MOTHER’S DAY EXHORTATION
Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
1. GOD HONORS MOTHERS
In most places, when God speaks relating to parents in the Bible, we usually hear about the father first. However, God speaking to the Jews, giving the laws to Moses (Leviticus is a book of laws), here says:
Leviticus 19:1-3
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
So often when we read similar texts, the father is named first. But, in this case perhaps the Lord placed the mother first to show her importance to the family unit. Clearly, from this passage, in putting the mother first, the Lord shows that mothers are important too.
God is speaking to the Israelites—His people, telling them:
1. Be holy
2. Fear your mother (and father)
3. Keep my Sabbaths (holy days)
Notice that “Fear your mother …” is sandwiched between “holiness” and “keeping Sabbaths.” What does this mean? This suggests that God takes respect for your mother (parents) seriously and it is related to practical religion. How so, you may ask? Because our parents are our first earthly image of God. Therefore, both parents and children have responsibility to submit to God’s ordained plan.
Notice too that in the Ten Commandments, honoring your parents is listed fifth in order immediately after the commands relating to God. What does this tell us? If nothing else, it tells us that if we are going to worship God, we need to honor our first earthly authority. God takes parents seriously, and since today is Mother’s Day, we’re going to focus on mothers.
As a matter of fact caring for family members is connected to the New Testament:
1 Timothy 5:8
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
In this case, the concern was for widows (often aged mothers). Caring for family members is considered of such importance, that God equates one who fails to do so as one who is not of the faith (not Christian). Why is that? Could it be because taking care of your parents has something to do with how you respond to someone who has loved you throughout your life? Could it be that it has something to do with what is right?
Let’s talk more about mothers this morning...
Sometimes I hear people say (as I have said in my life):
“My mom is mean”
“My mom is always nagging me”
“My mom is fat”
“My mom doesn’t care about me”
“I hate my mother!”
But I have some questions:
1. Who carried you in her womb for 9 months?
2. Who endured pregnancy for you?
3. Who labored with you (Genesis 3:16)
4. Who fed you from her breast when you were a baby?
5. Who prepared milk and changed your diapers?
6. Who carried you and sang to you to put you to sleep?
7. Who took you to the hospital when you were sick?
8. Who gave you medicine?
9. Who woke up late at night to take care of you?
10. Who wiped your nose and cooked your food?
11. Who did you call when you were scared?
12. Who protected you?
“MOMMA!!” (Maybe for some, it’s “Auntie” or “Grandma”)
If your mom doesn’t care about you, why did she do those things?
Mothers are nurses, doctors, drivers, counselors, teachers, friends, and even “pillows”
In fact, the love and care of a mother is so strong, that the Lord even illustrates His love to a mother’s:
Isaiah 66:13
As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
2. Mothers, you have a GREAT RESPONSIBILITY to be good mothers:
MOMS, you can give your children either a GOOD impression of God or a BAD one.
So often the focus is on the 'fathers':
Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
But very often fathers come into play later in life for children. But it is mothers who are on the front line of infancy and early childhood, when fathers are often absent—as in the case of Eunice and Timothy. Therefore, the mother is to step in and do what is best for her child:
2 Timothy 3:15
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:5
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
Timothy’s mother must have taught him the Word of God:
• Creation
• Adam and Eve
• The Fall (that we are all natural born sinners)
• The Flood (that God judges wickedness)
• The Ten Commandments (that no one is righteous in the sight of God)
• The prophets: The day of the Lord (that God will one day judge the world again)
• Isaiah 53: The Gospel of the Old Testament
<INSERT GOSPEL MESSAGE HERE>
That Jesus Christ fulfilled the law and the promises and brought salvation . . . so that when Paul preached (watered) the seeds, they bore fruit unto salvation (compare with 1 Timothy 1:2)
MOM, that’s what you need to be doing:
A. Exampling God’s love for your children—read about Hagar, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, Eunice in the Bible
B. Planting seeds of faith (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:15)
3. It’s not just MOTHER’s but CHILDREN also have a responsibility to HONOR their mothers in their mother’s YOUTH and in her OLD AGE:
God commands:
HONOR
Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Honor means:
*Fear (respect her)
Leviticus 19:3
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God
Fear—not just “dad” but “mom” too.
*Obey (do what she says)
Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
*Care for (in her old age)
(Implied) 1 Timothy 5:4
But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
Compare with what the Pharisees were doing to their parents in Mark 7:9-13. They would give their money to the “temple” and call it “corban” or our version of love gift to the church. However, since they were priests, they could still access this money for their own purposes but would claim that since it was a gift, they could NOT help their elderly parents. What a shame!
And it is very similar today: Many people give gifts to the church, minister in the church – giving time and effort and energy, many people “serve” in the church, but when it comes to their families, specifically their parents, in our case today, mothers, they NEGLECT them!
What kind of religion is that? The Lord said it was a vain religion, worship only in mouth and not with heart. Then and now people hide behind “ministry” or “giving” while neglecting their primary duty to their families. How many churches today, instead of building up families, DESTROY them with their religious duties and traditions. This ought not be the case.
Read and study this passage to know more, but what I see in the Scriptures is GOD – FAMILY – CHURCH. It is clear. God places second importance on the parents, the household, the family—only THEN, church and ministry That’s the whole point, honoring our mothers IS worship, in the second highest degree! It is clear, you cannot worship God and neglect your family.
*Despise not (when she is old)
Proverbs 23:22
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
So often, elderly parents are put in old age homes, when they ought to be with loved ones in their later years, and forgotten about. How sad for us as Christians to be doing such things.
4. There are BENEFITS to honoring our mothers:
*Live long
Ephesians 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Honoring our parents gives us an initial start into learning how to respect authority. It provides us with social order, and keeps us from things of this world that are not hazardous for our health.
*Go well
Ephesians 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
• Doesn’t life go much better for the good kids?
• Who’s the teacher’s favorite? The good/respectful child!
• Who is the boss’s favorite worker? The good/respectful employee!
• Who do people generally like? The nice, polite, respectful guy/gal!
*We are to honor our mother (parents) because it is RIGHT:
1. A duty appointed by God
2. A debt of gratitude
3. For your own good
Failure to understand this will lead you away from RIGHT and into SIN and could end your life early.
5. Jesus Christ left us an EXAMPLE:
John 19:25-27
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Even on the cross, while suffering, the Lord cared NOT for Himself, but cared for His mother's well-being
V28 "all things accomplished" . . . including His mother's care. So too ought we to care for our mothers.
What is your excuse today? What is your 'cross' that 'prevents' you from caring for your mother? Christ was hanging on a cross yet He cared enough to make arrangements for His mother. How about us?
6. HUSBANDS, you too have a responsibility:
You are to honor your wives—the mother of your children in order to demonstrate to your children how mothers ought to be treated. That being the case, there is no room for a husband who yells at his wife or mistreats her in front of his children. This does not honor her, nor does it teach your children right. Of course it does not mean that the husband is to OBEY his wife, but he is to treat her with respect, courtesy, and care.
7. The CHURCH also has a responsibility:
To treat the older woman as mothers thereby HONOR them
1 Timothy 5:1-2
1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat [him] as a father; [and] the younger men as brethren;
2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
To follow Christ's example to look out for their welfare
8. REVIEW and CONCLUSION of the MATTER
1. GOD places a HIGH VALUE on honoring our mothers.
2. MOTHERS have a RESPONSIBILITY to raise children unto God, to seek what is the BEST for them.
3. CHILDREN have a RESPONSIBILITY to honor their mothers: honor, fear, obey care for, despise not; and there are CONSEQUENCES to honoring our mother both GOOD and BAD.
4. HUSBANDS have a responsibility to honor their wives before their children.
5. The CHURCH also has a responsibility to honor mothers.
6. We are to honor mothers because it is RIGHT.
7. Jesus Christ left us an EXAMPLE of how to treat mothers.
