True Motherhood

Let me start of my time by thanking you and welcoming you here today…

It’s Mother’s Day…and I’m so very thankful for what we have already seen and heard so far.

I also want to echo that if you are visiting today and this is your first time being here…and you came because it was Mothers Day…we are thankful and glad to have you today.

---Mother’s Day…while perhaps instituted by Hallmark…has some very serious things for us to consider this morning.

____ I realize that in a room this size…the types of mothers that each person had in this room will be varied.

• Some will have mothers that are models

• Some will never have known their mothers

• Some will have had cruel mothers

And yet, in the midst of the variety, we can still focus on honoring and cherishing what is good…and we can focus on seeing how God wants us all to grow here and today…as we celebrate and consider this special time.

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When you think about the concept of truth…in our society…it can be one of the most vexing problems we face today: what is true?

Post-Modernism has sought to argue that “nothing is true.” Or that truth is located in the reader…meaning you make your own truth.

Other concepts rage wild in our world today….Be true to you.

• Which was nothing new, even Pilot asked, “What is truth?”

While the world might want to argue that there is no basis of truth

That you can make your own truth.

But we all know that something must be true.

All the world cannot be relative and subjective.

If you try to treat cancer by eating lollypops…because that is your truth…Cancer will inevitable take your life.

So, then…we could return back to Pilot’s question of Jesus….what is truth

• Truth is, most simply, the way in which God sees things. That which corresponds to reality.

God has and still does, constantly judge things…and what he says about a thing: that is truth.

Truth is how God interprets and declares the world to be.

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Sadly, then, our world is filled with lies.

A product may market itself as solving a particular problem, but it really does not.

A person claims to be able to do something: and they cannot.

We have all seen those commercials that claim this product can solve male-pattern baldness.

I can tell you…if there was truly a product that could solve that…may of us here today would…well…look a bit different.

In our society the moves further and further from God’s word…finding out what is true becomes even more difficult.

We see that in so many areas of life: what is true?

And that could be said of what it means to be a mom and a woman: what is true?

This morning, on Mother’s Day, we are continuing in our series on

Hope for Everyday life…and the way in which we find hope on Mother’s Day is by…

True Motherhood

We want to consider what it means to be a True mother. Meaning, a mother that corresponds to what we see in the WOG.

There are a lot of Mom’s here today, who have a lot of voices telling them what it means to be a mom.

The world will tell you that to be a great mom…you need to:

• Make sure your kids are in all the sports.

• Your kids great a 4.0

• You have a large home.

• You must throw the coolest birthday parties.

• You have to make sure your kids have the coolest clothes, are best dressed.

• You…. well…there is probably a lot more that you could fill in the blank for me this morning on.

But the question that we want to consider is, “What does the Bible say about being a true mother?”

Meaning, a mother that corresponds to what God’s views the qualities and qualifications of a mother?

And we want to look at that, not only for the various mothers in the room, but for all of us for one reason or another.

Meaning, men and those who are not mothers, this is not the time to turn off your minds. Rather, there will be plenty in this message that can encourage and challenge you as well.

As I mentioned, we are going to be reading from 2 John this morning.

Before we read there, let me say a few things about the book.

• It is written by the Apostle John and many believe it was actually written before the letter of 1 John. You will notice as we read that there are not many clues to the actual person or when the letter was written.

• There are some scholars who interpret 2 John as being written to a church and not to a specific person. So, for example you will see the words, “Chosen Lady.” Some will take this as a metaphoric way of referring to another church.
  
  This debate has been around for a while in the Christian Church. Is it a lady or is it a church…and we are not going to fully solve that problem today. 😊
  
  Following the scholarship of John MacArthur…we are going to go with this letter being written to an actual woman.

Follow along with me as I read 2 John this morning.

This morning I would like us to consider:

Proposition: 3 Aspects of Mom’s that we all can celebrate and emulate

The first thing that we can see is that:

I. A True Mother Loves the Truth

Moms are natural lovers of what is good. That comes from being made in the image and likeness of God. When we all see something that is good, we love it.

And what we all love is different in each one of us…and that is good.

For example, there are some of you Moms out there that love a good deal.

• You might be the coupon Queen. You can spend 30 minutes on Sunday cutting coupons, organizing you shopping trip like a WW2 general would organize an invasion of occupied Europe…and you can leave that story making sure that they owed you money when it was all done.

• There are other Moms whose love is more for beauty…you can take any old discarded and junked up thing…and you can turn it into something that is worthy of reseal for 10 times what you paid.

• There are other Moms who love to cook…you can take leftover ingredients that…well left to the men in this room would result in our immediate starvation, and you can turn it into a feast fit for a king.

• And yet there are others of you that have other loves that I cannot even being to explore.

My point is, in such a broad room, there are lots of mothers here who have many different loves…and that is a good thing.

However, a universal love that should…and I believe does exists is that a True Mother…she loves what is True. Moms do not like to put up with what is false…

If you’re not so sure of that…well…recall in your mind when you attempted to be false with your own mother, if you had the privilege of knowing her when you grew up…I suspect she didn’t tolerate your fibbing too much 😊

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What our text this morning helps us see is that a mother who is a mother that way that God calls her to be is one who loves truth.

And what we see from our text is that there are four characteristics to loving this truth:

She knows the truth, abides in the truth, instructors her children to walk in the truth, and guards her children from deceivers…those who are against and opposed to the truth.

So, let’s look a bit more closely at this text.

She Knows the Truth

2 Jn:1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth

Part of being the type of Mother that the WOG will celebrate is a woman who knows what is true.

Now, where can we get that truth?

Remember that John was the author of this letter as well as the Gospel of John, and so there will be a number of overlapping themes that run through all of these, and not surprising, one of them is truth.

You may remember one of the sayings of Jesus, that only John records, is found in John 8:31-32

“If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” –John 8:31-32

The truth that a mother knows is the truth that is found in the WOG…and that truth, rather than being constricting, is freeing!

It frees a mother to know what to do, how to function, it frees her from sin, and it frees us to live a life that is free to God.

But, as our point highlights here…she must know the truth. She must know God’s word in order to love truth.

We live in a time, and I think we all can agree, where it has become more and more evident that not only the world, but the Christian Church has become illiterate of their Bibles.

More and more persons in our world just do know even know what the WOG says, because they have not read it…or if they have read it, they have only had a quick read of certain sections.

So, let me ask this morning….mothers (and everyone else who is here) how much time are you devoting to knowing the truth?

Have you set aside person goals to know more and more of the truth?

Perhaps a question worth considering is: have you ever read the entire Bible?

It is always sad for me to hear how many persons how are Christians have not read the entire Bible…and I mean in some sort of organized fashion.

--- Or to take it a different direction, how much time are you spending learning truths that are relevant to your being a mother?

Are you reading and learning from those who have gone before you?

-----I am trying to encourage the Mother’s here that if you want to be a true mother…you want to be the type of Mom that will bring you joy…..that will bring you happinesss….no matter what stage of being a mom you are at….then you must know what is true.

The text also shows us that….

She abides in the Truth

2 Jn:2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

2 Jn:9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the Greek word abide is used more by John, than by any other author in the NT…that was a theme of his writing as well.

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In our passage, our author is primarily talking about the Gospel. At the time of this writing, there was, as there is today, all sorts of false gospels being peddled.

There was a level of difficulty circulating on who was Christ, and what was the message.

John, the elder here in our text, is encouraging this woman to remain, abide, sit in the Gospel of Jesus, and to not deviate from it.

We don’t have the time to explore all these various teachings that were threatening the church back then…many that remain even to this day, but in different forms…same lies, different words and arguments.

John called for her to abide in the simple and pure…unadulterated gospel…not to just know it…but to abide there.

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A true mother doesn’t just know the truth…she lives in it.

There is the difference between that head knowledge that…is important…that is hard…but needs to be translated into our lives…to our hearts.

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Take for a moment the application that I just mentioned about reading God’s word all the way through…I really do hope that you will take that challenge seriously…but it would break my heart if you took that challenge, but then you rushed through it….

If you just read as fast as you could, if you viewed it as a burden….as a thing to do…that would not work at all (and I’m not saying you won’t have days like that…we all do) but if it was more of a drudgery, than a delight…we all would say…that is not good.

My hope and prayer is that the mothers of this church would abide in the word of God.

That it would shape and mold you…that in God’s word you would rest there when the trials of life come.

The text also shows us that a true mother….

Instructs her Children to Walk in the Truth

2 Jn:4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.

It is nothing new to hear me say that a mother should instruct her children.

So often, mothers here in this room and around the world often carry a significant load when it comes to instructing their children.

I'm not talking about whether or not your wife stays home with the kids or has a career outside the home. I'm just referring to general training and instruction.

Theologically I believe that the Bible teaches that Fathers carry the primary responsibility and weight to ensure that children in the home are instructed in the Lord.

For example, in our family my wife spends the majority of her time with our children daily.

This gives her a greater picture of areas we may need to spend more time training in during different seasons, etc.

She often then brings this to my attention and either comes with examples of studies, resources, or songs for our family to work through together.

Sometimes she explains what they are focusing some of their Bible time together doing at home in the morning, she asks me for wisdom in what to focus on so that I know areas to lead our family during our evening family Bible time.

Regardless of what this looks like in your home, mothers have a crucial role to play in the lives of their children and that can look like a variety of different ways.

Now, that instruction can take many forms and be done in all sorts of ways…and so many of you naturally do it.

But let this point at least be a reminder to all of us…that part of what makes a mother a true mother is that she is involved in instructing her children in the truth.

Consider if there are areas in your life that you believe God would be well pleased if you focused on teaching your children more.

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Perhaps that would involve turning off the TV or putting down your phone to spend more time in direct conversation with your children.

Perhaps it would look like pulling aside and spending direct time with a child on a particular day to talk about their life.

Let this serve as a good reminder…moms should instruct their children…and most importantly in the gospel of Jesus Christ

This point also mentions that she…

She is guards herself and her children from deceivers

2 Jn:7-8 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

We live in a world that in constantly trying to draw our allegiance away from the risen Christ. One of the jobs of mothers is to ensure that they guard themselves and their children from those evil forces.

Now, I’m not advocating that you would lock your child in their room, make sure that nothing ever bad could possibly happen to them…

I’m not arguing that at all…but what I am saying is that one of Mom’s jobs…is to guard…herself and the children.

So, Moms, it would be my hope and prayer that you would be very discerning in what you permit before your own eyes and the eyes of your children.

When a movie or a TV show has items in it that celebrate what God calls evil, that you would turn away from that.

When your child is considering play a video game…and it celebrates what God calls bad, that you would refuse, even if the child is not happy, you would refuse to permit them to be entertained by such things.

When your child is considering who to befriend in those really close relationships…I’m not talking about all relationships, but in those really close ones, that you would be very discerning in who you child attaches themselves to.

When it comes to books they read…and so on…my hope and prayer for the mothers here is that they would see as part of their role that they guard themselves and they guard their children from the deception of the world.

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Mother’s you will surely receive blowback from the world if you live this way. If you attempt to shield and defend your children from the arrows of the enemy, you will be perceived and slandered by the entire world…but rest in knowing that a mother who is a true mother…she will guard herself and her children.

We also see from the text that…

II. A True Mother’s Love Flows from the Truth.

God’s Word has much to say on what “True Love” is.

2 Jn:5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

And what is this true love???

Matthew 22:37–40 “And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.””

The world in which we live defines love very different that the WOG.

• You are loving if you….don’t tell me I am wrong

• You are loving me if you….give me what I want

• You are loving me if you…give me all kinds of things.

Consider for a moment if child believes that the best way to love them is to let them eat all the candy that they want…just go nuts…like…here, you park in the candy isle at Meijer…you eat what you want…and I’ll just pick up the wrappers and when you are done…I’ll go pay for it.

And this isn’t just a once in a lifetime splurge…this is an everyday occurrence.

A child may think…now that is love….but that conception of love is only based on their own pleasure and ignorance.

You don’t need to be a medical doctor to know…that decision making will cause some problems in the future for that child…and you don’t need to be an economist to know that you will probably have a cash flow problem in your near future.

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True love…what it is…comes from God…and that love is seeking the best for that person and to have a strong care for and affinity toward something.

Our love for our children will spring from our love of God first and foremost.

And that love looks like constantly evaluating…what is the best thing for this person…and trying to do that thing.

And so, my encouragement for all of us is: if we want to truly love our children…then we need to love them the way that the Bible talks about loving them…and that is by….

Love is Walking in the Commandments of God
2 Jn:4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.

2 Jn:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

I’m not saying that any child here is going to immediately agree with you that true love is encouraging them to walk in the commandments of God.

But if you want to evaluate how much you are truly loving your child, consider how closely you are tether their lives to the commandments of God.

All of us, including myself, find at times walking in the way that God called us to…to not be loving.

• “How could God keep that from me?”

• “How could God ask me to do THAT!!”

But here is my point…the most loving thing we can do for our children…is to walk in the commandments of the Lord ourselves, and to encourage them…that is true love.

And by loving them this way, we make God first, and we live a life of serving and caring for others the most important thing in our lives.

Lastly, then….

III. A True Mother Understands What is at stake.

First and foremost she sees that there is….

A Great Danger
2 Jn. 9-11 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

I realize that much of this sermon has been a sober warning, but it is leading up to this very point right here…there is a great danger is not fulfilling the calling that God has placed.

Now, in the immediate context of our text, let’s remember that there were those folks who were out attempting to destroy the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

They were adding things to the gospel…like you have to do this, you have to believe that.

Or there were others who were saying, ‘you only need this’

And still others who were altering the entire message of the cross.

The apostle does not mince his words here about the warning.

He does not want this woman to entertain the fellowship with these heretics.

Meaning, he did not want anyone, including those who were not chosen, to have any confusion about the truth.

When you mingle the truth with a lie, all you get is the truth.

And that warning will come most powerfully in the next section where John talks about…

A Great Reward

2 Jn:8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

Pause and consider that for a moment…we do not want to lose what was accomplished…but we want you to receive the full reward.

It is a good reminder for us that…Mothers you have a great and glorious purpose that God has created you for and that he has called you to.

Mothers….there will be a reward for your hard labor…in both this life and in the life to come.

But, as we mentioned a moment ago…you must be careful…be on guard…keep the lies from seeping into your own life and the lives of your children.

You do not want to lose that great reward that you have toiled for so diligently.

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As you consider this Mother’s Day…be women who love the truth…who abide in that truth…who guard their children in the truth…who practice the truth…and God will grant you the reward for all your faithful work to be….a True Mother.