Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Mother On a Mission** *

\\ *2 Timothy 1.1-5, 3.15-17 \\ * \\ *2 Timothy 1:1-5 (NIV) \\ **1** Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, *

*2 **To Timothy, my dear son: *

*Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

*

*3 **I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

*

* *

\\ Eunice was a single mother in a scary world.

She was a Jewish believer in Jesus.

She’d been married to a Greek unbeliever, who’d either left or died.

Just like today, raising a child in a single parent home, is no picnic.

\\ \\

What with working a job, cooking the meals, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, paying the bills, refereeing the kids.

There just doesn’t seem to be enough of you to go around.

BUT IN SPITE OF ALL THIS,

I THINK THAT A MOTHERS GREATEST PRIDE COMES WHEN SHE SEES HER SON OR DAUGHTER DOING GOOD AND RIGHT THINGS IN LIFE.

\\ *DEPARTMENT STORE DRESS*

 

A little boy went into the dress department of a big department store and said to the salesperson,

 

"I wanna buy my mom a dress, but I don’t know what size to get."

 

"Is she tall     or short,     fat,     or skinny?" asked the clerk.

"Well, she’s just perfect," answered the boy so the saleslady wrapped-up a "size 8" dress for him to take home.

Two days later in comes the Mom,

back to the store to exchange the dress for a "size 16." \\ \\

 

*Eunice’s boy Timothy was that kind of kid.

*

And there were a lot of good reasons for it too.

Eunice was a wise,    spiritually-strong mother.

She learned her priorities at her own mother’s knee, 'Lois'

and passed them  on to Tim.

The world today still tries to push it’s own values on our kids.

Things like

Money,    position,    power,    and fame.

These things are important to the world, but they aren’t important to God.

You can get a sense of the importance the world puts on these things by just looking at the TV lineup most days –

American Idol,

Who Wants to be a Millionaire,

What was that show where Donald Trump always said, YOU’RE FIRED?

JESUS TELLS US THAT THE ONE WHO WANTS TO BE FIRST, MUST BE THE SERVANT OF ALL.

\\ \\

\\ TODAY IS Mother’s Day and it’s a good day to go over the basics of a mother’s priorities.

We find Paul discussing them in *2 Timothy 3:15-16-17* (NIV)

*15 **and** how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

*

 

In this scripture Paul is pointing out some of the priorities  that Timothy's mother has instilled in him.

\\ \\

WE'LL BE LOOKING AT 3 PRIORITIES

FOR RAISING GODLY CHILDREN, TODAY.

*Priority #1: The Savior*

\\ *In 2 Timothy 3:15 (NIV) Paul is commenting on how \\ 15 and how from infancy Timothy has known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make him **wise for salvation** **through faith in Christ Jesus.*

THE PRIORITY OF SAVIOR MEANS THAT

WE NEED TO *INTRODUCE OUR KIDS TO JESUS AND EXPECT THEM TO ACCEPT HIM AS THEIR SAVIOR.

\\ * \\ Eunice *introduced* her son Timothy to the Lord Jesus Christ early in his life.

She taught him about Jesus, and *expected* that he would accept Christ as his Savior.

\\ \\

When a mother anticipates, prays and leads her child toward Christ,

*she has every right to expect the cooperation of God*.

This sounds simple;

but it is not simple or easy...or even cheap.

RAISING A CHILD TO GROW UP AND SERVE THE LORD IS A BIG JOB ALL BY ITSELF.

*Susannah Wesley* is said to have prayed for *one hour* every day for her children.

She was strict.

But she was unselfishly faithful.

*She had six rules for teaching her children *

*the priority of the Savior:*

1. Subdue the self-will in a child.

/(Subdue Rebellion, not childish irresponsibility.)/

\\ 2. Teach them to pray as soon as they can speak.

\\ 3. Give them nothing they cry for,

and only what is good for them when they ask politely.

\\ 4. Punish no fault that has been confessed,

but let no sinful act to go unnoticed.

\\ 5. Reward good behavior.

\\ 6. Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.

\\ \\ Do you notice something familiar about these rules

They're exactly the same way that the Lord treats us.

After knowing the love of a mother up-close and personal, children will learn what the love of God is like.

\\ \\

*Priority #2: The Scripture \\ \\ *

*In 2 Timothy 3:15a & 16a (NIV) we read; \\ **15 **from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, *

*16 **All Scripture is God-breathed *

 

YOU TEACH THEM THE PRIORITY OF SCRIPTURE

*FIRST OF ALL BY TEACHING THEM YOUNG \\ * \\ Eunice taught her son the scriptures starting at a very young age.

Jewish boys normally start formal instruction in the Scriptures at age 5;

 

But beginning younger than that is not too soon.

It is said that Susannah Wesley had 19 children.

(Whew!  can you imagine 19 children.)

And in addition to that, she would take each child aside for an hour every week

to discuss and teach them the principles of spiritual living.

Susannah's two sons, Charles Wesley and John Wesley touched two continents for Christ.

John Wesley started the Methodist movement, and Charles Wesley wrote many of the hymns that we still sing today.

\\ \\

*I believe that Sunday School plays an important part in teaching children about the bible, *

* *

but you, mother must carry the bible the rest of the way into their little hearts.

The best formula I know for teaching children is to

\\ a. Bring them to church on Sunday; \\ b.

Help them apply what is learned on Sunday throughout the rest of the week.

\\ \\

Nobody is going to MAKE you do this.

In fact, it is just the opposite today.

With God having been removed from our public places

and public schools teaching secular humanism,

 

your child has precious little chance of growing up to be a Timothy, or a Charles Wesley or John Wesley,

or any other kind of Christian, *unless YOU teach them!* \\ \\

\\ *With all the demands that today’s world puts on us? *

When do single mothers and working mothers have enough time for a "Susannah Wesley style of mothering?"

The truth is that you’re not always going to be a perfect mother.

You are     going to make mistakes

and you’re not going to have enough time to do it all.

But if you will make God and His Word a priority in your own life.