I think the announcement, so probably be better than the
message did a great job. Well, I I just have one other
announcement. Some of you remember, I'm sure
Valerie Vandergrund and Ron Vandergrund, I just happened to
see that she passed away in Texas.
If you remember, he was heavily involved in the radio stations
and Christian radio stations and taking people to Israel.
He was on fire about Israel. Apparently she passed away last
week. So you might lift him and the
family up in prayer, I'm sure. I know that the obituary that I
read said that they were rejoicing over her being in the
presence of Jesus. And you can't be in a better
state than that. But still, there's pain there,
so lift them up. So good morning and welcome to
Bridges and Happy Mother's Day for the 10th time.
God bless all you mothers and grandmothers and great
grandmothers, aunts and all the ladies, moms or not, who have
poured their lives into other people.
God bless you. Pastor Nick and Faye are gone
today. They'll be back next week, and
Pastor Nick will continue to lead us out of Exodus.
I've given him a hard time about the length of time it's taken us
to get out of Exodus, comparing it to Pastor Ben's Revelation
studies where I used to go to him and ask him, do you think
Jesus will come back before you get done?
Now? Both of them just kind of grit
their teeth and smile at me. I don't know why they haven't
kicked me out. But anyway, so he'll be back
next week. And I, I do want to say we're so
fortunate that we have a church that goes verse by verse and
chapter by chapter. You know, I grew up as a child
in a church, a dead church, which is really got off the
rails now. And the thought of doing verse
by verse, chapter by chapter was this.
It wasn't out there. And I just think we're so
fortunate to have that and we're able to be able to study the
Bible as closely as we are. So we give thanks for that.
My name is Mark Jones, and I'm one of the elders here.
And as you obviously figured out, I'm going to be given the
the message today. And because today is Mother's
Day, I'm going to be talking about world hunger.
I'm kidding. I'm going to be talking about
Mother's Day and I'd like to go to the Lord in prayer.
But before we do, I want to start with a verse, and this is
from Proverbs. It says a wife of noble
character who can find. I mean, can't you hear a Jewish
guy saying this? A wife of noble character who
can find. She is worth far more than
rubies. Her husband has full confidence
in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm. All the days of her life, her
children arise and call her blessed.
Her husband also and he praises her husband.
Hint, many women do noble things, but you surpass them
all. Another message for the men,
charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears
the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands
have done and let her works bring her praise at the city
gate. All right, let's go to the Lord.
Father God, we just thank you for today and we especially
thank you for moms and grandmas and aunts and all the women that
have poured themselves into our lives.
Lord, what a blessing. We pray a special blessing upon
each and every one of them. I would just ask that you would
bless this crowd. Lord, we ask for your presence
here and especially anoint this message.
Lord, we just thank you in your name, Amen.
Now as a child of the 60s and now being in my 60s, I can tell
you my during my lifetime role and view of motherhood, that's
changed radically just in that 60 years.
And this change has largely, in my opinion, been to the
detriment of society and to the family structure.
I can tell you that the Lord's view of women and motherhood has
not, and it's not going to. Some time ago, I was talking
with Bob about being a kid growing up in the 60s and how it
wasn't uncommon if a man or teenagers were using coarse
language, which is what they used to call, at least where I
was in the presence of ladies, that as a minimum, they'd get a
rebuke and they might get a punch right to the you know
what? But you know, now when I go to
the Ponderay Cultural Center, you guys know it as Walmart.
And I hear somebody dropping the F bomb, it's often just as
likely as a young lady as it is a young man.
And that's pretty sad. And while our society has
deteriorated overall, I would respectfully submit to you this
changes in large part to the loss of biblical motherhood and
the teaching of the Lord's principles is set out in the
Bible. Now, both mom and dad have a
duty here. And it's important, important
for me to stay at this point that fathers have just a great,
if not a greater duty than the mothers.
But I'm here to talk about moms today and women and I, I suspect
that Pastor Nick will talk about Dad's duty on the 21st of June.
So by omitting my comments about dad's, don't think that it's not
as important or maybe even more important.
But we're just going to focus on mom today.
Mothers, by virtue of the very nature of nursing and raising
newborns, have special access to form the foundation of a child
from day one. So what does the Bible tell us
about what godly wives and godly mothers, What are they?
What, how do they act? What are their characteristics?
Well, first of all, they're teachers.
I'm going to Proverbs here. Proverbs here 22/6 train up a
child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
depart from it. The implication is that wives
and moms will be training this child and that this training is
critical to the spiritual development of the child.
I suspect that there are many of you, including my wife and I,
who have found this verse to literally, literally be true.
Many of you know we were, it's strange, so shall we say, from
our son for about 7 years and he's back in our lives.
And it was 7 years of prayer and I believe it was 7 years of
Christian School and, and hopefully instructions that help
bring him back. And so we give praise to God for
this and for this verse because it's true.
The importance of the mother child relationship, not only the
nurturing content, but the teaching component is critical
to the spiritual development of the child, the family, and
consequently our whole society. Now, if you think I'm condemning
women who vote or I'm sorry, who?
If you think I'm condemning or criticizing women who work, you
are mistaken. In this society, it's almost
required that women work. God bless those who have chosen
not to, and they pay the price for that.
But this modeling and teaching of children is still possible,
but it takes intentionality. You have to focus and
intentionally raise that child as you would as a godly mom.
This of course includes fathers who have a duty to help raise
that child as the child should go.
And of course grandparents and great grandparents can also help
in encouraging this. So in keeping with this idea,
let's go back to Proverbs and him seems to be a lot of
knowledge in Proverbs. I don't get it, my son, keep
your father's command and do not forsake the law of your mother.
Bind them continuously around upon your heart.
Tie them around your neck. When you roam they will lead
you, when you sleep they will keep you, and when you awake
they will speak with you. For the commandment is a lamp
and the law of light. And So what this verse is saying
is that there is power in God's commandments and that if
children are taught the basic concepts that the commandments,
that it will guide them for the rest of their lives.
And that when they roam, which implies they're not being
supervised, they'll do the right thing.
And that it will be throughout the day in in different
situations, they will be thinking about these teachings
that they learned as a child. These teachings are fundamental
moral building blocks for a child, and they're going to
remain with the child their entire life.
And I would respectfully submit that the lack of that is going
to make a huge barrier or stumbling block for an
individual to seek or find the Lord.
So give them that extra, give them that extra boost and talk
to them. Lay that foundation Now the Lord
actually says in Isaiah 6613, as a mother comforts her child, so
will I comfort you. Now, ladies, you may not take
that with the, the understanding or you may not think of this,
but I'm telling you, if the Lord compares his care for us as the
care of a mother, it tells you how first of all, important that
comfort is, but it tells you that it is the same standard as
how the Lord loves us. So you are when you impart to
that child the love, the nurturing and the teaching that
you're, you're doing the same work that God is trying to do in
US. And I think it's, I think it's
amazing. And the the second or next
component of this is that a godly woman is faithful and she
is a prayer warrior. And I'm going to Samuel one now.
When she had weaned him, she took up with her with three
bowls when he fed a flower and a skin of wine and brought him to
the House of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.
Then they slaughtered a bowl and brought the child to Eli, who
was the priest. And she said, Oh my Lord, as
your soul lives, my Lord, I am the woman who stood by you here
praying to the Lord for this child.
I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition, which I
ask of him. Therefore I have lent him to the
Lord. As long as he lives, he shall be
lent to the Lord. So they worship the Lord there.
Now, this is the story of Hannah.
She was barren and she was bitter because she was barren.
And if you remember, she was in the temple and she was privately
or quietly praying and her mouth was moving.
And the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk.
And so he confronts her and he, she tells him that she's been
adamantly praying for a child. She's been barren.
But you know who heard her? The Lord heard her and she gave
birth to Samuel who she dedicated to the Lord and Hannah
was faithful to the Lord. Hannah lived her faith and so
does this godly woman. And so ladies, the, I think
maybe the most, one of the most important components aside from
the teaching and nurturing is being a prayer warrior.
And certainly that's something that whether you're an aunt or
maybe you're even, you never had a child and you just know people
and you're concerned about them, you can become their prayer
warrior. You can kind of become their
grandma or their mom, depending on how old you are.
And you can provide prayer and uplift them.
It doesn't matter if you're in a wheelchair and you you can't
really get around your nursing home and I'm talking to the
people online. If you guys, even if you say,
well, I can't get to church, I can't do that.
If you know people in your spirit of influence that that
need prayer by God, pray for him, no pun intended.
And you grandparents and and great grandparents and aunts,
you need to be a prayer warrior for these children.
You need to be praying for your nieces and nephew and you need
to be praying earnestly and frequently for them because it's
a nasty world out there and these kids and these families,
mom and dad, actually need it. Next, moms are encouragers and,
and this is one that really personally hits me because I
lost my mom 13 years ago and my mom was the biggest encourager
of my life. And she encouraged my wife when
we got married. She absolutely loved my my son
James. And I just can't overstate how
important that was in his life and in my life and cream's life.
And we miss her. I know she's in the presence of
God and I'm happy for her, but you know, we still miss her.
And so I would tell you that a godly mom, grandma, aunt is an
encourager. And so I would encourage you to
do that. And kids need that.
I mean, you look at you look at what these kids are exposed to
now, the evil or crap, the, I mean, just the most unbelievable
stuff need to be encouraging. And you know what, you can slip
a little bit of the Bible in there sometimes if you're not
church, hey, you know, God doesn't like that or God loves
you or whatever. So be an encourager and This is
why being a godly mother and father, but godly mother,
because we're talking about that or grandma or aunt so important.
I'm going to Timothy. This is really a sad commentary
and we're actually seeing this played out in modern day
America, Second Timothy 3. But know this, that in the last
days perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving,
unforgiving, slanders without self-control, brutal, despisers
of good traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness, but denying
its power. And from such people turn away.
For of this sort are those who creep into households and take
captive of gullible women, and, I would assume, men too loaded
down with sins, LED away by various lusts, always learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.
Now as Janice and Jamberries resisted Moses, so do these also
resist the truth. Men of corrupt minds disapproved
concerning the faith, but they will progress no further, for
their folly shall be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
But you who have carefully followed my doctrine, manners of
life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love,
perseverance, prosecutions, afflictions which I have, which
happened to me at Antioch and Icon and Lystra, what
prosecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered
me. Yes, and all who desire to live
godly in Jesus Christ will suffer prosecution, but evil men
and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived. But you must continue in these
things which you have learned and have been assured of knowing
from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have
known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for
salvation to Jesus Christ. All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped
for every good work. Now, I would respectfully tell
you that it's so important your your part in raising a child
that it really can't be understated.
God bless all of you who have poured your lives into your
children or grandchildren and others around you.
You have a great reward in heaven.
But I also know in this church and in this room, there are a
number of women who had miserable childhoods or they had
horrible relationships with their moms.
Now, I don't know everybody here, but I give thanks to the
women that I'm thinking about who have put aside their
childhood experience and are now the godly women of this church.
I won't say who, I won't say what, and I won't say anymore
because I don't want to embarrass them, but they are the
witnesses now to the unsaved. I saw that here and I saw it in
Israel. They are the sounding boards for
younger women and children I see in this church in the mornings,
kids seeking them out. These older women, you know,
they're the same age. I am, I'm not old, but they are.
But I see them and I see these kids seeking them out.
And I say praise God because you just cannot state or overstate
the importance that older women have on these younger kids and
setting an example. They set an example by their
life, by the witness by word and testimony and our witness by
example. May God bless these women and
all women who have overcome these experiences.
And I know there's people here that I don't know about that
have done that. There's people listening online,
but if you've been blessed by somebody in your life, not just
the woman who gave you a life, but somebody who's poured
themselves into you, I would tell you, go tell them thank
you, give them a hug and just love on them because they need
it now. Last year I had the privilege to
give the Father's Day message. Today was not intended.
It just happened. I'm giving the other end of the
book book in today, the other book in and with this message
about Mother's Day. It just happened.
But I want to talk about something serious.
And just as with Father's Day, this holiday brings tremendous
amounts of emotion for me. It's the loss of my mom.
I know she's in heaven. I know she was saved, but it
still doesn't make it any easier.
You know, I still think 13 years later, as I'm cruising down the
road, I had to give my mom, you know, I can't give my mom a
call. She's dead.
So, but I had a positive experience.
For me, the the memory of my biggest encourager and the loss
of that is what I remember. But for others, it may be a
horrible childhood, a horrible childhood or a horrible
childhood memories or the realization that they, your
mother failed as a mother. And so that causes so much
emotion. I think there's people that you
know, may stick away from their stay away from the church during
this because it's so painful. But for those of you who had
difficult childhoods and difficult experiences with your
mother, I can tell you there's one solution.
And his name is Jesus Christ. And for your own will being, you
have to forgive that mom or that person.
You have to. And this forgiveness is not for
your mom or the bad actor. It's for you.
You have to take out that bit of poison in your life that has
not, that was not self created and allow you to to grow
spiritually and to heal with Christ.
You have to forgive that person, but remember why you have to
forgive that person. You do not have to forget.
And so this is very important for you to understand and let me
be very clear, you have to forgive that person, the abusive
person or the rotten mom, but you do not have to forget what
happened. In other words, if if you had
someone was physically abusive or you know, screaming and
yelling and you know, absent some absolute life changing
salvation that's occurred and you can see indwelling spirit of
Christ, don't expose your kids to this person.
Don't repeat the cycle. Forgive them and be as civil as
you can, but don't expose your children to them.
As I say, you have to forgive them, but you don't have to
forget. It would be the same with sexual
abuse or anything like that. So for yourself, President of
Christ, he, he will, he will help you through this and just
go to him. It's really simple to say,
Jesus, this is my situation, this is what I feel, this is
what I think and he will help you with that.
And whether you choose to tell them that you forget them
forgiving them, that's up to you.
You have to wait and see what the Holy Spirit tells you.
Now, the next level and the difficulty, I know that there
are women who may have made poor choices earlier in their lives.
This is a new level and they may be listening online, they may be
here. I don't want to know.
Maybe they had an abortion, maybe they abandoned a child.
Maybe they're just horrible moms to you.
Again, there's only one solution, and His name is Jesus
Christ. If you're wracked by guilt and
you close your eyes and are overcome by guilt over the
implications of Mother's Day, go and talk to Jesus about it.
Jesus will forgive you. He is waiting for you to come to
Him and be asked for forgiveness, and it will be
granted. At no point in human history has
someone come to Him and confess to sin and have Him go.
What he knows already the sin to happen.
He knows it. And and if you're feeling
condemnation on Mother's Day or you, you, this, you, you think
about whatever this bad event was, this bad choice was at some
point it's him saying, hey, come to me, I can take care of this.
I've got the cure. It's me.
And so I would, I would just ask that if you're feeling
tremendous guilt and you say to yourself, Jesus will not forgive
me for what I did, that is a voice of Satan.
Jesus already knows what happened.
He knows what occurred. This is not a surprise.
Satan will try to get you to do anything but go to Jesus to
confess your sin and to ask for forgiveness.
That voice that you hear, that condemnation, the calling,
whatever you're experiencing, if you have this guilt in your life
is proof that Jesus is calling you.
And He wants you to come to Him to ask for forgiveness.
And He will. He will place His indwelling
spirit in you and He'll eventually begin to work in you
and you will be able to deal with these facts.
I'm sure it's tearing you up and there's no reason to go through
it. You can't undo it.
You can only go to Jesus. Jesus absolutely loves you
despite all of your sins, and I'm living proof of it.
If you're here and you want prayer and would like to pray
with one of us, just ask. And finally, I'd like to talk
with the ladies who maybe never had children, maybe never got
married. Guess what?
I got great news. You can still be that mom or
grandma figure in someone's life.
It's never too late. If there's someone in your life
and you feel led to try and help them, that's the Holy Spirit.
Don't ignore it. The simplest way to start is to
begin praying for that person. Pray that you can see an
opportunity to support them. God will provide that
opportunity. I warn you, if you do this, you
may have so many people on your list.
You're going to have to write it down, and I hope you do.
But this is an opportunity that you can become a supportive,
Godling woman in their lives. Ask how they're doing with
sincerity and be there for them. Degenerate.
Be generous with hugs if they will accept them.
You're never too old, you're never too disabled.
You're never too tired to make a difference in someone's life.
And again, I just, I want to honor all of you ladies who have
poured your lives into someone else.
God bless each and everyone of you.
You have a great reward in heaven, and that's all I've got
to say about that. All right, So thank you.
So we're going to do one more song and then I'll close in
prayer.