Mother's Day - Heather Starr

Hey guys, Pastor James Murray here and I want to welcome you to the Abide Sydney podcast. This whole podcast is designed to help you on the journey of discipleship and our mission is to make disciples of the people of Sydney. But maybe not from Sydney, we hope this blesses you, so sit back, relax and enjoy this podcast. Today, we actually have a really special person who's going to be sharing the scriptures with us and I want to do personally welcome her up as she does this. She is actually her and her husband, the elders of our shy location here who we are very grateful for. We love them. Great for all they do in the life of our church and who they are and what they bring. And so today, this is really special because this is not just someone who is going to share a great word but also someone who's lived this message and is living this message. And top of that, we live in a time where many people don't have voices of a mother or a father in their life and that is really important to us as human beings. We need those voices in our lives as affirming voices. And so when the scriptures tell us that we can actually have, and if you need to all this, it might sound strange, but there's spiritual fathers and mothers. People who, because we are now a part of the church, it says we're like adopted in this new family and this family now brings around us maybe what was absent in our lives. Maybe you didn't have an affirming voice of a father or a mother. Well, the church actually should be a space where that is provided and I believe this woman to be a person who is like a spiritual mother in our church. And today, this message is really going to encourage and edify us as we continue to follow Jesus. And so, would you put your hands together and would you welcome? Here's the star she comes to encourage us around the world of God today. Thank you, Heather. Okay, no, you can all sit down now. That's enough. I'll probably fall over. I just want to welcome you all here today. It's so lovely to have you all here. I just want to especially welcome women because today's Mother's Day, but I just want to say women, I think you're amazing. I think we're awesome. I think that God made us super special and I want to encourage all the women today. We're going to put up two photos, they have two women. These two women changed the women in their lives. They changed their lives. The first woman, I'm going to speak, is Evon. She lived in the Shire, she's passed away now, but she lived in the Shire. She was a mum, she raised four sons, and she was a business owner, but she loved God. She loved the Lord. The second woman is her name is Naomi, and she's found in the book of Ruth in the Bible. And she was in the land of Judah, Israel, and they had to move eventually, and she went to Moab. The land of Moab, because it was a famine, but this woman also was a woman of God. And even though she moved to a land that had lots of different gods and they served other gods and would not have been easy, she stayed faithful to her one true God. Both of these women were mother-in-mores. And both of these women changed their daughter-in-law's lives. We're going to talk about them today, but the two things that I want to encourage you with today is, first of all, you and I can be an influence on the people around us. Wherever you are, whether it be in your home, as a woman, whether it be in your workplace, whether you be in as a friendship, you are a person of influence, and you influence your home and those people around you, who God brings around you, and you have to look at your life and think, "Am I a godly influence?" Do I shine Jesus? Do people see "Am I a carrier of God's glory?" And then the second point that I want to make is that God has a plan for your future. That it doesn't matter what your past is, doesn't matter what's happened in your past. God says, "I have a plan for you, and it's a plan for good. It's not a plan to bring disaster or harm, but it's a plan to give you future." Just as you did with these women, and so they're the things that I want you to take away from today. But first of all, I want to talk about Ruth, sorry, Naomi, on the right-hand side. She is found, yes, in the book of Ruth. But this woman, she lived in Judah with a husband, and there are two sons, but there was a time of famine, and her husband said, "Let's get out, let's move on for a better future," and they went to the land of Moab. But Moab, as I said before, was a land that had foreign gods served, lots of corrupt things and whatever. And so that wouldn't have been easy for her. But she lived there, but she stayed faithful to her god. Eventually, her sons got married, and they married two women, two different women, obviously, two women. Sorry, one was called Orpa, and one was called Ruth. Sadly, eventually, Naomi's husband died, which was very sad, and then a short period of time later, her two sons died as well. So that meant Naomi is now left in a land, a foreign land, with no future, with no hope. This isn't her land, this isn't her people, and she, not only for herself, but she also has two daughter-in-laws that are in her home, that she now has no future for them. She cannot support them. She's got no way of looking after them. And so Naomi decides, there's no future for me here. So she decides she's going back home to Israel, to her people, to her land. She'll have relatives there, perhaps, that may be able to help her. So she packs the stuff up and starts on her way, and the girls go with her. And she doesn't get very far, and she stops. And she says to them, girls, I can't promise you anything. I can't give you anything. You are Moabites. You're not really welcome in the country where I'm going. I don't know if I can have a future for you. And so she says to them, why don't you stay here? You're young, you can re-marry again. Stay here, and get new husbands, and stay with your people, stay with your families. So Orpa, one daughter-in-law, she says, yes, right, yep, I'll stay. And she turns around and goes back. But Ruth, Ruth says no, Ruth says no. And here we see the beautiful story of Ruth and Naomi, because Ruth didn't fall in love necessarily with Naomi's riches, with her beauty, or her joy, because it's gone. It's all gone. Just nothing. Naomi has nothing to offer her. Ruth fell in love with her grace and her virtues and her kindness and her loving nature. Ruth knew there was something about this woman that I want. There was something about this woman that she wanted to cleave to and stay with. And she chose a future with Naomi, rather than a future going back to her own family. And so Ruth says, in Ruth 1, the book of Ruth 1 verse 16, Ruth replies to Naomi and says to Naomi, don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you leave, I will live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Ruth thought that she was choosing Naomi, but in actual fact Ruth was choosing her plan, the plan that God had for her life. She was stepping into God's plan for her life. She was stepping into God's future for her. And she didn't even realize that. Ruth's choice in that one time of faith, not knowing where her future was, that one choice that Ruth made changed her future forever. And if you read the book of Ruth in the Bible, Ruth's one step of faith changed her life, gave her a future. And in actual fact, Ruth became the great grandmother of King David. And also she's in the lineage of Jesus. Without Ruth, there is no King David, without King David, there is no Jesus. Because she, or, anyway, yes, so God changed her future. I'll talk about Eve on, next. She's Ivan She's not with it not with a senior longer, but Nio Ruth. Sorry, Ivan is my Niohemi Ivan is my mother-in-law and I came brought up in a broken home It was very unstable my father was an alcoholic and My mom was just angry because life had cheated her and So whenever you went home, it was a very hostile. It could explode at any moment and So, you know what best don't go home best stay out as long as you can because you don't know what you're walking into and so I hung out The beach most of the days, which is not so bad Not so hard, but I hung out the beach most of the day stayed out late at night and That eventually at the age of when I was about 11 my father did leave He did leave and probably about that I tried to stay in contact with him wasn't easy about the age of 16 He actually Wrote me a letter because I tried to contact him a number of times. He wrote me a letter and I am adopted So he wrote me a letter and said do not contact me anymore. I've started a new life. You were never my Child anyway So I don't want to know you actually a letter. I don't want to know you any more Do not ever contact me again and never did never did. I never heard from him again And that was at the age of 16 now with all that I Know I could have made a mess of my life. I know that probably whatever I tried to build carrying that rejection And fees I probably would have made a mess Whatever I tried to do in my future. I was just trying to survive. I was just trying to survive Not long after that a little way after that I met Glen and I met Glen and after a period of time he took me home to meet his family I went and met his family. I walked in was one evening. We'd been out for dinner and we went home. It was one evening I walked in and they're all sitting in their jarmies all on the lounge Watching some of you will know this sail of the century With Delvein in the gift shop and They're all just sitting there so comfortable and nice and relaxed and it was just peaceful I think his mum was in the kitchen pottering But it was just warm and I felt safe and I thought this is what I want This is what I want How do how do I make this happen? What is this? And so then over periods of time when I would go with Glen back to his home his mother was very loving was very kind to me always made me feel welcome. She seemed to have a joy about her that and a piece about her that I just thought Okay, my mum's just always angry just angry at life just angry and I understand that now But at the time his mother just had a piece about her and so I still love going there and I actually say Truthfully, I fell in love with his mother before I fell in love with him I just wanted to be around this woman. I thought what how has she done this? What has What is it that she has to have created this safe place this environment? Anyone one night she invited us to go to church with her and I went to church and That night was the first night I heard about Jesus and I heard what Jesus had done for me. I heard that Jesus loved me cared about me Wanted to have a relationship with me? He was a God that you could have a relationship with I always just thought he was someone over there But he wanted and he knew me He knew me and so that night I said yes to Jesus That night I said yes Because I realized that's what she has She has God and I realized that that's that's the difference that was in this woman She knew God and I thought well then I want her God and so I said yes to Jesus that night and By saying yes to Jesus for me That was just like what Ruth did I then stepped into God's plan for my future Just like Ruth stepped into her plan the plan that God had for her future I that night also stepped into the plan that God had for my future by trusting him I my past did not have to determine my future My past did not have to determine my future because you know what I believe it would have I believe I would have made a mess of things But because I gave my heart to Jesus I Then was able to trust him and he was he changed my future My future now, I don't know I've probably got some of my family here if you want to stand up Yeah, go on who's here some of them are here some we hear this morning. Oh there they are the back there Best friend for over 30 years Yeah another one there Equal equal I just want to say that is my future. They became my future, but you know what they became my past As well because my past was messed up My past wasn't good But now they're my future and then my past when I look behind I have them I have them in my past That's when it started when I gave my heart to Jesus They are my future as well God gave me my heart's desire God gave me that home I was able to then raise my children and one of my sons once said to me I know Jesus is real mum because you just didn't teach him to us. You lived him to us in your everyday life You lived to Jesus and so what I want to encourage you with today More most importantly in my message are the two the two Encouragements that I want to give you is Naomi and Ruth Sorry, Naomi and Eve on lived thousands of years apart in very different circumstances Very different circumstances and yet those two women Influenced two women and changed their future And I want to encourage you today as women in particular that your surroundings who you Are with whether it be in your family in your workplace or your friends. Are you an influence? Of God to them. Are you a carrier of the glory of God? Are you someone that people look at and think are curious about God? Do you shine Jesus or do they see nothing about you nothing different? As a mother, we all know when we get up in the morning or if we come home from work or wherever and if we're in a bad mood Everybody's in a bad mood We know that as mothers that's the authority that you carry That's the the power that you carry So I want to encourage you as women today if you love Jesus if you've put Jesus first in your life Be an influence to those around you. There's so many influences with our phones today There's paid influences to influence you Like the tell you to do this tell you to wear that tell you to be like this Raise your children like this raise your children like that. You want to raise your children there? That's how you raise your children It's in there. That's how you raise your children You be the influence in people's lives. You be the influence in your home because you don't know Who you will be speaking to you don't know who God's going to use Who God will help God will use you to touch someone else's life? You don't know, but I want to encourage you that you be that that joy that the Generosity the kindness that goes the extra mile and Love someone Love someone, but then I also want to touch on God has a plan for your life and Doesn't matter about your past because sometimes people's past is messy. My mind was messy enough that I don't even really like talking about it But because I said yes to Jesus at night, and I was only 16 17 Because I said yes to Jesus at night my past did not determine my future And it doesn't matter. I want to encourage you Did we put the scripture up? Jeremiah 29 11 Okay, great. It's there. For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. They are plans for God Not disaster not to harm you God has a plan for God good for your life, a hope, just like Pastor James talked earlier, that we live in a world now that can seem like so messed up. And so what are you supposed to do? Who knows? God knows. You know what? God's in control. God is never out of control. Never has been and never will be. He is in control. And he says, "You give your life to me. You step out in faith just like myself and Ruth did. I will give you that future." Because in Psalm 139, Psalm 139 says that even as you were being formed in your mother's womb, I knew you. He knew you. It's my favorite Psalm. Because I think being adopted, I don't know who my parents are. I don't know who my biological parents are, but God does. But it didn't matter. You know what? It doesn't matter. Because he watched me being formed in my mother's womb, and he knew that he had a plan in the future for me. And so when I then found out about Jesus and gave my life to him, then my life changed. And what I have today, as you saw in my family, what I have today is because of his goodness and his hope and his life. And I don't know what's happened in your life. I don't know the mistakes that you could have made. But it's only the devil that will keep you trapped back there. It's only the devil that will keep you until you, that you're not good enough for God. You're not good enough. You can't change. You'll always fall back to old ways. You're too messed up. No one's ever going to really love you. That's not what God says. God says I will give you beauty for ashes. Your ashes, if you bring them to God, he'll say I'll make beauty out of that. So I want to encourage you today, as I'm finishing up, it doesn't matter how broken or lost you are or you were. I gave my heart to Jesus and I have never looked back and I've been a Christian for over 45 years and I've walked with him. I've served him. I've loved him and he's never given me any reason to doubt him. I pray to God and he answers. Sometimes he can eat a late. It's one thing I'll give you a heads up now, very rare that God is early and he's answers. Sometimes he's on time. A lot of time he's a bit late for us. But he answers. I want to encourage you that Jesus died for you. The mistakes you made, the past that you had, Jesus died for that because he wants a relationship with you. Jesus died on the cross, but God raised him from the dead. God had the power to raise him from the dead because he took on your sin. He took on your shame. He took on your mistakes. Jesus says bring them to me. Nothing's too big. Bring me your pain. Bring me your suffering. Bring me your mistakes. Trust me. All you got to do is say yes to Jesus. All you got to do is say yes to Jesus and he then will change your life just how he did for me. God has given me the future that I always dreamed of. When I walked into my boyfriend's house and I said this is normal. This is what I should have. This is what I want. Heather Star couldn't have done it. Couldn't have done it. I would have messed it up. I would have carried all my baggage with me into any relationship I went into. But when I went to church and heard about Jesus, I knew that was right. I knew. Give your life to him. And I did. And he then gave me the desires. He then gave me the family that I always wanted. Doesn't mean there's not going to be mistakes. Doesn't mean there's not going to be mess-ups. There will be. But God, if you give him first, just like Ruth did and just like I did. God can give you that future and that hope that you've always wanted. I'm now going to hand over to Pastor James, to close our service. Thank you, Heather. Can we thank Heather for sharing that this morning? What a beautiful, beautiful message. Why don't you stand your feet as we come to a close here on this Mother's Day weekend, hearing from an amazing mother in our church. Hearing that message, I'm just reminded that this is the antithesis, the countercultural way in which most people live their lives. In fact, we live in a world that says of secularism and humanism that says, you know what, there isn't really much purpose. And so just do your best to live this life and make sure you're happy and make sure you do you, right? And at the end of this all, you came from nothing, you go to nothing. And that paradigm, that ethos of life, it doesn't seem to work. Have you noticed this? There's still something within us that says there's more. There's more to this. Surely there's purpose to this. Surely we're not just some big cosmic mistake. But yet there's something inside of us. In fact, the Bible says that eternity is set in the hearts of men. In other words, there's something within us that says there is more. And that's why we're still endeavoring to discover more, or find more, or reach more because we know there is more. There is more to this. But yet many people look outside of God or look even within themselves to try and discover that. And yet time and time again, it doesn't seem to measure up. In fact, the word abuse, which I know can be sensitive to some in this room. And so I'm saying this lightly, but I do know that the word abuse comes from two words, abnormal use, abnormal use. And so while there is much abuse that people will do to others in this world, I know that life without God is very much like abusing the human condition, the soul. Why? Because we're abnormally using our lives, not in the way they should be used. So in coming to God, what we do is we're recognizing that I was made by God, for God to live with God. That's the truth. That's the foundation of the Christian faith that, yes, we are made by God. And with this beautiful God who made us, he also gave us great purpose. We're not a mistake. There's not chance and coincidence. It's actually divine. And that he, as Heather mentioned earlier, he formed you in your mother's word. He had plans and purposes for us. But those plans and purposes will never make sense until you're in alignment with God, until you're in connection with the one who made you. So as much as you can see, the outworking of God's purposes in Heather's life, and in the life of Ruth, and Naomi, and many others in the archives of Scripture, what we do know is that all of them had one uniting fact, and as all of them said, I put my hope in the Lord. I put my trust in the Lord. I trust God for what he will do, because I may buy him for him to exist with him. And so that being said, would you just close your eyes at a moment of privacy and reflection if you're here today, and the truth is you are not in relationship with God. But you know there's something more, and you've tried to discover it in many ways, and you know now that the ways and the avenues and the relationships, the spheres I've been looking at to try and find that purpose and fulfillment, it's not working. And if it doesn't, it only seems momentary. But today as Heather was speaking, and as we open the Scriptures, it's like something started to resonate inside of you. Maybe there is something more. Maybe I too can trust that same God that Heather talked about, and what Scripture talks about. And so maybe is the day to day where you say, "Gay, I'm going to trust the Lord. I'm sick of being my own God, ruling my own universe, because I seem to keep on making a mess of it." And today is the day where you surrender, and you trust the Bible uses the word repent, which means simply to turn and to trust. It's a beautiful word. I'm going to trust the Lord. I'm going to turn. Instead of putting hope in me, I'm going to put hope in him. Instead of putting trust in me, I'm going to put trust in him. And many people in the room have made this decision. And what we've discovered is that, yes, life still has its moments, but what we do have is a security, a foundation, a hope in the Lord. And it does change the way we do life. It changes the way we see life. It changes the way we see ourselves and others. It's profoundly reorientating to bring our lives to the Lord. And it's for good. It's for good. And so if you're here today and you're saying, "I need to make that decision to trust the Lord with my life," because I've been trusting me for too long. It's not working. But I know today is the day where I need to trust him. I want to put my hope in my trust in him. And you've never done this before, but you know today is something just, it's like it's just falling into place now. That's the one I need to trust. that I'd have to include you in a prayer. So as your eyes are closed, if you're saying, "Yeah, James, I actually read," something is clicking for me today. It makes sense. Today is the day I need to trust God. So I'd love to be included in a prayer that starts the journey of putting my trust in Him and believing in Jesus and trusting my life over to Him. So with eyes closed, if you're saying, "James, "yeah, I'd love to be included in that prayer." Would you just lift your hand up and say that to me? Yeah, including that prayer today, I want to trust in the Lord. Yeah, God bless you, one person, two. Yeah, who else is there? That's me today. I want to trust God. Don't trust in me. I want to trust the Lord. Who else is there this morning? Including that prayer today, James. I'd love to begin that journey of putting my trust in Him. Thank you, Father. For all that you're going to do in the lives of people in this room, as we trust in you. And so for those who've lifted their hands today, saying, "I want to trust God." Actually, before I do pray this prayer, I just get the sense that someone here today is well and you just, you feel, yes, that makes sense, James. But I don't know if I'm worthy of that type of new beginning as Heather talked about. I don't think I'm worthy of that. Well, welcome to the party. None of us are. And none of us were. And that's why the Bible says in Ephesians that God who is rich in mercy makes us alive in Christ. It is by grace we have been saved. And so if you don't feel worthy enough for God, welcome to the club. None of us were. And that's why we needed God's mercy. So I just want to encourage for someone with that today, 'cause I think you think you're too far gone from, too far gone for God, but no one has ever too far gone. Ever, ever. So today's the day to trust and put your hope in Him. But for those who've lifted their hands today, to be included in that prayer, we're going to pray prayer together. And so would you pray with me for those who've already prayed this prayer, but especially for those who are praying that for the first time today. Say this, say, "Dear Jesus, thank you for your word today. Thank you that you died on a cross. For my sin, for my shame. Today I turn, I trust you with my life. I receive your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness. Today I start my journey of following you in Jesus' name. Amen, amen. Can we celebrate with those who prayed that prayer today? So good. And if you did pray that prayer, I just want to. Well, we hope this podcast has inspired you on your journey of discipleship to Jesus. If you want to know more about our church, just go to abide.sidney. We'd love to get to know you. If not, you're from another place. Hey, why don't you share this with someone else and hopefully it helps them as they continue to follow Jesus. Have a great week. (upbeat music)