Generational Mothering

May 12th 2024

Series: Who is the Holy Spirit?

Sermon Title: Generational Mothering

Topic: Appreciating the women in our lives and looking at great examples of mothers in the Bible.

Key Passages: VARIOUS

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will appreciate the women in our lives and look at great examples of mothers in the Bible. We will learn how to be a Godly mother, grandmother, aunt, or spiritual mother.

***1st week ODD months add communion & target message at 15 pages.

***1st week EVEN months add space for dedication, baptism, or ministry highlight & target message at 15 pages.

***Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, and/or a picture that goes on the screens.

***Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.

Dedication, Baptism, or Ministry Highlight:

Sermon:

***Message is designed to be preached with two people…can be a husband and wife…can make it one person if needed.

***Designed for Campus Pastor to still intro….

Campus Pastor –

Hello Family Church!

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.

Celebrate salvation’s / re-dedications / baptisms last week.

Those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church we are SUPER happy you are with us today!

We are pausing in our sermon series walking through the Holy Spirit today to instead focus in on amazing mothers in the Bible because today is Mother’s Day!!!

So can you do this for me…

Will you please turn to the ladies around you and say, “Happy Mother’s Day!”

If you are by your mother, grandmother, or spiritual mother, give them a hug!

PAUSE

Now, if you are sad we are pausing on the series in the Holy Spirit, well….just come back next week, and we will be back in it!

PAUSE

Now I have to admit….

I am SUPER excited about today’s message….

Because today I get to do something that does not happen very often around here!!!

Today I get to welcome TWO amazing ladies to preach today!!!!

Will you encourage them as they comes up here with me….

PAUSE

Now let me say this…..

You all need to be encouraging to the ladies because she doesn’t do this every week….

So can you promise to all smile more…

Amen more…

Laugh at her jokes…

Because we know here jokes are better than mine…

Speaking of jokes….

Let me start out with one…

One time a man took his wife and mother-in-law on vacation to the Holy Land.

Sadly, his mother-in-law passed away.

A funeral director told him they could ship the body home for $5,000, or she could be buried in the Holy Land for $150.

The husband said, “I will have her shipped home.”

The funeral director said, “Why would you spend so much when she can be buried in the land of your savior.”

The man said, “Well…because I know Jesus was buried here 2 thousand years ago….

and he raised from the dead after three days….

and I just cannot take that chance it will happen again…

PAUSE

Lady 1 –

That is a HORRIBLE joke!

Ok…you can go now…so we can encourage the ladies here not discourage them!!!

And you better never think about doing that to my mom!

I hope you all can forgive our pastors for their bad jokes!

PAUSE

Let me explain what we are hoping to do today.

We are hoping to help all the ladies in the house, and really, this can apply to all the men as well: learn how to be a generationally Godly leader.

A mother that leads her house to be Godly.

A woman who leads in the business world how God desires.

A girl who loves Jesus in school.

A young adult who lives out Godly values.

PAUSE

But before we get into that, we are going to have some FUN today!

Today, we will honor all the women…but TWO women will get an extra special blessing!

We want to give extra honor to the woman who has been a mother the LONGEST in the room today!!!

Can all mothers please stand up…

Ok, stay standing if you have been a mother MORE than 5 years….10 years…15 years…20 years…30 years…40 years….50 years…

(Keep going until only 1 standing)

Give them the prize….

Younger lady

Now let’s do the same thing for the youngest mother in the room!

Can all mothers please stand up…

Ok, stay standing if you have been a mother LESS than 5 years…. 2 years…1 years…6 months…3 months… 1 month…

(Keep going until only 1 standing)

Give them the prize….

PAUSE

And all women today will be getting a special gift as you exit.

Again, ALL women…regardless of whether you are a mother or not.

Men…you have to wait until Father’s Day to get your prize!

PAUSE

Lady 1 –

We are going to have some fun today!

I promise you all that!

Today’s message is called “Generational Mothering.”

But I know we have women at all different stages of life, and we want to pour into all the women today.

And I promise you that today’s message will apply to women in all stages of life.

Now, men, let me say this…

Just because we are talking about women today does NOT mean you can tune out!

Because here is the reality….behind EVERY great man is a great mother.

So…we want to start out with a video tribe to the mothers in the room…check out this video…video of kids thanking their moms by campus…

Lady 2 –

Ladies…

We know how hard it is to be a woman….

We know how we all think we fall so short in life….

We know some of us feel inadequate because we are not married yet…

Or we cannot have children…

Or we are divorced…

Or our kids currently hate us…

But ladies….there is always hope…

And while we are NOT perfect, God did create us to do life with the families we have…

And while you might think…you will never measure up…

Let me give you a few famous female examples in the Bible of women who either didn’t want to listen to God or were on a path we might say would not allow them to be used by God:

- Sarah laughed at God’s promises. - Leah was not pretty enough. - Rehab was a prostitute. - Esther was orphaned. - The Samaritan Woman had been divorced many times. - Hannah was unable to have children. - Ruth’s husband had passed away and she had to beg to live.

- Mary got pregnant as a teenager when she was engaged.

Ladies….

The question isn’t can God use broken people to do big…

We KNOW God does that…

The question is when will we stop living in our past and start living in God’s view of us.

Maybe write that question down.

When will I stop living in my past and start seeing myself through God’s eyes?

Repeat

None of those women I just listed were perfect.

They were just ordinary people used by God for an extraordinary purpose.

We are all ordinary, and God can do GREAT things through us as well!!!

Being used by God for His Kingdom is not about being flawless.

It's about being willing and surrendering our hearts,

Our lives,

Our agenda to God.

PAUSE

One of the greatest gifts you can give your children, your co-workers, your friends, and your neighbors is to be a Godly leader!!!

I am blessed to have had several great examples in my life…

Mothers, grandmothers, and aunts have an incredible influence on our lives.

ADD EXAMPLES LIKE THIS

Grandma Example

Grandma was always at church serving.

Grandma always praying.

Grandma had a deep impression on me.

Aunt or Spiritual Mother Example

PAUSE

Mother Example

And, of course, there is my mom.

I would not be the woman of God I am today without my mom.

PAUSE

Lady 1 –

Let me ask you all a question today, there was a man in the Bible that was named Timothy.

Grab your Bible and open it to

2 Timothy 1

New Person Bible Connection:

And if you do not have a Bible, that is ok!

After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACE and get one for FREE!!!

PAUSE

Timothy is a guy who we learned about in our Acts series.

He has a few books in the Bible about him….

He planted churches…

He went from a kid to a very important guy in the Bible…

Does anyone remember who guided him to faith?

Look at this passage:

2 Timothy 1:5, I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Do you see that?

His grandmother passed down his faith to his mother, who passed it on to Timothy!!!

It started with Grandma Lois!

Isn’t that awesome?

And I know a lot of people probably think it was Paul’s preaching that brought Timothy to salvation in Jesus Christ.

But I don’t think so….I think it was years of godly influence by Grandma Lois and his mother.

PAUSE

And let me show you why I believe that….flip over to chapter 3 and drop down to verse 10. Let’s listen to what Paul says.

A Final Charge to Timothy

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,

11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Who does that sound like taught Timothy the Bible and led him to salvation?

His mother….His grandmother….

Lady 2 -

You can see here the generational blessing we are talking about today…

Through faith in God and by honoring His Word, godly mothers have great influence as they train their children.

PAUSE

Let me share with you a story about one woman in the Bible who radically changed her family and her nation.

Deborah – Judges 4-5

Deborah – Deborah comes into the picture in the book of Judges. During a season of war.

This was during a time when there was no king and the people were ruled by judges. (Judges 2:16)

At one point something that seemed unthinkable happened.

Inside a culture where women did NOT lead.

Where most women were treated like objects.

Where a man was always the leader, a woman named Deborah was appointed as the judge.

Judges 4:4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.

Now that small verse makes Deborah even more unique.

As both prophet and judge, Deborah exercised complete religious, political, judicial, and militaristic authority over the people of Israel.

In our modern times, that would be like being president, pope, and general all in one person!

She was essentially Israel’s commander-in-chief.

She called the shots.

She made the battle plans.

She ruled and she did a great job.

Judges 4-5 recounts Deborah’s successful military campaign.

Judges 5 is the Song of Deborah; which is one of the oldest military poems in the world.

Judges 5 is one of the first pieces of Hebrew poetry.

Judges 5 is probably the oldest song about a female military leader in the world!

Amazing isn’t it!

And to make it even better, listen to how the story of Deborah’s leadership ends.

Judges 5: 31 Then the land had peace forty years.

Deborah is just one example of a strong woman that led the nation of Israel through an extended time of peace.

And accomplished some amazing things as their leader.

Lady 1 -

One of my personal favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Esther.

Esther – Book of Esther

Esther is a great Bible figure to study in my opinion because much of her plot in life was forced upon her; but she did not react like most people.

And let me show you what I mean.

Open your Bibles with me to the book of Esther.

As you are getting there, I want to give you a little background on Esther because she is quite remarkable.

Let me lead out with this…..because I want you to notice this as we walk through her story…..

You will not see Esther whining and complaining about her plot in life.

She did not say it is not my fault; I didn’t choose this life!

She did not rebel because it wasn’t her dream.

What you will see is how she trusted those God placed in leadership over her and how she made the best of every situation and most of all depended on God.

It is really quite remarkable if you will take the time this morning to put yourself in her shoes and listen to this story.

Try today to picture you in her shoes and see if you would respond like her.

PAUSE

Esther was incredibly brave and a wise leader in her own right; but it did not start out that way.

She grew up in modern day Iran.

At this point in history it is ruled by the Persians and none less than the famous ruler king Xerxes.

Xerxes believed he was a living god.

And he was conquering the world like none before him which fed his already inflated ego.

Xerxes was evil to his core….ruthless…and if you study him….the things he did was nothing short of horrifying…..

PAUSE

And into that world….is born Esther.

In Esther chapter 1 the first 9 verse talk about the party king Xerxes is throwing.

Let’s pick up in verse 10.

Esther 1: 10-12 10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas—

11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.

12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

Pause here

So the queen refuses to come and be treated like an object by her husband….

She stands up to him and does the right thing and does not come….

The rest of this chapter is about how the king and his leaders decide because of this, she should no longer be his wife, and she is disposed of.

And this chapter ends with these words from Xerxes:

22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household,

PAUSE

Do you have a good idea of what Xerxes thinks about women?

Do you have a good picture of him?

The kind of man he is?

He is not a good man.

Has a low view of women.

Chapter 2 you can read it later….is all about Xerxes sending out to find the most beautiful women in all his lands…

And that is when Esther is found…

Esther 2: 9 She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.

Now bear in mind….

ESTHER did NOT choose this life!

Esther didn’t choose to be a woman in the harem of an incredible ruthless and evil man….

But that is where she found herself….

And the next several verses are about how she embraces her life.

She does what so many of us struggle to do…..

She submits…….

She submits……

I am confident she was scared beyond anything we can imagine!

I am confident she cried herself to sleep many nights……

I am confident she debated with God about what was happening in her life……

Because that is the same thing we do when God asks us to do something we do NOT want to do or when God forces us into some place we do NOT want to be!

PAUSE

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever felt like God was calling you to do something you did not want to do?

Maybe you did not want to be a mother…but you got pregnant…so now you have no choice!

Add a story that ties…

That was my story once…..

I was being thrust into a place I did NOT want to be…..

and my initial reaction was not great……

But then I made the choice to embrace the miracle God had given us and my life began to change radically!

Understand

When we embrace our place; we can better see God working.

LADY 2 –

And that is what happened with Esther…..

She embraces her place in life….

She embraces where God has her, and yes, her life changes radically….

But God does amazing things through this young woman.

And I know it is SO hard for us to accept change.

I know it is SO hard for us to let go of our dreams for what our life will be.

It is so hard to let go of our dreams…

To trust God when our friends no longer want to be friends.

To not be mad at God when our boyfriend breaks up with us.

To let go of the idea of what we think our church should be……

To let go of our perfect ideal picture of what our family should be like…

We forget….none of that is ours….it is all God’s……

PAUSE

It is SO hard to let go and say, “God I trust you! I trust you have me on a path to bring you more glory….

and God even if it is not the life I want….

Even if this marriage isn’t want I always dreamed of….

God even if my family isn’t perfect….

Because GOD it is NOT ABOUT ME….

It is about YOU!

And I submit!

I trust your guiding!!!”

PAUSE

And girls, ladies, women here today. I want all of you to walk away from church today knowing something…..

That if you will submit to the plans God has for your life….you will change the world!

It might not be the life you would have picked….but trust me it will be the most fulfilling life you could ever imagine…..

And mother’s let me say this…..

Thank you.

Without you our world would be a very different place.

All men, whether we want to admit it or not…….

We need you and we are better because we have you in our lives.

We all owe so much to our mothers….more than we can ever put into words…..

Let me share your life application with you today….

For those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church.

We end our messages with a Life Application.

It is simply something to help you go home and process this message with someone else.

Something to help you continue to ponder how you can apply today's message into your life.

So here is what I want you all to spend some time processing and talking with someone about.

Life Application: How could you trust God more in life and let go?

As a result of today’s message, I will _________________________.

Prayer:

Make sure to do salvation call!

Offering:

Thank you all for being here today!

If you would like to continue your worship through giving, there are offering boxes by the doors as you exit or behind me on the screens you can see other ways to give here at Family Church.

You can also place any connection cards you filled out in there.

***Each week we want to highlight a different way to give.