Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000718S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:07 Sermon #B718 - Praise God For Mothers 00:21 Dr. Byrd: Let me get in the word now on this Mother's Day sabbath if you will and share. 00:29 And so I want to take this opportunity to invite you to turn to the Book of Proverbs. 00:35 We're going to go to a familiar passage when we talk about ladies when we talk about women. 00:40 Today, we talk about mothers and so I invite you to turn to Proverbs 31. 00:48 Proverbs 31 and we're going to begin reading at verse number 10. 00:53 Proverbs 31:10 and we're going to read all the way to verse 31. Someone may say, "Pastor, that's a lot of verses," 01:02 but they're short verses so we'll be okay. 01:05 Proverbs 31:10, the word of God says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. 01:19 The heart of her husband does safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil. 01:27 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool and flax 01:35 and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 01:44 She riseth also while it is yet night and giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens. 01:51 She considereth a field and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands, she planteth a vineyard. 02:00 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: 02:08 her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 02:16 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 02:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 02:30 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 02:35 Her husband is known in the gates when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 02:39 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 02:44 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come. 02:51 She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 02:55 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 03:00 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 03:07 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: 03:16 but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, 03:26 and let her own works praise her in the gates." 03:32 Today, I want to challenge you on the subject. Praise God for mothers. Praise God for mothers. 03:42 Father in Heaven, Lord, right now, as we go into your word, 03:45 we pray that the power of your holy spirit will penetrate hearts and minds right now. 03:52 And as we share this Word with your people, far and near, 03:57 we pray that your anointing would make a difference in our lives today. 04:04 Instruct us, inspire us, stir us and then, oh God, save us, forgive me of my sins, 04:14 and we praise you in advance for what you're going to do today. In Jesus' name. Amen. 04:24 Praise God for mothers. Mothers are some of the most underappreciated women in the world. 04:37 They're underappreciated because the roles and responsibilities of a mother include everything. 04:47 Mothers do everything. Praise God for mothers. Somebody's not getting it, let me try this illustration. 04:56 An elementary school teacher was teaching her class about the positive and negative ends of a magnet. 05:01 And so she said to her class that magnets pick up things, she said it's the magnets job, 05:08 there's a force inside the magnet to pick up things. She continued, "Now, the word magnet," she says, 05:15 "has six letters in it, and remember the function of the magnet is to pick up things. 05:20 The magnet has positive and negative sides. It picks up things." After telling this to her students, 05:27 after drilling this into her students' minds and heads, the teacher then gave them a test and on the test, 05:33 she asked them, "What has six letters, starts with an M, and picks up things?" 05:38 Fifty percent of the class wrote mother. She picks up things. She's always busy. 05:47 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. She's always providing. She's always doing something for the ones she loves. 05:56 She's always concerned about her family, in fact, she will neglect herself to look out for her husband 06:04 and look out for her family. That's a mother. And so on this Mother's Day sabbath, 06:11 I like to remind everyone to be good to their mothers, appreciate their mothers more 06:16 because the promise of God is, "If you honor your mother, if your honor your father, 06:22 your days will be long upon the land which the Lord, thy God, gives thee." And when the Bible says, 06:28 "Your days will be long upon the land," it's not just talking about numerical years, 06:33 but what it's saying is if you treat your mother right, if you treat your father right, you'll have a blessed life. 06:40 God will bless your going out, God will bless your coming in, God will bless your finances, 06:49 God will bless your health, God will bless your marriage, God will bless your children, God will bless you, 06:58 God will open doors for you because if you're no good to your mother, if you're no good to your father, 07:03 then you're going to be no good to anybody else. This is Mother's Day weekend, 07:09 the time when families pay special tribute to their mothers in various ways. We fix them a special brunch, 07:18 we take them out for dinner, we buy fresh flowers for them, we buy them special gifts, 07:27 but the sad thing is that oftentimes Mother's Day is really just a time when families try to atone for an entire 07:34 year of neglect and disrespect and a lack of appreciation. Family Circle Magazine conducted a poll 07:42 and found that 86% of mothers think they don't get enough respect 07:47 and then 80% of the 86% say that mothers who stay home get even less respect. 07:54 But today I want to praise God for mothers. Today, I want to praise God for my wife, my daughter's mother. 08:04 Today, I want to praise God for my mother. Today, I want to praise God for my mother-in-law. Today, 08:12 I want to praise God for all the mothers in my life, all the mothers in the church, 08:19 all the mothers who have made a difference in all of our lives. 08:24 Now, most people, whether they're Christians or not would agree that we are living now in a post-Christian era. 08:32 That doesn't mean that the church is dead, that doesn't mean that Christianity is dead, 08:38 but it does mean that the influence that biblical Christianity once had in our culture has diminished to a 08:44 point where it wouldn't be recognized by Christians from 100 or 200 years ago, 08:50 and this diminishing includes morality, family, and parenting. Listen to me - 08:56 secular humanistic reasoning has taken the place of biblical truth when it comes to setting the parameters 09:02 for home and the family, but a Christian should see the home. The Christian should see marriage. 09:09 The Christian should see parenting as a frame within the parameters of God's authoritative word 09:16 and the truth of God's word should not only shape our beliefs and practices in all areas of our lives 09:23 but the truth of God's word, the Bible, should absolutely guide us through life. And so our opinions, 09:31 our beliefs are only legitimately Christian to the degree that they line up with God's word. 09:39 You see, friends of mine, the problem today is simply this - our minds have been darkened by secularism 09:46 and sin and a lot of folks can't tell the difference if something is secular or if something is biblical. 09:54 Now, as Christians, we should expect that from the world. 09:58 But sadly, we're seeing the same thing in the church as well. 10:03 The trend in the church that we're seeing is that church folks are acknowledging the sufficiency of God 10:10 and the Bible but they fail to see a need to subject their personal opinions, reasoning, 10:15 and emotions to the guidelines of scripture in all areas of our lives including what happens in the home. 10:21 We read Romans 12:2 where it says, "Do not be conformed to this world 10:29 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." And we read this text and then we think that this text only 10:36 applies to our moral behavior but not things like marriage or raising kids. 10:41 So we leave these things up to pop culture psychologists and talk show hosts. But let me be clear today - 10:49 before there was Dr. Phil, there was God. Before there was Oprah, 10:56 there was God and all of our relationships should be directed by the Word of God, whether it's education, 11:04 whether it's finances, whether it's our jobs, our marriages, or our children. 11:09 When we talk about a Godly woman, when we talk about a Godly mother, we can't help but go to Proverbs 31 11:18 and these verses are in the form, these 22 verses are in the form of skill for acrostic built around the Hebrew 11:27 alphabet of 22 letters. Verse 10 begins with the first letter, verse 11 begins in the second letter, 11:34 verse 12 the third letter, and so on until we get to verse 31, the 22nd letter. But let's read the first verse. 11:42 Verse number 10, the word of God says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." 11:51 Now, you need to understand this as we take a look at this text 11:54 and unpacking - virtuous doesn't mean what we have come to make the word virtuous mean. 12:02 When we think virtuous, we oftentimes think pure, we oftentimes think unblemished, 12:09 we oftentimes think of a woman who has high moral standards, 12:12 and while these attributes are correct relative to the application of the word virtuous, virtuous in this text, 12:20 in the Hebrew, means a woman of power, which means she's strong, which means she's sturdy, which means she's solid. 12:32 She has a strong character, she's not easily pushed around, she's a woman of valor, 12:39 she's a woman of great courage in the face of danger, 12:43 especially in battle because a virtuous woman recognizing we're fighting spiritual battles each and every day. 12:50 Some translations have even said that the virtuous in this context means the strength of an army. 12:58 If we apply these words we'll then say, "Who can find a woman who has the strength of an army?" Yes, 13:05 she's pretty. Yes, she's beautiful. Yes, she's attractive. Yes, she smells good. Yes, she looks good. 13:18 Yes, she's nice but she has the strength of an army. She's powerful. She's good-looking, but don't cross her. 13:27 She's poised, but don't get on her bad side. She's graceful, but don't rub her the wrong way. She's dignified, 13:35 but don't take her for granted. She's virtuous because she's strong. She's sturdy. She's solid. 13:41 She's powerful and she has the strength of an army. Her price is above rubies, which means she can't be bought. 13:52 No man can buy her because she can take care of herself. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 13:56 She's married because she wants to be married. She's married not because she has to be married. 14:03 And then if she's unmarried, if she's by herself, if she's single, that's okay too, 14:08 because she still has the strength of an army. In fact, by herself, she's still powerful. 14:15 By herself, she's still strong, she's still sturdy, she's still solid. For some women, 14:21 they understand that it's better to be happily unmarried than to be unhappily married. 14:28 Her price is above rubies but look at verse number 11, 14:33 "The heart of her husband does safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil." 14:41 Put another way - her husband trusts her and he never has a reason to regret it. 14:49 This is not just that he can trust her because she's not a flirt or an adulterer, 14:54 but he can trust her and he can speak to her about anything 14:59 because she always has the best interests of the one she loves constantly on her mind. 15:06 She wakes up thinking about her loved ones, she goes to bed thinking about her loved ones, 15:12 she puts her loved ones before she puts herself. Sadly, we are living in a world today. 15:20 We are living in a new contemporary modern society where many mothers only want to look out for themselves. 15:27 They're sharp, they're dressed, they look good but their children look a mess. Hair not combed, clothes not clean, 15:37 teeth not brushed, elbows not lotioned. You've got children now but you only care, some ladies, about themselves. 15:46 You say, "I want to have some fun now," but let me help somebody understand that when you have children. 15:52 your days for fun, your days for hanging out, your days for kicking it are over. It's not about you, 16:01 it's about your children. Your days for finding yourself and discovering who you are, are over. 16:06 You should have discovered yourself before you got married. You should have discovered yourself 16:11 before you started having children. Now, you've got to put yourself on the back burner 16:15 and give your whole self to your children. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 16:18 Because a Godly woman is trustworthy. Stop being on social media all day. Stop taking selfies all day long. 16:27 You have a different responsibility now. Your children and your family - they must come first 16:33 because the text says that this woman is trustworthy. 16:37 Verse number 12, "She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." 16:43 In other words, she, as a habit of life does good for her husband and her family. 16:48 This is in contrast to the foolish woman in Proverbs 14:1 where it says, "The wise woman builds her house 16:54 but the foolish woman tears it down with her hands." The foolish woman tears down her husband. 17:00 The foolish woman tears down her children, tears down her household with her own hands, 17:04 instead of doing and providing good things for them. But this woman in Proverbs 31, because of her price, 17:11 because of her trustworthiness, because of her goodness, she's a blessing to her family. 17:16 She's not just looking out for herself but she's looking out for her husband and her children. 17:22 Verses 13 through 19. They let us know that not only is she trustworthy 17:29 but verses 13 through 19 let us know that she's an industrious woman, she's a working woman, 17:35 she's not a lazy woman. Verse 13 says, "She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands. 17:41 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth forth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night 17:47 and giveth meat to her household and portion to her maidens. She considereth the field and buyeth it: 17:51 with the fruit of her hands, she planteth the vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength 17:54 and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 18:00 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff." What are these verses saying? 18:07 They're letting us know that this woman is industrious in the home. This woman is industrious for her family. 18:14 A Godly woman works, a Godly woman labors. She serves. A Godly woman makes sacrifices. She gets up early, 18:23 she stays up late, she gives her children time. You see, it's a new day today. Back in the day, 18:31 it used to be that the family would sit down together at the dinner table to eat together every night, 18:38 talk to each other, "How was your day? How did things go today?" But we don't talk anymore, we're too busy, 18:46 we're on our phones, we're too busy texting, Facebooking, and Instagramming. We're too busy tweeting. 18:54 We go to the gym. We go shopping. We hang out with friends and we're too busy to talk to our children. 19:01 But a Godly woman takes time for her children. A Godly mother talks with her children. 19:08 Verse 20 through 22, "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 19:14 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 19:17 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple." While she is caring for her home, 19:25 a Godly woman, a Godly mother also has a mind for the poor. She's compassionate. 19:32 She extends her hands to care for the needs of her family, 19:35 but she also uses those same hands to reach out to the less fortunate. She's not self-absorbed. 19:42 She's not about me, myself, and I but she helps others. 19:49 Verses 23 through 25, "Her husband is known in the gates when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 19:54 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 19:57 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come." 20:02 All right, I like this part. This couple says that her husband is respected at the gates. 20:08 Her husband is respected in the city. She has a husband who is worthy of respect. 20:16 Back in the day when this text was written, marriages were arranged, marriages were not like they are today. 20:23 But in today's day, a woman has choices, a woman can pick a good man instead of a fool, 20:31 she can pick a winner instead of a loser, she can pick a worker instead of a whiner, 20:36 she can pick a lover instead of a liar, she can pick an encourager instead of an excuse-maker, 20:43 she can pick a Jesus-follower instead of a Jesus-faker, she can consider 20:48 and contemplate - will he be a good husband? Will he be a good father? It's not arranged, you have a choice. 20:56 Verse 26, "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." 21:09 I'm going to take some time on this one. "She openeth her mouth with wisdom 21:14 and in her tongue is the law of kindness." In other words, a Godly mother knows how to talk. 21:24 She's not loud. She's not uncouth. She's not cussing, but she's a lady. I wish I had a witness in his place. 21:35 The Bible is teaching us in this verse, verse 26, that when a lady speaks, she has something worthwhile to say 21:43 and she knows how to say it kindly. I told you a couple of weeks ago that every young woman needs to cling to an 21:51 older, godly woman. Every Ruth needs a Naomi to learn something, to learn. 22:01 Somebody needs to tell you how to present yourself as a respectable woman. 22:07 People aren't hiring you on a job with this piercing here, or this piercing there, 22:13 tattooed all up and your body is exposed to all that. People ain't trying to hire people like that. 22:18 When you apply for a job, listen to me, when you submit your job application. When you submit your resume, 22:25 the employer at the job you're applying to looks at your Facebook page, looks at your Instagram account, 22:33 and they will then ask you about it. And if you're half-naked in a picture, 22:38 how are you going to be applying for a job teaching children and you're half-dressed? 22:43 If you're going to be on your Facebook page, if you want to be going off your Instagram page, 22:47 telling all your business, how can that business trust you with their business? I'm trying to help somebody. 22:55 Teach our young children some respect, teach our young children some discipline. 22:59 Back in the day, our mothers, they taught us. Back in the day, our mothers, they taught us about religion. 23:08 What do they say? "You better pray that stain comes out of that carpet." They taught us how time travels, 23:15 "If you don't straighten up, imma knock you into the middle of next week." They taught us logic, 23:21 "Because I said so, that's why." They taught us irony, "Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about." 23:29 They taught us anticipation, "You just wait till we get home." They taught us receiving, 23:36 "You're going to get it when we get home." They taught us Medical Science, "If you don't stop rolling your eyes, 23:42 your eyes are going to get stuck like that." They taught us the circle of life, "I brought you into this world 23:48 and I'll take you out." They taught us genetics, "You act just like your father." 23:54 They taught us the science of osmosis, "Shut your mouth and eat your food." 23:59 They taught us how to become an adult, "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up." 24:04 They taught us stamina, "You're going to sit there until that spinach has gone." They taught us about the weather, 24:11 "That room looks like a tornado went through it." They taught us about envy, 24:15 "There are millions of less fortunate children in the world who don't have wonderful parents like you do." 24:20 They taught us wisdom, "When you get to be my age, you'll understand." They taught us justice, 24:29 "One day, you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you." 24:35 Teach your children. I said, teach your children. Teach your children respect. Teach your children discipline. 24:49 and we need mothers right now on this last and evil day who know their children \ 24:54 and he will walk up to their children and when their children aren't living right, 24:59 when they're acting up, they will discipline them and say, "Say something else." 25:06 You got to put the fear of God in them. You got to teach them some respect. You got to give them discipline 25:15 because if you raise them at home, the probability is greater that they won't be killed in the streets. 25:22 Discipline is love. God chastises those whom he loves. Praise God for mothers. 25:35 But then the text closes in verse 27, "She looketh well to the ways of her household, 25:41 and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and calls her blessed; 25:45 her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 25:50 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. 25:55 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates." 26:00 That's the King James version but I like how The Message Bible puts it. The Message Bible puts it this way, 26:06 "She keeps an eye on everyone in her household. She keeps them all, busy and productive, her children respect 26:14 and they bless her. Her husband joins in with words of praise. Many women have done wonderful things 26:22 but you've outclassed them all. Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades, but the woman to be admired, 26:33 the woman to be praised is the woman who lives in the fear of the Lord." 26:40 The Message Bible close it out like this, "Give her everything she deserves. 26:45 Adorn her life with praises." You see, friends of mine, a Godly woman loves the Lord. 26:54 A godly mother loves the Lord. A Godly mother knows how to raise her children in the fear 27:00 and the admonition of the Lord. A Godly woman knows how to take time with their children. 27:05 A Godly woman knows how to speak. A Godly mother knows how to pray. 27:10 A Godly mother knows how to discipline. Praise God today for mothers. I said, praise God today for mothers. 27:20 If I didn't have my mother, I don't know where I would be. If you didn't have your mother, 27:24 you don't know where you would be. But praise God for mothers. While you weren't praying for you, 27:30 your mother was praying for you. While you weren't saving for you, your mother was saving for you. 27:36 While you weren't thinking about you, your mother was thinking about you. Praise God for mothers 27:42 and more than anything else, your mother wants to see you saved. But more than your mother, Jesus, 27:53 He wants to see you saved. 27:56 John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, who would lay down his life for a friend? 28:02 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, 28:05 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Who wants to be saved today? 28:16 Who wants salvation today? 28:24 [END] |
Revised 2021-05-13