The following message is brought to you by George Lawson Jr., pastor and Bible teacher with Baltimore Bible Church. We will be reading from the New American Standard Bible. For more information about this ministry, please visit us online at www.baltimorebiblechurch.org. So now let's open our Bibles and follow along with Pastor George as we loose the scriptures and let them speak. Well, I want to wish again a very happy Mother's Day to those mothers among us and whether your mother is still living or has passed on or whether you have a close relationship with your mother or a distant relationship, I pray that you'd be able to give God thanks for the one who bore you. And while we understand that there's no biblical command to celebrate Mother's Day, there is a biblical command to celebrate and honor our mothers. And the church may very soon be the only place where Mother's Day is celebrated. And why do I say that? I say that, number one, because it's the true church that remains committed to properly defining what a mother is. We live in a culture that doesn't want to commit itself to the idea of what a woman is. And in that kind of culture, how do you properly define what a mother is? I was traveling this weekend and near the gate where I was flying out of the airplane, the airline set up a little game where you could win a prize. If you threw three out of four beanbags into a little hole, they'd give you a voucher. By the way, Jennifer was the first person to win that prize. But they were offering prizes only to mothers. And I thought to myself as I was sitting there and, you know, celebrating Jennifer winning the prize, I was wondering, you know, how would they handle it if a person who walked up who was clearly a male wanted to participate in the game because he considered himself a mother? And how could they turn such a person away in the kind of culture that we live in? How could they say, no, you're not a mother if they're not able to properly identify what a mother is? Also say that the church might be the only place or the last place where Mother's Day is celebrated because the true church remains committed to the value of motherhood and the value of life, whether that life is born or unborn. And it's immensely sad and disturbing that on the same weekend that we're celebrating Mother's Day, there are demonstrations all around the country regarding the Supreme Court's review of Roe v. Wade. The Scripture is clear that life begins at conception. Jeremiah 1 and verse 5 says, God says, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Jeremiah. In Galatians 1 and verse 15, Paul says, God set me apart even from my mother's womb. And in the womb, Jesus is called the holy child of God. Luke 1 and verse 35. And as a church, we need to pray for righteousness in our land. We need to speak and act and live consistently with our convictions. But I'm convinced that we need more than just a Supreme Court ruling. As thankful as I would be for that, what we need to see is lives changed through the power of the cross, which we just sang about. That's what we really need. We need lives that are transformed by the gospel of Christ. And the true church remains committed to the value of that as well as the value of motherhood and the lives of the born and the unborn. And finally, the church may be the last place where Mother's Day is celebrated because the true church remains committed to what Scripture says about honoring your mother. Paul reminds us in Ephesians chapter 6 that honoring your father and mother is the first commandment of Scripture with the promise. We read that earlier in our service today. Didn't even plan for that to be the Scripture reading. It just happened to be the next chapter coming up in Ephesians. We're grateful for the Lord's providence. But the Scripture commands us to honor our fathers and mothers. And it's going to be a dark day someday for the people who dishonor their parents. And I honestly fear for some of the people that I've come across. I've heard of people who've cursed their mothers. You know, what do you mean you cursed your mother? Cursed your mother out, you know, had to let her know. I cursed my mother out. What does that mean? Proverbs 30 verse 11 says, there's a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother. I'm not sure if you can even call such a person a man who curses his mother. When growing up, I couldn't even look like I wanted to say something disrespectful to my mother. I think I've said this before, but there's this phrase that my mom used to use, you know, kind of bringing it over from Jamaica. She'd say, you better fix your face. And she didn't even have to explain what that meant. You know, it's not like, what is my face broken? Like, what do you mean I need to fix my face? You know, it's you better fix your face before it is broken, right? You don't even look like you want to talk back and disrespect your mother. We didn't talk back. That's not something that we engaged in. There's a blessing for those that honor their parents. And that's repeated multiple times in scripture, that it may go well with you. Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you, that you may live long on the earth. Which means you can't speak evil of your mother, talk back disrespectfully to your mother, publicly shame your mother, mock your mother, scorn your mother, rebel against your mother, rob from your mother, purposefully neglect your mother, fail to care for your mother, drive your mother away, despise your mother, curse your mother, strike your mother, and expect that life will go well with you or that you will last long on the earth. If you want trouble and hardship to follow you all the days of your life, start disrespecting your mother. That's the way that you ensure a difficult life for yourself. And scripture fully affirms the seriousness of the outward rebellion and disrespect of parents. Proverbs 20, verse 20 says, he who curses his father or his mother, his lamp will go out in a time of darkness. It was literally lights out for the people that disrespected their parents. Exodus 21, 15 says, he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. That was the it was a capital crime in the Old Testament. Exodus 21, 17, he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. But today, disrespect is considered, you know, freedom. You've got to allow the child to kind of discover himself. You know, he's his own person. She's her own person. You've got to allow them just to be who they are. The Bible does not entertain such an idea of children just kind of being free and allow them to be who they are. You've got to allow them to do that. No, you can stop them from being who they want to be. That's what Scripture lets us know. A child left to himself becomes foolish, becomes a grief to his parents, the Scripture said. Honor your parents. The Bible's filled with examples of those that honored their parents. Sons and daughters who practice honor for their parents, including the most perfect example that we have, which is Jesus Christ himself. Jesus Christ is an example of one who honored his parents. No one in all of human history ever honored his parents more than Jesus Christ. And that's because Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law of God. That law that says honor your father and mother, Jesus perfectly fulfilled that. Matthew 517, he says, do not think that I came to abolish the law of the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Jesus himself fulfilled the law perfectly. And one of those laws that Jesus fulfilled was the commandment regarding honoring his parents. No one ever honored his mother more than Jesus Christ. Nobody. He never said a disrespectful word. He never disobeyed a single command. He never had an evil or rebellious thought. Hebrews 4.15 says, he's been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. But surprisingly, no one ever said things that seemed to be more shocking to his parents than Jesus did. Jesus did not always bend to his parents' desires, and that's important to point out because you can be both respectful and firm in your convictions at the same time. You remember when Jesus was only 12 years old, back in Luke chapter 2, he's visiting the temple in Jerusalem in a large group with his family, and he stayed behind after the family pulled off. He didn't ask permission. He didn't give them a heads up. He just stayed behind and took care of himself, like booked his own room for three days. As a 12 year old, when Jesus' family finally found him in Luke chapter two and verse 49, they said to him, why is it that you were, he said to them, why is it that you were looking for me? It's as if like, like it should be some kind of shock. Like, I don't know why you're even looking for me. Did you not know that I had to be in my father's house? You know, what other 12 year old speaks to his, don't get any ideas out there. If you're like 12 and under, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't get any ideas. But here Jesus speaks to his, his parents are like, Hey, why were you looking for me? Gone for three days. And it was wondering like, what, what's the, what's the problem? As a matter of fact, in verse 51 in Luke chapter two, he continued, it says he continued in subjection to them. He wasn't meaning any disrespect by what he was saying. But he let them know that I am underneath the control and the direction of my father in heaven. I have to listen to him. Another shocking example is over in John 2. Right after Jesus began his ministry, he and his disciples were invited to attend a wedding with his family. And at this celebration, they ran out of wine. You remember how Jesus responded to Mary when Mary explained the situation to him and was asking him, hey, Jesus, can you help out with this? Jesus responds in this way, John chapter 2 and verse 4. Jesus said to her, woman, what does that have to do with us? I've been out of the house a long time, but I would never talk to my mother like that. You know, woman, what are you bothering me for? What does that have to do with me? Literally, what is that to us, woman? I think I might have to fix my face after saying something like that. But Jesus perfectly balanced his role as Mary's son and his role as Mary's Lord. Perfectly balanced the two. He was a son who gave honor, but he was also at the same time the Lord who deserved honor. Incredible. And then in the passage for today, and you can turn to Matthew chapter 12, right after Jesus is told that his mother and brothers were seeking to speak with him, This is what he says in verse 48. Who is my mother? And who are my brothers? If anybody thought that Jesus had lost it, this might remove all doubt. But again, in what Jesus says when He says, Who is My mother? There's not an ounce of disrespect in what Jesus has to say. He's not belittling Mary. He's honoring Mary even with this statement. As much as Jesus cared for and loved His mother, honored His mother, He wanted to make it clear to all of us that He had to obey and submit to the will of the Father. And there was a false assumption that was being made here by Jesus's family and the crowd that surrounded Jesus, which was that a family connection automatically gave a person some kind of spiritual connection. But the two aren't the same. And some people think the same thing today, don't they? You know, that because you're a part of the family, that there are certain requirements, you know, that are expected of you. You know, some of you might have an unbelieving parent and they assume that if you if you really respected me, you'd follow the wishes that I have for for you and your family, for how you should raise your kids. You know, why would you homeschool or why would you pick a Christian school? You know, why would you do that? You know, this is how you should raise your children or this is how you should allow your children to spend their their free time. Why can't they watch that movie? What's wrong with that? I mean, it's just Disney after all, right? People have all kinds of questions about the way that we might choose to raise our children. Some of you might have parents that might encourage you to go against your conscience for the sake of unity, to violate your conscience. Maybe there's some kind of liberty that they'd like you to enjoy or to be part of a celebration that's clearly sinful. Maybe you have a believing, even a believing family member and they expect that you should follow their traditions, you know, from their church. You know, why haven't your children been baptized yet? Or maybe you have a family member who tried to prevent you from doing what you believe that the Lord called you to do. Maybe you're trying to evangelize someone and they said, it doesn't take all that. You shouldn't try to force your religion on anybody. Maybe your family finds your zeal for the Lord overboard. You know, all this is Jesus stuff. It's just too much. Talk about it all the time. I like how things were before. Why can't you go back to how it was before? And they assume that a natural family connection also gives them some kind of spiritual influence, some kind of spiritual connection in your life as well. And this is exactly what Jesus dealt with in this text. There's three distinct movements that we find here in verses 46 to 50. And I just want to bring these before you. Why don't you take a look at Matthew chapter 12 again, starting at verse 46. It says, while he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were standing outside seeking to speak to him. Someone said to him, behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to you. But Jesus answered the one who was telling him and said, who is my mother and who are my brothers? He's stretching out his hand toward his disciples. He said, behold, my mother and my brothers, whoever does the will of my father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister. And mother, why don't you bow your heads for a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you, Lord, and Father, we ask that you'd grant us your help. Father, as we look at this text, Father, we pray that you would help us to understand what we read here, Lord, and Father, that we would have a correct perception of your lordship overall. or even your lordship in motherhood. And Father, I pray that those who are mothers here, Lord, would heed the words and the instructions of Jesus Christ here. And Father, that we would live in such a way that the mothers would live in such a way that they are honoring Jesus Christ as first and above all. Father, I pray that that would be true for our church. And Father, that you'd grant us just your help and understanding and that you'd allow me to be a blessing to your people, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. One thing that I want to point out, first point is the message from the family in verse 46. While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were standing outside seeking to speak to him. So here you have a message that's coming from Jesus's family. And there's one kind of obvious point, but I'll go ahead and point it out anyway. And the point is, is that Jesus had family. He also had brothers. And that might seem like an obvious point because we're just reading the text. But this point has also been confused by some of our friends in the Catholic Church who teach the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. And that's a problem because how do you get brothers if you're continuing to be a virgin? Were all of Jesus' brothers born by virgin birth as well? What's going on here? I think it's kind of obvious that Mary, though she was a virgin when she delivered Jesus, did not remain a virgin. That's just what we get from the text. And there's all kinds of hoops that people try to jump through to try to protect the perpetual virginity of Mary. Even one Roman Catholic scholar has to admit that it's doubtful that Matthew knew the tradition about the perpetual virginity of Mary. I'd say it's pretty certain that he did not know about the doctrine or the tradition of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Because right here, he says that he had brothers. Let the text speak for itself, right? Matthew 1.25 lets us know that Joseph kept Mary a virgin until, that's an important time marker there, until she gave birth to a son. It would have been sinful for Mary to remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus. Why? Because that's just an expectation within marriage that you would have normal and natural relationships, right? That's an expectation within marriage. Actually, according to 1 Corinthians 7, it lets us know that it's a sin if you refrain from the normal, natural relationships within marriage. So Jesus had family. He had brothers. Actually, he even had sisters, according to Scripture as well. And here they come to Jesus with what seems like a reasonable request. They asked to speak to Jesus. They're standing outside, calling them to come outside so we can speak. Hey, Jesus, can we speak to you? Seems like just a normal, natural request. I mean, what's wrong with that? It seems harmless, doesn't it? They just want to talk. What's wrong with talking? Why would you deny your family the opportunity to talk to you? What's wrong with this request? There's at least three things wrong with this request. Number one, the timing is wrong. The timing is wrong. What are they asking to speak to Jesus? Look at verse 46. While he was still speaking to the crowds. That's the time they're asking to speak to Jesus. Now, Jesus didn't mind interruptions. Jesus was interrupted during ministry often. Actually, if you remember, when he was going to heal Jairus's, or actually raised from the dead, Jairus's daughter, that he was interrupted in the process of going to the house. He didn't mind interruptions and actually interrupted himself, you know, to turn around and say, hey, who touched me? Right. You know, so Jesus didn't mind interruptions for ministry. You know, Jesus didn't mind those interruptions. He would even stop ministry in order to minister to somebody else. But to interrupt Jesus in the middle of teaching, of preaching, and it's not an emergency is just wrong. I mean, can you imagine, you know, Abraham Lincoln, you know, being interrupted during his Gettysburg address? You know, four score and seven years ago. Hey, hold on Abe, you know, your mom's outside. You know, she wants to have a word with you. What are you? Do you not know what I'm doing here? You know, JFK being interrupted during his inaugural address. You know, ask not what your country can do for you. Martin Luther being flagged down during his I have a dream speech. You know, that one day, you know, my children will not be judged by the color of their skin. Hold on, Martin. You know, mom's over here. What in the world? The wrong time. Talk to me afterwards. You know, you don't come and interrupt me in the middle of teaching. And here we have Jesus, the true king, above any president, above anybody that would ever give a speech. He's here speaking, teaching, and he's being interrupted. The creator of the universe is being interrupted in the middle of teaching. Wrong time. Wrong time. This is inexcusable, an inexcusable interruption of the heavenly discourse. Not only was the timing wrong, the motivation was wrong. Their purpose was actually to stop his preaching. Turn back to Mark chapter 3. Mark chapter 3. I just want to show you a parallel passage in the book of Mark. Mark chapter 3. This is a parallel account that brings us to the same time that Matthew is speaking about. And in chapter 3, in verse 31, we read these words. Chapter 3, verse 31. It says, then his mother and his brothers arrived and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. So here we are in the same context. But look a little further back. Look at verse 20, because Mark gives us a little more information about the motivation for this visit. Look at verse 20. It says, and he came home and the crowd gathered again to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. So he came home and there's such a rush to get to Jesus that they can't even get out to eat. The crowd gathered to such an extent, the place would have been flooded with people because of the miraculous power of Jesus Christ, to such an extent that he even neglected even eating meals at times. Look at verse 21. It says, when his own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of him. For they were saying, he has lost his senses. His own people, his own people here are not his disciples because his disciples are with him. His own people aren't just the Jewish people around Nazareth because they wanted to kill him. His own people is a reference to his family. So here his family comes to say, Jesus, you've gone crazy. You know, here you are doing ministry all the time, you're not having like just a normal lunch breaks. I mean, you know, we need to kind of, you know, get you part of the union so you can get your lunch and your 15 minute break sometime, you know, get your weekends off or something. Like Jesus, you can't keep doing this. You know, we need to come in and save the Savior. We need to deliver the deliverer. And they were coming in to take him by force, to take him into custody. Arrest him. Seize him. Take hold of him. Stage an intervention. What kind of people do you stage an intervention for? The people strung out on drugs, alcohol, people who are hoarders. You ever watch those shows, The Hoarders? It's like, we've got to stage an intervention for mom. You can't even walk into her living room anymore. We've got to stage an intervention. She's gone crazy. And this is basically what they're saying about Jesus. Jesus, you can't keep doing this. We've got to stage an intervention. We've got to seize you physically by force, get you out of here, pull you to the side so we can have this conversation. Let's talk some sense into Jesus. Totally misunderstanding who he was, the purpose of his ministering. Jesus did not come to preserve himself. You understand that? He didn't come to be served. but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. He came to sacrifice His life. Apostle Paul, when he considered his own ministry, says, I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I might finish my course in the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus. And he calls Timothy behind him. 2 Timothy 1 and verse 8, to suffer with me. Join with me in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God. Ministry involved suffering. And here you have Jesus ministering to people and they're staging some kind of intervention for him because they believe that he's gone too far. Lord, you've just taken it too far this time. We're here to save you. The motive was wrong. The motivation was wrong. You might have heard of the name Adoniram Judson. He was the first Baptist missionary from America. He ministered in Burma in the early 1800s. But before he left for Burma, he fell in love with a girl by the name of Anne Haseltine. Anne Haseltine. And he asked for her hand in marriage, but he wanted Anne's father to know exactly what kind of ministry and hardship that his daughter could face. Listen to this letter that he wrote to Anne's father, Mr. John Haseltine. Just imagine this, somebody asks for your daughter's hand in marriage and this is the letter that he brings with him. I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring to see her no more in this world. Whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life. Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you? For the sake of perishing immortal souls? For the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved through her means from eternal woe and despair? Can you consent to depart with your daughter? Would we expect men to make sacrifices like this and not our Lord? Jesus wasn't motivated by self-preservation. The request that Jesus' family made was wrongly timed and it was wrongly motivated. You need to come in here and save Jesus. He's gone crazy. No, he was doing the will of his Father. That's what he was doing. And the assumptions were wrong. They also assumed that because they were family, they had some kind of authority over his life spiritually. When Adoniram judged the match for Anne's hand in marriage, the story I read earlier, one of her father's friends said that, I would rather tie my daughter up than allow her to go. I'd rather lock her up. But Anne's father said that it's your decision, Anne. Listen to what Anne said. and said, I have about come to the determination to give up all my comforts and enjoyments here, sacrifice my affection to relatives and friends, and go where God and His providence shall see fit to place me. She boarded a ship two weeks later. She had a rich marriage, a fruitful ministry, and she also died in Burma. How many of us parents are willing to do that for our children? One article I read asked the question, will we raise our children and entrust them to God for His glory and for the good of the mortal souls? Will we trust God like that? This morning, my wife asked me what was I planning to teach for Mother's Day, and I told her I was gonna preach Matthew 12. She's like, I don't know if that's very encouraging for the mothers. And I definitely understand her point. But it is a challenge for the mothers, isn't it? This is a challenge for mothers. And the question is, are you willing to submit yourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, whatever that might mean for your children? Are you willing to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? We've been in a series on the Lordship of Christ, and the Lordship of Christ even covers motherhood, doesn't it? The Lordship of Christ over motherhood. That would have been the title up on the screen, but I didn't get it in on time. The Lordship of Christ in motherhood. That's what we're talking about. Are you willing to submit yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, even as it pertains to your role as a mother? It's natural for a mother to be concerned for her children, isn't it? It's natural, you know, to want to protect your children. The safety of your children comes to your mind. To comfort your children. Even to this day, my mother still asks me, are you eating and are you getting enough sleep? To this day. And I appreciate that. That's part of what makes motherhood so special. When you're going through a rough time, you often want to pick up the phone and say, hey, help me out. And it speaks of the tender care and fond affection of a mother. 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 7 speaks about that. But there are times when a mother has to watch her children suffer. There's certain times when a mother has to watch her children suffer. Even sometimes, you know, watching, you know, dad bring suffering to the children, right? Proverbs 23, 13, do not hold back discipline from the child. Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. Sometimes a mother has to watch her children suffer. You can be tempted to withhold discipline, to withhold correction from your children out of concern for their comfort, for their safety. Even as our children get older, there's times when we can't just jump in and rescue them, even though we'd want to. Sometimes the best thing to do is to watch them suffer for the consequences of their actions so that they can learn, hey, if I put my hand on the stove, it's going to burn. I can't do that. Even as they get older, you watch them go out and make decisions that you'd wish you could just jump in and stop them. But sometimes you have to watch your children suffer for their actions, suffer the consequences of their own choices. We know that Mary was a true believer. Mary was, at this time, persuaded by the brothers of Jesus, maybe, to take action. Sometimes children suffer even for doing what's right. And this is Jesus who's going through at least some measure of affliction here, but he's doing it for what's right. Maybe she became weak in faith like John the Baptist. Maybe she was just moved by her emotions as she's looking at Jesus just kind of working endlessly. Just remember when Jesus was only eight days old, he was brought to the temple and it was prophesied by Simeon. In Luke chapter two, it says in verse 34, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed. And this is what he says in verse 35. And a sword will pierce even your own soul. Mary, I'm telling you right now that motherhood is going to be difficult for you. And that a sword is going to pierce your own soul as you watch your son suffer. You know, he'll be afflicted, but you'll feel the pain. A sword will pierce your soul, Mary. But either way, what we have here is Mary trying to put the brakes on Jesus and His ministry. One commentator says this, this is the sternest prophetic rebuke of all, Mariolatry. You know, the idolatry of Mary worship. This should put a stop to it. Because right here, Mary has to be corrected. Mary, what you're doing is not right. I agree with R.C. Sproul. He said that the Lord's mother was one of the greatest women who ever walked the face of the earth. But she also had to grow in faith just like everybody else did. She also had to learn to submit to the Father just like everybody else did. Matthew 4 and verse 21. We find that Jesus expected obedience to him even beyond the family relations. Matthew 4, verse 21, it says, when Jesus saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with Zebedee, his father, mending their nets, and he called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Immediately left the family business so that they could follow after Jesus Christ. And that's what Jesus expects. He expects obedience to him. And that's not a disrespect to your mother, OK? Not a disrespect to your parents to follow after Jesus Christ. You can be in subjection to your parents and follow the will of God at the same time. You can honor your parents, even though sometimes you might have to obey the Lord over what maybe your parents might desire. It's not a disrespect. It's still honoring. It's still honoring. But I quickly want to add that God doesn't give us a pass on our family responsibilities either. We don't neglect our family responsibilities because, hey, I'm out here to serve the Lord. It's not what I'm talking about. God doesn't let us off the hook of our family responsibilities to serve Him. There's actually a tradition that the Jewish elders had that allowed people to dedicate a certain portion of their money, their possessions, as a gift to the Lord. You actually find this practice over in Mark chapter 7. You can actually flip back there really quick. Mark chapter 7. We have this tradition known as Korban. Korban was a word used in the Hebrew Bible to describe all sorts of offerings. And it came to be used for things that were removed from common use and dedicated to God, such as funds that were pledged to the temple. It was a way that people dedicated certain possessions to the Lord and also became a way that people could hide their money in plain sight. Even if they still had the resources with them, they could say, well, yeah, I've got the resources in my house, but that's actually dedicated money. Almost became like a tax shelter. I can't touch this money because it's really dedicated to the Lord. You know, so when you came and asked them for something, they said, well, I really don't have anything, even though it's sitting right there, you know, because, oh, this is dedicated to the Lord. And the Pharisees and scribes considered even responsibility to your parents to be beneath this dedication of money to the Lord. Look at Mark chapter 7, starting at verse 11. It says, but you say, speaking to these, actually, I'll start earlier. I always do that. Actually, I'll start at verse nine. He was also saying to them, you are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, honor your father and your mother. And he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death. But you say, if a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban. That is to say, given to God, you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother, thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. And you do many such things as that. Some of these children wanted to take care of their parents with their money, but they say, hey, you can't take care of your parents with that money, because that money is dedicated to the Lord. It's dedicated to the temple. Basically, allow your parents to suffer because of this commitment that you've made. And Jesus says, that's a violation of Scripture. You're honoring the words and the traditions of men over the words of God. So Jesus says, don't talk to me about violating your traditions when you violate God's law by your traditions. Jesus made sure that his mother was cared for on the cross. Remember that? He turned over the responsibility to John because he knew that's my responsibility. I take care of my mother. So he hands it over to John because he knew that he wouldn't be able to do that in a physical way anymore. We need to honor our mothers, and we need to make sure that we're doing what we can to care for them, even as they age. That's the responsibility of the children. Second point, back to Matthew chapter 12. It's really the same as the first, but just comes from a different angle, because this time it comes from the crowds. The family came, had this request. Now the crowds come, and they expect Jesus to fulfill the request. Look again back in Matthew chapter 12, look at verse 47. So someone said to him, behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to you. Again, like I said, this would be a flat out wrong request. You know, obviously thinking that there's a priority of the family over the ministry that Jesus had. The message that Jesus had for them is not as important as the message that the family had for them, they're assuming. So Jesus here urging people to repent, turn to the to enter into the kingdom, and that's supposed to be stopped because he needs lunch. And Jesus denies this request. It also places too much value on the family. Actually, there's a Jewish commentator by the name of Alfred Edersheim, who spoke about the deep reverence that people have for their parents, and some rabbis even said, if you washed your feet in water and your mother wanted you to drink it, you should just do it. It was assumed that it's like, whatever extreme, whatever it might be, you just do whatever they say. And somehow the crowd thought, hey, if your parents are outside, you gotta stop. Stop your ministry to go outside and speak. So the crowd joins in with this kind of idea. But what does Jesus say? And this is the message from Jesus in verse 48. But Jesus answered the one who was telling him and said, who is my mother and who are my brothers? First of all, what Jesus says here, again, has to be kept in the context of perfect honor and respect, okay? Perfectly honoring and respecting his mother and his natural family. Jesus is not disowning his family, saying, oh, that's not really my mother anyway. That's not what he's saying. But if you take the words of Christ seriously here, Jesus has just identified his disciples as having a relationship to himself And in this case, the natural family relationship does not come before the spiritual responsibility that he has. He has a spiritual responsibility right here. So in this context, he says, who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Verse 15, whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother. And again, he's not disowning his family. He's just saying, I have a spiritual priority right now. What does that mean for you? That means if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, that even Jesus's biological family does not have a priority over you. You understand that? That you have a closeness, a relationship to Jesus Christ that even his natural relationship to his family did not have. I've talked to people who said, you know, make a big deal about whether Jesus is black or white or brown or yellow or whatever else. It's like, what does it matter? You know, why argue with the Hebrew Israelites outside about what tribe Jesus came from and what color he was or whatever else? Like, what does it matter? I mean, it matters what the scripture says about it. I mean, we go there. But beyond that, like, does it really matter what color he was? Because if I have a spiritual relationship to Jesus Christ, that's more than even his natural family would have had with Jesus Christ. For a period of time, his brothers didn't even believe in Jesus Christ. And the disciples that Jesus had had a closer spiritual relationship to Jesus than even his own family members did. So just because I have the same skin complexion as Jesus doesn't grant me anything. That's not what's important. And I'll tell you something that might be even more shocking. Not even Jesus' mother had a spiritual advantage because she was Jesus' mother. Not because of that relationship. She didn't have a spiritual advantage because of that relationship. Why don't you flip over to Luke chapter 11. And this is all within the same context. I know we've been in Mark, we've been in Luke, but we're really reading just in the same context of Matthew chapter 12. It's a parallel passage in Luke 11. It talks about the same teaching that Jesus is giving in Matthew 12. It's the same teaching that he's giving in Luke 11. So this is all in the same context. But listen to what some of the women were saying as Jesus was teaching. In this context, look at Luke 11, look at verse 27. It says, while Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, blessed is the womb that bore you and in the breast at which you nursed. It kind of sounds like the Hail Mary, doesn't it? Blessed, blessed is the mother. Blessed are you. But what does he say? Look at verse 28. He said, on the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it. What is he saying? Listen to this. Hearing and obeying the word of God is a greater blessing than bearing and nursing the Son of God. Did you catch that? Hearing and obeying the words of God is a greater blessing than bearing and nursing the Son of God. Those are Christ's words. On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it. You don't have some kind of special inside track because you're part of the family. That's not what you have. Mary needed a savior, just like you do. Mary needed to believe in Jesus, just like you do. Mary needed to obey the Lord, just like you do. And her biological connection to Jesus did not grant her an automatic special status before the Lord. to them who believe they have the right to become the children of God. And you may be a mother here, and you may have children who believe, connected to the Lord, serving the Lord, faithful to the Lord, but that does not grant you some kind of spiritual status, because your children are following the Lord. You have to come to the Lord yourself. You have to believe, you have to submit, you have to trust in the Lord. You need a Savior. We all need a Savior. And as one author said, everyone who is regenerated by the Spirit and gives himself up entirely to God for true justification is thus admitted to the closest union with Christ and becomes one with Him. And we're not refused because we lack a natural family connection. And that's good news for us as Gentiles, isn't it? that I don't need a natural connection, I have a spiritual connection to Jesus Christ. This is open up to all who would come and believe, all who would repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ. They have a connection to Jesus Christ. I love what J.C. Ryle said, he says, all believing people are counted as his relatives. He loves them, feels for them, cares for them as members of his family. There is a rich encouragement here for all believers. They are far more precious in their Lord's eyes than they are in their own. Their faith may be feeble, their repentance weak, their strength small. They may be poor and needy in this world, but there is a glorious whoever in the last verse of this chapter which ought to cheer them. Whoever believes. Whoever would come to Jesus Christ. Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven. He is my brother and sister and mother. You have the connection with me if you would trust in me. And notice what Jesus does not say. Jesus does not say, whoever attends church is my brother and sister and mother. Whoever understands doctrine is my brother and sister and mother. Whoever was raised in a Christian home is my brother and sister and mother. Whoever walked down the aisle and raised his hand. Whoever goes to a Christian school. No, that's not it. And he also does not say, whoever does the will of my Father in heaven becomes my brother and sister and mother, because we don't enter into the kingdom by our good works, right? But whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, that's an indication that you're part of the family. You are part of the family. Those are the people who are connected to me. Those are my brothers and sisters and mother. and under the Lordship of Christ, we gain a spiritual family. We gain a spiritual family. We're connected to Jesus through faith in Him, through trust in Him. And not only do we become family with Him, we also become family with one another, don't we? Become family with one another. I know I mentioned earlier that there are some here who may have lost a mother, may be distant from a mother for one reason or another. But I just want to give you some comfort that we find in Scripture. Flip over to 1 Timothy 5. 1 Timothy 5. Starting at verse 1. Paul here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says, Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as what? Mothers. And the younger women as sisters in all purity. In the church that I grew up in, we had a tradition where the older ladies in the church, you called them what? Mother. Mother Johnson. Mother Brown. Mother whoever. You called them mothers. Why? Because that's how they're to be treated. As mothers. This is what the Scripture says. It's not a bad tradition. The younger sisters, the younger brothers, the older fathers. Fathers in the faith. Of the older people in the church, we call them Mother. Mother Brown, Mother Blue, Mother Johnson. Wow, they're mothers. They're to be looked up to. Because in Christ, we're now made family. And I want to give you encouragement that there are some of you that might not have that kind of relationship with your mother. Like I said, maybe your mother's passed on, but you still have mothers. You still have mothers. In Christ, we have family. We've been made spiritual family in Jesus Christ, related to him and now related to one another. We have mothers. Some of you here who may not have children, but guess what? You do have children. Spiritually, because of your relationship to Jesus Christ, even though you may not have natural children, you still have spiritual children. People that can look up to you as those who are older in the faith that can grant instruction can grant that that comfort that care that that tenderness that a mother would provide. We have we have older women in here that she should look up to and say, hey, that's that's what mother in the faith to me. This is a mother. This is somebody that I would come to. This is somebody that I would I would draw strength from draw comfort from this. This is my mother. That's what we find in Jesus Christ. What a what a what a joy we have in our own in the family of God, don't we? We've been given such a rich heritage, such a rich blessing. We have mothers. Flip over to Matthew chapter 19. Just want to show you one more passage. Because there are also those who might become distant from their family because of their stand for Jesus Christ. And Peter asked Jesus a question about this. He says in verse 27, Peter said to him, behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us? We've made that decision to put the lordship of Christ first. And at times, because you put the lordship of Christ first, your family will actually distance themselves from you because of that connection to Jesus Christ. What does Jesus say? What happens in that case? Jesus said to them, truly I say to you that you who have followed me in the regeneration When the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or farms for My name's sake, he will receive many times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." When He says that you will receive many times as much, what is He talking about? He's talking about in this life. He's talking about in this life, there's an internal inheritance, but even now in this life, we receive many times as much. So you've lost a house because of your connection to Jesus Christ. You have many more houses. You've lost a brother or sister because of your connection to Jesus Christ. You have many more brothers and sisters. You've lost a father or mother or even a child because of your connection to Jesus Christ. Guess what? You have many more fathers and mothers and children. Why? Because now there's a spiritual inheritance that you have. There's an inheritance that you have now, and there's an inheritance that's to come in the future, in eternal life. We've got many mothers out here. There are some who haven't born natural children, but you have some spiritual children here that could really use your comfort, right? Really use your help. And I just would use this as an opportunity to call those who are here to open your eyes and to see the blessing that we have even right here, the opportunities that we have here for those that are without to say that, no, you've actually got many more. And they're right here among us because of our connection to Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you, God, so much for your word. And Father, we pray that you would use These words, Lord, to bring us encouragement. Father, I do pray for those who are mothers who are here today, Lord, that they would be the kind of mothers that would place the Lordship of Jesus Christ first. And that they would encourage their children, even as we read earlier about Adoniram Judson and asking for this woman's hand in marriage, Anne, and how she was set free to go by her father in that case. But Father, we pray that parents would encourage their children to follow after Jesus Christ, even if following after Jesus Christ becomes dangerous. And Father, we know that in the days that we live in, it's becoming increasingly dangerous. But Father, that's not a reason not to follow after Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that the mothers here would encourage their children regarding their submission to you. We know that some mothers in here have to watch their children suffer, and it's difficult, Lord, it's heart-wrenching. Father, I pray that they would submit themselves to your Lordship even in that. Father, that as they might witness things happening that they wish they could step in and change, Father, that they would submit to you even in those areas. Father, we know that we even have some among us who are without that close relationship to a mother. Father, I pray that in our church, Lord, in our congregation, that there would be many mothers who would rise up and who would be blessed, Father, those that would be a blessing to others who are here and provide that kind of care that that only they can provide in a unique way, Lord. You've uniquely blessed the women of our church to provide care and comfort in the ways that the men can't. So Father, we do thank you for the mothers who are among us. And Father, we give you glory and ask for their strength, Lord, and encouragement. And Father, may you be glorified, Lord, this day and every day. Father, we Help us not to wait for one day a year to honor those among us, Father, but that we would be those that would continually honor our fathers and our mothers. Father, we pray that you'd be honored in our service, Lord, and in the rest of our day. In Jesus' name we praise you and give you thanks. Amen. You have been listening to George Lawson Jr. of Baltimore Bible Church. To hear other messages or to find out about upcoming events and where we meet for weekly church services, please visit us online at www.baltimorebiblechurch.org. Baltimore Bible Church reserves all copyright protection under applicable law. Our copyright policy is available on our website and includes instructions for and limitations on duplicating all printed media, CDs, and digital files.