Mothers Day Sermon 2010

(Inspirational Messages)

Preached at House of Praise Home Church

Kuils River

Mothers day sermon 2010

If you know a bit about personality types – well… I’m totally a sanguine. A sanguine can tell good stories, so my sermon will be a bit like a story today. A story of a woman in the Bible.

If I had to title this message, I would title it “A question to you: Have you had a spiritual make-over?” Keep this question at the back of your mind as we journey together through this.

Scripture reading: Genesis 29:16-19, 25, 27, 31-35

Mothers day sermon 2010

I can relate to this story, because the story is about a woman and I’m a woman. Let us look at the characters in this story. The elder daughter was Leah; the younger one Rachel. Leah had delicate eyes, maybe she squinted, I don’t know… Rachel was beautiful of form, I can imagine that she must have had quite a body! The Bible says she was beautiful in appearance.

So how does the story go? Jacob fell in love with Rachel instantly when he saw her. The seven years that he had to work for Laban, flew past like lightning. Now remember that when you are in love, you want to spend time with your boyfriend. I clearly remember the days when my husband was courting me. We would sit and we would not even talk. Then he would get into his car and he would just get home and he would phone me: “Hey, love, what are you doing?” We can all relate to the “in love” feeling and how quick the time goes.

The Wedding Celebration

It was time for the wedding celebration and Laban had everything prepared for a big party. ( Laban was a “trickster”. He was pulling a trick on Jacob. We also know Jacob – he himself was a trickster.)

The wedding party was in full swing and the wine was flowing freely. It was time for the groom to go and meet his bride in the wedding chambers. The marriage is consummated and Jacob is probably whispering all these beautiful words to this woman whom he thinks is Rachel. Now imagine that!

When Jacob discovered the next morning that is was Leah, he felt great disappointment.

Let’s Just Talk About Leah

Leah is the main character of my story today. I can relate to Leah, because I was the eldest and I had weak eyes.

(In the next portion, the speaker is sharing a bit from her childhood to sketch some background.)

I went to school and I couldn’t see properly. I was too scared to tell the teacher and on top of this, I had a beautiful imagination… and thought that doctors would take out my eyes and I would have to walk around with holes in my scull. So I never told anybody that I could not see. I reached grade three at school and my class teacher noticed that I could not see and she wrote a letter to my mom and my mom came to school. My mom stood in the classroom’s door and the teacher told my mother not to say a word. I was so good at fooling everybody. You just had to say one word, of walk in a certain way, and I would know who it was. Because my mom didn’t speak, I did not recognize her.

Back to my sermon…

I think that Leah was walking in the shadow of her sister. If you have delicate eyes, you definitely are not the most confident grade one girl! I was not “excited” as you know me today because of my weakness.

To All Parents

I want to speak to you as parents today, but I want you to know that God has spoken to me first. When I grew up, my grandfather lived with us. There was my sister and I. She was his favourite. He used to call her names like “my little angel”, “my buttercup”, “my little star”. On the other side we had “Little Miss Weak Eyes” and nobody was making a fuss about me. Maybe some of you can relate to my situation.

Today I want to plead with you, parents. Do not make a fuss about the baby or the younger one and forget your older child. Without your intention to do so, it sometimes happen. It’s so much easier to relate to my youngest child, because he is cute and he’s adorable and I make a fuss of him.

The Word of God spoke to me clearly and brought into the light that I sometimes forget about my older child.

The First Borns

If you are your mother’s first born, I have a special message to you today. You were a special gift to your parents. He opened and unlocked your mother’s womb through you. Perhaps you forgot that you are very, very special. On this journey of life, you must continue to serve God and remember that you are special. Here is what God dropped in my spirit and I need to pass this on to you: go to your first born and affirm that child. It does not matter how old you or your child is. Say something special to that child. Share, as the Spirit leads you, what is in your heart to your son or daughter. God will honor you for your obedience. Continue in this fashion of affirming them with all things positive.

Back to Leah

The morning after the wedding I think Leah probably felt rejected. She was in a situation over which she had no control. Did you, the reader of this sermon, perhaps found yourself in a similar situation where something went wrong in your life? Maybe circumstances around you were negative and you had no control over it?

Although Leah was not Jacob’s first choice, she was still his wife. So, in the meantime, Jacob goes back to Laban and negotiates another seven years’ work for Rachel and here Leah is in this marriage.

Leah served her husband

• regardless of how she felt.
• regardless of what had happened to her.
• regardless of how unfair it was.

When I think of serving your husband or serving your family, Leah probably made sure that things were in order at home. She probably saw to the clothes that needed to be cleaned and the food to be served on time for her husband.

Can you imagine how Leah felt at that stage? Serving your husband, knowing he’s going out tomorrow to go and work because he wants somebody else. That must have been so very difficult! Leah’s life carried on and she had some children.

Children And Their Names

Today we give our children names that sound good, is modern or that has sentimental value.

In the Old Testament times, parents would choose their child’s name and it would relate the time in which the child was born or it would have a specific meaning to the situation.

Leah’s Firstborn – Ruben

She named her first born “Ruben”, according to Genesis 29:32. Leah thought that by giving Jacob a son, he would finally “see” her.

The meaning of the name Ruben is: “Look at me!” She gave her first boy that name, because she wanted her husband to see her. Every time she was mentioning her firstborn’s name, she was actually crying out to her husband, saying “Look at me?”

Now – something happens to a person when he/she is totally being ignored or rejected by someone with whom they’d like to be in a relationship with. Lea

• felt emotionally wounded.
• perhaps thought, “What is wrong with me?”
• perhaps thought, “I must do something else so that Jacob would see me, because if Jacob sees me, he is going to appreciate me.”

Notice that Leah continued to serve Jacob.

Leah’s Second Born – Simeon

She named her second son “Simeon”, according to Genesis 29:33.

The name Simeon means “Hear me!” The Bible says, “Because the Lord had heard that I’m not loved, she gave her son the name Simeon.”

By having Simeon, she was crying out her feelings and desires. Can you not also identify with this? We would do things, because inside of us we are screaming “H-E-A-R M-E!!!” Inside of us we are saying, “Listen to me?”

Have you ever felt this way – where you wanted somebody to hear you? To hear your feelings; to hear what happened to you.

Leah’s third born – Levi

Leah named her third son “Levi”, according to Genesis 29:39.

The meaning of this name is very significant: “Know me.” The Bible says, “Now my husband will become attached to me.” Now surely he will get to know me. He will become connected to me. When she had Live, she was hoping to now connect with her husband. Remember: Every morning he goes out to work for another woman. She’s serving him, she’s bearing children and she gives them names with specific meanings. She desired an intimate relationship with her husband. All of us being married, or being in a relationship, longs for an intimate relationship with our partners, don’t we?

Perhaps she thought that by giving Jacob all theses sons, making him a proud father, would be her answer. She hoped that he would now protect and care for her.

Have you been in a relationship where you wanted someone to connect with you? A friend, a spouse a brother or a mother? You want this person to spend time with you, don’t you?

Leah’s Forth Born – Judah

She named her fourth son “Judah”.

Judah means “Let Jehovah be praised!” She said, “This time I will praise the Lord!” Here comes change in Leah’s direction.

She turns and put her focus on God. Those from the Tribe of Judah became addicted to praise. King David was from the Tribe of Judah. He danced before the Lord.

Leah stopped striving to get Jacob’s attention and trying to make things happen in her marriage. Leah found her fulfilment in praise.

Isn’t it time that you and I:

• start to Praise God amidst our circumstances?
• start to Praise God regardless of our situation?
• start to Praise God despite the state of a relationship you find yourself in?

The Make-Over

You know my story -

Mich, eldest daughter of four siblings and I accepted Christ at a young stage of my life. I served Him. I tried everything in my power to please God.

So I can relate to Leah where she tried everything in her power to please Jacob, her husband.

Well back to 2010: “Mich, who are you??”

I served God, I accepted Him and then I journeyed. Through my spiritual journey, I also did things so that people around me would maybe ‘see’ my talent or potential.

Thinking of Leah’s first child – In my walk I wanted sometimes to be seen. With this in mind, I want to ask you today: When other people look at you as they walk past you, what do they see?

Back to myself – Here I am, serving God; doing everything I think I should do to please God. Very similar to Leah.

Thinking of Leah’s third son, Levi, I also like to spend time with people in order to get to know them a bit better. I want people that know me, also hhear my feelings; hear my opinion about life in this journey of wanting to please God.

All of the above mentioned is human, but I also had to switch gears. Leah changed her focus when she had Judah. She said, “I will praise God!” There came a point in my spiritual journey where I had to change my focus from “Mich”… to “What are you saying Holy Spirit?”

My point of departure changed. No longer am I concentrating or focussing on what I have to do for others to see me, hear me, to get to know me or to understand me. No, God started a Spiritual Make-Over in my life.

- Now I look and I look through the eyes of God. Now I can look at someone else and I can look with compassion.
- When I speak, I try to have the words be filled and led by the Spirit, so that the hearing of the audience is a blessing; an encouragement.

Final Question

In ending off, I need to ask you: Have you had a Spiritual Make-Over? When you look at others, what do you see? How do you look at them? What do you see?

And may I add, my make-over started with my eye-brows. Lifting my eyebrows when watching others; forming opinions about people that I don’t even know! May your spiritual make-over also start at your eye-brows. Stand in the mirror of God’s Word and allow Him to make you over in such a way that, if somebody who knows you for a long time see you and walk away, will be thinking: there’s something different! Remember – Your face tells a story!

You can now pray:

”Lord, help me so that I can now tell others what you want me to say, so that they can see You in me. Lead me, Lord, where I must go. Take full control in my life and let You my only focus.”

Mothers day sermon 2010

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