Jesus’ Mom
NOW - we’ve come together this morning for 2 primary reasons.
ONE - is to honor our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ with our worship (and HE so deserves or praise and worship)... AND THE OTHER - is to honor our mothers.
YOU KNOW – moms are amazing…
I MEAN – when you really think about it, what they actually do is INSANE! CHECK – this out… BY - the time a child reaches the age of 18… a mom has added to he plate about 18,000 hours of child-generated work. OKAY – that’s 750 days or 2 full years of her life, doing stuff for and with her kids… (that’s crazy…) Mom’s now you know why you are so tired…
ONE DAY - a Junior High science teacher was lecturing on the properties of magnetism. The next day he gave his students a quiz. HERE’S - the first question: “My name begins with an “M,” has six letters, and I pick things up. What am I?” Half the kids in the class instead of writing the word magnet wrote down the word, “Mother.”
AND - that reminds me of the dad who was trying to explain the concept of marriage to his 4-year-old daughter. He got out their wedding album, thinking visual images would help… AND – as they flipped through the pages he explained the entire wedding service to her. When he was finished, he asked if she had any questions. SHE - nodded yes pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked, “Daddy, is that when mommy came to work for us?” YES – moms are amazing.
HEY - have you heard about the next Survivor show they have planned? Six men will be dropped off on an island with 1 van and 4 kids for 6 weeks. Each kid plays two sports and takes music or dance lessons. There's no access to fast food. Each man must take care of his 4 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, and do laundry.
The men have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done. But there's only one TV between them and no remote control. They must be able to get a four year old to eat green beans. The men must shave their legs and wear makeup daily, which they must apply themselves while driving or while making lunches.
They'll be judged on how well they can make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla, and one magic marker. The winner gets voted off of the island and gets his old job back!
AGAIN – moms are amazing… AND - not only do they seem to be at times, `superhuman…’ BUT - they also seem to speak the same language. I MEAN - it’s not written in any book nor is it taught in any college but every mom seems to know the dialect. Perhaps you too have heard:
"Don’t be smart with me."
"Just wait until your dad gets home"
”Don’t make me come up there”
"If you break your leg, don’t come running to me"
"You ARE going to have fun"
"Where’s my change"
"That’s the last time I’m going to tell you."
"Call when you get there"
And my moms all time favorite when I was blocking her view of the TV… “Steven you may be a pain but you are not made of glass…”
(ALL – moms remain sitting… and everyone us stand… let’s give it up for these amazing ladies!!!)
SINCE – April 22nd we have been in a message series, ‘I Want To Know Christ.’
A series where…
It’s been an amazing journey…
BUT – this morning (Mother’s Day 2012), I want to talk about moms, in a message called Jesus, His Mom.
UNDERSTAND – Mary was an awesome mom. AND HOW – do I know that… BECAUSE – The All Mighty and All Knowing Father choose her to both carry and raise His one & only Son.
NOW BEFORE – we really start to dig in and take a look at Mary I want to acknowledge the fact that I know that for some in this room mother’s day can be a pretty tough day…
• Maybe you’re mom is no longer with you and you miss her
• Maybe you would like to be a mom but for some reason you cannot
• Maybe things are not going so well with your kids and you feel like a failure
• Maybe you and your mom had a bad relationship, maybe she treated you bad or walked out on you and it still hurts
• Or maybe you are a single mom flying solo and it is really hard to do it on your own.
AND LISTEN – if some of those places are where you are this morning… I want you to know that there is an awesome Father in heaven who loves, who thinks you’re awesome and who is always with you… CHECK OUT – these words from Isaiah…
I am the LORD your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, 'Don't be afraid. I will help you.' You few people of Israel who are left, do not be afraid even though you are weak as a worm. I myself will help you," says the LORD. "The one who saves you is the Holy One of Israel.” – Is 41:13,14
UNDERSTAND – today is a brand new day and it’s full of new opportunities… To love and be loved by our God. AND LISTEN – I am convinced that God has word for everyone in this room this morning (not just moms) if they only have ears to hear.
Prayer…
YOU KNOW - I find it very interesting that God when He was looking for a lady to be the mother of His son, went to a little town called Nazareth (a town with a bad reputation "Can anything good come out of Nazareth" Nathaniel) and then went to a humble house and tapped a girl on the shoulders who was barely a teenager and choose her to be the mother of His Son.
IT SEEMED – like such an unlikely place… AND – Mary seemed like such an unlikely choice… YET – God choose her… BUT WHY?
I MEAN - what was there about Mary that had so caught the creators attention? NOW - we are not told the answer to this directly… BUT - nevertheless the answer is there hidden in the very few and very brief accounts of Mary recorded for us by the inspired writers.
AND THIS MORNING – as we look at those accounts we will see that part of the reason why God choose Mary was because of what Mary already had… AND #2 - because of what God knew Mary would become.
OKAY – the first point in your notes;
I. What Mary Already Had
FIRST -
a) Mary Had The Proper Perspective…
NOW LUKE – tells us that when Gabriel showed up at Mary’s place she was greatly troubled. No kidding… I MEAN – who wouldn’t be… AND HEY – forget about those cute little angels you see all cards and stationary… ANGELS – are great and powerful beings… AND – Gabriel was one of the greatest…
BUT UNDERSTAND – not only did Gabriel’s presence freak Mary out… SO - did his message… I MEAN – put yourself in Mary’s place; you are going about your own business then suddenly a huge angel appears… AND – says;
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you… Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end…
NOW - for a young, newly engaged, poor teenage girl, from a small backwoods town - those ARE some pretty troubling words.
UNDERSTAND - as this "unique" pregnancy became known, Mary faced many troubling possibilities…
• rejection by Joseph
• the task of raising her child alone (in a culture hostile to women)
• her reputation going down the drain if and when any of her neighbors find out
• her very life if she were accused of unfaithfulness against Joseph.
NOT - to mention the fact that Mary must of felt insecure, unworthy and insufficient for this great task of being the mother of God the Son, the savior of the world, the true king, whose kingdom will never end. I MEAN (ladies) if God showed up at your place this morning with that same message, how would you feel…?
UNDERSTAND – Mary could have responded like Moses did, when God met him at the burning bush and told him he had been chosen to deliver God’s people. "Lord I’m just a girl I’m not ready to be a mother, I’m not wealthy… I’m not educated - I’m not worthy of this maybe it would be better if you got someone else."
BUT – that is not what Mary said… The angel said nothing is impossible with God and Mary responded, "I am the Lord’s servant, may it be as you have said..." YOU SEE - Mary had the right perspective…
SHE KNEW - who God was (The Lord Almighty)…
AND – she knew who she was (His servant)…
IF - God said it, Mary knew that it would happen (even if she didn’t really understand all the hows)…
MOMS – like Mary you also need to have the proper perspective…
YOU - too are servants of God, in all things and especially in raising HIS children. UNDERSTAND - each life is knit in the womb by the hand of The Almighty… AND - just as Mary had the responsibility to raise Jesus for God…- all mothers (step moms and adopted moms included) share that same responsibility.
MOMS – you need to view your role as being God’s servant raising His children for him... AND - though you may feel at times overwhelmed and inadequate for the task... like Mary you need to remember that, "nothing is impossible with God."
CIRCLE - the word with in your outline. Notice that the text doesn’t say that nothing is impossible for God (though that’s true), but it says nothing is impossible with God.
UNDERSTAND - with God (the one who created EVERYTHING)… at our side/on our team (holding our right hand) nothing is impossible? Do you believe that?
OUR GOD - thrives and moves in the things that we think are impossible… OUR GOD - loves impossible odds… BECAUSE – impossible odds are what sets the stage for amazing miracles.
UNDERSTAND – our God often allows the odds to be stacked against so that He can reveal more of His glory…
When a river parts so that millions of people and cross over.
When God takes out 185,000 enemies soldiers during the night
and He gets all the credit for the victory…
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. – Judges 7:2
UNDERSTAND – if Gideon had attacked with 32,000 men and won. I’m pretty sure the Israelites would have thanked God for lending them a hand, and God would have gotten partial credit. But that’s not what God wants or deserves. God wants and deserves full credit. AND WHEN – God defeats an army of 100,000 plus with 300 men armed with jars and clay pots… GOD gets all the glory. Why? Because a victory like that defies all odds.
“Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions.” - Mark Batterson (In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day)
"nothing is impossible with God."
AND LISTEN – God is with us, when we are with HIM.
ANOTHER - reason God looked upon Mary with favor was because:
B) Mary Had A Solid Foundation…
AND LISTEN - in God’s eyes there is only one solid foundation... (One that is grounded in Him and His word).
QUESTION - how do we know that Mary had a solid foundation? WELL - Luke tells us that after Gabriel left her, Mary quickly packs her bags and makes the 4 mile journey to her cousins house in the hill country of Judea… She arrives and we read in verses 42-45;
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! 45You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."
AND THEN – Mary breaks out into her own song of praise… AND – in this song there are at least 30 phrases or words that echo truths from the Old Testament…
AND – as I read Mary’s song I want you to do 2 things;
1. FIRST - put yourself in Mary’s place…. (you’re poor, you live in an insignificant town, and your country and is oppressed & occupied by a foreign power and you just got the most incredible news of all. The Messiah is finally come, and oh btw – you are giving birth to Him.
AND – do you know what? In some ways we are already in Mary’s place.
• We’re poor
• We live in a world occupied by a foreign power
• And we have received the most amazing news (the Messiah has come to save us, rescue us and live inside of us)
2. I want you to notice all of the kingdom language in Mary’s song of praise… (all the words of hope, rescue and deliverance)
“My soul praises the Lord; my heart rejoices in God my Savior, because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl. From now on, all people will say that I am blessed, because the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is holy. God will show his mercy forever and ever to those who worship and serve him. He has done mighty deeds by his power. He has scattered the people who are proud and think great things about themselves. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and raised up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with nothing. He has helped his servant, the people of Israel, remembering to show them mercy as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his children forever.” – Luke 1:46-55 (NCV)
UNDERSTAND - Mary knew "the word" and she enthusiastically and unashamedly praised her God.
MARY KNEW - that God is The Powerful One, that he is holy, that His mercy reaches out to those who (fear, serve, worship) Him… AND she knew that He fills the hungry with good things…
YES - 2,000 years ago God choose a young girl to give birth to His Son... BECAUSE – of what she already had…
• a proper perspective (God is powerful and I am His servant, nothing is impossible with HIM)
• and a solid foundation (she knew God and His word… and believed in both).
NOW - there is one more thing I need to mention before we move on. YOU SEE – Mary had another ‘proper’ perspective on life that was part of her strong foundation… AND – it is seen in the visits that she made to her cousin Elizabeth.
IN - that visit we see that Mary clearly understood the need for community. AFTER – she heard the news from Gabriel, Mary could not pack her bags fast enough. I MEAN - she knew that she could not do this thing alone, and she knew where she needed to go…
In the midst of an unbelieving, doubting, pragmatic, and cynical world, two women meet each other and affirm in each other the promise given to them. The humanly impossible has happened to them. God has come to them to begin the salvation promised through the ages. Through these two women God has decided to change the course of history…
Neither Mary nor Elizabeth had to wait in isolation. They could wait together and thus deepen in each other their faith in God, for who nothing is impossible. Thus God’s most radical intervention into history was listened to and received in community.
The story of the Visitation teaches me the meaning of friendship and community. How can I ever let God’s grace fully work in my life unless I live in a community of people who can affirm it, deepen it, and strengthen it? We cannot live this new life alone. God… wants us to form new friendships and a new community – holy places where His grace can grow to fullness and bear fruit. – Henri Nouwen
MOMS – you cannot do this thing alone… and neither can anyone else.
UNDERSTAND – like Mary we need to pack our bags and head to the many opportunities that are @ MGCC for community.
NEXT – God choose Mary because He knew;
II. What Mary Would Become
A) Unrelenting In Protection…
LISTEN - if you want to see a mother get riled up do something to her child...
MOM’S - do you remember your reaction the first time your child came home scratched or bitten? OR - the first time someone said something mean and hurt their feelings.
YEAH - most of the time motherhood & protection go hand in hand. AND – that’s a good thing because from the very moment Jesus was born his life was in danger… King Herod was on the throne and he literally tried to kill Jesus, forcing Mary to flee to Egypt. Mary protected Jesus from Herod and from many other things that would hurt Him.
AND – she also protected Jesus’ identity.
UNDERSTAND - though Mary knew who Jesus was and who he was to become she did not go around telling everyone about all the wonderful and supernatural things… she knew about Him (even to protect her own reputation).
RATHER - as Luke says in Lk 2:19 “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart..." NOW - the Greek word used here for treasure is a word that means "an intense, protective keeping."
I love that picture… Mary hid what she knew about Jesus in her heart, she protected it, She placed it in safe-keeping. AND LISTEN - any other course of action would have most certainly endangered the life of Jesus long before the time God had appointed for Him to begin his public ministry. APPARENTLY - Mary was aware of the danger Jesus would be placed in if she let the things she knew about Him go public. YES - God choose Mary because he knew she would be unrelenting in protection.
MOM’S - your children need your unrelenting protection, as well. NOW – this is really obvious when your kids are young…. I MEAN - when kids start to crawl and walk, opening up a whole new world with a lot of dangerous stuff lurking about.
What do moms do? THEY - put plugs in outlets… latches on cabinets… gates in front of stairs… AND – those are all good ideas…
BUT LISTEN - after your child has passed safely by those dangers it is not time to relax… I MEAN – sure they can handle the stairs, wash their hands and keep their hands off the stove, keep forks out of electric outlets)
HOWEVER - there are still dangers out there. Ones that may be even been more deadly...
• Low self esteem
• drugs, alcohol
• peer pressure
• sexual immorality
MOMS - you need to protect your children from these things… AND - from the worldly value system that is being marketed by our world through TV, Movies, Videos, Music, the internet.
UNDERSTAND…
Their computer needs a plug or gate too…
AND YEAH – I get it (I’ve been there and done that. I’ve been a parent since 1984)… I KNOW - that our kids don’t always want our protection… IN FACT – a lot of times they…
• Will resent it
• not always understand or enjoy it.
• IT – may frustrate them and make them angry…
JUST – like latches on cabinets, gates on stairs and telling them, “no, you can’t touch the pretty red circle on the top of the stove” - made them mad when they were a toddler…
BUT – we need to do it anyway…
MY POINT – moms, dads, parents… be unrelenting in protecting your child… There are very real dangers out there…
NEXT - God looked with favor upon Mary because He knew she would be;
B) Unwavering In Love And Devotion…
UNDERSTAND - Mary’s love and devotion - for Jesus began before he was born and lasted even beyond the cross. NOW - the first picture we have of Mary is as teenage girl in Nazareth… AND - the final picture we have is of an older women, hair probably a little gray - with skin dark and wrinkled by years of exposure to the Judean sun, with eyes that show the wear of years of struggle.
QUESTION - do you know where it is that we find this last glimpse of Mary? NO - it’s not when Jesus hung on the cross and said to her and John, "Women behold your son - son behold your mother..."
AS - a matter of fact you won’t find this final glimpse in any of the gospels… BUT – rather in the book of Acts;
"They all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers..." Acts 1:14
THAT – is so awesome…. 30+ years later and Mary is still right where she is supposed to be… AND - Jesus is still the center of her attention and the focus of her entire being... Mary’s love and devotion for Jesus is unquestionable. NOW - you may be thinking, "but Jesus must have been so easy to love."
AND - you are right it was easy to love Jesus… BUT - loving Jesus wasn’t an easy road for Mary to travel… IN FACT - it was difficult right from the start.. Remember what the Old prophet Simeon said to Mary as she presented her month old baby boy at the temple...
"THIS CHILD IS DESTINED TO CAUSE THE FALLING AND RISING OF MANY IN ISRAEL... AND A SWORD WILL PIERCE YOUR OWN SOUL TO..." - LK 2:33,34
UNDERSTAND - Mary’s soul was pierced many times because of her love for Jesus - when she had to flee to Egypt because of King Herod sought his life… WHEN - at the age of 12 she looked frantically for Jesus 3 days not knowing if he was alive or dead…
IN - Mark 3 there’s another occasion that must have hurt Mary. The respected leaders in Jerusalem were saying that Jesus was a fanatic, a lunatic who was demon possessed. What mother wouldn’t be hurt if people were saying those kinds of things about her child.
IN - John 7 we read where Jesus’ own bothers and sisters rejected Jesus and didn’t want anything to do with him, they didn’t believe what their older brother was saying. No mom wants to see her children that far a part.
IN – John 8 when Jesus was being confronted by religious leaders, they pointed at him and said, “We are not illegitimate children.” Indicating that everyone thought and beleievd that Jesus was one…
NOT - to mention every time she saw a lamb being led to sacrifice - Every time she read Isaiah 53 and the other prophecies about his death... AND - then on that dark Friday; her Jesus, the baby she had given birth to - when Mary watched his hands and feet nailed to a cross... Hands and feet that she had once held in her hands - as she watched them beat her son, strip her son, mock her son -- kill her son Mary’s soul was pierced...
SURE - Jesus was easy to love… BUT - loving Jesus wasn’t easy.... YET - Mary’s love and devotion was unwavering from conception to the cross... and even beyond.
WHEN - others mistreated Jesus, Mary was there. When others turned Him away, he always knew that His mother wouldn’t. Even at the cross she was there.
MOM’S - may you have Mary’s kind of love and devotion for your child....
NO - loving you children may not always be easy. The road may get very difficult. YOU - too will have your soul pierced at times. BY - the things that happen to them... (when they are hurt, when they are sick, when they are betrayed...) AND BY – the thing they do. (THEY - may live a life that goes against all that you believe and hold dear... THEY - may even rebel against and reject your love...)
BUT - even then your love & devotion needs to be unwavering. You don’t have to condone all they do to love them unconditionally.
YES – moms are amazing… there is no one like them
• Unwavering love
• Unrelenting protection
• Constant selfless sacrifice
OKAY – I want to close with a snap of a pretty awesome mom…
During the holocaust Solomon Rosenberg & his wife & their 2 sons & his mother & father were arrested & placed in a Nazi concentration camp. It was a labor camp, & the rules were simple.
"As long as you can do your work, you are permitted to live. When you become too weak to do your work, then you are exterminated."
Rosenberg watched his mother & father marched off to their deaths, & he knew that next would be his youngest son, David, because David had always been a frail child. Every evening Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of labor & searched for the faces of his family. When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another, & thank God for another day of life.
One day Rosenberg came back & didn’t see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping, & praying. He said, "Josh, tell me it’s not true." Joshua turned & said, "It is true, poppa. Today David was not strong enough to do his work. So they came for him."
"But where is your mother?" asked Mr. Rosenberg. "Oh poppa," he said, "When they came for David, he was afraid & he cried. Momma said, `There is nothing to be afraid of, David,’ & she took his hand & went with him."
That is motherhood.
MOMS - this is your day. May God bless you in it.
AND – may everyone of us in this room…
• Hold on to and embrace the truth that God is the mighty Lord and we are His servants.
• May we work to build a foundation in and Him and His word in the context of community… (Guys – you cannot do this alone
• And may we remember that we have a Father who is unrelenting in His protection and unwavering in His love for us. A FATHER – who will never let go as He takes us by the hand and walks with us so we do not need to be afraid…
Yet Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us."
(ever felt that way – Man, I love God’s answer)
"Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on my hand. Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins. Is 49:14-16
