Address—David Mearns
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I would like for the next little while with the Lord's help.
I see a lot of children here.
So that means that there are a lot of parents here.
I would like to make some remarks with regards to fathers and mothers.
Both in the natural sense and also.
Fathers and mothers in the Assembly.
And there may be those here that never had children, perhaps will not have children.
That does not leave you out.
When I was growing up.
Those that were fathers and mothers to me, many of them didn't have children of their own and I know as I had my own family bringing them up, there were many in the assembly that were fathers and mothers to my children that never had children of their own.
So I would like to to look at this.
Last night.
I got on the elevator with a young father.
I remembered back to when.
I came to a conference with my young family and I took one of these hotel carts and it seemed to be filled up to here and I was looking around making sure nobody was looking when I shipped this into the hotel room.
And I got in the elevator with a young brother, of course that had the same thing, and I asked him if he was moving in.
Well.
I went upstairs and.
I thank the Lord for him.
And I prayed for him and his wife and his family.
And thank the Lord for the care.
That he had for his wife and family.
And despite all this stuff that showed the care.
And brought his family here.
And I there are so many, I think, instructions we we find in the word for those of us who are fathers. There are young fathers here. There are grandfathers here. There are young mothers here. There are grandmothers here. And I just appreciated starting off this this him with recognizing someone who is a father to all of us and perhaps we.
Little understand.
Heart. I'd like to turn to John's Gospel if we could there.
John's Gospel chapter.
15 just for a verse.
John, Chapter 15.
We recognize this chapter speaks of the Lord Jesus as the vine, but he makes this comment in the ninth verse. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. The Lord Jesus mentions his Father I think 120 plus times in the Gospel of John. That's without using pronouns.
That relationship that he had with his father, it's very, very much expressed in the Gospel of John.
We know the first time that we have the the word love in the Bible. It's in the book of Genesis. It's the love of a father to a son.
Well, turn with me to Matthew's Gospel of the 10th chapter.
So.
I'm starting off by looking at some of the thoughts concerning a father.
You know, as as a father myself and as a grandfather, it's the area that I have made by far the most mistakes. It's a humbling thing to take this up and perhaps in a little while to address those of you who are mothers. Even more humbling, not being one and.
They're not being opportunity for a sister to stand up here like this and address mothers. So Matthew's Gospel. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 10.
And we we read this.
In the 29th verse, are not two sparrows sold for a Farthing?
One of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
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Fear ye not, therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows. I love this little portion. We have it. We have it also in, in Luke's gospel the the thought of the care that God our Father has for us, as we read here.
It says the very hairs of your head are all numbered. I remember doing a little study a long time ago on the word numbered in the scripture and it caused me to look at the meaning of it in Webster's dictionary. I'll read it to you. I also looked at the word count. To count is to estimate or to tally?
To number is to assign a specific number to or to include.
I appreciate that because, you know, we would count the chairs here.
We might count the meals that are that are eaten here, but the people are not counted, they're numbered. And notice what it says here, the very hairs.
Of your hair.
Are all numbered.
To me, that's just fantastic care.
That God our Father, has for us as His children the fairy hairs of our head.
Are numbered. Now turn with me. We're going to go to 1St Corinthians.
First Corinthians.
Chapter 4.
First Corinthians chapter 4.
The apostle writing to the Corinthians.
And he makes this comment.
In verse 15.
For though he have 10,000 instructors in Christ.
Yet have you not many fathers?
For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be followers of me.
And then he goes on to speak about Timothy.
I've been very thankful in my life.
Having been local in three different areas, three different assemblies for those that were fathers to me.
There's been many as we have here that were instructors, many that were teachers. Not all the teachers were fathers.
And I've been very thankful for those that had that father's heart that was expressed to me. I'll relay one incident.
I remember I had asked for my place at the Lord's Table. I was 17 and I was exercised to come to the prayer for the gospel.
And I've done that for number of weeks and this one.
This one evening.
We got up off our knees off the there's a little room at the back of the Montreal meeting room where we prayed, got up off of our knees and we are walking to our seats.
Was my my portion to be walking down the aisle with our sister Barbara, Ann's father.
Norman The two of us are walking down the aisle and.
This brother.
As I reflected on it after he thought, you know, this young man he really needs.
To be found cast on the Lord.
And as we're walking down to our seats, he turned to me and he said, so David, you'll be taking the gospel tonight. And he went and sat down.
It was it was terrifying.
But it really cast me on the Lord. It really cast me on the Lord. And I thought, you know, here, here's someone who has.
Who had spent time with me for years.
He knew me very well. You know, Sister Barbara and I used to ask this brother a question and he would answer my state of soul and then he would answer the question. But you were someone that that that as a father knew exactly what I needed at that given time. And I was so thankful. So that's just one incident of someone who is a father to me over and over again, different ones that were fathers to me that.
That had the interest in me.
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To know just what I needed at a specific time. You know, we we just read here of the hairs of our head numbered. You know as parents we make we make a big deal of the first tooth of our children make a deal of the of the first step that our children take or our grandchildren take. We make a big deal of the of the first word that they take.
But those who are fathers in the assembly?
They have that kind of care.
For those in the assembly, they look for those little things in our spiritual life that that that need to be, that need to be encouraged and need help with. And I've been so thankful for those who have drawn alongside me and been such a help to me.
At times in my life, when it when it was so needful. Now let's turn over to the book of the Acts.
You know, maybe before we go there, we're still we're here in First Corinthians.
The apostle writes here in back in First Corinthians 4. He writes here just before he's He mentioned to the Corinthians that they didn't have many fathers. He says in the 14th verse I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you so here he was. He was speaking to the Corinthians as his sons.
And you know there's there's a number of times that we find the the Apostle Paul addressing those and it was as a father to a son. Maybe we could just look at a couple of those, turn over to First Timothy for a moment, First Timothy, the first chapter.
First Timothy chapter one.
The Apostle writing to Timothy.
He says here in the in the first chapter, the second verse, first verse, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior.
And Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope, unto Timothy my son, my own son, in the faith. Now turn over to the the second Epistle, where we have a a very similar.
Comment made as he writes to Timothy.
The Second Epistle, the first chapter Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus to Timothy, my dearly beloved Son.
Look at the second chapter.
Thou therefore, my son.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Turn over to the Book of Titus, next book we find he addresses.
Titus in the same way Titus chapter one.
The fourth verse.
To Titus, my own son, after the common faith. So why do I read these these scriptures? I read them because.
I've had a sense in my soul.
Of those over the years who have presented the truth.
As a father would to a son and when it's presented that way.
It's it's very easy to receive. You know it's it's it's it's easy and some people can mechanically present things. But when it's provided, when it's presented as a father presents something to a son.
There's there's the heart that's really involved and the Saints, all of us, whether it's as parents giving something to our children spiritually, or whether it's.
Those in the assembly that are speaking to the assembly, if the truth is presented as a father presents things to a son, it's really food for the people of God. And that's what the people of God need. That's what we all need here. We've all come here. We haven't come here to to get information. The Saints don't need information. The Saints need food. That's what I respond under. When there's food that's presented to me spiritually, I really respond to that.
And that's what that's what the apostle was doing as he wrote to the Corinthians, as he wrote to others, as he wrote to Timothys, he wrote to Titus. Now, what was it that that made him have that father's heart? Let let's turn over to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 20.
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Acts, Chapter 20.
All these portions that we're reading, they're very, very familiar portions. Nothing new.
So here in Acts 20, which is a very familiar portion.
In verse 17 it says from my leaders he sent to Ephesus and he called the elders of the church.
Just maybe a comment as to who that would be.
The Peter writes to the elders as well. In First Peter chapter five he makes some comments to the elders, he says, who also am an elder.
Those who the Lord has raised up.
In the assembly, as those who are in a position of oversight would be.
Would be pastors and would be deacons. There's only one there's only one book that is addressed.
To those in oversight, it's the book of Philippians. It's addressed to pastors. It's addressed to deacons. Deacons are those who.
They look after the practical needs of the Saints, the, the pastors. They look after the spiritual needs of the Saints. And there's an overlap. Sometimes there's, sometimes there's those that do both. I look around the room here, I see some microphones. I see a table here with a lecture, and I see chairs. Somebody did that. Don't know who it is, but there was those that.
Perhaps did that work of a Deacon and got everything set up for us here. There was those were expected. We're going to eat shortly. Somebody looked after that. Those are the needs of the Saints that that are very necessary.
Whereas the the pastoral needs of the states are are more the the spiritual needs that that all the Saints need. And if we were to go to a Timothy, we were going to Titus, we would see that which is appropriate for those to have that kind of.
Local local service that that local oversight and one of them is that.
They have children.
The pastor's the deacons. When he's speaking about deacons, he also mentions their wives because often a Deacon, his wife helps out in that area. These are areas that that are very needful, but when it's it's done.
With the the heart behind it as as a father and as a mother.
The the the result it is so much different.
So that's why I've so appreciated the way the apostle writes to Timothy Rice to Tice writes the Corinthians as a father.
To his sons, to his children. So now here in in Acts chapter 20, he calls the elders of the church when they come to him, he said unto them, You know from the first day that I came to Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons?
Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears, temptations which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews.
How I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly from house to house.
This is quite an introduction here that he, he, he speaks to to those in oversight, they're coming to him. And he says, you know, I've been with you as it says here in the 18th verse, after what manner I've been with you at all seasons. The Apostle Paul as someone who is a father, he was someone that was consistent. If we were to go to the book of the Acts, we find that there's three chapters there and the first chapter.
Takes up godliness. In the assembly, the the, the second chapter, there's the three chapters. The last chapter takes up godliness in the world, whereas the the middle chapter takes up godliness in the home. And you know, I had AI had a brother, we were discussing some business dealings and he made this comment to me. He said, you know, business is business. And what he was saying by that is we treat business in a different way than perhaps we treat other things.
And the Apostle Paulies is showing here that when he was with them, he was consistent in every area of his life. He was not a chameleon.
He was the same at home as he was in the assembly. He was the same in the assembly as he was when he was preaching. And the Lord's desire is that every one of us be consistent in that way as well. And that's what gave him moral power as a Father.
00:20:00
Children could always expect.
Those who are fathers in the assembly, they can always expect what what to come from someone that's a consistent father.
Well, the Apostle Paul was consistent, he says, serving the Lord with all humility of mind.
I thought of that in connection with this hymn that we sang.
And I'll tell you why.
I just came back from the West, Cindy and I Cindy flew out West, I drove out and then we drove back together. One of the things I did when I was out West was I wanted to go and see Gordon Whitaker.
I've done some Zoom meetings with him when I come back from Africa. He's very interested in what goes on in Africa, having been born there. So I thought, well, I'll, I'll do this one face to face. So I I went to the home where he and his he and his wife are.
They're they're in a retirement home. He's not Well. You might pray for Gordon with his Parkinson's and.
His brother David came over as well, but what I particularly wanted to show him was when I was in Mozambique.
Number of weeks ago I walked into a brother's home.
And he was playing a CD of Gordon and Mary Jane singing.
And I thought, wow, here we are in Mozambique. And I got my camera and I took a video of it and when I was in Kirkland, I got my camera out and I played the video to him.
And the whole trip was worth it, just to see Gordon sitting there and these two drippy tears come down.
As the work that so many of us have appreciated that I'm not sure how many people have thanked them for here was being enjoyed in Africa. What am I telling you this for? One of the things I really appreciated was the way they sang this him.
And you might remember he goes through the hem.
And when he gets to verse 8.
He and his wife they sing it this way. Oh, keep us love divine near thee, that we are nothingness. And it cuts off. That's the end.
It really makes the point.
It really, really makes the point. And I thought of the apostle and how he presented himself to those in oversight, as we have here, serving the Lord with all humility of mind. It's not something I know much about.
But I have appreciated it in others. I've appreciated it and those that have been fathers to me.
Then it says with many tears, temptations which befell me.
By the lying and weight of the Jews and how I kept back nothing that was profitable.
Just think of someone that's a father that keeps back nothing.
That's profitable for the Saints. But then it says here and I've showed you.
And I've taught you publicly.
Notice the order which.
Is so important.
The apostle. He showed those in Oversight how it was to be a father, how they were to conduct themselves in oversight. And then he taught them. But he first showed them Beautiful, beautiful to see that here showed you and have taught you publicly from house to house.
Well, we could go on down through this chapter. Many things. Maybe we'll just look.
At the 28th verse.
28th verse.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.
To feed the Church of God which he has purchased.
With his own blood.
You know, that which the apostle brought before those in oversight first and foremost was.
The Saints need food.
That's what it says. Peter does the same thing when he's writing to those in Oversight in First Peter 5.
Here the apostle says feed the church, Peter says feed the flock.
All of us benefit with food. We're looking forward to having some right after this meeting.
In in, in the spiritual sense, we we benefit when there's food.
I've been guilty.
Of of sharing something that I enjoyed from the word that maybe it wasn't food for the Saints. Just because I enjoy something. Maybe it's not a reason why I should put it forth. And I appreciate that the apostle he was in touch with those that he's speaking with. You think of him saying in also in Corinthians that which comes upon me the care of all the assemblies is mind boggling for for me to consider.
00:25:23
The care that the apostle had for each one.
Well, those who are fathers in the assembly, they they they can act a little different than those. There can be very, very good teachers but not necessarily in touch. But those that are fathers, they're in touch with the Saints and and the the apostle, he he was here and so he he he says to those here in that he's speaking with. He said you know that the Saints need food and so that's what he says here he said feed.
Feed the Church of God.
I had AI have a brother-in-law that has a number of chickens and he was telling me this story about one of his hands that was that was broody.
And it made its nest in the in the garage where he has, right beside where there's some.
There's some fiberglass insulation.
And the the the eggs hatched out, and the hen herself.
Knew that.
That this insulation wasn't good, but for some reason she made the nest there and the little chicks when they were when they were hatched.
They fed on the on the installation and one one after another they all died, every one of them. It wasn't good food for them. And so you know in the assembly we're not worried about the Saints dying when there's insulation fed to them. But there needs to be a real in touch relationship of fathers in the assembly that know exactly what the Saints need because we we we all need food. And so he says here to those who are in oversight, as does Peter.
They need food.
You know, if we go to, let's go to the book of the Exodus for a moment.
The Book of Exodus.
There's a responsibility here.
That we see in Exodus 16 in connection with the manna.
The Lord gave the manna.
And says here it fell in the dew.
Notice it didn't fall in the people's mouths. They didn't step outside their tent and open their mouths and have the do. They had to go and get it. But the responsibility fell if you notice here.
In verse 16 this is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. Gather of it every man according to his eating, and Omer for every man according to the number of your persons. Take every man. Now this is the point I'm trying to make here. Take every man for them which are in his tents.
So I see back then that there were those that were fathers, those that were heads of their homes, and they calculated how much manna was needed for the household, and they went and got that for their family. And I've appreciated being brought up in a household where my own father did that spiritually. He fed me what was needful, but also those in the assembly that fed me those things that were needful. There was a there was a brother in in Montreal.
Who?
Was a big help to me.
Remember him calling me one day? This would have been.
A little time after the incident that I had with our brother Norman, he called me, he said. You know, David?
There's a need for us and he had a science school in his home. There was three Sunday schools or maybe four Sunday schools in Montreal at the time.
He had one in his home and he said there's a need for the young boys that are 8 and nine. Could you, would you consider taking that class so?
I said I would pray about it, and I did pray about it.
And I ended up taking the class and what it did was it drove me into the word.
It's I I I read, but this this put me in a position where.
I I read with zeal because I wanted to have something to provide for these these these young boys and.
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As I realized later and spoke to him, I said, You know, brother.
Remember that time you asked me to? This was years later, I said. You remember that time you asked me to have a Sunday school? And he kind of nodded and he got a little grin in his face. And I says, what you really, what you really saw was here was a young man.
That needed to get into the word, and he nodded. He says. That's right. So here it wasn't for the yeah, the children benefited, but that's not who it was for. It was for me.
And you know, as I look at that, I thought, no, here's someone who had a father's heart for me and he knew that I needed to get into the word. And if I was going to be able to present something to these children for food, I had to get it for myself. So I'm so thankful for for those that that that provided that.
That fatherly care for my soul as someone was growing up. Well, let's let's turn over now to.
I'm looking at our time here, which is not going very well.
Let's go to.
The book of Genesis.
The book of Genesis.
Where we'll make just a few comments to those.
Who are young Fathers here?
I remember, remember the first time I opened my mouth, actually on the street corner. We used to go down as young boys and we'd hand out the tracks while the older brethren would would preach. And one of the brothers who was also a father to me, he came to me and he says, you know, Dave, I'll just stand up there and have a little word.
I was again, I was terrified, he said. You know, you can quote a verse, you can make a few comments. In fact, you can make all the mistakes you want. Nobody's going to notice.
And I I thought, you know, here was he was something that had a real care for my soul. And he, he, he, he could, he could see that it was going to be difficult for me to do. I I think I stood out in the on the street and I think I quoted John 316. But what I remember of it is someone who was a father to me that was such a help. So here in Genesis, let's go to Genesis chapter 31.
I'm sorry, Genesis chapter 33.
Because I as I look around the room, I see a number of young fathers here.
And as I rode the elevator with one yesterday.
And, you know, life's busy. I was at Joseph and Lydia's last night, and life is busy. You know, these little children, and life is just busy. It is when there's a young family. But the truth of the matter is.
For those of you who are young fathers, you think that you're you're you've got these children in school and you're bringing them up. But the truth of the matter is you're the ones that are in school as the Lord is preparing you to be fathers in the assembly. That's this is what it's happening when when you've got a young family.
That the Lord is is is is is putting you through all these little things and it's it's preparatory.
For those coming days, which will come very quickly, when you'll be a father in the assembly, I I just it the wisdom of God is just wonderful. So here, let's look at a bright spot in in in Genesis, in Jacob's life.
Jacob speaking to to Esau here.
He's to be commended for not wanting to spend time with his brother, as we see. But he makes this comment when he's talking to Esau in verse 13. He said unto him. My Lord knoweth that the children are tender.
The flocks and herds with Young are with me, and if men would OverDrive them in one day, all the flock will die. I love this character.
That Jacob displays as a father and the care that he had for his family. Well, let's turn over to the New Testament for a couple verses.
Colossians.
Colossians the.
3rd chapter.
Colossians Chapter 3.
And we have this, we have this, this verse. We have husbands and the 19th first children, the 20th 1St. But then there's this, this word to fathers at verse 21. Fathers provoke not your children to anger.
Lest they be discouraged.
Now turn over to Ephesians. Ephesians, the 6th chapter.
00:35:00
Ephesians chapter 6.
And the fourth verse, ye Father's, Provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and the admonition.
Of the Lord. This has been very striking to me that we have this instruction to fathers that is never given to mothers.
Never is and we're going to see perhaps the character of the mother in a in a couple minutes and I can say.
As I said before, as a father, I've made all the mistakes that it's possible to make and I I can honestly say I think the times which has not been off and we all, we all see our children get upset. But the times that I've seen my children furious, it's been my fault.
And I just suggest that for those of you who are young fathers, that this is an instruction to fathers. It's never given to mothers. So now what about those here who are sisters? There's others here.
There's those here who have never had children, but you have the character I was. I was at Joseph and Lydia's last night. I was watching a young sister.
Who was interacting with the children?
In a in a very, very easy way, they loved her. They they I was just observing the character of a sister. That's the character of a mother that's in her heart and she doesn't even have any children. So let's maybe turn to to the book of First Kings just to see the character of of the mother, which I think explains it perhaps better than.
Anything that I could say First Kings chapter 3?
It's this little story about the two harlots, but I think it best expresses the the character that you, sisters, have all of you, doesn't matter how old you are, how young you are, you all have this, this, this, this this female character that is so needful in the assembly that that those of us who are brothers we don't have. And that the Lord refers to it a number of times in the word, you know, he takes up the the thought of the red heifer in in numbers. It's that female character.
If you if you go to Isaiah 53, Speaking of the Lord it says that as a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. It's again that that female character. It's that that character that the Lord displayed when he was weeping over Jerusalem and he said how often would I have gathered thee as hen gathers her chicks. It's that female character. Well here we see it. First Kings chapter 3, verse 16 there came two, two women that are harlots under the king.
And stood before him, the one woman said. O my Lord.
I and this woman dwell in one house. I was delivered of a child with her in the house. It came to pass the third day after that I was delivered that this woman was delivered also, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house. Say we too in the house, And this woman's child died in the house because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and later dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, he was dead.
But when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son which I didn't bear. And the other woman said, Nay, but the living is my son, the dead is thy son, And this said, No, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, the one said, This is my son, That liveth thy son is dead. The other said, Nay, but thy son is dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, divide the living child in two.
Give half to the 1/2 to the other.
Then here's the character. Here's the character. You dear sisters that are here. Then spake the woman.
Whose living child was under the king? For her bowels yearned upon her son, she said, Oh my Lord, give her the living child, and know why slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor line, but divided.
The king answered and said, Give her the living child.
And no wise slay it, She is the mother thereof.
I don't think any comments needed.
To portray the character that you sisters have.
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That is so, so needful in the assembly. Let's go to Romans, Romans, Romans 16.
Romans, the 16th chapter.
Romans 16.
Just going to isolate a little verse here 13.
Salute.
Rufus chosen the Lord.
And his mother.
And mine.
So what do we make of that?
Someone was a mother to the Apostle Paul.
I don't believe this was Rufus, his brother.
Someone that had that mother character, you know that if you were to go back in the book of the acts to.
Aquila and Priscilla. Actually you have it in this chapter two In the third verse, the Apostle says, greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. You know, let's go back to 18 where we have them mentioned three times.
Just to look at the One Time Acts chapter 18.
Where we have this, this incident.
Acts chapter 18 and verse 24.
We don't know if Cool and Priscilla had any children, but we read this. A certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, whom, when Aquila had heard they that's not what it says. Whom? When Aquila and Priscilla.
Had heard they.
Took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. What exactly did that look like? Well, we know that she would not have been in a in a place beyond beyond what the Lord had given her. But here was she was with her husband, and here she was.
Part of this this help that Aquila and Priscilla.
Were to to a pause. I was just in Mozambique a few weeks ago and while I was there.
I was with a brother and he spoke about two sisters.
From.
Canada and the United States.
That had spent time in Mozambique.
And he he isolated the two sisters and said, you know, those two sisters were mothers to me this, this brothers 58 they're in Mozambique. And his his memory was of a couple of sisters that were mothers to him. And I I've been thankful for that in my my own life.
In the assembly, I remember being in Montreal and I was I was preparing to make a move.
And.
I before I made the move, which was I was going to be gone for a couple years.
I think the time that I was had spent there was a good time, but the fact that I decided to move there perhaps was not a good idea and I had a sister come to me, an older sister, and she says David.
Do you really think you're doing the right thing?
And I I wasn't sure. My own soul. And here's this godly sister, and she's asking me if I'm doing the right thing. And I said, Oh yeah, yeah, I'm, I'm doing the right thing. And, you know, a couple days later, another sister, another older sister, comes to me and says the same thing. She says, you know, David, you're making this move. Do you think it's a good thing?
It was mothers in the assembly that had a godly desire for my soul. It was, it was, it was a there were people like you. You remember the story of the wise woman of Abel and how she she she saved the city. She saved the city. Why? She was a mother. In Israel, we have so many, you know, there. There's so many mothers in the scripture, but there's not very many of them that are called a mother. There's very few that are actually called a mother. You have Hannah, you have Eve. That's the mother of all living. We would perhaps say the mother of all dying.
But that's the way it's written. You have a person like Hannah. She's called a mother. Jacobet is called a mother. There are a few, and it's beautiful to see their character. Maybe we could turn to one of them.
In John's Gospel.
The second chapter.
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John's Gospel chapter.
2.
And those of you who are young parents.
I would encourage you.
We don't have the time now, but I would encourage you to look at the life.
And the characteristics of Joseph and Mary.
And why do I say that?
I say that because I'm sure and I don't know how to say this. It's maybe a feeble way of saying it, but there was tremendous care taken.
Into a couple.
That was going to raise the Lord Jesus.
And the characteristics of Joseph, the characteristics of Mary are beautiful as a mother and a father. And I would, I would encourage you who are younger to to look at those those two here in in John's Gospel chapter 2:00, we we have Mary. She's never called Mary in John's gospel.
She's always called the mother of Jesus or the mother of the Lord. So here we have in John chapter 2, the third day there was a marriage.
In Cana of Galilee.
The mother of Jesus was there.
And both Jesus was called, and his disciples to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not yet come. And his mother saith under the servants, This is the best advice that any mother can give to anyone.
Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Beautiful.
Beautiful characteristic that that Mary had.
And why do we make these comments with regards to the mothers that we have in Scripture? Because in the same way.
That the Lord is exercising those here who are young fathers to be fathers in the assembly. So the Lord is doing the same thing with you who are young mothers.
You know, at the end of the day, you can hardly think, but you're being prepared to be a mother in the assembly, which there have been so many that have been such a help to me. Let's let's go to the book of the book of the Acts, Book of Titus.
Book of Titus where we have.
Instruction there.
Tightest the.
3rd chapter.
Second chapter.
And the third verse, the aged women.
Likewise that they be in behavior as becometh holiness.
Not false accusers, not given too much wine. Teachers of good things that they may teach the young women to be sober.
To love their husbands. To love their children.
To be discrete.
Chaste keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Now I love this because this, this instruction is for those who are older, older sisters in the assembly.
And I viewed this.
It's beautiful to observe and if I could practically say what what what the spirit of God is is telling us here is that there are those here who are older sisters. And you know you look at, you look at the younger sisters and perhaps there's perhaps one of them is having a real struggle with their teenagers and don't know what to do. You know, it's it's the older mother's in the assembly.
That draw alongside a sister like that. Say you know sister.
See what's going on, the difficulty you're you're having with your teams. I had the same thing. I could be a help to you with that. I can really be a help. I've made lots of mistakes, but I can be a help to you with that. And for for those of you who are younger, the Lord is preparing you in the circumstances that you find yourself now to be that kind of a help later on in the assembly.
When your children are gone.
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To be a help to those who are younger, you know this, this instruction is is so good and practical for all of us in the Assembly, the the, the relationships that the Lord has given us in families, and for particularly those of you who are young fathers and young mothers.
To realize that you're in a training ground, it's not just your children that are being in a training ground, it's you that are in the training ground as the Lord seeks to raise you up to be such a help in the assembly that is going to be helped to so many people.
If directed by the Lord, I think this is probably enough for for for now. So just may the Lord bless His word with regards to what we've had with regards to mothers and fathers. Let's just pray.