2 Timothy 1:5

 

Last week I gave you a powerful dose of bad news.  It was about “Degeneration in Three Generations.”  We saw it in the times of the Judges:

Generation 1: v. 7...Joshua.

Generation 2: v. 7...The elders that outlived Joshua.

Generation 3: v. 10… “There arose another generation…”

 

It was also true in the time of Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and in the time of the priests: Eli, Hophni & Phinehas and Ichabod, and in the time of the kings: Uzzah, Jothan, and Ahaz.

 

We have lived to see degeneration in Christians, churches and in our country.

 

How about some good news? 

A lady said to her friend, “I got married the other day.”  That’s good news.

“No, he’s ugly.”  Oh, that’s bad news.

“No, he’s rich.”  Oh, that’s good news.

“No, he’s stingy.”  Oh, that’s bad news.

“No, he built me a house.”  Oh, that’s good news.

“No, the house burned down.”  Oh, that’s bad news.

“No, he was in it!”  Oh, that’s good news.

 

In this message I want to us look at “Regeneration in Three Generations.” 

2 Timothy 1:1-5.

 

Generation 1:  Lois, the grandmother.

Generation 2: Eunice, the mother.

Generation 3: Timothy, the son and grandson.

 

Here is what we know about these three generations—they were not suffering from degeneration, but they were enjoying regeneration.  This wasn’t a family going down—they were a family going up (I mean all the way up to heaven together).

 

Do you see what it says in verse 5?  It says the grandmother had faith and passed it on to the mother and the mother passed on her faith to her son and her son was passing on his faith to others.  That’s the way it is supposed to work.

 

On certain mother’s days I have brought to the pulpit my Great Grandmother Locke’s Bible.  (Picture).  Mary Caroline Jowell was born on Oct. 10, 1834 and married my Great Grandfather, Matthew Beal Locke, on Oct. 6, 1855, four days after her 21st birthday.  In the next 21 yeas she gave birth to 11 children, 7 girls, and 4 boys.  My grandfather, Jesse Quinton, was the last child.  On Feb. 25, 1897 (a Thursday), at 1:00 Am my Great Grandmother Locke died at the Locke home place on Turkey Creek.  One of my family treasures is her 124 year old King James Bible (1882).  This Bible has survived to six generations.

Here is a family secret—there are no perfect families.  Now, I’ll bet that surprised you.  Even the families of the Bible were not perfect—Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses...on and on the list goes.  Even though they were not perfect, God used them to His glory.

 

Howard Hendrick sated our challenge so clearly when he said, “We are surrounded by foreign, hostile, home-shattering influences in our world today.  The supportive elements of society no longer feed and shade us.  The Christian home must blossom in a field of weeds.”  He wrote that in 1973.  Haven’t the weeds grown since then!

 

What kind of faith will survive three generations?

 

1. Saving Faith.

 

These three generations had something in common—they had personally encountered the living God in the person of Jesus Christ.  They had each heard the gospel, the same gospel for all generations, and they had trusted Jesus by faith and were saved...gloriously saved, happily saved, eternally saved.

 

2. Sound Faith.

 

Do you see the word “unfeigned” connected to the word faith in verse 5?  That word means “sincere, genuine, without hypocrisy.”  A hypocrite was an actor in Greek times that wore a mask and played a part in a drama.  This was not a “pretend” faith.

 

You see there are three kinds of people in the world:

•  Non-believers
•  Believers
•  Make-believers

 

3. Seen Faith.

 

Paul observed this faith in these three generations, declaring it “dwelt first in”  generation 1, then in generation 2, and finally in generation 3.   “That is in thee.”   

 

You may remember that on one occasion when four men carried a man to Jesus and let him down through the roof of a house, it says, “Jesus saw their faith,” Mark 2:5.

 

4. Strong Faith.

 

Acts 16:1 indicates that Eunice, a Jew, was married to a Gentile, with whom she did not share a common faith.  It is likely that she became a Christian after she was married.  Her faith was strong enough to survive an unbelieving husband.  And early historical tradition suggest that Eunice was widowed while Timothy was still young.  If that is so, she carried the load of being a single parents.

 

5. Shared Faith.

 

Eunice could not put the fruit of faith in her son, but she could plant the seed of faith in him.  She did that first by calling him “Timothy” which means “God-fearing.”  And second, she did it by teaching Timothy the Word of God.  Look at what I said in 2 Timothy 3:14-15.  The grandmother and mother had taken time to pass their faith down to Timothy. 

 

What a family and what a faith.  If you were at eternity’s door and you could see in two directions…

•  You could look ahead into heaven’s wonders
•  You could look back over earth’s woes

Your concerns would probably be about your family member’s faith.

 

Someone has said, “he only thing parents can take to heave is their children.”  think about it.  But its not the parent’s choice.  Every child has a choice.  What parents are involved in is a “give and take” situation.  We need to…

•  Give our children every opportunity to know God personally.
•  Take away any excuse they might pick up from an inconsistent life.

 

Susan and I have born, as many of you do, an enormous burden for the spiritual welfare of our children.  It has been so constant that at times it seemed almost over-whelming.  It has been our concern to keep the circle unbroken.

•  We ought to win as many people to Christ as we can, but if you are a mom or a day, you number one job is to win your own children to Christ.
•  I have wanted to bring as many believers to spiritual maturity as possible, but my number one passion has been to mature my own children in the faith.

 

Life can be seen like a giant “relay race” that my Great, Grandparents started back in the 1860’s.  They passed off the baton of faith to their children and down to me.   Any coach will tell you that a relay race is won or lost in the transfer of the baton.  If our children don’t kee the baton in hand and pass it off to their children, I really don’t care how fast they run, what trophies they win in life or how much money they make.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is personal, powerful, pure faith that matters most.

 

This is called “household salvation” in Acts 16:30-31.