Today we will see what the parental role looks like in a Christ exalting family by seeing Timothy's life.

Paul’s young protégé and son in the faith, was raised by TWO godly women.

- His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.

1. They showed Timothy what a godly life looked like.

2. They taught him the scripture.

The life they lived was a testimony to the power of the gospel.

Paul was remembering Timothy from His jail cell. The first thing that came to Paul’s mind were Timothy’s tears.

- Perhaps Timothy knew that he would never see Paul alive again.

The next thing Paul that came to Paul’s mind was the Godly women who had poured into his life.

- Paul had seen in both Lois and Eunice a genuine faith.

- Not the kind of faith that shrunk back.

- Not the kind of faith that was a show or a façade.

They had a genuine faith that their life that they lived was a testimony to.

Paul is reminded of the same faith that was in Timothy's grandmother and in his mother has not been passed on to their son… AND, in a way, Paul’s son.

- In chapter 3, Paul is charging Timothy to continue in that sincere faith that had been taught to him.

“Evil people,” Paul said, “will go on from bad to worse… deceiving and being deceived… BUT AS FOR YOU, Timothy, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed.”

“whom” there is plural in the greek. Paul is likely referring to himself as one from whom Timothy had learned… but he was also referring to Lois and Eunice as well.

- Lois, Eunice, and Paul… had presented Timothy with the testimony of a life lived in the faith.

It was this testimony that convinced Timothy to firmly believe.

- Nothing in the lives of Lois and Eunice…

- Nothing in the life of Paul led Timothy to believe anything other than the truth that Jesus is God… that He transforms lives for all eternity.

Timothy had seen the outcome of the lives of each of them and had come to believing in Jesus as God and that following Him in obedience was the right thing for him to be doing in His own life.

- This gave Paul a foundation to call Timothy back to.

The faith that Timothy had was his own faith now.

- He could continue on in it… all the while remembering those from whom he had learned it.

Every parent and grandparent here, have Timothies in their lives.

- Young men and women who's discipleship you are responsible for.

God, in His infinite wisdom, hardwired human beings to learn, by example, from the people who take care of them.

They watch the life you live. They imitate it.

- If you live like a pagan, they will find it difficult to not live like pagans themselves.

- If worship is not important to you, it will be difficult for it to become important to them.

- If you never pray… never read your Bible. They probably won’t either.

BUT, the good news is, that if you have a sincere faith… and if you will be honest in the way you live out that faith in front of them, then there is a good chance they will have a sincere faith as well.

I am not saying that you have to be perfect and never make a mistake… in fact that is the opposite of what I am saying.

- If you will be honest and transparent about your faith with your children then you will be giving them an honest testimony of the power of the gospel.

If they see you making an honest attempt to be disciplined in your walk with Christ. Praying, studying, worshiping… etc

- They will witness the fruit that comes from that discipline and they will want to be disciplined as well.

You are not going to be around forever. Someday you will be gone and they will not have access to your counsel.

What they will have access to is their faith… their faith which dwelt first in you.

They will also have access to their memories of the life you lived.

How do you want them to remember you?

(For single mothers/fathers or families with only one believing spouse… Timothy’s story is proof that all it takes is God working through the sincere faith of at least one parent figure to foster a sincere faith in any child.)

People often say… "What you do matters more than what you say."

In Paul’s charge to Timothy, he first called him to remember what his parents did. Secondly, he called Timothy to remember the words that were taught him.

- The words that were taught to him… the things Timothy’s godly parents said to him were the sacred writings of scripture.

- The word of God.

The lives that his parents lived was a testimony to the power of the gospel BUT the word that they actually taught him WAS the power of the gospel to transform a life.

- This is what happened to Timothy.

From childhood on up into adulthood… the sacred writings of Scripture were taught to Him.

When they are employed in the task of teaching, reproof, correction, and training. The writings have the power to make...

- An ordinary little boy into a MAN of God.

- An ordinary little girl into a GODLY woman.

- Wise and competent and equipped for every good work.

That awesome power comes from the fact that those sacred writings are the breath of God. (WOW!)

In verse 1 and 2 of ch 4 Paul is telling Timothy… “look, you know the power in the scriptures. You know what happens when one is trained in the word. Go PREACH IT! Reprove rebuke exhort using the Bible.”

Parents, grandparents, step parents, foster parents, want to be and soon to be parents…

- We have, within our reach… in our own language…, the one thing that has the power to make our children into good… godly people who are wise and competent for whatever they might face in their lives and whatever God might call them to.

- But to get it into them… we have to get it into us.

We have to be consumers of the word… the breath of God… if we hope to teach it to our children.

- And here is the great thing… the power that is in the word of God is such that if we get it into us… if we consume it… if we study it… then it makes us wise and competent to do the good work of raising children.

There are other devices out there other than scripture that claim to be of help in teaching, reproving, and exhorting your children.

- social media

- self-help books

- the culture

All of these other words, if they are not based in scripture, are uninspired and do not lead to wisdom and competency in parenting.

The God breathed word of the gospel that is recorded in Scripture is the only thing that will make you wise and competent to disciple your children and raise them up into godly men and women. (Yes!)

Here is what is Christ exalting about parents discipling their children…

- When a mother and father or a mother OR a father walks in a sincere faith showing their children what a transformed life looks like, and when they teach them the word, which is powerful to change one’s life… they testify to the world and to future generations of their family of the greatness of the love of God as expressed in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One godly parent has the power, by the grace of God, to change the whole future of their family so that for generations to come their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will always have a legacy to come back to.

- A life that bears witness to the power of the word… and the word that conveys that power.

When you are gone, what will your children have of you beyond your possessions?

- Will they have your life as a testimony to the power of the gospel?

- Will they have the word of God in their hearts as taught by you?

I sure pray so.

All who have believed, the gospel does not depart from your family upon your death.

- While you still can, model for them what a godly life is… get the word of God into you so that you can get it into them.

- Give them a solid place to come back to once your time here on earth is over.