Mother¡¦s Day 2004
Introduction:
„« Welcome and wish all mothers a Happy Mother¡¦s Day
„« Today is a day where we honor our mothers
Eph 6:2
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) (KJV)
What is the promise:
Deut 5:16
16 ¡§Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy [your] days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee [you]. . .¡¨ (KJV)
Each and everyone of us has parents, if your parents are still here then realize that your interaction with your parents directly affects your well-being.
I remember the story of a young minister when he first started work in the ministry at a large church.
His parents were not Christians at the time of this story ¡V John had moved to, I believe, Texas.
He was getting started on his own and he was looking for an apartment when he discovered that one of the music ministers at the church he was going to work for was also looking for an apartment.
They decided to get an apartment together to cut their living expenses, which made John very excited.
He called his parents and was talking to his father and his father told him, that he thought John should not do this and that he should get an apartment by himself.
John made the decision to not listen to his father because ¡V ¡§he wasn¡¦t even born again ¡V he lives in another state ¡V he doesn¡¦t know what was going on¡¨
Long story short ¡V it ended up being a very bad situation that cost John a lot of money.
John was praying and said Lord I¡¦ve set my heart on You why didn¡¦t You warn me about this?
The Lord answered and said, ¡§I did!¡¨ and brought to his remembrance the words of his father.
The command of God is not, honor your father and mother if they are in church or if their wisdom agrees with what you think.
The command is honor your father and your mother.
„« What has been so lost in the Church structure is honor ¡V and what we so often fail to realize is that when we do not honor - it is our own lives that are effected.
So I first of all what to encourage everyone ¡V if your parents are still with you ¡V not only on this day ¡V not only on Father¡¦s Day ¡V honor your parents.
As I contemplated what honor is I came up with the following definition:
¡§Honor is glorifying God through the authority delegated to man. It is an act of humility and submission, a statement of loyalty and thankfulness for what God has given you through another.¡¨
I read a book on honor not too long ago and the authors definition of honor was:
¡§Using my resources, talents, and abilities to aid and support the plan and success of the one whom I am honoring; desiring his or her needs to be met above my own; putting the life plan and purpose of this person above my own.¡¨
You may have your own definition of honor, but what we must realize is that through the Word of God ¡V the first commandment with a promise is to honor our parents.
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Since today is Mother¡¦s Day we will look specifically at the mother ¡V
There is a special place ¡V an anointing ¡V that has been given to a mother.
I want to look at an unlikely woman in the Bible ¡V who many times is not referred to in a positive aspect because of the situation that brought her to be mentioned in the Bible.
One may think that there are other women in the Bible who would make for a better illustration, but I think there are some very important characteristics in this woman.
She first makes her appearance in the Bible in 2 Samuel 11:3 and a story unfolds in the 11th chapter through the chapter 12:24:
2 Sam 11:1-4
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. (KJV)
„« Before this event we do not know of Bathsheba, but from this act of adultery according to verse 5.
2 Sam 11:5
5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. (KJV)
You may be thinking at this point ¡V Bathsheba? You¡¦re going to talk about Bathsheba in honoring mothers?
But as I stated I think that are some very important aspects of this woman that needs to be explored ¡V the first is failure and sin.
The Word of God tells us in Rom. 3:23 that all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
No doubt a terrible mistake was made in the scriptures that we just read.
If we were to continue reading the story it only gets worse.
David has Bathsheba¡¦s husband killed and the child that Bathsheba is carrying is stricken by God and dies after his birth.
But the point I want you to see is that we all have a history.
We all have made decisions and done things that were wrong
We all have fallen short of the glory of God.
As a mother you may look back at your life and think, ¡§Oh, I¡¦ve made so many mistakes¡¨
Realize this, ¡¥you¡¦re not alone¡¦
Our sins ¡V our mistakes they come with a price.
In this particular story not only did the baby die, but it affected events the rest of David¡¦s life.
But we also know that the future of Bathsheba was not limited by her indiscretion.
It¡¦s easy to look at our failures and think we can never rise above them
But that is not what the Word of God promises ¡V we serve a gracious God that although we fall short ¡V He is true to His Word.
As we continue to read we find that after this baby dies:
2 Sam 12:24
24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. (KJV)
I believe this scripture shows the graciousness of God ¡V that although through sin ¡V through failure ¡V through poor judgment and decisions David and Bathsheba became husband and wife
Bathsheba becomes the mother to wisest man who ever lives ¡V to one of the most noted kings of Israel.
Ps 86:15
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. (KJV)
Ps 103:8
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (KJV)
Ps 112:4
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. (KJV)
So mothers first of all let me encourage you that you do not have to be the product of your past, but you can be everything the Word of God says that you are.
I believe we see this in the next part of this story:
IKing 1:1
1 Now king David was old and stricken in years. . .(KJV)
5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (KJV)
IKing 1:11
11 Wherefore Nathan (the prophet) spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? (KJV)
I want you to notice here that the prophet did not go directly to the king.
Nathan, the same prophet that boldly confronted David after he had sinned with Bathsheba did not go directly to the king and confront him about the conspiracy to take his seat as king.
But instead he went to the mother of the next king.
Why would this confidant of King David go through the mother?
„« I believe it is because he understood the intercessory power of a mother
Bathsheba could have gotten into a woe is me party when she heard that someone else was trying to be king.
She could have rationalized that, ¡§because of the sin of my youth this has come upon me¡¨
But she didn¡¦t ¡V
„« She had a word
„« David had promised her this son would replace him as king
„« And she interceded for her child
Mother¡¦s, do you realize the gift that is within you?
Do you understand that your ability to intercede can change the course of the kingdom of God
It did in this instance
If it is true that the O.T. is the new concealed than this story has N.T. application
One mother interceding on behalf of her child can change the course of history
If you haven¡¦t ever done so, I would encourage you to read the book, ¡§The Power of a Praying Mother¡¨
From a woman of indiscretion to a woman of intercession Bathsheba brought to this world the wisest man the world has known.
Mother¡¦s are powerful people ¡V
From the children¡¦s side we must realize the gift God has placed in our lives in our mother
But mothers you must also realize the anointing God has placed on your life
According to Acts 2:39 parents are a conduit of the promises of God.
Acts 2:39
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children. . . (KJV)
There was a promise given to Bathsheba just as there has been a promise given to each and every mother who will dare to believe the Word of God.
I don¡¦t care if your children seem to be uninterested in the things of God
„« Realize your power to intercede
It doesn¡¦t matter if your child is in church and seems to be building a life on the Word
„« Realize your power to bring the promises to completion
I know, and am fully convinced; that I would have never made it to where I am right now had I not and still do have an interceding mother.
Although I am sure that I have fallen short on many occasions to honor my mother the way that I should I am so thankful that she has not fallen short interceding for me.
This day is a special day a day that we honor you, but if I can leave you with anything today let me leave you with this.
„« You have the power to change the course of your children and your grandchildren¡¦s lives ¡V hold on to the promise God has given to you.
