- I.Intro
- a.Today we celebrate mothers
- i.Not just baby producers
- 1.I am talking about mothers who stuck it out through thick and thin
- a.You don’t have to have birth a child of your own to be considered a “good mother”
- i.Some mothers have stepped in for absent mothers
- ii.Mothers, you deserve the best
- 1.We thank you for all you do
- b.For most children, their mothers hold a very special place in their hearts
- i.Sometimes mothers have had to stand in for absent fathers
- 1.You may not have liked some of their methods, but thanks be to God that they cared enough to raise us to be who we are today
- a.There may be some that did not have a good relationship with their mothers and would say, “I am who I am in spite of my mother.”
- i.To you, I would say, “God can you anything and anybody to bring us to the place He wants us to be.”
- 1.So, maybe you turned out alright because you made up in your mind that I’m not going to do to others what was done to me
- ii.Mothers teach us so many valuable things (Display)
- 1.FORESIGHT: “Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident.”
- 2.LOGIC: “If you fall out of a tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me.”
- 3.RELIGION: “You better pray that that comes out of the carpet.”
- 4.TIME TRAVEL:“If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week.”
- 5.GENETICS:“You’re just like your father.”
- 6.CONTADICTION:“Shut your mouth and eat your dinner.”
- 7.CONTORTION:“Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck.”
- 8.CIRCLE OF LIFE:“I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out of it.”
- c.Today, I want to focus on those Moms (and good Moms-to-be) that took (or are planning to take) the job of Motherhood very seriously
- i.Our text may seem a little odd that it would be used for a Mother’s Day message
- 1.I think there are some things we can learn about what a Good Mother is willing to do for their children from James and John’s mother (Zebadee’s wife)
- 2.There are three qualities of a good motherthat we can glean from this one verse (verse 21)
- II.Point #1: A Good Mother always thinks her children are the best
- a.Matthew 20:20-21 -²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ²¹“What is it you want?”he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
- b.Jesus had just told the disciples that they were going to go to Jerusalem and that He would be betrayed and crucified
- i.It was as if they completely ignored what Jesus said, but accepted the fact that He was a King soon to inherit His kingdom
- 1.Verses 17-19give us the third time that Jesus predicted the cruelty that would befall Him and His impending death
- a.One would have thought that there would be a little more compassion to his well-being
- i.However, I don’t fault this mother for wanting the best for her children
- ii.We find this mother wanting a private moment with Jesus to promote her boys over the other disciples
- iii.Some may feel that this was a little presumptuous of her
- 1.Though the disciples rolled together for 3 ½ years and were all considered apostles of the Lord, she knew that James and John were in the inner circle
- ii.This mother played the role as her children’s promoter
- 1.Other kids are alright, but they are just that, OTHERkids
- a.When you’re a good mother, your kids are the smartest, the brightest, the most talented, and the cutest
- b.That’s ok (I ain’t mad at her)
- i.Every child needs a good promoter
- 1.Every child needs someone to stand in their corner through thick or thin
- 2.Every child needs to know that they matter; that they are important
- 2.A good motheris going to see beyond what everyone else sees and see the good
- a.When everyone has written that child off, a good motherwill keep fighting (sometimes that fight is through prayer) and know that there is more to my child than meets the eye
- b.Most times fathers will say, “Let them hit the bottom so that they will know that it is hard.”
- i.Most good mothers will say, “If they have to hit the bottom, I at least want to put a cushion out so they won’t get hurt.”
- c.A good mother always thinks her child is the best
- i.That’s not to say that she cannot recognize the good in other children
- 1.This mother knew that Peter was also one of Jesus’ favorites
- 2.But she wanted the best place for the best boys
- a.Her boys
- III.Point #2: A Good Mother shows no favoritism between her children
- a. Matthew 20:21b – ²¹…“Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left …”
- b.As I was studying this passage, I was struck by the lack of specificity of which son should sit on either side of Jesus in His Kingdom
- i.Throughout scripture, there are references to the prominence of being at right hand side of God
- 1.Jesus Himself is said to be seated at the right hand of God the Father
- a.Luke 22:69 –⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
- ii.I believe that this mother just wanted her boys in what was perceived to be the two most prominent positions
- 1.She, like most of the disciples, saw with natural eyes and heard with natural ears, and perceived the prominence to be what they had experienced on earth with Roman rule
- 2.Though her request was misguided, she did not pick James over John, or John over James
- c.For those with more than one child, you know that the joy is in their uniqueness
- i.A good motherwill recognize and cultivate the uniqueness of her children
- 1.She will love them the same, but relate to each differently
- a.Good Mothersimmolate the love of God towards His children
- i.Romans 2:11 – ¹¹For God does not show favoritism.
- ii.I am so glad that God does not show favoritism
- 1.I know that there are better Christians than I am
- a.I am confident that God loves me
- 2.Every child should know that, “I may not do everything right, but I know that my Momma loves me regardless.”
- IV.Point #3: A Good Mother wants her children to be close to Jesus
- a.Listen to what this mother ended her request with
- i.Matthew 20:21c – “…in your kingdom”
- ii.She was planning on her children being with Jesus for eternity
- b.There is no doubt in my mind that this mother encouraged her two boys to have a personal relationship with God by having a relationship with Jesus
- i.I can imagine that they had heard about this Jesus through John the Baptist
- 1.Then Jesus began His preaching ministry
- 2.They got their opportunity to follow Jesus when He came along while they were fishing
- a.Matthew 4:21-22 – ²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
- 3.A good motherwill make sure that her children know Jesus
- a.Moms, of all the things that you can do for your children, the greatest thing you can ever do would be to encourage them to have a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ
- i.That child may choose not to accept Him, but it won’t be because they did not know that He exists and that he died for their sins
- c.This mother did not just teach the value of being close to Jesus by her words, she also taught by example
- i.Let’s reread v20
- ii.Matthew 20:20 – ²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
- iii.This mother understood where to go when you desire something that you don’t have today
- 1.She came to the Lord
- a.She was exercising the word
- i.Matthew 7:7-8 - ⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
- b.Notice not only whereshe came but also howshe came
- i.She came kneeling, that is, she humbled herself
- 1.Her motives may have been warped, but she had the right process
- 2.You see, her access was based upon her relationship
- a.This mother was teaching her children, if you want to have access to Jesus, you must have a relationship
- i.Even if you have a relationship, you must come correct
- V.Conclusion
- a. If we look beyond her flawed motives, this was a good mother
- i.She loved her boys so much that she saw the best in them
- ii.She wanted the best for them
- iii.She wanted to open the door to a personal relationship with Jesus, which is the most important thing that she could teach them
- b.Mothers, you have put up with a lot
- i.You have become
- 1.Maid
- 2.Cook
- 3.Nurse
- 4.Psychologist
- 5.Chauffeur
- 6.Confidant
- 7.Advocate
- 8.Counselor
- c.There is no such thing as a mother who is perfect
- i.There is, however, the perfect mother for me
- d.With all of their flaws and imperfections, I thank God for Good Motherswho love their children enough to
- i.Burn the midnight oil
- ii.Stay on their knees
- iii.Never give up on us
- e.Today, I want to say to all of the mothers
THANKS

A GOOD MOTHER PASTOR CARLTON McCULLOUGH

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