What a Godly Mother Brings to the Table
2 Tim. 1:5, 3:15
May 13, 2007 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction
A
B For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well...and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 1:5, 3:15 (NASB)
Conclusion:
A Gospel
B Ask mothers, grandmothers, aunts to come forward.
1 If your children, Grand kids, little ones are with you, bring them with you . . . because they’ll play a part of the second part of the altar time.
2 There are some senior saints who are going to pray over you.
a Anointing, blessing, thanksgiving, pray Jesus’ name over your life, etc.
b Allow them to pray over you and then I’m going to lead you through a prayer blessing over your own children, grand kids or little ones.
c Dear God,
You are the God most high, and I love you. I know that every Good and perfect gift comes from your hand. Fill me with your Spirit God
* Thank you for trusting me with your children.
I bless them in your name O God
Choose them for you Kingdom
Use them to grow your Kingdom
Gift them for ministry
Fill them with your Spirit.
Use them to reach their generation for you
I The first thing a godly mother brings to the table in the influence of her faith. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well...and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus
A Timothy was a church pastor that impressed the Apostle Paul (Paul’s protege).
1 Timothy was a man of great sincerity, genuineness, authenticity, & faith...but Paul wasn’t responsible for the genesis of Timothy’s sincere faith.
a Grandmother (Lois) & mother (Eunice)
b It was not Grandad, Daddy, uncle, pastor, Sunday School...it was the women God put in his life-he became a pastor!
2 These women gave Timothy his direction because that was the path they were on!
a "Which first dwelt with in your grandmother and mother."
b ...and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings...
3 Eunice & Lois passed on to Timothy their faith, love of Scripture, & the things of God.
B Mothers, you can’t teach what you don’t know, & you can’t give what you do not have.
1 If you have put your walk with God out there for all the world, taken your stand & held it, spent time at church, doing church, trained your children to love God, His Word, His Son, His Bride...your faith is influencing your kids.
2 I want to cry every time a mom/dad says, "We’re going to let our child make his/her own decisions about religion."
a Every day our kids get a little older & parents’ influence gets a little less (teachers, kids in their class, other adults).
b If you don’t influence your kids with your faith while they’re young, you’ve just made the devil’s job a lot easier.
3 "Preacher, it’s the father’s job to raise his children to love the Lord." Amen, but for many homes the men are not getting the job done. God will bless you, moms!
a I’m not your pastor because of the influence of a godly father.
aa Mom took me, dropped me off, sent me...Mom didn’t stay often.
bb God will take your best effort (often your effort) & bless it...He’s God, He can do what He wants.
b Not all great (godly) mothers have great (godly) kids, but all great (godly) kids have great (godly) mothers.
aa The mothers of Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Billy Sunday, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Floyd Jent were not great preachers...they were great mothers.
II The second thing a godly mother brings to the table is their prayers.
A One of the most heart-wrenching prayers in Scripture is that of a woman by the name of Hannah. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11 She made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head." 12 Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. 13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 17 Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him." 20 It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked him of the LORD." 27 "For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 1 Sam 1:10-13, 17, 20, 27 NASB)
1 She cries out to God to hear her prayer.
a She made a vow-give me a son, & I’ll give him right back.
b She kept praying even after she stopped praying...her prayers were always on her lips.
c Eli added his prayers to hers (important that both mom & dad pray for their children).
2 Hannah gave birth to a son, Samuel
3 God hears the prayers of a godly mother.
B Abraham Lincoln, "I remember her prayers. They always followed me. They have clung to me all of my life."
Billy Sunday, "Thank God my mother stopped praying."
1 I recently read of a Christian layman’s story about him hearing his mother pray when he was 16.
a Mom was praying, "O Lord, I commit my little boy into Thy keeping. When I am gone don’t let him do anything or go anywhere that he would be ashamed of in his mother’s sight."
b He wrote, "I remember thinking, where are you going? Can I come, too?"
aa Three months later, as he & his father lowered his mother’s coffin in the grave he understood part of her prayer more clearly.
bb Two years later, he’s a freshman in college, running with a crowd near to hell, & they asked him to go bar-hopping with them. He remembered his mother’s prayer.
cc His friends asked, "What’s wrong? Tied to your mother’s apron strings?" He replied, "Yes, thank God, I am." God hears the prayers of a godly mother.
2 Moms, pray for your children.
a Let them know (publically, privately)
b Ask them what you can pray about.
c Pray Scripture for/over them
Conclusion:
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
