May 12, 2024 – Mother’s Day

00:00:08:02 – 00:00:21:10
All right. Well, I hope you can hear me. That was good, wasn’t it? I hope. Miranda, I’ve got a little reading up here.

00:00:21:12 – 00:00:58:09
Is she still in the. I hope you have heard that song before. Maybe you’ve never heard it. What you don’t may not realize is that is numbers chapter six, verse 23 to 26 being put to song. That’s called the Eric, the Aaronic Blessing. And the priest Aaron. That was the blessing that he he bless the people. And so I’m going to say to parents here, grandparents, I don’t think there’s any greater prayer you could pray than that prayer over and blessing over your children in your family.

00:00:58:09 – 00:01:22:03
So I hope you’ll you’ll mark your Bible numbers, chapter six, verse 23 through 26, and learned that and prayed that prayer over your children and prayed that prayer over your family. Pray that prayer over your friends. Because those are powerful, powerful words that you can bless others with. And, I’m I’m so glad they sang that this morning.

00:01:22:03 – 00:01:49:13
Take your Bible and open first a second Timothy. Like usual. I got about four messages going on in my head. I asked the Lord to slow my hamster down or the wheel down. Whichever one comes first and I’ll figure out where to go. But in second Timothy first, and I’m going to begin there. Then we’re going to go back a little bit to the Old Testament over to first Samuel.

00:01:49:15 – 00:02:17:09
But in second Timothy, Paul is writing, see if I can do this right. Paul is writing, to Timothy, who’s a young preacher. And Timothy was he was, if you would, the protege of the apostle Paul. He had to tussle. Paul had two young men that he faithfully taught and trained in the ministry. One’s name was Timothy, the other was Titus.

00:02:17:09 – 00:02:40:04
You read in the New Testament two books that the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, first Timothy, second Timothy, second Timothy is where we’re going to be today. And then there’s a book called Titus. And both of those were young men that Paul, father heard in the faith. In other words, you have spiritual fathers, whether you realize this or not, as much as you do earthly fathers.

00:02:40:04 – 00:03:05:05
God gave us earthly fathers. But when you’re in ministry, God gives you spiritual fathers to those who teach you and need you spiritually. And Timothy had the apostle Paul. That’s a pretty good one right there. I mean, if you can’t be a good preacher with the Apostle Paul being your teacher, you got some problems. Well, in Second Timothy, Timothy had been pastoring the church at Ephesus.

00:03:05:05 – 00:03:42:12
You also have a book in your Bible called Ephesians. And Ephesians is Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, which was a powerful church. But Timothy had been pastor there for a time, and now Timothy was probably pastoring at one time a mega church, a church that was on the ground. But now he’s reached this point where persecution is coming against the church and and all kinds of lies are being made up by the government, the Roman government, to destroy the church.

00:03:42:12 – 00:04:06:07
And so Timothy is now pastoring a church in decline. And trust me, that’s no fun. And so when he’s when Paul writes to him, Paul is also in prison. As a matter of fact, if you go to Second Timothy chapter four, you read Paul’s sworn letter, I call it. In other words, he’s sitting in a jail cell. He’s about to be executed.

00:04:06:07 – 00:04:27:29
He’s watching outside his windows as they build and sharpen the gallows that are going to chop his head off in just a few hours. And so this is his final letter. This is the final letter that the apostle Paul will ever write, and he’s writing it to none other than Timothy. And he begins it by trying to give Timothy a word of encouragement.

00:04:27:29 – 00:04:52:12
Like I said, he’s pastoring by now a declining church, being the pastor. They were the government was after Timothy. In other words, he’s the first one they want to take out. If they can get him, he’s got the rest of the church. And so Timothy, as you can imagine, is worried. He’s his stomach is turning inside out because now he’s on the hit list of the the Roman government.

00:04:52:14 – 00:05:20:07
And it just seems like everything is going wrong. Everything’s going wrong. And so when the Apostle Paul writes to him, I want you to look in Second Timothy chapter one, and I’m just going to begin reading in verse one and we’ll read a few verses. Paul says in verse one, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, I want you to understand that first verse for me.

00:05:20:09 – 00:05:42:17
There’s no promise of life beyond this life without Jesus. If you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything, and that’s what he’s telling me, said. Secondly, verse two, he says to Timothy, my beloved son, he says, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. I love the fact that he gives him two things.

00:05:42:17 – 00:06:12:19
These are three things he says grace, peace, and mercy. Those are those are very important. And he says, I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing. I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, he says, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you now, I want you to.

00:06:12:19 – 00:06:35:20
I want you to underline that in your Bible. When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you. Look what he says, he says, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And I am persuaded in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of the hands.

00:06:35:23 – 00:06:56:08
For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love in a sound mind. I’m going to get closer to you so you can hear me. I think the Lord is trying to challenge me today like this is this is not a day to have a metal building, is it? So y’all can hear me.

00:06:56:08 – 00:07:27:22
Okay, you got me. All right, so when the apostle Paul writes to Timothy, he’s telling him, he says, listen, I pray for you every day I remember you. You’re you’re you’re special to me. And he’s telling him, I want to encourage you. He said, I want you to to know, first of all, that I remember you. And if you’ve ever heard me preach through that text, when Paul says, remember what he’s talking about is it literally means stacking memorials, stacking memorials.

00:07:27:22 – 00:07:55:14
In other words, when Paul would pray for Timothy, he would call out Timothy’s name to heaven and in heaven before the courtroom of God. Timothy Paul was mentioning, Lord, I pray for Timothy. Lord, I pray for Timothy. So moms, listen to me carefully. And he kept mentioning Timothy’s name without ceasing. And so he was doing that so that every time God looked up from his throne, he had to see Timothy’s name being mentioned.

00:07:55:19 – 00:08:16:08
And when he heard Timothy’s name been mentioned, it made the heart and the mind of God toward turn toward Timothy and favored toward Timothy. So whenever he says that, he says, but something else, he says, Timothy, I remember, I know the faith that’s in you and the faith that you have. And he’s trying to encourage you, don’t give up.

00:08:16:08 – 00:08:43:24
Don’t quit. No, don’t get discouraged, he said, because I saw that same faith first in your grandma and in your mama. He said, those two people right there, we’re foundational to who you are today. Yes, he was saved. Yes. He was a Christian. Yes, he had a relationship with Jesus Christ. But where did all of that start? Where did he get that undying, unwavering, the word in the King James, his unfeigned.

00:08:43:24 – 00:09:17:03
It means. It means the no back up, no surrender, no quit faith. Where did he get that kind of faith? And Paul says, I remind you, it was first in your grandma and second in your mama. So I want to say something real quick to mom here today. If you think or if you have bought the life of traditional church, that will tell you that God doesn’t use women in ministry, you’ve bought a line straight from hell this morning because every time I read the Bible, I see God using women in the Bible in a powerful way.

00:09:17:09 – 00:09:41:26
I see mothers mentioned. I remind you, when Jesus rose from the grave, the first people, the first people that came to the grave were women. I have a scientific, You no idea about that? Why did he use women? It is a science fact that women use more words today than men do. And I believe Jesus wanted them women to go tell everybody that Christ was risen.

00:09:42:01 – 00:10:01:08
But every time you don’t, don’t shoot me, ladies. It’s a side effect. I’m telling you the truth, all right? It’s a good thing I’m not saying it against you. Men ought to get out of their their Christianity. You start telling people about Jesus like you do. But I want you to think about that here. Paul is saying, I remember the faith that was in your grandma.

00:10:01:09 – 00:10:27:12
I remember the faith that was in your mom. And I want you to remember that and then let that faith be stirred up in you. Remember, I laid hands on you when Paul ordained Timothy. And if you’ve never been ordained, I’ve been ordained as a minister. So I know the power in that. I’ll never forget the day that I was ordained to the gospel ministry, and the deacons of the church that came from my pastor.

00:10:27:14 – 00:10:47:18
They stood over me. They laid hands on me. They spoke promise and blessing and prophecy side over my life. And much of that has come true in my life. And so Paul saying, I saw a gift in you when you were young in the ministry, stir up that gift. Remember it. Paul’s telling him, I can’t be there in person.

00:10:47:26 – 00:11:07:08
I’m not going to be able to help you. I’m about to go be executed. But God still has a plan for you. And he goes on to tell him. He said, not only do they have a plan for you, but but God is able to complete or finish complete what he began in you, and it will happen until Jesus calls you home.

00:11:07:15 – 00:11:27:20
And then he ends it by saying, For God has not given you a spirit of fear. How many of you look at me? How many of you know that fear is a spirit? You may not believe in spirits, but if you’re afraid, you’ve got a spirit of fear. And fear is a spirit. How do you replace a spirit of fear with the Holy Spirit?

00:11:27:20 – 00:11:48:29
That’s how you do it. And with a spirit of praise, a spirit of Hallelujah, a spirit that says, I believe in the God whom I serve. And then God gives you a mind with power of love and a sound mind. How many of you know fear will drive you crazy? You’ve heard me talk about this. You remember this during Covid.

00:11:49:06 – 00:12:12:07
I’m not picking on anybody that took precautions during Covid, but I can remember sitting in my truck going going through Decatur, Texas, of all places and driving down the road in Decatur, Texas, and seeing somebody hit the red light up there, and they got a mask on their windows rolled up in the car alone. Have you ever seen that?

00:12:12:10 – 00:12:33:22
I’m looking at that. I’m thinking, what is wrong with you? You you are so scared. I mean, you’re in the car alone, wind is rolled up and you’re afraid COVID’s going to get you in your own car. And that. What was that? That was a spirit of fear that gripped our world. That was a spirit of fear that swept across the globe.

00:12:33:24 – 00:12:54:07
All with the intention, by the way, just so I can say it all with the intention to cause the multitudes to bow down and worship the government instead of God. Churches shut down all over the country. Churches that were supposed to preach and believe in the healing power of Jesus. And they closed down because of a virus that give you a sniffle.

00:12:54:07 – 00:13:13:28
Say, don’t. Don’t misunderstand me. I did three funerals during that time of people who died from Covid. I’m not saying it was a real I’m not saying it wasn’t deadly. I’m not saying it wasn’t from the devil. It was. But what I’m telling you is when you see people gripped with a spirit of fear, it’s because they have a great absence of faith.

00:13:14:03 – 00:13:38:19
Someone told me long ago, when I was fixing to climb on the bull, that was really, really bad bull, he said. Fear not, but faith answers. Always remember that when fear knocks, faith should answer. And whenever you face fear, no, that’s a spirit from Satan, a spirit from hell that’s trying to derail you from being and doing what God wants you to be.

00:13:38:21 – 00:14:03:18
So he tells him. He says, I remember the faith that was in your grandma. I remember the faith that was in your mom. Remember that that’s who you are. That’s in your spiritual DNA. So I want to remind moms here and grandmothers here, I want to remind you of something this morning. You may not think that your faith matters to your kids, but I promise you it matters more than you think.

00:14:03:24 – 00:14:30:10
You may not think that your faith in Jesus matters to your grandkids, but I promise you, we live in a. We live and serve a God who is a generational God. We live in a fallen world to which curses can follow generations. You as a mother may be the one that God has chosen in your family to break generational curses and to bring generational blessings to your kids.

00:14:30:10 – 00:15:01:23
That’s why that that’s why that song while ago, we say, that’s why that scripture I say speak that, pray that declares that over your children you can bless generation after generations of your kids. I read in the Bible and I’m trying to preach fast because I know it’s hard to hear me, but just hang on. I read in the Bible in first Samuel, if you want to turn over there for a second, first Samuel in the Old Testament, there was another mother that had great faith.

00:15:01:26 – 00:15:27:10
I first learned of this mother when I was a kid from my own mother and of this story, because she related to me in my brother and told us how she felt like this woman. At one point in her life. There was a time for for my mom in her life that she her faith was was growing weak and she wanted to she wanted to have children.

00:15:27:13 – 00:15:50:09
And so if you just turn over to First Samuel for a minute, there’s a, there’s a, a mother here by the name of Hannah. Hannah became the mother of Samuel, which this book is his bears his name first. Samuel. Samuel was the great prophet, a visceral and in this story. And I’m not going to read the whole story.

00:15:50:09 – 00:16:09:01
We’re just going to I’m going to fill in the blanks for you. But in this story, Hannah was married to a man who was also a priest, but she could not have babies. And in that day, you’ve got to understand, it was very culturally important for a woman to be able to bear a child and give birth to a child.

00:16:09:02 – 00:16:33:20
How many of you know that the reason that God brought Adam and Eve together was to mean to multiply and to be fruitful? The very reason of marriage is not just so you can live happily ever after, but it is often times so that God can bless you with children and generations of your family. And so in that moment, Hannah could not have children.

00:16:33:20 – 00:16:56:05
She wanted them. And the Bible tells us and matter of fact, just look over at verse number. I believe this is going to be verse number five. And it says, but to Hannah, her husband, who had two wives. And that wasn’t unusual in that day. It wasn’t right, but it wasn’t unusual. But to Hannah he would give a double portion because he loved Hannah.

00:16:56:08 – 00:17:21:05
He loved Hannah because she was his beautiful wife. She he knew that Hannah was in turmoil on the inside because time after time, she couldn’t have a child. And so it says that her husband gave her a double portion. And and he loved Hannah. But notice the next phrase it says, although the Lord had closed her wound. Now this, we don’t know why she couldn’t.

00:17:21:08 – 00:17:41:02
Maybe she she was it for her to. Maybe she couldn’t produce eggs yet understand they didn’t have the medical technology we do today. But the Bible does tell us the reason she was barren, and it was because of the Lord. The Lord, for whatever reason, had chosen to not give her a child and closed her womb. So I want you to understand something.

00:17:41:02 – 00:18:02:25
There’s some things in life you’re going to face that are natural. Some things in the natural, in the physical that you and I may not have any control over. And some things we might, but you’ve got to understand, there are some things in the spiritual that we might have authority over, but there may be some things we don’t understand what God is doing.

00:18:02:26 – 00:18:30:05
Two things I want you to remember real quick. I want you to remember these two phrases. There is the sovereignty of God, and I don’t want you to ever forget that the sovereignty of God, that means that God rules. God rules. He rules in everything. The sovereignty of God cannot be overruled, not even by Satan himself. But then, number two, there is the providence of God, the providence of God.

00:18:30:12 – 00:18:58:25
Is it not only God rules, but he is in control of everything and everybody’s life and every minute detail of everybody’s life. And he has the ability, without fail to bring things together in your life for a purpose. You’ve heard me quote, hopefully you’ve read it Romans chapter eight, where God says we’re. Paul wrote and he said, all things work together for good for those that are called according to his purpose.

00:18:58:27 – 00:19:27:16
So right here you have the sovereign rule of God in Hannah’s. But but you also have the providential rule of God in her life. And the fact that he is the reason God is the reason her wound is closed. And we don’t understand that. I don’t know why God chose that, except that he had a miraculous story to unfold in her life and a miraculous testimony to give her so that he would be glorified.

00:19:27:16 – 00:19:50:07
So here’s what she does. The Bible says her her wound has been closed, and her rival also provoked her severely. In other words, the other her her husband’s other wife to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her wounds. So it was get this verse seven year by year she went up into the house of the Lord, and she chief provoked her.

00:19:50:12 – 00:20:15:16
Therefore she wept and did not eat. So the Bible tells me, number one, that God is the cause of her being barren. Number two, it tells me year after year after year, she would go to the temple and she would pray, and she would make sacrifice to the Lord and wanting to have a child. But yet she still didn’t have a child.

00:20:15:16 – 00:20:41:11
It wasn’t just the fact she didn’t have a child. She had the other wife over here mocking her because she couldn’t. So. So the torment of that was so stressful that she couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep. She was she was constantly in torment about it, you know that. And that would make you think at that point she. I’m just thinking she ought to just give up.

00:20:41:13 – 00:21:08:02
God, it’s obvious year after year after year, how many you’ve ever prayed for something year after year after year. And it seems that God is silent. It seems like God’s not listening. It seems like God doesn’t care. That’s where she’s at. And then so much that your enemy, Satan is coming alongside you and whispering in your ear that you will fail, that that your prayers are useless, your faith is useless.

00:21:08:09 – 00:21:30:24
I think that’s how Timothy probably felt over there in Second Timothy, and that’s why Paul was writing to him. And so I think that’s how Hannah was feeling. But Hannah refused to bow down to the enemy’s mocking. How many of you know that Satan will mock you if you if you don’t believe that, go get drunk tonight. I don’t want you to get drunk.

00:21:30:24 – 00:21:53:12
But if you think he’ll mock you when you get slop, stop him drunk. And then at the end of the night, you’re hanging over a toilet and you’re throwing up. you know, I’m making the sound effects, all right? You’re really Satan’s going. Hahaha. You thought he was having a good time? No. You’re sick and stupid. Does he not?

00:21:53:14 – 00:22:11:18
Y’all may not have been there, but I’ve been there. My brother sitting right back there. One time I pulled a bad drunk and he was driving. And I just got a brand new pair of Tony Lama boots. They don’t don’t try this at home. This ain’t good. And this is wrong. And I’m glad I survived it. My mama was home praying.

00:22:11:21 – 00:22:28:01
So my brother’s driving. And this is in the day when Boyd, Texas had one paved road and that was the main road went through it. Everything else was dirt roads and we’re going down the road. And I was just slop and drunk. I couldn’t drive and I said, hey, man, this be fun. I said, hold the steering wheel steady.

00:22:28:01 – 00:22:43:27
And he did, and I opened the door of the truck and I held out the truck and I was skiing down the road. Don’t you ever do this, kid. But I’m skiing down the road. A dirt road in my boots. The only problem is I wore those boots out in about five minutes is I go and then I get home.

00:22:43:29 – 00:23:04:09
And we knew my mom would be sitting up. She never went to bed. Did we go home or she’d be sleeping one out? I don’t know what she did. She had like some special thing she and so were coming down the road. My brother and I, we’re trying to get this guy’s our breath. I reached over my glove and got a bottle of polo Cologne.

00:23:04:09 – 00:23:29:23
Still where today? In my mouth. The problem with that is it didn’t take me about five minutes time I got in the house. My mama said good night. I said good morning because I was drunk and went upstairs that I my dad, I hear my dad at Tommy. I think Jeffrey’s drunk. Their room was right below mine. I’m like, oh no, this is not going to end well here.

00:23:29:23 – 00:23:48:12
My dad comes up there, you been drinking and you know how to lie. Yes, sir. I’m sitting on my bed doing this. He goes, I tell you what you do. Just lay down, close your eyes. Everything will be all right. My morning. Well, that didn’t work either. I laid down and the whole world spinning. He walks out.

00:23:48:12 – 00:24:07:15
I heard him snicker. I thought I thought he’s going to walk me. What? I didn’t realize that by the time he got to the end of the stairs, everything I had inside was starting to come outside. Okay, I run to the toilet. I’m. And I’m laying there thinking I’m dying. I’m dying. And my mom comes in. Is she talking to me?

00:24:07:15 – 00:24:27:21
I’m a movie. She he give me a rag and I’m just. What I’m telling you is the enemy was mocking me. You talk about feeling stupid now. I didn’t look so good. Tore up boots, Cologne in my mouth and chunk and cookies in the toilet. It didn’t look good. I was getting mocked. The Satan loves to do that to you.

00:24:27:23 – 00:25:04:09
And that’s what he was doing. Hannah. He was mocking. Mocking her, mocking her faith, mocking her prayers, mocking her, trusting God, saying that’s it ain’t worth it. But the next verse tells us, and if you go on and read, you find that she went year by year to the temple, but she goes this time, and rather than surrender to the devil, rather than surrender to doubt rather than surrender to defeat, here’s what she does.

00:25:04:11 – 00:25:28:15
Look at verse 11, it says. Then she made a vow. By the way, it verse before that. Verse ten tells us that she was bitterness, a soul, and she prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. That means that she was serious. She was undeterred in her faith. She believed that God can. If you get anything else, I say that just believe God can.

00:25:28:18 – 00:25:49:29
God can. Well, I don’t know what I’m going through. No, but I know God can. You don’t know what I’m facing. No, I don’t, but then you don’t know how impossible my situation. No, I don’t, but God can and God does. So look at the next verse, verse seven. Then she wept. She’s wept in anguish. So she serious when she gets here.

00:25:50:01 – 00:26:11:12
Verse ten, verse 11, it says. Then she made a vow. Now listen to me. She’s not just making something she’ll renege on she not from this generation. When she. When the Bible says she made a vow, she she made a vow in which she meant to keep. And let me make. Let me just say something to you. It is better.

00:26:11:12 – 00:26:40:29
The Scripture tells you. Is it better to make no promises to God than to make one and not keep it? He takes it seriously. Your word is the most sacred honor you have, and when you give it to somebody, it ought to be worth everything, and especially when you give it to God. But she was so serious about it, she made a vow and she said, oh, Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant, and remember me.

00:26:41:02 – 00:27:13:15
Remember what I talked about. Paul said, I make I make remembrance of you in my prayers. I’m setting memorial. She she was petitioning heaven with her prayers. What was she doing? She was setting up a monument before God. Remember me. Remember my cry. Remember my affliction. Remember my situation. I read in the New Testament of a. Jesus told the parable of a widow woman who had been treated unjustly.

00:27:13:18 – 00:27:36:29
She goes before a judge, and she, the judge, will hear her, but she goes back again and again, and Jesus commended the persistence of that woman, that she would continually go back and go back. You say, well, God didn’t hear my prayer. Go back again. Keep praying. It’s not that God doesn’t hear your prayer, and it’s not even that God doesn’t want to answer your prayer.

00:27:37:06 – 00:28:04:05
I believe God wants you in that moment to get. Because here’s what happens when you pray and you pray and you pray and nothing happens, one of two things are going to happen. You’re going to quit and prove to God you weren’t serious, or you’re going to keep and be persisted and your faith is going to grow because you’re going to have a concrete resolve in your life that I will not quit until I have God’s attention.

00:28:04:07 – 00:28:30:02
So the Bible says that she prays. She makes this vow. Lord, remember you’re maid servant and not forget your maid servant. And then she says this, but will give your maid servant a male child. Then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life. And no razor shall come upon his head. That was her promise.

00:28:30:04 – 00:28:38:04
And I want you to notice something. This woman had prayed and prayed and prayed.

00:28:38:07 – 00:29:02:14
But I think what had happened is all the prayers before, according to what I’m reading, were generic. They were in general. In other words, Lord, would you just bless me with a child and see I. Prayers can become so general and generic that we say, well, I don’t really ever I don’t really ever have the blessing of God flowing on me.

00:29:02:14 – 00:29:22:25
I don’t really ever have the answers from God. And the reason for that is Jesus said, you have not because you asked not. In other words, we should pray and pray specifically. So what happens here is year after year, I think her prayer just give me a child now she gets dead serious about it. Lord, I don’t just want any of y’all give me a male child.

00:29:23:01 – 00:29:44:06
Here’s my vow. I will raise him. I will dedicate him to you. No razor should come upon his head. Means I will set him apart to be a priest. And a and a prophet in your temple, in your house, unto Israel, and unto you God. And she makes that promise. And the Lord knew at that time she intended to do it.

00:29:44:06 – 00:30:09:12
And the next verse is read that she conceived and she gave birth to a male child. And you read the book first. Samuel and second Samuel, which bear that child’s name, one of the greatest prophets to ever prophesy in all of Israel. Where did that come from? That came from the faith of a mother that would not back down, give up or quit.

00:30:09:17 – 00:30:54:12
And when it got tough, all she did is modify her prayers. She got more specific. She can’t build a memorial before God. God, remember me, remember my affliction. And then later on in her life, she continued to pray for her son. So I want you as mothers here today to know that your prayers and your faith not only will affect your family, your children, but your children’s children, your faith in God, and in your faith in who he is and what he can do can change the course of generations to come of your family.

00:30:54:15 – 00:31:17:20
I want you to think this morning how if you have a mother, whether she’s alive or she’s going on to heaven, regardless of. I meet people all the time that tell me when my mom did this, my mom does that, and my mom’s not involved in my life, and. And I can’t understand. Or I can’t even fathom that kind of pain in your life.

00:31:17:20 – 00:31:57:14
But I want to tell you something. You have great reason today. If you’re hearing me to be grateful for your mom. And let me tell you why. Because she chose to give you life. Do you know how many millions of mothers in the last 50 years have chose to end their own child’s life? By the way, if you don’t think we’re a screwed up nation and yes, I said it that way, the same people that oppose capital punishment for the criminals who take the lives of innocent people support killing a baby just before it’s born.

00:31:57:16 – 00:32:23:06
That’s twisted and that’s wrong. Well, how could that be? That can be because they don’t have a biblical worldview. If they understood life and that life is precious in the sight of God, life is precious. And so the very fact that your mom gave you life today is very reason that you can honor her and be thankful for her.

00:32:23:09 – 00:32:54:05
But I want to say to moms real quick, and I’m going to give you a real life, a real, real life example of what I’m talking about. Some of you that’s been in my office, it is kind of cluttered, but I got a lot of good merchandise in there, a lot of good artifacts. I got a lot of things in there that remind me of where I’ve come from, who I am and where I’m going.

00:32:54:08 – 00:33:09:18
A lot of special things to me may not be meaningful to anybody else. I think I may have shared this Bible one other time here. I don’t I’m not sure if you’ve been in my office. I’ve probably and you’ve talked to me very much. I’ve probably told you and this Bible right here, and you can see it’s a little black Bible.

00:33:09:18 – 00:33:40:12
It’s all tattered and torn. It’s old. It’s pages are worn. I found this Bible along with a number of little notes. on old paper, you could tell they were old because they were that olive green. How many of you from the 70s remember olive green refrigerators? y’all remember that? I mean, who was I? And that was stylish.

00:33:40:14 – 00:34:04:18
That was pretty, but only a little olive green notes. And as I noticed, they were prayers that were written out and I noticed they were, I noticed on these prayers they were from my mom and they were dated some of them before me or my brother who’s sitting next to my mom. Did they were ever born? I was born in 73.

00:34:04:18 – 00:34:28:17
He was born in 75. y’all can notice, I am older than him. He is richer than me. But I am better looking in him. I’ve been waiting for him to be here. He losing his hair, his then turning leaves, man. Just turning colors. No.

00:34:28:19 – 00:34:45:00
But I found this Bible and it was an old Bible. I’m beginning to look through it. And it became evident along with those papers. And I found that it was my mama’s Bible and I began to read. My mom always makes notes in her Bible. I mean, I can go through here to show you just time after time, there’s all these marks.

00:34:45:02 – 00:35:12:20
And she always made notes of the preachers and some of the preachers. She, she, I remember from being a wee little kid, like a small child and like to she’ll mark in her Bible the sermons and the scriptures and the points the preacher preached. And when he preached it, and I begin to notice there were some of these preachers like, I’m looking right here, brother Fred Vought 516 1975.

00:35:12:21 – 00:35:41:11
That would have been, a few months before my brother was born. And so I thought, man, what a treasure. And so then one day, as I was looking through it, I happened to open this little Bible to the front. And my mom. It always told me the story of how my brother and I got here. She told us that my my mom and dad was it my dad, Ernie and cowboy hat and a mom.

00:35:41:11 – 00:36:03:08
I said no, here he was 18. She was 16 when they got married and got married 55 years now, right? 55 years. I’m do the math. I’m 56, married five years before I got here. All right. And apparently they was trying to have children. They wanted children and they were going to church. And the women of the church were praying with my mom.

00:36:03:08 – 00:36:28:06
You show me you. It saw last week that couple that comes Fred Nan Ruggles, he said from my mom and dad all time they and what ten years older. And she would pray that those women that would pray with my mom and church that she could have a child and my mom year after year, my mom and dad would pray for that, and they would obviously get discouraged because nothing was happening.

00:36:28:08 – 00:36:49:24
I think they were practicing, but nothing was happening with me. Okay. And so you can imagine that that heartache. But my mama heard the story first, Samuel chapter one about Hannah that I just read to you today. And so she had told my brother, now all of our life how how God had finally answered her prayer and she’d made promises to God.

00:36:49:24 – 00:37:05:06
And let me tell you something about when I read about Hannah keeping a vow. I think my brother can attest it is. My mama kept her vow. We we weren’t preacher’s kids, but we showed up at church more than the preacher’s kid did. I used to get mad at the preacher’s kid. Ain’t even here. Why do we gotta be here?

00:37:05:10 – 00:37:26:27
Because I made God appointments. He gives me some songs. I’m going to bring you to church. Who? She did keep it to. We got sprayed by skunk, my brother. Remember? We got sprayed mice. Got one time was trapping too. Y’all. Some of y’all don’t remember this in the 80s. before the fruit loop fell off the wagon. Peter.

00:37:26:29 – 00:37:46:20
And you could trap animals, coons and and there was money in the hat because people wore actual fur coats. And so this guy had told my brother and I literally we realized he was just blowing smoke in us, but we weren’t able to figure that out. He said, I’ll give you $25 for a skunk card. Well, we set traps.

00:37:46:20 – 00:37:59:26
We had this lab trap set. We go down there one night, we can’t just go and like Jake, how are we going to kill it? You shoot it, we’ll get it out of there. We’re down in this gully, and we shoot the skunk. The minute I walk up to get it out, it lets loose and sprays. We kill it.

00:37:59:26 – 00:38:19:01
But if you ever shot it, come about. There’s about a one minute delay and then it’s. And man, that skunk sprayed both of us. It was horrible. Oh they were climbing out. There’s going to you know, we’re we ain’t gonna skin no skunk at this point. We go run into the house. Mom only gives us she uses baths and all this stuff, which don’t for a week.

00:38:19:03 – 00:38:35:02
And we went to this little Baptist church, and boy, still, there we go, this little Baptist church, and we’re sitting in the back. This is almost a week later, and mama says, you boys going to sit in the back row today? Y’all still stink. And we’re back there. And it was one of those churches that was kind of up on stilts or something.

00:38:35:02 – 00:38:55:16
You know, it had you could get underneath it. And I remember the preacher getting up, he goes, well, folks, y’all just bear with us from just had a skunk get underneath the church last night. Stunk up the whole building, my brother. And I’m like, you’re looking at each other like, that’s us. We knew what the deal was, but even me and sprayed mask on.

00:38:55:17 – 00:39:09:16
We had to go to church. I mean, she kept her vow, but as I read through this Bible, this is what I want to share with you. I’m done. You can. You can even close your mouth.

00:39:09:18 – 00:39:37:04
So I found this whole Bible and it’s dated June 14th, 1972. I came around August 2nd, 1973. So this is a several a year and two months before I was born. It was given to my mama on her 20th birthday by my dad. It’s all about. And let me read to you what it says. She apparently wrote in here.

00:39:37:06 – 00:40:03:18
This is her writing, she says. And so when I tell you, I got something to tell me where I came from to remind me of my mama’s faith. My daddy’s faith. I got it in writing right here. It says, when this Bible was given to me for my 20th birthday, I was without children. Through God’s Word, I found faith that caused a miracle to happen.

00:40:03:20 – 00:40:31:17
In December of 1972, I became pregnant with Jeffrey Paul and she’s with homie Jeffrey. Now. I don’t get no ideas. I became pregnant with Jeffrey Paul. Two years later, the Lord blessed me again with Jay. I thank the Lord with all my heart for answering my prayers and giving me two healthy boys. Thank God for his precious word.

00:40:31:19 – 00:41:08:29
And then she says she wrote this later. I was saved the moment I was saved. June 1966 at Pleasant Oaks Missionary Baptist Church, Masters Drive in Dallas, Texas, and Tommy was saved April 1969, the same place. Let me tell you what that means. My mother’s grandparents, her grandmother, her grandmother, and her grandfather, my great grandparents, that Missionary Baptist Church was their home church was their home.

00:41:08:29 – 00:41:34:19
Church. That’s why I can stand here and tell you, when I read that story that I read to you this morning, it’s real to me. It’s real to my mama because she wouldn’t give up. It’s real to my daddy because he wouldn’t give up praying and believing God would do something, even though it looked impossible. You say, man, preacher, every time you preach, you like to preach a lot of scripture.

00:41:34:20 – 00:42:10:05
You always talk about the word scriptures. You see where I get it? Because my mama says that she believed God’s Word. She found promises in God’s Word that brought about a miracle in her life. And my brother and I are the miracles that proof of that miracle. She prayed for one son. God gave her two see, when you trust God, he’s always able to do abundantly and exceedingly above all that you could ask for or think.

00:42:10:08 – 00:42:36:09
So I encourage you moms here today, I encourage young ladies that someday will be moms. You remember what I shared with you today. You remember we serve a God that can do the impossible. Nothing is impossible. Think about it for a minute. If an angel could appear to a little virgin girl.

00:42:36:12 – 00:43:06:09
And her name is Mary, and say you’re going to conceive a child, you should call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sin. And her response would be like anybody else’s, how can that be? I’m just a girl. I’m a virgin. I’ve never been with a man and an angel say, But the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and you shall conceive this child.

00:43:06:15 – 00:43:32:17
It will be the God child. His name will be Emmanuel, God with us. And she says, how can this be? But when she gave birth to the baby Jesus, she made this declaration nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is impossible with God. So I’ll remind all of you mothers here today, and those of you that one day will be mothers.

00:43:32:20 – 00:44:02:10
You pray for your children. I’ve got I’ve got notes and notes. Notes there that came with this Bible that I found where my mother would, would write out her prayers last week in my office. So you’ve been in there and seeing my face when I got stepped on marble, just all bashed up. And some folks visited here from Waco and I was showing them, I was showing them, that picture, telling them that story.

00:44:02:12 – 00:44:20:07
I almost died, but my mom and dad would pray and they prayed around the clock. I would come in and out of consciousness at the age of 16 on life support, about to die. And here my mother, sitting by my bedside in a ICU room, and the doctors had already come in and said, we’ve done everything we can do.

00:44:20:09 – 00:44:55:12
Nothing else we can do. There’s nothing else. Call your family together. He’ll probably expire or die within the night. And I would come in and out of consciousness. My eyes are swelled shut, my mouth wired up, my hands are tied down, and I would hear my mama’s voice. And I recognized in her voice what she was reading. And it was the Psalms, the Bible, because the our pastor had told us, sit down and read God’s Word, for there’s healing in God’s Word.

00:44:55:15 – 00:45:19:05
Those doctors and nurses would come in and say, Miss Daggett, we don’t know what you’re doing, but just keep doing it because he’s improving. When medicine couldn’t help me, when doctors had done all they could do and they were wonderful doctors. Everything else was impossible. Because of my mom and dad’s faith, God stepped in and I was showing that family last week.

00:45:19:05 – 00:45:44:14
Some things in my office. This Bible, and I pulled out two tablets. I don’t even know what you call them. How many of you old enough to remember those little tablets that you write on? And it’s like a magnet looking thing, and then you can pull the piece of plastic up in it. A racist. Along with this Bible, I found those two tablets in which they would bring in to me because my eyes were so in.

00:45:44:14 – 00:46:10:00
My mouth was shut by, I couldn’t see, I couldn’t speak, but I could write what I wanted or what hurt. And I found those very two tablets, and I found them, along with another set of notes, that during that time, when my mom would take a break, she would go out into the waiting room and she would write out her prayers to God, asking him to spare my life.

00:46:10:02 – 00:46:36:03
See, I’ve got all of that. And I think about Timothy. When Paul said, Timothy, I remember the faith that was in your mouth. Your grandmother and your mother, and that same faith is in you. Where did it stop? Moms, you can affect your children and your children’s, children’s and your children’s, children’s and children’s lives for generations because of your faith in the Lord.

00:46:36:09 – 00:47:00:02
Let’s pray. Father, thank you for this day that we’ve had to worship you. I thank you, Lord, for every mother that’s in this building and those watching online. I thank you for every young lady here that one day will be a mother. And I pray that this sermon, this message that I’ve shared with them today, your word will provoke them to believe in you, to trust you.

00:47:00:04 – 00:47:24:05
And Lord, not just ladies here, but every person here, Lord, that we will know that you are the God of the impossible. You can do anything you choose to do. Help us, Lord, to trust you. Help us to believe you. Help us to hang on to your Word. When we’ve nothing else to stand on. We can stand on your word because you promised you’d stand by your word.

00:47:24:08 – 00:47:54:04
And Lord, I pray today a blessing over every mother and their families. I pray that their faith in you, their their courage to to never give up and to trust you and never surrender their faith or they’re hoping you, translates to generations of their families and blesses generations to come. Thank you for every mother here, every mother under the sound of my voice.

00:47:54:07 – 00:48:14:13
May this day be a very special day for them. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen. Well, thank you for being here today. I want to say one more time to visitors. I saw a few minutes after we got started. We’re glad you’re here. Glad you chose to worship with this. we don’t pass an offering plate around the church.

00:48:14:13 – 00:48:32:16
We’ve got a milk carton right back there in the back on the table. And that’s where we put offerings. If you want to give an offering to the Lord today, you can stop by there. And there’s some envelopes if you need one. we appreciate you. You can also give, online if you’re watching or you can, you say I don’t carry cash.

00:48:32:16 – 00:48:52:27
You give electronically. There’s a little QR code on the back of your bulletin. you scan that, however that happens, and you can give to the Lord through that. Okay. Thank you for being here. Hey, guys. I was while we were singing, I was conversing with some of the team. Y’all saw the rain. We’re going to have to cancel the bull riding today, but we’ll pick back up.

00:48:52:27 – 00:49:10:12
There’s still more rain moving in, and I don’t know how many inches it just rained out there, but it kind of looks flooded. Okay. So we’ll we’ll, we’ll be back next week and, God bless you. Have a great Mother’s Day. Mothers. We love you. Appreciate you being here in.