Mothers Day Dr. Mike Fogerson May 13, 2012
Introduction
A Happy Mother’s Day! Of course should celebrate moms more often, Let’s face it, mothers do a lot for us they have a special place:
1 Perhaps their greatest contribution is The things moms teach us
a About RECEIVING: "You are going to get it when we get home!"
About LOGIC: "Because I said so, that’s why."
MEDICAL SCIENCE: "Stop crossing eyes they’ll freeze that way."
RELIGION: "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
GENETICS: "You’re just like your father." "were born in a barn?"
JUSTICE: "When you have kids, I hope they turn out just like you.”
TIME TRAVEL: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
b FORESIGHT: "Always wear clean underwear, In case you’re in an accident."
CONTORTIONISM: "Will you look at dirt on back of your neck!"
WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Millions starving in China you
won’t eat your peas!"
DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE: & "If you fall out of that tree & break your neck, don’t come crying to me”
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
2 Moms are pretty complex, I’ve never been one so I am no authority which is why I must lean on Bible open God’s word to see how it applies to us today.
B 16 Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.17 The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.18 "It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.19 "This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on it.20 "So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.21 "When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne."22 Then the other woman said, "No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." But the first woman said, "No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king.23 Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.' "24 The king said, "Get me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king.25 The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."26 Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!"27 Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother."28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. 1 Kings 3:16-28 (NASB)
1 We often see only the lesson of the wisdom of Solomon in this classic passage while neglecting the rest of the story.
a The main thing we see is that God had supernaturally given Solomon wisdom. (Proves that wisdom comes from God)
b There is another lesson hidden just under the surface: we find that this account provides truths of motherhood from the most unlikely of mothers.
2 Pray
I Every mom makes mistakes (no perfect mothers)
A The two mothers in our test were sex trade workers: prostitutes
1 Although prostitution was disdained / condemned in Ancient Israel, it was tolerated.
a A prostitute was generally a slave who had owner / pimp
aa Or a couple would sell their daughter to be used into the sex trade
bb Or a woman who never had an opportunity to marry or had lost her husband and was left without support.
b Prostitutes were the most pitied of victims in a society that failed to care for the helpless & poor.
2 The ladies lived / worked out of the same house & were both living outsides God’s will
a Both women are unmarried because none is mentioned, plus no man is speaking for them. (They are on their own)
b The two babies were conceived out of wedlock / in sin.
3 Why did Solomon take the time to listen to the care of two prostitutes?
a With their background, baggage, brokeness, the King still cared!
b He was concerned for these imperfect moms because God was concerned about them.
c The church should stand for moral purity, also forgiveness & restoration.
B No one needs to be treated with more tenderness, care, understanding, appreciation, mercy, than mothers.
1 Real moms are not perfect because they usually start out young.
a One of the biggest lies is that having a child makes you a mother... It doesn’t. (Having a piano doesn’t make you a musician)
b The most important job on the earth is for a woman to be a real mother to her children.
aa There is not much glory in ti, long hours with little pay, gritty / grimy.
bb There is no greater place of ministry position or power than that of a mother.
2 Sometimes were too hard on them (sometimes they are too hard on themselves)
a For step moms this is doubly true
aa Why does he let his kids walk all over me?
bb Why does his ex seem to have more say over the visitation, scheduling, & finances than I do?
cc I’m a good mother, person, so how comes he never takes my advice when I give it to him?
b Considering how many faults our moms had to overlook if there is any one’s faults we should be willing to overlook it’s mothers.
3 Lighten up on mom & moms... lighten up on yourselves.
a Here are some excerpts from the “Children’s Letters to God” series, real letters written by kids to God.
aa “Dear God, I went to this wedding & they kissed right in church. Is that okay?” -Neil
bb “Dear God, did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?” - Norma
cc “Dear God, thank you for the baby brother by what I prayed for was a puppy.” - Joyce
dd “Dear God, I think about you sometimes even when I’m not praying.” - Nathan
ee “Dear God, I bet its very hard for you to love everyone in the world. There are only 4 people in my family and I can’t do it.” - Peter
b Take your role as mother seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously.
c Life is too short & God is too good for you to go around frowning / being angry all the time.
II God has answers for mothers problems.
A God gave wisdom to Solomon not to be “oooed” & “ahhhed” at.. Which people did. (Vs. 28) ... it had a purpose.
1 The mothers in our test had a problem.
a One had lost her baby, one had her baby abducted, neither had anywhere to go.
b God loved the moms & the little child!
2 God gave the answer to their dilemma, through Solomon, so they could both overcome, pass out of the storm.
B God has wisdom to spare for each & every parent here today. (Single moms, adoptive moms, step moms, mom with special situations... you name it!)
1 There is not a mother alive who has all the answers. (Motherhood is stressful)
a From the pains of childbirth, to empty nest, to grandchildren & beyond - stressful!
b God has what you need to get through what you’re going through. (It will come through somebody else)
c He will teach you what to do & what to say in every situation.
2 A mom was tucking her small baby into bed one summer night during a violent thunder storm.
a She was about to turn off the lights when a tender voice asked, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?”
b She smiled & said, “I can’t dear, I’ve got to sleep with you daddy.”
c Long silence... broken with his shaky, little voice: “The big sissy.”
d He will give you what you need, what you need to say in every situation.
III There is nothing on earth like a mothers love.
A This test doesn’t moralize; harlotry / prostitution, horrible behavior of the woman who stole another woman’s baby & lied to the King about it.
1 We do see a king who was smart enough to appeal to the love of a mother to find the truth.
a The real mom is this text would rather see her child raised by another woman than to see harm come to her child: Self - Sacrifice!
aa No price was too great, sacrifice to large.
bb Here situation was far from perfect: single mom, sex trade worker, shared a house with a skeever but she decided, “I’m gonna love this child no matter what it costs.”
cc Solomon knew the love of a mom for her child - even if it meant separation - would remedy this dilemma.
b The other mom is characterized by a spirit of selfishness / heartless cruelty.
aa These are the mothers who you can never pleace, bitter at life.
bb Hateful & full of a thousand reasons why life is unfair, pour out their hurt, anger, vengeance on family, husband, kids.
cc These are the moms who walk out, leave family high / dry not caring who they hurt, just so long as those close to her aren’t happy either.
2 Mothers can’t always offer / give protection; always offer sacrifice.
a Personal sacrifice is a huge part of motherhood.
aa Sacrifice your body by carrying the child in your womb for 40 weeks; fed, nourished & protected child for 40 weeks before they saw the light of day. - doesn’t stop there.
bb Give up sleep for midnight feedings, give up her personal goals for her children to achieve theirs.
cc She wears same ol’ outfit so kids could get new ones; give you the last helping at supper.
b (IL) One thing we’ve taught out boys to do if they get separated from us at a crowded place; Look for a mother with children or pushing a baby stroller & go ask her to help you find your mother, 99% of the time you’ll be safe / okay. Why? There is safety in a mothers love.
B We honor & raise up & call you blessed moms for everything you do!
1 You remind us of God who is sacrificial / giving.
2 He gave His only Son for a world of wayward children.
a That kind of love doesn’t go unnoticed, unappreciated.
Conclusion:
A Illustration: Mary Ann Bird wrote a short story entitled "The Whisper Test." It is a true story from her life.
1 "I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I must look to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech.”
a When schoolmates would ask, ’What happened to your lip?’ I’d tell them I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different.
b I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.
2 "There was, however, a teacher in the second grade that we all adored -- Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy -- a sparkling lady. Annually, we would have a hearing test. I was virtually deaf in one of my ears; but when I had taken the test in past years, I discovered that if I did not press my hand as tightly upon my ears as I was instructed to do, I could pass the test.
a Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn.
b I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something and we would have to repeat it back ... things like, ’The sky is blue’ or ’Do you have new shoes?’
c I waited there for those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words which changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, ’I wish you were my little girl’"
B Perhaps today, on this day when we celebrate a mother’s loving influence, you’re more torn up inside than joyful because you’ve had some experiences along the way that have hurt you deeply.
1 There have been some painful things that have happened in your life and Mother’s Day brings all of that back.
a Well maybe you can hear the Spirit say, “I wish you were my little girl.”
b And if you are a mother, and you would like to get your family as well as your own life on track spiritually today, I would like to extend to you the Savior.
c By believing in him you receive from him an enablement to begin living life and parenting children and running a home according to his life-giving teachings.
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
