A Mother’s Greatest Gift
Chuck Sligh
May 12, 2013
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation of this sermon is available upon request by emailing me at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
NOTE: The inspiration for the main points and the basic concepts and some of the illustrations in this sermon was a sermon by Charles Stanley, though I have long forgotten the title.
TEXT: 2 Timothy 1:1-5 – “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
INTRODUCTION
Mothers are givers by nature:
• They give themselves to their husbands to conceive a baby.
• They give of themselves to carry that baby for nine, long, miserable months.
• They give of themselves to do the most thankless, boring and dismal routine tasks that are required for the daily upkeep of a home.
• They give of themselves to teach, nurture and train their children.
Yes, mothers are givers by nature. But what is the greatest gift a mother can give to her children? The answer to that is found in our text. Note 2 Timothy 1:5 – “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”
Eunice passed on HER FAITH to son Timothy. That’s the greatest gift a mother can give to her children, and for that matter, that a father, or both a father and mother can give to their children.
Many mothers today are rearing children in families where the husband is not a believer. This situation offers unique challenges to mothers. But Mom, it IS possible to rear up godly children and to give your children your faith even if you are the only one doing it.
We know this because Eunice was able to do it. – Note Acts 16:1-3 – “Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek [this is the New Testament term for a Gentile nonbeliever, whereas a religious Gentile or a believing Gentile was called a Grecian]: 2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”
Here we’re told some things about Timothy and his background. First of all, we see that Timothy’s father was a Gentile pagan. Though I’m sure that Timothy’s father may have passed on many good character traits to his son, he couldn’t offer spiritual guidance because he was a lost man. So it was left to Eunice and her mother, Lois to bring up Timothy in the Lord.
How did she do? Well, she must have done well because verse 2 tells us that Timothy was “well reported of by the brethren.”
But notice verse 3: “Him would Paul have to go forth with him…” When Paul met Timothy, he chose him above all other people he could have chosen to be his companion and helper. He saw things in Timothy that convinced him that this was a godly young man who could be a tremendous asset to his own ministry. He saw great potential in him—all because of Eunice’s labor, without the help of Timothy’s father as far as the spiritual side was concerned.
This is Mother’s Day and I want to leave you with six words that will help you rear another Timothy (or Tabitha). Though most the sermon is mine, I am indebted to Charles Stanley for these six words (he actually had seven) and some of the ideas for this sermon. These principles, by the way, apply to fathers too, so everything I say will be practical for ALL OF US TODAY, though I’m especially speaking to our mothers today.
I. THE FIRST WORD IN REARING YOUNG TIMOTHY’S IS THE WORD PRINCIPLE
Children need instruction. I’m not talking about family Bible reading here, as important as that is. I’m talking about applying biblical principles all throughout life—
• applying the Bible to your children’s interests and friends and activities
• hitting the “hot buttons” of their concerns and problems and worries
It’s vitally important to have family Bible reading and prayer led by Dad, if possible, and every home ought to strive for that. But that’s not what I’m talking about today. I’m talking about instructing children along the way—all day, day-by-day—taking the mundane activities and problems of life and going to the Word of God for answers.
For example,
• What does the Bible say about handling our money?…
• What does the Bible say about sex and morality?
• What does the Bible say about our bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit and what kinds of substances we should and should not put in our bodies.
• What does it say about friends and companions; and places you go; and obeying authority and rules and laws in life, etc.?
The key is to know what your children’s needs are and to be concerned about them and to apply the principles of the Bible on a natural, day-by-day basis.
Go with me to Deuteronomy 6:4-8 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”
Illus. – My parents were all too often inconsistent in the matter of family devotions. My dad was a vibrant spiritual leader, but he had a hard time sticking with regular family Bible reading and prayer in our busy hustle and bustle life. But though my parents were not as faithful in the STRUCTURED instruction of Scripture as they should have been, both were master teachers in the DAILY instruction and application of truth in the everyday affairs of life. We’d be talking about almost anything and many times they would have a Scriptural thought or an insight or a warning about the subject at hand.
Illus. – I remember one week after our pastor had preached on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” The next week we were driving on the interstate and suddenly we had a flat tire. Dad was saved and didn’t swear, but before that week, he would get pretty upset if he had a flat tire on the internet, but this time he remembered the pastor’s sermon and shouted, “Praise the Lord.”
Startled, Mom and said, “Why in the world would you say that?” and Dad reminded her of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and soon she was praising God too.
Fortunately, we were less than 100 yards from an exit with a service station, and sure enough, they could change the tire. Because it was oppressively hot, when Dad got the tire off, we just all hiked to the service station to get cooled off and get some cold drinks. We looked like a bunch of illegal aliens walking up the interstate, with Dad carrying a flat tire.
When we got there, I asked Mom if I could watch the workman change the tire. Dad had gone next door to a 7-11 to get the cold drinks, and Mom didn’t want me in the service bay unaccompanied, so she and I and my siblings went out to watch the mechanic change the tire.He showed us where a nail had punctured the tire and that he needed to put a plug in the tire to repair it.
Mom turned to us kids and said, “That’s what sin does. It deflates us of our joy and fulfillment, and the only way to fix it is to plug it with confession to God.” Then she turned back to watching the tire change. Today, I see that as a pretty unsophisticated metaphor, but it worked for me as a little kid, and I never forgot it.
In less than an hour in one day, Dad had taught me by example how to respond to trials, and Mom had taught me about sin by using a mundane life event.
Moms, some of you have husbands who don’t come to church; or he may not know Christ as his Savior; he might even FORBID you reading the Word of God to your child—but you can teach your son or daughter the principles and the teachings of the Word of God by applying God’s principles in every area of life. And you can do that day-by-day, all day long, all the time. And dads, you need to do the same thing as well.
II. THE SECOND WORD I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER TODAY IS PATTERN
We all have idiosyncrasies, and we know where we got them from—OUR parents—a certain expression on our face; a particular phrase we say, a distinct way of doing something, a certain way of responding to certain situations.
Illus. – Susan pointed out to me my habit of mispronouncing “next year” and saying instead “nex-cheer.” – Guess who I got that from…my Mom!
Illus. – Many people who sat under my Dad’s ministry say that some of my mannerisms from the pulpit remind them of my dad when he preaches.
These kinds of idiosyncrasies fall into three categories: good, neutral, and bad, but they’re real: If your parents WERE NEGATIVE, you’ll probably have a problem with a CRITICAL SPIRIT too. If your parents were FULL OF FEAR, you’ll most likely have PROBLEMS WITH FEARFULNESS too.
The same is true of POSITIVE traits too.
• If they were DISCIPLINED in their lives, you probably have a greater capacity to be disciplined in your own life.
• If they OPENED THEIR HOMES UP TO PEOPLE, you’re more likely to have a love for HOSPITALITY too.
In other words, a parent’s lifestyle is a parental pattern passed on to the child.
The parent never says,
• “Now, today I’m going to teach you how to handle stress.”…
• Or, “Turn in your Bible to Proverbs and let’s see what it says about gossip”…
• Or, “Today we’ll examine six biblical principles of finances.”
But if we PATTERN those things in our OWN lives, they’re more likely to be CAUGHT than taught.
I’ve never heard of a mom who sat down with her kids and said,
• “Now today, we’re going to learn how to have bad habits.”…
• Or, “I want to teach you how to be unorganized and undisciplined and waste most of your day on Facebook”…
• Or, “I’m going to teach you today how to destroy your lives in three easy steps.”
No, children just watch and listen and observe and learn and DO WHAT WE DO! We see that all through the Bible with mothers:
• EVE rebelled against God—and her son CAIN rebelled against God.
• REBECCA, Jacob’s mother, deceived her husband and her oldest son Esau—and JACOB followed right in her footsteps, struggling with deceit his whole life.
On the positive side—
• JOCHEBED, the mother of Moses, had courage and faith, and we see the same kind of courage and faith in MOSES also.
• HANNAH, Samuel’s mother, was known for her prayer life and SAMUEL is recorded in 1 Samuel 12:23 as saying “…God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you…”
• EUNICE had a strong, vibrant faith in God, and Paul says of TIMOTHY in 2 Timothy 1:5 – “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee [Timothy], which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”
Do you see what I’m talking about?—Children pick up from their parents.
Illus. – I recall visiting one of my supporting churches, seeing a boy whose dad was a song leader. He was on the front row waving his arms like his dad up in the pulpit.
Illus. – July Work teaches a kid’s class with her two teen daughters right by her side. Do you think they’ll be church free-loaders when they grow up—attending church, but not serving, not ministering, not giving, not participating? Not likely, because they’ve watched a pattern of their mother’s spirit of service.
Yes, children pick up from their parents—and that’s no less true with our faith, our values, our character and our morals. If I want my child to have a godly faith and life—I must PATTERN that for them.
III. CONSIDER NOW A THIRD IMPORTANT WORD FOR MOTHERS—PERSISTENCE
If you’re going to rear children, you’re going to have to have persistence. When you have a 15-year old who knows it all and he’s taller than you, Mom—you’d better make sure that when he pushes, YOU WON’T BUDGE. I don’t mean physically, but as far as the battle of the wills goes.
Every child needs something or someone he can’t push against and move it, and a good thing for that to be is a mother, or a father, or better yet—BOTH of them. A child needs to learn that there is something in life that doesn’t move when he or she pushes against it because, let me tell you something, GOD doesn’t move.
And I’ll tell you something else—THE LAW won’t budge either. And if you don’t teach a child that YOU won’t budge over what’s right or core values, or principle, then he’s going to run into a brick wall when he tries to push against God and His will for His life and His commandments. And if you don’t teach him you won’t budge NOW, he’ll keep pushing against every authority figure he comes into contact with until he finally meets someone or something that won’t budge. Unfortunately, it might be a supervisor who fires him, or a first sergeant who puts her out of the military, or even a judge who puts him in prison!
Parents, are you committed to giving your child some rules to live by? Now obviously you should periodically evaluate your rules and tweak them if they’re unrealistic or unfair or not biblically based. But once you’re convinced they’re right and fair and reasonable—then stick to them and stand by them and DON’T BUDGE AN INCH!
IV. THE FOURTH WORD I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER IS PARTICIPATION
Get down where your children are living; be a learner; participate in their lives. Not just on the spiritual level, but also the social and physical needs and concerns. Things that are fun to THEM. Things THEY are interested in.
If children don’t see that we care about the concerns of their daily lives, why would they believe God would care about them? Let them choose their own sports and/or hobbies, and whatever is THEIR passion—be involved; be connected; and facilitate and PARTICIPATE.
V. THE FIFTH WORD I HAVE FOR YOU TODAY IS PRAISE
Praise is the greatest motivation for teaching there is.
• How many of you love CRITICISM?—Not a one of you!
• How many of you love to be PRAISED for a job well-done?—Of course you do!
You should praise your children for any good thing they do—if they make good grades; if they dress themselves appropriately; if they do their chores well; if they choose the right friends.
There’s something about praise that motivates in a way that criticism never can. So PRAISE your kids and motivate them when they do the right things.
I’m not just talking about the spiritual arena. If you praise them in other areas, they’ll be more receptive when you teach them spiritual things. They’ll listen when you open the Bible if you have OPENED THEIR HEART first. An ounce of praise goes a thousand miles farther than a ton of criticism.
VI. MOMS, THE SIXTH WORD I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER TODAY IS PRAYER
Pray for your CHILDREN—for God’s working in their lives and for God’s protection from temptation.
Pray for YOURSELF—For wisdom, discernment, patience, perseverance, godliness, and consistency.
Not only pray FOR your children and yourself, but pray WITH them. They need to hear a mother’s plea to God for them. How many young people in the face of temptation came right to the point of surrender to temptation, but then heard their loving mother’s praying voice ringing in their ears and ran from the temptation?
CONCLUSION
Let me close with some final thoughts. And I’m not just talking to mothers now, but to you fathers as well. Do you have a faith to pass on to your child? If you pass on to your children what you believe and live, where will it get them?—Would it lead them to God? to heaven…or hell? to righteous living…or sinful living? to success as God defines it…or spiritual failure?
In that passage we looked at in Deuteronomy under our first point, I want you to notice something again. – Deuteronomy 6:4-8 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Do you see where it begins, parents? If you want to pass on your faith to your children, it has got to start with YOU. (EXPAND & CLOSE)
