The Faith Family Series

I Timothy #5

CHCC: May 13, 2007 (MOTHER’S DAY)

The Faith Family

I Timothy 5

INTRODUCTION:

Have any of you been confronted with a “good news, bad news” situation lately? I heard about a man who got a call from his doctor. The doctor said, “Your test results are in, and I’ve got good news and bad news for you.”

The man said, “Okay --- give me the good news first.”

The doctor said. “The good news is: your test results indicate you have 3 days to live.”

“That’s the good news?” the guy exclaimed. “For heaven’s sake, what’s the bad news?”

Well,” said the doctor, “The bad news is: I forgot to call you yesterday.”

In today’s sermon I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is --- the church is like a family.

The bad news is ------the church is like a family.

For most people family is the most important thing in life. But that doesn’t mean family life is easy. Most of you have heard the famous speech Winston Churchill gave during World War II. He said, “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills.” Now, to some of us, that quote sounds a lot like our last family vacation!

In I Timothy chapter 5 the Apostle Paul talks to a young pastor named Timothy about the Church FAMILY. He starts by telling Timothy: Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. I Timothy 5:1-2 RESPECT is the foundation for any healthy Family.

1. Respect I Timothy 5:1-2

Believe it or not, ALL the people in the Church are --- in a very real way --- your relatives. No matter what kind of earthly families we come from, we all have the same Heavenly Father. The way we talk TO and ABOUT each other should show the RESPECT that is proper within a family.

Of course, every family has some friction now and then. There are times when we need to get our troubles out on the table. Paul isn’t saying we should overlook problems --- or sweep things under the rug. What he IS saying is that we owe each other RESPECT --- even when we disagree. When Paul said, “Do not rebuke” the word rebuke describes a condemning or violent attitude. Instead, Paul said we should “exhort” --- which conveys the idea of coming alongside to strengthen someone who is weak.

I went to visit my Parents on Monday through Friday of this week. My Dad has had some recent heart surgery and is having a slow recovery. Thinking back about my childhood, I would never have DARED to speak disrespectfully to my Dad. Now that he’s getting older, I can’t even imagine talking to him without proper Respect. Most of us understand that we owe our mom’s and dad’s all the honor we can give.

Mother’s Day is all about HONORING our Moms. There’s no doubt that Mothers deserve lifelong appreciation from their children. I’m especially aware of Mom’s with Preschoolers --- because that’s the age of my Grandchildren ( I probably haven’t mentioned it recently, but I have 4 of them.)

Recently I heard about a MOM who was home with her Little Ones when the phone rang. In going to answer it, she tripped on a rug. She grabbed for something to hold onto, and turned over the telephone table. It fell over with a crash, and jarred the receiver off the hook. The table landed on top of the family dog, --- who leaped up, howling and barking. That startled the woman’s 3-year-old son, who broke into loud screams --- which woke the baby who started wailing.

The woman crawled over to the phone --- muttering under her breath --- and finally managed to pick up the receiver. She put it to her ear just in time to hear her Husband’s voice on the other end saying, "Nobody said hello yet, but I’m positive I have the right number." James Dent, Charleston, W.Va., Gazette.

Moms with Little Ones are in the “trenches” of Motherhood. When they come to Church, they need time away to get some Spiritual input. That’s why we put an Insert in the Bulletin today where you can Volunteer to help with some of our Children’s Ministries here at CHCC.

I’ve asked Jenice Longfield to tell you a little about the ministry of working with out CHCC children. She and Bob sometimes help with Wee Worship. In fact, she was scheduled today, but Ronnie said he’d cover for her since it might mean he could get some new volunteers.