Sermon Tone Analysis

Proverbs 1:8-9; Ephesians 6:1-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2001

Two Religions

 

“A woman sat down in a quiet place

Reading a book with a pleasant face,

Till a child came up with a childish frown

And pushed the book saying, “Put it down.”

Then the mother, slapping his curly head,

Said, “Troublesome child, go off to bed;

A great deal of God’s book I must know

To train you up as a child should go.”

And the child went off to bed to cry

And denounce religion — by and by.

 

“Another woman bent over a book

With a smile of joy and an intent look,

Till a child came up and joggled her knee,

And said of the book, “Put it down — take me.”

Then the mother sighed as she stroked his head,

Saying softly, “I never shall get it read;

But I’ll try by loving to learn His will,

And His love into my child instill.”

That child went to bed without a sigh

And will love religion — by and by.

Introduction

 

On Mother’s Day a minister gave this perfect tribute: /My mother practices what I preach./

Because today is Mother's Day we will look at the joys and responsibilities of Motherhood.

With the changing values of today's society motherhood is often ridiculed.

Mothers are often looked upon as second class citizens.

The media continually promotes career women as the models of success.

Yet the Bible doesn't see it this way.

The Bible highlights the important role of mothers in raising godly offspring.

Wise men down the ages have seen this too!

More Honorable Than Any Profession

/ /

When all is said, it is the mother, and the mother only, who is a better citizen than the soldier who fights for his country.

The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls, who are to be the men and women of the next generation, is of greater use to the community, and occupies, if she only would realize it, a more honorable as well as more important position than any man in it.

The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life.

She is more important, by far, than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist.

/— Theodore Roosevelt/* *Today, we will see two things regarding the role of parents and mothers in particular.

*/The Commandments and the Promise.

/*

 

/Firstly/     The Commandments

/ /

*Ephesians 6:1* /Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right/.

/a.

Parents Must Be Obeyed/

* *

*Prov 1:8-9* /My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck./

/ /

Mother As Greatest Preacher

 

Dr.

G. Campbell Morgan had four sons.

They all became ministers.

At a family reunion, a friend asked one of the sons, /Which Morgan is the greatest preacher?/

While the son looked at the father, he replied, *Mother!

/ Mothers can make a huge impact on the home./*

/ /

Parents Make Family Rules

/ /

The commandment in Proverbs chapter 1 asks children to observe their parents teaching.

The parents are responsible for making laws for the family.

The parents in each home are responsible to set the boundaries that they expect their children to live within.

It is not good enough for parents to expect their children to know the rules without being told.

Parents should also be careful not to make too many rules.

Family rules should be based on the Bible.

Since mothers spend more time with children than fathers do, they have a greater part to play in child training.

They can also live out by example what they teach their children to do.

They can point their kids to Christ.

Prayer, discipline, love and example are all needed.

Baby’s Footprints Toward Church

 

Near a church in Kansas, there can be seen in a cement sidewalk the prints of two baby feet with the toes pointing toward the Church.

It was said that 20 years ago, when the sidewalk was being laid, a mother secured permission to stand her baby boy on the wet cement.

The tracks are seen today plainly.

The Mother had wanted her little boy to start aright.

This Mother Prayed 60 Years

 

Dr.

John F. Walvoord, in the chapel of Dallas Theological Seminary, one day told of a mother who prayed for her son for 60 years to be saved.

One week before her death, the mother received a long-distance call from her son saying that he was saved.

Parents Must Make Themselves Heard

/ /

The command for Children to obey their parents in the Lord has responsibilities for both the parents and children.

The parents are responsible to teach their children right from wrong.

The children are responsible to obey their parents.

The command to*/ obey/* comes from the Greek word u&pakouw.

It means */to follow, be subject to, to obey./*

This word is a compound verb of the word ajkouw which means */to hear/*.

Our English word acoustics is derived from this Greek word.

Parents are responsible to make their children */hear/* their commands.

Obedience begins with paying attention to what is being said and then acting on it.

At school many things are learned by the rote method.

Teachers ask children to repeat their times tables over and over again.

The same method is needed in child training.

We must restate the rules many times before children will learn them well.

All Ear

 

A missionary translator was endeavoring to find a word for obedience in the native language.

This was a virtue seldom practiced among the people into whose language he wanted to translate the New Testament.

As he returned home from the village one day, he whistled for his dog and it came running at full speed.

An old native, seeing this, said admiringly in the native tongue.

Your dog is all ear.

Immediately he knew he had his word for obedience.

*/Parents must teach their children to be all ear.

To hear their commands and then obey./*

Sometimes mothers will have to discipline their children because disobedience.

This is an important part of making children hear you.

If there is no consequence for disobedience children won't obey you.

Instruction inevitably needs to be balanced with correction.

The Book of Proverbs is filled with instruction concerning child training.

Many verses speak of the importance of discipline.