I'll come now to the exposition of God's holy word and congregation. Let me ask you please to take your Bibles out at this time. And we want to turn in the word of God to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, as we continue in our exposition, going through the book of Ephesians. And we find our place here in this very practical part of Ephesians. The second half is very applicatory and applicational in terms of its practical principles. And Paul, of course, is taking up, beginning in verse 22, the various duties related to the home. So he addresses a word to wives, then a word to husbands, then a word to parents and children, and then finally in chapter 6 verses 5 through 9, a word to masters and slaves. And so this word of God for his people. So we want to consider today again looking in this first section as we are presently considering this word Paul gives under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit related to the duties of wives. So look with me, please. Ephesians 5, verse 22 through 24. This is what Paul writes concerning wives. Verse 22. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Let's now join together before the Lord in prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we bow before you as again we open your holy word. And Father, as we come to your word, we confess that your word is all-sufficient, inerrant, infallible, and it is authoritative on all subjects. And therefore, Father, we come to your word with a spirit of teachableness and humbleness, recognizing that our duty is to place ourselves under its regulative authority over us. Father, we recognize that hearing, heeding, and believing, and obeying your word is that which pleases you. And we love you and we want to please you And your pleasure in us is found when you have people who readily submit and obey what you have said. Indeed, to obey is better than sacrifice. And Father, we desire that that be true of us. Lord, it is our prayer that if there are those here today who do not know Christ, that you would open their eyes to see and ears to hear. Those who may be repelled by the teaching of Holy Scripture, we recognize that that is normal in the natural man. And so, Father, we pray that you would give them new life, a new heart, whereby rather than being repelled, They are reverent and receptive to what you say. Father, add to your church, extend your kingdom, and may in all things you receive all the honor, praise, and all the glory. We pray all of this in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And for His sake we pray, amen. As we continue in our exposition here, we are looking here at the subject related to the duties of wives, and we have noted that in verses 22-24, The Lord God of heaven calls wives to submit to their husbands. This is their responsibility. Submission involves the wife placing herself under the authority of her husband, and that submission is to be as to the Lord in everything, and we have looked at that over the last few weeks, and we, of course, have already given an exposition of these three verses. We then have sought to amplify this idea of the duties of wives related to Holy Scripture. And we are following the traditional teaching of the Puritans, of Dr. Joel Beeke and his handling of the subject of the family. We, of course, are looking at those teachings found in people like William Gouge of Domestical Duties, that great Puritan, and many others that we could list. And we are from that seeking to understand what is the essence and what is involved in this idea of submission. But we have said that there are four basic elements which the reformed tradition has identified as a part of this wives submitting to their husbands. It is the idea of them reverencing, obeying, assisting, and having a modesty for their husbands. Now, we already have looked at the first two of that list of four. We said, first of all, that there is in the duty of wives to submit the responsibility of the wife reverencing her husband. You say, Pastor, where do you get that? Well, notice in verse 33 of Ephesians chapter 5, the very last words of verse 33, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. And the word, therefore, respect is that the root word is phobiae, which is where we get our word phobia. It's the idea not just of respect, but it is that idea, the root word means fear. It's the idea of a reverence unto her husband. So we said that what is this reverencing that the wife is to have for her husband? It is having a deep, heartfelt respect for him. It is acknowledging the God-ordained headship of her husband over her and over the family. It is showing respectful conduct and communication. That is, everything about what she does and what she says, it is indicative of that reverence and respect she has for her husband. When she is speaking in his presence, there is an element of reverence and respect as to how she speaks to him. When she is in his absence, there is this respectful way in which she refers to him. And that, of course, is basic in our understanding of this duty of respect. Secondly, we said not only is submission the responsibility of reverencing her husband, but the responsibility of obeying. And this, of course, is found in many places in Scripture. Titus 2, verse 5. We find it also in 1 Peter 3, where it speaks of Sarah obeying her husband Abraham. 1 Peter 3 and verse 6. And this is what we looked at last week in our exposition. We said, what are the essential elements of a wife's obedience? Well, simply stated, she is to abstain from doing what he forbids and she is to do what he requires. That's pretty straightforward. That's what obedience looks like. We said, what are the manifestations of disobedience? Well, again, just like the idea of reverence, it is seen in her words and in her deeds. We said, what is the extent of disobedience? And we looked here in Ephesians 5 verse 24, and you'll notice there the very last two words of verse 24, she is to obey in everything, in all things lawful, she is to obey. What is the manner of disobedience, verse 5, chapter 5, verse 22? Well, it is, at the very end of verse 22, as to the Lord. Just as we obey the Lord, Wives are to obey their husbands. We obey the Lord immediately, we obey the Lord completely, and we obey the Lord cheerfully. It has to do not only with actions, but with our attitudes. This is the duty of wives in their obedience to their husbands. And then we said finally in our exposition, what is the true test or the evidence if she's really an obedient wife? We said, well, it is often manifested ultimately in her reception and submission to his counsel, his correction, and his reproof. The husband is, as is Christ, as head over the church, the husband is head of the family, and he is prophet, priest, and king. And with that office of profit, and we'll look at this in subsequent studies, is that teaching capacity, which involves correcting, encouraging, admonishing, and reproving. And the test of her obedience is not found when she agrees with her husband. It is found when she is corrected by her husband. That's really, as we said last week, that's where the rubber hits the road in terms of her obedience. Now, today we want to consider the third of these elements related to the submission of the wife. She has the responsibility not only of reverencing her husband and obeying her husband, but number three, she has the responsibility of assisting her husband. And let me ask you please to turn in your Bibles back to Genesis chapter 2. Of course, we have read from these verses in previous studies and will continue to do so because these are some of those pivotal passages related to the revealed will of God as it relates to the home and to husbands and wives. But this idea of the wife in her submission, that submission is manifested, it is seen in the fact that she assists her husband. Look with me, please. Genesis 2, and I'm gonna take up reading in verse 18. Again, the very familiar words related to the creation of woman. It says in verse 18, it says, and the Lord said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field, But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman and brought her to the man and Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife and they shall become one body. Here, this very familiar record of the creation of woman. So, in verse 21, I want you to notice the creation of woman explicitly, we are told, is that God took one of man's ribs. And it was from one of his ribs out of his side, he created the woman. It was not from man's head in order that she would rule over him. And it was not from man's feet to be trampled under by him, but it was from man's side so that she might come alongside him as a helper to him. This is the imagery that is found. That the woman was created from man implies headship and submission. That the woman was created from man's side implies this idea of being an assistant, a helpmate. Indeed, the side is an imagery here of protection. under the safety of his arm. It is a picture of affection. She is close to his heart. And this imagery speaks again of that relationship that God has ordained and that purpose that God has given in that relationship. But what I want you to notice here as we think about this duty of assisting the husband is the mission of the woman is clearly delineated. This is her purpose. This is her mission. And what is that? We'll look again at verse 18. The Lord said, it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him. She was created for him. She was created to be a helper for him. him, to assist him. The phrase there, a helper comparable to him, or a helpmeet, is the idea of a helper who is meet. That's the literal meaning of the Hebrew. She is to be, therefore, appropriate. She is suitable. She is comparable to him. This again is stated again, notice at the very end of verse 20, so that there is no confusion about her purpose of creation. She was created, verse 20, look at the last sentence, but for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. All of the created beings, animals of the earth. And so therefore, in this need that Adam had, that is a helper comparable to him, there was found only that satisfaction. in the creation of the woman, and this we find in this record. She is a helper comparable to him. She compliments and corresponds to the man. She is suitable to his nature. She is suitable to his need. She is similar to the man, but she is not the same as the man. I have to say that today because, congregation, we realize the confusion in our world in which we live, where we live in a world where people cannot even say, well, what is a man? What is a woman? You may recall there was a Supreme Court justice nominee that came before the Senate for confirmation, and she was asked, well, What is a man? What is a woman? She said, I'm not qualified to be able to answer that question. How did we get to this point? This is unbelievable. It is ludicrous on its face. The woman was created. She is not the same, but yes, she is similar. She compliments, she corresponds, she is comparable to him, and yet she is not a carbon copy of him. This is the purpose for the woman from the very beginning at creation. This tells us that the very purpose of a woman is that she is to get married. Congregation, that might sound to be one of those kind of a take it or leave it things in our day. I read a recent statistic that said by 2030, almost 50% of women age 20 to 45 will be unmarried, single, never having been married, and childless. Almost 50% by 2030. Now, you compare that to just a few decades ago when the rate of women being married and having children would have been somewhere around 80 or 90 percent. And we have a real problem today. And this, of course, is what the feminist movement has been brainwashing our people with. You don't need to get married. That's just going to hold you back. You don't need to have children. That's going to get in the way of your career. You don't need. And yet here we see that the very purpose that the woman was created for was to be a helper to the man. You can't be a helper to the man unless you're married to the man and bearing children to the man. This is how far our godless culture, sadly, has deteriorated to. What does it mean for the wife to be a helper comparable to the man? Well, it means that the wife's priority and her primary mission in life is her husband. Now let me just say that again because it's very emphatic. The wife's priority and primary mission in life, I did not say includes the husband. I said is her husband. She has been created as a helper to him. She is defined that he is her priority, even above the children. Yes, parents are to be committed to their children. They are to love their children and nurture their children in the ways of the Lord. But the wife's primary responsibility is not to her children, amen? It's to her husband. That's her first mission and ministry. And, of course, the children are involved in that as it relates to that responsibility to her husband. She is to be his helper. She is to be his assistant. Now, this is, of course, an outrageous affront, again, to our culture today. Women trying to juggle careers and kids and homes and husbands. If they even choose to get married in our day, which sadly marriage is becoming a thing that is almost passe in our culture. Women speaking of independence and liberation. They're getting liberated from men and from marriage. They say, well, I don't want to have my identity blurred with his. I'm my own person. I have my own priorities. I have my own desires and my own goals. Women, wives, your creation was to be an assistant and helper to your husband. He is your primary ministry and mission in life. Your fulfillment and satisfaction is not found outside of him. It is found in that fulfillment of being a helper to him. Now, this seems very basic, but congregation, do you realize how counter-cultural this is in our day today? How very often these kind of notions seem bizarre, and it's like, oh, you want to go back to the 17th century, pastor. Well, no, I want to go all the way back to the days of the Bible. I want to go all the way back to what God has revealed in His inerrant, infallible, and never-changing Word. which is as relevant today as it was in the day in which it was given. It does not need any addendums. It doesn't need any modifications. It doesn't need any redactions. It doesn't need any updateings. because it is relevant for our day just as it was then. This aspect of the wife's submission, therefore, is that she is to see her husband as her priority and her primary mission, and that helpfulness and assistance is not something added to her goals, It is the fulfillment of her purpose in life. Listen to what Thomas Watson, the great Puritan, said. He said, quote, the woman is not man's guide, but his help. his helper and partner in the cares of the family. She is to be a help, not a hindrance, not the governor, for that right is in the man, but a help in government to ease him in part of his burden and cares, a help in every way." End of quote. This, of course, was the opinion of the Puritans because it is the teaching of the Bible. Because this is what the Bible declares the will of God is. Women are to find their satisfaction, their fulfillment, their ultimate sense of realization. If you want to use that kind of language, she is to find that, not in things in addition to her husband, but in that ministry to her husband. Women were created by God to be man's helper and assistant. The husband is the head, 1 Corinthians 11, 3. The image and glory of God, 1 Corinthians 11, verse 7. And the wife is the helper. First Corinthians 11, verses 8 and 9, we've read these verses before, she was created after man, she was created from man, and she was created for man, she is a helper to And this is what we find in Genesis 2, and this of course is what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 11. Now, when we think about this idea of being a helper to the husband, That basically says this is her goal, her priority, her mission, her ministry. This is her, put it in these terms, this is her career, is to be a helper to her husband. So she would never take on anything outside the home that would be a detriment or that would somehow be an impediment to being a helper in the home and to be a helper to her husband. Anything that would keep her from that primary responsibility is therefore contrary to the will of God for her life. It is not career first and husband if you get around to it. but it is husband first and find my fulfillment in him. And then if there may be things outside the home that could come alongside that and be a help in that. Well, then that is permissible, of course. So, I want to consider today, practically, some of those things whereby a wife can be a helper to her husband. And what I'd like to do is just share with you a list of things, and there's about 14 or 15 things that are listed. We may not finish them today. But a list of things, and you can actually find this list if you care to check out the book. It is in Wayne Mack's excellent book, Strengthening Your Marriage. Now, I recommended this book at the beginning of our series on the family. And I would highly recommend it. In fact, it would be a great book to add to your personal library because it has so much in terms of its practical teaching. So I want you to turn with me over in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 18. Proverbs chapter 18. I want to read verse 22. Proverbs 18 and verse 22, you have this statement here. He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. What are some of those good things related to the wife being a helper? I'm just going to make a list and I'm basically going to read these and we're going to look at some verses. I'm going to have very little comment on each of these. I'm just going to quickly work through this list. But Dr. Wayne Mack begins, he says, number one, a wife can be a helper to her husband by making the home a safe place. By making the home a safe place. He says a place of encouragement, of comfort, of understanding and refuge. The wife can do much to create the climate of the home. What kind of climate, wives, are you creating in your home? Are you creating a climate of chaos? Or are you creating a climate of a safe place, an encouraging place, a place of comfort and understanding, a refuge for your family? Dr. Mack says this, quote, avoid the danger of allowing the home to be in shambles and full of disorder and confusion, but also avoid the danger of making the house a showplace where everything must always be neat and immaculate. Husbands want homes to live in, not showplaces to visit. That's very practical advice. You have a great influence on the climate of your home. Is it a safe place? It is a place of comfort, a refuge. Or is it where your husband wants to get out of the house because there's chaos in the house? Well, there's a very big difference there in terms of a house being a home which is a safe place. Number two, The wife can be a helper to her husband, not only by making the home a safe place, but by being trustworthy and dependable for her husband. Turn with me in your Bibles over to Proverbs 31. Now, actually, when Joel Beakey deals with this subject of being an assistant, a helper, he points to Proverbs 31 for obvious reasons. Because Proverbs 31 is really the embodiment of this reality. A wife who is a helper to her husband. Proverbs 31 verses 10 through 31 is not some sort of a platform for women to be independent and to have a career outside the home. The context of all of this is in the context of her wifely duties of being a helper in the home to her husband. but it shows how engaged she is with the various activities of life. And we read in verses 11 and 12 this idea of being trustworthy, this idea of being dependable. Verse 11, the heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. So again, we ask our wives here, and this is a question only you can ask for yourself, does your, verse 11, does your husband Have this sense of being trustworthy? The heart of her husband safely trusts in her. He will have no lack of gain. Is this true? Are you dependable? Are you trustworthy? Are you able to do those things that help your husband so that this comes without even asking? It's just kind of second nature because you are dependable in this regard. This is what I believe Wayne Mack is getting to when he gives this list. Number three, not only is she to help her husband by making the home a place that is safe, a place of encouragement and comfort, and being trustworthy and dependable, but please turn with me in the New Testament over to Philippians chapter four. Philippians chapter four. Philippians 4 and verse 4, many of us could quote this verse, but it's sometimes good that we not only receive this through the ear gate, but also the eye gate. And we see in Philippians 4 and verse 4, Paul says this, he says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. So number three on our list here is that a wife can be a helper to her husband by maintaining a good attitude. By maintaining a good attitude. Here the idea is that of rejoicing in the Lord. Now all of us have encountered people that it's like they are never rejoicing in the Lord. They're always willing to get you aside in a corner and gripe about their boss at work or speak about people in a negative way and all the problems that they have. That's evil. That's wickedness. And the wife can have a spirit that rather than brings joy to the climate of the home, is actually undermining joy in the home. Wives, you have an attitude that can either bring rejoicing and a climate of encouragement, or you can have the opposite impact in your home. Is your attitude positive? Is it joyful? Is it believing? Is it trusting in the Lord? Is it manifesting that you know God is on His throne in every situation and that He is going to do all things right? That's communicated by your attitude, isn't it, if you believe that? On the other hand, not having a good attitude is seen where everything is a crisis and everything is a meltdown and everything is like, oh no, I'm going to come home and what kind of meltdown or crisis or disaster am I going to walk into? Well, that's the opposite of having a good attitude in the home. is a help. How do you help your husband? You help your husband by having a good attitude in the home, in the family, and in your relationship to him. Number four, Wayne Mack says, another way that a wife can help her husband is discussing things with him and doing so lovingly openly and honestly. Now we've already talked about the idea of respect and reverence and how when a wife speaks to her husband, she is to do that with that due respect, recognizing that he is her head. We've already spoken of this. And so when you discuss things, is it with a loving tone? Is it openly and honestly but respectfully? Well, Wayne Mack says this is how you can help your husband. Sometimes husbands are encountering situations where rather than having discussions, it may be openly and honestly, but it may not be communication that is loving communication. And so it becomes, it's almost an exasperation. Well, I don't even want to broach the subject because we're going to fall into that pit again. And it's going to be just kind of running in a circle of debate and of Terrible, terrible dishonor. So, wives, you are to discuss things lovingly, openly, and honestly. That's how you're a help to your husband. Number five. Again, Wayne Mack in his list, he says, you can help your husband by being satisfied with your position, your possessions, and your tasks. Turn with me in your Bibles, you're there in Philippians, turn with me over to 2nd, or 1st Timothy, rather, 1st Timothy, chapter six. 1st Timothy, chapter six, verses six through eight. This idea of being satisfied, or you could use another word than what Wayne Mack uses, it's the word content, content. Paul says, now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will carry nothing out of it. And having food and clothing With these we shall be content. Notice how verse six, he begins with the idea of be content and then he ends in verse eight. If you have food, if you have clothing, be content. This idea of being content is that you as a wife, and obviously these words are for all believers, but this, according to Wayne Mack, is how you can be a help to your husband. Be content. Have a spirit of contentment. You are to be content with your position, with your possessions, with your tasks that God has called you to perform. So are you content, wives, with what you have and where you are and what God has placed before you providentially? Do you have a spirit of always longing for something else, always wanting something more, never satisfied with what God has provided? Well, if we just had this, if we just did that, rather than saying, God is good. God is provided. I am content with what God has given. A spirit of contentment in a wife can be a wonderful help to the husband. And of course, you can see how the opposite can do just the opposite. Rather than being an assistant or a help, it becomes a difficulty for the husband in his task. Number six, making this list, we find here that a wife can be helpful to her husband by being long-suffering, forgiving, and forbearing. Being long-suffering, forgiving, and forbearing. Turn with me, if you will, over in Ephesians, Ephesians chapter four. Just a couple of verses. I know that we were in the book, chapter four of Ephesians, but that's probably been, I don't know, two years ago when we were in chapter four. It's been a while back. So notice, if you will, in chapter four, verse one and two, these words. Paul writes, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love. Notice verse 31 and 32, let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. So Wayne Mack makes this point a point of how a wife can be a help to her husband, be long-suffering, be forgiving, be forbearing with your husband. Number seven, you can be a help to your husband by showing an interest in his problems and concerns. Now, this should come naturally because you're a helper to him. You find your ministry and your life fulfilled in him, and so it should not be a stretch that this is so. You find your interests in him, his problems, his concerns. Turn with me to Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4. Philippians 2 verses 3 and 4, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Verse four, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. This is to be how you help your husband, by having a desire to put your husband first, to be concerned about his problems, his concerns. He is your primary ministry. Number eight, you can help your husband by being industrious, frugal, diligent, ambitious, and a creative member of the family. Turn with me over, if you will, to Psalm 128. Back to the Old Testament. Psalm 128, and look at verse three. And of course, you could also, as a reference here, Proverbs 31, which would certainly fit in this context. Psalm 128 and verse 3, your wife shall be like a fruitful vine. In the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Here in verse 3, we see the wife. How is the wife likened? Well, the wife is like a fruitful vine. This speaks of industry. It speaks of contributing in the family. It is this idea that she's pulling in the same direction. That's a part of obedience and submission. She is committed to the same goals, the same outcomes that her head, her husband, has laid out for the family. She is diligent and ambitious and yes, even creative in seeking to fulfill these realities. She gives herself to this as her primary ministry. She is frugal with the finances. She doesn't go on spending sprees and spend things without the acknowledgement and approval of her husband. So we ask our wives, is this true of you as you are a part of the family? Do you spend money without your husband's approval on things that he says don't do? Well, that of course is rebellion in your home. And it is undermining that calling to be a help and an assistant to your family and your husband. We have just a few listed here. I want to just kind of work through these. We're not going to look at all of the verses. I think you get the idea. But number nine, going through the list, How can a wife be a help to her husband? By offering suggestions, advice, and corrections when needed in a loving fashion. In a loving fashion. Yes, there are those times when a wife needs to correct her husband. He may be in the wrong. There may be an area that he's just blowing it and she needs to lovingly, respectfully speak to him about it. But she is to do so with, according to Wayne Mack, a loving, he says, a loving fashion, speaking with respect. The verse that he gave, we won't turn there, but it's Proverbs 31 and verse 26. Number 10, you can help your husband by keeping yourself beautiful, especially in the inner person. 1 Peter 3 verses 3 through 5. How many women are so consumed with how they look on the outside? They want to look in a certain way and they spare no expense so that they look great on the outside. But as Wayne Mack says, you need to be concerned about how you are on the inside. Amen? You need to be concerned about your spirituality. Are you growing in Christ? How much of your concern, if you just were to put it on scales, is on how good you look versus on how godly you're growing. That's something that you need to be concerned about. If your focus is on your inner beauty, your inner person, you'll be a great help to your husband. Number 11, another way that you can be helpful is by maintaining a good spiritual life. This kind of goes with number 10. And the quote here, the scripture is 1 Peter 3 verses 1 and 2. Are you growing in godliness? Are you growing in holiness? Is your interaction and your implementation of the Word of God in your life growing and advancing? Quite simply put, are you growing in godliness or are you growing in worldliness? That needs to be what you are concerned with. You can be a help to your husband by growing in godliness. Number 12, you can be a help to your husband by cooperating with him in raising the children. 1 Timothy 5 verses 13 and 14, following his plan, making sure it's carried out, having a consistency. And we'll deal with all of those issues later when we get to parenting in a few weeks or months, but that is critical. You're on the same page with your husband. There's not even the sliver of daylight between you and your husband. And my friend, if that is true, your children are experts at finding where that division is and playing on that little thread where you're not on the same page. You better be on the same page, amen? Raising your children and following the lead of your husband. Number 13, Wayne Mack says, you can help your husband by building loyalty to him in the children. How do you assist your husband? How do you help your husband? You're to be conscientiously building loyalty in your children to your husband. Wayne Mack says, quote, the wife's attitudes towards the husband are quickly picked up by the children. A lack of respect or confidence in his leadership, complaints about what he has or has not done will be debilitating as an influence on the children. She must avoid taking sides with the children or anyone against her husband. She must support and cooperate with him in discipline. All differences of opinion about discipline should be settled right away and done so away from the children. We already kind of spoke about that in the other point. Number 14, Wayne Mac says, you can be a help to your husband by being grateful to him. Being grateful to him. Appreciation should be expressed freely and in a variety of ways. We are to give thanks always. Number 15, and finally on this list of Wayne Mack, he says, you can be a help to your husband by showing confidence in his decisions. You're to not be undermining his decisions, you're to be doing the opposite of that. You are to be building confidence in the decisions of your husband. Wayne Mack continues and he says, quote, Disdain, lack of confidence, anxiety, or strong opposition over his decisions may cause him to be indecisive, defensive, or reactionary. If the white wife doubts the wisdom of important decisions, she should ask questions in a non-threatening way, assuming that there are some facts that she does not know. and that he really does want what is best for the both of them. And so this is just a simple list. It's a list of 15 things. I mean, you could come up with a list of 35 things, but these are some basic things. When you say, well, pastor, what does it mean to be a helper to my husband? Well, here's a list of 15. Start with these and then get back with me if you need more. Because this is a good start. Do all these things and it will revolutionize your marriage, your family, and the very climate of your home. Let me conclude with the words of Joel Beakey on this part. And he writes, he says, a wife is therefore to help her husband in everything. With regard to his soul, she is to help him cultivate his graces and lovingly urge him to his duties before the Lord, especially those duties incumbent on him as the spiritual leader in the home. Indeed, her own godly conduct as well as her meek and quiet spirit may well serve to both bring him to Christ and provoke him to grow in godliness. than the references there are given, 1 Peter 3, 1 Corinthians 7. Secondly, with regard to his body, she is to cherish it and tenderly care for it both in sickness and in health. That sounds like the vows whenever a wedding ceremony is given. She should cherish her husband as the greater part of herself. since she was made by God to be his helpmate. Out of the love she has for him, she should tend to the needs of his body as well as she tends to her own. With regard to his name and reputation, she is to endeavor to protect and preserve it from slander by speaking well of him both at home and abroad. With regard to his estate, if she does not add to it by her own work, that is working out of the home, yet she is to strive before the Lord to be a faithful manager of all that he provides for her and the family. What a comfort it is to the husband to have a helpful wife. Surely he who, quote, findeth such a wife findeth a good thing, and attaineth favor of the Lord." Congregation, as we think about this, this is a word for all of us. Maybe it is that you are a wife, and so this has direct relevance to you. You're called, and you're duty, and you will one day answer before God as it relates to how good you are a helper to your husband. But this is also a word to husbands because husbands are to have that purpose of teaching and admonishing in the home. And so this helps you as you seek to lovingly guide your home in a godly way. This is good for grandparents and for church members in general. as you seek to encourage these realities as the priorities that ought to be encouraged. You say, Pastor, I'm not married, or I don't have a wife, or whatever. Or, you know, my wife is gone. Well, you can still be an encouragement in these lines. Whenever you encounter wives and you enter into conversations, you can try to encourage them with a word that might help them get back on the right track if they somehow have fallen off the track they ought to be on. Congregation, the Word of God is appropriate and it is applicable for all of God's people. Amen? And we are thankful for our wives, and we are thankful that they are indeed so many here in this place. They are helpers, and they are assistants to their husbands. They see that as their ministry. They don't see that as simply one thing they do, but then they go to these other things they're doing, and there's kind of an equal balance of things. No, they recognize that they have an accountability, a duty, a calling by God that they would submit to their husbands by reverencing their husbands, by obeying their husbands, and by truly being a help to their husbands, to the glory of God. Let's all bow together before the Lord. Our Heavenly Father, as we bow before you today, we do so thankful for your precious word. We are thankful, Lord, that even in a world of lies, in a culture that is Christless and corrupt, you have not left us without your will and your word. You have given us clear direction. And you have called us to embrace it and do so faithfully and emphatically. And yes, sadly, courageously in this wicked generation. I pray God that you would bless our families, our husbands and wives with this spirit and this desire to follow your word, to seek to be salt and light by the very way in which they obey your word in their marriage. And through that, may sinners see the transforming power of the gospel. and how it is that, yes, Christians are different because they've been made different by your glorious grace. Father, I pray that you would draw sinners to yourself, and may you receive all the honor and all the glory. And we pray this all in Christ's holy name. Amen. Amen. Let's all stand together now as we prepare for our benediction. Again, with the words of Holy Scripture, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. And all of God's people said, amen, amen.