Momma's Seminary

Momma’s Seminary

2 Timothy 1: 5

Intro: Play video “MIGHTY” downloaded from sermon central.

. What a powerful video.

. The narrator talked moms doing “Jesus work” the shaping of souls.

. Moms you do that.

. You shape character and integrity and model how to love unconditionally for us and to us.

. The MVP of the NBA was announced this week. The winner was Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his acceptance speech, he thanked all his teammates and coaches. A very emotional speech but he saved the best for last. He told of growing up poor in Washington DC with just him his brother and his single mom. With tears streaming down his face, this is what he said.

. “You made us believe. You kept us off the street. You put clothes on our back and food on the table. When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP”.

. What a tribute to his mother. What an example of love.

. Obviously Kevin got a good dose of work ethic and character from his mom also.

. That’s what mom’s do, they love and sacrifice.

. Out of the French Revolution came a story of a mother who wandered through the woods for three days with her two children, trying to survive on roots and leaves. On the third day, she heard some soldiers approaching and quickly hid herself and the children behind some bushes. The sergeant in charge noticed the movement, so he prodded the bushes to see what was stirring behind them. When he saw the starving woman and children, he had compassion on them, and immediately gave them a loaf of brown bread.

The mother took the bread eagerly, broke it into two pieces and gave one piece to each of the two children. The sergeant noted, "She has kept none for herself." A soldier asked, "Is it because she is not hungry?" "No," the sergeant answered. "It is because she is a mother."

. There was a woman in a local church that had a son that was quite unruly. They had a visiting missionary come and he was trying to stir up interest to get people to go to a foreign country to preach the gospel. As the missionary was speaking, there was a little boy that seemed determined to disrupt the whole service. The missionary dug in though and finished the service.

At the end of the service a woman dragging the little boy behind her, told the missionary, "I just feel like God is calling me to be a missionary."

The missionary replied that he felt that God was also calling her to be a missionary and pointing to the little boy, he said "And there’s the little heathen he wants you to start with."

. I could spend our whole time this morning singing the praises of our mothers.

. They do so many things but I believe that teaching their children about God is the most important thing they can do.

. While most seminarians spend a few years learning about God, your children spend a lifetime in your seminary.

. That’s why I titled this morning’s sermon Momma’s Seminary.

. In our scripture his morning, we are going to see a familiar figure to most Christians and we are going to see the people who influenced him the most.

. Paul is writing to Timothy, his “son” in the faith as he calls him.

. His protégé. He begins by telling Timothy that he thanks God for him and how Timothy has become that son in the faith to him.

. He then reminisces about when they were last together and how he longs to see him again.

. He then reminisces about Timothy’s faith. That’s where our scripture starts this morning.

. It’s only one verse but in it, we two very loving and devout mothers.

. 2 Timothy 1:5.

. 5I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.

. Paul tells Timothy that he remembers his faith.

. Faith that had been passed down from his grandmother.

. Her name was Lois and obviously she was familiar with the scriptures.

. We don’t know much more about her. Timothy’s grandfather wasn’t even mentioned. His grandmother was obviously the spiritual leader in the household.

. She would have been taught by her parents as they had been taught by theirs.

. I am sure that she was familiar with proverbs 22:6 that reads.

. 6Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

. This may be more familiar to you in the KJV.