Mothers To Emulate

Now, if you've been coming to the men's bible study, of course, that's probably for the most part just men. But, becoming to the men's bible study, we've been going through the book of Titus. We finally made it good ways through chapter three. So, I think we've only got a couple more times men's Bible study in the book of Titus but Paul is instructing Titus who is he has sent or or left in Crete in order to help establish churches and appoint pastors and elders and he's giving him instructions as to his own ministry and to the ministry of those whom he is appointing as the pastors of these churches and how they would perform their ministry and how they would train and teach their people. Whether it is is church or or whether it is family or whether it is another ministry or or work.

It is it is a team effort. We do not succeed for the Lord on an island by ourselves. The Lord has given us one another as members of this congregation to to work together to the glory of our God and to the edification of one another. The same is true of the family. The same is true of many other endeavors in life.

We need one another and in chapter two, Paul is writing to Titus and he focuses on different groups within the church and the important roles that these different groups play. The older men, the older ladies, the younger men, the younger ladies and we're going to look at the ladies as seems fitting here in verse three in just a moment. Our message this morning is on mothers to emulate. Mothers to emulate, to follow, to to look up to as a pattern and an example in different areas of their life and in ours and even though we're talking about mothers and we're looking at ladies today, man, there's also something we can learn from these ladies also. So, don't turn off your ears.

Don't sit back and say, oh good. He's not preaching to me today because there's something we can learn also from the faith and example of these mothers and ladies in scripture that we are looking at this morning. One we will look at we'll get to here in just a few minutes is Sarah and in Hebrews eleven eleven, it says, through faith also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was declared, delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised. Sarah is one of these who demonstrated faith in the Lord and other areas of her life and others also. We are told in Timothy to be an example of the believers particularly those who have a leadership in the home or in church.

We are to be an example. Sarah is an example that God wants us to remember of her faith and to follow. In Titus two, look if you would in verse three, it says, the aged women, likewise, that they be in behavior as become of holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemy. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for this day that you've given us.

Thank you for the opportunity to remember our mothers in particular and to thank you for them. Lord, what what a blessing the home is that you instituted way back in the Garden of Eden and we thank you for our mothers and our fathers. Pray Lord that you help us to even be better mothers and fathers and grandmothers and grandfathers. Lord, bless us in that endeavor. May we honor you.

May we learn from others how we can be even better in those roles that you have given to us. Lord, may we not forget to thank you and praise you Lord for the blessings that are ours because of the mothers that you gave us and Lord we pray that we might give you all the glory. Jesus name, we pray. Amen. This passage here we read in Titus two, we see God expects younger mothers and wives to learn from older mothers and wives how to be good, holy, kind, discreet and faithful Christian wives and mothers.

We not only learn from the scriptures and through the Holy Spirit, but we also, learn from those wiser and more mature, in the faith. This is one of the reasons we have church is so that we can come together and we can learn from one another not just from the person standing in the pulpit. If this is all there is to ministry, this is this is all there is to church is is me then you are woefully lacking, okay? You need much more than what I have to say. There are things that God wants to use in your life to help others in ways that maybe I can't and it's all about the team effort and God has placed us in the body as Christ as he has seen fit that we all might edify one another and grow together.

That's certainly the case here with mothers and wives and the older ladies being an example and helping to teach and train the younger ladies. In scripture we find several women that we all today can look up to as role models in several different areas and learn from. Though not one of these ladies was perfect as none of us are. Yet, they all shared a common faith and love which was very evident in their lives and which was demonstrated in varying characteristics which are to be praised and followed by mothers in particular today. So, we'll just spend a few minutes.

We'll mention a few of these this evening before we depart. The first one, want to look at this morning. Is Eve, okay? That makes sense. First one, first mother, okay?

Her name means mother of all living. Despite her failure in the garden, what happened? Eve was deceived by the serpent, by Satan. She ate of the fruit. She gave to her husband.

He ate of the fruit and we became sinners. That was a quite a failing, okay? However, despite that, she took on a a a beautiful and wonderful responsibility by which God brought eventually our redeemer into this world. She became the first mother. When she conceived and gave birth to Cain, in Genesis four one, she declared that she had received seed by the power and the will of God and fulfillment of the promise that you see here in Genesis three fifteen.

You see, despite her her failure, she and we have a faithful God. Who forgives us and who compels us to go forward in service to him. Despite the past and in Genesis three fifteen, he said this, speaking to the serpent, he said, I will put enmity between thee and the woman between thy seed and her seed. Yet, that is the seed of the woman shall bruise thy head, thou shalt bruise his heel. She understood that to mean that her seed, that her her child that would be born would bring defeat to Satan and although that child would not be Cain and that child would not be able and that child wouldn't solely be Seth either though he is part of it.

That child is Jesus Christ obviously. She trusted in the promise of God and when she had a child, she praised the Lord that he keeps his promises. Despite her disappointment concerning Cain and Abel, as as you can imagine, her son Abel who was a a godly young man being murdered by her other son who was a hardened rebel against the Lord or became hardened. Despite that disappointment, she did not lose her what? She did not lose her faith and once again, she thanked the Lord at the birth of Seth indicating her continued faith in the promises of God.

This is in Genesis four excuse me, and verse 25. Nevertheless, I tell you that that's that's not the verse. Let's see here. Okay. It starts with the word and, alright?

And Adam knew his wife again and she bear a son and called his name what? Seth. For God said, she hath appointed me another steed instead of Abel whom Cain slew. What does that verse say? That verse says this, she did not lose her what?

Her faith but when Seth was born, she recognized God had given her a child to take the place of the godly one that was lost and God was still going to keep his promises to her. Life, Imma go on to another verse and I messed that one up on the slide. Alright. Life often brings failures and also brings disappointments. It is the way the world and life is because of the curse of sin.

However, as children of God, we have hope. We have a confidence in the Lord and we recognize that God is in control and the child of God is a child of faith who does not run away, who does not neglect their responsibilities, and who is not give up. When things don't go as planned. When others around us fail or when we ourselves fail. The mercies of God are new every morning.

Great is thy faithfulness to us. Oh God and so we see that in Eve. She didn't give up. She kept her faith in the Lord and though being first wife and mother was not always or probably like never an easy task. She trusted in the God that she knew and the God that keeps his promises.

On the second one I wanna look at is Sarah. We already read Hebrews eleven eleven but I'd like to tack on the next verse here in just a moment. Once again, despite her failure in suggesting to her husband that the promise of God be fulfilled and an ungodly union of Abraham and Hagar and laughing when God told Abraham she would have a child at the age of 90. She's included in the heroes of what? Faith.

In Hebrews 11. You said, wow. First one, Eve, she ate of the fruit, gave to Adam and he ate and we're all sinners and Sarah, look, she suggested to her husband to fulfill God's promise in a way that certainly wasn't the way God would have wanted it fulfilled. They're not successes, they're failures. But that's not true.

How do I know that's not true? Because God chose to use her as a what? As an example, as an example, as an example of faith. Faith that is not perfect. Faith that is growing.

But faith. We stumble in life. We are growing. We must not give up or give in or say, well, I blew it. Now, it's over.

No. Praise God. There is mercy with the Lord. The Lord forgives us and the Lord helps us to pick up and move forward in the faith and though Sarah did fail in a couple areas that are recorded in scripture as most every Bible character did. Her life is one characterized by one who had faith.

A faith that we can learn from. Hebrews 11 verse 11 again through faith also. Sarah being herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore, sprang there even of one and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky and multitude as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. God's promise involved Sarah and without Sarah, there was no Isaac and without Isaac, there was no Jacob and without Jacob, there was no what?

There was no Israel, okay? God's plan necessitated the faith of Sarah and even though she struggled a bit early on and even though she laughed when God, she initially heard God say to Abraham at 90 that she was going to have a child when he returned next year at that time She chose to put her faith in God She learned from her mistakes. She even named her son Isaac which means laughter. To remind her of the faithfulness of God. And she is an example of faith that we can learn from.

She left her homeland. She left her her family, her extended family behind to follow her husband and to follow her God and to go to the land that God had called her to. That is quite a leap of faith. We also see that that faith led to an attitude of submission. It led to an attitude of submission.

Turn if you would to first Peter. First Peter chapter three. To do do going that. Authority of her husband that he had given to her. First Peter three verse one, likewise, you wives be in submission, subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation or conduct of their wives.

While they behold your chase conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of the playing of the hair and of wearing of gold or putting on of apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart and that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner, in the old time, the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves, being in subjection under their own husbands. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord, whose daughters you are as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement. God praised her for her willingness to follow the Lord in following and submitting to the husband that God had given to her.

I am sure that that was not always an easy thing to do. Abraham was human and Abraham was a man and men unfortunately don't always make that an easy task. But she did. As she trusted in the Lord, she submitted and loved and followed her husband to places that she did not know and through trials and difficult circumstances through famines and the Lord holds her up as an example for other wives to follow and just as God attributed Abraham's faith for righteousness and called him the friend of God, the same could also have been said of Sarah as well. Let's move on to another example and that is Rebecca.

Rebecca's one of my favorite characters in scripture. Ladies in particular, turn if you would to Genesis chapter 24. I love this this story in Genesis 24. Abraham sends his servant out with an incredible, incredibly important task and that task was to find a wife for Isaac. His servant felt the weight, the burden, of that task and so he asked the Lord to help him that he would choose the right mate for Isaac and we read about that in Genesis 24 and in verse 12.

And he said, that is the servant, oh Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed. This day show kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say, let down thy pitcher, I pray thee that I may drink and she shall say, drink and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac.

Then thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master. I think this was very wise of this servant. He's not asking God some frivolous sign or test. He's asking God to bring a young lady out to him to to show him clearly who this young lady would be by her servant hearted diligent attitude. This is the kind of of wife that he would have wanted for Isaac.

One that was servant hearted, loving, kind, sensitive to the needs of others, and willing to go out of her way. So, this is the test that he asked the Lord to use to show him. It says in verse 15 and it came to pass before he had done speaking that behold, Rebecca came out who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milka, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder, the damger was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her, and she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, let me I pray thee drink a little water of thy pitcher and she said, drink my Lord and she hasted and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink and when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also until they have done drinking and she hasted and emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran again into the well to draw water and drew for all of his camels. I forget how many camels there were.

There were several and camels drink many, many, many, many gallons of water. And so this wasn't so small. It wasn't like she went back and got one more pitcher and threw it in the trash. She probably got went back and got a 100 more pitchers out of the well and threw them into the trough. So very diligent young lady and servant minded and servant hearted and God used this to demonstrate to this servant, the wife that God had appointed for Isaac and that is again a good example for us to follow to be this kind of person that is willing to go out of their way for others.

Not only do we see her her hard and work servants, hard and work ethic but we also see her faith in chapter four twenty four verses fifty seven and fifty eight. After the servant had made known to them his purpose and requested that she return with him. I remember she hadn't met Isaac. She didn't know who this young man. I think he was 40 at the time.

Didn't know who he was, but, she felt that the Lord, was calling her. In verse 57 it says, and they said, we will call the damsel and inquire at her mouth and they called Rebecca and said unto her, wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. Why did she choose to go? Because of her what?

Because her faith in God. The servant very likely told her exactly what the Lord had shown him and she chose to put her faith in the God of Abraham and God rewarded that that faith and she became the mother of Jacob and he the father of Israel. What a what a testimony she is. We see the testimony of Rebecca and I I could go on but I'm going I'm going to move along for the sake of time here to Rahab. Rahab.

Again, Rahab is included in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. If you're not a Christian, this might seem a little odd too. When we first meet Rahab, she is described as a a harlot, okay? That is her lifestyle. That is her her occupation.

She is not a a holy righteous person in her doings in her past life but God is a god of mercy and God is a god of love and he responds to those who put their faith and trust in him and like Abraham, her faith was accounted to her for righteousness also and Rahab became an important person in scripture as she displayed faith in hiding the spies and believing the power and message of the God of Israel and in putting a red cord out of her window when they came to attack the city trusting that God would hear her. So, Hebrews eleven thirty one by faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believe not when she had received the spies with peace. What an example she is of how God rewards faith. But she also displayed courage. Courage.

The city officials came to her and said, have you seen the spies? Where are the spies? She had hid them on her roof. She could have been found out. She could have said, well, you know, they're up there and saved her own hide.

But in trusting in the Lord, she saved more than just her hide. She saved even that of her family. She displayed courage. Courage is a trait born of faith which needs to be echoed in the lives of mothers today who will stand with their families against the evils of the day. In the gap for the Lord and raise children who will love the Lord and find security and courage in their own faith also.

We see that same faith and love in Rahab's son. Anybody who know who that is? His name is Boaz. And that leads us to the next example. And that is Ruth.

Ruth. Like Rahab, Ruth was not a mother when we first meet her but the attribute she displayed in leaving her homeland to follow the faith to follow God in faith and the loyalty and love she displayed for Naomi. Every woman and man can admire and I I love this these two two verses. Because they're verses that should echo our own heart and faith and loyalty to to our God and Ruth said, entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee. For whether thou goest, I will go whether thou lodgest, I will lodge.

Thy people shall be my people and what? Thy God, my God. Where thou diest, I will die and there will I be buried. The Lord goes do so to me and more also if ought but death part thee in me. Naomi was trying to get her to go back to her family in Moab.

And to have find a new husband, new family after her husband died. But she said no, I have chosen to stay with you and even more so I have chosen your God to be my God. And she demonstrated great faith in the God of Naomi. A god who if you were just judging based upon the circumstances of that day, some would have questioned. Naomi and Elimelech left Israel because of famine.

They went to Moab. Elimelech died, his two sons died, his wife, Naomi, is going back to Israel penniless. But that did not deter Ruth. She put her faith in God. Not only was she a woman of faith but also of diligent and grace which not only provided for the needs of Naomi when they went back but also endeared her quickly to Boaz.

She became a mother, the mother of Obad, the grandfather of King David, and the ancestor of Jesus Christ. Incidentally, both Ruth and Rahab are mentioned in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew chapter one. That should be enough to make us take notice of these two ladies. Won't spend much time on Hannah for the sake of time but remember her prayer and remember her willingness, her promise to give her son to the Lord that God would give to her and God honored her and she honored God. She had her priorities in the what?

In the right place. And they are the same priorities that we as parents should have for our children today. To train them in the way of the what? In the way of the Lord. That they might give of their lives to him.

And then we have Mary. Mary was neither perfect nor sinless as some think she was. She was impatient at times with her boy as she indicated by her request in Cana. But she never left him. She did not falter in her faith in him.

In her God She followed through She stood at this cross just as she had stood at his cradle and what an example of faith she is. Willing to accept the challenges that came as the biological mother of Jesus' humanity and the faith that she put in her God. There is much a young mother and Christian women of all ages can learn from the attitudes and faith of those of these God has chosen to record as examples. But there is also much that we can learn from others, more mature in years in faith, and the responsibility of those more mature to take time to assist those who are younger today. God wants to use you.

Others are watching you. To help them to learn how to be a mother that honors God. God wants us to look up to those who are more mature. In years but also in faith. To follow their example also and we have several good examples here today.

Most importantly, we saw their faith and like Abraham, Sarah's husband, she too believed God and was counted to her for righteousness. How about you? Do you know him? As these ladies knew him? Are you following him?

As they followed him. Are you willing to serve as they served? For the Lord's sake Are you willing to learn from him and others how to be a better wife, mother, husband, father, child of God every day. We still have very much to learn. But if we will thank the Lord today for his word, for his spirit, for our mothers, for others around us that we can learn from.

If we will choose to love him, he will do in us what he did in them. Let's let's pray. Dear heavenly father, Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you Lord for these mothers and for their wonderful examples. Lord, forgive us of our failures.

Thank you for your mercy. Help us, Lord, to do your will each day, to grow in our faith, to grow in courage, to grow in in diligence, to grow in a a servant's heart. And Lord, to show others around us and demonstrate how much we love you. Lord, we we pray if there's one here today that's never trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of their life. Lord, that you would be with them today and draw them to yourself, we pray.

In Jesus name, amen.