Is Your Light On - Donny Swartzentruber

Well once again with desire a good evening for each

of you. And it's a blessing to be able to

be together again in this way, and God's blessings to

each of you. As I thought of how to greet

you this evening, I thought of greeting you as Christian

brothers and sisters here in the name of the One

whose mother, while on earth, had an angel come and

talk with her and told her things that were just

like in some ways could have been overwhelming to her.

And her response was, behold the Handmaid of the Lord.

Be it unto me according to Thy word. And from

that this evening, it's a message that we all can

draw from very very beautiful, meaningful words that Mary spoke

as she said, behold the Handmaid of the Lord. Welcome

to everyone here. It's been a blessing being here in

this community again today. We were privileged to have lunch

today with Daniel and Barn, sit at their table and

enjoy fellowship there. And we don't need to announce every

time we go somewhere for a meal, don't mean that way,

but just that you know we are enjoying it here

and it's a blessing for us and I pray God

would bless each of you here this evening, and I

pray the Lord would bless you children that are here tonight.

And we're very thankful to see you here. So somehow

at home there at Derek's just trying to look at

a few things, look at something we could share for

this evening. And Gabriella saw a picture that I want

to show you, children, and she said something like she's

just she can't hardly wait to hear about the story.

And so I want to share it with you children tonight.

Something to me is very interesting. I'd like to tell

you about what is called Nature's engineer, and I'd like

to share with you children tonight some thoughts taken from

the Bible. From the Book of Job. Did you know children,

It tells us that we should ask, It says, but

ask now the beast, and they shall teach thee and

the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee.

So here the Bible is saying that we can observe

animals in God's creation, in nature, and we can learn

lessons from it. And that's something I want to do

this evening as we're here. And so there is a

mammal that is on the Oregon flag, And can any

of you children tell me what that is? What is

a mammal that's on the flag of Oregon, you know,

And I know I'm sure someone here knows, but maybe

you don't know what age to say and not to say.

So I'm just going to share with you actually coming tonight.

As we were coming, Derek was driving, and you have

right out here, real close by, there's a flag, an

Oregon flag, and as the wind was blowing, I could

see very plainly a beaver on that flag. And I'd

like to share a few things to you tonight, with

you tonight about a beaver. The beavers and beavers are

very special to me, and I know to some people,

some farmers, you know, sometimes they can be kind of

a nuisance. But we're thinking about some good things about

beavers tonight, and in the end, I hope that each

of you children will have learned something and you'll take it.

And it's something I want to share with you tonight

that's really challenging for you as children. So first of all,

just you know, I'm sure you know what beavers look like,

but that is a picture of a nice, big beaver

with a big tail and teeth that never stopped growing.

Look at their children. Look at that the teeth on

a beaver and what they look like. And they never

quit growing. They just keep growing. They need to keep

growing because what they do with their teeth, their teeth

get worn down, and so they need teeth that keep

growing so they can keep doing what beavers do. So

there you see again a beaver, the wide tail. Some

of their tails are like six inches wide fifteen inches long.

Other things that beavers do, you know, they build dams.

And one of the things that I want to share

with you children is beavers are considered to be nature's engineer.

And one thing that beavers do they can take a

place where there's just this little stream of water and

there's briers and bushes and grass and trees all kinds

of things, and you know, really it's not a place

where fish can be or duck or geese or anything

like that, because it's just this little bitty stream. And

then beavers will go in there and they'll dam up

the water. And what happens. Suddenly the water starts backing

up and what was just a tiny little stream will

become like a pond or like a body of water

that provides a good place for many other animals, like

duck can go there and they can have their little

babies there because beavers have made a dam and it

makes for water there, and so duck can have their

little baby ducks and they can go out into the

water and to be safe to get away from fox

and things like that that try to get the little

baby duck. And so I want you children to think

about tonight, drawing one lesson from that. Do you know

what you children do and who you are and how

you act makes a big difference in the environment. So

beaver's taking they build a dam and it makes it

beautiful for even fish, you know, can swim around in there,

and duck and geese and it just makes a beautiful

place to be. And so how would it be tonight?

You know, I expect like you children from ages twelve down,

let's say, how would it be tonight to try to

have a church service here? And all of you would

be just screaming and cooking and hollering and being an

attentive and going in and out and just not paying

any attention. You know, it would be really hard to

have a service here tonight, wouldn't it. But all of you,

you just sitting here so nice and quiet, and so

in that way, you're like beavers. You're making it a

nice place to be for the rest of us. It's

amazing how big a tree beavers can can shoot down,

like big trees like that. They'll take and and just

gnaw on that tree until it falls down. And what

they're doing, they're building their little their houses. Like I

showed you a picture of like that, and then I

think I have another picture somewhere of what it looks

like on the inside of that yes, right here, So

this is a little bit like what it looks like

inside the dam. So what we see is just the

sticks and the outside, but inside what the beavers do

is dam up the water. And so this is their house.

Like up in here, it's where they have their babies.

It's a safe place to go. It's like home for

the beavers. And so they swim. They can swim down

under the water and they go up in here and

see that that makes it Other animals and creatures can't

get in there and get them. So they swim underwater

and go through their a little hole and stay up

there in the in their den and are safe there.

They're very interesting. Now there's something else i'd like to

show you, children, And I know you can't see this

real well, but i'll show you in just a little bit.

So we have pecan trees in Georgia. We don't have

your nice like hazel nut trees and all that, but

we do have pecan trees. And so probably ten years

ago or so, we were planting a new orchard of

pecan trees. And we got these little little trees that

were about this big, and we planted a whole day.

We planted most of them, but we didn't quite get

finished planning them, and so we took and for the

night we put them into a little pond there so

that the roots were in the water, so the roots

wouldn't dry up. The next day we came out to

start planting trees again, and we saw something very unusual

had happened through the night. And when it happened, the

beavers found those little tender pecan trees. And they went

to work on those pecan trees, and they wanted to

use those for their house and that kind of thing.

They chewed them up. They they like this one. You

can see. That's what the trees were like. And they

just chewed the tree off from the roots. And I

would have loved to have brought these little things with me,

these these little trees. I have them in my office,

but they were too big to fit in the suitcase,

so I just had to go with pictures to show you.

So that's what they looked like. But this picture is

what I want to show you, children, and you can

after the service, you can come up and look at

this if you want to. This was what was just amazing.

That was one of the pecan trees that we were

going to plant. And did you know beavers eat bark

off of trees, and this tree they completely almost you'd say,

like perfectly ate all the bark off of that tree.

And if you come look at the picture, or if

you'd if i'd have it here to show you tonight,

it's like not one stitch of bark on there anymore.

They ate it cleaner than we eat a cop of sweetcorn.

And we just think of how perfectly they did it.

You can see their little teeth marks on there. They

just cleaned it off from top to bottom. They did

a really good job. And that takes us to what

I want to just share with you yet tonight, children,

I found in studying about beavers in the dictionary, there's

a word. It's eager beaver. Eager beaver, and I'm going

to encourage you children tonight to be like eager beavers. Now,

I've read different dictionaries and different dictionaries different meanings, but

one of the meanings of being an eager beaver is

to do everything that is asked of us and volunteer

to do even more so anything. To be an eager beaver,

we need to be willing to do anything like the

teachers ask of you, your mom and daddy ask of you.

Anyone asks you to go, you know, sweep the floor,

and you gladly, you gladly you like an eager beaver.

You jump on it, you do it. You go sweep

the floor, and when you're finished, you go to the teacher,

you go to mama, and you say, is there something

else I can do? You know, Mama asks you to

clean the table, clear the table, and you clear the table,

and then you ask can you dry the dishes yet?

Or something like that. You understand what we mean, So

for you to be an eager beaver, is to do

anything that's asked of you that you need to do,

and volunteer to do even more. And so that is

really a kind of a challenge, and so I would

as we share that with you, would like to have

up here after the service closes. You're welcome to come

up here and any of your children that want to

be like an eager beaver in your home in school

and that's how you want to be. You can come

and get one of these key chain beavers. And when

you have it and you get it, you take it home.

You might put it somewhere and you remember what it

means to be an eager beaver. And maybe sometimes when

you're not that your teacher could just swing it at

you and remind you of it and help you remember

to be like an eager beaver. Okay, we're going to

put this right down here, and glad to have your

children here, and I think everyone here is going to

be blessed if you're like a bunch of eager beavers.

Blessings to you children as you endeavor to remember that

and to be that that also goes along well with it.

Seems like a few or it's a way that that

could apply to a few opening thoughts, as we think

of the message this evening, because you, as sisters, you

certainly are and filling your calling in life. You're like

eager beavers. You do so much in making things flow

and work in a godly way. And so this evening

for the message, I invite you to turn to the

book of Matthew, and we'll begin with reading something that

Jesus himself said Matthew chapter five. You will begin reading

at verse thirteen. As we think of this message this

evening that is on our heart to endeavor to share

with you, by the grace of God. And tonight, while

there are some things that are for all of us,

we are endeavoring to share, especially with And I think

I said one other evening to what, in some ways

it seems to me, is like the crowning part of creation.

Jesus said in Matthew five thirteen, and following he said,

ye are the salt of the earth. But if the

salt have lost His savor, wherewith shall it be salted?

It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast

out and to be triden under foot of men. Ye

are the light of the world, a city that is

set on a hill that cannot be hid. Neither do

men light a candle and put it under a bushel,

but on a candlestick. And then I would invite you,

sisters here tonight, youth and mothers and wives, notice these

next words that Jesus said, and it giveth light unto

all that are in the house. Let your light so

shine before men, that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. For us,

as men and brethren here tonight, I would trust that

in the coming days we will think when we are challenging,

when things we're faced with things that are hard and difficult,

we will maybe think about the question that was asked

last evening, does the staff fits your hand? And we

will we will be we'll we'll think about that and

be challenged to be that and to do that, to

be a person that can take the staff and all

that it symbolizes, and be that and do that. This evening,

we have some words we want to give to you

in question form as a tie for this message that

to me are just as challenging for you as sisters,

that are so extremely important to consider as we look

at Jesus' words here it giveth light unto all that

are in the house. And I trust as we go

through this message this evening, this will become more meaningful

to all of us, and we're all challenged by it,

but we are sharing it especially for you as sisters

here this evening. I'd like to give the message the

title A big question, an important question. Is your light on?

Is your light on? Is the light in your heart

on tonight? Is that light on and radiating the brightness

and the glory and the beauty of God. If we

turn our bibles tonight to Genesis chapter one, and you

can follow along if you'd like, You don't have to.

But in verse two it says the earth was without

form and void, and darkness was upon the face of

the deep, and the spirit of God moved upon the

face of the waters. And God said, let there be light.

And there was light the word of God God the

first day, like the first thing he created, was light.

And light is beautiful. Light is so meaningful and special

and something we need and just like we need you

as sisters to illuminate and to be a light and

just some more of a setting from the Word of God.

This evening we turned to the last book of the Bible.

We notice those words from the first book. We go

to the Last Book of the Bible. In chapter eighteen,

verses twenty two and twenty three, we read here about

the absence of light, and it says, the voice of

harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters shall be

heard no more at all in THEE, and no craftsman,

of whatsoever craft b shall be found anymore in THEE.

And the sound of a millstone shall be heard no

more at all in THEE, and the light of a

candle shall shine no more at all in THEE, and

the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall

be heard no more at all in the What a

sad picture of a place where there was no light.

And then we go to chapter twenty one, verses nine

b through eleven. He says, come hither, I will show

thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me

away in the spirit to a great and high mountain,

and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending

out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God.

And her light was likened to a stone most precious,

even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. We think

this evening of the fact that you are called to

portray with your husbands and other men in your life

the relationship there is between Christ and the Church, and

to give to the world an example of how God

that wants that to be. And here we see the

picture of there being a light, precious and clear as crystal.

So just drawing from that as things relating to the

absence of light and light and God creating light on

the first day, and there being light, and the beauty

of all of that. And then we asked the question tonight,

where do we how does this happen? How can we

have a light? You know I was thinking today about

you know, in our setting here so many things to

think about as far as I see this evening, all

of you as adult sister sitting here are even you

are even carrying on your head a sign of your

submission to God and his will for your life, in

finding your place in God's order, And it is a

witness to the world. It's like this city set on

a hill that cannot be hid. You're like the soul

of the earth. And as you even are busy with

household duties and cooking and you add salt to whatever

you're making and preparing. May you remember how your life,

if that light is on in your heart, how your

life is like the salt in the environment you're in

and the people around you, a light to all in

the house. And I was thinking today, I don't know

how many couples are here, and this this message is

for singles that are here in all of us, as

far as that's concerned. But you know, probably for every

godly man on this side that has a wife over

here this evening, probably what was truly beautiful, what was attractive,

was that light in your heart, a light that that

God put there, and that only God can put there.

And that is what makes you beautiful. And we respect

and honor that this evening we are in reverence of

God's creation and even the crowning part of creation, in

creating woman, taking the rib of Adam and creating a

woman with the rib and and this is not a

man's rib tonight, rib bone, but this is this is

a rib bone. And it is significant that God took

a bone from man's side, that that is is so

symbolic of what God wants you as sisters to be.

And do as women of God. And it is it

is interesting that rib bones are not rigid and unmovable,

and and without being giving and sharing. You know this

this rib bone. We can take it tonight, We can

we can bend it. It has some gift. And yet

it is very strong. It's a very strong bone. It

doesn't just break easily under pressure. It's very strong. And

yet it is compatible. It is it can be moved,

It is touched with pressure and with things that happen

around it in an environment. And and that is significant

that God took a rib bone from from Adam's side,

and with that he created a help suitable for man.

This evening, we can not emphasize enough. I don't believe

how important it is for that light to be on

in your heart. And we have witnessed that as we've

been in your homes. We are blessed to see the

light on in your hearts and in your lives. We

cannot emphasize enough tonight how big the influence is that

you have on all everyone around you and us as

men here this evening. One thing I don't remember saying here,

and if I did, I'm confident there's someone here that

hasn't heard it. It's something that it really brings out

a point I think, even though it is maybe somewhat

comic coin away, but it is said that George and

Barbara Bush many years ago we're traveling in fact is

I just now think about it. I think it was

said in the state of Oregon. Maybe not. I can't

say for sure about that, but I know in the

state of Oregon you do have it. It was said that

they drove into a gas station and in those days

there were still attendants that would come out and fill

the vehicle up with gas. And it is said that,

you know, this attendant came out of the station to

come out and fill up their vehicle with gas. And

it said that Barbara said, George, I used to date

that man, this man that came out to fill up

their vehicle with gasoline. And George said, well, it's really

good you didn't marry him, or you would just be

a gas station attendant's wife. And it is said that

Barbara said, no, if I would have married him, he

would have been the president of the United States. And

it is so much truth in that. I mean, so

it is so much to think about and consider. Do

you know you set the temperature of I mean, even

like here tonight, you have so much to do with

the temp the atmosphere here and in your homes. We

cannot tell you how much difference you make in your home,

just that that candle on your table, there's that base

of flowers on the table, and just the atmosphere of

come home, daddy, and of hospitality and Christian love. Yes,

we want to continue that thread of what was shared

about love. And you know it is just. And that's

why the question tonight it's so important. Is the light

on tonight is the light on in your heart? The

light that only the Lord can give you. It's such

an important question and for you to consider and tomorrow

and the next day, and when you're taking care of

all the babies in house cleaning. And you know, I'm amazed.

I told Bertha just recently, I just I'm so blessed.

I'm amazed. You know, she washes those same clothes every week,

over and over and over, day after day after day,

and folds them and puts them back in and we

have a whole fresh set of clothes again and again

and again and again. And all the other things cooking,

you know, I expect my mother, my dear mother, probably

cooked twenty thousand meals plus for me. The atmosphere you're

like thermostats, you like set the temperature of home. And

while we as men, yes we're called to be men

and to be leaders in the home, it's just it's

just nothing like you know, after forty years of being

able to still to come home and walk through the

door and have a welcome home, dear a message or

someone welcoming you there, and in an atmosphere of that

is pleasant and inviting, inviting to your family and to

those around you, and even others that being hospitable and

inviting and sharing. It is so very important we share

these things this evening as myself a person that experienced

it with my mother, and also now of course my

life with birtha mother's wives. I'm here as one to

share with you tonight. One of the things I don't

want to miss sharing with you. If it wouldn't have

been for my mother, If it wouldn't have been for

my mother, I just don't think I would be here

where I am tonight. I had a wonderful father, it

would be my number one choice forever of any father

but me and Daddy. There were some times that we

had a very difficult time seeing eye to eye, and

I would hate to tell you some things that I

considered when I was about twelve years old because of

just having such a conflict with Daddy and the way

it was. And I'm glad you know a verse we

want to read tonight if we get there is like

a father's law, and Daddy had a law and it

was good for me. I just blessed the Lord tonight

that Mama was like you know, Mama. There was a

day when I wrote a note to Mama and I

thanked her for being like an evergreen tree. And I'm

thankful tonight to the Lord that as far as I know,

Mama's light, that light in her heart never went out.

And I don't know what would have happened if Mama's

light would have went out. And life wasn't easy for Mama.

Many times a wonderful husband Daddy was, but you know

there was he was a man with structure and discipline

and order, and it wasn't always easy. But it's just

such a blessing. As far as I could tell, Mama's

light was always on, that light in her heart. I

don't know where I'd be tonight if it wouldn't have

been for one night, you know, Mama's The light was

on in Mama's heart, and Mama had a connection with God.

And it was a night when when we up on

a dairy farm, and it was in the wintertime, and

we finished milking when it was already dark. It was

dark before we finished milking, and I was about seventeen

years of age, and that night I had decided I

was going to go somewhere. I was going to just

sneak away without it being known and go do something. Now.

I wasn't to go to a wild party of some kind.

I wasn't just living a wild, rebellious life, but it

was still. It was still I was going to go

somewhere that could have changed the whole direction of my life.

And just today, I again was just thanking the Lord

for my mother. And that night, to this day, I

don't know. It was just it was because that light

was on in her heart and she was in tune

with God. So I left the milk barn. It was dark,

and out in the front of our house was about

a five acre Bermuda field pasture. It's still there. And

I left and I started walking across that field, and

I was about halfway across the field in the dark,

when Mama came out on the front porch of the

house and she called out across the field. And I

don't know how she knew I was there. I don't

know how she knew what was going on in my heart.

But tonight, mothers, wives and mothers, it's so important for

you to know your children and to have a heart

for them, and to have a heart connection with them

because sometimes us, as daddy's you know, it might just

be a little difficult, and it's so important for you

to have a connection with them and with the Lord.

And that only happens as the light is on. But

when that light is on, something good is going to

be happening, and God bless you in it. And so

Mama came out on the front porch and she called

out across that Bermuda field and she called out, and

she said my name, and she said Donnie. She called

out Donnie, and then she said where are you going?

And it was enough to make me stop in my tracks,

stop and just take a moment to think and consider.

And tonight I'm so thankful I can tell you that

I turned around and I went back to the house,

and I never went where I intended to go that night.

It's because there was a light on in Mama's heart.

Of the virtuous woman, the Bible says, her candle goeth

not out by night. Now, we believe that does mean,

you know, it does mean that domestic duties are constant

for a mother and a virtuous woman. Rather it mentions night.

I'd like to give that another application, even a further application.

Her candle goeth not out by night. Her candle goeth

not out when it is dark and difficult and hard,

and when maybe Daddy is not what he needs to be,

you know, last evening, I guess I never quite finished

this up. But those of you that were here last night,

you remember when I threw these stones in this cup. Sometimes,

dear sisters, it's hard, it's difficult. Sometimes there's more more

bills than there is money to pay, and the lawnmower

breaks down, and it's tough on the job and all

the things that we face as men. And oh, may

it be though, that the light in your heart never

goes out. Her candle goeth not out by night, and

by night tonight we're going to make the application of

when it is dark and difficult, when we as men,

as husbands, as a man in your life are not

what we should be. And you just let the Lord

keep letting you shine. And you are shining. So what

are you going to do when you're a recipient of

stones that have been thrown Dear mother, don't throw them

over into Sally's life. Don't become impatient and angry and

throw stones into your little children's life. You know what

all of us need to do with those stones that

we that come into a life and those difficult things. Now,

I don't think y'all heard anything here to do this tonight,

but you know I could have. We just think of

how important it is to take and and just to

impress us with what to do with them. We bring

them to the Lord in prayer, and these stones, if

they stay in our life, and later another message, maybe

we'll think about allowing the Lord to turn our wounds

into scars and our scars into stars. He can do it.

But it's so important to take these things to the

Lord in prayer. Cast it off, don't pass it on,

cast it off at the feet of Jesus. And let

Him help you stay beautiful and your light continue shining

for His glory. Someone has said, come with me to

an old farmhouse where a mother kneels in prayer. Tears

flow as she cries out to God for strength to

go on for the sake of her three little ones.

If only her husband would be a godly man and

a spiritual leader. Although he provides the material needs of

his family, his neglect of their emotional and spiritual needs

is a burden that threatens to crush her. The flame

of faith burns feebly tonight, and she feels like giving

up is a struggle worth it. Go with me fifty

years later to a softly lighted chapel, where the woman's

wasted body now lies in a coffin. Her children adults

now speak reverently of the mother who provided a guiding light,

a light dear sisters through their formative years, drawing them

to their own faith in the Savior. A score of

young Christian men and women look lovingly on their grandmother's face. Tomorrow,

her grandsons will care her to her grave. Tomorrow they

will sing of a praying mother and a grandma who

loved Jesus was the struggle worth it. My imagination pushes

the fast forward button of time. Another fifty years slips by.

In the mind's I see another coffin in the chapel,

not my grandmother's but mine. The little ones that snuggle

in my arms today will then be grown men and

women with families of their own. And what will the

picture look like today? I am painting that picture of tomorrow.

Today the colors are wet in my hands, but tomorrow

they will have dried. And what kind of legacy will

I leave? It has been said, and there's just it's

a thought, very good thought, that an ounce of mother

is worth a pound of slurgy. Something that Ella Miller said.

God is first, and my family is next, and I

give them all I have. Someone has said I thought

I had died to self, but motherhood was the proving ground.

Sacrifice becomes a way of life for a mother. These

are just some quotes that are meaningful to us tonight.

Another one this was my mother. It has been said

that Christ has often entered a home on the wings

of a mother's song. My mother while she was washing dishes,

and I just have so many memories of her just

humming a tune whistling, just a cheerful person. There was

a boy, little boy that showed his bad temper. He

was asked to go to his room and pray about it.

Mother overheard him praying and asking the Lord to take

away his bad temper, and then asking the Lord to

take away his mother's temper too. There was a little

child that called for a drink. You know how it

can be. It can be five, six, seven, eight times

they want to drink, And those things all need order

and discipline and structure. But she went again and took

her little child a drink. And the little child asked,

why are you mad? And the mother was sure that

she kept her composure. The little child said, you walk mad.

And quite a few other things there that we could

think about. But we'd like to go yet to the

Book of Song of Solomon, and off you thoughts from there,

as we think of your life as wives and mothers

this evening, and even yes, single girls and those that

God calls to a life of singlehood. We go to

the Book of Song of Solomon, chapter two, in verse fourteen,

and I think it mentions four things here this evening

we think about it says, oh my dove that already

in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places

of the stairs. Let me see thy countenance, Let me

hear thy voice, For sweet is thy voice, and thy

countenance is calmly the cleft of the rock. This can

be applied. We believe as Christ in the church and

also as husbands and wives, you are called to dwell

in the cleft of the rock. And this is something

that can be found in a faithful husband and to

ultimately in Christ, the Savior and Lord of our lives.

It talks about the secret places. It is in the

secret place you alone with God, that you find a

place for oil to be in that lamp and keep

it burning. It is mentioned made here about the countenance. Wow,

we cannot just tell you it is not earrings and

fingernail polish and the latest most classy looking dress. That

is not what makes you beautiful. What makes you beautiful

is that light in your heart and that affects your countenance,

and that makes you pleasant and a blessing to be

around and inviting to strangers and to people.

And it's just like a witness to the world, modestly dressed,

walking with the Lord faithful in.

His calling on your life. He also says, let me

hear thy voice. You know, I think it's in Proverbs

thirty one it says something about she openeth her mouth

with wisdom. You have an intuition. Sometimes you feel and

you kind of know what has never been said, and

you sense things that are not good or good that

we as men don't always feel and know that is good.

It also has its dangers, you know, as we thought

some about influence and the influence you have on men,

we think of how Adam. The Bible tells us that

Eve she took of the fruit, and she gave to

her husband Adam, and he partook of it. And so

that is the odd side of that. There is a

danger there. But as we think of all that, we'd

like to share something more with you this evening. As sisters,

we turn our bibles to the Book of Proverbs chapter six,

and we want to notice there that the Bible speaks

about a we could say a family setting. Proverbs chapter six,

verses twenty through twenty three, it says, my son, keep

thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about

thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee. When

thou sleepest, it shall keep thee, and when thou awakest,

it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp,

and the law is the light. The law is light.

And it goes on to say in reproofs of instruction

or the way of life I was. We're privileged to

have been able to borrow this lamp. Today here in

the community, we are thankful for that. And here this

evening we have we have a lamp that has structure,

and it's put together in an amazing way, and it's

nice to look at. And as we look at this scripture,

it says, my son, keep thy father's commandment. In verse

twenty three, it says the commandment is a lamp. And

so in an ideal setting, it's like, you know, like

a father's instruction to his children. It's like this lamp.

There's structure there, there's something there of worth and value

and purpose, and where a father lays out guidelines and

the way things will be done tonight. If you know,

if the lights would be off in here, we couldn't

even see what's up here on this pulpit. And there's

something really missing here tonight as we look at this,

it is it's you know, we think about what this

thing was made for and what is missing is the light.

And tonight we're blessed with the privilege of being able to,

we trust, to light this lamp in light of drawing

from it what God's calling is on your life as sisters,

even in church life, you know, you're the ones many

times that make it come alive and help make it

be practical and something that can happen. And you know,

maybe Daddy gives an outline of how things are going

to be and maybe we as children we don't understand,

and you, as a wife and mother, you come along

and you just put a light in there. Will it's

because of this and you know though if we do this,

this will happen, and this is why Daddy wants this.

And so the light comes on and it is such

a blessing to be able tonight to light this lamp

and it becomes something beautiful, something that shines in the dark,

and it brings us back to our title. This evening

that we just want to leave with you as sisters.

You know, is the light on and it's possible that

because of things we have men have done, or because

of things you've experienced in your life and your home

and family. You know, we could we could blow this

lamp out tonight. You know, I think of the structure here,

even this globe on this lamp has a purpose, and

you know how it is. There's many a wife in

the world today that would not like the restrictions of

this globe. They would want to just take it off,

and they want to be able to have freedom to

do what they want to do. And you know, it

would result in the lamp possibly going out. It could

easily go out if we take the lamp off and

remove the lamp. We think of how it is, and

just thinking of that, I think of a meeting that

Bertha and I were at quite a few years ago,

and I think they were selling cookware at that meeting,

and right in the whole group, there was this lady

that stood up and said, I don't cook. Now, she

let it be known that's not her, and so she

would like want this globe removed and the structure of

the way God wants it to be. You know, God

did say to woman, she guides the house and she's

a keeper at home, But this tonight is beautiful. As

we think of this, we think of how God has

called you to shine and to be a light in

the world and in your family and in your home,

to the glory of God. May God bless you with

the ability to be the light for you that are wives,

to be like the light in your husband's lamp, and

to set the temperature and atmosphere of warmth a good

place to be of beauty and loveliness. There's one more

thing we'd like to do. This evening, we turn our

bibles to the Book of Timothy Verse Timothy, chapter two.

We notice these verses the other evening, maybe last evening,

you know where it tells us. In verse eight and nine,

it says, I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting

up holy hands without wrath and doubting, in like manner.

Also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness

and sobriety, not with braided hair, or gold or pearls,

or costly array. But which becometh women professing godliness with

good works. Is verse ten. I would desire that we could, just,

in a little simple way this evening, us as men

could endeavor to do this What it caused us to

do in verse eight for the sisters here this evening

that we're so blessed with. You know, how would it

be if suddenly all the sisters here tonight would be

gone and would not be here, and not be here

to make the difference in our lives that they make

we would we would indeed experience a great vacancy and

loneliness and loss. So I would like if in conclusion

this evening, in a moment, when we get ready to stand,

I'd like to you know, we have this evening the

blessing of godly sisters here dressed in modesty, in a

modest way, in a godly way, and even you know,

portraying from your life your submission to the Lord, and

like saying with Mary, behold the handmaid of the Lord.

And so I would like, as we stand for closing prayer,

in a moment, if we as men, if any of

us that want to to join in and just in

endeavoring to give our blessing and support and encouragement to

the dear sisters here tonight, we will stand, and we

will turn, of course, first of all to the Lord,

and also just toward our sisters. As we stand and pray,

and lift up our hands and pray, and ask the

Lord to let his blessing and benediction rest upon and

be poured out on our sisters here this evening. Will

there be anyone that have anything to share before we close,

Before we close, stand for closing prayer. Might you join

me as we pray. Father in heaven. We thank you

tonight for your goodness, your love to us. We thank

you that through Jesus you have purchased the bride the

Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, we thank

you tonight for every sister that is here that portrays this.

It is a witness of this to all the world.

We thank you for sisters here tonight that are walking

with you. We thank you for sisters here this evening

that have a light on in their heart the life

that you have placed there. And Father, we pray for them.

We pray for each one of them. We pray that

that light would never go out, even in the face

of adversity, and even as it were at night, through

difficult times. May their light keep shining, And we pray

and ask Lord you would be pleased to bless them.

May your benediction and blessing rest upon them as your

dear daughters in the Kingdom of God. Here on earth.

We thank you for them. We pray you would bless

and protect them, and we pray you would use us

as men as instruments to be a protection and blessing

for them. We ask in the precious name of Jesus

with thanksgiving. Amen, And you're dismissed. God bless you.