Mother’s Day 2019

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

INTRODUCTION

Mothers even though you may feel you are.

You are not condemned by your messy house.

You are not condemned because you lack a desire to do home school.

You are not condemned by your personal sins.

You are not condemned by the difficulty of caring for a child with special needs.

You are not condemned by your miscarriage.(s)

You are not condemned by your lack of desire to have more kids.

You are not condemned because you have no desire to adopt.

You are not condemned even when you feel it, when you read another perfect parenting’s moment on Facebook.

You are not condemned because of your inability to cook.

You are not condemned because your kids are not normal.

You are not condemned because you are divorce or unmarried or do it alone.

You are not condemned because of your desire to be alone, away from the kids, for a time, every single day.

You are not condemned by your body which is not what it once was.

You are not condemned by your repeat failure as a mother.

You are not condemned because of your rebellious child.

You are not condemned over being mad about scraping Mac and cheese off the kitchen floor. Again

You are not condemned by not being able to throw the birthday party of the year.

You are not condemned for not feeding your kids homemade meals with the ingredients from whole foods.

You are not condemned for your need to take a vacation without your kids.

You are not condemned because you can’t take your kids on exciting vacation.

You are not condemned for not living up to the standards your mother-in-laws.

You are not condemned by the stares you get when your kids lay down in the floor in Wal-mart and start screaming and kicking their feet and waving their arms crying out for just that little toy.

Mothers, even though you may feel condemned you are not condemned if you are in Christ Jesus.

That is a reality!

If you are in Christ Jesus, your identity as a sinner before a holy God is replaced with the righteousness of Christ alone.

So go forward in freedom with the unending affection and acceptance of being a daughter perfectly adorned by an unwavering love that flow from your Father in Heaven.

Praise God!!!

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Most feelings of be a mother can be grouped under the heading ‘Simply Not Being Good Enough’.

According to a survey by babycare product company NUK, 87 per cent of mothers feel guilty at some point, with 21 per cent feeling this way most or all of the time.

It can be anything from thinking that you have too little time for  your children or showing very little patience (which essentially boils down to the crime of ‘being human’).

Many mothers reported that they feel so bad about things like: if they are feeding their children correctly,to how much screen time they allowed; how often they yelled at them. 

And some mothers, says research companies are perceived as the most judgemental. One of the most recent crime against mothers is their ‘smartphone fixation’; some 72 per cent of mothers are supposedly ‘stunting’ their children’s behaviour and making them ‘lonely’ by staring at screens.

Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It, suggests women have always felt guilt.

‘In previous generations, they centred on different things, like how clean your house was, or how many community organisations you were involved in, along with whether the kids were doing all right,’

Mothers often believe they are entirely responsible for their children’s happiness; that they must ‘fix’ it.

As children grow into a teenagers, guilt doesn’t lessen but rather grows.

There is a demand not just to be the best you can be, but The Best. And many women regard anything short of this as failure.

So as I was preparing for this sermon, I begin to think to help mothers this morning would it not be good to look at the mother of all mothers, EVE.

When it’s time to hand out mother of the year awards, few of us would think to nominate Eve.

Eve. Her entire story is told in only four little chapters in the book of Genesis: she was created, she sinned, she was banished, and she bore children. Her children sinned and then she died.

Her entire story is told in only four little chapters in the book of Genesis: she was created, she sinned, she was banished, and she bore children. Her children sinned and then she died.

It may not sound like the makings of a Hallmark Mother’s Day special, but Eve has much to teach us about who we are as mothers.

After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and God passed down His punishment, here’s what Adam did: “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.”

Prior to this, Eve had only been called “woman.” But in the face of her sin and punishment Adam’s response was to give his wife a new name that highlighted her ability to give birth.

In we read Eve’s words after she gave birth to her first son, Cain:

Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the LORD's help, I have produced a man!"

“With the help of the Lord, I have brought produced a man.” You can almost hear the wonder in her voice.

In she became the mother to Seth and she said,

Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth, for she said, "God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed."

“God has granted me another son, in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

At both of her recorded birthing accounts, we hear gratitude as she gives credit where credit is due:

“With the help of the Lord . . . ”(). “God has granted me another son . . . ”().

Eve recognized God’s hand in her role as a mother. And she shows all mothers their choice; Mothers can focus on your pain, loss, or frustration; or you can praise God for the unique joy that comes with bringing forth new life.

It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.

Eve knew the sorrow of childbirth. Every contraction was a reminder of how badly she missed the mark. Every pain reminded her of how much was lost in the Garden.

Eve knew the sorrow of childbirth. Every contraction was a reminder of how badly she missed the mark. Every pang reminded her of how much was lost in the Garden. But each little baby face was a testament that she did not lose her relationship with God, and she did not lose His mission for her to multiply and fill the earth.

But each little baby face was a testament that she did not lose her relationship with God, and she did not lose His mission for her to multiply and fill the earth.

The question that we might asked is: Why did Adam remind Eve that she was the mother of all the living on the heels of the curse?

Because Adam knew Eve’s sin was not the sum of her legacy.

Mothers, what you have guilt over be a mother and your failures and weakness, and your inability to live up to being the best Mom is not the sum of your legacy.

Get this: Yes, Adam and Eve’s sin has been passed down to every generation. But that’s not all they’ve given us.

The part of her story that we tend to overlook is that at least some of Eve’s children and grandchildren called on the name of the Lord:

When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the LORD by name.

There were no outreach events, youth pastors, or vacation Bible schools. Adam and Eve were solely responsible to build their family on the foundation of knowing and serving the God who created them.

Eve told her children about God and they told their children and they told their children.

And Yes, generations of sin can be traced back to her, but so can generations of moms who give God glory for the gift of mothering and use motherhood as a platform to tell of the good things He has done.

I don’t want to minimize Eve’s sin. Sin is a huge deal and it’s something that still permeates the way we relate to our children and how they relate to us.

But, Eve’s decision to sin in the Garden of Eden is just one song we should be singing about Eve. If we look at the big picture, her children were her work.

Mothers, The idea of pouring your lives out for others rather than living for successful careers, beautiful homes, or a relaxing retirement has lost its luster in our culture.

But Eve reminds us that only by passing the baton of faith and telling our children and grandchildren (and nieces and nephews and neighbors) about our awesome God can we build something eternal.

As we look at Eve’s life we think of failure after failure. But I want to show you how great our God is this morning.

You know the story about Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel. We know that Cain killed Abel.

Many believe that it was over jealous about Abel’s offering be accepted by God and Cain’s offering being rejected.

But in that tragedy, we can see Eve's teaching coming out of Cain.

Afterward the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother? Where is Abel?" "I don't know," Cain responded. "Am I my brother's guardian?"

But the LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground!

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood.

And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Cain replied to the LORD, "My punishment is too great for me to bear!

Where do you see anything good out this: Cain’s lying to God, doing just like his parents did. And that a whole another message.

God tells him that I know you killed your brother, and you are cursed.

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

God tells him this is your curse, but look what Cain said to God.

My punishment is too great for me to bear.

Many believe that Cain had no remorse, but if you look at the Hebrew word punishment-it means guilt.

My guilt is too great for me to bear.

With this understanding, Cain is actually saying, "My guilt is greater than I can bear." With this translation we see great remorse. Cain then continues to say,

Behold, thou hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me. (RSV, )

Behold, thou hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me. (RSV, )

It is often taught that the Old Testament taught Law and the NT taught Grace. However we find throughout the Old Testament instances where God shows Grace.

The story of Noah, the exodus of the Israelites and many others are stories of grace and this story is no different as God grants mercy, grace and hope to Cain.

Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him. (RSV, )

Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him. (RSV, )

What is the mark that God placed on Cain? We of course cannot know with any certainty, but there are some clues.

The Hebrew word translated as "mark" is the word 'ot, which is used in the Biblical text for a "sign."

This word is also used in non-Biblical texts for a "letter," as in a letter of the alphabet.

And the LORD said to him, "Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." (RSV, )

Here in this scripture the Hebrew word for the "mark" is tav, which is last letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

And in the Ancient Hebrew alphabet, the letter tav was written as a picture of two crossed sticks, a cross and is a sign of a covenant. It is possible that the "mark" God placed on Cain was the letter tav and may also be a sign that God was in covenant relationship with Cain.

So Mothers it is your job to pass the baton off to your children and their children. And when mistakes or sins or failure comes, that they will remember, the God of grace and mercy.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.