For the week of June 22, 2026
MONDAY
Day One: Misinterpretations and Pain
Sermon Focus: Submitting to God’s design for marriage is a powerful Gospel witness.
Truth: 1 Peter 3:1-7 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Sermon Point: Many people instinctively react to these verses – men sometimes with a sense of entitlement and women with discomfort – because, on the surface, the language can sound oppressive or outdated. For centuries, misinterpretations of passages like this have fueled abuse, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and even pushed some women to reject parts of Scripture altogether. That’s why it’s crucial to read Peter’s words in their original context, so we can recover God’s true intent rather than letting cultural assumptions or poor interpretations distort it.
Sermon Reflection: Where have you absorbed cultural assumptions – either modern or traditional – that might distort how you read passages about marriage, authority, and submission?
Application: Reach out to your battle buddy or a close friend to talk through how misinterpretations of these verses have impacted you, perhaps within your family of origin or with your spouse and children. Together, determine the next steps you each need to take to bring your belief and behavior more in line with Truth…and then take those steps this week.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray for all the marriages within FM church – that the Holy Spirit would deepen our understanding of God’s Word from 1 Peter such that lives are eternally changed, marriages are renewed, and families are strengthened – for our good and God’s glory.
- Pray for the staff and all the volunteers who are preparing for Kids Blast this week – that the Holy Spirit would so fill each one that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control manifest themselves as abundant fruit that encourages one another and magnifies Christ in all we say and do.
TUESDAY
Day Two: Context: Genesis, Marriage, Authority, and God’s Glory
Sermon Focus: Submitting to God’s design for marriage is a powerful Gospel witness.
Truth: Genesis 2:20-24 says, “But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Galatians 3:23-29 says, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Sermon Point: God created man and woman with a shared origin and complementary roles, joining them together in marriage as one flesh to steward His creation. After the fall, the relationship was distorted, and the dynamic of “ruling” entered the story as part of the curse, shaping how men and women related throughout the Old Testament. Jesus reaffirmed God’s original design for marriage – male and female, united for life –while His ministry and resurrection elevated women’s dignity and revealed their equal worth before God. Paul then clarified that in Christ the ground is level – men and women are one, equal heirs of the promise – yet still distinct in their God‑given roles. All of this background is essential for interpreting Peter’s teaching on marriage without letting cultural bias or historical misuse distort God’s intent.
Sermon Reflection: In what ways has the fall – and the history of distorted “rule” – influenced your assumptions about gender, authority, or worth, and how does Christ’s work encourage you to think differently?
Application: Choose someone of the opposite gender to encourage today – share with them how their unique and God-given gifts and talents have helped you in your own discipleship. Then pray for them (even better if you can pray with them) that God would continue to help them know how He’s designed them and where He’s ordained them to serve at FM and beyond.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the specific beliefs you have about men and women, relationships, and marriage that manifest in behavior that is not aligned with Truth. Repent of all the ways you have been conformed to the distorted understanding of God’s original design, which was very good. Pray that He will grant you the grace to believe God’s Word on these things…and the will to behave in step with it.
- Pray for all the children (and the families they represent) who will be coming to Kids Blast this week. Pray that the eyes of their hearts would be open to the Gospel – that the love of Jesus that they hear about and experience will be transformative and would lead to entire families coming to know and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
WEDNESDAY
Day Three: Wives Be Subject to Your Own Husbands
Sermon Focus: Submitting to God’s design for marriage is a powerful Gospel witness.
Truth: 1 Peter 3:1-7 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Sermon Point: Peter calls wives to practice a voluntary, Christ‑honoring submission to their own husbands, rooted in the same spirit of humility and service that all believers are called to show toward one another. This posture reflects God’s design for marriage, where husband and wife – though distinct in role – are one flesh and succeed or fail together before the Lord. By embracing this role faithfully, a wife participates in glorifying God within her marriage, applying the same principles of Spirit‑filled submission Peter has already taught in other areas of life.
Sermon Reflection: Where might God be inviting you to practice “likewise” submission – not as passivity, but as a deliberate act of worship that trusts His design more than your preferences?
Application: Today, be filled with the Holy Spirit by giving thanks in all circumstances, praising God, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:18-21) – it’s a powerful act of worship that glorifies God.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank God for His Holy Spirit today! The One who sanctifies us – who strengthens and empowers us – who counsels, comforts, and convicts us. Pray that we would no longer quench or grieve Him, but instead be filled with Him every single day, so that we can live lives that glorify God alone.
- Praise God for Jesus – that we can look to Him as the One who practiced humble submission and selfless servanthood in every way imaginable. Pray that we would daily put on the armor of God (which is, in essence, being covered from head-to-toe in Christ!) so that we might be strong and empowered to live like He did.
THURSDAY
Day Four: Taxonomy of Relationships
Sermon Focus: Submitting to God’s design for marriage is a powerful Gospel witness.
Truth: 1 Peter 3:1-7 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Sermon Point: Peter is addressing believing wives in Asia Minor – some married to Christian husbands and others married to men who do not obey the word – and he calls them to a posture of voluntary, Christlike submission within their own marriages. In a culture where wives were expected to adopt their husbands’ religion, these women faced real tension, yet Peter encourages them to remain faithful to Jesus while honoring their husbands. His instruction is not a call to endure abuse but a strategy for witness: that unbelieving husbands might be “won without a word” by the respectful, pure conduct of their wives. Because the Spirit has already transformed these women, their behavior becomes a living testimony that can soften a husband’s heart toward Christ. In this way, Peter frames submission not as subservience but as a missional, Spirit‑empowered expression of faith within a challenging cultural setting.
Sermon Reflection: How does Peter’s call to “win without a word” challenge your assumptions about influence, persuasion, and the quiet power of Christlike character in difficult relationships?
Application: Practice being quiet today…as often as you are able, choose to simply reflect the love of Christ by listening attentively, by humbly keeping your opinion to yourself, by not insisting to be understood, etc. Choose to quietly serve with joy and gratitude.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray for those you know whose marriages are particularly challenging. Pray about how you can encourage them with the Truths we’re learning from 1 Peter. Pray that FM would be a place where people truly know that “it’s okay to not be okay” – where we can be honest about the challenges and struggles we are facing and be encouraged, built up, prayed for, supported, and loved as we simply keep taking next steps toward Jesus, together.
- Pray for those who come to FM – regularly, occasionally, online, or in-person – who have not yet placed their faith in Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would draw them to repentance and faith.
FRIDAY
Day Five: Respectful and Pure Conduct
Sermon Focus: Submitting to God’s design for marriage is a powerful Gospel witness.
Truth: 1 Peter 3:1-7 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Sermon Point: Peter emphasizes that unbelieving husbands are most often drawn toward Christ not through constant verbal persuasion but through the transformed, respectful, and pure conduct of their wives. As the Spirit produces humility, service, and holiness in a believer’s life, that quiet witness can soften hearts and open doors for genuine spiritual curiosity. In this way, a wife’s Christlike behavior becomes a powerful testimony God may use to lead her husband toward saving faith.
Sermon Reflection: In what relationship(s) do you need to trust that God can work through your conduct – even when you cannot control the other person’s response – to draw someone closer to Jesus?
Application: The mission hasn’t changed and it won’t ever change – no matter what. So, today, be intentional to GO and make disciples. Be encouraged that Jesus is with you always, to the end of the age. Live for God’s Glory Alone in all you do and say.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray for all who call FM home – that we would live lives of respectful and pure conduct in every arena; that we would see our lives as missional, taking every opportunity we have to make disciples. Pray, too, that we would be sharpened in our ability to reflect the Gospel to the people God’s placed in our lives. Pray that our zeal for Christ becomes contagious…and that Tri-State region is transformed!
- Pray for our upcoming corporate worship on Sunday. Pray that every single person will be encouraged and built up in their faith – that Truth will be pursued – that unity among us would be guarded – that our conversations would be gracious and seasoned with salt – that eyes and ears would be open and responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit – that next steps would be identified and taken. And that in and through every moment, God’s Glory Alone would be our chief aim.