The Faithful and God-honoring Woman (Prov 31:10)

May 14^th, 2001

Int.

 
1. What do you think of when you think of faithful and God-honoring women?

            a.         Do you think of your mother, grandmother, or some other woman? That's a good
question.

2.          If it's your mother, what kind of influence did she have on your life towards spiritual things; the bible, prayer, church, morals, etc.?

            a. Do you know if your mother was a Christian and tried to serve the Lord?

3.Well, in the Bible we can find such women and mother's that put God first in their lives and their children could call them blessed. That was characteristic of king Lemuel's mother in (Prov. 31:28) “Her children arise up, and call her blessed”.

4.         A woman can be a blessing to her family, her church, and her friends if she is the right kind of mother who fears and loves God.

PROPOSITION.... This morning I'm going to look at some of the women of the
Bible that brought honor to God and their families and lived a faithful life
before the Lord.

I.         First, Elisabeth Honored God by Her Life of Faithfulness, (Lk. 1:5).

            A. She lived a "righteous" life before God.

                        1.         Elisabeth loved the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

                                    a.         She and her husband, Zacharias, spent their lives serving the Lord and observing His commandments and ordinances.

                        2.         They did not take their faith lightly. To them it was at the top of all
they lived for. Morally, she was blameless. She had a reputation that brought
honor before God.

3. Others could see her faith in action. They could see it in practice. They
could find no fault with her as to keeping God's commandments.

4. When a neighbor heard the name Elisabeth, immediately they thought of a
person who spent a lot of time in God's house and worship. Her name revealed
the kind of person she was, "God is my oath."

5. When God was ready to send a man that would go before His Son, one that
would cry in the wilderness, He chose Elisabeth to be the woman that would
bear this great servant.

Luke 1: 13* But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer
is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call
his name John.

6. She had obtained an honorable place and position with the Lord in that she
would become the mother of John the Baptist. God called a woman already in
service, already faithful, already living a blameless life to bless in this
moment in time.

7. So this woman became a mother and joy and gladness filled her heart that
God counted her to have such a high honor as He gave her.

8. But then there was another mother chosen for the highest honor of all,
Mary.

II. Second, Mary Is Found to Be "Highly Favored" Among Women, An Honor She
Cherished.

A. What a Calling She Received from God!


1. Most mother's-to-be don't have the privilege that Elisabeth and Mary had.
God may be pleased to give you a son or a daughter that will one day grow up
and give themselves over to serving God as a missionary, pastor, evangelist,
etc.

2. That would be an honored mother, indeed. But to be the one woman of all
the women in the world selected and chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus
is the highest honor of all.

3. Mary might have been a young woman, but she was a virgin, indicative of
her morals, her character, and her commitment to God's commandments as her
cousin Elisabeth.

4. She would have the privilege of raising up the Son of God in the whom
would grow in "Statute and wisdom" like all children. She would nourish,
clothe, and provide for the Messiah all that a mother could.

5. Mother's, your children are "an heritage from the Lord." You not only
provide their food, clothing, and shelter, but you train them "up in the
Lord." You instill in them The faith, the fear of God, the need of repentance
and faith, the importance of God's house, the importance of the home, etc.

6. You have an honored place before the Lord as well to be called "mother."

III. Third, Lois -- The Grandmother Who Taught Her Children Well in the
Things of God, (2 Tim. 1:5).

A. She Understood the meaning "Train up a Child..."

1. Lois was Timothy's grandmother. Timothy was no stranger to the ways of God
when it came to the Word of God. As a young man he was raised in the home
under the supervision of a mother whose faith persevered in the training of
her son.

2. Lois and Eunice were mother's that had the opportunities of molding a life
around God and His Word. Teaching the principles of "honoring your father and
mother," the princples of righteousness, that which is right and that which
is wrong.

3. The time you have with your children in raising them up in the home is
actually very short. The most formative years with them is from birth to
school. If you don't teach them the basics of godliness, obedience, God,
etc., you most likely will not ever have that opportunity again.

4. Once they get in school, they come under the influence of the teacher and
other children. They pick up a lot of words you don't want them to have,
learn a lot about things they are not ready to be taught, and come home with
questions that sometimes shock you.

5. They pick up different patterns of discipline that you have taught them in
the home ( supposing yoiu have taught them correctly in the first place).

6. They can bring grief to you, or they can bring joy to you. But as the
mother you have the blessing of God and the responsibility from God to teach
them that they are sinners and need to turn to God for eternal life.

7. The devil has snatched so many young people from the home because a father
or mother didn't take time to give them proper discipline in biblical
principles of right and wrong.

8. Lois and Eunice taught Timothy well, and he later became Paul's closest
friend and co-laborer in the Lord. The Holy Spirit is pleased to tell us
about his mother and grandmother. That's a tribute to their faith and
faithfulness.



IV. Fourth, Phebe -- Who Was A True Saint of The Lord and Helper In The
Church, (Rom. 16:1).

A. She Was a Woman With a Love for God's Work

1. We don't see her mentioned but this one time in the Bible, but what we
find here is certainly a woman whose head is screwed on right, who loves the
Lord and the church, and has placed herself in position to be used of God.

2. Paul is commending her as a servant in the church at Cenchrea and as a
woman who is to be recommended to other saints for her faithfulness and
labors.

3. We don't know if Phebe was married and had children or not. Paul calls her
"our sister" which is the spiritual relationship we all have in Christ.

4. Phebe's role as a Christian was one of a servant and helper. She had
presented her body a "living sacrifice unto the Lord," and in doing so she
was used of God to lend a helping hand to many of God's servants (apostles,
etc., like Paul).

5. It is also believed that she was honored to take this letter to the
Christians in Rome, that is why Paul said, "receive her in the Lord, as
becometh saints."

6. The place of women has always been prominent in the church. They have
furthured the gospel through their labors in the Lord's church.

7. When it comes to salvation and conversion, we read in the N.T. of the many
women that were converted:

Ac 8:12* But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the
kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men
and women.
Ac 17:4* And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and
of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
V. Fifth, Anna - The Woman of Prayer, (Lk. 2:36-38).

A. At 84 years old she hadn't quit.

1. The Bible says Anna was a "prophetess." Most likely widowed at a young
age, she gave her life over to "fastings and prayer"

2. The church needs some women and mother like Anna. In fact, she needs some
men that will practice what Anna practiced. But it is becoming harder to find
the dedication, commitment, and love for the things of God.

3. Praying and church going go hand in hand. It's hard to pray when you are
unfaithful to the Lord's house. At the same time, it's hard to be in the
Lord's house and not pray.

4. I hear people say all the time, "I love the Lord." And yet, they don't
love Him enough to support His church nor give of themselves to laboring in
His vineyard.

1 John 4: 20* If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a
liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love
God whom he hath not seen?

CONCLUSION