Honor Moms

Honor Your Mom

Edward Barnes / General

A Mother / Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:2–3; Hebrews 12:9; Ephesians 6:1; Leviticus 19:3; Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 23:25

Honor your Mother

Mother’s Day

Can we hear it for our moms today? I think we can do better than that. Yes…Happy Mother’s day…to my mom, my wife, my sister…and all the mom’s out there today.

Started in the early 1900s by a lady named Anna Jarvis…honoring her mom’s work for both armies involved in the civil war…Anna would later want to have it removed from the list of national holidays simply because it had become too commercial.

Today is usually the day we set aside to honor moms... But maybe this message will help us remember that God has a different idea about mother’s day. Probably more along the lines of Anna Jarvis…when she was looking for real honor for moms.

Now we do know that mother’s day is often a day filled with all sorts of emotion…right? God asks us to…and we find this in Scripture (Exodus 20:12)…God asks us to honor our mothers.

And I think it is a good thing to ask why and how.

What might honor look like?

And I loved that video. Funny, but the lady who owned the store said it pretty well. She was grateful for her mom and how her mom showed her who God was and how to shine His light. And that matches perfectly with scripture, grounded in truth, that we’ll be looking at today.

We know that in the beginning things were perfect…and now we know we walk through an imperfect life…God leading and guiding…

but even though we’re on this side of Eden…imperfect... our meaning and purpose are still there. We’re on this side of the fall. We’re on this side where life is sometimes great…and sometimes not so perfect. Right?

And still, in all of this, God asks us to honor moms.

Why honor? Why honor the concept of motherhood… The ‘why’ here is very important...

Let’s think about a few things. Why would God ask us to do this? This is in the 10 Commandments…its a big deal. And there’s a big reason. Paul said that the law, the commandments, its like a schoolteacher. It shows us what sin is.

Paul wrote this, carrying into the New Testament this one of the 10 Commandments from God…this is from Ephesians 6:2-3

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Ephesians 6:2–3 LEB

Ephesians 6:2–3 CSB

2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.

Part of the 10 commandments. This must mean something. Honor your moms… And with a promise.

This almost sounds as though this isn’t being written to an individual…and it wasn’t. These commandments were to the nation…the Israelites as a whole. These were to be the pattern for society, for culture, for the community. And I think this makes sense when one realizes that this list of commandments is really giving us a picture of what was lost…and where society is now…after sin began. Like Paul said…a school teacher.

I heard this short little list of things we should remember when we honor moms:

But first I’d like to do something.....

I would like you to stand....just stand up where you are if....if someone …in labor gave birth to you.

Ok…so that’s all of you. Wow…yeah we were all at one time a pain to our moms, weren’t we? No with all kidding aside…this is something that relates directly to all of us in one way or another.

You wouldn’t be here W/O them. We all just stood up a minute ago. There are no accidental kids. There was a process for bringing children into the world set long ago in creation. You’re here because of that process that God designed “In the beginning.” God values you, He has a plan for you. He sent His son for you...and he used you’re parents, you’re mom....to bring you into this world. And speaking of that…and that’s true no matter how you grew up or are growing up. God brought you here.

You wouldn’t be you without God and your parents…your mom. God chose the design of arranging and combining a man and a woman’s chromosomes and DNA to build yours…partly from your mom and part from dad…to make you uniquely you. Now…this is just true and isn’t based on their skills as a parent be they good, bad, or indifferent. Through them, you came into this world as a unique image-bearer of God.

God describes this design within His purpose for humanity. In the book of Genesis, it states that He created them in His image…male and female He created them and then gave them a command, Fill the earth, multiply. God created Adam (man)…and then Eve (woman). Adam created from the ground, and then Eve, taken from Adam’s side and then called “woman”… Here we have the first marriage. Just before Eve was created from Adam the Bible states that no suitable helper could be found for Adam....not to name animals or tend the garden. No helper to fill the earth…create offspring.

And we know then that sin came into the world through Adam and Eve. It wasn’t until they left the garden, God’s presence that they started a family…the first family.

Two, who were one, became three. (Yes…the math works). You have to think about it. A fertilized egg and then an arrangement of chromosomes and DNA…and then the first pregnancy. Eve was expecting. The first mom. Eve means the mother of all. And Genesis 3 explains this…and it very cool how Eve states this (as the first mom)....and I think it is very important for us as believers to remember this and consider this. Here’s what Eve said, with God’s help, I have brought forth a man. She became a mom…just what God intended. She knew that children came into the world, through a mom giving birth, because this was God’s design. A process blessed by God.

Adam and Eve knew how they entered creation…the hand of God. And now, the process created and blessed by God, to bring more image-bearers into existence…to fill the earth (that was the command to Adam and Eve, “Fill the earth…multiply.” Eve knows that now, through the relationship of marriage, a man and a woman, a child can be formed. A family. A family before God and loved by Him.

David talked about this in the Psalms (139) that he was amazed at how God formed a child in the womb…specifically He said how God knit a baby together. Eve experienced this for the first time. A human from two other humans. A process blessed by God.

The role of a mom…to bring image bearers into this world.

Incidentally, in a world that is struggling to find identity and happiness and purpose…often defining things for themselves rather than through the truth of God…we have here man and woman defined for us…their marriage defined for us…and the process of bringing children... more image-bearers...into the world…that process blessed and defined for us. I know that in our world today these definitions are misconstrued and assumed and rearranged from just what the words man and woman mean all the way to what pregnancy and childbirth is. We have these truths that come from God…that are logical, they make sense, and they fulfill His will. Anything outside of these definitions and boundaries God cannot bless. Looking back to solid theology…how God set up, designed, and moves forward with us is very important and helpful to us.

Why honor moms? Because God has given them an incredible role in His plan to cover the earth in His glory…blessing us in the process…giving us an incredible life as we live it out before Him. Moms have an incredible task. As the video said…raise a child to find God, follow God, and then reflect His glory, as an image-bearer to the world. I think we have an answer as to why we should honor moms.

God honors moms in an incredible and amazing way…fathers too....Honor your father and mother…that it will go well with you.

And like we said…on this side of the fall, there is sin and imperfection…there’s an enemy that loves to create confusion. So what did God do for moms? …for imperfect moms. This is the peak of honor....He sent His son to die for them. To forgive them. To help heal regret and guilt. And to bless a life lived for His son…through giving them a new life…reborn as Jesus told Nicodemus.

That’s how valuable moms are to God.

The 10 Commandments…Honor your moms…Exodus 20:12 says to Honor your parents… your mother and your father.

God values moms. He values their purpose. He gives them meaning.

Do we value them as God does? Sometimes…sometimes not.

And I would say that it is very difficult to deeply honor moms, as God does, without knowledge of the creation account and the design that God placed in His creation.

Biblically speaking, what are some ways we’re asked to honor parents…or more specifically moms?

I think we can look at ways to honor moms through our ages…or maybe through seasons of life. Maybe child, young adult, adult........

When you were a child…there was a way that God asked you to honor your mom.

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Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:1

Ephesians 6:1 CSB

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right.

Obedience. I think God has a plan for this.

Is it good for a child, a young teen, to learn obedience and to respect authority? Absolutely. It is hard to work for someone without a healthy sense of authority and obedience. It's hard to live in the atmosphere of a neighborhood or community without a healthy attitude towards authority. It’s hard to live all of this life without a healthy sense of authority and obedience. It's hard to live in obedience to God without a foundation....And where do you think a child first learns this idea of authority? Through mom and dad.

Honor your mom. So for a child…honoring for sure can look like obeying…following instructions....willingly, cheerfully, immediately…and then, by honoring moms, children then honor God. A mom, teaching obedience, actually helps a child learn to obey the Lord.

Things you’ll never hear a mom say:

“How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?”

“Just leave all the lights on...it makes the house look more cheery.”

“Let me smell that shirt—Yeah, it’s good for another week.”

“Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I’ll be glad to feed and walk him every day.”

“Well, if Timmy’s mom says it’s OK, that’s good enough for me.”

“The curfew is just a general time to shoot for. It’s not like I’m running a prison around here.”

“Don’t bother wearing a jacket—the wind chill is bound to improve.”

“I don’t have a tissue with me...just use your sleeve.”

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Leviticus 19:3 says

Leviticus 19:3 (CSB)

3 “Each of you is to respect his mother and father.

As kids get a bit older that idea of authority moves into the realm of respect. Starting in those older teen years…when teenagers have figured out the whole world and know everything?

And with that, at this stage of the game, you start to learn that your parents have flaws too. And you still respect them. Revere them.

Is there a lesson in life here too? Absolutely. Here a young adult learns that people are flawed…but sometimes…people have authority over us and responsibility for us. And regardless of what kind of person your boss or your professor might be, we’re still asked to respect authority…the position of authority…even when the person is flawed. Where can we first learn this? In our family…honoring moms, revering, respecting moms.

Accept and forgive. Accept and forgive. You can accept parents for who they are and that God placed them in your life…and you can forgive them for their flaws. Why? Because that’s how God has honored parents. He forgives flawed people, doesn’t he. So accept moms. Forgive moms.

Obedience and Respect

Honor moms.

Later in life…there’s a sense of respect through listening and hearing. You don’t have to do what they say anymore…you’re an adult…you don’t have to sit there until all your spinach is finished....you’re kids might have to…but You’re free to live as you choose…but respect shows up in listening to wisdom. Listening to stories that share life lessons. Especially those that help you see more of God.

How Should we honor moms? Obedience as children, Respect as growing adults…on to appreciation...

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Proverbs 6:20–23 CSB

20 My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching. 21 Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. 23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life.

Appreciate mom’s, your mom, the mom’s around you who may very well be trying to show you God and His love.

Why? Because when you get there and you get older…there’s a chance that you’ll forget all about God…and your kids might as well. You might, the family, community…your whole culture might forget about God, His design, His purposes, His definitions, His plan for an incredible life lived out before Him.

Kids (and this could be kids of all ages), what is God saying to you? - Learn well. Don’t give up obeying and listening to and respecting and appreciating your parents. Why? Because they just might be trying their best to pass on to you the knowledge of God.

Honor your mom. Obey, Respect and Appreciate.

Parents…is it hard to parent sometime? Amen

Is it hard to stay focused sometimes?

The world is a scary place to raise a child, isn’t it? Jesus references that a few times in scripture for us.

But as tough as it is…we love our kids right? Moms love their kids. Solomon penned these words…with God’s wisdom…to appreciate your parents, your moms, for what they’ve walked through for you. And not for their ego…but just because it’s a good thing to do.

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Proverbs 23:25 LEB

Proverbs 23:25 CSB

25 Let your father and mother have joy, and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

Now some of you might be saying....You don’t know my mom…my parents. You don’t know what they did to me. That might very well be true. You might be walking with hurts from the past that just make it tough to think about honoring them. There’s a passage from the Old Testament where God speaks to you.... “If your mom and dad forsake you, the Lord will receive you.”

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Psalm 27:10 CSB

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

Why does God care? Because regardless of how you might have grown up…you were conceived, you were knit together in your mom’s belly (as David wrote in Psalm 139) and you carry in you the grand purpose of filling the Earth with His glory…as in image bearer…His image.

I encourage you to work through that stuff that you carry around from your years maybe as a child and maybe even as an adult. Talk that through with God. Look for help in moving through that…even past that. The Lord won’t ever leave you.

He values you and honors you and wants you to be the best person…maybe even the best mom you can be....relying on Him.

Why honor moms? Because God does. He does so much for them and gave them specific meaning and purpose. He sent His son for them. He values them. He wants us to do the same them…out of love.

Moms you are honored today.

Let’s pray.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:26 AM May 6, 2022.