The Legacy of a Godly Mother

If you take your Bibles, turn to second Timothy chapter one. Second Timothy chapter one. Is it cool enough down there? Are you all comfortable? Good.

I'm not. So, So, the coat is just going to have to come off this morning. Either that or I'm going have to turn it down to where you're freezing. So, that is everybody but Chris. Chris would still be fanning but alright.

Second Timothy chapter one. Second Timothy one and we'll read in a minute from verse five. Excuse my occasional cough this morning. I think I inherited the contagion that's been going around my household for the past few weeks but the Lord is good and we're we're good this morning. If you don't mind occasional cough.

Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Elijah, Daniel, James, John, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, Eric Liddell, DL Moody, Charles Haddon, Spurgeon, Jim Elliot, and hundreds of heroes of the face, of the faith, which we could go on listing for very long time. These men say, pastor, it's Mother's Day. Those were all men. Yeah, I know. These men all had something in common that we want to look at this morning.

They all had mothers. They all had mothers. There was a book once written by a man by the name of Robert Fulghum. Everybody know who Robert Fulghum is? Probably not.

That's okay. I don't know him either But I found out he was the guy who wrote a book entitled, All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. Obey, share, clean up, be nice, don't hit, say I'm sorry, please and thank you, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. And of course, if we would live by those things, life would be a much better place. But we're told by professionals today that much of a person's personality their patterns, behavioral habits, and life are formed very early in life within much of it within the first couple years of their life.

And who does a little child spend the most time with? Well, in most cases, it is their mother. In first Timothy one five, we read this, Paul is writing to Timothy and he says, when I call to remembrance, the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother, Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you Lord for today.

This opportunity you've given for us to bring glory to your name. And though we do seek to honor our mothers today, we also seek to honor you. For your love for us, for your faithfulness to us. Lord, we pray that Christ would be exalted. As we reminded of the mothers that you gave to us, and the kind of parents that we ought to be.

We thank you Lord for your word. We thank you Lord for Jesus Christ our savior. We thank you Lord for the opportunity to worship you here together in this place today. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

It is not an accident that Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit hear credits and names both the mother and grandmother of Timothy. It isn't an accident. It is not a a mere coincidence that Paul mentions, Lois and Eunice, Timothy's grandmother and mother. It must have been, they must have been important. This fact that that Paul reminds Timothy of here must have been important.

The Lord who inspired Paul to write this felt this must have been important. Okay, I know I've repeated myself but you get the idea, right? This is important and sometimes we read through scriptures like this and go, okay, that's great. He had a grandmother and he had a mother and they both must have believed excuse me, in the Lord in the scriptures as well. But that fact is very important.

The Paul here names both of them as having a love for the Lord and for his word which they instilled in their son and grandson, Timothy. It's not mere coincidence that Timothy turned out to be the young man that the apostle Paul saw so much in. He had received of the Lord a most precious gift in his mother and in his grandmother. It is by design that God gives children to parents. Something that is very much under attack in the society, in the world we live today.

A mother and a father. Two parents to raise children. When it comes to teaching and training of children, the mother is often times the one who carries the greatest burden and influence upon her child. Due to the the work of the father, a mother often takes on the majority of business around the home even sometimes today, while herself working as well. Unfortunately, a mother's contribution was often overlooked because of the public role of a father.

However, in raising children as the mother who often should receive the lion's share of the credit especially when the child is is young. Mothers are very important Paul indicates that here in reference to Timothy's mother and to his grandmother. Particularly, in their example and their instruction in what? In the faith, in the scriptures, that Timothy should come to know the Lord Jesus as a young man. That Timothy should come to know the scriptures as a little boy.

Oftentimes, that's not the case and certainly isn't the case today. This is a vital, important thing. Vitally important that we as parents train up a child in the way he should go. When they're wet, when they're little, that's when the training begins. Especially in the way of the Lord and mothers are pivotal, are vital in that training.

There are numerous examples in scripture of godly mothers who undoubtedly had an effect on their children. There are several examples that will look out. There are several more that we won't look at today. There are some that are just briefly mentioned by name and we won't get to all those today but we want to look through a few of these mothers from scripture this morning. Mothers that God honors.

Mothers, God honored in scripture. The first one, we're going to look at is Sarah. First one is Sarah. Turn if you would to Hebrews chapter 11. Now, if you're in second Timothy, you're nearby.

Hebrews is only a few pages towards the back. Find Hebrews 11. And let's read verses eleven and twelve. In chapter 11 of Hebrews, we have, the the hall of faith, the heroes of the faith. In each case, it says, by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith, and it lists several people that by faith accomplished great things through the Lord, by the Lord.

And one of these that is mentioned is Sarah. Look in verse 11. Through faith also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore, sprang there even of one and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky and multitude and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. Here the Lord honors Sarah in mentioning her among these examples of faith.

Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and the mother of Isaac. Though certainly not perfect, we could point out things from the story as well as Abraham even more so than Sarah. Even though certainly not perfect, she followed her husband and the Lord all over creation yet remaining faithful and submissive and hopeful in the Lord. She left her home with her husband to go to a place that she didn't know anything about, to go to a place where they owned nothing at the time but a place that God had promised to Abraham and to his descendants. Descendants, you say, when he had no children and yet was past 80 years old.

When they finally did have children, Abraham was a 100. Sarah was 90. And when the Lord came to them the final final time when she was 90 and said, you know, when I come by this time next year, Sarah's going to have a child and she laughed. I don't know if she laughed, you know, out loud or she just laughed inside but you don't have to laugh out loud for God to hear you and God said to her, why did you laugh? And of course, she said, oh no, I didn't laugh but but she did at least in her heart and in her head She was 90 years old but the next time, next time next year came around, she had a child.

His name was Isaac. She was faithful and she did believe the Lord and she did receive a son. She was faithful. She was a mother who raised a young man named Isaac who was the father of a great nation of people through Jacob, his son. In first Peter three, if you'll turn to first Peter, just a few more pages towards the rear of your Bible.

Don't go far. You'll come to first Peter chapter three. It mentions Sarah again. God uses her as an example. Let's begin in verse four.

Says, but let it be the hidden man of the heart. He's speaking of the wife and that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God, a great of God of great price. Verse five, for after this manner in old time, the holy women also who trusted in God, adorned themselves being in subjection unto their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord whose daughters you are as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement. Sarah didn't allow her fear to keep her from following the Lord, from following her husband, believing in the Lord's promise, going to the land that God take took them and giving her a son in her old age. But let's continue on.

We have Sarah, the next on our list. I think it's already up there. Is Rebecca. Rebecca was the wife of Isaac. She is the mother of Jacob and Esau.

She left her father's house in Genesis 24 to be the wife of a nomad whom she had never met but a man whom the Lord had picked for her. We don't have time this morning to go read the entire story in the book of Genesis twenty twenty four but I would encourage you to do that. I'll just tell you briefly what happened this morning. Isaac was getting up in age and he didn't have a bride and Abraham made his servant promise not to choose a bride for his son, Isaac, from among the Canaanites. He said, you need to get a bride from back where we're from my family back where we're from and the servant promised and so, he took several camels and who knows what else for a dowry.

A lot of stuff with him and he took a trip, long trip back to the area of where Laban lived and his family. And he got in the area of Haran and he came to a well. And he prayed. And he asked the Lord. He he he really is was very sincere and heartfelt seem as we look in the story.

He had been given a a incredible task. He had to pick a wife for the son of his master. Kind of a foreboding thing there. Kind of a ugh. Got all this on my shoulders.

So, he he cried out to the Lord. He said, Lord, help me. This this is an important job. I've tasked I've been given. And he asked the Lord, he said, while we're waiting at this well and I have all these camels with me, can you show me the wife you would have for my master's son, Isaac?

In that, when a young woman comes to draw from the well in the middle of the hot day, that she asked to give me a drink. And that she is willing not only to give me drink but also to give what? Drink to my animals. Now, do y'all have any idea how much a camel drinks? I've been told like, you know, 100 gallons of it.

They drink a lot of water and he had like, I think, seven camels with it. And so what happens? Well, here comes Rebecca out in the middle of the day to draw water. She not only agrees to draw water for him but she offers to draw water for his wife, His animals, his camels, and she draws all that water. She must have been out there for two hours drawing water.

To to give water to all those camels. And Abraham's servant thought, oh, thank you Lord. So, what do you do? Well, he asked the young lady who she was. Well, she was Laban's sister.

She is the daughter of one of Abraham's brothers. And he went back with her to the house. He explained the situation and Rebecca says, okay. I'll go. I'll go.

The family kind of is like, you know, they kind of stretch it out. Well, let's do this first and let's do that first. Let's do that first. They were back and and he finally says, no, I gotta get back. Do you want to go?

And and she said, yes. So, she leaves and she goes back and she marries Isaac and she raises two sons, Esau and Jacob. Now, What kind of lady was she? She was kind. She was considerate.

She was hardworking faithful, and unselfish. A good wife, and a good mother. Not a perfect mother. She at times had a problem with being a little manipulative which rubbed off on her son, Jacob. We have to be careful to learn to wait on the Lord.

Sometimes, we get a little impatient and we try to manipulate the situation to get what we think is God's will but we need to wait on the Lord. We have Sarah, we have Rebecca, we have Rahab. Rahab, that's an unusual lady to mention. In a in a message on mothers that God honored. Look, if you would, turn back a few pages to Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews chapter 11. You think it's odd that I mentioned Rahab? Well, guess what? God mentions Rahab, okay? Hebrews eleven thirty one.

By faith By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believe not. This is in the city of Jericho. When she had received the spies with peace. Who was Rahab? Rahab was a harlot in the city of Jericho.

She was not an upstanding moral person before she met the God of Israel but God changed her. And when she did meet the spies who had came to spy out Jericho, she made a choice. She chose to put her faith in the God of Israel and not in the idols and idolatry of the city of Jericho and the people that live there. She made a choice. She hid the spies from the authorities and they told her when they left, you put a scarlet cord out your window when we return and God will protect anyone that is in your house.

That's interesting. I I was wondered, why a scarlet cord? Well, I think it's likely because it's the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us from sin. It's like the blood on the doorpost during the Passover and because the blood of the lamb was on the doorpost, the death angel, the judgment did what? Why is it called Passover?

Because the judgment passed over. Those who had the blood on the doorpost and if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ and his shed blood on the cross, the blood of Christ is applied to our heart and God's wrath, what? Passes over us and so the judgment of God on the city of Jericho passed over Rahab because she put her faith in the Lord God of Israel. Now, that's probably all most of you know about Rahab is what we just talked about. Many of you know that story.

But Rahab went on to marry a Jew, a Hebrew man. His name is Salmon. Just like the fish. S A L M O N. And she married Salmon and they had a child.

His name was Boaz. Boaz. Boaz became Ruth's husband. In the book of Ruth. And from the onset of meeting Boaz, we begin to see that Boaz is an honorable, God fearing man.

Who is his mother? Rahab. Previously the harlot of Jericho, and now, the daughter of God, and mother of Boaz. The next name up here is Ruth. Ruth.

We meet Ruth. Ruth is a Moabite. She was born in the country or in the people of Moab. She was adopted. She adopted by faith, Naomi.

What was it? I don't know. Anyway, she was a Moabite. She lived in Moab. Naomi and Elimelech were Jews from Bethlehem and when there was a famine, they came out of Israel across the Jordan River into Moab because there was little food and water back in Bethlehem in Judea and so there, their two sons married to Moabite women.

A questionable thing, you might say. They were certainly not to marry Canaanite women. The Moabites were descendants of Lot but they were not followers of God. The two sons died. Elimelech died and so, I don't know now all that's left of the family is Naomi and the two daughter in laws.

One daughter-in-law eventually decided to go back and stay with her people when Naomi was going back to Bethlehem but Ruth refused to stay in Moab. She wanted to go with her mother-in-law back to Israel and this is what Ruth said. In Ruth one sixteen, entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee. She's speaking to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She says, for whether thou goest, I will go and where thou lodgest, I will lodge.

Thy people shall be my people and thy God, my God. Ruth made a choice. Ruth the Moabite became a believer in the God of Israel and of Naomi and by faith, she left her homeland of Moab and she followed a widowed mother-in-law back to Israel. And there, Ruth, a very industrious young woman who was out in the field gleaning from what was left behind as the wheat was harvested that she might provide for herself and for her mother-in-law. Met a young man who owned the field.

Who right away noticed her. Might have noticed her appearance but I think he also noticed her diligence. And her spirit. He had the harvesters leave a little extra behind for her. His name was Boaz.

Boaz married Ruth. He became her kinsman redeemer and they had a son and his name was Obed. Now, you say, well, I, you know, who's Obed? Well, Obed is the father of Jesse. Jesse is the father of David who became the king of Israel.

An ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we turn, if you turn to the book of Matthew, we won't turn there right now but in Matthew one, the genealogy you find there, you'll find Rahab and you'll find Ruth. They're in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Rahab, the mother of Boaz, Ruth, the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, King David. These mothers are important to our story.

They're mentioned on purpose. Their stories are recorded that we might recognize the importance, part, the role that they play in the lives of those particularly who they mothered. And as examples in many areas. The next one, I think of, I I few years back, I I preached the whole message on the next one from first Samuel chapter one and that's Hannah. Hannah couldn't have any children.

Who did she go to for help? She went to God for help. She went to the Lord for help. She came to the temple or the tabernacle with her family to worship and she was so burdened that she was barren and didn't have any children. She cried and plead with the Lord and she made a promise.

She made a promise. Lord, if you'll give me a son, I will give that son back to you to serve you in your tabernacle. To serve you in service. To you and the priest. And the Lord gave her a son.

His name was Samuel. And she kept her pledge. And she gave her young child back to the Lord. Look if you would in first Samuel have to turn back aways now. Turn back if you would to first Samuel in the Old Testament.

Joshua judges Ruth and then first Samuel. Turn if you would to first Samuel chapter one. First Samuel chapter one What did her son, Samuel, become? Well, her son, Samuel, became one of the greatest prophets, judges, and leaders that Israel had ever known. And where did that all start?

But that all start with the prayer and the pledge and the keeping of that pledge of his mother. Look if you would in verse 24 of chapter one and when she had weaned him, what does that mean? Well, that means that she remained the baby remained with her for the first year or two. The first year or two of his life, he was with his what? He was with his mother and she had a great influence upon him during that time but when he was weaned, she took him up with her with three bullocks and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine and brought him under the house of the Lord in Shiloh and the child was young and they slew a bullock and brought it brought the child to Eli and she said, oh my Lord, as thy soul liveth, my Lord, I am the woman that stood before thee praying unto the Lord.

For this child, I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore, also have I lent him to the Lord as long as he live it, he shall be lent to the Lord and she worshiped the Lord there. She was a good mother. She was a good mother because she prayed and went to the Lord when she had a need. She was a good mother as she took care of her little baby and she was a good mother when she kept her promise and trusted God.

Trusted God with him. I'm afraid there's some parents today that when their children say, hey, I want to be a missionary or I want to do this for the Lord. Sometimes, there are even Christian parents who say, you know, you sure you want to do that? You know, I mean, ain't that kind of risky? You know, you're not going make a lot of money doing that.

We need to trust the Lord With our children. We make mistakes. We're not perfect parents. But he is. He is perfect.

And he doesn't make mistakes. And we can trust him. With everything, including His will for our children. So we see Hannah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth.

Well, who is Elizabeth? Well, she is the cousin of Mary and she is the mother of who? She's a mother of John the Baptist. Now, if there was a prophet greater than Samuel, that was, well, maybe Moses or John the Baptist. John the Baptist is the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist is the one that God chose to introduce to the world his son as he baptized him in the Jordan River. He was a man who faithfully preached and gave his life for the good news. That the savior had come into the world. That the kingdom of heaven was at hand. That they needed to repent and trust in the Lord.

Bible says, there's no greater born of woman than John the Baptist. Except for that is the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was a great servant of the Lord. Called for a specific time and purpose. He had a godly mother read more about her if you would in the book of Luke.

She was indeed a a godly lady. She is honored by the Lord along with her husband, Zechariah. And she was honored as being the mother of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we'll continue and we'll conclude with our examples here with Mary. With Mary.

No, Mary can't be credited with the divine nature of Christ. That came from where? His father in heaven. You know, some believe, proclaim, declare that Mary was sinless. Otherwise, how was Jesus sinless?

And I've never understood that reasoning because if for Jesus to be without a sin nature, Mary had to be without a sin nature, then how did Mary get to be without a sin nature? Well, I guess her parents didn't have a sin nature and her grandparents didn't have a sin and and you know, it doesn't work. It doesn't make any sense. Jesus was without a sin nature because of his heavenly father. Jesus was out without a sin nature because Jesus is God and God is without sin.

Mary is not to be worshiped. Mary was not sinless. She said so herself when she praised God for her savior that she needed. But Mary was chosen by God for a reason. He doesn't tell us all the reasons but he chose to honor this young lady and it would appear that indeed she was a young woman of great faith in the Lord who was chosen by God to mother the Lord Jesus as he grew as a child.

A very, very privileged and yet important task. She accepted this task with graciousness. Let's turn back to Luke. We have time. Look if you would in Luke one.

Luke one verse 28. She accepted this task with graciousness and faith Verse 28 of Luke one says, the angel came in unto her and said, hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. Imagine you would feel the same way if an angel appeared unto you. Verse 30 and the angel said unto her, fear not Mary, for thou hast found favor with God and behold, thou can shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth the son and shall call his name Jesus and he shall reign over the he shall be great and shall be called the son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Look if you would in verse 38 and Mary said, behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word and the angel departed from her.

What a privilege to be mother to the son of God but what a great responsibility as well and how do you think her neighbors were going to respond? How did her husband respond? Her husband to be at first. Well, he was going to put her away privily. What what that means is he was going to divorce her privately.

Under the betrothal system, in the in Jesus's day, when you were you weren't engaged, you were betrothed and when you were betrothed, you were for all intents purposes married, you just hadn't come together yet that waited for the marriage ceremony and in order to break a betrothal, it actually took something essentially that was a divorce and he could have put her up to public shame and maybe even death but he wasn't going to do that but he was going to put her away privately until the Lord came to Joseph and told him, the baby that Mary is carrying is the son of God. She hasn't been unfaithful to you. So, take her to be your wife and he did and he trusted in the Lord. Mary willingly, graciously by faith accepted accepted this responsibility and privilege. She praised God for the savior.

She was blessed to bring into the world. Look if you would in verse 46 of the same chapter. Verse 46. And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoice in God, my savior. For he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden, for behold, from henceforth, all generation shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things and and holy is his name and his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He has showed strength in his arm. He has scattered the proud and the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away.

He hath opened his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spake to our fathers to Abraham and he and to his seed forever. Now, she said this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit but God in inspiring people to say things usually used things that were already in their head and on their heart to express it in the terms that he wanted it. Mary, it would seem, was a lady of great faith and a lady who had unusual knowledge in her day of the scriptures and the will and the plan of God that God had by his grace made her a very specific part of as she became mother to a little baby who was the son of God and the savior of the world and the Messiah of Israel. She believed God sticking faithfully by her son even while he hung on the cross. While most of the disciples were nowhere to be found, who was at the foot of Jesus's cross?

His mother. John nineteen twenty five says, now, there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother. That is the kind of mother that Mary was. Now, she wasn't perfect She asked Jesus in Jerusalem, what do you think you're doing when he was 12 and was in the temple? And he said, well, don't you know what I'm doing?

I'm I'm doing talking about my father. Serving my father. She's a little confused at that point. She in one place kind of pushed him to turn the water into into wine so to speak. But she was a good, a faithful, a loving mother to Jesus Christ.

And she is honored by the Lord and a good example in many ways. No, the Lord doesn't minimize the importance of mothers in his word. So, neither should we. I often think of the godly mother the Lord gave me and have wondered where I might be if it were not for the mother who was such a godly example and a humble servant. My dad worked second shift at General Electric for thirty some years, the whole time I was growing up.

Second shift means he worked from 03:00 to 11:00. And so every day I came home from school, I came home to my mother. It was my mother that fed me, it was my mother that helped me with my homework, it was my mother that put up with me every evening, it was my mother that made me go to bed. She would often remark that I didn't want to talk to her or talk about much of anything till the clock hit about 09:30 or 10:00 and then I wanted to tell her about everything that was going on in my life. She suspected I was just trying to stay up a little longer.

I have a son that's sort of just like that. Sitting in the sound booth back but my mother undoubtedly had a great influence among me. She put up with me and she was patient. You see, God I believe gives mothers an extra dose of certain gifts to assist them in dealing with having children around them so much. My mom was very patient, kind, merciful, compassionate, and most of all had an unselfish servant's heart that went the extra mile and then two, then three, and sometimes four, I'd hate to think of where I would be without my godly parents.

In Proverbs 3,126 to 28, we read this concerning the virtuous woman. It says, she openeth her mouth with wisdom. 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 rise up and call her blessed.

Her husband also and he praises her. These are characteristics that we find in these mothers that we looked at today and that we find in many of our own mothers that we honor and remember today and I hope that you that are privileged to be mothers and grandmothers will strive by God's grace to be more like every day. If you had a godly mother or even a loving mother, thank the Lord for that precious gift. He gave to you today. Remember her.

Whether she's here with you today or not, remember her and thank the Lord for her. If you have had the opportunity to be a mother, thank God for the opportunity that he gave you and continue to be that godly and loving mother and wife as long as God gives you breath. That task doesn't end by the way when your children leave home. Miss Doris, where's miss Doris? She's she was, oh, she's back in children's church.

Yeah. She's she was glad she had five children. She was glad when they all left home. But I know miss Doris is a very concerned parent today. She talks about her children all the time.

She prays for them all the time. She hasn't stopped being their mother because they're out of her house. And you don't stop being a mother just because they're out of the house. You still can be that example. You can still be that prayer warrior.

You can still be that person to be there, to hear. Their needs and their burdens. Continue to be that mother. If you are currently a mother with a young child, thank God for this wonderful responsibility and ask God sincerely to help you and guide you. For you have a big hand in molding that little life for Christ.

Just to think of all the great heroes of the faith that were once children with parents. Just like you. Back to our original text. Second Timothy one five, when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother, Lois, thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded in thee also. What is this really all about?

It's not just about mothers, it's about God, it's about Jesus, and it's about what? It's about faith. It's about faith. When I recall to remembrance the unfained faith that is in thee, which first dwelled in thy grandmother, Lois, thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded in thee also. In closing this morning, I do have a question for everyone.

Whether you're a mother or not. Do you know Jesus Christ? Is your faith in him or is it in other things? I hope it's not in me because I'm just another person like you. I sometimes fail And I could die for you a thousand times and it would do you no good.

Because I'm a sinner like you. I hope it's not in the church because no church can save your soul. Only Jesus can do that. I hope it's not in the waters of baptism because the waters of baptism cannot cleanse your soul. Only Jesus can do that.

I hope it's not in your own good works. Because our good works, our righteousness, the Bible says are as filthy rags and there's nothing we can do in ourselves to earn or merit salvation. It's salvation is only found through faith in Jesus Christ. Have you passed from death into life? Or are you still dead in trespasses and in sins this morning?

You can be made alive in Jesus. You can be forgiven. You can become a child of God and have the greatest parent that anyone could ever have. God himself. As we give this hymn of invitation in a moment, We invite you to remember your mother.

We invite you mothers to remember and to talk to the Lord about the task that he has laid before you but we also ask this if you're here this morning, you've never trusted Christ as savior. Would you please come? We'd be love to show you from God's word how you can be saved today. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we thank you for Jesus Christ, our savior.

And for your love for us and your faithfulness to us. Lord, for the promises of your word to your children, whom you love more than we'll ever know. Lord, we pray that we would honor our mothers as we honor you today and we pray if there's someone in here that's never trusted Christ, that they would come as we give this hymn of invitation. We might show them from God's word how to be saved today and know it. In Jesus name.