Mothers Day - Felch Mountain 5/14/23

Today, we want to do our best to celebrate and encourage the way that God has gifted and established women! We need women in our life, to bring balance, perspective, to help us find things that are right in front of us! We are so grateful for you and we know that we do not say it enough and we know that we don’t articulate our sentiment towards you well enough. We apologize for our shortcomings and we simply ask that you would hear this from us today. “You are loved, you are valued, and you are deserving of celebration.”

While this is a day in which we hope you will be honored, we also recognize the varying emotions of mothers day. For some, this is a day that can be very painful and we want to be sensitive to that in every way that we know how. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we want you to know that we want to come around you as we continue praying.

Lets Pray.

Dear Lord and heavenly Father, today, we thank you for how you have uniquely wired women, how you have gifted them, and how you use them to build your kingdom. Lord, we know that mothers day is both a day of celebration and can also be a reminder of suffering. So help us to encourage, build up, strengthen, and honor each woman here this morning. Lord, we pray for the hurting. We pray for peace and comfort. We pray for healing and refreshment.

Lord thank you for all of the women in our lives, who have been designed by you to portray loyalty, grace, discernment, thoughtfulness and so much more. God we pray for a hand of protection and guidance over them. That you would keep them safe and secure in your hand. Lord help us to honor our women well today, recognizing that they are a tremendous gift from you. We celebrate these women who are a reflection of yourself and in their own way demonstrate who you are. God thank you for the blessing they are to this church and our community.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Today, we will be taking a look at Romans 12, which is a transitional chapter that proclaims, if Jesus really was the Son of God, died on the cross and rose again, then this is how we should respond to Him. This is how we should live for Him.

Today, we are considering verse 12 but before we do, we need to recognize that verses 9-11 give us the context.

Romans 12:9-11 “9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

This short passage is something for all believers to strive toward. To recognize the need to serve God in this way. The first mark is “Let love be genuine.” What is interesting about this one and all of the subsequent commands in this passage is they all fall under the umbrella of the first. “Let Love be genuine.” There are a number of pastors and theologians throughout church history that have noted, in their own way, “if we could just get the love thing right, we would naturally enter into everything the Lord has for us.” The reason being, if we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, if we are truly surrendered and living for His purposes, committed to Him and all of His ways, everything else comes into play. As we look at the idea of genuine love we have to look toward God. We have heard it said that “God, is love.” That outside of Him we have no way of knowing its depths. Apart from God, love can look very different, it can be a self-centered, self-indulgent, tool that we use to get what we want out of the people around us. Sinfulness, has a way of making everything about me.

But when we live in communion with God, when we are molded and shaped by His word, surrendered to His Spirit, and walking according to His purposes, we learn what love is. We learn that it is sacrificial, it is focused on what is best for the other person, its not about defending my rights but surrendering them in order to reach the needs of the other. It means helping them find what they need verses going along with whatever it is they claim they need. Genuine love, has deep concern for the soul and actively works to draw it toward the one who can heal and restore,

The second command is “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” We must abhor what is evil, because it is not of God. To enter into it would be treason against God. We must hold fast to what is good, because God is good. We are made in His image, and as we are sanctified in Christ, we are molded more into the image of Christ. If you struggle to let go of sin, if you have a habit of coming back to the same old sins, maybe your struggle is that you have tried to defeat it in your own strength. Surrender to God, profess your love to Him. Invited Him to help you, to strengthen you, and to keep you. Come back to Him day, after day. Keep your eyes focused on the one who is able. As long as you are white knuckling it, fighting in your own strength, you will eventually stumble again and again. He is the one who is able to change your hearts desire and create in you a character that reflects Himself.

Thirdly, we see the second greatest command with new phrasing, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Again, we find that if we can get the love thing right in our relationship with God, we will be far more likely to get it right with each other. As God molds and shapes us from our time with Him and our posture of surrender, we cant help but see other people the way that God does. We are called to love each other, to promote unity. To have an understanding that family cares for each other, looks out for each other, protects, and strengthens each other. That like a mother, we are to comfort and grieve with each other. Good mom’s, have a way of demonstrating brotherly affection. They know how to demonstrate it towards their kids, meeting them where they are, helping them take one step at a time.

“Do not be slothful in zeal.” It is easy to procrastinate. To lack diligence, commitment, energy, and focus. And there are days, when you have come to the end of your rope and there is so much yet to be done. The call is not to overwork yourself the call is to be diligent. In other words, there are days and times when you simply may need to stop and rest, even if it is for a few minutes. Days when you need to say “no” to one or a few of the items on your agenda, recognizing that they can wait and that you need rest.

Resting is a command of the Bible, its something God modeled for us in creation, Jesus modeled rest in His life on earth. Rest is important and we all need to be intentional about having a sabbath day. Yet we are called to be good workers. We are called to have zeal in our service to the Lord. Therefore we must find an appropriate balance of working hard and resting.

Have you found that balance?

While it is true that we need to find that balance in our lives, Paul is specifically referring to zeal in our serving the Lord. In other words, there needs to be urgency that demonstrates our commitment to God.

are you diligent in spending time with God?

Are you quick to serve God where there is opportunity?

Do you willingly and prayerfully lean into the lives of people around you?

Secondly, Paul says “Be fervent in Spirit.” Greek and English can be like two toddlers wanting to play with the same toy and they don’t always play nice together. When we study the Greek text we find the idea here is really focused on allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way with your spirit. Surrendering to Him in a way that stirs up the coals of the fire in your soul in order to readily serve the Lord in each moment. Its that fire that gives us confidence and hope of what Christ can do in us and through us. When our spiritual coals are stirred they produce believers who are diligent and enthusiastic in their pursuit of Christ.

The third element is “Serve the Lord.” Let this be the motivation of your heart!

This is the hinge point. Everything before it is in the context of serving the Lord. whats after it, serve the Lord. This should be the motivation and intent of my heart. That I love the Lord and I want to serve Him. That I learn to hate my sin and cling to what is good because I am His servant and I want to be faithful to Him. That when I demonstrate brotherly love, it is that I am simply showing to others what He shows to me. Its not about being seen, receiving accolades, or getting something. Its about knowing who you where created to be.

Romans 12:12 “12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Again, we find three elements to this verse and we are going to walk through them one at a time.

When we consider the very idea of biblical hope, rejoicing should come naturally.

Hope carries the expectation of a positive outcome. Hope compels people to contribute sacrificially. It inspires people to do and give more than they normally would. Hope in and of itself has the ability to bring immediate change to the attitudes and actions of people..... Hope is significant and powerful in the way that influences the core of human will. But we haven't yet considered biblical hope.

Biblical hope is all of this and more. It has an understanding that there is an all powerful, perfectly righteous God who is personable and loves us with such depth that He took on the punishment of our sin for us.

- I can have hope that my evil thoughts, unfair judgments and comparisons are of others will come to an end. That each of our shortcomings and sinful attitudes will cease. Knowing that I am not perfect, I make mistakes, and I have a propensity to choose sin. But with Jesus I can be forgiven. I am no longer a slave to sin but am freed from its grip by simply turning it over to Jesus. Meaning that I can stand freely and openly before God in heaven as someone who is sinful yet seen by God as the righteousness of Jesus. This gives hope for a day when the sin struggle will be over, when we enter into the courts of heaven, A place where there is no sin, no evil, no wrongdoing, no crying, no pain. A place where we will be in the presence of God.

- I would say that is something to rejoice over!

Our hope is reflective in looking back to the cross where Jesus died. Our hope is immediate in that we know how everything ends, so we don't have to get lost in the weeds. Our hope is forward looking and expectant of the day that we will enter eternity. Lets not be mistaken, hope was about Jesus, hope is about Jesus, and hope will always be about Jesus.

The natural product of a Christians hope is rejoicing. Mothers, do you have hope for how God is at work in your children? Do you have hope for how He will continue to be at work in your children? Do you rejoice, for the ways in which you have already seen Him moving in their lives?

Romans 12:12 “12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

tribulation - Affliction - hardships - suffering - however you want to express it, the point is that we will experience struggle and pain in this life. Paul’s understanding of it seems to be that it is par for the course in the christian life. In 1 Thessalonians 3:3 Paul says we are “destined” for them.

Philippians 1:29 “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,”

We know there will be challenges and many of us have experienced or witnessed unbearable types of pain. Because we can anticipate it, we can prepare for it - but more than that we need to understand there is something powerful about suffering. It teaches us a type of perseverance that can only be learned through hardship. But that learned perseverance is translatable to our faith, our attitudes, our fortitude in coming battles. It has a way of training and building people up to better face the challenges they will endure. The list goes on and on that when we go through some form of suffering the right way, leaning on God and doing it His way, it produces a unique growth in us that develops our character.

But we must be careful not to respond to suffering our way. Our temptation is to lean into self pity or to try and solve our problems before we ever seek God’s forgiveness or wisdom. Don’t control the situation, surrender it.

Secondly, God is in the battle with us. Scripture tells us that He is near the broken hearted (Psalm 34:18), that He personally comforts us in our affliction (2 Cor. 1:4), that God will pay back those who cause affliction to His children (2 Thess. 1:6) and then there are verses like 2 Corinthians 4:17 that remind us that our painful trials will come to an end and their memory will seem insignificant.

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Your affliction may not seem light.... but it will.

You might not feel like God is with you in the battle.... but He is.

Your struggles may not seem worth it..... but they are.

you might not understand why you are experiencing affliction, but God does..... and He says be patient. Be patient in this and allow me to do a work in your heart and in your mind to develop your character, to bring greater maturity into you life so that I can use you according to my plan. God loves you, He cares about your struggles and your pains, and He will not leave you.

This word patient does not mean to be lazy, indifferent, or finding ways to check out of reality. running to your phone, social media and other distractions are not examples of patience in the midst of trials. Nor does it mean that we should passively endure until the affliction has come and gone.

To be patient in tribulation is to actively seek out what God desires in your affliction. Its the idea of keeping a disposition before the Lord that says, “Teach me, use me, lead me, and may you be glorified.” Even if its hard. Even if it hurts. Even if I don’t like it, “Lord, would you teach me, use me, and lead me through this so that you may be glorified.”

Esther

I think Esther understood this disposition. She was witness to an evil man who wanted to destroy the Israelites. She had to sit and wait for the appropriate time. I can only imagine the weight that she felt, not just knowing her people were in danger but watching this man’s plans develop and come together. Yet she remained strong, she did not sit on the side but in her patience actively pursued a plan that would save the people of Israel and bring glory to God. Yet, she didn’t try to control and manipulate the situation. She allowed the Lord to lead her, through people like Mordecaih.

Romans 12:12 “12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Prayer is the oxygen of our Spiritual life. It keeps us in relationship with the Father. It orients our attention towards Him and helps us to understand just how much we need Him. Prayer will often bring sweet moments of intimacy and memorable moments of feeling the presence of God’s Spirit. It is a time where the believer will know what it is like to have the weight of sin lifted off them. Where they can freely surrender their fears and anxieties. Prayer is essential to the Christian life.

Yet prayer is often miss used, misunderstood, and even mechanical.

Prayer was never meant to be the same string of words that pray each night before bed nor a repetition of the Lord’s prayer. Some believe they are teaching their kids to pray by repeating these words.

But is there relationship building in this repetition?

Is there a fresh surrender of the heart?

Is there genuine confession of sin?

Or over time, have the words lost there meaning and now our prayer is nothing more than checking the box?

Prayer is our way of communicating with God and simultaneously our opportunity to rest in His presence. I would be curious to know how many people in this room genuinely feel like they are resting in the presence of God when they pray? I think many of us are focused on what we want to pray for, saying it in a respectful way, and making sure that we are considerate of whoever is in the room. While these are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, I think our concern of what others are thinking and feeling is often a distraction from communion with God.

Prayer is meant to be a time and a place where we don't have to feel pressure to impress. where we don't have to say the right words. Where we can rest and be filled with the Spirit. It’s not something we rush through because we need to hurry up and eat. Prayer is that moment where you are intentionally setting aside time to come before the throne of God. Understanding that He is not a box to be checked or a person to impress.

God wants to hear from you, He wants you to be open with Him. He wants you to invite Him into your celebration and your discouragement. He wants to be the friend you turn to because you value their input. Prayer is about building a relationship with the only person who has any real authority… and its that same person that loved you enough to die for you.

Paul calls us to constant prayer. Learning to live in a posture of prayer is learning how to submit every thought, every action, and every motivation of the heart to God. As trials and tribulations come, a posture of prayer turns and praises God for His blessing, His faithfulness, and asks for His will to be fulfilled. A posture of prayer is to constantly be conversing with God as a friend, sharing our every thought, emotion, and situation. We need to practice revealing the depths of our hearts to Him, knowing that we can trust Him. A posture of prayer, is diligent to pray in solitude with regularity. A posture of prayer, seeks to lay hands on others for healing, encouragement, blessing, and anointing.

Prayer is essential to the believer, it is the oxygen that keeps our faith in God strong.

Romans 12:12 “12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

I am a believer, that moms who know how to carry these verses out well will not only be a great mom, a great wife, a great friend, but they will also produce spiritual children who will love and fear the Lord for all of their days.

Proverbs.

English Standard Version (Chapter 31)

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.