Mother's Day Special: Forsake Not Your Mother

Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world.

We are a church focused on world evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church and other sermons from throughout our fellowship.

I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your host for this podcast.

I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing to you and bring you closer to God.

Good morning and welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast.

My name again is David Bickford. I'm the pastor here up here in lovely Salmon Arm.

Today is Mother's Day and so with that I wanted to bring a special Mother's Day sermon to you today.

The message I've entitled is called, Forsake Not Your Mother.

We're going to look at some biblical examples of motherhood and focusing in on some of the difficulties that mothers have and what we can take from this from a biblical perspective.

So just as a jumping off point, the text that we're going to be using is going to be Proverbs 6, 20-23 if you're following along.

Today is all about the mamas. So we want to be able to give honor and reverence to all of our mothers.

We all have moms or we came from moms and we have the mothers of our children.

So we just want to keep this light but also just recognize the fact that it's a critically wonderful and important thing that we have in our mothers and the mothers in our lives.

Abraham Lincoln said, No man is poor who has a godly mother.

And George Washington said, My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw.

All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual, physical education I received from her.

Here's two of the most powerful men in American history and they are just summing it up perfectly that mothers are extremely important to us and we want to thank our mothers today.

And Proverbs 6, 20-23 it says, My son keep your father's commandments and forsake not your mother's teaching. Bind them on your heart always tie them around your neck.

When you walk they will lead you. When you lie down they will watch over you. And when you awake they will talk with you.

For the commandment is a lamp and a teaching a light and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. Amen.

So this is as we jump into this idea of what Mother's Day is about but also about more importantly mothers.

I just want to again thank my mom and thank my wife the mother of my children because the amount of work and everything that goes into being a mom is just so immense and so powerful and I just want to continue to honor that.

So mothers and their many responsibilities. Today is Mother's Day we set this day aside to lift and honor mothers, mothers who gave us life and mothers who care for our children.

Who can number all the responsibilities that mothers have. It's just a never ending list of things that mothers do for us.

Yeah mothers are specially equipped by God for this task and motherhood was also a command from God to Eve and through that an example to us all.

Throughout the Bible we read about godly mothers who raised their children to love honor and serve God.

Mothers like Jacob, Elizabeth and Mary raised sons who ministered to and led God's people.

Mothers in the Bible were committed, hardworking and resourceful and they willingly did the work that was before them.

In Proverbs 31, 13 it says she seeks wool and flax and willingly works with their hands. That is really what mothers do every day.

Motherhood can take several forms and can be extremely difficult at times. Not all mothers give birth to their children. Some mothers become mothers through adoption.

Godly mothers though will always love their children and raise them up in the way of the Lord.

I have a little bit of a personal background with this. In my opinion I think that adoption can often require far more love and patience and understanding.

My mom adopted four children and this was after she had six already.

I guarantee that when my mom looks back at the past she didn't fully understand the immensity of adoption at the time.

But I can attest that she loves those children just as much if not maybe even more than the rest of us.

Because the amount of work that has to go in and the amount of love and patience that goes in with adoption.

The point here is that motherhood takes on many forms but every single form of motherhood is worthy of honor.

And as we honor our mothers today we are going to look at several mothers from the Bible.

These women had challenges and understood the adversities of motherhood.

That being said I don't want this to be a heavy sermon. I don't want to inundate you with all sorts of heavy ideas or useless pieces of information.

I want to emphasize how important mothers are and to do that I will share some stories from my childhood and my life because I want to honor my mom and the mother of my children.

Even if that might embarrass them a little bit.

So the first point I have is biblical examples of motherhood's difficulties.

So we're going to first look at Eve the first mother who lost a child at the hands of another.

So we're going to forget, forgo, you know going into the fall of man but we're not going to, you know, we're going to look at God's response after the fall.

In Genesis 316 it says, To woman he said, I will surely multiply your pain and childbearing, and pain you shall bring forth children, and your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.

So from the very beginning it was clear that motherhood was going to be quite the ordeal.

Pain is a very simple way of describing raising children.

You know my wife and I will routinely joke about you know you're saying, you know have kids they said it'll be fun they said this idea that you know oh you know kids are great and they are kids are great.

But the reality is that it's not always fun and it's not always easy.

We love our children but parenting and precisely motherhood is full of many many difficulties.

We see this, you know verse from Genesis is foreshadowing that motherhood will have times of pain that starts in pain and there will be more pain as time goes on.

There will be difficult times there will be trying times there will be heavy times there will be you know burdens that they have that mothers will have to carry.

Eve experienced one of the most difficult tragedies that one could ever imagine. And Genesis chapter four, we read about Cain and Abel, two of Eve's children.

It's hard to imagine anything more tragic and difficult. Eve went on to have another son and in Genesis 425 it says, and Adam knew his wife again and she bore a son and called him Seth.

For she said, God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel for Cain killed him.

So here we have this, this crazy situation of the first murder where Cain kills his brother Abel.

And you know what what did Eve have to go through during this you know like what like what kind of things did she have to reflect upon we don't get a lot of depth into that.

But we get this small picture in 425 that she was she was giving praise to God for, you know, having a son after the death of Abel.

And Eve was heartbroken about Cain and Abel and we don't you know like I said we don't get a lot of you know information about it but we do know based off this scripture that Eve goes on and praises God for the new life that she had she receives through Seth.

Life has a way of going off the rails from time to time it can be messy it can be confusing. We can get hurt we can get violated.

The important thing to remember is that God wants the best for us and God did not want sin to enter the world. Man brought sin into the world, but we can find peace and joy as we rely upon the Lord.

Our mothers put up with so much you know throughout our lives. My mother had to deal with a lot when I was growing up I remember times when we didn't have enough I also remember seeing my mom sitting on a chair facing a wall praying to God I remember her praying in tongues.

The funny thing is is I wouldn't really understand any you know what that was about until years and years later.

But I know that my mom you know had cried out for us.

You know, with the troubles that would come through life. As we were growing up I mean she had the, when we lived in California there were six of us, you know kids growing up and then when we moved across the country to Michigan.

You know things would get more difficult has she adopted children, it was, it was just adding more and more to her plate.

But I know that my mom cries out for us in prayer and she, she was there, you know, providing a hedge or a covering for us.

You know in the trials in the hard times.

You know, for Rebecca, you know Isaac's wife who struggled with favoritism of her son Jacob over Esau. These are difficulties that are common in a family dynamic is the idea that you know when one kid is, is running away doing things on their own and the other

kid is there serving it's it's hard not to find favorites.

But moms love all their children and it's just it's it's one of these difficult things.

These difficult things that we have to deal with as parents but even more so as moms.

Sometimes there are external situations that can add to the difficulties of being a mother.

By Yacobed who's the mother of Moses, she had to, you know, find a way to care for her son.

And Hebrews 1123 through 25 it says by faith Moses when he was born was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

By faith Moses when he grew up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with with the people of God, then to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

So, Moses mother gave birth to him, while the like the nation of Egypt, you know was enslaving the people of Israel. And during this time there was, there was a call that all male babies were to be murdered and put to death.

Yet her faith amid this distressing circumstance stands as a model to us all she put her trust in the Lord, and God and made a God made a way for her to continue to be used scripture tells us that Moses was a fine child in Exodus to to and was beautiful

in God's sight. And act 720 something about him was unique even so by law Moses should have been executed, but going against the king's command would have met certain death for Moses's mom.

So why did she defy the rules of the government.

The Bible is clear, we must obey God rather than man and acts 527 through 29 it says, and when they had brought them, they set them before the council and the high priest question them saying we strictly charged you not to teach in this name.

Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. But Peter and the Apostles answered, we must obey God, rather than men.

This is a pretty important scripture for us even today because of what's going on in the States and, and with, you know, certain, certain groups trying to outlaw the idea of even pointing out this scripture.

The fact that, you know, the, the, the nation of Israel, and particularly the priests of Israel cried for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This is what they were doing in Israel right after the other crucifixion of Christ and the leaders at the time were saying we told you not to teach this.

You're trying to make your Jesus's blood on a, you know, put it on our hands and they were, they, they, it was on their hands, they were the ones that did it.

But Peter answered the Apostle and answered, we must obey God rather than man. So even Jesus taught the value of life over the law when he healed on the Sabbath.

In Matthew 12, 11 through 12, Matthew 12 verses 11 through 12, it says, he said to them, which one of you has sheep. If it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out.

Matthew 12:11–12

Of how much more value is a man than sheep. So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

These stories remind us that it's okay if relationships between mothers and children aren't perfect and that God is at work, even in those tough situations.

It's tough enough sometimes to care for ourselves but adding in the responsibilities we have towards our children can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Our great assurance is that God is at work redeeming our biggest mistakes and accidents for both parents and children's life.

The decision to follow the faith of her ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob impacted her son who later led Israel out of Egypt.

It's an example for not just mothers, but all parents, whether biological adopted or those called to be spiritual parents, discipling others in the Lord.

The second point is the critical impact, the quiet faithfulness that can have on the lives of many.

The main point, we have the opportunity to impart our faith to others which can potentially impact generations.

So let's now turn to my next point, which is the motherly characteristics of God.

The Bible talks frequently about the fatherhood of God, but scripture also describes God in ways consistent with motherhood.

For example, what Jesus says as he weeps over Jerusalem, Matthew 23, 37, the lament over Jerusalem,

Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.

How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you were not willing?

Jesus uses metaphor of a mother hen to express the relationship he longs to have with his children.

This is a touching moment when the best analogy at his disposal is one of a mother's care.

You'll find a variety of biblical passages like this.

God cares for his people like an eagle hovering over her young, Deuteronomy 32, 11.

Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them and bearing them on its pinions.

So God is ever attentive and we can put our trust in him.

Godly mothers exemplify this in their actions.

They embody the gentle kindness and firm attentiveness needed to tend and care for their children.

This powerful idea is something that we can all look back at or we can, you know, most of us can look back at into our lives and say, Oh yeah, I can remember.

You know, today we kind of put negative connotations on the idea of a helicopter parent.

And of course, we'll get to that idea of having to let go as we go through this message.

But there is a necessity as children are young for the mother to be like this, this eagle to be like, you know, hovering over their young to care for them, to tend for them, to cover them.

And it's just a powerful picture. And I know this, you know, as, as, you know, with, with my own mom and with, with my wife, you know, just watching how like how attentive they can be over, over little children.

And this is one of the benefits of growing up with a rather large family is as you become a teenager, but you can watch your mom with, with a little, a little kid, because my youngest brother that I grew up with, you know, he was, he was just a baby when I was a teenager.

And so it was just a very powerful thing to see this, you know, you know, with my mother. But then again, as you know, I get married and I have a wife and now, you know, she's the mother of my children just watching how how she has to fret over our children.

It's just a very powerful thing. So God is concerned for his people like a midwife cares for a child she that she's delivered. And we could see that in Psalm 22 nine through 10 God will never forget his children like a mother.

Will not forget their nursing child. In Isaiah 49 15, it says, can a woman forget her nursing child that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget yet. I will never forget you.

So here God saying that he's never going to forget us. And he uses the example of a mom and the compassion that she has for her children.

The bond between mother and child is regularly used in the Bible to describe the connection between God and us. It is the sanctity of motherhood, the motherly bond that is representative of God's never failing love.

This is very different than the relationship with the father. The father tends to be more pragmatic and even though fathers have our place, we're not mothers.

And we'll never be mothers. That perfect example of this came to me, you know, came this week, you know, so here I don't I don't mean to embarrass anybody, but this is just it really does exemplify this point.

So, you know, my wife, you know, has guinea pigs and one of her guinea pigs, you chewy, you know, passed away suddenly this week.

And so we we were driving, I was driving and my wife and daughter were in the car with me when they heard the news, and just the emotions started flowing.

And, you know, as a as a as a Marine as a as you know kind of a, I don't know, a somewhat lackluster guy with is when it comes to emotions.

All I could do, you know, here I'm driving, I got to drive, all I could do is put my headphones in and let this kind of emotion just kind of flow and let them get it out.

You know, sometimes you know as fathers we just have to take a step back from a situation and let moms do their thing because, you know, you know, my wife's working through her own, you know, disappointment and sadness over this situation but my daughter.

You know, she's just, you know, you know, bawling in the back and it's just, it was a very very hard thing for me to see. It was a very hard thing for me to sit through, because I'm not a mom and I don't know, you know, as a as a father.

I just want to fix things, and I can't you know I don't have the capacity at times to deal with something like that.

So I just tried to you know do what I could do and maybe it wasn't the best thing but, but I had to keep driving, and you know just had to let me know mom moms do their thing.

You know so God comforts his people like a nursing mother and Isaiah 6613 it says, as one who has mother comfort so I will comfort you, you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

And after this whole situation with the guinea pig you know over the weekend you know just even yesterday, you know my wife was putting together kind of you know like a craft to remember, you know, this guinea pig chewy.

I couldn't do that, you know this is something that that is just beyond me as a father, but I'm really really glad that my daughter has this with, you know, with her mother.

This is a whole example of the comforting effect that mothers can have and the importance that mothers can bring in the comforting of their children.

The Bible uses the picture of a mother to describe how he wants to comfort us in our times of trial.

And I think that's the reason God is and why mothers are so important our lives, just like with chewy. Sometimes we just need to be comforted.

This is no way it means that mothers are only comforters mothers are also fierce protectors of their children and rightfully so the picture of a mother bear is the perfect illustration of the ferocity, a mother can call on when their child, the children

God uses the anger of a mother bear who's been robbed of her cubs illustrate this point and Hosea 13 eight it says, I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will tear open their breasts and I will devour them like a lion as a wild beast would rip them open.

I mean, well, I think of that imagery think of just the blood, the guts, the, you know, the violence of it. Our mothers do a lot for us they deliver us they cover us they comfort us but they can also fight for us.

I know that my mother spent nights praying for me when I was in my helicopter crash in the military when I was deployed to Iraq. She had cry out for my brothers and sisters as they were struggling.

God uses the care and empathy of mothers to describe himself to us. And what a powerful statement of importance.

But I also remember when my wife was a strong the strongest of advocates on the planet for my daughter and my son and she still is today.

Things come up in life and mama bear is going to protect those cubs.

It's such a critically important thing to understand is that, you know, moms are more than just there to, you know, deliver us cover us and comfort us that whole idea of fighting for us is very very much alive in what motherhood is meant to be in a godly perspective.

Don't get in between.

A mama bear and her cubs don't get in between a mom and her children today in society they want to put everything in front of or in between the mother and the children, send them off to school so that they can be indoctrinated by the government and state

sponsors school. You have to think of it that way they have to think of it as, you know, we're sending you're sending your kids off to school, so that we can place the school and the teachers in between the mother and the children.

It's a very dangerous place that governments trying to interject itself into, because really, that nobody should get in between a mom and or a mama bear and her cubs.

And so that's just important thing to think about and I'm really glad that my wife was there to stand up and stand in between, you know the government and the schools at times when it was when they were not doing what was right for our children.

So I want to look, as we come to my last point I want to, and we approach the end of this message I want to, you know, for us, I want us to look at things we can learn from Mary the mother of Jesus.

Her relationship with Jesus the trust in God's promise encouraged her to turn to him during a wedding mishap in Canaan, or Canaan.

The whole story that you can read in John two verses one through 11 but let's dive in and let's just look at verses three through five where we get a glimpse of Mary's relationship with her son Jesus.

Mary says, When the wine ran out. The mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine, and Jesus said to her woman. What does this have to do with me. My hour is not yet come.

His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you.

I find this snippet to be very interesting Mary knew that Jesus could do something to salvage this event.

She was a little bit, but eventually acquiesces to his mother's requests, I think this highlights the loving and caring relationship that they had as Jesus began challenging the status quo by doing things like healing on the Sabbath.

You can read in Mark three one through six, his family plans to go and collect him because they fear he's lost his mind which you can read Mark 321.

And when you look at the woman who was specifically named, it's she who shows up with Jesus brothers and Mark 331 where it reads.

And his mother and his brothers came and standing outside they sent to him and called him.

And a crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you. And he answered them, who are my mother and my brothers and looking about at those who sat around him he said, here are my mother and my brothers.

And he said, whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.

So this is one of the hardest parts of the message of motherhood.

This is one of the hardest things about being a mother. You've done all you can do.

You. Now your little baby is all grown up and making their own decisions.

Jesus was not only testing the people of Israel but he was testing his mom and his brothers. It's hard letting go of our little ones, you cared for them every day but now they are grown.

This is why it falls to us children to show the greatest respect for our mothers.

Mary goes on to watch her son get crucified and you can read that in the gospel specifically john 1925 to 27.

And in this moment of grief, you know it's mingling with her lack of understanding regarding God's plan.

Mary gives this firsthand account of the truth that motherhood isn't for the weak.

She also provides us with many helpful lessons, such as the need to trust that God's plan is greater than any potential, you see in your children right now.

How powerful of a statement is it that you know, Mary the mother of Jesus raised Jesus in the ways of the Lord and then eventually she had to release him to the fulfillment of God's plan.

And how difficult that that was and how she even actually you know fought against it a little bit trying to say hey you know you're going too far.

I mean she started the ball getting rolling with the miracles right with the changing of the wine the water into wine.

And then when it comes to healing and when it comes to you know rubbing things that you know the society the wrong way it was like no no don't do this but yet she had to release him.

To the point where she had to watch him be executed for the purpose of God's plan.

Not understanding fully at the time.

She had to release him.

So in closing let's look at some more powerful Bible verses about mothers.

Her children rise up and call her blessed her husband.

Also, he praises her many women have done excellently but you surpass them all Proverbs 31 28 to 29.

Honor her for all her hands have done and let her works bring her praise at the city gate Proverbs 31 31.

Listen to your father who gave you life do not despise your mother when she is old.

By truth, do not sell it by wisdom instruction and understanding the father of the righteous will be will greatly rejoice.

He fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad. Let her who bore you rejoice Proverbs 23 23 to 25.

These are all verses about honoring your mother today.

Here's some verses about what mothers can pass to their children.

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6 verses 6 through 7 and Proverbs 31 26.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

She opens her mouth with wisdom and teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Proverbs 22 6 start children off on the way they should go. And even when they are old, they will not turn from it.

And finally, God's promise to mothers and to their children for you formed my inward parts admitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well.

So as we come to the end of this message today, I just want us to remember that our mothers do a lot for us.

Our mothers do so much for us in the course of our life that we should honor them.

We should honor them and give them the highest honor.

They deliver us quite literally.

They cover us with a hedge of protection pampering us literally literally pampering us with Pampers or Huggies, putting on your preferred brand.

But they care for us.

And then they comfort us as we grow as we as they form us into who we're going to be.

They care for us. And ultimately, they release us, hopefully, into, you know, being godly men and women.

But they have to release us, which is one of the hardest parts of motherhood.

That's the kind of stage of life that we're in with our children in the age they are, is you have to.

You have to release to God's will.

And I just want to again thank my mother and thank my wife, the mother by children and thank all the mothers here today and represented online as well.

Whoever's listening.

I want to thank the mothers, but we also want to call them to live righteously for the Lord.

As they deliver their children, I want them to continue to cover their children and comfort their children and fight for their children, but not to be afraid to release them into the will of the Lord.

Just like Mary had to release Jesus to fulfill God's plan.

You might have to release your children into a hostile negative world so that they can to be the light of Christ to those around them.

With that, if I could have every head bowed, every eye closed.

If you're driving, keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes open.

But for the rest of us, I just want to come to a close here and just give a quick invitation that if this message has impacted you and you know that you're not right with the Lord, but you want to get right, you want to get saved.

Or maybe you you've walked away from Jesus, but this message is impacted. You want to get your heart right again.

You could signify that with an uplifted hand. I can't see it, but God sees it.

God sees it.

And so if you did that, if you raised your hand and you meant it, I want to I want you just to repeat this after me. Dear Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner.

But I know that you sent your son, Jesus Christ, and that he did die for my sins.

And he hung upon the cross for my sins, but he rose from the grave.

I want to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I want to thank for the grace that comes and the salvation that comes through grace.

And I want to repent of my sin openly and turn from it in Jesus name. Amen.

So with that, I'm going to end this message. I want to thank you for listening to me. I want to thank you for subscribing to the podcast for liking it, sharing it.

That's the fee. The fee is simple. The fee is like, share and subscribe.

It helps us to grow. It helps us to get this message out to as many people as we can.

So with that, I hope you have a great Mother's Day and that you remember to call your mom or to think of your mom today if she's already passed.

It just recognize everything that she's done for you. And just also remember that our Father in heaven cares for you deeply. And that's why he gave us mothers in the first place.

So thank you. God bless and I can't wait for you to come back next time. Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm Podcast. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up to date on what we're doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.

You