Rubies

it's not at all what i wrote down thank you sweetie i honor all of you mothers and i'm thankful that i did call my mom on my way to church this morning i always try to be first and sometimes i am and sometimes i'm not but i do know i'm the best so um give honor to all of you today don't forget the announcements for the week uh be found doing the things of god amen to all of our guests i welcome you to all of our visitors i'm so glad you're here happy mother's day uh and we're here in the house of the lord everybody look at your neighbor and tell them you know what you're a church today some some may have just woken up and they need to be reminded you're in the house of the lord today this is actually a yearly reminder um again the video that sister kathy showed us let us know that moms do a lot of things right my wife just mentioned that today could be a day of of uh bad memories or could be a day full of great memories it's a fabulous day for some and for others you still suffer through some things of your past i want you to know that all the situations and circumstances that go on in your life to the young folk to the old folk alike you need to realize something god is still god amen god is still in control as i look out over this congregation today i am reminded that you mothers have had an incredible impact and influence on the people of this church you may not realize it but you have sometimes i notice that uh mothers do things and and maybe they do them out of instinct any of you mothers ever said something or did something that it was just it just came out yeah and it's so hard to follow through with some of that right like when you tell your kid you do that again you're never going out again and now you got to somehow keep them at home all the time because you told them they'd never go out again it's hard to hold their feet to the fire right but every day hear what i'm saying every day there's a stark reminder of the influence and the power of a mother i know that i am a direct recipient of the blessings of a mother that prays for me i know that in fact she'll watch this service no doubt sometime this week and i want her to know that i love her and i know she's praying for me if i ever have a need or situation going on i call her because i know she has a team of ladies on tuesday that meet at her church that pray and power works and fire comes and all that every year we look at this day and we're drawn into many many different directions but i would like to take for just a couple of minutes here if you'll allow me there's a book in the bible that we all run to when it's mother's day don't we that's called the book of revelation there two will be an end no i'm joking i'm joking we go to the book of proverbs virtuous woman virtuous woman virtuous basically there there are many definitions but decent ethical good honest all right honorable just moral nice right righteous straight true upright virtuous woman how many of you know a virtuous woman now everybody should have your hand up so you don't get in trouble as we look at that perfect picture it's one it's one that our parents they try to to make their children grow up to to realize the importance of having virtue many times we're reminded of what we see in a mother with her child and we we can see that virtue that's working even on your worst of days there's nothing like the virtue of a mother that still prays for you and loves you amen there are constant reminders in our lives because a virtuous woman according to the scripture is she's honorable she makes things in her life that is honorable because she's righteous those around her can see right living and they can honor her through what they see in her the writer of proverbs that's probably one of our favorite kind of books at this time let's go all the way back to where the wise man began to write proverbs 1 1 the proverbs of solomon the son of david king of israel to know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words of understanding to receive the instruction of wisdom justice judgment and equity to give suddenly to the simple to the young man knowledge and discretion a wise man will hear and will increase learning a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels to understand a proverb and the interpretation the words of the wise and their dark saying solomon began his writing here talking about the gift of wisdom in his writings if you will in the book of proverbs in particular day by day we can go to little tidbits of truth that shape and form the lives of many of us i could at this point pause to ask you has anybody ever memorized a verse in the bible anybody at all memorized a bible verse look around you these are the bible theologians i would dare say one of those or two of those or maybe a whole stack of those are found in the book of proverbs train up a child okay proverbs why because in these verses in this wisdom it doesn't matter what culture generation that you were raised in something to be noted here is when you truly understand wisdom you know that you know things you listen you learn you possess understanding those are characteristics that every mother wants to teach to their children every mother is trying at their greatest or weakest points of trying to help their children to be successful these are characteristics that a a child if you will looks for in the mother now is there anyone in here that wants smart children not smart alec children not smarty pants children but you want smart children we all want children that are able to grow or they're able to learn they're peaceful they're considerate those are things that a mother teaches to her children it's also worth noting here that solomon in his writings he began to desire things and therefore something very intriguing here happens he starts out by saying you need to know things you need to understand things you need to get wisdom about things but if you fast forward to the very end of proverbs we look then at verse or chapter number 31 there's a metaphor here there's a speaking here that he wants to make sure that everyone that would read these words understand it verse number 10 who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies proverbs chapter 3 verse 13 happy is the man that findeth wisdom the band that gideth understanding for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gang thereof than fine gold she is more precious than rubies and all the things that kant's desire are not to be compared to her the man that finds wisdom is happy i'm amazed here the book of proverbs i'm amazed here these writings why rubies why did the wise guy drag into this comparison or this word or this understanding why was it compared to rubies some of you probably already know this but i always heard that diamonds were girl's best friend so then why shouldn't the wise guy know that and say that that if you find a virtuous woman you know they're they're this is like a diamond and so i started to do a little reading i'm not a geminologist i don't understand all of the things about rocks and stuff but i do think that a ruby is probably not just a rock why not gold and silver why didn't he just mention it and say that a virtuous woman is like gold or silver but rubies did a little research and this is what i understand the development of a ruby follow me for just a moment is very long and hard-pressed frame of time it's buried within the earth's core under extreme heat and extreme pressure like many of the precious gems are formed challenge of course for rubies is they are not as readily available as diamonds are the digging the cutting the blasting the things you have to be very gentle with when removing rubies you got to get the slime and the dirt off of them you got to separate the bad and the good it's a process that takes time money and effort but the reward is very very breathtaking i found that in the world of gems and jewels and stones a diamond and a ruby are right next to one another in their value in their worth stay with me for just a moment here the harder the stone the more valuable it is so for all you kids out here that think your mom's being hard on you because she's learned the hard way unable to be scratched you realize that a 10 on the scale of a gym gemologist he would put a tin at the most hardest properties of a diamond unable to be scratched diamonds you can take a pure diamond you can scratch glass with it you can cut things with it anybody notice that rubies are right next to there are nine or nine and a half in their normal state a perfect diamond this is so intriguing to me a perfect diamond of value is assessed by its clarity and its shape and its form the clearer the diamond the more value that it holds a diamond must be brilliant and clear that trait it is what raises the value of a diamond but when it comes to a ruby hear this the same process of heat and pressure but it has to have added ingredients to me to be formed what happens is the same heat and process and pressure of trying to form something that now the stone will begin to change its color the fact is that a ruby the redder that it is the more value that it has there is a ruby in our world called the sunrise ruby its value is over 30 million dollars diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend the darker the red the more the value the fact that the perfect ruby is worth more than a diamond because of how the ingredients have to form within the gym this mother's day i stand in awe the impact you mothers make on people how many realize that a mother is under a lot of pressure pressures to perform pressures to stand up pressures to overcome their own expectations ladies are under a lot of pressure you mothers are under pressure to try to raise kids that make sense you know i'm reminded of the old the old wisdom that came out said now you grow up you be good just do good things and don't show off to make me look bad my parents wanted to make sure that i had a hold of life and that i was able to move forward where guess what i know that i disappointed them time and again so i knew that it was hard on my mother i was thankful to be there to make my mom's life hard no i wasn't but i was there to watch my brother and my sister do that for her on this mother's day i'm reminded of the pressure that you ladies are under praying for your kids remembering their birthdays remembering the events remembering the things that should have happened and didn't happen and then you be you stay up you can read through the proverbs 31 and what do you find that she works hard she does she she produces she makes sure things happen she makes sure things come together she's there as a mom and she's doing the messy jobs that nobody else likes the cleanups and so forth ladies i want you to always remember that you are in the process of impacting the future because of your investment under the pressure a woman with godly purpose is valuable and rare as a ruby mom you stand strong look at pastor for a minute you stand strong you realize that you believe in your kids when the rest of the world's not stand strong realize mom that even if they don't say thank you or i love you or i appreciate it don't just stand strong you are making a difference notice here how solomon responded when he talked about the virtuous woman proverbs 31 28 her children arise up call her blessed her husband also he praiseth her many daughters have done virtuously but thou excellest them all favor is deceitful beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the lord she shall be praised give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates it's interesting that the wise man refers to the virtuous woman by her connection to the gates the gates of old cities in the old testament even into the new testament those were places that negotiations were done business was done counsel was given people from other communities or villages or towns could come to the gate of a city and they could inquire have there been any things happening here have there been any processes is there anything that we need to be aware of is the enemy out here brotherhood would you come is there anything out here that we need to be aware of and on and on they could get all the information they needed in the gate so this was a man's place because the man the men in the city they could sit there and they could give past laws and they could talk one to another and they could converse about the things of the city but the bible refers to this in this way that the woman the virtuous woman she has a voice in the gate of the city and when somebody mentions her virtue the rest of the city says oh we know who she is oh that's the lady oh she's the one that did this oh better listen to her come today to simply remind you ladies the value that the writer put on your life continues today there is no way in this world time will not permit for me to express all the gratitude for the mothers that have been in my life sunday school teachers when i was a boy for some reason they cared and they cut out flannel graph pictures and stuck them on the board for some reason they cared and they told me it's not right to run in church for some reason they cared and they told me you better not back talk your parent you better not sass you're an adult and i learned i tried my best when my wife and i finally had kids i tried to teach them some of the same things i don't know some of you might might be set aside by this but i taught my kids to say yes ma'am no ma'am yes sir no sir and i was ridiculed for it multiple times they don't call me sir don't call me ma'am i'm not that old you're talking to my mom or my dad in fact somebody one time said man your son called me this i said do you not ever get on to my son for being respectful well i mean they don't have to be that formal that's not formal that's called honor this generation needs to learn how to take honor to work ladies you make a difference mom you make a difference you better hope that your child never repays you for all that you invest in them because they never will because you don't put a price on it how much you're gonna charge your mom for or is she gonna charge you for wiping your stinky nose when you were with a cold what's it gonna cost what are you gonna say all right mom you bought me clothes any of you guys of the generation of hand-me-downs does that still happen i notice that there's used clothing stores that don't make sense at all and people buy it man i didn't get those i was just here your brother can't wear these no more well that's his problem no now it's yours we called them patches we thought they just cool what they were was worn out from that i got smart i got bigger than my brothers come on hurry i'm talking about get bigger than them that way they're like well then they don't fit him i mean they get new stuff no that means you get daddy's stuff oh this is worse listen to me carefully mother you matter mom you matter you matter don't know why i called my mom this morning early for one i can call her real early and she's usually answers because it's the way of the elders uh sometimes i wonder are you just trying to beat the sun up is that i won i watched you come i was already up i don't know i don't know so why are we doing sitting here in my chair trying to get my knees to work so what are you doing there i'm praying who you praying for i ask her it's it's funny it's just so white it's wild she's got pictures everywhere y'all wonder why old people have pictures everywhere they they need something to pray for if you got them all ugly bland pictures that come from walmart who are they going to pray for lord bless that painter lord i pray for that frame maker i don't make sense my mom tells my daughter all the time i got yours and sam's picture right up there and i'm sitting here exercising my knee she has this little machine that helps her move her arthritis and her knees because it's hard for her to move and she says i look up and there's your face and i said lord whatever they're going through today i turned to my right and there's my other grandchild blood god i don't know why but i want you to intervene today i look over at my kids my great grandkids she says so mom you know how valuable that is do you know how valuable that is to think listen carefully and i'm done every devil in hell every demon in hell knows my name because of my mom every devil in hell knows your name today because of that lady right there because of the mom influence in your life you all better be thankful for it and you better never take it for granted stand with me all over the house rubies what a value what a value this is going to sound a little strange but it's a strange day i want to ask everybody get out of your chair come to the carpet please this is where you get in trouble no this is the altar come on everybody can come we're going to pray as a family one for another get as close as you can should be room for everybody up here if we measured it right there should be 150 people can fit on this rug come on don't be afraid act like it's a ride at disney and you're going waiting in line come on get in close come on in there you go come on in that's right the blessing of a mom the blessing of a mother sweetie will you come my wife was so gracious to come up here earlier and i asked her to say something because i want you to know that she prays for y'all but more than that i want you to know that she and i believe in y'all some of you the half has yet been told not everybody knows your story but we get to hear some of your stories and it's amazing to me that you're still in church believing in god growing and maturing and moving forward it's amazing but yeah here you are we're going to pray for each other y'all get as close as you can to somebody i want you to begin to call on their name right now come on just speak out their name lord today we are thankful for our mothers thankful lord for the value that they have far greater than rubies lord they have been through pressures and heat they have been through things lord that has caused them to struggle and to wonder they have done well they have made mistakes they have gotten up they have fallen but god their value is more than rubies today lord i pray for every heart and every family every home in this house pray the glory of the lord would move touch heal deliver and set free pray lord god that a mother's prayer would not go unheard but it would be heard lord god through the generations of time i i know god that most of us today in this room lord we are recipients of a grandmother or a great-grandmother praying or a mom that prays for us or a church mother that prayed for us god i'm thankful for the power of prayer and the praying church come on pray one for another god anoint my brother and my sister today lord raise us up god in this hour lord to stand virtuous to stand lord honorable in this hour righteous in this hour the name of jesus i thank you lord for the power of answered prayer for the power lord of answered prayer i thank you lord for it and i believe you for it thank you jesus i love you lord and i bless your name come on praise somebody open your mouth pray god bless my family bless my children help us o god let us join together as one lord let us be god a forced lord in this world that will make a difference in the name of jesus in the name of jesus come on pray one for another i'm thankful lord to simply know your name to know your name to know who you are the value lord god that you have placed on us thank you for that jesus i i love you lord and i thank you so much god for your loving grace and mercy in the name above every name jesus hallelujah hallelujah the writer said it this way a woman that feareth the lord she shall be praised so as we leave here today if it's appropriate i want you to praise one of these mothers in here it doesn't mean get down on the floor and bow in front of them it means pay them a compliment thank them kids you need to thank your mom for praying for you come on yeah young folk you need to be thankful that your mom's praying for you pray with me now lord i thank you for this day together thank you lord for the opportunity to love and serve you pray lord that throughout this day you would remind us again and again lord of the beauty of motherhood the blessings lord of knowing and serving you i'm thankful lord for every family that's represented in this house right now i pray lord a special anointing would touch lead and guide us let us truly understand the value of what our mothers do in our lives and in our church and in our world the name of jesus be glorified in everything we honor you thy kingdom come lord thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven we thank you for it we trust you for it bless our wheat keep your hands upon us we're coming back lord god next week with revival in our hearts revival in our minds trusting you lord for explosive move of god in the name of jesus we love and honor you in jesus name give the lord a handclap of praise i love you jesus keep praying for the revival invite somebody to come come on go invite your worst enemy they get to the presence of the lord god will change them i love you all have a great week this week go with god and be safe