Happy Mother's Day!

 

Mother: our First and Greatest Teacher

Proverbs 1:7-9; 31:30; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14,15

Introduction: Happy Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day is a secular holiday, but it is appropriate for us to honor a relationship created and blessed by God. In fact, we are commanded to “honor” our father and our mother. So today we honor mothers. The struggle I have as a pastor, is that this day evokes such a wide variety of emotions. Some of you were blessed by the example of a godly mother, and it is a joy to focus on those wonderful memories that impacted you so deeply. For others, those memories may be more difficult. As best as we are able, we are told by God to honor our father and our mother. That’s a command!

       My own mother wasn’t a believer in my youth (she came to faith later in life), but her faithful care of our family, including 7 children, was evidence of God’s common grace working through her. Others may have more difficult, or even painful memories of their upbringing. Each family is different, some have a houseful of godly children. Others are pained by a prodigal that is far from the Lord. Some have struggled with infertility, others have never married. Too many are pained by memories of miscarriages or even an abortion earlier in life. You get the picture? We need to be sensitive to the people around us. Mother’s Day can evoke a wide range of feelings. To every lady I would say, you are loved by God, and He has given you an important role in His church, in His family.

       We want to honor the role all women can have, whatever their past experiences, as part of the church family, in impacting younger women, and in partnering with parents through the ministries and relationships in the church, and so helping to influence children for the Lord. Today, I will refer to the end of Romans, where Paul mentions various acquaintances in the church, including the mother of Rufus, who he says was like a mother to him as well. Whatever the example we had from our own mothers, the best moments, the sacrificial love, the fierce protectiveness, the longing for her children to be safe, to learn and to grow, those moments reflect God’s design, and show the kind of disciple-making impact a mother can have on her children. So, we honor our mothers.

       It’s been said, “The lessons learned in the cradle go all the way to the grave.” The story of a London editor trying to organize a list of Winston Churchill’s teachers through the years comes to mind. He sent the list to the statesman for his approval, but Churchill looked and said “You have omitted the mention of my greatest teacher. My mother!”

       I thought about how a message on this day can honor mothers, and at the same time hold forth the Gospel, and lift up the name of the Lord. That is what we want to do as a church, right? Glorify Jesus, and point people to Him. Well, think about it: our mission is to make disciples, to influence people toward faith, and to teach them the things of the Lord. Christian mothers, by God’s design,  do exactly that. Mothers are our first, and potentially, our greatest teachers. Mary Ann led our daughter Sarah to faith in Christ as a young child. Mary Ann’s mother brought her to Sunday School, where she heard the gospel and believed. A mother’s faith can impact her children in their earliest, most teachable moments. We’ll look at several texts and I hope you’ll see the impact a Christian mom can have as a disciple maker. Today, that is…

The BIG Idea: Mothers have a God-given opportunity and a Great Commission calling to disciple their children for the Lord. That begins with…

I. Consistent Teaching: Mothers are our first and greatest teachers (Prov 1:7-9; 2 Tim 1:5). Consider the opening verses of the Book of Proverbs…

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:  ² To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,  ³ to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;  ⁴ to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth-  ⁵ Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,  ⁶ to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.  ⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.  ⁸ Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,  ⁹ for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

      My mother sometimes said I was a “wise guy,” but I don’t think she meant I had wisdom! “Wisdom” in the Bible, is at it’s core a spiritual commitment to Truth that results in right living. It needs to start with “the fear of the Lord,” a deep, sincere reverence for the true God, the God of the Bible. Proverbs begins with the faithful instruction of parents at home. Read verse 8, “…Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching…”  The responsibility goes to both parents (and the command is to the child to listen!) yet most often mothers, by virtue of the opportunity they have to teach and guide their children, usually have the greatest impact on them, especially when they are young. A disciple is a “learner.” As Churchill said, “If we want to change our nation, begin by enlisting the mothers.” The world offers powerful temptations and poses enormous obstacles to faith, but a godly mother, by word and example, can lay a solid foundation.  Many leaders have acknowledged the influence of their mother...

 - George Washington said: "My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. [I’m not sure how Martha would have taken that!] All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."    

 - Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am, and all that I ever hope to be I owe to my mother…”  He also said, “…no man is poor when he has a godly mother.”        

 - Andrew Jackson said of his mother, “There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.” 

       I like the story Laura Bush told on her husband, then president George W. Bush. They were visiting former president Bush and Barbara,

"George woke up at 6 A.M. as usual and went downstairs to get a cup of coffee," Laura says. "And he sat down on the sofa with his parents and put his feet up. And all of a sudden, Barbara Bush yelled, 'Put your feet down!'

"George's dad replied, 'For goodness' sake, Barbara, he's the President of the United States.'

"And Barbara said, 'I don't care. I’m his mother and I don't want his feet on my table.'"

The president promptly did as he was told, for as Mrs. Bush observes, "Even Presidents have to listen to their Mothers.”

We can certainly agree that the early teaching of a mother has a key role in the formation of her children, including laying a foundation for their spiritual formation. It is interesting that as far as I can tell, the apostle Paul does not mention his own mother in his writings. But we do read this in Romans 16:13, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.” Among all the acquaintances to whom he sends greetings to the church in Rome, is the mother of Rufus, who was also, according to Paul, a mother to him. It is possible that Rufus was the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Jesus (Mark 15:21). Simon is identified as “the father of Alexander and Rufus,” which implies those men were known to the Roman church. Excuse me if I engage in some speculation. Could it be that Simon came to faith, and when he returned home he won his wife to the Lord? Did Simon then win his sons, or was it his wife who led them to Christ? Speculation, but maybe. Certainly, the mother of Rufus, was in the Roman church, and was known to Paul. She had been like a mother to him. We can have cross-generational relationships like that in the church: caring, loving, encouraging, building each other up.

       A believing mother can have that kind of influence on her children. 2 Timothy 1:5 alludes to Timothy’s spiritual lineage, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” Timothy’s father was Greek rather than Jewish, and the fact that he is not mentioned here as part of Timothy’s spiritual lineage would seem to imply that he was an unbeliever. Just as Lois (Timothy’s grandmother) had impacted Eunice (Timothy’s mother), their faith and faithfulness had impacted Timothy since his childhood.  This offers encouragement for single parents, and for those who don’t have the enthusiastic support of a spouse in teaching the Word to their children: God knows your situation, and He loves your child even more than you do. Be faithful, do your best with the time you have and prayerfully seek to sow the seeds of truth into the lives of your kids. Devote yourself to prayer, and trust God to bring the increase. A mother’s faith can impact her children in their earliest, most teachable moments. Mothers have a God-given opportunity and a Great Commission calling to disciple their children for the Lord. So, they …

II. Consistent teaching of the Truth - The Gospel is the most Precious Truth a mother can impart (2 Tim 3:14,15). ¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,  ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus..

       Godly mothers teach the Bible! Here we see the example of Eunice and Lois.  The key truth here is that Timothy had the example of a mother, and a grandmother, who knew that the Scriptures pointed to Jesus, our Savior, the Messiah. The Bible is the Word of God, through it we know God, and we learn what He expects of us.  I read the story of a little girl sitting next to her mother in church. Mom had an open Bible on her lap. The little girl looked closely and then asked, “Did God really write that?” Her mother answered, “Yes dear, He did!” Then the girl responded, “Wow, he has really neat handwriting!” Oh well…

       A woman of faith is in the Bible, internalizing it, and teaching it to her children. And we in the church, come in alongside of parents, as a help in that process. Let me say how thankful I am for the ministries to the children in this church. From Awana and Sunday School to youth group, they are learning the Bible, and seeing authentic faith in the leaders and helpers. These are seeds that God can use to mold a life for eternity.

       A believing mother teaches the Bible from the perspective of faith.  The faith that Timothy embraced was the faith that first dwelt in his mother and grandmother.  Your kids will see how seriously you take the Bible. Do you treat it like the Word of God? Or is it just a book of stories? Do you value it, and get excited about the lessons that God is teaching you?  Do they hear you talking about the Sunday sermon or something you read in your devotions that morning? That excitement is contagious!

       She teaches by word and by example.  Our life, and particularly the life of a believing mother, will constantly reinforce the teaching we would want to pass on to the next generation.  By what they teach and model, moms help develop the character and faith of her children. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.  Notice 2 Timothy  3:15, “...from childhood you have known the holy scriptures…” Archbishop Leighton said “fill the bushel with good wheat and there will be no room for chaff and rubbish.”  The world will offer plenty of garbage, we need to determine as Christian families and as the Church helping our families, to add the good wheat!  Kids are like little sponges, and that can go two ways: Cardinal Wolsey spoke of Henry 8^th and said, “Be well advised and assured what you put in his head, for you shall never pull it out again.” Mothers can impact her children in their earliest, most teachable moments. Mothers have a God-given opportunity and a Great Commission calling to disciple their children for the Lord. And that includes…

III. Persistent Prayer: [which] may be the most enduring tool a mother can use to impact the life of her children.  Prayer is important for every believer, including parents. In I Thess 5:17, Paul urges us to “…pray without ceasing...” implying consistent, ongoing prayer. That persistent prayer is part of a mother’s impact of the life of her children. C.H. Spurgeon said “I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother.”

       Prayer motivated by love – A mother’s prayers are unselfish, the motive is an intense desire for her children to experience God’s best.  We want our kids to avoid some of the mistakes and the hard lessons we’ve learned. And so godly moms pray without ceasing.

       Prayer that teaches by example – One of the amazing lessons about prayer in the NT is that Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, and He also shows them, by going apart at key moments of his life and ministry, and praying. He taught his disciples, and us, by word and example. Prayerfulness is one of those lessons that is better caught than taught.  When children volunteer to pray, you know they aren’t just getting that here! It’s what they are seeing at home. How many mothers, day by day, and sometimes hour by hour or minute by minute, are offering up prayers for their children?

       Prayer that never ceases – It doesn’t stop when they leave nursery, or when they graduate from High School.  It doesn’t end when they go to college or leave the nest. In fact, if you have a believing mother who is still alive, I can almost guarantee that she is still praying for you daily! My paternal grandmother was widowed at the age of 29, when her husband, my grandfather, was killed in a coal mine cave-in. She was pregnant with her sixth child, my father. She came to faith in Christ the summer before, in 1929, around the beginning of the Great Depression. After I came to faith, about 50 years after she did, I drove my motorcycle down to Kentucky to visit her. She told me that she had prayed for her six children, their spouses, and her grandchildren, every day. Maybe in eternity we’ll know the results of the prayers of Godly mothers!

       You remember the story of the Prodigal Son? The Father, the Prodigal, and the Older son are the main characters in the story Jesus told. But that story has been lived out a thousand times in the lives of real families, (and in some of your families!) and a mother’s persistent, unrelenting prayer is almost always a factor that God uses to bring back a wandering sheep. Christian mothers have a God-given opportunity and a Great Commission calling to disciple their children for the Lord.

IV.  The Goal of making disciples is to lead someone to a point that they can impact others for the Lord. Remember when Paul said to Timothy, “The things you have heard from me… those entrust to faithful men who will teach others also…” (2 Tim 2:2). That is essentially what a godly mother is doing. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  That is not a guarantee that every child of a believer will come to faith, but it is a principle that we can rely on. Yes, the lessons learned in the cradle go all the way to the grave. It is a blessing to us to see our daughter and son-in-law raising their children in the way of the Lord.

       In a context of announcing impending judgement we read in Joel 1:3, “Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.” Disciples making disciples, in the family! It’s the same principle, teach your children, so that they can teach their children. That is basically the 2 Timothy 2:2 paradigm, “The things that you have heard from me… these entrust to faithful men...” Tell your children, so they can tell their children, and them, theirs… If the family is the building block of the church, it is also a small unit that should carry out the church’s mission!

       Paul mentions not only Timothy’s mother, Eunice, but also his grandmother, Lois.  In referring to the faith of Timothy, it seemed important enough for Paul to mention two generations of believers in that family.  As a godly mother by word and example teaches her children, she is potentially affecting not only them, but also their children and grandchildren. May those who come behind us find us faithful!

What is God saying to me in this text? Christian mothers have a God-given opportunity, and a Great Commission calling, to disciple their children for the Lord.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Mothers’ day can be a time of mixed emotions. Whatever your history and situation, God’s mercies are new every morning – He is faithful.  Jesus came because all is not right in the world! He came to make it right. Every woman can encourage younger women, and can also use her gifts to help disciple children for the Lord, even as they serve in the ministries of the church.

        If you had the example of a godly mother, be thankful for her – if she is still alive make sure to thank her today.  If you are a parent and have a prodigal, know that he or she is responsible for their own choices: Proverbs 1:8 says “Hear my son your Father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching…” The very fact that that admonition is given indicates it is possible to ignore, at least for a time, sound teaching and a good example.

       If you have a prodigal, don’t despair, pray. Be an example, love them, entrust them to God, and yes, again, keep praying.  Know that God is with you, and that He wants the best for your child. The words of Paul come to mind, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord…” (I Cor 15:58).

Think about it: our mission is to make disciples, to influence people toward faith, and to teach them the things of the Lord. Christian mothers can do exactly that, and profoundly impact the lives of their children, as they disciple them for the Lord. Ladies, God bless you, every one of you, and thank you for your role in your family, and in the church. We honor our mothers.  Let’s pray…  AMEN.