WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.580 Well, mothers, and some of you, I get that Mother's 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:11.240 Day sometimes comes with some baggage. I'm always 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:16.910 talking about my parents. I understand that many 00:00:16.910 --> 00:00:20.109 have a lot of woundedness coming from childhood. 00:00:20.410 --> 00:00:23.750 And Mother's Day can be complicated. And I've 00:00:23.750 --> 00:00:26.390 always been very thankful for the parents that 00:00:26.390 --> 00:00:28.870 I've been given because I had such a wonderful 00:00:28.870 --> 00:00:33.850 childhood. And I wish that every child, sometimes 00:00:33.850 --> 00:00:37.149 I'm in the stores and I hear parents just yelling 00:00:37.149 --> 00:00:40.310 at their kids. And I just want to take the kids 00:00:40.310 --> 00:00:44.490 under my wing and comfort them. And so I understand 00:00:44.490 --> 00:00:48.189 today that Mother's Day can be difficult, not 00:00:48.189 --> 00:00:52.469 just for you as a son or a daughter, but moms. 00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:55.250 Some of you here, you've walked through difficult 00:00:55.250 --> 00:01:00.170 times with your kids. Some of you have always 00:01:00.170 --> 00:01:03.490 wanted kids and never had the opportunity. When 00:01:03.490 --> 00:01:08.189 we celebrate Mother's Day, I always say that 00:01:08.189 --> 00:01:12.540 today, moms, all of you women, Whether you've 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:15.500 had a biological child or not, you are welcome 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:18.739 under the tent. I am a big believer in spiritual 00:01:18.739 --> 00:01:22.180 mothering. I'm a big believer that you don't 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:26.219 have to give birth in a biological manner to 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:29.159 be a mother. that I know many of you have poured 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:32.439 out into other sons and daughters. And so please 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:35.060 make sure all of you make your way to the tent. 00:01:35.140 --> 00:01:39.060 We want to celebrate you this morning. My hope 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:41.599 and my prayer today is that, ladies, you would 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:45.099 feel inspired, you would feel full of hope and 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:48.719 courage as you leave here today. And so with 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:52.480 that in mind... I'll be honest, Nick, who worked 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.439 so hard, and how many of you appreciated Nick's 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.219 countdown? I had to be sure to come in and watch 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:02.680 his countdown. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:06.040 in the previous weeks to declare my sermon title 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:10.800 becoming a Proverbs 31 woman, because if all 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.000 of the people in here were just women, many of 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.080 the women would have a little bit of an issue 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:20.990 and baggage with Proverbs 31. For many women, 00:02:21.210 --> 00:02:24.909 it is been a source of feeling like they've never 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:28.330 measured up, of failure, of trying to attain 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:31.669 something that feels unattainable. And so I was 00:02:31.669 --> 00:02:34.370 hesitant to even put that up there. But this 00:02:34.370 --> 00:02:38.689 is the Word of God. And I want us today, as we 00:02:38.689 --> 00:02:41.969 look at this passage, I want us to look at it. 00:02:42.009 --> 00:02:44.750 It's not just, oh, another Mother's Day Proverbs 00:02:44.750 --> 00:02:48.229 31 message. No, we're going to look at a correct 00:02:48.229 --> 00:02:52.360 interpretation of Proverbs 31. How many of you 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:57.879 would like a correct interpretation of Proverbs 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:01.740 31 and what that means for us, right? And so 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:05.719 today in this whole passage, our highlights, 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:09.479 our verse that we really want to look at is going 00:03:09.479 --> 00:03:12.819 to be at the end in verse 30 that says, a woman 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:18.699 who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. She 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:23.090 shall be praised. What has happened with Proverbs 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:27.590 31 is that we've gotten sidetracked by everything 00:03:27.590 --> 00:03:31.669 that this woman has done, and we miss really 00:03:31.669 --> 00:03:36.020 the whole point. And so today I want us to get 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:38.539 this whole point. So we're going to take a little 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:42.020 bit of a journey through Proverbs 31. We're going 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:45.000 to discover a few attractions on the way. And 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.659 so we're going to start in first gear. Now how 00:03:47.659 --> 00:03:51.060 many of you have driven a stick shift before? 00:03:51.949 --> 00:03:55.870 Mom was having to re -familiarize herself with 00:03:55.870 --> 00:03:58.150 it on the drive over because that is the Mustang. 00:03:58.389 --> 00:04:01.490 My first car was a stick shift, and I'm forever 00:04:01.490 --> 00:04:04.189 thankful that that was my first car so that I 00:04:04.189 --> 00:04:06.830 could learn how to drive in that way. So today 00:04:06.830 --> 00:04:08.830 we're going to just shift our way through this 00:04:08.830 --> 00:04:12.289 sermon. And so here in first gear, I want us 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:15.629 to look at a couple of interesting facts about 00:04:15.629 --> 00:04:21.709 Proverbs 31. And in Proverbs 31, This is a passage 00:04:21.709 --> 00:04:26.790 that is not just a list of who this woman was. 00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:34.629 This is actually a poem. Proverbs 31 is a poem. 00:04:34.889 --> 00:04:40.629 And each line begins with a letter of the Hebrew 00:04:40.629 --> 00:04:45.379 alphabet. And so what is happening throughout 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:47.879 this passage is that every time we have another 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:53.139 letter and another letter, it's a poem. And it's 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:56.399 a poem, and how many of you ever said a phrase 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:58.839 like, when we're talking about I'm going to totally 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:02.860 cover a topic from A to Z, we say that, right? 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:06.300 Meaning that we're going to cover a topic in 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:12.589 its entirety. Our takeaway from this poem is 00:05:12.589 --> 00:05:17.050 in the same sense. Every Hebrew letter is the 00:05:17.050 --> 00:05:20.089 beginning line. And so from A to Z, they are 00:05:20.089 --> 00:05:25.910 covering what this woman consists of. And so, 00:05:25.930 --> 00:05:29.389 first of all, it isn't just this list of everything 00:05:29.389 --> 00:05:35.910 this woman is capable of. It is a poem that is 00:05:35.910 --> 00:05:40.860 more than that. the telling of the fruit of what 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:44.480 we're going to discover is the real driving factor 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:48.860 of what drives this woman. And so we're going 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:52.579 to take a broad look at this woman, and I'm going 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:55.740 to be reading today out of New King James. And 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:58.199 I want us just to begin by reading through the 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:00.420 passage, and then we're going to dive into it. 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:04.259 So starting in verse 10, who can find a virtuous 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:08.579 wife? I want to take note there that a lot of 00:06:08.579 --> 00:06:11.139 passages will say noble. Who can find a noble 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:16.699 wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:20.680 heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he 00:06:20.680 --> 00:06:24.319 will have no lack of gain. She does him good 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.079 and not evil all the days of her life. She seeks 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:31.639 wool and flax and willingly works with her hands. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:35.750 She is like the merchant ships. She brings her 00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:40.269 food from afar. She also rises while it is yet 00:06:40.269 --> 00:06:44.250 night and provides food for her household and 00:06:44.250 --> 00:06:47.709 a portion for her maidservants. She considers 00:06:47.709 --> 00:06:52.389 a field and buys it. From her profits, she plants 00:06:52.389 --> 00:06:56.329 a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and 00:06:56.329 --> 00:07:00.829 strengthens her arms. She perceives that her 00:07:00.829 --> 00:07:04.899 merchandise is good. and her lamp does not go 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:08.779 out by night. She stretches out her hands to 00:07:08.779 --> 00:07:11.860 the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:16.019 She extends her hand to the poor. Yes, she reaches 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:19.560 out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:23.019 of snow for her household, for all her household 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:27.379 is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:31.420 herself. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:35.480 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:38.860 among the elders of the land. She makes linen 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:42.339 garments and sells them and supplies sashes for 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:46.480 the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing. 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:51.699 She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:55.540 her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the 00:07:55.540 --> 00:07:59.279 law of kindness. She watches over the ways of 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.579 her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:07.300 Her children rise up and call her blessed, her 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:10.800 husband also, and he praises her. Many daughters 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:15.259 have done well, but you excel them all. Charm 00:08:15.259 --> 00:08:19.139 is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:22.560 who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:26.120 her the fruit of her hands and let her own works 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:30.860 Praise her in the gates. Do you know that Hebrew 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:36.600 men memorize this? And at Shabbat, they will 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:41.740 quote it to the wife, to the mother. So men, 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:48.440 get busy. Maybe you could write an updated version 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:52.100 to say to your wife. Darren, are you going to 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:55.179 do that? For the next men's breakfast, you can 00:08:55.179 --> 00:09:01.200 all work on memorizing it together. Listen, we're 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:03.440 going to be looking, taking a bit of a broad 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:05.899 look at this woman. I'm not wanting to get into 00:09:05.899 --> 00:09:08.899 the weeds of everything that she does. The truth 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.279 is, is that this is a woman of ancient times, 00:09:11.299 --> 00:09:16.570 and her context is that Of her household. And 00:09:16.570 --> 00:09:19.110 the household was not just your typical household. 00:09:19.129 --> 00:09:22.389 But that was the means of provision. Agriculture. 00:09:23.809 --> 00:09:26.230 Merchandise. This was a woman that was a business 00:09:26.230 --> 00:09:29.149 woman. She looked after her household. But she 00:09:29.149 --> 00:09:32.409 was a business woman. She strengthened her arms. 00:09:34.730 --> 00:09:40.769 She was a wise woman. And for centuries. This 00:09:40.769 --> 00:09:44.330 passage has been used to confine women to look 00:09:44.330 --> 00:09:48.350 a certain way and to be a certain way. This is 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:52.389 the context for this woman. What is your context 00:09:52.389 --> 00:09:56.870 today? Many of our moms, I think we have very 00:09:56.870 --> 00:09:59.470 few, we have just a couple of maybe stay -at 00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:02.250 -home moms. For the most part, our households 00:10:02.250 --> 00:10:07.649 today, though, are dual working. There's not 00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:10.889 a stay -at -home parent for the most part. And 00:10:10.889 --> 00:10:14.070 so our context today for what a woman is doing 00:10:14.070 --> 00:10:17.389 is very different from the context of this ancient 00:10:17.389 --> 00:10:21.909 Hebrew woman. And so this passage isn't necessarily 00:10:21.909 --> 00:10:27.289 about what she's giving herself to. So if you're 00:10:27.289 --> 00:10:29.470 saying, well, I can't do all of that, that's 00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:33.620 okay. You don't have to do all of that. You don't 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:35.840 have to go out and buy a spindle and start weaving 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:39.419 clothes for your family, unless you want to, 00:10:39.539 --> 00:10:45.740 and then have at it. But for so long, women have 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:48.679 felt like it's confined them in their home, it's 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:52.759 confined their voice. And the truth is, is that 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:55.000 our homes don't look like this anymore. They're 00:10:55.000 --> 00:11:00.340 not centers for agriculture and trade. It looks 00:11:00.340 --> 00:11:04.909 different today. And so today what I want to 00:11:04.909 --> 00:11:07.710 do is to, first of all, as we shift into second 00:11:07.710 --> 00:11:11.730 gear, I want us to redeem the Proverbs 31 woman. 00:11:12.129 --> 00:11:16.070 I want to redeem her name because if truth be 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:19.429 told, many of us hear Proverbs 31 woman and go, 00:11:19.529 --> 00:11:24.370 I'm just being honest of what I hear women when 00:11:24.370 --> 00:11:31.889 they come to me. This is the first verse in verse 00:11:31.889 --> 00:11:36.220 10. Who can find a virtuous wife? Who can find 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:43.539 a noble wife? Do you know what this word noble 00:11:43.539 --> 00:11:47.360 really means? What this word virtuous really 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:54.299 means? It's not this meek picture that we get 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:58.379 in our head. The truth is that whether your version 00:11:58.379 --> 00:12:02.539 is reading virtuous, excellent, or noble, they 00:12:02.539 --> 00:12:06.159 all mean the same thing. They mean capable. They 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:11.259 mean brave. They mean power. It means victory. 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:15.779 It means a valiant soldier. It is specifically 00:12:15.779 --> 00:12:20.820 referring to military strength. That is what 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:26.600 noble means. That, I would say, is not a meek 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:30.879 woman. This is a woman of strength, of power. 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:34.059 In fact, in a couple of other places in this 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:37.759 passage, we see the same military connotations. 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:41.679 In verse 11, where it says that the husband lacks 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:45.679 nothing of value, that value that is referring 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:51.320 to is that of spoils. The spoils of warfare are 00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:55.259 what the man has because of the woman and her 00:12:55.259 --> 00:13:00.860 valiant strength and power. In verse 15, when 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:03.779 it says that she's providing food, it is talking 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:08.100 about food of prey. That word prey is in there. 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:10.799 That is that hunter. I know we got some women 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:13.899 in here that hunt. How many of you have taken 00:13:13.899 --> 00:13:17.259 down some animals in here? Ladies? Yeah, Kristen 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:24.519 back there. I see your hand. Fish? Hey. I've 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:26.399 caught myself a fish. I don't know if it's in 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:31.620 the same manner of shooting a gun. It is? That's 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:33.559 only because you haven't hunted. You're saying, 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:37.860 yes, it is. Somebody take him out to hunt. He's 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:40.620 got to learn how to hunt so he can go on a loan 00:13:40.620 --> 00:13:46.240 and win us $100 ,000. $500 ,000? Somebody take 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:49.419 that man out. Teach him how to hunt. Because 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:51.379 I've told him, don't come back until you have 00:13:51.379 --> 00:13:59.350 the money. Verse 17 talks about girding herself 00:13:59.350 --> 00:14:03.509 with strength. Do you know what girding is? Girding 00:14:03.509 --> 00:14:05.769 is when a soldier, because you know they used 00:14:05.769 --> 00:14:08.649 to wear longer clothing, and they would take 00:14:08.649 --> 00:14:13.389 it and tie up their outfit and gird it so they 00:14:13.389 --> 00:14:18.590 would have freedom of movement to fight. And 00:14:18.590 --> 00:14:22.629 here we see this woman girding herself as a soldier 00:14:22.629 --> 00:14:30.679 girds himself for movement in battle. All throughout 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:35.899 this passage, what we see is a woman of strength, 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:41.279 of power, that is fighting for her household, 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:45.980 that is fighting for her family. And can I say, 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:50.000 ladies, that we have an enemy, that he is after 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.129 your family. He is after to steal, kill, and 00:14:54.129 --> 00:14:57.429 destroy your family. He's after your marriage. 00:14:57.470 --> 00:15:00.350 He wants to steal, kill, and destroy your marriage. 00:15:00.970 --> 00:15:05.370 And he will not play fair. It requires a woman 00:15:05.370 --> 00:15:09.269 of strength. It requires a noble woman of military 00:15:09.269 --> 00:15:13.850 might and power to say, no, not here. No, not 00:15:13.850 --> 00:15:17.230 here. Not here. I draw a line in the sand, so 00:15:17.230 --> 00:15:23.470 to speak. A woman of military strength, power, 00:15:23.750 --> 00:15:29.389 victory, and bravery. I've sat across so many 00:15:29.389 --> 00:15:32.710 women that would never even consider themselves 00:15:32.710 --> 00:15:37.730 in that manner. And left in ourselves, maybe 00:15:37.730 --> 00:15:42.149 not. But what did we learn last week? What is 00:15:42.149 --> 00:15:46.850 in the sanctuary of his presence? Strength and 00:15:46.850 --> 00:15:54.399 bravery, right? Strength and bravery. And so 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:59.559 what we're looking at today is a heroic poem. 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:02.299 What do we see all throughout? In fact, Darren 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:05.570 just read it out of... Moses. Miriam was singing. 00:16:05.870 --> 00:16:10.850 It was a song of heroism of what God had done. 00:16:11.009 --> 00:16:15.250 And so many times in battles of Israel, when 00:16:15.250 --> 00:16:17.649 there was victory, what did they do? They began 00:16:17.649 --> 00:16:21.610 to write poems and write songs of the great victory. 00:16:21.889 --> 00:16:27.399 And so this is a poem. It is a heroic poem of 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:31.899 victory and might of women. It is a heroic poem 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:37.799 of how God regards the work of women. This is 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:41.980 the inspired word of God. This is how he views 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:47.019 women. Strength and power and bravery and might. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:54.080 Some of us need to view ourselves the way God 00:16:54.080 --> 00:17:00.399 has intended. And so more than portraying here 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:04.039 a to -do list for women, and you know me, I love 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:08.500 a good to -do list. Darren loves it when I give 00:17:08.500 --> 00:17:16.799 him to -do lists. Usually he says, I love you. 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:19.400 I know when he says that, I'm like, mm -hmm. 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:23.539 More than portraying a to -do list of women. 00:17:26.089 --> 00:17:32.029 This passage is revealing wisdom in action. Wisdom 00:17:32.029 --> 00:17:37.210 in action. If we are just trying to copy this 00:17:37.210 --> 00:17:41.150 woman's to -do list, most of us would never measure 00:17:41.150 --> 00:17:45.130 up. You may be a great Martha Stewart, but to 00:17:45.130 --> 00:17:47.529 be honest, Martha Stewart's got a great team 00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:52.369 of people. But she pays a lot of money. Most 00:17:52.369 --> 00:17:56.779 of us cannot measure up. to the to -do list of 00:17:56.779 --> 00:18:04.559 the Proverbs 31 woman. What we need to get today 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:09.119 is the spirit and the motivation that drives 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:17.690 this woman. What drives you? There's a couple 00:18:17.690 --> 00:18:19.710 of women in the Old Testament I was thinking 00:18:19.710 --> 00:18:22.470 of that are like -mannered to the Proverbs 31 00:18:22.470 --> 00:18:26.690 woman in this way. One is Ruth. In fact, the 00:18:26.690 --> 00:18:31.009 word for noble woman in Proverbs 31 is used one 00:18:31.009 --> 00:18:34.430 other time with a woman, and it was Ruth. And 00:18:34.430 --> 00:18:37.329 you remember the story of Ruth, right? That she 00:18:37.329 --> 00:18:42.819 married Naomi's sons. They died. And Naomi's 00:18:42.819 --> 00:18:45.839 moving back home. And Ruth says, your people 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:47.660 are my people. I'm going to go where you go. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:50.940 And she ends up gleaning in the field because 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:54.079 of their poverty, gleaning in the field to provide 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:58.500 for them. And because of how she treats her mother 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:03.000 -in -law, Boaz, the owner, he says to her, when 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:06.480 we find out that they are related, so he's the 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:10.230 kinsman redeemer, he can marry Ruth. And so when 00:19:10.230 --> 00:19:13.809 Ruth approaches, his response to her is this. 00:19:14.049 --> 00:19:17.190 My daughter, don't be afraid. I will do what 00:19:17.190 --> 00:19:21.029 you ask. I will be your kinsman redeemer. All 00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:24.390 the people of my town know that you are a woman 00:19:24.390 --> 00:19:30.609 of noble character. Ruth carried the same spirit 00:19:30.609 --> 00:19:34.890 of the Proverbs 31 woman. Listen, it was hard 00:19:34.890 --> 00:19:38.170 work gleaning. This is a woman of strength, of 00:19:38.170 --> 00:19:41.430 bravery. It could be dangerous work. In fact, 00:19:41.589 --> 00:19:46.009 Boaz had extended his covering, his protection 00:19:46.009 --> 00:19:49.569 over Ruth in the fields and said, make sure no 00:19:49.569 --> 00:19:53.970 harm comes to her. It could be a dangerous work. 00:19:54.569 --> 00:19:58.369 But Ruth carried a noble character. She rose 00:19:58.369 --> 00:20:01.869 up with that brave and courageous spirit to take 00:20:01.869 --> 00:20:05.890 care of her mother -in -law. I think of Deborah, 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:10.049 a prophetess that rose to become a judge of Israel, 00:20:10.289 --> 00:20:13.450 the only woman judge that we read about in Israel. 00:20:15.970 --> 00:20:19.890 She would sit under a palm tree, and all of Israel 00:20:19.890 --> 00:20:23.880 would come to her for judgment. And when it came 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:26.440 time, because for 20 years they had been oppressed 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:29.680 by a wicked king, and when it came time to go 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:33.279 to battle, she told the head of the army, hey, 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:36.319 God says it's time to go and fight. And he's 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.880 like, yeah, I'm not. I'm not going, Deborah, 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:43.220 unless you go with me. And so Deborah had to 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:47.700 go with him as he led them in victory. And then 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:50.079 interestingly, in that account, it was another 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:53.819 woman jail that... dealt the final death blow 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:58.680 to the wicked king. Deborah carried the same 00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:02.660 spirit of the Proverbs 31 woman. She was a woman 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:09.900 of courage, of valor, power, bravery, to fight 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:14.220 the battle of Israel, the enemy of Israel. And 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:17.059 no less can we do for our families, for our households. 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:25.099 As we move into third gear here today, I want 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:28.500 us, because here's why interpretation is so important 00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:30.400 of the Bible. You can't just take a verse and 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:32.559 be like, oh, that's cool, and I want it to look 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:35.000 like this and believe this. So I think that's 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:37.119 what I'll believe about that verse. No, we got 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:39.319 to look at it in light of other things, right? 00:21:39.420 --> 00:21:42.319 And one of that, those things is the... book 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:44.700 that you find it in. And so when we look at the 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:48.519 book of Proverbs overall, we see a couple of 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:51.180 interesting things. And one is that you cannot 00:21:51.180 --> 00:21:55.980 read Proverbs 31 and not see the parallelism, 00:21:55.980 --> 00:22:02.119 the correlation to Lady Wisdom of Proverbs chapter 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:07.359 8. And so for a few moments here in third gear, 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:11.859 I want us to look at the Proverbs 31 woman and 00:22:11.859 --> 00:22:15.660 how she correlates with the Proverbs 8 woman. 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:19.480 Because I think it's going to help us in understanding 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:23.359 what drives and motivates us and what we're doing. 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.259 I'm going to read just a few verses of Proverbs 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:29.720 8, and then we're just going to do a comparison. 00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:34.059 But it's talking about Lady Wisdom and who Lady 00:22:34.059 --> 00:22:38.859 Wisdom is. She was not a god or goddess at all, 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:41.940 but she was there at the beginning of creation. 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:45.259 It says, the Lord brought me forth as the first 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:49.460 of his works before his deeds of old. I was formed 00:22:49.460 --> 00:22:52.299 long ago at the very beginning when the world 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:57.250 came to be. I was constantly at his side. I was 00:22:57.250 --> 00:23:00.150 filled with delight day after day, rejoicing 00:23:00.150 --> 00:23:03.430 always in his presence, in his whole world, and 00:23:03.430 --> 00:23:06.730 delighting in mankind. Now then, my children, 00:23:06.869 --> 00:23:11.289 listen to me. Blessed are those who keep my ways 00:23:11.289 --> 00:23:17.329 the ways of wisdom. Listen to my instruction 00:23:17.329 --> 00:23:24.569 and be wise. Do not disregard it. Blessed are 00:23:24.569 --> 00:23:27.789 those who listen to me, watching daily at my 00:23:27.789 --> 00:23:31.230 doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find 00:23:31.230 --> 00:23:35.069 me find life and receive favor from the Lord. 00:23:35.710 --> 00:23:39.049 But those who fail to find me harm themselves. 00:23:39.549 --> 00:23:43.670 All who hate me love death. This is Lady Wisdom 00:23:43.670 --> 00:23:48.670 of Proverbs 8. That's a portion of her description. 00:23:49.109 --> 00:23:52.269 So she was there at the very beginning of the 00:23:52.269 --> 00:23:55.819 creation. Now, I'm going to quickly, we're not 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:57.839 going to read the chapter for the sake of time, 00:23:57.859 --> 00:24:00.599 but here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:03.500 give you a list of traits that we see both in 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:07.500 Lady Wisdom and in our noble woman of Proverbs 00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:13.859 31. She fears the Lord. In Proverbs 8, fears 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:16.440 the Lord, hating evil, pride, and arrogance. 00:24:17.420 --> 00:24:20.619 31 is described as a woman who fears the Lord. 00:24:21.390 --> 00:24:25.630 The trait of instruction and wisdom. Lady Wisdom 00:24:25.630 --> 00:24:28.910 speaks what is noble, true, and right, and the 00:24:28.910 --> 00:24:32.849 valiant woman of Proverbs 31 opens her mouth 00:24:32.849 --> 00:24:40.390 with wisdom. To be treasured over jewels. Lady 00:24:40.390 --> 00:24:43.990 Wisdom is incomparably superior to jewels, and 00:24:43.990 --> 00:24:47.069 our noble woman is more precious than jewels, 00:24:47.329 --> 00:24:52.829 given her rarity. The trait receives honor and 00:24:52.829 --> 00:24:57.170 praise. Lady Wisdom possesses honor and our noble 00:24:57.170 --> 00:25:02.809 woman is praised for her surpassing works. Possesses 00:25:02.809 --> 00:25:07.150 strength. Lady Wisdom has strength and insight. 00:25:07.549 --> 00:25:10.849 The noble woman clothes herself with strength. 00:25:11.849 --> 00:25:17.490 Is industrious and active. Lady Wisdom is described 00:25:17.490 --> 00:25:22.089 as a master workman. Our noble woman diligently 00:25:22.089 --> 00:25:27.410 provides for others. Influences for the sake 00:25:27.410 --> 00:25:33.069 of others. Proverbs 8, by her kings reign justly. 00:25:33.690 --> 00:25:37.109 Noble woman cares for others and meets the needs 00:25:37.109 --> 00:25:41.190 of the poor. And finally, enriches those who 00:25:41.190 --> 00:25:45.599 find her. Lady Wisdom is accompanied by riches 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:49.160 and brings a blessing and favor. Our noble woman 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:53.460 does good all her days, ensures no lack of gain 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:57.920 and brings honor. Do you see how similar Lady 00:25:57.920 --> 00:26:03.059 Wisdom and the Proverbs 31 woman are? There's 00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:05.920 a correlation between the two. And it is important 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.319 that we get this. Because the truth is that Lady 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:14.240 Wisdom represents the entirety of creation. She 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:17.819 is a principle that undergirds entire creation. 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:24.099 She's a pillar that upholds it all. She was there 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:28.859 at creation as a companion to the creator. I 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:32.150 mean, just think about that for a while. To be 00:26:32.150 --> 00:26:35.269 at the very beginning of creation, this wisdom 00:26:35.269 --> 00:26:42.269 of the ancient of days. And then we have the 00:26:42.269 --> 00:26:45.930 Proverbs 31 woman. And she doesn't represent 00:26:45.930 --> 00:26:50.869 all of creation. But she represents her work. 00:26:51.450 --> 00:26:56.970 She represents her limited local context. She 00:26:56.970 --> 00:27:02.519 represents her local community. And her portrayal 00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:07.599 is very descriptive of a woman's ordinary life. 00:27:10.619 --> 00:27:13.980 Like Lady Wisdom, she seems perfect, doesn't 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:21.680 she? The perfect woman, the high standard. And 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:24.880 so it's no wonder that so many women feel exhausted 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:35.180 when they're told they have to be like her. Here's 00:27:35.180 --> 00:27:41.440 what it sums up. As the worthy woman of Proverbs 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:46.799 31 nobly is living out her ordinary life, taking 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:51.079 kids to soccer, cooking meal after meal after 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:53.519 meal after meal after meal after meal after meal 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:57.220 after meal. Laundry after laundry after laundry 00:27:57.220 --> 00:28:00.940 after laundry after laundry. You can fill in 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:05.059 the blank of your ordinary day. The beautiful 00:28:05.059 --> 00:28:10.420 thing of this is that she mirrors the deep and 00:28:10.420 --> 00:28:15.599 ancient wisdom that was there from the beginning 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:21.579 of time. You're not just an ordinary woman doing 00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:26.900 the ordinary, ordinary, ordinary, ordinary. You're 00:28:26.900 --> 00:28:31.119 a woman that is mirroring the ancient wisdom. 00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:38.119 The very foundation, your roots, your life is 00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:47.059 rooted in the creation narrative. The wisdom 00:28:47.059 --> 00:28:51.920 that you are invited into is rooted at creation. 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:58.240 And your ordinary life is just really not that 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:02.960 ordinary. It's rooted in the wisdom. Of creation. 00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:10.259 That should elevate your ordinary. That should 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:13.119 change how you do the ordinary. And I would like 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:17.019 to say I always feel victorious. And I feel the 00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:20.980 power of the ancient one in my laundry. My family 00:29:20.980 --> 00:29:25.500 would tell you that I probably don't. But to 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:31.410 know as I'm growing in the fullness of God. That 00:29:31.410 --> 00:29:36.509 I am mirroring this ancient wisdom, lady wisdom. 00:29:37.549 --> 00:29:42.109 That's what Proverbs 31 is about. It's not about 00:29:42.109 --> 00:29:45.630 her to -do list. It's the fact that she mirrors 00:29:45.630 --> 00:29:53.309 lady wisdom. Unfortunately, Proverbs 31 has functioned 00:29:53.309 --> 00:30:00.069 as a law, as a list of demands and to -dos. And 00:30:00.069 --> 00:30:04.289 completely, it's wanted to put women into a particular 00:30:04.289 --> 00:30:08.390 mold. That if you are a godly woman, this is 00:30:08.390 --> 00:30:12.589 what it has to look like. And then we wonder 00:30:12.589 --> 00:30:14.950 why women are resistant. I don't want to be put 00:30:14.950 --> 00:30:26.170 in a mold. Instead, it's an invitation. An invitation 00:30:26.170 --> 00:30:31.670 to women to step out. To seek wisdom about your 00:30:31.670 --> 00:30:35.190 particular gifts, about your particular calling, 00:30:35.470 --> 00:30:38.130 about the particular plans and purposes that 00:30:38.130 --> 00:30:41.650 God's put in your life. It's an invitation to 00:30:41.650 --> 00:30:46.289 step out and seek wisdom in these gifts and callings 00:30:46.289 --> 00:30:51.730 and purposes and labor for the Lord. This should 00:30:51.730 --> 00:30:54.730 give us hope. I love Abigail as one of my favorite 00:30:54.730 --> 00:30:58.779 women of the Bible. I love Abigail. She was married 00:30:58.779 --> 00:31:04.059 to such a foolish, foolish man. Such a foolish 00:31:04.059 --> 00:31:11.160 man. And Abigail was a woman, it says, of good 00:31:11.160 --> 00:31:14.019 understanding. And that's the same word they're 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:20.319 used for noble and wisdom. And when her husband 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:25.000 failed to cover and protect the family, that 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:28.500 nobleness of Abigail rose up and went out to 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:33.220 this anointed King David, this mighty soldier 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:36.279 who was about to wipe out her house. And she's 00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:38.920 like, no, wait, no, wait. Here, here are the 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:42.359 provisions you need. Don't do it, David. Don't 00:31:42.359 --> 00:31:45.759 shed blood, David. You're the king. Don't shed 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:50.200 blood. She was not a timid woman hiding out behind 00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:55.740 her foolish husband. She stepped up with power 00:31:55.740 --> 00:31:59.359 and bravery and might in a noble manner, and 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:03.420 she saved her household. And when her husband 00:32:03.420 --> 00:32:07.920 died in his foolishness, she became the wife 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:12.420 of King David. I love Abigail because it's in 00:32:12.420 --> 00:32:17.779 Abigail's ordinary life that she does extraordinary 00:32:17.779 --> 00:32:25.000 things. And so as we are moving into fourth gear, 00:32:25.079 --> 00:32:29.200 we're getting closer. I want to ask the question 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:35.700 to you, what drives you? What drives you? Our 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:41.599 text, a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be 00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:49.140 praised. To fear the Lord is to honor the Lord, 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:53.740 is to revere the Lord. It is to worship the Lord. 00:32:55.700 --> 00:32:59.700 And so if what is driving you is to look like 00:32:59.700 --> 00:33:03.500 the Proverbs 31 woman, listen, that's not what 00:33:03.500 --> 00:33:07.400 she got praised for, her list of dues. What she 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:13.039 got praised for was fearing the Lord, was her 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:21.019 worship of the Lord. You will never measure up. 00:33:21.339 --> 00:33:24.160 to her task list. You will never measure up. 00:33:26.180 --> 00:33:30.099 But that's okay because what we're called to 00:33:30.099 --> 00:33:33.319 do is to fear the Lord. What we're called to 00:33:33.319 --> 00:33:37.980 be as women is to worship the Lord. To worship 00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:40.559 the Lord with your kids and talk with your kids 00:33:40.559 --> 00:33:43.460 on the way to soccer. To worship the Lord and 00:33:43.460 --> 00:33:46.079 talk with your kids as you're cooking dinner. 00:33:46.339 --> 00:33:49.480 To worship the Lord and talk with your family 00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:52.519 about his goodness while you're watching movies. 00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:55.420 And they roll their eyes at you because you can 00:33:55.420 --> 00:33:58.220 once again make spiritual application of the 00:33:58.220 --> 00:34:02.279 storyline. Just be quiet and watch the movie. 00:34:06.859 --> 00:34:09.460 This woman was not praised because of all she 00:34:09.460 --> 00:34:13.400 had accomplished. She was praised because she 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:16.800 feared the Lord, because she worshiped the Lord. 00:34:16.900 --> 00:34:21.840 In all of her doing, what drove her was worshiping 00:34:21.840 --> 00:34:26.960 the Lord. What drives you? What drives you? All 00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:30.099 throughout Proverbs, we see this theme. And at 00:34:30.099 --> 00:34:32.639 the very beginning in chapter 1, it says, the 00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:35.159 fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 00:34:35.980 --> 00:34:39.380 It says in chapter 9, the fear of the Lord is 00:34:39.380 --> 00:34:47.400 the beginning of wisdom. If what is driving you 00:34:47.400 --> 00:34:52.179 is worship, is honoring the Lord in all that 00:34:52.179 --> 00:34:55.079 you do, here's what you do. You open up your 00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:59.119 life to the door of wisdom. When you open the 00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:03.639 door to wisdom, then you will experience the 00:35:03.639 --> 00:35:08.139 fruit of wisdom. The truth is, is that her list 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:12.260 of to -dos is the fruit of her fear of the Lord. 00:35:12.400 --> 00:35:16.360 And we get so focused on copying her fruit. Listen, 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:18.539 you're an apple tree, and you're trying to copy 00:35:18.539 --> 00:35:21.739 an orange tree. You've got to be fearing the 00:35:21.739 --> 00:35:24.960 Lord, and then you just want to flourish as an 00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:27.739 apple tree. You've got apples coming all out 00:35:27.739 --> 00:35:30.119 of the place. You've got apples to give away. 00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:33.639 generosity. You got apples to plant here and 00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:36.260 here and here. And wherever you plant your apples, 00:35:36.340 --> 00:35:37.699 they're going to grow up and they're going to 00:35:37.699 --> 00:35:41.300 bear fruit and they're going to succeed. Why? 00:35:41.460 --> 00:35:43.139 Because you quit trying to be like the orange 00:35:43.139 --> 00:35:47.260 tree. You invited the wisdom that comes from 00:35:47.260 --> 00:35:50.539 the fear of the Lord. And it doesn't matter what 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:53.980 you do and how you look like the person on Facebook 00:35:53.980 --> 00:36:00.059 you keep stalking. Listen. You're created in 00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:04.820 the image of God to be you. And as you are you 00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:11.199 and you worship God being you, you will see the 00:36:11.199 --> 00:36:18.340 fruit of Proverbs 31. And so we know what the 00:36:18.340 --> 00:36:21.659 fruit of wisdom looked like for Proverbs 31 woman. 00:36:22.539 --> 00:36:27.059 My question today for us is what would wisdom 00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:33.280 look like? in your life today, if you were to 00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:35.739 revere God in everything, if you were to worship 00:36:35.739 --> 00:36:40.480 God in everything, what would wisdom look like 00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:45.000 in your life? If you were to worship God in all 00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:50.639 that you do, what would wisdom look like in your 00:36:50.639 --> 00:36:56.039 life? What would this Hebrew poem be describing 00:36:56.039 --> 00:37:01.659 your life? This morning, the team is going to 00:37:01.659 --> 00:37:06.360 come. And as they're coming, I want to just finish 00:37:06.360 --> 00:37:08.880 this off in fifth gear for you to cruise on out 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:13.960 of here. At the beginning of the book of Proverbs, 00:37:14.119 --> 00:37:20.659 woman wisdom sounds out the invitation to the 00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:24.340 simple man to enter her house. Come and enter 00:37:24.340 --> 00:37:28.769 my house, she calls out. There's an invitation, 00:37:29.090 --> 00:37:32.690 and I love that invitation because it's not wisdom 00:37:32.690 --> 00:37:35.110 calling for all the super smart people to come 00:37:35.110 --> 00:37:39.010 into her house. It's for the simple. It's for 00:37:39.010 --> 00:37:41.610 the people that don't have much wisdom and knowledge 00:37:41.610 --> 00:37:46.469 saying, come in. Lady Wisdom is calling you in 00:37:46.469 --> 00:37:52.409 and wants to bestow wisdom to you. By the end 00:37:52.409 --> 00:37:56.559 of Proverbs. What we have is what the picture 00:37:56.559 --> 00:38:00.300 looks like when that simple man chooses to enter 00:38:00.300 --> 00:38:06.840 into wisdom. Metaphorically, what we have is 00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:12.860 taking wisdom on as the wife. God calls us to 00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:19.019 choose wisdom to marry her. To become one with 00:38:19.019 --> 00:38:25.480 wisdom. And that begins... With living life driven 00:38:25.480 --> 00:38:30.719 by worship. With living life driven by serving 00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:36.579 our God. And if there's one thing that I want 00:38:36.579 --> 00:38:39.920 my kids to see in my life, whether they agree 00:38:39.920 --> 00:38:43.719 with me or not, if they can say she's worshipped, 00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:47.179 she's been consistent in everything, in worshipping 00:38:47.179 --> 00:38:52.599 God, in fearing God, that's all I need. I know 00:38:52.599 --> 00:38:56.639 I've failed in many areas as a mom, as a wife. 00:38:57.579 --> 00:39:00.139 But if they can at least say, well, she tried 00:39:00.139 --> 00:39:06.539 her best worshiping and fearing the Lord, then 00:39:06.539 --> 00:39:10.699 we've accomplished our goal. So what drives us? 00:39:11.920 --> 00:39:16.039 Today, ladies, I want us to shake off any feelings 00:39:16.039 --> 00:39:19.280 of failure. Because I know what it is as a mom. 00:39:19.500 --> 00:39:22.079 How many of you older ones wish, man, if I knew 00:39:22.079 --> 00:39:24.679 now what I did when I was eight, I wish I could 00:39:24.679 --> 00:39:28.820 go back and reparent again. Wouldn't that be 00:39:28.820 --> 00:39:33.039 great? Knowing what we know now, but we can't. 00:39:34.579 --> 00:39:37.119 But time and time again, I see women carrying 00:39:37.119 --> 00:39:42.400 shame and regret. Listen, it's time to let that 00:39:42.400 --> 00:39:44.840 stuff go. That's part of what the enemy uses 00:39:44.840 --> 00:39:47.500 to steal, kill, and destroy. And then today, 00:39:47.579 --> 00:39:49.260 let's say, you know what? I'm going to rise up 00:39:49.260 --> 00:39:54.059 as a noble woman. I'm going to rise up in bravery. 00:39:54.599 --> 00:39:57.639 I'm going to rise up in power and strength and 00:39:57.639 --> 00:40:01.940 might as a noble woman. Because the truth is, 00:40:01.960 --> 00:40:04.380 is I don't care how old your kids are. I don't 00:40:04.380 --> 00:40:07.119 care if they're other people's kids. When Darren 00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:09.579 said, how many of you are believing for a miracle? 00:40:09.699 --> 00:40:12.619 I believe every one of us should have a hand 00:40:12.619 --> 00:40:16.280 raised. I believe there are people that we're 00:40:16.280 --> 00:40:19.239 believing and fighting for. I believe there are 00:40:19.239 --> 00:40:22.300 situations that we are believing and fighting 00:40:22.300 --> 00:40:26.239 for. And it requires us to rise up in nobleness. 00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:29.880 It requires us to rise up, not in our own strength 00:40:29.880 --> 00:40:32.780 and might, but in the power and the might and 00:40:32.780 --> 00:40:35.559 the strength of the Lord, worshiping through 00:40:35.559 --> 00:40:38.420 it, serving him through it. not backing down, 00:40:38.639 --> 00:40:41.480 not when it gets tough, when it gets hard, when 00:40:41.480 --> 00:40:45.900 you're exhausted, to not back down, but to rise 00:40:45.900 --> 00:40:49.599 up. to rise up in nobleness and say i'm going 00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:52.380 to worship even more i'm going to fear god even 00:40:52.380 --> 00:40:55.199 more i'm going to revere god even more because 00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:58.119 what i'm fighting for is worth fighting for my 00:40:58.119 --> 00:41:01.420 households i'm fighting for my children my great 00:41:01.420 --> 00:41:04.079 grandchildren my great great grandchildren i'm 00:41:04.079 --> 00:41:07.380 fighting for it is not a one and done thing we're 00:41:07.380 --> 00:41:10.860 believing for legacies we are fighting for legacies 00:41:18.119 --> 00:41:21.360 Of this world. Why? Because we are women of God. 00:41:21.619 --> 00:41:24.320 Because we are noble women of God who's called 00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:27.820 us to something beyond ourselves. And he has 00:41:27.820 --> 00:41:31.940 put inside of you the ability to tap in to the 00:41:31.940 --> 00:41:34.900 ancient days, the ancient wisdom, and to rise 00:41:34.900 --> 00:41:37.539 up in a way you've never thought you could. You 00:41:37.539 --> 00:41:40.019 never thought you could. Listen, it's time to 00:41:40.019 --> 00:41:43.119 do that. It's time to do that. There's no waiting 00:41:43.119 --> 00:41:46.780 for something magical to happen. There's not 00:41:46.780 --> 00:41:49.309 waiting for... to get a little easier and then 00:41:49.309 --> 00:41:52.389 I will. It's when you are in the deepest pit. 00:41:52.630 --> 00:41:55.789 It's when it feels like the bombs of the enemy 00:41:55.789 --> 00:41:58.710 are just bombing you all around on every side. 00:41:58.949 --> 00:42:02.210 That is when it is required for you to rise up 00:42:02.210 --> 00:42:05.090 in nobleness. That's the time when it's time 00:42:05.090 --> 00:42:08.210 for you to say, I will rise in the spirit of 00:42:08.210 --> 00:42:11.269 the Proverbs 31 woman. And I'm going to, whatever 00:42:11.269 --> 00:42:13.489 I do, I'm going to do it worshiping. I'm going 00:42:13.489 --> 00:42:16.619 to do it serving. And I'm believing for the fruit 00:42:16.619 --> 00:42:19.820 to be released. And so here's this morning what 00:42:19.820 --> 00:42:22.940 I want us to do. In a moment, we're going to 00:42:22.940 --> 00:42:26.000 go outside. Your kids can play. We've got gifts. 00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:28.340 We've got Lotus drinks for you out under the 00:42:28.340 --> 00:42:33.320 tent. But for the next five minutes here, I want 00:42:33.320 --> 00:42:37.659 us to just whatever you feel like you are cannot 00:42:37.659 --> 00:42:41.739 be your truth. I feel weak and I feel like I 00:42:41.739 --> 00:42:46.530 have failed. cannot be your truth. It may be 00:42:46.530 --> 00:42:48.510 your truth, but it can't be the truth you live 00:42:48.510 --> 00:42:51.409 in. You've got to start saying, I'm living in 00:42:51.409 --> 00:42:53.909 the truth of what God has said about me. And 00:42:53.909 --> 00:42:58.989 God has given to me this lady wisdom. And I'm 00:42:58.989 --> 00:43:02.389 going to stop making excuses. Well, God, it's 00:43:02.389 --> 00:43:08.510 so hard. It is hard. But you have immeasurably 00:43:08.510 --> 00:43:11.849 more. than what you could ask or believe available 00:43:11.849 --> 00:43:16.070 to you. You have the courage and the bravery 00:43:16.070 --> 00:43:22.630 available to you. And so this morning, I want 00:43:22.630 --> 00:43:26.050 us to take our first step at being a woman of 00:43:26.050 --> 00:43:30.050 valor. I want us to take our first step at being 00:43:30.050 --> 00:43:32.829 a noble woman. Maybe you haven't felt that way. 00:43:32.869 --> 00:43:36.090 Well, today is the day. And we're going to just 00:43:36.090 --> 00:43:39.030 for a moment sing this song over our families. 00:43:39.760 --> 00:43:42.599 We're going to sing it over our friends. We're 00:43:42.599 --> 00:43:45.539 going to sing it over our city. And we're going 00:43:45.539 --> 00:43:50.019 to rise up, not in our own style, our own abilities, 00:43:50.059 --> 00:43:52.320 strength, and might, but we're going to rise 00:43:52.320 --> 00:43:56.079 up by faith as God -fearing women, as worshiping 00:43:56.079 --> 00:43:59.139 women. And we're going to say, as a noble woman, 00:43:59.280 --> 00:44:03.780 as a brave woman, I'm going to release this into 00:44:03.780 --> 00:44:07.500 the atmosphere of my household, of my city, of 00:44:07.500 --> 00:44:10.909 my church. Amen? So will you stand with me this 00:44:10.909 --> 00:44:13.650 morning and for the next five minutes or so, 00:44:13.769 --> 00:44:16.530 let's just begin to do that. If you've got the 00:44:16.530 --> 00:44:19.010 stuff, if you've been carrying the baggage, I 00:44:19.010 --> 00:44:22.570 want you to let it go. Let it go. You can't keep 00:44:22.570 --> 00:44:25.170 carrying that baggage and become the woman of 00:44:25.170 --> 00:44:28.010 nobleness. You've got to let it go and look to 00:44:28.010 --> 00:44:31.190 the one who empowers you, makes you strong.