
Pulpit Curriculum: A Love Like No Other
May 12th – May 18th, 2024
Sermon Summary
This Mothers’ Day sermon is taken from Isaiah 49:15-16 where God’s love for us is contrasted to a mother’s love for her nursing child. Isaiah asks a rhetorical question to remind the Israelites and us, that as God’s redeemed, He will never forget us. We often hear the statement “there is nothing like a mother’s love” but the preacher, through the text under examination reminds us that even a mother’s love pales in comparison with God’s love for us. So passionate is He about us, that He has engraved us in the palm of His hand. As we explore some of the attributes of His love for us, we are assured that we can never exhaust or outgrow God’s love. No matter how far we may stray, or how unworthy we may feel, God’s love remains constant and available to us. The fullness of God’s love finds its ultimate expression in Jesus Christ. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus perfectly embodies the depth, constancy, and unconditional nature of God’s love.
Verse of the Week
Isaiah 49:15–16
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Going Deeper
Review: Isaiah 49: 15-16
1) Throughout scripture we are reminded of God’s love for us and Him claiming us as His own
a) Apart from those references shared in today’s sermon, share five (5) other scripture references where God explicitly calls the Israelites, and by extension us, His own or chosen people?
2) Verses 15 & 16 are a direct response to some Jews declaring that God had forsaken and forgotten them.
a) Where else in scripture has Israel cried out that God had forsaken and forgotten them?
b) In the references shared above, what did Israel do in response to their feelings of being forsaken or forgotten by God?
3) Verse 16 tells us that God has engraved us on the palm of His hands.
a) Where else in both the Old and New Testament do we see references to tangible engraving or indelible marks in God’s hands?
b) Using the scripture references found above, what do those indelible marks tell us about God’s relationship with us?
4) The preacher made reference to Romans 8:35-39 to illustrate the constancy of God’s love.
a) How many things did the Apostle Paul list in response to the question “Who [or what] shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
b) List them.
Assess Your Life
1) Compare God’s response to Israel’s despair in Isaiah 49:14-21 to a situation in your life where you felt forgotten or neglected.
a) What feelings did you have during these times and what did you do?
b) How did you see God’s hand in that situation?
2) The preacher encouraged us to not fear the mark of the devil (or the beast) because God has His own mark.
a) What do you know about the mark of the devil?
b) What are your thoughts (and/or fears) about the mark of the devil?
c) What scriptures can we stand on to support us in times of doubt or fear about this?
Application
1) Having meditated on Isaiah 49:15-16, list at least three changes we can make to our daily lives that will reflect our identity in Christ.
2) Read the entire chapter Isaiah 49. Journal how this chapter inspires you to trust in God’s plan, even when the present seems bleak.
I will ask_____ to hold me accountable in this.
Sermon Main Points
As we ponder on the depths of a mother’s love, which pales in comparison with God’s love for us, may we be reminded that:
1: God’s Love is Incomparable
2: God’s Love is Indelible
Sermon Reflection
What stood out for me in this sermon?
Even as we celebrate our mothers, let us focus and meditate on:
• The unconditionality of God’s love
• The constancy of God’s love
• The permanency of God’s love
• The intimacy of God’s love
Finally, God engraving us in the palm of His hand is a form of identification or ownership and symbolizes the everlasting nature of His love and commitment to us.
What can I do to remember this?
5 Day Study Plan
Use the Inductive Bible Study method to study these scriptures this week and remember to share with someone else.
Follow these steps
1. Observe the text.
(What do you see in the text? Look for answers to questions like: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)
2. Interpret the text.
(What did God and the human author of the text want the original people reading this text to understand/do? Why?)
3. Apply the text.
(How do I need to change in my thinking, my affections, my attitudes, and/or my actions?)
Day 1 - Isaiah 43:1-7
Day 2 - Psalm 27:7-10
Day 3 - Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Day 4 - Revelation 13:11-17
Day 5 - Exodus 13:5-9
For best results, this content should be read and prepared privately and then discussed in your small group or with family / friends. We were not created to do life alone - get connected with a small group and grow together.