TPC Connections

Sermon Notes

“The Power of a Mother’s Influence”
Mother’s Day 2026

2 Tim. 1:1-2,5 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with 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…5 I am 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.”

It’s Mother’s Day and I recently read of one mother that told of her six-year-old son, Johnny, & his 4-year-old sister Suzy who one Mother’s Day presented her with a Mother’s Day present; a small house plant.

While it wasn’t the finest looking specimen, they had bought it with their own money & Mom was thrilled. She hugged & kissed her children & told them she loved them for thinking of her.

Johnny said, “There were some other flowers we wanted to buy for you, but we didn’t have enough money.” “Yeah,” said sister Suzy, “they had a real nice bunch of flowers at the shop that we wanted to buy.”

“But I love this plant,” said the happy mother.

“I know, Mom,” said Johnny, “but those flowers would have been perfect for you. They were in a wreath & they had a ribbon that said ’REST IN PEACE’ & you’re always asking us for a little peace so you can rest.”
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Now, while this is a special day to celebrate moms, it may be a difficult time for some of you.

Maybe you want to be a mother but for some reason you can’t.

Or, perhaps some of you have not had the best mother in the world and it’s hard for you to celebrate them.

Then some others of you have lost your mom to death.

And some moms here today may have lost a child, either to death or you’re feeling the pain of a prodigal son or daughter.

Well, I want all you moms to know today that,
whatever context you’re in as a mother—-the Lord Jesus sees your struggles and is your ever-faithful Helper!
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That said, I’d like to introduce you today to a mom in the Bible named EUNICE.

Eunice was raised in a religious home and was greatly impacted by her own mother, Lois.

As a child, Eunice loved learning the stories from the Bible, and enjoyed going to synagogue services where she could learn more about God.

As she approached her teenage years she became attracted to a young man who was not into religion at all.

In fact, while she was Jewish, he was Greek.

So….Against the best wishes of her godly mother,
the teaching of her faith,
and the tug of her conscience, she married the man.

Don’t get me wrong–he was a nice guy, but he believed in multiple mythological gods and goddesses, not in the Creator God of the Bible.

So Eunice had stepped into a multi-faith marriage.

After a couple years of marriage, Eunice and her husband had a baby boy they named Timothy.

As time passed, Eunice’s dad died so they invited her mother Lois to come and live with them.
Quickly, little Timmy became the key focus of the two women.

Both his mother and grandmother spent hours with him, teaching him the stories of the Old Testament,
praying with him and for him,
and training him in the things of God.

While they didn’t have any Veggie Tale videos,
or a children’s ministry in the nearby synagogue,
they created a spiritual environment where young Timmy could flourish.

Then one day a powerful preacher named Paul came to their town of Lystra and spoke about a man named Jesus.

Both Lois and Eunice listened intently.

They saw in Jesus the fulfillment of all the promises in the Old Testament, placed their trust in Him, and were gloriously saved.

The two women now focused on teaching Timothy all about who Jesus was.

We know from reading the book of Acts that Paul himself took a personal interest in Tim the teenager and, partnering with his mother and grandmother, led him to a saving faith in Christ.
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Later, Paul and Timothy partnered together in ministry as the gospel continued to spread throughout the land.

Many years later, while Paul was in prison awaiting his execution, he wrote two letters to young Timothy.

The letters gave instruction on how he should behave as a church leader—-and also contained a brief and transparent autobiographical sketch of Paul’s life and experiences.

As Paul wrote the letters we know as 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, he mentions and commends the MOTHER and GRANDMOTHER who had made such an impact in Timothy’s life.

He said, “I am 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” (2 Tim 1:5 NIV).

With this as a backdrop, I want to lift out three things these two moms ¬sowed into Timothy’s life that helped him become the powerful man of God that he was!
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First, they taught Timothy…

I. A Respect for God’s Word

One of the greatest gifts a mother can give to a child is to instill in them a respect for the Word of God!

In 2 Tim 3:14, Paul urges Timothy to hang tough when tough times come by remembering what he has learned from the Bible:

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.” (NIV)

The “THOSE” from whom he had learned the Word were his grandmother and mother!

Paul says they taught him the word of God EARLY ON:

“And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim. 3:15)

The word “infancy” is from a Greek word meaning “a baby, a toddler, a very young child.”

It tells us that Timothy’s instruction in the Word of God began at a very early and tender age.
They had read to him the powerful stories of Bible heroes like Samson and Samuel, David and Esther, Abraham and Noah.

And the Word of God went deep into his young soul!

The Bible says he “became assured, convinced” of what he heard.

–Notice how being convinced of the truth of God’s word is the key to persevering in tough times!

He was convinced that the Bible was the very Word of God!

Here’s the thing—-Lois and Eunice were literally obeying the commands of Deut. 6:4-7 where God commands His people:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

These two women did just that!

And moms, I want to tell you today that it’s never too early or too late to inspire within your children a respect for the Word of God!
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Then secondly, they instilled in Timothy,

II. An authentic faith

2 Tim. 1:5: “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.”

Sincere means “not a phony,” without hypocrisy.

The two women walked out what they talked out.

They weren’t perfect—-they had their flaws like all of us.

But at the end of the day, Lois and Eunice lived out their faith in front of an observant young Timothy with sincere hearts–striving to practice the teachings of Christ.

AND NOTICE—the genuine, real, authentic, heartfelt faith lived in Lois and Eunice FIRST!

“…which FIRST lived in your mom and grandmother…and now lives in you!”

In the same way a baton is passed from one runner to the next in a relay race, the baton of sincere faith was passed thru three generations to Timothy!

–THREE GENERATIONS of Timothy’s family carried the baton of sincere faith!

Watch this!—This mom and grandmother were more concerned with:

*Timothy’s SOUL than his wearing DESIGNER CLOTHES.

*His ETERNAL life over his success in THIS life.

*His relationship with JESUS over his popularity with the WORLD.

*His STANDING before God over his SOCIAL STANDING before men.

*His SPIRITUAL strength over ATHLETIC prowess.

And God honored their commitment!
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So—-*A respect for God’s word, *authentic faith, and finally they instilled in Timothy…
III. A desire to serve the Lord

2 Tim 2:22 “But you know Timothy. He has been just like a son to me in helping me preach the Good News.”

In Philippians 2:20, Paul says, “I can’t think of anyone like Timothy!–“I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.” (NIV)

Timothy, says Paul, was one of a kind, a rarity, a glittering diamond amongst church men.

He stood by Paul through all of his trials like few others.

And it all began with a mom and a grandmother!
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This mother and grandmother built into Timothy’s life…

Respect for God’s word
Sincere, genuine faith, and
A love for serving Christ!

These are worthy goals for every mom and dad!

The Bible never promises a perfect outcome.

–There may be dark times of disappointment and testing with your children.

But in the long haul, God’s word is the mightiest, soul transforming tool available to every parent!

LET’S PRAY