Great Women and Men
“A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.”
Proverbs 11:16
Introduction:
- This morning’s sermon, being very spiritual and Christ-oriented (Rev 3:20), is more important than this one.
- But you cannot keep all His commandments and open your door fully to Christ without obeying wisdom here.
- And you cannot totally fulfill the proverb before us without Christ’s grace and strength from this morning.
- Of all the proverbs, this must be one of the best for brevity and conciseness in teaching two rules of wisdom.
- When you find a clear and concise statement of Scripture, like I Timothy 6:6, you want to milk it for truth.
- Do not be a hearer of the word and not a doer: you must assess yourself in God’s mirror tonight (Jas 1:21-25).
- This individual proverb of Solomon is very hard in its judgment of women and men, but we can learn from it.
- There is more wisdom in the word of God than in all the books, classes, and degree programs of all men.
- Let us plumb these ten simple words for a broad lesson of greatness for both women and men (Psalm 119:96).
- Every word of God is pure, and the wise in heart will rejoice at the great wisdom in these ten precious words.
Great Women are Gracious
- Gracious women are always honored, for they conduct themselves in such a way to retain respect.
- Honor means being regarded very highly and treated accordingly, which gracious women keep.
- This measure of a woman’s character is strict, in that you know your virtue by esteem of others.
- A woman with friends must be a friendly woman (18:24); a woman without must not be friendly.
- A woman that is avoided or despised is the vile, odious woman of Agur’s nightmares (30:21-23).
- A good name, which graciousness secures, is a choice by a woman to be gracious always (22:1).
- A gracious woman will not allow a little folly in any direction to spoil her aroma (Eccl 10:1).
- Children and husband will honor a gracious woman, which introduces a woman’s roles (31:28).
- A truly gracious woman is a child of grace, who bears the full fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).
- Such a woman has a foundation of absolute and unwavering fear of the Lord (31:30; 1:7; 9:10).
- A single member of the female sex can always be loved and respected by her great graciousness.
- If any girl or woman wants to know what single trait to learn and apply, it is surely graciousness.
- It is a gracious woman that is always appreciated, but how does she actually live graciousness.
- She is a virtuous wife: she always seeks to please and serve him well (Prov 31:10-12,29; I Cor 7:34).
- She is a diligent homemaker: the chief trait of the virtuous woman is very hard working (31:13-27).
- She is a kind woman: she speaks kindly and never contends (21:9,19; 22:11; 25:24; 27:15; 31:26).
- She is a tender mother: her children are only beloved, not criticized or nagged (4:3; Titus 2:4).
- She is a loving woman: she knows and practices all fifteen aspects of godly charity (I Cor 13:4-7).
- She is meek and quiet: her role is subjection and her beauty a very submissive heart (I Pet 3:1-4).
- She is a reverent wife: no one ever hears her belittling or blaming her husband (Eph 5:33; I Pet 3:6).
- She is an obedient wife: she trusts submission and obeys him as to the Lord (Eph 5:22-24; Titus 2:5).
- She is an erotic wife: she rejects bitterness, selfishness, or boredom to defraud her man (I Cor 7:1-5).
- She is a cheerful woman: happy as woman, wife, and mother: she is sunshine in the home (15:13).
Great Men are Strong
- Strength of character and wisdom of soul are shown very clearly in a man’s financial dealings.
- There are many things that want to take money away, but strong men can resist and defeat them.
- This measure of a man’s character is strict, in that you cannot hide long behind words or show.
- The Lord taught His apostles the rules of being faithful in that which is least (Luke 16:10-12).
- When we analyze financial success, we quickly find a number of wonderful rules for men.
- But what is it that makes a man strong? The fear of the Lord is the foundation (Ps 12:1; 112:1-5).
- The true strength and wisdom of character comes from the grace of Christ Jesus (Phil 4:13).
- A mighty man of valor will seek to be strong in these ten aspects that apply to his whole life.
- How is it that strong men retain riches? What do they do so differently from weak men?
- He is a diligent worker: he must earn the riches first, before he can retain them (10:4; 13:4; 22:29).
- He is a wise worker: he must not waste his diligent zeal in any fruitless pursuits (14:4; Eccl 10:10).
- He is a liberal giver: he knows God must be paid first, Who blesses the generous (3:9-10; 11:24-25).
- He has temperance to save: he can discipline himself to put current cash flow away (6:6-8; 30:25).
- He has self-denial for spending: he values each dollar and will not waste even one (21:17,20; 12:27).
- He has patience: he can wait for his labor and investments to eventually reward him (27:18; 28:19).
- He is skeptical of everything: suckers are born every minute, so he proves all things (12:11; 14:15).
- He is prudent about risk: he avoids danger, unnecessary debt, and contingent liabilities (6:1-5; 22:3).
- He is righteous always: he obeys God, man’s ordinances, and perfect business ethics (11:1; 16:14).
- He is charitable to others: he keeps clients and employees happy (29:21; Job 31:13-15; I Cor 13:4-7).
Conclusion:
- Today we heard about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and putting that into wise, practical effect.
- It is our highest duty and privilege to perfect ourselves by God’s Word for Christ’s glory and others’ profit.
- Open the door for the Lord of glory to come in for fellowship, and then use His strength to live Christ-like!
For further study:
- Sermon Outline: “Graciousness,” which defines the subject and deals with it very practically from various aspects.
- Proverb Commentary, “Proverbs 11:16”, which provides helpful paragraph interpretation and explanation of the text.
- Sermon Outline: “David’s Mighty Men,” for provoking men to be the mighty men of valor Christ called them to be.
- Sermon Outline: “Perfect Marriages,” which provides a basic review and study of men and women in marriage.
- Sermon Outline: “Bible Economics,” which exhaustively reveals God’s ten rules for financial success in life (see also).
- Sermon Outline: “Marriage Essentials,” for further review of being great men and women in your marriage.