My Only Mom

A six-year-old boy, separated from his mother in a supermarket, began to call frantically for “Martha! Martha! Martha!”

That was his mother’s name and she came running to him quickly. “But, honey,” she admonished, “you shouldn’t call me ‘Martha’, I’m ‘Mother’ to you.” “Yes, I know,” he answered, “but this store is full of mothers.”

And you, Martha is.. “My Only Mom”

That’s why we call mothers as “mom” because “MOM” stands for “My Only Mother”

SERMON TITLE: “My Only Mom”

Our world is full of mothers, but we have only one mother who is special.

Our world is full of mothers, but we have only one mother who is special. Should be. Must always be. There is no one like our mothers. And no one can take the place of our mothers.

She should be. Must always be. There is no one like our mothers.

And no one can take the place of our mothers.

Because they are special, they deserve a gift

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT

Let me give you some things to remember whenever you’re buying your mom a gift for Mother’s Day

Don’t buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times.

Don’t buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She’ll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that’s she’s overweight.

Don’t buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can’t afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn’t want.

And, guys, do not fall into the traditional trap of buying her sexy underwear. Your idea of the kind your wife should wear and what she actually wears are light years apart.

Finally, don’t spend too much. "How do you think we’re going to afford that?" she’ll ask. But don’t spend too little. She won’t say anything, but she’ll think, "Is that all I’m worth?"

What can I buy for her then?… maybe nothing! Just be there for her and save the money for next year!

Today we are all here gathered to worship our One true living God

And also to honor our mothers…Question!

Does “all” mothers deserve honor? Yes, No or Maybe?

I said that “all” mothers deserves honor in their own right...

Because they know if they don’t (deserve honor)

Maybe just like this one mother in this story…

GOODBYE, MOTHER!

By Ed Vasicek

GOODBYE, MOTHER!

A young man was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed a little old lady following him around. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored her and continued on. Finally he went to the checkout line, but she got in front of him.

"Pardon me, sonny" she said, "I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look just like my son, who I haven't seen in a long time."

"That's a shame," replied the young man, "is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes," she said, "as I'm leaving, can you say 'Good bye, Mother!' It would make me feel so much better."

"Sure," answered the young man. As the old woman was leaving, he called out, "Good bye, Mother!" She waved and blew him a kiss.

As he stepped up to the checkout counter, he saw that his total was $127.50. "How can that be?" he asked, "I only purchased a few things!"

"Your mother said that you would pay for her," said the clerk.

Many mothers are blessed with families that resemble the Cleavers on Leave It To Beaver; but many – perhaps most mothers – must face tough challenges.

This could be a funny story, but realistically, there’s a lot of mothers out there that are struggling to survive as I speak

[source: www.getamused.com, altered]

Speaking of struggling to survive, I’d like to talk to you about 2 very significant mothers in the Bible… Naomi and Ruth who had so much struggle to survive..

Naomi and her family was struggling to survive when a great famine hit Bethlehem

Together with her husband Elimelek, and along with their 2 sons, Mahlon and Kilion, they went to the country of Moab to live for a while

Elimelek died and then her 2 sons married Moabite women, one named Orpah and other Ruth

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After they lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died

That left Naomi with her 2 daughter-in-laws, Ruth & Orpah

When Naomi heard that the Lord had come to aid Bethlehem by providing food for them, she prepared to return home

Naomi told her 2 daughters-in-law to go back to their families because they have no future with her, she’s too old to have another husband, and even if she gives birth to new sons, it will not makes sense for Ruth and Orpah to wait for them

Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye but, Ruth insisted to stay

Ruth said, where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. Only death can set us apart!

Your people will be my people

Ruth 1:16–18 NIV

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Remember Ruth was a Moabite and she worshipped other gods

What did Naomi do to Ruth that she was willing to abandon her own family, her people, her land, and the god she worshipped, to stick with Naomi when there was no indication of a good future going with her?

What did Ruth saw from Naomi?

Naomi was not a “perfect” mother like everyone else, when she lost her husband and sons, she wanted people to call her Mara, which means “bitterness”

Ruth 1:20 NIV

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.

That makes her very human just like all mothers here in this room

Sometimes we blame God for our circumstances

She was not perfect, but she deserves “honor”

Mothers here are not “perfect” but they deserve honor

...There is a story about four preachers discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible.

There is a story about four preachers discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version best because of its simple, beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it was closer to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked a contemporary version because of its up to date vocabulary. The fourth minister was silent for moment, then said, “I like my, mother’s translation best.” Surprised, the other three men said they didn’t know his mother had translated the Bible. “Yes,” he replied. “She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw.”

One liked the King James Version best because of its simple, beautiful English.

There is a story about four preachers discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version best because of its simple, beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it was closer to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked a contemporary version because of its up to date vocabulary. The fourth minister was silent for moment, then said, “I like my, mother’s translation best.” Surprised, the other three men said they didn’t know his mother had translated the Bible. “Yes,” he replied. “She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw.”

Another liked the American Revised Version best because it was closer to the original Hebrew and Greek.

Still another liked a contemporary version because of its up to date vocabulary.

The fourth minister was silent for moment, then said, “I like my, mother’s translation best.”

Surprised, the other three men said they didn’t know his mother had translated the Bible.

“Yes,” he replied. “She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw.”

The most convincing translation of God’s Word is our lives

Ruth will not stay with Naomi if her life was not convincing enough

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Ruth is not going to give up her faith to her pagan god if she did not see “hope” through Naomi

Remember, the definition of faith is hope for assurance about what we do not see, says in Hebrew 11

Naomi was able effectively passed-on her faith to Ruth

And that faith changed everything that happened after

That faith changed us! How?…

Did you know that because of that faith Naomi shared to Ruth, she became the wife of Boaz, that bore Obed as her son, who became the father of Jesse, the father of David… and that blood connection runs all the way down to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ruth 4:17 NIV

17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Maybe you have an unbelieving daughter or son-in-law…

Translate the Bible through your life and that will change the course of their future…

NAOMI WAS AN IMPERFECT MOTHER THAT DESERVES HONOR BECAUSE OF:

Her Faithfulness

Mothers, we honor you for what you believe, more than what you do

Your faithfulness spells the difference between now and eternity

Her Resilience

Your capacity to recover from difficulties

Her Selflessness

Your ability to spring back into shape

RUTH WAS ALSO A MOTHER THAT DESERVES HONOR BECAUSE:

She was very bold to leave her false gods

Your willingness to take risk and act innovatively with confidence and courage

Your quality of having a strong or vivid appearance

Your faithfulness spells the difference between now and eternity

She was willing to make a lifetime commitment

Your dedication to a cause

Your faithfulness spells the difference between now and eternity

She was humble

Your pursuit of a vision with unwavering passion

There are countless reasons why we should honor our mothers

But, today let’s dial in to these 4 things

Mothers are honored for their:

Faithfulness

Resilience

Boldness

Commitment

Mothers, we honor you for what you believe, more than what you do

Your faithfulness spells the difference between now and eternity

Naomi was steadfast in her faith to the God of Judah

She was not perfect like everyone of us, but she remain faithful

When she heard that the Lord had come to aid his people, she prepared to return home

Not after the blessing, but because she believes that it was God that provides

Ruth 1:6 NIV

6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.

She passed on her faith to Ruth

She live out the Word of God

The unknown author of the book of Hebrews , a second generation believer

This skilled preacher and interpreter of Scripture wrote this sometime from AD 50-90, most likely before AD 70 since the author gives no hint that the Jewish temple has been destroyed

Wrote this exhortation to the Jewish Christian in a house church in Rome

More than what you do, it’s what you believe

Perhaps this letter was first intended for the Jewish Christians, a house church in Rome

It is a letter of encouragement that spoke about the absolute superiority of the Son of God

It is a letter of exhortation, (encouragement) that spoke about the absolute superiority of the Son of God

Hebrews 13:7 NIV

7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

Hebrews

Ruth considered the way of life of Naomi

This skilled preacher and interpreter of Scripture wrote this sometime from AD 50-90, most likely before AD 70 since the author gives no hint that the Jewish temple has been destroyed

Ruth imitated the faith of Naomi

Perhaps this letter was first intended for the Jewish Christians, a house church in Rome

,,

Ruth 1:1 NIV

1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

Ruth 1:3 NIV

3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.

Ruth

ruth 1:

Ruth 1:5 NIV

5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Ruth

It is a letter of exhortation, (encouragement) that spoke about the absolute superiority of the Son of God

Naomi was pressed on every side

Scars reminds us where we’ve been, but they don’t have to dictate where we’re going

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up

She was perplexed and persecuted

But she was resilient

You’ll never know how strong your are, until being strong is your only choice

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 NIV

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Not crushed | Not in Despair | Not Abandoned | Not Destroyed

Naomi was pressed on every side

She was perplexed and persecuted

But she was resilient

Scars reminds us where we’ve been, but they don’t have to dictate where we’re going

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up

You’ll never know how strong your are, until being strong is your only choice

Ruth was willing to take risk

She acted innovatively with confidence and courage

He said that the Romans examined him and they found nothing against him that is punishable by death

Ruth 1:16–17 NIV

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Ruth 4:16–17 NIV

16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 1:17 NIV

17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Ruth 1:17

Ruth 4:17 NIV

17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

They wanted to release him but the Jews objected, and that gave him no other recourse but to appeal to Caesar himself

Ruth was dedicated to a cause

She pursued her vision with unwavering passion

Despite of the shady situation, she carry out her commitment to sick it out with Naomi

Ruth 1:16 NIV

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Mothers… remain faithful.. your children look up to what you believe, more than what you do..

Mothers… remain resilient through your circumstances

Mothers… your boldness will not go unnoticed..

Mothers… your children values your life long commitments

I lost my mother when I was only 8

this is now the 44th year that I don’t get to say happy mother’s day to “My Only Mother”

I don’t even remember how how I spent Mother’s Day during the first 8 years of my life

And so, if your “My Only Mother” is still alive, I encourage you make the most out of it while you can…

If you’re not in good terms with your “MOM”, I want you to grab that phone at the end of the service and give her a call.. take her out for lunch..

Your mother need not to be a “perfect mom” to deserve your honor… giving birth to you alone is enough reason to honor her..

I’d like you to promise God that you’ll do it…

My Only Mom

INTRODUCTION

MY BIG IDEA

TEXT: Ruth 1-4

HER RESILIENCE

HER RESILIENCE

I HONOR MY MY MOTHER FOR HER FAITHFULNESS

I HONOR MY MY MOTHER FOR HER RESILIENCE

I HONOR MY MY MOTHER FOR HER BOLDNESS

I HONOR MY MY MOTHER FOR HER COMMITMENT

CALL TO ACTION

CLOSING

PRAYER