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All right, again, happy Mother's Day to the mothers. You guys are valued in this church. I promise you that. We live in such a strange world. Like I was saying in the opening prayer, we live in such a strange world that the family unit is seen as old fashioned, something that can be changed or altered. And God has given us men and women and different roles and responsibilities, two sexes. Can you believe I gotta say that? That God has created two sexes, a man and a woman. And ladies, you're not some inferior creation of God. You know, you're not anything like that. And you know, this whole feminist movement that exists in the world today is giving you that thought that you somehow men see you as inferior, but you are not. You are equally to the same level as any human being. You know, you're a creation of God. It's just that you have different roles. We have different roles. And feminism makes you feel that your role as a woman, your femininity is less than what a man is. And so therefore you must compete with a man and you must take charge over the man and you must work as hard as the man. And yet, you know, when God put down the curse upon Adam and Eve, he made the curse on Adam to work by the sweat of his brow. And you know, feminism is teaching you ladies, you need to go out there and sweat by the, you know, work by the sweat of your brow. And man, if you think, you know, your wife or the mother of your children should stay home and raise the kids, that's seen as, you know, putting your wife into slavery. And so instead of working for the husband for the kids, they encourage you to go out there and work in slavery for some other man you don't even know, you know. And then you put your kids under some other, you know, you hand them over to someone else to raise your kids. And look, this is the crazy world that we live in. Like it's just take your kids away as soon as possible because they're a burden on your life. But if we just truly appreciated the role of motherhood, you know, I mean, again, going back to the two sexes, ladies, you're the only ones that can reproduce. You're the only ones that are gonna have that ability to carry a child for some nine months and deliver that child. And that's your burden that you're going to struggle with in life. And you know, that's how God has created us to be. And when we read there in Exodus chapter two, we saw the famous story of Moses' mother, right? She was a protective mother. In fact, the title of the sermon this morning is Jochebed the protective mother. Jochebed the protective mother. And even though her name is not mentioned there in Exodus chapter two, can you come with me to Exodus six very quickly, just to show you Exodus chapter six and verse number 20, just to show you her name, Exodus chapter six and verse number 20. The Bible says, Exodus six, 20, it says, And Amran took him Jochebed, his father's sister to wife and she bear him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amran were 137 years. So here we have the names of Moses' two parents, Amran and that's his father and Jochebed, his mother. Okay, so just to show you that, that's where her name is found. And of course, she's a very famous mother, very famous woman in the Bible, defying the law of Pharaoh. If you come with me quickly to Exodus chapter one, come with me to Exodus chapter one and verse number 22. Exodus chapter one and verse number 22. Bible reads, and Pharaoh charged all his people saying, every son that is born, ye shall cast into the river. And every daughter, ye shall save alive. Don't forget, this is when the Israelites were under bondage by the Egyptians. And Pharaoh, because the Israelites were increased in so much more than the Egyptians, Pharaoh's decision was, you know, every child that is born would be cast into the river. You know, it'd be drowned or eaten by some crocodile or something like that, right? You know, his verdict was we need to kill the children, kill the men. And like, you know, that might seem so unreasonable, like so unrealistic. How can you take an innocent baby who has done no wrong, okay? And just take that baby and throw him into the river and drown the baby. Like for us, we would think that's just crazy. Like what kind of king, what kind of Pharaoh could pass such a law? And what kind of people would obey such a law? Like we think it's insane, I think it's insane. Do you think it's insane? Like just killing a newborn baby after mother had just, you know, developed that baby in her womb for some nine months and just kill that baby as soon as it's born. And yet we live in a society that is just murdering babies in mother's wombs. They can't even wait for the baby to be born and to be cast into the river. They just insert some instruments into the mother and destroy that little child in abortion clinics. All across this nation, it is happening. You know, it's some, you know, literally hundreds of babies every day get aborted by, in Australia, paid for by the government. Medicare would cover all or most of the costs. You know, your tax dollars, Australians, are going to the murders of innocent babies. And like we think this is crazy when we read about Pharaoh and yet it is happening in our society today because we live in such a warped, corrupted, wicked world. And Brevin, you know, we need to be in a place like the house of God where we're reminded the value of motherhood, where we're reminded of the value of children. Now, you might say, the men might say, well, you know, it's another mother's day swim and it's not so much for me, but really when it comes to motherhood, we're all affected. Number one, the Bible says that Eve is the mother of all living, so we do all share the same mother, did you know that? We all share the same mother, Eve, okay? Like we are all literally brothers and sisters from a physical way as well. We all, all our blood is red. You know, we have the same blood. So, but not just, not just Eve, of course, but we've all been born from a mother. If you live and breathe today, you have a mother. You know, that mother, whether you know her, maybe your mother gave you away when you're young, you don't even know her. Maybe you don't even speak to your mother. But at least, at least, she gave you nine months in her womb where she took care of you, where she nourished you, where she gave birth, she went through labor, she went through great pains. You know, women still die from labor today. You know, she was willing to, you know, even go as far as sacrifice her life to give you life. You may not be in speaking terms of your mother, but Mother's Day is a great time for you. Even if your mother's not saved, even if your mother doesn't want to communicate with you it's a great time of the year to send a little note, a little message, at least to say, thank you, mom, for giving me life. Thank you for nurturing me in your womb. Thank you for not aborting me like the rest of this nation does. You know, thank you for giving me life, even though, you know, we're all human beings. We all have a sinful nature. We're not the best parents and kids. You're not the best kids all the time, are we? But you know what, even then, you know, your mother, I know, wanted the best for you when she knew she was pregnant. She wanted that little baby to have a great successful life. And it's always a great time to just remember at least once a year, a nation to stop. Thank God, a nation does something right sometimes to stop and acknowledge and honor the mothers that we have in our lives. So we all have a mother. And 50% of the population, ladies, you're gonna be mothers yourselves. So maybe either you're a mother now, or you have a mother, you're a mother now, or you will be a mother, or man, you're gonna marry a mother, okay? Like one of those check boxes you're gonna tick. And so if you tick one of those boxes, this motherly sermon is for you to remember the value of motherhood. And so we saw there in Exodus one, Pharaoh's, you know, the king, the most powerful man on the planet is, you know, saying, hey, Israelite women, murder your sons as soon as they're born. You know, I don't know what the retaliation would be if they didn't do that. Maybe they would, maybe the whole family would be, you know, potentially lose their lives or, you know, put under greater hardship. And so we see, of course, in Exodus, back to Exodus chapter two, we have Jochebed who is such a protective mother, where she defied Pharaoh. She defied the laws of her land to protect her child Moses as best as she could have. And in Exodus chapter two, verse number one, it says, and there went a man of the house of Levi and took a wife, a daughter of Levi and the woman conceived and bare a son. And when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. So she gave birth to this son, Moses, and she hides him for three months. We also know that Moses has two other siblings, Aaron. So I assume Aaron was born at a time before this law came into effect. Okay, and he has a sister, of course. And you know, this is her third child. And now this law is in the land. You've got to murder your child. It should be Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the planet. Mothers, what would you do? What did Jochebed do? She tried to hide her child for three months. You know, point number one that I have for you this morning, brethren, is that she values her child's life. You know, Jochebed, the protective mother, and mothers, this ought to be you. And one day, ladies, you may very well be a mother. This is you. Point number one is you need to value your child's life. And as a pastor, I don't just value my children's life, but I value the lives of all the children we have in our church, because they're going to live in such a difficult world. Not only is it hard to just live in a wicked world, it's also hard to be a believer and stand out and walk in the steps of Christ and live in such a wicked world. And our children are the next generation. Our children are the next ones that are going to win souls. We're going to see the next generation of souls saved. But mothers, you know, you need to value your child's life. This, again, society tells you they are a burden. And if you listen to the media, if you listen to other ladies in the workplace or out there, you know, at the park or wherever it is, they're going to tell you that being a mother is a burden. The cost of raising kids, and look, I know better than most, the cost of raising kids. Yeah, it is not cheap. It is not cheap. But I tell you now, the child's life is vastly more valuable than your income. You know, there's so much more benefits, there's so much more blessings in the value of a child's life than what it costs to raise them. I tell you that. I mean, the world will prioritize your finances. The world prioritizes how much you keep in the pockets. The world prioritizes your inability to go on holidays because of kids. But I tell you having children is such a beautiful blessing, so wonderful. They're all individual personalities. They've all been created by God. And you see, with Jacob, and instead of listening to the law of the land, she said, you know what? My baby's too valuable. I'm going to try to protect him. She protects him at least for three months. Can you keep your finger there and come with me to Psalm 139. Psalm 139. And you guys know, these are all very famous Mother's Day passages. But it's good to remind ourselves once again, the value of being a mother, the value of children. Psalm 139 in verse number 13. Psalm 139, verse number 13. Ladies, when you fall pregnant, even if it's a miscarriage, that was a baby that God has given you. It's a valued life. Miscarriages happen on a frequent basis. And they're very sad to experience. But Psalm 139, verse number 13 says, for thou has possessed my reins. Thou has covered me in my mother's womb. Ladies, if you fall pregnant, if you conceive, the Lord God has given you a life, a very precious life in your womb. The Bible says, verse number 14, I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works. And that my soul knoweth right well. What do we see there? As soon as a mother conceives, we see that that baby has a soul. At the end of verse 114, and that my soul knoweth right well. Look, there's a lot of mothers, you know, again, miscarriages. Okay, maybe, you know, you weren't able to carry that baby to nine months. You know, you weren't able to see that baby's face and maybe give even that baby's name. But I tell you this, mothers, I know how much it hurts to lose a baby in the womb. But that's a soul that you brought forth. God did a work in your womb. And what's wonderful about being a believer, you know, when you pass away and you go home to be with heaven, you're gonna meet children that you didn't even know. Or children that you lost. Okay, but it's a soul that'll be in heaven for you. A child that you did bring forth. A child that God did bless you with. But unfortunately, just lost its life a little early. But I want you to notice that even a baby in the mother's womb is valuable, even if it loses its life early in that time period. You know, it's not any lesser child. You know, I know it's a Psalms, I know it's poetic, but you know, I believe that to be true. Like I believe a little baby that, you know, Bible teaches very clearly that little children, when they die, they're innocent. They go to heaven. You know, they don't understand their sinful condition. They haven't died spiritually. In the same sense where you then understand that the words of God, you understand the laws of God, and you understand your sinful condition, and then your need for salvation. A little baby has not entered that period of understanding yet. Bible makes it very clear, I've taught it before, and I'll teach you some of the time, that when little children pass away, they go to heaven. And I believe that to be true, even though it's poetic. I do believe a little baby that has lost its life in the mother's womb, is in heaven right now doing what? Praising our savior. Praising the same God that you're praising this morning here at New Life Baptist Church. And then verse 15, My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet been unperfect. And in thy book, look at this, in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Even before the babies developed, even before the baby has all the members, the arms and the legs, God in his book has exactly how that baby should look, how that baby should appear. That's why, you know, we're all fearfully and wonderfully made. You know, we really should not be discouraged about our appearance, about our color of skin, about our color of hair, about our shape of hair, about our heights. You know, people that are short get worried that we're too short, people that are tall get worried they're too tall. There's always something that we may not feel happy about in our appearance, but I want you to understand, you've been fearfully and wonderfully made in your mother's womb, okay? You're exactly how God intended you to be. And what I love about, again, just going back to miscarriage, the value of a baby in mother's womb, as sad as it is, I know mothers, I'm sorry, if you've had miscarriages and it hurts your heart, but as sad as it is, in God's book, all the members of your little baby is written, okay? That baby in heaven has all its members, or at least in its soul, and guess what's gonna happen at the rapture? Resurrected bodies, and you'll be able to see those babies that have passed away in the flesh. You'll be able to hug those babies in the flesh. They're not gonna be babies, but you know what I mean? You know, the little children that have passed away, and you never saw them. Mothers have miscarriages all the time and don't even realize, and yet their substance is not hid to the eyes of God. God knows exactly who they are, God knows their personality, and God knows their exact appearance, especially when it comes to the resurrected bodies. Point number one, when it comes to Joggebed, she values her child's life. It's more important than what the government is saying. Moses is more precious than potentially losing her life. She values her child's life above what society is saying. Come back with me to Exodus chapter two and verse number three. And unfortunately she has to give up her child at this point. But Exodus chapter two, verse number three. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein, and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink, and his sister stood afar off to wit what would be done to him. So she actually does obey the law because you're meant to throw the man, child, baby into the river, but she puts him into a little ark first, a protective ark. And then she sends her daughter, Miriam, to keep a watchful eye on her brother. Point number two, brethren, about Joggebed and about being a protective mother, she keeps a watchful eye even when she has to give up her son. She keeps a watchful eye. Now it can't be her. She sends her daughter. I don't think her daughter's even that old when you really think about it. Okay, maybe she's a teenager. I'm not sure exactly how old she could be. Okay, but you know what? Not only does she let Moses go into the river to see what would be done, she keeps a watchful eye on him. Can you come with me to Proverbs, please? Come with me to Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31, she keeps a watchful eye. Mothers, it's wonderful to fall pregnant and to give birth, but did you know that's the easy part of kids? Because for the next 20 or so years, you're gonna be watching your kids like a hawk, or you should be if you value the life of your child. I mean, that's the example of Joggebed. Like she's only going for three months, okay? But she makes sure there's a watchful eye to see what would happen to Moses. And mothers, I know that's in your heart. I know even after, like even my mom, she still worries about me. And I don't know why. I've been married for 20 years, all right? I've put on weight. We've lived so far. We've had a whole bunch of kids. And my mom still worries about me. She's still keeping a watchful eye. I realize this is going to be till the day she dies. And probably when she's in heaven, she might even ask God, God, can I have a quick look at Kevin down on the earth and see how he's doing probably is what she's gonna be saying, something like that. And I realized, especially with having a wife and having kids and even after Isabel got married, Christina's still keeping a watchful eye on Isabel, okay? And she's always mindful about what our kids might be thinking about or looking at or doing, making sure that we don't want them to be influenced by the wickedness of the world. You know, Moses' mother did not want to see Moses destroyed. She didn't want to see him lose his life. So she protects him in his little ark and keeps his sister watchful eye upon him. Mothers, that's probably deep down in your heart, you're gonna realize I'm gonna be a mother till I pass away. Like I'm gonna be a watchful protective mother. And of course, you know, once our kids get married and we'll talk about that in a moment, but you know, at some point we do need to let them go, but I understand your heart. You're gonna be watching them. And when you can't watch them, you know what you'll be doing? You'll be asking God, God, can you keep watch for them for me, please? Can you please keep them protected for me? Before I read Proverbs 31, I'm gonna read to you from Isaiah 49, verse 15. It says, can a woman forget her second child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. These are the words of God speaking about his nation, the coveted nation of Israel. And God says, look, I will not forget you as a nation. I will not forget you as my people. And of course, the New Testament, you know, the people of Israel are a spiritual people, spiritual nation transitioned. The same promise is true though, for those that have trusted Jesus Christ as their savior. And when God speaks of not forgetting his people, he gives the illustration, can a woman forget her second child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? You know what this is telling me? That mothers will never forget the children they've born. Never, they'll never forget you. And you know, again, maybe you don't even know your mother. Maybe your mother gave you away when she was young, when you were born, gave you away, maybe you don't even know. And you wonder, you know, you talk to different people and you wonder, how could she have done that? How could she just let me go? What a horrible mother. But the Bible tells me that actually mother never forgets. A mother never forgets, you know, a child that has been born from her womb. And God uses that, that powerful connection that a mother will always be watchful. He uses that powerful connection between a mother and her child to illustrate his attachment, his watchful eye, his protective nature over his people. Mothers are truly special, you know? Point number two, brethren, is she keeps a watchful eye. You're there in Proverbs 31, Proverbs 31. You guys know this. Proverbs 31, verse number 27. She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children will rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praiseth her. Now this is Mother's Day. This is normally when children rise up and call their mother blessed. But husbands, don't forget, not just the children, her husband also, and he praiseth her. Husbands, we need to praise our wives. We need to praise them for the woman she is, for looking well to the ways of her household, okay? And ladies, that is your real primary responsibility in life, to look well to the ways of your household. And eateth not the bread of idleness. What's idleness? Doing nothing, sitting on the couch and watching TV all day. That's not how God created ladies to be. God did not create ladies to be idle. I think I'm more in danger of being idle, to be honest, than my wife, okay? Because in my wife, she's probably trying to figure out to do 10 things at once, because that's how ladies are. They're trying to do 10 things, multitasking at once. But men, we're usually just one thing at a time. All right, let me just finish this and I'll get onto that, all right? Or if I get onto that, I'm gonna leave that unfinished. You know, men, we're not very good at multitasking. But ladies, you definitely are. You can look well to the ways of your household. You keep a watchful eye on your family. And look, I hope this sermon not only honors mothers, but mothers, if you say to me, you're not a pastor. As we've been going through this and looking at Jocka Bed, I realize I have some shortcomings as well in my life. Maybe I don't look out well for my household. Maybe I am not that protective mother. Maybe I don't value my child's life as much as I should. Well, I hope it's something that will cause you to think about why am I so far off from the standard of God's word? I mean, I know why, and you know why. It's because the world we live in, the society we live in, again, it devalues motherhood, devalues children, devalues families. They don't even know that marriage is between a man and a woman these days. Society doesn't know that there are two sexes, two genders these days, has no idea anymore. Like we live in such a, what is wrong? Like, I don't know what is wrong with our world. They don't even know how to use pronouns anymore. They, them, zee, zem, and whatever else. I'm not even going to try. But we live in such a strange world. But mothers, the truth of the Bible is you are valued, you are honored. You may not feel that way by the world standards, but you're valued and honored by God's standard. You are very special indeed, okay? So if you feel there are some shortcomings here with your life, then get on God's program. Say to God, God, can you renew my mind? Can you fix my mind? Cause I'm too much like the world. I want to make sure that my mind lines up with the mind of Christ as contained in his word. Come back with me to Exodus chapter two and verse number five. Exodus chapter two, verse number five. And the daughter of Pharaoh. Now let's stop there for a moment. Pharaoh, he's the one that issued the command that the Israelite sons are to be thrown into the river that they are to be killed. Okay, this is his daughter now. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her maidens walked along by the riverside. And when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child and behold, the baby wept. And she had compassion on him and said, this is one of the Hebrew's children. So if she is just, look, she's Pharaoh's daughter. It's one of the Hebrew's children. Like what should she do according to her father's commands? Just pick that baby up and throw him in the river. Let him drown. Look, this is kind of the enemy, right? This is Pharaoh's daughter. And she sees a baby, even though it's the enemy's baby in a sense. It's the Hebrew's. We don't like the Hebrew's. Well, that's why I would say she has compassion. She has compassion on Moses. She has compassion on the baby. You know what this shows us? That part of a lady's DNA is to want children. Doesn't matter what your dad's commanding things are. Doesn't matter what the world is saying. God has programs in women to want to have children. It's true. You know, it's true. And when a woman is unable to have children, it is a burden. Just like when a man cannot provide for his family, when a man can't land a job and take care of his family needs, it's a huge burden on his mind and on his heart. Well, for ladies, when they are unable to have children, it's a huge burden on their heart because God has programmed in their lives, in their DNA, in their hearts, to want children. This is why it's not uncommon to see little girls hold little dolls. You didn't even have to tell them. Or there's a newborn baby and you come to church. You often find the little girls, oh, want to squeeze their cheeks. Can I hold him? Can I hold her? Why? Why is that? Because parents, you did not tell them to do that. Right? Just in their nature. There's a love, there's a compassion for a little innocent child. And this is why mothers that give up their children, abort their children, will always have a guilt. They've listened to the society. They've listened to the devil. They've listened to Pharaoh. My life's going to be better if I just murder this child. But your life will never be the same if you participate in abortions. Like the mother will never forget the child. You understand what has happened. I mean, there are hurting women all across Australia. Yes, they were selfish. Yes, they listened to the wrong advice. Yes, they listened to society. They listened to Pharaoh. They murdered their children. And deep down in their heart, they'll never be the same. They'll carry that guilt forever and ever. It's true. Again, just Pharaoh's daughter, Hebrew's child. I mean, the law of the land, let's murder this baby. She goes, no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to have compassion on the Hebrew's child. If we continue in verse number seven. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, that's Moses' sister. Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. Point number three that I have for you brethren, is that Jochebed, or the protective mother, she trains her children well. What am I talking about? She trains her children well. Again, this is the royal family, Pharaoh's daughter. She finds the baby. Who's got the wisdom to give some direction and counter to Pharaoh's daughter? To the royal family. Miriam. Again, I don't think she's even that old. She might, again, might be a young teenager. If we just, you know, she might be even under 10. We don't really know how old she is. And yet she's been trained well enough by her mother to speak well, to be polite to Pharaoh's daughter. Even though that's the murdering family of the Hebrew's children. To be able to give good counsel and good advice to Pharaoh's daughter. Think about that. Think about, like honestly, think about that for a moment. That's like, what about children going up to, I was gonna say our prime minister, Albanese. That guy couldn't even keep his marriage together. How's he gonna keep our country together? Anyway, forget him for a moment. All our politicians don't have kids, hey? I don't know. I mean, there's a whole, I don't know. Let's just say the king of England, right? One of our kids goes up and he's able to give good advice over a family matter, over a lost child that's been found in the river and says, hey, I've got some words of wisdom. I can find your Hebrew woman. I can find his mother that can nurture this baby. And Pharaoh's daughter goes, yeah. Okay, she organizes the maids to go and fetch the mother of the baby. And so what I see here brethren is not only, you know, is she loving and wanting to protect Moses life, but she's trained Miriam well. Isn't that true? She's trained Miriam well. You know, sometimes, something that bothered me sometimes about the IFB world and I'm IFB, I'm independent fundamental Baptist, I tell you that. But one of this idea, I don't know where it comes from because the Bible says that women are the weaker vessel and they deserve honor. But sometimes we've got this stupid, horrible, you know, it's what I'm looking for. And this outlook on women that they're just better just staying in the kitchen, barefoot, naked, making a sandwich for her husband. And that's it. Hey, Miriam's out of the house. She's watching her little brother and she's able to speak. She's educated. She's got wisdom. Okay, she's being used by her family and used by God to protect the man who's going to deliver the entire nation out of Egypt. You know, please don't think cause I'm IFB that I think women should just be in the kitchen making a sandwich. That's such a horrible outlook. Are you serious? Like to me, that's just as bad as feminism. Compete with men and men are horrible. Look, there's a balance to everything. And we need to value our ladies. Like without my wife, I'd be a very lonely man. Without my wife, I would have no idea how to raise my kids. Did you know that? She is the one that has compassion more than I do. Isn't that true, man? When we pick up a child, we just throw them in the air and our wives are like, what are you doing? They're protective, they're caring, they're nurturing. We're like, just throw them out in the real world, they'll take care of themselves. Just take little Moses in the ark and just chuck him out there, he'll be all right. Mother goes, no, no, no, we're gonna do that. We'll take Miriam, she'll keep a watchful eye on him. But we see here, she trains her children well. Not just her boys. And yes, boys need to be trained well cause they got to go out and work a job and provide for the family. And I'm all for that. And I'm all for ladies being at home, raising the family. Don't get me wrong. But I believe girls need to be educated as well. Like I didn't want to marry a woman who can't even speak to me, who has no knowledge, has no wisdom of the world, has no idea of history, has no idea of the Bible, has no idea of anything cause she's just a girl, just make a sandwich and shut up. But you know, that is the attitude of some Christians. Did you know that? It disgusts me. It's like crazy. Especially as a father with three daughters. I don't think of my daughters like that. Just shut up, be in the kitchen and make a sandwich. No, I want my daughters to be educated. I want them to speak. I want them to have wisdom. I want them to learn and not just, you know, and when she marries, she's able to play a part and important role, you know, in helping her husband make good decisions for the family. But what we see, point number three, she trains her children well. I'll just read some passages to you. Proverbs 22, verse number six, train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old, he will not depart from it. Mothers, I mean, fathers, this is for us too. Like the Bible does say in Ephesians 6, for you and your fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. You know, fathers, we have responsibility to train and to nurture and to raise our kids as well. It's not just, I got to work. That's my responsibility. You're the wife, the kids are your responsibility. Anything to do with the kids, that's your business. None of our fathers, you're meant to raise your kids as well. Together, as one flesh with your wife. But it's true, ladies, that you're going to spend a lot more time being able to raise your children than your husbands. So train up a child in the way he should go. When he is old, he will not depart from it. That is a promise of God. If we teach our children the right ways when they're young, they're going to keep those ways when they get old. Say, pastor, that's not true. I've had a child that's gone wayward. Did you teach him to go wayward? When they rebelled against authority, when they rebelled against mom and dad, did you not discipline them? Because if you allow them to rebel against mom and dad and just disobey without any consequences, then they're going to go into society thinking they can just disobey and rebel against society and they'll, no. Oh, but I took them to church. Yeah, but the pastor only gets to preach at them once, twice, three times a week. You're with them 24 seven. Like just bringing them to church is not enough. Parents, we're meant to train our children the way they should go. I believe that. I believe even where you may have a wayward child and I know plenty of stories of adults who say, man, I was saved when I was young, I was raised in a Christian home, I had everything going for me and I hit my teenage years and I destroyed my life for a whole bunch of, you know, a decade or two or three decades and I finally realized what a big mistake I made and I've come back to the Lord. There are many testimonies like that, but when they got old, they realized, man, yeah, the way I got trained up when I was young, I better return to those ways. I believe in that promise of God. I believe we train up our children to love the Lord, to value life, to value families, okay? To have a good character. Yes, they may go wayward from time to time, but they're going to end up realizing, boy, what a mistake I made. I better get back to my old ways. I truly believe that promise from God. Not only Miriam, but think of Aaron, the other brother. Like think about how God used Aaron to help Moses speak to Pharaoh number one and then God chooses Aaron to be the first high priest of Israel. What a family. Miriam who stands up and speaks to Pharaoh's daughter, Moses who leads the children of Israel out of Egypt and Aaron, the first high priest of the lyrical system. Who do you think raised those three kids? Jochebed, mum. She trains her children well. What a testimony that she has. Back to Exodus chapter two, please. I think you're still there. Exodus chapter two, verse number nine. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, take this child away and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it. Now how good is that? Normally when you raise a child, you don't get any wages. Pharaoh's daughter says, look, you're looking after this baby and I'll pay you for it. Wow, that's the hand of God, isn't it? Verse number 10, and the child grew and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she called his name Moses. And she said, because I drew him out of the water. Look, this is wonderful that Moses was returned back to the mother for a period, but the mother knew it's only while I nurse the child. And I don't know, let's say she nursed the child for, most people today nurse a child for about six months to a year. You probably nurse a child up to two years old. I think it's a bit complicated after about that age. But you know, let's say, let's just give two years. Let's just say two years. So this is mother knowing man, yes. You know, I gave my, after three months, but praise God, he's been returned to me and I can nurture him for another year. You know, it's a year and a half. And then she obviously, once that's done, she returns Moses or gives Moses to Pharaoh's daughter. But point number four Brethren is about Jochebed. She understands that time is limited. Our time with our children are limited. Mark chapter 10 please, Mark chapter 10. You know, when you first have a baby, it seems like I've got this baby forever. Like I don't think I'm even gonna make it to their wedding one day. Like we've got a good long time to spend together. But you know, every day that goes by is one less day that you have with your kids. And look, most of us get a good, you know, 18, 20, 25, 30 years with our kids potentially. Depends how long they get married. You know, things like that. Moses' mother Jochebed only had two years, at least maximum probably two years. You know, she knew her time was limited. And even then she was a wonderful mother with the limited time she was given with Moses. The Bible says in Mark 10 verse seven, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. So then they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God have joined together, let not man put asunder. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother. Parents, one day your kids are gonna leave you. And the cause ought to be because they get married. They find a spouse. And that's a beautiful thing in of itself. For those of us that are married, yeah, it's awesome. Woo hoo, got married, right? Like I'm sure that your wedding day was one of the most important days of your life. I mean, for me, besides, the thing is I can't remember the day that I got saved because I was young. But probably the most important day of my life was marriage, probably, if I would just look at it like that from my memory. Okay? And maybe every other important day of my life has been every time a kid has been born, a child's been born in our family. But you know, our time is limited and Jockabett understood that her time was limited. And look, ideally, and kids, young people, I strongly encourage you to take this to heart. You know, when should you leave mother and father? For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife. You know, leaving mother and father, and making that decision ought to be when I'm deciding to get married, I found someone that I love. I'm ready and she's ready or he is ready, whichever way it is, all right? To get married, but understand, you gotta understand because reality doesn't hit you until a bit later when your life completely changes, that you can't just run to mom and dad every time there's an issue. When there's an issue, you run to your spouse. And if it's too big for you and your spouse and there's an issue, you run to God. It's time to leave mother and father. And parents, just remember, as young as our kids may seem, I promise you this, you're going to blink, you're gonna open your eyes and they're gone. Value your time with your kids that you have even today. Mothers, I hope you've been spoiled today. You know, if you have a mother, again, please contact your mother today. Tell her that you love her. Cause our time is gone. So understand, our time is limited. Our time is limited in the world. Every day that we live is gone. It's never gonna be returned. It's one day closer to the coming of Christ, one day closer to our death, one day closer to our children getting married and leaving the house. So appreciate the time that God has given you, okay? We know that Jocka did such a great job in the two years or so that she had raising her child, Moses. Back to Exodus chapter two and verse 11. Exodus chapter two, verse 11. Now remember, again, a couple of years being raised by mom. I mean, who remembers being two years old? My earliest memory is about four years old. My earliest memory, okay? My earliest memory has probably been in Chile, visiting Chile for the first time, visiting a family that I never knew existed. That's probably my earliest memory. Who remembers being nursed by their mother? I got no memory of that. Who remembers having their nappies changed? No memory. And this is how long Jocka had with Moses. I'm sure like us, he had no memory being raised by his mom. And so he gets delivered to Pharaoh's daughter. Hey, he's been raised in Egypt's system. He's been raised and told that children can be just thrown into the river and destroyed if you want. He's been raised in the royal family, the most powerful, the most wealthy family there is. He's essentially Pharaoh's grandson. Adopted grandson is what he is. The same Pharaoh that tried to kill him. The same granddad that tried to kill him. I'm sure he's been trained and taught to hate the Hebrews, to hate the Israelites. I'm sure he's been told, yes, you know, yes, you were born from a Hebrew woman, but you are an Egyptian. You are important. I guarantee you he was taken to the Egyptian temples, whatever they have, to worship false gods. I'm sure he was trained and told how important it is to become a powerful leader and to take over and be of a huge kingdom. I'm sure he's told about the love of money, the love of gold, the love of silver. I'm sure he's been taught, you know, you're part of the royal family, you can have as many wives as you want. I'm sure he's been corrupted by the world system all the way through. But what do we learn about him in verse 11? And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens. And he spied an Egyptian smiting in Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way. And when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. I'm going to quickly read to you. In fact, come with me, come with me to Hebrews 11, because we're done with Exodus 2. Come with me to Hebrews 11, Hebrews 11. So Moses sees a fellow Hebrew being smitten by an Egyptian. And instead of siding with Egypt, he sides with his people. He sides with the people that he only spent a couple of years with. He's now a grown man. Again, he spent most of his time learning the Egyptian ways. And he says, who am I going to choose? The Hebrews or the Egyptians? He chooses the Hebrews. You say, why pastor? This is why Hebrews 11, 24, Hebrews 11, 24. By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect under the recompense of the reward. Brethren, point number five about Jochebed, his mom. She prioritizes eternity. She must have taught Moses something in those few years that he ought not to worship the God of the Egyptians, but the God of the Bible. That suffering for the name of Christ is more valuable than the treasures of the earth. Can you say that? Boy, being wealthy, not having to worry about money ever again, or suffer with Jesus. Moses says, man, that's better. I want to suffer with Jesus. I want to be with the people of God. Why? Because his mind is on eternity and not on temporal things. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4, 17, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Are you afflicted today, mothers? Are you suffering? Well, that affliction is a light affliction in comparison to eternity, because it continues in verse 18. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Mothers, we've got to teach our kids. We've got to help them understand and prioritize eternal matters. The things that cannot be seen. To love the Lord God, to love church, to love the people of God, which is you and I here gathered together this morning. When we serve one another, when we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, when we're mocked and ridiculed and persecuted for the name of Christ, you're going to be rewarded in heaven. Those rewards are so much better than having all the wealth on this earth. And Jochebed somehow in two years or less of his life, was able to instill eternity into his heart. The God of the Bible, again, a little baby, probably, I mean, there were no scriptures because most wrote the scriptures, but probably sang songs to our Lord God, told stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the promises that God made to these people. Something was absorbed. And please don't think bringing little children to church is a waste of time that they can't understand. They understand a lot more than you realize. That's why I don't want to have like a Sunday school where the kids are taken away, because they can learn the scriptures. They can learn what the Bible, they might even understand it better than new parents sometimes. Because we get a bit stubborn, a bit old, we're stuck in our ways. Our kids are like sponges and they absorb and think and criticize and analyze. And they're better at that sometimes than what we are. Because we've got so many other things in our mind. Like we're thinking about, you know, paying the bills. We're thinking about putting food on the table, all these kinds of things. And our kids don't really have to worry about those things. They can spend more time thinking about Jesus Christ. You know, thinking about eternal matters. Somehow in those few years instilled in Moses' heart was eternity. Moms prioritize eternity. I'm not saying neglect the temporal things. We need to function in this world, but they need to understand that what matters for eternity is vastly superior than what they can have on this earth. Jochebed, the protective mother. Let me summarize those five points. And mothers, I hope you're this way. I hope you work toward these things. Number one, she values her child's life. Number two, she keeps a watchful eye. Number three, she trains her children well. Number four, she understands that time is limited. And number five, she prioritizes eternity. Jochebed, the protective mother. Let's pray.