The Essential Role of Mothers

Title- The Essential Role of Mothers

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I think that with all honest we can say that today in our culture one of the most undervalued roles is motherhood

There is a lot of discussion about the need for good fathers

Men to step up and be role models

And these are fine things to strive for

But at the same time motherhood is being deminished

What a mother provides for her children and family has been trivialized

This is not about whether or not mothers should work outside the home

Or if they should homeschool

Or anything like that for that matter

How you in your own families flesh out how the mother fulfills her role you will answer to God for

This morning I want to look at three passages that hit on three crucial areas that mothers provide for their children and families

Even as you wade through the secular data there is a strong understanding that without mothers our nation would crumble.

In this current state there is much praise and lifting up of essential workers…and I believe rightly so

But when we step back to look at society in its normal setting I thing that one of the two most essential roles is that of mothers

The other essential role is fathers

Big Idea

The importance of motherhood cannot be understated

The part that they play in the social, physical, and spiritual development within the family is essential

The biblical writers shared the importance of mothers

I want to connect us with three bible passages

Connect

Bible Passage

Direct to God’s Word

Luke 2:52…Mary meets Jesus’ social needs

This passage alone could hit all of the roles we will look at this morning but the other passages give us a broader insight so here we will look at just the fact that Mary helped Jesus to develop socially.

Of the 155 times this word is used in the NT 130 times it is translated grace

So between the boy Jesus and God there was a gracious relationship developed

Also between the young Jesus and his fellow man there was a relationship that was marked by grace

I don’t know about you and your children but I know for me personally, as a kid, my relationships were not always marked by grace

And if it weren’t for my parents intervening and teaching me I would not have come to gracious relationships on my own

We wont spend a lot of time here but there is a role played out in the Bible for mothers to help to teach their children how to live socially.

I believe we see this in Titus 2:3-5

Here we see adults teaching the younger generations how to live life…that includes their social lives.

There is teaching here about how to love, to be self-controlled, kind, and so on.

Big picture many of them are spiritual traits but how to live them out in your life is a social teaching that needs to happen because they are not natural to us.

Romans 16…

This epistle to the Romans is the greatest theological work of all history

The depths to which Paul plunges in this epistle are second to none.

The best estimate as to Pauls age at the writing of Romans is between 45-55 years old

This is based on how old he would have been when he came to Jerusalem for training and and some other factors.

So when Paul writes the words of verse 13 he is potentially old enough to have been a father and possibly a grandfather.

What is happening here in verse 13?

Paul is desiring for Rufus’ mother to be thanked for meeting the physical needs of Rufus and Paul

Paul the greatest theologian and writer…one of the most brilliant minds of his day is sure to thank an unnamed woman for meeting his physical needs

Think about it…what if she didn’t

What if she hadn’t met the needs of Paul and his companions

I think she did more than meet the bear minimum needs.

There were a lot of people that helped to meet Pauls needs

This lady gets a thanks in the greatest theological work of all time

Think about it…what if Paul were to mention you in one of his writings…which one would you want it to be?

ROMANS!!!

Sure he doesn’t list her name but she get mention....for what

Probably some things most of us would overlook

Something Martha could get on board with

A clean place for them to stay

Warm home-cooked meals

Hospitality

When you turn to Romans you don’t expect to learn about the importance of hospitality but Paul goes out of his way to thank her for her hospitality

She raised and supplied for his coworker Rufus

The importance of the daily tasks of motherhood ought not be overlooked

2 Timothy 1:5…Lois and Eunice meet the spiritual needs of Timothy

Here we find the significance of the mothers role in the spiritual development of her children.

Culture has been changing…it use to be common for mothers to stay home and raise children

Now many mothers work

I am not here to decide that debate

What I want us to remember though is the important role that mothers play in spiritual development

Paul references the faith of Lois and Eunice

Notice that it is Timothy’s mother AND GRANDMOTHER

They had a faith that was unfeigned…that is “it was true” faith

If held up to judgment of the reality of their faith they would pass the judgment

His mother and grandmother were the real deal

They lived their faith in front of Timothy

And they taught him to live his faith

Remember Titus chapter 2

There are things that young ladies need to learn that they ought to learn from older mature Christian ladies

Same with boys

There are things a son learns from his mother that he cannot learn from dad

There are vital roles for each gender in the home and neither is more or less important

We each need to fulfill our role

As more mothers work, that does not overrule the importance she plays in the part of her family.

Consider

What does this mean today

Luke 2:52 Mary

In our age of gender confusion we can look at the Scriptures and see that God used well defined genders to accomplish His purpose

In the bringing of His Son he bypassed the male gender and honored the female gender

Romans 16:13

In an age obsessed with sex we can look into the Scriptures and see that God bypassed the process of sex to bring His son

We also see that God uses mothers not only for infants but in the lives of grown men

Not only in grown men who lack but in prominent men who are turning the world upside down

This would include mothers and grandmothers

2 Timothy

God used what in our culture is diminished (motherhood) to provide the greatest gift humankind has or will ever receive

God used the womb to fulfill His promise of redemption Gal. 4:4

Colide

Where God’s Word meets our every day life

Practically speaking, there is no one who can replace the role of mother

The schools cannot

The church cannot

The government cannot

Neither should they

There are occasions whether through tragedy or through sin the mother is not present

There is still a vital role that could be filled by a mature Christian woman

A mother figure

The absense physically or the absense of the desire does not negate the need

If you are a mother…Thank You!!!!

If you are pouring into your children…Praise God

If you are a grandmother…there may just be a special place in heaven for grandmothers

But one of the more enlightening applications to what we read in 2 Timothy and Romans 16 are this

-Your motherly influence does not stop where biology does

Your motherly influence does not stop when they move out, get married, turn 18....

I believe that this is something unique to the church

Titus 2…it doesn’t tell mothers or fathers to teach the younger

It tells the older to teach the younger

I would even say that maybe you do not have children of your own

You can still have some level of influence

Men, husbands, fathers, grandfathers…do your part as influences of the next generation but take the next step and help, encourage, sacrifice to make it so your wife....their mother can have the impact on them she should

Me we need to see the essential role of women in our families and society and work to help them fill that essential role

Ladies...

You can still impact the next generation

I will give a word of advise to those desiring to help in this manner (other adults, other parents, grandparents)…let the parents do the correcting…you help with the encouraging and instructing

Moms, I know you are tired

Grandmothers, I know you put your time in

But the task to train and prepare the next generation is great

The consequences are too high

I want to challenge you…your work is not finished yet

Where ever you are along the journey

There is much to be done yet

Your role is too essential to stop.