What I Want To Teach My Daughters

Introduction

Well, good evening. If you’re visiting with us this evening, we are delighted that you have taken the time to be with us. A few weeks ago, right after Ken preached his first in the series of lessons talking about masculine Christianity. Mike followed up with a Wednesday evening lesson on what I want to teach my sons. He came up to me several days after that saying, you know, Walker, you have a lot of girls, and he’ll be doing a lesson on feminine Christianity. Could you follow up with a lesson on what you want to teach your daughters? I thought of that and say, am I the right person to do that? Tell you why. With the four times that we were expecting, I always wish for a son.

1. Created in the Image of God to Glorify Him

You know, I guess in in my plans, I thought of it like this. We’re gonna have three kids, no more than four, but it’s two boys and then a girl. But you know the story went. So that’s why I’ll all I’ll always wish in for a boy. But I’ll say this. I will never exchange any of those girls for any boy, even though it’s another Jamari. I would never do that. You know, so what would I want to teach my daughters? And it’s kind of weird. Maybe it’s like maybe what I’ve taught them at some point in life. You know, first I would want them to know that they were created in the image of God, and they were created to glorify him. I would want them secondly to seek him, seek the things of the kingdom, and start as young as they possibly can.

2. Their Bodies Are Members of Christ

There’s nothing more important than pleasing God, developing a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Everything else in their life will be weighed or everything else will hang on that. They love for God. As they grow up, I would want them to remember that their bodies are members of Christ.

And they ought not to they are they ought not to be conformed to the world. You know, having three girls, it was so difficult for us to to find decent clothing. We’ll go around. There have been several times in my life that I said to myself, you know, I should probably go into the clothes business to show people how to you know dress young women and things like that. I would think to tell them, even as Peter wrote in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 3 and 4, do not let your adorning be external. The braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry or clothing you wear. But let your dawn and be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

3. Dating With Marriage in Mind

Seemed like at that time, as Peter wrote, yeah, maybe it was about too much clothing and all the glamour, but we have the reverse today, where you wonder what people think about when they leave the house and the way they dress. You would want to teach your daughters, or I would, to dress modestly, cover themselves. Always want them to remember, even what the prophet said, that you know, charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. It comes a part in life as daughters would think about even dating some young man and they see sparkle in the eyes and so forth.

I would think that they would do this. I would want them to anyway to do it with marriage in mind. To trust the Lord. As he says, with all your heart, lean not into your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him. Proverbs chapter 3, verse 3 and 5. And as they navigate this area of life, to think of what Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren when he says, Therefore, anyone who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall. Because how many times you have heard the stories of young people, they’ll say, you know, I have things on the control. It’s like there are times even in this present day where you’re even fighting to work a cell phone, and the kids just take it, they have it all down, and you seem like you’re the you don’t know what’s going on, Daddy.

4. Looking for a Young Man Who Loves God

We have it on the control, but we often have to remind our daughters not to think that they have everything under control, but take heed. So I would want them to always be looking when when they get to this stage of life, to be looking for a young man who loves God more than he loves them. To be looking for someone who has a heart for God, one who will obey Christ to love them as he loved the church and gave himself for the church. Ephesians 5 verse 25. One who would nourish and cherish them as Christ does for the church. One who would honor them, as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3 and verse 7. When all that happens, you know, we we are hung up today by the word of God requiring or commanding that wives be submit, be submissive to their husbands.

If there’s such a young man who would love my daughter as Christ loved the church, I mean things like that is easy. And as Ken pointed out in his lessons, having to submit doesn’t make one inferior.

It’s just a big red stuff on the on a metal. And we submit to that, right? You drive around there’s some red lights and blue lights and orange lights, and we submit to that, but is that light better than me? No. Maybe that’s a funny analogy, but the point is sometimes things are as God has put it in order for us. So Peter wrote, likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct. And what I would want to teach my kids or daughters, I’d hope they they’re not in that situation, that they will first look for a young man who would love the Lord.

I would hope that they will be trained to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their husbands, as Titus Paul wrote to Titus.

5. Strong Women Like We Read About

And as I said, to be submissive in a marriage relationship doesn’t mean that one is inferior. Like Ken’s analogy, the the rake and the shovel, they all have their purpose. I would want to teach my daughters to be strong women, women like we read about in the Word of God. You know, marriage may not be something for everybody. But if they choose to, they would abide by the word of God. When we think of the women who who followed Jesus, just in our reading for a few weeks ago. I couldn’t help observing in Luke chapter 8, verses 1 to 3. It reads soon afterward, he went out through, he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.

And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Chusa, Herod’s household manager and Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their means.

She was the one who heard Paul, and in Acts chapter 16 and verse 14, it says, one who heard us was a woman named Lydia from the city of Tataro, a seller of purple, purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart and she paid attention to what was said by Paul. Women like Tabitha. The scripture tells us now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which translated Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. I think of women like Deborah and Sarah and Priscilla. When you think of Proverbs 31 and the description of that woman, that’s a strong woman, a hard working woman. I would want my daughters to be like that. Whatever they will choose to do in life, the most important thing is to be pleasing to God.

6. We Make It Our Aim to Please Him

And I’d want them to remember that, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 6 to 10. He says, So in his reference to our dwelling place, that our earthly tent is temporal. He says in verse 6, so we’re always of good courage. We know that while we’re at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, but we walk by faith and not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in his body, whether good or evil.

Conclusion

Whatever my daughters would do, there is this one thing that nothing is more important than being a relationship with God. Whatever stages in life there may be, whatever course, and I I’ve just shared a few things. I’m sure you have many more for those who just know what it’s like, those who have raised daughters, those who are in the process of doing so. But everything ties together. And whatever I’ve said goes for everyone, the most important thing is in life is to be in a relationship with God. We should make it our aim to please him. And whatever we’re in whatever area of life we’re planted, we must seek to please him. So tonight I would ask, are you in a relationship with him? Are you in a relationship with God?

He has made us male and female. If we are mothers, if we’re in a relationship, a marriage relationship. As a woman, whatever your status may be in life, there’s nothing more important than to be pleasing to God than to be in a relationship with him. And so it goes for any man, any young man who is in our audience. So the question I ask, are you in a relationship with him? If you’re not to Jesus Christ, you can be in a relationship with God. Just be obedient to what Jesus has stated. You believe that He is the Son of God? That He came to die for you? Repent of your sins. Be immersed in water for the remission of your sins. That starts that relationship. So if there’s any way that we can be of help to you this evening, if you are one who have obeyed the gospel and have not been walking in the way that he has ordained, not been pleasing to him.

You need the praise of the congregation this evening. Let us be of help to you. If we can help in any ways, please stand and sing right now as we offer that invitation.