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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to the book of Titus, Titus chapter 2. Our focus will 
be verses 3 to 5. God willing, we'll get back to 
our studies in John's Gospel next Sunday morning, but this 
morning we're going to look at the theological basis for motherhood. And I want to make it clear that 
what Paul is doing here in Titus chapter 2 is not giving instructions 
on how to get saved. Notice in chapter 2 verses 1 
to 10, he is basically addressing or telling Titus to address the 
various people groups in the church on how they ought to live. 
And again, it's not so that they may be saved, Rather, it's because 
they have been saved, and we'll see that as we move through the 
passage this morning. So beginning in Titus 2, I'll 
read the chapter and then we'll pray. 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. Our Father in heaven, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you that all scripture 
is given by inspiration of God and that it's profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. We pray that you would thoroughly 
furnish us unto every good work, that you would always cause us 
to reflect upon the order we're justified freely by grace through 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And then we seek by grace to 
live in a manner that is consistent with that. How we thank you for 
so great a salvation. How we thank you for the written 
and inerrant and infallible word of God. Guide us now by the Holy 
Spirit. Forgive us for all of our sins 
and unrighteousness. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, just a reminder how 
Paul gets to where Paul gets here in Titus chapter two. Notice 
specifically in Titus chapter one, he wants Titus to set in 
order the things that are lacking. So basically he wants Titus to 
appoint elders in the various cities in the churches of Crete. 
So notice in one five, for this reason, I left you in Crete that 
you should set in order the things that are lacking and appoint 
elders in every city as I commanded you. And then he gives a list 
of qualifications that the elder must be. In other words, there 
must be a demonstrated capability on the part of the man of God 
in terms of these virtues. Then notice specifically in terms 
of his gift or ability in verse 9. He is to hold fast the faithful 
word as he has been taught, and this for a twofold purpose, that 
he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those 
who contradict. So in other words, the elder 
must hold fast that word of truth so that he can be a guard of 
the sheep that are entrusted to his care. He is supposed to 
be able, by sound doctrine, to convict those who contradict. 
But with that sound doctrine, he's also supposed to be able 
to exhort and encourage the people of God. So then in Titus 1 at 
verses 10 to 16, he deals with that contradiction or that refutation 
of those who are mindful of their own ways, those who are opposed 
to the grace of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then 
here in chapter 2, verses 1 to 10, He gives those positive encouragements 
and exhortations to the people of God on how they are to live. 
And again, the instruction isn't, be a good mother in order to 
gain your way to heaven. That's not what's happening in 
this particular passage. He's saying, you have been justified, 
you have been redeemed, you have been saved by grace, and as a 
result of that, you're supposed to live the way that the apostle 
stipulates with reference to the various people groups that 
Titus ministers to. It's very similar in nature to 
1 Timothy 5. So Paul there tells Timothy how 
to instruct various people in the context of the local church 
on how they're to live in light of the salvation that God has 
freely given them. So I want to look first at the 
instructions for older women in verse 3. And then secondly, 
the exhortations to the younger women in verses 4 and 5. But 
notice with reference to the older women in the first part 
of verse 3, the particular virtues she is supposed to manifest. 
The older women likewise. So this is on the heels after 
the exhortation to older men. So verse 3, the older women likewise, 
that they be reverent in behavior, that they not be slanderers, 
and that they be not given to much wine. So she has to be reverent. That describes her overarching 
demeanor. Not perfect, not without blemish, 
not absolutely without flaw, but the general overarching nature 
of her life is to be one of reverence. This is true of the older men 
as well. If you notice in verse two, that 
the older men may be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith and 
love and patience. And interestingly, a lot of the 
virtues that we see commended here to the people of God in 
general are the sorts of things that the Apostle stipulates have 
to be true of elders and deacons. Elders here in Titus chapter 
1, but elders and deacons in 1 Timothy chapter 3. In other 
words, it's not the case that just the officers in the church 
should pursue these virtues. They should be true of everybody 
in the professing people of God. In other words, it's not the 
case that a younger woman can be irreverent. No, you're to 
be reverent. You're to have that demeanor. 
You're to have that overarching disposition of a fear toward 
God and a love for others. Notice as well, she is to be 
faithful in her speaking. So the older women likewise, 
that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers. This is a good 
interpretation. It's literally not devils. The devil is an accuser and a 
slanderer. This is to be obvious in the 
deacon's wives, according to 1 Timothy 3, verse 11. And the 
violation of this is characteristic of those in the last days, according 
to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 3. So the godly older woman is to 
be reverent. She is to be righteous in her 
speech. She is to be moderate with alcohol. 
Again, stipulation for elders in 1 Timothy 3, 3, and then again 
in deacons in 1 Timothy 3, 8. So it's not just the officers 
of the church, but everybody is to be moderate. Everybody 
is to guard their tongue. Everybody is to have that pursuit 
of a reverence that is commendable before God and to others. So 
those are the virtues the older women possess, but then notice 
the conduct that the older women possess. And I'm gonna address 
something here that I think is necessary to address. Notice 
in 3B, it says, after not given a much wine, teachers of good 
things. So she is to be a teacher of 
good things, the older women in the context of the local church. 
What does Paul mean? Does Paul mean that it's from 
those older women you have waters to fish in order to get elders 
in the church? You get the professors, you get 
the teachers, you get the seminary lecturers. Well, the context 
is very clear who these older women are teaching. Notice in 
verses 4 and 5 that they admonish the young women. So particularly 
in the context, in verse 3, the older woman is a teacher of good 
things and the audience or her target are the younger women 
in the context of the local church. So in other words, younger women 
in the local church ought to be able to have coffee or get 
around the older women in the local church to be taught good 
things. As well, older women, you don't 
sit, you know, stand in the pulpit and say, you know, you younger 
women gather around me because I've got nuggets of wisdom. That's 
not what's in view here. But the rank and file, ebb and 
flow of the people of God as they bump into each other, the 
older people pass on wisdom to the younger people. Now, I want 
to make a few observations with reference to this particular 
text. In the first place, she is not to serve as an elder in 
the church. It's unfortunate that in our 
treatment, as we go back to the regulative principle of worship 
tonight, that I'd even have to deal with this. It used to be 
settled, it used to be a regular assumption of all people everywhere 
that profess the name of Jesus Christ, that 1 Timothy 2 was 
still valid for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and 1 Timothy 
3. So I just saw this week a particular 
clip of a man who I think claims to be a pastor, referring very 
negatively to men like me who believe that women are not supposed 
to be elders or pastors in the church. It was quite unkind what 
he had to say. I didn't fire off a nasty reply. I'm just simply telling you that 
it wasn't a kind thing. But again, this is something 
that used to be commonplace, but now more and more, even good 
denominations, or what were once good denominations, are starting 
to dabble with women in office. This is not an anti-woman tirade. This is not chauvinism. Paul 
was not the eternal enemy of women, as George Bernard Shaw 
referred to. But rather, Paul understood that 
in God's world, God made fish to fly, and he made birds to 
fly. I always do that. And fish to 
swim. We want to correct that or invert 
that. And we want fish swimming and 
birds flying. What do we do? Forget that illustration. You get the point. The Lord God, 
in the created order, made men to lead in the home, and he made 
men to lead in the church. If that's offensive, you've got 
a problem with God, not me. You can't call me names. You 
can. I can't stop you. But the bottom 
line is, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 
And he made man first, and then he made Eve to function as his 
helper. And we see that pattern established in the home from 
creation, and Paul argues from there in Ephesians 5, when he 
tells wives to be submissive to their own husbands. Why? Because 
God made it this way. When it comes to the local church, 
same order. 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 
14, 1 Timothy 2, 1 Timothy 3, Titus chapter 1 envisages male 
leadership in the context of the church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So if we are thinking regulative principle of worship, 
we do not have the right to violate what is written in God's Word 
and to evade the very clear teaching of Scripture at this point. So 
this text is not calling upon a woman to serve as an elder 
in the church. Go back to Titus chapter one, 
verse five. For this reason, I left you in 
Crete that you should set in order the things that are lacking 
and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. If a, notice. That next key word, and again, 
a word that we don't like today in our generation, but if a man 
is blameless, who's supposed to function as an elder in the 
church of the Lord Jesus? It's supposed to be a man. Notice 
in 1 Timothy 3, same emphasis. Verse 1, this is a faithful saying. If a man desires the office of 
a bishop, he desires a good work. And in both instances, we see 
the man must be a husband of one wife. He must be a one-woman 
man. He must be sexually faithful. 
He must exhibit fidelity in that realm. So she's not to serve 
as an elder in the church, but as well, she is not to preach 
or teach in the gathered church. So if you're in 1 Timothy 3, 
back up just a little bit to 1 Timothy 2. Notice in verse 
1, Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, 
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. What's the church supposed to 
do according to the apostle in the first place? Be a prayerful 
church. We know this refers to the church 
as she's gathered for worship by what Paul says in 1 Timothy 
3.14. Notice there, and then we'll 
go back to chapter 2. These things I write to you, 
though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, 
I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself 
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, 
the pillar and ground of the truth. We don't have the right 
to go into God's house and tell God that we're going to change 
things around. Just like we don't have the right 
to enter into each other's homes and tell us how we're supposed 
to function in our home. I don't like the refrigerator 
there. I don't like the couch there. I don't like the kitchen 
table there. Well, then get out! This is my house, and those things 
are where I decreed. The same with reference to the 
Church of God. Why man thought he could take his filthy hands 
and drip them all over Scripture and excise from Scripture the 
very principles that God's installed for the worship of God, I'll 
never know, other than sin, remaining corruption, and just a lack of 
earnestness in serving the living and true God. So we go back to 
chapter 2. So Paul says, pray. And then 
specifically in 2.8 he says, I desire therefore that the men 
pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. 
And then he gives instructions to women in the public worship 
of God. In like manner also that the 
women adorn themselves in modest apparel. This is still as valid 
for today as it was then. You're not supposed to draw attention 
to yourself, sister, in the public worship of God. Rather, we're 
supposed to be able to give our minds and our hearts and our 
thoughts to God most high. Notice 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. 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. 
So the opponents of this doctrine will argue something like this. 
Well, you know, Ephesus, there was a lot of problems in Ephesus. 
Ephesus had some pretty obnoxious and pushy women. And so Paul 
says, I want to make sure that those obnoxious and pushy women 
don't get into the pulpit. I don't permit that in the city 
of Ephesus. I don't permit that where women 
have this tendency to be pushy and obnoxious. You see, Paul 
doesn't argue from culture. Paul argues from creation. In 
other words, what is established in Genesis chapters 1 to 3 is 
foundational for the creature's life on earth. When we are remade 
in the image of God through redemption in Jesus Christ, guess what ethics 
are to be operative in the lives of God's people? The stuff that 
God built into the created order in Genesis chapters 1 to 3. It's 
not some brand new list of ethics. In fact, when you read the passages 
that deal with husbands and wives or men and women in the context 
of family or church, the arguments always go back to creation. And 
this is no exception. So note the prohibition again 
in verse 12. I do not permit a woman to teach 
or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Here's 
your argument. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was 
not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. 
I don't think that Paul is saying that every single woman ever 
will fall into deception and transgression. I don't think 
it's a blanket statement on a defect in woman's nature. I don't think 
that at all. But I think it is an acknowledgment 
of God's intention in the created order that men lead in the family 
and men lead in the church. That's the point that the Apostle 
is highlighting here. So in Titus chapter 2, when it 
says that the older woman must be a teacher of good things, 
not as an elder in the church, not as a teacher in the gathered 
church, and she is not to exercise authority over men in the gathered 
church. And again, you can whine and 
cry and accuse me of chauvinism and all that sort of a thing, 
but this was the common interpretation for most of the Christian church. 
It's only the last couple of hundred years where you've got 
Pastor Susie or Pastor Linda, not just picking names out here, 
but the various pastor whoever that serves in the church. This is sort of an unconscionable 
or unthinkable. And yet today, the bad guys are 
the ones who actually take Paul at his word in 1 Timothy 2. She 
and the church is not to disregard the regulative principle of worship 
at this point. Oh, but she's so gifted. Well, 
then let her teach women and children. She's so wonderful. 
Let her teach women and children. And she can certainly teach children. 
Look at 2 Timothy 1, verse 5. 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 mother Lois and your mother Eunice, 
and I am persuaded is in you also. So these godly women pass 
theological understanding and biblical knowledge down to Timothy. And then notice again in chapter 
3 at verse 15. And that from childhood you have 
known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for 
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Lois and 
Eunice catechized Timothy. Lois and Eunice took that body 
of doctrine and passed it on to Timothy. He learned it. God 
saved him. It's a wonderful thing. So by 
all means, ladies, exercise your gifts in the context of your 
home and instruct your children in the fear of the Lord. And 
certainly older women are to instruct younger women, as our 
text specifically says. Now we'll turn there back to 
Titus chapter two. Note the exhortations to the 
younger women in verses four to five. So the older woman is 
to be a teacher of good things. Well, what good things are those, 
Paul? How to make sourdough bread? Sure, daughter's great. It's 
good for the gut, good gut health. That's what I'm told. How to, 
you know, braid one's hair? Yeah, sure, whatever. How to 
make dress? Oh, that's good. But note the 
specific emphases that we find here in Titus chapter two. And 
I would suggest there's a threefold emphasis. First, her domestic 
relationships in verse four. Secondly, her particular virtues 
in 5a. And then the theological basis 
for this in verse 5b. But notice her domestic relationships, 
and they're quite simple in terms of definition, if you look at 
verse four. So the older woman is to be a 
teacher of good things. And then in verse four, that 
they admonish the young women to love their husbands. Pretty 
simple thing, isn't it? To love their husbands. It's 
interesting because this rounds out Paul's instruction to women 
and men in terms of their specific responsibilities. Usually the 
accent falls on submission in terms of a wife's role to her 
husband. Ephesians chapter five, wives, 
be submissive to your own husbands as to the Lord. I think it's 
assumed that she's gonna love him. So she is told those things 
that are more of a difficulty for her. Man is gonna love his 
bride, but he's specifically told not to be embittered against 
her. He's told to lovingly lead her. He's told those things that 
probably aren't uppermost. He does love her, but he doesn't 
always voice that or demonstrate that as he ought. So Paul deals 
with us where we need to be dealt with. And with reference to a 
woman, I can only imagine, because I happen to know one that's married 
to me, it can't be an easy task to be submissive to your husband 
in all things. That's got to be a rough go. 
But with reference to the command of God, Ephesians 5 is clear, 
Colossians 3 is clear, 1 Peter 2 is clear. Here we are told 
that she is to love him. Love him. This is the sort of 
motivation. This is the impetus behind everything 
else that follows in terms of her relationship to her husband. 
Now, that doesn't mean your husband's perfect. It doesn't mean that 
he's flawless. It doesn't mean that he's without 
blemish. But it means that you married 
him, and there ought to have been a reason for that. And you 
need to make good on that commitment, not only in terms of submission, 
functionally, but in terms of love, dispositionally. Don't throw things at him. Don't 
throw his clothes out the front door. Don't purposefully burn 
his food or try to make life miserable for him. If that's 
your pattern or your way, you need to repent because that's 
not godly. You need to love your husband, 
even at times in his unloveliness. Remember, husbands are told or 
commanded to love their wives just as Christ loved the church 
and gave himself for her. Well, when Christ gives himself 
for the church, it's not this lovely, perfect being. It is 
rather a blemished and sinful lot. So the husband and the wife 
both have a tough road to hoe in terms of loving their spouse. 
But again, I like to think back to the front end. Do your diligence 
before you get married. Can I love this person the way 
God commands me to? Can I do what God calls me to 
in terms of marriage to this person? I'd like to think more 
people would ask themselves that before putting a ring on it. 
before locking it down, as it were. You've got to think through 
these things. Young people, if you're not married 
today, you're probably hoping, aspiring, that that'll be the 
case. Well, don't just willy-nilly run into it, but rather reflect. Can I love this person the way 
that God calls me to love? That's not usually the way we 
do it, is it? Can this person serve me the way God tells them 
to? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Can I love this person the 
way that God commands me to love them? And if you're a woman, 
that means submitting your own husband. That means fearing him, 
not fighting, fleeing from him, but respect and honor. If you're 
a husband, can you love her as Christ loved the church and gave 
himself for herself sacrificially? Those are good questions, I think, 
at the front end to ask before you put a ring on him or her. 
Notice, secondly, she is to love her children. And again, this 
might seem foundational or axiomatic. What woman doesn't love her children? 
Brethren, we live in the 21st century in North America. There's 
a lot of women that don't love their children. That is an unfortunate, 
grim reality that we're reminded of on a daily basis. The fact 
is, is that not all mothers love their children. And the fact 
is, is that God, through the apostle, tells the mothers that 
they need to love their children. John Gill says, 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 Solomon there, 
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, He who spares 
his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him 
promptly. Again, like Gil says, it's not supposed to be an unfettered 
just love and affection and fondness. Love is principle. Love desires 
the best for the object loved. God so loved the world, what? 
He gave his only begotten Son. So you see that love demonstrable 
in terms of the particular application. Well, the same is true of the 
woman. She loves her children. Not so that they can grow up 
and to be a blight on the earth. Not so that they can grow up 
to be a pain in the neck of a future spouse. But she loves him in 
such a way that Solomon commands that she brings him up in the 
training and admonition of the Lord. You see that all through 
the book of Proverbs. And I hope some of you have these 
texts already written down and committed to memory. It's not 
a brand new list that I bring every time I preach on these 
things, but training begins early. Turn back to the book of Proverbs, 
just a few passages. We won't spend a lot of time 
there, but it's good to have it in front of us in terms of 
motherhood and what is expected of us. Proverbs chapter 4. Verse three, 
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. So the idea being is that while 
he's tender, while he's the only one in the sight of his mother, 
there's already parental instruction going on. And Solomon envisages 
not only the father instructing the child, but also the mother 
instructing the child. As well, look at Proverbs 19, 
specifically at verse 18. Proverbs 19, verse 18. Chasten your son while there 
is hope and do not set your heart on his destruction. Note the 
epic language that is employed by Solomon when it comes to child 
training, when it comes to child rearing. It's either you lose 
him or you bless and help him. Chasing your son while there's 
hope. That's probably not 18 when all 
he does is play video games and smoke pot in the basement. You 
haven't exercised the counsel given you by Solomon when it 
comes to chastening your son while there's still hope. What 
age is that, pastor? Well, you know, the wicked go 
estranged from the womb, speaking lies as soon as they are born. 
That's not Augustine who said that. It's not Paul who said 
that. It's not Jim who said that. It's 
David who said that in Psalm 58. We need to understand that 
rebellion starts early. Bridges makes the observation, 
Satan begins with the infant in arms. 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. Great counsel. It's easier to crush a snake 
egg than to deal with one of these massive pythons you see 
in people's attics. Much easier to just stomp that 
egg when it's in there. As well, the neglect of corporal 
punishment is ungodly. Now, I'm going to qualify all 
this. You need to be wise. We need to be cunning as serpents 
and harmless as doves in this present evil age. People will 
report people for disciplining their children and you need to 
be careful and you need to be cautious and you need to exercise 
wisdom in the pursuit of this. But to do it, the Bible commands. That we must do it, the Bible 
commands. So the neglect of corporal punishment 
is ungodly. Again, 1324, it's a very simple 
principle. He who spares his rod hates his 
son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Pagans have the 
knowledge of this, brethren. People that are non-Christian 
homes, when their parents indulge them, they know that something's 
wrong. They understand that something's off. Oh, your dad really loves 
you. He let you do that. No, if he 
loved me, he wouldn't let me do that, right? So this is kind 
of a built into the creation order thing. that a child needs 
discipline. He needs instruction. You don't 
open the fridge for your four-year-old and say, just take out what you 
want for dinner, or take him to the pantry and say, just grab 
whatever. Is he going to grab a big, thick 
steak that's fatty and good for him? Is he going to grab whatever 
veggie he needs to help him in certain other areas? No, he's 
going to grab the snacks. He's going to grab the cookies. 
Well, no parent would do that. And if you do, you need to stop. 
We do what's good for them, brethren, and discipline and instruction 
and guardrails is good for them. Gil says, the sin of old Eli, 
1 Samuel 2 and 3, and both he and his sons suffered for it. Read that sometime. Eli's sons 
were wretches. They didn't know the Lord. Now, 
when I say they were wretches, They also happen to be priests. 
It's bad when you get a wretch in the priesthood and that priest, 
when you bring your sacrifice to offer it before Yahweh, the 
priest rather throws his fork in there and takes it home and 
eats it. Or when the priest lay with temple 
prostitutes. That's what Eli's sons were doing. 
And it caused vexation among the children of Israel. The worst 
thing about it is that Eli knew it and did not restrain them. 
He didn't restrain them. He didn't stop them. They were 
running off a cliff, and he just let them go. That's not the way 
we're supposed to parent. We'll just let the kid find himself. 
He's two. What do you mean, find himself? 
He can hardly find the bathroom. And I'm going to allow life-altering 
decisions to be made by him? We live in a backwards, crazy 
world presently, that a child has the wherewithal to make life-altering 
decisions that affect them at the most basic level. It's unfortunate, 
but we can't ape the wisdom of the world. We've got to resist 
it and refuse it. Thirdly, the usefulness of corporal 
punishment is highlighted. Look at Proverbs 22. Proverbs 
22, specifically at verse 15. 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. It is not the 
sheet of pure white paper, not 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. Do you ever look at 
adults in our generation and kind of conclude that they weren't 
disciplined as children? Am I the only one here that sees 
that? It's like, your parents should 
have spanked you. Because whatever you're doing 
now reflects bad parenting on their part. Brethren, we have 
the word of God when it comes to raising children. It's a wonderful 
benefit. He's given us the wisdom of Christ 
through the vehicle of Solomon in the book of Proverbs. And 
as I mentioned earlier, there is this necessary qualification 
concerning corporal discipline. Be very careful. And do not justify 
abuse under the biblical doctrine of corporal punishment. The commitment 
to biblical child-rearing is not abuse, nor should it be carried 
out as if it is abuse and then hide behind biblical text. Well, 
I'm just doing what God said. No, you're beating your child 
in a godless way, and you need to repent. Bruce Waltke says, 
the cleaning rod must be applied with warmth, affection, and respect 
for the youth. Warmth and affection, not steely 
discipline, characterized the father's lectures in chapter 
4, verses 1 to 9. Parents who brutalize their children 
cannot hide behind the rod doctrine of Proverbs. So, back to Titus 
chapter 2. Basically, with reference to 
her domestic sphere, she is to love her husband, a husband-lover, 
and to love her children, a child-lover. That's it. That's the job. Now, 
in terms of her particular virtues, according to chapter 2, verse 
5a, it says she is to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient 
to their own husbands. So, let's just look at that. 
First, she is to be discreet, similar to the old man being 
reverent, Verse two, the same word, and the young men are to 
be sober-minded in verse six, same word. She is to be discreet. So again, you see the semantic 
range, reverent or sober-minded. One definition in the dictionary 
is pertaining to being in control of oneself, prudent, thoughtful, 
self-control. Not to be out of control. That means you can't flip out 
in your task. You can't just give up and walk 
off the job, right? Again, we treat marriage and 
child-rearing today very disposably, but if we understand God's word 
as the people of God, we need to take it very seriously relative 
to our responsibilities. As well, she is to be chaste. 
The idea is purity in the moral sense. The necessity for modesty 
and public worship we saw in 1 Timothy 2, 8-10. And not just 
public worship, 1 Peter 3 envisages or enjoins that upon a woman 
professing godliness. And in Proverbs 31, we read that 
the heart of her husband safely trusts her. He's not suspect 
of her. He's not suspicious of her. Why? 
Because she's discreet and as well, she's chaste. Notice thirdly, 
she's to be a homemaker. Again, I could preach this in 
other churches or in the world and people would be losing their 
minds right now. If you're losing your mind, thank 
you for keeping it in your mind and not yelling and shouting 
and, whoa, what do you mean a homemaker? What do you mean buying your 
wife a vacuum for Mother's Day or an iron? You beast. Is that beastly conduct? Is it 
bad? I'm encouraged to some degree 
when I see these videos on Twitter of women saying they were lied 
to by feminism. lied to, just run roughshod right 
over. It is a complete usurpation of 
God's established order. It's a bad bill of goods. And 
so some out there are waking up to this reality, and thankfully 
so. But the definition of the word 
that Paul uses here, homemakers, in the Greek, it means homemakers. pertaining to carrying out household 
duties, busy at home, carrying out household duties. I've never 
understood why this is bad. I've never understood. I guess 
maybe at some point in my life and, you know, back in before 
Christ times, I might've thought, but I just don't get it. I just 
don't see why it's a bad thing for a man to be out at work and 
his wife to be at work in the home. Is that evil? Is that wicked? Is that horrible? Well, today 
it's being proffered as such. What do you mean your wife stays 
home with the kids? That's a full-time job. If a 
woman is a mother, there's no amount of compensation that would 
be just. And that's not just saying it because I don't want 
to pay my wife. It's true. Constantly. You know, brothers, 
your wives have done things for your children. Then you're like, 
man, you say with Solomon in Proverbs 31 or Anger, many daughters 
have done nobly, but you excel them all. This is a good thing, 
brethren. So in terms of an illustration, 
turn back to 1 Timothy 5, where again, Paul is addressing various 
people groups in the context of the local church. And notice 
in verse 11, 5-11. Now there's a bit of an odd sort 
of an interpretation that we might glean from this, but I'll 
try and explain it as we go. 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. And 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. Therefore, I 
desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage 
the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully." 
So on the one hand, verse 11, he's condemning the younger women 
that are pining after marriage. And then on the other hand, in 
verse 14, he commends that these younger widows get married. What 
gives, Paul? Well, obviously in verses 11 
to 13, you've got a class of young women that are not yearning 
to be remarried in the proper way. They may have that desire, 
but it's wanton. They may have that desire, but 
it's not regulated. They may have that desire, but 
it issues forth in the kinds of content and the kinds of sins 
that are condemned here. Notice in verse 13, 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. So what's the ultimate corrective for a young woman who's lost 
her husband? Just get married. Don't go out 
and be an idle gossip, bouncing around from house to house, trafficking 
in lies and things that you have no business speaking about. But 
notice in verse 14, therefore, I desire that the younger widows 
marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity 
to the adversary to speak reproachfully. And you might say, well, brother, 
that's just you. You're a man. You don't have 
to do all that. I try to help my beloved and 
try to, you know, cook and clean a little bit. It's not murder. I'm not trying to diminish, ladies, 
what you're going through, but it's not like, oh, I can't believe 
I have to keep the house. Praise God, you get to keep a 
house. Might just be a bit of a perspective 
shift. So Paul says, with reference to the virtues borne by this 
woman, she is to be discreet, she is to be chaste, she is to 
be a homemaker, she is to be good, in a general overarching 
sense, in light of 1 Peter 2.18, probably the emphasis is upon 
kind. So she is to be discreet, chaste, 
homemakers, good or kind, and then obedient to their own husbands. You know how I know Paul's not 
the eternal enemy of women, the way George Bernard Shaw says, 
to their own husbands. Not to every husband. It's not 
subjugation on the part of the woman to every man that's out 
there vis-a-vis Islam, but to your own husbands. Husbands, 
love your wives. Wives, be submissive to your 
own husbands. That's protection. That's not 
bad. That's a good thing. And so Paul 
ends this particular list with that emphasis that he speaks 
of elsewhere, as I said in Ephesians 5 and as well in Colossians chapter 
3. So the husbands and wives, they 
share redemptive solidarity. It's not that men are intrinsically 
better. We are joint heirs together of 
salvation by Christ Jesus, our Lord. But there is a functional 
distinction. As I mentioned, in the home, 
in the church, God wants men or God decrees that men lead 
in that capacity. And then that brings us to the 
theological basis. Two ways that we see this in 
verse 5b and then in verses 11 to 14. As I mentioned, ladies, 
if you're not a believer here this morning, the instruction 
isn't Go home and be a better mom, and then you'll be saved. 
That's not what I'm saying. If you're hearing me say that, 
please don't hear me say that. The instruction for you, if you're 
an unbelieving woman, is not, go be a better mom, and then 
God will accept you into His heavenly kingdom. No, that's 
not the instruction. The instruction is to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who provides ransom, the 
one who provides redemption through his blood, the one who justifies 
us freely by his grace so that we are forgiven of our sins and 
we receive his righteousness by which we now can enter into 
the presence of God. So Paul is not teaching salvation 
by good mothering. He's not teaching salvation by 
being a good older woman. He's not teaching salvation by 
being a good older man or a good younger man. He's teaching salvation 
by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And that 
salvation comes blessed of God, not only with Christ's work for 
us, but the Spirit's work in us. So that once we are saved, 
we start to see that Man, I've made a mess of my life. I actually 
want to do what God calls me to do. I want to live in a manner 
that is consistent with my high calling in the gospel of our 
salvation. And so Paul grounds these ethical 
imperatives on the glory of God in the gospel. So notice first 
at the end of verse 5. So the younger woman is to love 
her husband, she's to love her child, she's to be discreet, 
she's to be chaste, she's to be a homemaker, she's to be good 
or kind, she's to be obedient to her own husband, then notice 
that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Notice that Paul 
doesn't say, if she does this and she has these virtues, that'll 
be a happy home. If she does this and has these 
virtues, then she'll be a happy camper. That's not his argument. He's not arguing based on utility. He's not arguing based on pragmatism. He's arguing theologically. A 
woman who professes saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and 
doesn't love her husband and doesn't love her children and 
doesn't manifest these virtues brings reproach upon the very 
word of God that commands her to do that. Remember that scene 
in 2 Samuel chapter 12, after Nathan rebukes David for his 
sin. What does Nathan say? By this 
you've given cause to the enemies of Yahweh to blaspheme. In other 
words, the enemies look at it and they say, well, there's nothing 
significantly different about that Christian religion. There's 
no difference between her and my wife, who's a pagan. Listen 
to George Knight. 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, 
etc., 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. You see, sisters, when you live 
the way God calls you to live, again, it's not first and foremost 
that you'll be the self-fulfilled woman or that your home will 
be the nicest home on the block. Those might be corollaries, those 
might be benefits and blessings, but the primary emphasis is that 
you don't blaspheme God's word. And then the second line of theological 
argument or the foundation for the imperatives that precede 
is in verses 11 to 14. Four, the grace of God that brings 
salvation has appeared to all men. The all men I take to be 
all kinds of men. Older men, younger men. Older 
women, younger women. Kings and those who are in authority, 
1 Timothy chapter 2. All kinds of different people 
from every tongue and people and tribe and nation. The grace 
of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. And 
what does that grace teach us? Well, once we're saved by grace, 
once we come to the Lord Jesus, it teaches us that denying ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and 
godly in the present age. We should be looking for the 
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, 
Jesus Christ, but then notice 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. We're zealous 
to be what Paul commands in Titus 2, 1 to 10 because of what Christ 
has done in saving us through his own precious blood. Get the 
theology correct. It's not a list of morality wherein 
you do this and you'll be saved. but it is rather what it looks 
like in the life of sanctification for those who by God's grace 
have believed the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Well, in conclusion, 
the necessity for such women. Why do we need such women? As 
Paul tells us we need here. I would say first for the benefit 
for husbands. Again, you say, well, you know, 
my husband doesn't deserve all that. Yeah, that might be the 
case, but you're not in marriage first and foremost to get. You're 
in marriage first and foremost to give. Again, an emphasis that 
for whatever reason we forgot all about. When you're looking 
for that bride or you're looking for that bridegroom, what can 
he give me? What can he do for me? What can you bring to the 
table? What can you produce? What good 
are you gonna convey in this bargain, right? So for the husband, 
it's a benefit when his wife does what Jesus says. The benefit 
of the children. Why is that? Because if the mother 
is concerned about her children to the point where she's prayerfully 
instructing the child, disciplining the child, seeking to restrain 
his godlessness, that's a benefit. You can't convert your child. 
You can't make your child be born again. But by the grace 
of God, you can restrain some of those passions. You can hopefully 
produce in them at least something that is not a threat to society 
around them. And as I said in the earlier 
hour, Jesus likens the Holy Spirit to the wind. You don't know where 
it comes from and you don't know where it's going. What's he saying? 
You don't control the sovereign spirit. Spurgeon says, yeah, 
we don't know, but we can open the window to let the wind in. 
We can use the means to facilitate the wind coming. And when it 
comes to the whole issue of bringing up our children, no, we're not 
sovereign. We can't make them be born again. We can hopefully 
plant or instill in them a lot of Bible knowledge and theological 
knowledge such that when God does save them, they've got a 
vast amount of resources that they can draw from. As well, 
the benefit for the church. Strong churches ultimately depend 
upon strong individuals and strong families. I'd argue society's 
the same way. When you see the decadence and 
the degradation of society around us, you can trace that back through 
churches and families to individuals. If people are messed up and families 
are messed up and churches are messed up, it's going to be obvious 
that societies are messed up as well. It's not rocket science, 
brethren. And for the church of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, the kinds of people that Paul calls us to be, it's 
only gonna be a benefit. And then, of course, the commendation 
of the word of God. I would suggest, secondly, the 
perseverance of such women. Again, it's probably not easy 
being submissive to your husband. Probably not easy to do everything 
that God calls you to do. Now, I want to make sure you 
know, I'm not preaching perfection. You got to be this lady or you're 
done. No, no, sanctification is a process for each and every 
one of us, and it's an ebb and a flow. We got good days and 
we got not so good days. So I'm not trying to preach you 
out of the kingdom of God, sisters. I'm trying to encourage you with 
reference to perseverance. I would suggest you must recognize, 
again, something that is contrary to the spirit of the age, the 
high calling and dignity of motherhood. The high calling and dignity 
of motherhood. Again, why did we lose that? 
Why is that bad? I stay home, and I look after 
the home, and I look after my husband, and I look after my 
children. That's it? This culture is terrible with 
that. It's horrible. It's beastly. It's vile. It's reprehensible. It's another 
indication that the family is under attack. The devil doesn't 
want strong families. The devil doesn't want strong 
individuals. The devil doesn't want strong churches or strong 
societies. He wants a bunch of people that 
are all messed up. Listen to Spurgeon, fathers and 
mothers are the most natural agents for God to use in the 
salvation of their children. I am sure, now he's not saying 
you can sovereignly change their hearts, he's saying agents, instruments, 
there is an instrumentality, faith comes by hearing, hearing 
by the word of God. 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 about my neck prayed, 
oh, that my son might live before thee? Now, brethren, I'm not 
saying every mother is perfect. Some of us, you know, in the 
backgrounds that we come from, this is an idealized version 
that we know nothing of experientially. Well, let's seek by God's grace 
to make it known through our own conduct and in our own families 
in the way that we imbibe the truth of God's Word and live 
in light of our high calling in the gospel. Again, the negative 
examples that we have had to promote in us, man, if that's 
what mom was supposed to look like, or that's what dad was 
supposed to look like, let's try to be that in our own context 
and not replicate the errors and the sins of our forefathers. It just seems to be the way we 
ought to proceed. As well, you must realize that 
your task is difficult, oftentimes thankless, and often unappreciated 
by many. It's just the way it is. You're 
not gonna have your kids lined up every day, oh, mommy, thank 
you for such good service. That's not, at least it wasn't 
my experience with five children, oh, thank you, daddy, thank you, 
mom. It wasn't that way. It can be thankless. It can be 
tedious. It can be tiresome to answer 
the same question for the millionth time, and it's only 9 a.m. That stuff is hard. You must 
persevere in your calling and realize that the calling you 
have under God is a full-time, multifaceted calling that is 
of the utmost importance. Usually in this sermon, I quote 
Napoleon Bonaparte when he was asked, what's the matter with 
France? He says, give us better mothers. You get messed up moms, 
you get messed up world. It seems to go that way, and 
dads too, I'm not leaving them out. And you must guard against 
laziness. Sorry, ladies, I think I've shared 
with you before, my brother says, you know, oh, on Mother's Day, 
women get all kinds of encouragement, and on Father's Day, the guys 
get hammered. Here's a bit of hammering. Don't get lazy. Too 
many things out there to get distracted with that we didn't 
have in a previous generation. Facebook and phones in our pockets 
and all that sort of thing. Proverbs 31, 27. She watches 
over the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of 
idleness. It's a tough job, but you gotta work it. And then finally, 
the blessing upon such women. This comes from the end of Proverbs 
31, from her husband. You know what the husband says 
to his wife? Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them 
all. That's the praise that is consistent 
with a woman who lives the way that God has called her to live. 
Many daughters have done nobly, but she would sell them all from 
her husband, but as well from her children. Verse 28a says, 
her children rise up and call her blessed. Again, probably 
not when they're five, probably not on a regular basis, probably 
not every single day, but at some point and at some time, 
these children are gonna rise up and call you blessed. as well 
from her community. In Proverbs 31, 31, it says, 
and let her own works praise her in the gates. The gates was 
the place in the community where stuff happened. The gates was 
the place in the community where things were known. And sister 
so-and-so is quite the blessing to her husband. What a wonderful 
gift by God to him and to the community. And then from the 
Lord, verse 30, charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a 
woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. What a glorious 
promise to the women who, by God's grace, are saved through 
justification, by faith in Jesus, and who are living a life of 
sanctification, albeit imperfectly, albeit failing at times, albeit 
ebbing and flowing, and sometimes, you know, kind of doing this, 
and then, by the grace of God, pulling it out at the last moment. 
But there's a blessing pronounced upon you ladies, that's most 
glorious. So God is pro-woman. God is pro-wife. God is pro-mother. God is pro-everything 
this culture tells us to be against. So let us side with the Most 
High when it comes to family, when it comes to husbands, when 
it comes to wives, when it comes to fathers and mothers, when 
it comes to the relationship of parents to their children 
and children to their parents. The word of God is sufficient, 
brethren. Again, we're not saved by obeying. We're saved by grace 
through faith because Jesus obeyed, and in him we have everlasting 
life. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word and its clarity at this point of motherhood. 
We pray for your blessing upon all the ladies here in our local 
church, that you would encourage them, that you would strengthen 
them, help them to be persevering in the midst of the challenges 
associated with childbearing. As well, we pray for the ladies 
that are pregnant. We thank you so much that there's so many 
children here. It is a joy and a blessing to come to the house 
of the Lord and to see so many little ones and to know of many 
more in the womb. We just bless you and we praise 
you for your kind provision. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, you may stand with me and 
we'll close by singing the doxology of Praise to God, page 570. 570, 
we'll stand as we sing together. Oh, alleluia The Lord bless you and keep you. 
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
Father, thank you for this glad hour. Thank you for the public 
worship of our blessed God. I pray that you would go with 
us now that we would know your nearness as our good. And we 
pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.