Honor Your Mother

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow, the theme of mothers came to mind. And I ran across a couple of interesting quotes from some earlier presidents of the United States. One that kind of struck me was one that was said by John Quincy Adams. It's one of those very first presidents. And he said, All that I am, my mother made me. Abraham Lincoln said something similar. He said, All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. And those are thoughts I think that sometimes kind of choke you up a little bit. That certainly brings some things to mind, especially for Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln said that about his stepmother. That's kind of an interesting thing when you think about that. What impact has your mother had on you? Have you thought, what are you going to give your mother on Mother's Day? Sometimes we don't necessarily think about it, but the Bible tells us significant things on how to honor our mother. And of course, maybe the first one that comes to your mind isn't just a good idea. It's not just a suggestion. But do you remember back there in Exodus 20? We're actually given a commandment. And the commandment says, Honor your father and your mother. Honor them. And of course, it's a commandment with promise. It says that your days may be long upon the land. And so God not just encourages us to honor our mother, but He tells us we have to. He tells us we have to respect them and glorify them, admire them in a right way. And that word for honoring can actually mean to prize them, to appreciate them. And it certainly seems that part of the greatest gift that we can give our mom, it's not a vacuum cleaner, it's not a knife, it's not a mixer, but it's love and appreciation and the honor that is due to her. And of course, the Bible oftentimes will show how much that honor is necessary. And in fact, you start to begin to think about it, isn't that really where a healthy, not only a healthy family, but a healthy world begins?

To have a healthy society, we need healthy mothers, mothers that are the kinds of mothers that can be respected, that can be loved, that can be honored and admired.

And so God tells us that we're supposed to do that. In fact, we're told when that doesn't happen, what happens to society?

Remember that whole section in 2 Timothy 3?

Paul tells Timothy about these perilous times, these difficult times, these distressing times. And we read through that section of 2 Timothy 3, and boy, it makes you think, this is the time, this is the age that we live in. We live in an age that is distressing. We live in an age that is torn apart families.

We live in an age with dysfunctional fathers and dysfunctional mothers, because they're lovers of themselves, because they're lovers of money, because they're proud and they're blasphemers, and they're boisterous.

We live in an age where children don't respect their parents.

And Paul said, those are the kinds of kids that are disobedient to parents. They're unthankful. They're ungrateful. They're unloving. They're unforgiving. And we can go through that list, and we can realize, how important is it to have a mother that you can honor?

Because the times we live in, Satan has attacked the family so thoroughly that we even have a hard time defining what is a family, anyway.

And so when you think about healthy families, truly happy families, in this world, it's few and far between, it seems, sometimes.

And so God encourages us to build healthy families.

And I think if we're going to do that, we have to think about, where do we begin? Where do we begin to build a strong, healthy family?

I believe it's with mom.

I believe it's with mothers. And I believe it begins with we as children honoring our mother.

The passage in the Bible that came to my mind is back in Zechariah.

Zechariah chapter 8. Now, you might not normally think of an Old Testament passage as one that might relate to honoring your mom.

But Zechariah 8 actually gets right to the heart of things and says, you know, it's not even one of those aspects that can't come about. Because you might look at what Timothy is told about our world and say, well, we might as well forget it because it's not even possible to have a healthy family. It's not even possible to have parents that are functioning parents, that are good parents.

But Zechariah records for us, it's possible. It is possible. In fact, not only is it possible, it will come about. It will come about. So let's notice what Zechariah records for us right at the very beginning of chapter 8. The NRSV says, The word of the Lord of hosts came to me saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I am zealous for Zion, with great zealousness, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.

Thus says the Lord, I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem shall be called a faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts, Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. Now, we read this and we realize that's going to happen in the millennium. When Christ establishes His kingdom, we don't have to have old men and old women just sitting in nursing homes with nothing to do. He says, Old men and old women will be in the streets. They'll sit and they'll be there. They'll be a part of a healthy society. And in fact, it doesn't stop there. He says in verse 5, the streets of the city shall be full of disrespectful, crazy children playing in the streets. No, it doesn't say that. It says there's going to be healthy children. They're full of boys and girls playing in the streets in a right way, in a healthy way with the old people as well. Thus says the Lord of hosts, verse 6, even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people, yeah, looking at our world today, that doesn't seem very likely, does it? That's definitely not the way it is now. He says, even though that seems impossible, should it be impossible for me, God says. Verse 7, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country. I'll bring them to live in Jerusalem. They'll be my people and I will be their God in faithfulness and in righteousness.

So here, and we imagine this every feast, a feast of tabernacle comes about and we look at this and we say, boy, I can't wait because it paints this beautiful picture of society, a society that's balanced, that you've got the old, those that are old and those that are young, the extremes on both sides, that are coming together, that appreciate each other, that love each other and care for each other and live together. And they do it in a way that there's harmony and there's peace.

And so we look forward to that. But if we only look forward to that, I think that's a little bit of a problem. Is it just that we have to wait for Christ's return for that to come about? Or should this process begin now? Should our homes, should our congregations be a place where this is evident? That we have a place of peace, that we have a place of family, that we have a family that grows and plays and enjoys each other, and they love each other and they care about each other. You know, I think Zechariah had something else in mind than just the kingdom of God. I think he also has mothers in mind because this weekend we concentrate on showing love and respect and honor to our physical mothers. But Zechariah says there's something more to the story that should begin right now. It should already be in place. And yet we look around society and we know it's not here. It's not in our society today. We have this misplaced model of a family in our world. You know, if you had to ask people what's their model for family today? And some only have television or movies for their model. I saw a commercial the other day, and I think it's one of the role models for families today. Have you ever heard of the program Here Comes Honey Boo Boo? Good. I'm glad you haven't heard of it. It's probably better that you haven't. It's some reality program about a little chubby girl who goes in beauty pageants and her family. And I haven't seen it, but I saw a couple commercials for it. And, you know, they show their kind of loudmouth dysfunction, I guess, on the commercial. So I can only imagine what the program might be like. One of the ones that's been on for quite a number of years. I've never seen the program itself either, but it's called Keeping Up with the Kardashians. And it's about these grown-up girls and this mom whose husband died and married Bruce Jenner. Saw that on the commercial. So we've got this decathlete that has married this lady, and it's all about girls named K. Or have a letter K, I guess. And talk about dysfunction. I mean, it's amazing. And if people look to these programs for some type of normalcy, we're in trouble. I mean, it does show where we are in this world. I mean, The Simpsons is just, you know, that's more than normal today. You know, the cartoons or the family guy or all the host of, you know, dysfunction that's played before us, you know, on television every single week. And if that's where we get our model for a family, boy, we're not very far from 2 Timothy 3, are we? I mean, we are in distressing times. And yet, in spite of the fact that we're surrounded by this kind of a world, Zechariah speaks to us here. And God speaks to us. And he says, not in my family. Not in my family. My family isn't to be like that. God's people are to be different. There's a proverb, I think, that sets the tone for us right at the very beginning of the Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 1, verse 8. It sets the tone for us here and shows the vital importance of family and a healthy family at that. Notice Proverbs chapter 1.

In verse 8, Solomon starts out and he says, my son, hear the instruction of your father.

He goes on, do not forsake the law of your mother. Listen to your mother's teaching, in other words. In verse 9, he says, they will be a graceful ornament on your head and chains about your neck. They will be beautiful jewelry that frame our life with a beautiful perspective. A godly family, a godly mother, will have the law of love on her tongue.

And so he's pointing to the fact, you know, we have a relationship with our father. We should have a relationship with our mother. But he's also pointing to the fact that there's more to it than just the physical side of things. He's pointing to a spiritual side. He's pointing to the fact that we should have a spiritual mother as well. That's what Zechariah was talking about, that we have a family. We have God the Father. We have Jesus Christ. And we also have our spiritual mother. Let's notice that. Ephesians 4, verse 11, we'll notice the spiritual mother being described here in Ephesians 4. What is he describing? Let's notice what the Apostle Paul is describing.

In verse 11, he says, the gifts he gave are that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers. He's talking about our spiritual mother. He's talking about the church. He gives these individuals, these gifts, verse 12, to equip the saints for the work of service or the work of ministry for the building up of the body of Christ. So we see the Apostle Paul zeroes right in on the church, right on you and I, as the spiritual mother who can nourish the body. Build that body up. Edify the body. And he says, we have this responsibility. Verse 13, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a complete or a perfect man, to maturity, in other words, till we grow up to the measure, to the stature, to the fullness of Christ. This reflects the vision statement of the United Church of God, that we all have a part to play in the body of Christ, our spiritual mother. And so he says, don't be tossed around anymore to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness. But he says, speak the truth in love. Let your mother's law be on your lips, growing up in every way unto him the head, unto Jesus Christ.

And so Paul points to the fact that, yes, we honor our spiritual or our physical mothers, but you know more importantly, we have a spiritual mother, both spiritually and symbolically. And that is the Church of God. God's Church is our spiritual mother, and we are in a family relationship, and God wants a healthy family, a family that's designed around love, that's designed around the fact that we care about each other, and we're concerned about each other, and that we want to build each other up and nurture each other, because that's what healthy families do. Families that appreciate their mother means they're a functioning family that's ready to teach and be taught, ready to instruct and be instructed, ready to edify, and ready to be edified. Because there are amazing connections between what physical mothers do and what our spiritual mother does for us as well. How valuable is your spiritual mother? How valuable are our moms, our physical moms? I was thinking about this the other day, and you know they have websites that you can go to to figure out how valuable your mom is? They do. They have websites that figure out what value, if you had to put a dollar amount on your mother or on your wife, let's say, guys, what value would you put on them? Well, if you go to salary.com, they've got it all figured out because moms do all kinds of things. So they categorize all these different jobs and tasks that mothers do, and they put a dollar amount on those. So a couple of things that come to mind. What do moms do? Well, if you're a mom, it means you probably run a daycare, at least your personal family daycare, or have done that. So they figure for a week's worth of wages, you're going to put about 15 hours in as a daycare. That's $13.08 an hour. They add that to the total. Of course, depending on where your kids are, you've got to cart them around a little bit. So that means you're a chauffeur. Well, what do chauffeurs get paid? Well, they figure a normal week, eight hours being chauffeur, add that up about 15 bucks an hour, put that on the total.

What else do moms do? Well, they're computer operators, they're housekeepers, they're cooks, they're janitors. Don't forget, they're teachers, they're guidance counselors, they're doctors, nurses, EMTs, getting out the band-aids when they need to. All of those different kinds of things. They're CEOs. Certainly they are. They're facilities managers, and they're psychologists, and they're janitors, and yeah, they're all those different things. And you add all of those things up. Base pay, 40 hours. Salary.com figured moms, you are worth $37,549. Not including overtime.

Now you put overtime in for the average mom. Overtime is a lot more than that because they figured the average mom puts in 94 hours of work a week. So you add overtime with your base salary, guess what your total comes out to be? $113,568. To put a dollar figure on it. Okay, now we're talking, huh, moms? Now if only we would get paid that, right? But I think it speaks to all the things that a mom does. They had a whole separate chart for working moms, too, because then you add their base pay of their job upon all these other tasks that they have to do in the home as well.

And the numbers just skyrocket. And I think there's an important point to that, is that, you know, do we really value our moms? Sometimes we take all of those different tasks that our real moms do for granted. And yet when you begin to think about this spiritually, you know, is there a connection? And I think the answer is absolutely there is. In fact, the apostle Paul gives us a connection between the physical and the spiritual as well. Galatians 4, verse 22, Paul jumps into that analogy between the physical and the spiritual to really get down to the fact that the church is our mother. Because you might think, well, yeah, that's a stretch, nice little idea, but is that really the case? Is the church really our spiritual mother? And if it is, how is it? How would you really categorize that, according to Scripture, to show that we should view the church as our spiritual mother? Well, Paul uses an example. He uses an analogy here in Galatians chapter 4, verse 22. He says, it's written that Abraham had two sons, one by a bond woman, the other by a free woman. So he begins to make a connection here. God promised Abraham children, and so what did he do? Well, he took it upon himself to take Hagar, because Sarah was old. She wasn't going to have any kids, so he thought, well, we'll just make this happen this way.

And so Paul begins to show, wait a second, there's a difference between that slave woman, that bond woman you took, and Sarah, the free woman who God was going to bless with a child. There was a difference between these two. Verse 23 says, he who was of the bond woman was born according to the flesh. And so we have a difference between Ishmael, who was the son of Hagar, as opposed to Isaac, who was the son of promise from Sarah. So let's notice that. He says, the free woman was through promise. Verse 24, these things are symbolic. Okay, what do they represent? Why are they symbolic? He says, these are the two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar. So we have this whole, not just the commandments, but this whole old covenant system of sacrifices, this whole system of ceremonial laws. He says, this is Hagar, that's Mount Sinai in Arabia. And that corresponds to the physical, to Jerusalem, which now is, verse 25, and is in bondage with her children. So we have this representation of Ishmael and Hagar, of the old covenant, symbolizing in a sense human efforts. What can I do to ever get rid of sin in my life? Well, physically, there's nothing I can do. There's no ritual. There's no sacrifice that I can do that can free me from the bondage of sin. Nothing. And so, Paul points to that. He points to that's just a physical thing. It's not going to get you very far. And yet, on the other hand, he points to Sarah. Verse 26, he says, but Jerusalem above, which is free, the free woman and the son of promise, which came from her, he says, that's free, which is the mother of us all.

So there's a connection, a spiritual connection between Sarah and Jerusalem, which is above, and it says it's free. It is free, the mother of us all. So instead of the old covenant, instead of the sacrificial system that could never forgive sin and remove it, we have this representation of the new covenant with better promises. There are better things of faith, and that faith and those better promises lead to freedom. Freedom from sin, because sin can be completely removed. That death penalty can be freely removed through Jesus Christ.

And so we have this connection to the Jerusalem, which is above, and God's church.

Now how do we know that's talking about the church, and maybe just limited to this new covenant? Or is that representative of the church as well? Well, it's hard to tell exactly from this section in Galatians, but if we go over to Hebrews, Hebrews will help define what exactly Paul was talking about. And of course, in Hebrews 12, he gives us a little more information that we can connect the dots, and we can see that this Jerusalem does symbolize the church. Not the Jerusalem, the physical Jerusalem, but that Jerusalem above, that free woman, Sarah, those are representative of God's church. Let's notice that in Hebrews 12, verse 18.

Verse 18 gives us the identity of Jerusalem above. It says, "...you are not come to the mount that might be touched, that might be burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest." All right, which does that symbolize? Well, there's Hagar. That's Hagar. That's the physical aspects, the Old Covenant, Mount Sinai. Now, Israel, of course, in that Old Covenant, they were the church. They were the church in the wilderness. Remember Acts, what is it, chapter 7 talks about that. I think it's maybe around verse 38 or so. You can check me on that. Ancient Israel was the church in the wilderness, and that ancient church, God called this physical church out of physical Egypt and brought them out in the wilderness. He proposed a marriage covenant with them. They could not keep that covenant. It had physical promises that involved rituals and their own human efforts connected with Hagar.

But what does he point to here? Verse 22, we see there's a difference now. Now something spiritual is going on. He says, "...you," that includes you and I, "...we've come to Mount Zion." Well, what's the difference? Well, we've come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God. Well, which city? Is it a physical city or is it that Jerusalem above? Well, let's see. He says, we've come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all. He says, "...to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel." And so Paul puts the pieces together here in Hebrews 12, and he points to the fact that God has now called spiritual Israel. And we haven't been called out of just a physical place. We've been called out of the ways of this world, out of spiritual Egypt. And now he's teaching us in this spiritual wilderness as well as a physical wilderness. And he's called us to the heavenly Jerusalem, to His church. And of course, he's shown us the way as Christ is the firstborn of many, the firstborn that went before us. And so when we put these passages together, it comes clear that Jerusalem above is God's church, and God's church is our spiritual mother.

It is our spiritual mother. And it's called Jerusalem above for a number of reasons. Why is it above? Well, we know God in that third heaven sits on His throne, and He sends us His Spirit. He fills us. He gives us His Spirit. That Spirit lives in us and through us and empowers us, and it makes us His children. We become His children. We are named into the God family.

And that is just an amazing picture that we recognize at baptism. Do we remember our baptism covenant that we made with God? It's about family. It's about our father. It's about our brother. It's about our mother. Because when that minister said those words, they baptized you what? Into a church? Into an organization? Into a sect or a denomination? No, in fact, we say, no, we don't do that. But we baptize you into the name, into the name of God, into the name of Jesus Christ. We do it by the authority of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. So we become part of the family. We take on the family name. And God is our father. Christ is our brother. And we receive God's Spirit that empowers us. And so that when we are led by the Spirit of God, we are told clearly in Romans 8, we are the sons and daughters of God. And so God has begotten us into His family. And so at baptism, what else do we do? We take on the family name. We renounce our citizenship in this world. And we see the heavenly Jerusalem. That is where our citizenship is. In Philippians 3, it talks about that. Our citizenship is in heaven, in that heavenly Jerusalem. And one day, Christ is going to return and establish His government on this earth. And so no wonder He connects these dots for us and reminds us that the church is that Jerusalem that is above, because that's where our inheritance is coming from. And so we're to live as children in that kingdom now. And that's the challenge for us. As Zechariah saw, this is not just something for the future, but this is something that we should be a part of right now. And so many times throughout Scripture, we're told about this Jerusalem. We're told about Zion. We read about that in Zechariah. Oftentimes, those words are interchangeable. Sometimes it'll say Jerusalem in the prophecy. Sometimes it'll say Zion. And you can use either one of those. One of the passages that came to my mind is in Isaiah 66. Verse 8 is where we can see this Jerusalem above being symbolized also in Zion and how they are symbolic of the church. Let's notice this amazing family connection.

Isaiah 66, verse 8. See if you recognize this connection. He says, "...who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth and not cause delivery, says the Lord? Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb, says your God?" And of course, we see those things in this future perspective that maybe that's only in the kingdom. And yet, I think there's so much more to the story.

Has God brought us into His family? Has He delivered us from the ways of this world into the body of Christ, into the mother, into our mother, the church? I think so. In verse 10, He goes on, "...rejoice with Jerusalem." So we see Zion and Jerusalem, one and the same. He says, "...be glad with her, all of you who love her, rejoice for her with her, all you who mourn for her, that you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory." So there's a glory in Zion, in Jerusalem, in the church, in the church. Verse 12, "...for thus says the Lord, Behold, I'll extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles, like a flowing stream." He says, "...then you shall feed, on her sides you shall be carried." Just like a mother bounces her baby, it says, "...be dangled on her knees, as one whom with his mother comfort, so I will comfort you, and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem." Yes, that's a future. It's a future prophecy. And yet, today, is there an application?

I think absolutely there is. Because that future Jerusalem, when Christ comes back to earth, there will be comfort. There will be encouragement. There will be nurturing and nourishing.

And God's going to start that family relationship with Israel, and it's going to spread to the entire earth. And yet, today, God has an expectation for us that this should be a description of what God's church is like now. Now. Because the church should provide for all of us in this very same way as a mother provides for her children. So, we should be fed like they will be in the future. We should be comforted, like he says, as a mother comforts. We should be corrected when we need correction. We should be nourished. And we should be nurtured in the church. But collectively, as a family. As a family. The interesting part is, that's not just a job for the ministers, not just a job for the home office. This is a job for the body of Christ, that each one of us has a part to supply as we all make up that body. We all make up that mother.

And so Paul gave some very specific instructions throughout Scripture for the mother, for each of us as a part of the body of Christ to be actively nourishing and comforting and encouraging. And so even as we celebrate this Mother's Day, it should be a reminder for us, there's a job that all of us have as part of the church, as mothers. And when you read through 1 and 2 Timothy, read through Titus. In fact, maybe we should turn over to Titus for just a moment.

The Apostle Paul gives instructions to the mother. Yes, he gives them specifically to Timothy and to Titus. But there are instructions on how the mother should be. What should the church be like? How should you take care of the church? How should the church be governed? How should the church be instructed? And how, as part of the church, should we be nourishing and cherishing and comforting others? And in Titus, Titus 2, is where he gives some specific instructions to each one of us, whether we're men or women, old or young. He gives us the guidance of how we, as the body of Christ, can function properly. Notice what he says right at the very beginning of Titus 2. He tells Titus, speak the things that are proper for sound doctrine. Well, that's something each one of us need to do as a part of the church. We don't want to bring in heresies. We don't want to bring in false teaching. We've got to have healthy, sound. That's what that word means. Healthy teachings. Healthy teachings. It's like a mother who loves her children will teach them good things. He starts, verse 2, with the older men. Older men, be sober. That means be calm, be circumspect, be wise. He says, be reverent, be respectable, be noble, be dignified, in other words. They're to be temperate. They're to be sound in faith. That means healthy in the faith. Healthy in love, it goes on, and in patience. So he instructs the older men, how can the older men hang out with the younger men, with the younger women, with the older women? How can we be a family?

If you think of terms like the grandfathers, they need to be the bedrock of the family.

They need to be respectable. They need to have patience. That word patience means endurance. Endurance. Because they are such great men in the family. Of course, he doesn't stop there. Verse 3 goes to the older women. Older women. Maybe you might think of the grandmothers. They should be reverent in behavior, just like the men. They shouldn't be slanderers.

They shouldn't be given to much wine. And they should be teachers. Teachers like mothers of very good things. Teaching what is good. Does that sound like a healthy family? That's what we need to be doing. He doesn't leave anybody out here in Titus. Verse 4, he says, The young women, the young married women, love your husbands. Teach them, it says, admonish them, train them to love their children. You see, because we are a family. We are a family. And families that are strong and healthy care about each other. They love each other. He goes on. He tells them to be discreet, to be chaste, to be pure, to be innocent. He tells them then to be homemakers. Homemakers. Which one of the translations says, guardians of the home.

Guardians of the home. They're watchful. It says they're obedient to their husbands. And he says, when we act this way, God's Word cannot be blasphemed. God can't be criticized, and His Word cannot be criticized because we're not just talking the talk. We're walking the walk. We're doing the right things. Of course, young men, they're included here. Verse 6, exhort them, he says, to be sober-minded. In other words, be self-controlled. Be self-controlled. If the church is going to be healthy, young men, be sensible, be temperate, be self-controlled. It says, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works.

So it's obvious in our example, in who we are. He says in doctrine, in your teaching, show integrity, show reverence, show incorruptibility. Because those are the things that don't come naturally to young men. Young men in the church should reflect these things. He says, sound speech, sound speech that cannot be condemned. It says that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say. When somebody wants to condemn you, you can't find anything to condemn you about because you have healthy speech, because you've set a proper example.

He gets down to it as well. If we haven't said enough about the old, the young, the young men, the old men, now he turns to the slaves. In verse 9, he says, bondservants, be obedient to your masters. So even as employees, today I think that kind of fits us. It says, be an example. Don't take advantage. Don't pilfer verse 10. Show faith, all good fidelity, because these things bring honor to our mother, the church. And when we do these things, do we build each other up? Do we become interconnected with each other? That we support each other and we care about each other? When we do these things, the body is going to grow stronger. It's going to be healthier, and it's going to lead us in the way that God wants us to go. In fact, that's where he ends up doing these things. We get all the way down to verse 15. He says, speak these things, exhort, rebuke with all authority. And so he says, you know, there is an endgame to this whole thing. And it points to the fact, even when we get to chapter 3, he brings in the fact that our relationship with the world has to be one that we're praying for authorities. We're praying for presidents. We're praying for kings, proving the fact that God's church, our spiritual mother, can be a powerful force for good in this society that we live in. And so that's a positive thing that we're encouraged to do. Even though we used to be a part of that whole mess, you know, God leads us to our mother, his church, where we can be like a mother who protects her children, like a mother who feeds and nourishes her children.

That's what we as a part of the church can also do and help each other along the way. In fact, there's a very practical way that we can do this, a very practical way. And Paul gives it to us because you might say, okay, great, I get the theory. How do we do this? Well, there's one way that we're given that's very clear in Scripture. It's over in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 is where the apostle Paul instructs on this. And it is kind of interesting where this instruction falls because we probably all are familiar with Hebrews chapter 11. It's the faith chapter, maybe the faith hall of fame, you might think of it. It lists all those amazing men and women of the Bible who were faithful to God and exhibited that faith and who are still looking forward to the ultimate reward. And it's interesting, just before that, in a way, I wonder if Paul was thinking, here's some guidance, here's some instructions to make sure that you make that list, that you're included in that list when Christ returns. Maybe that's part of what chapter 10 is all about. And when we look to verse 23, he tells us as a part of the body of Christ, a part of the church, he says, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. So we've got to hang on. But what is that we're hanging on to? What is it that not we're just hanging on to and just waiting and hoping for Christ to return pretty quick so this world will be over with? That's not the kind of hanging on he's talking about. He's talking about grasping and holding and never letting go the promise. Never let go God's promises. Hold that confession. Hold that attitude. Hold that manner of life. That's really what he's getting to. This example that he's talked about. Hang on to it. Never let it go.

And if we do that, it's not something that's just a selfish thing, but it's something that has to be shared. And so he says that in verse 24 then. Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

So you see as a part of the body of Christ, as a part of the church of God, our duty is to stir one another up. And he says to do it in love and good works. How do we do it?

It says, assemble together. Assemble together. Well, what happens when we come together?

Well, it reminds us we are one. We are one body. We are one family. And if families are going to avoid being dysfunctional, they need to be together. They need to get to know each other. They need to serve one another. They need to stir one another up. And they need to do it out of love. And so we're not only told that this is a good idea, just like honoring your father and mother. That was a commandment. How about this? Is this a command? You bet it is. You bet it is. Go back to Leviticus 23. Leviticus 23 says, these are my Sabbaths. And what happens on those Sabbaths? God says, it is a holy convocation. It is a commanded assembly. Because normally, we'd go the way of this world. We'd say, I don't feel like getting together. I don't really want to. What's the point? No, God says, do this. He commands it to be done because it will help us to come together in a way that Paul says, in a way that we assemble together, not just because we have to, but because we want to.

Because the church will function properly as we each do our function, as we stir up love and good works. And so God commands us to come together and assemble ourselves. This is a commanded assembly, a holy convocation. And it's a time that we can nurture. It's the time that we can be protected from this world. It's a time that we can be fed. And that's a job for all of us. It's a job for all of us to do, as He says, so much the more as you see the day approaching. And so the instruction God gives us helps us to focus on serving and loving and caring and assisting and nurturing each other, each other. And so that's why He says, do it. Do it. And it starts with getting to know each other, doesn't it? It starts with fellowshipping. It starts with assembling together.

And so don't let anybody ever tell you it's not that important that I attend. It's not that important that I show up. It's vital to the health of the body. It's vital. Absolutely vital. How can we have a family relationship in the way that God intends if we're not a family? If we're not a family. And so it's through this family relationship, God helps us to understand what salvation is all about. And sometimes that's a little bit of a challenge because, well, we're not exactly all as normal as maybe I think I am. We're all a little different. And it takes work. It's something we have to work at. It's something He says we've got to stir it up. Something we've got to continue to do. This is a continuing action. And I was reminded of this when I saw a beautiful little poem. It was about a physical mother, but I think it actually goes a little bit farther than just the physical. It was a poem called, A Mother's Prayer. And it was an acute little book called, Love and Baby Powder Covers All. And it was written by a lady named Marilyn Gualtney Barnes. Here's the way the poem goes. A Mother's Prayer.

O, give me patience when tiny hands tug at me with their small demands.

And give me gentle and smiling eyes, keep my lips from sharp replies.

Let not fatigue, confusion, or noise obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys.

So when years later, when my house is still, no bitter memories its rooms may fill.

And I think of that poem, and it's just a reminder that, you know, sometimes things may get a little annoying. Those little ones yanking on you all the time. It's like, oh, stop.

It's a reminder of us as a body. We're all different. And sometimes it's going to take some work and effort. But you know, in the end, God says it's going to pay off.

And we can get along. And so much more than just putting up with each other, we can actually learn to love each other. We can actually learn to care for each other, to have the kind of concern so that as we know each other, that we can actually nurture each other. We can actually comfort each other because we know what's happening in each other's lives. And we can care for each other because that's what a family is all about, a healthy family. That's what it's all about. And no wonder Paul then compares us to that kind of a family. And he does that in an area that he talks about spiritual gifts.

In 1 Corinthians 12, 12, maybe we can turn there. 1 Corinthians 12, 12 talks about these wonderful gifts. But these gifts that he gives has to be used to build up the family, to support the church, which is something that, well, not just the ministers or the elders or the deacons or deaconesses have to do, but it's a part that all of us have to play, which stresses this amazing family relationship that we've been called into.

Let's begin in verse 12. 1 Corinthians 12, 12 focuses on the body. It says, as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. So as we think of the church, there are so many of us, but each of us are fulfilling a valuable function within that body, because without you, wouldn't be the body.

There'd be something missing. There'd be something wrong. When you look down to verse 25, he says there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. There's that motherly influence in the body. Each one of us, each member, each part has a function to fulfill. And so then he can show us, if one member suffers, is the body going to suffer? He says, yes, absolutely. It says all the members suffer with it. He says, if one is honored, he says all the members rejoice with it.

And so we see a healthy family relationship that grows within God's church, because we grieve together. We rejoice together. There are serious times together. There's fun times together. We experience life together within the body, and we function in a proper, healthy, wonderful, godly way. And that's God's purpose. In fact, it kind of draws us back to Ephesians 4.

We read that earlier on, but maybe we can go back there for just a moment, because it seems 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 tie together so well. If we go back to Ephesians 4.15, we can see the attention behind what Paul wrote about to the Colossians and to the Ephesians as well. He kind of tells us to put these concepts into practice in verse 15. Ephesians 4.15, he tells us to speak the truth in love. We heard that in the sermonette. And he says to grow up, you're a good family, grow up in all things. And so we've been doing some of these things. We have been a body that has been growing.

Now is the time to continue. Now is the time to take it to the next level. Now is the time to be even healthier and stronger and closer than ever before. So he says, grow up into all things, into Him who is the head to Christ. And then verse 16, he says, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share.

And so we see we are interconnected. We are interdependent on each other. And without one of us doing the part that we need to play, he's telling us something's wrong. The body's not healthy. And so we all have a part to play in this so that it will effectively work. And when it's effective, when there's love, when there's concern, when we have all of those wonderful motherly attributes, we see amazing results. And he says at the end of verse 16, when we do those things, what's going to happen?

It's going to cause the body to grow. It says, it causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. So God points us in that direction. That's our function. And so I think we're going to ask ourselves, am I allowing God to use me to fulfill the function that He's caused or called me to as members of the church of God? Are we serving? Are we edifying? Do I even know my brothers and sisters? Am I allowing them to stir me up? Am I listening when I need that stirring? Am I taking correction? Would I need correction? Even though it might come from a source I don't really like? Or can I reach out to others when they need compassion and encouragement?

You know, are we allowing God's church to teach us, to lead us, to direct and guide us?

It's a good question to ask this weekend. Do I really honor my mother? Do I honor my mother, the church? Am I fulfilling my part in the church? You see, I can dishonor my mother, the church, by not doing my part in the family. And so there is a function that we all have to play.

And so that's an important thing to think about. In fact, Zechariah said it maybe best. If you want to flip back to Zechariah 8 where we began. I'm going to read the beginning of chapter 8 from the New Century version. Let's take a look at New Century. Zechariah 8 verse 2. Because that word for jealousy can also carry the connotation of zealousness, being zealous. And God is a zealous God. And He wants us to have that kind of zealousness ourselves, especially as His body. So let's recognize this, Zechariah chapter 8. Notice verse 2. This is NCV. It says, This is what the Lord all-powerful says. I have a very strong love for Jerusalem.

Remember our connection to the church. My strong love for her is like a fire burning in me.

So we see how much God loves and cares and watches over us. Verse 3. This is what the Lord says. I will return to Jerusalem and live in it.

Then it will be called the City of Truth. The mountain of the Lord all-powerful will be called a holy mountain. And of course, as we think about that, we know that doesn't have to be just a future thing. Where is God's home? Where is God's temple today? It's within us. It's within us.

So we should be that City of Truth. We can be that holy mountain of God.

Only our mother, in his way, can provide for us in this amazing, powerful way.

I think like John Quincy Adams, like Abraham Lincoln, our physical mothers have done amazing things. Most of us have been blessed to have wonderful mothers. They have truly made a huge difference in our lives in shaping who we are. And of course, this is the time. Don't forsake your mother. If you have someone, anyone in your life that has contributed in a way that has made a difference, now is the time to thank them, to honor them, to love them, to respect them, and not to take them for granted. We need reminders like this. But you know, it's also a time to take up the challenge. It's time to take this challenge to really invest in each other's lives, to really care for each other. And we have done it. Now we can do even more. And as the body of Christ, we can reach out. We can reach out to support those who need support, to be friends to those who need a friend, and to be encouraged, to be edified, and to be built up. And so it's through our awesome Father that we have this wonderful opportunity to have this family relationship with God the Father and our elder brother, Jesus Christ. He certainly reminds us that now is the time. There's no better time than right now to honor our mother.