Please take out your copy of God's Word, which I hope you have with you, that it's well read and treasured in your heart this morning and turn with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 1.
This morning we're taking a break from our verse by verse exposition of the sermon on the mount from Matthew chapter 5 through 7.
We've been working up to Matthew 5, 17 through 20. We've began to talk about the law and the gospel.
And I kind of charged into that whole thing, not really stopping to consider that today was Mother's Day.
And so this week I went, you know, let's not talk about the law and gospel from Matthew 5, 17 through 20 and Exodus 20 this morning.
But let's take a little time to consider all that it means to be a mother.
It is my intention today to be an encouragement to the mothers of our congregation by reminding you of your high calling in Jesus Christ.
You may find some challenge in God's Word to us this morning.
But I want you to know that I believe that the mothers of our church work very hard to excel in their disciple making.
And this does not go unnoticed.
I am proud of each and every one of you.
I know that your job as mothers can often seem mundane and unending and that it is always exhausting.
And so I want to encourage you to persist by grace to train up your children as God will use you to yield fruit in their lives.
So with that in mind, let's take a look at Proverbs 1, verses 7 through 9.
Before I read, beloved, let me remind you that this is God's Word to us.
It was written for His glory and our good.
And we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
Proverbs 1, verse 7.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Hear, my son, your father's instruction and forsake not your mother's teaching.
For they are a graceful garland to your head and pendants for your neck.
This morning I want to draw your attention to five observations from Proverbs 1, 7 through 9 in brief.
At least that's my plan.
I know sometimes I plan that and it doesn't go according to plan.
But that is my plan both because I know most, at least many of us, have lots of afternoon things to take care of.
But also, and I'll ask for prayer on your behalf, I just don't feel well this morning.
I've had a morning where I thought I could go back to bed at any time here.
So we'll see how this goes.
You know how I get when I get into the points sometimes.
So, in attempt, five observations from Proverbs 1, 7 through 9.
Number one, God is the originator of the family.
God created the family.
Solomon is the book of Proverbs author.
The wisdom that he speaks of throughout the book is a wisdom founded in the fear of the Lord.
So, he leads his teaching out in chapter 1 with these words from verse 7.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Which fools despise this knowledge, the wisdom and the instruction that will follow in the books.
And he begins his instruction with a most important note concerning the source of wisdom.
The family.
He instructs his son to hear his father's instruction and to not abandon his mother's teaching.
So, God in his loving kindness towards mankind created the family.
We read in Genesis chapter 1 verses 27 and 28.
So, God created man in his own image.
In the image of God, he created him male and female.
He created them.
And God blessed them.
And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply.
Have children.
And fill the earth.
And subdue it.
And have dominion over fish of the sea and birds of the air.
And over the heavens.
Every living thing that moves on the earth.
God gives to them this multiplying mandate.
And we come to further understand, as is noted for us in Genesis 2.24,
that there's a unit that's created here.
Right?
Moses writes in Genesis 2.24,
Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.
And so, God created this institution of family,
and we create, as we multiply and marry, families.
Right?
We continue to portion ourselves off and create families.
The family was and is meant to be an institution itself with God-mandated responsibilities.
So, second observation.
So, first observation, God is the originator of the family.
Secondly, the family was designed by God to be a school.
The family was designed by God to be a school.
Again, in verse 8.
Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not, don't abandon, your mother's teaching.
Beyond today's text,
let's note together some other places in the Scripture
where God instructs parents to instruct their children,
like Deuteronomy 6, verses 4-7.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your might.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
and when you walk by the way,
and when you lie down,
and when you rise.
Right?
There's a fervency about the teaching,
and there's an ongoing teaching about the ways of God to our children.
Also, in Ephesians 6, verse 4,
fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up in the discipline,
the training, and instruction of the Lord.
Right here in Ephesians 6,
Paul places the emphasis of raising children on fathers as the head of the household,
but this does not exclude mothers as they are helpers of the fathers in this task.
And the Bible instructs children to be students.
So then it follows that the family, the home, is a school.
Not only in today's text,
but also in places like Proverbs 23, verse 22.
Listen to your father who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
And Ephesians 6, verse 1.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord,
for this is right.
Get your children to memorize that and repeat it back to you often.
So, the family was designed by God to be a school,
to be a place of instruction in the ways of God for our children.
This is why many of us,
I venture to say all of us,
but I don't want to err in that way,
but many of us in this church believe in the benefits of homeschooling, right?
Because it creates such good opportunity for this very thing.
But however our children receive their educations,
the responsibility of teaching them
to have a proper fear of the Lord
falls to parents,
and it is not a responsibility that can be given to anyone else.
Third,
the fear of the Lord is meant to be the theme of the family's curriculum.
The fear of the Lord is meant to be the theme of the family's curriculum.
And it's the reality that ties all things we teach our children together.
Again, in verse 7,
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
It's the prerequisite course of knowledge, right?
It should infiltrate everything our children learn
so that they have a right and proper worldview.
All education has,
at its foundation,
a worldview.
We are teaching our children something about the world
even by not talking about God.
Our education these days,
our public school education,
I'm okay if you're a fan of public school education,
I love our public school teachers
that are part of our church
and for the work that you're doing,
but has at its foundation
secular humanism, right?
By not talking about God at all
and by suggesting that education
is the answer to all of your problems,
you build a worldview for your children, right?
All education has to sit on a base of something.
The Christian family is to be sure
that the fear of the Lord
is set as the base
for all other education.
Now, this phrase, fear of the Lord,
does not mean that we are working
to send our children towering from God.
It carries rather the idea
of reverence and humility.
A child that fears the Lord
will recognize
that they are a created being
and they live in a created world
and will, as such is true,
desire to live in accord
with the creator and sustainer
of that created world.
Right?
They will see that it's all built upon
the fact, the reality,
that God created this world
and intends to rule over it
as its good king.
They will see the world's goodness
under God's rule
and they will also see
the world's brokenness
in rejection of God
as king.
Let me show you the importance
of such a theme
from a couple of psalms.
So, Psalm 31 and verse 19.
The psalmist says,
Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up
for those who fear you
and work for those
who take refuge in you.
Psalm 112 and verse 1.
The psalmist writes,
Praise the Lord.
Blessed is the man
who fears the Lord.
Blessed, doing well
as the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights
in the Lord's commandments.
And Psalm 115 and verse 13.
The Lord will bless those
who fear the Lord,
both the small and the great.
So, there is a promise
of goodness and blessing
from God to those who fear Him
and want to follow in His ways.
We want our children
to be declared by God
blessed.
And building all that we do
in instructing our children
on this fear of the Lord,
letting it be the foundation,
ultimately,
has its final good
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If our children are humbled
because of their sin and parents,
we have so many opportunities
to teach them about their sin.
And they are amazed
at the magnificent holiness of God.
They will want to know
the good news of Jesus Christ.
We create for them the problem.
We don't create a problem.
We create for them the problem.
It is a problem that exists.
They are born in sin.
As Voddie Bauckham likes to say,
do you know why babies are so small?
It is because if they were any larger,
they would kill you.
We have seen the rage
in our young ones.
They are sinful from birth.
Reject the good rule of God as king.
If they did not,
they would listen to the loving kind,
help and instruction of their parents.
If they do not,
they transgress the fifth commandment
from day one.
We want to show them
their great need
of a Savior,
Jesus Christ.
They need to put on
His righteousness
before God.
John Piper,
in a sermon on this very text,
said,
the family isn't just a place
where children learn
to hold spoons
and walk on two feet
and say please
and tie shoes
and read
and look both ways
and cut grass
and put on makeup
and drive a car.
The family is where
all of this and more
begins in God,
is guided by God's Word
and is shown to be
for the glory of God.
The fear of God,
the reverencing of God,
the standing in awe of God,
the trusting of God
is what families are for.
So that was the third point.
The fear of the Lord
is meant to be the theme
of the family's curriculum.
Fourthly,
both father and mother
are responsible for teaching.
Verse 8,
the son is instructed
to hear his father's instruction
and to not abandon
his mother's teaching.
Solomon tells his son
to heed the teaching
of both his father
and his mother.
in the normative family,
both exist.
And both work
to the great end
of teaching children
to fear the Lord.
But in a world of death
and severed relationship,
not all families
are normative.
Some children are raised
by single mothers
and there is grace
for this.
Some children are raised
by single fathers
and there is grace.
Probably extra measures
of grace for this.
Some children do not have
God-fearing parents
or one who is
and one who is not.
And there is grace
for this.
And most regularly,
the means of said grace
is the church
called together
as a faith family.
God employs
the efforts
of the church
to aid us
in raising
children.
And I want to show you
this manifold grace
from the life
of Timothy.
Timothy's father
was a Greek
and not a follower
of Jesus Christ
by all that we can tell.
Most likely.
Maybe he converted
at a later age.
But the way Paul writes
concerning Timothy's father
doesn't appear
that he was.
But Paul tells us
in 2 Timothy 1
and verse 5
as he's writing
to Timothy,
he says,
I am reminded
of your sincere faith.
The faith
that dwelt first
in your grandmother Lois
and your mother Eunice.
And now,
I am sure,
dwells in you as well.
And then further instructs
Timothy in 2 Timothy 3
verses 14 and 15.
But as for you,
continue in what you have learned
and have firmly believed,
knowing from whom
you learned it.
And how from childhood
you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings
which are able
to make you wise
for salvation
through faith
in Jesus Christ.
Timothy finding himself
as a prominent Christian leader
in the Ephesian church
owes so much
to God's grace
to him
through his grandmother
and his mother.
So God having great grace
to Timothy
and giving great grace
to Lois and Eunice,
God also gave great grace
in giving Timothy
a spiritual father.
It would seem
that his biological father
was not this for him.
But in 1 Timothy 1,
the beginning of verse 2,
Paul addresses his first letter
to Timothy
with these words.
To Timothy,
my true child
in the faith.
It would seem
that there was
some kind of
spiritual adoption
on Paul's mind here.
He was willing
to father Timothy
in the faith.
And Paul tells us
that he instructed Timothy
in the way of the Lord
in 2 Timothy 3,
verse 10,
and the first part
of verse 11,
where he writes,
You, however,
have followed
my teaching,
my conduct,
my aim in life,
my faith,
my patience,
my love,
my steadfastness,
my persecutions,
and sufferings.
Doesn't that sound
like Deuteronomy 6?
This teaching,
passing on diligently
to your children
these commands.
Dwelling on these things
and the rising
and the sitting in the house
and the walking along
the way
Paul had instructed
Timothy
as a spiritual father.
So today,
I want to exhort
childless women
to have
spiritual children.
children.
And I want to exhort
women with children
to have
spiritual children.
Train those
younger than you
in the faith
and impart
a fear of the Lord
to someone
else.
We are meant
to be disciple makers
both within the house
and without
of the house.
Mothers,
you provide
many necessary
things
for your children.
You keep them
clothed
and fed,
some better than others,
but they are surviving.
But your children
do not need
a perfectly clean house
or the most exciting meals.
They do need you
and they need
your careful instruction
in Scripture.
Make that the priority
of your efforts.
On your bulletin
this morning
is a Charles Spurgeon
quote,
as I like to do.
I keep awaiting
the jokes
made about my
Spurgeon quotes.
You'll be a clever one
if you can come up
with good jokes
concerning that.
He wrote this,
Fathers and mothers
are the most natural
agents for God
to use
in the salvation
of their children.
I am sure
that in my early years
no teaching
ever made
such an impression
upon my mind
as the instruction
of my mother.
And today
you get a bonus
Spurgeon quote.
Those who think
that a woman
detained
at home
by her little family,
so let me just repeat that.
Those who think
that a woman
detained
at home,
busy,
so busy,
at home
by her little family
is doing nothing.
Think the reverse
of what
is true.
There is so
much
value,
ladies,
in the hard work
you do
the day in
and the day out
with your little ones.
Fifth,
children who obey
their parents,
heed their parents'
instruction,
are promised
a reward.
Verse 9,
for they,
and what
Solomon is referring to,
for they,
your father's instruction
and your mother's teaching,
right,
are a graceful
garland for your head
and pendants
for your neck.
To the Israelites'
mind,
no signs
or badges
of joy
or glory
were higher
in worth
than the garland
around the head
or the gold chain
around the neck.
They were worn
by kings
and they were worn
by the favorites
of kings.
They were doled out
by kings
to honor
people.
This is the promise
of a parent's
instruction
themed by the fear
of the Lord.
We must make
that caveat,
right?
Parental instruction
themed,
held together
by the fear
of the Lord.
The promise
is
the favor
of the Lord.
The fifth commandment
found in Exodus 20
and verse 12
says,
Honor your father
and mother
that your days
may be long
in the land
that the Lord
your God
is giving you.
In Proverbs
chapter 14
verse 26 and 27
says,
In the fear
of the Lord
one has strong
confidence
and his children
will have
a refuge.
The fear
of the Lord
is a fountain
of life
that one
may turn away
from the snares
of death.
And Proverbs
19 and verse 23,
The fear
of the Lord
leads to life
and whoever
has it
rests
satisfied.
He will
not be visited
by harm.
And this is not
wisdom
for the
day to day
of harm
and avoiding
death.
This is talking
about eternal
favor found
in God
by faith
in Jesus Christ.
And the teaching
of the good news
of Jesus Christ
has its start
at the very
foundation
in understanding
who we are
and who
God
is.
We will see
the great
chasm
fixed
between us
and be
desirous
to cross
that chasm
when we cross
it by faith
in Jesus Christ.
And we want
our children,
we desperately
want our children
to cross
that chasm
with us.
And so
we see
in brief
from Proverbs
chapter 1
verse 7
through 9
God is the
originator
of the family.
The family
was designed
by God
to be a school.
The fear
of the Lord
is meant
to be
the theme
of the
family's
curriculum.
Both
father and
mother
are responsible
for teaching
and children
who obey
their parents
are promised
a reward.
And so
beloved,
let's take
up the task
of this
great charge
that's been
given to us
as those
with kids
and as
part of
a church
that has
children
to preach
the gospel
well.
To
found
everything
that we
do
as
families
and
with
our
children
in
the
fear
of the
Lord.
This
reverence
for who
He is
and how
He intends
for us
to walk
in the
world.
And let's
do this
from the
joy of
obedience
and by
grace.
Let's pray
together.