God wants us to know Him, and many times in Scripture He uses different pictures and examples to reveal Himself and His character to us. Today as we have gathered together to worship our God and to honor the mothers among us, and may I tell you that God considers the role of motherhood to be very important and a very high calling.
I believe that we know some of the characteristics of a mother, but in the event that you don’t, allow me to share with you that a mother are ones who provide the nurturing in a family, we know that her love is unconditional, we know that she is always there for her children no matter what, and finally when the world seems to be against us a mother is there to comfort and support us. Now I understand why God has elected, chosen, and adopted to describe Himself in the terms of a “mother” because all of the above characteristics are the same characteristics that God uses to describe himself.
Matthew 23:37 says, 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 you would not!
What I have learned is that when danger is present a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings to shelter and protect them. God wants to do that same thing for us. The problem that I see here is that there are those who God has offered his loving kindness, his protection and shelter to nut they reject His offer and scatter about and not seek the safety and comfort that He wants to provide for us.
The story is told of a man who was looking over the burnt remains of his farm after a terrible fire. He noticed a lump of something in the barnyard that was still moving around. He kicked it around and from underneath the debris came a little chick. The mother hen had faced the fire and given her life to protect the chick. And that’s how our Lord described Himself. "How often would I have gathered thy children." That is exactly what Jesus did for us when He bore our sin on the cross and gave up His life to pay for our sin debt.
This morning I want you to see one of the greatest gifts that God gave us when He gave us a mother, more importantly, I want you to see and receive the greatest gift he ever gave to us, and that was His Son, Jesus Christ!
I know that there Is No Protector like a mother's protection. When I look at the animal kingdom: a mother dog will guard her puppies with her very life. Those puppies are the most important thing in her existence at that moment.
In the animal kingdom, the gentlest cows will turn on you if they perceive that you are going to harm their calves.
Some of you know the country lifestyle, and my question is, have you ever gathered eggs? It takes some special skills, because the mother of those eggs provides protection.
In the animal kingdom a mother will protect her young even to the point of giving up her own life. This is also true within the human realm. I don’t care how bad a child can be, I don’t care how mean a child can be, they can be slick, cunning, underhanded, or just down right stubborn. I don’t care how slick, underhanded, or mischief, it doesn’t matter how bad they are there are, they are still somebody child, and there is some mother somewhere that will hurt you over their child. I can hear them say you don’t know how many hours I spent in labor with them, you don’t know how I almost die on the table having them don’t mess with my baby and they mean don’t mess with them.
There are even episodes within the scripture of mothers that was willing to put their life on the line for their child. I know that you all remember Moses momma.
Here is a mother who was willing to defy the order of the Pharaoh to preserve the life of her son. It is said for three months; she hid him and then took him to the river to hide him from being killed. And it was there that Pharaohs daughter found the baby among the reeds and took him and raised him as her own son. Look at how God has directed this event so that the Pharaoh’s daughter would discover Moses, and that Moses real mother would be chosen to be his nurse. And all of this occurred because of a Mother’s desire to protect her child. There was an entire message written about this episode because she wanted to protect her baby. I wonder how many chapters would have to written about some of our modern day mother and about the protection that they have provided.
Mother’s will protect their children. If you remember 1st Kings 3:16-28, you will remember the Harlot Mother. Here’s a small refresher course. 1st Kings 3:16-28 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
What I’m trying to convey is that even a woman of questionable character becomes a great protector of her own, because Solomon in his wisdom knew that the real mother would rather give her child up, than to see it killed.
A mother will become fierce when her child is threatened. She will fight tooth and nail to preserve the safety of her child. Nothing is more dangerous than a mother who thinks her child is in danger.
But There Is One Whose Protection is Greater. Although a mother will fight to the bitter end, God’s Protection is a thousand times more secure then a mothers security.
Psalms 91:1-4 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
What this Psalmist is pointing out, is that there is no safer place to dwell
then "under the shadow of the almighty".
A mother knows how to hold her child when they going through, a mother knows how to minister to her baby.
If her child falls down and hurt themselves the first person that the child wants is their momma. When a child has been hurt by their friends, they call their momma. When a child cries, they cry for their momma. They raise their arms into the air with tears rolling down their checks, and momma will pick them up. This is why I say God/ then momma. Because how often does Gods stretch fourth his arms to give us the same affection?
Momma will comfort the fevered child all night long. She will sit and watch over them, and she will nurse until they feel better.
And God is just like that, he never sleeps nor slumbers, and he is there to provide whatever is needed, when we are sick, when we are hurting or when we are going through.
Yes, God has a tender touch, let me prove it to you.
His touch healed the sick and the lame.
His touch brought sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.
No wonder the mothers brought their children for His touch and His blessing.
Jacob wrestled with God and the Word says that God touched his thigh and changed Jacob’s walk from then on.
And when God touches your life, it will affect your walk with Him!
There is no forgiveness like a mother’s forgiveness.
All a wayward, or a disobedient child needs to say is “momma I am through, I’m through living the life that I’ve once had. Momma I’m tried and I want to come home and the mother will clean their old bedroom up, prepare their favorite meal and welcome them home.
She is ready to forgive and believe that they are going to do right. Even though they may do the same thing a thousand times, she will have the same faith and forgiveness for her child. Why Pastor? Well, because in her eyes they are always that same little boy or girl with those big eyes and that adorable smile that she gave birth to.
Look at this: God’s forgiveness is supernatural.
Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
When those who have been born again stand before Him to see him face to face; it will not be as sinners, but as His children, with every sin stain washed away, every transgression forgiven and blotted out forever.
No one can forgive like a mother, and yet God goes ten thousand times beyond that and forgives. He is wonderful in His forgiveness.
And this is what the Word of God is saying here in this chapter, that in the last days of human history, both the city of Jerusalem and the Jews will be restored to their nation, Israel. The nation will be reborn quickly, suddenly—within a day—more quickly than a mother who gives birth even before her labor pains begin (vv.7-8). God Himself guarantees the rebirth (v.9). And because He is the source and the giver of life, He will not fail to deliver Israel.
And then the people will rejoice, they will rejoice because Jerusalem will nourish.
People will rejoice because God will overflow Jerusalem with peace and prosperity (v.12).
People will rejoice because Jerusalem’s children will be provided and cared for (v.12b).
The people will rejoice because Jerusalem will comfort her children.
People will rejoice over Jerusalem because the city will stir in joy,
Because God will forgive them.
I’m reminded of a story.
The story is told of a Godly mother whose daughter had ran off into a world of sin. She went to her preacher with a burdened heart not knowing what to do.
He asked her to go home and get as many photographs of her that she could find and bring them to him. She ran home and returned with them and at the bottom of each one he wrote this simple message, "Come Home" He placed them all around the city in the places of sin where he thought the girl might come. One night the disobedient girl entered into a bar only to find a picture of her mother and the message "Come Home".
As the girl was wondering through the city of the, she seen more pictures and he mothers message that said come home. The girl tried to run from that place to her lover’s house only to find a picture posted to him front door, and when she read the message this time she knew her mother meant it and would forgive her.
She made her way back home and as she opened the door, she found her mother’s arms outstretched, saying that I have been waiting for. The girl’s mother cried out, "The door has never been locked, I have been looking for you, watching for you, and praying for you."
I need you to know that I left the porch light on so that you would not stumble coming up the stairs.
I never snatched the welcome mat from on front of the door because I wanted you too know that you are always welcome, and the Lord is telling someone the same thing this morning.
The Lord God is saying to someone come on home
He saying I’ll never leave you, nor forsake you.
He’s saying I will be a mother when you are motherless.
I will be a protector from the storms of life.
I will touch you with finger of love.
