The Divine Gift of Motherhood Explored Through Faith

Hi and welcome to the FBC El Dorado Sermon Podcast.

We hope God will use this week's message to both inspire and challenge you as you seek to walk closer with the Lord.

Now join me as we listen in to this week's sermon.

Happy Mother's Day.

There you go.

I don't know if that's appropriate or not.

I just didn't know what to do.

It's kind of an awkward start right there, but, man, I'll tell you what.

We have had church this morning Amen, start off with children singing church, gathering together in corporate worship, followed up by baptism, seeing families baptized together.

It has just been a great, great start.

In Scripture we hear and we read in Proverbs, chapter 1, verse 8, the wisest man says my son, keep your father's command, but listen, he says, and do not reject your mother's teaching.

Proverbs 1:8

There's a story of a young eight-year-old little girl named Mary who wrote her mother a note for Mother's Day and said Dear Mom, here is the box of candy I bought for you on Mother's Day.

It is very, very good.

I know I've had three pieces.

One summer evening, during a thunderstorm violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her little boy into bed and trying to comfort him and give him that peace, and she was about to turn off the light.

The little boy asked her with a tremor in his voice.

He said Mommy, can you stay in here and sleep with me tonight?

And she said no, son, I have to go in there and sleep with me tonight.

And she said no, son, I have to go in there and sleep with your daddy.

And in a dejected, fearful voice he answered and said that big sissy, what about the Boy Scout trip?

Where the little boy was cooking and he was frantic.

He was looking around for all the things that he needed and his scout leader came to him and said son, is there something missing?

He said absolutely, my mommy.

But there are two sermons throughout the course of the year that legitimately, in 20 plus years of ministry.

That caused me stress, right.

Easter.

Easter's a tough one.

Churches are filled and you feel the pressure of delivering the perfect Easter sermon.

The second is Mother's Day, and evidently at First Baptist, el Dorado, everybody fills up for Mother's Day too.

So that just thank you for adding to the stress and the pressure this morning.

I have difficulty with Mother's Day.

It's not that I don't like Mother's Day, or that I disagree, or that I even dread Mother's Day.

My problem is.

I don't feel like I know how to preach a good Mother's Day sermon.

At the church I pastored, on Mother's Day we would always do a baby dedication.

It was a man.

It was a phenomenal time seeing these young families coming and making a commitment to raise their children in the admonition of the Lord and the church coming around and say we'll walk through this with you.

But that joy was soon tempered when I realized, oh no, I have to preach after this.

I'm not a mother.

I can't begin to understand the pressures of being a mom.

Like I said, I have enough trouble preaching a Mother's Day sermon.

But why is it difficult?

Why do I find difficulty when it comes to a Mother's Day sermon and Dustin alluded to it earlier Mother's Day is not always a joyous day for everyone.

It can be a difficult day.

Not everyone looks forward to it.

Maybe you've lost a child and your heart is grieved on Mother's Day.

Maybe you've recently as one of my co-workers recently have lost your mother and you're experiencing the pain of loss today.

Maybe you're having difficulties with your own mother, or maybe your mother wasn't the ideal mother that we like to preach about and you have difficult memories, possibly, of your mother.

Maybe you have guilty feelings about your own motherhood and you have a strained relationship with your children.

Or maybe you find yourself never having been able to have children of your own, or maybe a biological mother was never in the home You're raised in foster care, raised by family members.

Or maybe you're just a single mom and you're struggling with being a good mother to your children.

You feel Not every home is like the Cleavers, not every home is without trouble.

Now some, like me, praise the Lord.

Raised in good, god-fearing Christian homes, had wonderful parents, and maybe you're even a good parent yourself.

I praise God for you and we should thank God that God has given us the parents that he did Amen.

But having said all that, I truly want to encourage you this morning because each of us have been affected by motherhood in one way or another.

Everyone either has a mother, has had a mother, is a mother married to a mother, knows a mother or is serving in motherhood some form or fashion.

So motherhood has affected us all.

I have a message, I believe, for you this morning on Mother's Day, and it's a message from God.

So I want to read to you a Mother's Day card from God.

Now we know Mother's Day, mother's Day cards.

They always have a little message in there and you take great care and concern of the right card to give mom.

And if you pick a Christian faith card it'll have a passage of scripture in there printed in that card.

But I want you to take heart this morning because that's exactly what God's Mother's Day card has in it.

God's Mother's Day card for you today is His holy word Because, let's face it, mothering is a difficult job, more of a ministry than a job.

But here's the beauty of it.

God doesn't bless you with motherhood and then just leave you hung out to dry.

He's given us His word.

He's given you as dry.

He's given us his word.

He's given you his mothers.

He's given you those who are serving in a mothering capacity.

He has given you his word to encourage you, to bless you, to comfort us and to give direction.

And so this morning I want you to see God's Mother's Day message that has been written specifically for you, because moms go through all sorts of emotion and I know that because I have a mother and I practiced all sorts of emotions for my mother to endure.

They go through all sorts of emotions, so I want to look at some of these emotions.

I want to be real, candid and real open and see what God's Word has to say when we think of motherhood.

So turn with me this morning to Isaiah, chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

And we're going to walk through.

I believe it's six, but we're going to walk through six different things this morning in this Mother's Day card from God.

The first is when you feel discouraged, mothers.

Have you ever felt discouraged?

If you're honest with yourself, you're going to agree with me that motherhood is not for the weak, it is not for the faint of heart.

But look what we read in Isaiah, chapter 40, beginning in verse 28.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

Have you not known, have you not heard the everlasting God?

The Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might.

He increases their strength.

Even the youth shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall.

But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint.

Mothers need encouragement.

Right Mothers need encouragement, just like all of us.

We need encouragement on a daily basis, and maybe there's some in the room right now who feel like your children will never rise up and call you blessed, as we read in Proverbs 31.

Maybe you're feeling discouraged this morning, saying you know what, tim, I can read about Hannah.

I can read about Mary.

I can read about the Proverbs 31, woman, and I do not feel I can ever attain to those heights.

Listen to what God's Mother's Day card has for you this morning.

When you feel like giving up, don't why, because God understands.

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, never faints, nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

Here is your word of encouragement from God.

But those who wait from God, but those who wait, those who are discouraged, those who are just distraught, wait on the Lord.

He will renew your strength.

You will mount up with wings like eagles.

You shall run and not be weary.

You shall walk and not faint.

Tim, how can I know that?

How can I know?

Because God in Isaiah 41, 10, says fear not, I am with you, be not dismayed, be not confused, be not discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you.

Yes, I will help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Don't be discouraged, because you don't have to do it alone.

Mothers, when you feel discouraged, open up this Mother's Day card, read his message and remember even the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4.13.

I can do it.

I can do all things because I'm a mom and I gotta do all the things anyway, and so I can do those things through Christ, who gives me strength.

So, when you feel discouraged, open up God's Mother's Day card and read it.

Number two, when you feel angry, mom, you ever get angry with your kids.

It's Sunday, so we're going to be good.

If you haven't, then, number one, you get the Mother of the Year award.

And secondly, please, please, write a book and let us in on the secret, because we all get angry with our kids, don't we?

But God has a message In Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 26,.

Ephesians 4:26

He says be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath.

Now, god doesn't say it's wrong to be angry, but what he does say is we have to control that.

We read in the Gospels when Jesus walks into the temple and he sees the desecration of the temple and started flipping over tables during the Passover feast.

Jesus was angry, but Jesus controlled that anger.

God understands we're going to get angry.

Listen, I have, let's see, I've got a math.

That's not good.

I have a 22-year-old Next month, I'll have a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old.

If you think you get angry with your kids now, hold on.

But God understands that.

The question is what are we going to do with it?

What are we going to do with that anger?

Well, god has a message Don't stay angry.

Don't let the sun go down on your anger, because there's purpose for anger.

You're supposed to get angry over disobedience, over lack of respect, rude comments and behavior.

If you didn't get angry over those things, you wouldn't be much of a godly parent trying to steer that into a God-honoring behavior.

Well, what does God do with those he loves?

Hebrews 12 6 says the Lord disciplines those he loves, and hang on a second.

We get into that.

And so then, when we see that, oh, god disciplines those he loves, we get this picture of this old grandpa sitting in a rocking chair with a stick that shoots lightning out of the end of it.

Absolutely not.

I discipline my children because I love my children and I wanted them to walk effectively in the Lord.

We do the same thing with our kids that God does for us.

Discipline is not a negative thing, it is a loving thing.

Proverbs 3, 12,.

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, just as the Father and the Son he delights.

Revelation 3.19,.

As many as I love, I rebuke and I discipline.

That's why we read again in Proverbs 1.8,.

Do not reject your mother's teaching.

God expects you to teach and discipline your children and husbands when necessary.

Right 47 years old, I have times of discipline in my life because I need it.

Anger is not a bad thing.

God allows us to be angry over disobedience, but the instruction is to deal with it in a God-honoring manner.

Deal with it, turn it into a useful tool and don't allow it to be a destructive weapon.

Later, in Ephesians, chapter 4, in verse 31, paul writes let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking be put away from you.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

With all malice, be kind to one another, tenderhearted forgiving.

1, the old Bible drill verse that we learned so many years ago.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

So, mom, dad, same, when you feel angry, open up God's word.

Open up this Mother's Day card and read that message.

Don't let anger control you.

Let God have your anger and, in return, receive his grace, receive his mercy, receive his strength.

Number three when you need help, god has a word for that In Psalm 121, verse 1, listen and hear the desperation in this.

Psalms 121:1

A psalmist writes I will lift up my eyes to the hills.

From whence does my help come?

That's desperate.

Where's it going to come from?

I'm going to lift my eyes to the hills because I am desperately in need of help.

In verse two he says oh, my help comes from the Lord who made the heavens and the earth.

All I did was look up to the hills and I saw the face of almighty God in his creation.

And then I remembered aha, it's God who is my help.

Mothers, do you ever feel like you're alone in the motherhood business?

Earlier this morning y'all were introduced in word to my wife, heather.

July we'll be married 25 years.

You ever feel like you need help or you ever feel like you're alone in the motherhood business?

Heather does 20 years of ministry.

She absolutely did.

If you feel like you need help or you ever feel like you're alone in the motherhood business, heather does 20 years of ministry.

She absolutely did.

If you feel like you're alone, then you obviously feel like there's times when you need a little bit of help.

Well then, open up this Mother's Day card and remember the words of Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not on your own understandings, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and God will direct your path.

Your heavenly father is always here to help you.

He has those encouraging words scattered all throughout the Bible Psalm 32, 8,.

I will instruct you, I will teach you in the way that you should go and I will guide you with my eye.

Mom, you're not alone.

Psalm 46, 1,.

God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in times of trouble.

Wait on the Lord.

Psalm 27, 14.

Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart.

Wait, I say upon the Lord, don't give up, mom, please.

We're begging you.

Your help is closer than you know.

Paul writes and my God shall supply all of your needs.

According to what?

According to how good of a mother you are?

According to the rights, can you send snacks to school anymore?

School's changed.

I don't know, it'd be hard to with all the stuff, but trying to keep up and you just feel alone.

God's going to supply all of your needs according to his riches.

Are you still not convinced?

Galatians 6, 9,.

And let us not grow weary.

While doing good, the job of motherhood is good work, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Mom, if you're looking for help, god's not going to abandon you.

He's always here to help you.

Number four when you feel alone, jesus, right before his ascension, he's preparing the disciples.

In the King James Version, it says in John 14, 8, I will not leave you comfortless.

I will come to you.

In the New King James Version, which I preach out of, it says I will not leave you as orphans.

I will not abandon you.

Mom, you can have a house full of children all vying for your attention at the exact same time and you can feel 100% alone, right?

I see moms walking through Walmart.

Don't know why I do that with the advent of Walmart pickup, but I still torture myself and go into the store.

But I'll see a mom kids hanging off the cart.

But in those moments you can even still feel alone.

What do you do about that?

Well, again, I encourage you to open up God's word, this Mother's Day card, written specifically to you, to the words of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33.3, where he says call to me.

The next words are so very important Call to me and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know.

I'm reminded those times when my children were smaller, growing up, and Heather would call, needing me to do this or do that, or maybe just needing to say why did we do this and invariably, what would happen?

And invariably what would happen Ring, ring, ring, ring.

Hey, this is Tim.

Sorry, I couldn't get your call right now.

Leave me a message and I'll get right back to you.

Just another way that she would feel alone.

Ladies, let me tell you, please hear me.

I know I've given you a ton of Scripture this morning.

I'm doing it on purpose, but please hear this your husband can never be your everything.

There are times he will even unintentionally, cause you to feel alone, but here's the good news your husband was never meant to be your everything.

Jesus Christ came, lived, died and rose from the grave to be your absolute everything, and Scripture tells us over and over and over as we are in right relationship with him.

We are never alone Again.

Jesus says I will not leave you comfortless, I will not leave you alone, I will come to you.

Sometimes all of us need this simple reassurance that God is there.

In Deuteronomy, god told the children of Israel twice In Hebrews.

It's reiterated in Hebrews 13, 5, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.

When Jesus left the earth to return to his heavenly father, what does he say?

And lo, I am with you even to the end of the age.

Mothers, you're not alone in raising your children.

Well, tim, I feel alone.

God has not abandoned you alone.

God has not abandoned you.

So when you feel alone, open up this Mother's Day card and be asked what Do you work Now?

Your first impulse and I believe it's a God-honoring impulse will be to be punched in the right square in the nose, and the second impulse will be to laugh hysterically until you're moved to tears.

It's been said years ago.

It's been said that a typical stay-at-home mother in the United States, if she were paid for her work as a housekeeper, a cook, a psychologist, among other roles, would earn roughly $138,085 a year.

Amen, pay up Right, she's a combination taxi driver.

Up right, she's a combination taxi driver, judge, lawyer, chef, psychiatrist, teacher, preacher, doctor and much, much more.

So stay at home, mom.

Let me ask you, do you work?

Of course you do.

That must be why you get so tired.

So let's open up this Mother's Day card and see what it has to say Matthew 11, 28.

Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, overburdened, and I will give you rest.

We look for those retreats of rest.

Sometimes those retreats of rest are locked in the bathroom with Facebook, pinterest, instagram and all of that.

Come unto Jesus.

If we need true rest, come to Jesus.

Remember.

God is our refuge, god is our strength and I think this is the most important part of that a very present help in times of trouble, in times of exhaustion.

I read a statement and I feel like it's fair to say Mom, when you get to the end of your rope, don't hang yourself, but come to someone.

Come to Jesus for that much deserved rest.

Come unto me, jesus says.

Come unto me and I will give you rest.

You labor, you're overworked, you're overtaxed, you're stretched, you're having to keep up and you don't want to be the mom who sent the wrong cupcakes, right Like come to Jesus, let him give you that rest.

And then number six when you're worried.

What does God's Mother's Day card, what does God's word have to say about worry?

I mean, you show me a mother that doesn't worry, right, you can't.

Why?

Because kids are nuts.

Why, because kids are nuts.

I told you I'm 47 years old.

My mother is older.

I'm not going to out myself.

I know she still worries about me, for good reason, because worry is part of being a mother.

What does God's word have to say about that?

Paul writes in Philippians 4, 6, and 7, don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.

Why, knowing we said earlier that he is going to hear me, if you call upon me, I will answer.

Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

God, I am worried about my kids in this area.

Guess what they were his before they were ours.

So give them back to him, give God the worry and let's go about being mom, being dad, being the people that we're supposed to be.

And when we do that, guess what happens.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and it will guard your mind in Christ Jesus.

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter, chapter 5, verse 7, cast all of your cares upon him.

1 Peter 5:7

Why would I do that?

Why would I waste my time?

Why would I waste God's time giving him all of my worry?

He says in the latter part of verse 7, because he cares for you.

Why do you listen to your friends when they're going through difficult times?

Because you care for them.

Why do you listen to your family when they're going through difficult times?

Because you care for them.

Why do you listen to your family when they're going through difficult times?

Because you care for them.

Why would God listen to you when you cast your cares upon him?

Because he loves you.

Mothers have very broad shoulders, but they're nothing compared to the shoulders of Almighty God.

He can carry a lot more than you can.

So I beg you to hear the words of the old hymn Take your burdens, take your worries, take your stresses, take your fears about your children to the Lord.

Right and do what with them.

Show it then, put it back in the suitcase, take it home and worry about it.

Absolutely not Take your burdens to the Lord and leave it there.

Mom, even though I know you will.

You don't have to worry.

You at least don't have to worry alone because God's with you.

You've got someone to go to.

You have a heavenly father who is eagerly waiting for you to unload on him.

You know that person.

Like you, see them coming right and you can see it on their face and it's almost like the old 1980s Jaws movie.

Like you know it's coming.

Like you, you just sit on their face.

They are about to unload a century's worth of burden upon you and you are not prepared for the task.

God is prepared for the task and he eagerly awaits it.

Bring it to him.

Dump it on him.

Why?

Because he said so.

Bring it to him.

Dumping on him why?

Because he said so.

Don't deny God the privilege and the desire of carrying that burden for you.

God has sent you a Mother's Day card this morning and I know you've got some great ones.

I know you've got some cute ones with crayons and markers and I promise it's a dog or a house and you cherish those.

I beg you this morning, cherish God's more, because he's written some very personal messages in it for you.

Take it home, take it to heart, open it when you need it the most.

No, don't do that.

Don't open it when you need it the most.

Open it.

Just do that.

Don't open it when you need it the most.

Open it.

Just open it all the time.

Spend time in his presence, because you are not alone in motherhood.

Come to your heavenly father and allow him to be active in raising your children with you.

Give God the opportunity to be your parenting partner and everybody else.

Listen to the words of Proverbs 1.8, and again he reiterates in Proverbs 6.20, my son, keep your father's command and do not reject your mother's teaching.

Mom, you have a tough job, but please know from the bottom of our hearts that we love you and we sure don't say it enough.

But all caps, exclamation points at the end.

Thank you, thank you for striving, thank you for being in the fight, thank you for helping guide our family in the admonition of the Lord.

When God created woman, when God created Eve, he made her a co-equal partner.

I feel like you may carry some of the burden a little more from time to time, but thank you.

So what's the invitation?

What do we do with that?

Number one?

I beg you, know those things, hear those things and hear those aren't.

Preacher, speak.

You know what I did this morning.

You know the only thing I did this morning.

I just quoted Scripture.

God has told you so.

Mom, if you're struggling, if you're any of the six of those, then come this morning and give it to him.

Mom, if you're just broken down, come this morning, lay it out before him.

What does he say?

Cast your burdens upon me.

Maybe, dad, maybe you're here and maybe you just want to grab mom and grab kids or whatever, and you just want to come and you want to have a prayer of thanksgiving to God or mom.

Maybe you're like the glorious testimony of mom we saw this morning Dad, visitor, grandma, grandpa.

Maybe you've never come to the point in your life where you have confessed to God that your sin is separating you from a holy God, and maybe you've never come to the point to where you trust that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, came and lived a perfect, sinless life, laid that perfect, sinless life on the cross, shed His blood for your sin, was crucified, gave up His life, buried in a tomb three days later, rose from the grave so that you could have a heavenly Father and you could spend eternity with Him.

Yes, but you can have this present.

Holy God with you now, the best Mother's Day gift you can give yourself.

Anybody in the room is Jesus Christ.

So I urge you this morning, whatever it is that God is leading, I beg you, I urge you to come Again.

Moms, my mom, my wife, thank you.

It's a hard job.

We're not very easy, but you're the best Father.

We love you.

God.

I thank you for this time.

I thank you for such a wonderful morning of children singing praises, of families coming and filling the church and worshiping together, of seeing the picture of salvation through baptism four times, seeing families renewed, seeing families changed, seeing lives changed.

God, what a beautiful picture.

And, father, I thank you that your word is overflowing with encouragement, not only to mothers we focused on mothers today because they deserve it but, father, a word, a card, a letter, your very own hand, writing to us, encouraging us, writing to us, encouraging us that we are not alone.

All the things that we deal with, all the things that we're ashamed of, all the emotions that we feel like we should just get over that, god, you tell us, bring it to me and we'll get over it together.

Father, I pray that there is no one who leaves this room today, feeling alone, helpless, anxious, overburdened.

Because, god, you're with us.

Father, we love you, we thank you, we give you this time and we ask that your Holy Spirit be free to move.

We ask it in the name of Jesus, amen.

Would you stand?