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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661
Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org
OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”
Nobleton Community Church
Date May 11, 2025
Text II Timothy 1:1-5
Pastor Paul Lehmann
Listen to live audio here
A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I? When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50% of the students answered the question with the word MOTHER (instead of magnet). The key of course was the clue; “I pick-up things”
Mother’s do pick things up a lot, but they do far more than that. Mother’s sometimes do so much of that kind of thing that it gets to them. A woman telephoned a friend and asked how she was feeling. “Terrible,” she replied over the phone. “My head’s splitting and my back and legs are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are driving me crazy.” Very sympathetically the caller said, “Listen, go and lie down, I’ll come over right away and cook lunch for you, clean up the house, and take care of the children while you get some rest. By the way, how is Sean? The complaining housewife gasped. “Sean? Who is Sean?” Oh no exclaimed the first woman, “I must have dialed the wrong number.” There was a long pause. Then—-“Are you still coming over?” The harried mother asked hopefully. Things are pretty bad when one is willing to have a total stranger come and help out.
In spite of the fact that mothers always do so much, they don’t get compensated financially for what they are worth. But like those MasterCard advertisements that we used to see; there are many “priceless” aspects to the job; the hug that comes at just the right time, the crust cut off the sandwich just the right way, the reassuring laugh that reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously, and the countless other little things that our mothers did for us. Even though it was a long time ago, and the fact that for most of us, our mothers are no longer living—we still remember and can appreciate.
A number of U.S. presidents honored their mothers. George Washington said: “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.”
Andrew Jackson said: “There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness. The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital, I have made my way.”
Abraham Lincoln said; “ I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” (He is speaking of his stepmother, not his birth mother.”)
Finally, Woodrow Wilson said; “ She was one of the most remarkable persons I have ever known…I seem to feel still the touch of her hand, and the sweet steadying influence of her wonderful character. I thank God to have had such a mother.”
Most of us, could say some kind words like these about our mother too. But perhaps not everyone had a mother like the one that I mentioned. But even when a mother isn’t everything she should be, her instinct is to at least protect her children, even if she isn’t a Christian.
Mothers usually, stand up for their children. Maybe your mother was like that. She kind of fought for you. Mothers will go to bat so to speak for their children. Mothers that have faith in their children, (even when they were messing up big time), see their child’s potential and they want them to blossom. There is something ingrained in motherhood that won’t permit mothers to give up on their children. Granted, I believe there are exceptions when mothers have done harm to their children, just because of that, –they didn’t have confidence in their children. But I believe that no matter how bad a mother, is, or how much she might not set the right example, deep down all mothers want what’s best for their children.
Even the biological mothers of the five children that our daughter Karen adopted, wanted what was best for her children. When there are addictions and terrible situations for children, the best thing for the children is to have them taken away. Karen tells her children that they should thank the Lord for the mother who brought them into this world. That was their” caterpillar stage”. Then they were in the cocoon stage when they were with their foster mothers. But now they are in their “butterfly stage”, and are in their forever family, and she is their mother. God will become both father and mother to those who are neglected by earthly parents. (He sets the lonely in families.)
In our text II Tim. 1:1-5 this morning we see that Paul is reminding Timothy of the wonderful heritage he has. He reminds him of the faith that he has, and the spiritual gifts he received.This sincere faith that he has, first lived in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. If your mother was a Christian mother like Eunice, and if you had a Christian grandmother like Lois, you also received a lot of prayer. Perhaps you mothers here this morning, prayed a lot for your children, or at least for children close to you. Maybe it was foster children; Maybe nieces or nephews, or your siblings. Prayers for salvation, and prayers that they would follow the Lord’s will. Prayer for protection. My own mother was like that. She prayed that I would accept Jesus Christ as my savior, and I did at a young age. She prayed that I would be used of the Lord and follow His will. I recently found out from my sister that she prayed that I would be a pastor or missionary. Apparently, because of her health she and my dad couldn’t go to Africa as missionaries. At a Missions conference when I was about 5 years old, a missionary pointed to me and said; “there’s your missionary.” When I did follow the call of the Lord to be a missionary, she prayed for my protection. The first time I was aware of this was the summer when I was 18, and coming home from a softball game, and almost got hit by a train, because my 1950 Mercury that had a habit of getting stuck in 2nd gear stalled on the tracks, but I got it started and managed to move off the tracks, just as the freight train went by inches from my back bumper. When I got home that night, my mother said; “are you alright?” I said; “Yeah sure, why?” She said that she had gone to bed, but woke up, and:
The Lord said to her; — PRAY FOR PAUL” –but she didn’t know why. It was the exact time that I was crossing the train tracks. Then again, after I had been in Africa about 7 years, I almost drowned tying to save a young man who had come out with a team to help us in ministry. It was at that exact time (with the time difference), that once again she was awakened by the Lord, and told;—PRAY FOR PAUL.
Mothers who have FAITH, pray for their children and TRUST GOD. There are mothers like that mentioned throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, we remember that :
The mother of Moses spared the great leader and deliverer’s life.
Hanna, the mother of Samuel dedicated him to the Lord before his birth, and then gave him up to the Lord’s service when he was a small child. This is what missionaries used to have to do. In a sense, my mother was very happy to “give me up” so to speak in order for me to go to the mission field. This was four years at a time that she didn’t get to see us or her grandchildren. (Today it is so much better). Missionaries are able to communicate by skype and those at home can see and hear those 6,000 or 12,000 miles away on a computer screen without a problem.”
We have an interesting demonstration of faith of a mother in
2 Kings 4:8-37. Elisha the prophet went to Shunem one day, and a rich woman invited him for a meal. After that, every time he went there he would have his meals in her home. So one day she says to her husband, I am sure that this man that comes to our home is a holy man. She recognizes him as a prophet. She wanted to build a small room on the roof of the house, so that he could come and stay whenever he wants to. Her husband wisely listens to her, and agrees. So one day when Elisha returned there with his servant Gehazi, he had him call the lady. When she came he asked her what he could do for her, to return her kindness. Did she want him to approach the king or the army commander and put in a good word for her. She refused and said she had all that she needed here among her own people. But Elisha didn’t give up, he asked his servant Gahazi what he thought, and he said; “well she has no son, and her husband is an old man. So Elisha prophesies to the Shunammite woman that she will have a son, and she does. Some years later when the boy is older he goes out to the harvest fields one morning to join his father who was working there. Suddenly he cries out, “my head, my head hurts.” A worker carries the boy back to the house to his mother. She held him in her lap until noon and then he dies. She carries him up to the “prophet’s room”, put him on the bed and left. She had a donkey saddled for her and a servant went with her to find the Prophet Elisha. He went as fast as she could to Mt. Carmel where she found Elisha. He saw that she was distressed, and she said to him; “sir, I didn’t ask you for a son. Didn’t I tell you not to get my hopes up? Elisha sent Gahazi back to the house, The woman, the boys mother, makes a pledge to “the living Lord” and tells Elisha that she will not leave him, so the two of them start back to find the boy dead. Elisha went to the room, closed the door and prayed to the Lord. Then he lay stretched out over the boy, and the boy’s body started to get warm. Elisha got up, walked around the room and then went back and again stretched himself over the boy. The boy sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes. Elisha called Gehazi and told him to call the boy’s mother. When she came in he said to her, “Here’s your son.” She fell at Elisha’s feet, then she took her son and left.
This account is full of a mother’s distress, but also of faith in the Lord, and the Lord’s servant the Prophet Elisha. She may have been skeptical about the possibility of her having a son, but when she sees God answer, she puts her full trust in the Lord and His servant Elisha. She doesn’t even tell her husband that the boy has died. She goes right to the Prophet in her distress, because he is her contact with the Lord. HER FAITH IS GREAT EVEN IN THE MIDST OF DISTRESS. She doesn’t have faith in Gahazi going back to the house to see the boy, but won’t leave Elisha, until he goes back himself. Then her faith is honored.
Women of great faith, both Jew and Gentile are honored in the Bible. We see the importance of faith and trusting whole heartedly in God, not just by men of faith, but really especially by women. Jesus first appeared to women after his resurrection, and they believed before the men. Perhaps the greatest attribute a mother can have is her faith in the Lord, to do what He says he will do, and then to have faith in her children, to obey and accomplish what God wants them to do. The good thing about this, is that no matter how old a mother is she can still pray for her children to give their lives to the Lord, and receive Jesus Christ into their lives, even when it is evident they aren’t following Him now. Remember that the Lord hears your distress and will bring restoration, if we fully trust Him, and put our faith only in Him. We don’t even have to have a lot of faith. Jesus said if we just have a little faith, the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Whether that means a literal mountain is unlikely, but even that is possible. God could send an earthquake and destroy a mountain for us if it was in his plan to accomplish something for us. But more than likely he will remove the things that rise up in our lives that seem like a mountain. He will cause women to be pregnant when it seems they can’t have children. Or he will provide children who need a mother through adoption.
He will heal when a child is sick, and I believe he will even raise a child from the dead. Perhaps not in the dramatic way that happened with the Shunammite woman’s son, but it has happened. The important thing is to learn from women in the Bible who had faith even when they didn’t have the Bible as we have, and the long historical context of God’s faithfulness. He loves all of us, but I believe He especially loves to honor the faith of women. We too honor the faith of our mothers, without which, probably many of us wouldn’t be here today