God's Pattern for Wives, Part 2

You have to take these principles and apply them in your own situation, prayerfully and carefully as a woman. Your priority is to God and that means you obey him, then your priority is to your husband that means you love him and you submit your priorities into your children don't have anything that in her daily routine was either necessary or important. It's sad to think that many women today probably still feel that same way that their contributions to the home have no value.

So how can women find joy and fulfillment in the home and is that even possible find out today as John MacArthur looks at the crucial role wives play in the fulfilled family. That's the title John study here on grace to you and with the lesson.

Now here's John Ephesians chapter 5 verses 22 to 24 wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the Savior of the body, but as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Now how is that submission work out what is the character of the nature of that submission. What does it look like the best answer to that is to turn your Bible to Titus and look with me a chapter 2 in order to spend some time here and also in Paul's writing to Timothy. This is very very significant teaching, but I want you to notice in chapter 2 of Titus versus three through five and I'm going to read it and then were going to make some comment on this and some other passages.

Very, very important. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips not enslaved to much wine teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands to love their children to be sensible, pure workers at home kind being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored now, here we come to some very specific instruction is given.

First of all, in verse three to the older women in the older women are given the responsibility of course.

To live godly lives to be reverent in their behavior not to gossip not to be engaged in drinking wine not to be a slave to it. But here's the primary thing that you want to focus on for our study. Teaching what is good because that is the transitional statement that takes you into verses four and five.

The older women are to conduct themselves in a godly way after their years of family rearing are over. They then take the role of becoming teachers and mentors. The spiritual quality they maintain in their lives allows them to be the essential influence on the next generation of women. In other words, it takes a generation of godly older women to instruct a new generation of young women. They are literally to be teachers of what is good, that's a marvelous word really hollow did ask a lost one word there. Teachers of good or that which is noble, excellent and lofty teach or encourage discipline.

The young women number one to love their husbands as one word. Phil and Russ to be husband lovers stripe to be husband lovers. It says in Ephesians 525 husbands, love your wives, and here it says basically teach the young wife to love their husbands. There is mutual love is mutual submission be husband lovers.

This is a command box. This is a command in the command demands obedience and assumes the possibility of obedience of the words of God commands this then he assumes that you can do this sometimes will hear a woman say I don't love my husband and I have a standard response that will confess that sin immediately fast and pray and ask God to show you the path of righteousness wherein you can love your husband that's a sin not to love your husband say well I used to lovingly know when the rockets were going off in the bells and whistles and all that but but now that sort of routine with an occasional bell or whistle that is what makes a marriage.

What makes a marriage is a commitment to love not to love is a sin. This love is a mature sacrificial purifying caring love. It's not the love of heated emotion. Obviously, after you been married a while you're not running around like a maniac like you were when you first fell and couldn't talk, think, or control your life. It's the love of depth and commitment that sees past the flirtatious vision of the person to the depth of their character.

It's a sacrificial love.

It's a purifying love commanded love were to teach young women to love their husbands, that's their responsibility. Older women that's that's the heart and soul of what enables a woman to submit so much easier if you love your husband. Secondly, the older women are to encourage the young women to love their children to be children lovers fill out tech mess for Landeros husband lovers Phila technologists children lovers be lovers of children. Realize that your life is your husband, your life is your children. In fact, remember the first Timothy 215 says a woman is saved through childbearing to tremendous truths saved through childbearing why some people of really confused that over in Eastern Europe. I was amazed to find as I was ministering in Romania at a conference in a question-and-answer session, I was asked that question about that verse. What does that mean and I gave the answer interpreting the Scripture and I found out later that that was not the answer that everybody believed, but rather what they believed is you could lose your salvation. And one way that a woman could lose your salvation is if she did anything to prevent having babies. In other words, she was able to maintain her salvation by childbearing and so you had to keep having babies as fast as you were able to have them to sustain your salvation. The rather bizarre theological view and I'll tell you one thing to have me land in Romania and tell them the truth and show them out of the word of God. What that actually meant was a very difficult thing to deal with because you can imagine some woman saying what you mean to tell me I didn't have to have these 15 kids to maintain my salvation. Wait'll I get to my pastor who told me that I mean, that's a huge thing to awaken to awaken to a mental thing any of them could look at those wonderful children that God had given them and wish they weren't there, but it sure would cause you to stop and wonder whether there might have been an easier road. Woman is saved from the stigma of having led the human race into sin as Eve did. A woman is saved from the stigma of being the weaker vessel by by bearing children and raising them in sobriety and virtue and godliness and righteousness. Woman led the human race into sin.

Yet it is women who influence children. Mothers godliness in her mother's virtue as the most profound impact on the life of her children, the rearing of children to righteousness gives a mother dignity. Her great contribution to the great contribution of a woman comes in motherhood.

Obviously, as I noted, God doesn't want all women to bear children, but all who do find their fulfillment. There certainly in Titus they are to love their husbands to love their children to be sensible to think right sad thing we think about the world in which we live today and how woman women don't think right they can't think straight. Priorities are all fouled up. They've lost the ability to make sound judgments that lost common sense something very basic. Teach them to be sensible. Teach them common sense teach them practical wisdom, discretion, sound judgment, or that so important you know, just having some woman who's gone through life come back and teach you common sense to get you through the issues of life very helpful. Number four.

Teach them to be pure Cognos means chased virtuous, sexually faithful to her husband in every way. First Peter three. Remember, says that women are to be preoccupied with who they are, not how they look, not how they appear.

First Timothy two, nine and 10 says they are to be attired when they come together modestly and discreetly with godly fear and sobriety and modesty carries with it a sense of shame, but healthy sense of shame, but healthy blush.

They are to demonstrate self-control over passion, holiness, and then number five, and now we get down to the nitty-gritty there to be workers at home. We dealt with the attitudes of a woman love toward husband love toward children wisdom and purity. Now we turn to the very important issue. The sphere of her responsibility.

Workers at home. Oy, Kurt Goss, literally a house worker. This is the sphere of a woman's life is her domain is her kingdom is her realm. The word is derived from the word house and the word work, the house worker doesn't simply refer. By the way, to scrubbing floors and cleaning bathrooms and doing that, it simply connotes the idea that the home is the sphere of her labors. What ever they might be. It is not that a woman is to keep busy all the time at home. It doesn't mean that you can never go out the door. It doesn't mean that she's always to be doing menial tasks. What it does mean is that the home is the sphere of her divine assignment she is to be the home keeper to take care of her husband to provide for him and for the children.

All that they need as they live in that home materially. She is to take the resources the husband brings home and translate them into a comfortable and blessed life for her children. She is to take the spiritual things that she knows and learns and to pass them on to her children. She is a keeper at home. Many studies have shown that most children who grow up in homes where the mother works are less secure than in those where mother is always at home. I think that should be obvious now.

When children are grown.

There is an opportunity for for some kind of endeavor outside the home. Certainly that option is viable. If it doesn't compromise her as a woman. It doesn't compromise the headship of her husband. It doesn't put her under undue temptation. It doesn't put her in an environment where she is going to be subject to the actions in the words of ungodly men.

It may be that when the children are grown. She can work part-time.

She can even work full-time in an environment which is salutary to her and which increases her godliness and strengthens her as a wife, but the home is still her domain and even widows or women whose husbands of left them are not expected to leave their domain and children to work outside the home. Paul declared this first Timothy 58 if anyone doesn't provide for his own, especially for those of his household is denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. And this means to provide not only for his family immediately, but his extended family. If there is, for example, a widow or a woman without a husband by divorce in your family.

You should care for her.

Before you force her out to care for herself. I'm giving you the standard of Scripture. There are a lot of cases that you could bring up what about this what about this what about this. All I can tell you is what the Bible says you have to use your own wisdom. There may be a situation where a widow has to be employed because the care of her children is not provided by anybody say what about that woman who is very capable and competent to energize who has an industrious attitude is a very gifted person.

She can take care of her household responsibilities because we live in a day when there's so many great appliances and you're not out there in Iraq near dirty close out.

We have all that and she's got time on her hands. Can't she develop some enterprise. Of course that's with the Proverbs 31 woman did course focal point she provides or husband expressions of love and care she provides the same for her children. She leads and guides and teaches her children so that they can become godly children. She is in the home secure and protected in and kept from the influence of evil men and potentially wicked relationships.

She lodges strangers. She humbly washes Saints feed. She shows hospitality she devotes herself to every good work and that's her domain. Obviously this is wondrously accommodated by a godly husband right becomes very difficult when you don't have a faithful husband is at that point, the extended family steps in to help. If there is no extended family to help. At that point the church steps in to help so that, having lost a father.

The children don't also lose a mother. This is the church's responsibility, Vivian Gornick, a feminist author writes being a housewife is an illegitimate profession. The choice to serve and be protected and plan toward being a family maker is a choice that shouldn't exist in the heart of radical feminism is changed" course.

Whatever God says they want unsay in New Testament times as in Old Testament times. A woman in the home had to grind flower. Bake everything from scratch longer cook nursing care for children, make beds, spin, we've keep house care for guests and in the same time and with the full energy and commitment devoted herself to express her love to her husband to her children and to God himself. A tremendous sign say why in the world does God want women to be so busy at the risk of sounding trite keeps them out of sin.

Proverbs 711 gives a startling picture of a harlot, says this about a harlot. She is boisterous and rebellious and her feet do not remain at home in she doesn't find her home sufficiently fulfilling. She needs something else that leads her into sin. To most of our society.

This is all absolutely ridiculous stuff and we get so engulfed in this kind of thinking because of the society around us that it may even seem a little strange to us but this is the word of God.

Godly women are to be contented home to be content to love their children and love their husbands and serve their families in their homes and serve the Lord. One of the most wonderful things that the church is ever experienced is the ministry of women. All the tests in the studies and and and and surveys indicate that about 60% of all church life is cared for by women, evangelical churches are populated by women they say about 37% of evangelical churches are men. The church is always benefited by godly women who work in the home and when they have time they minister on behalf of the church and is women abandon the home for the world. They also abandon the church.

Now let's follow along here in Titus the older women teach the young women to love their husbands, love their children, be sensible, pure workers at home, kind, obvious what that means kind there again caring for strangers loving those in need and then this being subject to their own husbands again. That is the same expression as in Ephesians 522 to their own husband, not somebody else's. Not some other man to be subject to her own husband. Why so that the word of God may not be dishonored literally blaspheme out that it may not be blasphemed or slandered. What is at stake here. What is at stake here is the honor of the word of God. If we say we believe in the word of God and we say we want to preach to you the gospel of the word of God and that the Bible has the answers and that Christ is the answer and we stand on the revelation of Christ in the word of God, but in our daily lives we disobey the word of God. Why should anyone believe that it's as important as we claim it is the honor of Scripture is at stake. Even an unbeliever can read these verses and an unbeliever is more likely to see them at face value. How can you argue with, teach the young women love their husbands, love their children be workers at home be subject to your own husband. That's not confusing.

That's what the Bible says and where there is disobedience there is a statement being made about the importance of Scripture that has devastating results of the whole issue here is evangelistic. This is an evangelistic epistle. This whole epistle to Titus is designed to teach the church how to evangelize the lost. It's all about that fact in verse three of chapter 1 God our Savior first for Christ Jesus our Savior. Chapter 2 verse 10 God our Savior first 13 our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Chapter 3 verse four God our Savior.

Verse six Jesus Christ our Savior. Every mention of God is our Savior. Every mention of Christ is our Savior. After the opening salutation. It's about the saving work of God and how does the saving work of God go on. It goes on by means of the testimony of godly people older men in verse two. Living a certain way older women in verse three, living a certain way younger women in verses four and five living the way God's design young man verses six and seven and eight living the way God's design.

Verse nine servants living the way God has designed Masters living the way God has designed and as the church lives according to God's design in Scripture what happens. The gospel goes for verse 11 for the grace of God as a peer, bringing salvation to all men. This lays the foundation for the gospel. How we live in the church. The word of God is at stake. The gospel is at stake down in verse 14 we have been redeemed from every lawless deed and the Lord is purifying for himself a people for his own possessions zealous for good deeds. Why so that the Scriptures will be believed, so that the gospel will be accepted back in verse eight he says we are to live this way to silence the critics we are in verse 10 to live this way to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

Our testimony is at stake if we are going to reach this world if were going to evangelize this world. These are the principles and the role of a woman is crucial in this regard. You have to take these principles and apply them in your own situation, prayerfully and carefully with the principles and the commands are straightforward and clear the means changing your lifestyle change to obey the word of God is a woman.

Your priority is to God and that means you obey him, then your priority is to your husband that means you love him and you submit to your priority is then to your children you teach them you instruct them you raise them in godliness and express your love to then your sphere is your home which is your haven a place of hospitality and then your ministry in the life of the church.

Anything apart from those priorities brings dishonor on God's word. It sets differ going to have an impact in the world. That's the way we need to.

That's grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. Our current study is titled the fulfilled family. John what you said today that the primary responsibility of a wife and mother is to be a keeper at home that is so countercultural, and in fact this message was highly controversial when you first preached it.

That was more than 40 years ago and it's even more controversial today because the world is filled with people who argue that what you're trying to do is eliminate the influence of women in the marketplace in the world but I know that you actually say the opposite is true that women who stay home actually shape society more than those who spend their lives in the workplace. So explain what you mean by that will be obvious if you're in the workplace.

You not shaping society. If you got a little baby in your hand now shaping society because you shaping a life who would trade in shaping lives. No, I mean for doing computer work.

You know you and I can change the world going to work you might have made some social contribution, but the most powerful lasting multi generational impact.

A woman could have is through her children click I looked I live my own life and I I look at look back five generations godly mother raises a godly son, he grows up, marries his wife raises a godly son and in my case, five generations of preachers of the word of God measure the influence of that compared to women who went to work the potential to change the world is in the hands of women in the home. This not just a matter of simple comparison either. It's not that there is more potential to shape the world.

If you're in the home and if you're out of the home is that if you're not in the home. That child may be the opposite of what you want that child to be because children and I can arrange themselves in the right direction. We have plenty of evidence of that.

So yeah, God gets it right every time, and if you follow the pattern as the Lord has laid it out. You receive the reward that is promised by him.

I want to give the little gift to those of you who are mothers, we can send this to you is called extraordinary mother it's Mother's Day very soon and this would be a wonderful gift for you to give to your mom there very reasonably priced to grace. You might order a handful of press about your church. Even the book, the extraordinary mother let women take a look at what the Bible says about some mothers who had an impact on the world because they were faithful in the home again. This is a little hardback gift book called the extraordinary mother available from Grace to you to great book to every woman in this book reveals something valuable about what it means to be a godly woman and a Christ exalting mother to order John's book titled the extraordinary mother contact us today. Place your order online@jidety.org or call our toll-free number 855 grace the extraordinary mother costs nine dollars, it's a hardcover book and shipping is free to receive the extraordinary mother in time for Mother's Day to send it directly to your mom is a gift in your name. Order today our number again 805 five grace or go to TTY.also know that broadcasts like today can reach communities across the United States and throughout the English and Spanish speaking world because people like you are standing with us were grateful that even in these uncertain times we are able to connect men and women with timeless biblical truth and that is happening because friends like you are supporting this work as you are led and as you are able, you can express your support online@tty.org or call us at 855 grace now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television this Sunday.

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