A Godly Wife is a Precious Jewel

Introduction....

A couple weeks ago I began a series of messages on the home and along with it the role of a husband and wife.

Now these are wide open topics for us to look at and examine. Yet the most difficult part of preaching on these topics is overcoming the confusion the world and it ways have created in regard to the home, and the role of man and woman.

Now I can say with all honestly that Satan has brought a great deal of confusion to these topics, and why not… The Bible tells us that he is the prince and ruler of this world.

His ways and his methodology distort the roles of men and women, and the value of the two in the home.

The only way for a man, for a woman and yes for the Home to be successful is for Christ to be Lord over all three.

Now remember the home like man and woman has its origin in God himself. tells us that God made man, and finding no suitable helper for Him, God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. There God took a rib from Adam and formed a wife for Him.

And with the union of those two, the home has its beginning. It great, it is perfect as are man and woman until sin entered the world. Suddenly everything is ruined, corrupt and sin touched.

Yet God in His omniscience knew mankind would fail, He knew sin would come into the world and God knew He alone would redeem man and woman.

And so He sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sin.

It is in Christ that we excel, it is in Christ that we have the greatest possible life and it is in Christ that the home, the family thrives as well.

Last week we talked about the husband.... and today we address the topic of the wife.

I know men… Im living dangerously…

So let me begin by sharing a couple passages with you....

and and finally

Ephesians 5:22–24 ESV

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Proverbs 14:1 ESV

1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

Proverbs 31:10 ESV

10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

Now these three passages are going to be my base for all I do today as we talk about the Women of our homes.

,

So where can I begin....

1. Wives Do Not Forget Who You Are.....

Now I raise this point with a special thought in mind, to often I believe women really forget who they are.... and whose they are....

And it may not be that you forget, but you are usually so busy, doing so much for so many that they kind of get lost in the mix if you will.

Ladies you do a lot for your families and can I just stop here and say thank you for all you do for us.

But the call remains....Women do not forget who you are....

Women do not forget who you are....

Now last week for didn’t really examine one thought very well, I am addressing Christian men and women today. Why do I say that?

First off, I do not believe you can achieve all that God plans for your life unless you are a child of God.

Secondly, a part from Christ you cannot understand your true identity as a Son or Daughter of God.

So I am beginning in the context of a Christian woman, and if you are married a Christian wife. But this applies to all women today, young and everyone else.

Do not forget who you are!

You are God’s creation. God may have started with man, but He finished the creative process with woman. She is the last of the creative acts of the book of Genesis, chapter 2.

As such, you are special. God created you and planned for you to be here today. You are not here by accident…

Now let me carry the step forward… Are you a child of God? Have you been born again?

Have you received Jesus in your heart as your Lord and Savior?

If you are uncertain about that one point, then today please do not leave here unless we have made sure… all your future life, peace, joy and happiness depends on that one fact.

And honestly, Men the same applies to you as well.

Now back to understanding who you are.... the Bible tells us that not only are you a physical creation of God, but if you have been saved you are a new creation in Christ.

Now back to understanding who you are.... the Bible tells us that not only are you a physical creation of God, but if you have been saved you are a new creation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

And also.....

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

You are special, for God not only created you but He has redeemed you from the destruction, the malady of sin!

Here is another blessing” He took you as you were, no matter what was in your life, no matter where you were or what you had done. Just as you were God took you and made you a new creation. He literally changed you from the inside out...

There is no plastic surgery or no amount of botox that can have that effect on the inside of your lives.

You are a daughter of the King of Kings and the Lord or Lords, and He has set your free from the penalty of sin and death because you invited Jesus into your heart.

God loves you....

God loves you....

And He has given you a new life!

I know today a lot of ladies struggle with identity, self-confidence, seeing your self as valuable and yes even beautiful.... You are beautiful inside and out....

Do not forget who you are… you are a child of God.

Do not forget who you are… you are a child of God.

That is a beginning place for you today....

I know today a lot of ladies struggle with

ques

That is a beginning place for you today.... ladies are you a child of God? Have you ever given your heart to Jesus.?

Ladies are you a child of God? Have you ever given your heart to Jesus.?

Make sure....

If you are not 100

and perhaps you are here and today, you say I have not lived for the Lord like I should have… I have not given to him all He desires of me… today, repent of your sins, ask for forgiveness..

if we confess our sins, He is just and faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Now a second thought for you today my friends is this....

Now a second thought for you today my friends is this....

2. Wives Submit and Honor Your Husbands....

Now guys, men who are here, husbands...

I am going to tell you something right off the bat, don’t get the big head here… the meaning here isn’t that your wife is at your beck’in call. It is not that you are the boss and will get your way all the time

Not at all

If that is what you think about your wives.... then you have a heart problem along with a

And it certainly isnt that

So what does it mean, what is Paul speaking about in the context of our passage....

Galatians 5:22–24 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Ephesians 5:22–24 ESV

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Understand there is an imagery here of Christ and the church.... How did Christ treat the church? He loved her, gave himself for her.... loved her more than his own life… That is a crucial picture in understanding this relationship....

As the church is under Christ so wives are placed under their husbands. But because love it real and evident, there is no worries here about how he will treat her.

The word submit or submission is the place wives are called in the marriage relationship, but it is not facilitating the notion of being man’s servant or slave… always up and doing what the man commands....

No. remember that is not the picture of Christ and the church and it is not who you are either.

It is the rightful ordering of a marriage .... but let me stop here and break a few thoughts down...

First off, Consider the role of the woman…

When man and women were created in the garden, before sin entered the world I want you to know that man and woman had truly only one desire. What was it?

To love and honor the Lord their God. To bless and care for the garden, to care for the home, love each other and to love God who visited them in the garden.

But then sin came into the garden of eden.... it ruined everything and it changed man and women, it ruined their relationship with each other and with God.

In fact God told man and woman just how much things would change… so lets consider how sin effected the role of women in our world.

Genesis 3:16 ESV

16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

Look at that last part… "Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.”

The desire of all creation has shifted, but this is especially seen in role of man and women.

The wife, the woman her ultimate desire was to live in a complementary relationship with man, who was her husband and love the Lord her God… to seek to please God.

But sin ruined it and suddenly all creation was alienated from God, and from each other.

Suddenly sins presence in the world would mean that the nature desire of man and women for God would be ruined, they would desire each other over God…

Lets look at little more closely at the word “submit”

The word submit refers to what should have been originally my friends.

God is not telling the woman here to allow the man to be Lord over her.... no!

The nature order of things have changed.... so what can now come of their relationship?

Here is what the Scriptures are sharing...

But God is inviting them both to live in a egalitarian role with each other.

They are to love one another, respect one another and live in a cooperating role, going forward in a marriage in a way that pleases God.

So submission what does it really look like today ladies...

The egalitarian role of husbands and wives says we are equal, we are to work together for the sake of the home.

But at times you defer to your husband.

Marci and I discuss everything, we work together. not seeking our own will but what is best for each of us, our homes and our kids.

Submission comes when she defers to me the ultimate role of leadership.

But.... but because we are in this together, my role compliments us both.

Marci might leave it up to me, but honestly, I follow where we have already discussed… A harmoniously relationship is one who works together for the glory of God.

But leadership is pushing forward in what the two who are not one have already decided. Does that make sense....

Marci might leave it up to me, but honestly, I follow where we have already discussed… A harmoniously relationship is one who works together for the glory of God.

Does that make sense....

Honeslty I think this is one of the hardest thoughts to explain because sin has ruined our idea of Godly submission.

Wives be harmonious helpers to your husbands, but husbands be Christ like leaders that give your wives the confidence to trust you to be the leader of your homes. That will make her proud.

So submission and honoring comes from the lives you two live together for the glory of God.

And finally today above all us, the truest point or desire is that God desire that you be a woman after his own heart.

Be a godly woman

And finally today above all us, the truest starting point is being a good and Godly woman.

3. Be a Woman....

One blessing that Pastors share is that godly women are the backbone of the church. There are more women in our churches than men and it should not be that way…

But thank God for you godly ladies…

And this is what God calls you to be, a godly lady....

This is the last thought I will share with you this morning,

, shares with us the wisdom of Solomon, the wisdom God gave him concerning the type of woman that blesses society, that blesses the home and that blesses all who occupy the home, and a woman that blesses God.

Sadly we don't really talk about this a lot except at funerals...

In the course of 30 years of ministry I have been to lots and done many funerals. And the greatest blessings comes when that lady, at the end of her days is compared to a kind of woman.

In the course of 30 years of ministry I have been to lots and did lots of funerals. And the greatest blessings comes when that lady at the end of her days is compared to a kind of woman.

Proverbs 31:10 ESV

10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

What a wonderful passage… A godly woman is rare, precious and valuable.

Consider the type of woman the world promotes.... the world values of women are in direct conflict with that of God’s.... for instance look at what is offered on TV...

It is in direct conflict to what is offered on TV.... I am thinking about the ads I see for shows on television which

Im thinking about the real housewives of Jersey, Atlanta or where ever.... You know what I think … Thank the Lord they are not in my life.....

To put it nicely, they are not Proverbs quality… They are not fine jewels, but diamond chips..... they could be a Proverbs lady but but they have seen their value in the eyes and direction of the world.

That ladies, daughters, young women who God has called you to be......

Let me show you in this passage of Scripture...

A Proverbs woman is a godly woman.... She puts God first in her life and seeks him above all else.

There is so much to be said in chapter 31 concerning a godly woman, but let me share the last few verses of this passage.

Proverbs 31:28–31 ESV

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

There are three thoughts I want you to see in this passage....

A. A Godly Woman Trusts the Lord....

This truth is central to all a woman is and can be… her life, all life begins with the Lord. When I think about what the world offers, I remember what Jesus said.

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The truest expression of life is found in Jesus and nothing else. A godly woman trusts the Lord first in her life because that my friends DEFINES everything else.

Women who love Jesus and truly put Him first have the best homes.... two thoughts here…

1. Who truly put him first… i know a lot of ladies that talk alot about Jesus ( just like some men i know) but it is evident in the way they live that it is not true.

2. Have the best homes.... it doesnt mean they are free from trouble or [problems it means there is a core, a foundation that supports them in all they do...

There is nothing that replaces a godly woman in the life of a home! A women who trusts God is a woman who reflects the image of who the are made in, for all to see, especially their husbands and the children God places around them.

To trust the Lord our God means we believe and do not stop believing… This is one truth I love about my wife, her faith never faulters, Why? she trusts the Lord.

B. The Second is this: A Godly Woman is One to be Praised..... Verse 28

Proverbs 10:28 ESV

28 The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

28

Proverbs 31:28 ESV

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

A godly women is one whose reflections of God, whose work and effort is seen by her family, by her husband and because of it all, she is praised.

In truth, you are a selfless and faithful woman! One who always puts the needs of your family above your own.

I have seen that time and time again in many homes, and yes my own. I have seen her do without for the sake of her family. why? Because that is what godly women, wives and mothers do… they give themselves ....

In contrast I have seen selfish mean women… its true and the saddest thing is this.. they claim to know God but He is not seen in how they live. There is nothing there to priase, nothing there that honors God.

I seen selfish women and

Proverbs 14:1 ESV

1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

A godly women is one who builds the home.... the world build there refers to the efforts to see it joined together, held together by the work, the care and yes the love than pours from her very soul.

but a warning is here.... Live contrary to the ways of God and watch it be torn apart.

Here is a truth ladies and men, it fits for you as well. Fail to honor God, fail to live for God and fail to have your homes established in HIm and watch it soon fail… Sadly, sadly I have seen it time and time again.

A godly woman is one who is praised by all....

And now the last idea I see in this passage…

C. A Godly Woman is like Sweet Cream, She rises to the top....

You might think I am silly but Solomon said in verse 29 that many women do well in life, they succeed, they have good families but a godly woman surpasses them all.

A godly woman, a godly wife is the best....

I got the best when I married Marci, and I am sure many of you feel the same way about your wives,

There is nothing better than a woman who fears the Lord, puts Him first and lives, teaches it to others and never departs from His ways.

That is the best woman to have...

Wives you are the very best thing God have given man apart from Salvation. You bless us, bring children into this world that give man even greater blessings, and you love us in our faults and help us, the men folk of life, quietly, patiently and lovingly.

Thank you for being the women you are....

Now today...

Are you that type of woman....

You can be!

Salvation or rededication.. all is possible with Jesus