Sermon Tone Analysis

OPEN: Jeffrey Sackett once said:

Think of how often in scripture it is the woman who is the vehicle for ministry.

· Who prompted Jesus to perform His first miracle?

A Woman! (His mother)

· Who ministered to Christ during His public ministry?

The women!

· Who anointed Jesus’ feet?

The women! (One a prostitute/ another Mary/sister of Martha)

· Who stayed with Jesus throughout his trial and crucifixion?

The women!

· Who were the first witnesses to the resurrected Savior?

The women!

· Who makes up the majority of the population of most churches today?

The women!

One person has observed that it seems women are more naturally spiritual than men.

They tend to understand the need for God more readily.

And they are often touched by the Holy Spirit easier than men are.

Because of their potential for faith, women often serve as the backbone of many churches and ministries.

And they have the potential to help develop their husbands and sons into great leaders.

Men may often be called to positions of leadership in the church but without Godly women beside them… they’re not going to get much done.

And yet mom tends to be in the background.

She is obscure, perhaps even totally unknown.

When we first learn of the birth of Moses we are not told the names of his parents.

Exodus 2:1 tells us a “man of Levi” married a “daughter of Levi.”

In this case 2 totally unknowns.

You have to dig into Exodus 6 to find the names of Moses’ parents — and what you find may surprise you because later in the Law God would give through Moses such a marriage would be condemned.

But in Exodus 2 we are told that “the woman, the daughter of Levi” conceived and bore a son — a son, that according to Pharaoh's mandate had to be killed.

Exodus 1:15-17 tells of Pharaoh’s post-birth abortion mandate

In John 10:10, Jesus tells us the devil’s plans are to steal, kill and destroy.

That was certainly the case in Moses’ life.

And in Jesus’ life.

Abortion, infanticide.

The devil wants to kill babies.

He wants to keep women from becoming mothers.

So often God sends His deliverance through a child.

A child that has been raised by a godly mother.

Nowhere is the devil’s diabolical plans more evident than in his plan to abort babies.

And yes, I believe abortion comes straight from the pit of hell.

It kills babies — most before birth, but there is a growing movement to kill them after birth — infanticide.

And then abortion STEALS — oh what it steals from women:

Peace — as the devil then beats a woman about the head and shoulders with guilt and condemnation — you killed your baby, your own flesh and blood

How many women deal with such things years, decades after the event?

Regret, horror, self-loathing — all because they believed the devil’s lie that this is convenient, “this is the best thing for you”

Many times, abortion steals the ability to have children in the future.

And yes, abortion DESTROYS.

It destroys the nation that endorses abortion by removing any concept of the sanctity of human life.

When abortion for any reason is the law of a nation, NO life is sacred.

Killing the sick, the elderly, even killing the imperfect, killing the unwanted.

Killing anyone who doesn’t have blond hair and blue eyes.

Wait, that sounds like Hitler’s Germany — exactly!

And the, how many girls have been aborted in China because families could have only one child — it is the flip-side to Moses birth.

This past week we had an abhorrent revelation of the process of the Supreme Court over Mississippi’s abortion law.

Abhorrent because someone leaked a document .

A leak that has never occurred before because it corrupts the process.

And you’ve seen the impact.

Violence, relentless pressure on the Supreme Court — not to rule according to the Constitution but according to supposed public opinion.

Not to rule according to what it true and right, but according to what the devil wants.

There is an Insert in bulletin.

Add each justice’s name: (Read them out)

By overturning Roe v Wade there is the possibility of slowing down the killing of unborn babies.

Whatever you think, whatever lies have been told by the devil’s propaganda machine, mainstream media, overturning Roe v wade will NOT stop abortion — it will only slow it down.

Some states, like New York, will continue to declare open season on babies — overturning Roe V Wade will NOT stop that.

This nation, WE have killed over 60 million babies since Roe v. Wade became law.

60 million!

Let us pray for God to forgive us and turn the tide.

But this morning I want us to consider another woman, another mother.

If we were to consider all the named women and mothers in the Bible (there are many who are not named), the alphabetical list would begin with Abi (mother of Hezekiah) and end with Zipporah, wife of Moses and mother of Gershom and Eliezer.

It is that last mother of the list that I want us to think about this mother’s day morning.

Anticipate Father’s day — same direction.

Let’s begin to read what scripture tells us about this mother:

We will look at Mama Zipporah in 3 acts.

Act 1:

Text: Exodus 2:15-22

Zipporah - The Wife of Moses

This morning I would like for us to consider the account, the example, of the last named mother in the Bible.

This morning let us consider a woman named Zipporah, the wife of Moses.

From what we read in Scripture, it seems that Zipporah deeply loved her husband

And deeply loved her children

First of all, in scripture, a person’s name is often significant.

Take Moses, an Egyptian name that, according to Exodus 2:10, means “one who draws out.”

How appropriate for the name of the man who would lead God’s people out of Egypt!

Zipporah, a Midian name, means “a little bird,” “a sparrow.”

She may have been Moses’ “little bird” as a wife.

As we will see Zipporah is anything but a “little bird” when it comes to her sons.

Like many mothers, she can be fierce, a mama bear.

Last night, when I came home from church, Sandra had the movie Breakthrough on TV.

Remember?

from 3 years ago?

It’s about the boy who fell through the ice in Lake St. Louis near where I got saved as a teenager.

He died from the experience, but because a mama bear held onto God and bucked the system, God did a miracle and brought him back to life.

Zipporah too was a mama bear.

Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro who is also called Reuel and Raguel in scripture.

It was to the home of this shepherd-priest in Midian that Moses came when at forty years of age he fled from Egypt, and meeting the seven girls drawing water Moses assisted them.

Arriving home earlier than usual they told how the Egyptian had helped them.

Invited home, Moses was content to live with Jethro’s family, and married Zipporah, eldest of the seven daughters.

Two sons were born of the union, Gershom and Eliezer.

The Issue of Circumcision

Act 2

Exodus 4:19-20; 4:24-26

Here we see Moses 40 years after marrying Zipporah.