SERIES: Mother's Day Messages
MESSAGE: How Moms Can Change the World
SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig
SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 1:3-7

MESSAGE SUMMARY
Timothy demonstrated genuine faith and loyalty to the Lord, and Paul the apostle credited these traits to how Timothy was raised by his mom and grandmother. As we examine Paul's second letter to Timothy, we discover three important ways that moms can invest in their children so they will fear the Lord and desire to serve Him with their lives.

STUDY GUIDE
Mothers are special. They can change the world through the influence they have on their children. In the New Testament, we find a mother named Eunice and a grandmother named Lois, who together trained up a world changer by the name of Timothy. In this teaching, we discover from their example three investments women can make in their children that can change the world.

First, Eunice and Lois imparted tenderness to Timothy (see 2 Timothy 1:4). Paul remarked that he remembered Timothy's tears. Apparently, he had seen Timothy weep one of the many times the two of them served alongside each other. It's interesting that the Holy Spirit moved Paul to record for all of the church something that could embarrass a man. This underscores the significant place that tenderness should have in the heart of a Christian. Often, a mother's heart is reflected in the tenderness of her children. It was well said that God couldn't be everywhere, so He invented mothers. One of the ways that God is everywhere is through the love of mothers. Evidently, Timothy's father was not involved in training Timothy to be a man of God. Whether he died or abandoned his family, whether he was an unbeliever or simply didn't get involved (see Acts 16, which mentions that Timothy had never been circumcised since his dad was Greek), he was not the one to whom God credited Timothy's discipleship. Mothers, please comfort and display tenderness to your children, for it meets one of their most essential needs and is one of God's characteristics (see Isaiah 66:13). Tenderness makes a man approachable, relatable, believable, and credible, and Timothy's tender heart came from his mother and grandmother. Ecclesiastes 3:4 states that there is a time to weep, and Luke 6:21 says that those who weep will be blessed. David wrote of drenching his couch with tears (see Psalm 6:6), and Jesus wept several times. Why might this seem embarrassing to us? What does it say about our culture?

Eunice and Lois also imparted godliness to Timothy (see 2 Timothy 1:5). The name Timothy means one who fears God, and it is likely that his mother gave him this name. Her name, Eunice, is the Latinized form of the Greek word euniké, referring to the winged goddess of victory or one who conquers well. Whether she was a single mom or bore the spiritual burden of parenting alone, she lived up to her name as she held together a divided household and raised her son to be a faithful follower of Christ—so much so that Paul invited her young son, who was either in his late teens or early twenties, to join his ministry team. Her life embodied the Scottish saying that "an ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy." Paul referred to her "genuine faith" that she had passed down to her son. Abraham Lincoln rightly said that "no one is poor who has a godly mother." Last week, Skip mentioned that the fear of God is a necessary trait for someone who has been radically saved; Timothy's name reminds us of this. Read Proverbs 1:7-9. Why do you think this trait is being repeated for us?

Thirdly, Eunice and Lois passed on boldness to Timothy (see 2 Timothy 1:6-7). Tenderness coupled with genuine faith results in the courage to serve the Lord fully. The gifts Eunice passed on to Timothy gave him the boldness he needed when fear began to grip his heart (see v. 7). Paul exhorted Timothy to stir up this confidence within him, to stoke its fires and be a bold witness. Tenderness and godliness provide the impetus for boldness. The product of genuine faith is faithful service, and Timothy's service provides quite a testimony. He was Paul's travel companion, received multiple letters from Paul, and was appointed a pastor. The great apostle referred to him as a true son in the faith with whom he had an unparalleled like-mindedness, and through Paul, God gave Timothy the father he didn't have. Moms, be encouraged that when you lay your loving hands on your children in prayer and blessing, someone else will lay affirming hands on them, upholding their gifting and their faith. But you cannot pass on what you do not have. You cannot direct your children toward a goal that you know nothing about, so ask God for wisdom and be encouraged to train up your children with His goals in mind. Although your job never ends, be inspired that your influence lasts a lifetime. What was your mother's influence like? What goals did she establish? Have other people done these things in your life? Who stirred or stirs up your gifts when you doubt or fear?

Adapted from Pastor Skip's teaching

The Big Idea:

Godly mothers can raise children who change the world.

DETAILED NOTES

  1. Introduction
    1. Nobody knows you or loves you more than your mom
    2. The mother and grandmother in this text raised a man who became a world changer
    3. Timothy was personally handpicked by Paul the apostle to spread the gospel and pastor a church
    4. Old hymn "Faith of Our Fathers"; what about faith of our mothers?
    5. Three ways to invest in your children to change the world
  2. Tenderness
    1. The first thing Paul remembered when he thought of Timothy was Timothy's tears
    2. Why did Paul mention this?
      1. Timothy was the most loyal friend Paul had
        1. Philippians 2:20
        2. Like-minded means equal-souled
      2. Timothy cried at some event
        1. At a departure Paul and Timothy had
        2. When Paul installed him as the pastor at Ephesus and departed
        3. Acts 20:37-38
        4. It could be embarrassing for some men to have this fact known publically
        5. "Tears from a man like Timothy were more allowable among those of Paul's era than among modern men of the West" —Thomas Lea and Hayne P. Griffin
    3. Tenderness is a good trait, especially in a man
      1. Isaiah 66:13
      2. "God couldn't be everywhere, so He invented mothers" —Jewish saying
      3. One of the ways God shows Himself to be everywhere is through the tender care and love of a mother
    4. Timothy got his tenderness from his mother and grandmother
      1. Most scholars believe Timothy's dad died when he was young and he was raised by his mother and grandmother
      2. One of the greatest contributions to your children is displayed tenderness
      3. "The young child's hunger for his mother's love and presence is as great as his hunger for food.... Her absence inevitably generates a powerful sense of loss and anger" —John Bowlby
      4. It's tenderness that makes a man approachable, relatable, and credible
  3. Godliness
    1. Timothy's father is not mentioned
      1. His father died
      2. Or his father left the family, being an unbeliever
        1. Acts 16:1
        2. Timothy got his faith matriarchally
        3. Timothy was not circumcised; Acts 16:3
    2. Timothy means one who fears the Lord
    3. Eunice
      1. The Latinized form of the Greek word euniké
      2. Niké was the winged goddess of victory
      3. Eunice means one who conquers well
      4. Eunice conquered the forces of a divided home and saw her son become an evangelist
    4. Paul visited Lystra two times
      1. First time: Eunice and Lois were converted
      2. Second time: Timothy had matured in faith and joined Paul's team
    5. "My dedication to the preaching of the Word was maternal.... When but eight years old I preached to my little sister and to her dolls arrayed in orderly form before me. My sermons were Bible stories which I had first heard from my mother" —G. Campbell Morgan
    6. "An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy" —Scottish saying
    7. "Genuine faith" (v. 5)
      1. One word in Greek: anupokritos
      2. Unhypocritical, genuine, sincere, real
      3. Hupokrités: an actor who wore a mask for a Greek play
      4. Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8
    8. "No man is poor who has a godly mother" —Abraham Lincoln
    9. The first five years of a child's life are the most critical
      1. 85 percent of a child's character is formed by age five
      2. "Ere your boy has reached to seven, teach him well the way to heaven; better still the work will thrive if he learns before he's five" —Charles Spurgeon
  4. Boldness
    1. Therefore (v. 6): refers to what was just said
      1. Timothy had every reason for boldness
      2. The product of genuine faith is faithful service to God
    2. Scholars guess Paul wrote verse 7 because Timothy was becoming fearful
      1. Paul was in jail
      2. Or Timothy was becoming apathetic in ministry
      3. Stir up (v. 6) means keep the fire going, fan the embers of your flame
      4. Tenderness and godliness provide the impetus for boldness
    3. The seeds you are sowing in your child's life won't germinate for a long time
      1. But when they grow, you may see this: a bold, effective witness
      2. Timothy was in his late teens or early twenties when he joined Paul
        1. Christianity has always been a youth movement
        2. He became Paul's disciple, coworker, and friend
        3. Paul referred to Timothy about eleven times in the New Testament and wrote him two letters
    4. Laying on of hands
      1. Bad kind: when your enemies do it
      2. Good, godly form: the tender, affirming touch that confirms God's hand on someone's life
      3. Acts 16
    5. 1 Timothy 1:2
      1. Timothy was Paul's son spiritually
      2. When a mother lays her loving hands on her children, someone else will come along and lay their affirming hands on her children
      3. Do what you can do as a mom, and let God do the rest
      4. "What's done to children, they will do to society" —Karl Menninger
    6. A Christian parent wants their child to grow up to love and serve God
      1. Psalm 127:3-4
      2. Heritage could be translated assignment
      3. Children are to be launched toward a target you've arrived at first
      4. You can't pass on what you don't have
  5. Closing
    1. A mother's role is the most important task on planet earth
    2. A mother's job never ends, but her influence lasts a lifetime
    3. God made mothers to help us arrive at God's best once we've been born

Figures referenced: Thomas Lea, Hayne P. Griffin, John Bowlby, G. Campbell Morgan, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Spurgeon, Karl Menninger

Greek words: euniké, anupokritos, hupokrités

Cross references: Psalm 127:3-4; Isaiah 29:13; 66:13; Matthew 15:8; Acts 16; 20:37-38; Philippians 2:20; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:3-7


Topic: Mothers

Keywords: Mother's Day, moms, mothers, motherhood, tenderness, crying, tears, godliness, fathers, children, child, fear, boldness, laying on of hands, parents, parenthood


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