Characteristics Of Motherhood

“The Characteristics of Motherhood”

Isaiah 66:10-14

I. Introduction

Origin of Mother’s Day –

In a small Methodist church in Grafton, WV, a Sunday school teacher named Anna Reeves Jarvis, decided to honor mothers. Her daughter actually is credited with getting the town of Grafton to celebrate the first Mother’s Day in 1907. In 1909 the city of Philadelphia decided to pick up on the idea and celebrate a day honoring mothers. Finally, on May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as the official celebration of Mother’s Day in the United States.

A. Illustration –

Someone said – “Computers must be females:”

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.

2. Even the smallest mistakes are immediately committed to memory for future reference.

3. The native language used to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.

4. The message “Bad Command” or “Filename” is about as informative as “If you don’t know why I’m mad at you, then I’m certainly NOT going to tell you!”

5. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck buying accessories for it.

B. Illustration –

A father and son were talking one day, and the father asked the son what he wanted for his birthday…..the boy said he wanted a baby brother. His birthday wish came true! Just before his actual birthday, his mom had a second child, a boy.

The next year, just before his birthday, his father asked his son again, “Son, what would you like for your birthday?” This time, the little boy was hesitant……Finally, the boy very honestly replied, “Dad, what I would really like is a pony, but I’m afraid that would be too hard on Mom!”

C. Read – Isaiah 66:10-14

D. God wants us to KNOW Him, and many time in Scripture He uses different pictures and examples to reveal Himself to us.

E. As we honor our “Mothers” today, I would like to focus my message on both the “Characteristics of Motherhood” and how God uses motherhood to describe Himself.

F. In doing so, let us consider the wonderful gift that God has given when He gave us mothers, but more importantly, let us realize the Greatest Gift of All – His Son, Jesus Christ!

II. There Is No Care Like a Mother’s Care (Matt. 23:37)

A. Read – Matt. 23:37 – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.”

B. The Lord used a “mother hen” to describe His love for Israel.

C. Illustration – The story is told of a farmer whose farm was burned by wild fire. As he surveyed his losses, he noticed a lump of charred moving remains in the barnyard. He kicked it over with his foot, and out scurried a tiny chick. The mother hen had sacrificed herself for her young.

D. Consider the Animal Kingdom

1. Dogs are protective of pups

2. Cows are protective of calves

3. Birds are protective of young

E. Consider the Scriptures

1. Jochebed bore Moses (Exod. 2:2-10) – She defied the king’s command to kill all Hebrew sons born in Egypt; She hid him away 3 months, and then placed him in an ark and floated him down the river, placing her daughter, Miriam, as an overseer; The daughter of pharaoh found the child, and she took him as her own; God divinely directed in such a way that Jochebed became Moses’ nursemaid – All because of her desire to protect her child.

2. The Harlot Mother (1 Kings 3:16-28) – Read – Even a mother of questionable character becomes a great protector of her child – Solomon, in his wisdom, knew that the real mother would rather give up her child instead of see it killed! (vs. 26)

F. Consider God’s Care of His Own (Ps. 91:1-4)

1. There is no safer place to dwell than “under His shadow”

2. Where are YOU dwelling today? Are YOU under His wings?

3. Think of the Lord as One who desires to see YOU saved; as a mother who seeks to PROTECT her own, so the Lord desires that ALL men come to repentance.

III. There Is No Concern Like a Mother’s Concern

A. Consider the Mother’s Touch – In the family, it is usually the mother who is desired by the child who is hurt or sick to kiss the pain away; It is the mother who is first willing to stay up all night to comfort the fevered child; My girls will be the first to tell you that when they got hurt or sick – it is Mom’s touch they look for to provide them consolation!