HONOR THY MOTHER Exodus 20:12 Exod 20:12 (KJS) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. INTRODUCTION: A teacher had just presented a lesson on magnets and magnetic force. Then she quizzed her pupils: "My name starts with the letter M. I have six letters and I pick up things. What am I?" _To her amazement the children all answered: "Mother!" =================== Someone has written, "Mothers come in all sizes, shapes and colors and are found everywhere: at kitchen sinks; hunting lost school books; kissing hurt places to make them well; patching seams and dreams; settling disputes; getting meals; supervising baths and morals." =================== Elsie Duncan Yale once wrote in Sunshine magazine; "One day the census taker called and wrote down in a book, and so, as I was hanging 'round I thought I'd take a look. _He had our names and ages all, and put down Dad's vocation, and after mother's name he wrote she had "No Occupation."_ Why mother's up before its light, and through the work she races. She starts the breakfast, straightens things, and washes all the faces. She packs our lunches, finds our books, of course it keeps her busy. She washes, irons, sweeps, and dusts, you'd think she would be dizzy. She bakes a cake, and maybe pies; she finds some time for sewing. _There's mending, making over, too, because we all are growing. _ Then dinner comes, and dishes next, first one thing, then another; and when our homework bothers us, we say, "Please help us, "Mother." So, she keeps going all the time, and though she's always happy and cheery, _ She keeps so busy every day, and sure needs some vacation: and yet the census man wrote down she had "No occupation." =================== Many mothers will relate to this recipe for mothers: _"Preheat oven, but first check for rubber balls or plastic "He-men" that might be lurking inside. Clear counter of wooden blocks and "Key Cars." Grease pan. Crack nuts. Measure flour. Remove Johnny's hand from flour. Remeasure flour. Crack more nuts to replace those Johnny ate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Get broom and dust pan. Sweep up pieces of bowl Johnny knocked on floor. Find a second bowl. Answer doorbell. Return to kitchen. Remove Johnny's hand from bowl. Wash Johnny. Answer telephone. Return. Remove half inch of salt from grease pan. Call for Johnny. Look for Johnny. Give up search. Grease another pan. Answer phone. Return to kitchen. Find Johnny. Remove Johnny's hands from bowl. Remove layer of nuts shells from grease pan. Sternly turn to Johnny who knocks off second bowl off counter while running away from you. Wash kitchen floor and counter and dishes and walls. Final scene: Call bakery. Place order. Take two aspirins. Lie down." =================== Abraham Lincoln said, "All that I am, or can become, I owe to my angel mother." =================== President Theodore Roosevelt said, "The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is more important by far than the successful statesman, businessman, artist, or scientist." =================== J.H. Jowett wrote, "At mother's knee, I gained my sweetest inspiration." =================== Someone has said, that if the husband is the head of the home, then the mother is the heart of the home. =================== When God gave the Ten Commandments, which expressed the righteous will of God, in those commandments God said, "Honor thy father and mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." _The same command is repeated in Mark 7:10, "For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother." Also in Ephesians 6:2, "Honor thy father and mother: which is the first commandment with promise." It is instructions involve both Father and Mother, but I want us to narrow our focus to mothers only. I. THE RELATIONSHIP THAT IS DESCRIBED! The relationship that is described is that of a mother. Clementine Churchill once wrote, "The loss of one's mother is a sad milestone in one's life. After that, one is nobody's child and it is a lonely feeling." Why is it such a sad milestone when one loses their mother? Why is it such a_lonely feeling? Could it not be, that of all earthly relationships, there is none like that of a mother. When I think of this relationship I think of: A. A Love So Special. There is no love like a mothers love. If there is a love that somewhat reflects the depth, height, and breath of God's love, it would be a mothers love. D.L. Moody said, _"The closest tie on earth is a mother's love for her child. There are a good many things that will separate a man from his wife, but there isn't a thing in the wide, wide world that will separate a true mother from her own child. I will admit that there are unnatural mothers who have gone out of their heads, mothers who are so steeped in sin that they will turn against their own children, but a true mother will never, never, turn against her own child." =================== Moody told the story of a young man that was on trial for the murder of 5 people. During his trial they had to guard the courthouse, the anger and indignation of the people was so intense. The young man had a white-haired mother, and as she tried to get near her son each day, the things she heard people say about her son were like daggers in her heart. When the jury brought in the verdict of guilty and the judge pronounced the sentence of death a great shout went up, but the old white-haired mother nearly fainted away. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and there in the courtroom they had to tear her away from him. Over the next weeks she went from person to person trying to get signatures to get him pardoned. After he was hanged, she begged the governor to let her have his body. The governor refused. And a few months later, when she was dying she sent a letter to the governor asking him to let her be buried next to her son. Such is a mother's love. A love that in spite of what her children do, her love never dies. A mother's love is a special love. =================== When I think of this relationship I think of: B. A Life That Is Significant. There is probably no one that has a greater influence on children than a mother. Lord Shaftesbury said, "Give me a generation of Christian mothers and I will undertake to change the face of English society in 12 months." =================== A very prominent man was introduced to a great gathering as a self-made man. As he got up to speak he said: "I was thinking that I am really not a self-made man. Yes, I recall how I went to work in a store when I was but ten years of age. But it was because my mother thought I ought to have early in life an educating touch of business. I know how I loved to read as a growing boy and I devoured every book I could get my hands on. Yes, it was because my mother led me to them and had me give accounts to her of all the books I read. Then there is the matter of my integrity. Perhaps some of you are saying that this is my own. I am not so sure of that. I remember once I had some apples to sell by the peck and I was putting the poor ones in the bottom and the fine ones on top. When fly mother saw what I was doing, she gave me a talk that I haven't forgotten to this day. I am not a self-made man. I am convinced that my mother made me what I am." Many a child will be in heaven because of a godly mothers influence. Many a life has been saved from a life of shame because of a mothers life. A mother's love is special and her life is significant. =================== II THE RESPECT THAT IS DEMANDED! The command of God is "Honor thy mother." _A Sunday School teacher asked his class to write out the 5th commandment. One wrote, "Humor thy father and thy mother." Another wrote, "Honor thy pirates." While parents are neither pirates nor need humoring, there are certain obligations children owe their parents and in particular, mothers. =================== An inscription on an old Egyptian tomb reads: "We are living in a dying and decadent age. Youth is corrupt, lacking in respect for its elders." Nothing more truer could be said about our age. Nothing reveals the corruptness of our age than the disrespect that is shown to elders and in particular to parents. The word "honor" carries the ideal of respect or reverence. Mothers are to be respected, held in the highest esteem, treated with the greatest care. Why? A. It Is Right. Paul said, in Eph.6:1 "Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right Eph.6:1. The word "right" means "righteousness," indicating it is the a righteous thing to do. We could say that it is the Christian thing to do. God never took lightly the mistreatment of parents. We read in Exodus 21:17, "He that curseth his father or mother, shall surely be put to death." You kinda of get the idea that God seriously frowned on disrespecting parents. _It is a righteous thing to honor your mother and an unrighteous thing to dishonor her. It is right to respect her, and wrong to reproach her. B. It Is Reasonable. It is only reasonable that mothers be honored when one considers what a mother has given out and given up; the many sacrifices that have been made for her children. She brought you into this world and largely brought you up in the world. It is only reasonable that she be honored. =================== A 10 year old boy left a bill for his mother under dinner plate. His mother picked it up and read, "For doing chores and cutting the yard, one dollar." The mother left a note for her son at the next meal, "For caring for you 10 years, feeding and clothing you, and for loving you, nothing." =================== Think of the hours your mother spent washing, ironing, folding, and putting up your clothes so you could look nice when you went to school. Think of the times she did without so you could have what you wanted, do what you wanted to do, go where you wanted so badly to go. Think of the hours she spent cooking and preparing you meals. Think of the many nights she was up and down with you when you were sick. Think of the many miles she drove to take you here and there, how she rushed, dropped other important things just to get you somewhere on time. Think of all the buttons, hems, she sewed, plus hundreds and hundreds of things she did. It is only reasonable to honor your mother. To not honor your mother is not only a SIN it is a SHAME! C. It Is Required. As Vance Havner said of the Ten Commandments, "They are ten commandments, not ten suggestions." This is God's requirement, "Honor thy mother." _Notice that this commandment is listed with stealing, murder, adultery, etc. God views dishonoring your parents as wrong as stealing, taking another's property and infidelity. III. THE REWARD THAT IS DECLARED! God says that honoring your mother has its rewards. The reward is, "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." _Paul said, "That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth" (Eph.6:3). The promise of God is two-fold: A. That Life May Be Enriched. The honoring of a mother reaps the blessings of God. Life is enriched and given quality by God. B. That Life May Be Extended. I believe exactly what God said. If a_person will honor their mother, God will add days to their life. One day 5 prisoners sat looking at a magazine in a prison library. One said, "Wish my mother had a house like the one in that ad." Another took the magazine and flipping through the pages, remarked, "That's what I wish my ma had. A car like that so she could come and see me once in a while." They passed it around until it came to a prisoner named Bill. Bill just sat there. Finally Bill spoke, "I wish," his voice sounded as if it were going to break, "that my mother had a good son." _That's what many a mother needs. A son or daughter that will be better, do better, act better. Children that will HONOR THEIR MOTHERS. CONCLUSION: For all that your Mother has done for you. I ask you this question what have you done lately for you Mom?