot blemish his wife by mistreating her in any way—over-bearing,
psychological dominance, etc. Now! If a husband demonstrates this kind of love to his wife,
her verses (21-24) will be more of a response on her part than a behavior
she has to force herself to muster up. (1 Peter 3:1-9 NIV) Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands
so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over
without words by the behavior of their wives, {2} when they see the purity
and reverence of your lives. {3} Your beauty should not come from outward
adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine
clothes. {4} Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's
sight. {5} For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their
hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to
their own husbands, {6} like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him
her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give
way to fear. {7} Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live
with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and
as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder
your prayers. {8} Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another;
be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. {9} Do
not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because
to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. What is a woman who lives the way this Scripture instructs capable of?
(Winning an unbelieving husband over to God.) Verse 3-4…What is the true source of beauty for a woman? (1 Peter 3:1-9 NLT) In the same way, you wives must accept the authority
of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your
godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won
over {2} by watching your pure, godly behavior. {3} Don't be concerned
about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry,
or beautiful clothes. {4} You should be known for the beauty that comes
from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
so precious to God. {5} That is the way the holy women of old made themselves
beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.
{6} For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, when she called him
her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear
of what your husbands might do. {7} In the same way, you husbands must
give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together.
She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's
gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will
not be heard. {8} Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy
toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.
{9} Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind
things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what
God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it. Bottom Line: Yes, times have changed when it comes to the home, but God’s standards have not. The home will never be any stronger than character and integrity of the husband and wife, father and mother. |