Sermon: A Mother's Legacy
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-5
ICE BREAKER: What was something unique your mom (or a mother figure) did that made you feel special?
REVIEW:
This Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day and looked at a great example of godly motherhood in the Christian Scriptures.
Today, there is enormous pressure put on moms to be "instagram perfect." Everything has to look filtered, tidy, healthy, happy, and trendy. The silliest part is, everyone knows that is not how life actually works! Regardless, that pressure gets to many mom (and parents in general).
A good question to consider is: What makes a GOOD mom? And, more importantly, what makes a GODLY mom?
What are some of the traits you remember most fondly about your mom?
To answer that we looked at Eunice, the mother of Timothy, and Lois, his grandma. Their names are recorded in 2 Timothy chapter 1. Paul is writing to Timothy and thanking God for his steadfast faith. However, he does not credit Timothy with his own faith, rather he points to the legacy of faith handed to him through his mother and grandmother!
Eunice and Lois became believers on Paul's first missionary journey after seeing Paul beaten, almost to death! They then raised Timothy in that faith, even though Timothy's dad was not a believer.
As Timothy got older, he was a wise and discerning young man and Paul took him under his wing. Timothy became a powerful leader of the early church and made a massive difference for the Kingdom of God!
APPLY:
What can we learn from Timothy's mom about what godly parenting entails? We saw three aspects of raising spiritual children:
SPIRITUALITY MUST BE
TAUGHT
CAUGHT
LIVED
Timothy's mother TAUGHT him the scriptures and how to live a spiritual life. These instructions matter! She also modeled a bold, audacious faith for Timothy every day. Research shows what kids learn is CAUGHT far more than it is taught. In other words, we learn by observing behavior, not just being instructed about behavior.
Last, we must allow our children to actually LIVE out their faith. Kids will struggle and suffer and parents must guide them through that in a godly way. Timothy was raised right, but ultimately his mother had to let him GO and live out his purpose!
While this model is instructive for parenting, it also applies to everyone's faith more generally. We should be seeking instruction in scripture, modeling that faith in our life, and then living that faith out even in the midst of suffering!
What of these three areas do you struggle with the most? Are you comfortable learning about faith, but don't really model it or live it out? Do you love doing spiritual things but never spend time in scripture?
What is one thing you can do THIS WEEK to make sure you spirituality is TAUGHT, CAUGHT, and LIVED OUT?
PRAY:
Being a mother can be a very difficult job. Take some time to pray for the mothers at MetaChurch!
