Sermon Title .

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith

Sermon Text.. 1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:11
Invocation Scripture. . Proverbs 31
Main Idea :

Hannah prayed earnestly for a child.

When her prayers were granted, she
present the child to the Lord but
continued to provide for him.

Objective : To challenge members to value the role of

mothers in our culture.
Mothers: Guardians of the Faith
1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:11
Point I :

Prayed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Samuel 1:10-12

Point II : Presented .. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Samuel 1:24-28

Point III: Provided.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Samuel 2:18-21

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith

1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:11
Slide 1 Childrens Church Slide Auto Advance after 15 sec
I read about a woman who telephoned a friend and
asked how she was feeling; "Terrible," came the reply
over the wire, "my head's splitting and my back and legs
are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are
simply driving me crazy " Very sympathetically the caller
said "Listen, go and lie down, I'll come over right away
and cook lunch for you; clean up the house, and take
care of the children while you get some rest and get
yourself together before Sam gets home tonight?"
"Sam?" the complaining housewife gasped? "My
Husbands name isnt Sam..."My heavens, "exclaimed
the caller, "Im sorry, I must have dialed the wrong
number... Before she hung up, she realized that phone
had gotten very quiet... Just as she was about to hang up,
the timid voice of the harried mother came back, "Could
you still come over?1
Mothers day... A day to thank God for our
mothers! A day to thank our Mother for her faithfulness,
for her patience, her protection, provision, her car, and a
thousand other things!!!! But most of all, a day to thank
her for her unconditional and endless love!!
There is so much that has been written and said
about Mothers day since its promotion by Anna Jarvis in
1908. Our nation has encouraged Mother's Day by:
making it a national holiday in 1914. It was said that
A nation and society does well to take time out to
1

Bobby Moore, Any Port in a Storm, (First Baptist Informer, First Baptist
Church, Mineral Wells, TX, May 13, 1981), p. 1

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

say "Thank you" to the mothers, grandmothers and

great grandmothers. Those who have born her
sons and daughters!
Abraham Lincoln said,
"Behind every great man, is a great mother."
Napoleon Bonaparte, one of Frances Greatest leaders
said,
"Let France have great mothers, and France will
have great sons."
No question then, that we do well to honor the women in
our church today, and especially those whom God has
blessed to be Mothers!
Slide 5 So let us honor our mothers by affirming them and
affirming the role that God has given them in a message I
have entitled "Mother's: Guardians of the Faith" Turn
with me to the book of 1 Samuel.
Slide 6 (Slide auto moves to slide 7)
< < < Read: 1 Sam 1:1-28 and 2:18-21 > > >
We see in our text today three key issues that I
want us to consider today. Prayed, Presented and
Provided.
Slide 8
Point I : Prayed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Samuel 1:10-12
The first thing that I want you to see today is that
A Mother who is a Guardian of the Faith is a mother
who chooses to Pray for children and for her children.
(1 Sam 1:10-12 NASB) And she, greatly
distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
{11} And she made a vow and said, "O LORD of

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of

Thy maidservant and remember me, and not forget
Thy maidservant, but wilt give Thy maidservant a
son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days
of his life, and a razor shall never come on his
head."
Wow... Hannah desperately wanted a child. Why
is that?... Well Da.. Pastor it was the cultural thing of the
day... Indeed, that is true... but there is more... Hannah
was a Jew and her husband seems devote along with her.
They knew Gods Word and we forget the first
commands of God to mankind is found in Gen 1:28.
Gen 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of
the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that
moves on the earth."

It is interesting today that many couples dont seem to

want to have children. I am not sure whether this is a
reflection of a fear of no future in our culture, or whether
it is a reflection of the selfishness that permeates the
culture or what... but based upon the truth of Gods
Word and Gods command, we are to have children.
That cuts across the grain of what our sons and
daughters are being taught today! The only people that
are having LOTS of children are the Muslims and the
Poor! That is a recipe for disaster!
Hannah prayed for a child and from our reading we
see that she was persecuted because she didnt have a
child. It seems to be the reverse today.
Perhaps this intensified Hannahs praying. I cant

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

help but imagine that Hannah prayed every day for a

child, not just while at the temple, but every day.
Listen moms... your prayers are critical for your
childrens health and well-being! We will never be able
to know on this side of heaven the impact of the
countless, millions of praying Godly mothers.
But listen men, I know this is mothers day, but you
need to also recognize that YOU need to pray for your
children too!! It shouldnt just be mothers praying for
their children, it should be Fathers also!!
Like Hannah we should begin praying for our
children long before they are even conceived, and then,
much more we need to continue to pray for them
throughout their whole life!
Listen beloved...
The great evangelistic preacher, Billy Sunday who
left a soaring baseball career in the late 1891 to preach
the Gospel, tells of a minister who was making calls. He
came to a certain home and asked for the mother, but the
youth opening the door answered,' "You cannot see
mother for she prays from nine to ten each day." He
waited forty minutes to see that mother, and when she
came out of her prayer closet the light of glory was on
her face. and he knew why that home was so bright; he
knew in later years, exactly why two of her sons were in
the ministry and her daughter was a missionary. One of
Billy Sundays phrases was... "All hell cannot tear a boy
or girl away from a praying mother," comments the
great evangelist and preacher.
Consider Susanna Wesley.... The mother of 19

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

Children, history records that She too spent one hour

each day shut up with God alone in her room praying for
them. Two of her sons, under God's leadership, brought
revival to England while France weltered in the blood of
a ghastly revolution.
||: The power of praying for our children should reshape US to seek Gods will FOR our children!! :||
Listen beloved, too often we pray to try to
convince God to do our will... We want God to do what
we want! We need to learn from Jesus that praying is
about submission to Gods will and even more... of
making Gods will OUR will!
Im not saying we cant ask God for what we want,
even Jesus did that!! But remember, even when
petitioning for His very life, His submission was clear to
the Fathers will. What did He pray?...
Luke 22:42 "Father, if Thou art willing, remove
this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be
done."
Think about it beloved? God knows the future of
our children. He knows who they will become, what
they will be good at, what their strengths and weaknesses
are!! Who better then to consult on their behalf!! Who
better then to ask about how we should raise them!!
How many times have you seen children who were
being shaped after a parents will. Something a mom or
dad didnt achieve and wanted they try to force on their
child.
O beloved, we need to watch our children, learn

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

who God has made them, discern how God has gifted
them, and then join with God in helping to shape
them for HIS purposes and His FUTURE for them!
But that may not be an easy road, for if we commit our
children to the Lord, they may be moved to places we
would never dream, facing ends we would never desire.
And yet... We must honor and accept, and I would say,
even DESIRE the will of God!!
Hannah wanted a child and that so badly, that
she was willing to give that child to God for His use if
He would but grant her request.
Listen beloved, Hannah knew clearly whose child
Samuel really was!! We have been granted the
stewardship of their life for a short time and what we do
in that time will either move them closer to Gods will
and purpose, or pull them from it.
It has been said that Men are what their mothers
make them.
I have seen that truth. And as you look back
through history and see men like Washington, Adams,
Lincoln and others... These men will attest to the
incredible value and input of their mothers!
I dont believe that the whole can be told of how
important a mothers love, her instruction and her
belief in and hope for her children, is to their
ENTIRE life!!
God bless you Mothers who have faithfully and
consistently prayed for your children!! Have sought to
provide Godly instruction, who have guided and
directed, corrected and disciplined, loved and

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

encouraged your children!

And if you have done less than this.. If you came
to faith later in life and missed those years, or if you find
that old habits and patterns plague your ability to be all
that you know you should be, then SEEK THE LORD
while He may be found!! Confess your sins and failure,
seek His forgiveness and grace!
Apologize to your family and let them know that
God will have all of you and you will be a new creature!
Receive His forgiveness and His Power through the Holy
Spirit, then... then Pray for His divine strength in YOUR
OWN LIFE! That you will be able to live a FULL and
Meaningful CHRISTIAN life and that God will
overcome YOUR failures and as Judy Metz said,
Wednesday night, BRING Victory to YOUR life, so that
your children will see the difference and that they will
then know that the Bible is True and that God does
INDEED work all things out for Good for those who
Love Him and are called according to His Purposes!
Now you listen to me... Listen... Hear me....
Even if the results dont seem to be there yet.... the
day is not done and Gods work and plan is not yet
finished. Do not give up! Do not stop praying!!!
YOU ARE YOUR CHILDS BEST AND MOST
ARDENT INTERCESSOR!! I challenge you in Gal 6:9
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due
time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
But notice something else today friends... Hannah not

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

only prayed for her child, she actually presented that

child to God, she wholly & fully gave him over to God!
Look back at our text to vss 24-28....
Slide 9
Point II : Presented .. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Samuel 1:24-28
{28} "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as
long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he
worshiped the LORD there.
I cant help but wonder what kind of impact this
would have on a child. To know, that from their
earliest age they had been dedicated to God.
I wonder how much better off our children would be if
from before they were born, we presented them to God?
And then began to pray for them, and actually let them
know that we had committed them to the Lord..// pause //
Actually, I wonder how much better off WE would
be?...
Tragically, even as a pastor I have had too many
people tell me that they didnt want to force religion
on their kids. They wanted them to choose for
themselves.
Give me a break!!
Listen to me friends... if you leave your children
to choose... especially in the light of our Godless
and wicked culture, they will choose wrong!!!
What is tragic and ironic, is that they wont make their
kids go to church, but they WILL make them go to
school whether they like it or not, they WILL put them in
T-Ball, Soccer, Little League Baseball, Ballet, Dance,
Gymnastics... DAAAAAA...

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

10

Why doesnt their foolish and twisted logic apply with

those things too?
So then... what do you think those kids are going to
value? They are going to choose and value what they
were led to do!! They are going to choose and value
what is made a priority of their life!!!
They are going to choose and value what their
parents, grand parents and their families closest
friends choose and value!!! Soooooo...
What are we teaching our children is important in
life?
All they have to do is look at where we invest our
time, energy, money and effort! And it is OBVIOUS!
Listen friends... Hannah realized that children are from
the Lord! That they were His and that He was the one
who grants and withholds them!!! Thats exactly what
Psa 127:3 says...
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of
the womb is a reward.
We MUST pray for our children beloved, but like
Hannah, we must present our children to God... and hear
me.. Hear me... we MUST do that SINCERELY and the
only way to do that SINCERELY is to present ourselves
to God FIRST!!! Thats what the Baby Dedication is all
about.... Its not as much about the child as it is about the
Parent and his or her commitment to the Lord, for THEY
are the ones that will have the MOST profound impact
on the child!!

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

11

Listen to me Mothers!! Listen to my Fathers... We

must go to church and PRESENT ourselves to God and
we MUST take our children to CHURCH and present
them to God!! We must model Godly Christian attitudes
in our daily living so that OUR CHILDREN see them in
all that we do.... and we must bring our children up in the
fear and the admonition of the Lord!!! The Bible
challenges us to...
Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Listen mothers.. Listen fathers, if we want Godly
Children, we must immerse them in Godly things!! We
must
teach them about God
Help them memorize Bible Verses that provide
direction for life, wisdom in circumstances, warnings
about what is right and wrong!!
Hold them accountable to live in a Godly manner,
helping them to learn how to choose for God and
against the world and against their own flesh!
We can not, and should not give them everything they
want!
We must allow them to face difficulties and struggles!
We must encourage the Good and discourage the evil!
Think for just a moment about the man of God that
Samuel became... this is the man that pointed his finger
into the Kings face and called him to account for his Sin!

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

12

Samuel presided as Gods prophet and judge for Israel

for all of His life, and even after the people rejected him
and rejected Gods rule over them through Him, he was
the one who anointed and counseled Israels first 2
Kings!
But understand beloved... Hannah didnt abandon her
child when she presented her child... she continued to
PROVIDE for her child, the things that he needed... she
continue to love Samuel, to pray for him and to visit him
year by year.... look back at our text to chapter 2:18-21
< < < Read: 1 Samuel 2:18-21 > > >
Slide 10
Point III: Provided.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Samuel 2:18-21
Listen beloved... Our children need us when they are
young... this is true... our children need us throughout
their teen years, even when they dont think that they do!
We have been duped into thinking that the schools are
in charge of the training of our children, duped into
thinking that the law will manage the discipline and
moral boundaries for our children.. But that is ALL A
LIE!!! AND WE MUST STAND AGAINST THE LIE!!
Our Children NEED our intervention, our direction,
our training and teaching. They need to learn how to live
a full and meaningful Christian life... how to discern
good from evil, how to choose wisely.
They need to know how to avoid the mistakes that
take such a devastating toll on our lives!!!
Listen beloved, You cant be a guardian of the faith
and be casual about it. It is a discipline that must be

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

13

practiced every day! It is a choice that must be made

every day. It is a sacrifice, a giving of your life, your
time, your hopes and your dreams for the sake of your
children and their future!!
Margie Janovich, a Nebraska mother of 8 was
diagnosed with thyroid cancer while pregnant with her
ninth child. She decided to wait until her daughter was
born to seek treatment for her cancer, her reasoning... "I
would much rather give up my life for my baby, any good
mother would do the same." Meanwhile, in England, two
women murdered their unborn babies, over a mix-up
concerning a lab report that showed one of the babies
having Downs Syndrome. The lab report was mailed to
the wrong mother, who without a 2nd thought proceeded
with an abortion and killed her child. The error was
discovered a few days later and another letter sent to the
right mother, who also went out and promptly aborted
her baby. John Neuhaus, editor of First Things, who
reported the incident, said that the 2nd mother expressed
sorrow for the mother with the healthy baby that was
mistakenly killed, but no sorrow at all over the
destroyed lives?.. Margie Janovich fought her battle
with cancer after the birth of her precious little
daughter. She battled for 20 months but lost the battle.
No one can really say whether starting the treatments
sooner would have or could have made a difference...
But the REAL Difference was in the hearts of these
mothers and the value that they placed, or didnt place,
on the lives of the children they carried.
What are we willing to PROVIDE to assure a stable,

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

14

Godly, Christian environment for our Children? What

are we will to STAND AGAINST, to PROVIDE the
protection our children need from the LIES and
HERESY the world would teach them!!
Hannah made those little coats year by year for
Samuel! I can just see her as she took the shearing from
the sheep and spun them into thread, then died them to
the colors she thought were just right for him, and then
began to weave that little coat. Every thread woven into
the jacket with a prayer.... Every knot tied to hold the
garment together, tied with a mothers love, to hold her
son strong and true to the Lord!!
Listen beloved... Hannah was a giving, sacrificing
mother, who loved her son and was constantly thinking
of his welfare. She was a Mother who was a TRUE
Guardian of the Faith, and she proved that by Praying
for a child and then praying for her son, by Presenting
him to the Lord, giving him over to Gods plan, not
hers... and by Providing continually for him the
encouragement, support and love that he needed... and in
so doing... she nurtured on of the greatest Prophets of
God who ever lived!!!
So my dear friends... Do you want to be a Guardian
of the Faith, whether Mother or Father?.... Like
Hannah? YOU CAN BE!!! YES... YOU CAN BE!!!
YOU CAN DO THIS THING!!! WITH GODS HELP
AND BY GODS GRACE AND BY GODS HOLY
WORD... // YOU..... CAN..... DO...... THIS.....!!!!!
So Pray, YES... Pray!!! Pray daily, pray faithfully,

Mothers: Guardians of the Faith - 1 Samuel 1

1) Prayed,

2) Presented

3) Provided

15

pray Gods will!! Present yourself and those you love to

God for His will and His purposes, and commit yourslef
to Provide the direction, encouragement, support and
love that your children NEED from birth until the Lord
takes you home to glory!!
YOU CAN DO IT.... WE CAN DO IT IN CHRIST!!!
The question?....
WILL YOU?.... //
Let us pray!

Will you.....