Faith Bapstist Church, Great Barrington, MA

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Text:  Isaiah 66:10-14  Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.

Introduction:

God wants us to  know  Him, and  many  times  in Scripture He uses different  pictures  and  examples   to reveal Himself to us.  This morning, we have  honored "Mothers".  I want us to consider how that  God  has chosen  to describe  Himself  in  the  terms  of a  "mother".

Note Mt.  23:37.

Matthew 23:37  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 ye would not!

It is  the mother hen  that  gathers  the chicks under her wings.  The story is told  of a  man who was looking over the charred remains of his farm after  a  terrible fire.  He noticed  a lump of something in the barnyard that was still moving.  He kicked it and from underneath came a little chick.   That  mother  hen  had faced the fire and  gave her  life  to protect  the  chick.  That is  how our Lord described  Himself.   "How often would I have gathered thy children..."

This morning I  want  you  to  see  the great  gift  that God gave when He gave us mothers, but more importantly I want you to see  and  receive the  greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ!

Theme:  The Characteristics of Motherhood:

I. There Is No Protector Like a Mother

    A. Consider the animal kingdom.

        1.  A Dog and her first pups.

        2.  Gentle cows will turn on you if they  perceive that you are going
                to harm their calves.

        3. Gathering eggs takes some special skills.

        4. This is true throughout the realm of the animal kingdom.

     B. Consider the Scriptures.

          1. Moses's mother.

               a. Moses' mother defied the king's command to kill all Hebrew
                    sons born in Egypt.

               b. She hid him away for three months, and then took him to the
                    river as a hiding place.

               c. There the Pharoah's daughter found him and took him as her
                    own son.

               d. Then God directed in such a way that He enabled his mother
                    to become his nurse.

               e. All because of a mother's desire to protect her child.

          2. The Harlot Mother. cf. 1 Kings 3:16-28

1 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. 18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. 22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. 23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. 24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. 26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. 27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

                    a. Even a woman of questionable character becomes a great
                        protector of her own.

                    b. Solomon in his wisdom knew that the real mother would rather
                        give her child up, than to see it killed.

Note: Verse 26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

     C. Consider God's Protection. cf. Ps. 91:1-4

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.

        1. There is no safer place to dwell than  "under the shadow of the
            almighty".

        2. Note: v4  "He shall cover thee with His  feathers, and under His wings
            shalt thou trust..."

        3. We think of Him as our Good Shepherd, and as a friend that sticketh
            closer than a brother.

        4. But this morning, think of Him in His tenderness with a heart that beats
            for a lost world, and as a true and loving mother who seeks to protect
            her own.

Theme:  The Characteristics of Motherhood:

I. There Is No Protector Like a Mother

II. There is No Touch Like a Mother's.

     A. In the family.

        1. It is the mother who moves to kiss the hurt and make it go away.

        2. She is the one who is up through the night comforting the fevered child.

        3. My boys and I get along fine, but when they got hurt as little ones they
            looked to their mother for consolation.

     B. The touch of God.

        1. His touch healed the sick and the lame.

        2. His touch brought sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.

        3. No wonder mothers brought their children for His touch and His
            blessing.

        4. Jacob wrestled with God and the Word says that God touched his thigh
            and changed Jacob's walk from then on.

        5. When God touches your life, it will affect your walk with Him!

Theme:  The Characteristics of Motherhood:

I. There Is No Protector Like a Mother

II. There is No Touch Like a Mother's

III. There is No Forgiveness Like a Mother's
 Forgiveness.

     A. It is nearly supernatural.

        1. A wayward son needs only to say, "I am through, mother, I want to
            come home."

        2. She is ready to forgive and believe that he is going to do right.

        3. Though he do it a thousand times, she has the same faith and
            forgiveness.

     B. God's forgiveness is supernatural.

Note:  Jer. 31:34

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.

        1. When those who have been born again stand before 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.

        2. No one can forgive like a mother, and yet God goes ten thousand times
            beyond mother.

        3. He is wonderful in His forgiveness!

Illustration.

The story is told of a godly mother in London whose daughter had ran off into 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 herself that she could find and bring them to him.  She 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 wayward girl entered a bar only to find a  picture of her mother and the message "Come Home".  When she read the message, 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.  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."

Conclusion:  No  wonder  God  chose  to picture Himself to  us  today  as a mother.  Why  not  see  the  picture of God's love as that wayward girl saw her mother's  picture?   Why  not  hear  His words  to  us  calling  for  us to come home?  I thank God that I had a loving  mother who prayed  for  me.  I firmly believe that  it  is  her  prayers that   God answered  and brought me to the place I  am today.  But I am so thankful  for  a loving God who saved me, and who keeps me in His love  each  moment  of every day.  Do  you  know Christ  as your personal Savior this morning?  Come to Him  now. Are  you  a wayward child of God today?  Come home!

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