A. A drill sergeant was frustrated trying to make a soldier out of a recruit.
1. The trainee lagged behind on marches, used any excuse to go on sick call, grumbled always about the food, & never made his cot up properly.
2. But one day, a noticeable change took place in the young man's attitude. When asked to what he attributed the soldier's change in attitude, the drill sergeant explained, "Threats & punishment didn't work, so I had to resort to the ultimate weapon: I called his mother!"
B. This story reminds us of the PROFOUND & POWERFUL INFLUENCE that a mother has on her children.
1. Think about that as we ponder 2 Tim 1:5, “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.”
A. Lord Shaftesbury said, “Give me a generation of Christian mothers & I will undertake to change the whole face of society in twelve months.”
1. Phil. 2:20, Paul says, There is no one like Timothy — “For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”
2. And Acts 16:2, states that “Timothy … was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.”
3. What caused Paul & Luke to make such commendable statements regarding this ‘Son in the faith'?
4. The ANSWER is found in 2 Tim 1:5, as Paul recalls the PROFOUND INFLUENCES that Timothy had in his life.
B. Notice the REALITY of their Sincere Faith
1. “SINCERE” from the Greek word “anupokritou” that we get (not a) HYPOCRITE from. It means undisguised, to be w/o hypocrisy, to be genuine, sincere, without pretense or deceit.
a. It is a word that RINGS with REALITY!
b. Our word “sincere” derives from “without wax” Inferior furniture would have cracks filled with wax (it looked good for awhile, but heat would melt the wax & it would be shown for what it was.)2. Paul employed this word in 1 Tim 1:5, “...the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
3. Again in 2 Cor 6:6, Paul used this word to describe his sincere love: —he call's it ‘GENUINE Love'
4. James 3:17 describes the final qualification of the ‘Wisdom from above ...', — “Wisdom from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, WITHOUT HYPOCRISY”
5. The SINCERE FAITH of Timothy's Mother Eunice & grandmother Lois made a DEEP & LASTING impression on Timothy's life.
a. The REALITY of their faith, deeply impressed Timothy.
6. I saw the other side of the coin this past week. A man sat in my office and praised his grandmother for being the godliest woman he has ever known. But his mother gave lip service to being a Christian, & the only time he has ever heard the name of Jesus on her lips was as a curse & a by-word.
7. Timothy was a young man who had a Godly heritage.
(A. Notice the REALITY of their Sincere Faith)
B. Notice the RESULTS of their Sincere Faith
2 Tim 1:5 — “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois & your mother Eunice, & I am sure that it is in you as well.”
1. Chuck Swindoll says, "If you were blessed with a good mother, you will reap the benefits the rest of your days. If your mother neglected your needs & failed to support your dad, unfortunately, much of what you suffered cannot be erased. For good or ill, a mother's mark is permanent."
2. As we ponder many of the great men & women of the faith, we soon discover, somewhere in the shadows of their surroundings, stands the Godly influence of a mother in touch with God.
3. Someone has said, “Mothers write on the hearts of their children what the rough hand of the world cannot erase.”
4. For EXAMPLE;
a. John Quincy Adams said, "All that I am my mother made me."
b. Abraham Lincoln said, "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
c. Dwight Moody said, "All that I have ever accomplished in life, I owe to my mother."
(I. A Godly Mother Has a PROFOUND INFLUENCE on Her Children)
A. They sensed their responsibility in COMMUNICATING the TRUTH.
1. Paul states in 2 Tim 3:15 — “...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.”
2. They followed the admonition of Deut 4:9. It reminds us of our responsibility: “Teach them to your children, and to their children after them.”
a. Pass the baton…
b. “...but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.” (NASB)
B. This teaching was to be DELIBERATE.
1. The Hebrew word translated “teach”, suggests repeating, or telling over & over again. This is the task of the home.
a. Education, religious & otherwise, is the task of the home.
b. When we leave it to government, we had better be deeply involved in the process.2. Solomon states in Prov. 6:20-22 —“My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; 21 Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.”
3. And again, Prov. 22:6 — “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
4. To Amplify & illustrate: Moses is a good e.g. of a man who was deeply impacted by the truths His mother taught him.
C. They DEMONSTRATED the TRUTH Practically
1. Lois & Eunice, not only COMMUNICATED the TRUTH, but they DEMONSTRATED the TRUTH, in practical & convincing manner.
2. & did it in a DIFFICULT environment
a. Acts 16:1 reminds us of the difficult division in the home.
b. The 2ND DIFFICULTY they faced was, that the Greek translation of Acts 16:1, suggests that Timothy's Greek father was dead.
D. They DEMONSTRATED the TRUTH in a DOMESTIC Environment
1. It is highly probable that Lois & Eunice, came to faith in Christthru the ministry of Paul & Barnabas, during Paul's 1st Missionary Journey, which took Paul thru Timothy's home area of Galatia.
(See Acts 13:13—14:21).
2. It is very possible that Paul stayed with them in their home, & saw the reality of their faith being lived out & displayed in their home.
a. Howard Hendricks once said, “If your Christianity doesn't work at home, it doesn't work!”
b. Peter underscores this TRUTH in 1 Peter 3:1-4 — (Read)
3. Illustrate — 4 scholars arguing over Bible translations. One said he preferred KJV because of its beauty & eloquent old English. One preferred the ASV for its literalism; & one preferred Moffatt because of its quaint, penetrating use of words, the turn of a phrase that captures the attention of the reader.
a. After much thought, the 4th scholar admitted, 'I have personally preferred my mother's translation.' When the others chuckled, he responded, 'Yes, she translated it. She translated each page of the Bible into life. It is the most convincing translation I’ve seen.
A. Lois & Eunice prayed, I am sure. But the mother who sticks out in this regard is Hannah… (I Sam. 1)
1. She prayed fervently
for a son…
2. And gave her Samuel back to the Lord…
3. He was the product of prayer… — As was Timothy...
B. Illus. — After one of the battles of the Civil War,
a chaplain came to see a man who had not much time left to live.
He took the young soldier's hand & said, "Brother, what
can I do for you?"
1. The boy replied, "I want you to kneel down & return thanks for me." An unusual request from someone who is dying.
2. "Thanks for what?" asked the chaplain.
3. "Thank him for my mother. Thank him that because of her I am a Christian. What would I do now if I were not a Christian?"
4. Many of you, I am sure, owe your spiritual condition to your mother.
As dear as our mothers are to us, they call us to a greater love & a greater commitment.
1. Psa. 27:10 — “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.” His love is greater than a parents… theirs may fail, but His never will.
2. Isa. 66:12-13 — “& you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip & fondled on the knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;”
3. God is the mother calling you home… back to His love...
When you
thought I wasn't looking.........by a child
"When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal & take it to a sick friend, & I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time & money to help people who had nothing & I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night and I felt loved and safe.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I needed to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'"
Each of us, parent, grandparent, relative or friend, influence the life of a child.
We hope that by visiting this website, you have been blessed.
Sid Womack, webmaster
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