“Generational Faith” 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Listen to Sermon

Pastor Tom Johnson, October 2, 2016

In our reading from 2nd Timothy, Paul is mentor, brother pastor, and Christian friend speaking to Timothy. Paul is thinking about the last time he saw Timothy and his tears. Grown men and women cry. And we can even talk and write about it. We don’t exactly know what happened that made Timothy unleash a torrent of emotion and cry on Paul’s shoulder. Was it the death of a loved one? Was it the betrayal of a friend? Was it discouragement in his ministry? We don’t know.

What matters is that Timothy was vulnerable enough with Paul to let him into the storm raging and tossing him around in his own heart and mind. Paul is like God in Psalm 56:8 who “keeps count of our tossing; puts our tears in his bottle, and stores them away in his archives.” Paul is like the God of Israel who hears the cries of his people crying out under the oppression of the pharaohs under hundreds of years of slavery. Timothy is vulnerable enough and courageous enough to weep before the Apostle to the Gentiles—the man who was knocked off his horse—the persecutor of the church who was blinded by the light of Jesus. And how does Paul address this unspoken emotional pain and spiritual turmoil in Timothy’s life? He commends Timothy for his sincere faith. Genuine faith does not live in denial of loss, pain, and sin. Authentic faith is humble enough to admit our weakness.

But here is the surprising twist to Paul’s encouragement—this sincere faith was not born in Timothy’s heart in isolation. This is the “faith that lived first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in Timothy.” “Remember your grandma Lois and mama Eunice, Timothy.” We often think of Paul as being the great expositor of doctrine and the theology of grace. And he is. But in addition to stringing together great words of truth about who Jesus is and what he has done for us, Paul also brings assurance of God’s presence and grace through reminders of the blessing of family. Paul either knows Lois and Eunice personally or he heard enough stories for them to come to mind and to know how great an impact they had on Timothy.

Can you picture Lois in your mind? The grandma who prays for her children and grandchildren. Granny who baked fresh bread and you could taste her love in her cooking. The one who lived through the war and whose faith was not shattered. She is the one who told stories so that we could all learn from them. And she always had time to listen to our struggles and give us perspective and give us hope. She had a living faith. She had a faith that was tested by fire and purified by wisdom. And mama Lois. She took the torch from her mother. She cast all her anxiety over young Timothy upon her Lord because she knew that God cared more for her son than she could ever love and care for him. Her faith was in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Her faith was in the God of Lois, Eunice, and Timothy. For God’s promise to Abraham was that all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen 12).

When God reveals himself to Moses he shares the sobering truth that our sin will visit us until the third and fourth generation (Ex 34:7). Scripture has long acknowledged what we have only recently begun to understand through the study of genetics: families can suffer patterns of abuse, addiction, and illness across generational lines. Or like you sometimes hear people say, “The apple often does not fall far from the tree.”

But thanks be to God that he, in the same passage says, he is “the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” God exponentially brings blessing, healing, and hope to us. Just as Peter on the day of Pentecost baptizes 3,000 people says, “This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him” (Acts 2:39).

How can God encourage our hearts today? Remember that special grandparent or parent. Maybe she was an Aunt or a neighbor. Maybe that sincere faith was modeled to you by a member of your home church. Who was it who was a saint but also gave you permission to be a flawed human? Who was it that took a true interest in your faith journey? Who was it that loved you enough to give you an encouraging word when you needed it most? And who are the young Timothys, Eunices, and Loises around you? You have been placed in their lives to lead them to sincere and abiding faith. We are here together as partners in ministry. On the back of our bulletins it says our mission is to proclaim Christ, nurture faith, and serve others. It sparks in our homes, fans into flame in our houses of worship, and spreads like wildfire to bring hope, healing, and peace to the world. It celebrates sincere faith—that Jesus actually came from heaven to earth to save sinners—that he really did die on the cross to bring about the death of death, sin, and evil—and that he truly rose from the dead to assure us of his grace and presence.