Mothers Who Make a Difference

Mother’s Day – May 13, 2007

I. Introduction

A. Many Mothers to Consider on Mother’s Day

1. Eve: The mother of us all.

2. Hannah: The mother of Samuel.

3. Mary: The mother of Jesus.

B. Our Choice Today is Jochebed, the Mother of Moses.

1. She was a mother during a difficult time.

2. All male babies were under the sentence of death.

3. She acted in faith and entered God’s Hall of Fame (Heb. 11).

Text: Hebrews 11:23-27

II. Body

A. She ELEVATED the Potential of Her Son – (v. 23)

1. “He was a proper child”

a. “A goodly child” - (Exod. 2:2); “Exceeding fair” - (Acts 7:20)

2. Remember these are the reactions of parents.

Implies not merely a handsome or beautiful child – but literally they saw that he was no ordinary child.
John Calvin remarks, “…but there was some sort of mark of excellence to come, engraved on the boy which gave promise of something out of the ordinary for him.”

3. She loved him as he was and expected the most out of him.

1832 (Lost his job; def. for state legis); 1833 (failed in bus.); 1836 (nervous breakdown); 1838 (Def. Speaker of the House); 1843 (def. Congress); 1849 (Rejected for land Officer); 1854 (Def. for U.S. Senate); 1856 (def. V. Pres.); 1858 (Def. U.S. Senate); 1860 (Elected as the 16th President of the U.S.)
*“All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln
Raised by a step-mother, she taught him perseverance and tenacity.

B. She ENDANGERED Her Own Life for Her Son – (v. 23) (salmon swimming upstream)

1. She dared violate the law to save her son.

2. Generally, we are to obey the law; However, there is a time to break the law.

a. “We ought to obey God rather than man…” – (Acts 5:29)

b. Examples of apostles and other heroes of the faith. (i.e. Daniel, 3 Hebrews, Paul)

3. In spite of the command of the king she hid her son….it took great courage.

“Courage is resistance to fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain.

a. Being afraid is not a reason NOT to do something – if it’s the right thing, DO IT SCARED! – Simon Fullylove

4. She was not afraid: and her son learned from her courage – (v. 27)

C. She EXPRESSED Her Faith to Her Son – (v. 24)

1. Faith now moves from parent to child.

a. First saw her faith in defying the order of the Pharaoh. (hiding the child)

b. Now she reveals an even greater faith – what might mean parting with her child - leaving him to the mercy of God in the basket in the Nile River.

2. The plan that allowed her to become his nurse (she trained him) – (Exod. 2:7-10)

Illustration: “Train up a child…” Prov. 22:6 - Well, the first word, "train," comes from a Hebrew word that was used to describe the action of a midwife, who, soon after helping deliver a child, would dip her finger into the juice of chewed or crushed dates. Then she would reach into the mouth of the newborn infant, and massage the gums and the palate with this burst of flavor so the baby would be motivated to learn to nurse. So the word "train" here literally means to "create a thirst in". The next phrase of that verse, "in the way he should go," literally means "in keeping with his bent - in line with his unique God-given characteristics." If you want to increase the chances that your child will grow up and decide to embrace a faith in God, create in him a thirst to use his unique talents for God’s purposes.

3. She would teach him about his people and her Lord.

4. Her teaching would make him a man of faith.

a. He would choose to serve God and help his people.

“Faith chooses the right way not the easy way.” – Simon Fullylove

1. Faith chooses the right way, even though less people choose it. (Broad way vs. the narrow way)

b. His mother’s patient instruction built a faithful son.

Mom, the best thing in life that you can give your children is not possessions, not even an education, but faith...a faith that leads them to thirst to use their uniqueness to serve God.

D. She ENABLED Her Son to See the Big Picture in Life – (v. 25)

Illustration: [During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course.] He looked at the big picture.

1. Moses saw the temporary nature of sin (it’s for a season - elaborate)

2. He chose to suffer with God’s people….WHY??? (Three key’s found in vv 24-26) KJV

24 - REFUSED - “to reject, to deny or to totally disown.”
25 – CHOOSING - “to select or decide.”
26 – ESTEEMING - “to weigh in the balance, to evaluate the worth or to consider the value.”

3. BRIDGE: It’s hard enough to just to make a decision not to SEEK worldly things. But what happens if you have these things already in your possession?

"Moses was educated in ALL the learning of the Egyptians." Being part of the Pharaoh’s family would have meant that Moses attended a school called, "The Temple of the Sun." -- which is what archeologists and historians refer to as "the Oxford of the ancient world." In this ancient center of learning - probably the best in the world at this time - Moses learned hieroglyphics - he would have also studied sciences, medicine, astronomy, chemistry, philosophy, and law as well as the arts - sculpture, music, and painting. AND....Moses also learned to be a soldier - studying the battles, combat tactics, and foes of that nation’s proud military history. In fact extra-biblical historians tell us that by the time he reached 30 Moses had already led the Egyptian army in a powerful victory over the Ethiopians.” - John Hamby

3. His mother helped him see down the road…looking rather to eternal things. (26)

III. Conclusion

A. The Reward of a Mother’s Faith

1. Moses was chosen by God to deliver his people.

2. All her efforts to train him in faith were rewarded.

B. Needed: Mother Who Train Their Children to Trust the Lord

1. Invitation to mothers to dedicate themselves to this task.

2. Salvation invitation to those whose mothers have been faithful.