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

1. Blessed Mother’s Day 2012

2. How Much Is A Mother Worth ?
A Uni. of Minnesota study on Motherhood shows
ws:
Mothers do 17 & more different job functions
nctions
while raising their children :
Teacher, Maid, Driver & Cook,
Counsellor, Police officer, Arbitrator & Judge,
Banker & Financial manager,
Nurse, Doctor & Psychologist,
Cheerleader, Night Watchman, Pastor & a Friend
Calculated 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.

4. Video on monorail

5. Video on roller coster

7. “Laughing with Joy”
Gen 18:1-15
18:1-
Mother’s Day 2012

8. 5 Interesting facts about Sarah in the Bible
What is Sarah - “Mother of Nations” (Gen 17:16)
famous for in the Bible ?
1. ‘Legendary’ beauty at aged 65 and possibly even
at 90
2. Giving birth to Isaac at aged 90 or 91
3. Died at the age of 127 - only woman in the Bible
with this fact recorded
4. Most mentioned woman in the Bible (45X)
5. First woman to be mentioned in Hebrews great
chapter on Faith - Heb 11

9. Was Sarah the perfect mother ?
Was Sarah the perfect wife ?
3 Key Lessons we can learn from
the life of SARAH ....

10. God’s call to Abram in Ur
How was it given ?
Promises made
But NO reason(s) ...
Sarai – his wife dutifully
obeyed & followed ....

15. 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 ...

16. At about 65yrs, Sarai left Haran for
‘Canaan - the promised land’
Going from “certainty” to “uncertainty”
OBEY

17. Expectation !!
FAMINE in ‘the
promised land’
EVEN IN
OBEDIENCE, WE
FACE OBSTACLES

18. Down to Egypt.....
A slight problem
with Egyptian
customs- So...

19. Sarah’s beauty as expected was noticed...
Incident with Pharaoh of Egypt (Gen 12:14..)

20. Q: Are not God’s chosen people “PERFECT” ?
READ 1 Cor 1:26-27
GOD CALLS the weak, the foolish, the lowly
Despite Abram & Sarai’s ‘faithlessness’ , lying
& deception ....
GOD REMAINED FAITHFUL
READ 2 Tim 2:13
GOD intervened ....

22. 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 Sarah’s
honor ...

23. God’s Call
May come with Promises
But most times - no Reasons given
It’s a JOURNEY OF OBEDIENCE
a. What is God’s 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 ?

24. b. Sarah & Abraham were not perfect
None of us are perfect ...
 faith can falter ...
 mistakes made ...
BUT God uses IMPERFECT, FLAWED People
Just Be assured : GOD IS FAITHFUL
 To intervene ...
 To protect ...
 But God will not force ...

25. What happens when you
walk in faithfulness,
believing and clinging onto
God promise but ....
10 years on still no sign of
an heir...
God’s promise AGAIN in
Gen 15:4 “...but a son
coming from your own body
will be your heir.”

26. MAYBE God needs a bit of help ....
Giving of Hagar to Abram
Possible Reasons :
‘Personal anxiety’
‘Friendly advice’
‘Cultural practice’
Did not God say ...
Gen 16:2 “Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”

27. Read Gen 16:4-6
Hagar get’s pregnant
Sarai mistreated Hagar;
Hagar fled from Sarai
WE ALL HAVE FEET OF CLAY
God again intervened ...
Hagar then returns to Sarai ...

28. Birth of Ishmael
Ishmael became the
forefather of the Arab
race...
What IF’s ?? :
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 ?

29. GOD’S WAY
man’s way

30. God has His timing for everything
God’s Promises :
Salvation of love ones ...
Health ...
Relationship issues ...
Economic & Financial struggles ...
Will come thru IN HIS TIME
Based on our Trust, our Faith
& our Walk with Him ...

31. The Bible – God’s Word
Is full of His Promises
Do we take time to read it
To know what God has
Promised in His Word ?
Do we talk to God ?
Are we having a
Relationship with HIM ?

32. 14 yrs later God again
appeared to Abram
Read Gen 17:1-8
To reconfirm His Promises
Gen 17:19 “your wife
Sarah will bear you a son,
and you will call him
Isaac.”
What was Abram’s
response ??
Gen 17:17 – laughed ...
“If only Ishmael ....”

33. Names changed :
from Abram : exalted father
 to Abraham : father of a multitude
from Sarai : my princess
 to Sarah : the princess,
princess of a multitude
Given a sign ....
Imagine Abraham coming
home and telling Sarah
the news ...

34. What God promised, God fulfilled
Read Gen 18:1-15
Abraham invited three ‘VISITORS’ to rest
Did Abraham know who they were ??
Hospitality shown

35. Again : Sarah would give birth to a son 1 year
later was stated
Sarah laughed within herself ... Can it be !!
Was exposed & rebuked
IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD ?

36. Gen 21:2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son
to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God
had promised him.
GOD’S PERFECT TIMING
Gen 21:6 Sarah said, "God
has brought me laughter,
and everyone who hears
about this will laugh with
me."
Isaac - Laughter
LAUGHING WITH GOD

37. "I don't want the God of the
gaps, the God who only helps
me in my crisis,
but I want the God who is
able to be at the center of
town -- the God of my joys --
the God of my fulfillment.
Not just the God I call on
when everything else fails,
Ps Dietrich
Bonhoeffer but the God who comes to
the center of my life in my
celebration as well."

38. 1. God Sees Through Our Present
Faults ...To Our Future Faith
both Sarah & Abraham’s faith were tested ...
and they came out stronger ...
Heb 11:11 ESV : By faith Sarah herself received
power to conceive, even when she was past
the age, since she considered him faithful
who had promised.

39. 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

41. READ Gen 21:8-14
Ishmael mocked Isaac
Sarah asked Abraham to
get rid of Hagar &
Ishmael
Abraham was troubled
God asked Abraham to
listen to his wife
At times – there is
nothing wrong with
husbands listening to
their wife

43. Read 1 Peter 3:3-6
a word for mothers
3 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 God's 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.

44. In Gen 21:12,
God says to
listen to your
wife !
1 Pet 3:6
Call me
master

45. THE PROMISE was not only to Sarah and Abraham
but was also to us & all the families of the earth.
Surprising truths about God’s Promises :
Impossible - a 90 year old woman giving birth to
her first child !
What about a virgin conceive & give birth to a Son.
Impossible - Abraham becoming the father of a
great nation !
How about the Son of God suffering and dying on
a cross for the sins of the world.

46. took 25yrs for God’s promise to Abraham to be
fulfilled in the birth of Isaac.
took 2,000yrs for God’s promise to Abraham to be
fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.
But God’s promises are TRUE & SURE
No matter how ridiculous they may seem, no
matter how long it takes, God always keeps his
word.
That’s the kind of God we have...
We cannot help but to LAUGH,
REJOICE & BE THANKFUL

47. 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 God’s timing in my life?
4. Am I able to trust Him for His Promises ?
5. Is God’s will being fulfilled in my life at
present ?
Do I have THE JOY & THE LAUGHTER in Him ?

48. “Laughing with Joy”
God’s Call – Obey
God’s Promises – Trust
God’s Fulfillment - Joy
Blessed Mother’s Day 2012

50. Josh 24:2 “Long ago your forefathers, including Terah
the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the
River and worshiped other gods. But I took your
father Abraham ...”

52. 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 17:1 89
• Incident with Abimelech, King of Gerar 90
• When Isaac was born: Gen 21:5 91

53. “Laughing with Sarah”
1. Obey God because He Knows
2. Trust God because He’s Faithful
3. Laugh with God because He Loves
• Laughing at God – Laughter of unbelief
• Laughing with God – Laughter of Joy &
Celebration
• God’s Call comes with God’s Promise but
many times there is no reason or explanation

54. Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in 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.

55. Romans 4:18-21
• 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and
so became the father of many nations, just as it
had been said to him, “So shall your offspring
be.”[a] 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced
the fact that his body was as good as dead —
since he was about a hundred years old —and
that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did
not waver through unbelief regarding the
promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith
and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded
that God had power to do what he had promised.

56. • In her 90th year, Sarah became pregnant and
gave birth to a baby boy. And do you know
what Sarah did in the delivery tent? She
laughed. It was not the same kind of laugh as
nine months before. First she laughed at God;
then she laughed with God. First she laughed
because she saw it as ridiculous; then she
laughed because God had done the
impossible. At the first it was the laughter of
disbelief; then it was the laughter of faith.

57. • Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age was recorded
at death – a sign of great importance among the early Hebrews.
(Article on Sarah from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary,)
• The prophet Isaiah would, years later, declare Abraham and
Sarah as the mother and father of the Hebrew people. (Isaiah 51:2)
• The Apostle Peter would cite Sarah as an example of the holy
women of old who trusted in God and possessed inward spiritual
beauty. (1 Peter 3:6)
• The writer of Hebrews included Sarah as one of faith’s
heroines in his roll call of the faithful in Hebrews 11. (Hebrews
11:11)

58. • These words were found on a wall in Cologne
Germany were Jews had been hiding from the
Nazi’s. “I believe in the sun even when it is not
shining. I believe in love even when I don’t
feel it. And I believe in God even when he is
silent.”

59. • A representative of the gas company phoned the owner of
an expensive new home to make an appointment for the
service man to come in and light the pilot lights and adjust
the furnace.
The owner said that was OK, but he wanted to make sure
he was there, because if he wasn’t the service man would
never get the furnace going.
The caller insisted that his people were well trained and
would have no trouble.
"You don’t understand," the owner said, "When your man
tries to adjust the furnace he’ll go out of his mind. The
thermostat in the entry hall is a dummy. It’s there for my
wife to play with. Only I know where the real one is
hidden.”

60. • Mothers are central to the success of the American family.
Their love, dedication, and wisdom touch countless lives
every day in every community throughout our land. And
their love and guidance of children help to develop healthy
and spiritually sound families. President John Quincy
Adams once said, “All that I am my mother made me.”
President Abraham Lincoln believed, “All that I am or hope
to be I owe to my angel mother. I remember my mother’s
prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung
to me all my life.” These statements are just as true for the
millions of Americans who credit their mothers for helping
to successfully shape their lives (George W. Bush).

61. • I thought about George Washington, our first President
Did you know that in 1747 he wanted so badly to leave
America and join the British Navy. His father wanted him to,
but for some reason, his mother didn’t feel like that was
the right thing to do. And she followed him all the way
down to the dock, and she said, “Son, you can do what you
want, but I so feel that you must not that there is some
great destiny awaiting you here, that I really do not want
you to go.” And so then, on the shore, he made a fateful
decision – at the advice of his mother, he didn’t go to join
the British Navy.
What a UNIQUE ROLE that mother’s play!

62. • Warren Wiersbe wrote, "We parents never
seem to outgrow our children. 'When they're
little they're a handful; but when they're
grown, they're a heartful.'" He remembered
his mother say, "When they're little, they step
on your toes; but when they're grown, they
step on your heart.

63. • A few years ago, there was an article in The Reader’s Digest that
told about a man who woke up one morning to find a puddle of
water in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to find and
fix the hole in his mattress, he rolled drained some of the water out
and rolled the mattress outdoors. Then he filled it with more water
and started to turn it over looking for the leak. But the enormous
bag of water was impossible to control, and it started to roll off his
driveway. He tried to hold it back, but he barely slowed it down as it
went 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 middle
of his new bed. That’s when he discovered that the upstairs
bathroom had a leaky drain.

64. • God’s love is non-preferential.
Illustration: A mother who had twelve children
was asked which one she loved the best. Her
answer: "The one who’s sick until he gets well;
and the one who is away until he gets back
home!"

65. • ILL. Jean Barron spent several years living in a little mobile
home that was pretty dilapidated. She tells about raising
her kids in that kind of environment. Then one day her son
came home & announced that his best friend had run away
from home.
Jean Barron said, "I looked at my child & said, `I don’t
understand. He lives in such a nice house & seems to have
everything any child could ever want. Why did he run
away?’"
Her son answered, "Well, in their home they have a lot of
environment, but not very much love. In our home we have
lots of love, but not very much environment."

66. • a. Mothers teach us about foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident."
b. Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me."
c. Mothers teach us about maturity: "Eat your vegetables or you’ll 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 don’t straighten up, I’m 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: "You’re 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 can’t go to the store with me.
• My Mother taught me MEDICINE … If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze that way.
• My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD … If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job!
• My Mother taught me ESP … Put your sweater on; don’t you think that I know when you’re cold?
• My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE … What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you … Don’t talk back to me!
• My Mother taught me HUMOR … When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.
• My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT … If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll 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 thing—JUSTICE one day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU … then you’ll see what it’s like.

67. • 1. Illustration: Susannah Wesley was the mother of 14 children,
including her famous sons Charles and John, who had a tremendous
impact upon the world. It has been said of her that she prayed for
one hour per day for each child. Why didn’t she pray for one hour
for all 14? Because they were different and had different needs.
• Susannah Wesley's Rules For Raising Children:
• 1. Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to
save 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 he
asks for it politely.
4. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed, but
never 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.

68. • John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the
United States, said, "All that I am my mother
made me."
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the
United States, said, "All that I am or hope to be I
owe to my angel mother."
Dwight L. Moody, the famed evangelist, declared,
"All that I have ever accomplished in life I owe to
my mother."

69. • At a university 600 students were asked to
write on a piece of paper the most beautiful
word in the English language.
• 422 wrote the word MOTHER.
• 112 wrote the word HOME.

70. • Women who never have children enjoy the
equivalent of an extra three months a year in
leisure time, says Susan Lang, author of Women
Without Children. If that figure seems high,
remember that the average mother spends 3.5
more hours a week doing housework than would
a woman without children, plus 11 hours a week
on child-related activities. This adds up to an
additional 754 hours of work every year--the
equivalent of three months of 12-hour, 5-day
work weeks.

71. • In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom wrote about an incident in World
War 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. The
barracks they were assigned were not only over-crowded, but flea- infested. As
Corrie lay in the dry straw she had made for a bed, not only was she suffocated by
human bodies, but fleas bit away at her skin and she got so frustrated and
complained to God. “God why these fleas? Haven’t I gone through enough God! I
can take anything but fleas. You’ve got to be joking God.”
It was there in Ravensbruck that Corrie and her sister Betsy started a Bible Study in
their barracks for Jewish women. It was illegal to study the Bible in those prison
camps and if the guards came into the barracks and found them, death was
certain. But to Corrie’s surprise the Bible Studies grew and grew and no guard ever
interrupted, never came into the barracks. After weeks and weeks of the Bible
Studies, Corrie and her sister finally found out why the guards never came into
their barracks. One of them overheard a guard say, “We don’t go in there because
of the fleas.” She could not understand the reason for the fleas at first but it all
made sense to her now. God had worked it all out for good.