Mother's Day 2021

Today, I want to talk about the hardest job there is – Pastoring a church. No, being a mother. Realize I have no experience in what I’m talking about, but I had a mother. That should give me some credibility.

Because I was born at such an early age, I don’t remember what I was like as a baby and how my mother had to cope with me. As far as I know I was a perfect child. Which would make my brother and sister responsible for our mother’s nervous breakdown.

Since I was born with a dysfunctional immune system, I was sick a lot as a child. Many of my memories are of my mother taking care of me. I’m sure that added a measure of stress to her life. In fact, I know that later I did add quite a bit of stress to her life.

Come to find out, my mom became a worrier. I take credit for that. And the older I got, the more stress I provided. But she handled it fairly well. I’m sure she was applauded when she got into Heaven for a job well done. But she did enjoy Mother’s Day.

My grandmother didn’t. At least the part of going to church on Mother’s Day. We had a tradition of honoring the oldest mother. There was a lady just a year or two older than she was so she never won. My grandmother was determined to outlive her so she could finally win oldest mother. She was never so excited to hear someone died as the day she learned that lady had died. The next Mother’s Day she finally won oldest mother.

Many ladies are like my grandmother and dislike Mother’s Day. But perhaps for other reasons. Some because they are not mothers and they don’t like being reminded of that fact. Others because they had a disappointing relationship with their own mother, and this day brings back unhappy memories. Still others because they feel defeated that in some way they failed as a mother.

And coming to church on Mother’s Day didn’t always help. Most of the messages I’ve heard throughout the years on Mother’s Day leave most moms guilty that they have never measured up to Sarah or Hannah and especially Mary. They view their lives with more regrets than successes.

However, not today. Today we celebrate. We don’t accuse. We don’t bash. We don’t want anyone to go away feeling bad. Even though some of us should be ashamed for how we’ve treated our moms and some men should hang their heads for lack of appreciation for all their wives have done, but no mom is to feel bad today.

Today, we celebrate the role of being a mom or the privilege of having a mom.

You’ve heard Jeff Foxworthy’s You might be a redneck…routine.

If you mow your grass and find a car…

If you’re dad walks you to school because you’re in the same grade…

If you have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say Cool Whip…

If you’ve ever fished in your swimming pool…

If you’re lawn furniture used to be your living room furniture…

If you own a Waffle House credit card…

If you’ve ever been accused of lying through your tooth…

If you’ve ever made change out of the offering plate…

 

There’s both the heart of the mother and the fact of the mother. You may never have given birth but you’ve assumed the role. So, let’s see if you’ve ever been a mother:

You might be a mother if you’ve ever…

1. Offered assistance or had a conversation from the toilet.
2. Fantasized about being alone for five minutes, just five minutes!
3. Worried about kids getting too much screen time…then given them your phone to get them to settle down.
4. Thought, "I JUST cleaned that!" or thought, "Yuck, how long has it been since I cleaned that?"
5. Tripped over or stepped on something you didn't leave on the floor. Even after yelling at the ones who left it on the floor to clean it up.
6. Cleaned up a mess that "nobody else saw."
7. Ever wondered if doing the laundry this week was an absolute necessity or if we can let it slide another week or two.
8. Ever smelled your kids to see if they were clean enough to go without a bath, just for tonight.
9. Ever had the thought watching them sleep, “These are the sweetest little angels,” only to have them wake up.

10.  You’ve discussed adoption with your husband only for him to say, “They’re getting pretty old. Do you think anyone will take them now?”

11. Issued instructions. Then repeated the same instructions. Then repeated the same instructions. Then repeated the same instructions really loud. Then said, “If I have to repeat myself ONE MORE TIME…” Then wondered: why do I even bother?
12. Absentmindedly said "mm-hmm" when your kids talked while you're in the middle of something only to find out you gave them permission to spray paint the dog.
13. Found things in our purses that aren't even yours or found things in the shopping cart that you didn’t put in there.
14. Told your kids to go to bed so you could stay up late so you could finish up all the things you had to do today and then went to bed only to find out you couldn’t go to sleep because you were thinking about everything you had to do tomorrow.
15. If all this goes away whenever your child says, “Mommy, I love you.”

This morning comic section of the paper had a cartoon: Baby Blues. Dad said: I’ll take the kids for a little hike so you can get some Mom time. She said: That’s sweet. The drew her bath and her thoughts started: I wonder if Darryl packed enough water and sunscreen? Or Snacks? Wren is a beast when her blood sugar is low. Did he even bring their jackets? What about snakes? And ticks? What if his phone dies? How will the search party know where to look? The door opened and they shouted: We’re home! Darryl asked: “Enjoy your afternoon?” She said: “How could I? You had me worried sick.”

We guys can cause as much stress as the kids do. Wife looked at husband and said, why do you have a suppository in your ear? He pulled it out and looked at it and said, “I wonder where I put my hearing aid?”

 

There’s no way someone can fully appreciate their mother. Until they have kids. Then, instantly her value goes up. You start remembering those valuable things your mom told you, like: “I hope someday you’ll have kids just like you were so you’ll know what you put me through.”

 

But Moms have to learn when to turn it off. They can only nag their kids so long and then they become sweet little ladies. I found out why. One day, these same kids will be responsible for choosing a nursing home for them to live out her final days.

Actually, that’s far beyond a joke. Today, it is often the reality that we have to become our parents’ caretakers. That independent mom or dad who sacrificed and struggled, labored and loved, encouraged and corrected, now needs that from us.

It’s hard to transition to suddenly have to parent your parents. Many of you know what I’m talking about. So, if that’s the case, realize that the mom who was a blessing to you now needs you to be the blessing for her. So, listen to these statements and find one your mom needs to hear today: Or for all moms here today, play like I’m your child telling you how special you are:

“Mom, I may not have said thank you often enough, but I appreciate you so much for the special role you have always played in my life.”

 “You are always the first person I call on for advice. You are not just my mother, but my counselor and friend and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.”

“You are an amazing, strong and selfless woman and I am so lucky to have a mother like you.”

“You were always there to kiss me and hug me when I needed someone to make the pain go away.”

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve become aware of just how much you sacrificed for me over the years.”

“You are soft and beautiful but there’s true steel in you too, and I know you will always be there for me.”

“I know we argue sometimes but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate and love you more than you could ever know.”

“I admire you so much, mom, and you have always been my role model. You have taught me so much and made me all that I am today.”

“Thank you for your unfailing love. I have always felt your love surrounding and protecting me.”

“Your love has made me feel secure but free; you make me feel grounded but like I also have wings.”

“Mom, I know that behind those comforting hugs lies a woman who is strong and selfless. I have come to understand how strong you’ve always been and I love you for it.”

“Mom, you are the glue that holds our family together. I am grateful for your endless love.”

“Mom, you have always brought out the best in me, showed endless patience when I fail and encouraged me to get up again.”

“If I put myself in your shoes, I would never have had the strength and patience to cope with a kid like me. Thanks, mom, for bringing me up and managing to stay sane.”

“Your love for me is patient and forgiving. It never failed, even when your heart was breaking.”

“What you have given me, is something more precious than any school or college could give me. You have shown me the power of love.”

“You have always understood me better than anyone else, mom. When no one has been there for me, you have always given me your support. Even when I’ve been wrong, your love has been evident.”

“Mom, you have always shown me grace when I didn’t deserve it. I have been rude and selfish, but you’ve always loved me anyway.”

Mom’s you deserve those words. For many of us, we no longer have that privilege to tell them. It’s amazing how precious they become when we can no longer tell them so.

What’s behind the heart of a mother?

Rom 16:1-2 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. 

What are our obligations:

Eph 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. 

Obedience fits a time-frame. Children – young. Honor is our responsibility from then on.

Being a mother is a forever position. You never can say you were a mother; you always are a mother.

The role may change. At the beginning you are totally involved in your child’s life. As the years go on you become less involved until they become adults and your involvement begins to fade away. Don’t be sad. Because, if that happens, you’ve successfully raised your kids to be independent and able to manage their own lives.

A momma bird raises her babies so they can leave the nest and fly away. Their life isn’t the nest anymore. She has raised them to be successful on their own.

So, what’s our final words today?

2Cor 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 

Mom’s, what are the voices in your head telling you? If they tell you you didn’t do enough or you did too much, let’s turn them off and turn on the messages that are true.

God loves you. He made you a mother. He helped you in ways you never knew, and now rewards you with rest. Look at the pictures and think: am I glad I don’t have to go through that again. But enjoy the life God is giving and has given you. Remember, not everything is your problem.

But my kid got a divorce. Not your problem.

But my kid won’t go to church. Not your problem.

But my kid is in jail. Not your problem.

But my kid is gay. Not your problem.

But my kid wants to become a lawyer. Not your problem.

But my kid…Not your problem.

Your responsibility is to love them. Their choices are their business. If they ask, you can advise but it’s their choice. They can take your advice or not, just like you did with your own mother. And if it is their choice, it isn’t your responsibility.

What can I do? I’ve got to do something? Pray for them. Every day.

 

Now, if you had a mother. And she is still with you, honor her by how you speak to her. Tell her how much you appreciate her.

If she’s passed away, honor her by how you speak of her. Thank God for giving you such a special gift.

It is highly unlikely you will ever understand her personal sacrifice for you, especially if you’re a guy. So, tell her thanks.

 

The Kingdom of Heaven

There are many truths in Scripture we have to accept by faith rather than reason. Some we’ll never understand though they remain true. One of the most mysterious ones is how God the Son became Jesus the Man so He could carry out the mission of redemption. How He did that will forever remain a mystery.

Paul tried to explain it when he said: Phil 2:6-7 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 

It makes me think of the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin who said: “Phenomenal Cosmic Powers! Itty Bitty Living Space!” How did the infinite, all-powerful God get compacted into the tiny space of a human? Something had to be left out.

Now, if you were God coming to earth to do a great work and needed to keep Your identity limited to only a handful who were to know who You were, You had to somehow conceal what might get You recognized as God.

For Jesus, though fully God, He would never be able to operate as God, unless He emptied out of Himself that that said, I am God. In becoming a man, He didn’t cease being God the Son, only laid aside what would have shouted who He was to the world.

What was laid aside? What was emptied out? His Glory.

The glory of God is the evidence God is here and involved in this moment. The heavens declare the glory of God. To a world that isn’t interested, they say: God is here. Israel saw it often when God stepped into their situations and delivered them in miraculous ways. They saw the evidence of God in a cloud by day and a fire by night that led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. They saw it when the Tabernacle and Temples were dedicated to God’s use. His presence was represented by smoke that filled the whole room. It’s called the Shekinah of God – the visible manifestation of the presence of God.

The disciples experienced it on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit appeared to them as a fire engulfing the room then breaking into a hundred and twenty individual flames coming down on each of them to inaugurate the beginning of the Church.

From the beginning of the Bible to the end, you can see a progression. God around His people. God with His people. God in His people. Through them, He would now manifest His presence, or display His glory, from out of His people. That’s what Jesus did.

Remember the day Peter said: Matt 16:16 "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." How did Peter and the others know that?

According to Hebrews, God’s glory was seen in Jesus. Heb 1:3 He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,

Radiance: reflection. Without looking directly at the sun, how do we know it’s shining? We see its light, we feel its heat, we experience its power.

What OT believers experienced when God was at work around them was seen happening through Jesus. The awareness God was here and involved in this moment shouted of the presence of God in their midst. When Jesus spoke, they heard the Father. When Jesus healed, they felt the power of the Father. When Jesus taught, they heard the words of the Father. That was the glory of God being radiated out from Jesus’ life.

That’s why Jesus never took credit for what He did. He always directed the glory (that that reflected God’s presence) back to the Father.

John 5:36 the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. 

John 10:36-38 do you say of Me…'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 

There’s the explanation of the mystery of how the New Covenant would work. Jesus showed that the Father was in Him and He was in the Father. It was both an identity and a location of life. The greatness of God was in Him and operated through Him. It wasn’t His glory being seen but the Father’s.

This was something new. Only a few prophets in the past knew what this was like, yet God had been moving in this direction from the beginning.

God’s presence was the unique characteristic of the People of God. Moses had said to the Lord: Ex 33:15-16 "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?" 

That was the distinguishing factor that declared a people the People of God. But it didn’t describe how they would operate as the people of God…

…until Pentecost, when God entered His people. So vital was this new concept of the indwelling presence of God that Paul wrote:

Col 1:26-27 the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Hope of glory – Hope for how we might live in a way that demonstrates an awareness that God is present and actively involved in our lives at all times.

God with us now became God in us. The answer to the mystery is the treasure of the presence of God is in us.

2Cor 4:6-7 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 

The Christian life is peculiar. It requires a power we don’t possess, to accomplish purposes we don’t determine, with abilities we don’t have, but can all be realized when the power of God is manifested through us. Where does that power come from?

If I asked you where God’s power is fully recognized, you’d probably say Heaven. And I’d agree. Heaven is the place that represents the rule of God, the throne from where God reigns over all there is, the realm where God operates with absolute authority, right and sovereignty.

Are you ready? Jesus brought Heaven with Him when He came here. We can see Heaven at work in and through Him. He demonstrated on earth what was going on in Heaven.

When he began his ministry, John the Baptizer said: Matt 3:2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus continued that same message. Matt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus told His disciples Matt 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 

What does that mean? What is the kingdom of Heaven and, how is it at hand?

The word for kingdom is Basileios. It means the right or authority of a monarch to reign, not the territory of His reign – His ability to reign from wherever He is. Jesus wasn’t saying God was moving the location of Heaven down to earth. Heaven is the throne room from where God rules the world. The throne room isn’t being relocated to the earth. That’s not the kingdom. The Kingdom is the realm that accepts, lives within and expresses the rule of God in that place.

Matt 12:27-29 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 

In this moment, Jesus gave them a visual about the Kingdom of God by casting out demons. Then, explained that the power they saw was from Heaven. Jesus was operating in connection with the Father ruling from Heaven. Yet, He goes on to declare something even more remarkable. He was entering the house of the strong man. Who is the strong man? Satan. What is his house? The earth. Remember: Satan is the prince of the power of the air. A challenging force to people seeing and responding to God.

He rules the fallen world that constantly tries to encumber and entangle us.

How would God’s Kingdom rule over Satan’s fallen world? That’s what’s behind Jesus’ words in the Lord’s prayer: Matt 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is [being done] in heaven. The answer to that prayer is for when the authority and power of God’s rule in Heaven is being done on earth. And for us, because of Pentecost and what happened when we received Jesus as Lord and Savior, the mechanics necessary for that prayer to be answered are in place.

By establishing the Kingdom of Heaven within the hearts of Believers, God has inserted the hope we will desire His will to be done in us as it is being done in Heaven. If the glory of God – that which represents God’s presence and activity in our lives – is what operates continually in Heaven, Jesus prayed for that same operational authority to operate here in His people. Thus, Pentecost. God through the Holy Spirit came into the lives of believers and now dwells in all believers as a point of contact to assure us of our identity as His Children.

It was what Jesus had said about being in the Father and the Father in Him. It was both an identity and a location of life. The key to understanding the mystery.

What Jesus had in relationship with the Father was what was to be the defining characteristic of Believers from then on. Being in the Kingdom and the Kingdom being in them. Jesus prayed for the moment this would become the reality for God’s Children. Which it did, as Paul said:

Col 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Transferred us into the sphere of God’s rule so that, from now on, the reign of Heaven might become the rule of our lives while on earth. But how do we see that?

The Kingdom within us requires a surrender through which we commit to God carrying out His will in us as it is being carried out in Heaven. How? With no resistance, with complete assurance His will is best, with thanks and appreciation for all He does. We must commit to praying: Your will be done in my life as it is being done in Heaven. Even though, and especially because, we are challenged by the fact we live in a fallen world.

That’s why Jesus prayed: John 17:15-16 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil [within the world]. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Jesus knew what our challenge would be: being in the world but not of the world. Surrounded by the influence of the world, would we remain separate or would we allow the world to infiltrate our minds and influence us?

Like a boat designed to operate in the water. Everything works fine until the water gets in the boat. That’s when, you’re in trouble. Jesus identified our struggle: keeping the world out of us.

Now, in Kingdom perspective, we are in the kingdom and of the kingdom because the kingdom is the working structure of God dwelling in, around and through His people. But, we are also in the world. It is like a world within a world.

Embassies are unique worlds within a world. They are compounds where a foreign country can carry out its mission inside a host country. Within the embassy are rules, customs and authority of the mother country, yet outside the compound is the influence of the host country. Diplomats are to remain faithful to their home country while living within another country.

That was Jesus’ concern. Father, though they remain in the world, keep them from the evil influences of the world.

A man was struggling with his weight and his addiction to donuts. He had resisted for quite some time but the urge came over him. He prayed: God I know I need to resist donuts but I really want one today. If you will allow me this one treat, I’ll get right back on my diet. So, he set up a test. To know God was okay with this, He asked the Lord to let there be a parking place in front of the donut shop. After 14 times circling the block, unbelievably, there was a parking place right in front. Apparently, God said okay.

By transferring us into the kingdom of heaven, God has placed the rule of Heaven within us.

The kingdom of heaven is God’s right, authority and power to rule in, over and through our lives. Having surrendered our lives to the rule of God, we are now to operate from the power and purpose of God within us. That’s how Jesus lived. It’s how the Kingdom of Heaven operates here on earth, right now, in us.

It will remain this way until 1Cor 15:24-25 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign [this way] until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 

When that happens, the Kingdom of God will merge with the New Heaven and New Earth to come. And then:

Dan 7:27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.' 

God is constantly at work fulfilling His plans. We’re in the middle of a greater plan that God is working out. Our time is called: the Kingdom of Heaven. We are privileged to experience the reign of God in our lives. When we pray: Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done in our lives as it is being done in Heaven, we acknowledge we have yielded to the sovereign right for God to rule from within our lives. Having surrendered to the rule of God, what we are in and what is in us, gives us our identity and location for how  our lives are to operate…as God designed.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Things that go on in the invisible realm are hard for us to grasp.
2. But though we don’t see the activity of God, it is going on.
3. So that we might live as God designed, the operational system of Heaven has been placed within us.
4. It requires us to choose God’s will to be done in our lives as it is being done in Heaven.
5. Jesus showed us how that was done.