Below is yesterday’s sermon manuscript:

Little House on the prairie Clip:

Laurie Ingalls and her Mother:

 

Today, I wish to look at 1 Cor. 13: 4-7 in order to talk about some attributes that mothers typically must demonstrate in order to care for their children. Let’s read the passage from the N.I.V.

1 Cor. 13: 4-7:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 

The overall theme for today is a mother’s love and yet I want to breakdown a mother’s love at this time. So let’s breakdown this passage this time. Let’s breakdown this passage right now. Now, these are adjectives in the English and verbs in the Greek. I like to think of them as verbs. These are actions. You know the phrase, a mother’s work is never done. Let’s look at the first one.

 

1.                     Patient:
2.        Think about this for a second, what does it mean to be patient? Now, most of us can easily think of what it means when we are not patient, right? Or, actually, I could easily say that I know what it looks like when I am not patient. When I am not patient I end up irritated and agitated, I end up yelling at those around me. I end up thinking bad thoughts. I end up with road rage I end up thinking bad language.
3.       Those are all descriptive of not being patient, right?
4.        Not moms. Think about mothers of young children for a second. Actually, do more than think. Everyone take out a pencil or a pen that you brought with you, or there should be one in the pew, and write in the bulletin insert (the part of the bulletin with the sermon notes) a few descriptions of how your mother or another maternal influence in your life was patient.

                                                   i.      I think of watching Meagan gently and patiently feeding Mercedes and then Abigail.

                                                 ii.      I think of watching Meagan patiently rocking Mercedes and Abigail.    

1.       Love is patient. Do you ever try to solve arguments without patience? It doesn’t work too well, does it? No and it will not. My illustrations were of Meagan with babies, but you may have illustrations with teenagers. I do remember my mom having patience with me when I was a teenager and it was so very important. Praise God for patient mothers.
2.                   Kind: The Bible says that “Love is Kind.” Think of how your mother’s are kind. Take out your pen or pencil and write down how your mother or another maternal influence in your life was kind or is kind.
3.        Mothers must be kind, right?
4.       It takes great kindness to always take care of the needs of another. Think about this. From the time a baby is born:

                                                   i.      Always feeding;

                                                 ii.      Always rocking to sleep;

                                                iii.      Always soothing;

                                               iv.      Always changing diapers;

                                                 v.      Always worrying;

                                               vi.      Always driving places;

                                              vii.      Always paying for things;

                                            viii.      Always cleaning;

                                               ix.      Always bathing;

                                                 x.      Always listening;

                                               xi.      Always_____ you fill it in okay.

1.        Praise God for kind mothers.
2.       The Scriptures say in Phil. 2:3-4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
3.       I see that Scripture obeyed in mothers.
4.                 Does not Envy:
5.        I do not need to park here. This is straight forward right. We probably all battle this, but where can we get if we are all always thinking about what someone else has, right?
6.       Don’t compare what you know about yourself, which is everything, with the little bit that you know about someone else. 
7.                 Does not boast:
8.        What good does it do to brag or boast as a mother to your children about everything that you do for them?
9.       Listen, there is no way to repay the parent.
10.        A parent provides for their children out of grace, out of love.
11.                   Is not proud: and this goes along with the previous.

Proverbs 16:16:

Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall.

 

1.                 Does not dishonor others: There is no reason to harm others as a mother raises her own children. No, try to help others and respect others. You know what, that also is modeling the best for your children. 
2.        How does it help your children if they remember you always talking negatively about other parents? (We teach children to honor and respect others by modeling this.)
3.       I remember leaving to many family functions and hearing a parent tell another parent something about someone. I would be in the back seat and hear my parents or a friend’s parents or wherever I might have been I would over hear a conversation of gossip about other people. As children that was overheard. That dishonored others.
4.               Is not self seeking: This goes along with the previous as well. As a godly woman raises her children she is modeling godly virtues.

 

I read the following:

 

A MOTHER’S MARRED HANDS

There was a teenager who didn’t want to be seen in public with her mother, because her mother’s arms were terribly disfigured. One day when her mother took her shopping and reached out her hand, a clerk looked horrified. Later, crying, the girl told her how embarrassed she was.
Understandably hurt, the mother waited an hour before going to her daughter’s room to tell her, for the first time, what happened.

“When you were a baby, I woke up to a burning house. Your room was an inferno. Flames were everywhere. I could have gotten out the front door, but I decided I’d rather die with you than leave you to die alone. I ran through the fire and wrapped my arms around you. Then I went back through the flames, my arms on fire. When I got outside on the lawn, the pain was agonizing but when I looked at you, all I could do was rejoice that the flames hadn’t touched you.”

Stunned, the girl looked at her mother through new eyes. Weeping in shame and gratitude, she kissed her mother’s marred hands and arms. 

(Source: Randy Alcorn. From a sermon by Billy Ricks, Suffering, 2/27/2011)

1.             Is not easily angered: There may be days, right? But, anger would be passed down to the children, and we do not want that, do we?
2.                 It keeps no record of wrongs:
3.        What good is this?
4.       What good is this for your children?
5.        You don’t need to give your kids a list at the end of the day do you? No, of course not? Kids will be kids.
6.                   Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth:
7.                 Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8.        I find this to be a great breakdown for these few verses.

 

Close:

May use a video clip instead

 

Corrie Ten Boom in the book, Reflections of God’s Glory (page 69), wrote, “In Africa a man came to a meeting with bandaged hands. I asked him how he had been injured. He said, “My neighbor’s straw roof was on fire; I helped him to put it out and that’s how my hands were burned.
“Later I heard the whole story. The neighbor hated him and had set his roof on fire while his wife and children were asleep in the hut. They were in great danger. Fortunately, he was able to put out the fire in his house on time. But sparks flew over to the roof of the man who had set the house on fire and his house started to burn. There was no hate in the heart of this Christian; there was love for his enemy and he did everything he could to put out the fire in his neighbor’s house. That is how his own hands were burned.”