God’s Caring Touch (Happy Mothers Day!)
Presented at Grand Anse Baptist Church /Sunday 13th May 2007/Tone: Encouragement
1 Kings 17:7-17:24
The Origin of Mothers’ Day
As a western Christian society, a lot of the things we celebrate, has been commercialized and demonized by society. Often time you would have heard mention of pagan festivals or pagan worship that the church is practicing.
The truth of the matter is; most of those celebrations have had very humble beginning only to be twisted by Satan lies and deceits.
Mothers’ Day very idea started in a small Virginia Methodist church back in the early 1900’s.
So the idea of celebrating Mothers’ Day originated from the church!! Nor were it only from the church, but it originated from the heart of a woman by the name of Anna Javis who convinced her church to set aside a Sunday to honor all mothers after her own mother died in 1905. After some years, In 1914 the year of the first world war, American standard pass a resolution and the 28th President of the United States (1913-1921) Thomas Woodrow Wilson, proclaimed that the 2nd Sunday of May to be mothers’ day. He himself was a Presbyterian.
Thus we can celebrate Mothers’ Day on this Sunday the 13th May 2007.
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers: From grand mothers to mother in laws, from step moms to foster mothers. Let us bless the Lord for them.
Mothers Today
Mothers in general are not quite appreciated in our society although they do so much. Someone said the toughest assignment that God has given to anybody is mother ministry.
They describe it like this:
-She must be a helper to her husband, a teacher to the children, a financial manager to the family, a servant to make sure the house is clean b4 her husband is back, and she needs to be a good chief!!
-The worst is if she falls sick, she must get well at the end of the school day, so that she can take care of her children again.
Friends, this morning would you stand up and show some honour to our mothers. Amen
Backdrop: The Scenario
Israel was in Idolatry-they drift away from God and started to do wickedness.
Ahab
Ahab becomes king of Israel; marries Jezebel, restores idolatry, and exceeds his predecessors in wickedness, 1Ki_16:29-33. In other words Israel spiritual decay reached it lowest point. He was even worse than his father, Omri, who was more wicked than all before him (v.25)
Elijah: Tishbite, a Gileadite and prophet
His name means “the Lord is God.” He was sent by God to confront Baalism and to declare to Israel that the Lord was God and there is no other. The autumn and spring rains and summer dew were necessities for the crops of Israel. The Lord had threatened to withhold if His people turned from Him to serve other gods.
(Leviticus 26:18; 19-Deuter 11:16; 17-28:23, 24) Elijah had prayed for the drought. It lasted three years and six months. (James 5:17) The drought proved that Baal, the god of rain and fertility was impotent (not able to stand) before God. But there was a widow in Zarephath that was severely affected. Please turn your Bibles to 1 Kings 17:7-17:24
Encouragement 1
To a mother in side here this morning, you are going through a famine in your life, things are dry and brittle, and you’ve reach this close to giving up-I want to remind you that in the name of Jesus that God, He cares, He knows, so He will provide. Isaiah 43:2 -He promise when you walk through the fire, you will not be burn nor shall the flame scorch you. He promised He will make a way where there is no way-Psalms 37:25-He promised He shall never see the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread. PSALM 86. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
But friends I want you to notice something about this mother.
• She was a Virtuous Woman Proverbs 31:10 / Proverbs 12:4
What do I mean? Let us look at some characteristics that made her this way.
She had a fear of God-1 Kings 17:12 -"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7) (Solomon)-"The fear of the Lord that is wisdom" (Job 28:28) (Job)
Mothers, church, do you fear God this morning?
She cared for others-Accepted the prophet 1 Kings 17:11
She looked after her household-She was gathering sticks* 1 Kings 17:10 (*physical provision)
Today mommies God don’t just want you to gather sticks
• Virtuous women by circumstance
Church is there any mothers like this here this morning? Today in the world especially in the Caribbean there is lots of virtuous women-Not by choice but by circumstance. In other word what I am speaking about is the single parent household-(where the mother as head) has to cook-wash-be the breadwinner, the educator and the spiritual leader. But God didn’t ordained it like that, Nor has He approved it-but these families are surviving because of His grace and mercies–for He cares. And if you are a single headed household don’t feel you are surviving because of your wisdom, connections or ingenuity-it is His mercies that are keeping you alive! Amen
It only the fool what said in his heart there is no God! (Psalms 14:1) (Psalms 53:1)
• An Obedient Woman 1 Kings 17:15
But brethrens in the passage we see that God is looking for a certain type of person, a certain type of mother. Not a rich one, nor a poor one-not a black one, neither a white one-not some who say Lord, Lord, but someone who is willing to be obedient. A mother, who is obedient unto God, is a mom who will be blessed. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19) [Obedience is better than sacrifice] 1 Samuel 15:22
• Mother with faith
1 Kings 17:13-16 - When the widow of Zarephath met Elijah, she thought she was preparing her last meal. But a simple act of faith produced a miracle. Matthew 17:20 says, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Mark 9:23 says everything is possible for him who believes. Friends you may going through a tough time, with your finance but I like to tell that will soon change. Have faith in God! Maybe today is the day to call those things that are not as though they were. (Romans 4:17) Remind yourself you are the head and not the tail, you shall be the lender and not the borrower (Deut 28) and that God is by your side. Say Lord I believe, help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)
Blessings is not the end of troubles
• 1 Kings 17:17 –Even when God has done a miracle in our lives, our trouble may not be over. The famine was a difficult experience, but the worst was yet to come. Now her son was sick.
Friend I want to remind you here this morning, that not because you have made a decision to serve Christ means that there weren’t be trials, tribulations, pain ,sickness and even death. Many Christians have this false concept, but the word of the Lord said in (Revelation 21)only when we have that new heaven and that new earth, will they be no more crying, no more pain, no more sickness, no more death, what a time this will be! Amen. But in the mean time we must live in the real world. God made sure He gives us some precept for when these things come up on us.
Today I want to let you know the same God that healed the sick is alive today!
-Do you need emotional healing in your life? The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit (Psalms 34:18)
-Do you need physical healing? Jehovah-Rapha — The Lord Our Healer! The Lord is able to heal you. He tells us in (Exodus 15:26) I am the Lord that healeth thee").
-Do you need spiritual healing in your life? Jesus said: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
• Mommy, is any among you sick, let them call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14) God provision is never given in order to let rest upon it. We need to depend on him as each new trial faces us.
What is dead in your life-in other words what is it you have no hopes for?
Did the doctor say you can’t have a child? Which doctor? Not Doctor Jesus.
Did the bank said you can’t build this house? Which bank? Not my Father own
Did that person said you will turn out nothing good? They lied!
Just a touch of God and this will change. For He cares.
But brethrens as I close today I want to warn some of us. The widow’s son fell sick. Was it her fault? Not necessarily. Yet from early Jewish times to this modern Christian era we see that Christians alike accused each other when ever sickness strikes. They automatically assume and conclude is sin on the victim’s path.
Was it sin on Jobs path? (Job 1) No
Was it sin on Lazarus path? (John 11) No
Was it sin on the widow’s path? No
So therefore I like to encourage you, if you going such a situation like Job went through ,like Mary and Martha went through ,like the widow went through ,just Lift up your eyes to the hill from whence cometh your help ,for your help cometh from the Lord(Psalms 121:1-2) For God, He cares, He knows, so He will provide.
If there is a mother in side here this morning and you hoping to receive a gift, the best gift I can recommend is that of salvation-(Romans 10:9) If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. Amen - Let us pray.
