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MOTHERS

The sweetest sounds to mortals given Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven. - William Goldsmith Brown

Gen 3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

“When Eve was brought unto Adam, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave her the most sanctified, the most glorious of appellations. He called her Eve, that is to say, the Mother of All. He did not style her wife, but simply mother, mother of all living creatures. In this consists the glory and the most precious ornament of woman.” - Martin Luther

INTRODUCTION

“Womanhood is a wonderful thing. In womankind we find the mothers of the race. There is no man so great, nor none sunk so low, but once he lay a helpless, innocent babe in a woman’s arms and was dependent on her love and care for his existence. It is woman who rocks the cradle of the world and holds the first affections of mankind. She possesses a power beyond that of a king on his throne.” – Mabel Hale, Beautiful Girlhood: A Timeless Guide for Christian Adolescence

INTRODUCTION

The fifth commandment is, “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Ex 20:12)

Your mother’s voice is the first voice you ever hear – even before you are born. Even as a newborn baby, you know your Mother and prefer her above anyone else. Cherish your mother and be sure she knows you appreciate everything she does for you. The days are short, love your mother before time is gone. If your mother has already gone on before you, take some time to recall memories of her. Share these memories with your family so that she will live on in your hearts.

CHERISH YOUR MOTHER

Lev 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and father…

There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found While journeying east and west - The only folks we really wound Are those we love the best. We flatter those we scarcely know, We please the fleeting guest, And deal full many a thoughtless blow To those who love us best. - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

CHERISH YOUR MOTHER

We have the example of Jesus, who in his dying moments shows concern for the wellbeing of his mother, asking his beloved disciple John to care for her.

John 19:25-27 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

CHERISH YOUR MOTHER

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

Gen 24:67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Mothers are missed when they are gone. So appreciate and cherish your mother while she’s still alive.

Prov 23:22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

CHERISH YOUR MOTHER

So cherish your mother while you still have her with you:

Prov 31:28-31 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

CHERISH YOUR MOTHER

CHARACTERISTICSOF GODLY MOTHERS

Let’s look at some of the characteristics of a godly mother.

A mother loves.

Mothers are the people who love us for no good reason. And those of us who are mothers know it’s the most exquisite love of all. - Maggie Gallagher

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. - Elizabeth Stone

She loves sacrificially:

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. - Tenneva Jordan

LOVE

A mother treasures and cherishes her children.

Luke 2:51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. - Chinese Proverb

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. - Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

LOVE

A mother always believes in her children.

John 2:3-5 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

LOVE

A mother has compassion.

Isa 49:15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?”

COMPASSION

A mother comforts:

Isa 66:13 “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…”

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. - Washington Irving

COMFORTS

The definition of a jersey: Something you wear when your mother is feeling cold.

A mother protects and cares (with gentleness):

1 Thess 2:7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.

PROTECTS

Solomon was faced with a dilemma when two women both claimed that the same child belonged to them.

1 King 3:24-25 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

PROTECTS

1 King 3:26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

1 King 3:27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

Solomon knew that the true mother would protect her child at all costs.

A mother provides:

Prov 31:19-27 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple… She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come... She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

PROVIDES

A mother trains:

Prov 1:8-9 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

Prov 31:26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue

Our mothers give us so many gifts. They give us the precious gift of life, of course, but they also leave treasured lessons that can guide us along our journeys even when they are no longer with us. - Maria Shriver

Life doesn’t come with a manual. It comes with a mother.

TRAINS

By the time a woman realizes that maybe her mother was right, she usually has a daughter who thinks she’s wrong.

Prov 6:20-23 My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life

King Lemuel was guided by his mother’s training:

Prov 31:31 The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him…

TRAINS

Timothy’s faith was a result of the example he saw in his mother and grandmother – he doesn’t appear to have had a believing father.

Acts 16:1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.

2 Tim 1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

It’s important to give our children a godly heritage:

Prov 14:26 Rock-solid security is found in the fear of the LORD, and within it one’s children find refuge. (International Standard Version)

Q: How long does it take for a people to forget God?

A: Just one generation

Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

TRAINS

Deut 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Psalm 78:4-7 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

TRAINS

Prov 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Train up a child in the way he should go - The Hebrew of this clause is curious: חנך לנער על פי דרכו chanoch lannaar al pi darco, “Initiate the child at the opening (the mouth) of his path.” When he comes to the opening of the way of life, being able to walk alone, and to choose; stop at this entrance, and begin a series of instructions, how he is to conduct himself in every step he takes. Show him the duties, the dangers, and the blessings of the path; give him directions how to perform the duties, how to escape the dangers, and how to secure the blessings, which all lie before him. 1

1 Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

TRAINS

חנך chanac, which we translate train up or initiate, signifies also dedicate; and is often used for the consecrating any thing, house, or person, to the service of God. Dedicate, therefore, in the first instance, your child to God; and nurse, teach, and discipline him as God’s child, whom he has entrusted to your care. These things observed, and illustrated by your own conduct, the child (you have God’s word for it) will never depart from the path of life. 1

1 Ibid

TRAINS

A mother is a role model.

Ezek 16:44 Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.”

The best way to teach your children is by providing a good example.

ROLE MODEL

A mother disciplines:

Prov 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Prov 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Some are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. - Pearl S. Buck

DISCIPLINE

A mother wants the best for her children:

Matt 20:20-21 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

WANTS THE BEST

Just as we can be physical mothers and fathers, so we can be spiritual mothers and fathers to others. This is the kind of relationship Paul held with those in the churches he had founded:

1 Cor 4:14-15 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

And he speaks of a woman who was a mother to him:

Rom 16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

SPIRITUAL MOTHERS

OUR FATHER

IN HEAVEN

We love and cherish our mothers and fathers on earth, but the Bible teaches us that we have a Father in heaven.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray and call God, “Our Father in heaven” (Matt 6:9).

2 Cor 6:18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

GOD IS OUR FATHER

God loves us:

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isa 49:15-16)

Prov 27:10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

God loves sacrificially:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

LOVE

God has compassion on us:

Psalm 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

In the parable of the one lost sheep Jesus said:

Matt 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

COMPASSION

God also encourages and comforts us:

Isa 66:13 “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…”

2 Thess 2:16-17 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

COMFORTS

God protects:

Ps 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Matt 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…”

PROTECTS

God provides:

Matt 6:25-30 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?... And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin… If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

PROVIDES

Our heavenly Father has given us an inheritance and made us his heirs:

Matt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Rom 8:16-17 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

PROVIDES

Gal 4:6-7 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Col 1:2 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Eph 1:17-18 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints

PROVIDES

Jesus taught that our heavenly Father rewards us:

Matt 6:4 “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

He also gives us spiritual gifts:

Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Acts 1:4-5 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with a water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

PROVIDES

God trains:

Matt 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”

We are taught though the Holy Spirit:

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

TRAINS

God is our role model:

Eph 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children...

Jesus tells us to imitate our Father in heaven:

Matt 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

ROLE MODEL

God disciplines His children

Prov 3:12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Heb 12:7-8 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

DISCIPLINES

God also wants the best for his children:

John 10:10 … I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jer 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

1 Tim 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

WANTS THE BEST

As we are commanded to honour our earthly fathers and mothers , Jesus taught us to honour our Father in heaven:

Matt 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...’”

IS TO BE CHERISHED

CONCLUSION

A mother forgives.

This is an anecdote related by D.L. Moody:

The saddest memory of these days of childhood relates to the running away from home of his eldest brother. He has described the incident pathetically in the sermon on the Prodigal Son. “I well remember the long winter nights when we all sat around the fire, how mother would go on telling us about father and his goodness - she was never tired of talking about him. But if any of us mentioned our eldest brother, all would be hushed in a moment. She never could speak of him without tears. She said it would have eased her heart even to know he was dead.” 1

1 " wholesomewords.org/ biography/ biomoody.html">www.wholesomewords.org/ biography/ biomoody.html

FORGIVENESS

“‘I don’t know,’ she would say, ‘but he is lying sick in some foreign land, with nobody to watch over him.’ I do believe she would have gone all round the world to find him. Some nights I used to hear that mother’s voice praying for that boy. Ah! how she used to pour out her heart in prayer to God for her wandering son; and when on winter nights a great gale would come sweeping and howling along, she would turn pale, and in a voice choked with sobs would say, ‘Perhaps my boy is at sea with the gale blowing, and in danger of going down!’ Well, on one particular day there was always a family gathering to thank God for the harvest, and on this occasion she always put a chair for him, but the chair was always empty.” 1

1 Ibid

FORGIVENESS

“Many and many a time have I gone to the window in the hope that I should see him coming up the garden-walk to cheer our mother’s heart, but all was in vain - he didn’t come. And so time rolled on. The step that once was so firm became feeble, and the hair that was black as night became silvery grey. How she loved that boy! But amid all this disappointment she held fast to the hope that she would yet see him come back before she died.

One day, as she sat in her cottage, her twin children with her (for the rest of us had gone away into the world, one in one direction and another in another, to fight the battle of life), she saw a stranger coming through the gate.” 1

1 Ibid

FORGIVENESS

“At first she did not recognize that boy, with his long beard and altered face. But when she saw the tears straggling down his cheeks, the truth flashed on her in an instant, and she sprang to him with the words, ‘Come in! come in!’ ‘No, mother,’ he said, ‘I will not until you forgive - never!’ Do you believe she forgave him?

Forgave him! She threw her arms round him and kissed him - the dead was alive, the lost was found! I cannot tell you the joy that welled up in my heart when I heard the news that my poor, long-lost brother had come home again. But this I know. The tears were wiped away from that mother’s eyes, and the sunshine of happiness was in her heart again.” 1

1 Ibid

FORGIVENESS

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, we see the compassion and forgiveness of our heavenly Father, who was waiting for his son to return.

Luke 15:20 “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

FORGIVENESS

God wants to be your Father and to forgive you.

Luke 15:21-24 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

CONCLUSION

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the NIV:

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB:

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. ( Lockman.org)