Sermon Tone Analysis

So they needed to keep the cost down for this conference to enable as many pastors to be able to come as possible so even though it's off-season on the beaches, well, they selected a hotel that was, let's just say, inexpensive as possible.

I've been to a number of emerging Third World countries and their hotels can be interesting.

Interesting.

This particular one where I stayed had 9 stories, hundreds of guest rooms but only one very small elevator.

Unfortunately, the elevator didn't always work.

I came out of my room, I was on the third floor and one morning when I had just gotten there, the elevator doors were just partially open and you could look down and see all the way down to the bottom of the elevator shaft.

At that point, I decided that perhaps the Lord wanted me to get some additional cardiovascular exercise by just taking the stairs for the rest of my stay there.

That was a bit challenging because the teaching sessions were on the top floor, on the 9th floor, but that seemed better than the toppling down the elevator shaft option so that's what I did.

The Real War on Women!

One night I had finished teaching and the sun had already gone down.

We're coming down the stairs and we're starting to mix with quite a few of the other hotel guests who were coming in for the weekend when all the lights went out.

All the lights went out.

There's nothing quite like being in a stairwell with a bunch of people who don't speak your language when things go pitch black.

Several things started happening.

Some people just started screaming and on Mother's Day, I won't go into the gender of the persons who thought that was the best option.

I'm way smarter than that so we'll just skip that part of the story.

But that was decidedly unhelpful.

It really was but that didn't stop them.

It didn't stop them at all.

Others started talking loudly in Albanian about what I assume was either guesses about the nature of the problem or maybe the possible solution.

That didn't do much for me either because I couldn't understand a word that they were saying.

Finally, a man I didn't even know, I assume now he was someone from the conference that I don't even know, he tapped me on the shoulder, he reached into his pocket and he took out a cell phone and because he had apparently been in this situation on a number of occasions before, he had installed an app on his iPhone.

He turned it on, the flashlight app, and led me safely to my room.

I was reminded once again of the well-known but very true saying: it's often better to light a candle or in this case light a cell phone, than to scream at the darkness.

You see, only one person was able to get me to safety.

That was the fellow with the light.

The fellow with the light.

In this politically driven culture, you hear the phrase “war on women” as political jargon thrown around in efforts to convince you that this particular person or group hates women...

we are not here to open the can of worms of political debates, but I ask you, is what our culture defines as a “war on women” really what they say it is or could there be something far deeper, far darker and more sinister at play?

Think with me for just a moment and consider the sinister level to which our culture has plummeted...

God’s definition of the family...a man married to a woman…no need to go any further...

I would suggest to you that that metaphor is especially appropriate for followers of Jesus Christ on a Sunday like Mother's Day.

I don't think there's ever been a point in any of our lifetimes where the cultural darkness has been more pervasive, especially when it comes to the nature of the family.

What it means to be a woman, what it means to be a wife, what it means to be a mother is now being openly debated in ways that are shockingly dark.

Shockingly dark.

So a political candidate proudly proclaims that religion must change in order to accommodate her particular view of abortion on demand.

Just recently, she and those like her will decide when a person is a mother and when she isn't and when a child's life is worthy of preserving and when it's not.

And make no mistake about this: when she recently publicly condemned the company like Hobby Lobby's position on this matter, she wasn't just saying that you could not exercise your religious freedom or that your opinion shouldn't be considered when making public policy, she was demanding that everyone's religious views worldwide have to change.

I would suggest to you that that metaphor is especially appropriate for followers of Jesus Christ on a Sunday like Mother's Day.

I don't think there's ever been a point in any of our lifetimes where the cultural darkness has been more pervasive, especially when it comes to the nature of the family.

What it means to be a woman, what it means to be a wife, what it means to be a mother is now being openly debated in ways that are shockingly dark.

Shockingly dark.

So a political candidate proudly proclaims that religion must change in order to accommodate her particular view of abortion on demand.

Just recently, she and those like her will decide when a person is a mother and when she isn't and when a child's life is worthy of preserving and when it's not.

And make no mistake about this: when she recently publicly condemned the company like Hobby Lobby's position on this matter, she wasn't just saying that you could not exercise your religious freedom or that your opinion shouldn't be considered when making public policy, she was demanding that everyone's religious views worldwide have to change.

.

What it means to be a woman, what it means to be a wife, what it means to be a mother is now being openly debated in ways that are shockingly dark.

Shockingly dark.

So a political candidate proudly proclaims that religion must change in order to accommodate her particular view of abortion on demand.

Just recently, she and those like her will decide when a person is a mother and when she isn't and when a child's life is worthy of preserving and when it's not.

And make no mistake about this: when she recently publicly condemned the company like Hobby Lobby's position on this matter, she wasn't just saying that you could not exercise your religious freedom or that your opinion shouldn't be considered when making public policy, she was demanding that everyone's religious views worldwide have to change.

Gender confusion verses Gender creation...parents even allowing their children to undergo gender transformation surgery is not considered child abuse...

Murdering babies inside the womb has now turned to allowing murder of those outside the womb who survive abortions....they can be left to die on a table while the people decide what to do next…

What it means to be a woman, what it means to be a wife, what it means to be a mother is now being openly debated in ways that are shockingly dark.

What it means to be a woman, what it means to be a wife, what it means to be a mother is now being openly debated in ways that are shockingly dark.

Fundamental questions like “At what point does a woman become a mother?” and “when is a child’s life worth saving” fail to be asked.

Fundamental questions like “At what point does a woman become a mother?” and “when is a child’s life worth saving” fail to be asked.

I would suggest to you this morning that the “war on women” is not a political platform…what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a wife and what it means to be a mother is attacked openly within a culture that is driven by spiritual darkness and Satan himself.

The very definition of marriage is now before 9 Supreme Court judges and at least Justice Kennedy was willing to be honest publicly about the core issue.

This isn't a matter of rights, first and fundamentally it's an issue of definition which is why he said, "This definition has been with us for millennia," that is, the traditional definition of marriage being between one man and one woman.

He said, I quote, "This definition has been with us for millennia.

It's very difficult for the court to say, well, we know better."

We'll see.

That's why Chief Justice Roberts later explained, "You're not just seeking to join this institution but change what this institution is."

And their decision, as you know, is expected next month and I don't know anybody who believes anything but that the justices will move to redefine marriage which, if that happens, will be one of the court's most far reaching decisions in their 225 year history but that's where we are.

I would suggest to you this morning that the “war on women” is not a political platform…what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a wife and what it means to be a mother is debated openly within a culture that is driven by spiritual darkness and Satan himself.

The question then becomes: what are people who say they know and love God supposed to do in a culture that is so dark?

We could throw our arms up in despair, surround ourselves with tons of bubble wrap and try to protect ourselves from the wicked onslaught...

Or we could face the challenge head on and stand firm in the Word of God that declares right from wrong and sets the pattern for what we think and do!

What does the Word of God tell us about being a woman, wife and mother in a way that is counter-cultural?…in other words,

How can today’s believing woman, wife and mother shine the light of Christ in a pervasively dark world?

How can today’s believing woman, wife and mother shine the light of Christ in a pervasively dark world.

To answer that question let’s turn to the pages of the Old Testament to ...

If you know anything about Scripture, you know that the period of the Judges looks a lot like the culture of the 21st century...

This spring we're doing a series entitled "Grace for the Family."

Aren't you glad there is grace for the family?

That's what makes having any kind of light possible, of course, grace for the family.

That's part of our overall theme this year of "Finding Grace."

Finding grace.

Our study this morning, I realize you might be shocked that I ask you on Mother's Day to turn to the book of Judges, well, our study this morning brings us to a very sad time in the history of God's people, the period of the judges, the years between the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua to the establishment of Israel's first king, King Saul, in 1043 BC.

I recently read through this book as part of my devotional time and that's why it's good to read through books of the Bible at one sitting if you can.

I was just struck by how similar this period of history is to the day and age in which we live but what's marvelous is the gracious saving hand of our redeeming God in spite of the rebellion of even his own people and the rare examples of faithfulness that shine like the bright lights that Paul would later describe, including an unnamed woman who just happened to be the mother of one of Israel's judges, a wild man in many ways.

We know his name, huh?

His name was Samson.

But Samson's story is fascinating for all sorts of reasons including how much of this entire narrative is devoted to the story of his mom.

This was a sad time in the history of God's people…but one of the marvelous truths about that time period can also be true of ours…that truth is that God can graciously deliver a nation in spite of the rebellion and provide shining lights in world plagued with darkness...

I am presently reading through this book as part of my devotional time and I am quickly drawn into the comparisons of that time period to ours...

One of the marvelous truths about that time period can be true of ours…that truth is that God can graciously deliver a nation in spite of the rebellion and provide shining lights in world plagued with darkness...

When people who don’t know the Bible are asked to name a character from the Bible, a high percentage of people will name Samson…one of Israel's judges…his story is a fascinating one, but the text we are looking at this morning is devoted to the story of his mom…

Our focus on this Mother’s Day is to examine this godly woman, wife and mother who lived in a time much like ours to discover truth for today’s woman who wants to glorify God.

Even In Dark Times Godly Women Honor God!

1 Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children.

3 Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.

5 For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

That's the most important part of everything that I have read so far, "he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome.

And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.

7 But he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'"

8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born."

9 God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field,

It's interesting Manoah was not there.