Amen.
All right, we're there in 1 Timothy, chapter number 2.
And of course, today is Mother's Day.
And I would like to just take a moment
to testify of my thankfulness and gratitude
for my own mother.
And my father and my mother are both members here at our church.
They are currently out of the country,
so they're not physically here today.
But I do thank the Lord for a godly mother, a faithful mother.
And I praise the Lord for her.
And then, of course, I thank the Lord for my wife
and for just the great mother, the wonderful mother
that she is to our children.
And I'm thankful for all the mothers that
have been around in my life and my sister
and different mothers that have been part of my life.
And I'm thankful for all of you mothers that are here.
And we honor you today.
And we want you to know that we appreciate you
and we love you very, very much.
We've been going through a series entitled Happily Ever
After.
We've been going through, really,
a comprehensive study of the Christian home, probably
the most comprehensive study I've ever done
on the subject of the home from the Bible.
And we began with a series of sermons
in regards to marriage and the relationship
between a husband and wife.
The last couple of weeks, we spent time
talking about finances within the home.
We talked about money and marriage.
And then last week, I preached a sermon
on the single income family.
And then, of course, today, being Mother's Day,
we're going to look at this subject of motherhood.
And I'm preaching a sermon this morning entitled
What Every Mother Must Do.
And here in 1 Timothy chapter number 2,
we find a passage where the apostle Paul
is speaking to women.
And he speaks to women regarding all women.
If you notice there in verse number 9, he says,
and like men are also that women adorn themselves
in modest apparel.
He begins to speak to the women, first of all,
about their appearance.
He says that they adorn themselves
in modest apparel with shame, faceliness, and sobriety,
not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array,
but which becometh women professing godliness
with good works.
Then he speaks to them about their position.
In verse 11, he says, let the women learn in silence
with all subjection, but I suffer not a woman
to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man,
but to be in silence, for Adam was first formed, then Eve.
I'd like you to notice that in verses 14 and 15,
he speaks to women about their purpose.
In verse 14, he says, and Adam was not deceived,
but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Notwithstanding, she shall be saved in childbearing
if they continue in faith and charity and holiness
with sobriety.
I think it's interesting if you notice here in this passage
that he brings up a very familiar, well-known story
from the book of Genesis.
And of course, he brings up the fall of mankind,
what is often referred to as the fall of mankind,
when Adam and Eve sinned and brought sin into the world.
And he brings us up in verse 14, and Adam was not deceived,
but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
The Bible tells us that Eve was deceived.
The Bible tells us in other places
that Adam was disobedient.
They both sinned, and this is what's known
as the fall of man.
What's interesting to me is that if you go back,
and we won't take the time to do it this morning,
but if you go back and look at the story in Genesis,
after this failure of the fall,
where both Adam and Eve sinned and allowed sin
into the world, God, in his wisdom,
gives both Adam and Eve a task
and a purpose for their lives.
After they had this great failure
where they could be discouraged or depressed,
he gives them something to find fulfillment in.
For Adam, of course, he's told to go out
and work with his hands and labor
and to provide for his family.
And I'm not preaching on the subject
of man or father this morning, but I would say this.
Men, if you're depressed and discouraged,
you're probably not working hard enough, all right?
Men will find their purpose in work.
But then the Bible tells us that God told Eve
that she would find her purpose in childbearing,
in child rearing, that she would find her purpose
in children, and this is what Paul is highlighting
in this passage when he says in verses 14 and 15,
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived
was in the transgression, and he says, notwithstanding,
he says, even though you had this great failure
called the fall, he says, notwithstanding,
she shall be saved in childbearing.
And of course, it's not referring to spiritual salvation
of going to heaven, but he's talking about the fact
that your life can be saved.
You can be reinstated or repurposed, given purpose,
and he says that that would be found in childbearing
if they continue in faith and charity
and holiness and sobriety, and the Bible teaches,
and I realize that what I'm about to say
is not popular today, and people will attack me for it,
but the Bible teaches that the highest purpose
that God has given a woman is that of motherhood.
The most noblest of callings that God could give a woman
is that of motherhood, and today,
there's an attack on motherhood.
In fact, I recently heard somebody say this
and thought it was interesting.
They said, we are no longer raising women in this country.
What we are raising is women to be like men.
We are raising women that have the anatomy to have children,
but we raise them to have the goals and the aspirations
and the intention of someone
that is not able to have children.
We are not raising women to be wives and mothers.
Instead, we are raising them to be corporate CEOs
and business leaders, and we're no longer raising women
in this society today, and you may not like me saying that,
and I'm not trying to offend you on Mother's Day.
I promise you that, but I will say this.
This is known innately, and it's known just by study.
Study after study after study shows
that the number one regret that women have in their lives
when they get to a certain age and they are asked,
your number one regret, study after study has shown
that the answer to that question is not having children,
not having more children, and not spending enough time
with the children you did have,
and it is known that whether we want to admit it or not,
the innate purpose that God has placed upon a woman,
the most noblest calling, is that of being a mother.
That's why I love Mother's Day.
It's a day that we can appreciate, that we can speak about,
that we can highlight the greatest task
that God has given women today,
and it is that of having, bearing, and raising children.
This is why Paul says,
notwithstanding, she shall be saved in childbearing
if they continue in faith and charity
and holiness with sobriety.
Now, you're there in 1 Timothy chapter two.
I'd like you to turn over with me
to 2 Timothy chapter number one,
just one book over to 2 Timothy chapter number one.
What I'd like to do this morning is I'd like to speak to you
as quickly as possible on the subject
of what every mother must do, what every mother must do.
Since motherhood is the highest calling
that a woman could have,
then we must know biblically from the Bible
what it is that every mother must do to succeed,
what every mother must do to be a success
when it comes to motherhood, to not fail,
to accomplish her task, to accomplish her goal.
What is it that every mother must do?
And I've found five different things
that we're gonna look at from the Word of God
in regards to what every mother must do.
And I'd encourage you to write these down.
If you're a mother, of course, this applies to you.
Maybe you're a man here and your wife is not here.
Maybe you're not married.
This would be a good sermon for you to write some things down
to be able to look for in a future mate or in a mother.
These would be good things for you to learn.
Maybe you're a grandmother.
You don't get this ad that says,
well, I've raised my kids and this no longer applies.
You can apply these things to be a grandmother,
to apply to your grandchildren.
And of course, anytime the Word of God is open,
it's helpful to all of us.
But I'd like to give you five things
that every mother must do,
and I'd encourage you to write these down.
On the back of your course of the week,
there's a place for you to write down some notes.
Number one, I'd like you to write this down.
A mother must disciple her children.
If you are to be a mother that looks back on her career
as a mother, her noblest calling as a mother,
then this is something that you must endeavor to accomplish.
A mother must disciple her children.
You're there in 2 Timothy chapter one.
I'd like you to notice this beautiful verse in verse five
that the apostle Paul is writing to a young man
by the name of Timothy.
Of course, first and second Timothy were epistles
that Paul wrote to Timothy.
Now, I want you to notice what he says
about Timothy's mother and grandmother.
2 Timothy chapter one and verse five, excuse me,
Paul says, when I call to remembrance,
Paul says, when I sit and I take time to remember,
notice what he says, the unfeigned,
the word unfeigned means that it was real, authentic.
Feigned means to be fake or not real.
He says, the unfeigned faith that is in thee.
Paul is talking to Timothy,
and he's looking at this young man,
and he says, Timothy, you've got some unfeigned faith.
You've got some authentic faith.
Timothy, you have a real walk with the Lord,
and you have a real walk with God.
And I don't know about you, but for me as a father,
and I know for my wife as a mother, for us as parents,
one of our major goals in life is that
that would be said of our adult children,
that they would grow up and that we might look at them
and say that there is an unfeigned faith that they have,
that there is a genuine, authentic,
real walk with God that they've developed.
And here Paul says, when I call to remembrance
the unfeigned faith that is in thee, notice what he says.
Notice where he attributes the credit.
He says, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,
by the way, grandmas, that's why he said,
don't cut out on this thing of child raising
and child rearing.
God has a plan for you too.
He says, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,
notice, and thy mother Eunice,
and I am persuaded that in thee also.
Paul attributes the unfeigned faith
of this young man Timothy,
a man who ended up having two books of the Bible
named after him, a man who had two epistles
that were known for pastoral leadership.
He says, I attribute your unfeigned faith, Timothy,
to the faith that was first in your grandmother Lois,
and then in your mother Eunice.
What is Paul saying?
Paul is saying, you had a godly, God-fearing grandmother
that passed her faith as a mother
down to her daughter Eunice,
and then you had a mother that passed her faith
down to her son Timothy,
and I tell you this morning that if you want to succeed
as a mother, a mother must endeavor
to disciple her children.
A mother must pass down her faith to her children.
Your job, Mom, is to make sure that you pass down
your faith, your beliefs, your doctrine
down to your children,
that it might be said of your children
that the unfeigned faith that is in them,
that it dwelt first in their mother.
A mother must pass down her faith.
Now, the problem with that, or the obstacle with that,
is this, you're there in 2 Timothy.
Please go with me to 1 Peter.
If you just keep going forward in your Bible,
you'll go past the book of Titus,
past the book of Philemon,
past the book of Hebrews, James, and then 1 Peter,
2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter.
Hopefully, you have a goal of having a son,
or having a daughter, or having sons,
and having daughters that have unfeigned faith.
It should be your goal as a mother, Mom,
to disciple your children,
to pass down your faith to your children.
However, there is one obstacle, or one major obstacle,
that you first need to take care of.
Before you can pass down unfeigned faith to your children,
you must first possess unfeigned faith.
Before a mother can pass down her faith to her children,
a mother must first have unfeigned faith of her own.
She must first have a genuine walk with the Lord.
So, mother, you must be right with God.
You must get right with the Lord.
You must have an authentic, real walk with God
that you can then disciple your children
and pass that faith down to your children.
Are you there in 1 Peter chapter three?
Look at verse one.
Here we have another passage of Scripture
dealing with ladies.
1 Peter chapter three and verse one,
Peter says this,
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands,
that if any obey not the word,
they also may without the word be won
by the conversation of the wives.
Notice verse two,
while they behold.
Now, here Peter is referring to the fact,
he's speaking to wives that maybe have a husband
that is not saved and not right with God,
not saved and not walking with the Lord.
And he says that they may without the word
be won by the conversation.
The word conversation means conduct or lifestyle
of the wife.
Then in verse two,
he speaks about that conduct of a godly woman,
a godly wife.
He says, while they, referring to the unsafe husband,
behold your chaste conversation.
Again, the word conversation means conduct or lifestyle.
He says, while they behold your chaste conversation,
coupled with fear.
Notice, who's adorning?
Let it not be the outward adorning
of the plaiting of the hair
and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel.
He says, but let it be the hidden man of the heart.
And here, Paul, and sometimes people take this passage
to say that, you know, with the Bible teaching here,
that women shouldn't try to look nice.
And I don't believe the Bible teaches that,
because when you go to Proverbs 31,
and we'll look at Proverbs 31 later on in the sermon,
you'll notice that one of the things
that the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31
is highlighted for is the fact
that she takes care of herself and she looks nice.
I don't believe that Paul, Peter is saying here
that you should not take time to look nice, ladies.
What he is saying is don't put all of your time
and effort in your outward appearance
while ignoring the hidden man of the heart.
He says, in your heart,
you need to have a genuine walk with God.
He says, but let it be the hidden man of the heart
in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God, a great price.
Amen.
Mother, you must have a walk with God.
You must have a faithful walk with God.
I mentioned Proverbs 31.
In fact, I'd like for you to go there, if you would.
Keep your place there in 1 Peter,
because we're gonna come back to it.
Towards the end of the sermon,
we will come back to 1 Peter.
So put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there.
But if you would go with me to the book of Proverbs,
Proverbs 31.
If you open your Bible just right in the center,
you will more than likely fall in the book of Psalms.
Right after Psalms, you have the book of Proverbs,
Proverbs chapter 31, Proverbs 31.
And I'd like you to notice verse number 30.
Proverbs 31 and verse 30, the Bible says this,
favors deceitful and beauty is vain.
Notice, but a woman that feareth the Lord,
she shall be praised.
The Bible emphasizes this idea
that you as a mother, you as a wife, you as a woman,
should have a genuine, authentic walk with the Lord,
a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
And then your job, mother,
is to take that unfeigned faith that you possess
and then transfer that to your children.
You pass that down to your children.
You give that to your children.
So I said number one this morning.
When we speak on the subject of what a mother must do,
number one, a mother must disciple her children.
Now you're there in Proverbs.
You kept your place in 1 Timothy,
excuse me, 1 Peter.
I'd like you to keep your place there.
I'd also like you to keep your place in Proverbs
because we're gonna come back to Proverbs a lot.
But go with me just real quickly to the book of Job.
If you're there in Proverbs and you go backwards,
you're gonna go past the book of Psalms
into the book of Job.
Keep your place in Proverbs.
Keep your place in 1 Peter.
But go through Job just real quickly.
Proverbs, if you're going backwards, Psalms, then Job,
Job chapter 39.
I'm giving you five reasons,
five things that every mother must do
if she is to succeed in her role as a mother.
Number one, a mother must disciple her children.
But I'd like you to write this down as well.
Number two, not only must a mother disciple her children,
but a mother must be devoted to her children.
A mother must be devoted to her children.
The word devoted is defined as,
and I wanna define it for you because you would think
that every mother is devoted to her children.
And I think every mother would say
that they're devoted to their children.
I'm sure every mother, hopefully moms believe
that they are devoted to their children.
But sometimes we use words and we don't really understand
the meaning behind those words.
What exactly does it mean to be devoted?
The word devoted is defined as
to focus on something nearly exclusively.
To focus on something almost exclusively.
The word devoted means that you make something
your number one priority, your main priority,
your major priority, to the point where you focus only
on that priority almost exclusively.
And I'm here to say that a mother must disciple her children
but a mother must also be devoted to her children.
So what do you mean by that?
I mean that a mother must have her children
as her major focus to the point
of almost being exclusively focused on her children.
In Job 39 in verse 13 we have Job speaking about motherhood.
And he gives us an example of what we would call
in a bad mother, an undevoted mother.
In Job 39 in verse 13 he says,
"'Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacock
or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?'"
And in verse 14 he begins to speak about this ostrich.
He's talking about the bird, the animal, the ostrich.
And he's using the ostrich and the ostrich,
how she deals with motherhood,
as an example of an undevoted mother.
He gives us a couple of things about this ostrich
Job does in this passage.
He tells us what the undevoted mother does not realize
and he tells us what the undevoted mother resents.
He begins by telling us what she does not realize.
He says, an undevoted mother, a bad mother,
is like the ostrich because the ostrich
is an undevoted mother because there's some things
that she doesn't realize.
There's some things that she doesn't remember.
There's some things that she doesn't acknowledge.
In Job 39 in verse 14 he says,
which, speaking about the ostrich,
he says, which, notice what he says,
leaveth her eggs in the earth
and warmeth them in the dust.
You say, what is it that the undevoted mother
does not realize?
Here's what the undevoted mother does not realize.
She does not realize that her children are valuable.
See, this ostrich has these eggs.
These eggs contain life.
They contain her children.
They contain the future of her line,
but yet this ostrich does not understand,
does not realize, does not remember,
that these eggs in their current form
are extremely valuable.
And she, the Bible says, leave it.
And the key word is leave it, her eggs in the earth
and warmeth them in the dust.
Like you to keep your place right there in Job
and go back to Proverbs.
Remember, I told you we'd be going back and forth.
Proverbs 29.
A mother must be devoted.
A devoted mother realizes that her children are valuable.
A devoted mother realizes that because her children
are valuable, she must put her major focus in life
almost to the point of exclusively upon her children.
A mother that is devoted is a mother
that does not leave her children,
does not leave them, does not just leave the eggs
in the earth, does not just leave the eggs
to be warmed by the dirt and by the dust,
but she realizes that there is value to those children.
Proverbs 29 in verse 14, the Bible says this,
the rod and reproof give wisdom.
Notice these words, but a child, notice the word,
left to himself.
It's interesting to me that under the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, Solomon pens these words
and he says, the rod and reproof give wisdom,
which is something that both fathers and mothers should do.
He says, but a child left to himself bringeth,
he doesn't say his parents to shame.
He doesn't say his father and his mother to shame,
though he could say that, but he says,
a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
So why does he highlight the mother?
Because it is the mother who will be saved and child buried.
Because it is the mother who should be devoted,
focused almost exclusively upon her children.
It is when a child is left to himself
that he bringeth his mother to shame.
Because mothers must be devoted and the undevoted mother
does not realize that her children are valuable,
does not realize that her children should not be left,
does not realize that her children
should not be just left alone.
And you say, well, you know,
I don't understand the application.
Well, notice that the understanding is that of value.
Maybe it would be easier for you to understand this
if you applied it to something that you thought of value.
Because let's be honest with ourselves.
How many of us, if you were handed a briefcase full of cash,
a briefcase packed with money,
thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands,
maybe even millions of dollars in one briefcase,
would then take that briefcase
and leave it for safekeeping with a stranger?
How many of us who had a briefcase full of money
would say, I need somebody to take care of this briefcase
for me while I go off and take care of something else,
eight hours a day, Monday through Friday,
and would just randomly pick a stranger,
maybe at a briefcase-caring facility,
to watch for the briefcase?
I mean, how many of us would hand a briefcase full of money
to a government worker in a public institution
called a school system and say,
would you care for this for me?
And you would say, no, you're crazy.
I would not trust a stranger with a briefcase
full of money, yet mothers all over this country
trust something much more valuable than money with strangers.
And I'm here to tell you that a mother
must be devoted to her children.
She must put her focus almost exclusively
upon her children.
You say, Pastor, you don't understand.
If my wife didn't go to work,
then we could not live in the house that we live in.
If my wife did not go to work, too,
then we could not drive the car that we drive in.
If my wife did not go to work,
then we could not eat the food that we eat.
And I would submit to you that I would live in the ghetto,
I would walk everywhere, and I would eat rice and beans
if it meant that my children could have a mother
that is devoted to them.
The undevoted mother doesn't realize
the value of her children.
But I'm here to tell you something, ladies.
You will.
Studies after studies after studies show
that women get to a certain place in life,
and their biggest regret is not having children,
not having more children,
and not spending enough time with their children.
See, the undevoted mother does not realize
that her children are valuable.
But there's a second thing I'd like you to notice.
Go back to Genesis, excuse me, Job 39, verse 15.
Not only does she not realize
that her children are valuable,
she also does not realize that her children are vulnerable.
Job 39 and verse 15, notice what the Bible says.
Remember, she leaveth her children,
she puts her eggs in the sand, in the dust, in the dirt,
and she leaves them to be warmed by the dust.
Verse 15, and forgetth that the foot may crush them,
or that the wild beast may break them.
See, the ostrich does not realize
that her eggs are valuable,
and she does not realize that her eggs are vulnerable.
And I'm here to tell you something, mother.
Your children are both valuable and vulnerable.
She forgets that the foot may crush them.
She forgets that the wild beast may break them.
I want you to notice that the undevoted mother
does not realize there are some things
that she doesn't realize, but the undevoted mother,
there are also some things that she resents.
It's here in our passage, look at verse 16,
Genesis 39, verse 16.
This is the ostrich, Job being,
using the ostrich as an example of an undevoted mother.
He says, she, she, the mother,
is hardened against her young ones,
as though they were not hers.
And he's speaking specifically about the ostrich.
He says her labor is in vain without fear,
because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
He says that she is hardened against her young ones,
as though they were not hers.
And I believe today that there are many women
that are resentful towards their own children.
They might not ever say that.
They might not admit that out loud, but they're resentful.
They're resentful against their own children,
because they don't understand
and don't have the right perspective about children.
They're resentful at their own children,
because they believe that their children
have somehow taken away their freedom
or taken away their abilities to succeed in a career.
They believe that their children have somehow taken away
or become a burden or got in the way
of them fulfilling their purpose.
And what they don't realize is that
when they look at their children in a resentful manner,
believing that their children
are hindering them from their purpose,
they don't realize that those children are their purpose.
Those children are the reason that God created them,
or the reason that God put them here.
They're the reason, they're the thing that God gave you
to feel fulfilled.
So you say, what must a mother do?
A mother must disciple her children.
She must walk with God
and pass her walk down to her children.
A mother must be devoted to her children.
She must realize that they are both valuable and vulnerable.
She must not be hardened against her own children
as though they are some burden to be carried,
as though they are some trial to be endured.
But it's an opportunity to fulfill her purpose.
She's hardened against her young ones.
See, here's what, when I read Job 39, verses 14, 15, 15, 16,
I envision a different way,
and I'd like to read it for you the way I apply it.
He's using an analogy here,
a little parable of an ostrich.
Here's what the Bible could say about the hardened mother,
the ostrich.
It says, which leaveth her not eggs in the earth,
but her children in a daycare, or in a public school,
or a private school,
and forgetteth not that the foot may crush them,
but that the temptations and influences of the world
may crush them.
Or you could say, and forgetteth not that the wild beasts
may break them, but that the reprobate predators
may break and defile them.
You could say, it's like she is hardened
against her young ones as though they were not hers,
and when she goes to work,
you could say her labor is vain.
Because a mother, that it understands biblically
what a mother must do, will not only disciple her children,
she'll be devoted to her children.
You're there in Job, go with me back to Proverbs,
if you were, Proverbs 31.
Let me give you a third thing that a mother must do.
A mother must disciple her children.
A mother must be devoted to her children.
Thirdly, this morning, a mother must direct her children.
A mother must direct her children,
or instruct her children,
give her children instruction and direction.
Maybe you're asking yourself and you say,
well, discipling my children,
I understand what you're saying, pastor,
I need to have a walk with God,
and I need to pass that down to my children,
but how exactly do I do that?
Well, here's how you do it.
Number one, you get devoted,
which means you free up your time
to be able to be devoted, focused upon your children,
and then when you have that time,
you begin to purposely and on purpose direct those children,
instruct those children.
A mother must not only disciple her children,
she must not only be devoted to her children,
but she must direct her children.
You say, what do you mean by that?
She must instruct them, she must teach them,
she must train them.
In Proverbs 31, we find this famous passage of scripture.
Proverbs 31 is known as the proverb of the virtuous woman.
What's interesting about Proverbs 31
is that this chapter,
which is one of the most well-known chapters
in the book of Proverbs,
and one of the most well-known chapters in the entire Bible,
all focused on women and about a virtuous woman,
is actually a chapter about a mother
teaching her son what kind of girl to look for.
Proverbs 31, the passage that we often look at
and we should look at,
and we train ladies and teach ladies
to look at this virtuous woman and this is your goal,
is actually a proverb of a mother telling her son,
hey son, when you start dating,
when you start looking for a girl to spend your life with,
here's the kind of girl you should be looking for.
And we get this wonderful passage, Proverbs 31.
Notice verse one, the words of King Lemuel.
Notice what he says.
The prophecy that his mother taught him.
Lemuel says, let me tell you what my mother taught me.
This man, Lemuel, we don't know anything about him,
we don't know much about him,
some people believe in Solomon, he may be.
We don't really know who he is,
we know there's other proverbs in the Book of Proverbs
written by other people than Solomon.
But here we have this proverb,
and it's given to us because of a prophecy,
a teaching that his mother taught him,
and I'm here to tell you ladies,
a mother must not only disciple,
she must not only be devoted,
but she must direct, she must instruct,
she must train her children.
Proverbs 22, if you would, look at verse six,
if you go back, Proverbs 22 and verse six,
the Bible says, train, train.
Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The Bible teaches us that our job is to train,
and by the way, Proverbs 22 verse six
is for both husband and wife,
but here we're told to train up a child
in the way he should go,
to teach a child, to direct a child,
to instruct a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
That's what we see in Proverbs 31,
and if you would go back to Proverbs 31 real quickly,
and I wanna show you, mothers,
what it is that you should be teaching your children,
but let me ask you this question, mama.
What are you teaching your children?
How are you instructing your children?
What are you teaching them?
Maybe you say, I don't know, what should I be teaching them?
Well, Proverbs 31 is a wonderful illustration
of what a mother should be teaching her children,
because it's the teaching of King Lemuel saying,
here's the prophecy that my mother taught me.
Well, what is it that this mother taught her son?
I'm gonna run through this quickly.
You can try to catch up and look at it if you can.
I'm just gonna, I don't wanna spend a lot of time on it,
but let me just break down Proverbs 31
for you real quickly, just to give you some examples
of some good things that a mother should teach her children.
Number one, she taught him to not lose control with women.
In verse three, she says,
Give not thy strength unto women.
Number two, she taught him not to drink alcohol.
In verse four, she says,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
nor for princes strong drink.
In verse five, she says,
Lest they drink and forget the law,
and pervert the judgment.
And by the way, that's the reason
why nobody should drink alcohol.
Because you know what happens when you drink alcohol?
You forget the law and you pervert judgment.
Number three, she teaches him to stand up
for the weak and the vulnerable.
In verse eight, she says,
Open thy mouth for the dumb.
In verse nine, she says,
Open thy mouth and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Number four, she teaches him
to find the right girl to marry.
In verse 10, she says,
Who can find a virtuous woman,
for her price is far above rubies.
And then she spends the rest of the chapter
detailing for her son what a virtuous woman is
and the kind of girl that he should be looking for.
Notice, number five, she teaches him
to find a girl that can work
and is not afraid to work with her hands.
Verse 13, she says,
She worketh willingly with her hands.
Verse 16, she says,
With her hands she planted a vineyard.
Verse 19, she says,
She layeth her hands to the spindle
and her hands hold the disk tap.
Number six, she teaches him
to find a girl that knows how to cook well.
Verse 14, she bringeth her food from afar.
Verse 15, she giveth meat to her household.
Number seven, she teaches him
to find the girl that is a hard worker and not lazy.
Verse 15, she says,
She riseth also while it is yet night.
Verse 18, her candle goeth not out by night.
Verse 27, she eateth not the bread of idleness.
Not sitting at home spending her time on Facebook
and watching soap operas.
Number eight, she teaches him
to find a girl that has some business sense.
Verse 16, she considerth the field and buyeth it.
Verse 24, she maketh fine linen and celloth it,
and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Verse 18, she perceiveth that her merchandise is good.
Number nine, she teaches him
to find a girl that takes care of her appearance.
Verse 17, she girdeth her loins with strength
and strengtheneth her arms.
Verse 22, she maketh herself coverings of tapestry.
Her clothing is silk and purple.
Number 10, she teaches him to find a girl
that has empathy and is generous with the poor.
Verse 20, she strengtheneth out,
she stretcheth out her hands to the poor.
She reaches forth her hands to the needy.
Number 11, she teaches him
to find a girl that is organized and prepared.
In verse 21, she says she is not afraid of the snow,
for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
In verse 27, she says she looketh well
to the way of her household.
Number 12, she teaches him
to find a girl that is self-confident.
In verse 25, she says strength and honor are her clothing.
Number 13, she teaches him to find a girl
that is kind and controls her words.
In verse 26, she says she openeth her mouth with wisdom,
and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
I'm just telling you that this mother
must have been a Proverbs 31 woman herself,
because she's had her son down.
She's had her son down and said,
here's the kind of girl you wanna look for, son.
Imagine moms that would sit their sons down and say,
here's the kind of girl you wanna look for, son.
Imagine moms that would sit their daughters down and say,
here's the kind of girl you want to be, daughter.
And you say, well, it's all about the girls.
Well, here's what's interesting,
the entire book of Proverbs, if you read chapter one,
it's about a father writing down
some instructions for his son.
I'm here to tell you something, mom and dad,
discipling your children must be done on purpose.
Children are not raised to live for God just by accident
or without action and effort being put into it.
You've gotta decide to sit down and train your children
and instruct your children and direct your children.
So we're talking about what a mother must do.
She must disciple her children.
She must be devoted to her children.
She must direct, instruct, teach, train her children.
You've got to prepare them for life.
You've got to prepare them to be ready
to be the virtuous woman or to be a mighty man.
Go to Proverbs 14, if you would, Proverbs chapter 14.
Let me say this too, mother, this is very more practical.
Not only should you train your children for life,
but you should train your children to help around the house.
By the way, training your children to help around the house
is part of training them for life.
The Bible says in Proverbs 14, one,
every wise woman buildeth her house,
but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
You know what the Bible says?
The Bible says that a wise woman builds her house.
You say, well, my husband goes off to work every day
and he builds a business.
Well, here's what a wise woman does, she builds her house.
She runs her house like a business.
She realizes that she has little employees.
And they need to be trained.
They need to be inspected.
They need to be given review.
Every wise woman buildeth her house.
See, in this type of church, in this style of movement,
where we teach and we believe that children are a blessing,
so you should have as many as possible.
We don't believe that you should do things
that would end life after conception.
We believe that a wife's purpose is to be a keeper at home
and she would be the most fulfilled
when she lines herself up to what the Bible says.
But you know, here's the big complaint that we get
from ladies in this type of church
is that they get overwhelmed with their children.
Because children can be overwhelming.
I mean, sometimes ladies are overwhelmed with one kid
and we're just kind of like, laugh, you know.
Not to their face.
Sometimes we do, right?
You start having two, three, four, six.
They start getting overwhelming.
Now, here's the thing, ladies.
You can be overwhelmed with your children
and all you have to do.
Or you can take the time to train your children
to help alleviate some of that stress.
Now, here's why moms don't train their children.
Same reason employers don't train their employees,
because it requires time and patience.
But it's worth the investment.
It's worth you doing it.
In our home, my wife has trained our older children
to take over all of the breakfasts.
They do all the breakfasts every morning.
Now, it took her time to do that.
She had to write down some recipes
and write down ingredients lists
and she had to train them and teach them how to do it.
It took time.
But now that's something that they take care of.
That's one thing that has been taken off of her plate.
We've got older kids that get up in the morning
and they've got a schedule and a routine
and sometimes they're making French toast
and sometimes they're making waffles
and sometimes they're making chocolate chip pancakes
and sometimes they're making different things,
but they've got a system and they've been trained
to be able to make breakfasts for themselves
and for their siblings.
She's trained our children to do, our older children,
especially, to do their own laundry.
She doesn't do their laundry, they do their own laundry.
They do their laundry, they put it in the dryer,
they fold it, they put it away.
They've been trained to do that.
Now, that took time to do.
She's trained our children to sweep, to mop,
to vacuum, to clean up the backyard,
to take out the trash, to do these things.
And here's what I'm telling you, Mom.
You gotta train your kids for life,
but you gotta train them at home.
Train them.
You can complain about the burden they are
or you could help them alleviate the burden you have.
Now look, training is difficult.
Training is hard.
And look, moms, I understand.
I get your pain.
Because you say, well, the difference is,
in the workplace, you can fire them.
I'm stuck with these kids.
Listen, Mom, I get your pain.
I'm an employer here at our church,
but because this is a ministry, I tell our staff guys,
when I pick you, when I choose you,
when I ask you to come on board, I'm committed to you,
and nothing's gonna change.
I mean, it'd have to be an extreme,
like you're a reprobate thing to change that.
I am committed to you.
I'm committed to them.
I'm committed to be with them in this thing till the end.
If you ever hear of one of our staff guys
leaving our church, it'll be because they chose not me.
Now here, you say, well, that sounds nice.
Well, here's the part that maybe doesn't sound nice.
Because I'm committed to them,
I'm also committed to correcting everything they do wrong.
Because I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life
being frustrated.
Here's what's gonna happen, is I'm gonna be committed
to them, and they're gonna do it the way I like it,
and I'll be happy.
Or they'll get so tired of me constantly saying,
no, we don't do it that way, no, you shouldn't say that,
no, you shouldn't go there, no, that's not right.
They'll get so frustrated, they'll leave,
either way, I win.
I get rid of bad employees, or I make them great employees.
But the option is not to give up on them.
And listen, Mom, the option is not to give up on your kids.
You train and you invest, and you say,
don't do it right, it'd be easier for me to do it.
I understand that, it's easier for everyone.
It's easier for every boss and every employer
to just do it themselves.
But you do it in service to your employees,
and you do it in service to your kids.
Be committed to those kids, train them, teach them.
Spend time with them.
Give them the time they need, and you might find,
you might find that their waffles are better than yours.
That they're good at what you've trained them to do.
That they alleviate some of the stress.
That they alleviate some of the burden.
Go to Proverbs 29, Proverbs 29.
And my boys' waffles are not better than my wives,
by the way, just so you know.
I don't wanna give them a big head.
Number one, a mother must disciple her children.
Number two, a mother must be devoted to her children.
Number three, a mother must direct or instruct her children.
Number four, a mother must discipline her children.
Proverbs 29 and verse 15, the Bible says,
the rod and reproof give wisdom.
The rod, this is a tool that is used
for what we call corporal punishment,
what you might call a spanking.
The rod and reproof give wisdom.
What a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.
Keep your place right there in Proverbs.
Go with me just real quickly to Leviticus.
In the Old Testament, Leviticus chapter 19,
you have the book of Genesis, then Exodus, then Leviticus.
Leviticus chapter 19, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus.
Leviticus 19, let me say something to you mothers,
especially those of you that stay home with the children.
If you stay home and your husband goes to work,
then you, mom, must be the primary disciplinarian.
In your home, you say,
why do I have to be the primary disciplinarian in the home?
Because if you're devoted to your children,
you're the one that spends the most time with them.
I love my children and I try to be a good father
and spend time with them and do all the things
that I'm supposed to be as a dad,
but my wife spends way more time with our children
than I do because she's the mother that homeschools them
and that is the keeper at home.
And as a result, mom, you have to be the primary
disciplinarian in your home
because you are the primary authority
that is around your children.
If you are waiting around for your husband
to discipline your children,
you are both doing a disservice
to your children and your husband.
Leviticus 19 and verse three, the Bible says this,
ye shall fear every man his mother.
Did you catch that?
Mom, your kids should be afraid of you.
I know in this woke world we live in,
that's not something that you're supposed to say anymore.
But look, it was a good country,
we had a good nation when kids were afraid of their mom.
When mom, you know what I'm talking about,
she'd give you that look and you're like, oh man.
Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father
and keep the Sabbaths, I am the Lord your God.
Hey, you say, my kids are out of control, you're failing.
You're not disciplining them.
You're not being consistent enough.
Maybe you should cancel the social media accounts
that you've got and get off the couch
and actually deal with the children.
A mother must discipline her children
and I'm here to tell you something, mother,
if you are the kind of mom
that does not discipline your children
and in fact makes excuses for your children,
you will raise a monster and it will bring you to shame.
And at the end, no matter how much you're told otherwise,
you will blame yourself.
And I'm trying to keep you from that.
Because the rod and the roof give wisdom
but a child left himself, bringeth his mother to shame.
You ever notice how when you have these high profile
murderers, high profile crime,
these people go to court and it's publicized,
the news, newspaper, magazines, things like that?
You know what you always notice?
My dad pointed this out to me years ago when I was a kid.
You know what you always notice?
It doesn't matter, they could have stole all this money,
they could have lied about all sorts of things,
they could have done all sorts of terrible things.
You know who you'll oftentimes see there
supporting their kid?
Mom.
You know who you usually don't see?
Dad.
You know why that is?
Here's why, because the Bible says
the rod and the roof give wisdom
but a child left himself, bringeth his mother to shame.
See, mom, whether you realize it or not,
there's an innate connection between you and your children.
And that connection's never gonna go away.
So why don't you just stop working at that fast food place
or wherever it is you're working
that you think is so important.
Well, I don't work at a fast food place,
I'm the CEO of a corporate company, same difference.
In comparison to the value of your children, it's nothing.
So mother must disciple the children.
She must be devoted to her children.
She must direct her children.
She must discipline her children.
This is the last one.
Go to Proverbs chapter four.
A mother must be delicate with her children.
Delicate.
You say, well, you just told us we have to discipline them
and they should be afraid of us.
You know, there's something amazing about a woman,
a way that God created her.
I see this with my wife.
As I see her interact with our children.
It's this amazing balance that a father cannot strike.
This amazing balance of firm yet tender.
Strong yet loving.
Dads, you know, we tend to,
we're not able to have all these different emotions
and balance them all at the same time.
We tend to be singularly focused,
which helps us in the workplace.
Sometimes I'm working on something
and I've got a project I'm working on.
And I mean, the house could be on fire.
And my wife's like, are you not paying attention?
Someone broke into the house and I shot them.
And I'm just like, you know, I'm focused.
This is one of the things that men do.
It helps you and it's not good.
Women are not like that.
You know, my wife,
she could be having a conversation with you
while listening to the kids talk to their friends
about something and, you know,
making sure that they're not saying something
they shouldn't be saying while, you know,
watching the toddler on this side
and thinking about the three things
she's gotta take care of when the conversation's done.
That's how women are.
And God has, see, men, we tend to go on these extremes.
So when I get upset with the kids, it's just upset.
It's just, you know, screaming and whatever, you know.
You're gonna get this done and get this done now, you know.
This is why the Bible says, by the way, you know,
fathers provoke not your children to wrath.
But women, women have this innate ability
to both be bold and tender, strong and delicate.
Proverbs chapter four and verse three, the Bible says,
for I was my father's son.
Notice, the book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon
to his son, giving him all this wisdom needed for life.
He talks about family and friends and finances and fitness
and all sorts of things.
But here, he says, I was my father's son,
and then he says this about his mother,
tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
He said, my mother was tender.
He said, I was only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Go to Isaiah, if you would, Isaiah 66, we're almost done.
Isaiah 66, you're there in Proverbs,
as you go past the Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah.
Isaiah chapter 66.
In Isaiah 66 and verse 13, God is speaking.
I want you to notice the analogy that God uses
towards the children of Israel, Isaiah 66 verse 13.
God says, as one whom his mother comforted,
so will I comfort you.
God illustrates his comfort as the comfort of a mother.
And isn't it true?
I mean, I have a good relationship with my kids.
I have a great relationship with my daughters.
My daughters are girls, of course, and they're younger.
My sons are older, and obviously they're boys,
so we maybe have a little bit of a different relationship,
and we do jiu-jitsu, and we work together,
and things like that.
The girls, I love on them, and I hug on them,
and I care for them, and I cuddle with them,
and all those things, but it's always interesting to me
that whenever they are hurt, I mean,
even if they're with me, and even if we're having
a loving time, as soon as something falls and hits a toe,
or they trip and something, you know who they want?
Mom.
Mama.
Why?
Because God says, as one whom his mother comforted.
There's just a comfort that a mother can give
that a father cannot.
He says, so will I comfort you.
Mom, you must be delicate.
You must be tender.
Go back to 1 Peter chapter three, if you would.
You kept your place.
Remember I told you at the beginning of the sermon
that we come back to 1 Peter towards the end of the sermon?
Hint, hint.
1 Peter chapter three.
I asked my wife about the ladies' tea.
When she came home after the ladies' tea,
we had wonderful ladies' tea, well over 100 ladies there.
I asked her, Brother Matt Morello preached for us,
and I appreciate Brother Matt doing that,
and I asked her about the sermon,
and she said, oh, it was great.
She was telling me different things she liked about it
and things that felt were good for her to hear,
and she said, yeah, I like how he brought up the phrase
in regards to motherhood,
that some things are better caught than taught.
Some things are better caught than taught,
and I do believe that a mother should teach,
but let me tell you something, Mom.
Not only should you mentor, you should model.
1 Peter chapter three in verse four says,
but let it be the hidden man of the heart,
and that which is not corruptible.
We talked about the walk of a mother.
Even, notice this, even the ornament
of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God a great price.
Isn't that the number one description
that God gives for a woman?
You see, if you could just put into one phrase
what a woman should be like,
what Proverbs 31 is teaching,
here's the phrase, meek and quiet.
To have a meek and quiet spirit.
The word ornament says that she has the ornament
of a meek and quiet spirit.
The word ornament is defined as a thing
used to make something look more attractive, a decoration.
God says, hey, ladies, make sure that,
go ahead and put on your nice earrings
and go ahead and put on your nice necklace
and go ahead and put on your nice bracelets,
but don't forget the most important ornament,
the most important accessory that you can add to yourself,
for beauty is that of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God a great price.
By the way, let me give some advice to you single men.
You start dating a girl and she's loud and obnoxious, run.
Run screaming and yelling in the opposite direction.
Stay away from that.
I can't believe you say that.
Well, the greatest mother in the Bible told her son,
hey, make sure that she has the law of kindness
in her tongue.
Peter tells us that she has a meek and quiet spirit,
and here's what I'm telling you.
Mothers, you should be delicate, you should be tender.
Are you mentoring and are you modeling for your children
a meek and quiet spirit, a meek and quiet spirit?
Because some things are better caught than taught.
Or are you loud and obnoxious, rude and mean,
angry and stubborn?
These are other words that are used
for other women in the Bible.
A mother must be tender, delicate,
must have a meek and quiet spirit,
and here's the truth, and here's the truth.
Look, listen to me, please.
I'm a sinner, my wife is a sinner,
we are sinners, we are not perfect.
But one thing that we are trying to do in our marriage
is to model a type of marriage for our children,
for me to be the type of husband and a father,
that my sons would want to grow up and say,
I'd like to be like my dad,
and that my girls would grow up to say,
I'd like to marry someone like my dad.
And my wife.
Is mentoring and modeling in her role as a wife
and as a mother, that my daughters would want to grow up
and say, I would like to be the type of wife and mother
that my mother was.
And that my sons would say, I would like to marry
the type of girl that my mother was.
It's better caught than taught.
It's good both, caught and taught.
She said, well, what must a mother do?
Go to Psalms real quickly, we're gonna go to Psalms
and then Proverbs, we'll finish up.
If you kept your place in Proverbs,
right before Proverbs, you have Psalms.
Psalm 113, we're gonna go to Psalms and Proverbs,
we'll be done.
What must a mother do?
A mother must disciple her children.
A mother must be devoted to her children.
A mother must direct her children.
A mother must discipline her children.
A mother must be delicate with her children.
You say, pastor, I don't really like this sermon
and I feel like you're just picking on ladies.
Okay, then you make sure you come back in a few weeks
for Father's Day, when I preach a sermon called
what every father must do.
Because dads, you have a job too.
We'll just wait for your day.
Psalm 113 and verse nine.
You know that motherhood is supposed to be joyful?
Psalm 113 and verse nine.
He maketh the barren woman to keep house
and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise you, the Lord.
I love that phrase, a joyful mother of children.
You know that motherhood is supposed to be joyful?
Yet today, there are many mothers
that are not enjoying their motherhood.
They're not joyful.
They're overwhelmed, frustrated, stressed out, resentful.
You might not ever say that, but that's how they feel.
Pastor, how do you keep a woman from being?
Here's all I'm telling you.
Mom, mom, if you would disciple your children,
if you'd be devoted to your children,
if you would direct your children
and discipline your children
and be delicate with your children,
I promise you, you could be a joyful mother of children.
Proverbs 23, verse 24, we'll finish up.
Proverbs 23, verse 24.
Because your goal, mom, and your goal, dad,
is to raise children that love the Lord,
that are productive members of society,
that have work ethic and take personal responsibility.
This is your task.
This is what God has called you to do.
Proverbs 23 and verse 24, the Bible says,
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice.
We're not done raising our children,
and the Bible says that you don't know
what a day will bring forth.
The Bible says, let he that think if he stand
and take heed, lest he fall.
We're doing everything in our power
to try to raise our children.
One of the things that my wife and I talk about
is we're trying to have as few regrets as possible
in our parenting.
I'm sure we'll have regrets.
Everyone has regrets.
But my goal and my wife's goal is to raise righteous adults.
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice,
and he that begetteth a wise child
shall have joy of him, verse 25.
The father and thy mother shall be glad.
Notice this.
And she that bear thee shall rejoice.
Amen.
See, motherhood is supposed to be joyful.
And it can be joyful.
And it will be joyful when you do it right.
So what does that mean?
What is a mother supposed to do?
She should disciple her children,
be devoted to her children, direct and instruct
her children, discipline her children,
and be delicate and tender with her children.
And then it can be said of her like it
said of the Proverbs 31 woman.
Proverbs 31, verse 28, if you would.
Proverbs 31, verse 28.
Her children arise up and call her blessing.
Her husband also, and he prays of them.
God bless you, moms.
You've got a tough job.
24 hours a day, seven days a week, you don't get to clock
out and you don't get vacation time.
We appreciate you.
We appreciate everything you do.
But make sure that you are focused on doing the things
that every mother must do.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for mothers.
Lord, I thank you for my mother, the wonderful mother
that she was, that she is.
I thank you for my wife, the amazing mother
that she is to our children.
And I thank you for all these mothers here today.
The fact that they are even here in a church like this,
I realize that not every mother and no mother
could say that she does everything right
or that she's doing everything right.
The fact that they're here on Mother's Day shows an amazing
testament to their motherhood.
Lord, I pray you'd bless them.
I pray that you'd bless them and you'd help them,
to strengthen them in the task that you've given them
as mothers.
In the matchless name of Christ, we pray, amen.