WEBVTT 00:00:01.899 --> 00:00:05.919 So we're going to continue here looking at the 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:09.539 responsibilities or the instructions concerning 00:00:09.539 --> 00:00:16.739 women, wives, and mothers in the family unit 00:00:16.739 --> 00:00:22.100 here. And so just a quick review. We mentioned 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:26.100 last week again, men and women as image bearers, 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:32.859 equal in value. You know, Dave pointed this out 00:00:32.859 --> 00:00:35.500 that we ended last week talking about the crown. 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:39.039 An excellent wife is a crown. And so I hope that 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:46.100 we all see that is, if I've demeaned women in 00:00:46.100 --> 00:00:49.479 any way, of course that's not my intent, but 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:54.259 I hope that we see the crown is the exaltation 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:57.359 of the role of the wife in the relationship. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.850 She is that crown. She is beautiful. She is helpful. 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:06.810 She is necessary. She is what brings so much 00:01:06.810 --> 00:01:10.430 to the husband. I mean, could we say she makes 00:01:10.430 --> 00:01:14.469 him what he is, so to speak? I mean, obviously, 00:01:14.629 --> 00:01:18.629 God and his life and all of those things, but 00:01:18.629 --> 00:01:23.689 the wife is essential to the husband. She completes 00:01:23.689 --> 00:01:29.599 him. And so, I hope we understand that. We are 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.840 not saying that this place of submission, this 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:38.159 idea of helper, is any lower or less value in 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:41.920 the home and in this relationship. So, we read 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:47.299 a few verses of a godly and exemplary wives of 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.180 what their lives should look like. We looked 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:54.760 at 1 Timothy 5 .9. Where Paul there describes 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.299 the widows and all these things that they should 00:01:57.299 --> 00:01:59.459 be doing. If they're going to be widows indeed. 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:02.439 And going to be cared for then by the church. 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:06.219 And so, again, this is not a list of just a select 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:08.479 few women. This is what all women in the church 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:12.659 should be doing. Again, maybe we should just 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:21.300 read that real quick here. In 1 Timothy 5. 9. 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:24.699 1 Timothy 5, 9. A widow is to be put on the list 00:02:24.699 --> 00:02:27.979 only if she is not less than 60 years old, having 00:02:27.979 --> 00:02:30.259 been the wife of one man, having a reputation 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:33.620 for good works, and if she has brought up children, 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:36.960 if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.680 she has washed the saints' feet, assisted those 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:42.379 in distress, and if she has devoted herself to 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:46.180 every good work. Okay? So that's what Paul says. 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.300 This is an exemplary life. This is the life of 00:02:49.300 --> 00:02:52.389 a woman. who is a godly woman who has served 00:02:52.389 --> 00:02:54.569 the church, has raised children, has done all 00:02:54.569 --> 00:02:57.569 of these things. That's how every woman should 00:02:57.569 --> 00:03:05.069 be. And then he goes on there and he says, speaking 00:03:05.069 --> 00:03:09.530 of the younger widows, in verse 14, Therefore 00:03:09.530 --> 00:03:12.090 I want younger widows to get married, bear children, 00:03:12.289 --> 00:03:17.169 keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:20.039 reproach. So again, we see there what he expects 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:25.340 of these young women who are either married or 00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:30.419 will be married. Bear children, keep house, and 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:34.099 so on. As well as all these other things that 00:03:34.099 --> 00:03:37.020 he mentions. Serving the church, serving those 00:03:37.020 --> 00:03:40.819 in distress, and so on. Another passage we looked 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:45.449 at was 1 Timothy 2. Some specific instruction 00:03:45.449 --> 00:03:49.129 here. 1 Timothy 2, verse 9. Likewise, I want 00:03:49.129 --> 00:03:51.629 women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, 00:03:51.810 --> 00:03:55.169 modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:58.610 and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather 00:03:58.610 --> 00:04:01.550 by means of good works, as is proper for women 00:04:01.550 --> 00:04:08.009 making a claim to godliness. Along those same 00:04:08.009 --> 00:04:16.000 lines, 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3, 3 and 4. Peter's 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.980 instructions for women. Your adornment must not 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:22.439 be merely external, braiding the hair and wearing 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:25.500 gold jewelry, or putting on dresses, but let 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:27.600 it be the hidden person of the heart with the 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.279 imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, 00:04:30.459 --> 00:04:34.560 which is precious in the sight of God. For in 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.060 this way, in former times, the holy women also 00:04:37.060 --> 00:04:40.069 who hoped in God used to adorn themselves. being 00:04:40.069 --> 00:04:42.709 submissive to their own husbands, just as Sarah 00:04:42.709 --> 00:04:50.310 obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And so, what 00:04:50.310 --> 00:04:55.170 is the emphasis there? It's this inner man. That's 00:04:55.170 --> 00:04:57.410 what makes a godly woman. That's what makes this 00:04:57.410 --> 00:05:00.129 beautiful woman. What does the Proverbs say? 00:05:00.230 --> 00:05:03.370 Beauty is vain and deceitful, right? But the 00:05:03.370 --> 00:05:09.170 inward woman, the inner man, is what? the apostles 00:05:09.170 --> 00:05:14.910 are saying we should strive to beautify through 00:05:14.910 --> 00:05:17.589 these good works, through these good attitudes, 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:21.689 and so on. So the inner beauty, the hidden person, 00:05:21.829 --> 00:05:26.290 submissive, gentle, quiet spirit. Ephesians 5 00:05:26.290 --> 00:05:29.670 talks about submission there with wives, being 00:05:29.670 --> 00:05:34.050 able to be instructed, and so on. And so, not 00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:36.389 this outward. We're not looking for an outward 00:05:36.389 --> 00:05:41.810 show. Whether it's, you know, an outward look 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:45.329 or just an outward actions that look good. But 00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:51.189 an inner beauty, an inner reality is what a godly 00:05:51.189 --> 00:05:55.750 woman should have. I didn't really mention modesty 00:05:55.750 --> 00:05:58.230 last week much, so I'll just mention it now. 00:05:58.410 --> 00:06:00.189 You know, there's some clear instruction there 00:06:00.189 --> 00:06:03.889 to be modest. So what is modesty? Hopefully we 00:06:03.889 --> 00:06:06.750 all understand what modesty is. It's not just 00:06:06.750 --> 00:06:11.129 covering up. So obviously we could look at a 00:06:11.129 --> 00:06:14.050 woman who's scantily clad and we could say she's 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:17.870 immodest. That would be true. But we can also 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:23.029 be fully covered and still be immodest. The King 00:06:23.029 --> 00:06:28.250 James uses shamefacedness in one of the descriptions 00:06:28.250 --> 00:06:32.790 for modesty. There's a shame, there's an idea 00:06:32.790 --> 00:06:38.519 there of not wanting to be seen. tucked in the 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:41.120 corner so that nobody even knows you're there. 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:45.459 That's the idea with this. That's part of what 00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:48.740 modesty is. And so I remember years ago, Dad 00:06:48.740 --> 00:06:52.579 said, you could come in to the meeting dressed 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:55.079 in bright yellow with a big bright yellow hat 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:58.079 and fully clothed and loose -fitting clothes, 00:06:58.220 --> 00:07:01.100 and it's totally immodest because everybody's 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:03.620 looking at you. You're drawing all the attention 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:08.769 to yourself. That's being immodest. Just as somebody 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:11.870 who comes in with a little bitty tight mini skirt 00:07:11.870 --> 00:07:14.149 and a revealing top and everything else. It's 00:07:14.149 --> 00:07:16.709 the same thing. Drawing attention to oneself. 00:07:17.310 --> 00:07:20.370 So that's what the apostles are saying here. 00:07:20.430 --> 00:07:23.029 That's modesty and that's what women should seek 00:07:23.029 --> 00:07:29.029 to be. Modest. In all those ways. We talked about 00:07:29.029 --> 00:07:32.050 the roles of women. And so I want to point out 00:07:32.050 --> 00:07:37.129 here in 1 Timothy 2 .3. Because I didn't mention 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:40.470 this here. But in 1 Timothy 2, 3, Paul says, 00:07:40.889 --> 00:07:44.670 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:47.110 our Savior, who desires all men to be saved. 00:07:52.670 --> 00:08:07.379 That is not the passage. Oh, I think it's Titus. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:15.220 I'm sorry. Titus 2 .3. Yes. Titus 2 .3. Older 00:08:15.220 --> 00:08:19.279 women likewise are to be reverent, reverent in 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:22.100 their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:25.800 to much wine, teaching what is good, so that 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:28.160 they may encourage the young women to love their 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.899 husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:35.049 pure workers at home, kind. being subject to 00:08:35.049 --> 00:08:37.210 their own husbands so that the word of God will 00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:40.710 not be dishonored. So we have there again a description 00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:45.029 of what women should be doing, their role in 00:08:45.029 --> 00:08:49.769 the home. But I want to emphasize here this very 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:53.649 first part where he says the older women. What 00:08:53.649 --> 00:08:55.789 does he say that the older women should be doing 00:08:55.789 --> 00:09:02.639 there? Teaching the younger and... encouraging 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:07.519 them in these godly behaviors all right and so 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:10.500 that's a responsibility for older women we have 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:12.840 plenty of older women here in the church who 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:15.960 have raised children who have grown up and so 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:19.360 on and so you have a responsibility to be a help 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:22.779 and an encouragement to the young women to the 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:26.139 new mothers to the newly married to the unmarried 00:09:26.139 --> 00:09:29.759 to be an example to them and to give them good 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:33.970 counsel instruction in doing these things that 00:09:33.970 --> 00:09:37.909 they're called to do. And so, I want to encourage 00:09:37.909 --> 00:09:42.049 the older women in that. I want to encourage 00:09:42.049 --> 00:09:45.029 the younger women, right? So if you've got the 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:46.889 older women supposed to teach and encourage you 00:09:46.889 --> 00:09:48.330 in these things, what does that mean for you 00:09:48.330 --> 00:09:52.129 younger women? What should you be doing? Receiving 00:09:52.129 --> 00:09:58.110 instruction, right? Listening. Not just hearing 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:02.120 it, but... making it a part of your life and 00:10:02.120 --> 00:10:05.960 living it out in these ways. And so there's two 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:08.480 responsibilities there, for the older and for 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:11.659 the younger, to teach and to admonish, to encourage 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:15.679 the younger to hear and to put these things into 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:21.240 practice. So, again, what does he say to do there 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.580 in Titus? To love their husbands, love their 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.720 children, to be sensible, pure, that word pure 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:31.490 could be translated modest. The word sensible, 00:10:31.730 --> 00:10:35.110 curbing one's desires and impulses. Self -control, 00:10:35.370 --> 00:10:39.750 exercising self -control. And then workers at 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:43.190 home, keeping the home, taking care of household 00:10:43.190 --> 00:10:46.870 affairs. We then mentioned also just being helpers. 00:10:46.990 --> 00:10:52.129 And so again, that is a critical and important 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:56.750 role in the home. That wives are help. To their 00:10:56.750 --> 00:10:59.129 husbands. And that's why Eve was created. We 00:10:59.129 --> 00:11:04.289 said that. There was a question last week. Just 00:11:04.289 --> 00:11:07.389 regarding. I said that wives should be a good 00:11:07.389 --> 00:11:10.330 counselor. To their husbands. And I might have 00:11:10.330 --> 00:11:12.629 said something along the lines of. Helping to 00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:15.929 change their minds. Or something like that. But 00:11:15.929 --> 00:11:18.730 if you. And that's good and right. I'm sticking 00:11:18.730 --> 00:11:22.309 to that. But if you remember what I said in weeks 00:11:22.309 --> 00:11:25.350 before. Just as husbands lead in communication. 00:11:26.100 --> 00:11:29.019 Leading in communication is saying, hey, here's 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:31.179 what I think. This is what I'm thinking we should 00:11:31.179 --> 00:11:34.720 do. And talking to your wife, what do you think? 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:37.340 What have you got to say? What's your input on 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:40.240 this matter? And having a conversation. Again, 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:42.360 husband's leading in that. And then your wife 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:45.100 says, yeah, you're way off base here, babe. Here's 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:47.440 what I think. And you're like, yeah, I didn't 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.340 even think of that. So, yeah, you're right. That's 00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:52.639 some good counsel. We need to change what I'm 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:55.509 thinking here. Changing your mind in that way 00:11:55.509 --> 00:11:58.950 is good. That's a helpful thing, right? And that's 00:11:58.950 --> 00:12:01.629 what a wife should do. And that's what a husband 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:03.830 should do. Give me some good advice. What do 00:12:03.830 --> 00:12:06.809 you think? Here's what I think. And so that is 00:12:06.809 --> 00:12:10.009 a wonderful help in the marriage relationship. 00:12:10.330 --> 00:12:11.950 Men and women are different. I don't know if 00:12:11.950 --> 00:12:14.210 anybody else knows that, but we think differently, 00:12:14.330 --> 00:12:17.929 right? We observe things differently. We observe 00:12:17.929 --> 00:12:21.590 different behaviors differently. And so when 00:12:21.590 --> 00:12:23.850 my wife tells me, didn't you see what was going 00:12:23.850 --> 00:12:26.409 on there? And I say, no, I don't know what you're 00:12:26.409 --> 00:12:28.789 talking about. And then she can say, here's what 00:12:28.789 --> 00:12:30.529 was going on. Here's what I think should happen. 00:12:30.990 --> 00:12:32.850 And I can say, yeah, well, if that was what was 00:12:32.850 --> 00:12:37.250 going on, you're right. So being a help in that 00:12:37.250 --> 00:12:44.700 way, a wife is a great help. All right. There's 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:47.440 one passage that we didn't look at that I've 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.659 really hesitated to look at because there's a 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:53.139 lot that could be said here. And I don't necessarily 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:57.039 want to spend a great deal of time. But regarding 00:12:57.039 --> 00:13:00.659 the excellent wife that we mentioned last week, 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:05.059 the crown. We talked about Ruth there as an example 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:08.159 of an excellent wife. We have this passage in 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:14.639 Proverbs. is a wonderful description here of 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:21.259 a woman. And let's go ahead and read it. And 00:13:21.259 --> 00:13:23.279 the reason I hesitate, and I don't want to spend 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:25.919 a great deal of time, because so often this passage 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:29.259 is given as an example of a woman who's working 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:31.279 outside the home. Here she is working outside 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:33.700 the home and doing all these things. That's not 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:37.039 what this is. Okay, and so if that's your view 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.909 of... Proverbs 31, this woman working outside 00:13:39.909 --> 00:13:43.110 the home, then you've missed it. But let's read 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:46.230 it here. It says an excellent wife who can find 00:13:46.230 --> 00:13:50.370 for her worth is far above jewels. The heart 00:13:50.370 --> 00:13:53.309 of her husband trusts in her and he will have 00:13:53.309 --> 00:13:56.909 no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil 00:13:56.909 --> 00:13:59.870 all the days of her life. She looks for wool 00:13:59.870 --> 00:14:02.009 and flax and works with her hands and delight. 00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:05.389 She is like merchant ships. She brings her food 00:14:05.389 --> 00:14:08.669 from afar. She rises also while it is still night 00:14:08.669 --> 00:14:10.950 and gives food to her household and portions 00:14:10.950 --> 00:14:16.370 to her maidens. What is she doing there? She's 00:14:16.370 --> 00:14:19.870 caring for the home. She's helping her husband. 00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:24.629 He trusts her. She's reliable. He doesn't need 00:14:24.629 --> 00:14:26.649 to worry about all these things that are in her 00:14:26.649 --> 00:14:32.639 hands because she's doing it. She rises early 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:35.480 before everybody else and cares for her home. 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:42.980 Makes sure everybody's fed. All right. She considers 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:44.919 the field and buys it. From her earnings, she 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:47.399 plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:52.059 and makes her arms strong. She senses that her 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:55.159 gain is good. Her lamp does not go out at night. 00:14:55.220 --> 00:14:57.919 She stretches out her hand to the distaff and 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:02.179 her hand grasps the spindle. Again, she's working. 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:07.259 She's providing. What is she providing for? She's 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:10.519 providing for the poor and her home. She extends 00:15:10.519 --> 00:15:12.720 her hand to the poor and she stretches out her 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:15.179 hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:17.980 snow for her household, for all her household 00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:20.960 are clothed with scarlet. She makes coverings 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:23.539 for herself. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:26.220 Again, we could say all sorts of things about 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.440 that. Her husband is known in the gates. When 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.700 he sits among the elders of the land, she makes 00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:34.139 linen garments and sells them and supplies belts 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:37.299 to the tradesmen. Strength and dignity are her 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:40.360 clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:42.879 her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:46.019 is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways 00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:48.759 of her household and does not eat the bread of 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:51.399 idleness. Her children rise up and bless her, 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:55.320 her husband also, and he praises her, saying, 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:58.269 Many daughters have done nobly. but you excel 00:15:58.269 --> 00:16:01.529 them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, 00:16:01.669 --> 00:16:04.309 but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be 00:16:04.309 --> 00:16:07.350 praised. Give her the product of her hands and 00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:12.129 let her works praise her in the gates. If we 00:16:12.129 --> 00:16:15.750 could all be like that, it would be such a blessing, 00:16:15.850 --> 00:16:19.590 right? I mean, caring for, providing for, working 00:16:19.590 --> 00:16:23.029 hard, helping her husband. All of these things 00:16:23.029 --> 00:16:27.250 are going on. She is that. Example that we have 00:16:27.250 --> 00:16:31.970 in Titus and Timothy. Peter. She is that woman. 00:16:32.590 --> 00:16:35.450 A few things that I wrote down here. She's trustworthy. 00:16:35.850 --> 00:16:40.950 She's diligent. Hardworking. Never idle. Generous. 00:16:41.429 --> 00:16:46.690 Skillful. Wise. Capable. And kind. That's the 00:16:46.690 --> 00:16:49.169 description of the woman there in Proverbs 31. 00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:56.879 So. It's a good description, and so that's why 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:58.879 I wanted to mention it and mention those couple 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:05.380 things. So, we talked also just about how counterculture 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:09.079 all of this is and the lies that the world seeks 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:14.500 to have us believe. The idea of an independent 00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:17.240 woman fulfilling your career, fulfilling your 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:20.140 desires, and all of these other things. At the 00:17:20.140 --> 00:17:22.259 expense of your home. At the expense of your 00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:26.140 children. At the expense of your husband. Those 00:17:26.140 --> 00:17:31.000 are all lies of Satan. We said. If you want to 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:34.660 be fulfilled. If you want to be. In a place of 00:17:34.660 --> 00:17:38.660 blessing. Where should you be? Doing what God 00:17:38.660 --> 00:17:41.480 has called you to do. Where he's called you to 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:44.599 do it. That is the place of joy. And of happiness. 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:54.009 That is the place of blessing. Another thing 00:17:54.009 --> 00:17:56.750 that we did not mention last week that I thought 00:17:56.750 --> 00:18:00.170 I would touch on this morning, just briefly, 00:18:00.309 --> 00:18:05.170 in a way that a wife is a help to her husband. 00:18:06.210 --> 00:18:12.970 So, again, the more I think about everything 00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:16.890 that I've said and everything that could be said, 00:18:17.049 --> 00:18:19.549 there's just... There's just so much. There's 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:21.890 so much that could be said regarding the home, 00:18:22.009 --> 00:18:25.130 the family, the husband -wife relationship. And 00:18:25.130 --> 00:18:27.589 so one thing that I haven't mentioned here is 00:18:27.589 --> 00:18:30.970 sex. And I was thinking about that this week, 00:18:31.009 --> 00:18:33.930 that I hadn't said anything about that. And so 00:18:33.930 --> 00:18:36.210 let me read this passage. And again, this is 00:18:36.210 --> 00:18:39.269 a way that the husband and wife are a help. And 00:18:39.269 --> 00:18:43.269 generally speaking, the wife specifically to 00:18:43.269 --> 00:18:47.200 the husband. But in 1 Corinthians 7. Now concerning, 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:49.599 we'll start in verse 1. Now concerning the things 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:52.000 about which you wrote, it is good for a man not 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.980 to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, 00:18:55.019 --> 00:18:57.660 each man is to have his own wife, and each woman 00:18:57.660 --> 00:19:00.519 is to have her own husband. The husband must 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:03.339 fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:06.480 the wife to her husband. The wife does not have 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.880 authority over her body, but the husband does. 00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:11.680 And likewise also the husband does not have authority 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:16.220 over his body, but the wife does. Stop depriving 00:19:16.220 --> 00:19:19.400 one another except by agreement for a time so 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:21.480 that you may devote yourselves to prayer and 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:24.039 come together again so that Satan will not tempt 00:19:24.039 --> 00:19:29.519 you because of your lack of self -control. But 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:31.799 this I say by way of concession, not of command. 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:35.039 And he goes on there. So what's Paul saying there? 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:38.859 That it is good that you have a husband and a 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:41.220 wife, that you are married and that you fulfill 00:19:41.220 --> 00:19:44.599 these sexual desires. With one another. That 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:49.099 you're not tempted outside. To sin. And so. In 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:51.799 the marriage relationship. Sex is a good and 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:54.859 a wonderful thing. It's an enjoyable thing. It's 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:58.559 pleasurable. And it's also obviously. Where children 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:03.720 come from. And so. I just wanted to mention real 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.140 quick. That this is an important part. Of the 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:08.880 marriage relationship. This is not just a little 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.730 side note. That something. That, yeah, we have 00:20:11.730 --> 00:20:15.069 sex because we're married. But this is a huge 00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:18.710 part of your relationship. And it is often a 00:20:18.710 --> 00:20:25.529 part of frustration at times and difficulty. 00:20:26.609 --> 00:20:29.430 Because, again, men and women are different. 00:20:29.490 --> 00:20:31.829 And men may desire it more than women. Women 00:20:31.829 --> 00:20:35.109 may not be in the mood and so on and so forth 00:20:35.109 --> 00:20:38.119 and all of those things. You have to work those 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:40.440 things out in your marriage and in your relationship. 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:45.079 You have to consider one another, the other person, 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:47.799 more than yourself. What does Paul say there? 00:20:48.099 --> 00:20:50.900 It's not your body. It's your husband's body. 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:53.799 It's your wife's body. And so you have to fulfill 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:58.480 those desires for them, obviously, as long as 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:02.339 they are good and biblical desires. So, in that 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:05.140 way, a wife is a wonderful help to her husband. 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:10.799 And satisfying those desires. That he has. Alright. 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:16.119 So. This morning then. I want to spend some time. 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:23.819 Speaking directly to mothers. And I want to start 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:28.220 by saying. That the role of mothers. The role 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:34.599 of motherhood. I don't know. There's no greater 00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:43.329 calling. For a woman than to be a mother. This 00:21:43.329 --> 00:21:47.809 is. You cannot say too much. And you cannot elevate 00:21:47.809 --> 00:21:52.849 it too much. The role of being a mother. To your 00:21:52.849 --> 00:21:57.349 children. This is not a small matter. It is not 00:21:57.349 --> 00:22:03.769 insignificant. It is so superior. To what the 00:22:03.769 --> 00:22:06.099 world thinks. The world says what? Have your 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:09.420 children and send them to daycare. Send them 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:13.359 to school. Do, you know, whatever. Get them out 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:19.460 and live your life. Right? A totally warped and 00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:25.220 wrong view of children. You have the opportunity 00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:28.640 as a mother to influence and impact your child 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:31.400 more than anyone else. More than the husband 00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:36.579 and the father. Why? Because they should be with 00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:40.539 you all day long. They're with you. You're caring 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:43.819 for them. He's off at work, right? He's providing 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:47.799 for the home. What's the wife doing? What's the 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:50.000 mother doing? She's caring for these all day 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:53.400 long. When we work in our society now, we only 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:56.319 work, you know, we're gone ten hours. We've got 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:58.900 an hour drive, an hour drive home. We're working 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:02.240 eight hours, whatever. Roughly. Again, it's all 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:08.890 different. That's 10 hours extra that the mothers 00:23:08.890 --> 00:23:11.349 have with these children to influence and to 00:23:11.349 --> 00:23:14.990 impact, to train, to teach, all of these things. 00:23:15.430 --> 00:23:19.089 They play, you wives, you mothers, play a vital 00:23:19.089 --> 00:23:24.690 role in the raising of children. And God has 00:23:24.690 --> 00:23:30.430 put this upon you. No one else. Obviously, as 00:23:30.430 --> 00:23:33.450 we've already said, husbands and fathers. They're 00:23:33.450 --> 00:23:35.910 lead, they're responsible for all of these things. 00:23:36.329 --> 00:23:40.690 But you mothers, this is a huge responsibility 00:23:40.690 --> 00:23:43.910 that the Lord has placed upon you. He's not given 00:23:43.910 --> 00:23:47.509 this responsibility to anyone else. If you neglect 00:23:47.509 --> 00:23:49.950 this responsibility, you neglect your children. 00:23:50.890 --> 00:23:54.470 You neglect their good. You neglect their care. 00:23:54.970 --> 00:23:57.509 What does Paul say? What does he say to these 00:23:57.509 --> 00:24:01.059 women? Love your children. Older women teach 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:04.079 these younger women to love their children. How 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:07.980 do we love our children? All of those things 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:11.339 that we mentioned before that fathers are responsible 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:16.200 for. Mothers are also responsible. Again, under 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:18.440 the leadership and guidance of the husband and 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:21.779 the father. But mothers are responsible for all 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:25.279 of those same things. The Proverbs are full of 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:29.470 instruction to mothers. to teach and to train, 00:24:29.630 --> 00:24:35.029 to instruct your children. That is your responsibility. 00:24:36.789 --> 00:24:38.829 You can't do that when they're not with you. 00:24:38.950 --> 00:24:42.150 You can't do that when you're at work. It's impossible. 00:24:43.809 --> 00:24:48.309 You are responsible for discipline. You are the 00:24:48.309 --> 00:24:54.529 arm of your husband when he's gone. That is resting 00:24:54.529 --> 00:24:59.890 solely upon you. You have to do it. Again, it's 00:24:59.890 --> 00:25:02.670 what your husband should be saying. Honey, you 00:25:02.670 --> 00:25:05.430 have got to discipline. You've got to instruct. 00:25:06.130 --> 00:25:10.009 This must be done while I'm gone. I have to work. 00:25:10.089 --> 00:25:14.430 I have to provide. I'm relying upon you. There's 00:25:14.430 --> 00:25:17.990 no greater help to a husband than a wife and 00:25:17.990 --> 00:25:20.809 a mother who cares for her children and cares 00:25:20.809 --> 00:25:26.609 for her home while her husband is away. No greater 00:25:26.609 --> 00:25:30.809 help there. So, the discipline, the training, 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:34.490 the instruction of our children, spiritual maturity, 00:25:34.789 --> 00:25:37.269 emotional, physical, social maturity, all of 00:25:37.269 --> 00:25:40.150 those things that we said fathers are responsible 00:25:40.150 --> 00:25:44.230 for. We as fathers place the responsibility on 00:25:44.230 --> 00:25:49.029 our wives. Again, not solely. We make sure these 00:25:49.029 --> 00:25:51.529 things are being done. We help. We encourage 00:25:51.529 --> 00:25:54.230 when we're home. We do all those things with 00:25:54.230 --> 00:25:58.029 her. Mothers are responsible for these things 00:25:58.029 --> 00:26:03.970 and have a great and enormous impact upon these 00:26:03.970 --> 00:26:08.609 children that the Lord has blessed us with. So, 00:26:08.609 --> 00:26:13.630 do not believe the lies of the world that say 00:26:13.630 --> 00:26:17.529 it's okay to turn the care of your children over 00:26:17.529 --> 00:26:21.390 to someone else. It's not. It's not okay. The 00:26:21.390 --> 00:26:25.710 Lord has given them, committed them to you. For 00:26:25.710 --> 00:26:29.329 this purpose. To train them up. To raise them. 00:26:29.509 --> 00:26:33.230 To teach them. To love them. This is how we love 00:26:33.230 --> 00:26:36.589 them. We provide for them. We care for them. 00:26:36.789 --> 00:26:45.789 We guard them. We protect them. I want to make 00:26:45.789 --> 00:26:48.730 sure that we don't. You know obviously. Our children 00:26:48.730 --> 00:26:52.559 are not going to be with us. 24 -7, as they grow 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:55.519 older, they're going to go. I'm not saying you 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:57.720 can't have a babysitter and all these other things. 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:02.440 But we are responsible. You mothers, how are 00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:04.980 you able to control what your children see, what 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:08.400 they hear, if you're not with them? If you turn 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:12.740 them over to the school system, what are they 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:15.680 going to hear? What are they going to see? They're 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:17.390 going to learn of evolution. They're going to 00:27:17.390 --> 00:27:20.190 learn all the depravity of sexual depravity. 00:27:20.690 --> 00:27:23.650 And here all these things are okay. And they're 00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:26.549 good and they're acceptable. How can you protect 00:27:26.549 --> 00:27:30.190 your children in those ways? You can't. And so 00:27:30.190 --> 00:27:32.910 it's important that as mothers and fathers you 00:27:32.910 --> 00:27:35.089 consider all of these things as you raise your 00:27:35.089 --> 00:27:39.029 children. How are you able to fulfill what God 00:27:39.029 --> 00:27:44.170 has called you to do? You've got to consider 00:27:44.170 --> 00:27:53.049 all of that. So mothers, again, I want to emphasize, 00:27:53.150 --> 00:27:56.210 I think I've said it, but I'm just saying it 00:27:56.210 --> 00:28:01.869 again. You have a great and enormous responsibility 00:28:01.869 --> 00:28:08.589 and a huge impact upon your children for good 00:28:08.589 --> 00:28:11.549 or for bad, depending upon how you use those 00:28:11.549 --> 00:28:17.220 responsibilities that God has given you. So take 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:31.920 it seriously. Consider it. Another thing here 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:39.380 that I wanted to mention. For mothers. You knew 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:42.819 mothers in particular. So it's. I think I've 00:28:42.819 --> 00:28:46.079 already said this. But it's. It's here you are. 00:28:46.099 --> 00:28:47.940 You've got this new baby, right? And you've got 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:50.079 to have all of these. You've got to learn. There's 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:54.740 so much to learn. You're trying to protect them. 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.079 You're trying to keep them. You're trying to 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:58.240 keep them healthy and all these other things. 00:28:59.720 --> 00:29:02.819 You also have to let them grow up. You have to 00:29:02.819 --> 00:29:06.059 let them mature. You have to let them take responsibilities. 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:09.099 They have to do things. They have to fail at 00:29:09.099 --> 00:29:12.039 things. You know, they've got to learn to use 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:14.910 the stove. When are you going to let them do 00:29:14.910 --> 00:29:19.089 that? When they're 16 and you're really sure 00:29:19.089 --> 00:29:21.349 now that they can use the stove, they really 00:29:21.349 --> 00:29:25.950 understand. Long before then, hopefully. But 00:29:25.950 --> 00:29:28.390 those are all things you have to consider. You 00:29:28.390 --> 00:29:30.890 have to let them grow up. You have to let them 00:29:30.890 --> 00:29:33.490 do these things. And if they don't want to, you 00:29:33.490 --> 00:29:36.509 have to make them do these things. They've got 00:29:36.509 --> 00:29:40.329 to learn to dress themselves. They've got to 00:29:40.329 --> 00:29:42.529 learn to pick out their clothes. They've got 00:29:42.529 --> 00:29:47.250 to learn responsibility. So guard, protect, keep, 00:29:47.410 --> 00:29:51.890 all of those things. Don't baby them, though. 00:29:53.390 --> 00:29:56.670 Make them grow up. Again, there's a balance there. 00:29:57.170 --> 00:30:01.089 But just be mindful of that. It's good. It's 00:30:01.089 --> 00:30:03.130 good for them to be out and about. It's good 00:30:03.130 --> 00:30:09.480 for them to be doing different things. and i 00:30:09.480 --> 00:30:11.779 think i said this before but i just it came to 00:30:11.779 --> 00:30:14.180 my mind again again one way that we encourage 00:30:14.180 --> 00:30:19.160 our children in being social and learning and 00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:22.859 trusting other people is here at the church passing 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:25.680 those babies around is a wonderful way that that 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:29.920 baby knows he can go to anybody and be just fine 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:32.859 here he can be cared for he's gonna be loved 00:30:32.859 --> 00:30:37.900 get used to these other people it's a good place 00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:40.940 To teach your children. It's a safe place to 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:46.319 teach your children all of these things. So, 00:30:46.380 --> 00:30:51.099 mothers. Everyone's different, right? Each mother 00:30:51.099 --> 00:30:54.599 is different. And some of you, you know, this 00:30:54.599 --> 00:30:56.779 is just a natural thing for you. It's what you've 00:30:56.779 --> 00:30:58.880 always wanted. You're wanting to stay home. You're 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:01.380 wanting to do this. Others of you have other 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:03.359 desires. Oh, I'd really like to do this. I'd 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:07.529 like to do that. Everybody's different. And so 00:31:07.529 --> 00:31:11.769 you have got to put your desires, your wants 00:31:11.769 --> 00:31:15.250 in line with scripture, no matter what. That's 00:31:15.250 --> 00:31:18.809 our goal, is to serve the Lord and to be submissive 00:31:18.809 --> 00:31:24.029 to what he's given us. There is, like I said, 00:31:24.089 --> 00:31:27.809 only blessing in following after the Lord. There 00:31:27.809 --> 00:31:33.589 is only blessing as we are obedient to the calling 00:31:33.589 --> 00:31:36.210 that he has given us. given us as husbands as 00:31:36.210 --> 00:31:42.509 wives as mothers as fathers and so it's imperative 00:31:42.509 --> 00:31:47.210 that we all consider what is what are our responsibilities 00:31:47.210 --> 00:31:52.089 and let me say this one more time these are not 00:31:52.089 --> 00:31:55.710 just decisions for for wives and for mothers 00:31:55.710 --> 00:31:58.829 right who's who's ultimately responsible for 00:31:58.829 --> 00:32:02.250 what goes on in the home the husband you husbands 00:32:02.250 --> 00:32:05.799 have to lead You have to say, here's what the 00:32:05.799 --> 00:32:09.519 Bible says. This is what we should be doing. 00:32:10.059 --> 00:32:13.519 This is what's expected of us. This is how I'm 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:17.180 going to lead us. And so lead your wives, men. 00:32:18.599 --> 00:32:21.740 Lead them in the way that they should go. Lead 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:48.769 your homes in a godly, biblical manner. We'll 00:32:48.769 --> 00:32:49.789 just end there for the day.