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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to Proverbs 31, as we consider the faithful Christian 
mother. Proverbs 31, our focus will be 
verses 28 to 30. We'll look at other passages 
as well, but I do wanna begin reading in verse one. The words of King Lemuel, the 
utterance which his mother taught him, what my son, and what son 
of my womb, and what son of my vows? Do not give your strength 
to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not 
for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor 
for princes intoxicating drink, lest they drink and forget the 
law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong 
drink to him who is perishing and wine to those who are bitter 
of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his 
misery no more. Open your mouth for the speechless 
and the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, 
judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 
Who can find a virtuous wife, for her worth is far above rubies? The heart of her husband safely 
trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good 
and not evil all the days of her life. She seeks wool and 
flax, and willingly works with her hands. She's like the merchant's 
ships. She brings her food from afar. 
She also rises while it is yet night, provides food for her 
household, and a portion for her maidservants. She considers 
a field and buys it. From her profits, she plants 
a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and strengthens 
her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, and 
her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to 
the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. She extends her 
hand to the poor. Yes, she reaches out her hands 
to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for 
her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She 
makes tapestry for herself. Her clothing is fine linen and 
purple. Her husband is known in the gates 
when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen 
garments and sells them and supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength 
and honor are her clothing. She shall rejoice in time to 
come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is 
the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of 
her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children 
rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises 
her. Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all. 
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears 
the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her 
hands and let her own works praise her in the gates. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Our gracious God and Holy Father, 
we thank You for the written word that You have given to us. 
We thank You for the Holy Spirit who guides us and illumines our 
minds and hearts, and we pray that He would do that even today. 
As well, we pray for forgiveness for all of our sin and transgression. We pray that You would cleanse 
us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray 
for all the ladies here that you would encourage their hearts 
and build them up in their most holy faith. And God, may we all 
have a fresh appreciation for the gospel of our salvation, 
the glory of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, the one who lived 
for us, the one who died for us, the one who was raised for 
us, and that one who will come again in glory to judge the living 
and the dead. How we give praise that he is 
altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. And wherever this gospel 
is preached, we pray that the Holy Spirit would be present 
that He would convict sinners of their sins and set before 
them Christ as able to save to the uttermost. And we pray these 
things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this is obviously 
a very familiar passage of Scripture we often hear of people referred 
to as a Proverbs 31 wife. It's an interesting section dealing 
with the wife, the woman, the mother that we have here beginning 
in verse 10. Solomon, or the author here, 
Lemuel, asks the question, who can find a virtuous woman? Suggests 
they're not prevalent. There's not a billion of them. 
It's not that you can go shake a tree and find one of these 
women. They need God's grace. They need the faith in Christ. They need the Holy Spirit to 
be what is envisaged here. As well, it's a piece of poetry. It's an acrostic. So from verses 
10 to 31, each of the verses begins with a letter of the Hebrew 
alphabet. And in the Hebrew canon, which 
is substantially the same. So the Old Testament that we 
have is the same books that the Jews have in their Bible, their 
Tanakh, their They're a holy book, but there is a different 
ordering. And in the Jewish canon, we have 
the book of Ruth following Proverbs 31. And that's appropriate. In Ruth 3.11, Boaz says concerning 
Ruth, and now my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all 
that you request. For all the people of my town 
know that you are a virtuous woman. So, in light of Proverbs 
31, then you have the placement of Ruth in the Hebrew canon to 
illustrate or to demonstrate or to manifest the living embodiment 
of a virtuous woman. Now, this section transcends 
just motherhood. It certainly includes motherhood, 
but it speaks to the woman as a woman. It speaks to her relative 
to her husband, and it speaks to her with reference to her 
children. If you notice specifically in terms of her as a Christian 
woman, she is diligent, according to verses 13 and following. She 
is spiritual, according to verse 30. She is self-controlled, according 
to verse 26. Good characteristics of those 
who walk in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. as well with reference 
to being a wife. She is trustworthy to her husband. 
Verse 11. She does good for her husband. 
Notice in verse 12. She does him good and not evil 
all the days of her life. She doesn't chase him around 
the house with a rolling pin. She doesn't pack up his stuff 
every time he sins and throw it outside the front door. She 
does him good, and that is a wonderful emphasis. But with reference 
to her as a mother, we're going to look at four things here and 
elsewhere. First, her condition before God. 
Second, her influence over her children. Third, her authority 
over her children. And fourth, her responsibility 
toward her children. I've shared this before. I have 
a friend in Seattle. His name is Jeff. And he said 
that typically on Father's Day, fathers get hammered. They get 
told what they must do and how they must perform. And on Mother's 
Day, we just bask in the sunshine of the mothers around us. Well, 
we'll do that, but there's gonna be a little hammering as well, 
because without faithful mothering, our kids are gonna be unmanageable. They're going to be wretched. 
They're going to be those that we want nothing to do with, and 
that's unacceptable. So first, her condition before 
God. Notice what is described of her 
in verse 30. It says, charm is deceitful and 
beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall 
be praised. So her condition before God in 
the first place is that she's saved by God's grace. If you 
turn to the book of Romans, Romans chapter 3, we see it very clearly 
that not all men and not all women fear God. As the Apostle 
summarizes the universal condemnation of sin and judgment facing mankind, 
He gives a sort of katina or litany of written passages from 
the Old Testament to make his case. Notice in Romans 3.10, 
as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There 
is none who understands. There is none who seeks after 
God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. 
There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is 
an open tomb. With their tongues they have 
practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips. 
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift 
to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways, and 
the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God 
before their eyes." That's the grand summation of this particular 
section. The reality is that man, woman, 
boy, and girl should fear God. Both Jeremiah the prophet and 
John the apostle ask that question. They say, who would not fear 
thee, O king of the nations? For indeed it is thy due. God 
most high is to be feared. God most high is to be glorified. 
He is to be worshiped. He is to be praised. He is altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. But because of our position in 
Adam, because of our union with Adam, because of that sinful 
state, we don't fear God as we ought. So that the woman in Proverbs 
31 fears the Lord indicates that God has worked in her heart. 
You can turn back to the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 32, 
in a promise concerning the new covenant, we see that it's God 
who's in the business of causing our hearts to fear. Jeremiah 
chapter 32, specifically at verse 38, says, then they shall be 
my people and I will be their God. Then I will give them one 
heart and one way that they may fear me forever, for the good 
of them and their children after them. and I will make an everlasting 
covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them 
good. But I will put my fear in their hearts so that they 
will not depart from me. Yes, I will rejoice over them 
to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with 
all my heart and with all my soul. "'Twas grace that taught 
my heart to fear," is what John Newton wrote in that most familiar 
hymn sung by the Christian church. It's not us that taught our heart 
to fear. That virtuous woman of Proverbs 
31 didn't wake up one day and say, you know, it might be a 
good idea for me to start to fear the Lord. No, grace was 
the cause. Grace was the blessing. Grace 
was what promoted that. The emphasis in the New Testament 
underscores this reality as well. How does a dead sinner come to 
the place where they fear God? They do so by God's grace. Unless 
a man is born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God. Well, 
God causes him to be born again. God gives him the graces of faith 
and repentance. And as a result, he teaches our 
heart to fear. just like we see there in the 
prophet Jeremiah. Turn to the book of Titus. We'll 
see how these two things are inextricably connected in terms 
of what a woman is by God's grace and how a woman should function 
in order or with reference to God's command. Look at chapter 
2 in the book of Titus. There are instructions for various 
people groups. There are instructions for older 
men, for older women, for younger men, for younger women, younger 
men, and then for Titus himself. Now notice specifically with 
reference to the older women in verse 3. The older women likewise, 
that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given a much 
whining, teachers of good things. Now notice in verses four and 
five, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, 
to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, 
good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not 
be blaspheme. Again, he continues on with instruction 
for appropriate people groups in the context of the church. 
But then notice at verse 11, for the grace of God that brings 
salvation has appeared to all men. This is the ground upon 
which the various people groups in the church of Jesus Christ 
live. They live in light of gospel. 
They live in light of Christ and him crucified and resurrected. 
They live in light of what God has done in terms of salvation. In other words, it is the truth 
of God's gospel that saves them, that conquers them, that brings 
them into subjection to the master and king. Then the master and 
king gives them instructions on how they ought to live. And 
we see the how you ought to live mess in the first part of the 
chapter, and then in verses 11 and following, this is the why 
you ought to live that way. For the grace of God that brings 
salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying 
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, 
and godly in the present age. looking for the blessed hope 
and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 
who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every 
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous 
for good works. You see, that connection. She's 
not saved because she's a faithful mother. She's not saved because 
she's a faithful wife. She's not saved because she's 
a faithful woman. She's saved because God is a 
faithful Savior. She's saved because Christ is 
the victor. Christ is triumphant. His blood 
shed cleanses her from all sin. Once she's been cleansed, once 
she's been freed, once she comes to the Savior, Christ now says, 
this is how you ought to live. in light of these great redemptive 
truths. So she not only is saved by grace, 
but I think that statement in 31.30 indicates that she walks 
with the Lord. It says, but a woman who fears 
the Lord. It's not just a one-time thing. 
She doesn't just fear the Lord at the moment of conversion. 
She doesn't just fear the Lord at the moment she's justified 
freely by the Lord's grace, but she walks with him, she communes 
with him. Turn back to Proverbs chapter 
three, Proverbs chapter three. specifically at verse 7, do not 
be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. 
It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. Look 
at 8.13, 8.13, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and 
arrogance in the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Sometimes 
we're shunned or we're corrected or we're reproved for expressing 
hatred of say abortion. Well, the fear of the Lord is 
to hate evil. The fear of the Lord is to despise 
that which is contrary to the Lord. And a woman who walks with 
the Lord, who fears the Lord, has that kind of an attitude, 
has that kind of mindset. Look at Proverbs 14 and verse 
26. It says, in the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, 
and His children will have a place of refuge. We saw this in the 
last hour. The fear of the Lord is a fountain 
of life to turn one away from the snares of death. And then 
over at 19, verse 23, another fear of the Lord passage. Proverbs 
19.23, the fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will 
abide in satisfaction. He will not be visited with evil. 
So the faithful Christian mother is the one who is saved by God's 
grace. Her heart is taught to fear by 
the Lord Most High. She is awakened by the power 
of the Spirit. She is given a new heart. She 
is given the graces of faith and repentance. She lays hold 
of Jesus Christ as He comes in the gospel of our salvation. 
And then she maintains that by walking with Him. She reads her 
Bible. She prays. She comes to church. Theology is not simply a man's 
activity. Every Christian ought to be about 
learning theology, ought to be about learning about the Trinity, 
learning about the various things that we find in our confession 
of faith. It's not confined to men, but 
women need to be strong. They need to grow in the grace 
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So 
if you're lazy or apathetic, or you are not pursuing this 
relationship that God has initiated, then please repent, read your 
Bible, pray, come to the means of grace, the corporate means 
that God has ordained. Now secondly, moving from the 
broader statement concerning her condition before God, let's 
look at her influence over her children. She's got a commandment 
clothed with her name. Honor your father and your mother. That is an emphasis by Moses 
in the Old Testament, Exodus chapter 20, Deuteronomy chapter 
five. The apostle Paul rehearses it 
with the Ephesian church in Ephesians chapter six. Children obey your 
parents and the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and 
your mother, which is the first commandment with promise. So 
you've got this influence over your children. Parenting today 
is absolutely devoid of common sense and biblical sense. There are parents today that 
say, I just don't know what to do with him. He's five, deal 
with him. That's what you're supposed to 
do with him. Now, 15 and 20 and 25 get more difficult to be sure, 
but a two-year-old or a three-year-old, God's clothed you with the authority 
to be able to repress that, to be able to stop that, to be able 
to get that under control. Unmanageable kids are a curse 
rather than a blessing. And I don't mean that in the 
most epic sense. But with reference to this mindset, 
ladies, you have influence over your children. Look in the Proverbs, 
outside of the Law of Moses, which much of what the Proverbs 
are is recollection of the Law of Moses. Look at Proverbs 1-8. 
Proverbs 1.8, my son, hear the instruction of your father and 
do not forsake the law of your mother. That assumes that she 
knows the law and is able to teach it, but it also assumes 
dignity in terms of her position. She's on an equal footing in 
terms of authority with the husband over the children. Notice in 
Proverbs chapter 6, Proverbs chapter 6, specifically at verse 
20. My son, keep your father's command and do not forsake the 
law of your mother. And then Proverbs 31.1, look 
at the state of King Lemuel. Proverbs 31.1, the words of King 
Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him. We know the 
effect and the influence of a godly mother and a grandmother on the 
life of young Timothy, according to Paul in 2 Timothy 1. Lois 
and Eunice were directly responsible for catechizing Timothy, for 
teaching him the truth. They had a great deal of influence 
over that young man and they exercised it accordingly. Listen 
to Spurgeon concerning mothers and fathers. He says, fathers 
and mothers are the most natural agents for God to use in the 
salvation of their children. That makes perfect sense, doesn't 
it? We are supposed to point them 
to the cross. We're supposed to show them sin, 
we're supposed to discipline them for sin, but we're supposed 
to show them that there are riches of God's grace. As parents, we 
have a great deal of influence over our children. He says, I 
am sure that in my early youth, no teaching ever made such an 
impression upon my mind as the instruction of my mother. Neither 
can I conceive that to any child there can be one who will have 
such influence over the young heart as the mother who has so 
tenderly cared for her offspring. A man with a soul so dead as 
not to be moved by the sacred name of mother is creation's 
blot. Never could it be possible for 
any man to estimate what he owes to a godly mother. How can I 
ever forget her tearful eye when she warned me to escape from 
the wrath to come? I thought her lip eloquent. Others 
might not think so, but they certainly were eloquent to me. 
How can I ever forget when she bowed her knee and with her arms 
around my neck prayed, oh, that my son might live before thee? There is influence that you exercise 
over children. This is true, obviously, of fathers, 
but it's Mother's Day. So you need to embrace this and 
understand that. A woman who fears the Lord, she's 
been conquered by the grace of God. She walks in communion with 
God. She is faithful in terms of her 
intake of Bible and theology. And then she exercises that influence 
over her children for the most important aspect of their lives. 
Mothers, it's most helpful. You should really teach your 
kid about taxes. You should really teach your 
kid about debt. You should really teach your kid about hard work. 
Things that, wouldn't it be nice if there was some institution 
that existed, oh, like, say, a school where they actually 
prepared people for life instead of, you know, diversity and gender 
studies? Brethren, it is a good thing to teach your children 
that stuff, but teach them the law and the gospel. Teach them 
what God's word says. Teach them what the truth is 
as it is in Jesus, that he was sent by the Father to save sinners 
from their sins, and that your little ones, as beautiful as 
they are, as wonderful as they are, are nevertheless in Adam. 
And as a result, you push upon their conscience the necessity 
to flee to Jesus. Her influence over her children 
is incalculable. It was John Newton. That man 
was a blasphemer. He was a slave trader. When God ultimately saved him, 
it shouldn't surprise us that he pens the words, "'Twas grace 
that taught my heart to fear." But he knew what it was to have 
a mother who pled with him, to have a mother that tried to implore 
him to repent from his sin and to forsake his wickedness. Spurgeon 
goes on to recall the same thing with reference to his mother. 
She actually said to those children, the children that were under 
her care, under her influence, she would plead with them to 
come to the Savior. And she told them that on the day of judgment, 
if you have not come to Jesus Christ, I'll stand on his side 
in your condemnation. Wow, that's a woman who understood 
her influence. That's a woman who understood 
the power that she wielded in the lives of her little ones. 
There isn't anything more important than salvation. Ladies, if there's 
one or two things you should really learn, it's the law, it's 
the gospel. learn how they relate, learn 
how they connect, learn how they're different, learn why we need 
the gospel in light of the broken law, and press those things upon 
your children tirelessly. One of the most blessed things 
in church life of the last few years is when young people reared 
in our church want to get baptized, they want to join the church. 
What a good thing! Praise God most high! There's 
studies in other churches, and I'm sure, you know, we're not 
immune from this, but you hear about, oh, all the young people 
are leaving churches, you know, everybody's departing. What's 
the problem? Well, the largest part of the 
problem is that they're not converted. They've never been pressed with 
the claims of Christ. They've never been told the gospel. 
They've accepted some field goodery that is going under the name 
of Christianity. They've never heard of the bloody 
savior and the necessity for him. And with that reality, they're 
not converted. Why would they go to church? 
I don't think that's the question. I can't believe they're not going 
to church. I can't believe that we're letting children go without 
having preached to them the gospel. without having declared to them 
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ladies, you've got great influence. 
Wield it for good. Now thirdly, her authority over 
her children. Again, Exodus 20 and Ephesians 
chapter 6. It's both parents. Honor your 
father and your mother. What's one of the claims that 
persons make about the Bible? Oh, it's sexist, it's misogynistic. Would sexism and would misogynistic 
practice lead the author to include woman right alongside of man 
when it comes to parental authority in the home? You've got the Ten 
Commandments. There's a commandment that specifically 
gives you that authority in the rule over your children. One 
dictionary says honoring both parents is at the heart of the 
Ten Commandments. And the mother comes first in 
the command to respect or fear them as part of national holiness. In Leviticus 19.3, mother comes 
before father. Again, it's not to derogate the 
authority of the father. It is simply to emphasize this 
particular packing order. The father and mother are needed 
to be heeded and obeyed. Turn to Proverbs 15. Proverbs 
chapter 15. This is your authority. You've got influence, but you've 
got authority. 1520, a wise son makes a father 
glad, but a foolish man despises his mother. Again, the scriptures 
do not leave her as some second-tier citizen. Oh, it's just daddy 
that has the authority. It's just daddy that has the 
influence. It is mommy and daddy, collectively, for the good of 
those children. so that they can grow up learning 
the truth as it is in Jesus. We can't save them, we can't 
convert them, we can't change their hearts, but we can point 
them to the God who is able to do that. And mother shares responsibility. 1926, he who mistreats his father 
and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings 
reproach. Look at 20, 20. Whoever curses 
his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep 
darkness. You see, mother's not an afterthought. Mother's right there. Equal dignity, 
equal authority, equal influence over those children. Look at 
23, Proverbs 23 at 22. Listen to your father who begot 
you and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth 
and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding. 
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets 
a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your 
mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice. One man, he 
has a book on the Ten Commandments, his last name is Delma. He says, 
"...mentioning the mother is no afterthought, for she deserves 
to be treated with as much respect as the father. Practice demonstrates 
that children can misuse the fact that a mother's physical 
condition often renders her less able to enforce her word." I 
had a buddy in high school, and he had a very tiny mother, and 
there were times I thought he was going to get violent with 
his very tiny mother, and it used to terrify me inwardly. 
I think there was a time when my tiny wife, she just went down 
to the bathroom, I think when Micah was a bit bigger, I think 
one time they were in a brouhaha, and he picked her up, not violently. 
If you know Micah, he does these kinds of things with a big smile 
on his face. But it can seem that way, right? Especially when a young man starts 
to get bigger, and he has more testosterone, and he perceives 
that perhaps his mother's no match for him. Your mother's 
always a match because she's clothed with the fifth commandment. 
And you need to submit to her, and you need to obey her, and 
you need to do what she says. That's the bottom line. God gives 
that authority, not just to fathers, but to mothers as well. Back 
to Delma. The fifth commandment clearly 
requires respect for both father and mother. Children must honor 
their mother even when she is physiologically declining. Do not despise your mother when 
she is old, Proverbs 23, 22. The Bible presents a relationship 
of authority between husband and wife where the husband takes 
the lead, but children must show equal honor to both mother and 
father. You've got influence over these 
children. You've got authority over these 
children. So let's look fourthly now at 
her responsibility toward her children. Now that you know what 
your influence is, now that you know what your authority is, 
I've got four things that I want to set forth. First, to instruct 
your children. to instruct your children. That 
is paramount. That is crucial. Fathers, do 
not provoke your children, but bring them up in what? The training 
and admonition of the Lord. You think that means mom, go 
ahead and exasperate them. Mom, go ahead and provoke them. 
Mom, go ahead. You don't have to bring them 
up in the training and admonition of the Lord. No, they're co-regents 
together. Father and mother are working 
for a common good, and that is to bring their children to the 
cross. Again, we can't change their 
hearts, we can't convert them, but we bring the word of God 
to them, which is the instrument that the spirit of God uses to 
bring salvation. We saw that, Ephesians 1, 13 
and 14, last Sunday night. You see it in James 1, verse 
18, of his will. He brought us forth by the word 
of truth. Sisters, if you're not teaching 
the word of truth, if you're not teaching them the law and 
showing them their sin, they'll never see their need for the 
Savior. And if you are teaching them the law and you are teaching 
them sin and you don't give them the gospel, that's a big problem 
as well. That is to do soul damage to 
a person. Imagine, only ever hearing law 
and how miserable you are. Imagine only ever hearing about 
how desperately wicked you are. We certainly need to hear that 
because we don't always believe it, but we need to hear about 
Christ. We need to hear about his active 
obedience to the law. We need to hear about his passive 
obedience to the law. We need to hear that this was 
God's plan for the redemption of sinners. And ladies, you need 
to bring this to bear upon your children. This is one of the 
primary aspects of your job, of your calling. Again, they 
should learn about debt. They should learn about taxes. 
They should learn about hard work. But they need to learn 
about the cross. They need to learn about what 
our Lord Jesus Christ did in terms of saving his people from 
their sins. They need to know about atonement. 
They need to know about forgiveness. They need to know that word that 
Brother Steve read tonight or today from Hebrews 2, propitiation. Said a lady saying, well, you 
know, theology is for the men. Get the dictionary out. Get your 
phone out. I don't even use dictionaries 
anymore. It's too far to walk. I just type in the word and then 
D-E-F on my phone. I get whatever definition I want. There is absolutely, positively 
no reason today for there to be the illiteracy that still 
seems to plague the Christian church. We've got Bibles, we've 
got books, we've got churches, we've got sermon audio, we've 
got a whole plethora of things to help us along the way. And 
yet, There are still people among us that couldn't define justification. People among us that still don't 
know the difference between justification and sanctification. People among 
us that aren't living in light of 2 Peter 3.18, grow in the 
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 
Brethren, when I've read 2 Peter 3, I've never thought for a moment, 
and I've certainly never seen it in the text, where Peter says, 
okay, ladies, go make muffins while I give them this admonition. 
Go in there and make the bed and sweep the floor while I get 
to the men thing, while I tell them to grow in the grace. No, 
it's for men and women. Grow in the grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ladies, use your 
influence. Endorse it with your authority 
by instructing your children. Secondly, to set an example for 
her children. Look at Proverbs 22.6. Proverbs 
22.6, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he 
is old, he will not depart from it. That certainly entails and 
involves verbal instruction. It certainly entails and involves 
the opening of one's mouth to convey information. But it also 
includes practice. One of the old boys, probably 
a lot of them, said, we can undo with our lives what we preach 
up on a Sunday if we're not consistent. Now, they're never going to be 
absolutely consistent or 100% perfection and what I model to 
you is consistent with Paul himself. No, it's not going to be that 
way. But there needs to be a positive example that goes along with 
the instruction so that the children won't think you're big, fat hypocrites. 
Bridges makes this observation. He says, Here, therefore, in our families 
lies the responsibility of Christian consistency. If the child hears 
of godliness and sees but wickedness, this is bringing him bread with 
one hand and poison with the other, beckoning with the hand 
to heaven, and at the same time taking him by the hand and leading 
him in the way of destruction. Who would receive even the choicest 
food from a leprous hand? A child learns more by the eye 
than by the ear. Imitation is a far more powerful 
principle than memory. A well-trained child gladly looks 
to his parents' godliness as his model picture to copy after. 
A wayward child eagerly seeks for the excuse of his own delinquency. And this discovery and parental 
example will harden him in infidelity and ungodliness. So don't give 
them a reason to say, well, I'm this way because you're that 
way. Now, they can still say that 
about just about anything, but brethren, the language or the 
statement or the point is powerful. Set a good example. Thirdly, 
kids, you're not going to like this part, but she needs to discipline 
her children. She needs to discipline her children. 
Along with the husband, obviously, men are not passive, you know, 
guys sitting on their chairs and, you know, banging their 
arm on the chair and saying, you know, lady, take care of 
that brat. That's not good husbanding. That's not being a good father 
and a husband to your wife. We are co-regents. We both have 
the task. Typically, a mother is with the 
children more than the father. It's just that way. But with 
reference to discipline, the necessity to verbally reprove 
sinful children. the necessity to verbally reprove 
sinful children. Colossians 3. Fathers, do not 
provoke your children lest they become discouraged. This is not 
belittling. This is not screaming. This is 
not, you know, chasing them around the house. This is correcting 
them with your voice. There needs to be verbal reproof. 
The Book of Proverbs certainly sets forth corporal punishment. 
We'll look at a few of those texts in just a moment. But it 
also sets forth verbal reproof. And the accent typically falls 
on the verbal reproof. In other words, you're not simply 
supposed to spank them, you're supposed to talk to them. You're 
supposed to chastise them with your words. You're supposed to 
rebuke them. You're supposed to reprove them. 
You're supposed to get in their faces from time to time and say, 
no, you're not supposed to do that. What was Eli's sin? Eli's sin was that he knew that 
his sons were wretches, but he didn't restrain them. His sons 
did not know the Lord according to 1 Samuel 2. As a result of 
their not knowing the Lord, they stole sacrifices and they lay 
with temple prostitutes. Eli knew that this was going 
on, but he didn't stop it. So as a result, God killed him. 
That's what you get. Not always, but sometimes. when 
you go against God's Word. So there is this necessity to 
verbally reprove your children. As well, there is a necessity 
to engage in corporal punishment. Now make sure you do this discreetly. We live in a day and age where 
there is much antipathy against the Bible. In fact, I want to 
salute mothers today. I mean, this particular culture 
seems to be at war with women in general, and motherhood especially. Look at these lunatics losing 
their minds over the prospect, the possibility, the suggestion 
that Roe versus Wade may actually be overturned. What do they do 
in response to that? They go and intimidate federal 
justices, which is, by the way, a crime, but it's okay if you 
happen to be in their party. As well, there was lots of talk 
about storming into churches today and abusing the people 
of God as they gather together on the Lord's Day. Why? For the 
heinous crime of wanting to have children and wanting to rear 
them up in the training and admonition of the Lord? Ladies, if you've 
undertaken this particular task, good on you. Praise God Almighty. The shame that is often associated 
with it. Yeah, we're going to have five 
kids. Another one? Shared that with you before at 
Northrop Grumman. Every time I'd go to work with the news 
that my wife was pregnant, one of those guys would roll their 
eyes. Another one? You don't have enough? I mean, 
isn't the 1.2 model about all we can deal with? You're up into 
the five region? Well, then you get to Chilliwack, 
and that's chump change, right? I just saw a little notice that 
apparently BC, either generally or Chilliwack specifically, is 
leading the country in terms of propagation. And I don't mean 
in terms of gardening and agriculture. I mean in terms of Genesis 1.26. 
Children are a blessing. What's with this war against 
them and against mothers? There was a woman that was appealing 
to people and saying, if you get... I don't want to get into 
all the horror story at this point, but there is animosity 
against God. When you look at the culture 
and you see the variegated assaults on what we're seeing... I mean, 
a couple of weeks ago, they weren't even able to find a woman. A 
potential Supreme Court justice was asked to find a woman and 
she said, I'm not a biologist. What kind of an answer is that? 
But the thought of overturning Roe versus Wade automatically 
taught everybody now what a woman is. And every woman has a right 
to choose to do anything with her body except refuse a vaccine, 
but she has the right to do just about everything else, including 
and up to murdering the baby in her womb. Brethren, we are 
in weird days, sinful days, depraved days. We are in the days like 
the prophet Isaiah, woe to those who call good evil and evil good. Ladies, take this as an encouragement 
to continue in your task. With reference to corporal punishment, 
again, be discreet, be wise, do not give the pagan, do not 
give the heathen any ammunition against you whatsoever. But the 
scriptures are replete with that emphasis. It's not the case that, 
you know, we'll just leave him on his own and hopefully he'll 
turn out all right. No, you need to pray for him. 
You need to teach him. And when he gets out of line, 
you need to discipline him. That's how God treats us, right? We read in the last hour, with 
reference to adoption, one of the privileges and one of the 
blessings of being the people of God is the chastening hand 
of our Father. In Hebrews chapter 12, the Apostle 
tells us, if you're not chastened, if you're not being spanked by 
the Heavenly Father, then you're illegitimate. You're not a son. This is part and parcel of a 
right relationship between a father and his son. There's discipline. We are prone to wander and prone 
to leave the God that we love. If you read the Bible correctly, 
you will see that children are not immune to that. The wicked 
go estranged from what? From the womb. The psalmist says 
in Psalm 58, speaking lies as soon as they are born. The fathers, 
I think I saw it in Bridget's commentary on Proverbs, he says, 
the father said, if you haven't subdued that kid's will by two, 
you're gonna lose. Really? Subdue that kid's will 
by two? We've got 12 year olds today 
that no one can stand being around. Why is that? Oh, because we're 
gonna just let them go and do their thing and we'll give them 
advice. No, that's not your job. It's not to be a bystander in 
the training of your children. It is to verbally and corporally 
discipline them. Proverbs 13. Proverbs 13, 24. He who spares his rod hates his 
son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Brethren, if you 
don't know that passage experientially, trust me, it's very powerful. 
Some people are brought up with parents that don't discipline 
them. And those people have friends 
that say, oh, it's great that your parents don't discipline 
you. But those kids know, hey, if they really loved me, they 
would discipline me. They wouldn't let me get away 
with this kind of nonsense. He who spares his rod hates his 
son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Look at 1918. 1918. Just a sampling here, and I know 
you guys know these passages. I hope you mark them off. Proverbs 
19, verse 18. Chasten your son while there 
is hope and do not set your heart on his destruction. Chasing your 
son while there's hope, right? You can't give up. You can't 
say, well, I'm done. I'm never gonna do anything. 
Chasing your son while there is hope. As my beloved says, 
as long as there's air in the lungs, there's still hope. Notice 
in Proverbs 20, verse 30. Proverbs chapter 20 at verse 
30, blows that hurt cleanse away evil. Now brethren, just to make 
sure everybody understands, I'm not advocating abuse. I'm not 
suggesting give them a backhand to the forehead if they get out 
of line. The sucker punch or the dragon kick, that's not what's 
here. It is corporal discipline, disciplined 
by, or parents disciplined by God, who understand that the 
necessity to intervene with reference to their children, and it's not 
a banshee running around screaming at your kid while waving some 
implement of torture. That's not what these passages 
mean. Blows that hurt cleanse away 
evil, as do stripes the inner depths of the heart. Read it 
in the King James for maximum benefit at some point. The blueness 
of the wound scours away evil. I mean, I could be arrested just 
for advocating this, brethren, in the culture that we find ourselves 
in. I told Rebecca recently, I look 
out the window for the federal agents when they show up and 
say, we actually listened to a handful of sermons. It's enough to send you to the 
Gulag forever in Canada for this. But it shouldn't be that way. 
Why, you know, in the 20th and 21st century did we say, oh, 
you know, that idea of training children, come on, how antiquated, 
how barbaric? Do you think there's possibly 
a correlation to the way the world looks now? and the fact 
that we got rid of discipline? I mean, all of these fools that 
were not reared up in the training and admonition of the Lord actually 
are leaders now, and they act like little children. They act 
like undisciplined little children. Notice in Proverbs 22, 15. Proverbs 
22, 15, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The 
rod of correction will drive it far from him. You just don't 
get clearer. Foolishness is bound up in the 
heart of a child. Oh, but he's so wonderful. Yeah, 
but he's a sinner. Oh, she's so awesome, but she's 
a sinner. She's just great. Yeah, but she's a sinner. And 
if you don't start treating her as a sinner, and I don't mean 
like, you know, stay away from me, sinner, but I mean, here's 
the law, here's the gospel. When you get out of line, you 
get corrected. When you get corrected, I point you to the cross because 
ultimately that's where healing comes. That's where health and 
strength comes. That's where forgiveness and 
remission are. Notice as well, Proverbs 23, 13 and 14, do not 
withhold correction from a child. For if you beat him with a rod, 
he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his 
soul from hell. Again, you can hear the people 
outside saying, that's vicious, that's horrific, that's terrible. One more piece of autobiography. 
Some of you have heard this. When we first got saved, we didn't 
know how to rear children. I had a good friend, Ambassador 
Barcelos. He kind of took us under his wing. We're good friends. 
But then, hey, this is what you do when you've got children. 
You do what Solomon says. Oh, great. So my mother finds 
out that we spank our kids. We spank our kids with a tool 
for that particular purpose. And one day, she looked at me 
and she said, Are you serious? You're hitting those kids? It's 
always language that's calculated to be rhetorically stinging. 
Spanking children is abusing, smacking, hitting. You actually 
hit those little ones and for a minute they're... Caught me, 
I was like, man, what a barbarian. And my mother was a master at 
rhetorical overkill. So if you knew her, I just about 
melted. And then I thought, wait a minute, 
God's word says do this. And then I just obviously was 
thinking that day. I took my thinking pills and 
I said, mom, when you were little, what happened when you got out 
of line? Without a whiff, she said, well, 
we got belted. Really, you got belted. Again, 
any correlation between the fact that in your day, when you were 
a kid, running in the hall, chewing gum, talking in class were the 
big offenses in school. And in our day, you've got to 
go through a metal detector so you don't do mass shooting with 
a gun. So they can find any drugs that you might be smuggling in 
to sell. Pregnancy in high school, abortion in high school. Do you 
think there's some correlation between us abdicating our God-given 
authority vis-a-vis the fifth commandment and the way that 
society looks today? I think there's a strong correlation. And I think that ultimately the 
path forward is to go back to the scriptures and everything 
the pagan and the heathen despise is what we imbibe. That we are 
counter-revolutionary, counter-cultural by simply getting married. by simply having children, by 
simply raising them up the way that God says. That's one of 
the most blessed impacts we can make in this day and age. That 
is what we can do in terms of counteracting the godlessness 
that is all around us. We need to train our children. 
We need to rear them in the training and admonition of the Lord. So 
23-14, you shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from 
hell. Notice in 29-15. 29-15. The rod and rebuke give wisdom, 
but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. Look at 
verse 17, correct your son and he will give you rest. Yes, he 
will give delight to your soul. Back to Proverbs 31. This is 
all enjoined in this whole idea of a woman who fears the Lord, 
she shall be praised. And then the final aspect is 
love your children. Love them, right? That almost seems counterintuitive, 
or it's almost so obvious. Look at Titus again, Titus chapter 
two. Look at what the older women 
need to teach the younger women. Not quantum physics, not how 
to fix the car, but there are things that older women should 
be teaching the younger women. And if you're a younger woman 
in our church, don't wait for the older women to call you, 
call them. Oh, I'd love to be tutored by an older woman. I'm 
gonna sit here by my phone and wait for them to call me. Call 
her. Hey, older woman, maybe don't address her that way. O.W. 
Call her an O.W. or my dear elderly sister. Again, 
I'm asking you not to do that. You'll get a backhand. Hey, can 
we go out for coffee? I'm a younger woman. Titus says 
that I should find an older woman and you fit that bill. Why is 
it that we always wait for everybody else to come to us? Oh, I was 
at that church and everybody was so unfriendly. Were you friendly? Well, no, I was a visitor. You 
know, Solomon says in Proverbs that one who is friendly will 
have friends. There's a reciprocity about life, 
brethren. When you just sit by your phone 
waiting for all the brethren to do their duty and call you, 
you're going to be upset and then you're going to get embittered. 
You can pick up the phone too, and you can call them. It's a 
wonderful thing. My phone not only calls out, 
but it also receives. I would imagine that your phones 
do that too. I think I'm on the 8, the iPhone 
8. I can't imagine that the 13 is 
any less spectacular in terms of performance. The younger women 
need to be instructed by the older women. If you're an older 
woman that has some time and you have the wherewithal, call 
the younger women to be sure. But younger women, don't just 
sit around and whine because none of the older women will 
help you. Have you ever asked for help? Have you ever called 
them? Have you ever offered to take them out for coffee? Notice 
in Titus 2.3. The older women likewise, that 
they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to 
much wine, teachers of good things. That they admonish the young 
women to love their husbands, to love their children." Again, 
it may seem counterintuitive. Why does he have to tell us something 
that's like, drink water, breathe air? because we see this animus 
against babies. We see this in the left losing 
their mind and some on the right at the prospect of Roe versus 
Wade being overturned. There is not this natural affinity 
and this love in the heart of every person for every other 
person. We're a messed up race. We've 
got sin. We've got evil. We've got depravity. And so the younger women need 
to learn to love their husbands and love their children. All 
that you do in terms of discipline and instruction, in terms of 
the exercise of your influence and your authority, it needs 
to be in the arena of love, the orbit of love. Ephesians 1, 5, 
in love. having predestined us to adoption 
as sons. For God so loved the world that 
he gave his only begotten son. It's not just the end game, but 
it's the context of the orbit in which that comes to pass. 
It is love that women need for their children. Now, in conclusion, 
just a few practical observations. First, the need for such women. Again, notice in verse 10. Who 
can find a virtuous wife? And then it goes on to explain 
her blessedness. Luther says, the greatest gift 
of God is a pious, amiable spouse who fears God, loves his house, 
and with whom one can live in perfect confidence. Waltke, a 
modern commentator, says the rhetorical question, who can 
find, aims to awaken within the audience the desire to find such 
a wife or to be like her. Henry says the description of 
the virtuous woman is designed to show what wives the women 
should make and what wives the men should choose. In other words, 
women aspire to be what Solomon says is a virtuous woman. Men, when you're out on the, 
I almost said hunt, when you're out on the prowl, I don't know 
if that's much better, when you're out looking for a bride, find 
one like this. See, we have this idea that we're 
so awesome and so wonderful that anybody would be blessed to get 
us. That's usually over-exaggeration. We need to get our own houses 
in order. We need to get our own lives 
in order. We need to function before God in a responsible and 
obedient manner before we're fit and ready to go function 
with other people. In other words, if our relationship 
vertically is off, it's going to affect everything horizontally. 
And so Solomon provides for us, or the book of Proverbs provides 
for us, this acrostic. This is what a woman should pursue. 
This is what a man should pursue when he's looking for a woman. 
There should be objective criteria. Now brothers, be reasonable. Brothers have realistic expectations. This woman ultimately doesn't 
exist. I mean, a lot of ladies in here 
are aspiring, and a lot of ladies in here are demonstrating acumen 
and certain features, but there is an idealized standard. Get 
your expectations in check. Now, when it comes to women, 
in terms of exhortation, I've got a few things. First, you 
must maintain dependence upon God, a woman who fears the Lord. I would suggest that mothering, 
and I make this observation as one who's watched a mother do 
it with five kids, has to be the hardest job I've seen. I 
mean, I'm thankful that I'm not a mother. I mean, thank you God 
that I wasn't born a woman because I'd have to be a mother. I'm 
kidding. It's a most noble and dignified task, but brethren, 
it's a tough job. It is a multi-faceted job, and 
I want to encourage you ladies to maintain dependence upon God. 
As well, you must not forsake God's Word. Facebook and Instagram, 
you may get tips here or there on how to make a latte, but if 
you're at Facebook and Instagram on how to rear your children, 
may I suggest you go from Facebook and Instagram into the book of 
Proverbs. Debt bridges on Proverbs. While there's some moralism in 
there, it's a moralism that we could all do with a good dose 
of. I'm not into moralism. I don't 
like preaching moralistic sermons. I feel like in some sense this 
is, but we do have imperative. We do have command from Yahweh 
on how we're to function and how we're to live in a manner 
that is consistent with His revelation. As well, you must realize that 
your task is difficult, oftentimes thankless, and mostly underappreciated 
by just about everyone. I think that's an apt description 
of motherhood, isn't it? I mean, to do all of your kids 
and your spouse and everything. Oh, they just fawn over you all 
the time because of the great job you're doing. Probably not. As well, you must persevere in 
your calling and realize that the calling you have under God 
is full-time. It's with you. It's like luggage, 
good luggage, right? You just put it up in the garage, 
it's always there. That's what motherhood and fatherhood 
is. It's always there. And it's always in a good sense. 
But there is this overarching responsibility involved with 
all of this. You must labor to understand 
God's truth for yourself, law and gospel, in order to effectively 
communicate that to your children. You must guard against laziness. 
One of the things that Proverbs 31, verse 27, she watches over 
the ways of her household, does not eat the bread of idleness. That doesn't mean she never sits 
down. Doesn't mean she doesn't have a coffee. Doesn't mean she 
doesn't raise her feet once a couple of times a day. But laziness 
is not the earmark of her life. And as well, your children need 
your instruction. They need your example. They 
need your discipline. Even if they don't like your 
discipline, they need your discipline. He who hates his son does not 
discipline him. But he who loves him disciplines 
him promptly. As well, you ought to be, and 
I want to say this carefully and graciously, you ought to 
be forever thankful for the gospel of our salvation. Because on 
that day of judgment, when you stand before God Most High, it's 
not going to be, you've been a stellar mom, and as a result 
I'm going to let you into my kingdom. No, it's that Christ 
is a stellar Savior, that Christ's life and death and resurrection 
is the means by which you are going to heaven. Isn't that encouraging? 
That doesn't mean now you can just go lay at home and eat Oreos 
while your kids, you know, destroy the living room, because I'm 
going to heaven in Jesus. But brethren, when we have this 
idea that the gospel is about salvation, I hope it tempers 
us in terms of realistic expectations in terms of our own life and 
approach. And then I want to encourage 
you ladies, and then we'll close. Notice in Proverbs 31 specifically, 
the encouragement given to such women is indicated in our text. 
Her husband encourages her. Notice in verse 29, many daughters 
have done well, but you excel them all. Now, guys, if you're 
too, you know, pious and sanctimonious to ever, you know, encourage 
your wife or praise your wife for fear that she'll get too 
proud, Change your ways. Praise your woman. Praise your 
bride. Love her. Care for her. Tend 
to her. Encourage her. In a world that 
shows this kind of animosity against womanhood in general, 
motherhood in particular, the sort of traditional wife view, 
I mean, probably some of you ladies, persons have asked you, 
what do you do for a living? Well, I stay at home and take 
care of my children. What's the typical response to 
that? Oh, great. We need more mothers and wives 
at home. We need more muffins baked. We 
need more diapers changed. That's not typically the response. 
You mean that's all you do? That's it? That's how you spend 
your time? The most noble calling in the 
world has been relegated to some 15th tier position in our society. That is shameful, brethren. When 
Napoleon was asked, what can we do to help France? He said, 
we need better mothers. If there are wretches as mothers, 
if there are wretches as fathers, guess what? The future generation 
most likely will default to wretches. Put good in, get good out. Put 
wretch in, get wretch out. That's pretty formulaic in God's 
moral universe. Now there's grace that overcomes, 
there is grace that can correct, there is grace that can change, 
and we rejoice in that. But humanly speaking, brethren, 
We need to put in effort with reference to this race. Husbands, 
encourage your wives. Notice she's praised by her children. 
Verse 28, her children rise up and call her blessed. Notice 
she's praised from her community. Verse 31, give her of the fruit 
of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates. This Gates reference is where 
the business was done. This is where her husband would 
have been. This is where persons would have commented. She's a 
good wife. She's a blessing and a benefit. There is great impetus in this 
to press onward in a manner that is consistent with what we find 
in scripture. And ultimately the praise from 
the Lord. Well done, good and faithful servant. You're not 
gonna be saved because of your mothering. but you're saved by 
grace, and the orbit of responsibility primarily is motherhood. It is functioning in that capacity, 
and the Lord God Most High receives such into His kingdom on that 
day. So ladies, be encouraged. Be 
strengthened, and don't let your children get away with murder. Don't let your children reject, 
resist, and oppose. Rather, understand you've got 
influence, and understand you're clothed with authority to enforce 
the Word of God in your home. And now if you've listened properly, 
you'll know no one's saved by their mothering. No one's saved 
by their childing. We're saved by grace through 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So if you're not a believer here 
this morning, perhaps you're not a mother. Perhaps you'll 
never be a mother because you're a man. Again, something challenged 
today in society that we're even here, pregnant man emoji on the 
phone. Are these people nuts? But with 
reference to that, you may not be directly affected by this 
sermon, but listen to this, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and 
you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your glory. 
We thank you for the word of God and for the instruction that 
it gives to us in terms of law and gospel. And I pray for the 
sisters in our church that they would be faithful that they would 
be persevering, that they would know your grace and nearness, 
and they would know that fear of the Lord. As well, we pray 
for the ladies who are pregnant. We know that children are a gift 
given by you to your people. And we pray that you would just 
help us to be faithful in rearing them in the training and admonition 
of the Lord. And we ask these things through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. We'll close by singing the doxology, 
page 568. And we'll stand together. He's come from whom all blessings 
flow, Raised in all regions here below. oh Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Father, thank you for the Lord's 
day. Thank you for this opportunity to rest in our blessed God. We 
ask that you would go with us now. We ask that you would be 
near us, help us to sanctify the day and to enjoy it and to 
call it a delight. And we ask these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.