Text: 2 Timothy 1:3-7
Title: Passing On Your Faith
2 Timothy 1:3-8 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 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. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
I. Pass On Your Faith
a. Through Prayer
b. Through God’s Word
c. Through Encouraging Them
d. Through Protecting Them
Today I am taking a short break from our series in Colossians in order to honor all you mothers. Motherhood is an extra special calling and it deserves our recognition.
I want to turn our attention to honoring mothers on this Mother’s Day.
1. Most recent mother
Who has had a baby in the past year?
Past 6 months?
Past 3 months?
Past 2 months?
2. Oldest mother
How many mothers here are 80 or older?
85 +
90+
91+
3. Who has the most kids?
Who has at least 4 kids?
5, 6, 7, 8
How many of you guys are mamma’s boys? I think that I can make a solid case that every guy is a mamma’s boy. Whenever you see the TV camera pan over to the bench at a football game what is the first thing that those big mean football players say to the camera? Hi mom.
Whenever you got hurt who was the first one you ran to? Mom. If you ran to dad he would just say, “That’s what you get” and then tell you to walk it off or something.
If you are in trouble who is the first one you go to? It’s always mom. She will love you and forgive you no matter what. Dad will let you sit in jail for a few days so you can think about what you’ve done.
The importance of a godly mother is something that we all instinctively understand, but I think that it is important for us to take some time and really think about it. What better occasion to focus on the importance of mothers than on Mother’s Day?
The Bible has a lot to say about this subject. There are many, many examples of godly mothers who where used by God in some amazing ways.
God used Sarah in her old age to be the mother of Isaac. Hannah, the mother of Samuel dedicated her son to God before he was even born. God used a young, humble girl to be the mother of Jesus. And as Jesus was dying on the cross he was concerned with the wellbeing of his mom.
In our passage today we will read about a couple of other mothers who had a significant impact on the life of Timothy. Follow along with me in 2 Timothy 1:3-7…
The first thing that we learn from this passage is that godly mothers pass on their faith. I love the way Paul words this section. He says, I know about the sincere faith that lies within you. It didn’t start with you though. It was passed on by your grandmother, Lois, and your mother Eunice.
Paul mentions these ladies by name. He fully understands that faith doesn’t grow in a vacuum. It has a starting place. For every one of us our faith was passed on to us from somewhere. In this case, Timothy was able to inherit the true faith of His mother and grandmother.
Timothy’s mother was Jewish and his father was a Greek. Even though this was somewhat of a unique match, Timothy received solid instruction from his mother from an early age. Timothy’s mother had a faith that came from her mother. She had also been instructed well throughout her life.
There is no doubt that families pass on their beliefs from generation to generation. This is true for the good qualities and the bad. There have been plenty of studies that show that alcoholism and substance abuse are to some degree genetic. There are some people who are more likely to become alcoholics because of their family history. Just like there are some who are more likely to get cancer or some other hereditary illness.
But we can also see how other qualities seem to be passed down through the generations. Parents who have anger problems, foul mouths, poor decision making abilities, and a hardness towards life tend to pass those traits on to their children.
And we see many examples of godly families who have passed on positive traits to their children. Things like optimism, creativity, confidence, are transferable. When our children see us praying, reading the Bible, attending church on a regular basis, they will want to do these things as well.
Mothers, you can pass on your faith in four big ways. First, you need to pray for your children. Pray with them, pray for them, and make prayer a regular part of your lives together. Pray before meals, and before bedtime. Pray when they are frightened. Pray with them while they are young and still at home, and then pray for them when they grow old and move out on their own.
There are many stories of godly mothers who covered their children in prayer, but one that has always been my favorite is the story of Monica. She was the mother of St. Augustine. Augustine was one of the most significant leaders in the early church. He helped to combat a few nasty heresies and helped to shape orthodox theology.
But Augustine didn’t come to faith at an early age. He had a godly mother who laid a foundation. But he spent a number of years carousing and living in sin. All during that time he pursued philosophy and intellectualism.
His mother didn’t ever give up on him. She continued to love him and encourage him, and regularly prayed for him. She didn’t try to guilt him into obedience, well I guess she might have in that subtle way that mother have of helping us see when we’re doing something stupid. She constantly lifted him up in prayer.
The Catholic Church made her a saint. She is the patroness of married women and mothers. Here is the prayer that is said in her honor:
"Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray." Amen.
I don’t recommend you say any prayers to her, but I do recommend that you pray like she did. Pray for their protection, their salvation, and their sanctification.
The next thing that you can do to pass on your faith to your children is teach them God’s Word. Louis and Eunice passed on a healthy understanding of God’s word to Timothy. We see a glimpse of this a few pages over in chapter 3:14-15…
2 Timothy 3:14-15 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 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.
Paul instructs Timothy here to hold fast to the things that he has learned because he can trust the source. Even though there will be false teachers who will try and lead them astray, Timothy can have confidence that the things he learned from his mother and grandmother are true. He says that from childhood, literally from infancy, you have known the scriptures.
Timothy’s godly mother trained her son up with a deep knowledge of the Bible. The trust and confidence that she had in it was transferred to Timothy. It was an understanding of the scriptures that lead to Timothy’s salvation.
I really believe that it is our responsibility as parents to teach our children about the Bible. Even though you might send your kids to a Christian school and get them in Sunday school classes here. It is up to us as parents to train them up. It has to start at home. Christian schools and church are only a supplement to the Christian education they should receive at home.
That means we have to be scholars of God’s Word. We need to read and understand the Bible ourselves. We can’t pass on what we don’t possess. Read from the Bible after dinner, read before bed, read it to them when they are bored and can’t think of anything else to do.
God’s Word has the power to transform lives, even young lives. 2 Timothy 3:16 is that well known passage that explains that all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. If you children need teaching, correcting, and the occasional rebuking, the Bible can help.
Don’t leave the responsibility of teaching your children to others. They will learn more from you than anyone.
Next, you can pass on your faith by encouraging your children. This is certainly done through prayer and Bible study. But there are so many other ways in which you can encourage your kids. The biggest way is by setting an example for them to follow. They will act the way you act. They will worry about the things you worry about. They will have confidence in the things that you have confidence in.
In verse 6 of our passage here Paul says, because you have a firm foundation from your mother and grandmother, keep the fire burning bright. In 7-8 he says, “7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
The faith that has been passed on is of a spirit of confidence, power, love and discipline. Timothy has bought taught to be strong and steadfast in the Lord. That should be our prayer for our children… that they be confidant and strong and disciplined. We want them to be loving people who are proud of their faith.
Last week we saw that instruction for parents to not exasperate their children. We don’t want them to become discouraged or disheartened. We need to find the right balance of love and discipline. What we say to our kids, and the way in which we say it communicates volumes to them.
Encouragement, acceptance, and love are things that godly mothers are very good at. It is almost guaranteed that there will be times in our children’s lives when they are disappointed, or discouraged, or picked on. A mother has the ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the world.
Along with encouragement comes protection. You can pass on your faith by protecting your children. Not overprotecting them, but watching out for them. Not only on the playground, but protecting their time, their education, their development. A mother has a way of making her children feel save and secure.
There are so many different ways of protecting children that ingenious mothers have come up with.
- One mother developed a line of children’s clothing called “Bruzwear”. Here is a picture. It has extra padding on the knees and the rear end. So when your kid falls they are less likely to get hurt. That is something that only a mother would think of. When a dad sees their kid fall they just say, “That’s how you learn”
- There are also a number of different ways that mothers can protect their children from what they watch on TV and see on the computer. Fortunately there are more and more child safety screens that can keep our kids safe from those threats.
- Mothers are also very good at making sure their kids eat right. Camille is so good at making sure we have a balanced meal. When Camille is gone and it’s my turn to make dinner the only vegetables that we get are French fries.
Protecting your kids is not simply about keeping them safe right now, but helping them to develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime. You want your children to understand that God is their ultimate protection and provider. He is the one who keeps us safe and guards our hearts.
Give your mother the praise she deserves today. Let her know how much you appreciate her and respect her. If you see her trying to do the dishes or the laundry you tell her, “Put that down, it’s mother’s day. It can wait until tomorrow!”
The book of Proverbs dedicates an entire chapter to honoring mothers. Let me read just a small part of that chapter…
Proverbs 31:10-12 10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:25-31 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
What a huge blessing it has been for me to be the pastor of the church that my mother and grandmother attend. I can really relate with Timothy. The faith of my grandmother and my mother has been passed on to me. My mom did a great job of passing on her faith through these things. She has prayed for me, taught me about God’s word, encouraged me, and protected me.
I have been so fortunate to have a mother who has always been my biggest fan. She has always been there for me to talk to; she was always willing to answer my questions. She always gave me solid advice and clear instruction. I didn’t always follow her advice, but she still loved me even when I made mistakes.
(Mom, thank you for passing on your faith to me. You have been a blessing to me all my life.)
I am also blessed to have a wife who is such a great mother. I really relate with this Proverb. I have full confidence in her. She has brought me nothing but good ever since I met her. She knows how to laugh, she speaks wisdom, and she is full of faithful instruction. She is definitely not idle. She works a lot harder than I do most days.
(Camille, thank you for being a faithful wife and mother, you deserve to be praised at the city gates.)
A faithful mother is highly to be praised. She is worth far more than rubies. Make sure you take time to honor the mothers in your life today.
