There are many words which one could use to describe motherhood, certainly one the the most powerful is influence, As we honor mothers and motherhood this Sunday we’ll talk about the importance of influence and steps we can take to make certain that influence is as positive as possible. 

The Proverbs 31 woman described in verses 10-31 gets all the press. But I’m interested this morning in what the “other” Proverbs 31 woman listed in verses 1-9 has to say

Chances are, your kids or nephews or nieces or students are not going to be royalty.

• But they might become doctors, teachers, senators, or heads of corporations.

• They might receive college scholarships.

• They might make more money than you make.

• They might get elected to political office.

• The question is, how will they use the power and privilege that comes with these opportunities?

People around us are soaking up everything we do and say. What was the overflow of our lives that they adsorbed today?

The Book of Exodus begins with a narrative that captures the imagination.

It Centers around a family who are faced with an impossible decision.

Jochebed’s name implies, “glory of Jehovah” or, “Jehovah (is her or our) glory.”

It is very tantalizing to be told her remarkable name and to be told no more. Was Godin our-glory the remarkable name that Moses gave to his mother as often as he looked back at all that he owed to her.

To Amram and Jochebed were born three children each of whom became renowned in their own sphere (Numbers 26:59).

It is said the the oak has its roots around the rock, and the children of Jochebed had their roots around their godly mother.

• There was Moses, who became one of the greatest national leaders and legislators the world has ever known.

• There was Aaron, who became Israel’s first high priest and the founder of the Aaronic priesthood.

• There was Miriam, the gifted poetess and musician, who was intimately associated with her two brothers in the history of Israel.

I. LIVE BOLDLY

Exodus 2:1 A man from the household of Levi married a woman who was a descendant of Levi.

But Hebrews gives us one little observation:

Hebrews 11:23 By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

What if she had been “found out”:

• they would take the baby and kill him,

• perhaps she would lose her life,

• potentially the whole family, husband, 2 other children= Miriam=young little girl and Aaron=3 years old. T

• he choice to hid the baby put the whole family at risk.

What are we afraid of Today?

Boldness, in the biblical sense, is not a personality trait.

A typically soft-spoken, introverted, calm person can be bold at a time when a typically driven, outspoken, brash person shrinks back.

• Boldness is acting, by the Strength of the God,

• on an urgent conviction

• in the face of some threat.

That last sentence contains the three ingredients to Christian boldness:

1. God-empowered conviction,

2. courage,

3. and urgency.

If one of the ingredients is missing, we won’t act boldly.

1. Without sufficient conviction that something ought to be said or done, what’s there to be bold about?

2. Without sufficient courage, we don’t have enough fiber in our conviction to face opposition or threats.

3. Without a sufficient sense of urgency, we lack the fire under our feet to get us moving.

People who are halfhearted, fearful, or indifferent are, by definition, not bold.

But if you’re aware of deficiencies in any of these three areas, take heart. The Bible gives us every reason to hope for transformation, and no reason to keep living with debilitating fear.

A: Our Boldness should come from Christ.

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (Ephesians 3:12).

The truth is there’s no power in heaven or on earth or under the earth that remotely approaches the power of God. He is the only one we need to fear (Luke 12:4–5).

B: The Spirit Empowers Boldness

• Peter and John, once frozen with fear, when filled with the Holy Spirit, were out preaching the gospel for everyone to hear (see Acts 2:14–41).

• This soon got them arrested — the very thing that had terrified them before —

• and their boldness astonished the Jewish authorities, who then “recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). 

• Don’t you want to bear that bold spiritual family resemblance?

• It requires the Spirit of Jesus (Philippians 1:19).

C: Pray for Boldness!

Link

The early Christians knew this. Post-Pentecost they didn’t always feel bold.

In fact, in Acts 4, when the disciples came back from the astonished authorities, they told the church of the threats they received.

Everyone understood the implication: persecution and possible execution.

So, did they flee back into hiding? No, they prayed for boldness:

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” . . . And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:29, 31)

Acts is full of instances where boldness was given in situations where no doubt the speakers were tempted with fear:

• In Antioch Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas “spoke out boldly” when the Jews publicly reviled them (Acts 13:46).

• In Iconium, they were also vigorously opposed, “so they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord” (Acts 14:3).

• In Ephesus, Apollos spoke “boldly in the synagogue” (Acts 18:26).

• In Ephesus, Paul taught in the synagogue “and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8).

• In Caesarea, when Paul was imprisoned, he spoke “boldly” to King Agrippa (Acts 26:26).

• And the last thing we know about Paul is that, while under house arrest in Rome, he went on “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31).

Yes, we should pray to be filled with the Spirit. But when boldness is needed in fearful situations, and we act in spite of sweaty palms and pounding hearts, Jesus promises to fill our mouths by the Spirit (Matthew 10:20).

D: Boldness Is ContagiousLink

And a wonderful thing happens when we act the miracle: others begin to act it, too. Paul described this phenomenon:

(Philippians 1:14)

And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

The best way to start a movement of bold witness is to step out in boldness ourselves.

II. INVEST DEEPLY

Exodus 2

When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.

Imagine the emotions, the feelings Jochebed had as she placed him down and backed away.

Imagine being her as she left him here alone in the water.

• Yes, Miriam is watching from a distant place on the shore, but she, his mother had to let him go.

• She had to walk away. She didn’t just “let him go”, she was a woman of faith, and she “let him go and trusted God.

The life of Jochebed as a woman of influence teaches us that there are times in our lives when we have done all we can do, we’ve said all we can say, there is no more and we have to …

So what happens when you trust God, eyewitness account: Miriam is near by, watching and..

Our Investment to our children ultimately models the Lord’s investment in them.

Simple ways to Invest in Others:

A: Pray with them and for them.

People learn best when led by example. How will they know that they can talk with the Lord if they don’t see you do it?

B: Study and Share the Bible.

Again, teach by example. Hearing their mom read the Bible to them, will make the Lord’s word sweet to them.

Seeing you read the Bible for yourself will show them that His word is relevant for all of life. By letting them see you read God’s word you will show them where you find your purpose and strength.

C: Listen.

How do you feel when you are unheard? I get indignant or defensive. I often find it hard to open up to the one who finds my thoughts and feelings minuscule.

By listening to what your children have to say, you model the fact that God invites us to bring our cares to Him, and that He always hears us.

D: Be an Intentional Investor.

• At just the right moment, Miriam steps forward and approaches the daughter and volunteers her service to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the child,

• and whom did she bring back? The baby’s own mother.

• So Jochebed got her own child back, at least for a while.

Can you see the Providence of God in this story? Why to Trust?

• Jochebed just happened to put Moses in the right spot on the Nile?

• Pharaoh’s daughter just happened to see the basket?

• Moses just happened to cry at the right time?

• Miriam just happened to be near by?

• Jochebed just happened to be available and able to nurse?

• Pharaoh’s daughter just happened to have enough influence to save the baby Moses?

Faith and trust in God knows that even when God seems silent, He is always working for the good of His children.

Faith and trust in God knows that God often works behind the scenes of our lives.

What some call fate or luck or “it just happened” is really God’s providential care.

assurance that Jochebed’s God still lives, and is able to save her dear one from eternal death.

III. SERVE HUMBLY

“Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.”

The world defines greatness in terms of

• power,

• possessions,

• prestige,

• and position.

If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived.

• In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality,

• acting like a servant is not a popular concept.

Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status.

• God determines your greatness by how many people you serve,

not how many people serve you.

This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it.

• The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position,

• and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence in churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries.

Mark 9:35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant.

• We would rather be generals than privates.

• Even Christians want to be “servant-leaders,” not just plain servants.

• But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That’s what he called himself.

While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important.

Remember, God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness.

• Without a servant’s heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain.

• You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.

Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity.

No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs.Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.

How can you know if you have the heart of a servant?

Jesus said, “You can tell what they are by what they do” (Matthew 7:16).

Whether its helping out a neighbor or serving your husband and family, serving others cheerfully, will never show them how to begrudge someone their need.

Modeling cheerfulness in servanthood sets the bar for them to do the same. When they are the recipients of that cheerful servanthood, it helps them understand the significance of Christ’s attitude as described in Philippians 2.

Conclusion:

How long Jochebed lived after Moses no longer required her nursing, we are not told.

• Doubtless she was dead by the time Moses fled into the wilderness when he was forty years of age.

• Although she did not live to see how famous her children became,

• Her life speaks through their utter devotion to God.

• She had lived her life for Him,

• and her sons and daughter lit their torches at her flame.

Jochebed was the chief influence of God in their preparation for the great tasks they were to accomplish in leading His people out of Egyptian bondage.

It was Jochebed’s love, faith and courage that saved her child from a cruel death and preserved him to bless the world.

A mother who loves the Savior, and who has a more severe anguish when she knows that, not the life of her child is at stake, but its soul, can rest in the assurance that Jochebed’s God still lives, and is able to save her dear one from eternal death.

A lot of what our children see us do, becomes habit or second nature for them.

• Our attitudes & responses train them more than our words ever will.

• They filter their responses to others and their view of the Lord through the same filter they see in us.

Lead them by worthy examples.

• Admit when you mess up.

• Realize they are on a spiritual journey themselves.

• Do all you can to train and nurture them in the ways of the Lord, so that when they are grown they will recognize Him and seek to follow Him.