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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. 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. 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