Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA Bethel Mennonite Church

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Proverbs 14:1 – A wise mom is a builder, and creates something that will bless a lot of people for a long time.

II Timothy 1:5 – Timothy’s mom and grandmother played a major role in his spiritual development. Faith isn’t passed on to the next generation unintentionally. See II Timothy 3:15.

Luke 1:28-38 – Jesus needed a good mom, and Mary was one because of her “maidservant of the Lord” attitude. If the angel had told her God wanted her to just be a typical good mom, she would’ve responded the same way.

Grandmama’s (Lovina’s) example: she didn’t have a lot of education or a lot of resources, but Grandmama cared a lot about people, and the ripple effect of her faithfulness isn’t over yet.

Proverbs 31:28 – We should honor moms by being grateful and helpful.

Mark 6:31 – Reminds us that all servants need a break now and then. Moms shouldn’t have to always play the Martha role.

Even if the rest of us often overlook it or take it for granted, God sees the everyday faithfulness of moms, and He is not going to forget it (Hebrews 6:10).

There is a difference between knowing and believing truth with the mind, and feeling and believing truth with the heart. People cannot be changed into the likeness of Christ, cannot grow and change, by believing falsehood. According to Scripture, Christ, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit are the sources of spiritual truth. You cannot interpret and apply Scripture in a way that violates the person and character of Christ as revealed in Scripture.

“It feels true to me” beliefs of the heart are learned amid life experiences. “It feels true to me beliefs” are any thought that completes the sentence “it feels true to me that”. Beliefs in our hearts will usually override the ideas and beliefs in our minds. An example of this happening is found in Ex. 2 when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning bush and tried to enlist Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. It felt true to Moses that he would get into trouble, that he was unqualified, that the people would not listen to him, and that he was not eloquent. Every excuse Moses gave was an “it feels true to me belief” produced by fear.

“It feels true to me” beliefs of the heart do not change by commanding people to stop feeling and believing the way they do. The factors that make it possible for “it feels true to me” beliefs to change are: talking and praying about the events in which the “it feels true to me” beliefs developed, knowing what is true according to Scripture, giving Christ permission to speak into one’s beliefs, giving oneself permission to let go of the “it feels true to me belief,” and by allowing the Holy Spirit and others to teach us something different than we already believe.

Genesis 27 begins with Isaac who is sure he is dying, although he did live for 50 more years. But he was feeble and blind. Isaac decided that now was the time to give his blessing to his favorite son Esau. He called Esau to him and gave him instructions to bring him savory food. But Rebekah overheard this and wanted Jacob to get the blessing. So Rebekah had a plan and Jacob and her carried it out. Jacob deceived and lied to his father. Rebekah deceived her husband.

Isaac and Rebekah each had a favorite son. There was dishonesty and a lack of communication between them. Isaac did not tell Rebekah his plan. Neither did Rebekah tell Isaac how she felt about his decision.

Communication is very important in a marriage. Communication between couples often involves husbands and wives telling each other what they already planned to do rather than having a discussion so they can plan together. Bad communication is a symptom of a bad relationship – it is not the cause of it. Both husbands and wives also need love and respect from each other. They need to be honest with each other about their concerns and feelings.

Some short term consequences of Jacob’s actions:



* His brother Esau hated him

* He had to flee his home

* He had literally nothing to take with him.

* He said goodbye to his mother and never saw her again. Rebekah had told him to go to her brother Laban and stay for a few days until Esau’s fury had lessened. But the few days turned into 20 years and she had died before he moved back to Canaan.



God was planning to bless Jacob and his descendants in a mighty way. Jacob’s deception did not change that fact. Esau’s blessing would have been the same even if he would have received it first. God looked at Jacob and saw the potential there.

God wants repentance for sin. God blessed Jacob in spite of his flaws not because of them. When God looks at us He sees what we can be, not what we are.

Satan loves to drive wedges in families. We need to focus on healing differences and communicating better. We can not stand on the premise that we are right and the people we live with are wrong. God is always faithful, every single time.

A healthy church is made up of people who are in close communion with God and each other.



* I John 1 – Jesus is our basis for this communion.

* Communion with God enables us to walk in the light and have fellowship with each other.

* In our communion with God we receive incredible resources not available to those who are in darkness; but we still need fellowship with each other (church).

* I Corinthians 10 – the Corinthians’ lack of self-restraint was putting their communion with God at risk.

* II Corinthians 6 – God wants to fellowship with us, but requires us to leave darkness behind. Paul urges the Corinthians to “cleanse” themselves and “bring holiness to completion” (7:1)

* Our communion with God is not something we can afford to neglect or be careless about. We do not need to get everything right, but we must watch out for harmful patterns that can shift our affections.

* The song “Open the Wells” is the prayer of someone who is “thirsting for more and deeper communion.” How does someone like this live his life? Such a person would guard against things that can damage this communion, involve himself in things that can feed this thirst, and live out his love for God through faithful obedience.

Sin blocks/hinders fellowship with God. Repentance clears sin away, opening the way and restoring fellowship with God and joy. Walking in the light of fellowship with Christ is the life of a penitent. In the Light they see their sins. They’re sensitive to sin and repent of it to keep fellowship flourishing. (Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:4-9).

What makes up repentance?



* Conviction. The case and realization we have sinned. Reprobates and those with seared consciences may not feel conviction. Not everyone who’s convicted repents. But all penitents feel conviction.

* Contrition. The remorse and grief that comes with conviction, knowing we’ve grieved the Spirit, and seeing fellowship affected. Paul wrote of godly sorrow that leads to repentance and worldly sorrow that doesn’t. (2 Cor 7:9-10).

* Confession. Agreeing with God regarding our sin and sinfulness. David’s confession after his sin against Uriah, Bathsheba, and God is a classic example. When confronted by the prophet, he said, “I am the man.” No excuses. Psalm 51 is his moving confession, lament, and prayer.

* Change of heart. A change of mind and purpose from sin and selfishness to God. After Paul was helped to his feet after his experience on his way to Damascus, he was still headed toward Damascus, but his heart had done a 180-degree turn.

* Forsaking old. Leaving sin and carnality. What does that look like?



* Forsaking means following through. Sometimes people delay and put off taking the practical steps. They’ve decided, but haven’t followed through. They may feel relief, elation, and even rest, but they’re not further along. The longer the delay, the more likely their new resolve weakens and withers. (Parable of the soils Matthew 13).

* Forsaking means leaving sin. A break with wrong thoughts, attitudes, behavior.

* Forsaking means not looking back. Israel murmured against Moses and remembered Egypt. (Numbers 11; Hebrews 11:13-16). Those who look longingly back increase their risk of returning to the old life.

* Forsaking means hating sin. 1 John 1.15; Psalm 97.10; Proverbs 8.13. Not an on/off switch for that. Anything that improves our relationship with God and coming to see sin from God’s point of view will help make sin less appealing. It’s possible to feel the appeal and temptation of sin while despising it (Romans 7).

* Forsaking sin means making no provision for the flesh. Don’t make it easy to sin. Christians pray “lead us not into temptation” but sometimes carelessly walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand with sinners, and sit where the scornful gather. They hear the thoughts and stories of the scornful and watch their activities. Those influences are not edifying and weaken the righteous.





* Embracing the new. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12.1-3 is repentance in a nutshell. A Christian doesn’t stop sinful behavior and attitudes through brute force and will power without God’s grace for victory. We need the “Holy Spirit and fire” John the Baptist said Jesus would bring. When we experience John 15 and Philippians 1.6 and 2.13, we’re walking in the Light. It’s putting on the new man (Ephesians 4:14 and others).



We have this treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4.7). As long as we live on earth, we’ll be subject to some degree of the pull of temptation. But how well we forsake the old and embrace the new life in Jesus will affect how strong temptations are. The song says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim . . .” Salvation puts us in a right standing with God. Then begins the work of sanctification, God changing us into people who live righteously, reflecting the character of Christ.