← ArchiveProverbsSunday, July 31, 2016DateJuly 31, 2016Speaker—TextProverbs 31Passages in this sermonProverbs 11:43Proverbs 312:24Exodus 25:38Joshua 65:55Psalms 11211:21Ephesians 5:2218:29Proverbs 1222:57Colossians 3:2324:51Proverbs 2133:26John 1540:01TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Thank you.0:28Thank you. I don't know who put a glue stick up here for me, but I guess that's part of your sermon last week, Brad.0:58Well, if you are a gentleman here today, you are in a good place because this morning's sermon is Wisdom for Women, which is I dress the part. So we have been journeying as a church this summer through Proverbs and just asking the Lord, Lord, we want to be wise in the way we live.1:25And we want to be wise, as the scriptures say, we want to be wise unto salvation. So why the Proverbs? Proverbs are short sayings that give us wisdom. And we do know that in the Proverbs, Proverbs 1, that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. So without the fear of the Lord, there is no wisdom. So if you say, well, Lord, make me smart, make me wise.1:53I can't get to that point unless I truly fear and understand God. And the deeper we lean into who Jesus is, the more wise we become. So wisdom is not an age thing. It is a maturity issue in Jesus Christ. So are you wise? So this morning, wisdom for women. Now, if you're a man, I don't want you to check out. Okay. I just want you to take a lot of notes. Because God's word, even though Proverbs 31 is where we'll be today, is directed at ladies.2:24There's a lot of information and a lot of application for us as men also. Ladies, my prayer is that Psalm, Proverbs 31, will grow your affections for the Lord and will free you up to lead and to live a Christ-filled life. That Proverbs 31 will help you actually free you up to live in a life that is honoring to the Lord.2:52So some thoughts on Proverbs 31 as we look at God's word. We're actually going to look at the entire proverb today, beginning in verse 10, Proverbs 31. This poem is a poem and it's a part of God's word that extols the beauty and the majesty of womanhood or womanhood. Now, why is that important?3:23Because I really believe that we live in a day in a society that is trying to taint what it means to be a woman and to taint what it means to be a man. In particular, I believe we live in a society today that's even trying to blur the lines of a man and a woman. So now we live in a world today where you don't have to be a man or a woman. You can be both or you can be either or in the same day. So we have this idea of gender fluidity. Now, let me just say this.3:54There are people that absolutely, legitimately struggle with who they are and their gender identity. That's why we need to draw them back to God's word and the wisdom is found in Jesus Christ. There are also people that are using this battle of gender identity as an excuse to live sinful lives. And for them, we draw them back to God's word and the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross.4:19So Proverbs clearly shows us the beauty and the majesty of womanhood. That's why in the Hebrew canon, the Hebrew Bible, Proverbs is followed by Ruth and then Song of Songs. Books in which the woman is the main speaker and initiates her relationship in Song of Songs. So we have these really back-to-back-to-back intentional Proverbs and then intentional passage of God's word directed at women.4:45Why? Because it is a wonderful thing to be a woman. Now, I don't speak from experience there. I'm speaking from God's word. You say, well, how, pastor, do you know then you're not a woman? How do you know it's a wonderful thing to be a woman? Because I know what God's word tells us. I know what Proverbs 31 commands us.5:13We find in Exodus, it was a woman, it was a loving mom who put her child in the river, defied Pharaoh. Risked her life to defy the king, to put her child by the banks of the river. That child was then picked up by Pharaoh's daughter and raised in the house of Pharaoh. In Exodus chapter 2, we see that that young man was Moses. And it was his mom and his sister who challenged the government that their family might have life.5:43It's a beautiful thing to be a woman. In Joshua 6, it was a woman who helped save the spies in Jericho, eventually leading her family to salvation. When the walls crumbled and everyone in Jericho died, one family survived because of the faith of Rahab.6:04It was the Queen Esther that God used for such a time as this to save the Jewish nation from the foolish edict of the king and the devious plots of Haman. It was Queen Esther that God used for his glory. It was a woman, Eve, who God used to answer the statements in Genesis, it is not good for man to be alone.6:31And the answer to that was a woman, Eve. It was also a woman, Mary, who submitted herself to the Lord's will, giving birth to the Son of God in a stable. Writing a treacherous journey to that stable, and then raising that son that would one day die on the cross for our salvation.6:56It was that same woman that God's word says, all nations will call you blessed. It is a beautiful thing to be a woman. It is commended in scriptures. It is a great thing. Embrace that. So if you are here today and you are a female, embrace what it means to be you.7:21Something Proverbs 31 is not. It is not a list to measure and critique yourself if you're a woman. So as we look at Proverbs 31, I don't want you to think, well, this is, the pastor's giving me a list to compare myself. Because if this is a list to compare yourself, you do not live up to that. And I really believe that a lot of women, just my observation as a man, that women suffer tragically from this sin or the struggle of just comparing themselves to someone else.7:48And that is very clearly seen in what is being worn. So here's an example from my life, not a specific example. Don't worry, Casey. It's been my experience as a man that if I go to a party or a wedding and a woman walks in wearing something else that another woman is wearing, that's devastating.8:13It's like, you know, I put all my time and energy wearing this to be unique. And this other lady has worn this? I'm devastated. Now, because I'm comparing myself to them if I'm a lady. Guys, we're the opposite. If I'm at a party and Brad walks in with identical clothes, I'm like, man, look, he has good style.8:43High five. Do we not do that as men? Because we don't struggle as much with comparing. We struggle with competing. So, ladies, I know that there are many women that have struggled with Proverbs 31 because you just don't feel like you could ever live up. Here's the devastating news and then the grace of God. You don't live up. But the good news is that Jesus Christ has created you to pursue him and he died on the cross that you might be brought back into a relationship with him.9:11That you don't have to measure up because he died that you would measure up. So, do not struggle this morning with falling to the pattern of comparisonism. Competing, struggling. God, I have to do this because they do that. And let me just say this as a man, too.9:40Women can be so harsh with each other. If you're with a group of women and another woman walks by, it is like, wow, bless them. For a man, if we're together and a lady comes up and says, hey, did you see that guy? I'm like, what guy? Who? Who just passed? But for a lady, he says, did you see what they wear? Did you see that look she gave him? Did you see how she's walking? Did you see her kids? So, this struggle with comparing.10:09Here's the struggle with comparing. Either when you compare yourself with someone else, you do two things. Either you want to elevate yourself or you want to tear the other one down. Neither of those bring glory to Jesus Christ. So, that is not our goal this morning. Thirdly, I see this. And we need to acknowledge this in Proverbs 31. This is from the perspective of a man written to men. See, Pastor, why do you acknowledge that? Because I think it's important for several reasons.10:39We will not find in Proverbs 31 this morning a lot about physical beauty. So, are we sure a man wrote this? We will not find a lot about sexual attributes. And if you say, well, I want to know about that. Online, you can go see our sermons from two weeks ago. I preached on sexuality. Maybe it's four weeks ago now. And what it means to honor God in that. So, the fact that this is written by a man to men and physical appearance and sexuality is not addressed much.11:03It says a lot about the character that we should look for in women. I just want to acknowledge that before we look at the Scripture. Men, don't worry. You're not left out. If Proverbs 31 exhorts women, go home and read Psalm 112. Because Psalm 112 is a counterpart to Proverbs 31. It says what it means to be a godly man.11:31We also find this about Proverbs 31, that from verse 10 to the rest of the chapter, it's an acrostic. It's a poem that begins with every letter. Every line begins with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, Aleph, Beit, Gimut, Gimut, Dalet, He. It's grouped that way to show the completeness of what this is. So, with that, I just want to challenge you before we read you guys' word this. Ladies, are you the kind of woman that honors God?12:00Are you a woman who honors God in your life? And are you a lady who others would look at and say, I want to be like her because she honors the Lord? Because that's the goal of God's word. That's the goal of Proverbs 31. Not to be this perfect woman, but to build you up to someone who honors and cherishes the Lord because you are cherished by Him.12:24Men, if you're not married, are you seeking a woman who honors the Lord? Because if you're not, you're seeking the wrong woman. Men, today, if you are married to a woman who honors the Lord, cherish her, call her blessed, rejoice in that.12:47And this is not just talking about a husband and wife relationship. I would say, men, surround yourself with women who honor God. Don't surround yourself with women who don't, because that only leads to places you don't want to be in. Ladies, surround yourself with other ladies, youth, with other girls who honor God. Who are not competing for each other, but who are resting in the knowledge that they are loved and cherished by Jesus Christ.13:16So with that introduction, I felt that we needed a lengthy introduction here. Let's read the first two verses here. So first two verses for us are verse 10 and 11 of Proverbs 31. If you have your Bibles, please take them out and read with me God's Word. Who can find a virtuous wife?13:45Now, the Hebrew actually says, who can find a woman of excellence? So this is not necessarily talking about a husband-wife relationship. It's dealing with every woman, every man who knows a woman. So that's pretty much all of us. For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her so that he will have no lack of gain. Let's pray together. Father, as we look at your Word and Lord, see what it means to be a woman of excellence.14:13Father, for the ladies in our midst, I pray that you encourage them. I pray that they will not read your Word and be discouraged or beat down because they're not living up to this standard set forth in Proverbs 31, but that they will be encouraged because you give them the strength to live by your standards. Lord, for the men today, I pray that we will honor the ladies in our life that are deserving of honor,14:40that we will bless the ladies in our life that are deserving of blessing. And Father, that we will collectively share your gospel with those that need that. Lord, the world suffers from comparing, from beating women down, or to challenging them to look like something that is not godly. Lord, may you set forth for us this morning the true standard of what it means to be a godly woman.15:09And Father, may we pursue that, may we honor that, and may we be changed by that. Lord, we pray this in Jesus' name, amen and amen. We're just going to go verse by verse the rest of the way. And ladies, for you to look at what it means to be a godly woman. Men, stay with me. There's application for us. Verse 10, who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.15:38So the question really sets out here to establish the precious nature and the rarity of a godly woman. And that is a rare thing. God's word says, who can find one? And what's the answer to that? I believe that the answer is rhetorical here. Who can find the lady in Proverbs 31? And we're going to kind of unfold what that looks like. A wife that searches the world for the rarest food and then stays up through the night and cooks that.16:06And then she's going and buying a field and with the proceeds she's planning a vineyard and she's helping her husband make business transactions. And she's going far and wide and making linen and she's doing all this in the same day. It cannot be done. But how much worth is a woman who seeks the Lord? She is far much more valuable than rubies, gold, or silver.16:32And that's where the foundation of our understanding of what it means to be a woman and to honor that and to treasure that is. So, ladies, I just want to say this. Seek the Lord and you will be treasured more than anything else. Who can find a virtuous wife? Her worth is far more above rubies. The word here for virtuous can also mean excellent, strength, or noble.16:58So, what really we find here in Proverbs 31 is a lot of military words. Really what we see in Proverbs 31 is a lady who has strength to fight battles for her family. And how precious it is for a woman to fight for things that are right and godly. And I'll say this. I've seen fights between men.17:27I've seen fights between women. I would much rather fight a man any day than a woman. Y'all are ruthless. With a man, I might come out with a black eye. With a lady, I might have bike marks. I might have hair missing. And so, I would just say this. Ladies, fight for godliness. And knowing the world, the world's not going to look at a woman of righteousness and excellence and say, I'm going to pick a fight with her.17:53Be a woman that stands upon God's word and lets the world know, if you want to mess with my family, if you want to mess with my church, if you want to mess with those that I love, you're coming through me first. And by the way, Jesus has my back too. What a godly thing. And so, what God's word cements for us is it's a great thing.18:20It's a strengthening, glorious, beautiful thing to be a woman. And in the midst of that, even in that strength, Ephesians 5.22 says, wives, submit to your husbands. And so, I love Proverbs 31 because it really counteracts that. Because the world says, well, wives, women, you don't have to submit. So, to be strong, you have to be an independent woman. You have to fight for the things that you need. You're going to make yourself strong.18:50And God's word says, no, wives, if you submit to your husband, if you honor the Lord, there is strength in that. You don't have to fight for your own strength. God gives you strength. So, do you see how God's word nourishes you, ladies? The world tries to paint you a picture of something that God's word does not. But if you honor the Lord, if you cherish Him, who can find a woman of noble character? You are far more valuable than any ruby, any diamond, any gold.19:21Cherish that. Be strong in your faith. Be strong in the glory of the Lord, and you will find true strength. Verse 11, the heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of game. So, ladies, are you a woman who can be trusted? Are you a woman who can be trusted? If you are going to pursue holiness and pursue the Lord, you should be someone who can be trusted.19:50Amen. All right? So, that doesn't mean then you should be someone that if they come to you, then they're going to find their business on Facebook later. That doesn't mean that then someone should come to you, and the whole neighborhood is going to know about it. Or church folk. That doesn't mean someone's going to come to you and confide in you, and then you're going to share all their business at the next prayer meeting.20:17Because you can still pray for someone without sharing their business, because God knows their business. You didn't know that. If I'm struggling, you can just say, look, pray for pastor right now. God, you know why. Let's pray. But how much the Bible encourages you and challenges you. Ladies, if you're going to be a woman of excellence, you have to be someone that is trustworthy.20:43That her husband safely trusts her, so that he will have no lack of gain. So, the word gain here is, again, a military word. It's as if this woman went out and fought a battle and took the spoils of war and brought it back. She will have no lack of gain. And that's what it means to be a woman of noble character. That if you honor God, if you seek the Lord, then your family will not lack.21:11And so, here's the battle you have to fight, ladies. That you live in a world that celebrities and magazines and TV says, you need to look like this, then you'll find approval in the home. You need to cook like this, and then you'll need to find approval. You need to do these things, and you will find approval. And God's word says, if you pursue me, that's what Jesus says. Jesus says, ladies, if you pursue me, you'll be a woman of noble character and excellence.21:37It's okay to look good. It's okay to have strong arms, as we're going to see. But, oh, how great it is to have a husband or have people that can trust you and confide in you. That is a rare gift in this world. So, if you know people that you can trust in, cling to them, because it is rare.22:02That's why our relationship with God is so great, because I know that I can confide the darkest recesses of my heart to God, and He understands, and it ends with Him. So, if you are not pouring out your heart to the Lord, you are missing out, because we can trust Him. We can honor Him, because He loves us. Ladies, are you a woman who can be trusted?22:30Only you can answer that. And if you say, well, I don't know if I can, call your friends up. Say, look, I want some honesty. Can you trust me, yes or no? If they say, no, don't yell at them. Go back to the drawing board and say, Lord, help me be trustworthy. You can build trust little by little. You can destroy trust like that. Proverbs 12. She does Him good and not evil all the days of her life.23:00So, you ready, ladies? Here, it's going to get real for you now. You want to be a Proverbs 31 woman? She seeks wool and flax, and she willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships. She brings her food from afar, not Walmart. This is not a drive-thru woman. She also rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household.23:26So, she's working through the night to make breakfast and a portion for her maidservants. And if that's not enough, she considers a field and she buys it from her profits and she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and she strengthens her arms. So, what is going on here? Ladies, how can you be like this woman? Well, simply, she's an energetic worker. This woman that is seeking the Lord is not lazy in the very least.23:56Now, I'm not going to command you to be a Proverbs 31 woman. It's impossible. I mean, who tonight is going to seek wool and flax and work it with your hands to make clothes for your family tomorrow? And then while you're doing that, you're going to go like the merchant ship from far and wide and buy food. And you're going to stay up all night and you're going to make a gourmet dinner for you and your neighbors. And while you're doing that, you're going to go buy a field.24:25You're going to get your real estate license. And you're going to make a profit and you're going to plant a vineyard. And you're going to make wine for your family. You can't do that. It's impossible. But I think God's word is challenging you to be energetic and not to be lazy. Not to work yourself up to the bone for work's sake. But Colossians 3.23 says this, that we work heartedly unto the Lord and not unto men.24:51And men, we need to understand that too. And it is not okay to work yourself to the bone in your career and neglect your family. Rather, what's this woman doing? She is working for her family. So I know, ladies, we're talking to you. But for men, really quick, it's going to devastate you one day. If you wake up and your kids say, Dad, you worked hard for us.25:18You gave us a lot of stuff, but you just weren't there. That should devastate us as parents. Rather, we should be people who work for our family, for the good of our family. That we seek the Lord on the behalf of our family. That we work at knowing God's word. That we work in pressing into the grace of Christ for our family. Ladies, be energetic. Work for the glory of the Lord. I also want to say this about Proverbs 31.25:48This lady is working outside the home. She's going and finding and doing things for the good of her family. Let me just say this about whether you should work or not. If God has put it in your heart to work outside the home, to provide for your family, good for you. But how dare you look at moms that stay home and shame them? Moms that stay at home? Thank God for you.26:19But how dare you look at moms at work, outside the home, and shame them? I think Proverbs 31 says that you can do both, but that we do so for God. May we not use it as a tool to hurt someone else. Work heartedly unto the Lord and not unto man. Ladies, be energetic. Do not be lazy. Verse 16, we keep going here. How to be a virtuous wife.26:49She considers a field and she buys it. From her profit, she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and she strengthens her arms. So this is an expression of physical energy and power. So I think Proverbs 31 is saying this, ladies, it's okay to look good. It's okay to work on your arms. It's okay to work out. We were at the Grand Canyon this week and it made me laugh.27:16It has nothing to do with Casey, so don't worry, dear. We were walking down the rim of the Grand Canyon. We see this lady walking and she was like the queen of CrossFit. And we first noticed her because she was walking with Goliath, first of all. I'm thinking like, I thought David killed him. How is he still living? Did you just knock him out for thousands of years?27:47What happened? But I noticed that because she had bright, bright clothes and she wanted to be noticed because she was wearing a bright sports bra and like, if you grew up in the 90s, bicycling pants, right? I had some with a blue stripe. I was, you know, I was cool. For those of you that actually had a pair of biking shorts, you remember those days. But she was wearing that and she wanted to be known for her strength. And I made the comment to Casey, I'm like, look, her legs are bigger than my body.28:14And I was, and that was not an exaggeration. This was a, this was queen, this was the queen of CrossFit. Like if any lady was a personification of, she girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms, this woman was it. Now, Proverbs 31 is not saying, ladies, you all have to be like that. And I would say, if you are like that, you don't have to go parading down the street in your sports bra and your short shorts showing off the strength of your arms and your legs.28:41Actually, rather you should not do that. Because it's not glorifying God. It's bringing attention to yourself rather than the Savior. But at the same time, Proverbs says, it's okay to look good. It's okay to take care of yourself. Do not be ashamed if you take care of yourself, ladies. And actually, I believe that it seems like ladies do a better job of taking care of themselves than men. Sometimes we just don't care.29:11Shame on us. So, gird yourself with strength. Gird yourself, and she strengthens her arms. Your body is a temple of the Lord. Use it in such a way that it glorifies God. And that way, when you go to the Grand Canyon, someone will tell a story about you. Look at her arms. That is a Proverbs 31 woman. Good for her. Verse 21. Ladies, be strong. Take care of yourself. Honor God in that.29:40And it's okay if you do. She is not afraid of snow for her household. For all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. So, what is going on here? Verse 21. She is not afraid of snow. It's saying that godly women are not fearful women. For ladies, if you're married and have a family, you know how much fear can be in that.30:07How much fear do you have? Well, my child is going to go to school, and who knows what they're going to be exposed to. And if you say, well, I don't want my child to be exposed to that. I'm going to homeschool them and keep them from that. There will be a point where your child leaves the house and is exposed to the world. Our job as parents are to give them a biblical worldview and understanding that when the world confronts them, their biblical worldview is not rocked, but is found on the rock of Jesus Christ.30:36Ladies, do not be fearful. And how great it is for your family to know, you know what? When the world is chaotic, I can trust in this woman because she is steady, because her faith is in God. We live in a world that says fear, fear everything. And God says, you don't have to fear anything if you fear me. For our singles, men and women, if you're struggling right now, you know, I'm not married.31:05Am I ever going to be, Lord, what's going on, Father? I need a relationship. Lord, help me. For that fear, trust in Jesus Christ. You don't have to be anxious in that. For those of you ladies that God has called you to live a life of singleness for his honor, it's okay not to have a family and to live a life that's honoring God by yourself.31:31I know the world says differently sometimes, but know this. Jesus lived a life committed of singleness and celibacy to God. Many missionaries have done the same. Many people in the Bible have done the same. So I know sometimes we live in a world in church, even we speak to marriage so much that you feel left out if you're single. And there might be anxiety there. Give that to God and he will use it.32:00He will take that fear and give hope and give honor and give stability. Ladies, are you someone who fears? I believe that moms especially struggle with that. Lord, give them strength today. Verse 22, how can we be Proverbs 31? Women, she makes tapestry for herself. So not only are you making clothes, you have to go home and not only spread the bed, but you have to make the linens for the bed.32:27And her clothing is fine linen and purple. So her clothing is made of the finest and expensive material. Purple was so expensive that most of its wearers were only nobility. So why did they put the robe of purple on Jesus Christ? Because they were mocking him as king. Why? Because kings wore purple because it was so expensive, no one else could buy it. Now, my loving wife, who's an LSU fan, might tell you, well, that's why LSU is purple and gold.32:56I don't know if that's true or not. But this woman is a woman who has fine taste and can honor her family in that. So, ladies, I'm not giving you, God's word is not giving you a license today to go out and max your credit cards. And say, a pastor just said, I need good taste. I'm going to go to the mall. All right? I'm claiming Proverbs 21, I mean, 31, 22 for myself.33:26Fine tapestry, let's go. That's not what God's word is saying, but it's saying this woman cared about what she looked like and she cared about what her family looked like. That she didn't send them out in rags, but that she took the time to provide for them, to care for them. So, ladies, are you someone who looks out for others? Again, a great illustration from men versus women. If I have my collar popped and I walk through this church, it's going to be a woman that comes up to me and says,33:57look, hey, your collar's messed up. I went out to lunch with some guys the other day, and I got back and looked in the mirror of the bathroom, and my collar was up for like three hours. And they had to have known, they just didn't care. And some of those people are in this church right now, that's why they're laughing.34:25But it shows that women, I think God's giving you a desire to care about the looks and to nurture others. Foster that, that's a God-given ability. Care about what others look like. Nurture that in your life, and do so to honor God in that way. Let's keep going. Verse 24, she makes linen garments and she sells them. So, not only is it not enough just to make garments for your household by hand,34:54you have to go sell those things and supply sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing. She will rejoice in time to come. And in verse 25, she shall rejoice in time to come, can actually be translated this way. She laughs at the future. I love that. That this woman is so godly, that her trust is in God so much, that she can laugh at the future and say, whatever you want to bring to my family, whatever you want to bring to me,35:22I laugh at you because I know my hope is in God. Ladies, be people who can rejoice in time and laugh at the future because you have rested in Jesus Christ. Well, why is this important? I'm glad you asked. Verse 28, if you are a woman who pursues godliness and holiness, her children rise up and call her blessed.35:51Her husband also, and he praises her. Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing. The wonderful, glorious thought in this passage is this. Ladies, as you honor God, others will see that and they will call you blessed. For our youth, our young ladies, my prayer for you is that one day you honor God36:24and others can call you blessed, but they don't call you hot thing or bae or good looking or whatever. They don't call you the queen of selfies or, but they say, you know what? She's blessed because she honors God. For our ladies that are not as young, my prayer is that they, this church, this community looks at you and says, you know what?36:50We need to honor her. Even if we don't believe in God, because we see her faith is strength. Her glory is her family. Her beauty is Christ. That's what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman. Verse 30 reminds us of the opposite. It warns ladies. It says, charm is deceitful and beauty is passing. You know, charm can hide a nasty personality.37:20Why do sleazeballs have to be so charming? Have you ever wondered that? If you come to me and you're selling something and you're overdressed and you have extra strong cologne and your shoes are extra shines and you have a really, really slick presentation, I'm going to step back and say, something's going on here. Why are you charming me so much? Is there something nasty you're trying to hide?37:48Ladies, don't be that way. Charm is deceitful. Beauty is passing. But a woman who fears the Lord, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. The challenge of Proverbs 31 is not to live and do all of these things because you can't. Ladies, the challenge of Proverbs 31 is not to take this and say, you know what, I'm going to, this is a list to live by because the challenge is not to compare yourself. Because if you're going to compare yourself, I think Proverbs 31 is given to you to say,38:19you don't live up. Who's going to go make bedsheets for their family tonight? And they did that, that they spun the linen, the flax. And while you did that, you had to go to Indy and you got the spices to make the meal and you stayed up all night. You can't do that. And we say, Lord, we can't live up. And that's where God says, I'm glad you said that. Because you can't live up. And that's why he sent his only son that whoever believes might find eternal life.38:49Because Proverbs 31 ends here. Give her the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates. Let her own works praise her in the gates. You know, Jesus Christ says something about fruit. That this woman who is blessed, who is honoring God, God's word says, give her the fruit of her hands.39:17So if you are living a life pursuing Jesus Christ, you want to say, God, give me the fruit. God, I'm honoring you. But this is what Jesus says about fruit. I want you to listen to this because this is going to be the diving board for our invitation. Jesus says, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit.39:46So if we are living for Christ and we say, God, prune me in a way that I may honor you more, that I may bear more fruit. In John 15, Jesus continues. He says, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. Now you say, well, this is metaphorical language, Pastor. What does this mean to me? You're the branch. I'm the branch.40:16So if I'm the branch, then Jesus Christ himself says what? I, the branch, cannot bear fruit by myself. Unless it abides in the vine. Who is the vine? It is Jesus Christ. Neither can you unless you abide in me. And then Jesus says, I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing.40:45Some of you might be saying, well, Pastor, I'm a dude. And you preached about dudettes. What does this have to do with me? The Proverbs 31 woman is a woman who can, at the end of her life, look at God and say, God, give me the fruit of my hands. And if you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I didn't say relationship with the church, relationship with religion.41:08You might even have a relationship with Bethel Baptist Church. If you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the branch can bear no fruit on its own. And so that's the invitation that Jesus offers us. He says, Josh, without me, you can do nothing. Actually, you can do something, but it's bad stuff.41:36It's sin. And our sin breaks our relationship with God. And yet, the beauty of the scriptures is this. Jesus says that God so loved the world. God doesn't just love you, but he so loves you. That's overly and abundantly loves you in a way that you don't deserve. That if we believe in him, not just believe, but that if I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Lord means boss, by the way.42:06That if we say, God, you are my boss, you are my king, I will serve you. That you will be saved. So men and women, what fruit are you bearing in your life? Today, if you said, God, give me the fruit. Is that something you want to say, or is that something that makes you cringe? Because you know the fruit that you've been producing is rotten. God's word says, come, draw near to me.42:35Believe in my son, Jesus Christ, who died for you. That if you give your sins to me, in return for your sins, he gives you salvation. That is not fair. I do not understand that, that we sin and rebel against God. And God says, I will let my son die for you. And I will give you forgiveness. If you believe. If you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ, do not miss a chance to find salvation, a gift that is freely offered to you this morning.43:00And you don't have to come forward. You don't have to ask me to pray over you. You do business with right where you sit with the Lord. Because it's not my heart, it's yours. And Jesus died for each and every one of you, if you believe. If you say, God, not only I believe, but this is the day I profess Christ as Savior.43:25Maybe you're a believer and you're a lady and you just struggle with comparing yourself to others. You say, well, I don't look like that person. I don't do this. I don't cook like the Proverbs 31 woman. I don't know how to do real estate. My arms are a little flabby. I'm not the CrossFit queen. I don't live up. Well, we started by saying you don't. And that's why Jesus died for you. That if you honor him, if you are a lady who leans into Jesus Christ more than your own strength,43:55that your family, that those around you can trust in you and that they will call you blessed. So maybe, ladies, you're here and you just need to come to the altar and spend some time with the Lord and say, God, prune what needs to be pruned and mold what needs to be molded. But, Lord, don't let me live a life in my strength. Let me live a life in the strength of Jesus Christ. Maybe you're here and you need to be baptized and would like to know more about that44:25or to join this church and to say, you know what? I want to serve here. God is not calling you to join to sit here. He's called you to serve here. If that is something that you need to do, we would love to encourage you in that and to help you take the next step in your faith to surrender to Christ and to walk in obedience to him. Pray with me as we enter into a time of invitation.← Previous in ProverbsSunday, July 24, 2016Next in Proverbs →Sunday, August 7, 2016More sermons on Proverbs →
