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A TALE OF TWO MOTHERS
Introduction:
1. Since
1914 when it became a national holiday, Mother's Day has grown in popularity and
importance.
a. 20.8 million
Americans will call their Mother today.
b. 125 million Mother's
Day cards will be given (only 75 million to Father's on Father's Day)
2. Even though Mother's Day is in no way a
religious holiday to be observed, the Bible does tell us to "Honor your father and mother"
Ex 20:12 Mother's Day is appropriate way.
3. Today we want to give special recognition
to our mothers as we consider:
"A Tale of Two Mothers."
I. An
Example of a Wicked Mother (Herodias, the wife of
Herod)
A.
Background (Matthew 14:1-10) -
(Have Todd/Sean Read....)
1.
She was the wife of Herod's brother
and was an adulteress
2.
She influenced her daughter to do
wickedness. They teamed together to have Herod kill John the baptist.
B. Lessons:
1. She
set a poor example with regards marriage, fidelity
a. In Matthew 19:9-9,
Jesus said, whoever divorces his wife,
except for fornication, and marries another commits adultery."
b. Heb. 13:4 - Let
marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled;
for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.
SOME WOMEN SAY....”WHO AM I HURTING”
(INFIDELITY) ---- NOT JUST SELF & HUSBAND(S)
MOTHERS
— YOU ARE LEADING YOUR DAUGHTERS
2. She
taught her a perverted picture of what it is to be "female"
a. Taught
her to use her God-given blessings as a curse
b. Ignored
Titus 2:4 "That they may teach the
young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to
their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
MOTHERS — HOW DO YOU DRESS;
CONDUCT YOURSELF? WHAT DO YOU DISPLAY AS
FEMININE? DO YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTERS
SEXY??
SOME MOTHERS TRY TO RELIVE
THEIR YOUTHFUL FANTASIES THROUGH THEIR CHILDREN
3. Did
not teach her daughter to have proper regard for morality
a. Encouraged
daughter to engage in immoral dress & actions
b. Sadly see much of
the same today.
c. Mothers -- teach
daughters about modesty (1 Tim. 2:9-f) & the dangers of immodesty
d. Mothers - teach
daughters about "immorality, impurity, and sensuality"----dancing/prom
- (Gal.
4. Showed
no regard for the soul of her daughter; taught her to live for the here &
now
a. Prov. 22:6, Train
children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.
b. God warns....Isa. 49:15, Can a
woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her
womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
5. Was
a selfish mother who saw daughter as a tool to manipulate for own end.
a. Any chance
daughter of Herodias would say what said of the
worthy mother in Prov. 31:30?
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD
is to be praised.
b. How can mothers
"use" children for selfish & ungodly purposes?
II. An Example of a Godly Mother (Lois &
Eunice)
A. Background
1. 2
Tim. 1:5, I am reminded of your sincere
faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice
and now, I am sure, lives in you.
2. 2
Tim. 3:15, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to
instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
3. Acts
16:1, Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son
of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek.
B. Lessons
1.
Just as Herodias
set a poor example with regards marriage & fidelity.......Eunice could have
“bailed out” of her marriage....I am sure it was hard.....found her “Herod” -
life of excitement, etc.
Some
today say,”I just want a life for myself...what about
me?”
They show the power of a mother's influence.
Godliness was "passed on" through three generations. Lois was
faithful to God, passed on that faith to her daughter Eunice, who influenced
her son Timothy to follow God.
2. Just
as Herodias taught her daughter to use her looks and
abilities to serve her own purposes.....Eunice taught her son to be a REAL
MAN...Consider his father’s training (Greek) vs. Mother’s training
a. Recognized the
power of positive training (Prov. 22:6)
Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.
b. Prov.
1:8, (also Prov.
c. Abraham Lincoln’s mother died at a young age....but
taught him it was better to know God’s word than to own a large farm.
(She
died in poverty)
d. No greater gift
that a mother can give to a child than a knowledge of the Bible upon which they
can base their genuine faith.
e. Such teaching
coupled with a godly example produce the kind of results we find in Timothy
3. While
Herodias did not teach her daughter to have the
proper regard for morality, Eunice taught Timothy in such a way that his great
faith was witnessed by all.....2 Tim. 3:15,
and how from childhood you have
known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus. Recognized the privilege of
motherhood.
4. While
Herodias showed no regard for her daughter’s soul,
Eunice focused her life on the saving of Timothy’s soul…under hard
circumstances (father was Greek)
a.
Genesis 4:1 - "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare
Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the
LORD."
5. Herodias was a selfish mother who saw daughter as a tool to
manipulate for own end......Eunice was a self-sacrificing mother who understood
the importance of her role....
YOU MIGHT SAY....I DIDN’T HAVE A EUNICE FOR A
MOTHER....YOU CAN STILL BE A LOIS....START THE BALL ROLLING & PASS IT DOWN
FOR GENERATIONS
6. WE
HONOR MOTHERS TODAY WHO RECOGNIZE SUCH
a. Any
woman can be a mother - have children - some shouldn’t
b. Mother’s
Day isn’t for the Herodias’s but for the Eunices
John
Psalms 127:3, Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD, the
fruit of the womb a reward.
Such
mothers are easy to honor
Eph. 6:2, "Honor
your father and mother"--this is the first commandment with a promise:
1. There can be little doubt that Eunice and,
if she were still living, Lois were
encouragers of
Timothy in his work of preaching the Gospel.
2. Mothers should be willing to put God first and seek to
dedicate her
child to the service of the Lord. The godly mother will not
be so much
concerned with how much money their
children make when they become adults as how faithful they will be to the Lord
and what service they will be to Him.
Conclusion:
A little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday school
presentation. His mother was in the front row to prompt him. She gestured and
formed the words silently with her lips, but it did not help. Her son's memory
was blank. Finally, she leaned forward and whispered the cue, "I am the
light of the world." The child beamed and with great feeling and a loud
clear voice said, "My mother is the light of the world." While Jesus
is the true light of the world, you mother can be the light which will lead
your children to Christ.