Honoring Mothers
SERMON STARTER
Today is our day for Honoring Mothers and Motherhood.
I ran across this bit of humor about moms:
WHY GOD MADE MOMS:
Answers given by 2nd grade school children:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
DATE OF TODAY'S TEXT:
The story line for this morning's text begins 1100 years before the birth of Christ. Ruth becomes the great-grand-mother of David. There is a famine in Judah and the family seeks relief in the Land of Moab. That is in the present day country of Southern Iraq.
Pastor Phil <><<
Mother’s Day, May 08, 2016
Sheepfold Ministries - Pastor Phil Roland
Honoring Mothers
Ruth 1:1-17
“Ruth’s Loyalty, Honor and Respect to her mother-in-law is an inspiration and a challenge to us today to remember the one who laid down her life for us. Our Mother's unconditional love for us deserves honor.” Pastor Phil
HONOR = HEBREW = cak = CHA-BAHD = “To be Heavy”
“To Give Weight” “To Do Honor”
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Eph. 6:1-3
I. RUTH HONORED MOTHERHOOD BY HER LOYALTY
16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."
A. Ruth Clung To Her Mother-In-Law - V. 14
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed
her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
B. Ruth gave Honor With her Fierce Loyalty - Romans 13:7
“Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue,
then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
1. Genesis 2:24 - As a Husband Cleaves to His Wife
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
2. Hebrew = wac = DA-BAQ = “To Adhere”
“To Be Glued” To Solder as With Metal”
II. RUTH HONORED MOTHERHOOD W/ UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
A. God’s Love for Us Is Unconditional - Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
1. God's Love is Mirrored by a Mother's Love
2. There are no qualifiers in either God's Love or Mother's Love
3. With mothers there are no "If''s, "But's", or "First's"
4. Only a mother will ignore their offspring's flaws, quirks, sins
5. Only a mother will advocate for their kids no matter what
B. Naomi decides to return to her homeland, Judah
HONORING MOTHERS, cont. p.2
C. Following Naomi into Judah would make Ruth a Social Outcast
1. Ruth was a Moabite Princess who worshipped Chemosh
a. Ruth's god was called "The abomination of Chemosh"
b. Could have been the same god known as "Molech"
c. Worshiped with Temple Prostitutes / Child Sacrifices
2. Ruth Marries a son of Elimelech and Naomi, named Chilion
3. All the males die: Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion
D. Naomi releases her Daughters-in-Law to Stay with their Homeland
1. Ruth demonstrates unconditional love for Naomi
2. Ruth's is a fierce love that won't let Naomi go
III. RUTH HONORED NAOMI W/ UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE
A. Ruth Pictures Jesus' acceptance of us - Ephesians 1:6
“. . .Christ has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
1. Through Christ We Are Accepted As Beloved by God
2. We are His Kids by Adoption
J. Vernon McGee, "In the Mother/Father Heart of God"
B. We no longer fear God, but are His adopted kids - Romans 8:15
15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but
you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
1. Ruth loves Naomi like a birth child loves their mother
2. There was no Mother-In-Law resentment with Ruth
C. This Mother/Daughter Acceptance is like the Lord - John 6:37
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to
Me I will by no means cast out.
1. Ruth Accepted Naomi as her own Mother - John 1:12
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in His name:
2. Ruth became like a daughter to Naomi
3. A Mother's Acceptance mirrors God's Acceptance
IV. RUTH HONORED NAOMI WITH UNCONDITIONAL DEVOTION
17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."
A. Ruth Foreshadows Christ’s Devotion For His Church - 1 John 3:16
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also
ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1. Ruth literally laid down her life for Naomi
2. Jesus taught us to lay down our lives for one another
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for
his friends. John 15:13
3. No one has been as devoted to you as your mother
4. She gave up a year of her life to conceive, gestate and give you physical life
5. Then, she spent the following years of her life devoted to you
HONORING MOTHERS, cont. p.3
B. Ruth’s Submission Is Like Ours To Christ
1. Honor 3. Respect
2. Obey 4. Serve
V. RUTH HONORED NAOMI BY KEEPING HER VOW - Verse 16
16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
A. Ruth Kept Her Vows To Naomi
1. Going home alone to Judah was to return in abject poverty
a. Naomi would have no sons / daughters to care for her
b. She'd have to be some household's servant
2. Ruth's vow of Fidelity to Naomi meant Security
3. Ruth's pledge to Naomi gave her a blood-bond
B. We Prosper If We Keep Our Vows To Our Mothers
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your
father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that
it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Eph. 6:1-3
1. First of two Promises, "It may be well with you."
2. Second of two Promises, "you may live long on the earth."
C. God kept His promises to Ruth for keeping her vow to Naomi
1. She becomes the Great Grand Mother of David
2. Jesus, a thousand years later, calls Himself the Son of David
Your Mother Is Always With You
She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore. She's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well. She's your breath in the air on a cold winter's day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow or the quilt on the bed. She is Christmas morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter, and she's crystallized in every tear drop.
A mother’s love experiences every emotion: happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy. sorrow....and all the while she hopes and prays you will only know the good feelings in life.
She's the place from which you came: your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you from her love, not time, not space...not even death!
MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED!
HONORING MOTHERS
Closing Illustration
My mother has been probably the strongest single influence in my Christian life. She raised all of her five children in the church. She sang hymns to us, told us Bible stories, and read scripture when she'd get us to listen. During my tumultuous teen years, she'd hold me by the arm before I'd run off with my friends to read me a scripture she felt I needed. She read Christian poems and repeated to me some of the inspirational Christian morality stories I learned from my great grandma Cox. Both women were a strong spiritual influence in my early Christian life.
At the end of her life the spiritual influence switched. My mother maintained a strong faith in God and the promises of His Word. She was unafraid of death but was deeply concerned about the prospect or event of dying. I quoted back to her many of the verses she quoted to me as a child, adolescent and young man. Every time we talked on the phone, the conversation always ended with a prayer. In my prayers I blessed her again and again for her influence in my life and in the lives of all my siblings.
I reminded her of what a pioneering spirit she exhibited after my father was killed in a plane crash in West Texas. Within two years of his death she prudently did what she felt was best for her children. She married her second husband, a building contractor in Southern California. She did it thinking of us. We were always put first place in her life.
As time went on I prayed blessing after blessing over her as she prepared for her homeward journey. Some of the constantly repeated scriptures were:
John 5:24
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
John 8:51-52
51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'
When Lois and I visited her at her Southern California residence at what I called a "Country Club" nursing home, I told her, "Mom, I can't believe you're 90 years old!" She snapped back, "I can't believe you're 70 years old!" She always had a quick wit and a sense of humor. The whole family assembled for her 90th birthday. A few short months later, she was hospitalized with an infection that plagued her later in life.
That night she had a good meal and went to sleep at 10 pm. At 2 am the Lord came for her and she passed quietly in her sleep. It was just she told me that one day I would "pass on" in my sleep. It was an easy passing. She closed her eyes in this life and opened them in the Presence of the Lord she loved.
Psalm 116:15
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.
HONORING MOTHERS, TEXT:
Ruth 1:1-17
1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion--Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.
3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years.
5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread.
7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
10 And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people."
HONORING MOTHERS, TEXT, Cont.
11 But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn back, my daughters, go--for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,
13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!"
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."
16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."
HONORING MOTHERS
Closing Illustration
My mother, Madeline Roland-Hutson has been probably the strongest single influence in my Christian life. She raised all of her five children in the church. She sang hymns to us, told us Bible stories, and read scripture when she'd get us to listen. During my tumultuous teen years, she'd hold me by the arm before I'd run off with my friends to read me a scripture she felt I needed. She read Christian poems and repeated to me some of the inspirational Christian morality stories I learned from my great grandma Cox. Both women were a strong spiritual influence in my early Christian life.
At the end of her life the spiritual influence switched. My mother maintained a strong faith in God and the promises of His Word. She was unafraid of death but was deeply concerned about the prospect or event of dying. I quoted back to her many of the verses she quoted to me as a child, adolescent and young man. Every time we talked on the phone, the conversation always ended with a prayer. In my prayers I blessed her again and again for her influence in my life and in the lives of all my siblings.
I reminded her of what a pioneering spirit she exhibited after my father was killed in a plane crash in West Texas. Within two years of his death she prudently did what she felt was best for her children. She married her second husband, a building contractor in Southern California. She did it thinking of us. We were always put first place in her life.
As time went on I prayed blessing after blessing over her as she prepared for her homeward journey. Some of the constantly repeated scriptures were:
John 5:24
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
John 8:51-52
51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'
When Lois and I visited her at her Southern California residence at what I called a "Country Club" nursing home, I told her, "Mom, I can't believe you're 90 years old!" She snapped back, "I can't believe you're 70 years old!" She always had a quick wit and a sense of humor. The whole family assembled for her 90th birthday. A few short months later, she was hospitalized with an infection that plagued her later in life.
That night she had a good meal and went to sleep at 10 pm. At 2 am the Lord came for her and she passed quietly in her sleep. It was just she told me that one day I would "pass on" in my sleep. It was an easy passing. She closed her eyes in this life and opened them in the Presence of the Lord she loved.
Psalm 116:15
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.
