(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Amen. All right, well, we're there in Genesis chapter number 3, and, of course, today is Mother's Day, and I want to preach a sermon where we focus in on the mothers. You're there in Genesis chapter 3. I'd like you to look down at verse number 20, Genesis chapter 3 and verse 20. The Bible says this, and Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living. Excuse me. This morning, I want to focus in on a subject of the mothers, and I want to encourage you to do a couple of things. First of all, I want you to keep an open mind about what we're going to talk about tonight. I promise you that whether you agree or disagree with me this morning, everything I show you will come straight out of the Bible, and I want to encourage you to at least consider what the Bible says. I'd also like to encourage you to write down some notes. On the back of your course of the week, there's a place for you to take down some notes, and I want to speak on a very specific subject this morning, and I want to answer a very specific question, and the question is this. Should mothers work outside the home? I want to answer this question this morning, and this is the title of the sermon this morning. Should mothers work outside of the home? And I'll go ahead and give you a spoiler alert. Biblically, the answer is no. Now, I realize that this is a controversial subject in our culture today, and I don't know what else to tell you other than welcome to Verity Baptist Church. We're controversial even on Mother's Day, but I will say this. It's unfortunate. We understand that for years and years this has been a controversial subject in the world. It's unfortunate that this is now becoming a controversial subject around Christians, among people who say they are Bible believers, and I want to preach to you and give you some reasons to answer this question. Should mothers work outside the home? Now, before we get into the sermon, let me explain to you who I'm not focusing in on this morning, and there are some ladies and some mothers that I'm not focusing in on this morning, and let me just say that up front. First of all, this sermon is not intended for any single mothers out there who really have no choice. We understand that, and our church is filled with people that have gotten saved and are trying to better their lives and turn their lives around and be disciples and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we understand that there are some single moms out there that, due to sin, do not have a choice, and the sin may have been their own sin, the sin may have been a sin of someone else. We realize that there are ladies out there who maybe their husband has left them or maybe they just find themselves in a situation where they're a single mom and they don't have a choice but to go to work to provide for their families, and this sermon is not directed at them. You don't have a choice, and we want to try to help you and come alongside you and love you and love on you and help you in any way that we can. Let me say this as well. This sermon is not directed towards any single unmarried young ladies that maybe find themselves in a situation where they have to work. When we talk about single young ladies, there are really, in a church like ours, there are two categories for this. One is single unmarried young ladies who don't have Christian parents. They don't come from a Christian background, and maybe they find themselves in a situation where they don't have a choice but to go to work and provide for themselves until maybe one day, Lord willing, they get married and there's a husband that can provide for them, and that's you this morning. I'm not preaching at you this morning. I will say this. For the many single young ladies that have Christian parents that have been raised in a church like this, I want to encourage you girls and I want to encourage you parents not to send your daughters off into the workplace. I believe that young ladies should work, but I don't think that they should work outside the home, and we'll cover a little bit of that this morning, but I'll just make that clear right from the start. Let me also say this, just a couple of things to the mothers who have already raised their children. Maybe your kids are already raised and they're out of the home. You're an empty nester, as they would say, and I will say this about moms who have raised their children. I'm not going to say that it's a sin for you to work outside of the home. However, I will say this, and this is your pastor's opinion, I don't recommend it, and I personally, my wife and I would not do it. There's lots for a mother who has raised her children to do in the responsibility of investing in her adult children, investing in her grandchildren. I realize that some of you ladies, you've been working your whole life and you just got saved recently and that's a different situation. I understand that I'm not beating up on you, but if there's a lady who chose, her husband and her have chosen, for her to stay home and raise the children and she's been homeschooling and she's been doing that for years, I don't necessarily recommend that they just, as soon as the kids are grown, they go find a job somewhere. I think that there's lots for them to do in the work still needed to influence their adult children, their grandchildren. There's things for them to do in the ministry, so I'm not going to tell you it's a sin for you to work if your children are out of the home, but I will tell you this, that I would not recommend it and my wife and I have chosen to personally not do that. With all of that said, let me say this, here's who I am speaking to this morning. I'm speaking to mothers who are currently raising their children, who have the ability to stay home, could have the ability to stay home, maybe by making sacrifices, maybe by making some choices. They have a husband who could support them and they choose to go to work. And I realize that everything I'm going to say this morning goes against what society teaches you. And all I would like you to do is to consider what the Bible says about this subject. At the end of the day, your family and the choices you make with your family are between you and God. And I will tell you this, that I preach God's word, but I will never judge you for the decisions you make. I preach the word of God. And let me just say this, as a pastor, unfortunately, over the last 10 years, I've gotten used to preaching a whole lot of things that people just ignore. I preach a lot of things that people, they sit there and they shake their heads and they say amen, and then they walk out those doors and do the exact opposite. Unfortunately, I've gotten used to that. So I'm not mad at you for whatever decisions you make, but I want you to consider, to at least consider what the Bible says about this subject. So I want to give you four reasons to consider biblically why it is that mothers should not work outside of the home. We're talking specifically about mothers who are currently raising their children, mothers who have a choice, who can make the choice, husbands, and maybe the sermon is directed towards the husbands. I know sometimes there's moms who'd like to be stay-at-home moms and their lazy husbands won't allow them to. So maybe this is a sermon directed at the men. But I want to give you some reasons why biblically the Bible teaches that mothers should not work outside the home. You're there in Genesis chapter 3. Flip back to Genesis chapter 2 if you would. Let me give you some thoughts here. Genesis chapter 2, look at verse 15. Genesis 2, 15. Of course the book of Genesis is in the Old Testament, so it's the Old Testament you can get. The difference between Genesis chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 3, the reference we started in, is that Genesis chapter 2 is before what we call the fall. Before the fall of man, this is when sin entered into the world. This is when Adam and Eve sinned. Before the fall of man, I want you to notice that God had a plan in Genesis 2, 15. The Bible says this, and the Lord God took the man. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden, notice these words, to dress it. The word dress there means to till or to prepare the soil, to prepare it for growing and for bringing forth fruit, to dress it and to keep it. The word keep there means to take responsibility for the care thereof. I want you to notice, and if you're taking notes you can maybe write this statement down. Mothers should not work outside the home, biblically, you know, if you care about what the Bible says. And as Baptists, the whole point of being a Baptist is that we're biblicists, that the Bible is our authority in all matters of faith and practice, that we at least give lip service to the fact that we believe and are supposed to practice what the Bible says. And why is it, you say, Pastor, why is it that you teach that mothers should not work outside the home? Here's why, because number one, God placed the responsibility of providing on the man. The Bible teaches, now look, I understand it's not what Oprah Winfrey teaches. It's not what Dr. Phil teaches. I understand that. It's not what you're going to get on daytime talk shows. But the Bible teaches that God has placed the responsibility of providing on man, on the man, on the male. Here, even before the fall, we see that the Bible says, and the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden, notice, to dress it and to keep it. When God created man, he put him to work. Go back to Genesis chapter 3. Notice that nothing changed after the fall. Man was still to work. Now, the way he works changed, but the fact that he was created to work did not change. Genesis 3, look at verse 17. Genesis 3, 17, and unto Adam he said, this is after Adam and Eve had fallen, after sin had entered into the world. Notice the Bible says, and unto Adam he said, because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake. Notice, in sorrow, thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, so thou return unto the ground, for out of it was thou taken, for dost thou art, and unto dost shalt thou return. I want you to notice that in Genesis chapter 2, God said that he took man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. In Genesis chapter 3, we still have man being required to dress it and keep it. It's just as a result of sin. Now he's going to do it in sorrow. Now the ground will bring forth to the thorns and thistles in the sweat of thy face. But I want you to notice that in the Old Testament we see that God placed the responsibility of being what we might call a breadwinner, of being the one who is providing for the finances of the family, the one who is a provider for the family. God placed that responsibility upon the man. Keep your place there in Genesis. Go with me to the New Testament book of 1 Timothy. If you can find the t-books, they're all clustered together. 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy Titus, 1 Timothy chapter number 5. Do me a favor when you get to 1 Timothy, put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to 1 Timothy throughout the sermon, so please make sure you can get there quickly. 1 Timothy chapter 5. I want you to notice in the Old Testament we see that God placed the responsibility of providing for the man. I want you to notice in the New Testament God reiterates this as well. Now if you're a dispensationalist, which I'm not, but I just want you to notice that we're covering all the dispensations, all right? There is no change here. 1 Timothy 5, look at verse 8. But if any, 1 Timothy 5 verse 8, but if any, notice these very strong words, but if any, provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. Before the fall, God told man, go to work, provide for your family. After the fall, God told man, it's going to be a little harder, but go to work, provide for your family. In the New Testament, God tells man, provide for your own, especially for those of your own house, and he that doesn't do that hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. So you say, well pastor, why would you say that mothers should not work outside the home? Here's why. Because God placed the responsibility of providing upon the husband. God placed the responsibility of providing upon the father. God placed the responsibility of providing and protecting upon the men, and it's time that we get back at least in the Christian homes to doing that. People often want to bring up the good old days of the United States of America. I would submit to you that the good old days of the United States of America was when we lived in a society where men went to work and they provided for their wives and they provided for their children and women stayed home and cared for their children the way that God designed it. Men should not work, women should not, mothers should not work outside the home because God placed the responsibility of providing on the man. Let me give you a second reason this morning. You're there in 1 Timothy 5, look down at verse number 14. I will therefore, notice these words, that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak respectfully. Why don't you notice these words? He says, I will therefore. Now this is the apostle Paul, but he's speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This is God speaking to us. Maybe you're a young lady here this morning and you're saying, I wonder what God's will for my life is. Would God want me to be the CEO of some big company? Would God want me to establish some sort of a career? Would God want me to be the first female president? Here's what God says. He says, I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, and guide the house. Here's statement number 2. Mothers should not work outside the home because properly raising children for the glory of God is a full time job. You say, why should moms not work outside the home? Here's why. Because properly raising children for the glory of God is a full time job. In fact, the Bible clearly commands, the Bible clearly commands that for ladies to be stay at home wives and mothers. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, notice these three words, guide the house. That's the biblical way of saying stay at home. To be a homekeeper. By the way, it offends me, it offends me whenever we, my wife and I have to fill out some sort of application or something and they ask this question, you know, does your wife work? And what they mean by that is that she employed somewhere outside of the home and I always want to answer on those applications, yes, she probably works harder than you do. Guiding the home, guiding, bearing children, raising children, being a godly mother, hey, and a godly wife, that's a full time job. Titus chapter 2, if you would, Titus chapter 2, you're there in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Titus chapter 2. That the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house. The Bible clearly commands for ladies to be stay at home wives, stay at home mothers, Titus chapter 2, look at verse 4, Titus 2, 4, that they may teach, the they there is referring to the aged women, if you look at the context in just the previous verse, the aged women mentioned in verse 3, that they may teach the young women too. Here's what the aged women should be teaching the younger women, they should be teaching them to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. Notice verse 5, to be discreet, chase, notice these words, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. The Bible says that they are to teach, the aged women are to teach the younger women to be keepers at home. Again, that's how we would say a stay at home, a home keeper, keepers at home. The word keeper means to stay home, it means to take responsibility to care for the home. It's interesting to me that Adam, God told Adam, hey man, I want you to keep the garden and I want you to go and work out in the field by keeping it, but then God tells wives, he says, be keepers at home. Stay home. It doesn't mean stay home eating, you know, marshmallows and watching soap operas all day. It means to take responsibility to care for the home, to take responsibility to work within the home. I'm not advocating that women, mothers shouldn't work. In fact, mothers are probably the hardest working ones among us, but what I'm saying is that mothers should not work outside the home biblically. A reason is because properly raising children for the glory of God is a full time job. Keep your place there in Titus. Go back with me to the Old Testament, to the book of Deuteronomy. You have Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. And if you're here this morning, you say this sermon offends me. Excuse me for introducing you to the word of God. Correct me if I'm wrong, but everything I've showed you so far and everything I'll show you for the rest of the sermon will come straight out of the Bible. In fact, if you notice, I'll read a verse and yell a little bit, read another verse and yell a little bit, read another verse and yell a little bit. And usually the yelling is connected to what we read about in the verse. So if you don't like the sermon, don't take it up with me, you can take it up with God. See, mothers should not work outside the home because the Bible clearly commands for ladies to be stay at home wives and mothers. And you say, well, why does God, why does God clearly command for ladies to be stay at home wives and mothers when he says that they should guide the house, that they should be keepers at home? Here's why. Because motherhood is an all consuming call upon the life of a mother. Motherhood is an all-consuming call upon the life of a woman. Deuteronomy chapter number six, if you would, Deuteronomy chapter six, you're there in Deuteronomy, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. And let me say this, and I forgot to say it in my introductory statements, but if you're here this morning, you've raised your children and this sermon goes against what you did, I'm not trying to beat up on you. This sermon's not meant to put you on some sort of a guilt trip. The Bible says forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth into those things which are before, but let me just say this, why don't you become the aged woman that supports a sermon like this and help some young women rear their kids for the glory of God? Deuteronomy chapter six and verse six, Deuteronomy six, six, the Bible says this, in these words, which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. Notice verse seven, and thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children. Whose responsibility, according to the Bible, is it to teach your children? And these words, referring to the word of God, which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And the public government school system shall teach them diligently unto thy children. Is that what it says? And the private Christian school you put them in shall teach them unto, is that what it says? And thou, that's usually the word of you. Singular. Our King James Bible, make sure to tell us. It's not you plural like our modern English might say, but it says, and thou, you singularly, this is your responsibility mom, this is your responsibility dad, and thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children. Now here's what's interesting. If the verse ended there, people say, well I do teach it to my children. What God does in the next few statements is he tells us when. When are parents supposed to teach this to their children? And I would say that obviously fathers have to play a role in raising their children, and dads don't get too comfortable. Father's Day is coming and a sermon is coming for you too. Fathers should take the role of raising their children, but this is going to be primarily done by mothers because of the fact that God commanded men to go off and go to work, plant something, hunt something, sell something, do something, and bring home the bacon. Here in verse 7 he says, thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them. Notice, notice this word when. You see the word when there? When speaks of time. When does God expect you to do this? Here's what he says, when thou sittest in thine house. So when you're at home, just spending time at home, God says I want you teaching your children. And when thou walkest by the way, when you're out and about running errands, doing, doing things, I want you to be teaching your children. And when thou liest down, when you go to bed, I want you teaching your children. And when thou rises up, when you get up, I want you to teach your children. Now hold on a second. Think about this. He just said, he said, I want you to teach your children. When? When God? When should I teach my children? Should I teach them after school? Should I teach them after I pick them up? After the after school program? Should I teach them when I pick them up from the daycare? He says, well here's what I want you to do. I want you to do it when, when they wake up. I want you to do it when you're at home. I want you to do it when you're not at home. And I want you to do it when you go to bed. That sounds like it takes all day. I mean where's the, where's the eight-hour break where you go off to work and leave them with a babysitter? Where's the eight-hour break where you go off to work and you leave them with the grandparents? Where's the eight-hour break where you go off to work and leave them at the daycare, leave them at the public school system? He says, when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou rises up. It sounds like being a mother that is raising godly children for the glory of God. It sounds like God expects it to be a full-time job. All day, every day. Go to Proverbs 31 if you would. Proverbs 31 from the center of your Bible. If you open up your Bible just right in the center you're more than likely following the book of Psalms. Right after Psalms you have the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 is the famous passage of the virtuous woman. I want you to notice that the virtuous woman was busy working in her home all day long. Now I can preach a whole sermon from the virtuous woman and maybe I will at some point. Maybe next mother's there or whatever. I'm not gonna develop the entire passage here of the virtuous woman. There's lots of things we're gonna skip. The Bible says that her tongue is the law of kindness. The Bible says that she stresses out her hands to the poor. The Bible says that she takes care of herself physically and she girdeth her arms with strength and all these things and I'm not gonna cover those things. I just want to highlight for you how busy this woman is. Proverbs 31 is a passage where a mother is telling her son here's the kind of woman you should be looking for and he explains and gives the characteristics of a virtuous woman. I want to just highlight for you how busy the virtuous woman is. She's a hard-working lady. Notice Proverbs 31 in verse 13 the Bible says she seeketh. She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands. What does that mean? I mean she's a hard worker. She's going out and seeking for the materials that she needs to accomplish these jobs and tasks and by the way nobody's forcing her to. It says she seeketh work wool and flax and worketh notice willingly with her hands. Notice verse 14. She is like the merchants ship. She bringeth her food from afar. What does this mean? It means that she shops around. She goes and looks for the best deal. She's looking for these ingredients in order to bring a good meal. I mean look at verse 14. She is like the merchants ship. She bringeth her food from afar. She's creating these healthy delicious maybe even exotic meals. She's shopping around for the right ingredients and bringing them. Look look here I'm not trying to offend you but it doesn't sound like the virtuous woman spent eight hours at work and then stopped by the drive-thru and brought drive-thru dinner for her family every night. It doesn't sound like she's look she is like a merchants ship that bringeth her food from afar. It does not sound like she's warming up TV dinners for her family every night. It does not sound like she's preparing hamburger helper every night. It does not sound like she's serving her husband and children cup of noodles every night. She is like a merchants ship. She brings her food from afar. It means she's shopping around for ingredients for healthy ingredients for a good meal. Look at verse 15. She rises also while it is yet night and giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens. She gets up early to care for her family. She rises up. She rises also while it is yet night while it's still dark outside and she prepares breakfast and she prepares lunches and she prepares lunch for her husband. She giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens. Look at verse 16. She considerth a field and buyeth it. By the way she's good with money. She's wise in her purchases. She's not just spending all the money carelessly and without any thought. She considerth a field and buyeth it. Look she works in a garden. Look at last part of verse 16 with her with the fruit of her hands she planted the vineyard. Look at verse 18. She perceiveth it that her merchandise is good. Her candle goeth not out by night. This lady look and I'm look I'm not trying to beat up on you ladies but this lady is getting up early staying up late working all day long. Her candle goeth not out by night. She's not staying up to two in the morning watching YouTube either. She's not saying up to three in the morning you know on on social media. Her candle goeth not out by night. Why? Verse 19. She layeth her hand to the spindle and her hands hold the distance. This lady is working hard. She's working on extra projects. Notice she's prepared. Verse 21. She's not afraid of the snow for her household. Why is she not afraid of the snow? Why she's not afraid of the cold? Here's why. For all her household are clothed with scarlet. She's prepared. She prepares the meals. She prepares make sure that her family has what they need. Has the clothes they need. Are prepared for the seasons. She's a hard-working lady. Notice she's productive. Verse 22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry. By the way she's not a bag woman. She takes care of herself. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry. Her clothing is silk and purple. Look at verse 24. She maketh. Why don't you notice in verse 22 it says she maketh. She maketh herself coverings. Verse 24. She maketh fine linen. This is a productive lady. She's productive in her work. Now I want you to notice verse 24. She maketh fine linen and selleth it and delivereth girdles unto the merchants. Earlier we saw a verse where it says that she knows that her merchandise is good. Here it says that she delivereth girdles unto the merchants. What is this talking about? This lady she's running a home business. She's making money from home. Now let me explain something to you. This verse is not saying that she goes to work. Sometimes people try to take this verse and say well look she's delivering the girdles unto the merchants so she goes off to work. She goes to work. Well let me help you out with something. The word merchant is defined as a retailer, a trader, or a store owner. It says that she delivereth girdles unto the merchant. It doesn't say she is the merchant. She's not the store owner spending 40 hours a week at the store selling merchandise. No that's the merchant. She delivereth girdles unto the merchant. This verse is not teaching that she goes off to work somewhere where she has to clock in and be there for eight hours or be there for ten hours. But it does teach that she's a very productive lady. She's even making money from home. And by the way let me say this. We're totally for stay at home moms making money from home and doing things from home. My wife has written two children's books. She's working on the third children's book that she makes, writes while the kids are taking naps or late at night when you're on YouTube. She puts the kids to bed and she's working hard. We're not opposed to that. You know I'm selling things on set we have a website and all those things. I'm not opposed to young ladies running businesses from from home. I'm not opposed to mothers working hard. Moms should work hard. But here it says she make it by linen and sell of it and deliver it girdles unto the merchant. This is not teaching she goes and works somewhere. She's not the merchant but she is producing from home and delivering unto the merchant. This is not an idle lady. Look at verse 27. She looketh well to the ways of her household. She looketh well to the ways of her household. How does she look well to the way of her household? Because she's a keeper at home. Because she guides the home. Because she's a stay-at-home mom. Because she's a stay-at-home wife. And look today today you use this term stay-at-home wife and it's like a net it's this negative thing. It's like something you're supposed to be ashamed about. Oh what do you do? I stay at home. You know I think we need to bring back this idea. Moms that stay home and raise the children are heroes. You know mom don't ever you know feel ashamed or embarrassed. What do you do? I stay at home. You know what when somebody asks you some lady asked you what do you do? I stay at home and you say what do you do? Oh I well I I run a firm. I'm an administrative assistant. I'm the CEO of a company. Say oh I'm sorry. I'm so sorry your lazy scoundrel of a husband makes you work. My husband treats me like a queen. I get to fulfill my God-given purpose. Look it's not something to be shamed of. She look as well to the ways of her household and he does not the bread of idleness. I mean look study Proverbs 31. She's a hard worker seeking for materials she needs for the project she's working on at home. She shops around for ingredients to provide good meals for her family. She gets up early to care for her family. She's good with money and makes wife's purchases. She works in a garden. She stays up late to work on extra projects. She's prepared. She's productive. She has a home business. She's not idle. When does this lady go to work? And the answer is she doesn't. Mothers should not work outside the home because the Bible clearly commands for ladies to stay at home to be stay at home wives and stay at home mothers. It says that they should guide the house that they should be keepers at home and the reason for this is because motherhood is an all-consuming call upon the life of a woman and listen moms you can you cannot allow yourself to be distracted with less important things. Number three you're there in Proverbs go to the book of Job if you would Proverbs if you head backwards you have Psalms and then the book of Job, Job 39. Look you do what you want with the sermon that this situation is something between you and your family you and you and God. My job is to preach the whole counsel of God. I'm just giving you biblical reasons you should consider the fact that the Bible teaches that mothers should not work outside the home. Here's why because God plays responsibility providing on the man. Here's why because properly raising children for the glory of God is a full-time job. Here's why point number three mothers should not work outside the home because if you haven't written anything down you've been offended this whole time that's fine I'm used to it. Look I don't I my job to keep one one lady happy. I'm mad at pastor you know join the club they've got jackets. Mothers should not work outside the home here's why because please listen to this your children are too valuable to hand off to someone else. Mama your children are way too valuable you know that. Your children are way too valuable to hand off to some stranger. Job 39 verse 13. Job 39 verse 13 notice what the Bible says. Job 39 13 says gave us thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks or wings and feathers unto the ostrich. Now he's about to use the ostrich as a parable for a bad mom. Notice what he says in verse 14 talking about the ostrich which leaveth her eggs in the earth and warmeth them in the dust. The ostrich see birds are supposed to care all mothers are supposed to care for their young. Birds are supposed to physically sit on their eggs in order to provide warmth for the egg so that the egg could mature and hatch and grow and most birds do this but not the ostrich. The ostrich delegates this job to someone else to something else. She leaveth her eggs in the earth she buries them into the earth and warmeth them in the dust. See a job that she's supposed to do to warm them up she says no let the dust let the dirt let the sun do it. Here the ostrich as a mother it says which leaveth her eggs in the earth and warmeth them in the dust. Here's the problem verse 15 and forget it that the foot may crush them. The problem with putting an egg in in the in the in a hole in the dirt and letting the dirt warm them instead of the ostrich herself it's very convenient because then the ostrich can go off and do whatever the ostrich wants to do but the problem is that she forgets that when you put an egg on the ground an animal or a human might walk by and the foot may crush them or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers. Her labor is in vain without fear because God have deprived her of wisdom neither have he imparted to her understanding. This is what the Bible says about the hardened ostrich as a mother. You know this this this parable could could read a little different if we applied it to how modern motherhood is hardened against her children. It could read this way look look down at Job 39 look at verse 14. It says which leaveth her eggs in the earth. It could say instead of saying which leaveth her eggs in the earth it could say which leaveth her children in a daycare or in a public school or in a pirate school or with a babysitter. Look at verse 15 and forget it not not that the foot may crush them but forget it that the temptation and influences of the world may crush them or not that she forgets that the wild beast may break on them but she forgets that the reprobate predator may break and defile them. It it could say that it's kind of like she is hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers. It could say that yes she goes to work but her labor is in vain without fear. Here's the truth your children are way too valuable to hand off to someone else. I mean let me ask you a question you don't have to answer it out loud you but be honest in your mind if somebody handed you a briefcase with a million dollars in it somebody handed you a briefcase with a million dollars and said here this is for you would you hand off that briefcase every day to a stranger for safekeeping? I mean would you every day get up early go through a drive-thru pick up some drive-thru food walk up to a daycare to a worker that seems nice you read some reviews I mean the place looks clean and you walk up and say here I've got a million dollars here for you it's mine I'm gonna come back and pick it up but I'd like to hire you to take care of this for me for eight hours. Would you do that? And you say well of course not why would I leave a million dollars with a stranger? Would I submit to you this morning that your children are worth a hundred times more than a million dollars and yet our society has been conned into believing that you can take those precious children and drop them off somewhere for six hours or eight hours or 12 hours. I would submit to you that your children are way too valuable to hand off to someone else. Don't be like the ostrich which leaveth her eggs in the earth and warmeth them in the dust and forget it that the foot may crush them or that the wild beast may break them. She's hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers. Why should mothers not work outside the home? Here's why because God placed the responsibility of providing on your husband. Why should mothers not work outside the home? Here's why because properly raising children for the glory of God is a full-time job. It's not something to be done on the side. Why should mothers not work outside the home? Here's why because your children because your precious children are too valuable to hand off to someone else. May give you a fourth reason we'll finish up. Go back to Genesis if you would. Genesis and 1st Timothy. We're gonna go back and forth between Genesis and 1st Timothy. Here's statement number four. Mothers should not work outside the home because, and by the way, praise the Lord for grandparents. Praise God for grandparents. God did not give you grandparents for grandparents to raise your children. Mama, God gave you those kids. Daddy, God gave you those kids. Well, I'm not driving off a daycare. I'm driving off with grandma. Well, God didn't give them to grandma. God gave them to you. Mothers should not work outside the home. Here's why because staying home with your children is the only way to fulfill your God-given purpose. At the fall, it's interesting. Go back to Genesis chapter 3. Here's where we started this morning. Keep your finger in Genesis. We're gonna go back and forth between Genesis and 1st Timothy. We're almost done. At the fall of man, when Adam and Eve sinned, they really screwed up. I mean, I've got some words for Adam when we get to heaven. I mean, they really messed up. You ever messed up, felt shame, felt guilt? That's how Adam and Eve felt when Eve was deceived, when Adam disobeyed, when they literally ruined the human race. They felt bad. They felt guilty. They felt shame. Remember when God came to speak to them, they hid themselves. Then they covered themselves in figs and leaves because they felt guilt and God understood something and God did something so precious. See, we look at the passages right after the fall and we think this is God's punishment, and to an extent, it is God's punishment. But you know what God did? God took Adam and God took Eve after they had royally messed up, and he gave them purpose. He gave man and he gave woman tasks for them to find fulfillment in. Genesis 3 16, unto the woman he, the he there is God, unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow, my conception and sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. By the way, this is a sermon for another day, but you know that it's actually healthy for moms to go through the pain of childbearing. It's good for the child. It's good for the mother. It's good for the connection there. I don't know why we need to say this, but moms, it's not good for you to drug. The first thing you literally do with your children is you drug them up. You say, you're stepping on toes. Excuse me for reading the Bible. Under the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. Research it. It's actually naturally better for the mom and for the baby for them to go through that process of pain and to go through the natural process. You say, I take drugs so that it doesn't hurt me. Yeah, well, let me let you in on a little secret. Those drugs go down to your child. When children are born, they're supposed to be alert, eyes open, paying attention. They're not supposed to go, ah, I'm all drugged up. You say, why are you bringing this up? Well, I've already gotten myself into all sorts of trouble. I figure I might as well do it. Under the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow, thou shall bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. See, right after the fall, God looked at woman who felt with a lot of maybe guilt and shame, and he said, let me help you, Eve. Let me help you with something. I know you feel like you're royally screwed up here. I know you feel like you literally messed everything up, but let me help you with something. I'm going to give you children. I'm going to give you a husband, and you're going to find purpose and fulfillment in your life through these children and through your husband. I mean, he says that unto the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow, thou shall bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. By the way, I know we live in a society that says, oh, you know, marriage is 50-50, and men shouldn't, you know, have to rule over their wives and lead over their wives. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that the husband should be the leader of the home. The Bible says that he should lead, not as a tyrant, but that he should lead for the benefit of his wife and for the benefit of his children. The Bible says that women should submit to their husband, and by the way, that's what every woman wants. God says thy desire shall be to thy husband. People say, oh, no, that's not what I want. They're lying. They're liars. All these, you know, women that are teaching about, you know, not being under the man, they're all lying to you. In their hearts, they know, they wish they had a husband that loved them and provided for them and protected them. God put a desire in the woman for that. You say, I don't think that's true. Okay, then explain to me, explain to me. You see, you listen to the feminist after she was sent forth to go work and to go to college and to be brainwashed, but go find that same feminist when she was five years old. Go find that feminist when she was seven years old, and you know what you'll find is a little girl that was playing house. A little girl that was playing that she was gonna get married when they, we got, I got four daughters. I got two sons and four daughters. Our two sons are boys. They play with cars and they wrestle and fight, play with BB guns and cops get called and all sorts of things. You know what my little girls do? They walk around with a little baby doll inside their shirt. Say, that's weird. Well, if you're, if you breastfed your children like God tells you to, then your kids would think that's normal. They run around with a little baby, a little baby in a cradle. They play mom and sister. They play house. We didn't teach them to do that. We didn't say, now little girls play with dolls. They did that naturally. Teenage girls dream about their wedding day. Why? Because God put a desire in their hearts. They'll find their fulfillment in being a wife and being a mother. Staying home with your children is the only way to fulfill your God given purpose. And by the way, we already saw it, but look at verse 17 and 18. God put a desire in a man and unto Adam he said, because I was hearken unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten the tree of which I commanded thee saying, thou shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake and sorrow shall thou eat of it. All the days of thy life thorns also and thistles shall bring forth to thee and thou shall eat the earth of the field. God, the Bible says, look, there's a reason why men like sports, like hunting, like armies and wars and all those things. Men want to go out and win something, kill something, beat something. God put that in man. He would have desired them to go out and be the hero and provide for their family. And by the way, let me just say something to you lazy scoundrels out there that don't want to work. The reason you're so anxious and so depressed and so upset all the time, if you went out and worked hard all day and you came home, you'd feel good about yourself. God put a desire in ladies. God put a desire in women to be a mother and a wife. And he put a desire in men to be a provider and a protector. Go back to, keep your place there in Genesis. Go back to 1st Timothy 2. Look, the New Testament, the New Testament agrees with this too. 1st Timothy 2, look at verse 13. 1st Timothy 2, 13. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. What are we talking about? We're talking about Genesis 3, the fall of man. The context is the fact that Adam and Eve royally screwed up. He says, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in this transgression. Then he says this in verse 15, notwithstanding she shall be saved. The word Savior is not talking about a spiritual salvation. It's regarding to her purpose in life. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in what? In childbearing. If they continue in faith and charity and holiness and variety. Look, you can walk out of the service today. You can walk out of the service mad at me and say I don't agree with any of that, but you can't walk out of here saying the Bible teaches anything different. I'm sorry. I've showed you way too many verses from too many passages from too many places. Show me the verse where the Bible says God wants you to be a CEO. Show me the verse where God says he wants to be the first governor, female governor of the state of California. Show me the verse where God says he wants you to be the first female vice president or female president once the current president we have dies or whatever. Show me that verse. Ladies were created to be a wife and a mother. We saw it already, but you're there. Look at 1st Timothy 5 14. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. Go back to Genesis chapter 2. Keep your place in 1st Timothy. We're gonna come back to it. 1st Timothy. Genesis 2 18. Genesis 2 18. And the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone. Notice these words. I will make him and help me for him. And then he created you. Ladies, you were created to be a wife and a mother. You say, well that seems like, that seems like it's less. That's because you've been brainwashed into thinking that. I was reading just last night, I was reading a book on vision and I was preparing for a future lesson that I'll be teaching to a leadership class that I teach on the subject of vision. And the interesting thing about vision is this, that vision puts into perspective the mundane things of life. See, here's the truth. Women today, they don't want to be stay-at-home moms because they say, well what does a stay-at-home mom do? She, you know, cooks breakfast, cooks lunch, cooks dinners, she changes diapers, she washes clothes and dries clothes and folds clothes, she cleans the house, she buys groceries, she pays the bills. And you look at all these mundane things and you say, well there's no excitement or there's no success and no fulfillment in that. First of all, whatever you do at work is probably pretty mundane too. You work on Excel, you print things, you mail things, you make phone calls, you return phone calls, there's not really much exciting stuff going on there either. But purpose puts it into perspective because you might sit there and say, well I don't want to be a mom and change diapers. What would I do? Change diapers, read to my children, homeschool my children, prepare breakfast, prepare lunch, bake with my kids. You know, these things aren't like saying, but when you put it, when you look at it through the lens of purpose, when you realize that God has given you children that have a never-ending soul, when you realize that you are investing your life and your time into a child and raising them for the glory of God, it gives those mundane tasks some purpose. You're not changing a diaper, you're raising children for the glory of God. You're not making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, you're raising children for the glory of God. You're not doing laundry, you're raising the next generation of God's people. Some of you need to just get the right vision. Being a stay-at-home mom, it's nothing to be ashamed of. You're a hero. 1st Timothy chapter 6, 1st Timothy chapter 6, mothers should not work outside the home biblically, here's why, because God plays the responsibility of providing on the man. Mothers should not work outside the home biblically, here's why, because properly raising children for the glory of God is a full-time job. Mothers should not work outside the home, here's why, biblically, because your children are way too valuable to hand off to someone else. Mothers should not work outside the home biblically, here's why, because staying home with your children is the only way to fulfill your God-given purpose. Let me just say by ending, and by making a couple statements. Let's be real. The only reason a mother would go to work, the only reason a mother would go to work when she could stay home, again I'm not talking about you moms, you don't have a choice. Your husband left you and you've got to do what you've got to do to make ends meet and we want to help you and support you. Maybe you say, I'd like to stay home but my husband just won't work or won't let me or whatever and I'm sorry for you. But the only reason that a mother who has the choice would choose to go to work, there's only one reason, money. First Timothy 6, 10, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some covet it after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves to do with many sorrows. You've heard me say this, I say it all the time, never make decisions solely based on money, you will live to regret it. When you make decisions solely based on money, I'm not saying money should not get be factored into the decision-making process, but when you make decisions solely based on money, you will make the wrong decision every time. For the love of money is the root of all evil. See the only reason that a mother would go to work is because of money. Well pastor you don't understand if I quit my job and I stay home, then we won't be able to afford the mortgage. Okay then maybe you should live in a not so nice house. Maybe you should drive a not so nice car. Maybe you should shop at a thrift store and not at Nordstrom's. Maybe you should make some sacrifices. Maybe there are some decisions that you need to make. Here's what I'm saying and look you say you know the odds are stacked against us. I understand that living on one income in this society it's almost impossible, but I can tell you this God has done a miraculous work here at Verity Baptist Church. We've got all sorts of families that have wives that stay home. We've got about 90 children in our homeschool group and moms that are actively staying home and homeschooling their children and we've got men and I'm not talking about bright guys. I mean you talk to our guys you'll know they're not that smart, but yet God has blessed them and God has helped them and God has provided for them. Some of you men need to just look in the mirror and say so help me God I will do what I must do to provide for my family. You go and work hard the Bible says in all labor in all labor there's profit and I don't care if you work at a fast-food restaurant you go and you work hard and God will meet you there and God will help you and I'm not saying you're gonna live in a nice gated community. I'm not saying you're gonna drive a fancy nice car, but I'm saying this you God can't help you. Proverbs 3 5 you don't have to turn there says this trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. See the problem is that you're doing too much leaning on your own understanding. Stop thinking about it you're not good at it. Let God make your decisions. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. Say pastor you don't understand my wife has to go to work because we have to go on a cruise every year. My wife has to go to work because we have to take two weeks off every year and go to Disneyland. My wife has to go to work cuz I have to pay off my my student loans or my payday loans. You trust in the Lord. Maybe you have to do a staycation. You trust the Lord by the way you'll save a lot of money by just eating eating good healthy home-cooked meals instead of eating out all the time. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. We sang this song for the course of the week God will take care of you. The third and fourth stanza say this all you may need he will provide God will take care of you. It's easy to sing it it's harder to live it. Nothing you ask will be denied God will take care of you no matter what may be the test God will take care of you. Lean weary one upon his breast God will take care of you. Don't just sing it why don't you live it. God will take care of you. Some of you may need to get up every morning and sing this song to yourselves. Through every day or all the way he will take care of you. God will take care of you and your wife and your children and your family. We need to just get back to doing it God's way. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father. Lord we thank you. We thank you for moms and dads who sacrifice to raise their children and the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Lord I pray that everyone here today would receive the sermon in the spirit in which it was given. My goal is not to beat up on any moms today. I know there's some moms here they don't have a choice. They'd love to stay home raise their children. It's not an option for them. I know there's some ladies single ladies they don't have a choice they have to go to work. They weren't raised in a home where mom and dad believe these things. Lord I realize that there are some moms here today who maybe do have a choice and they've never even heard anything like this and unfortunately they've never even went to a church that took the time to clearly teach these these things. We're not trying to beat up on them. But Lord I do pray for that mom. I pray for that dad. They're struggling right now. They got a lot of bills. They're realizing that homeschooling can cost a lot of money. They've got emergencies and things going on and sometimes Lord it just gets hard. I pray you strengthen them. I pray you'd help them to lean upon you to trust in the Lord with all their heart. Lord I pray that you would help us to raise godly children in this church raise families that would serve you that would love you. Lord I think for my wife such a hard worker gets up early stays up late does a wonderful job with the children throws events like the event yesterday. But I think for my mother my parents raised us up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Lord I thank you for every mother represented here today. Maybe this is the first time they've ever heard this. They've been struggling and Lord I pray you'd bless them. Pray you'd help them to come alongside them. I pray you'd help us to come alongside them and love them and strengthen them and help them. In the matchless name of Christ we pray. Amen.