The Wise Woman

We live in a day in which women have been stripped of the power that was rightfully theirs.

Ironically, it has been in the name of empowerment that this has taken place.

Women that once held absolute sway over the next generation now come home to children that are determined to rule their own lives.

Women that once held the respect of every man by virtue of their gender now are relegated to a status of “equality.”

Women who were once powerful to impact the course of the world have relinquished there place of power to join the workforce.

Children like Abraham Lincoln who were once carefully and lovingly taught Biblical principles by their mothers have been under the tutelage of others who are diametrically opposed to Christian philosophy.

Men who used to survive their mundane 9-5 workday by looking forward to the well-ordered and loving home, to which they would return at night, now worry that they are losing touch with their families.

Women have come a long way, but it has been at the expense of their own empowerment and value.

God has a better plan for women today.

He wrote it all down and preserved it so that we might never lose sight of the ideal woman.

It is His desire that the woman that He designed take her rightful place in the world.

That is a special place of honor and power that no man can fill.

It is a place that is characterized by beauty and wisdom.

Today I would like to focus specifically on the latter, as I am ill-equipped to help you with the former.

The Word of God draws a distinctive correlation between the concept of wisdom and the woman.

In the book of Proverbs, in which you will find the foolish woman and the wise woman in great contrast, Wisdom is personified as a woman.

As a woman, I believe you are endowed with a special capacity for wisdom and also with the unique opportunity to impact the world with wisdom.

As a woman, you should pray for God to give you wisdom.

You must seek after it, hold on to it, and carefully use it to impact your world.

Our text this morning is primarily motivation for you to seek after wisdom.

You desperately need it, because the world desperately needs you.

One of the passages in Proverbs speaks of the characteristics of the wise woman.

Specifically, we see her activities in the home.

READ TEXT

Proverbs 14:1

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

PRAY

Our text reveals the two basic contrasting activities of two types of women.

The first woman is the woman that is characterized by wisdom.

She sees the world from God’s point of view.

She has asked for and has been granted a special insight into the consequences of her actions, and she has determined to act wisely.

She holds the knowledge and thereby the power to impact her world and her home for the better.

What an amazing and succinct observation about the activities of a wise woman!

She is occupied with the building of her household.

Her constructive activity is the standard to which women in our world should aspire.

Our society rose to its peak on the institution of the family.

It is built on the basic foundation of the nuclear household.

The wise woman in our text occupies herself with constructing and strengthening the foundation of her society.

What an important and meaningful existence!

Ladies, you must seek for wisdom so that you might build your household.

In the same text we see a negative contrast.

We see the foolish woman that is using her power and position to tear down instead of build.

The power of a woman’s tongue is seen here in its most negative light as it is wielded by a foolish woman.

Consequently, she plucks down the very structure that would have given her the most power and influence available to her.

That structure that would give her a worldwide impact is none other than her own home.

Ladies you have the power to make a difference in this world by building your home.

How can this be done?

How can you stabilize your household?

Proverbs 24:3 gives us the answer:

Proverbs 24:3

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

How can a woman infuse value and true wealth into her home?

I am not speaking of financial wealth because that is fleeting and deceptive.

The next verse answers this question:

Proverbs 24:4

And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

It all comes back to a desperate need for wisdom.

It all comes back to a wise woman.

It may seem that I am preaching directly to the women this morning, but men your understanding of the value of a woman is essential.

Her wisdom is what you need to be whole.

Her understanding is the secret to a healthy home.

You need her to have this wisdom.

You need her to wield this power.

You should not be threatened by her power to impact the home – you should long for it.

You should relish being a part of her exaltation to this position.

You can help her get there by praying for her, encouraging her and fulfilling your place of leadership so that she can answer her calling to wisdom.

Ladies, Let me petition you this morning to seek God’s wisdom.

James gives us some clear and practical advice to follow when we need wisdom.

James 1:5

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Ask God

This means you realize that you don’t have what you need in and of yourself.

This means you recognize God to be the source of what you need.

Believe in God

This means you know Him to be a loving and generous God.

This means you know Him to be an able and powerful God.

Commit to God

This means you have determined that His way is best.

This means that you have surrendered all selfish or worldly desires.

While this is a formula for getting the wisdom that you need, it is similar to the way we approach God for salvation.

We must believe in Him for salvation

It is with a heart of asking that we approach him for salvation

The repentance that takes place in our hearts indicates an intention to leave our sins behind and turn to him as Saviour.

In a sense, this is a commitment that we make to Him.

The beauty of it is that it is His commitment to us that saves us.

Will you accept Him as your Saviour today?

Sons or Slaves

Sons Or Slaves
Galatians 4

As the Apostle Paul penned the fourth chapter of his letter to the church in Galatia, he addresses further some of the issues of which we have spoken already in our study of this book.
Remember that the Galatians had grown in their faith since Paul had started their church some 3 or 4 years previous, but there had crept into their midst some who had been in this church scene much longer than they had.
These false teachers had come from Jerusalem and had convinced the people in the relatively new church of Galatia that they needed to be converted not only to Christ but to Judaism as well.
They would have to begin to observe all of the Jewish rituals and Sabbaths if they were to be real Christians.
It was not enough to go to church, read the Bible and listen to the Holy Spirit in a personal relationship with God.
They had to conform to the pattern of Old Testament law to be acceptable before God.

They were suddenly tripped up in their Christian growth.
Paul writes here to put down the false airs that had risen in their midst.
It seems the first thing that Paul does is show them that their advance into legalism is a step backward in their growth and a step down in their position before God.

READ TEXT
Galatians 4:1 ¶ Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
PRAY

Verses 1-7 show a contrast in Positions before God.
Paul begins by tracing their rise to the position of heir.
--They had before (in OT times) been "children of God," but had not yet received the promise and were therefore no better than slaves.
--Now they were redeemed and adopted children of God and enabled to act like sons of God.
They were no longer bound to the system of the Law as they were.
They were sons of God.
So we, when we accept the price that has been paid for our redemption, become the children of God and heirs of the promise of Heaven.

Galatians 4:8 ¶ Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
12 ¶ Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Verses 8-16 show a contrast in Practice of Religion.
Here Paul reminds them of how they used to practice their faith and contrasts it with their current system of religion.
--Their current religious activity appeared more like when they were idol worshippers.
--They became obsessed with following all the Sabbaths again.
--They used to accept Paul and his infirmities with open arm and with love.
--They used to be compassionate and giving.

Galatians 4:17 ¶ They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
19 ¶ My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
21 ¶ Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Verses 17-21 show a contrast in Methods of Ministry.
Here Paul points out the different way in which these false teachers had gone about ministering to them.
They had made great changes among them, but only motivated by a desire to look good themselves.
--The false teachers had threatened to exclude them from fellowship if they would not conform to their system of religion.
--The false teachers were concerned with how their ministry made them look.
--The false teachers produced fake results, as their converts only conformed to their teachings when they were being watched.
IN CONTRAST:
--Paul dealt with them as his own children.
--He was willing to work hard for their benefit.
--He was only concerned that they become like Christ.
--He desired to work with them and help them to grow personally.

Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Verses 22-31 show a contrast in Symbolic Perspectives.
Here Paul uses an allegory to illustrate the two perspectives that existed within the Galatian church.
To understand the Allegory, we must quickly refresh our memory regarding the Old Testament story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar.
---Abraham was married to Sarah and was promised by God that she would bear a son who would be the child of promise, the one through whom God would bless the world.
Abraham and Sarah doubted God's promise and tried to manufacture their own plan.
Sarah gave her handmaiden, Hagar to Abraham to be a second wife, and Hagar bear a son who was named Ishmael.
Meanwhile God fulfilled His promise and gave Sarah a child who was named Isaac.
Once Isaac was born Sarah and Abraham threw out Hagar and Ishmael to avoid any conflict with the inheritance.

Isaac then was the son of promise and became the symbol of a God's plan working its power within us.
Ishmael then was the rejected son of the bondwoman and became a symbol of man's plan working its chaos and confusion within us.

Some insisted on sticking to their idea of religion and forced an entire system of regulations upon the church - in doing so they showed a lack of faith in God doing what he promises to do, that is make us all perfect in the end.

The right perspective is that of the children of promise.
We cannot manufacture our own set of regulations that will please God.
We must simply obey His explicit instructions and allow Him to do His marvelous work in us.

So it is when we come to Christ for salvation:
We do not come up with our own way of salvation.
We accept His provided way of salvation.

If you are here today and you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your only Saviour, let me encourage you to make that decision today.
Become a child of promise.

Christian Brother, Sister, stop trying to fit a mold that has been created by men and gauging your spirituality by that standard.
It will only rob you of your joy, and you will fall short of God's standard.
Surrender to His working in your life, He has promised to change you, and He will do so.