A Mother's Love

Intro

Good morning and welcome everyone again. Happy mother’s day to all the biological and non-biological mother’s here and out there.

This week I want us to think about a mother’s love. In movies and all over the place when there are characterizations of mothers one of the main things that is put forward is a mother’s love. I think about some of the johnson and johnson commercials and how soft and delicate babies are fresh out of the womb and how their wash and lotion are the only one’s that have the right balance of care and tenderness the baby needs. One of the things that always stands out is how careful and loving the mother is with the baby while she’s washing them. For the longest time I never knew how true this scene was until I had my own kids and I saw my own wife be as tender and loving to them. It’s almost this look of, “there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

I’ve been blessed enough to have experienced that from my own mother, this safe sense that no matter what the circumstance, my mom will always be there for me and will always love me. Then there’s what I experieince with my wife. It’s different seeing things behind the scenes. From the moment of finding out and the rest of her life. The amount of sacrifice necessary to bring life into this world is beyond me. She gave of the most important resources, her body mind and soul. Some of these things should go without saying since christians are in a constant battle with preserving life and we should be doing so for all of life. Seeing priscilla learn to life differently especially for baby two was something so different for me. She gave of all of herself to bring these two kids to light and watch that be further proven during the birthing process is net level. Somewhere we see the spiritual and physical agree. I could stand here and speak on how amazing my wife is as a mother, but alas we don’t have all day.

We’re gonna hit a few differen’t portions of scripture in order to see the full picture of a mother’s Remarkable love.

Motherly Love in the bible

Our first stop for today is Jochebed:

Exodus 2:1–10 ESV

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

How many of us can say that we, for the love and well being of our child would be able to set them in a river? I pray that if that moment came we would be able to save our children. By God’s grace it worked out to some extent where she was able to finish raising him to a certain age, then we don’t hear anything about them again. This also to some extent reflects the women that have looked for alternate parents for their kids knowing that they wouldn’t be able to care for them. This too is noble and loving. To set your self aside for your child. And it is at the core of being a mother. Self -sacrificing love.

Another beautiful story of sacrificial love is seen in Mary the mother of Jesus.

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

As we have just read, mary in her youth, is being asked to take on this task of raising the son of God in his humanity. Talk about daunting. You know how as teenagers we like to say or act as if we know more than our parents, even as adults cause of science and technologya nd stuff. Priscilla and I like to mess with our parents about stepping out into the cold with wet hair and such. we would say things like that’s not how viruses work and such. The ironic thing is there’s a study out that says that as the temperature in our bodies drop our immune defenses drop as well. They were right but I’ll never admit it.

Imagine this but to the next degree, jesus being like, actually mom, this is how it was and knowing for certain he was right.

Beyond that even, receiving this message from the angel telling you you will bear a child who you’re going to more than likely watch be sacrificed. Knowing that he will be taken from you and offered up for sinners… I often think about a scene from the movie Passion of the Christ. There’s a scene where Jesus builds a modern table and Mary asks, is this for Giants and he explains the concept of the chair and they laugh and play and it cuts back to a scene of Jesus carrying the cross. Though that scene is conjecture, I can imagine that as a mother there were many times she was reminded of his purpose for taking on flesh, yet she loved him still.

The church in the same way should love it’s children.

The church as mother

There was a concept that was brought to mind while studying where CH SPurgeon says that the church is our mother. And such a beautiful and truthful thought.

Galatians 4:26 ESV

But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 ESV

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

The church provides a space for us to be nurtured and grow into seasoned believers. The church gives us the nutrients necessary to grow.

1 Peter 2:2–3 ESV

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Corinthians 3:1–2 ESV

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

As a church we provide all that is necessary, throught the instruction of God’s word, relationships, discipleship, correction, prayer, solidarity, worship and pastoral care for all of us who are new, were new and new believers to come to grow into mature believers.

And for those of us spiritually mature our job is to provide this for all who seek it. Not only that but the church has always been designed to care for those in need. And fi you’ve been under a rock lately here, Horeb has been going through such an intense season of loss and grief. As a mother the church is here for us. To cry with us, pray with us and sit in silence as job’s friends did. sitting in the suck and caring for us in the process.

Likewise God has shown us this sacrificial Love in Jesus christ.

God’s Ultimate love

God’s love is the ultimate example of this Sacrificial love.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

I mean come on!

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 15:13 NASB95

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

1 John 3:16 NASB95

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

The list goes on. The fact that we as believers are believers to begin shows this sacrificial love. That the holiest of holy made a way for us to not only have relationship again but he adopted us as sons and daughters!

It is said that a mother’s love is the closest thing you can get to loving as God does. I pray that we remember that as we celebrate our mother’s today, whether biological or not. These people have given their lives to love someone without limits and boundaries.

I read a story of a mother who’s son was convicted of murder and through the trial she stayed by his side. After conviction and execution she was asked why, she simply said, cause rgardless of all he had done, he was still my son. She was denied his body for burial, but in her will she wrote in to buried next to him. That is deep.

God shows this love in that he doesn’t abandon the believer no matter the sins we commit after our salvation, no matter our imperfection all because of Jesus all sufficient sacrifice. Brothers and sisters I pray that as the church, we can love eachother if even a fraction of this.

Unbeliever this is the love that awaits your response to the call. Believe, repent and rest and revel in Jesus.

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell. The wand'ring child is reconciled by God's beloved Son. The aching soul again made whole, and priceless pardon won.

Refrain: O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— the saints’ and angels’ song.

2 When ancient time shall pass away, and human thrones and kingdoms fall; when those who here refuse to pray on rocks and hills and mountains call; God’s love so sure, shall still endure, all measureless and strong; grace will resound the whole earth round— the saints’ and angels’ song. [Refrain]

3 Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill, and ev’ryone a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky. [Refrain]