GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

THE CHURCH OF GOD - A MOTHER

The Church Considered As A Mother
Isaiah 49:17-23

Don Fortner

The title of my message tonight is The Church of God – A Mother. Read the text with me (Isa. 49:17-23), and you will see that Zion, spiritual Zion, the church of God is here described as a mother. Read with me, beginning at verse 17–

Proposition: The Scriptures compare the church to a mother – "Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Gal. 4:26).

I. The first thing I want to do in this message then is to establish this fact in our minds – The Church of God Is A Mother, The Mother of All Saints– (vv. 17, 20).

Don't let that thought scare you. Do not allow the heresy of Rome to frighten you away from the truth of God.

Illus: Paul Hanies – "The priesthood of the believer."

A. There is a Harlot Mother, The Church of Rome, who claims to be the Mother of the Saints. The Harlot is bigger than Rome (Rev. 18:4).

If you want to see what kind of mother Rome is, go to the history books.

• Read about the Inquisition!


• Read about the Martyrs Burned at Smithfield!


• Read about the Churches of the Piedmont!

God save us from that pitiless mother! She does not give birth. She gives death. She does not nourish her children with milk. She makes them drunk with the wine of her fornications.

B. The Church of God, the Bride of Christ, The Chosen Wife of Jehovah Truly is a Mother To God's Saints.

1. It is her privilege to bring forth into the world the spiritual children of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• By the Travail of Prayer (Isa. 66:8).


• By the Preaching of the Gospel (I Cor. 1:21).


• By the Power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:8).

2. Once these little ones are born into the family of God, it is the church's business, like a mother, to feed them (Eph. 4:11-16).

• With the unadulterated milk of the Word.


• With food convenient for them.

3. The Church must also train up the children of God, teaching them to observe all his Word (Matt. 28:19-20).

• To Live for Christ.


• To Trust Christ.


• To Worship Christ.


• To Serve Christ (Teachers – Pastors – Missionaries).

4. Like a tender mother, the church of God nurses her children when they get sick.

• When one falls, she lifts it up.


• When one strays, she fetches it back.


• When one is hurt, she binds it up.

Illus: The Good Samaritan –Lk. 10:35).

Note: Whenever one of God's children are born into this family, whenever one unites with us, God entrusts to us the care of his darlings!

• Whom He Loves!


• Whom He Chose!


• Whom He Redeemed!

II. Secondly, There Are Times When The Church of God, Like Any Mother, Suffers Bereavement.

There are coffins in every house. Ours is no exception. We have lost some of our children. The loss is always painful.

A. We have lost some because of rifts in the family.
B. We have lost some to the grave.
C. We have lost some by spiritual death – (I John 2:19).
D. We have lost some gladly – They have gone to serve!

III. Thirdly, There Are Times When The Church of God Is Carried Away Into Captivity, In A Sense.

• Times of Persecution.


• Times of Apostacy.


• Times of Spiritual Lethargy.


• Times of Spiritual Famine (Am. 8:12).

IV. Fourthly, though these things do happen, though we have in this place experienced them The Lord God Here Makes Seven Promises To His Church.

Illus: Ivory Coast – Mexico

E. These New Converts Shall Be Many in Number and Amazing Trophies of Grace – (vv. 20-21 – "Who hath begotten me these?"

F. The Lord will set up the Standard, the Banner of the Gospel, where we least expect it and save a people whom we never imagined he would save – (v. 22; I Sam. 16:12).

Illus: The Two Witnesses.

Application: Dare we take these promises personally? Dare we so believe God as to assume that he means for Grace Baptist Church of Danville, Ky. To claim them as her own?

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