Stop for a moment and remember how important the mothers of this world are and how important our mother is.
God, I just pray to you to speak to our hearts from the Bible this morning and help us to take with us the truth that you would have for us.
Something that could be an encouragement to the mothers that are here, Father, and also to help us appreciate our mother and love and respect our mother as we should.
And in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Now put back in your Bible, if you would, to Genesis chapter number 2.
At the very beginning of the Bible, Genesis chapter number 2, of course we just read the entire chapter of Proverbs chapter 31.
Turn back to Genesis chapter number 2 and we'll see some very important foundational things in the Bible.
Of course, the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, introduces us to so many important subjects and gives us so many foundational truths upon which the rest of the Bible is built.
Now we understand the creation in chapter number 1. We see where things came from, what the purpose of things is.
Well, in Genesis chapter 2 and in chapter 3, we see the two major purposes of a woman in this world.
What is the purpose of a woman? Well, look if you would at Genesis chapter 2, we'll see one of the purposes.
In verse 18 the Bible reads,
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make an help meet for him.
Meet there means it's suitable for him, a helper that's appropriate for him.
The Bible says, and help meet for him.
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them.
And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field.
But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
You see, none of the animals were appropriate, were suitable to be this help that he needed.
And so the Lord God in verse number 21 caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam.
And he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof.
And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he woman and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.
She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and went out of shame.
So we see here that God's purpose originally in Genesis chapter 2.
The first time a woman is mentioned in the Bible, and it's always significant in the Bible, the first time something is mentioned,
God created the woman. Why? For the man.
1 Corinthians chapter 11, don't turn there, I'll read this for you in verse number 8.
The Bible says, For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.
Neither was the man created for the woman, listen to this, but the woman for the man.
Now is that what the Bible says or not?
Wake up, because you think you're dreaming, right?
Hello, wake up. You're in faithful word Baptist church.
Somebody is telling you the truth about what the Bible says.
Isn't that amazing that you came to church and heard somebody actually open their mouth and say that the Bible says that the woman was made for the man?
Wow, isn't that amazing? You thought you had to read that on your own, didn't you?
You never thought you'd hear that in a church anywhere.
But here you are in faithful word Baptist church, and a preacher is telling you what the Bible says.
That the woman is made for the man.
So number one purpose that God created the woman was why?
So that she could be married and so that she could help her husband.
Now let's look at the second reason, look at Genesis chapter 3.
And of course we saw that she was called, she was actually called woman, why?
Because she was taken out of the man, the Bible says.
Let's see what else she was called.
The Bible says in Genesis chapter 3 verse 20, just one chapter over from where you were.
Genesis 3, 20, the Bible reads, and Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living.
So here we get her actual name, woman is just what she was called, just that she's a woman.
But then we get her actual name in Genesis chapter 3, Eve.
That's the first time that her name Eve is mentioned, you know, we've all heard of Adam and Eve.
But who named her Eve? Actually Adam is the one that named her Eve.
And the word Eve there means that she's a mother.
So her very identity was wrapped up in the fact that she's a mother.
That's why she was called Eve.
Now we live in such a backwards world, don't we?
I mean don't we live in a world where everything is backwards in 2006?
Well before I move on to that, look at Genesis chapter 3 verse 16.
And we'll see another verse that's not in the Bible if you ask most people.
But look at Genesis 3, 16.
Not to be confused with John 3, 16, although that's probably almost as important.
Genesis 3, 16, the Bible says, unto the woman he said,
I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception.
In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee.
Isn't that amazing that the Bible says that?
Most people don't even know, literally, most Christians don't even know that the Bible says that.
And it's in the third chapter of the Bible that the Bible says that the husband is to rule over his wife.
Isn't that amazing?
Wow, it's amazing what you learn when you come to church.
But we live in such a backwards society, we live in such a topsy-turvy world,
where when a preacher stands up and preaches these basic truths from the Bible,
I mean, some of the most foundational truths that are found in the first three chapters of the Bible
is considered a fanatic and a radical.
Now, we live in a day where, well, it says in Isaiah 5, 20,
woe unto them that call evil good and good evil,
that put darkness for light and light for darkness.
Watch this.
That put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
God says, I don't like things that are backwards.
He says, I don't like it when people call something evil good
and people call something that's good evil.
I don't like it when people even call something sweet bitter or bittersweet.
He said, I like for things to be right.
I don't like things to be backwards.
And we live in a day where the rules between male and female have been reversed greatly.
Now, I don't understand why a woman would be called a feminist
who cuts her hair short and stands up behind some microphone somewhere
and says, you know, what, this number right here, you know, right?
We can do it.
You know, you see those little coasters with the, go with the bandana on
and she's like this, right?
Some woman says, I am woman, hear me roar.
Some short-haired masculine woman stands behind the microphone and says,
we want our rights!
Hey, that's not femininity.
You're a feminazi.
Hey, I'm a feminist this morning.
Pastor Steven L. Anderson, if you remember one thing,
remember that Pastor Steven L. Anderson is a feminist.
He said, good night.
I didn't know that if I went to an independent Baptist church there would be a feminist behind the pulpit.
Yes, I'm a feminist.
I believe that women should be feminine.
Now, why is it that we live in a society in the United States of America
that drags down women, that does not properly respect women?
Think about this.
I was in a department store recently, as I often am for my job.
I do fire alarm inspections.
In a department store, the manager is a woman.
So what do I do? I open the door for her, right?
Isn't that what men are supposed to do for women, right?
You open the door for them, you're courteous.
I open the door for her, and she's just like, that's okay.
I can do it myself.
I was like, fine.
But we live in such a world that degrades women.
Why would I be...
You say, well, you're preaching against women.
Preaching against women?
Hey, celebrate femininity.
Hey, celebrate the fact that you're a woman.
Hey, celebrate the job of being a wife.
Celebrate what a great honor and privilege it is to be a mother.
That's what Mother's Day is all about.
Don't let somebody turn you into a man.
Don't let the TV turn you into a man.
Don't let our society turn you into a man
and tell you that you have to be rough and tough
and don't let some man open the door for you
and you can talk with a deep voice
and march around and throw your weight around
and put pants on and put your carpenter pants on
and dress all manly and everything.
Hey, why don't you decide
that you're going to be glad that you're a woman?
Hey, if our world, if our United States culture
exalts women so highly,
then why do they tell women to dress like men?
Why do they tell women to go work at a men's job?
Hey, why do they tell women that being a mother
is not an exalted position
but that they should be out in the world somewhere
with some career somewhere, in a business suit somewhere?
No, my friend.
The greatest thing that you could do as a woman
is to be a wife,
and the greatest thing that you could do as a woman
is to be a mother.
That's what the Bible says.
God created woman to be a wife and a mother.
Hey, these are high and lofty jobs.
Hey, don't ever hang your head.
If somebody asks you what you do for a living,
you say, I'm a homemaker.
I'm a housewife.
Hey, that's the greatest thing
that you could be doing in the world,
according to God.
Now turn, if you would, to 1 Timothy,
the book of 1 Timothy,
toward the end of your Bible.
And I know this isn't popular,
and I really, to be honest with you,
I can't understand why it's not popular.
I think it's something to do with Satan.
I think it's the devil that wants to
skew the roles of men and women
and get everything all backwards.
That's what I think,
because I can't understand why a woman
would allow herself to be degraded
and told by society that she has to act
and dress and talk and be just like a man.
Good night. That's not feminism.
Pastor Anderson's the feminist up here
saying that women should be feminine
and act like women
and dress like women
and talk like women
and do the things that women do best
and, most importantly, being a wife and a mother.
Now I don't care whether you like that or not,
to be honest with you,
because God called me to preach the Word
and to be incidences and out-of-season,
reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine,
for the time will come,
when they'll not endure sound doctrine,
but after their own lust
shall they heed to themselves
teachers having itching ears,
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth
and shall be turned unto fables.
But that doesn't bother me,
because God said that that was going to happen,
and so that doesn't bother me
when that actually happens.
I'm going to stand up
and preach the Bible
like God told me to preach it.
But in 1 Timothy, look at chapter number 5.
See God's will for a young woman.
The Bible says in 1 Timothy 5, 13,
and with all they learn to be idle,
wandering about from house to house,
and not only idle,
but toddlers also and busybodies,
speaking things which they ought not.
Verse 14,
I will, therefore,
that the younger women marry
their children, guide the house,
give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
What does the Bible say
that God's will for a young woman is?
He says my will is for her to get married,
to bear children,
to guide the house,
to give none occasion to the adversary
to speak reproachfully.
See, God's will is that a woman be married
and have children.
That's why he created women.
In Genesis 7, 1, 2, 3,
you say, I don't believe that.
You're old-fashioned.
Look, if you don't believe that,
then why are you in church on Sunday morning?
Didn't you have something better to do?
Wasn't there some brunch special going on somewhere
that you have to come to church
and not believe what the Bible says?
Tell me what I've said this morning
that's not from the Bible,
because everything I've said
came straight out of the Bible.
Look, if you would, at Proverbs.
Let's go back to Proverbs.
We're going to spend a little bit of time in Proverbs.
And look at verse number 29.
I don't want to have you
turn to too many scriptures,
but I want you to see
just a few foundational things.
Proverbs, chapter 29,
close to where we were
when we started the message.
And I want to read to you
a very important verse,
because I want to show you
what an important role
mothers have in the raising of children.
The role of women is so vital.
While you're turning there,
I want to tell you that
although I do believe very strongly
what the Bible teaches
about the roles of men and women,
and that the woman was made
for the man and so forth,
I want to say this
so that the Bible does say
in Galatians 3.28 that in Christ
there's neither male nor female.
So when it comes to winning souls,
when it comes to you walking with God,
when it comes to you standing before God,
you can be just as greatly used
by God as a woman, as a man.
Now, sometimes in the life of this church,
there have been times
when we had a lot more women
in this church than men in this church.
You say, did that ever bother you?
That never bothers me at all.
Never bothers me at all.
I've been in church
and talked to the pastor and said,
oh, we need to get more men.
Oh, I'd love to get more men,
and we have all these women,
but women, hey, look,
women are just as important
as men in church.
A woman in this church
can do just as much for God
as a man can.
I mean, she's not going to be
behind the pulpit, obviously,
because we believe that
the Bible teaches very clearly
that only a man
should be preaching the Word of God.
But at the same time,
are you behind the pulpit?
No.
Are you behind the pulpit?
No.
You know, look,
everybody in this church
is an integral part
of this church,
male or female.
Why?
Because everybody in this church
can be a soul winner,
can win people to Christ.
Everybody in this church
can pray and read their Bible
and do everything
that God told them to do.
Hey, it never bothers me either.
I don't care how many people
we have in this church,
how many men versus women.
Hey, this church is all women.
Wouldn't bother me at all.
Because women are just
as important as men.
Women are just
as important in God's economy.
They're going to get
the same rewards in heaven.
They can be just as
greatly used by God
to win souls.
Hey, they can do
everything that a man can do
when it comes to the things
that really matter spiritually.
And so,
never bothers me at all,
doesn't even cost my mind.
It's unimportant.
So I don't want you
to misunderstand that
when I'm talking about
the roles of men
and women in society.
But look down at one
of the most important verses
about child rearing
in the entire Bible.
Look at Proverbs 29 and 15.
The Bible reads,
The rod and reproof give wisdom.
Now what's a rod?
The rod is like my spanking,
of course.
The reproof is when
you correct the child
and tell them that
what they're doing is wrong.
It's when you say no
to the child.
But look at the next part
though, that's not enough.
See, just spanking
and telling them no
all the time is not enough.
It says,
But a child left to himself
bringeth his mother to shame.
You see that?
Not only should you be spanking
and disciplining your children
and telling them what's right
and what's wrong,
but the Bible's clear
that you need to be spending
time with your children.
Don't leave your children
to themselves.
And notice the mother
is the one that's mentioned.
The mother will be
brought to shame.
See, God is telling
what...
Now, as a man,
I spend as much time
with my kids
as I can, of course.
I just went to California
and I took my son
Solomon with me.
You know, I only had
a few jobs to do
and I figured maybe
I could just squeeze by.
They'd think that it was
just take your child
to work day or something.
So I did a couple
of fire alarm jobs
and I bought Solomon.
I dressed him up real nice
and tried to make him
look as mature as possible
so that I could walk
into these businesses
and seem professional
and say, you know,
don't talk, don't move.
And he did a great job.
But it was great
because me and my son
got to spend just hours
upon hours together.
We drove all the way to L.A.
Then we drove down to San Diego.
We stopped at Doheny Beach
there where the big waves were
and there was all these guys
surfing and everything.
I did a little body surfing
and so we had a great time.
Hey, I was spending time
with my son.
Hey, I decided that if I could
barely squeeze by with him,
I was going to bring
my son to work
and have all this
great time with him.
But let's face it,
by and large, I cannot be
with my son all day long.
I mean, I'm at work.
There's things that I need
to be doing, out producing,
out working, and making money
and serving God and everything.
Hey, I can't be with my son
but you know who's
with my son all day?
My wife is with my son
all day.
This is who's with him,
Mom, all day long.
And so God is saying,
listen, Mom, don't just lead
the kids to themselves all day.
Don't just let the kids
run wild all day long
and do your own thing
and have your own thing
going on.
He says, if you leave
your children to themselves,
you're going to be
brought to shame one day
because of the way
that they turn out.
It's so important that you
spend time with your children.
A mother's role in child
during is so vital
because the mother is the
one that's there all day long.
Your wife probably
has more influence
over my children than I do
because she's with them
all day long.
And so it's so important.
That's why the Bible says
in Proverbs 31,
her husband does
safely trust in her.
See, I trust my wife
to raise these kids correctly.
Hey, it's the most important
job in the world.
What she's doing at home
with the kids
is more important
than what I'm doing
out turning the screwdriver.
I mean, good night.
If I mess up a fire alarm system,
you know, we'll get over it.
We'll fix it or whatever.
But if she messes up
with the child very,
there's a lot more at stake here.
It's a much more
crucial function that she plays,
a role that she plays
as a mother.
And so the Bible says,
yes, the rod and the proof
give wisdom,
but a child left to himself.
See the word but there,
a contrast.
Yes, it gives wisdom,
but a child left to himself
is still going to bring
his mother to shame
even if he was disciplined
with the rod,
as the Bible says.
Turn back just a few
chapters to Proverbs 22,
Proverbs 22, 6,
and see a very famous verse.
Proverbs 22, 6,
the Bible says,
Train up a child
in the way he should go,
and when he is old,
he will not depart from it.
You see, the role
of a woman in the home
raising her children
is to train those children,
not just to feed them
and diaper them
and clothe them
and everything like that.
And this is the problem
that I have with daycare,
because that's all
daycare does.
You know, they feed them,
they clothe them,
and they stick them
in front of the TV screen.
But see, a woman at home
with the children
is training those children.
You know, I was thinking
about great corporations,
great giant businesses.
You know, they have
full-time employees
who do nothing
but train new employees.
I've talked to people
that have that job.
I mean, all they do,
what's your job?
I train the new hire.
That's your job.
That's your job
if you're a mother.
You're the trainer.
You're training
those young minds.
Hey, you're training
their behavior
to be behavior
that's pleasing to God,
righteous behavior
that's going to help
them grow up
and be the kind of people
that God wants them to be,
to be a hardworking man,
to be a godly woman,
a godly wife and mother.
Hey, you're doing
the training.
It's so important
what you're doing.
Don't get so busy
with everything else.
Don't leave your children
to themselves.
You're going to be
brought to shame.
You're going to be ashamed
of what you achieved
out in the business world
when you left
your children to themselves
and your children
to be satisfied.
You're going to be ashamed
of the accolade
that you get
from your peers
and your friends
for all the things
that you've accomplished
if you didn't accomplish
the one thing
that God made you
to accomplish,
which is to be
a successful wife
and a successful mother.
That's what God said.
And so don't leave
your children to themselves.
Train up your children
in the way
that they should go,
and God guarantees you
that when they're old,
they won't depart from it.
Look at Psalms,
chapter number 45,
just one book backward
in your Bible
from Proverbs.
Look at Psalm 45,
one of my favorite
verses in the Bible.
Psalm 45, verse 16,
the Bible reads,
instead of thy fathers,
and this is speaking
to a woman, by the way.
It's speaking to a mother.
Instead of thy fathers
shall be thy children
whom thou mayest
make princes
in all the earth.
See, God said
that you can make
your children princes
as a mother.
You can make
your children
great leaders,
great rulers,
great Christians,
great creatures,
great godly men and women,
they can be made princes.
You say,
well, maybe they'll
turn out right,
maybe they'll turn out right.
No, you make them
turn out right.
That's what God's saying
in Psalm 45, 16.
No, you train them up
in the way they should go.
No, don't leave them
to themselves.
You can make them
what they need to be made,
part of what I am today.
I can look back
to what my mom
and dad made me.
I look at some of the things
that I take a hard stand on,
some of the things
that I believe,
hey, some of the things
that I live by.
What?
My parents made me.
My mom and dad
made me this way.
You want to know
who to blame?
Mom and dad.
You want to know
who to blame
for my behavior right now?
Ask mom and dad.
They're the ones
who made me this way.
That's what the Bible says.
Now, not only that,
and you don't have
to turn there,
but Proverbs 1, verse 8,
don't turn there,
but the Bible says,
my son,
hear the instruction
of thy father,
and forsake not
the law of thy mother.
Turn to Proverbs 31
while I'm reading these.
Proverbs 6, 20 says,
my son,
keep thy father's commandment
and forsake not
the law of thy mother.
Now, does that say,
keep thy father's suggestions
and forsake not
the preferences of thy mother?
No.
I mean, these are strong words.
He says,
keep your father's commandment
and forsake not
the law of thy mother.
Now, for a child
to be able to obey this verse,
that means mom is going
to have to have some laws
in the house, right?
And I mean,
dad's going to have
to have some commandments.
Or else,
how could a child
even obey that verse?
Parents who don't,
well, we're just taking
a more natural approach
to child rearing.
You know,
the kid's like hanging
from the ceiling fan, right?
The kid's like smearing
his diaper all over the wall.
We just believe
in a more natural approach.
We just kind of let them
do what they want to do
and just kind of
see what they do.
I mean,
we don't want to stifle
their creativity.
We don't want to stifle
their imagination.
I mean,
I just want to see
what they'll just
naturally do.
You want to see
what they're naturally into?
They're going to naturally
destroy your house.
They're going to naturally
bring you to shame.
They're naturally going to
make the biggest mess
you've ever seen.
Hey, my kids,
if I leave them alone
for a couple hours,
I dread to think
what it would be like
if we just left the house
and just locked them in.
You know,
we'd never do that,
of course.
We'll be back in a few hours.
I mean,
I'd be surprised if the place
is still even standing.
Okay?
I mean,
every cupboard would be empty.
Food would be everywhere.
I mean,
I'd turn my back on them
just for a little while,
and I feel like my kids
are pretty well-behaved.
But I'd turn my back on them
just for a little while
and they get out
the corn tortilla chips,
and they're just everywhere,
just spilled everywhere.
I mean,
just this morning,
we're getting ready for church,
and my son is sitting
down at the table
eating breakfast.
He's got a muffin.
He gets up from the table
and just walking,
you know,
we just swept
and cleaned the floor
for church.
He just walks in here.
He says,
and muffin is just falling
out of his mouth.
He's just shoving a muffin
in his mouth.
It's crumbling
all over the ground
everywhere,
and there's just
this huge pile of dirt.
I'm like,
son, no!
What are you doing?
Hey,
you can't just leave kids
to do whatever they want.
That's ridiculous.
It's so foolish,
and parents just think
that they can just
let them go
and let them do
what they're going to do,
you know,
you have to have laws.
You have to have commandments.
You have to have rules.
Now, what's the difference
between a law
and a commandment
and say just a preference
or well,
Johnny,
I'd prefer that you
didn't do that.
Let me explain to you,
I know you're
only two years old,
but let me explain to you
why you shouldn't do that,
son.
You know,
people take these
nine-month-old child
and a 15-month-old child
and they sit and have
these talks with them
and explain stuff to them.
You don't understand
what you're saying.
You don't know
what you're talking about.
The difference
between a commandment
or a law
is that it's set in stone,
right?
I mean, God's laws
are written in stone.
I mean,
they never change.
God's commandments,
and of course,
I think mom
and dad's commandments
should be based
directly from God's
commandments,
of course.
But in order to have
laws and rules
that are set in stone,
that means
you have to live
by laws and rules
that are set in stone,
mom.
Are you one of those people
that's given to change,
as the Bible says?
Do you change
all the time?
You change.
One day,
this is allowed
for your kids,
and then another day,
they get away with it,
and then the next day,
you're spanking them
or yelling at them for it.
And by the way,
you shouldn't yell
at your kids anyway.
You should spank them
and speak kindly to them.
The Bible says,
in her tongue,
the law of kindness
in Proverbs 31,
no reason to scream
at your kids.
People who scream
at their kids
because they're not spanking,
so they scream at them
and hurt their feelings.
But you can't have rules
that just change
from day to day
as a mother.
Okay?
You have to have
commandments and laws
where the same rule
that's enforced yesterday
is enforced today
or else you're
confusing your kids.
Hey, you know,
it confuses your kids
when you come to church
for a while,
and then you quit
coming to church for a while,
and then you go to church,
and then some services
you come to,
and it's confusing.
My parents took me
to church all the time.
Okay?
Now, my parents,
I mean, my whole life,
from the time I was born,
I went to church.
I mean, we went consistently.
There were times
when they laid out
for whatever reason,
but, I mean, by and large,
we consistently were going,
and most of the time
it was three times a week,
you know, Sunday morning,
Sunday night, Wednesday night.
And for that reason,
I mean, I've never gone more,
I've never missed church
more than one week
unless it was due to illness.
And I'm not saying
I have to brag about myself.
I'm saying even in
my most worldly time
when I was out doing,
you know, wrong things,
I still just had it
so ingrained in me
to be in church
because we were
just always there.
Why?
Because it was just
a law in my house.
And by the way,
all my siblings,
my brother and my few sisters,
no matter what stage
they've been in their life,
I mean, they pretty much
went to church.
Why?
Because it was just
so ingrained in us
because we saw mom and dad
consistently week after week,
year after year,
in church all the time.
Hey, that speaks volumes
to your children
when you consistently live
yourself the way
that God wants you to live,
and then when you tell them,
son, go to church,
He's going to take you
seriously because
He's seen you in church.
Daughter, go to church
every time.
They can see an example
of somebody who actually
did that.
Reading your Bible.
Do your children know
that you read the Bible
every day?
Or is it something
that just ever once in a while
you crack it open
when there's nothing on TV?
You know,
your TV set breaks down
and the repairman's
on his way.
It's going to take him
a couple hours to get there.
You get out the Bible
and blow it off.
It's crumbling in your hand
and you read the Bible.
No.
Or do they see a law
that says,
hey, son,
read the Bible every day.
Why?
Because I read
the Bible every day.
See, that's the kind
of child rearing
that we need.
We need parents who live
by consistent principles
and they teach
their children consistent rules
that never change.
Have you ever heard
this before?
Oh, kids,
and I don't have
a television, thank God.
I haven't had
a television in years.
And yes, it's because
the television's
straight out of hell.
But people sit down
and watch TV
and that's what they say.
Kids, go in the other room.
This part's not for kids.
Who's ever heard
that before?
Put a band.
Kids, go in the other room.
This isn't for kids.
What are you
teaching your kids?
Oh, boy, son,
when you grow up,
you can watch pornography
on television, huh?
You can watch filth
on the television, son,
when you grow up.
You're just a kid now.
Right now it's just
SpongeBob and Spiderman.
But when you grow up,
son, you can get up
and watch full blown pornography.
You can watch all the
cursing and swearing
and violence and filth
and ungodliness.
When you grow up, son,
what kind of a stupid
statement is that?
If it's not for kids,
goodnight.
If the kids shouldn't
be watching it,
why are you watching it, huh?
I can't think of
anything right now
that would be appropriate
for me to watch
but not for my children to watch.
Hey, what so ever
things are true?
What so ever things
are honest?
What so ever things
are just?
What so ever things
are pure?
What so ever things
are lovely?
What so ever things
are good and report?
If there be any
virtue and if there be
no, I don't understand
why my kids couldn't
watch that.
Oh yeah, because
it's not on TV.
Oh yeah, because
there's nothing like that
that falls under that category
that's why I don't have one.
But the bottom line is
that you need to be
consistently living
and teaching your kids
consistent rules
that actually make sense,
not going the other room
because this isn't for kids.
Look at Proverbs 31,
you're in Proverbs 31,
the Bible reads,
the words of King Lemuel,
this is talking about Solomon,
the prophecy that
his mother taught him.
Now the word prophecy there,
I mean you've seen that
word many times,
talk about prophet,
it basically is the word
that we use today, preacher.
Prophet is a word
that means preacher.
The word preacher is not
really used that much
in the Bible,
it's used very seldom,
even though we use it
a lot in our vocabulary.
The word that God
more often than not uses
is the word prophet
or prophesying.
Especially in the
Old Testament,
the only time the word
preacher is used in
the Old Testament is
the book of Ecclesiastes.
The whole rest of the
Old Testament calls
a preacher a prophet.
So here is basically preaching
that his mother
is doing to him.
I mean here's a mother
who teaches and preaches
the word of God
to her children.
I mean here's a mother
who teaches her children,
not just Bible stories,
not just flannel graph,
you know not just
some kind of a
happy-go-lucky story,
but she's teaching her son
some real strong meat
from the Bible.
I mean some real good
preaching from the Bible.
She says in verse number 2,
what my son,
and what the son of my womb,
and what the son of my vows,
give not by strength
unto women,
nor thy ways
to that which destroyeth kings.
She's warning him about
the strange woman,
women seducing him
and taking away his power
and bringing him down
to nothing.
It says in verse 4,
her next advice to her son,
it's not for kings,
O Lemuel,
remember this is
a woman speaking,
this is Solomon's
mother Bathsheba
speaking to him.
It's not for kings,
O Lemuel,
it's not for kings
to drink wine,
nor for princes
strong drink.
She says, son,
I'm going to tell you something.
There are two kinds
of people in this world.
There are kings and princes,
and then there are those
that are miserable,
ready to perish,
sorry, rascals.
She said, which one
do you want to be?
Look what she says.
It's not for kings,
O Lemuel.
It's not for kings
to drink wine,
nor for princes strong drink.
Why?
Why, Mom?
Why shouldn't I drink,
Mom?
Lest they drink
and forget the law
and pervert
the judgment
of any of the afflicted.
See, alcohol
will pervert you.
It'll make you forget
what's right and wrong.
It'll make you forget
the Bible.
It'll pervert your life.
And she says,
give strong drink
a name that's ready
to perish.
Is that you?
Is that what you want
your kids to fall
into that category?
Those that are ready
to perish?
I've heard people
actually pull this verse out
and use it
as a justification
for drinking alcohol.
I mean, how foolish
would you have to be?
I'd literally be like,
it says right here,
give wine to those
that are ready to,
see, give them booze,
you know,
buy them a beer.
Hey, pal,
you look a little fat.
You look a little down
there like,
let me buy you a beer.
Is that what
the Bible's saying?
No, she's contrasting.
She's saying,
it's not for you, son.
You're better than that.
Give it to that sorry bum
that's in the gutter.
Hey, give it to that guy.
That's what she's saying.
Give it to those
that are ready to perish
and wine unto those
that be of heavy hearts.
Let them drink
and forget his poverty
and remember his misery no more.
See, poor people
are allowed to drink.
I mean, this is how
people interpret the Bible.
If you're poor,
you can drink.
Okay, if you're below
the median United States
poverty level,
you are allowed to drink
as much as you want
because you're poor,
because you need to
forget about your poverty.
No, you need to
grow a brain
if you think that.
Okay, that's not
what the Bible's saying.
It says,
let them drink and
forget his poverty
and remember his misery no more.
Open thy mouth for the dumb
and the cause of all
such as are appointed
to destruction.
Open thy mouth,
judge righteously,
and plead the cause
of the poor in need.
See what it says.
Hey, help the poor in need.
You don't give them
a beer.
That's not what they need.
They don't need
more alcohol.
That's what got them
in the position
that they're in.
And on and on,
you'll see the rest
of this chapter.
She teaches him
what to look for
in a wife,
what to look for
in a woman that
he will marry someday.
You don't have
to turn there,
but 2 Timothy 1, verse 5,
this is Paul
speaking to Timothy.
Which dwells first
in thy grandmother,
Lois,
and thy mother,
Eunice,
and I am persuaded
that in thee also.
See, Timothy's father
was a Greek,
and from the Bible,
it's apparent
that he's an unbeliever.
But Timothy became
one of the greatest
preachers of the
New Testament.
Why?
Because his grandmother
loved God,
and she taught her daughter
the Word of God.
She taught her daughter
right and wrong,
and then that daughter
grew up and raised
a young boy
named Timothy
and taught her son,
even though
she was married
to an unbeliever,
even though her husband
was not training him
in the things of God,
she passed on
the faith of her mother
to her son Timothy.
He became one of the
greatest preachers
of the New Testament.
Hey, two books
of the Bible
are directed at him
giving him advice
on how to be
a great preacher.
Why?
Because his mother
taught him the Bible.
Don't make excuses
and say,
well, my husband this.
No, you teach
your kid the Bible.
Or my wife this,
that's why my kids
aren't trying.
It's all her fault.
No, you can make
your kids turn out
right, Dad,
because it takes
one parent who's willing
to teach their children
and train their children
to make that child
grow up for God.
And there are so many
examples in the Bible
of women who reared
great children for God,
even though their husband
was an ungodly man.
You think about
King Ahaz.
King Ahaz,
a Satan worshiper,
literally.
King Ahaz,
a man who took
his own children
and burned them
in the fire
and lost God,
some of his children.
Human sacrifice.
Nice dad, huh?
Nice guy.
He worshipped Satan,
the Bible says.
King Ahaz.
And yet,
King Ahaz,
married to a woman
named Abijah,
okay,
that woman,
Abijah,
raised her son,
Hezekiah,
to be a godly,
righteous king.
And as soon as
he took the throne,
he kicked out
all the false religion,
he kicked out
all the Satan worship,
and he set up
the house of God
once again.
And he preached
and started a great
revival of the things of God
in the land of Judah.
Why?
Because his mother,
in spite of being
married to a Satan
worshipping murderer,
was able to say,
whatever he does,
I'm going to still
teach my children right,
and that son grew up
and lived for God.
That's the power
that a mother has.
You see,
the hand that rocks
the cradle is the hand
that rules the world.
The Bible says
in 1 Corinthians 7, 13,
you're up to turn there,
and the woman,
which hath an husband
that believeth not,
talking about a woman
it says,
if he be pleased
to dwell with her,
let her not leave him.
For the unbelieving
husband is sanctified
by the wife,
and the unbelieving wife
is sanctified by the husband,
else were your children
unclean,
but now are they holy.
She said,
the Bible's saying here,
the apostle Paul's saying that
if you divorce your spouse,
you know,
and you have an
ungodly spouse,
and you say,
oh, I'm just going
to divorce my spouse,
he says, well look,
your kids are
going to go to the devil.
That's what he said.
They're going to be with you
half the time
in that ungodly environment,
and they're going to be
with you half the time
in the righteous environment,
and they're going to
go the wrong way.
They're going to choose
the wrong environment,
and if you've seen
divorce homes of a believer
and an unbeliever,
you know that that is
truly how it turns out
more often than not.
But here,
the Bible is saying
if they stay together,
then mom can raise
a godly,
clean children
in spite of her husband
being an unbeliever.
You see the power
that a woman has
as a mother
to raise her children
for God?
The Bible says
in Ephesians 6, 1,
children, obey your parents
in the Lord,
for this is right.
Honor thy father and mother,
which is the first commandment
with promise,
that it may be well
with thee,
and thou mayest
live long on the earth.
And ye fathers,
provoke not your children
to wrath,
but bring them up
in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord.
God is saying
that children are
to obey and honor
their mother.
Now what's the best way
for you to bring honor
to your mother
on Mother's Day?
I mean, today's Mother's Day.
You should tell her
to obey,
call her on the phone,
or send her a gift,
or what have you.
But what's the best way
to really honor your mother?
Well, the Bible says
in Proverbs 10, 1,
a wise son
may give a glad father,
but a foolish son
is the heaviness
of his mother.
See, God says
that if you're wise
and if you live for God,
hey, that's the best gift
that you could give
your mother
on Mother's Day.
Hey, just the fact
that you're in church
this morning
is a nice gift
to give your mother.
She's not even here,
a wise son
is going to make her happy.
A wise daughter
is going to make mom happy.
Hey, when you are foolish,
the Bible says
that's a heaviness
to your mother.
It makes your mother sad.
A wise son
may give a glad father
in Proverbs 15, 20,
but a foolish man
despises his mother.
The father of the righteous
shall greatly rejoice,
and he that begeteth
a wise child
shall have joy of him.
Boy, isn't there such enjoyment
in having a child
that grows up
and lives for God?
A wise child?
I mean, the Bible,
the Bible says
I have no greater joy
in the book of 3 John
than to hear
that my children
walk in truth.
Hey, the greatest joy
that you can bring
to mom and dad
is when you're
walking in the truth.
The greatest joy
that you can bring
to your parents
is when you're
wise and godly
and righteous in your life.
Hey, the greatest joy
you can bring
to mom on Mother's Day
is when you live for God
and make mom proud
and now make her
ashamed of you.
That's what
the Bible teaches.
All right,
oh, I can't get mad
this time.
I never get mad.
I'm just kidding.
But look at the last place
we're going to turn,
Matthew chapter 12,
first book in the
New Testament,
about three quarters
of the way through
the Bible,
this is the last place
that we'll turn
this morning,
Matthew chapter 12.
I won't get mad
because it's Mother's Day.
No, I'm just kidding.
Just kidding.
Let me ask you something.
Is mom proud of you today
on May 13, 2007?
Is mom proud?
You don't have to
answer me audibly on that,
but is mom proud?
Does mom look at you
and say,
boy, I have such
enjoyment,
so thrilled with my child
with the way they
turned out.
Boy, don't you want
to make mom proud?
You ought to.
So the Bible says
you shouldn't despise
your mother
and not respect
your parents.
You should honor
your father and mother.
You should make it
not to obey mom
and dad as an adult.
I don't obey
my mom and dad.
I'm a grown man,
and the Bible does not
teach grown men
to obey their mom and dad.
The Bible says that
a man leaves
father and mother.
The first time
the word mother
is mentioned in the Bible
is where he says
you need to leave mother.
You need to leave
father and mother
and cleave to your wife,
and they too
shall be one flesh,
is what the Bible says.
And so I'm not saying
you should obey
your parents as an adult,
but you ought to
want to bring honor
and glory to your parents.
You ought to want
to bring honor
and enjoyment
to your parents.
You ought to have
a goal of your life
where your parents
will look at you
and say,
boy, I'm thrilled
with the way
that my child turned out.
To where they could
be proud and want
to tell people,
this is my daughter.
Look what she's
doing with her life.
This is my son.
Hey, you ought to
try to bring that
kind of joy
to your parents.
You ought to love
your parents like that.
Don't just say,
I love you,
I love you.
I love you,