VAN BUREN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2 Timothy 1:1-7
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Matthew 12:46-50
MAY 11, 2008 Mother’s Day
“THE FAITH OF A GODLY MOTHER”
God of love: you chose the woman Mary to bring your Son to the world, and on
Easter Day sent women from his empty tomb with the news of resurrection. Give
a desire to follow worthy women who, in every age, brought life to earth, spread
your word, and witnessed to the risen power of Jesus Christ, a woman’s child, who
is now the Lord of all. Amen.
I’d like to read for you a little piece I received by e-mail entitled Why Mothers Cry.
“Why are you crying?” he asked his mom. “Because I’m a mother,” she told him. “I don’t understand,”
he said. His mom just hugged him and said, “You never will!” Later the little boy asked his father why
mother seemed to cry for no reason. “All mothers cry for no reason,” was all his dad could say. The
little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God
and when God got on the phone the man said, “God, why do mothers cry so easily?”
God said, “You see son, when I made mothers they had to be special. I made their shoulders
strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner
strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times come from their children. I gave them a
hardiness that allows them to keep going when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their families
through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave them the sensitivity to love their children
under all circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very badly. This same sensitivity helps
them to make a child’s boo-boo feel better and helps them share a teenager’s anxieties and fears. I
gave them a tear to shed. It’s theirs exclusively to use whenever it’s needed. It’s their only weakness. It’
s a tear for mankind.”
Mother’s Day is set apart to honor those who have nurtured us. They bathed us, changed our
clothes, cleaned our messes. They cried with us and laughed with us. They are a part of who we are.
This is also true in regards to our Christian faith. Our mothers and other women who have been like
mothers, have nurtured us and set an example in the faith. The faith of a godly mother is very important.
In our lesson this morning from 2 Timothy Paul recognizes the qualities of Timothy’s life. He singles
out Timothy’s “sincere faith”. But this quality of faith did not start with Timothy, Paul first saw it in his
grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. Timothy is a child of the faith of a godly mother and
grandmother.
A. A Mother’s Faith Must be Sound.
The first thing we notice of this mother’s faith is that it is sound. In Acts 16:1 we first hear of
Timothy and his mother. In that verse she is described as a believer. She did not become a follower of
Christ through the ministry of Paul. She had already heard the message and was living her life for
Christ before Paul came to Lystra. In 2 Timothy 3 Paul instructs Timothy to continue in what he has
learned because he had known the holy Scriptures since infancy.
Eunice enjoyed a scripturally sound and saving faith in God through Jesus Christ. She knew what
the Scriptures said and she had taught it to her son. We know that it was Eunice who taught the
Scriptures to Timothy because his father was a Greek and not a Jew.
Because of my mother’s illness I never had the opportunity to learn of her faith. I know that she
was a believer, but I was too young to learn much from her. But there was another woman, she was like
a second mother to me. Winnie Gruber was a woman of sound faith. I often heard her speak of her
faith and her love for Jesus. She was my Sunday school teacher in seventh grade, but I learned much
more of her faith outside of that class than in it. In fact, it was she who encouraged me to preach my
first sermon. Her husband was my Boy Scout leader and she was arranging the worship service for a
camporee. I only read what she had prepared, but it was a step that helped me to where I am today.
A mother’s faith must be sound. It must be based on a faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In
times of disaster and hurt, it is a sound faith in Jesus Christ as Lord that helps us through. Nothing is
more needed in our world today than mothers who have this quality of faith.
B. A Mother’s Faith Must Be Seen
Paul talks about this faith which “first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice...”
Later in 3:14 Paul reminds Timothy to “continue in what you have learned and become convinced of,
because you know those from whom you learned it.” Timothy was living a faith that he had seen since
birth. Eunice did not hide her faith, she lived it in a way that it could be seen. It was seen by Timothy,
and it was seen by Paul.
The task of a mother is to teach the Word of God in such a way that it provides a true foundation
for belief and behavior. To do that, that faith must be seen.
Winnie Gruber influenced me with her faith not by what she said, but by how she lived her life. I
didn’t just hear about her faith, I saw it in her life. I recognized the truth of her convictions by the way
she lived them out.
My first step-mother was fond of saying “Don’t do as I do, do as I say do.” In other words, don’t
follow my example, do what I say to do even if I don’t do it myself. That is not the way to raise a child.
Our children will be instructed by what we do more than by what we say. If we say one thing and do
something else, then they will see the hypocrisy of our lives. If you want your child to know Jesus and to
worship him regularly, then you have to set the example.
The faith of a godly mother must be seen if it is to have a lasting impact on her child. It must be
acted out, not just talked about.
C. A Mother’s Faith Must be Shared
The third thing we learn about the faith of a godly mother is similar to the second: it must be seen
and shared. That means that it must be visible and talked about. It is not always enough just to set an
example, sometimes it must be explained to bring about understanding.
I can have my children watch me paint a wall, but that doesn’t mean they know all about it. They
may learn brush strokes, but they may not understand the preparation or have an understanding of why
things are done in certain steps.
I’ve told you before about the little girl who asked her mother why she cut off the ends of the ham
before baking it. The mother replied, “I really don’t know, but that was the way my mother always did it,
and she baked great hams, so I do it the same way.” It wasn’t long after that that grandmother came to
have Sunday Dinner. As they were sitting around the table the little girl turned to her grandmother and
asked, “Grandma, why do we cut the ends off the ham before we bake it?” Grand ma replied, “I don’t
know why you cut them off, I did because my pan was too short.”
The faith of a godly mother must be shared. Setting the example is important, but real
understanding comes only when the reasons of the faith is shared. Tell your children about what you
believe. Tell them how it has made a difference in your life. Tell them what your love for Jesus means
to you. They will never receive the substance of your faith if you never share it with them.
CONCLUSION
It has been said that God has no grandchildren. That saying reminds us that we do not inherit the
Christian faith, each person has to come to an understanding of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
individually. Each person must at some time come to the point of looking to God and accepting for
himself or herself that Jesus died and rose again offering us his gift of salvation. We are not Christians
simply because our parents are.
We do not inherit being a Christian, but it is the legacy of Christian parents. It is passed on by the
example we receive from our godly parents.
Have you known the faith of a godly mother? It may be your own mother or another woman who
helped to nurture you. Mothers, let your children see the faith of a godly mother by having a faith that is
sound, a faith that can been seen, and a faith that you share.
On this Mother’s Day, honor your mother for her godly faith. Maybe it was another godly woman
who helped to nurture you, honor her today. Thank her for sharing with you the love of God in Jesus
Christ.
SERMON OUTLINE
SERMON: “THE FAITH OF A GODLY MOTHER”
SCRIPTURES: 2 Timothy 1:1-7; Matthew 12:46-50
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Introduction: Mother’s Day is set apart to honor those who have nurtured us. They bathed us, changed
our clothes, cleaned our messes. They cried with us and laughed with us. They are a part of who we
are. This is also true in regards to our Christian faith. Our mothers and other women who have been
like mothers, have nurtured us and set an example in the faith. The faith of a godly mother is very
important.
A. A Mother’s Faith Must Be Sound
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B. A Mother’s Faith Must be Seen
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C. A Mother’s Faith Must be Shared
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