Mothers Day 2024

Today represents one of the greatest dilemmas each year for church planning. The final Sunday before graduation and Mother’s Day fall on the same day. Does the pastor preach to graduates or moms?

But as I have long said, I am careful on special occasions to preach messages that are far-reaching.

I am ashamed of it, but I confess to mentally checking out a time or two during Mother’s Day sermons because I assumed they weren’t for me … and on some occasions, I was right.

And given how long ago it was that I graduated from high school, it would be difficult for me and most of you to find a lot of counsel in a message aimed solely at graduates.

So today, I have selected a passage of scripture that Peter wrote, and I confess that he wrote it specifically to women – and women should pay close attention today. But I want us to look at two verses that apply not only to women but to graduates and all the rest of us, too.

So, let’s go to the back of the New Testament and open the book of 1 Peter, and we’ll be in chapter 3.

As you’re turning there, let’s think about this book. As its name states, the author is Peter, who was one of 12 disciples and one of the early church leaders.

He’s writing this letter at a particularly volatile time. Rome had burned and Emperor Nero, who many people believed was insane, blamed Christians for the fire. This, of course, escalated the savage persecution of Christians.

As we consider the instruction they received, keep in mind that it would have been much more difficult for them to live out these principles than for us to do it in present-day America.

Let’s see what Peter has to say in Chapter 3, verses 3-4 …

3Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

When I went to work at Illinois State, that school had a legendary track coach named John Coughlan, a somewhat fiery Irishman from the Chicago suburbs. On my first day at ISU, Coughlan came to my office to introduce himself.

· Through my door he walked and after we shook hands, he said, “OK, Mr. Mossman, so what are you, veneer or actual wood? Most athletics administrators are just veneer. Which are you?

· Coach Coughlan wanted to know if I had a fake exterior or if I had core substance. He wanted to know if I was sizzle or actual steak.

· That may seem a little forward to you, and it was in that setting, but we need to be aware that God wants to know the same thing. So we ask if we are as diligent on the inside as we are on the outside.

Now if you didn’t read verse 3 in context, it might sound like Peter is railing against hair styling, jewelry, and clothes, but that’s not what he’s after here.

· He’s talking about preoccupation with outward appearances. The examples he provides certainly convey that message, but outward appearances can also extend to a house, a car, actions, accomplishments, and even behavior and emotions.

· For some, outward appearance has nothing to do with possessions, and everything to do with their motivations and their feelings. Sadly, some put on a smile when inside they’re struggling with sadness, trials, and all kinds of difficulties.

· Because Peter began this section of scripture writing specifically to women, he chose items that would resonate with many women, but the principle here covers all of us.

Where do we see this in scripture? Well, the best example isn’t women at all, it’s a group of men that we’ve encountered often in our study of John – the Pharisees.

· They were considered the most religious people of their day. They made law upon law dedicated to morality and purity so that their outward appearance was one of godliness.

· And many people of their day bought into this persona that they built for themselves. If you were to ask a first-century Jew to define a manifestation of righteousness, they might point to the nearest Pharisee.

· Jesus, on the other hand, saw right through the Pharisees. In Matthew 23 he unleashes a lengthy diatribe against them. Let’s look at just a portion of it, and as we read it, keep in mind – this is God in human flesh talking to human beings. Imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of this …

o 23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Friends, none of us are Pharisees, but would it not prove beneficial to read and apply this passage occasionally?

Oh, and there’s that word … hypocrisy. We’ve heard that one in the church, haven’t we? Here’s a definition just to refresh us: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

· Sadly, we get it backwards sometimes. We profess one thing, but we say and do another. What Peter and Jesus are saying here is that our focus should be on our inside.

· Luke 6:45 isn’t a life verse for many people, but it should be framed and hanging in all of our homes: The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

· All of this is telling us to focus on our inside, not our outside because if we take care of the inside, the outside will take care of itself.

· When God sent Samuel to Jessie’s house in search of Israel’s next King, remember that He guided his prophet past all the pretty people – David’s brothers – to the one who did not pass the eye test. The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

· Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

o He didn’t say neglect your reputation; he said to be more concerned with your character.

Verse 4 begins by reinforcing that point and then gives us four benefits of that approach.

4but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Adornment to us has a somewhat cosmetic connotation, but it didn’t to the Greeks. Listen to the difference: An appropriate and harmonious arrangement or constitution.

Arrangement … constitution … it sounds very orderly, very internal as though it relates to the inner workings. If you were going to investigate the constitution of a car’s engine, you wouldn’t simply pop the hood and observe it. You’d get down inside the engine block and the aspects of the motor that truly make it run.

So as we consider our internal adornment today, let’s pry all the way down to the core, the heart … the part that nobody can see … it’s described here as the hidden person.

And the hidden person means the one you know in secret.

If we adorn our inside appropriately, in accordance with what scripture teaches us, we’re on our way to three great benefits that are part of a heart with imperishable beauty…

Here’s the first, a gentle spirit.

The word for gentle here is found in only three other places in the Bible. All of them are in the book of Matthew and all of them relate to Jesus or a quality exemplified by Jesus.

· In Matthew 5, it’s included in the Beatitudes when it says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”That can be meek, humble, or gentle.

· In Matthew 11, we get this word when Jesus is describing what it means to follow him … “28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

· Then finally, we get this word again in Matthew 21:4-5 where it describes Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and to me, this is where it is most telling … 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

· Kings, conquering generals and other heads of state rode on war horses with chariots – it was a sign of victory, threat, and aggression.

· Donkeys or small colts were not a sign of weakness – Jesus certainly wasn’t weak or unprincipled -- they were a sign of coming in peace.

· So, if we are fashioning our heart toward gentleness, what does that tell us?

o We bear with people.

o We’re not self-important.

o We’re unassuming.

o We’re considerate.

o We’re trusting in God’s control and timing.

o We love peace.

o We’re not pushovers, but we are marked by steady, temperate strength.

o We are riding the small donkey.

o And remember, as one of the nine fruits of the Spirit, gentleness is within the grasp of every believer and should be manifesting itself in our lives.

A Quiet Spirit.

The second benefit of a heart with imperishable beauty – and note that outward beauty IS perishable – is a quiet spirit.

This word carries with it an air of submission. Now, remember, Peter is writing this portion of his letter to women. Try going down to the town square these days and speaking out on the submissiveness of women. See where that gets you. Does that mean Peter’s words here are dated and out of touch?

· Of course not. The entire Christian life is marked by submission. Remember, we follow a sinless Savior who submitted Himself to the cross.

· Look at verse 7, to the point where Peter addresses husbands, and notice what the first word is … “Likewise.” Men don’t get a pass on this either. When Paul wrote on this topic in Ephesians, he wrote, “Husbands, love your wives as Christi loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

o Sounds pretty submissive to me … for all of us.

But the quiet Spirit is not just submissive; it’s also tranquil. It’s the opposite of turbulent.

· Have you ever known people who weren’t happy unless things were churned up. They’re people who thrive on drama and unsettledness.

o Those people have always baffled me, but they’re out there and they’re far more plentiful than we might think.

o On a global scale, they’re the leaders who are blood-thirsty and vengeful, but locally, they’re just people who have an aversion to smooth waters.

· The quiet spirit enters a room or a situation and emits calm peace. It isn’t paralyzed or powerless like a slave. Rather, it brings a disposition of godliness and dignity.

· The fact is the person who casts the presence of quiet and calm is the one who is the strongest.

o We have known people who yell and scream and vent their anger.

o And we have known people who have that quiet confidence that is unshaken by the instability of others.

o That’s the Spirit we’re after as Christians, and that’s the Spirit we can have because our confidence is not found in us, it’s found in a sovereign God.

Speaking of God, that brings us to the third benefit of a heart that is adorned with imperishable beauty … it wins the approval of God.

4but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

It’s popular today in sports and extracurricular activities to say that we’re “playing for an audience of One,” implying that they’re playing only for the approval of God. If that’s truly someone’s point of view and motivation, it’s right where we’re supposed to be.

· Isaiah 43:7 explains why we were created – for God’s glory.

· That means our sole purpose is to please Him.

· When we have the kind of heart that we’ve discussed today, it does just that.

There’s a play on words here by Peter. This word “precious” carries with it the meaning of something of great worth or value; something that cost a lot of money.

· If we go back up to the beginning of verse 3 we see hair, jewels, and clothing.

· If a woman, or a man, was really going to do it up with those outward adornments, how much might it cost?

o I guess that depends greatly on the jewels, but in the Greco-Roman world in which this letter was written, it was so common to spend extravagantly, especially on clothes that were color-dyed (some garments could cost 30 years of wages), that laws were eventually enacted to curtail the spending.

· Do you see the contrast that Peter has built here? What we may find precious and of value is our outer adornment. What God finds precious is our inner adornment.

A German Bible scholar, Richard Lenski, said that this development of the gentle and quiet spirit should be viewed as an act of worship because our worship pleases Him. And he notes that God is the spectator looking for these qualities in us.

Dr. Justin Bass is a former seminary professor in the U.S., who has been a church planter, and is now serving at a seminary in Aamon, Jordan, teaching refugee Christians who have been forced out of predominately Muslim countries. His salvation story is interesting. He and his soon-to-be-wife were at a fraternity Halloween Party at SMU. In front of them in the line was a man who was sharing Christ with someone else.

· The conversation was not directed at Dr. Bass. In fact, the two never spoke to one another, but Dr. Bass overheard this witnessing encounter and later said, “It was that conversation that God used to open the eyes of my heart.” He added, “When you share the gospel, make sure you share it really loud because you don’t know who you might be talking to.”

Standing in front of you, beside you, above you, below you and all around you is God. On this day when we celebrate mothers and graduates, and when everyone else here also needs a good word from the Bible, please hear this: The Lord cares very little about your outward appearance. However, when you adorn your inside with obedience, you are precious to Him and you are worshipping Him; and you are doing precisely what you were put here to do.