Well, I know that Kylene lost
her mother this week, so I know this is a kind of a sad time
for her, but this is a place of encouragement. So Kylene,
we're praying for you and your family. Grandmothers and mothers, One of life's greatest blessings
is to have a godly mother. And one of the greatest gifts
you can give your children is to be a godly mother. In my studying for this week's
message, I read a quote from Theodore
Roosevelt, the president. I thought it quite unusual. He
said, when all is said and done, the mother is a better citizen
than the soldier who fights for his country. Now, you might have
to think about that a little bit, pretty deep. C.H. Spurgeon said, never could
it be possible for any man or woman to estimate what he or
she owes to a godly mother. It's evident what has happened
in our country. The feminist movement has caused
the status of motherhood to decline. In 1950, 12% of preschool mothers worked outside the home. By 1985,
over 50% of moms worked outside of the home. In 1976, 31% of
young mothers were back on the job before their newborns had
their first birthday. Now, I know that there are legitimate
causes and economic causes and hardships where mothers working
outside the home is necessary, for instance, with single moms. But the truth is, and I probably
won't be the most popular pastor today, But the truth is many
could make it on the husband's job, but mom works so they can
have a better lifestyle. Not biblical, not biblical, but
that's what's happened in our country. The truth is that most
kids would vote for a mom at home. As I prepared the message,
The last few days, I thought about Marion, who was my best
childhood friend. He and I were about seven and
eight years old. My mom and dad, we had a great
home and Marion loved to be there. He lived on eight mile in an
apartment building. Neither his mother nor his father
were ever home. And he would stay at our house
and stay and stay until my own mother had to say, Marianne,
it's time to go home. You have to go home now. What precious memories that many of us in here have
of our grandmothers. How many grandmoms do we have
here? Anyone? Oh, a whole slew of you. Grandmoms and granddads. I have
such great memories of my grandmother. Oh, they were not perfect. I'm
gonna let you in on some of their imperfections. I remember well
how my mother and my dad's mother, my grandmother, didn't like each
other at all. But in spite of that, in fact,
on Mother's Day, or my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, my
grandmother was there, her name was, we called her Tutty, and
I think she said this to Miss Pam, The day that Jean and Mona
got married was the worst day of my life, and she was dressed
in black. But in spite of that fact, Grandma
Tutte taught me so much about life and the Bible. On those hot nights out in the
yard swing, where she showed me the little dipper and the
big dipper. And we talked about God and Christ and life in general. During the days on the pond bank
when we fished for bluegill and catfish, those were great educational
days, great times of spiritual fellowship. and lifelong lessons
that I remember at 73 years of age. When I stayed at my grandmother's
house in Carlisle County, Kentucky, sometimes I would stay the entire
summer. We would make three trips a week in that old black 54 Plymouth
to Zoar Baptist Church. Those were precious times as
well. where I heard the gospel three times a week. I can still
smell that beech-nut gum Tutty would pull out of her purse and
hand a piece to each of us kids in the back seat. It was on Sunday
evenings I learned that prayer and death are real experiences
because on Sunday evenings before church service, we had prayer
meetings. The men and the boys would go
out to the cemetery, which was beside the church, to have prayer
meeting, gathering at Ollie Clark's tombstone. There we sought the
face of God. My grandfather, who was a grumpy
old man, when he prayed, seemed so tender to this young boy,
so different. Then there was... There was my mother's... Get there, just get... It was my mother's mother. She was a Methodist. That in
itself was a huge problem. Because the clerks were all Baptists. It was confusing to me that mom
and dad were both converted at Palestine Methodist Church. And
yet, some of life's greatest wars in our family was over the
Methodists and the Baptists. I remember mom and dad sending
me to vacation Bible school. We lived in Lowe's, Kentucky.
My dad built the house. It was a little two bedroom house,
no running water, no bathroom. Bathroom was out back. The outhouse, we called it then.
But I remember mom and dad, I was four and a half, maybe, yeah,
maybe close, really close to five years old. It was before
we moved to Michigan. My mom and dad had a great discussion. Kind of troubling, I remember.
Mom wanted to send me to the Methodist Church in Lowe's to
vacation Bible school. Dad had to be brought along. He was a Baptist. It was there I first heard the
gospel in vacation Bible school. Four and a half years old, I
remember it like it was yesterday. The pastor of the church held
up this beautiful cup. It was so shiny and clean. And then he read the scripture
where Jesus gave the illustration that the outside of the cup may
look very, very clean. but the inside, and he turned
the cup over, and unbeknownst to all of us kids, he had put
mud and black stuff inside the cup. It was absolutely filthy. And I remember him saying, this
is what we are. We're sinners on the inside and
have to be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. I remember that
very well. And all I'm saying to you in
talking about my own life experiences is how important Moms and grandmothers
are. My nanny was the sweetest, godliest,
kindest, encouraging, tenderest woman I have ever met or known. I always wanted to be like her. She was as much a mother to me
as my birth mother. Grandmothers, grandfathers, how
important you are to your grandkids. After my grandfather's death,
my nanny lived with us until her death. She, by God's grace,
was used to form me to be who I am today. I was telling Miss Pam this morning. I am to a great degree what Monani
was. My mother was born into a Methodist
home. Monani was 45 years old when
my mother was born. My mother was a red-headed, spoiled
only child. Mom and dad married as soon as
they turned 16. Can you imagine that? Lord have
mercy. They had just finished the eighth
grade. They thought they knew everything. My dad soon learned what it meant
to be married to a redheaded Methodist. Dad declared himself to be called
to preach. And by the way, he said he was
called to preach down at Palestine Methodist Church. What is God
doing down at Palestine Methodist Church? He's supposed to be over
at Zohar Baptist Church. So Dad had a Methodist wife,
and it was on. Mom later saw the importance
of being immersed in water, and that was the big difference back
then. The Methodist sprinkled, the Methodist immersed. We immerse
here too, as well. Not because we're Baptists, but
because immersion pictures the death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ, and that I've become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Mom was a faithful, supportive
pastor's wife and mother. She never worked outside the
home, always there when I came home from school, always had
clean clothes, clean house, and three meals a day. She loved
her children. She could so move me. Early on,
Miss Pam learned that I don't want her to cry. I saw my mother
cry a couple times. She always moved me when she
cried. I always felt so stirred. I remember not making honor roll
one year and I came home and entered right into the kitchen
and there she was crying. I thought something was really
bad wrong. She said, I'm so disappointed
in you. Your grades are down." Never
happened again. I'm talking about my grades being
down. Never happened again. And there was one reason. Mother
cried. So to grandmothers and mothers,
your children and grandchildren will be you wrapped up in different
flesh. You have such an, let me say
this to moms and grandmothers, you have such an awesome role
to play, such an awesome role. And the scriptures directly put
the responsibility on you as being the instrumental savior
of your own children, you mom. You, mom, have the responsibility
of loving, caring, taking care of your children and teaching
them the scriptures. I tried to find Timothy's dad. Where was he? There is no mention
here in 1 Timothy of Timothy's dad. And I thought, perfect. As an example to all of you women
who did not marry believers, or maybe the man that you did
marry left you, and you are left with your children. What an encouragement, what an
effect you can have. Actually, Timothy's father was
a Greek. He probably was not a believer.
I don't know what happened to this Timothy's mom, whether she
got out in the world and got pregnant and gave birth to Timothy.
I don't know what happened, but I do know this, that Timothy's
mother and grandmother Through their raising Timothy and teaching
him the scripture, thousands came to know the Lord Jesus Christ
in personal faith. I wanna encourage all you mothers
and grandmothers today, your life may have messed up as far
as your marriage. I don't know what's happened
in your life, but I do know this, God's not through with you. God
has a job for you. I remember, yes. The scripture is very clear that
believers are not to marry unbelievers. I can guarantee you, you'll have
problems. If you marry an unbeliever, you're
gonna have problems. How can two walk together except
they be agreed? It's hard enough to marry a believer,
right Ms. Pam? I mean, it's hard enough. Listen to me carefully now. I
know that you know, around here we preach salvation is by grace
alone. Timothy's faith came to him through
his grandmother and mother, godly influence and instructing him
in the scriptures. And you wanna be a good mom?
Get the Bible out. Read the Scripture that says,
all have sinned, and that means you, my precious little boy,
my precious little girl. You are a sinner by nature, by
choice, and by practice. And this Bible says, and I'll
show you from this Bible, that God has come to the rescue of
men and women who see themselves as sinners. You know where our
emphasis is placed today? It's on getting the best education,
nothing wrong with a great education. But if you don't know God, if
you're without Jesus Christ in the world, you're a very confused
person because you don't understand so many things that are happening
inside. You don't understand your own
sinfulness, your own mess up. how glorious it is for moms and
dads to raise their children in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. I don't know what prompted this,
but down at Tiger Stadium yesterday, I heard Joe say something to
Jack, his son, something like this. I don't know what prompted
this, but I was just standing there. He said, do you know you're
a sinner? And Jack goes, yes. And Joe goes,
are you trusting Jesus Christ? And he said, yes. And that was
it. I thought, what a great conversation. What a great conversation. The Bible says this, that Eunice
and Louis taught Timothy the scriptures. You know what I'm
always telling you. This is a hymn book spelled H-I-M. If Lois and Eunice were teaching
him the Scriptures, they were going over to the book of Exodus
and saying, now, the Passover lamb is Jesus Christ. The white
turtle dove that's dipped in the blood of one turtle dove
that died and thrown up into the air with the blood of the
other turtle dove is how God sets us through Jesus Christ
apart from our sins and forgives us, right? Behold the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sin of the world. Make sure that
when you're teaching your children the Scripture, you're pointing
out that they are sinners because you were a sinner, they are sinners,
and they need a savior. I know it's simple. I know I
hammer that. But the truth is that religion
can be filled with hypocrisy and is filled with hypocrisy.
In fact, I think it's quite interesting here. When I call to remembrance
the unfeigned faith that is in thee. Unfeigned means without
hypocrisy. That's what I saw in my nanny. Teddy, I love Teddy, but I saw
some hypocrisy. You know, most people you can
see hypocrisy in if you look real close. If you watch us real
close, you'll see something. One of the things that's so thrilling
and exciting was that about Monani's witness to me was she was real. She had a real relationship with
God. I told Ms. Pam this morning,
you know, I never saw hypocrisy in her, never. I cannot remember
one time seeing hypocrisy in her. I'm sure it was there. I
don't mean she was perfect, but the way she lived, the way she
talked, the way she treated me and the rest of the grandchildren,
her kindness, her tenderness, her loving care for us. was so real and her faith in
Jesus Christ. You know, when I was converted
as an eight-year-old boy, I was converted in the basement, my
dad was talking to me. I ran up three flights of stairs
to where my nanny was, threw my arms around her and said,
I just got converted. She said, well, bless your heart.
That was her exact words, well, bless your heart. Unfeigned faith. I was reading
about the hypocrisy of religion. You know, anybody can be a religionist. Go to church, go to mass, go
wherever you go, do the religious thing, and just filled with hypocrisy. You don't know your centership.
You don't have a desperate love and need for Jesus Christ and
a knowledge that His blood cleanses you. And there's a shout in your
heart about, what he's done for you in Christ. I read this week
about a pastor who went to one of his church member, a pastor
and his wife went to one of his church members homes. And the
woman of the house had one of those magnet refrigerator notes
on the refrigerator. And it said, dust the Bible,
pastor and wife is coming for dinner. That's called hypocrisy. I read about another guy, a pastor
who went to the home of one of his members, and he said, the
pastor said, I like the way you're living. And the man said, oh
pastor, if you really want to know the way we're living, you
must come when you are not here. I want to ask you moms and grandmoms,
is it real? Is He real to you? Have you been
converted? Then live your life in such a
way that those children see your love, your gentleness, your tenderness. They know you're a sinner that
has been saved by grace, and you're teaching those children.
Let me tell you, how many of you have a four-year-old or five-year-old
in your home? I'm telling you, I have clear
memories four and a half and five years old, of my grandmother
teaching me the gospel. Clear, vivid memories. Don't think that you're... And
by the way, children see right through your hypocrisy. Kids
know what we are. They see right through us. You
can be all churchy, but kids will see right through you. Let
them see this. that you have been and are a
sinner saved by the grace of God, and that you want to do
what the Scripture says as a parent, to raise them and to bring them
to Jesus Christ. I know this has been a little
unusual today to be in God's house, but what a blessing it
has been to me. I relived my entire life this
week. In thinking about my mother and
my grandmother, about, I really haven't thought
a whole lot about the Methodist Baptist thing. I relived all
of that. I can remember very well. By
the way, husbands and wives, watch what you say in front of
your children, how you treat one another. I can remember my
mother being angry at my dad. And she was driving an old 49
Chevrolet on a gravel road, and I was the only one in the car.
She must have been doing 100 miles an hour. And she was talking
to my dad like this. But my dad wasn't in the car. It's important. You know, I can remember, this was probably
20 years ago, we had a young lady with a baby. She had no
idea how to be a mother. One of the things that is so
very, very important to me is that our women learn how to be
good moms. It's important. I'm not a, Don't
take this wrong now. You gotta take this the way I'm
saying it. Daycares are great, but they
don't take the place of moms. They don't. Daycare can't do for your children
what you can do. Ms. Tracy and our staff at our
daycare are wonderful to our children. And I see our children
growing, and we're teaching them the scriptures and to know Christ.
But mom, nobody can take your place. How important you are,
and you grandmothers, how important you are. You know in the scriptures,
and in the Bible, there is a place, and older women are to teach
the younger women. So you older mothers and wives,
you're to teach your daughters. Somebody always say, amen. That's
what Jesus said. That's what the scripture says. And I know we all fail in the
rearing of children to some degree. But this happened probably 20
years ago. I was passing through the women's
area over at 35, and there was a young mother there with a bottle.
Miss Pam remembers this. And I don't know, the baby was
maybe two weeks old. But the milk in the bottle was
so clabbered. And the baby had not had nourishment
And that young mother, who had no idea how to feed that child,
was squeezing on the bottle, forcing that clabbered milk down
that baby's throat, finally went into the hospital. You remember
that? Went into the hospital and had to spend a week nearly
there, getting that child back to health. Let me tell you, that's
why we're in downtown Pontiac. That's why we work with people
who've lost their way to addiction. And I can't tell you how important
from homelessness to home ownership is in a very spiritual way. How important it is to have mom
and dad. The state good parents do not
make. They do not make a good parent.
God has ordained marriage between a man and a woman and for them
to come to know Christ and raise their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. I get so confused sometime at
73 about life. You know, I had such preconceived
ideas about how wonderful it was and how off base I was about
so many things. And now I know for certain. It's absolutely by the grace
of God and through the substitutionary person and work of Jesus Christ
that we go to heaven. We're all messed up. We're all
mixed up. We all have problems. There's
not a perfect family in here. There's not a perfect husband
in here. There's not a perfect dad or mom in this place. But God has written a book. And
I guarantee you, life can be a lot better if you read and
go by it. This manual is a good manual. What if God would call your son
to preach the gospel? You know, I say this to our guys
all the time. Wouldn't it be awesome? if God
began to call young men who have been in the program, who've come
to know Christ, to preach the gospel. And you ladies, to be
good moms, to stop the shacking, and to
see the importance of God's way and doing it God's way. It's
really no surprise to me that the United States of America
is in such a mess. No surprise to me at all. You
look at the deterioration of the family and how we drifted
from doing it God's way and how relationships got all messed
up and confused. And Junior thinks the most important
thing in his life is being economically successful and going to college.
It's not the most important thing. In fact, We pay professors to
twist the minds of our kids that God is not real and that there
is not a creator. And they drift. Designer jeans and clothing can
knock the place, take the place of a great mom and great dad
and great family and great grandparents. All right. Let's stand together. We'll praise our God.