A Mother's Day Card Won't Do - Exodus 20:12
Thomas S. Myers
A MOTHER'S DAY CARD WON'T DO
Exodus 20:12
Some first grade students were asked to come to the front of the class and tell the others what they were going to be when they grew up. One little girl said she was going to be a nurse. Another said she was going to be a doctor. In each case the class seemed impressed. Then a little boy got up and said, "When I grow up I'm going to be a lion tamer. I'll have lots of fierce lions. I'll walk into the cage and they'll roar." Then he looked out over the class for a response, and he could plainly see that just about nobody believed him. So he immediately covered himself, saying, "Of course, I'll have my mother with me."
An eight-year-old was being interviewed on TV by Art Linkletter. The child came from a large family in which mother got up first, got the children off to school, got the father off to work, and then got down to the business of daily household chores. The child was asked, "What do you think your mother wants most?" And the boy replied immediately, "To go back to bed."
If you were to ask your mother, "Mom, what would you want for Mother's Day?" What do you think she would ask for? I believe she would say, "Honor and respect me." Look at: Exodus 20:12
Exodus 20:12
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV)
If you want to honor your mother, a mother's day card just won't do. You can't just give your mother a mother's day card and say, "I've done my part." She wants your respect. Your mother wants honor. You see your mother knows that if you do not respect and honor her in the home, you will not respect her outside the home. If you do not treat your mother properly in the home, you will not treat her properly outside the home. If you call your mother, the "old lady" while you're in the home, you will call her even worse outside the home. I'll tell you something else. If you do not respect your mother in the home, you will not respect others outside the home. Look at EXODUS 20:12-17 and notice something very important:
Exodus 20:12-17
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 "You shall not murder. 14 "You shall not commit adultery. 15 "You shall not steal. 16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (NIV)
Notice in VERSE 12, that God first says "Honor your father and your mother,"
before He says " 13 "You shall not murder. 14 "You shall not commit adultery. 15 "You shall not steal. 16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet."
Do you see something very significant there? God first says honor your mother, before He says, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal. Do you know why? The reason is this, if you do not respect your mother, you will not respect others around you. You see, your mother would much rather have you respect her, because if you do, then you will respect others. Folks, just a mother's day card won't do.
Look at the world "HONOR" in verse 12. It also occurs in Genesis 13:2. “RICH” The Hebrew word for "honor" is actually a financial term. It has the idea of wealth or value. We are to attach worth and value to our mothers. I want to share with you 7 ways to honor your mother.
FIRST -- YOU SHOW HONOR TO YOUR MOTHER BY GIVING HER PROPER RESPECT.
Do you know what the penalty was for not showing proper respect to your mother? It was death. Look at:
Leviticus 20:9
9 "`If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head. (NIV)
Let me ask you, "Do you respect your mother?" Do you? Then why haven't you displayed it? But pastor, you don't know my mother, she's mean. Listen to me, whether you deem your mother worthy or respect or not, the Bible says you're still to respect her. If you don't respect your mother, God will judge you surely, swiftly, and certainly
What does the 5th commandment say?
Exodus 20:12
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV)
The fifth commandment says that if you do not honor your mothers your life can be cut short. The 5th commandment is the only commandment that has a promise attached to it. And the promise is that if you respect your mother, you will live longer.
This is not the only place that warns us not to disrespect our mother. Look at:
Proverbs 30:17
17 "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures. (NIV)
We are to show respect to our mothers.
SECOND -- YOU SHOW HONOR TO YOUR
MOTHER BY HEADING HER
COUNCIL.
Look at:
Proverbs 6:20
"...do not forsake your mother's teaching." (NIV)
Look at the word "FORSAKE." Literally it means not to "cast away." Do you know what is the biggest problem that mothers face? It is getting her children to regard her council. A mother is just like a doctor. Do you know what a doctor most annoying problem is? A doctor's biggest problem is with patients who refuse to regard their council. Do you know that 90% of all patients leave half empty pill bottles. 90% of all patients cheat on diets, 90% continue to smoke when told to quit, 90% never return for check ups, despite the careful and cautious advice of a trained physician.
I know what some of you young people may be thinking. When you are 16 years old, you suspect that your parent's elevator does not go up all the way to the top. When you are 19 years old, you feel that
you have surpassed your parents in all knowledge. At the age of 22, you're just certain your parents are out to lunch. But when you get to be about age 30, then you get to be remembering your parents were right about many things. And when you get to be 40, you think of them as almost perfect. The older you get, the smarter your parents will get. Regard your mother's council and you'll live longer and be
wiser.
Suppose you were going to take a vacation, and your parents started out ahead of you by 7 days. Your parents could give you lots of advice. They could say, "Don't take interstate 5, its under construction. And by the way, there is a very beautiful view of Mt. Rainier at exit 27 just off
Interstate 90." They could recommend restaurants to avoid. Now why could they give such advice? Very simply, they have just been down the road ahead of you. We need to regard our mother's council.
THREE -- YOU HONOR YOUR MOTHER BY
LIVING AN HONORABLE LIFE.
Look at:
Proverbs 10:1
"...a foolish son BRINGS grief to his mother." (NIV)
What is Proverbs 10:1 saying? It is saying that when you live a dishonorable life, you bring dishonor upon your mother. But when you live an honorable life, you bring honor to your mother. You see a mother loves to talk about you. But if you live to bring dishonor upon yourself, your mother is dishonored.
FOUR -- YOU HONOR YOUR MOTHER BY
OBYING YOUR MOTHER.
Disobedience is not a weakness, it is wickedness. Look at ROMANS 1:28-30 and see the category of sins that God puts with disobedience to parents.
Romans 1:28-30
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They
are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and
boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; (NIV)
Did you notice the sins that God puts with disobedience to parents? God includes murder with disobedience to parents. Disobedience is a black, wicked, hellish sin. Did you know that God also considers disobedience a sign of the last days. Look at:
2 Timothy 3:1-2
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents ungrateful, unholy. (NIV)
God is saying, if you're disobedient to your parents, you're just as sinful as a murder.
Do you know why you're to obey your mother? It is not just to please your mother, but is to please the Lord.
Don't be like the little boy, who was out playing with a friend. His mother called him. She called for him 3 times. But he just continued playing with his friend. His friend said, "You better go, your mother is calling you." "Oh," he said, "I don't have to go just yet. She only called 3 times."
The Bible says in Colossians 3:20
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (NIV)
Do you know why you're to obey your mother? It is not just to please your mother. But it is to please the Lord. I want to tell you, if you displease the Lord, it doesn't matter who you please.
Listen to me, the Bible says:
Exodus 20:12
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV)
FIVE -- YOU HONOR YOUR MOTHER BY BEING HELPFUL TO YOUR MOTHER.
There are two areas where you need to be
helpful.
A. YOU NEED TO BE HELPFUL TO YOUR
MOTHER WHEN SHE IS YOUNG.
A little girl, who was shown pictures of her mom and dad on their wedding day asked her father, "Daddy, is that the day you got mom to come and work for us?"
Your mother is not a maid. A young girl came to her mother and said, "Mom, can I have some mun to hit the flick?" All she wanted was some money to go to the movies. The mother answered, "No, you can't have any mun to hit the flick, but you can swish the dish and spread the bed and flop the mop."
B. YOU NEED TO HELP YOUR MOTHER WHEN
SHE IS OLD.
The Bible says:
Proverbs 23:22
"...do not despise your mother when she is old." (NIV)
1 Timothy 5:4 & 8
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the
f
Folks, when Christianity doesn't begin at home, it just doesn't begin. It's your job to help your mother when she is young and to care for her when she is old.
SIX -- YOU HONOR YOUR MOTHER BY SAYING THANK YOU TO YOUR MOTHER.
Do you realize what your mother has invested in you? Every mother has gone down to the shadow of death for you. She has suffered for you, nursed you, kissed you, and educated you. But you say, "My mother is always nagging and gripping at me." Your mother loves you so much, that she will risk your displeasure and will say, "No," when you want her to say, "Yes." You ought to say thank you to your mother.
SEVEN -- YOU HONOR YOUR MOTHER BY
GIVING GIFTS TO HER.
Think of what you owe your mother. She gave you life. Her very blood flows through your veins. You need to let your mother know that you love her. You need to write that letter, make that phone call, send that gift, purchase those flowers, do that deed of helpfulness, fulfill that chore, and give that hug. And you need to do it today. I want you to know that you have only so many days to show love to your mother. One of these days there will be a funeral, and you'll talk about what a good mother she was, and you'll buy a large floral arrangement. But it will be to late.
If you have a rose to give your mother, give it now! If you have a letter to write your mother, write it now! If you have a phone call to call, make it now! If you have a hug to give your mother, give it now! The time is coming when it will be too late. Don't wait for the funeral to give that flower, do it now.
Exodus 20:12
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV)