Mother’s Day – The Overpowering, Overcoming, and Overwhelming Birth
Babies change everything
Yes, parenthood changes everything. But parenthood also changes with each baby. Here, some of the ways having a second and third child differs from having your first:
PREPARING FOR THE BIRTH
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
WORRIES
1st baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown - you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your first child.
3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
ACTIVITIES
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
The birth of God’s Family
Acts 2:1-43
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a noise like a strong, blowing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw something like flames of fire that were separated and stood over each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different
languages a by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them.
5 There were some religious Jews staying in Jerusalem who were from every country in the world. 6 When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these people that we hear speaking from Galilee? 8 Then how is it possible that we each hear them in our own languages? We are from different places: 9 Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome 11 (both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete, and Arabia. But we hear them telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!” 12 They were all amazed and confused, asking each other, “What does this mean?”
13 But others were making fun of them, saying, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Speaks to the People
14 But Peter stood up with the eleven apostles, and in a loud voice he spoke to the crowd: “My fellow Jews, and all of you who are in Jerusalem, listen to me. Pay attention to what I have to say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you think; it is only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 But Joel the prophet wrote about what is happening here today:
17 ‘God says: In the last days
I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 At that time I will pour out my Spirit
also on my male slaves and female slaves,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show miracles
in the sky and on the earth:
blood, fire, and thick smoke.
20 The sun will become dark,
the moon red as blood,
before the overwhelming and glorious day of the Lord will come.
21 Then anyone who calls on the Lord
will be saved.’ Joel 2:28-32
22 “People of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you by the miracles, wonders, and signs he did through Jesus. You all know this, because it happened right here among you. 23 Jesus was given to you, and with the help of those who don’t know the law, you put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But this was God’s plan which he had made long ago; he knew all this would happen. 24 God raised Jesus from the dead and set him free from the pain of death, because death could not hold him. 25 For David said this about him:
‘I keep the Lord before me always.
Because he is close by my side,
I will not be hurt.
26 So I am glad, and I rejoice.
Even my body has hope,
27 because you will not leave me in the grave.
You will not let your Holy One rot.
28 You will teach me how to live a holy life.
Being with you will fill me with joy.’ Psalm 16:8-11
29 “Brothers and sisters, I can tell you truly that David, our ancestor, died and was buried. His grave is still here with us today. 30 He was a prophet and knew God had promised him that he would make a person from David’s family a king just as he was. b 31 Knowing this before it happened, David talked about the Christ rising from the dead. He said:
‘He was not left in the grave.
His body did not rot.’
32 So Jesus is the One whom God raised from the dead. And we are all witnesses to this. 33 Jesus was lifted up to heaven and is now at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to Jesus as he promised. So Jesus has poured out that Spirit, and this is what you now see and hear. 34 David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven, but he said:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit by me at my right side,
35 until I put your enemies under your control.” ’ c Psalm 110:1
36 “So, all the people of Israel should know this truly: God has made Jesus—the man you nailed to the cross—both Lord and Christ.”
37 When the people heard this, they felt guilty and asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40 Peter warned them with many other words. He begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of today’s people!” 41 Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About three thousand people were added to the number of believers that day. 42 They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching, sharing, breaking bread, d and praying together.
The Believers Share
43 The apostles were doing many miracles and signs, and everyone felt great respect for God.
Here was the beginning of the overpowering, overcoming, and overwhelming experience of the birth of God’s family.
Just as the coming of a baby changes the lives of the parents forever – the coming of the church changed the world for all time...
The birth of the church has, or can, overpower, overcome and overwhelm you as well.
It is the working of the Holy Spirit that overpowers; the sacrifice of Jesus that overcomes, and the love of God that overwhelms - but only if we consent.
Birth is an overpowering experience
The birth of a child is an overpowering experience
Think of it – another person is formed and then begins to grow inside the mother for some 9 months
During that time the body of the baby takes priority over the mother. All kinds of changes occur – all designed to enhance the health and survival of the child – and they overpower the mother’s body and change it radically.
Many of the changes are obvious. Many more are not. Some women take make it look easy - most struggle - especially the last month or so. The men try to understand (Really! - We do try) but can’t. There is
really nothing as overpowering as a baby.
The birth of the church was an overpowering experience
There was the noise of wind – but not a breath of air moved. There was the flickering of flames on each man’s head but not one hair was singed. There was public testimony of the resurrection in 14 different languages by uneducated and untrained men.
Your birth into new life is an overpowering experience
One of the main activities of the Holy Spirit is that of connecting with your spirit.
He testifies to the reality of God – Hebrews 2:3-4
He convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment – John 16:8-9
He brings life to the spiritually dead – Romans 8:11
Now that is overpowering
Open your heart to the testimony of the Spirit of God.
Diane Rehm interviewed author of a book this past week that said that he was angry with God because he made the world and then abandoned it and we who are in it. He didn’t know why but he did. As I listened to this man what I heard were the words of a spiritually hungry and spiritually hopeless person. It was really quite sad.
God is not gone. He has not abandoned us. He is here and he is inviting us to come home.
Look and Listen for God’s Spirit connecting with your spirit
Prayer is not simply you asking for stuff from God. Prayer is the communion of two spirits – God’s spirit who is to take overpowering precedence and your spirit that is renewed and alive by that power!
Pray for His wisdom
Read His word
Act according to His purpose
Yield to His will
Birth is an overcoming experience
The Birth of a child overcomes death
There is a cycle of life in life. There is a process at work here. It happens again and again, over and over, time after time. We see life extended beyond self in the birth of every child. I see my mother’s eyes in the eyes of my granddaughter. I watch my grandfather’s impish attitude toward life reborn in the April fools jokes of my daughter. In the battle between death and life – birth wins – hands down – every time.
But what we see are images and shadows – we don’t really live on – just a remnant of us, a memory, only a residue of the person. To truly overcome death we must deal with sin and sin is not easy to deal with
The birth of the church overcomes death
Death is not overcome through the passing on of life from one generation to the next.
It is restored through Jesus going to the very source of death – sin. Sin – the rejection of God’s and His love – is the fountain of separation from God. This is death and sin is the source.
That’s why Peter’s first sermon, which established the church, was focused on sin.
Thousands listened to the words of Peter as he declared the truth – hard, straight, and as pointed as the accusations of a prosecutor in court – that Jesus died for our sins. They listened in rapt silence, without a cough, not one inattentive ear or stray thought. Every man, every woman, every child stood; sat; or knelt without so much as a twitch while this uneducated, unsophisticated, plain, rough, and volcanic hillbilly of a fisherman built the case which took their breath away.
The scripture says that the words of Peter “pierced them to the heart”. Other Greek writers to describe the impact of a horses hoof as he galloped across the fields used this word.
Your birth into new life is an overcoming experience
This is an intensely personal thing
Birth is personal. It is real. It is necessary to
life!
You want to overcome the dark side of your life – you must be born again. There is no other way but the way of Jesus. It is an overcoming experience
But overcoming death is painful and challenging
To overcome sin you must:
…Face the truth of sin
…Turn from sin
…Accept God’s cleansing
Baptism is a humbling thing
You acknowledge your need and your God
Birth is an overwhelming experience
The birth of a child is an overwhelming experience
A mother will almost always cry at the birth of their child. The tears they shed are tears of pain; relief; joy; and overwhelming peace at the wonder of it all.
The birth of the church was an overwhelming experience
The church stands today against the deadliest blows that Lucifer can hurl
The gates of hell shall not prevail. The church will prevails. We win and we overcome the evil that blasts through our world like the eruption of spring tornados in Kansas. Evil is very real – and very defeated by the love of God the father.
We are adopted into God’s family – that is overwhelming.
Your birth into the family of God is an overwhelming experience
Joe Leto visited church and afterwards came up to me. He shook my hand with the words, “It’s not real”. He said, “It can’t be real.” I’ve never seen people this friendly – my wife told you that I was coming – right?” I told him that if he wanted to find out if it was real he would just have to come back and check it out over time.
It is real. We are a community of God’s people. The family of God is a community of believers. We are connected to Him and to each other. This is true here and all over the world.
Eight MCC’ers experienced it on the Ukraine trip… 47 MCC guys will experience is on the Promise Keepers trip this summer.
Here at Meridian Christian Church… We are family! This summer is going to be a great summer at MCC…
This is something worth celebrating!
Mothers – Celebrate!
You have been part of the overpowering; overwhelming; and overcoming birth of a child. You have extended life and defeated death.
Church of Jesus Christ – Celebrate!
You have been born to overpower; overcome; and overwhelm this world, as we get ready be the kingdom of God in all eternity. Sin has lost its grip
Friend – Celebrate!
You have been given the power, the forgiveness, and a place in God’s family!
