Today's Parenting Challenge
2 Timothy 3:14-17:
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Early last month, at the age of 90, Dr. Charles Stanley left this world and got promoted to glory to be with the Lord, whom he has served for many years. After his death, In Touch Ministries, the television and radio ministry he founded and led for 45 years, produced a video honoring his legacy. Let’s listen to a por tion of it.
What a blessing for Dr. Charles Stanley to have had a great mother who, despite the absence of a husband, decided to fulfill her responsibility to raise a son in the fear, knowledge, and love for God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, her faithfulness as a mother was honored by the Lord through the life and ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, who became a blessing to millions of people around the world.
I’m glad that we can celebrate Mother’s Day every year in order to recognize mothers and their in valuable contributions to the lives of their children. I totally agree with the Spanish proverb that says,
“An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.”
For our sermon this morning, I have chosen a text which I am using this morning and next Sunday because it highlights the difficult challenges of parenting today. Here at Bible Church, our tradition is to talk about family relations beginning on Mother’s Day until Father’s Day. For this year, our family series is enti tled “Family Thriving Throughout Generations.” Within this theme, we will have seven sermons, all in all, until the last Sunday of June. I trust that you will follow all the sermons and learn how you can effectively thrive as a family despite all the challenges that your family is facing today. Now, to kick off this sermon se ries, I want to talk about “Motherhood for Such A Time As This.”
Our main text is found in 2 Timothy 3. To give you some background, the apostle Paul wrote two letters to Timothy while he was the pastor of the Ephesian church. These letters were meant to be read by Timothy to the church as instructions coming from the apostle Paul. Once you reach chapter 3 of 2 Timothy, the emphasis is more on how difficult the “last days” would be and how believers can thrive during these times. Let me lead you in reading the first several verses of this chapter:
2 Timothy 3:1-5:
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
As you read these verses, it is important first to establish the reference to the
“last days.” Whenever this phrase is used in the New Testament, the emphasis is the times moving toward the second coming of Jesus Christ. In other words, as we move clos er and closer to the return of Jesus Christ, Paul plainly states that we will experience “times of difficulty.” Why? Beginning in verse 2, the answer is that people will be moving farther and farther from God. Listen to some of the descriptions - For people will
be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unho ly, . . . lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
If you examine these descriptions, although Paul wrote them in 65 A.D., it is as if the apostle wrote this passage last week for the churches today. This is the reason why I firmly believe motherhood or par enting, in general, is more difficult nowadays. When you must raise your children in this kind of environment, I trust you will recognize that you cannot do it alone. You will need God on your side as you carry out your responsibilities. In Paul’s challenge in the last days, I want to talk about three significant reminders specifical ly to all our mothers this morning:
I CAPITALIZE ON YOUR ROLE AS MOTHERS
Every mother has been given by the Lord the tremendous privilege of nurturing and shaping their chil dren in love, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. As Henry Ward Beecher describes with these words:
“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.”
In our text, the apostle Paul acknowledges this effective influence of a mother in the life of Timothy. Listen to the words of verses 14-15 – “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings. . .”
Since the “last days” will lead to difficult times, Paul’s exhortation to Timothy is to “continue” in the things he has learned from the Scriptures (“sacred writings”). The verb used in Greek is meno, which literally means to remain, abide, or not to depart. The picture being portrayed here is that once you have been brought into a safe house, you must decide to abide there and not leave the place. I love this picture because it gives a good picture to all the parents of what we are doing when we are teaching them the Bible – in a chaotic world, we have the responsibility of bringing our children to a safe and secure place such as the BIBLE.
If you consider the life of Timothy, he was a product of a mixed marriage. It is plainly stated in Acts 16 1 (ESV):
1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.
During the apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, he met the young man Timothy in Lystra. His parents did not share the same faith. His mother was a believer, and his father was an unbeliever. However, when Paul came to Lystra, Timothy was already a disciple. This word suggests that he was already an active learner or follower of Jesus Christ. The question is: Who discipled Timothy? The apostle Paul provided the answer to this question when he wrote:
2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV):
5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
According to this verse, Timothy was a 3rd generation believer. The faith started with his grandmother
Lois. It was passed to Eunice, and then Eunice passed it to Timothy. From the early indoc trination of Timothy, it is obvious that despite the absence of a spiritual father, the efforts of a faithful mother proved to be sufficient. And now, it is being honored in the dedicated ministry of Timothy.
I hope you won’t misunderstand my statement thinking that it’s okay for the fa
ther not to be involved in the spiritual training of their children. We definitely believe that it would be so much easier to train children in the Lord when both parents are involved. But in situations when only the mother is sensitive in providing spiritual training, God can honor her faithful efforts and allow her to be able to raise a dedicated child like Timothy.
II COMMENCE THEIR TRAINING EARLIER
Secondly, when you go back to the text, you will find in verse 15 the proper time when mothers should begin the spiritual training of children - “how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
The specific word we need to highlight is “childhood.” If you are thinking that this refers to children from 7-13, you are totally mistaken. The original word here literally suggests “infants” or “newly born child.” This is the reason why the New International Version reads - “how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures.” Now, this is really interesting because reading Scriptures to infants can easily be perceived as useless. However, many commentators suggest that it was exactly what Eunice did to Timothy. It is highly possible that she taught Timothy how to read using the Old Testament Scriptures. This reminds me of the words of Billy Graham to mothers:
“Let your home be your parish, your little brood your congregation, your living room a sanctuary, and your knee a sacred altar.”
Of course, this idea is reinforced by King Solomon in
Proverbs 22:6 (ESV):
6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
In other words, if we want to effectively shape the hearts of our children for the Lord, we need to train them early in the way they should go. Notice that the Bible is quite explicit that there is a way they should be going. We cannot allow our children to go wherever they want to go; we need to direct them where they should be going.
The way to accomplish this is by training, not just teaching. The word “train” in this verse literally suggests “setting apart” or “narrowing.” The Old Testament concept is like dedicating a child to serving God. If you are a parent, and you are giving your child to God, you will do your best to drill into your child's life habits and behaviors that will please the Lord.
Now, the timing is critical. We need to start early so that when they get older, they will not abandon godliness. Instead, they will remain in the Lord. Parents, do you take this concept seriously? I have read a quote from the founder of the Jesuit Brotherhood saying, “Give me a child till he is seven, and we’ll have him for life.” Now, where do you think did he get this philosophy? Without a doubt, this is not a new idea. The Bible has said it all along. I trust we will all take it to heart.
III COMMIT TO TEACHING THE BIBLE
Lastly, Eunice made sure that Timothy learned the Scriptures because here, he would discover the three most important truths:
A. The Sacredness of the Scriptures
If you go back to the text and read verse 15, Timothy has learned earlier in life the “sacred writings.” If you read the phrase in other translations of the Bible, like in the King James Version or New International Version, the reading would be “Holy Scriptures.” Do you know why the Bible is referred to as “sacred” or “Holy?” The answer, of course, is that the Bible is regarded as Holy because it the Word of God.
Without a doubt, the text implies that one of the earliest convictions that Eunice instilled into young Timothy was that he needed to treat the Scriptures with the highest respect because it is the Word of God. This attitude toward the Word of God is an absolute prerequisite for any person who wants to learn and benefit from it.
How can the Bible correct, rebuke, and instruct anyone who makes a mockery of the Bible? The Bible is only profitable to a believer who believes that the Bible is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
B. The Salvation Based on the Bible
The greatest blessing that Timothy received from his mother teaching him the Bible, according to verse 15, was to make him wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I believe that if there is one thing that parents want their children to learn, first and foremost, it would be how to be saved through faith in Christ. Why? Here’s what Jesus said:
Mark 8:36-37 (ESV):
36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Our soul is our most precious possession. Jesus said that our soul is worth more than all the riches of the world put together. Of course, without the Bible, no one would be saved. Do you know why? Paul an swered it by saying:
Romans 10:17 (ESV):
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ died on the cross to give us eternal life; it is another to have faith in Christ for salvation. God gives us this faith in Christ when we receive and accept what the Bible is teaching us about Jesus Christ.
C. The Security Built on the Bible
Third and last, when Eunice taught Timothy the Bible, she also gave him a greater sense of security in life. Verse 14, reads, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” I believe you will understand better what I am trying to emphasize when you read this verse in New King James Version:
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
Notice, more than learning from the Bible, the Bible also gave him a lot of assurance in life. How does the Bible give us these assurances in life? One thing for sure is when we rest on God’s promises to us. Remember, Paul is telling Timothy that the last days will be very difficult. But Paul’s argument is that Timo thy need not worry about the coming days because he can continue resting on the promises of God found in the Bible. Promises like:
Hebrews 13:5 (ESV):
5. . . “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Whatever happens in our lives, God will never abandon us. He is always on our
side. Here’s one more passage that you and I should take to heart:
Romans 8:35, 38-39 (ESV):
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Another very important promise we have as believers in Christ is that even in our worst and most difficult times in life, we will be secured in Christ's love for us. He will never abandon us.
Mothers, you have the example of Lois and Eunice before you. I trust and pray that you will do your best to be like them, especially for such a time as today, wherein we live in the last days. For others like me, we can be grateful to God for having been blessed with mothers like them. To all our mothers or parents, we now live in the last days, and God will hold us accountable for how we are fulfilling our responsibilities as par ents.
May14, 2023/Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana