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Mother's Day Message by Ps Dr Ng Swee Ming, on 13 May 2012

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  • 1.Blessed Mothers Day 2012

2. How Much Is A Mother Worth ?A Uni. of Minnesota study on Motherhood shows ws:Mothers do 17 & more different job functionsnctionswhile raising their children :Teacher, Maid, Driver & Cook,Counsellor, Police officer, Arbitrator & Judge,Banker & Financial manager,Nurse, Doctor & Psychologist,Cheerleader, Night Watchman, Pastor & a FriendCalculated net worth for all services provided : ??? USD$131,000 A YEAR for what they do!** Not counting the value on love and affection that mothers give to their families. 3. Video on monorail 4. Video on roller coster 5. Laughing with JoyGen 18:1-1518:1- Mothers Day 2012 6. 5 Interesting facts about Sarah in the BibleWhat is Sarah - Mother of Nations (Gen 17:16)famous for in the Bible ?1. Legendary beauty at aged 65 and possibly even at 902. Giving birth to Isaac at aged 90 or 913. Died at the age of 127 - only woman in the Bible with this fact recorded4. Most mentioned woman in the Bible (45X)5. First woman to be mentioned in Hebrews great chapter on Faith - Heb 11 7. Was Sarah the perfect mother ?Was Sarah the perfect wife ?3 Key Lessons we can learn fromthe life of SARAH .... 8. Gods call to Abram in UrHow was it given ?Promises madeBut NO reason(s) ...Sarai his wife dutifullyobeyed & followed .... 9. Sarai left Ur with his husband Abram ++ for Canaan ...Stopped at Haran How long ??Her father-in-law, Terah dies ... and only then they moved on ... 10. At about 65yrs, Sarai left Haran for Canaan - the promised landGoing from certainty to uncertaintyOBEY 11. Expectation !!FAMINE in the promised landEVEN IN OBEDIENCE, WE FACE OBSTACLES 12. Down to Egypt.....A slight problem with Egyptian customs- So... 13. Sarahs beauty as expected was noticed...Incident with Pharaoh of Egypt (Gen 12:14..) 14. Q: Are not Gods chosen people PERFECT ?READ 1 Cor 1:26-27GOD CALLS the weak, the foolish, the lowlyDespite Abram & Sarais faithlessness , lying & deception ....GOD REMAINED FAITHFULREAD 2 Tim 2:13GOD intervened .... 15. REPEATED AGAIN about 25 yrs later :Abraham 99yrs old, Sarah 89yrs old ...After the covenant given (Gen 15)After the covenant renewed (Gen 17)After the sign of circumcision given (Gen 17)With King Abimelech of Gerar (Gen chp 20)GOD AGAIN INTERVENED to preserve Sarahshonor ... 16. Gods CallMay come with PromisesBut most times - no Reasons givenIts a JOURNEY OF OBEDIENCEa. What is Gods Call upon your life ? As a mother... Home Minister Works Minister As a father ... To Serve Him ? What capacity ? To Stay or To Emigrate ? To be Single ? 17. b. Sarah & Abraham were not perfect None of us are perfect ... faith can falter ... mistakes made ... BUT God uses IMPERFECT, FLAWED PeopleJust Be assured : GOD IS FAITHFUL To intervene ... To protect ... But God will not force ... 18. What happens when you walk in faithfulness, believing and clinging onto God promise but ....10 years on still no sign of an heir...Gods promise AGAIN in Gen 15:4 ...but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. 19. MAYBE God needs a bit of help ....Giving of Hagar to AbramPossible Reasons : Personal anxiety Friendly advice Cultural practice Did not God say ...Gen 16:2 Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 20. Read Gen 16:4-6Hagar gets pregnantSarai mistreated Hagar;Hagar fled from SaraiWE ALL HAVE FEET OF CLAYGod again intervened ...Hagar then returns to Sarai ... 21. Birth of IshmaelIshmael became the forefather of the Arab race...What IFs ?? : Abraham had not gone down to Egypt .... Would there be a Hagar ? Sarah had not given Hagar to Abraham ... Would there be Ishmael & the Arabs ? 22. GODS WAYmans way 23. God has His timing for everythingGods Promises :Salvation of love ones ...Health ...Relationship issues ...Economic & Financial struggles ...Will come thru IN HIS TIMEBased on our Trust, our Faith & our Walk with Him ... 24. The Bible Gods WordIs full of His PromisesDo we take time to read itTo know what God hasPromised in His Word ?Do we talk to God ?Are we having aRelationship with HIM ? 25. 14 yrs later God againappeared to AbramRead Gen 17:1-8To reconfirm His PromisesGen 17:19 your wifeSarah will bear you a son,and you will call himIsaac.What was Abramsresponse ??Gen 17:17 laughed ...If only Ishmael .... 26. Names changed : from Abram : exalted father to Abraham : father of a multitude from Sarai : my princess to Sarah : the princess,princess of a multitudeGiven a sign ....Imagine Abraham cominghome and telling Sarahthe news ... 27. What God promised, God fulfilledRead Gen 18:1-15Abraham invited three VISITORS to restDid Abraham know who they were ??Hospitality shown 28. Again : Sarah would give birth to a son 1 year later was statedSarah laughed within herself ... Can it be !!Was exposed & rebukedIS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD ? 29. Gen 21:2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.GODS PERFECT TIMINGGen 21:6 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me."Isaac - LaughterLAUGHING WITH GOD 30. "I dont want the God of thegaps, the God who only helpsme in my crisis,but I want the God who isable to be at the center oftown -- the God of my joys --the God of my fulfillment. Not just the God I call onwhen everything else fails,Ps DietrichBonhoefferbut the God who comes tothe center of my life in my celebration as well." 31. 1. God Sees Through Our Present Faults ...To Our Future Faithboth Sarah & Abrahams faith were tested ...and they came out stronger ...Heb 11:11 ESV : By faith Sarah herself receivedpower to conceive, even when she was pastthe age, since she considered him faithfulwho had promised. 32. 2. FAITH IS A JOURNEY,NEVER A DESTINATION Be part of what God is doing Seek after His Will and do His will and you will LAUGH WITH GOD but never ever laugh at God 33. READ Gen 21:8-14Ishmael mocked IsaacSarah asked Abraham to get rid of Hagar & IshmaelAbraham was troubledGod asked Abraham to listen to his wife At times there is nothing wrong with husbands listening to their wife 34. Read 1 Peter 3:3-6a word for mothers3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes.4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in Gods sight.5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands,6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. 35. In Gen 21:12, God says tolisten to your wife !1 Pet 3:6 Call me master 36. THE PROMISE was not only to Sarah and Abrahambut was also to us & all the families of the earth.Surprising truths about Gods Promises :Impossible - a 90 year old woman giving birth toher first child !What about a virgin conceive & give birth to a Son.Impossible - Abraham becoming the father of agreat nation !How about the Son of God suffering and dying ona cross for the sins of the world. 37. took 25yrs for Gods promise to Abraham to be fulfilled in the birth of Isaac.took 2,000yrs for Gods promise to Abraham to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.But Gods promises are TRUE & SURENo matter how ridiculous they may seem, no matter how long it takes, God always keeps his word.Thats the kind of God we have... We cannot help but to LAUGH, REJOICE & BE THANKFUL 38. Searching our own hearts .....1. Sarah and Abraham were not perfect yet God choose to use them Mothers are not perfect, neither are Fathers... All of us ... YET GOD CAN STILL USE US.2. How will I respond when God calls me to step out in faith and follow Him?3. Can I wait on Gods timing in my life?4. Am I able to trust Him for His Promises ?5. Is Gods will being fulfilled in my life at present ?Do I have THE JOY & THE LAUGHTER in Him ? 39. Laughing with JoyGods Call ObeyGods Promises TrustGods Fulfillment - JoyBlessed Mothers Day 2012 40. Josh 24:2 Long ago your forefathers, including Terahthe father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond theRiver and worshiped other gods. But I took yourfather Abraham ... 41. Age of Sarah When God called to leave Haran: Gen 12:4 65 Incident in Egypt with Pharaoh 65 Hagar given to Abram: Gen 16:3 75 When Ishmael was born: Gen 16:16 76 When God changed her name: Gen 17:189 Incident with Abimelech, King of Gerar 90 When Isaac was born: Gen 21:591 42. Laughing with Sarah1. Obey God because He Knows2. Trust God because Hes Faithful3. Laugh with God because He Loves Laughing at God Laughter of unbelief Laughing with God Laughter of Joy &Celebration Gods Call comes with Gods Promise butmany times there is no reason or explanation 43. Proverbs 3:5-65 Trustin the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 44. Romans 4:18-21 18 Againstall hope, Abraham in hope believed andso became the father of many nations, just as ithad been said to him, So shall your offspringbe.[a] 19 Without weakening in his faith, he facedthe fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old andthat Sarahs womb was also dead. 20 Yet he didnot waver through unbelief regarding thepromise of God, but was strengthened in his faithand gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuadedthat God had power to do what he had promised. 45. In her 90th year, Sarah became pregnant andgave birth to a baby boy. And do you knowwhat Sarah did in the delivery tent? Shelaughed. It was not the same kind of laugh asnine months before. First she laughed at God;then she laughed with God. First she laughedbecause she saw it as ridiculous; then shelaughed because God had done theimpossible. At the first it was the laughter ofdisbelief; then it was the laughter of faith. 46. Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age was recordedat death a sign of great importance among the early Hebrews.(Article on Sarah from Nelsons Illustrated Bible Dictionary,) The prophet Isaiah would, years later, declare Abraham andSarah as the mother and father of the Hebrew people. (Isaiah 51:2) The Apostle Peter would cite Sarah as an example of the holywomen of old who trusted in God and possessed inward spiritualbeauty. (1 Peter 3:6) The writer of Hebrews included Sarah as one of faithsheroines in his roll call of the faithful in Hebrews 11. (Hebrews11:11) 47. These words were found on a wall in CologneGermany were Jews had been hiding from theNazis. I believe in the sun even when it is notshining. I believe in love even when I dontfeel it. And I believe in God even when he issilent. 48. A representative of the gas company phoned the owner ofan expensive new home to make an appointment for theservice man to come in and light the pilot lights and adjustthe furnace.The owner said that was OK, but he wanted to make surehe was there, because if he wasnt the service man wouldnever get the furnace going.The caller insisted that his people were well trained andwould have no trouble."You dont understand," the owner said, "When your mantries to adjust the furnace hell go out of his mind. Thethermostat in the entry hall is a dummy. Its there for mywife to play with. Only I know where the real one ishidden. 49. Mothers are central to the success of the American family.Their love, dedication, and wisdom touch countless livesevery day in every community throughout our land. Andtheir love and guidance of children help to develop healthyand spiritually sound families. President John QuincyAdams once said, All that I am my mother made me.President Abraham Lincoln believed, All that I am or hopeto be I owe to my angel mother. I remember my mothersprayers and they have always followed me. They have clungto me all my life. These statements are just as true for themillions of Americans who credit their mothers for helpingto successfully shape their lives (George W. Bush). 50. I thought about George Washington, our first PresidentDid you know that in 1747 he wanted so badly to leaveAmerica and join the British Navy. His father wanted him to,but for some reason, his mother didnt feel like that wasthe right thing to do. And she followed him all the waydown to the dock, and she said, Son, you can do what youwant, but I so feel that you must not that there is somegreat destiny awaiting you here, that I really do not wantyou to go. And so then, on the shore, he made a fatefuldecision at the advice of his mother, he didnt go to jointhe British Navy.What a UNIQUE ROLE that mothers play! 51. Warren Wiersbe wrote, "We parents neverseem to outgrow our children. When theyrelittle theyre a handful; but when theyregrown, theyre a heartful." He rememberedhis mother say, "When theyre little, they stepon your toes; but when theyre grown, theystep on your heart. 52. A few years ago, there was an article in The Readers Digest thattold about a man who woke up one morning to find a puddle ofwater in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to find andfix the hole in his mattress, he rolled drained some of the water outand rolled the mattress outdoors. Then he filled it with more waterand started to turn it over looking for the leak. But the enormousbag of water was impossible to control, and it started to roll off hisdriveway. He tried to hold it back, but he barely slowed it down as itwent head-over-heels down the hill and landed in a row of bushes,which poked it full of holes. Disgusted, the man threw out the water bed, bladder frame and all,and replaced it with a standard bed and a regular mattress. The next morning he woke to find a muddle of water in the middleof his new bed. Thats when he discovered that the upstairsbathroom had a leaky drain. 53. Gods love is non-preferential.Illustration: A mother who had twelve childrenwas asked which one she loved the best. Heranswer: "The one whos sick until he gets well;and the one who is away until he gets backhome!" 54. ILL. Jean Barron spent several years living in a little mobilehome that was pretty dilapidated. She tells about raisingher kids in that kind of environment. Then one day her soncame home & announced that his best friend had run awayfrom home.Jean Barron said, "I looked at my child & said, `I dontunderstand. He lives in such a nice house & seems to haveeverything any child could ever want. Why did he runaway?"Her son answered, "Well, in their home they have a lot ofenvironment, but not very much love. In our home we havelots of love, but not very much environment." 55. a. Mothers teach us about foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case youre in an accident."b. Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, dont come crying to me."c. Mothers teach us about maturity: "Eat your vegetables or youll never grow up."d. Mothers teach us about religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."e. Mothers teach us about time travel: "If you dont straighten up, Im going to knock you into the middle of next week!"f. Mothers teach us about contradictions: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner!"g. Mothers teach us about contortionism: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?"h. Mothers teach us about perseverance: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."i. Mothers teach us about genetics: "Youre just like your father."j. Mothers teach us about the weather: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."k. Mothers teach us about the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out. My Mother taught me LOGIC If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you cant go to the store with me. My Mother taught me MEDICINE If you dont stop crossing your eyes, theyre going to freeze that way. My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD If you dont pass your spelling test, youll never get a good job! My Mother taught me ESP Put your sweater on; dont you think that I know when youre cold? My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you Dont talk back to me! My Mother taught me HUMOR When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, dont come running to me. My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT If you dont eat your vegetables, youll never grow up. My mother taught me about GENETICS You are just like your father! My mother taught me about my ROOTS Do you think you were born in a barn? My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE When you get to be my age, you will understand. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION Just wait until your father gets home. My mother taught me about RECEIVING You are going to get it when we get home. And my all time favorite thingJUSTICE one day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU then youll see what its like. 56. 1. Illustration: Susannah Wesley was the mother of 14 children,including her famous sons Charles and John, who had a tremendousimpact upon the world. It has been said of her that she prayed forone hour per day for each child. Why didnt she pray for one hourfor all 14? Because they were different and had different needs. Susannah Wesleys Rules For Raising Children: 1. Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God tosave his soul.2. Teach him to pray as soon as he can speak.3. Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if heasks for it politely.4. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed, butnever allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed.5. Commend and reward good behavior.6. Strictly observe all promises you have make to your child. 57. John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of theUnited States, said, "All that I am my mothermade me."Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of theUnited States, said, "All that I am or hope to be Iowe to my angel mother."Dwight L. Moody, the famed evangelist, declared,"All that I have ever accomplished in life I owe tomy mother." 58. At a university 600 students were asked towrite on a piece of paper the most beautifulword in the English language. 422 wrote the word MOTHER. 112 wrote the word HOME. 59. Women who never have children enjoy theequivalent of an extra three months a year inleisure time, says Susan Lang, author of WomenWithout Children. If that figure seems high,remember that the average mother spends 3.5more hours a week doing housework than woulda woman without children, plus 11 hours a weekon child-related activities. This adds up to anadditional 754 hours of work every year--theequivalent of three months of 12-hour, 5-daywork weeks. 60. In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom wrote about an incident in WorldWar II that taught her to trust that God knows what he is doing. She and her sister,Betsy, had been sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp by the Nazis. Thebarracks they were assigned were not only over-crowded, but flea- infested. AsCorrie lay in the dry straw she had made for a bed, not only was she suffocated byhuman bodies, but fleas bit away at her skin and she got so frustrated andcomplained to God. God why these fleas? Havent I gone through enough God! Ican take anything but fleas. Youve got to be joking God.It was there in Ravensbruck that Corrie and her sister Betsy started a Bible Study intheir barracks for Jewish women. It was illegal to study the Bible in those prisoncamps and if the guards came into the barracks and found them, death wascertain. But to Corries surprise the Bible Studies grew and grew and no guard everinterrupted, never came into the barracks. After weeks and weeks of the BibleStudies, Corrie and her sister finally found out why the guards never came intotheir barracks. One of them overheard a guard say, We dont go in there becauseof the fleas. She could not understand the reason for the fleas at first but it allmade sense to her now. God had worked it all out for good.