This is the mother’s day sermon, delivered at Hillcrest Baptist Church on May 11, 2014. This message deals with the calling, responsibility, and accountability of being a mother. This post contains my sermon notes, and an audio recording of the message. The notes are not necessarily a full transcript, so to receive the message in its entirety you’ll need to listen to the audio.
LISTEN NOW:
SERMON NOTES:
Introduction:
What is the greatest calling there is? Missionary, Evangelist, Pastor? No, it is to be a mother. Without godly mothers there would be few, or none, of the people I just listed.
A mother’s job is not to be taken lightly.
This is a great responsibility, one that can have great or disastrous results.
When God blesses you with a child, it is as if he says “I have entrusted this child to you, love him as I love you, and teach him my ways so that he may serve me. He is your responsibility.”
If you are the mother of a child growing up in today’s world, you may sometimes wonder how much of an impact you are having on your child’s life.
At times, the influences of teachers, peers, television, video games, and even the government may seem to outweigh your own.
In fact, parents have a lot of competition from those who purposely take over the role of child training.
“We have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families and recognize that kids belong to whole communities.” -Melissa Harris Perry (MSNBC)
Community children is not a new idea. Hillary Clinton expressed the same desire. . . It takes a village.
Before you dismiss this as a well meaning but misguided or harmless ideology, think about this quote.
Hitler said:
“When an opponent declares,
‘I will not come over to your side.’
I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already…
What are you? You will pass on.
Your descendants, however,
now stand in the new camp.
In a short time they will know nothing
else but this new community.'”
None of this is Biblical, and as a mother. . . as parents, we should reject it!
It strikes at the very heart of God’s order of creation. God created man, woman, marriage and family, in that order.
The family unit is sovereign, and it is the foundation of society and government.
Instead, in our evil and depraved world, many would seek destroy the family in favor of a new order.
We must reject such notions.
This idea is unbiblical. It is against the very nature of God, who relates to us in a family manner (Father, adoption, children, etc.)
Stay at home moms are looked down upon, and the traditional, Biblical family is mocked.
To diminish the family, in favor of some other order, is to further push God out of society.
It’s no wonder that there are so many entities competing with parents for control and influence of our children.
As a mother (parent) you have a specific responsibility.
Proverbs 22:6
As a mother, as a parent, it is your job to train up your child. That responsibility belongs to no one but the parents.
You may choose to delegate that responsibility to whomever you choose, but you can never delegate your accountability.
Child training begins at home.
We see in our text, an example of a faithful mother, which can be traced back to her mother.
His (Timothy’s) mother’s faith is now found in him.
2 Timothy 3:15
She taught him the scripture, from his youth.
Teach them Bible songs. Children love to sing, and it’s a great way to learn.
If you want to know what your little ones are learning, listen to what they are singing.
Do they know all the songs from their favorite TV shows and movies, but Bible songs?
They should be singing about Jesus before singing about anything else.
When teaching children the Bible, it should be presented as truth, not as a fairy tale.
Teach and ask questions.
The result.
We see the result of this in Timothy, he became a man of great faith.
His faith was so great that he was admired by the likes of Paul.
He became a pastor, and undoubtedly had a tremendous influence.
The consequences of neglecting this motherly duty.
Judges 2:10-13
A generation that did not know God, and lead the nation on a path of ruin. This has become all too common in our society.
It is sad that there are many mothers who do not take their job seriously, but thank God for godly mothers, they are an invaluable asset to our community.
Condition yourself.
As I said before, biblical training begins at home, church is a supplement, not a substitute. It cannot take the place of a God-centered, Bible teaching, praying home life.
If your faith is not strong, you cannot instill a strong faith in your child. (How can you expect your child to trust what you don’t?)
If you don’t study and know the scripture, how can you teach your child? (You cannot teach what you don’t know.)
Spend time every day in Bible study and prayer.
If your child doesn’t see you pray, how will he learn to pray? (They mimic what their parents do, and DON’T do.)
To be a good mother, you must first start with your own life.
Conclusion:
Are you taking advantage of those few short years of your young one’s childhood to make a positive, lasting contribution, to the glory of God?
Mothers: make sure you are up to the task.
Prepare yourself, take your job seriously, and train your child, the rewards are priceless.
Proverbs 31:28
We should all honor our mothers, today and everyday, as God has commanded.
Exodus 20:12
After all, a godly mother is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30
That’s even more important in today’s world, where so many are competing against her, and working to demean and devalue her calling.
She needs all the encouragement and support she can get.
In Defense: The Blog 
Posted on May 11, 2014
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