R332 A Mother’s Legacy

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based reading of Dr. Don Wilton about a mother's legacy. Yes we celebrate mothers on Mother's Day, we celebrate the legacy of mothers every single day and today as we had the second Timothy beginning in chapter 1, you'll understand how this applies to each and every one of us again and the legacy we all have an opportunity to participate in as we study the word of God together know that were here for you are connecting on our website right now ITW online.org you're not only today's broadcast other resources any time on demand@tewonline.org and I hope you'll demand the email from Dr. Welton.

You can sign up for its absently free daily Encouraging Word email sign up the TW online.org. Now today's message mothers legacy from Dr. Don Wilton legacy mom leaves behind. I want you to take a copy of God's word this morning and turn with me to second Timothy chapter 1 Paul's letter to Timothy the second letter to Timothy and chapter 1 and I want to read a few verses from verses one through five. Second Timothy chapter 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus to Timothy, my dear son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the father in Christ Jesus our Lord. 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. Recalling your tears. I long to see so that I may be filled with joy. Now, I just pulls there for a month. If you do a Bible study on this particular passage is I've tried to do. It seems to me interesting that the apostle Paul Goering. His initial greeting to the church and particularly to Timothy found himself using a lot of emotional expression that was very close to the hot liquid he talks about the will of God, the promise of life, my dear son, mercy, and peace, and then from verse three thankfulness.

He talks about my full father's. He talks about having a clear conscience.

He talks about constantly remembering you in my prayers. Look at verse four.

He says I recall what your tears. I want to think about this remote.

I recall your tears. He says I long to see you. He talks about being with joy and then suddenly with all this wonderful expression of human language. He immediately begins to think of the one person who evokes this kind of response in all of us that small. I mean he just puts into one big joyful boss good all this wonderful expression about human joy and then the first people he thinks of his grandmother and mother. How appropriate. And so we see verse five.

I have been reminded, you might want to see that if you going to the Greek New Testament what it actually says here is on this basis. Because of this whole gamut of joyful emotion and longing and is and everything that involves because of that I have been reminded of your sincere faith.

Timothy, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and I am persuaded, I mean this man is convinced of this, I mean there is just no doubt about him.

He understands exactly where Timothy gets what Timothy had.

He understands exactly the source and the of everything that God's son is under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

I am persuaded that this now lives in you also may the Lord righties word upon our hearts. The legacy of a mother? What determines how a child will turn out.

I wonder if our educators yet this morning could tell us wonderful psychologists could tell us what determines how a child will turn out. If you're anything like I am.

I try to find people whose children have turned out well and then I want to know what it is they've done because I wish the best for my own children.

What is it what factors come together in making a man a man and a woman, a woman who fears and loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and who turns out right what is what. I think that we can all agree that it's not geographic location now love Spartanburg I love the mountains and the rivers and the beauty want a place to live, but talks about bad news for you.

You can be born and reared in Spartanburg County never leave you or it's not a guarantee as to how you going to turn out. You see, we know in society that both crooks and heroes come from the same place.

In fact, many times they were neighbors together, they lived in exactly the same location we've come to understand that both productive people, and parasites grow up in the same geographical location. Geography and location has no bearing or has little bearing on how child will turn out well. We've also proved that educational opportunity does not make a man a man and a woman, a woman, not that we're against education. I'm certainly not.

I think that we need to spend everything we can try to educate our children. I think we need to provide them with the best. I think we need to pray for them. We need to encourage them.

We need treatment. We need to encourage them to do. Absolutely their best, but I'm going to tell you, my beloved friends that we know that there are enough PhD's in the prisons of America to stop all the prisons of America. Many of the people who are incarcerated and altering prisons in some of the most best educated people in the world go to New Orleans and go to Bourbon Street you going to find PhD's and scientists in engineers lying on those streets strapped to the bottle that is booked into that point. Education does not make a person necessary, not geographic location or educational opportunity.

Well how about denominational affiliation. Surely if I belong to the right denomination.

A child is going to turn out right. Well I have some sad news for you today. I really do. Someone told me that they had read a book in which sure Dr. Billy Graham had been preaching many years ago in a prison on the prison warden turned to Dr. Graham and said to him, Mr. Graham, I want you to know that it might be of some comfort to you to know that over 50% about inmates or Southern back all what a wonderful word of encouragement. I I said to myself when I was told this icing. I'm just going to eliminate that I'm gonna plug the Methodists in their man. I me know. How about Presbyterians and Church of the Nazarene Lutherans Army surely somebody else is going to be in there but you know something I prisons today are filled with Southern Baptists Roman Catholics Church of the Nazarene Methodist Presbyterians you see on denominational affiliation is not a guarantee as to how your and my child is going to turn out well.

What about exceptional talent, what about if you gifted.

Surely if you are gifted. If you are a talented gifted person you going to turn out will it might not have occurred to you that there are some very gifted crooks in this world, something wouldn't be crooks if I went gifted. They are exceptionally talented. They know how to handle computers. They are experts in playing with the stock market and fixing it anyway they want to do. They understand human makeup. They understand the business will fail very gifted people. There are some talented crooks and there are some very talented Christians and giftedness is not necessarily a sign that you your my children are going to grow up right so what is the thing.

What does determine what a child becomes, I believe that the answer is the child's parents. I was in a home here in Spartanburg. In this wonderful family. This son told me he said just recently that Dr. James Dobson who is one of the most remarkable man in our country within exceptional ministry among families and God is doing a great work through Focus on the Family. As we all know Dr. Dobson in some recent issue. I was told yesterday had done a survey with children. They tried to determine what impacts where having the most impact on the lives of children and so they strapped them with the permission of the parents. By the way, I need to say that they strapped them with devices and they listen to what those children said for about a 3 to 6 month period of time. Can you imagine some of the conversations that must've gone on very special parents gave permission to do that and it was it a date they observe you know that they did surveys and Focus on the Family. They came to the conclusion that the average father in America spends an average of only 57 seconds a day of quality time with these children and let me just run that by again.

Dr. James Dobson said that the average father spends an average of only safety. Seven seconds of quality time, and I emphasize quality time you can be around her children but not spend time with it quality time an average of only 37 seconds a day with their children whereas children today are spending an average of three hours a day watching television. Now the question is this, that Focus on the Family was Austin who is educating our children the television set or the home is rather remarkable hearing. Second Timothy chapter 1 that the apostle pulled at the initiation of the initial part of these discourse to Timothy, his dear son begins to talk to us about someone who had enormous influence and who name was Eunice to be interested to know that this is the only time that Eunice is ever mentioned in the New Testament, even though her influence has lived on for centuries. It's amazing. I've looked chair, I say to myself, surely there must be something else about Eunice.

I mean how could this mother be so special. How could her influence of lived on for so long, but there's nothing else said about it. I've tried to find something I needed some support for this message to the I say blow.

Let's get hold of some credentials I mean we need a resume before we can start talking about this mom you not. I discovered I discovered that Eunice didn't start a church. Most are in fact I read even further and I discovered that Eunice didn't even write a book. In fact I I'm not sure about the she didn't even speak at ladies first Thursday. I don't know that her name was ever printed on the bulletin anyway. I don't know about that. I don't believe that Eunice was ever a dynamic missionary know when the Bible does it say that Eunice followed in the footsteps of the apostle Paul, and I mean can you believe that somebody would be mentioned in God's word.

She hadn't even been shipwrecked. Blow me down talking anybody ever have an honorable mention in God's word is no shipwrecked she was never last. She didn't write a book she didn't start a church she was in the missionary.

She wasn't a great spokesman. She didn't have a PhD. I mean, surely there is something wrong that is going on here, but I'm going to submit to you today my friend, when all of it comes down to where the water hits the wheel you talk about Eunice talking about please forgive the interruption will be back with the rest of today's message Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment, but it's Dr. Don that insists I wrote to let you know we're here for you. It's not just a presentation.

It's a communication conversation and we love to pray with you and for you either on our phone line at 866899 word that's 866-899-9673, and in this day and age of texting and typing an email.

Sometimes the Lord uses the opportunity to speak to one another in a conversation in a remarkable way. Can we here at 866-899-9673. We also realize that sometimes that's not as convenient as typing so we're here connecting on our website as well@twonline.org that's TEW online.org why you're here, drop by and sign up for some of the special resources like the daily Encouraging Word email Dr. Wilkinson's out every morning about 6 o'clock. It literally is power packed with insight from God's word application to how we apply that to our daily life and a wonderful time to pray that's online at tewonline.org to sign up for dating. Today about today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton, you need to say anything else about mom. Is there any time that you come to in your life that you draw a line in the sand and so you know mom went to be with the Lord Jesus 10 years ago that was 10 years ago and I loved her, but I'm drawing a line in the sand on to talk about mom anymore bombs at all the talk she deserves. You know, I lifted Eunice and I said will Lord if I get to preach for the next 30 years of my ever going to preach on Eunice on Mother's Day I might do it next year. I minute the year off to end the year off but I hope my friends that as long as God leads us together that we going to come and understand that there is something very significant and special about mom. We all wish that we could reach out somehow and touch mom today grabbed her to ourselves and love her express the deepest things upon our hearts for mom.

What was it about this lady by the name of Eunice whose name appears here in God's book. What was it about her impacted lady. This mom would have a legacy that lives on through the centuries that is indelibly etched not only upon the life of her own son Timothy, but upon our lives today because we draw sustenance and we drool everything that a mom gives to her relationship with her children. What did she knew and how did she do four things. I think that Eunice did.

Number one she planted it she flaunted it.

You see, at the earliest possible stage in his life. The Bible says Eunice did something very special with her son.

I want the things that I love to do is I love to be out in the yard. I just like that. I'm not a great God and I'm not a monster gardening fact, probably most things I touch just wilted and died, but I still love to be out there. I love flowers I love roses, particularly my favorite flower. I love the dogwoods I love to see the Bradford pears. I enjoy all the different arrangements of things is just such a lovely time of the year but you know what we do we come up to about October every year whenever it is and we go by ourselves a packet, a pack and we look at the packet and it's got a picture beautiful flowers on and we take that back, and we read the instructions. I do this I know some of you don't need to do this and I looked in it says that you need to plonk me back in October and I say wait a minute, there's nothing going on in October. The leaves are falling. Everything is getting brown. Everything is dying. I can't see the fruit of what I'm about to do. So what do we do we go to the shop we get all kinds of fertilizer we did we scratch. We change, we uproot we weed and we plonk a little dead looking seed in the ground because the packet said so we follow instructions and then we wait and we walked around little but watch the snow fall in the eyes, recite man whatever it is we flaunted. They hope the packets right and then one day come March is great excitement, look in there. It is just peeping above the top of the soil. Just a little green shoot and in the little green shoot becomes a little bit bigger of a shoot, and then it shoots the shoot and I mean it comes out the top and we watch it and eventually it just all in the splendor of God's glory and we see the product of that which was flaunted at the right time in the right place. Perhaps this is what Paul was trying to say about Timothy. This is what Paul was commending this dear lady Eunice for because she served as a constant reminder about the importance of faith.

What did Jesus say about prayer. He said if you have faith the size of a seed of mustard. You know how small of mustard seed is a mustard seed is so small that you can hardly see. And Jesus said if you got faith and trust that small are David.

You were so right when you didn't make the bolting or when you court that Bullen and mom made it for you made you feel as though you were in the major leagues you know that's right. I'd come home and I made a C instead of a B, but you know my mom always made it as though it wasn't a I knew it was a C to her wasn't a don't you worry, son.

I know mom would make up all the reasons why it wasn't and I I didn't have to make an mom is just a Gothic seed that is so small. What it Eunice do. She flaunted in fact, she even gave her son a rather appropriate name. Do not Timothy means Timothy means God fearing, you see, she understood this mother did what so many of our mothers understand that from the earliest age when we hold that little one in our hands that God has blessed us and that he's interested us with the responsibility supply in the life of that little girl, and that little boy that little seed that God is going to bring to fruition – she flaunted it but note next that she talked. She talked it. If you go to second Timothy chapter 3 in verses 14 and 15 you going to see a reminder therefrom. The apostle Paul, about the impact of Eunice, his mother, it's right there. Continue said Paul to Timothy in the things that thou hast learned and in the things that thou hast been assured all from HR what people are saying to Timothy there is Timothy, I want to exhort you and I want to encourage how my going to encourage I'm going to encourage you to keep on doing and being what your mother taught you from a child to do and to be a beautiful thought that is not a wonderful thing to think that our mothers teach us if our children are to love God. We must teach them about God.

If our children are to become men and women of faith, we've got to help develop them into becoming men and women of faith. If our children ought to know the Scriptures we need to teach them the Scripture someone said one time that the major cause for juvenile delinquency in America is adult delinquency. The major reason why so many teenagers don't want to come to church on Sunday morning is because their parents don't want to come to church on Sunday morning. The major reason why so many young people don't want to go to the prayer meeting is because their parents don't want to go to a prayer meeting. The major reason why children are more interested in how much they can be entertained when they go to church is because their parents are more interested in how much they can be intertwined before they go to church. The reason why so many young people don't know about Scripture and have them memorize Scripture is because their parents know nothing about Scripture and have not memorize Scripture.

The reason why so many children grow up to have unhappy is because they've grown up in homes that are unhappy.

The reason why so many to return to alcohol is because mom and dad have turned to alcohol. The reason why children use bad language is because they hear mom and dad using bad language. The reason why so many children no longer have faithfulness to the house of God and the things of God is because mom and dad are not faithful to the house of God and the people of God. The reason why so many children are not prepared to stand up and take a stand in the sin sick world is because so many of their moms and dads are not prepared to stand up and take us and in the sin sick world. Last thing God for mom's like Eunice, I thank God for the mornings in this congregation.

I thank God for the grandmothers and mother's taking a stand on the gospel. She flaunted it and she talked to yesterday 30 she lived it. She lived with her life. She was sincere. She was hypocritical. She laid down the line. She said no son.

My sincerity is the walk of my talk.

It is the practice of my preaching and falsely but not plausibly. She reaped the harvest because of it wholesale. This is living on in you as it lived in your mother.

What an incredible joy to see the harvest of a faith. What a powerful time opening God's word together and gain insight from God's Encouraging Word Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. Dr. will be stepping into the studio shared from his heart as the Lord led to the Scripture. Right now I just pray that you would open your heart to what he wants to share with you personally right here from encouraging.

Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that.

I pray this prayer God.

I know you love very very and I know that the Lord Jesus came, died on the cross so that I might be forgiven today. I repainted myself. I confess my sins and I invite you to come into my heart to my life by faith in Jesus name I pray, if you prayed that prayer. Let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of this one. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying how very important this is for me hold so we can talk to Nick. I base you can begin this wonderful journey, welcome, welcome back. I just convicted some of praying along with Dr. will to give your life to Jesus for the very first. I also believe in my heart that some of you are realizing that it's time for a course correction need to come back you commit your life to Jesus if you're in that category of either giving your life to Jesus or recommitting your life to Christ. Please give us a call.

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