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Titus 2 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Well, good morning, Christ Family Church, and again, happy Mother's Day to our moms in the room.
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If you would turn with me to Titus chapter 2.
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Titus chapter 2.
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And this morning we're going to take a short break from our normal study in Acts.
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One week break from the study of the book of Acts.
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Nathan asked me if I would share something special this morning since it is Mother's Day.
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So we're going to take a brief depart from the book of Acts.
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We'll come back together again, I believe, next week.
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We're scheduled to do some more in the book of Acts.
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So this morning we're going to be talking and focusing on biblical womanhood,
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which is exciting for all those guys who are in the room saying,
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yes, I'm glad I came here this morning.
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I'm so glad that we're talking about biblical womanhood.
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Before you go there, in your minds, stay with me, guys.
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This is going to be important for you because whether you are a young woman,
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whether you're an older woman, whether you have kids, or whether you don't have kids,
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this message should apply to you because we all have moms, right?
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We all were born to someone, and we all have moms.
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And at the very least, men, we can pray toward or for our mothers
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and for the people that we know in our lives who are moms,
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who are trying and working toward what these biblical truths have to teach us this morning.
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My hope this morning is that you're encouraged in at least two ways.
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The first, that you, and by you, I mean the mothers in the room this morning,
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that you are encouraged by what you're doing well,
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because so many of you are doing so many things so well,
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and that you would continue down that road of doing those things well,
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refining what you've done well and continue to do those things well.
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Secondly, I hope that everyone will be spurred on toward godliness in the areas where we neglect.
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And we all have areas that we neglect, right?
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Every single one of us, every person in this room has areas of neglect.
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Until we have achieved perfection, and biblically speaking, I don't think any of us are there yet.
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Until we achieve perfection, we have stuff we can work on.
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And so I hope that you will keep your mind and your heart open to God changing you through the power of His Word
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and the conviction of the Holy Spirit this morning.
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Now, Titus 2 has much to say to us this morning.
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And in the context of Titus 2, we have instructions to younger men, to older men, to younger women, and to older women.
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And we have a section in there also about speaking about servants.
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And so I want you to look at me at verse 3 to begin with, Titus 2, verse 3.
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And we're going to dive right in because we have a lot to cover this morning.
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We have a lot of ground to cover.
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We've got to do some groundwork before we dive into this.
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And I just want to go ahead and jump in.
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And then we're going to jump to the end of the passage because we have to connect some truths within the context of those passages this morning.
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So Titus 2, verse 3 says,
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Now, skip with me down to Titus 2, verse 11.
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For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
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training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,
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and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
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waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
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who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness,
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to purify for Himself a people for His own possession,
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who are zealous for good works.
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Declare these things.
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Exhort and rebuke with all authority.
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Let no one disregard you.
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So what I want to do this morning to start off with in working through this passage,
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we're going to start with the end and work backwards
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because it's important for us to understand what we have going on here in the context toward the end of this chapter.
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And when we talk about biblical context, we have to keep in mind that our context exists both before and after the passage that we were looking at.
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So we're going to start by looking at the context afterwards.
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And he says at the very end of the chapter,
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And listen to the confidence here.
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Declare these things.
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Verse 15.
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Exhort and rebuke with all authority.
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And so what I want to do this morning is I want to walk us through a few reminders.
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And these reminders are not just for this morning, but for every morning that we gather here as a faith family at Christ Family Church.
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These are important things for us to remember.
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And the first reminder is this, that the Word is the preacher's only source of authority.
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The Word is the preacher's only source of authority.
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It says to exhort and rebuke with all authority as you declare these things, as you declare the Word.
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Now we live in a day where there are men and women, for that matter, who are standing up probably right now in front of faith families, their own faith families.
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And they are standing up before the people of God and speaking nonsense.
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They're speaking non-truths.
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They're speaking things that are outside of Scripture.
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And they will stand up before a gathered people and proclaim things that the Word does not say.
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This is one of the things that I'm most burdened about in our church culture today.
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That people would stand up and not speak truth to people.
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When a mega church leader not far away from us can proclaim before thousands of readers and listeners that expository preaching is lazy.
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That all the research that expositors do, researching the Greek and Hebrew and getting down to the minute details of what each individual word means.
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And to extrapolate the meaning from the text, that that is somehow lazy.
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He further goes on to say that he finds no example of expository preaching in Scripture.
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Which is so far from the truth.
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We've already seen this in the book of Acts over the last several months that we've been in the book of Acts.
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So many examples.
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So many great biblical examples of expository preaching.
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And really great examples from Peter's life and from others.
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So the question that's ringing in my mind is on whose authority are people like this speaking?
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From where do they get their truth statements?
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What are they basing their statements on?
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Because it certainly isn't on the Word of God.
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And you might say, well what makes you think that you have any authority?
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Well what makes Nathan or Clay or Jonathan or any of our community group leaders who teach the Bible on a regular basis?
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What gives anyone authority to teach the Word of God?
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And this is what I'll say because this is what the Word of God teaches us.
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First and foremost, the preacher's authority is not personal.
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The preacher's authority is not personal.
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It's not based on who he is.
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Some people think, well if the preacher said it, then it's got to be right.
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Right?
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Not necessarily.
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The preacher is a fallen human.
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Others go to the opposite end of the spectrum.
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They say, well if the preacher said it, then it's got to be wrong.
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And I could almost live with that because they are fallen.
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They are human.
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It's not on their own authority.
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It's not personal authority.
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If I said it in an imperfect, broken image of God and I'm standing on my own authority, then I could just as easily be wrong, as wrong as the next person.
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And this is why.
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When preachers go out on a limb and start preaching on their own authority, they fail every time.
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And if I stood before you today and I began to preach on my own authority, then I would fail.
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The preacher's authority is not personal.
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The preacher's authority is also not organizational.
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There's a lot of organizations and denominations and cults, and we won't mention anybody specifically this morning,
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but there are a lot of denominations and cults out there that teach that their organization somehow has authority.
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Or at the very least, that they have authority in addition to Scripture.
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And it's not true.
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The Word of God is the preacher's only authority.
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It's not organizational.
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And finally, the preacher's authority is not experiential.
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And this is one that seems to be the most dangerous and maybe the most dominant in our culture today,
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is this key idea that people believe is prevalent in the church culture,
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that someone can only speak to something if they've experienced that thing.
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And that's the only way you can speak with authority on that subject.
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So we've got this idea that if we've dealt with a particular sin,
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the best person to help us through that particular sin is someone who's experienced already,
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experienced that sin somehow.
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And this is ludicrous.
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If this were the case, then Jesus himself would have nothing to offer us in his ministry.
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Praise God that Jesus didn't once give in to sin.
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He didn't once fall to the same temptations of immorality and lying and cheating and adultery
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and all the things that we deal with in our lives as humans.
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He didn't once give in.
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And that's why he alone is able to help us through these sins and through these things.
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It undercuts the whole foundation of the gospel.
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And that is why he is able to help us.
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He is able to help us because he is free of sin.
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The preacher's authority is based on none of these things
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because the preacher's authority is only biblical.
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And I want us to be reminded of this this morning.
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As long as someone speaks the Word of God,
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he speaks what is in line with the Word of God,
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then he, as Titus 2 says, has all authority.
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But the minute he goes beyond the Word into thoughts or desires or psychology or experience,
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at that moment he has lost his authority or she has lost her authority.
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Everything we do, all teaching, all preaching, all authority is wrapped up in the Word of God.
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And so I understand that probably every person in this room by now is thinking,
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well, Kyle, this sounds more like a preaching lesson than it is a lesson on biblical womanhood.
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So what's the point?
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First, it's represented in a text.
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So I'm going to teach it.
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It's represented in a text, and it's important for us to understand.
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We're going to teach it.
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And I hope that every believer in this room can understand the context of this
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since as believers we should be teaching.
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Every person in here, as a believer, we should be teaching Scripture at some level.
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Second, I want to remind you that I'm not speaking on these things on my own authority,
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but on the authority of Christ.
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It isn't based on who I am or my personal opinions or my experience.
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If it were, I'd be in a lot of trouble this morning because, quite frankly, I'm not female.
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In case you were wondering.
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And that would make it really, really hard for me to preach on biblical womanhood
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if it was based on who I am.
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I'm not claiming to be the wise one that has all the biblical answers to biblical womanhood
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or who has all the answers to personal struggles in your marriages
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and your relationships with your children or in your relationships with other people.
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I realize that there are a plethora of different situations in this room, circumstances,
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people with different struggles, with different pasts.
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And at times when we're confronted with the Word, we're confronted by the Word.
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We all need to be confronted by the Word from time to time, hopefully on a regular basis.
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And in those times, the adversary will sometimes begin to whisper into your ear.
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He doesn't know what he's talking about.
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He doesn't know what you're going through.
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This doesn't apply to you.
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And then you'll go and try to find someone else who agrees with what you think.
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And you can easily find someone who agrees with what you think,
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someone who can tell you what you want to hear, as opposed to what the Word of God says.
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And I submit to you that those friends or those relatives or those people
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who are telling you just what you want to hear and not giving you biblical truth
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does not demonstrate biblical love in your life.
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I don't know how many times since Amanda and I have been married
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that we have had situations where we have spoken truth and love into somebody's life
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and they reject it for the lives of someone who told them what they would prefer to hear.
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I love a lot of things about my wife,
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but one of the things that I love the most is that if you ask her a question,
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if you come to her seeking truth, she's going to give it to you.
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She's going to tell you, she's going to give you truth from the Word
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and she'll do it out of love.
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And she's very good at tithes to ministry.
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But so often people walk away with unteachable hearts.
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Don't let that be you this morning.
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Don't let that be you.
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I want more than anything to stay as close to this Word as possible.
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And if I stray from this Word, you have my permission this morning just to tune me out.
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If I begin talking about my own experience,
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if I begin talking about my thoughts or anything else,
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you have my permission to tune me completely out.
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But as long as this Word is being clearly communicated,
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then I encourage you and I urge you to listen to what the Word of God says.
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I've been praying from the moment that I knew I'd be preaching this morning
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that the power of His Spirit would take this Word
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and apply it appropriately in each of our lives this morning.
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I realize we have all kinds of situations, all kinds of varying situations,
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and we have to apply this Word to our personal lives and our personal situations.
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So as we jump into biblical womanhood, we must first understand this,
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that the foundation of biblical womanhood is the Gospel.
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The foundation of biblical womanhood is the Gospel.
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And this is true for every aspect of the life of a born-again believer.
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The Gospel is foundational.
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The Gospel undergirds everything.
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It is the foundation for everything we talk about.
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And as what He is saying here in Titus 2, 11-14,
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you read that the grace of God has appeared,
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bringing salvation for all people,
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training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions
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and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
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waiting for our blessed hope,
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the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior,
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who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
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and to purify for Himself a people, His own possession,
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who are zealous for good works.
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That is the Gospel.
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He just spent ten verses saying,
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young men do this,
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older men do this,
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younger women do this,
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older women do this.
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And He says,
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the reason He says that all these things
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is that the Gospel is foundational for all of it.
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Everything that we do.
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How is the Gospel foundational?
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Three reasons this morning.
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Real quickly, before we jump into biblical womanhood,
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and by the way, this does connect.
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We're going to connect these things back to biblical womanhood,
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and I hope that you'll see how that works in a little bit.
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God's grace covers our past.
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We see this in the text this morning.
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God's grace covers our past.
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We see it in verse 11.
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God's grace has appeared.
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He has brought us to salvation.
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And here's where I'm going to lose some people,
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because typically, believers,
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oftentimes we fall into this habit
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of when we begin to talk about God's grace,
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we begin to tune it out,
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we begin to tune out things,
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because we've heard it before we know about God's grace.
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But the reality is
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that God has provided incredible grace for us,
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and we do not ever need to overcome
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the joy of the reality of what Christ has done in our lives.
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We were once dead in our sin
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and made alive again by Christ.
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This is a gift that we should never stop rejoicing in.
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This is a gift that was given to us freely.
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We've been spared the wrath of God
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through the blood of Christ
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and made alive again forever.
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This is something that we should always rejoice in.
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It's something that we should never get over
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in our lives.
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We should continually rejoice in this truth.
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But God not only covers our past by His grace,
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God's grace and powers are present.
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This is the picture now.
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God's grace trains us,
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according to verse 11.
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God's grace is our teacher.
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It trains us and disciples us on a daily basis
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to grow into the image of Christ.
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It's a process that we call sanctification.
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And this is how this works
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for application for us this morning.
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There's no woman in this room
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that can live up to the picture
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of Titus 2 on your own.
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In fact, for that matter,
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there's no man in this room
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who can live up to the picture
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of biblical manhood on his own.
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Grace empowers our present.
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It's grounded in the Gospel
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and it trains us for these things.
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This grace covers our past.
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It empowers our present.
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And God's grace guarantees our future.
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It guarantees our future.
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This is verse 13.
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Waiting for our blessed hope,
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the appearing of the glory
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of our great God and Savior,
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Jesus Christ.
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So we see God's grace,
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past, present, and future,
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all wonderfully encapsulated
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in this passage.
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And we see how the Gospel is foundational
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for all that we're going to read about
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this morning.
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But not only is the Gospel foundational,
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the foundation of biblical womanhood,
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but it's also the purpose
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of biblical womanhood.
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And this is demonstrated
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no less than three times in Titus 2.
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We look at three different times.
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The first one that we're going to look at
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is Titus 2.9.
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He's talking about servants here.
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Slaves are to be submissive
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to their own masters in everything.
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They are to be well-pleasing,
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not argumentative,
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not pilfering,
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but showing all good faith.
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And here's the purpose clause.
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Paul inserts a purpose clause here
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as he writes.
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So that in everything
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they might adorn
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the doctrine of God our Savior.
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So we have a purpose
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for the reason why
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we're being told to do these things.
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Show your second example.
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See it again in verse 7.
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If you back up.
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This is speaking to younger men.
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Show yourselves in all respects
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to be a model of good works.
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And in your teaching,
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show integrity,
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dignity,
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and sound speech
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that cannot be condemned.
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And here it is again.
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So that an opponent
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may be put to shame,
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having nothing evil
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to say about us.
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So there again
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we see a purpose.
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Thirdly,
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trained young women.
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This is the passage
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that we're talking about
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this morning,
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one of our focus passages.
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Trained young women
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to love their husbands
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and children,
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to be self-controlled,
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pure,
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working at home,
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kind and submissive
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to their own husbands.
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That is that the Word of God
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may not be reviled.
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So the picture we get
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from Scripture
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is that you act in these ways.
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People have no grounds
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upon which to speak
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against the Word.
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They have no grounds
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upon which to speak
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bad about us.
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And they will all see
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the attractiveness
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of God our Savior.
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This is where I want us
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to all think about
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what biblical womanhood
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is not.
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That it's not
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for our cultural convenience.
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It's not for our
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cultural convenience.
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It's not to try to fit
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into the mold
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of the culture
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that exists around us.
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And so often
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we have done this
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even in our Christian circles.
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We have adopted
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what the world says
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should look like
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as women.
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And you have to understand
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that Paul is writing
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in a time here
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during the birth
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of Christianity.
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Christianity is brand new.
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And they are just discovering
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what effects
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that Christ has,
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what effects
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the gospel has
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on the family
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and on the home.
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And for the first time
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moms, dads, husbands,
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wives, and children
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are having to consider
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how to show Christ
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to the world,
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to the first century
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pagan world,
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what kind of difference
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Christ makes
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in the family
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and on the home.
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And it wasn't
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an easy task for them.
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Everything that they're
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being told to do
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is counter-cultural.
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All across the New Testament,
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everything that they
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are encountering,
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everything they're being
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told to do
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is counter-cultural.
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And though it's not
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a direct correlation
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to us today,
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the first century
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back then,
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there's no question
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that the picture
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of a Christ-centered
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family in our culture
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is under attack.
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The enemy wants
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to attack this
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because it's such
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an incredible picture
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of the gospel.
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We have to make
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a decision
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whether we're going
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to mold our lives
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into what the culture
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says is right
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or whether we're
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going to mold our lives
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into what God says
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is right.
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This is not about
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cultural convenience
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and as a result,
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there are some
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unpopular things
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that we're going
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to talk about this morning.
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I'll go ahead
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and warn you,
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there are some
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unpopular things
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that we're going
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to talk about
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that are unpopular
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in our culture.
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So biblical womanhood
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is not about
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cultural convenience
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and it's not about
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personal preference.
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We've got to realize
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this, that marriage,
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family, kids,
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mothering, fathering,
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none of this
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is for our
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individual fulfillment.
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I'm not saying
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that these things
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aren't fulfilling
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because they are
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indeed fulfilling
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when we do them
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well and we do
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them according to
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God and according
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to the way that
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God tells us to do
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them.
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They can be
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incredibly fulfilling.
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We must realize
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that God's glory
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is the end game
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in all of these
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things.
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We've got to be
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seeking God's glory
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in all of this.
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The purpose of
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marriage and
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parenting is to
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put the glory of
22:28
God on display
22:29
for the world to
22:30
see.
22:32
And we sacrifice
22:33
our preferences
22:34
and our comfort
22:35
toward that end.
22:35
So if biblical
22:37
womanhood is not
22:38
for cultural
22:38
convenience and
22:39
it's not for
22:39
personal preference,
22:40
then what exactly
22:41
is the purpose
22:42
of biblical
22:43
womanhood?
22:45
The purpose of
22:46
biblical womanhood
22:47
is number one,
22:47
to show the
22:48
beauty of Christ.
22:50
To show the
22:50
beauty of Christ.
22:53
To make the
22:54
teaching about
22:54
God, our Savior,
22:56
attractive to the
22:57
world and
22:58
attractive to
22:59
believers.
23:01
And this is where
23:02
we're getting into
23:03
the main course
23:03
this morning.
23:04
We've had the
23:04
appetizers, we've
23:05
gone through the
23:06
salad course, we've
23:07
gone through the
23:07
soup course, and
23:08
now we're getting
23:09
into the core of
23:10
what we're talking
23:11
about this morning.
23:12
How can we live
23:14
today, women, how
23:16
can you live in a
23:17
way that puts the
23:18
gospel of Christ on
23:19
display?
23:24
That is a
23:25
consuming question.
23:27
And unfortunately,
23:28
it's not the
23:29
consuming question
23:29
that most of us
23:30
ponder when we're
23:32
thinking about our
23:33
day-to-day activities.
23:36
It's more likely,
23:37
the question that we
23:38
ask is more likely,
23:40
what can I do on a
23:41
day-to-day basis to
23:42
make my life easiest?
23:44
Because things are
23:45
difficult, right?
23:47
It's difficult day-to-day.
23:49
Moms, dads,
23:50
everyone.
23:51
But as long as we're
23:52
focused on that, we
23:54
will not be able to
23:55
engage Scripture on a
23:56
meaningful level.
23:59
It's at this point we
24:00
must realize that our
24:01
purpose is to show the
24:02
beauty of Christ that
24:04
we are truly engaging
24:05
the Word.
24:07
So the question for
24:08
your life, woman of
24:09
God, is how can you
24:10
live in a way that
24:12
puts the gospel of
24:13
Jesus Christ on
24:14
display in your life?
24:17
So the first purpose
24:18
of biblical womanhood
24:19
is to show the beauty
24:20
of Christ.
24:21
Secondly, to advance
24:23
the mission of Christ.
24:25
To advance the mission
24:26
of Christ.
24:28
So that no one will
24:29
align the Word.
24:30
so that no one can
24:31
say bad things about
24:33
us.
24:34
So that people in a
24:35
pagan culture, both
24:37
1st century and 21st
24:39
century, can see the
24:41
gospel effect on our
24:43
families.
24:45
Do we realize how huge
24:46
of a need this is today
24:48
in our culture?
24:50
It's huge.
24:53
And I want to be
24:54
careful here because I
24:55
know that there are
24:55
individuals in this room,
24:57
situations where the
24:58
glory of Christ may not
24:59
have been put on display.
25:01
At some point in your
25:02
past, at some point
25:03
along the way, whether
25:04
through parenting or
25:05
failed marriages or
25:06
guilt from past
25:07
situations, maybe very
25:08
public situations where
25:09
you did not display the
25:11
glory of Christ, whether
25:12
it be in any of these
25:13
areas of your life.
25:14
And I just want to
25:15
remind you, this is part
25:16
of the connection going
25:17
back to what we started
25:18
off with, what I've
25:19
already said, that God's
25:20
grace covers our past.
25:22
It's important for us
25:23
moving forward to
25:24
understand that just
25:25
because we did not do
25:27
things well in the past
25:28
does it mean that we
25:28
have to live in that
25:30
way in the future that
25:31
we can still put the
25:32
glory of God on display
25:33
in our lives.
25:34
At the same time, I
25:35
know that there are
25:36
men and women who may
25:37
be struggling through
25:38
marriages in this room.
25:39
There may be men and
25:40
women who are struggling
25:40
to hold on to
25:41
parenting.
25:42
Let's face it, moms.
25:44
I'm just going to go
25:44
ahead and say it.
25:45
Your job isn't easy.
25:48
It's not easy.
25:50
And any person that
25:51
says that has never
25:53
been a mom before.
25:55
And I want to urge you
25:57
whether you're struggling
25:58
as a spouse or as a
26:01
struggling parent, both
26:02
men and women in the
26:02
room, I want to urge you
26:03
to hold fast by the grace
26:05
of Christ in your life.
26:08
Hold fast by His grace.
26:09
Women, whether young or
26:10
old, it's time for us to
26:12
raise the bar in the
26:13
church.
26:15
It's time for us to raise
26:16
the bar in our culture as
26:18
believers in our culture.
26:21
And as women say, this is
26:23
what the gospel of Christ
26:25
looks like in action
26:27
played out in the woman's
26:28
life.
26:30
The world needs to see
26:31
this.
26:32
And the world needs to see
26:33
this in you.
26:35
The world needs to see
26:36
biblical womanhood and
26:37
biblical manhood on
26:39
display boldly in the
26:40
lives of the body of
26:41
Christ.
26:42
And they need to see it
26:43
in this faith family.
26:46
We all need to be on
26:47
our knees praying toward
26:48
this end on a regular
26:49
basis.
26:50
All of us, young, old,
26:51
men, women, all of us
26:52
in the room need to be
26:54
praying that God will
26:55
show the power of His
26:56
gospel and bringing
26:57
healing and joy back to
26:59
our families.
27:01
We need to pray that God
27:02
will boldly display His
27:03
gospel in us this morning.
27:04
And that's the purpose of
27:06
biblical womanhood.
27:07
So what we have in Titus 2
27:09
is biblical womanhood
27:10
split into two groups.
27:11
Okay?
27:12
Two different groups.
27:12
Younger women, older
27:13
women.
27:15
Some have said of this
27:16
passage that older women
27:17
would be those who are
27:18
past the years of having
27:20
children in the home,
27:20
child rearing years,
27:22
while younger women
27:23
would be those who still
27:24
have children or younger
27:25
in their homes.
27:28
I don't want to disqualify
27:30
any young women in here
27:32
from this passage just
27:33
because you don't have
27:33
children.
27:34
That's not necessarily the
27:35
case.
27:36
But there's no definite
27:38
lines, and I'm not going
27:39
to say give any ages.
27:41
I'm going to tell you
27:41
whether you're an older
27:42
woman or a younger woman
27:43
this morning.
27:44
I just don't want to go
27:45
there for obvious reasons.
27:47
But just know that there's
27:50
no defining age point
27:51
here.
27:52
Okay?
27:53
Just as a side note,
27:55
this may be one of the
27:56
most misunderstood and
27:57
maligned passages in all
27:58
the New Testament.
27:59
One of the most
28:00
misunderstood.
28:01
Radical feminism has
28:02
crept into our church
28:05
culture.
28:07
And it's claimed that
28:09
passages like Titus 2
28:10
are chauvinistic and
28:11
sexist and outdated.
28:14
And since it's outdated,
28:16
it's optional for our
28:17
lives.
28:17
Well, it's not optional.
28:18
It's still the Word of
28:20
God.
28:20
And I believe as we gain
28:21
an understanding for this
28:22
passage, we'll no longer
28:23
believe that it's chauvinistic
28:24
and we'll no longer
28:25
believe that it's sexist.
28:28
We'll look at this and
28:28
we'll say this has been
28:29
God's plan from the very
28:31
beginning in chapter 2 of
28:32
Genesis when He created
28:33
woman, that this from the
28:35
very beginning was God's
28:37
plan.
28:38
And we want to experience
28:39
all that He has for us in
28:41
our families and in
28:42
biblical womanhood.
28:43
So we'll start with older
28:44
women because Scripture
28:45
starts with older women.
28:47
Older women, likewise,
28:48
are to be reverent in
28:49
behavior, not slanderers
28:50
or slaves to much wine.
28:52
They are to teach what is
28:53
good.
28:54
So older women, command
28:55
number one, be holy.
28:59
Be holy.
29:01
Live your lives reverently
29:02
before God.
29:04
Older women, set a godly
29:06
example for younger women.
29:09
Show younger women what life
29:11
looks like when lived before
29:12
a holy God.
29:13
These are important things
29:15
older women to teach to
29:17
younger women.
29:17
Be holy.
29:18
Secondly, build up the body
29:19
of Christ.
29:21
He says this in two ways.
29:23
First, he says, do not be
29:24
slanderers.
29:26
Build up the body with your
29:27
tongue.
29:28
Speak well of other people.
29:33
Older women, speak in a way
29:35
that builds up the character
29:36
of Christ in others.
29:37
Speak in a way that builds up
29:38
the body of Christ in the
29:39
church.
29:40
Do not slander.
29:41
And yes, this includes gossip.
29:45
Do not do anything that is not
29:46
useful, Ephesians 4, for
29:48
building up others according
29:50
to their need in Christ Jesus.
29:55
So the word is saying, do not
29:56
be slanderers.
29:58
Do not speak in a way that will
29:59
not bring glory to Christ.
30:01
And not just control your tongue,
30:03
but do not be addicted to much
30:04
wine.
30:06
This is a picture here of
30:07
self-control.
30:09
Being in control.
30:10
Being sober-minded.
30:12
This is a picture of guarding
30:13
your body as a temple of the
30:14
Holy Spirit.
30:16
So be holy.
30:17
Build up the body of Christ.
30:18
And thirdly, make disciples.
30:20
Older women still are speaking
30:22
to you.
30:22
Make disciples.
30:24
And this is where it gets
30:25
really, really good.
30:26
Listen to what it says.
30:27
They are to teach what is
30:29
good.
30:29
Remember this in the context
30:31
of Scripture.
30:32
Be holy.
30:33
Build up the body of Christ.
30:34
Why?
30:35
Why do we need to be holy?
30:36
Why do we need to build up the
30:37
body of Christ?
30:38
So that you can teach and train
30:40
younger women.
30:42
Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit,
30:46
tells older women,
30:47
make disciples with younger women.
30:51
Show younger women what life looks
30:53
like in Christ.
30:54
Christ.
30:56
And this is something that God has
30:59
entrusted to older women.
31:02
And I don't know how much this is
31:03
going on in our faith family.
31:04
I hope that it's going on.
31:05
And I hope that if it's not,
31:06
that we will continue to do this
31:08
process in our lives.
31:09
That older women would train and
31:10
teach younger women and mentor.
31:12
And I would submit that every
31:13
believer needs someone older in
31:16
their life to disciple them and to
31:19
train them as a mentor.
31:20
And every person needs a younger
31:24
person in their life that they are
31:25
currently training.
31:27
This is what Titus 2 ministry looks
31:29
like.
31:30
So this is the picture.
31:32
Make disciples.
31:32
That's the three effects of the
31:34
gospel on older women in Titus 2.
31:37
There are more for younger women.
31:39
Seven effects of the gospel that we
31:41
see on younger women.
31:43
Number one, love your husband.
31:46
So train the young women to love
31:51
their husbands.
31:52
This is typically where we get kind
31:53
of a nudge from the husband to
31:55
their wife.
31:56
See?
31:58
It's in the Bible, honey.
31:59
It's right here.
32:00
But men, we're not going to be
32:01
self-serving about this.
32:03
We're not going to take this and
32:06
shove it down anybody's face this
32:09
morning.
32:10
But this is how important this is,
32:12
ladies, in the room.
32:14
The command here, the commands are
32:17
really bookended for young women in
32:20
this regard.
32:20
At the beginning, it's love your
32:22
husbands.
32:23
And at the end, it's submit to your
32:25
husbands.
32:26
This is a bookended thing.
32:27
It's all encapsulated by loving her
32:30
husband.
32:31
And Scripture is consistent in this
32:32
regard.
32:32
In Genesis 2.18, in 1 Corinthians 11,
32:35
8, and 9, in Colossians, and all
32:37
these places that talks about biblical
32:39
womanhood and the command to love the
32:41
husband.
32:41
It always comes before the command to
32:44
love the children.
32:47
The command of Genesis 2.18 and 1
32:49
Corinthians 11, that women are first
32:51
and foremost their husband's helper, not
32:53
their children's helper.
32:57
And the biblical picture is that the
33:00
biblical woman who is a wife and a
33:01
mother, her love for her children
33:03
flows out of the spring of her love
33:05
for her husband.
33:07
Does that mean that you should
33:08
disregard your children?
33:09
No way.
33:10
That's not what we're saying here at
33:11
all.
33:11
That aside from God, I just want to be
33:13
clear here, aside from your
33:15
relationship with God, the number one
33:16
relationship in your life is your
33:18
husband for married women.
33:20
It's the number one responsibility
33:23
aside from your relationship with God.
33:27
Now, what I love about Titus 2 is that
33:32
it's very quick to say that older women should
33:34
train younger women to love their husbands,
33:39
which implies, at least in my mind, it implies
33:42
that it's not something that just happens
33:44
automatically, right?
33:46
Let's just be honest here.
33:48
There are a couple of men in this room who are
33:51
difficult to love.
33:52
Not me, of course.
33:56
Those guys, again, not me.
33:57
Those guys have something to work on in their
34:00
lives.
34:03
I just want to be clear of being facetious,
34:04
obviously.
34:06
Let's just be very honest, man.
34:07
Who in here, by a show of hands, is easy to love?
34:10
And I'm not hands down, by the way.
34:13
If you even started to raise your hand, you're
34:15
going to get that elbow and the gut there.
34:18
But biblical love is not always easy.
34:22
It's not always easy.
34:24
This love, women, it requires great determination
34:27
on your part.
34:29
It requires great determination.
34:31
I've counseled through enough couples struggling
34:33
with love and respect issues.
34:37
Again, I'm speaking on experience, so if you want
34:38
to tune this part out, that's fine.
34:40
Whatever.
34:40
But I've spoken with enough couples who are
34:44
dealing with these issues to know that there are
34:47
probably women in this room who will say,
34:48
well, Kyle, you just don't know my husband.
34:51
It's difficult.
34:53
And I know that there are difficult situations
34:55
represented in the room this morning.
34:56
There's difficult times.
34:57
We go through seasons of life that are difficult,
35:00
with difficult circumstances.
35:02
And this is where I want to remind you that your
35:03
love for your husband is not dependent upon his
35:06
worthiness to be loved.
35:10
Let me say that again.
35:11
Your love for your husband is not dependent on his
35:15
worthiness to be loved.
35:17
And this is big.
35:21
Because this is not what the world says about love.
35:23
The world says that if he's not being loving to you,
35:26
then why are you even trying?
35:30
If they don't do something right,
35:32
then they don't deserve your love.
35:33
That's not the picture in Scripture.
35:36
Scripture says, ladies, love your husbands.
35:40
And this is why.
35:41
This is why we need to see the picture and this connection
35:45
between the gospel and our families,
35:48
between the gospel and our marriages.
35:51
How can women who live with an unlovable husband
35:54
love their husbands?
35:56
And the only answer is the gospel.
36:00
It's this picture that we see in the gospel.
36:03
The whole picture of the gospel is a God who not only loves the unlovable,
36:08
but who chooses to love the unlovable.
36:11
A God who not only chooses to love the lovable,
36:13
but chooses to love the unlovable.
36:17
It's the picture of the gospel.
36:19
A God who gives his life for us when we were the most undeserving.
36:22
So how in the world can you love your husband?
36:25
By the love that God has in you.
36:28
It's 1 John 4, 19.
36:30
We love why?
36:31
Because he first loved us.
36:35
Ladies, when you love your husband,
36:37
because let's face it, guys,
36:38
we're difficult to get along with sometimes.
36:40
We're unlovable at times.
36:42
You're a living, breathing picture of Christ to the world,
36:47
ladies, when you love your husbands.
36:50
And what may be even more compelling
36:51
is that you are being a living picture of Christ to your children
36:56
when you love your husbands.
37:01
In a culture that says when things get difficult in marriage,
37:03
things aren't going the way you would prefer,
37:05
that you just move on.
37:06
The gospel says when things are inconvenient,
37:08
when things are not working out the way that you would hope they were,
37:11
or according to your preference,
37:12
you buckle down and you show your spouse love.
37:15
This is priority.
37:18
It requires great determination,
37:19
but at the same time,
37:20
I believe that as you practice,
37:22
as you put this into practice,
37:24
this love can bring about great delight in your life.
37:28
Because this is the way God designed it to be.
37:31
This is God's design for our lives.
37:33
So, love your husbands.
37:34
Secondly, love your children.
37:38
Love your children.
37:40
And while this might seem like this is something that comes very naturally,
37:42
we live in a culture that simply does not love children at every turn,
37:48
it seems like.
37:49
The things that we say,
37:50
the things that we do,
37:51
we limit our children because of finances.
37:53
They're a burden to us,
37:54
is what we say when we talk about children in that way.
37:57
That is so far from the truth,
37:58
but at the same time,
37:59
we realize that we have to be trained to love our children,
38:02
and that's what gospel grace does for us.
38:04
It's not always easy.
38:05
I've already said it once,
38:07
but I'll say it again.
38:08
Husbands,
38:09
this is your moment to say amen after this,
38:11
because this is going to earn you brownie points,
38:13
but there's the statement,
38:14
and don't miss this,
38:15
there is no profession in this world
38:17
that requires more work or greater sacrifice
38:20
than motherhood on a day-to-day basis.
38:25
That was really weak, guys.
38:28
Like,
38:29
you probably woke up this morning,
38:31
and you got here,
38:32
and you just realized it was Mother's Day
38:33
as the tulips were being handed out,
38:35
but I'm trying to help you out here, okay?
38:37
I want to say this again and see where we can get.
38:39
There's no profession that requires more work
38:43
or greater sacrifice on a day-to-day basis
38:46
than biblical motherhood.
38:49
That's what I want to hear.
38:51
That's better.
38:53
All right,
38:54
although I'm a little bit concerned about your initiative there.
38:59
Love involves deep demands.
39:01
This love for children involves deep demands.
39:04
There's no question for a mom to take a son or a daughter
39:08
and to care for them spiritually, physically, and emotionally in every way,
39:12
to lead them through the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of their life.
39:16
The reality is that Titus 2 is saying,
39:20
no woman,
39:20
and please hear this,
39:21
no woman is up to the task of mothering.
39:25
You can't do it by yourself.
39:28
It's the grace of God in you that enables you to mother,
39:31
to be the mother that God has designed you to be.
39:34
It's all based on His grace
39:36
and His provision in your life.
39:39
And everything about parenting,
39:43
by the way,
39:44
should drive us to our knees
39:46
in prayer to God saying,
39:47
God, I need you.
39:49
Christ, work in me.
39:51
Give me the wisdom that I need as a parent.
39:54
Give me the wisdom I need to discipline my child.
39:56
Give me the wisdom and the strength
39:58
to be able to accomplish your will in my child's life.
40:01
And also,
40:02
we pray for our children's salvation on a daily basis.
40:06
And again,
40:07
this love done properly brings about deep delight
40:09
and lasting joy.
40:12
God will work through you,
40:14
yes, you moms,
40:15
to accomplish His purpose in your life.
40:17
This is how Spurgeon says it.
40:19
It's in your bulletin.
40:20
Wes has already read it,
40:21
but for the purposes of the sermon,
40:22
I want to read it again
40:23
just so we kind of wrap our minds
40:26
around the importance of motherhood
40:27
from the mind of Spurgeon.
40:29
And there's somehow a wonderful power
40:32
about a mother's voice
40:33
when she talks to her children
40:35
about Jesus and His love,
40:37
which stamps itself on the heart.
40:40
And the heart is a far better place
40:42
for the custody of truth
40:43
than ever the brain can become.
40:47
Share the Gospel with your children every day.
40:51
That's one of the most loving things
40:52
you can do for your child
40:53
is to share the Gospel with them every day.
40:57
Train your children.
40:58
Share the Gospel with your children.
41:00
And next, discipline yourself.
41:02
Discipline yourself.
41:05
The Word says,
41:06
Train the young women
41:07
to love their husbands and children
41:09
to be self-controlled.
41:11
This is something that is mentioned
41:12
with each of the groups in Titus 2, by the way.
41:14
This idea of self-control
41:15
is all throughout Scripture.
41:17
We don't talk about it enough in our churches,
41:19
but this idea of self-control
41:21
is really important in Scripture.
41:22
And in this case,
41:23
it comes right on the hills of Titus 2, 5,
41:27
talking about children.
41:29
And that should make sense to us.
41:31
How can we ever expect to discipline our children
41:34
if we're not disciplined ourselves?
41:37
And this is the connection here
41:38
between here and verse 12,
41:40
that God's grace disciplines us.
41:43
It trains us.
41:44
So that when you come home
41:45
from an outing that day, moms,
41:48
and your kids have been screaming
41:49
in the vehicle all day,
41:53
they didn't clean the rooms up
41:54
before they left,
41:55
so they got science projects
41:56
growing in their rooms,
41:57
the dog got into the trash,
41:59
it's after 6 o'clock,
42:00
you haven't started dinner yet,
42:01
and your mother-in-law
42:02
will be there in five minutes.
42:02
What gets you through a situation like that?
42:08
What keeps you from trying to crawl
42:09
into a hole somewhere
42:11
to a quiet place
42:12
like you really want to do?
42:14
It can only be God's grace.
42:16
It can only be the grace of God
42:18
working on our lives.
42:20
You're saying,
42:21
God, I need your grace today.
42:24
Every single moment of today
42:25
to enable me, to train me,
42:27
to be the kind of woman
42:28
and the kind of mother
42:29
and the kind of wife
42:30
that I need to be.
42:31
You must discipline yourself,
42:34
guard your heart,
42:34
guard your mind,
42:35
guard your body,
42:37
and guard your will
42:38
for the glory of Christ.
42:40
Discipline yourself.
42:41
The next,
42:42
be faithful to God
42:45
and to your husband.
42:47
Be faithful to God
42:49
and to your husband.
42:51
Be, this is how the word puts it,
42:53
be self-controlled and pure.
42:57
This is a picture
42:58
of marital faithfulness
42:59
in heart, mind, and body.
43:03
I want to say that again
43:04
because it's important.
43:04
A lot of times we think
43:05
of that whole marital faithfulness
43:07
as being just with the body.
43:09
In the heart,
43:10
in the mind,
43:12
in the body.
43:14
This is purity,
43:17
innocence,
43:19
uncontaminated purity.
43:20
This is radical faithfulness
43:23
to God
43:23
and to your husband.
43:25
And in this context,
43:26
the word pure
43:27
is really focused
43:27
on sexual purity.
43:31
We all know
43:32
that the adversary
43:32
wants to attack this area
43:33
in women's lives
43:34
and men's lives
43:35
and in our marriages today.
43:37
There's not one person,
43:39
not one person
43:40
who can withstand
43:41
this temptation.
43:43
And if you think
43:43
that you can,
43:44
if you think that you can
43:45
withstand this temptation
43:45
on your own,
43:46
this is key,
43:47
on your own,
43:48
then you're saying
43:49
that you are stronger
43:50
than the strongest man,
43:51
Samson,
43:52
that you are wiser
43:53
than the wisest man,
43:54
Solomon,
43:55
that you are more godly
43:57
than the man
43:58
after God's own heart,
43:59
David.
43:59
All three
44:00
fell to sexual temptation.
44:05
We can't do this
44:06
on our own.
44:07
What does Scripture say?
44:08
Flee immorality.
44:11
Flee immorality.
44:13
I can't stress
44:14
the seriousness of this.
44:16
Do not think
44:17
you can withstand it
44:18
on your own.
44:18
You have to take
44:19
extreme measures
44:21
against this sin.
44:24
Do not put yourself
44:25
in a position
44:26
where someone can even
44:27
call your purity
44:28
into question.
44:29
This is about being
44:29
above reproach.
44:31
Not putting yourself
44:32
in a position
44:33
where even your integrity
44:34
can be questioned.
44:36
If you find yourself
44:37
in a position
44:38
where you are alone
44:39
with someone
44:40
of the opposite gender,
44:42
literally take flight.
44:44
Flee from the temptation.
44:47
Get out of there.
44:48
Be awkward
44:48
if you have to.
44:50
It's better to be awkward
44:51
than it is
44:51
to succumb
44:52
to the temptation.
44:56
But here's the deal.
44:58
Don't just run away
44:59
from immorality.
45:00
You're running,
45:01
so you're running
45:01
toward something.
45:03
And so the thing
45:03
you should be running
45:04
toward is purity,
45:06
toward holiness.
45:07
You've got to embrace
45:09
this idea of purity
45:10
in your life.
45:11
We need to guard
45:12
this area of our lives
45:13
and in our marriages.
45:14
It will not only
45:15
honor God,
45:16
it will teach
45:17
our children well
45:18
as they see you
45:19
doing these things.
45:21
As they see you
45:22
running after purity
45:23
in your marriages
45:24
and in your lives.
45:27
It will also be a picture
45:28
of the faithfulness
45:29
of Christ to the world.
45:30
Faithfulness of Christ
45:31
to the church.
45:35
Next,
45:35
care for your home.
45:37
Care for your home.
45:37
We have three more things
45:38
to go.
45:38
We're about to wrap it up.
45:40
Care for your home.
45:42
And we'll go through
45:42
these mostly quickly,
45:43
but this one we're
45:43
going to camp out on
45:44
for a second.
45:45
Be self-controlled,
45:47
pure,
45:48
working at home.
45:51
Working at home.
45:52
This is an important one,
45:53
women.
45:53
Managing the day-to-day
45:55
operations of the home
45:57
is your God-given
45:59
responsibility.
46:01
It's your God-given
46:02
responsibility,
46:04
women.
46:07
For us,
46:07
and my family,
46:08
I'll just go ahead
46:09
and tell you for us
46:09
what that looks like
46:10
is that Amanda
46:11
stays at home
46:12
to be able to train
46:14
our children,
46:15
to be able to teach
46:16
our children,
46:16
to be able to raise
46:17
our children
46:18
in the admonition
46:18
of the Lord.
46:19
We believe that God
46:20
has entrusted us
46:21
to that task.
46:25
And that's our
46:25
personal conviction,
46:26
and we sacrifice
46:27
a lot along that way,
46:29
especially financially.
46:30
We make a lot of
46:31
sacrifices to make
46:32
this happen.
46:35
And I also recognize
46:35
that there are situations
46:36
and some seasons
46:37
of lives for other people
46:38
that simply do not
46:40
allow this to happen.
46:42
Single moms,
46:43
you're going to have
46:44
a hard time
46:44
working from home
46:45
at least at first.
46:47
It's very,
46:48
very difficult,
46:48
and we all recognize
46:49
that.
46:50
If you have a desire
46:52
to work from home,
46:53
in that case,
46:54
I know that there are
46:54
ways to get there,
46:55
but it might take
46:56
some baby steps
46:57
in getting there.
46:58
And this is,
46:59
again,
46:59
speaking of experience,
47:00
my wife is very good
47:01
at finding ways
47:02
to do this.
47:03
So if you're a single mom
47:04
or if you're just somebody
47:05
who's wanting to look
47:05
for ways to work
47:06
from home,
47:07
then Amanda has
47:08
some ridiculously
47:09
incredible ideas
47:10
about how to do that.
47:12
That's just on a side note.
47:13
But we all recognize
47:14
that there are difficulties
47:15
in doing this,
47:16
that obviously
47:17
different situations,
47:19
you have to apply
47:20
this word.
47:22
There's grace
47:23
for these things.
47:23
There's grace
47:24
that God gives us
47:25
for different
47:25
and various situations
47:27
that we look at.
47:29
Now,
47:30
this can be carried out
47:30
in many ways.
47:31
You look at the
47:32
Proverbs 31.
47:33
It's a great example
47:33
of this.
47:34
You have a picture
47:34
of this woman
47:35
who's doing a lot of things,
47:37
like so many things.
47:38
It's unbelievable
47:38
that she's involved
47:40
in doing so much.
47:41
But it's all
47:42
for the sake
47:43
of the responsibility
47:44
that she has
47:45
to care for the home.
47:49
But the picture
47:49
in Scripture
47:50
is that homemaking
47:51
is mentioned a lot.
47:53
It's mentioned
47:53
a lot in Scripture
47:54
and it's viewed
47:55
as a noble
47:56
and high calling.
47:58
This idea of homemaking.
48:00
So the picture
48:00
is that
48:01
it is godly,
48:02
it is right
48:03
to care for your home.
48:05
And here's the key
48:06
and don't miss this part
48:07
because anybody
48:08
can care for the home,
48:09
right?
48:09
Anybody can stay at home
48:10
and care for the home.
48:11
But it's for the purpose
48:12
of creating
48:12
a God-centered home.
48:15
And don't miss that
48:16
this morning.
48:17
Anybody can care
48:18
for the home.
48:18
There's unbelievers
48:19
who make this choice
48:20
apart from Scripture
48:21
to stay in the home.
48:24
And you can stay at home
48:25
and watch soap operas
48:26
all day
48:26
and blog
48:27
and be on the internet
48:27
and watch Netflix
48:28
and you are nowhere
48:30
near Titus 2.
48:31
nowhere near it.
48:35
The key here
48:36
is that you care
48:37
for the home
48:37
with the purpose
48:38
of creating
48:39
a God-centered home.
48:42
The picture
48:43
that we've gotten
48:44
Titus 2
48:45
is a responsibility
48:46
for what God
48:47
has entrusted you.
48:49
So I encourage you here
48:51
to take a look
48:52
at your situation
48:52
and apply these truths
48:54
to your life.
48:56
If you're capable
48:57
of doing these things
48:58
then you should do this.
49:00
This is a noble
49:00
and high calling
49:01
for women.
49:04
Single moms
49:04
and working moms
49:05
there's grace
49:05
for how this looks
49:06
in your life.
49:08
I'm not going to be
49:08
legalistic about this
49:10
this morning.
49:11
This is your God-entrusted
49:12
responsibility
49:12
women of God
49:13
to care for your home.
49:16
God-entrusted responsibility
49:17
to take it
49:17
and own it
49:18
and make this
49:19
something that you do.
49:21
You work hard
49:22
in this area
49:22
and it will honor God
49:23
and it will honor
49:24
your husband
49:25
and it will honor
49:26
your family.
49:27
Which leads us
49:28
to the next picture.
49:29
Serve with kindness.
49:29
The last two
49:30
we're going to go by quickly.
49:31
Serve with kindness.
49:32
To be busy at home
49:34
to be kind
49:35
amidst all she does.
49:37
To be kind
49:38
amidst,
49:38
let's be honest,
49:39
ungrateful kids
49:40
and at times
49:41
ungrateful husbands.
49:44
What does this mean
49:45
to serve with kindness?
49:46
It means,
49:47
number one,
49:48
to desire the good
49:49
of others.
49:50
To desire the good
49:51
of her husband.
49:52
To desire the good
49:53
of her children.
49:54
And to desire the good
49:56
of those who are
49:56
guests within the home.
49:58
Those who are visitors
49:59
in the home.
50:01
Secondly,
50:01
to work for the good
50:02
of others.
50:04
You might want to study
50:05
1 Timothy
50:06
to dive further into this.
50:08
We don't have time
50:08
to turn there right now,
50:09
but 1 Timothy 2.9
50:10
and 1 Timothy 5.9
50:12
both talk about
50:13
a woman who is marked
50:14
or adorned
50:15
with good works.
50:18
Her reputation
50:19
is for kindness.
50:21
And instead of
50:22
showing outward beauty
50:24
like the world
50:25
talks about
50:25
and the world
50:26
values so much,
50:26
it's an incredible
50:27
picture of this inward
50:28
beauty being adorned
50:29
for good works.
50:31
There are so many
50:31
of you in this room
50:32
that do this so well.
50:34
You're so accommodated
50:35
and you're very loving
50:36
toward your guests
50:37
in your home
50:38
and you're very loving
50:38
toward those who are
50:39
in your home
50:40
and you care about them
50:42
and I know sometimes
50:43
that might seem
50:44
to go unnoticed,
50:46
but just remember
50:47
that your reward
50:48
does not exist
50:49
in the finite realm
50:50
of this world.
50:50
Your reward exists
50:52
in eternity.
50:55
Work for the good
50:56
of others
50:56
and finally submit
50:58
to your husband.
51:00
Submit to your husband.
51:02
I know we're running
51:02
short on time
51:03
this morning,
51:04
but this is the last
51:05
picture of what God
51:07
said with the gospel
51:09
and how the gospel
51:09
affects younger women.
51:12
We've already spoken
51:13
about loving your husbands
51:14
for the sake of time.
51:16
We're going to shorten this.
51:17
This is not really fair
51:19
though to talk about
51:20
the role of women
51:22
in the church
51:23
without talking about
51:25
the role of men,
51:26
of biblical manhood.
51:28
So it's not fair
51:29
to talk about
51:29
biblical submission
51:30
without talking about
51:31
the husband's
51:32
biblical sacrifice.
51:34
And this is where
51:36
we have to come
51:37
to the understanding
51:38
that the feminist
51:38
movement has sold us
51:40
in the church
51:41
a bill of goods.
51:45
Because what the
51:45
feminist movement
51:46
has said to us
51:48
is that the role
51:49
that women play
51:50
as suitable helpers
51:52
to their husbands
51:54
is necessarily lesser
51:56
than the role of leadership.
51:59
And this is simply
52:00
not true.
52:02
Men and women,
52:03
I want you to hear me
52:04
carefully this morning,
52:05
men and women
52:05
are equal
52:07
in their value.
52:09
I'm not teaching
52:10
egalitarianism here.
52:11
They're equal
52:12
in their value.
52:14
What separates them
52:15
is in their roles.
52:18
The roles that they play.
52:20
It's very important
52:21
for us to understand
52:22
this.
52:22
Men,
52:23
we are not
52:23
to lord over
52:25
our wives.
52:28
We're not to lord
52:29
over our wives.
52:30
In fact,
52:31
we are to sacrifice
52:32
our lives.
52:34
Ephesians 6
52:34
says Christ
52:35
sacrificed himself
52:37
for the church.
52:39
It is the picture
52:39
of the gospel men
52:40
when we sacrifice
52:41
our lives
52:43
for our
52:43
wives.
52:45
It's very important
52:47
that we get this,
52:47
we understand this.
52:49
We are equal
52:50
in our value.
52:56
God has given us
52:57
equally important roles
52:58
and in fact,
52:59
I would say
53:00
in my own life,
53:02
a lot of times
53:03
I have to come
53:04
to the recognition
53:05
that my whole family
53:07
would fall apart
53:08
without a suitable helper.
53:10
I'm just going to be
53:11
honest with you.
53:12
If it were up to me
53:13
raising two kids
53:15
as it stands right now,
53:16
two children
53:16
and to be able
53:17
to do all that I do
53:18
and to be able
53:19
to do all this,
53:19
it would all fall apart.
53:21
Number one,
53:21
because men are not
53:22
typically designed
53:23
to be nourishing
53:24
and all these things
53:25
like women are.
53:27
God has designed
53:27
women perfectly
53:28
for raising children
53:29
and it's just
53:31
equally important
53:32
in the role.
53:33
It's different
53:34
in the role.
53:36
The fact that I'm
53:36
a spiritual leader
53:37
in my family
53:38
doesn't mean
53:38
that I say,
53:40
me man,
53:40
you woman,
53:40
me say,
53:41
you do.
53:42
It's not the picture
53:43
that we get
53:44
in Scripture.
53:45
It's not biblical
53:46
leadership,
53:47
men.
53:49
We lead in sacrifice.
53:51
We lead in love,
53:52
which means
53:52
that you love your wives
53:53
as Christ loved the church
53:54
and gave himself up
53:55
for her.
53:57
We are different
53:57
in our roles.
53:58
A husband sacrifices,
54:00
a wife submits.
54:01
That's the summary
54:02
of it.
54:02
A husband sacrifices,
54:05
a wife submits.
54:05
And there's so much
54:06
more time
54:07
that we could spend here
54:07
really on all
54:08
of these topics.
54:09
We could flesh them out.
54:10
Each one of these
54:10
could really be a sermon
54:11
in and of themselves.
54:13
We're not going to
54:13
keep you here that long,
54:15
though.
54:16
But let me just say this.
54:17
I want to encourage you women,
54:19
just in closing,
54:21
I want to encourage you.
54:22
You have so much
54:23
on your plate,
54:24
yet you handle it
54:25
with such grace.
54:26
And it's so wonderful
54:27
to see the work
54:28
and the grace of Christ
54:30
working in your lives
54:31
in these regards.
54:33
And all these things,
54:34
the things that you know well
54:36
and the things that you
54:37
know you need to work on,
54:38
remember that God's grace
54:40
enables us to will
54:42
and to act
54:42
according to His purpose.
54:45
And I know
54:45
that we don't have
54:46
any perfect moms
54:48
in the room today.
54:50
But we have some
54:51
really, really good ones.
54:53
We do.
54:56
Wonderful moms,
54:57
not perfect.
54:58
And we have to remember
54:59
that by God's grace,
55:00
we accomplish these things.
55:02
We better ourselves
55:03
one day at a time.
55:05
And it's all about
55:06
better today than yesterday
55:08
and better tomorrow
55:10
than today.
55:11
We're all a work in progress.
55:13
We all are striving
55:14
for holiness,
55:15
to seek God's will
55:16
in our lives.
55:18
And women,
55:18
just know that
55:19
one day at a time.
55:21
Better today than yesterday,
55:22
better tomorrow than today.
55:24
And when you do this,
55:25
you're going to see fruit
55:26
come through your ministry,
55:27
both in your home,
55:28
in your community,
55:29
and across the nations
55:30
for the glory of Christ.
55:32
Now, we're going to
55:33
pray together.
55:34
I want to take an opportunity
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to pray for our moms
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this morning.
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And then after that,
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we're going to
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fellowship together
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in the Lord's Supper.
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So let's pray together.
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Specifically pray
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for our moms this morning.
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Let's pray together.