Mom, Don't Stop!

Being a mother is one of the the most challenging, life-altering, and rewarding jobs on the planet. Mom never gets a day off. Mom doesn’t get to call in sick. Mom can’t get a substitute…sorry Dad, but you know its true!

I’m reminded of the 90’s TV show The Dinosaurs…the baby dinosaur on his dad’s back whacking him with a pan repeating over and over. “Not the Mamma, not the Mamma!”

Mom your work may go unnoticed, maybe even unappreciated, but whatever you do, don’t stop!

I want to look today at an unlikely role model. I want to examine the life of a mother who often gets overlooked because of her failures, but a mother that must have had great faith. I want to look at this mother through the lens of her children because we can learn a lot about her faith by looking at their lives. If you ever feel like you’re all alone and no one else gets it, I want you to remember Eve from Genesis 4.

Mom, whatever you do, don’t stop!

Even in the face of the most difficult situations imaginable, Eve never stopped! Mom, whatever you do, don’t quit!

The greatest lesson we can learn from Eve is, no matter what, don’t lose faith. We see her faith in the face of...

Disbelief (Cain - God’s Grace) v. 1-5

Even when Eve had lost faith in herself, it is important that we remember, God never lost faith in her!

Too often we hold ourselves down by our past mistakes. I am glad today that God no longer holds me to my past mistakes!

It was Eve that Satan tempted to sin, it was Eve that gave the fruit to her husband, it was Eve that attempted to pass the blame for her actions to the serpent,

but it was God who forgave them both and extended His grace to them by offering a sacrifice in their place.

Mom, maybe today you are struggling with something from your past, some choice, some action, some sin…Satan loves it when you live in the past.

Listen to me, if you have asked God to forgive you, then you are forgiven. Period. Mark it down. When Jesus died on the cross in your place He paid for ALL of your sins!

Maybe Eve found it hard to believe, but that doesn’t change God’s promise in Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 KJV 1900

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

2. Don’t live in the past, live in the Grace of God!

a. When she conceived and gave birth to Cain she believed that God had sent her the promised seed.

i. We know she was wrong, but she had no clue!

ii.She rejoiced when she saw here son’s face.

b. The birth of Cain was proof enough that God had forgiven her sin and in that moment, for Eve that was enough.

i. Mom, I want you to know that the greatest legacy you can leave for your children is your faith in God.

ii. They need to see you believing the promises of God just like Eve did when she saw Cain.

How easy it is for us today to sit here and talk about how “We know how Cain turned out. What a disappointment!” Here’s the truth…I have in my life known some mothers who have raised a Cain, they may have been disappointed in the choices their children made, but still they loved their child!

In the moment she looked at her son’s face the only thing she felt was joy!

Joy at the grace of God! Grace is being given something you do not deserve!

God told Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed Him they would die…in their place God killed a lamb, and instead of death God gave them a son which meant they would live long after their death!

Mom, I know your job is hard, I know the task is difficult, but don’t stop! Keep trusting the Lord!

Next we come to another event in Eve’s life where she demonstrated here unstoppable faith, that is faith in the face of...

Despair (Abel - Tragedy) v. 8

I sure hope there is someone in this room that has never experienced a tragedy in their lives, but I doubt that is the case. Eve is no exception. That day in the garden when she chose to ignore the truth of God and believe the lie would have long lasting and far reaching consequences.

Someone has rightly said,

Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how long a span of time there was between Cain and Abel’s births, but we can assume they were fairly close in age.

Both boys were brought up in a home where God was worshiped, where God’s demands were explained and expected.

Both boys were loved and adored by their parents, both boys were taught right and wrong. But, still both boys were different:

Cain was a farmer - tilling the ground

Cain took pride in his work, and his pride was his downfall

Pride I believe is the root cause of all sin

Pride exalts self above others

Pride says, “Look at what I have done!” Genesis 4:3 “3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.”

Abel was a shepherd - tending the sheep

He understood that God required sacrifice

He understood as he offered the lamb, the lamb was taking his place

He understood the holiness of God

Then tragedy struck. Genesis 4:8

Genesis 4:8 KJV 1900

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Eve lost both her sons that day.

Mom, you know what she felt, because you know you would feel it too. Despair.

Despair is defined as “the loss or complete absence of hope”

Abel was gone, and Cain was banished from her presence. As far as we know she never saw him again.

No doubt she blamed herself for Cain’s failure. “Maybe I didn’t love him enough or show him the attention he needed. If I would have just been there, I could have stopped them from fighting.” Mom, in your life you are going to be faced with difficult situations involving your children. You cannot always be there for them, and you cannot stop them from making the wrong decision. Your job is to teach them right from wrong. Your responsibility is to pray for them. Their choices are just that, theirs.

Genesis 4:7 KJV 1900

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

God gave Cain a chance to repent and do right, Cain chose to do wrong.

I pray that no one here today has ever faced a situation such as this one, but my gut tells me I’m wrong. Someone, maybe here or online listening, has experienced a tragedy, maybe not just like this one, but a tragedy still the same. Don’t quit.

Listen, we live in a sin cursed earth, and because of sin we all face difficulty and tragedy. Because of sin our children are taken too soon. Becasue of sin we grow old, get sick, become bitter, get angry, lash out, refuse to forgive and as a result the people we love the most, the people who deserve to suffer the least, carry the greatest load.

When despair comes your way, don’t quit. How do we know Eve didn’t quit? We see the Evidence in the face of her...

Delight (Seth - Patience) v. 25

It’s always too soon to quit on God!

Eve is our example today. She didn’t quit on God after her failure, she didn’t quit on God after her son’s failure, and because she didn’t quit, because she didn’t lose faith, God stepped in and answered her prayer, giving her another son! Genesis 4:25

Genesis 4:25 KJV 1900

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

The name Seth, some believe means “appointed” as if he were appointed to take Abel’s place, but the Hebrew understanding is deeper than than, it means “Consolation”! Do you know what this means? It means God cares about you!

If she would have quit, Seth never would have been born, if Seth would not have been born, the neither would Noah, nor Abraham, nor Jacob, nor Boaz, nor Jesse, nor David, nor Jesus!

Mom, God sees your tears, those tears you cry when no one is looking because life is hard and you don’t know how you can manage, God sees it and God cares about you!

Mom, God knows your worries and knows your burdens, and God cares about you!

Mom, don’t you quit on God because He will never quit on you!

Conclusion: The danger of quitting is missing out on what God has planned. Mom, don’t quit, no matter what!

Don’t quit because God will never quit on you!

Don’t quit when disaster comes, because God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient.

Don’t quit because it is always too soon to quit on God! You may be struggling right now with a burden no one knows about, but God sees your struggle. If you quit now, you’ll never see the delight God has in store for you!

I can’t help but think there may be a mother here today that is struggling. God put this message on my heart for a reason, and I want to be an encouragement to you. Mom, today if you’re battling something, burdened with something no one else knows, I won’t embarrass you, I’m just asking for the privilege to pray with you. Just by raising your hand would, if that’s you, would you say pastor, please pray for me?

Maybe there is someone here that doesn’t know Jesus as their Savior. You are not 100% sure if today was your last day on earth that you’d be in heaven. Is there anyone who would say, “I’m not sure if I died today I’d go to heaven, but I KNOW I don’t want to go to hell. Would you raise your hand?