Sermon Tone Analysis

The Difference Between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

If you don’t believe this, listen to the sermons that are preached on Mother’s Day as opposed to the sermons that are preached on Father’s Day.

On Father’s Day, it seems like men are derailed.

They are challenged and normally leave feeling inadequate rather than celebrated.

The similarities of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

on Mother’s Day though, the way of doing things seem to be the opposite.

On both days, the preacher talks junk to the Father.

The Mother is commended for all that she does well, while her sin is avoided because its Mother’s Day.

I would suggest this morning, that this understanding and this practice is really waste a valuable opportunity to challenge mothers and women to be the type of women that has called them to be.

On Mother’s Day, we talk about how good Mama was because Daddy wasn’t.

So hear my heart this morning.

My heart this morning is not to be abrasive.

My heart this morning is to expose you to the Word of God that does cut.

Sometimes it wounds.

It divides soul and spirit.

On Father’s Day, we tell you statistics about how bad Fathers are.

I don’t think this is intentional, so much.

Before we get started this morning, let me just remind you of what Paul says I am to do as a preacher and what in turn the Scripture does.

Our goal as pastors isn’t to berate Fathers or anyone and to make you feel bad.

Whenever I preach a sermon that may be difficult to hear, the goal is not to hurt people, the goal is that we look like Christ.

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Honestly, as a pastor, I think the biblical desire is for both fathers and mothers, both men and women, to be faithful and live out their God ordained role in the church and in the world.

We should understand that this doesn’t come natural for either group.

I want to encourage you this morning.

If you feel reproved, rebuked, exhorted, and patiently instructed this morning, then the Word is accomplishing what it should be accomplishing in your life.

Holiness and sanctification for fathers or mothers come from looking at what God has called us to be in his Word.

Jesus prayed this for us in

This morning

This morning we come to really one of very few passages in the New Testament that speaks to the role and the responsibility that is specific to women in the church.

I’ve preached through the others the previous three Mother’s Day, so now we come to .

The goal this morning is the be sanctified and for God to show us by His Word, what he desires of Mothers and women in general within the church.

Now before we get started…

Paul in this letter is writing to Timothy, the young pastor at Ephesus, and he is instructing him on how matters and functions in the church should be.

He is very careful in all things to include every group within the church, including exhortations to women and their actions within the church.

(Here, Paul is having to correct some issues that they were having with the church of Ephesus.

Let me remind you, that just because he is speaking with regard to behavior within the church that this behavior is not limited to the church building.

Rather, if you are a woman who claims to be apart of the body of Christ, this is to be your behavior in or outside of the church building.

the type of woman God would have you to be.

Listen to what he says in verse 9.

The first word he uses is the word likewise.

It can be translated, “in like manner.”

Paul has just exhorted men in verse 8 and he will continue to exhort the men in the church through this letter.

(Hint at next book we will preach through) and lest the women think that he is leaving them out, he goes on to exhort them.

In the same way…

Modesty to the glory of God.

Woman are commanded here to adorn themselves.

The word is here is to arrange, to prepare yourself, and he goes on to define what that means.

Prepare yourselves with proper clothing.

The word here proper is the word for orderly or decent clothing.

The implication here then is that there is a proper way of adorning yourself (proper clothing) and an improper way of adorning yourself (improper clothing)

Thankfully Paul doesn’t leave for room for interpretive gymnastics.

He doesn’t leave room for us here to ask the question: Well, What exactly is proper?

He doesn’t leave room for a definition that may or may not be worldly.

He tells us what he means.

He tells what proper is specifically when one is adorning themselves for worship.

Prepare yourself, adorn yourself Modestly and Discreetly (Not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments).

Modestly- here it carry the meaning of humility.

Discreetly- self controlled.

Now he mentions gold pearls, braided hair.

Paul’s goal here in being specific with regard to these things is to make a larger point.

He isn’t saying that women should just not care about their hair and just let it go.

He’s not saying that.

He just got through explaining that you are to prepare yourself.

What He is saying is that to bring attention to yourself is problematic.

The women of this day (and I would argue the would of our day) were tempted to do things to draw attention to themselves either by flaunting their bodies through wearing provocative clothing or by flaunting their wealth through their clothes.

Both were unacceptable.

drawing attention

Because in both of those cases, the heart of the woman adorning herself improperly, is “Look at me! See me! Worship me!”

When, in reality, all the attention should be on God and His word in worship.

Rather we should say “Look at Christ! See Christ!

Worship Christ!”

Modestly, discreetly- it means- proper, covered, so that no one will be distracted.

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Hear me Ladies, Men are easily distracted.

So adorning yourself modestly and discreetly will inevitably mean mindfulness in preparation whenever you come to worship.

Don’t hear me wrongly, There is Nothing wrong with wearing jewelry, owning jewelry or looking nice.

But when we come for the purpose of worship, the goal is to have the attention solely on Christ.

There are some clothes where there is no time or place where they are appropriate in public.

And Ladies, you have to be mindful of this.

I quote here because I don’t think I could say it better.

John Macarthur says:

“A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses.

Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of womanhood?

Is it to show her love and devotion to her husband and his goodness to her?

Is it  to reveal a humble heart devoted to worshiping God?

Or is it to call attention to herself, and flaunt her wealth and beauty?

Or worse, to attempt to allure men sexually?

A woman who focuses on worshiping God will consider carefully how she is dressed, because her heart will dictate her wardrobe and appearance.”

Rather than spending time on appearance (things that don’t matter, distract), Paul urges Ladies to prepare themselves by means of good works that should naturally flow from someone making a claim to godliness.

In other words:

If someone claims to know the Lord, love the Lord, and claims to have submitted in faith to the Lord, there is to be an outworking of that faith by doing the works of God.

Right?

This is what Paul meant when he wrote .

Summarize.

Salvation for a lady is not by works, its through Christ, but you are created in Christ for good works.

That’s proper and right.

This is what Paul is saying here in Timothy.

That is the proper adorning.

Working for the kingdom.

This is modesty to the glory of God.

Next we find, the second exhortation to women in the church.