1 00:00:00,720 –> 00:00:04,040 Welcome everybody on this Mother’s Day weekend- 2 00:00:04,040 –> 00:00:07,960 and to all of the mothers, God has given you a gift 3 00:00:07,960 –> 00:00:11,000 and a trust that lasts for a lifetime. 4 00:00:11,000 –> 00:00:13,760 Who you are and what you do matters more 5 00:00:13,760 –> 00:00:17,260 than could ever be put of value on. 6 00:00:17,260 –> 00:00:19,980 Your strength gives strength to your children 7 00:00:19,980 –> 00:00:23,059 and may God bless you in all that you do 8 00:00:23,059 –> 00:00:26,020 and in all that you are. 9 00:00:26,020 –> 00:00:28,879 We’re following on these weekends 10 00:00:28,959 –> 00:00:33,240 the story of Christ’s words, spoken from the cross 11 00:00:33,240 –> 00:00:35,599 and we’ve saved for today 12 00:00:35,599 –> 00:00:39,720 the word that our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to his mother. 13 00:00:39,720 –> 00:00:42,639 I’d like to invite you to turn to John chapter 19 14 00:00:42,639 –> 00:00:45,860 and verse 25 through verse 27, 15 00:00:45,860 –> 00:00:49,619 where we find these words spoken by Jesus. 16 00:00:49,619 –> 00:00:54,619 John chapter 19 and verses 25 through 27, 17 00:00:54,919 –> 00:00:56,939 if you turn with me there, 18 00:00:56,980 –> 00:00:59,880 and we read there that near the cross of Jesus 19 00:00:59,880 –> 00:01:01,660 stood his mother, 20 00:01:01,660 –> 00:01:03,860 his mother’s sister, 21 00:01:03,860 –> 00:01:08,339 Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. 22 00:01:08,339 –> 00:01:11,779 And when Jesus saw his mother there 23 00:01:11,779 –> 00:01:14,360 and the disciple whom he loved, 24 00:01:14,360 –> 00:01:17,139 that is John who is writing the Gospel, 25 00:01:17,139 –> 00:01:20,279 referred to as the disciple Jesus loved. 26 00:01:20,279 –> 00:01:22,139 So while Jesus saw his mother there 27 00:01:22,139 –> 00:01:24,559 and the disciple whom he loved standing by, 28 00:01:24,599 –> 00:01:27,199 he said to his mother, 29 00:01:27,199 –> 00:01:30,360 dear woman, here is your son. 30 00:01:30,360 –> 00:01:34,199 And to the disciple here is your mother. 31 00:01:34,199 –> 00:01:36,440 And from that time on, 32 00:01:36,440 –> 00:01:40,779 this disciple took her into his home. 33 00:01:42,199 –> 00:01:43,500 Now that’s where we’re headed today, 34 00:01:43,500 –> 00:01:44,919 but I want to take a few moments 35 00:01:44,919 –> 00:01:47,620 to remind you on this Mother’s Day weekend 36 00:01:47,620 –> 00:01:49,519 of Mary’s story. 37 00:01:49,519 –> 00:01:51,199 I have a very simple outline, 38 00:01:51,199 –> 00:01:53,440 a mother’s joy, a mother’s anxiety, 39 00:01:53,500 –> 00:01:54,860 and a mother’s salvation. 40 00:01:54,860 –> 00:01:58,480 So everyone should be able to follow that quite easily. 41 00:01:58,480 –> 00:01:59,800 We begin with a mother’s joy. 42 00:01:59,800 –> 00:02:03,400 Who can describe the joy to a mother 43 00:02:03,400 –> 00:02:06,260 in the birth of a child? 44 00:02:06,260 –> 00:02:08,740 This amazing miracle that God would bring 45 00:02:08,740 –> 00:02:11,740 a new life into the world through you. 46 00:02:12,779 –> 00:02:15,679 And anticipating the birth of her child, 47 00:02:15,679 –> 00:02:18,759 Mary composed one of the most beautiful songs 48 00:02:18,759 –> 00:02:20,199 that was ever written. 49 00:02:20,199 –> 00:02:22,460 We know it as the Magnificat, 50 00:02:23,220 –> 00:02:24,220 and she sang these words. 51 00:02:24,220 –> 00:02:27,139 She said my soul glorifies the Lord 52 00:02:27,139 –> 00:02:31,320 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior 53 00:02:31,320 –> 00:02:33,139 because he has been mindful 54 00:02:33,139 –> 00:02:36,899 of the humble state of his servant. 55 00:02:36,899 –> 00:02:40,759 And so this is a day to thank God for this amazing gift 56 00:02:40,759 –> 00:02:44,059 and for the sheer joys of being a mother. 57 00:02:44,059 –> 00:02:45,899 What an amazing gift of God 58 00:02:45,899 –> 00:02:50,899 that he should use you to bring new life into the world, 59 00:02:51,039 –> 00:02:53,940 that this miracle of forming a new life, 60 00:02:53,940 –> 00:02:58,720 this work of God should have taken place in you. 61 00:02:58,720 –> 00:03:01,679 For Mary, of course, this was quite unique. 62 00:03:01,679 –> 00:03:03,380 She was a virgin. 63 00:03:03,380 –> 00:03:05,240 The angel appeared to her 64 00:03:05,240 –> 00:03:07,839 and said the Holy Spirit will come upon you 65 00:03:07,839 –> 00:03:11,399 and the power of the most high will overshadow you 66 00:03:11,399 –> 00:03:16,399 so the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 67 00:03:16,880 –> 00:03:19,039 The Son of God. 68 00:03:19,039 –> 00:03:24,020 And here through her is the miracle of the incarnation 69 00:03:24,279 –> 00:03:28,240 that God Almighty takes human flesh, 70 00:03:28,240 –> 00:03:29,559 that the Son of God, 71 00:03:29,559 –> 00:03:30,399 think about this, 72 00:03:30,399 –> 00:03:32,199 is born of a woman, 73 00:03:32,199 –> 00:03:34,479 that Mary gives birth to Jesus 74 00:03:34,479 –> 00:03:35,940 and wraps Him in cloths 75 00:03:35,940 –> 00:03:39,919 and lays Him in a manger. 76 00:03:39,919 –> 00:03:42,119 No wonder the Holy Spirit moved Elizabeth 77 00:03:42,440 –> 00:03:43,979 to say to Mary, 78 00:03:43,979 –> 00:03:47,100 blessed are you among women, 79 00:03:47,100 –> 00:03:48,059 and then she said, 80 00:03:48,059 –> 00:03:51,740 blessed is the child that you will bear, 81 00:03:51,740 –> 00:03:54,919 the joy of a mother. 82 00:03:54,919 –> 00:03:57,639 Secondly, a mother’s anxiety. 83 00:03:57,639 –> 00:04:00,300 The birth of a child brings great joy, 84 00:04:00,300 –> 00:04:02,960 raising a child brings great anxiety. 85 00:04:02,960 –> 00:04:06,119 I think every mother would agree with that today. 86 00:04:06,119 –> 00:04:07,160 Now, think about this. 87 00:04:07,160 –> 00:04:08,100 You may have thought, 88 00:04:08,100 –> 00:04:09,360 or maybe even said, 89 00:04:09,360 –> 00:04:11,899 if I had a perfect child, 90 00:04:11,960 –> 00:04:15,080 I wouldn’t have anything to worry about. 91 00:04:15,080 –> 00:04:16,239 Well, think about this. 92 00:04:16,239 –> 00:04:20,040 Mary had the perfect child. 93 00:04:20,920 –> 00:04:22,959 And yet, as you read the story, 94 00:04:22,959 –> 00:04:25,760 it is quite clear that the pressures upon her 95 00:04:25,760 –> 00:04:28,279 in the work of mothering 96 00:04:28,279 –> 00:04:32,260 must have been very great and substantial indeed. 97 00:04:32,260 –> 00:04:36,519 Let me give you just four snapshots of a mother’s anxiety, 98 00:04:36,519 –> 00:04:38,820 even with the perfect child. 99 00:04:39,640 –> 00:04:41,459 The first is the story of Simeon 100 00:04:41,459 –> 00:04:43,100 that we have in Luke chapter two. 101 00:04:43,100 –> 00:04:46,200 It started when Jesus was just eight days old. 102 00:04:46,200 –> 00:04:47,459 They took him to the temple, 103 00:04:47,459 –> 00:04:50,679 and this godly man, Simeon, took Jesus in his arms 104 00:04:50,679 –> 00:04:53,339 and pronounced a blessing over the Savior. 105 00:04:53,339 –> 00:04:54,899 And then he said to Mary, 106 00:04:54,899 –> 00:04:56,440 “‘Now this child,’ he said, 107 00:04:56,440 –> 00:04:58,059 “‘is destined for the falling 108 00:04:58,059 –> 00:04:59,859 “‘and the rising of many in Israel. 109 00:04:59,859 –> 00:05:01,880 “‘He’s going to be spoken against, 110 00:05:01,880 –> 00:05:03,540 “‘and through him the thoughts 111 00:05:03,540 –> 00:05:05,160 “‘of many hearts will be revealed.’ 112 00:05:05,160 –> 00:05:06,500 “‘And,’ he said, 113 00:05:06,519 –> 00:05:10,559 “‘a sword will pierce your soul, too.’ 114 00:05:11,500 –> 00:05:13,799 That was the first indication 115 00:05:13,799 –> 00:05:16,200 of what it would mean to Mary 116 00:05:16,200 –> 00:05:20,019 to be the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 117 00:05:20,019 –> 00:05:21,480 12 years later, 118 00:05:21,480 –> 00:05:23,940 Mary and Joseph are back in Jerusalem 119 00:05:23,940 –> 00:05:26,260 for the feast of the Passover. 120 00:05:26,260 –> 00:05:29,119 There are multiple families, relatives, friends, 121 00:05:29,119 –> 00:05:32,179 all traveling as a group down the road to Jerusalem, 122 00:05:32,179 –> 00:05:33,760 and when they’re traveling back, 123 00:05:33,760 –> 00:05:34,600 you know what? 124 00:05:34,600 –> 00:05:35,779 12 years old! 125 00:05:35,820 –> 00:05:37,619 That’s middle school, right? 126 00:05:37,619 –> 00:05:39,920 Middle school students like to be with their friends, 127 00:05:39,920 –> 00:05:41,619 and so the family assumes 128 00:05:41,619 –> 00:05:44,500 that Jesus is with the other students. 129 00:05:44,500 –> 00:05:45,619 But when they look for him, 130 00:05:45,619 –> 00:05:47,100 they find that he is not there. 131 00:05:47,100 –> 00:05:48,540 They go back to Jerusalem, 132 00:05:48,540 –> 00:05:50,239 and there he is sitting in the Temple. 133 00:05:50,239 –> 00:05:51,459 He’s asking questions. 134 00:05:51,459 –> 00:05:53,179 He’s answering the priests. 135 00:05:53,179 –> 00:05:54,420 And Mary says, 136 00:05:54,420 –> 00:05:58,420 “‘Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.’” 137 00:05:58,420 –> 00:06:00,260 That’s why I used the word anxiety. 138 00:06:00,260 –> 00:06:01,359 She uses it. 139 00:06:02,220 –> 00:06:03,420 “‘I’ve been anxious,’ she says. 140 00:06:03,420 –> 00:06:04,820 “‘Been worried.’ 141 00:06:06,700 –> 00:06:10,059 There’s no parenting without anxiety, is there? 142 00:06:10,059 –> 00:06:13,420 No parenting, no mothering without anxiety. 143 00:06:14,619 –> 00:06:17,160 You move on then to the ministry of the Lord Jesus. 144 00:06:17,160 –> 00:06:19,739 And because Jesus traveled around 145 00:06:19,739 –> 00:06:21,839 to so many different locations, 146 00:06:21,839 –> 00:06:23,160 there must have been many times, 147 00:06:23,160 –> 00:06:24,540 many incidents in the Gospels 148 00:06:24,540 –> 00:06:27,540 where Mary was not actually present. 149 00:06:27,540 –> 00:06:32,339 But for sure, when Jesus was in his hometown 150 00:06:32,339 –> 00:06:34,660 reading the scriptures in the synagogue, 151 00:06:34,700 –> 00:06:36,640 as Luke records in chapter four 152 00:06:36,640 –> 00:06:38,480 at the beginning of his Gospel, 153 00:06:38,480 –> 00:06:41,019 for sure, in the hometown synagogue, 154 00:06:41,019 –> 00:06:43,559 Mary must have been there. 155 00:06:43,559 –> 00:06:45,079 And Luke tells us about that day. 156 00:06:45,079 –> 00:06:47,779 You may recall it, how Jesus took the scroll 157 00:06:47,779 –> 00:06:50,000 and he opened it and he read the words of Isaiah, 158 00:06:50,000 –> 00:06:50,920 the prophet. 159 00:06:50,920 –> 00:06:52,640 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me 160 00:06:52,640 –> 00:06:54,579 to preach good news to the poor. 161 00:06:54,579 –> 00:06:57,000 He sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners, 162 00:06:57,000 –> 00:06:59,399 recovery of sight to the blind, and so forth. 163 00:06:59,399 –> 00:07:01,200 And then Jesus rolls up the scroll 164 00:07:01,200 –> 00:07:02,040 and he says, 165 00:07:02,040 –> 00:07:06,359 Today, this prophecy of the Messiah 166 00:07:06,359 –> 00:07:09,440 has been fulfilled in your hearing. 167 00:07:09,440 –> 00:07:11,160 And you read on in Luke’s account 168 00:07:11,160 –> 00:07:14,239 and Luke tells us all the people were furious, 169 00:07:14,239 –> 00:07:17,200 not glad, they were furious at Jesus. 170 00:07:17,200 –> 00:07:20,160 And so furious were they, in his hometown 171 00:07:20,160 –> 00:07:22,440 that Luke tells us that they got up, 172 00:07:22,440 –> 00:07:24,600 they drove him out of the town 173 00:07:24,600 –> 00:07:26,579 and they took him to the brow of a hill 174 00:07:26,579 –> 00:07:28,119 on which the town was built 175 00:07:28,119 –> 00:07:30,320 in order to throw him off the cliff. 176 00:07:30,320 –> 00:07:32,779 That’s some reception in your hometown, isn’t it? 177 00:07:33,959 –> 00:07:35,799 And it’s very interesting. 178 00:07:35,799 –> 00:07:37,399 Jesus walked through the crowd, 179 00:07:37,399 –> 00:07:39,399 his time had not yet come. 180 00:07:39,399 –> 00:07:42,559 They did not take his life as you know. 181 00:07:42,559 –> 00:07:45,059 But you very rarely read of Jesus 182 00:07:45,059 –> 00:07:47,119 ever being in Nazareth again after that, 183 00:07:47,119 –> 00:07:48,640 only a very few times. 184 00:07:49,779 –> 00:07:50,940 But Mary was there, 185 00:07:52,220 –> 00:07:53,399 it was her hometown. 186 00:07:54,760 –> 00:07:57,239 What was it like for her to live there 187 00:07:57,339 –> 00:07:59,600 in a town that so decisively 188 00:08:00,640 –> 00:08:03,760 reviled and rejected her son from the very beginning? 189 00:08:06,119 –> 00:08:07,600 And then you may remember the story 190 00:08:07,600 –> 00:08:10,519 that Mark records when Jesus entered a house 191 00:08:10,519 –> 00:08:12,799 and there was a huge crowd again 192 00:08:12,799 –> 00:08:14,880 that had gathered as so often 193 00:08:14,880 –> 00:08:16,820 where our Lord Jesus was ministering, 194 00:08:16,820 –> 00:08:18,880 and it says that the crowd was so great 195 00:08:18,880 –> 00:08:20,420 pressing in on the house 196 00:08:20,420 –> 00:08:23,600 that Jesus and the disciples were not even able to eat. 197 00:08:23,600 –> 00:08:24,839 They couldn’t get out the house, 198 00:08:25,119 –> 00:08:27,299 just the constant demands of people, 199 00:08:28,579 –> 00:08:30,380 and you can guarantee 200 00:08:30,380 –> 00:08:32,479 that a mother is always going to get anxious 201 00:08:32,479 –> 00:08:35,599 if she thinks her son’s not getting enough to eat, right? 202 00:08:35,599 –> 00:08:39,059 And so Mary turns up on the scene, 203 00:08:39,059 –> 00:08:43,080 and here is this godly woman and she loves her son, 204 00:08:43,080 –> 00:08:45,719 and she sees that he’s missing his meals 205 00:08:45,719 –> 00:08:48,159 and he’s missing his sleep, too, 206 00:08:48,159 –> 00:08:49,780 we know that from other Scriptures, 207 00:08:49,780 –> 00:08:53,359 and she’s becoming anxious about him as any mother would, 208 00:08:54,200 –> 00:08:56,760 and so Mary comes to the house, 209 00:08:56,760 –> 00:08:58,260 and they send into Jesus, 210 00:08:58,260 –> 00:09:00,559 and they say, now your mother and your brothers, 211 00:09:00,559 –> 00:09:01,859 they’re outside here, 212 00:09:01,859 –> 00:09:04,099 and then Mary hears him say this 213 00:09:04,099 –> 00:09:06,619 to the crowd who are sitting around him in the house, 214 00:09:06,619 –> 00:09:10,760 Jesus says, who are my brothers and who is my mother? 215 00:09:11,900 –> 00:09:13,140 Who is my mother? 216 00:09:14,500 –> 00:09:16,179 He looks at the people, Mark tells us, 217 00:09:16,179 –> 00:09:18,299 sitting around him, and he says, 218 00:09:18,299 –> 00:09:22,119 here are my mother and my sisters and my brothers, 219 00:09:22,200 –> 00:09:25,599 whoever does God’s will is my mother, 220 00:09:25,599 –> 00:09:27,760 my sister, and my brother. 221 00:09:29,840 –> 00:09:34,679 Now what did Mary think when she heard him say these words? 222 00:09:34,679 –> 00:09:35,679 In some way, 223 00:09:37,599 –> 00:09:40,299 her unique, beautiful, marvelous, 224 00:09:41,580 –> 00:09:45,760 relationship with him in some way was going to end. 225 00:09:48,000 –> 00:09:49,799 There’s going to be a new family, 226 00:09:49,799 –> 00:09:51,820 and it’s not going to be built around Mary, 227 00:09:51,840 –> 00:09:55,500 it’s going to be built around Jesus, 228 00:09:55,500 –> 00:09:57,679 and it won’t be a family of people 229 00:09:57,679 –> 00:09:58,719 who are made one in the flesh, 230 00:09:58,719 –> 00:09:59,799 it’s going to be a family of people 231 00:09:59,799 –> 00:10:01,659 who are made one in the Spirit, 232 00:10:01,659 –> 00:10:03,940 made one in Jesus, by Jesus, 233 00:10:03,940 –> 00:10:07,099 in order to do the will of the Father. 234 00:10:09,119 –> 00:10:12,059 So you look at the experience of Mary and the gospels, 235 00:10:12,059 –> 00:10:14,299 and you see not only the joy of a mother, 236 00:10:14,299 –> 00:10:17,299 but you see the anxiety of a mother, 237 00:10:18,400 –> 00:10:21,119 and you look at what she experienced and I ask the question, 238 00:10:21,539 –> 00:10:24,419 what then sustained her through all these burdens, 239 00:10:24,419 –> 00:10:27,039 and all these pressures and all these anxieties 240 00:10:27,039 –> 00:10:28,739 and all these perplexities? 241 00:10:30,320 –> 00:10:32,780 And I suggest to you simply this one thing, 242 00:10:33,739 –> 00:10:36,479 she has sustained through all the pressures 243 00:10:36,479 –> 00:10:41,479 of being a mother because she has seen the glory of Jesus. 244 00:10:42,940 –> 00:10:46,719 Remember John opens his account of the ministry of Jesus 245 00:10:46,719 –> 00:10:49,280 with the story of the wedding at Cana, 246 00:10:49,280 –> 00:10:52,419 and remember how they run out of wine. 247 00:10:52,419 –> 00:10:54,780 And Mary brings the problem to Jesus, 248 00:10:54,780 –> 00:10:55,940 and then she says to the servants, 249 00:10:55,940 –> 00:10:59,140 now whatever he tells you to do, you just go and do it. 250 00:10:59,140 –> 00:11:01,039 And Jesus turned water into wine, 251 00:11:01,039 –> 00:11:04,580 and John says this was the first of his miraculous signs, 252 00:11:04,580 –> 00:11:08,080 and thus he revealed his glory. 253 00:11:08,080 –> 00:11:09,080 Mary saw it. 254 00:11:10,260 –> 00:11:13,900 The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. 255 00:11:14,919 –> 00:11:17,559 Now there’s something here for every mother 256 00:11:17,599 –> 00:11:20,020 facing anxiety and pressure today. 257 00:11:20,020 –> 00:11:23,619 What will sustain you through the pressures, 258 00:11:23,619 –> 00:11:27,159 through the anxieties that you face as a mother? 259 00:11:28,099 –> 00:11:32,099 And here’s what we learn, surely, from the story of Mary. 260 00:11:32,099 –> 00:11:34,099 Seeing Christ’s glory. 261 00:11:34,099 –> 00:11:39,099 Knowing that the savior is able to do all things, 262 00:11:39,760 –> 00:11:43,179 and he’s for you, and he’s with you. 263 00:11:44,559 –> 00:11:45,619 A mother’s joy. 264 00:11:46,520 –> 00:11:49,159 A mother’s anxiety. 265 00:11:50,880 –> 00:11:53,099 But here’s the thing I really want to get to today, 266 00:11:53,099 –> 00:11:55,460 and I hope you will now have your Bible open 267 00:11:55,460 –> 00:11:58,119 at John and chapter 19. 268 00:11:58,119 –> 00:12:02,520 I want you to see here a mother’s salvation. 269 00:12:02,520 –> 00:12:05,000 A mother’s salvation. 270 00:12:05,919 –> 00:12:09,280 Notice verse 25 as we take up the story. 271 00:12:09,280 –> 00:12:14,280 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, verse 25. 272 00:12:16,020 –> 00:12:18,960 Now don’t you find it very striking? 273 00:12:18,960 –> 00:12:21,580 Guys, take note of this. 274 00:12:21,580 –> 00:12:24,039 With the exception of John 275 00:12:25,020 –> 00:12:27,599 all of the disciples had forsaken Jesus. 276 00:12:27,599 –> 00:12:30,299 They’d all fled, they’d all gone, they’d all run away. 277 00:12:31,460 –> 00:12:33,539 And with the exception of John, 278 00:12:33,539 –> 00:12:35,559 who do you find that loves Jesus 279 00:12:35,559 –> 00:12:36,700 around the cross? 280 00:12:36,700 –> 00:12:39,419 Answer, four women. 281 00:12:39,419 –> 00:12:41,380 They’re named here. 282 00:12:41,380 –> 00:12:44,419 Mary, the mother of Jesus, is named first. 283 00:12:45,179 –> 00:12:46,820 Then her sister. 284 00:12:47,820 –> 00:12:50,900 Then this woman Mary, the wife of Clopas. 285 00:12:51,820 –> 00:12:54,880 And fourthly, Mary Magdalene. 286 00:12:56,419 –> 00:12:57,580 Can you picture the scene? 287 00:12:57,580 –> 00:13:00,299 Here is Jesus now on the cross. 288 00:13:01,179 –> 00:13:04,179 And together with John, there are four women. 289 00:13:05,179 –> 00:13:07,299 And they are watching. 290 00:13:07,299 –> 00:13:09,539 And they are, no doubt, weeping. 291 00:13:10,580 –> 00:13:11,780 And they are waiting. 292 00:13:12,780 –> 00:13:14,039 And they are worshiping. 293 00:13:15,260 –> 00:13:19,440 And this is the devotion that is being offered to Jesus 294 00:13:19,440 –> 00:13:22,760 as they are surrounded by the hatred, 295 00:13:22,760 –> 00:13:24,520 and the ridicule, and the mocking, 296 00:13:24,520 –> 00:13:26,659 and the spitting, and the taunting 297 00:13:26,659 –> 00:13:29,320 of a Christ rejecting world. 298 00:13:31,500 –> 00:13:34,219 Now none of us surely can ever enter 299 00:13:34,219 –> 00:13:37,520 into what it meant for Mary. 300 00:13:37,520 –> 00:13:39,580 The mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. 301 00:13:39,580 –> 00:13:41,760 The one who bore him into the world 302 00:13:41,760 –> 00:13:44,280 to see him suffer in His flesh 303 00:13:44,280 –> 00:13:46,460 as He did on the cross there. 304 00:13:46,460 –> 00:13:49,280 What did that mean to her? 305 00:13:50,900 –> 00:13:53,840 Erwin Lutzer has an especially beautiful passage 306 00:13:53,840 –> 00:13:56,619 on this in his book, On the Cross. 307 00:13:57,780 –> 00:14:01,400 He says, she who had planted kisses 308 00:14:01,400 –> 00:14:03,419 on the brow of that little child 309 00:14:03,419 –> 00:14:06,559 now saw the same brow crowned with thorns. 310 00:14:07,859 –> 00:14:10,419 She who had held those little hands 311 00:14:10,440 –> 00:14:12,960 as he learned to walk 312 00:14:12,960 –> 00:14:16,140 now saw those same hands pierced with nails. 313 00:14:17,520 –> 00:14:20,359 She who had cradled him in her arms 314 00:14:20,359 –> 00:14:23,820 now saw him writhing alone, 315 00:14:23,820 –> 00:14:27,979 his arms stretched out on a garbage dump in Jerusalem. 316 00:14:29,479 –> 00:14:31,299 She who loved him at birth 317 00:14:32,419 –> 00:14:36,140 came to love him even more in death. 318 00:14:36,380 –> 00:14:39,919 Simeon’s words had indeed come true, 319 00:14:39,919 –> 00:14:44,299 a sword was piercing Mary’s soul, too. 320 00:14:47,320 –> 00:14:50,659 Now we’re following the story of what happened at the cross 321 00:14:50,659 –> 00:14:53,599 and at this moment we come to what happened 322 00:14:53,599 –> 00:14:56,539 as it related particularly to the mother 323 00:14:56,539 –> 00:15:00,039 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 324 00:15:00,039 –> 00:15:03,159 And we have seen that the Lord Jesus was on the cross 325 00:15:03,200 –> 00:15:08,200 for three hours before the darkness came at noon. 326 00:15:09,219 –> 00:15:14,099 Three hours and during these three hours on the cross 327 00:15:14,099 –> 00:15:16,140 until the darkness came at noon, 328 00:15:16,140 –> 00:15:18,859 the Lord Jesus spoke only three times, 329 00:15:18,859 –> 00:15:23,859 just three sentences spoken, in three whole hours. 330 00:15:24,020 –> 00:15:25,260 Now you think about that. 331 00:15:26,179 –> 00:15:29,419 Three sentences in three hours. 332 00:15:29,460 –> 00:15:32,919 That is a massive amount of silence. 333 00:15:36,380 –> 00:15:38,400 The rest of the time the four women 334 00:15:38,400 –> 00:15:42,760 and then John, watching, waiting, 335 00:15:43,919 –> 00:15:48,919 crowds mocking and not a word from the lips of Jesus. 336 00:15:52,059 –> 00:15:54,179 So when he breaks his silence, 337 00:15:54,179 –> 00:15:56,359 there is so much attention, 338 00:15:56,359 –> 00:15:58,619 he’s saying something, he’s saying something. 339 00:16:00,119 –> 00:16:03,580 The cross is lifted up, and he speaks the first time, 340 00:16:03,580 –> 00:16:06,219 Father, he lifts up his head. 341 00:16:06,219 –> 00:16:10,880 Father, he’s speaking up, Father forgive them. 342 00:16:11,880 –> 00:16:13,679 They do not know what they are doing. 343 00:16:15,099 –> 00:16:18,900 Silence, maybe an hour passes 344 00:16:18,900 –> 00:16:20,940 and every minute seems like an hour. 345 00:16:22,559 –> 00:16:25,940 And then there is some words from this thief 346 00:16:25,940 –> 00:16:27,280 over on the other side, 347 00:16:27,280 –> 00:16:32,059 and Jesus turns to the side, he’s gonna speak, 348 00:16:33,320 –> 00:16:38,320 and he says, today, you will be with me in paradise. 349 00:16:41,859 –> 00:16:46,239 Then silence, on and on and on and on. 350 00:16:48,059 –> 00:16:49,619 And then having looked up 351 00:16:49,619 –> 00:16:51,520 and then having looked to the side, 352 00:16:52,020 –> 00:16:59,299 he looks down, and he speaks a third sentence in three hours. 353 00:17:00,140 –> 00:17:02,020 Can you imagine, Mary, 354 00:17:02,020 –> 00:17:04,359 there’s a word he’s gonna speak to me. 355 00:17:07,020 –> 00:17:08,900 All of the silence. 356 00:17:11,079 –> 00:17:14,400 What was it that led Jesus to speak to his mother 357 00:17:14,400 –> 00:17:18,400 at this particular moment as opposed to any other time 358 00:17:18,400 –> 00:17:20,939 during these long three hours? 359 00:17:22,380 –> 00:17:24,180 It was the nailing that led him to say, 360 00:17:24,180 –> 00:17:25,219 father, forgive them. 361 00:17:25,219 –> 00:17:29,119 It was the thief on the cross that led him to say, 362 00:17:29,119 –> 00:17:30,959 today you will be with me in paradise. 363 00:17:30,959 –> 00:17:35,959 What led him at this moment to speak to his mother? 364 00:17:38,880 –> 00:17:43,540 Chuck Swindoll points out that Jesus spoke to his mother 365 00:17:44,420 –> 00:17:49,420 when the soldiers had cast lots for the robe. 366 00:17:50,180 –> 00:17:52,400 Look at that, if you have your Bible open 367 00:17:52,400 –> 00:17:54,680 in verse 23 and 24. 368 00:17:54,680 –> 00:17:56,819 It’s what goes immediately before. 369 00:17:56,819 –> 00:17:59,199 They had taken the rest of Jesus’ clothes 370 00:17:59,199 –> 00:18:02,660 and they had divided them, just, you know, four piles. 371 00:18:03,719 –> 00:18:06,439 But then when they saw that the robe was seamless, 372 00:18:06,439 –> 00:18:10,000 it had been beautifully, beautifully woven, 373 00:18:10,000 –> 00:18:13,160 they decided that they would cast lots. 374 00:18:13,160 –> 00:18:15,239 Why would you tear a seamless robe? 375 00:18:15,239 –> 00:18:16,280 One of us should have it. 376 00:18:16,280 –> 00:18:18,500 Let’s cast lots, they say. 377 00:18:19,459 –> 00:18:21,959 And Swindoll asks this very simple 378 00:18:21,959 –> 00:18:23,979 and provocative and helpful question. 379 00:18:23,979 –> 00:18:27,459 He says, who do you think wove the robe? 380 00:18:29,680 –> 00:18:32,359 Who would have made such a beautiful garment 381 00:18:32,359 –> 00:18:33,760 for our Lord and Saviour? 382 00:18:35,939 –> 00:18:37,640 And then Swindoll asked this question. 383 00:18:37,640 –> 00:18:40,800 I quote from him, he says, why now? 384 00:18:41,979 –> 00:18:44,140 Why is Jesus speaking to her now? 385 00:18:45,420 –> 00:18:46,719 She’s been there all along. 386 00:18:46,719 –> 00:18:47,699 She’s been watching. 387 00:18:47,780 –> 00:18:49,640 She’s been weeping. 388 00:18:49,640 –> 00:18:50,459 Why now? 389 00:18:52,339 –> 00:18:54,839 Could it be because of the seamless tunic? 390 00:18:54,839 –> 00:18:57,959 Ask Swindoll, I think so, he says. 391 00:18:59,420 –> 00:19:01,719 When they touched the tunic, 392 00:19:02,780 –> 00:19:06,180 they touched something very near to his heart, 393 00:19:07,800 –> 00:19:11,800 the garment made for him by his mother. 394 00:19:14,040 –> 00:19:15,239 I think he may be right. 395 00:19:15,739 –> 00:19:18,819 Here’s our Savior in agony, 396 00:19:18,839 –> 00:19:22,119 but he’s aware enough to know what is going on 397 00:19:22,119 –> 00:19:24,380 and out comes the tunic and out come the lots 398 00:19:24,380 –> 00:19:26,119 and they’re gambling and they’re laughing 399 00:19:26,119 –> 00:19:29,819 and they touch the robe, his robe. 400 00:19:31,859 –> 00:19:33,500 He looks down at his mother. 401 00:19:35,319 –> 00:19:37,339 And there’s love and there’s compassion 402 00:19:37,339 –> 00:19:39,339 and there is the most tender moment 403 00:19:39,339 –> 00:19:41,020 of connection between them. 404 00:19:41,160 –> 00:19:43,859 An understanding that is unique to the two of them. 405 00:19:45,400 –> 00:19:46,599 And he speaks. 406 00:19:48,060 –> 00:19:50,219 When Jesus saw his mother there 407 00:19:50,219 –> 00:19:53,300 and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, 408 00:19:53,300 –> 00:19:55,020 he said to his mother, 409 00:19:56,199 –> 00:19:59,319 dear woman, here is your son. 410 00:20:00,920 –> 00:20:04,760 And to the disciple, here is your mother. 411 00:20:05,300 –> 00:20:07,660 And to the disciple, here is your mother. 412 00:20:09,699 –> 00:20:11,699 Now friends, what is Jesus saying here? 413 00:20:13,640 –> 00:20:18,300 How could John possibly replace Jesus? 414 00:20:21,239 –> 00:20:23,199 I mean, it is the kindness of Christ 415 00:20:23,199 –> 00:20:24,599 and this point is often made. 416 00:20:24,599 –> 00:20:26,239 It is the kindness of Jesus 417 00:20:26,239 –> 00:20:29,560 to provide for the care of his mother, yes. 418 00:20:29,560 –> 00:20:32,859 John can care for Mary and John tells us that he did, 419 00:20:32,880 –> 00:20:36,920 but John can never take the place of Jesus. 420 00:20:36,920 –> 00:20:39,719 So why does Jesus say here is your son? 421 00:20:41,859 –> 00:20:43,540 Some of you have experienced 422 00:20:43,540 –> 00:20:46,060 the irreplaceable loss of a child. 423 00:20:48,180 –> 00:20:50,300 To say to a mother who loses a child 424 00:20:50,300 –> 00:20:51,800 while there are other children 425 00:20:51,800 –> 00:20:53,260 or there can be other children 426 00:20:53,260 –> 00:20:56,579 completely fails to grasp the unique bond 427 00:20:56,579 –> 00:20:58,699 between a mother and the child 428 00:20:58,699 –> 00:21:00,680 to whom she has given birth. 429 00:21:01,359 –> 00:21:04,020 In the birth of Jesus, 430 00:21:04,020 –> 00:21:06,219 Mary has discovered indescribable joy. 431 00:21:06,219 –> 00:21:08,719 Now in his suffering and his imminent death, 432 00:21:08,719 –> 00:21:12,319 she feels and experiences irreplaceable loss. 433 00:21:12,319 –> 00:21:15,880 John can never take the place of Jesus. 434 00:21:15,880 –> 00:21:17,380 Everyone knows that. 435 00:21:18,959 –> 00:21:21,640 So, there is something more that is going on here 436 00:21:22,599 –> 00:21:26,640 than Jesus providing for the future care of His mother. 437 00:21:26,640 –> 00:21:28,079 There’s more than that here. 438 00:21:29,079 –> 00:21:33,400 Dear woman, here is your son. 439 00:21:34,800 –> 00:21:38,520 And to the disciple, here is your mother. 440 00:21:40,239 –> 00:21:42,000 Think about this with me. 441 00:21:42,000 –> 00:21:43,660 It is so important. 442 00:21:45,439 –> 00:21:50,439 The relationship between Jesus and Mary 443 00:21:50,479 –> 00:21:53,160 is changing right here. 444 00:21:54,160 –> 00:21:58,359 For 33 years, Jesus has been the son of Mary 445 00:21:58,359 –> 00:21:59,959 according to the flesh, 446 00:21:59,959 –> 00:22:03,520 but as you know, he was also the son of God. 447 00:22:04,560 –> 00:22:09,560 He assumed human flesh, which he took from his mother, 448 00:22:09,640 –> 00:22:11,880 so that he could become a redeemer. 449 00:22:11,880 –> 00:22:13,959 This is why he came into the world, 450 00:22:13,959 –> 00:22:16,859 and this is why he is now hanging on the cross. 451 00:22:17,780 –> 00:22:22,780 Now, on the cross, the blood is draining from his body, 452 00:22:24,619 –> 00:22:28,219 the life is ebbing away from his flesh. 453 00:22:28,219 –> 00:22:31,579 The old order is minute by minute 454 00:22:31,579 –> 00:22:33,719 and hour by hour passing away. 455 00:22:33,719 –> 00:22:38,260 The relationship between Mary and Jesus is changing, 456 00:22:38,260 –> 00:22:40,819 and as she stands at the foot of the cross 457 00:22:40,819 –> 00:22:42,619 in her grief and in her sorrow, 458 00:22:42,619 –> 00:22:44,880 she must’ve been thinking to herself, 459 00:22:44,959 –> 00:22:48,260 oh my son, my son, my son, my son, my son, 460 00:22:48,260 –> 00:22:50,739 and Jesus says, no, no. 461 00:22:51,719 –> 00:22:55,760 Woman, behold your son, indicating John. 462 00:22:57,640 –> 00:23:01,300 You are no longer to think of me as your son. 463 00:23:01,300 –> 00:23:02,979 Behold your son. 464 00:23:04,680 –> 00:23:06,859 John is to take that place. 465 00:23:08,520 –> 00:23:10,599 Regard him as your son. 466 00:23:10,599 –> 00:23:13,479 Well then, how is she to regard Jesus? 467 00:23:13,479 –> 00:23:16,920 Answer, as her savior 468 00:23:18,319 –> 00:23:19,660 and as her Lord. 469 00:23:21,319 –> 00:23:23,400 You see, when the angel told Mary 470 00:23:23,400 –> 00:23:26,079 about this child to be born, 471 00:23:27,359 –> 00:23:29,319 what was her first reaction? 472 00:23:29,319 –> 00:23:33,900 She said, my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. 473 00:23:35,640 –> 00:23:39,560 She had always looked to God to be her Savior, 474 00:23:40,380 –> 00:23:43,839 so how was God going to save her? 475 00:23:43,839 –> 00:23:47,439 Answer, Jesus goes to the cross 476 00:23:48,719 –> 00:23:51,400 and he lays down this life and the flesh 477 00:23:51,400 –> 00:23:53,040 that he has drawn from Mary. 478 00:23:54,319 –> 00:23:57,640 His body is broken and his blood is poured out. 479 00:23:57,640 –> 00:24:02,640 Mary’s son dies, and in his death he becomes her Savior. 480 00:24:05,599 –> 00:24:08,880 So I want to you understand what was happening here. 481 00:24:08,880 –> 00:24:13,160 It is beautiful when you see it there at the cross. 482 00:24:13,160 –> 00:24:16,959 Mary loses an irreplaceable Son 483 00:24:16,959 –> 00:24:20,500 and she gains an incomparable Savior. 484 00:24:20,500 –> 00:24:22,000 That is what is happening at the heart 485 00:24:22,000 –> 00:24:23,819 of this third word in the cross. 486 00:24:25,060 –> 00:24:27,979 And friends when you see that you will immediately realize 487 00:24:27,979 –> 00:24:31,380 that her gain was far greater than her loss. 488 00:24:32,780 –> 00:24:34,660 She lost the love of a son 489 00:24:34,660 –> 00:24:36,859 who was taken from her in death, 490 00:24:37,859 –> 00:24:40,900 but she gained the love of a savior 491 00:24:40,900 –> 00:24:43,020 who death could never take from her. 492 00:24:44,000 –> 00:24:45,880 She lost the joys of a son 493 00:24:45,880 –> 00:24:48,479 who brought her great happiness on earth 494 00:24:48,479 –> 00:24:51,420 but she gained the joys of a savior 495 00:24:51,420 –> 00:24:53,040 at whose right hand in heaven 496 00:24:53,040 –> 00:24:55,040 there are pleasures forever more. 497 00:24:56,660 –> 00:24:59,939 She gave life to him in the flesh for a time 498 00:24:59,939 –> 00:25:03,160 but now he gives life to her in the spirit 499 00:25:03,160 –> 00:25:04,520 for all eternity. 500 00:25:05,439 –> 00:25:09,160 At the cross she loses an irreplaceable son 501 00:25:09,160 –> 00:25:11,000 but at the cross through his death 502 00:25:11,000 –> 00:25:14,599 she gains an incomparable savior 503 00:25:14,599 –> 00:25:16,439 and I say there for her gain 504 00:25:16,439 –> 00:25:19,319 was greater by far than her loss. 505 00:25:21,060 –> 00:25:23,339 You see, roll the story of history forward 506 00:25:23,339 –> 00:25:24,359 a couple of thousand years 507 00:25:24,359 –> 00:25:26,280 to catch up to where we are here today 508 00:25:26,280 –> 00:25:27,939 and what’s been happening 509 00:25:27,939 –> 00:25:29,160 in the intervening period. 510 00:25:29,160 –> 00:25:30,520 Mary has been in heaven now 511 00:25:30,520 –> 00:25:33,020 for nearly two thousand years. 512 00:25:34,020 –> 00:25:37,060 And if she could come here and speak to us today 513 00:25:37,060 –> 00:25:38,660 I am absolutely convinced 514 00:25:38,660 –> 00:25:40,180 she would say something like this. 515 00:25:40,180 –> 00:25:43,300 She would say the life that he gave to me 516 00:25:43,300 –> 00:25:46,119 is greater by far than the life I gave to him. 517 00:25:46,199 –> 00:25:48,739 I think she might quote this scripture. 518 00:25:48,739 –> 00:25:51,479 She might say flesh gives birth to flesh. 519 00:25:51,479 –> 00:25:54,859 The spirit gives birth to spirit. 520 00:25:55,959 –> 00:25:58,540 By the flesh Mary’s life was in Jesus 521 00:25:58,540 –> 00:26:01,219 but by the spirit, Jesus’ life was in her. 522 00:26:02,219 –> 00:26:05,520 Jesus said, on one occasion the flesh counts for nothing 523 00:26:05,520 –> 00:26:09,119 and Mary’s joy lies not in the life she gave to Jesus 524 00:26:09,119 –> 00:26:12,439 but in the life that Jesus gave to her. 525 00:26:13,760 –> 00:26:15,319 You know that life? 526 00:26:16,339 –> 00:26:18,459 Mary would say to us, I am sure 527 00:26:18,479 –> 00:26:21,359 I was so privileged to have this unique relationship 528 00:26:21,359 –> 00:26:22,520 with him in the flesh 529 00:26:22,520 –> 00:26:24,140 but that changed at the cross. 530 00:26:24,140 –> 00:26:26,859 Right there in his agony he made it quite clear 531 00:26:26,859 –> 00:26:28,500 that John was taking his place 532 00:26:28,500 –> 00:26:30,260 as far as that was concerned. 533 00:26:30,300 –> 00:26:32,140 The flesh passes away. 534 00:26:33,739 –> 00:26:36,800 And I entered into heaven not because Jesus is my son 535 00:26:36,800 –> 00:26:38,599 but because Jesus is my savior. 536 00:26:40,459 –> 00:26:42,199 Not because he is mine by birth 537 00:26:42,199 –> 00:26:44,339 but because I am his by faith. 538 00:26:46,400 –> 00:26:48,020 Friends, do you see the glory of this? 539 00:26:48,020 –> 00:26:50,219 Because for all the uniqueness of Mary 540 00:26:50,219 –> 00:26:53,380 this relationship that was defining for her 541 00:26:53,380 –> 00:26:54,540 is open to you. 542 00:26:56,459 –> 00:26:59,180 You know a mother’s joy, you know a mother’s anxiety 543 00:26:59,180 –> 00:27:00,239 but what do you know? 544 00:27:01,219 –> 00:27:03,099 About a mother’s salvation. 545 00:27:05,260 –> 00:27:07,060 One illustration then we’re through. 546 00:27:08,359 –> 00:27:11,859 You may have heard about a certain wedding 547 00:27:12,819 –> 00:27:14,819 that took place in a very small country 548 00:27:14,819 –> 00:27:17,420 about 4,000 miles just over a week ago. 549 00:27:18,579 –> 00:27:21,040 What a marvelous occasion that was 550 00:27:21,040 –> 00:27:25,219 as Prince William was joined in marriage to Kate Middleton 551 00:27:25,219 –> 00:27:27,680 on the day of the wedding, 552 00:27:27,719 –> 00:27:30,979 The London Times led with a piece on the front page 553 00:27:30,979 –> 00:27:34,219 entitled To Marry Her Prince. 554 00:27:35,439 –> 00:27:38,520 They describe in that article how, and I quote, 555 00:27:38,520 –> 00:27:41,020 “‘This private tale of love has captured 556 00:27:41,020 –> 00:27:45,439 “‘the imagination of people from Delhi to Dallas.’” 557 00:27:45,439 –> 00:27:47,319 And it goes on in that vein. 558 00:27:47,319 –> 00:27:50,020 Let me quote to you a few words. 559 00:27:50,020 –> 00:27:51,939 One couple, 560 00:27:51,939 –> 00:27:53,839 one moment, 561 00:27:53,839 –> 00:27:56,000 and the whole world watching, 562 00:27:57,000 –> 00:28:0,000 William Arthur Phillippe Louis Windsor of Wales. 563 00:28:02,459 –> 00:28:04,300 That is a mouthful to get through, isn’t it? 564 00:28:04,300 –> 00:28:07,959 I mean, that is a lot to remember for taking a vow. 565 00:28:07,959 –> 00:28:11,260 He will marry Catherine Elizabeth Middleton 566 00:28:11,260 –> 00:28:16,160 at 11 this morning in the presence of his grandmother, 567 00:28:16,160 –> 00:28:17,739 Her Majesty the Queen. 568 00:28:18,760 –> 00:28:23,760 One of them was born to take his place in the history books. 569 00:28:24,520 –> 00:28:28,119 The other, a girl who was destined to lead a life 570 00:28:28,119 –> 00:28:33,119 of peaceful anonymity until fate and he stepped in. 571 00:28:33,579 –> 00:28:35,079 And then this. 572 00:28:35,079 –> 00:28:38,339 She wakes up today in a London hotel. 573 00:28:38,339 –> 00:28:41,359 Kate Middleton, girl about town. 574 00:28:41,359 –> 00:28:45,280 She goes to sleep tonight in Buckingham Palace, 575 00:28:45,280 –> 00:28:46,939 a princess of the realm. 576 00:28:48,160 –> 00:28:49,000 That’s beautiful. 577 00:28:49,979 –> 00:28:54,739 Here is a girl born a commoner but by union with a prince 578 00:28:58,000 –> 00:29:00,680 she becomes part of a royal household. 579 00:29:00,680 –> 00:29:03,619 No wonder that captures the imagination 580 00:29:03,619 –> 00:29:06,319 of people from Dallas to Delhi. 581 00:29:07,880 –> 00:29:10,560 She did not get there by birth. 582 00:29:12,160 –> 00:29:14,680 She got there through union with a prince. 583 00:29:15,420 –> 00:29:20,420 Luther says, faith unites the soul to Jesus Christ 584 00:29:23,160 –> 00:29:26,760 as a bride is united with her bridegroom. 585 00:29:28,439 –> 00:29:33,439 Faith unites you to Jesus Christ so that you share His life 586 00:29:35,319 –> 00:29:36,920 and the reason that he took 587 00:29:36,920 –> 00:29:38,800 our flesh born of the Virgin Mary 588 00:29:38,800 –> 00:29:43,280 is so that you should share His life for all eternity. 589 00:29:43,319 –> 00:29:44,560 And you won’t get there 590 00:29:44,560 –> 00:29:47,040 by anything that is in you by birth. 591 00:29:47,040 –> 00:29:50,260 You will only get there by union with this prince, 592 00:29:50,260 –> 00:29:52,099 this king, this savior. 593 00:29:53,739 –> 00:29:55,040 It’s how Mary got there, 594 00:29:56,359 –> 00:29:59,260 not by the flesh but by union through the spirit. 595 00:30:00,699 –> 00:30:02,599 That invitation to be one with Him 596 00:30:02,599 –> 00:30:04,780 is His invitation to you. 597 00:30:06,800 –> 00:30:09,020 He says this, the Son gives life 598 00:30:09,020 –> 00:30:12,420 to whomever He is pleased to give it. 599 00:30:13,780 –> 00:30:16,380 And I tell you, whoever you are, by birth or by nature, 600 00:30:16,380 –> 00:30:19,280 Jesus Christ invites you to come to Him today. 601 00:30:20,359 –> 00:30:22,520 And on this Mother’s Day weekend, 602 00:30:23,439 –> 00:30:28,099 He is pleased to give that life to you. 603 00:30:28,099 –> 00:30:29,660 Let us pray together, shall we? 604 00:30:31,300 –> 00:30:35,319 Father, we marvel that life eternal, 605 00:30:37,079 –> 00:30:42,079 that a place in the royal household of eternity 606 00:30:44,160 –> 00:30:49,160 should be offered to us, commoners, sinners, 607 00:30:53,880 –> 00:30:56,560 through Jesus Christ at His infinite cost 608 00:30:56,560 –> 00:30:58,560 and for our infinite good and blessing. 609 00:31:01,099 –> 00:31:04,020 And we thank you that our eternity is not defined 610 00:31:04,020 –> 00:31:05,800 by what we are through birth, 611 00:31:05,800 –> 00:31:08,819 so much of life, in many ways, is shaped by that. 612 00:31:09,180 –> 00:31:13,540 But we thank you for a Savior who cuts through all of that 613 00:31:15,260 –> 00:31:18,680 and with love says, come to me, 614 00:31:20,520 –> 00:31:25,380 and is ready to embrace us as we come to Him. 615 00:31:27,500 –> 00:31:29,540 Oh, Jesus, may there be many mothers 616 00:31:29,540 –> 00:31:32,140 who, knowing the joy and the anxiety of motherhood, 617 00:31:32,140 –> 00:31:36,099 find a mother’s salvation today in Jesus Christ, 618 00:31:36,099 –> 00:31:38,260 Jesus Christ, through faith, 619 00:31:38,260 –> 00:31:39,920 and those who are not yet mothers 620 00:31:39,920 –> 00:31:41,579 and those who never will be mothers, 621 00:31:41,579 –> 00:31:45,780 and all of us men, Father, in Christ, 622 00:31:45,780 –> 00:31:48,180 let us find life eternal. 623 00:31:49,579 –> 00:31:52,719 And these things we ask in the Savior’s Name, amen.