you
Running everyone welcome again to very bad districts, Manila and again. Happy mother's day to all the moms
Please take your seats now. We're going to start our second service
Grab your new nose and open to song number 169
song number 169
calm down
Come in
Come down ready
169 calm down already on the first
oh
Dear Heavenly Father that we thank you Lord for allowing us to have our services to this app this day
Lord we pray that you would bless the service Lord praise the singing of the congregation Lord the praises and all the Bible reading Lord
And also the preaching of your word that Lord we pray that you would bless brother stocky with the spirit
to preacher
Word boldly Lord also pray for the fellowship of the mother start this mother's day
We hope that every everybody would have a great day on your house today
Also the soul reading and all the things that we're going to be doing all these things we ask in Christ most precious thing we
pray
Amen
All right morning really welcome to Verity Baptist Church
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms that are here and let's go through a couple things real quickly
First let's count up salvation's anybody from the back with salvation's any salvation's
How about in this section any salvation's to report one anybody else and last section two two three five?
Six total anybody else
All right, all right, so eight anybody else
All right, good job everybody as I mentioned earlier our goal is to start soul winning at
1 p.m.. Today, which means the second sermon is going to be a sermonette. You know as we like to mock other
denominations of every preaching I'll be preaching a sermonette and
So I'm also couple things after this service
We're going to have all the moms come up here to take a picture
We do have a gift for you that we're going to give you and all the moms will take a picture
I think the first picture without kids
second picture with kids and
Also the last thing if you have not yet done this all ladies going to the bowling today
if you could draw from the cup over there a number and you'll be added to your specific group for bowling and
Because they have five or six people per lane
I think in the bowling, but I believe that's it for announcements and at this time
We are going to have the ladies choir perform for us once again
You
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And when the robot I spoke I love
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Please open your Bibles to the book of Psalms Psalms 127 127
Psalm 127
127 please say amen if you're there
Psalm 127 please say amen if you're there. Amen
someone
127 verse 1
Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain to build it
Except the Lord keep the city the watchman waketh, but in vain
It is vain for you to rise up early to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrows
For so he giveth his beloved sleep
though
Children are inherited to the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man
So are children of the youth
Happy is the man that has quiver full of them
They shall not be ashamed they shall speak with the enemies in the game
Bless the reading of God of God's word. Let us pray
God in heaven have anything in earthly states given to us. I pray that you please bless preaching and preach of your word
Go to stay. We love you. Just pray
All right, we're here in Psalm
127 and as I said
There's gonna be a much shorter sermon just for sake of time with the event later today and the first sermon the original goal
Was for it to be shorter and it did the opposite it's longer
So this next sermon is definitely going to be a lot shorter and it's also Mother's Day theme
The name of the sermon is a blessing or a burden from the Lord a blessing or a burden from the Lord
Bible says in Psalm 127
verse 4 as
Arrows are in the hand of a mighty man. So are children of the youth
Happy is the man that have his quiver full of them
They shall not be ashamed
But they shall speak with the enemies in the gate the bottom tells us here in verse 5
That the man who has a lot of kids is happy and I would say the same is true with the woman with a lot
Of kids the person that God is blessed with children and a large family. The Bible says that person is
Happy and what we're going to see in this reduction is the Bible is very clear having children are a blessing
They're not a curse they're not a burden but they're actually a blessing given to you from God go to Genesis chapter 1
Genesis chapter 1
And there's a lot of verses in Genesis, I'll just read you a couple that show this very clearly
The Bible says in Genesis 1 verse 28
Genesis 1 verse 28 and
God bless them and God said unto them be fruitful and multiply and
Replenish the earth and the Bible speaking there about having children
Why record says God bless them and then he says be fruitful and multiply go to Genesis 9
Genesis chapter 9
The
Bible says in Genesis 9 verse 1 and God bless Noah and his sons and said unto them be
faithful and multiply and
Replenish the earth go to Genesis chapter 12
Genesis 12
I
Was in Genesis 12 verse 1 in the word
Now the Lord had said unto Abram get thee out of their country and from my kindred and from my father's house
under a land that I will show thee and I will make of thee a great nation and
I will bless thee and make thy name great and now shall be a blessing and the blessing there is associated with having a great
Nation having children and then they have children and these are all in reference to the blessing be
Having children so that was very clear that children are a blessing and not only that you also see that the Bible teaches
Not having children can be a curse
That was about God opening the room and it talks about cursing the whole nation and not allowing them to have children
I
Realize that you individually as a person just because God has not blessed you with children or as many as you want
That does not mean that God is angry with you
Obviously we just looked at Abraham and Sarah and Abraham and Sarah waited a very long time to have children
We understand that but I do want to say that look as a married person
You should look at having children as a blessing not as a curse
Not as something that you don't want to take place
But actually, you know, I want to raise kids for the glory of God go to your Bible to Matthew chapter 6
Matthew 6
Statistics tell us that in our modern day
37% of people aged 18 to 39 do not want to have children
37% of people aged 18 to 39 want to have zero children in their life
37% and you might say well that's because a lot of them are young and changes as they get older actually
40% age 25 to 39 want zero kids
So actually increases the likelihood of not wanting to have kids
40% now that that's bizarre to me because even before I was saved, you know
I always had a desire to have a family. I grew up with a nice family. I enjoyed spending time
We did things as a family
So I like was wanting to do the same get married and have a family but 40% of people
they don't have any kids at all and
that's
42% of
Millennials and the older group of that do not want to have any kids
So I mean the percentage gets very close near 50% more than two out of five as they reach today
So yeah, I don't have any kids
No, look that might be what the world says
But as Bible-relieving Christians, we should not be taking that mentality
Because the Bible teaches, you know
what God's plan for a person is for most people to meet the right person get married and then end up having a family and
Raising kids for God's glory because there's a blessing associated with having children
God bless them and said be fruitful not apply
He said he blessed them and he's gonna make a great nation out of him having children is not a burden
It's not a curse it's actually a blessing Matthew chapter 6
Why is it people don't want to have kids in 2023?
Well, one of the big reasons why people look at having children as a burden or a curse is because of money
They look at kids and say they're too expensive. I can't afford it. It's going to take up all my money
It's like, you know
I'm gonna work hard and just spend it on somebody else and not be able to do it
I want I won't be able to afford it. Well, that's what the Bible says in Matthew 6 verse 19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth
Where moth and rust are corrupt and where thieves break through and steal
But add for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust are corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The Bible warns about laying up treasures in this life
And says lay up treasures in heaven. Let me ask you a question. What is the purpose of making a ton of money in this life?
Just being very successful
But not sharing it with anyone
Let's just have a huge house and not have any kids. I'll have it all to myself. What's the purpose?
I want to make a ton of money
But I don't have kids because I want to be able to go on vacations and share with who
What's the purpose I'm not sharing that with someone what's the point
Most people don't typically say hey, I'm just gonna go out to a restaurant by myself
I'm gonna go to the movies by myself. I'm gonna go on a vacation. Oh, who are you going with?
Friends, family, nope, just by myself
Now I'm not saying it's wrong to do things by yourself
I'm just saying in general God designed us to want to be around other people
And if you have like the greatest salary in the world and you have nobody to spend it on
You're gonna live a miserable miserable life
What's the purpose of working 80 hours a week and not having any free time to do anything?
But you make a lot of money and have a big house and then there's nobody in that house, but yourself
Or there's nobody in it, but your spouse
But maybe God might give you a bonus or raise and bless you financially to raise kids for the glory of God
The Bible speaks about God giving you the power to have wealth. You said brother Stuckey
I'm a self-made man
Well, I'm a self-made woman. I've made myself successful
I'd be very careful that you say those words because God might just curse your life
Look at this great empire that I have built, you know King Nebuchadnezzar
Yeah, pretty soon you're gonna be like a dog running around just like eating grass
Right. I mean, it's just like nobody in this life is a self-saved say self-made man
I should say you say brother Stuckey, but I made so much money because I'm just so smart and who gave you your brain
Who gave you your skills?
Who gave you your ability? I?
Mean imagine taking that in the spiritual life, man. I'm such a great Christian. I made myself so great is did you get yourself saved?
Is that what took place?
Did you teach yourself how to go soul-winning?
Is that what suppose are you the one who preached to get the sin out of your own life or did somebody preach it to you?
Nobody is a self-made man or a self-made woman
Right, and I'll tell you what if you've been successful in this life
There's nothing wrong with that and if God has blessed you financially that is great
But the purpose is not just to spend it on yourself, but to actually think about other people
Matthew 6 verse 33
But
Seek you first the kingdom of God in his righteousness and all these things shall be added on you
Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the marshal take thought for the things of itself
Sufficient unto the day is the evil there. I'm going to do the army chapter 6 dude around me 6
dude around me 6
And I remember when I was younger there's a lot of things I thought would be a cool thing to do
But I was like, I don't want to do him by myself
I was like, I don't know anyone else who's interested in doing this. So it's like it'd be a cool thing
But you know, it's probably something I'm never going to do because doing things by yourself is not generally that entertaining
generally like to do things with other people and
If your whole life is about you and you say right or not, I want to be able to save my money
I don't have to spend all my money. I mean think about how selfish of an attitude it is
I don't have to spend all my money on somebody else
So you only care about yourself is what you're basically saying then
I'm not saying it's wrong to go on vacation and have nice things, but I'm just saying this attitude
Well, you know what? I cannot have financially afford kids. I don't want to spend all my stuff money on them
That is actually a selfish attitude
in
1800
The average American had seven point zero four children in 1826 point seven three
Eighteen forty six point one four eighteen sixty five point two one
1880 four point two four nineteen hundred three point five six
1923 point one seven
Nineteen forty two point two two today one point seven three
I mean this rate is gonna be like negative five in a couple years, right?
One point seven three seven point zero four
So by the second I thought America was a growing country because people move there
Not because people living there have kids
Let me ask you a question. Do you play do you believe that people in?
1800 were more or less
financially able to have a family a
lot less
There's a lot more wealth in
2023 then there was in 1800
Even in American 1800 a lot of people have tired lives. It wasn't that easy a lot of modern conveniences
Yeah back then they had difficult lives. They say what my money is not about me
It's about other people and the rules what God said God has commanded us that I mean, it's not just a suggestion
Hey have kids are gonna be happy. No, you can move you be fruitful and
Multiply and replace your God commands people to have children that are married
He says I want you to have children
Do you know Islam is a much faster growing religion than Christianity the number one reason is the number of kids that they have?
That's the number one reason
It's not because they're just converting so many people actually
they're just having a lot of children and by virtue of that they are a growing religion and
Christians today say you know what having children is no burden. It's a curse
I can't find it
What's taking place is normal be the biggest religion above Christianity in our lives
No question about that at the rates that they're going
One reason people don't want to have kids is because of money and I wouldn't say is this
You're never gonna feel like you can financially afford children
They are expensive
Everyone's like me if I just work a few more years in my job
I make a little bit more money so I can save up be able to have a house and
Then you're gonna be like well now I'm gonna set it up to have a car
I mean if I'm gonna have kids I have a car to put them in
Right and then you're gonna be like but I don't have any money for this or that you're never gonna feel like you can financially afford them
Because kids are expensive, but here's the thing if you just looked at your life
there's probably a lot of things that you could cut out if you really needed to and
You choose not to cut it out
Here's the thing that you could actually raise kids if you realize that you know what my money is not for me and what I
Want it's actually about other people
Number two another reason people don't want to have kids they consider them a curse or a burden is because kids are very time-consuming
they take up a lot of time and energy by the says in Judah army chapter 6 verse 6 and
These words which I command thee to stay shall be in thine heart and now shall teach them diligently honor thy children
And shall talk of them when thou citizen thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou
risest up
Yeah, it takes time to diligently teach your kids. It takes time to show them. What's right and what's wrong I?
Mean what's what's the internal problems 31?
What is the number one reason in my opinion why people don't spank their kids in 2023 because it takes up time
It takes up energy
Now better people can use whatever excuse they want that's reality people don't spank their kids because it takes up too much energy in time
That's the reason why
People don't spend time with kids because it takes up time and energy. I want to spend my time on something else
I'm so busy, and then they neglect their kids and people treat their kids as if they're a curse
They treat their kids as if they're a burden and they wonder all those kids grow up and reject their parents
Because you treated them like they weren't important going up I
Mean all a kid wants to do growing up is spend time with mom and dad is that not true
Anyone who has kids they know that's true
24-7 they want to spend time with with you. That's the way it is
But a lot of people they treat kids as if they're a burden as if they're a curse
I'd rather just spend time on myself. That is a very selfish attitude and
You're not going to raise kids that are going to grow up and love you because you didn't put love into them
I mean things are reciprocal
It's a direct correlation you put in time energy and love in your kids
And you're at the same is going to be returned to you if you don't
Know all my kids grew up, and they rejected me. Well. I wonder why that's what takes place
That was 31
verse 15
She rises also that is that night and giveth me to a household in a portion to our maidens
Rising light is that night is indicating before the Sun has actually risen in the morning
Generally think of like 6 a.m.. And 6 p.m.. As you know sunrise and sunset
But depending what time of year and where you live that can obviously various you know change
But the idea would be that men would go off to work right when the Sun rises
You know they work on a farm or whatever once. There's there's daylight
You just head out and so of course that means the wife is going to have to make food before her husband heads out
So she rises while it's still dark outside to make food well that takes time doesn't it
I mean they wake up early in the morning and provide food for your family and a lot of women would look at that as
A curse and they would complain about it and say I just need my beauty sleep. I just need extra sleep
It's like well
You know I'm sorry
But if God blessed you with the family he expects you to actually put in time and energy and effort and that might mean
sacrificing some sleep
That might mean spending more time on your family instead of yourself
No, I could preach against the moon, but it's not Father's Day
It's Mother's Day
Ladies wake up in the morning and cook a meal for a family
So my assess if you get mad at me tell me your interpretation. She rises also out as yet night
She rises also that is yet night. You know. What's a movie on YouTube?
Somebody says she rises also that is yet night to spend time on her cell phone
No, it's a good meet your household and a portion your maintenance
And look you know your husband might be able to cook something for himself or do it ever
But your kids they can't
And it and for you ladies to say well
It's such a burden and so hard really because I don't think that a microwave
back when this was written I
Don't think that modern conveniences that they have now
Either a lot of food was just made from scratch
And what is made from scratch and it went bad the same day so you had to make new food the next day
In a modern day there are a lot of modern conveniences that can make this a whole lot easier
Right
It's just a matter of not wanting to put in the time and the effort in treating your kids and your family
Like they're a burden instead of a blessing like the Bible says
Verse 31 verse 27 she looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness
She is not lazy. That's really the defining feature of the virtuous woman is that she is
Hard-working my seed pog that is the defining feature of the virtuous woman
And yet Ruth was called a virtuous woman. She was certainly a hard worker. You can certainly see that in the book of Ruth verse 31
Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates
I mean, it's based on the work that she does and yeah, you know what it's time-consuming
To raise your kids and to be a mom, but you get out what you put in in life I
Mean if somebody gets like a lot stronger and puts on major muscle, it's like man. What's your workout program? I
Don't work out, you know, I just started putting on muscle
No, it's cuz you started lifting
You started doing push-ups. I mean, how does it get in such great shape? I don't know. I
Just was magically just it happened
Doesn't work that way
Anything that you're successful at in life is because you put in time and effort. I
Mean how do you get raises at your company that you work at and bonuses and move up the company ladder by hard work
Isn't that the answer to everything?
So if you want to raise kids that love God
you gotta put in the time and effort and
Instead of thinking of the various trials and difficulties realize the end result of kids that love God get a first Corinthians 13
We're going to close up here first Corinthians chapter 13
Oh
It's spending time with your kids is a great blessing enjoy
It's fun. I enjoy spending time with my kids
Well, I mean before you have kids
There's probably a lot of hobbies that you have but there's been when you have kids one of your great choices just seeing your kids
smile I
Mean kids enjoy the gift of life more than anybody
It's like my son Ezra is so happy now why because he can walk
He's so happy, I mean it's more like a water, but you know he moves he can move step after seven
He's so happy the smile on his face because he wants to make mom and dad happy
And I'll tell you what as a parent when you see that it brings you great joy
One reason people treat kids as a burden their curses because it's expensive
Number two because it's time-consuming
Number three and lastly because when you have kids you can't do all the same things that you used to do
Bob says in first Corinthians 13 verse 11 when I was a child I
Spoke as a child I
Understood as a child I thought as a child
When I became a man I put away childish things
Bible says what eventually you reach an age where you grow up and
You put away childish things
Why I mean there's you know the store that when I was a kid my favorite store to go to was Toys R Us
Why because there's all kinds of toys all kinds of video games all kinds of bouncing balls
It's a you know what the song of Toys R Us
It's like I don't wanna go up on the Toys R Us kid. There's a million toys that I could play with
But you know what that's actually very unbiblical
That's okay for a six-year-old to think or seven or eight or nine, but eventually
Not a kid anymore
Yeah, it's obviously somebody who's middle-aged. It's trying to act like a kid
You're gonna stop right here
There's somebody who's like 50 years old and they got the windows down listening to like I don't like rugs up or something
They're like with long hair or rock shirt on it's like
It's
It's fun for kids to play
Just go
It's a different life
But look when I was younger, it's like all I like to do is play sports and go to the gym
I still exercise. I don't go to the gym anymore. I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying you know what?
I'd rather just be around my kids and
It's just like you never know when they might need help or whatever and it's just like I don't go to the gym for various
Reasons, but it's like you know what when you get married and have kids you're at a different place in life
And yes, it's true when moms have kids
There's a million things that they can't do that they used to do
Obviously we understand that you know the ladies are going out bowling today and the reality is
Women when they start having kids, you know what they're not able to do a lot of outdoor things that they used to do
But here's what I would say whether you're a man or a woman
It's like you're married, you have kids, it's time to grow up
It's time to realize your life is not about you. It's time to invest your life into the next generation
Why is it people take this mentality while they're brainwashed by movies like Peter Pan
It's like I just always want to be you know a little kid
Right isn't that the purpose of the movie Peter Pan? It's like doesn't want to grow up
It's like hey, why don't you grow up?
Yeah, you know and as I said you know because we're talking about this yesterday memories
We had as a kid because sometimes you can have fond memories of things for example
I have fond memories of being a kid and playing Super Nintendo
but number one you're not going to recreate that same memory 30 years later and
Number two you could actually put in different memories in your kids heads
Than the fond memories you have
What I mean by that how about the kids having fond memories of so many marathons
Isn't that a good memory to have?
fond memories of church events
I mean this event today is a good thing for you
And I'm sure a lot of the daughters are going to go with their moms to the bowling. It's a fun memory for them
We have fond memories of our annual children's day events
Fond memories of being in church, final memorization challenges things like that
I mean those are the memories you want to put in kids heads and look I get it a lot of us have had memories in
Our past where we weren't really serving God, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that obviously those are the memories
We have I have a lot of fond memories of soccer and other things
But I have a different plan and a vision for the life of my kids
And what I'll say to adults is forget about those things
You know if you get older the reality is you can't do the same things anymore because you have children
It's different
That does not mean that children are a burden or a curse. It just means you're at a different stage in life
And what takes place is when you go to a new stage in life if you try to hold on to your past stage
You know what's going to take place?
You're going to be miserable
Realize there's a lot of great things about new stages of life. I get it. You know I have a lot of fond memories when I went to college
Hanging out with my friends playing sports, but but here's the thing you know what those might be fond memories
I'm not in college anymore
And if you try to hang on to those moments and act like you are you're going to destroy your future
Look if God has blessed you with kids. What are you saying is you know what you can financially afford it?
If I've given you kids, I'm going to give you the ability to actually raise them financially
Number two your free time that you have God expects to use with your family with your kids
And number three was yeah, you might be in a different stage, and maybe you can't do all the same things
It's like you know what just change
I've said before my wife's biggest hobby before she was married with surfing
Well, I mean you just can't let her do that anymore once you're married and have kids
And she has fond memories of surfing, but it's just not what you're going to do is you're raising young kids anymore
It just is what it is. I
Have fond memories of playing soccer. I haven't touched a soccer ball in a long time
Right it's just you're at a different stage. It just is what it is
But look this does not mean that children are a burden or a curse children are a blessing
But if you treat your kids like they're a burden or a curse
You're going to cause them to resent you
You're going to cause them to care about other things more than yourself and other things more than serving God
treat your kids
like exactly what they are a
Blessing given by God for you to raise. Let's close one word of prayer. You have me father
Thank you for allowing us to be in your house today
And I ask you to help us to apply this sermon to our lives whether we're moms or dads in this room
Help us to realize our children are blessing and help us do the best we can to raise our kids for the glory of God
We praise us in Jesus praise in Jesus name. Amen
Amen for a last song song number 170
170
Hallelujah one Savior
We'll see the whole song man of sorrows ready on the first
Oh
Let's pray dear heaven father there. Thank you for all all the lessons that we have learned from your word
Lord this morning Lord we pray that you would bless us Lord and apply the sermons in our life
They're the parents as mothers and as fathers third
There's a prayer that you would help us have fun in our fellowship events this afternoon
We hope there that you would also bless us in our soul winning this afternoon and all these things
We ask in Christ most precious. Can we free?
You
Oh
I