Beholding God - Mother's Day

Mother’s Day Edition

Events this morning: 1. Honoring Mothers before Worship, and Message, then Communion, and fellowship.

What a mother is to you and me starts with deep knowing who that person is and what that person means to us. Our acceptance hinges on who that person is and what that means to us.

Biblically, a mother is not only a biological parent but also a nurturing and guiding figure who plays a crucial role in shaping the lives of a child, stepchild, grandchild, or even a spiritual child. My mother raise me, my grandmother did...

Some of us may have been raised by a mother, or someone stepped into that role and shaped our lives. I want to focus a little bit on what a spiritual parent is. The Bible gives biblical examples of spiritual parents—the Priest Eli, who raised Samuel at the temple. We see Paul calling Timothy [1 Tim 1:2] and Titus [Titus 1:4] his spiritual sons in the faith. As I prepared my heart for today, the Lord kept bringing my remembrance to the book of Ruth, where a mother was transformed from just a mother-in-law to the most central figure, resulting in a sobering pledge of loyalty.

Early on in the book of Ruth, we see Naomi lose her husband Elimelech and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, leaving only her two daughter-in-laws, Orpah and Ruth. At this time in biblical context, there was a great famine in the land, and Naomi knew they could not survive on their own, so she begged her daughters-in-law to go back home. Orpah leaves, but Ruth stays. In fact, she makes a vow so powerful that most do not fully realize the depths of this pledge.

Ruth 1:16–17 KJV

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

From the eyes of an outsider, we easily miss the emphasis - I can think of no greater vow than what Ruth professes to Naomi. Ruth begs Naomi not to continue asking her to leave or return to her people. In other words, please do not hinder me from staying with you or following you. In other words, I have no one else, you are my everything left.

For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people are my people. Your God is my God. Where you die, I will die. Where you are buried, I will lie also. Then we see Ruth double down on this pledge of loyalty to Naomi, who is no longer just a mother-in-law but a mother. We see the transformation of their relationship. Ruth and God do to me and even more, if anything but death, separate us.

Furthermore we see a woman who lost everything be adopted, fiercely adopted, by Ruth and scripture that Naomi saw how steadfastly minded Ruth was to follow her.

O what it mean to have of generation of Christians follow God the way Ruth follows Naomi! Imagine a revival of Your God is my God! Where you go I will go! God calls us to go! I could preach on this alone!

See, the role of a mother is to care and nurture, to provide spiritual and real-world wisdom grounded in the Word of God. A mother is made, not just through a biological status, but through the trials of rearing the child faced with exhaustion, faced with grief, faced with an inner struggle while take care of a child. We Naomi have a similar inner turmoil!

Isaiah 66:13 KJV

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

When I look at what Proverbs says I think of a woman who looketh well to the ways of her household:

Proverbs 31:25–31 KJV

Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

This church has a video and then we would like to honor the mothers with a special gift!

Beholding God!

Just like a mother knows her identity, I want to use our understanding of identity to frame today’s message of Beholding God! This sermon starts a sermon series of beholding God and maturing our faith.

Personal identity is when someone has a deep knowledge of who they are on the inside. When we have a strong identity, we see a life unmoved by others. Those marked with a strong identity have clarity and vision in their lives. There is an apparent strength very present confidence visible to thsoe around someone with a strong personal identity. A person with a strong identity does not display indecisiveness in their decision making. A person with a strong identity has a life marked with sound decisions. There is critical thought occurring. We discernment in their lives. We do not see someone watching those around them, but those with a strong identity are acutely aware of others in their lives.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” A person with a strong identity in Christ walks in power, walks in love, and walks with a sound mind. There is no fear hindering them, like Ruth, it is all or nothing!

“Where you go, I go. Where you lodge, I lodge. Your people are my people. Your God is my God! Where you die, I will die! And if anything separates us but death, let there be consequences!”

One of the passages not spoken about more is in Matthew 25, starting at verse 31 - we see the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels are with him, and as he sits on his throne of glory, he separates the nations from nations. Goats are from sheep. He says to the righteous, You fed me when I was hungry, clothed me when I was naked, gave me drink when I thirsted, and you visited me when I was in prison. He say further, Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of my brethren, you have done it to me. But to the wicked, to the unrighteous he says NOT. You did not feed me, you did not clothe me, you did not give me food or drink, you did not minister to me in prison - Inasmuch you did not any of this to the least person, you did not do it to me.

There is a very sobering reality that nations will be separated. The sheep will be separated from the goats. We have to move past the perception in our spiritual walk that living a life ordained by the world is okay, that not having Jesus Christ in your life is okay. There is a very real peril that comes with walking the wide road to damnation, but that narrow road is the only road to eternal life, and that is through Jesus Christ our Lord. The words of Jesus Christ in red are to all nations. The bible says all nations will be separated from each other like a shepherd separating the goat from the sheep. The words of Jesus Christ is confronting nations full of comfort and apathy.

The words of Jesus reveal a significant identity crisis where there needs to be a separation. The goats and the sheep have to be parceled out. That identity is the very thing Satan wants to break. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, the very first murderer, and the father of all lies. He wants you to be comfortable. He wants you to live in apathy. He wants you blind to the light of Christ! An enemy of God and of God’s people. He will stop at nothing to BLIND as many believers as possible to their true identity.

He will attack. He will tear. He will destroy. He will devour. He will infect. He will fester. He will empower our flesh, that old man, and snatch away the seeds by the wayside. He will deceive and has already imparted a terryifing gift. I can assure you it is equally terrifying as the original sin-serpent nature.

1 John 4:2–3 KJV

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

In other words, what you heard will come, has already come. Is already present. So are you beholding God, or are you beholding the spirit of the antichrist? God or mammon? Word or world? Which master do you serve?

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 KJV

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

In other words, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers IOT prevent the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, shining on them. Let me say that in an another way: the god of this world was to prevent the light of Christ from shining through to them!

2 Corinthians 3:12–18 “Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: [IOWs we have a powerful hope that the light of Christ will shine in the dark, so we use our words carefully!} [We use great plainess in our speach to prevent confusion, because there is only one author of confusion and all who follow him, have the spirit of the antichrist in them.]

And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. [Let me tell you this right now, when Christ died on that cross, there was as phsycial veil torn in the temple. But more importantly, when Christ died on the cross, therewe were bought, purchased, and redeemed by his blood. His gospel of light removes the veil from the unbelievers.] [Christ is King..not man...not religion..not some politician...Christ is King...Not some pope...Christ is King]

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [Let me tell you something: where the Spirit of God is, so is freedom. I promise you there is freedom. When the world has you bound, we have a chain breaker. When the world comes against you, we have a shield of faith protecting us from a thousand fiery darts. Let me tell you this, the bible says we have a jealous and avenging God who is like a consuming fire. When the enemy comes against you, he will consume them. He goes before and encamps around us. He who is mighty reaches into the infinite and pours into the finite.]

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

[To behold means to look, to gaze, to behold through a glass means to not just look at a window but through the window to see what is on the other side. Paul is saying with an open face look through the glass to see the glory of God. As such, through beholding, we are changed into that same image, image to image and glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. Let me tell ysometing, that meas you if you are not changing in the Lord, you are not beholding God.

If you are stuck staring at something in your life, and tehre is not change, then you are not letting the spirit of the lord change you. The promse of beholding God is that it belongs to all. Scripture is saying with an open face, we all can see the glory of God!

Another way of looking at this, is beholding a glass into the same image - is realizing when you look in the mirror you will only see who you are and who the world wants you to be! In other words, looking at your reflection chains you to your past, but looking to a glass that reflects God and seeking Him transforms us into his image.

Seeking God’s face and beholding the glory of God and his love, and his grace, and peace, and his righteousness will give us a transformational growth of love, peace, grace, and righteousness in our lives. That transformational growth is the bedrok of an identiy in Christ! That unmoving, unshaken, untimid, unfearful, unafraid not flip-flopping power of God imbued in us allows us to walk in his power, and love and make sound decisions.

Saved by grace, we were dead, but we have been quickend to life!

In Matthew 14:22-33, we see Jesus walking towards his disciples and they are scared. (v.26) says they cried out in fear saying it is a spirit. But Jesus responds with be of good cheer, it is, be not afraid, and Peter says if it is you - bid me to come. Jesus says come and so Peter walks on to water, and sees boisterous waves, chaotic water, and he taks his eyes off of Jesus and then sinks! Jesus says why did you doubt, you of litte faith! Are you doubting you walk with Christ, to Christ, are you beholding the world and not the Word of God!?

Romans 8:31 KJV

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:35 KJV

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:38–39 KJV

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

At this time, I open the altar...........

Matthew 26:26–28 KJV

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.