If you have a tendency to grab a piece of scripture and read it apart from its surrounding passages,
our text this morning may not carry the idea of a mother's love.
It may instead feel somewhat like an attempted abandonment.
It may look like a stroke of luck if you believe in such as that.
It may look like a fairy tale.
But in reality, it's a wonderful account of the early days of one of God's mighty men
that was preserved in a trying time to lead a people to the God of promise.
Our passage today would not appear to be an example of a mother's love, but man is it.
It's in Exodus chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, and it says this.
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.
The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes
and dabbed it with bitumen and pitch.
She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds of the riverbed.
And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.
Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river while her young women walked beside the river.
She saw the baskets among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.
But when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying.
She took pity on him and said, this is one of Hebrews' children.
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter,
shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, go.
So the girl went and called the child's mother, and Pharaoh's daughter said to her,
take this child away and nurse him for me, and I'll give you your wages.
So the woman took the child and nursed him, and when the child grew older,
she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son.
She named him Moses because she said, I drew him out of the water.
Now what would appear to look like abandonment is really quite the opposite.
Because this passage speaks of the time when the Hebrew people were slaves to Egypt.
And Egypt were attempting to kill any Hebrew boys that were born
in order to stifle the growth of their slaves,
afraid that that slave body would get so large that it would overtake the Egyptians.
So they were instructed that if a boy was killed to be killed upon,
if a boy was born to be killed upon the spot.
That is awful.
When we think about that, it shocks us to read such as that.
I want to be clear.
We should be even more shocked that a civilized, free country
that's been built on the faith of the Judeo-Christian faith,
like the United States,
is battling over right now the same thing for many children.
They're just making sure they do it while the child is in its mother.
It's called abortion.
Not only is it allowed, but it's fought for and celebrated
as the power the woman has over her own body.
And I just want you to watch the rage that is taking place in our country
right now over Roe and Casey and the possibility,
the hinting of it being overturned
in an unprecedented leak to stir the pot
in a hopes to change the direction that the Supreme Court takes.
Folks, lost folks are bloodthirsty to kill the ruling
just as bloodthirsty as they are to kill the babies.
And the whole time they speak of the rights of women over their body,
but actually it's the body of the child
that has to be discarded afterwards
or maybe saved for research.
What a shame.
And I want you to know this morning
that God hears the cries of an aborted child.
Thankfully, the faith of Hebrew midwives came in.
And they were often called on.
And when they were called on,
they would save these little lives of these little boys.
When Hebrew boys were still being born after that,
Pharaoh changed his instructions.
Instead of killing them on the spot,
he said, throw all newborn Hebrew boys in the Nile River.
He wanted them to be drowned immediately upon birth.
And that's why Moses' mother did what she did.
Because when we look at this passage today,
Moses' mother, Jochebed, responded to that demand
and the way she responded.
When you really dissect it and look at it,
it's pretty powerful.
She responded, one, with a godly mother's love that protects.
Instead of just throwing them in the water,
she carefully prepared a papyrus basket
by coating it with tar to allow it to float.
Then she strategically placed it,
the basket in the reeds of the river,
securing it from floating away.
Why? Because that's the care and the protection of a mother.
That basket was a safe abode from water.
That basket was safe from animals.
Because why?
Because there was a watchful eye
watching that basket with that boy in those reeds.
He was strategically placed in those reeds
so that he would not float away.
He was strategically placed so Pharaoh's daughter,
who often came down to the river to bathe,
would find him and save him.
That's the watchful eye of a mother.
See, a godly mother seals off her child
from the whims of the world and of the devil.
And by training that child properly
and by allowing him or her to build friendships
with fellow Christians
by faithful church attendance and activity.
Please don't underestimate the strength that it is
when your children at an early age
find friends within the church,
begin to build relationships with those
who know how they ought to live.
Those who can strengthen one another.
It's a godly mother that sets rules and regulations
not to oppress a child, but to protect that child.
We live in a day when parenting is a lot more lax
than when I was a child.
I can't remember ever feeling lorded over
by my mother and dad.
I never sensed that.
I never felt like I was in a strict home.
I didn't get everything I wanted.
I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do.
But I knew when I was to be at home,
and I knew that when I rounded that bend on the way home,
that I'd see a light on beside my mother's bed
as she waited for me to get home.
And not only did I know that my mother and dad would be there
and would love and protect me,
but I knew when I did something stupid,
I'd have to face them when I got home.
You know?
It made a difference.
And I promise you, parents,
in the midst of the struggle of raising children,
it still does make a difference.
We live in a day
when what you do on Sunday is a harder choice
than it used to be.
I mean, there's a lot of options out there for you to do.
A lot of things take you away from church.
Sunday's one of the busiest days
with all kinds of activities that involve your childhood.
And there's pressure there to be a part of that.
And I well know that.
That pressure is tough
as you watch the trends of others.
That's why I think it's so important
that you're going to have to decide
what you and your family does on Sunday.
How big a priority is it to you?
Are you going to follow the trends of the world?
Are you going to follow what God tells us to do
according to his will and his word?
What's most important?
And listen,
church, when they bring those children to this church,
when they make those decisions
to bring up those children in love and admonition of the Lord
and to bring it under the umbrella of this church,
how important it is
that the volunteers are there
for Vacation Bible School.
Let me just say there's a sign up
in the lobby out there.
How important it is to be a part of that,
to have Children's Church
and Awana
and all those other things that take place
and any opportunities that we have
to nurture them,
to love on them,
to lead them to Christ.
How important it is
when you see those children
to speak to them,
to love on them,
to let them know
this is home.
This is where they want to be.
I grew up in a home
where I desired to go to church.
I was going to be there
whether I liked it or not,
but I wanted to be at church
and I enjoy being at church.
I've always been like that
because I was raised that way
to be taught that.
Whether it's a papyrus basket
lined with tar
or whether it's a nightstand light
that's on
or whether it's a bold decision
to faithfully follow Jesus,
a godly mother's love protects.
But not only that,
but a godly mother's love
also prepares
because if you gave your child
everything that he or she wanted,
you would absolutely ruin them.
Not only would you spoil him,
but you'd lead her down
a road of false expectations
that the world's just going to
hand it to him.
I promise you,
Moses didn't care
to be left in that river.
I bet that baby wasn't happy.
I bet they heard him crying
as he laid in that basket.
But Moses' mother knew
what he needed
and that was important.
It was more important
than what he wanted.
At some point,
you got to let your children go.
You know it's coming
and they may not understand that.
And when you know
that that's coming in the future,
you need to prepare them for that.
Do now,
if you have children in your home,
do now what you cannot do later.
Discipline your child
is never fun,
but it is necessary.
And so do it now
while you have the opportunity.
You don't hold them back
from getting the proper medical care
that they need
because they don't like it,
because they don't like going to the doctor
or they don't like shots
or the medicine tastes nasty.
No, no, no.
You take care of them.
You do that.
It's necessary.
And so you do it.
Saying no is not easy
or fun.
It's necessary.
So you do it.
Reading the Word of God
and praying together
is not easy.
And man, on some days
it feels absolutely impossible,
but do it now
while you have opportunity.
You may have a child
that will be an adult
soon.
So do it now.
They won't look to tomorrow.
They're worried about the now.
You look to tomorrow.
You prepare them for tomorrow.
Do it now.
Because a godly mother's love protects.
It prepares.
But not only that,
it also provides.
Jochebed had a strategic plan here
to nurse and to raise Moses.
When he was under the protection
of Pharaoh's home.
That is sophisticated
and daring.
And she did it
because she loved her child.
The nursing of a mother
is part of that provision of a child.
And godly parents know
that they must do that,
do without at times
because their child
will need to have something.
And it takes sacrifice
to spend time with your child.
But you've got to make that choice.
There's a lot of
babysitting substitutes
for children these days.
They're not all good.
You can turn on the TV
and you can text
and you can allow them
on the internet.
Give them a remote
and let them have at it
if you want to.
Give them an iPad
with no limits.
Or you can choose
to raise your kids right.
A parent has to decide that.
We provide what they need
while we have opportunity.
Now what do they need?
What do we provide?
We provide our attention.
We give them our attention.
Small child,
that may be a storybook at night.
As they get older,
it may be a kitchen lesson
along the way.
As they get even older,
it may be a listening ear.
Just hearing them out.
Seeing how you can help.
Tell you what else we give them.
We ought to give them some laughter.
You need a sense of humor.
I promise you.
If you don't laugh in this world,
you will cry.
So you might as well laugh.
And you ought to have a willingness
to be silly
and to see them laugh
and have fun with them.
They need our time.
We need to provide our time.
Do things with them.
We need to provide our creativity.
There's a lot to grab their attention.
It's worth the effort
to work hard
to entertain them ourselves.
You need to provide our resources.
Children are not secondary.
They're a priority in our lives.
And although Jochebed
had unique arrangements,
while she could,
she provided for her child.
I'm thankful that
God provided for her
and took care of her
and took care of him
and used him
to be that great deliverer
that he would use
as he grew older.
All because a godly mother
protected and prepared
and provided.
But not only that,
but lastly,
a godly mother's love promises.
There comes a time
when you have to give
your child to the Lord.
When you've done all that you can
in raising that child
in the love
and the admonition
of the Lord.
One of the most difficult parts
of this move
for my family
as we drew near to this day,
as I began to see God
begin to unravel
and open to me
what his will
was going to be for us.
As I began to see that,
one of the great difficult parts
of this was knowing
that Abby was going to stay
in Mississippi
and was going to start her career.
There's a great chance
that she was going to
raise a family
that far away.
I'm telling you,
I mean,
I,
we're a tight-knit family.
Abby commuted to school
and she will tell you
that that helped contribute
to her academic success,
which she had it,
thank God.
People often tell me,
and I get a little defensive
about it,
well, you're going home.
You're going back home.
I want to be clear
about something.
Home in my life
is what God's will is.
If I didn't do
what the Lord's will was,
I'd be not at home.
But as long as I follow
the will of the Lord,
I am at home,
thank God.
And I rest in that.
And so I entrust
my family to him
and I trust that
he'll take care of them.
Because when you follow
God's will,
hear me,
when you follow
God's will,
you trust him.
Well, you trust him
for a home,
by the way.
Are y'all praying
about that?
You need to be.
You trust him
for a home.
You trust him
with your kids.
And you walk
with the Lord.
You trust his heart
when you can't
see his hand.
And listen, friend,
Proverbs 22,
verse 6 says,
train up a child
in the way he should go
and when he's old,
he will not
depart from it.
Does that mean
there won't be
detours along the way?
There will be.
Does that mean
you have to be
perfect along the way?
Man, I hope not.
We're all in trouble
if that's the case.
And I'm going to tell you,
I want to be clear
about this.
It's not a guarantee
they won't go astray.
It's a proverb,
not a promise.
It is, however,
easier to steer
your course
when you've guided them
in the right direction.
When you've shown them
consistently
what is right.
how children,
how a child
is brought up
will make a world
of difference
in what she values
when she gets older.
So make a difference
while you can.
And once you bring
a child up,
there's little more
that you can do
so seize the day.
You've got to fully
trust the Lord
in that matter.
Was it easy
for Moses' mother?
By no means.
Was it a step
and a trait of faith?
You know it was.
Because the love
of a godly mother
is interesting.
The love of a godly mother
is not primarily
based on her love
for her child.
The love of a godly mother
is primarily based
on her love
for the Lord.
The greatest love
in that mother's life
is God.
And in order for you
to have the love
of a godly mother
for your child,
you've got to have
a more intense love
for the Lord.
And the greatest way
that you can love
your child
is through your love
for the Lord.
So if you love God
and that flows
into every avenue
of your life,
you are loving
your child
as much as you
possibly can.
And the greatest
expression of that love
that you can ever
show for your child
is a pattern
of love
for God.
Tell them
they're not
the top priority.
Tell them
God's the top priority
and you'll follow
His will
and His way
to love
your child
more
pursue God.
You know what's
going to happen
when you do?
You're going to grow,
your child's going
to witness you growing,
and your child's
going to grow
a love for God
just like Mama
showed him
or her.
Thank God
for godly mothers.
Let's pray together.
I realize
as we come together
today
that there may be
folks here
who have never
given their heart
to the Lord Jesus.
I don't want us
to ever have
an opportunity
where we don't invite
you to come
to the Lord Jesus.
and if He's spoken
to your heart
and life today,
you realize
that you've got sin
that separates you
from God
and you need God
to forgive you
and to save you
and to change you.
I want you to know
when we stand
and sing in just a moment,
we do that primarily
to give you the opportunity
to come to Christ.
When you walk this aisle,
we'll be happy
to guide you
in what that means.
Maybe God's
leading you
to make a private
decision public.
You've never done
that through baptism.
You've given your heart
and life to the Lord,
but you never followed
Him through baptism.
Maybe you have a desire
to remember this church,
want to be a part of it.
You come.
Let us guide you
in that process
and show you
what that means
here at Pickens First.
Heavenly Father,
I love you
and I thank you
for the love
that you have for us.
And I ask, dear God,
that whatever you choose
to do in our hearts
and lives today,
God,
will your Holy Spirit
just give us
the courage
and the wisdom
and the boldness
to be obedient
in the way
in which you lead us.
We love you dearly
and we thank you
for this time right now.
Oh God, I pray
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Stand up.
Amen.