Mother’s Day is probably the toughest day of the year to preach. That’s primarily because it seems that Mother’s Day is a minefield of different emotions for so many in any given church. In the 8 years I have preached here at PBCC, I have not ever preached a Mother’s Day sermon. We have taken time out of the service to honor moms, but I typically have just barreled through with the sermon series we happened to be in at the time.

And to be honest it’s a difficult subject because while there are many of us who had great moms, some people have had – or still have – painful relationships with their moms, and some have lost their moms.

And then you have the ladies who would LOVE to be moms – but for whatever reason, could not be. And there are moms who pray continually for their kids who have gone off the rails, hoping that one day they will come back to the family or come back to their faith.

So it’s tough to find the balance. And besides, how many ways can you say honor your mother? I’ve heard that one so many times when I was growing up. And it can get so trite that it really carries very little meaning!

But today, as I DO bring a Mother’s Day message, one thing we can say that we all have in common - regardless of where you might fit into the mine field I described - is that we all have mothers. Our mothers gave us life. Whether they turned out to be great moms or terrible moms, or something in between, the Bible is clear that we are to honor our mothers.

I have long been fascinated with Western Turkey, and the area of the world where the seven churches of Revelation were located. In fact, one day, my hope is to visit that area to see for myself the places that I have studied for over 30 years now.

Of course, the actual cities where the churches that John addressed in The Book of Revelation no longer exist as they did in the First Century - but the ruins of those ancient cities can still be seen to some degree.

The only thing that remains are the foundation stones. You could still easily build on these foundations even today. The BUILDINGS that were on these foundations are gone - but the foundations have endured the centuries.

We have been talking about the Foundations of our Faith, according to Hebrews 6, verses 1-2. The Author of Hebrews was frustrated that the believers who, by the way, were being tempted to go back to the law to justify themselves, rather than to put their full weight on the work of Jesus for their righteousness, these believers SHOULD HAVE progressed to deeper spiritual truths - but they still were stuck on the ABCs of the Faith.

And it has been those ABCs of the Faith that we have spent the past couple of months studying, making sure WE understand the principle doctrines of Christianity - especially when we move on to the next thing the Author of Hebrews wants to talk about.

If you recall those ABCs are repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands (which is the work of the HS in the lives of believers), and finally the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And it’s this last part of the Foundations that we are in the middle of talking about.

It’s been said that an essential key in life... is the wisdom to navigate life WITH THE END IN MIND. IOW, when we understand what we want our life to lead to, we are able to form a life that is consistent with that end. So it’s vital that as a believer you bear in mind WHERE are you headed? What is the end aim for your life? Is there an aim - or are you just shooting your arrows at trees and then going up and painting the target on the tree where the arrow hit?

Where are WE going? What is the end that defines our existence? Where is life ultimately headed? These are the questions we are going to explore today. We’ve been studying the foundations of faith as outlined in Hebrews chapter 6. We talked about Repentance, and Faith, about Baptism and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And now we come to the end of the list - “the resurrection of the dead and eternal punishment.”

70% of Americans (or right around that number) believe that Jesus rose from the dead. But the reason there isn’t a spiritual awakening in this country is that what was ALSO determined from research was that for a good majority of those people who believe Jesus rose from the dead, those who acknowledge the truth of Easter, they don’t see how it makes any kind of difference to their lives.

And so, they do not live resurrected lives. They remain dead in their sins; their faith in Jesus’ resurrection, just a mere mental acknowledgement that has no power, practically, in their lives.

Many people may not gather in a faith community throughout the year - but somehow they know that being in church on Easter is somehow important. And they’re there. And they tell me, sometimes, how they USED to come here as kids - but they haven’t been in a long time. And they are afraid that somehow God is going to strike them with lightning as soon as they step foot in the building.

Some have even seemed hesitant to come in. You wonder what their lives must be like for that kind of almost FEAR. Like in there, where the service is happening is a holy place, and for whatever reason, they feel like they would not be welcomed there.

Some of you may have come to church this morning with a similar anxiety that something this morning at church is going to be holy, and you won't be welcome there. Deep inside there has been something that has been closed off, at least that’s how you feel. And you’re here today - but you aren’t sure you’re truly welcome in the presence of a holy God.

Today I want you to see that what you THINK, what you FEEL, has been closed off, actually has been opened. The title of today’s message is History’s Greatest Grand Opening. And there’s something exciting about a grand opening, isn’t there? Big news and great hope for the future.

I hope you’re ready today for a doozy! There is a skyscraper in Chicago known as Willis Tower. And one of the features of the tower is a glass sightseeing box extending from the 103rd floor. It attracts 1.5 million visitors each year. Pretty trippy, if you ask me.

BUT, what’s even scarier is that back in 2019, the protective layer covering the glass floor of the Skydeck shattered into millions of pieces. No one knows really why - but it just shattered. Apparently it happened when a woman with her two kids were standing there inside the extended box.

Needless to say, people are afraid to go out on the ledge anymore!

So I mentioned last week that we would look at the doctrine of the Trinity. And like the Skydeck, so many people are afraid to tackle the concept of the Trinity. We think it’s difficult, if not impossible, to understand - and even harder to explain! So people tend to stay safe, far away from the ledge.

On top of that, you have both certain denominations within Christianity, as well as some Christian-LIKE cults who have tried to shatter this doctrine with frontal attacks on the Trinity.

It’s my hope when we’re finished, each of us will grow in our delight of the triune God and our faith will be fortified. AND, if you are good at taking notes, I hope you’ll pick up some good points to use when someone asks you WHY you (and your church) believe in the Trinity.