A Father’s Motherly Comfort

God says He’s a Father and then reaches for a mother’s arms to explain what He’s like. That’s not a throwaway metaphor, it’s a deliberate invitation to anyone who’s tired of hustle religion and hungry for real comfort. We walk through Isaiah 66:1-14 and slow down long enough to hear what God prizes, who He looks toward, and why His presence can’t be reduced to a building, a routine, or a polished performance. 

We frame the passage around three anchors that are easy to remember and hard to ignore: presence, posture, and promise. God’s presence is the prize, but our posture matters, humility, contrition, and reverence are not “extra credit,” they’re the doorway. We also confront the warning Isaiah gives about doing the right religious actions with the wrong heart, and why God refuses worship that’s outwardly correct but inwardly hollow. 

Then the text turns tender and bold at the same time: birth without pain, a nation born at once, and Jerusalem pictured as a mother who nourishes her children. We connect that image to God’s promise of peace like a river, deep security, and the line that defines the whole message: “As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you.” If your relationship with your mother is sweet, strained, or full of grief, there’s room here for honesty and healing. 

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Transcript

Opening Worship And Welcome

SPEAKER_00 0:03

You are my strength man, I am you are a treasure and I see you are my holin seeking you as a precious jewel Lord to give up a beautiful You are my all in Jesus Yous your name Precious Lamb of God Your name of my G precious lamb of God worthy Amen Isaiah chapter sixty six Isaiah chapter sixty six and I must say that I wish it was Mother's Day every day at least every Sunday you guys have packed the house and I think it's because it's Mother's Day, it hasn't looked as packed for a

Reading Isaiah 66:1-14

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while.

Anderson George 1:48

So I'm glad today's Mother's Day. I'm glad that you were here. Now I'm wishing every Sunday was Mother's Day so that you would be here too. Isaiah 66. Beginning at verse number one, I will culminate at verse number fourteen. Scripture says, Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you build unto me, and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord. But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man, he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck, he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood, he that burneth incense as if he blessed an idol. Yea they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions and will bring their fears upon them, because when I called none did answer. When I spake they did not hear, but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at his word, your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified, but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord? Shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb, saith thy God? Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her. All ye that love her, rejoice for joy with her all you that mourn for her, that you may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation, that you may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream, then shall ye suck. Ye shall be born upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees, as one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you, and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. That was a long reading and sounded so special in King James. But if you followed me throughout those fourteen verses, say amen. The father's motherly comfort, the father's motherly comfort. It is seemingly a paradox, just by the title, to describe a father by a motherly attribute. It is a phrase you may never hear again. A father's motherly comfort. But I thought this title to be fitting as it described God as he defined himself in Isaiah 66. We are

Why God Uses Motherly Images

Anderson George 6:50

accustomed to speaking of God primarily in masculine terms. Our theology is one that when we speak of God, we attribute to God the characteristics of male, masculine, and father. However, I would have you to know that God is indeed genderless. I know God is genderless because scripture says God is spirit. Spirit is neither male nor female. You're looking at me funny. Spirit is genderless. God being spirit is himself without gender. Just like the angels are divine spiritual beings without gender, so too is God without gender. However, God, to help us understand who He is, would have personified Himself in the attributes of man, in the attributes of masculinity, in the attributes of fatherhood. With that being said, there are several passages where God wanted to communicate to us something of himself, and he could not use a man to do it. There are times where God wanted to say, I need you to understand who I am and what I could do for you. And these times, though few, allows us to know how special it is to be a mother in the mind of God, because God decides, I'm going to define myself in this way like a woman, like a mother. And so in our passage, we have one of those few times, one of those special times where God was trying to communicate some things to us and decide that only a mother could do. Oh, I wish I had a church. I know that sounds weird to you because you're accustomed with Father God. I'm not saying God is female, I'm saying God is spirit. But the God who is spirit communicates himself to us in ways that we understand. Most of those times he has communicated in ways that are masculine. I'm going to introduce some of you and present to others a passage where he introduces himself as a mother with feminine attributes. In this passage, let me give you the take home. In this passage, God invites us to be nurtured, to be comforted, to find security. And he says, just as a mother provides that for her child, that's what I do too. And I do it even better. God wants you to know if you're looking for comfort, he has it. He wants you to know if you're looking to be nurtured and find life, he has it. But the way he tells you he has it is by saying, think about your mother. And just as your mother provided it to you in that same way, like a mother, using the characteristics of motherhood, I'll do the same for you. You're okay now, church? You're still looking rough. Here's the text.

Presence Posture And Promise

Anderson George 10:46

From verse 1 to 14, the text could be syllabicated into three parts. Verse 1 to 2 gives us the presence that we should prize. The presence that we should prize. Verse 2 to about verse 6 gives us the posture we should attain or possess. And then verse 7 to 14 gives us the promise behind the posture. Verse 1 to 2 opens up with God saying, I alone am God. I created the heavens and the earth. I am Yahweh. There is none like me. Because I am creator, you should be seeking me, you should be running after me. My presence should be what you're chasing for. If I had time, I would pause and say that as much as you pursue the bag, as much as you pursue career and academics, as much as you pursue whatever you pursue, make sure that God is at the top of that list. He says, I'm the prize. I am what you should be pursuing. In verses 1 and 2, he says, Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. I am bigger than you could imagine. Because I am bigger than you could imagine, there is no place that could contain me, but I choose to be present with you. No house could contain me, no heart could contain me, no room could contain me. But because I am God and I am willing to dwell with you, I will tabernacle, I would make my presence with you if you so choose. Of course, textually, God is speaking to Israel. Israel have abandoned God, they are now in captivity. And he reminds them in this last chapter of Isaiah, he reminds them, I am God who could change your fortunes. I am God who could free you from where you are, I could bring you into better. You should be chasing me. So he mentions his presence as a prize that we should be pursuing.

The Heart God Looks Toward

Anderson George 13:20

And then he speaks about the posture of two persons. The posture of one person, he says in verse number two, that this posture is the one I would look to, the posture that I would give favor towards. And then he says there's another posture that is as present and prevalent as the first one. Follow me here. God says, My presence is not for everyone, it's for a particular type of person. And that presence is for the one who has a humble and a contrite heart, the one who seeks me, the one who places me as Lord, the one who respects me as God. To that person, he will have the presence and the promise. But not everyone is like this person. He then describes in four verses another person. This second person, he says, does all the right things, says all the right words, but the way I receive it is as an abomination. Watch this, church, because I want you to see this before we get to God describing himself in feminine characteristics. Look at verse number three. He says, The man that kills an ox is like the man who slews another man. The man who sacrifices a lamb is as a man who cuts off a dog's neck, and the man that offereth an oblation or a sacrifice is as the man who offered swine's blood. He's saying that there are persons who seemingly do the right thing, they're presenting the right offering at the right time, they're doing the right sacrifices, they're they're acting in the right way outwardly, but I have no regard for them because even though they're doing the right thing, they're doing it with the wrong heart. And so, even though you're bringing your sacrifice, it is as if you brought pig's blood. And I need to explain this because you're looking at me funny. Jews did not eat pork, they did not eat pig. In fact, for a Jew, it was an abomination to raise a pig, to have a pig sty within miles of any Jewish city. So here's God saying, just as having pigs amongst you is an abominable thing, you guys who are doing the right sacrifice but with the wrong heart are no different than persons who bring pigs' blood to the altar in the mind of God. I wish I had time to break that down. That sometimes you could sing all the church songs, pray all the prayers, give all the money. You could go through all five acts of worship and God say it was an abomination. Because it's not just about doing the right thing, it's also about doing it with the right posture. So he says, My presence will only be with those who have the right posture, and then what he does for the rest of our verses is describe the promise for those who have the right posture and receive his presence. That's a lot of P's, but hopefully you're tracking with me. Presence, posture, promise. His presence is the prize, the posture is what we're working on, and the promise is what we'll receive. We should be seeking presence, but to seek presence, I need to have the right posture. When I have the right posture, God describes the promise. Now, watch

Birth Without Pain As Blessing

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this. I wanted to see these promises with me again. In verse number seven, he says, Before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard of such a thing? God is describing birth as a blessing and a promise. But what he does is describe birth precursor. I probably should have changed the sermon to not be so theologically heavy because you're really looking strange. Here's what I mean. God described birth in a way no woman has ever experienced it before. He says, Before her pains come, the child is here. Without pain or travail, she brings forth. He is describing a promise of abundance, of multiplication, and he's describing it as if there were no limitation, if there were no curse. Remember, Eve in Genesis chapter number three, after she takes of the fruit, is cursed. And one of the consequences, one of the curses is pain in childbirth. He says, I'm going to bring increase in your life, I'm going to bring abundance in your life, I'm going to bless you. And that blessing is going to be like a mother giving birth with no pain. A mother just pumping out children. Now you have to understand that what God is describing is a picture where children are considered a blessing, a heritage from God. And he says, My blessing would be like receiving a child, but a child without all complications, a child without all pain, all difficulty, that's how I'm going to give you increase. And then he says in verse number 8, Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such a thing? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion, this is the name for Jerusalem, as soon as Jerusalem travails, she brought forth her children. In the context, God is talking about returning his people to the promised land. And he's saying they're going to multiply, they're going to increase, like a mother giving birth without pain. And then he says in verse number 10, Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, be glad with her.

Nursing Peace Like A River

Anderson George 21:01

In this text, Jerusalem is the first mother. Rejoice with her. Be glad with her. All ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with her. All ye that mourn for her. Why? First number 11, so that you may suck. Come here, church. I'm not trying to be vulgar. I'm just showing you what the text says. Then I'm going to explain it. So that you may suck and be satisfied with the bosom of her consolation. I edited myself just to make sure you're good. Here's what he pictures. The promised land is a picture of a mother who is giving suck, King James word, to her child. This sock is the way a mother provides nurture, the way she provides nutrition. Is the way she provides life to a child. An infant baby receives nothing but his mother's milk. Can't even receive water, can't eat meat. So God is picturing his people as children, as babies, particularly, nursing at their mother's bosom. All a baby ever needs is what a mother provides. I wish I had a church. God says your blessing will be like a baby to his mother. Now remember, this is God trying to communicate something about himself and what he provides. And what he says is, I will bless you if you have the right posture, if you place me first in your life, if you seek me first, you seek my presence with the right posture. One of my promises is that, like a baby, I'll nurture you. Come here, church. As long as a baby has milk, it's good. In fact, you're too old to remember. But ask your mommy if she's still around. Ask your mommy, and she's going to tell you that you would cry for milk. You would cry for milk, but as soon as you get a taste of milk, nothing else in the world matters. I have pictures, memories, rather, uh, not pictures, I have memories of my mom telling me that I would cry and make the most fuss when I was hungry. She said, I was a quiet baby normally until I was hungry. And she said, the moment I found milk, my eyes would close, I would be happy. She said, There have been times I fell asleep while being fed. You're okay, Church? I I would fall asleep because I'm at peace. I'm receiving all that I need. I have my comfort, I'm in her bosom, so I have security and I'm feeding, I'm being nurtured by her. I could sleep, I don't need anything to worry about. And then she said, There have been times where I've been feeding for 35 minutes and she thought I was done. So she's not sure if I'm feeding while sleeping. And so sometimes she would remove the comfort of her bosom from me, and I would immediately wake and begin crying all over again. Because even though I may have been filled, I'm now in a place of comfort, I'm now in a place of security, and I don't want to leave this place. Now follow me. I'm talking about me as a baby just to help you understand what God is saying in this text. My blessing is going to be like a baby in the arms of his mother where everything you need is right here. Says that you may suck and be satisfied with the bosom of her consolation, that you may milk out. It's in the text, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. The blessing I'm going to give you is like what a baby receives from his mother. And then he says in verse number 12, For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream, then you shall suck, and you shall be born upon her sides. Remember, he's still talking about Jerusalem as a mother. And what he says is, I'm going to fill Jerusalem with peace. I am going to fill Jerusalem with glory. And that's what you're going to feed on. So as you feed, what you receive is peace. What you receive is glory. As long as you stay connected and nurtured, I'm going to give you all that you need, and then some, you would also have all the peace, a peace that passes understanding. You will have glory and honor. I'll give that to you while you're being fed. And then he says, Don't miss this.

God’s Comfort For Every Story

Anderson George 27:30

Verse number 13. As one, as a child, as a baby, whom his mother comforts, so will I, God, comfort you, and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. He now shifts so that they don't think Jerusalem is a blessing. God is. So he says, What you receive when you go to the promised land is because like a mother gives comfort to her baby. That's what I will do for you. I don't want you to forget that this is God trying to communicate what He provides for His children, and the best illustration he could find was that of a mother. He says, I need you to look at your mother and remember the times where you were crying and she picked you up. The times where, because you were in her arms, you felt secure, you felt happy. Not just as a baby, some of us have a relationship with our mothers still, where we could express ourselves. If you get a heartbreak now, you could call your mother, and she would be there waiting to hear you and give you all the kind words. Your mother, if you go to visit her, will prepare your favorite food, would roll out red carpet treatment for you because you are her child. There is no good mother, there is no godly mother that would not do exceedingly abundant and sacrifice for her child. No good godly mother would not make significant sacrifice for her child. And God says, if you could see it in the earthly, that's who I am spiritually. I wish I had a church. Again, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying you should start saying mother God. You'll get confused. You would start to pray, Father, Mother God. I'm not saying he's feminine, I'm saying God is spirit. But in this text, he says, when you want to understand comfort, look at a mother, and then you'll understand me. He says, when you want to understand nurture, look at a mother, and then you'll understand me. When you want to find security, look at a mother, then you'll find me. When you want to find everything that you need for life, just as a baby finds everything it needs for life in milk, look at what a mother provides, and you will find me. This is a passage that says, mothers are not just women that give birth, but women that bear the image of God. And they bear the image of God not just by being good mothers, but by being good mothers, and in so doing, help us better understand God. So God says, I'm done. My presence you should be chasing after. And if you chase after it with the right posture, I'm going to bless you. And these are the promises. Just as a baby sucks and is comforted and is born from his mother's bosom, so well be to you. God promises to be a mother to us. Here's why that's good as I close. The way life is ordered, we may not all have a great relationship with our earthly mothers. If you do have a great relationship, you should celebrate your mother today. At the very least, skiff her call. If you could visit, visit. But not everyone had the experience of having a godly or a good mother. And even when you don't have a good earthly mother, God says, I know how to fill the gap. I could be what you need when you need it all the time, every time. So even when you can find it on this plane, you could always find it in the heavenly plane. And so I didn't just want to preach a message that said mothers are good. I wanted to show you how special mothers are by showing you they bear the image of God. And I wanted you to see that at least this one time, there are several others, but now you could say there is one time in Scripture where God wanted to show and to communicate his blessings towards us and what he provides for us, and he could not find a better, more fitting example than that of a mother giving resources to her baby. God is all that we need and so much more. If you're looking for comfort, if you're looking for life, if you're looking for security, I know a father who has a mother's comfort. Let me introduce you to the father as we stand and we sing this song of encouragement.

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Say

Invitation Song And Closing Moments

SPEAKER_00 35:06

fancy from all Jesus Lake on the Evelast Oh sweet pilgriming on the ever as singles Oh the baggage leaning on the evil sing oh I am leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, save and seek you from all I am leaning on Jesus Leaning on Jesus, leaning on the evil leaning on the evil peace with leaning on the ever leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, save and seek your from all leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, leaning on the evil as you may be seated before Eddie comes.

Anderson George 36:55

I think and that you cut off my power. The orange button at the very top right on the black box. Could you flip that back on, please?

SPEAKER_01 37:08

Huh. All right. Not yet. Not yet. Okay, it came back. All right, there you go. All right. I want to do something unorthodox.