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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. Our focus will be on the ethics 
of motherhood in verses 3 to 5, but I'll read Titus chapter 
2, the whole chapter. So beginning in verse 1, but 
as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine, 
that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in 
faith, in love, in patience. 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, to be 
discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, 
that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise, exhort 
the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself 
to be a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing integrity, 
reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, 
that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil 
to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient 
to their own masters, to be well-pleasing in all things, not answering 
back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they 
may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. 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. Speak these things, 
exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
You for this, Your Word. We pray now for the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit who gave us the Word to guide and direct 
our minds and hearts. We thank You for the ladies in 
our church. We pray that You would bless each one, that You 
would strengthen each one, that You would watch over them. We 
thank You as well for the children that You have entrusted to our 
care. Give us wisdom, Lord God, to bring them up in the training 
and admonition of the Lord. We know there is a great competition 
between the world and the church. And we know there is an Antichrist 
spirit prevalent out there today. So God, help us to recognize 
that. Help us to inoculate these little 
ones and help us to train them in a manner that is consistent 
with your written word. We just praise you, God, that 
you've not left us alone in the world, that you've given us the 
Holy Spirit as another comforter. And as well, you've given us 
this word to lighten our paths. So help us to make much of the 
scriptures. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, in this particular 
epistle, the apostle Paul sets Titus in Crete in order to set 
things in order amongst the churches. And the first order of business 
is the selection of elders to function in the church. So he 
gives this list of qualifications in chapter 1, verses 5 to 9. And one of the aspects that elders 
must be tasked with is specified in verse 9. Notice, he must hold 
fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may 
be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who 
contradict. So he must convict those who 
contradict, and he mentions those in chapter 1, verses 10 to 16. He will revisit that theme in 
chapter 3. So that is one aspect of gospel 
ministry, is to rebuke or convict those who contradict sound teaching. 
But there is a positive element as well. Notice that he may be 
able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort. So he's to exhort 
the people of God. He's to exhort the believers. 
He's to exhort the church on how they are to function as the 
blood-bought children of God. And that is precisely what he 
does in chapter 2. He tells Titus that he must edify 
the church. He must instruct the church. 
He must encourage the church and exhort the church on how 
they are to function in this world. Titus is to address the 
older men. the older women, the younger 
women, the young men, Titus, and then bond servants themselves. So there are various people groups 
that make up the context of the church, and they have particular 
function, particular responsibilities as they find themselves in the 
church. But as well, the apostle connects 
that to the gospel. He doesn't say, do this and you 
shall live. He says, do this because by grace 
you do live. Notice in verse 11, in chapter 
2, 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." So Paul 
there emphasizes justification by faith alone, salvation by 
grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It's because of that 
that older men are supposed to function the way they are. the 
way older women and younger women and younger men and Titus himself 
and the bond servants, they're supposed to function in a particular 
way because Christ has saved you, because God has brought 
you out of darkness into marvelous light. So that's sort of the 
overview. We're going to look specifically 
at verses 3 to 5 under two considerations. First, the instructions for older 
women, and then secondly, the exhortations to the younger women. 
But before we begin, isn't this a wonderful passage in terms 
of the stability of the God-wrought created order? Paul knows nothing 
of menstruating persons or birthing persons. Paul knows that men 
are supposed to function the way God made men to function. And women are supposed to function 
the way that God made women to function. It's becoming counter-cultural 
for the people of God to simply insist upon two genders. It's becoming counter-cultural 
today to insist with the Apostle Paul on God-wrought gender distinctive 
and on God-wrought gender responsibility. In other words, this is a breath 
of fresh air. We can actually say, happy Mother's 
Day and not happy birthing person's day. This is absolutely contrary 
to the word and will of God. He is not only the God of redemption, 
but the God of creation. And he is instituted in the created 
order that birds fly and fish swim, that men are men and women 
are women. That is not bad. It is not wretched. It is not horrible. It is the 
way God purposed things to be. So let us breathe in the fresh 
air of Holy Scripture and be countercultural with Paul, with 
Titus, and with the apostles and prophets. Notice in the first 
place the instructions for older women in verse 3. First, there 
are a couple of virtues that she must have, and secondly, 
there is conduct she must imbibe. Notice in verse 3a, she is to 
be, first of all, reverent in her behavior. This is an overall 
demeanor like the older men in verse 2. Notice in verse 2, that 
the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in 
love, and patience. The older women, likewise, that 
they be reverent in behavior. That doesn't mean they never 
laugh, that doesn't mean they're never silly, that doesn't mean 
they don't have fun, but their Christian conduct is marked by 
a demeanor of reverence. It is marked by a demeanor of 
sobriety, not just from alcohol, but sobriety or temperance in 
the entirety of one's life. Notice as well, she is to be 
faithful in her speech. The older women likewise, that 
they first be reverent in behavior, secondly, not slanderers. This is a good interpretation 
of the word. The word literally means not 
devils. It is used that way because the 
devil is an accuser and a slanderer. The prohibition for deacons' 
wives is the same in 1 Timothy 3, verse 11. And according to 
2 Timothy 3, verse 3, this is a characteristic of those living 
in the last days. They are slanderers. They are 
literally devils when it comes to their speech. And so the woman 
of God, instructed by Titus under the direction of the apostle 
Paul, must be reverent and she must not be a slanderer. And 
if you read the New Testament documents carefully, actually 
you don't even need to read them carefully. All you have to do 
is to fall into certain places where Paul deals with this particular 
sin. He cautions women. Not that men 
don't have the tendency, not that men don't have the capability 
to be slanderers and to be gossips, but the Apostle Paul typically 
highlights this as a sin particularly related to women. Again, don't 
say that Butler said that it's only women who have to control 
their mouths. Men have to control their mouths 
as well. But as I said, there are certain 
instances where Paul links this kind of an abuse with women. And so we need, you need to be 
careful. And then thirdly, in terms of 
her virtue, notice what he says, that they may be reverent in 
behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine. That doesn't 
mean you have to be a teetotaler. The Bible does not condemn the 
moderate use of alcohol. The Bible condemns the misuse 
or the immoderate use of alcohol. Again, this particular prohibition 
sees itself in the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3, and 
as well the qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3. Not a 
prohibition against the use of wine, but a prohibition against 
the misuse or the immoderate use of wine. That is what Paul 
says in terms of the virtues that are to be commanded relative 
to these older women in the church. So the older women likewise, 
that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to 
much wine. Those are the virtues. Now notice 
her conduct. What she is supposed to do in 
terms of verse 3b. Teachers of good things. Now the context makes clear what 
Paul has in mind. She is to be a teacher of good 
things to the younger women. The Bible is clear at this point 
in terms of a woman's place in ministry. She is not to serve 
as an elder or a deacon in the church of Jesus Christ. Now before 
you take up tomatoes to throw at me, this isn't my idea. This is what God the Lord says. 
Again, fish swim, and birds fly, and men do one thing, and women 
do another thing. It's not a bad thing. We have 
been trained that those sorts of distinctions are somehow wrong. Those sorts of distinctions are 
somehow bad. Consider the economy with reference 
to the Trinity. Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ 
takes on our humanity. In terms of being that blessed 
person with two natures, He willingly submits Himself to the Father 
in the economy of redemption, not in terms of the ontological 
or eminent trinity. He is not inferior, He is not 
subordinate, He is not submissive in terms of theology. But in 
terms of economy, Christ willingly assumes upon himself the responsibilities 
as mediator. And as mediator, it is always 
his desire to do the will of the Father who sent him. It's 
not bad to be submissive. It's not bad to be given a particular 
task. It is what God has orchestrated 
for both the church and the home. And when we obliterate those 
distinctions, or when we say those distinctions aren't important, 
we end up with a culture that looks very much similar to what 
we're witnessing today, where the word mother has become offensive, 
and so we have to use birthing persons because it's more inclusive. That's madness, brethren. That 
is not Bible. We need to understand that God's 
Word is given to regulate God's world, and therefore what he 
says is most excellent and most blessed, and we accept it willingly 
and happily. So she is to be a teacher of 
good things, and then verse 4 stipulates that they admonish the younger 
women. So the arena of her teaching 
of good things is to be with young women. Turn back to 1 Timothy 
chapter 2 for just a moment. 1 Timothy chapter 2. This is 
the qualification that we need to give. She is not to serve 
as an elder in the church or as a deacon. If you look first 
at verse chapter three, this is a faithful saying, if a man 
desires the position of a bishop. And then in verse eight, likewise, 
deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given a much 
wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with 
a pure conscience. Verse 11, likewise, their wives 
must be reverent, Paul assumes that elders and deacons in the 
context of the church are going to be men. They are going to 
serve in that particular capacity. Not every single man, but men 
who are equipped and fitted by the Spirit, identified by the 
church using such passages, tested by the church, and then admitted 
by the church into gospel ministry. This is peculiarly for the men 
of the church. Again, If that bothers you or 
you struggle with that, your issue isn't with me. This is 
the word of the living and true God. Now, backing up for just 
a moment into chapter 2, Paul treats the responsibilities of 
men in public worship, and he treats the responsibilities of 
women in public worship. Notice in 2.8, I desire therefore 
that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without 
wrath and doubting. Brethren, that's not spiritual 
holy hands. If you want to lift holy hands 
when we pray or sing, the Bible is okay with that. Don't ever 
feel odd or strange or charismatic or Pentecostal. This isn't a 
spiritual lifting of the hands. They're actual hands that you 
can actually raise in praise and worship unto God. Now, that's 
not suggesting that you must. It's not suggesting that you 
have to. It's not suggesting that everybody's going to judge 
you if you don't. But don't feel judged if you do. It is a blessed 
privilege that the people of God have in terms of lifting 
their hands up in prayer and in praise. to God Almighty. It's 
amazing that we spiritualize things like lifting up holy hands. No, it's an actual physical, 
literal lifting up of the holy hands. But then notice, well 
we got to work on those hands because they're not as holy as 
they ought to be, but notice in verse 9, in like manner also 
that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety 
and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly 
clothing, but which is proper for women professing godliness 
with good works." Again, that doesn't mean she has to look 
as ugly as she can possibly look. It doesn't mean that she shops 
for clothes for Sunday at the gunny sack store. It doesn't 
mean that Dowdy is somehow godly. It simply means that in the context 
of public worship, the brethren ought not to struggle from lusting 
after you when the primary objective is to worship the God of heaven 
and earth. So in other words, moderation 
and propriety is fitting and appropriate in the context of 
the church of the Lord God. Now notice verse 11, let a woman 
learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to 
teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. That's Paul. I do not permit 
a woman to teach or have authority over a man. The novelist George 
Bernard Shaw identified the apostle Paul as the eternal enemy of 
women. No, that's not true at all. The 
apostle is simply reflecting God's created order. In other 
words, the ethics that you find in Genesis 1 to 3 are the ethics 
that are renewed under Christ's redemption. He doesn't start 
something brand new with us, but rather it's a restoration 
to what God made us to originally function as. But in this context, 
notice that Paul doesn't just throw it out there, but he substantiates 
it. He provides or he furnishes a 
reason for it. And much to the chagrin of those 
who say, well, you know, Ephesus had some uppity women. Ephesus 
had some bossy women. Ephesus had some real issues 
amongst their women. So Paul gives this prohibition 
there in Ephesus. It was a cultural prohibition 
or a prohibition based on cultural reasons. That's not so. The apostle 
argues first from creation and then from the fall. Notice what 
he says in terms of furnishing the rationale in terms of the 
prohibition. So verse 12, I do not permit 
a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Why, Paul? For Adam was formed 
first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but 
the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Again, this 
doesn't mean that every woman at every step of the way will 
always fall into transgression or that she'll always be deceived. 
There's women out there that are brighter than a lot of men. 
There's women out there that are capable and handy theologians 
and competent with all of that. But in terms of the broad generality, 
God made fish to swim and birds to fly and men to lead both in 
the home and in the church. That is simple exegesis that 
we should have never stumbled on in the beginning. We should 
have always maintained this. There should have never been 
Pastor Susie whoever. It should have always been the 
case that the men that the church selected were men, not women, 
because that is an offense in terms of God's Word. So he argues 
from creation and then he argues from the fall. She is not to 
preach or to teach in the gathered church. She is not to exercise 
authority over men in the gathered church. She and the church is 
not to disregard a principle that we have looked at in recent 
weeks called the regulative principle of worship. In other words, who's 
going to function as elders and deacons? That is an outflow with 
reference to our approach to worship. And if we do compromise 
there, we've compromised the worship of God, and we have put 
ourselves right on par with Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus chapter 
10, when they offered strange fire to the Lord God Most High, 
and He sent fire out of heaven. not to consume the sacrifice, 
but to consume them. And he says, by those who come 
to me, I must be regarded as holy. So when we see a woman 
in a pulpit, we are seeing strange fire offered up to the Lord Most 
High. And so the apostle argues that 
women are not to teach or exercise authority over men. They can 
certainly teach and exercise authority over younger women 
and certainly over children. Look at 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 
1, verse 3, I thank God whom I serve with a pure conscience, 
as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my 
prayers night and day. greatly desiring to see you, 
being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy 
when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, 
which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, 
and I am persuaded is in you also." So obviously, these mothers 
and grandmothers have the task and the blessed privilege to 
instruct their children. That is a no-brainer, as is her 
being able to teach younger women. But with reference to teaching 
or exercising authority over a man, Paul prohibits that. He forbids it and he argues from 
creation and he argues from the fall. So, that's instructions 
for the older women. So, older women, that means that 
you ought to be on the lookout for younger women that you can 
instruct. Now, I have before exhorted our younger women not 
to always wait for the older woman. Oh, she never calls, she's 
never written me a letter, she's never sent me an email. So the 
younger women can certainly and should do that, but older women 
can take an active approach in terms of identifying ladies, 
younger ladies, that they can come alongside of and help and 
instruct and pass on the virtues that the apostle now tells Titus 
are to be told to these younger women. Notice the exhortations 
to the younger women in verses four to five. First, her domestic 
relationships, verse 4. Second, particular virtues, verse 
5a. And then the gravity of her calling 
in verse 5b. So let's look first at her domestic 
relationships in verse 4. Notice, the older women are to 
admonish the young women to love their husbands and to love their 
children. Now, you might think, well, every 
woman loves their husbands and loves their children. I'm not 
sure that's the case. And so, this isn't an admonition 
or an exhortation or an instruction that's a no-brainer. She needs 
to be admonished to love her husband. It's intriguing because 
other family codes or other lists of virtue that apply to family 
typically has the woman submitting to her husband. Verse 5 in our 
context even does do that. But the first emphasis is that 
she loves her husband. George Knight makes the observation 
in his commentary. It is noteworthy that the list 
of characteristics for young women begins with love for husband 
and children. This section thereby fills out 
the instructions to wives in Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 
Peter, where the emphasis falls on fulfilling the role of submission 
and where love on the part of wives is not mentioned. It may 
seem strange for older women to be called upon to teach younger 
women to love their husbands and children. But this is put 
into perspective when we realize that Christians are constantly 
being taught in the New Testament to love, whether it be God or 
fellow Christians and neighbors. Doesn't Jesus say this in John 
13, 36? By this all men will know that 
you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Certainly 
if that obtains between the 12 disciples in terms of their relationship, 
it must obtain amongst the family. The wife must love her husband. She must be able to look beyond 
some of his faults and some of his shortcomings. Well, all women, 
all men, everybody, we have to be able to do that. But love 
for husband is the first order of business that the younger 
women must be taught. Notice, secondly, she is to love 
her children. Again, this is not a no-brainer. 
This is not a common thing. The prophet Isaiah, highlighting 
the great love of God with his people or toward his people, 
says that a nursing mother may turn her back upon her child, 
but God would never relinquish his love for his people. And 
again, that's an analogy intended to show us the great love of 
God, but experience teaches us. 100,000 babies aborted in Canada 
every year teaches us that not every mother loves her child 
the way that God says in Titus chapter 2. Now, with reference 
to this love, you do not want to raise unmanageable savages. So you need to understand that 
this type of love isn't just a feeling. It isn't just an emotion. It isn't just looking at that 
beautiful plump baby and saying, oh, how beautiful he or she is. It must be principle. It must 
be tempered by the word of the living and true God. Love does 
not rejoice in iniquity. Love rather seeks, by God's grace, 
to enact the best for the child. Listen to John Gill. in terms 
of her loving her children, not with a fond, foolish, and ungoverned 
affection, but so as to seek their real good, and not only 
their temporal, but spiritual and eternal welfare, to bring 
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and to use and keep 
proper discipline and government over them. For otherwise, amidst 
all the fondness of natural affection, a parent may be said to hate 
a child, Proverbs 13, 24 is clear at this point. He who spares 
his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him 
promptly. Now, these are the kinds of sermons 
that I think children in our church don't like it when I preach. 
But with reference to the task involved with motherhood, Again, 
you do not want to raise unmanageable savages. Kids that cannot be 
controlled. Kids that when they go out into 
public, everybody else wants to discipline them. That's on 
the father and that's on the mother. And with reference to 
the book of Proverbs, Solomon addresses the father, but we 
know that the mother is the vice regent. We know that the mother, 
in the absence of the father, carries the authority of the 
father and is queen over those children. And as a result, she 
has certain imperatives that she must carry out in terms of 
the discipline and training of her children. Happy Mother's 
Day. You can turn back to the book 
of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 13. Those who've been in our 
church for a while will remember that I mentioned a friend of 
mine who said, you know, on Father's Day, pastors hammer the fathers. And on Mother's Day, they coddle 
the mothers. Well, we take a different tact 
here. We try to hammer the mothers and we coddle the fathers. No, 
I don't think we coddle fathers either. Look out there, and I 
don't mean the back patio of our church building. It's a mess, 
brethren. When the word mother has become 
offensive to someone somewhere, we are in a bad state of affairs. And one of the things that we 
can do as God's people is obey God at this point and seek by 
grace to have families that mirror or reflect rather what God's 
intention is for the family. It's a most blessed and wonderful 
thing. It's not a bad thing. It's not 
a horrible thing. It's not a wretched thing. You'll 
know, statistics tell us, a lot of guys that end up in prison 
come from fatherless families. A lot of people that end up in 
a lot of hurt, a lot of trouble in their lives, don't have a 
good family structure. As Napoleon was once asked, what 
would restore the prestige of France? You know what that wretch 
said? Give us better mothers! We need 
to institute in our homes this fidelity to biblical religion 
at the level of husband and wife, father and mother, child to parent. The scriptures are replete. It's 
not just one place. We have Ephesians, we have Colossians, 
we have 1 Peter. We have Titus. We have all of 
these emphases by the Apostle. Again, a counter-cultural man 
in a society where they had jettisoned the God-wrought distinctives 
built into the created order. So the Apostle here is seeking 
to vindicate, to liberate, and to bring blessing upon the people 
of God. He's not the eternal enemy of 
women, but the eternal friend of women, because it's in doing 
what God calls us to do that there is blessing, there is happiness, 
and there is joy. The way of the transgressor is 
hard, but the way of the faithful by the grace of God is facilitated 
by the grace of God. So back in Proverbs, I wanna 
bring out a few thoughts in terms of the discipline of children. 
Proverbs chapter four, the training should begin early. The training 
should begin early. Proverbs chapter four, verse 
three. Solomon is rehearsing his tutelage 
under David. When I was my father's son, tender 
and the only one in the sight of my mother. He also taught 
me and said to me, let your heart retain my words, keep my commands 
and live. You must begin early. The devil 
begins early. The world begins early. Your 
own flesh will begin early. So, therefore, you must function 
in a manner that is consistent with God's Word. Charles Bridges, 
in his commentary on Proverbs, says Satan begins with the infant 
in arms. The cry of passion is his first 
stir of the native corruption. For those of you who are parents, 
I guarantee it. Well, I can't guarantee it because 
I'm not omniscient. But I would submit that most 
of us never had to teach our children the word, mine. The 
word, mine, seemed to be inherent and native within that. It's 
almost that first thing that blurts out, mine. This idea that 
what is important is everything respecting the kid. Well, we 
need to teach them that that's not necessarily the case. The 
cry of passion is his first stir of the native corruption. Do 
we begin as early? Every vice commences in the nursery. The great secret is to establish 
authority in the dawn of life. To bend the tender twig before 
the knotty oak is beyond our power. That's good horse sense. That's good counsel. Turn over 
to Proverbs 19. Proverbs 19, verse 18. Proverbs 19, verse 18, chasing 
your son while there is hope and do not set your heart on 
his destruction. You remember the case of the 
incorrigible son in Deuteronomy 21, that son who would resist 
parental influence, that son who would resist parental pressure. that son who was disciplined 
by the parents, but who nevertheless got to that point where capital 
punishment was in view. We know he wasn't a two-year-old, 
we know he wasn't a six-year-old, because his besetting sins, symptomatic 
of his rejection of Yahweh and of his parents, was that he was 
a glutton and a drunkard. So it came to the point in time 
where there was no remedial efforts to be beneficial to that young 
man. So he's handed over to the elders 
and then he's executed by the state outside the city gates. So Solomon's instruction in verse 
18 is chasing your son while there is hope. Proverbs chapter 
20 and verse 11, even a child is known by his deeds, whether 
what he does is pure and right. And then of course, Proverbs 
22 and verse 6, train up a child in the way he should go. And 
when he is old, he will not depart from it. So this idea that, well, 
I'll wait till they're in school before I start teaching them 
scripture. I'll wait till they're in school before I start teaching 
them catechism. That's wrong, sisters. You need 
to understand that you have a very influential place in the lives 
of your little ones, and you need to begin the training early. 
Secondly, the neglect of corporal punishment is ungodly. Now, the 
Proverbs are very balanced. We have this speech and we have 
act. We have chasten, we have rebuke, 
we have correct, we have the exhortation for us to correct 
children with our voices, with our words. But in the event that 
they continue in a path of rebellion and rejection, corporal punishment 
is necessary. And with reference to that, Proverbs 
13, I've already cited it in verse 24. Again, this isn't a 
spiritual rod. This isn't a spiritual application. He who spares his rod hates his 
son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Gil points out 
that the sin of old Eli in 1 Samuel 2 and 3, and both he and his 
sons suffered for it." Remember that first revelation by God 
to Samuel concerned Eli and his insubordination for not having 
restrained his sons. According to 1 Samuel 2.12, the 
sons of Eli did not know the Lord. Now, Eli himself couldn't 
regenerate them. Eli himself couldn't make them 
born again. But the particular manifestation 
of their sin was in stealing sacrifices as worshipers came 
to the tabernacle or temple. And as well, they lay with the 
women who populated that precinct. So Eli is condemned for not having 
restrained his children in terms of their passions and in terms 
of their corruptions. Thirdly, the usefulness of corporal 
punishment is highlighted throughout the book of Proverbs. Now, as 
I say always, be very discreet and be very guarded and be very 
careful in your application of this because your neighbors will 
turn you over to the civil authority if they think you're obeying 
God at this particular point. You need to be wise as serpents 
and harmless as doves in the implementation of God's Word. I don't think I need to remind 
you, there is a great animosity on the part of the unbelieving 
world with reference to the Church of Christ. And those things we 
maintain, and those things we insist upon, and those things 
most surely believed among us, are oftentimes found as something 
foul and evil and wicked to unbelievers. So they'll employ the use of 
the civil state to try and sit them on their enemies or their 
perceived enemies relative to our commitment to biblical truth. 
But in terms of the usefulness of corporal punishment, notice 
in Proverbs 22, 15. Foolishness is bound up in the 
heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive 
it far from him. Again, Bridges says, it is not 
the sheet of pure white paper, nor the innocent or even the 
tractable creature, easily guided by proper means that we have 
before us, but a little heart full of sin, containing all the 
seeds of future evil, multiplying to a fruitful harvest. Now, my 
most recently born grandson is here today. And when I look at 
him, I don't look at him that way. I don't see every seed of 
evil in his heart. I don't ponder that when I see 
his big fat cheeks and I want to kiss him and pinch him and 
all that sort of thing. But theologically, Bridges is 
right. We need to understand that in 
Adam all die. We need to understand they're 
not neutral. They're not a blank sheet of 
paper. They're not a tabula rasa. That means simply that they are 
not neutral in terms of God and His word and will. So Bridges 
is spot on. Notice in Proverbs 23 at 13 and 
14. Do not withhold correction from 
a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 
You will beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell. 
And Bridges asks the question here, is it not better that the 
flesh should smart than that the soul should die? I mean, 
the language that he uses here is quite epic. We don't have 
the power to deliver somebody from hell itself in terms of 
regeneration, the new birth, justification, by faith alone. But Solomon sees the necessity 
of fathers and mothers implementing corrective discipline upon their 
children in such a way as to say it will deliver them from 
hell itself. That is a powerful endorsement 
of the means that God has given to us. And then in terms of a 
necessary qualification concerning corporal discipline, I've shared 
with the brethren in our church. I have an early memory of my 
mother chasing me and my siblings around the house with a yardstick. 
Well, if you know the yardstick, it was made out of balsa wood, 
so it wasn't You know, it would have cracked on any of us if 
she hit us, but it was more of a joke. Well, I think she was 
frantic and upset, and that was the way she would respond. That's 
not biblical discipline, brethren. Chasing your kid around the house, 
swinging a yardstick and screaming like a banshee, that is not biblical 
discipline. Neither is pain in a way that 
is lasting. It is not the case that the Bible 
authorizes the kind of punishment that some parents inflict on 
their children. And if you fall into that, repent 
and forsake that sin. Bruce Waltke commenting on the 
Proverbs at this point. He says, the cleansing rod must 
be applied with warmth, affection, and respect for the youth. Respect for the youth, brethren. 
Never forget that. Your task isn't to humiliate 
them. Your task isn't to show them 
up. Your task is to conduct yourself 
as with an image bearer of the living and true God. In Deuteronomy 
chapter 25, when it deals with punitive damages inflicted on 
criminal offenders in the Commonwealth of Israel, one of the aspects 
involved is dignity even afforded to the criminal offender. We 
don't strip them of their humanity when we punish them. It's my 
argument against prison as a life sentence. It is to strip a man 
of his humanity and his dignity. He'd be better off falling into 
the hands of the living and true God and the penalties that he 
gives in terms of his word. You are not to dehumanize your 
children. You're not to abuse your children. 
He says, warmth and affection, not steely discipline, characterize 
the father's lectures. Parents who brutalize their children 
cannot hide behind the rod doctrine of Proverbs. It is not a license 
for you to be able to do whatever it is you want with your child. No, it must be carried out in 
a manner that is consistent with the entirety of God's holy word. So those are the domestic relationships. She is to love her husband, she 
is to love her children. Going back to Titus 2, at verse 
5a, there are virtues that the older women are to admonish the 
younger women that they're supposed to imbibe. In the first place, 
she is to be discreet. Notice in verse 5a. To be discreet. The old men are to be reverent, 
according to verse 2. It's the same word. The young 
men are to be sober-minded, according to verse 6. It's the same word. A famous dictionary defines the 
word this way. pertaining to being in control 
of oneself. Prudent, thoughtful, self-control. That's what the younger women 
are supposed to be admonished by the older women. Thus, the 
older women must manifest and characterize those self-same 
virtues in order to pass them on to the younger women. Some 
things are better caught than taught, and all the words in 
the world will be to no avail if there's no concrete application 
or a living example of those things. So she is to be discreet. 
Notice, secondly, she is to be chaste. Verse five, to be discreet, 
to be chaste. The idea is purity in the moral 
sense. The necessity for modesty in 
public worship, 1 Timothy 2, verses eight to 10, and then 
not just public worship, but in all of life, according to 
Peter, in 1 Peter 3, verses three to four. Proverbs, the end of Proverbs, 
when it gives us that description of a virtuous woman, tells us 
that the heart of her husband safely trusts her. And part of 
that has to do with her chasteness. She gives him no thought whatsoever 
that her heart is wayward or that she is going to wander. 
The heart of the godly man's husband safely trusts the virtuous 
wife of Proverbs 31. Why? Because she's discreet. 
She possesses self-control. But as well, she's chaste. She's 
not looking to gain the eye of other men. She's looking to gain 
and have the eye of her man to be sure. Again, what is envisaged 
does not be as ugly as you can possibly be, ladies. Be as unsavory 
and as unlovely as you can work on. No, the idea is, is have 
your husband's eyes, have his heart, have his devotion. Thirdly, she is to be a homemaker. Again, this is where everybody 
flips out. I saw something recently that 
says, feminism is the idea that a woman can submit to every man 
in the workforce, just not her man at home. That's how crazy 
things have been. Be a submissive woman out in 
the workforce to your male employer. But at home, no. No way. You 
throw that off. Those are the shackles of a barbaric, 
antiquated system. You be you, lady. Feminism, and 
I don't know if you've noticed this, is killing women. Feminism 
is killing women. That's what feminism is yielding 
to us today. It is obliterating motherhood. It is obliterating all the things 
that the Bible sets forth as good and honorable and wonderful 
things. But back to Paul instructing 
Titus, instructing the older women on how to instruct the 
younger women. To be discreet, chaste homemakers. Here's the definition of the 
word pertaining to carrying out Now get this, household duties, 
busy at home, carrying out household duties. That shouldn't shock 
people. That shouldn't cause people to 
lose their minds. That shouldn't cause people to 
say, Oh, that Bible's horrible. Paul's an enemy of women. No, 
this is the way God made life. This is the created order. Be 
busy in the duties at home. Turn back to 1 Timothy 5 for 
an illustration, both positive and negative, of homemaker-ness. 1 Timothy chapter 5. Verse 11, but refuse the younger 
widows, for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, 
they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have 
cast off their first faith. Now notice in a negative way, 
besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to 
house, and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies saying 
things which they ought not. You see, when you leave your 
home in the sphere of your responsibility that God himself has entrusted 
to you, good things don't usually happen. In other words, when 
we look at the lady in Proverbs chapter 7, I think I've explained, 
wasn't a prostitute, but was a married woman. One of the identifying 
marks of that woman is that her feet did not remain at home. What's the implication? Her feet 
should have remained at home such that she hadn't lured that 
young man to his destruction. Now, notice the positive application 
in verse 13. And besides that, verse 14. Therefore, 
I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage 
the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some have already turned 
aside after Satan. So you see the importance by 
the apostle in terms of sphere sovereignty, in terms of gender 
distinction, in terms of what is supposed to obtain in a household, 
in a marriage. I'm not suggesting a woman can 
never work. I'm not suggesting she can never 
go outside the house to work. That's a whole nother ball of 
wax. But right here in Titus chapter 2, the emphasis from 
the older women upon the younger women is that they be homemakers. In terms of the practical benefits, 
you see it in Proverbs 31, verses 14 to 27. It is a manifestation 
and an expression and a demonstration of her love for husband and her 
love for children, which she's already been admonished to have. 
And it is, in fact, the legitimate sphere of her activity, as Poole 
says, not spending their time in gadding about, but in looking 
to the affairs of their own families. Many of the problems we get ourselves 
into arrive because we weren't doing what we should have been 
doing in the first place. In other words, if we do what 
we're supposed to do in the first place, we're not going to absolutely 
avoid all sin, but we're going to hopefully mitigate against 
the effects of sin and realize that being busy and industrious 
in those things sanctioned by God is a better way to occupy 
our time than searching out those things that are not sanctioned 
by God. And then notice in terms of personal virtue after homemaker, 
she is to be good. She is to be good, to be discreet, 
chaste. Homemaker's good. The idea or 
the emphasis is likely on being kind. 1 Peter 2, verse 18 is 
a parallel here. It's probably kindness. She doesn't 
run through the house screaming like a banshee, swinging the 
yardstick. Now, I say that my mother was 
a wonderful human. I love her immensely. She passed 
away several years ago. I don't want you to think that 
was her typical default status. She was fantastic, a wonderful 
human being, and I love and esteem her greatly. But that illustration 
always suggests itself when she was running around with a yardstick 
or meter stick as we would say here in Canada. But the bottom 
line is that is not kind. If that was symptomatic or typical 
of her life, then she would not have been a kind woman. Kindness 
is enjoined upon. Notice the younger women. Now, 
Paul's already admonished the older women, and the older women 
are admonished what to admonish the younger women with. I suspect 
young mothers with lots of kids or even one kid or, you know, 
a husband, feel like they're already stretched with all of 
the responsibility they can stomach. God will accept if I just sort 
of eke it out. God will accept if I just do 
it. I don't have to actually love them. I don't have to actually 
be kind. Yes, you do. See, the duties that God gives 
us in the orbit of Christianity are in the orbit of Christianity. 
In other words, when we're called to be loving, we do that in a 
happy sort of way. When we're called to persevere, 
we do that in a joyful way. When we're called to serve our 
husbands or our children, we're to do so in a happy and in a 
kind way. We don't want to make them feel 
guilty because they need dinner. We don't want to make them feel 
like they've abused us because they need their socks cleaned. And I know this sounds pretty 
trivial and pretty low and all that, but homemakers is what 
Paul says here. It's a horrible thing what's 
happened in society where these sorts of things are seen as bad. 
And then notice fifthly and finally, in terms of her responsibility, 
she is to be submissive to her husband. Verse 5, obedient to 
their own husbands. Now here's how I know that Paul 
is not the eternal enemy of women. Obedient to their own husbands, 
not to every husband. Submit to your husband in the 
Lord. This isn't Islam, where every 
woman is subjugated to every man. This is Christianity, where 
God made birds to fly, fish to swim, men to lead, and women 
to submit, in this context of household and in church. Again, 
it's not bad, it's not evil. If it were bad or evil, then 
it would reflect poorly upon Jesus in the economic trinity, 
who willingly submitted himself to his father in terms of the 
mediatorship given to him. So submission to her husband, 
the word means subject oneself, be subjected or subordinated, 
obey. There are several other texts 
that emphasize this, Ephesians 5.21, Ephesians 2.22-24, Colossians 
3.18, 1 Peter 3.1 and 1 Peter 5.6. Now, husbands and wives share 
redemptive solidarity. In other words, it's not that 
the husband is more redeemed than the wife. We have solidarity 
at the level of creature, of image-bearer, that has been bought 
with a price. Galatians 3 emphasizes that. Neither Jew nor Greek nor, you 
know, barbarian or Scythian, but what we are, man or woman, 
we have equal solidarity under Christ in terms of redemptive 
benefit. 1 Peter chapter 3. Husbands are cautioned or husbands 
are told that if their prayers are not making it up to God or 
if they feel like their prayer life is hindered, one of the 
causal reasons may be that he's not loving his wife as he ought. 
And then it goes on to describe the wife as a joint heir or co-heir 
of the redemption wrought out by Christ. But the redemption 
that we enjoy under Christ does not obliterate distinction. This 
is the problem of an evangelical feminism. This is the problem 
of obliterating these distinctions. The idea that solidarity in Jesus 
means that nobody at the house has to make a sandwich anymore 
is not what Paul teaches. The bottom line is, is that redemptive 
solidarity does not obliterate the actual ethnic differences 
between a Jew and a Greek. One's still a Jew and one is 
still a Greek. But together under Jesus, they enjoy the same benefit. And so with reference to the 
household and with reference to the church, God has marching 
orders on how persons are to conduct themselves in this. Now, 
before we move on and close soon, I want to give an encouragement 
to the brothers. It's not an easy job, as I've witnessed, 
to be submissive to me. I can tell you that. I try, want 
to be a better guy that can be submitted to, but husbands don't 
use this as some license or some authority to be a despot, to 
be a tyrant, to sit in your easy chair and command your wife and 
then reprimand her because she's not being obedient or submissive. 
The Bible has a word for that. It's called fool. Remember that 
man Nabal who was married to Abigail? He was looked at as 
a fool. Why? Because he didn't treasure 
and value the bride of his youth. So men, understand that we all 
have difficult tasks in life, and your wife has been granted 
one among the many. and that is to submit to you. 
Don't make it difficult, don't make it an obstacle course, don't 
make it a constant challenge, and certainly don't be Pol Pot 
or Adolf Hitler or Mao or one of the premiers in Canada dictating 
the terms on which your wife has to function in order to please 
you. In other words, husbands and 
wives should function in a complementary fashion. I'm not necessarily 
giving credence to what is called complementarianism, because it's 
at this level that they compromise the doctrine of the Trinity. 
But the idea of complimenting is good. A husband loves his 
wife as Christ loves the church. That makes her want to submit 
to him. When she submits, it makes him want to love her in 
the proper way. It's a beautiful and a wonderful 
circle that we ought to imbibe in our homes. As Luther said, 
the husband ought to make the wife want him to come home after 
a long day of work. And the wife ought to make it 
such that it's hard for the husband to leave the house, to go to 
work, not because he's lazy, but because he treasures and 
he values her. We're in this together, to use 
a well-worn statement, in terms of helping one another on to 
heaven. Let's not throw obstacles in 
the front of each of our partners. but let's help facilitate it 
by being the man or the woman that God calls us to be. And 
then finally, in terms of exposition, notice the gravity of her calling. 
As Paul does, he furnishes a rationale or a reason here. Verse 5, to 
be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, 
that, here's a purpose clause, that the Word of God may not 
be blasphemed. Notice he doesn't say, do this 
in order to have a happy and a positive life. Do this in order 
that everybody will be just a singing unity of symphonic voices in 
your home. That happens, God's gracious 
and God's good, but the rationale is theological in nature. The 
rationale touches on the very word of God himself and blasphemy. The reason given by the apostle 
is theological. The people of God are to, notice 
in verse 10, adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. The failure of young women to 
successfully execute their calling brings reproach upon the Word 
of God Himself. So when it comes to the franticness 
of having a bunch of children and having a stubborn or hard-headed 
husband and all the various things that are at play, remember the 
theology behind what you are called to do. This brings honor 
to God, and this is such that His word and His name may not 
be blasphemed among His enemies. Again, Knight says, Paul thus 
encourages godly conduct by saying that it keeps God's message from 
being evil spoken of. Therefore, for a wife to fail 
to be submissive to her husband, or to be unloving or impure would 
allow non-Christians to say that Christianity makes people worse 
rather than better and therefore that its message is not only 
useless but bad. We don't want that to happen. 
We would rather, by God's grace, adorn the doctrine by our conduct 
and with reference to older women and younger women, the rules, 
the directives, the mandate, the commands are very specific 
and I think very easy to understand. So, in conclusion, I would suggest 
there is, in the first place, the necessity for such women. First, it benefits husbands. Now, ladies, you might be having 
a particularly bad day and say, well, what good is it for him 
anyway? I don't want him to be benefited. Marriage is a covenant 
of companionship. Marriage in the first place is 
about what do I give. I know the world and the flesh 
and the devil turns that and inverts it and says marriage 
is all about what I get. But that's not the way it's supposed 
to be. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church 
and did what? He gave himself for her. It's 
a covenant of companionship wherein the two partners are seeking 
to benefit the other. If you're not married and you're 
finding or wanting to find a woman or a man to marry, find someone 
you want to give to. Find someone you want to treasure. 
Find someone that you want to benefit and you want to help 
and you want to aid. Don't first and foremost find 
one, well, I think she'll fit the bill, I think she'll do this, 
I think she'll do that, I think she'll do that. No, it's a covenant 
of companionship wherein the two partners give to one another. As well, it benefits children, 
as already mentioned. fatherless homes, motherless 
homes. That's not a good recipe for 
success in life. God's grace is great. And he 
takes people from broken families and he redeems them through the 
precious blood of Jesus. He puts them on the right path. 
He puts the fear of God in their hearts. He gives them Bibles. 
He gives them all that stuff. And he corrects what bad parenting 
messed up. But brethren, on this end, why 
don't we seek by God's grace to engage in good parenting and 
to see the benefits accruing from that? As well, it's the 
benefit of the church. A church is only as strong as 
the individuals and the families that make up the church. And 
if we're dysfunctional or deficient in the home or in the family 
or in our lives personally, it's not going to add to the benefit 
of God's church. Secondly, I want to encourage 
you ladies, I know it's been a pretty negative sort of approach 
at this point, but I want to encourage you in terms of perseverance. The first thing I would say, 
and I've said this before, you must recognize the high calling and 
dignity of motherhood. I just, you know, oh, she's just 
a housewife. She's just a housewife. How degrading. If that's what feminism has yield, 
then may feminism die a million miserable deaths. There's no 
higher calling than motherhood. No higher calling than raising 
or first growing a human, seeing the human, and then rearing that 
human unto God. That is the highest calling on 
earth. and the idea that I'm just a 
housewife or they're just a housewife. What an affront to the God of 
heaven and earth. Listen to Spurgeon. He says, 
fathers and mothers. This is in his early years. This 
is the autobiography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He says, fathers 
and mothers are the most natural agents for God to use in the 
salvation of their children. 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 is 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 
about my neck prayed, oh, that my son might live before thee? That's what motherhood ought 
to be about. We appreciate it. We see it as 
a blessing. We see it as I call it. We see 
it as a dignified position and not just a housewife. Secondly, 
you must realize that your task is difficult, oftentimes thankless, 
and often unappreciated by many. I mean, thankfully, there's one 
day out of the year that your kids are going to say Happy Mother's 
Day. But you know what? You do a lot more. And I want 
to encourage you. faithfully persevere. The reality 
is, is that Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 
He was the Messiah of God. He came into this world, he came 
to his own and his own did not receive him. He wasn't thanked, 
he wasn't esteemed, he wasn't revered, he wasn't praised, he 
wasn't all of that, but he never shrunk back from doing the task 
that the Father had given to him. Thirdly, you must persevere 
in your calling and realize that the calling you have under God 
is full-time, multifaceted, that is of the utmost importance. 
You are not created to be on Facebook. You were created to 
fix and deal with those kids. I'm not suggesting you can never 
get on Facebook. Legalism is one of the worst 
things ever that affected the church. But I do want to encourage 
caution in terms of time management. To do what Paul actually says 
takes effort, takes time, takes concentration, and takes energy. 
And so don't squander away the time that could be better spent 
in rearing your children in the fear of God Most High. Proverbs 
31, 27, the godly or virtuous woman there, she watches over 
the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. And then thirdly and finally, 
I want to bring to bear the blessing upon such women. In other words, 
at the end of Proverbs, you have this from her husband. Her husband 
also, and he praises her. Many daughters have done well, 
but you excel them all. Brothers, encourage your wives. that they are a blessing from 
God. Don't say, well, you know, that's 
her job, that's her responsibility, that's her duty. Yeah, it is. 
But again, Nabal, maybe a word of encouragement from time to 
time would help to put a little wind in her sails. Many daughters 
have done well. Many daughters have done nobly, 
honey, but you excel them all. As well, her children will rise 
up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31, 28a. They'll never 
be able to say, Mom, you're perfect. Mom, you're spotless. Mom, you're 
holy, harmless, and undefiled. But they'll be able to call you 
blessed. And then the community itself, 
at least a community not governed by godlessness, and let her own 
works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31 verse 31. So there is great encouragement 
for you sisters to continue the good work that God has entrusted 
to you. And I'll end with this final 
reminder. You're not saved by the virtues of your motherhood. 
You're not saved by the virtues of your love to husband. You're 
saved by grace, through faith, in Christ Jesus our Lord. And 
as you will realize, you come up short. Whenever we look at 
passages dealing with men and husbands, I think we all realize 
we come up short. There's still a lot of remaining 
corruption. There's still a lot of sin. Well, you're not going 
to enter into heaven because you were the best mother of the 
year. You're not going to enter into heaven because you were 
the best father of the year. We enter heaven by grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Christ alone. When we sin, we confess 
and forsake and find forgiveness, and then God, by the Spirit, 
enables us to persevere. So that when we sin again, we 
go back to the Advocate, even Jesus Christ the righteous, fetch 
out fresh forgiveness and move forward. So be encouraged. It's 
not motherhood that's going to save you. Rather, it is God's 
grace in and through our Lord Jesus Christ that saves sinners 
from their sins. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word, and we thank you so very much for 
these things that you give us in terms of instruction for the 
home, in terms of instruction for the church. You've not left 
us to try and figure it out or go it on our own, but God, you've 
given us a comprehensive guide, and we give praise to you for 
that. But help us to understand the law will not save us. The 
law never can bring a soul into heaven. and to always remember, 
when we look at law passages like these, to remember the grace 
of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Bless the 
ladies in our local church, encourage and strengthen each one, and 
cause all of us, God in heaven, to grow in the grace and knowledge 
of our Lord and Savior. Go with us now, we pray, in Jesus' 
name, amen.