BIBLICAL REFERENCE TO MOTHERS

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 31:10-31

TEXT: Proverbs 31:30

“Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised”.

INTRODUCTION:

There is much that can be said concerning motherhood. The Bible is filled with stories, good and bad about mothers. Someone has wisely said, “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world”. Every ruler, good or bad had a mother. Judas Iscariot, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolph Hitler, all had mothers. Today, traditionally we think of mother, and we will look at some of the many Biblical references to mother. May we remember our own mothers in honor and respect. Those who are mothers to be, I trust will find encouragement and take personal refuge in the Scriptures, the Word of God.

1. EVE WAS THE FIRST MOTHER:

Genesis 3:20.

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living”

Eve was the first woman, the first wife, the first to bear children, and in fact the first sinner.

Some things we know about Eve:

A. She was created from Adam by God to be a helpmate for Adam.

B. She (unlike Adam) was not made from the dust of the ground but from a bone from the side of Adam.

C. Some cultures have put the woman down, but God gave her a place of honor at the side of Adam.

D. The woman was the first to fail God’s obedience test, and fell to the beguilement of the serpent.

E. Eve, being tempted, fell into sin and with her husband, brought sin into the world, and death by that sin.

2. PETER’S WIFE’S MOTHER:

Matthew 8:14

“And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever”.

A. She was healed by Jesus, and ministered unto Him and His disciples.

B. These scriptures show us that she was open to the gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

C. Mother’s today can minister unto Christ in many ways such as this.

3. HERODIAS WAS A SINFUL MOTHER: Matthew 14:1-12

A. She was living with Herod while still his brother Philip’s wife. - Vs 3-4

B. She was an ungodly influence to her daughter. Vs 6-11

C. She not only was an ungodly influence for her daughter in herself, she brought her daughter up in a worldly way, and used her to commit the murder of John the Baptist.

4. THE MOTHER OF ZEBEDEE’S CHILDREN: - Matthew 20:20

A. This is the mother of Jesus disciples, James and John. She was a good mother in that she raised two boys who would become apostles of Christ.

B. Chapter 20 she is seen sticking up for her sons, trying (although she failed) to get her sons better positions in God’s kingdom. While she may have been wrong in doing this particular deed, she should be admired for her concern for her family.

C. Mother’s today should be so concerned for their loved one’s position within the Kingdom of God. We need spiritually minded mothers today.

5 MARY, THE MOTHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: Luke 1:43

A. Mary is given greater honor by some, than the Scriptures allow.

B. She is however, a great example of a godly mother, who for this sake alone ought to be honored.

C. Some godly example given us by Mary:

1. She knew she needed and rejoiced in God her Savior- Luke 1:46-47

2. She kept those things regarding Christ in her heart- Luke 2:19

This expression is used several times concerning Mary and Jesus.

3. She became a follower of Christ and is found in several places where Jesus ministered.

4. She was one of only a handful of followers who was with Jesus at the cross.

5. She no doubt was an influence on her other children who later became followers of Christ, with James and Jude.

6. THE MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER OF TIMOTHY: 2 Timothy 1:5

A. While Paul was the one to lead Timothy to Christ, the godly influence of his mother and grandmother no doubt played an important role.

B. Timothy’s faith came to him first from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois.

C. Mother’s who truly believe in and follow Jesus have a good influence on their children.

Acts 16:1

“Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek”.

D. Timothy in his ministry was able to reap the results of his upbringing …

2 Timothy 3:15

“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”.

E. Men with mothers such as this have become great down throughout history.

Susanna Wesley mother of John and Charles, had sixteen children but had them all neatly dressed and groomed, in church every Sunday.

Charles Spurgeon’s mother (although she probably preferred him to be a Methodist) was a godly woman.

7. IN THE BIBLE, BOTH THE GODLY AND UNGODLY INFLUENCE OF MOTHERS IS SEEN IN THEIR CHILDREN:

Today, far too many mothers have forsaken motherhood to seek their own way. The very bottom line of the abortion issue is that such women put themselves ahead of the human life they helped produce in their womb.

The Bible, in fact those of a generation ago knew nothing of some of the problems in today’s family.

1. Not one time in my own life did I ever come home from school to find that my mother was not there. This generation of “latchkey kids” is part of the problem of family life in our society today.

2. Lack of Bible reading and example in the home is producing a faithless society.

3. J. Edgar Hoover, late director of the F.B.I. said, “Children brought up in Sunday school are seldom brought up in court”.

4. Children brought up in single parent homes need the bonding of both parents. If the father is not there for any reason (divorce or death) there needs to be a strong male reference in the life of every child. In talking with many single parents, I am confronted with the problems of this scenario.

5. Mother is the first instructor of her children, and should never delegate this ministry to the state.

6. God’s ideal is seen in the institutions he set in place:

1. The family - which ideally consists of one father, one mother and children.

God made Adam and Eve; not Madam and Eve; not Adam and Steve.

So-called gay life is not gay, is not God’s order, and is contrary to Scripture.

2. The church - Jesus instituted but one kind of church, which is His body on earth, visible and commissioned with his gospel of sovereign grace. We believe Baptist churches best fit the description of a true church of Christ and such churches have been in existence since Christ and the apostles.

3. The State - God honors government that honors him. God’s people are to be subject to the powers that be.

Jesus taught – Mark 12:17 - “And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God‘s and they marveled at him” - (See also Matthew 22:21).

To depart from God’s order is to invite disaster.

CONCLUSION:

It behooves each of us as Christians, to work together to build strong homes that will help build strong churches and a strong society. We need to stand together in the midst of the perversity of our generation. There is a trend, and our government is not defending Biblical principles, to bring in legislation that is anti-family, anti-home and truly ungodly. We need to pray for our Canadian and American families and do what we can to withstand such legislation. Someone has said, “the family which prays together, stays together”. Let us as the church family and within our individual families, seek to live together in the Spirit and love of Jesus Christ. In order to do this, we need to have Jesus Christ in the very center of our lives, and build our church and homes upon this solid Rock foundation.

Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr.

Landmark Baptist Church

Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. –

Mother’s Day - Sunday, May 11th 1997.

Revised and preached again - Mother’s Day May 8^th 2005