A Faithful Mother. 2 Timothy 1:5

Bro. Jesse Byrd preaches “A Faithful Mother” from 2 Timothy 1:5, honoring mothers on this Mother’s Day and reminding listeners of the powerful impact a godly, faithful mother can have on generations through her faith, love, and example.

Message preached on May 10, 2026.

Transcript

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Alright, 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 5. You gotta tell you that. It says, when I call to remembrance, the unfeigned faith, which means sincere faith, that is in thee with 12 words of thy grandmother voice and thy mother used. And I am persuaded that in thee also. Father, we thank you again. Realize this morning I pray not only today that we recognize, but every day that we have live, I do recognize our mothers. And we pray God this morning that we have more godly mothers. We need more godly mothers today and time that we've ever been before. I pray, God, that you remove all physical and spiritual distractions and wants. I pray, Lord, this morning that anyone in need of a savior, I pray to all on you before his everlasting life. The time of our sermon this morning is a painful mother. A painful mother. Nothing in this world this morning compared to a mother's love. Only Jesus' love. You know, I've been told my whole life that there's nothing like a mother's love. And I'm learning now as I get older that that's very true. There's nothing in this world besides Jesus, his love, the only love, that is greater than a mother's love. A mother's love is like the love that we have like the love. A mother has just has that perfect touch. When a baby's firstborn, the doctors can try, the nurses can try, but it's only the mother that that baby recognizes that can calm that baby down. As a child gets older, every year it seems like a child, when they get hurt, the first thing they do is call for mama. You know, and as a child, as an adult now, I realize that when I first had my children, I was a little jealous because every time they ever get hurt or get need something, the first thing they ever do is mama. I want my mama. And I got jealous, I don't get jealous, but as I get older, I realize a father's love is good, but there's nothing like a love. A mother has that love that can calm down a child. You know, you see it all over the world throughout our lives that when a child is in trouble, nobody can calm this child down but their mother. A mother is the one that just has that touch. I guess because it carries them for so long throughout pregnancy that the child just gets so attached to the mother. There's nothing like a mother's love, and a mother is viewed highly by God. A mother is special this morning. In Exodus 20 and 12, it tells us, God says, honor your father, your father's mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives. Scripture presents us as mothers as a reflection of God's own comfort and love. They are portrayed as strong, diligent, and worthy of praise. A godly woman, the Bible says her price is far above rubies. And if you look up the word rubies, it means very, very wealthy. A ruby has a very, very high price. And the Bible tells us that a godly woman, a godly mother, her price is way above those rubies. So this morning, my sermon to these mothers this morning is be that faithful mother that God has called you to be. Realize this morning that you are indeed very, very special. That you have a love that nobody else can give but God, and you have a love this morning that God has blessed you with, and God is calling on you this morning to be that godly mother. The Bible says that God has a direct calling for mothers. So today I want us for a few minutes to look at what God has called a mother to have. Number one, God has called a mother to have sincere faith. Now, this faith that we're talking about this morning is not just faith that only when the good is going good that you have faith in God. God is calling all mothers this morning to have sincere faith. That means that you teach your child, your children, your grandchildren, your family, that you should have sincere faith. Even when the days are bad, you should still have faith in God. God has called you this morning as a mother that you should have faith in God throughout trials and tribulations, throughout temptations, throughout persecution, throughout sickness. This world this morning, this generation needs mothers that have more sincere faith in God. The Bible tells us in our scripture we read this morning that Paul was writing to Timothy. Paul was letting him know that he was thinking of you. You see, Paul says that Timothy was a son in the ministry. That Paul was letting Timothy know that I'm thinking of you and I miss you. But when I come back around you, you keep having that faith that your grandmother put in you, that your grandmother gave your mother, your mother gave you. Keep having that faith. That no matter how many days that we have this dark, you still keep having faith in God. You see, Paul was letting Timothy know that he was in a battle. You see, Paul was, Timothy was born to a Jewish mother, but his father was a Greek, a Gentile. So they were unequally old. You follow me this morning. This was a praying mother with a father, a husband, that didn't care about Jesus. This was a marriage that had a wife that believed in God and a husband that was going the opposite direction. Sometimes we get dealt that way. Sometimes our marriages, we have a husband that's on far from God, and a wife that don't care about God, and vice versa. So sometimes it happens that way. But the example they set was that Paul, Timothy's mother, made sure that this didn't stop her from teaching Timothy about Jesus. So this morning we've got to understand Timothy had great faith because of his mother's faith. So I'm telling you this morning, mothers, that it doesn't matter if your child is a newborn, it doesn't matter if your child is 50 or 60, 70 years old. The faith that you put in this child is how they're gonna live. They're gonna know about God. They're gonna know about Satan. They're gonna know about that if you die lost, you're going to hell. But they're also gonna know about this morning that if you put your faith in God, God didn't create hell for you. God created hell for the devil and his angel. So this morning, we've got to understand that this grandmother, this mother that was living in an unequally yoked house, think about the trials and tribulations that they had. You think about it this morning. The genuine faith that Timothy had first lived in Lois' grandmother and Eunice's mother. They lived the faith. Not just talked about it, but they lived the faith. How many of us this morning had a good week this past week? Everything went good. We were on fire for God, we prayed more. But how about the week before? That when things didn't go good, did you still have your prayer life the way it was supposed to be? You see, this morning we've got to understand that Lois and Eunice, they live by faith. No matter what. They didn't talk about it, they was about it. Many people this morning talk about loving God and talk about worshiping God, but when it's time to love God and worship God, they don't know which way to go. They just live serving Christian. You see, but Timothy had a mother and a grandmother that live by faith. Everybody in here this morning lived by some type of faith. As I've said many times before, if you've had faith this morning because you've got in the vehicle, and when you come up on the stop time, you have faith, your breaks will go stop. Everybody lived by some type of faith this morning. But my question is this morning, do you have your faith in this car or in these worldly things, or do you have your faith in the Almighty God? Amen. That's what we've got to ask ourselves this morning. So it tells us, so a mother and grandmother not only told him about faith, but showed him how to live by faith. So, mothers, this morning, God has called you and telling you that you must have sincere faith this morning. So it says, and we've heard many times, I've heard this saying my whole life, that it takes a village to raise a kid. And that's true. It takes everybody to raise a kid. But it starts with the mother.

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Amen.

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I don't care how many people will surround us to help us raise children, they're gonna follow and listen to that mother. When they get sick, they're gonna call a mama. When they see mama praying, they're gonna grow up and pray like mama. When they see mama walking with God, they're gonna walk with God. When they see mama trusting God, mama don't know what's gonna happen in the morning, they're gonna live by that same way. That they're gonna know that when I get in a line, I'm still gonna have faith in God. That's what type of mothers we need this morning. The Bible says without faith, it's impossible to please God. So that's what we have. We've got to understand this morning. That mothers, we've got to live by faith. The Bible also says faith without works is dead. So if you're living in faith this morning, but you're not working with Jesus, your faith is dead this morning. The Bible also says faith gives us hope when the circumstances feel hopeless. This morning, my message to you, mothers, this morning, that as long as we have breath in our body this morning, there's hope this morning. The hope that we have is Jesus Christ. Maybe your children are not with you this morning. Maybe your husband's not with you this morning. Maybe you're not saved this morning, but as long as you have breath this morning in your body, there's hope for you this morning. And that hope is Jesus Christ. Nothing but Jesus this morning. The Bible says that faith provides uh courage to face uncertain challenges. The Bible says that we must live by faith. We can't have wavering faith. James chapter 1 and verse 6 says, let him ask in faith. Nothing wavers, for he that wavers is like a wave on the sea, driven by the wind and toss. You see, this morning, when you've got wavering faith, that means you have a little bit of doubt. You're like a wave that's rolling in, and the wind controls you. Little bit of faith this morning makes you say that sometimes I believe God. A little bit of faith this morning makes you believe, makes you think that sometimes God can heal you, sometimes God can't. But I'm telling you this morning that we serve a God that can do anything but faith. So we must put our faith in God this morning and realize that maybe we've struggled, maybe we've disobeyed God, but God has given every one of us this morning another opportunity to call on Jesus. This morning we should be thankful. Mothers, we should be thankful. Fathers, we should be thankful. We all should be thankful this morning because God has given us that hope that we don't have to go to hell this morning. So it tells us that we must be, must not be double-minded. The Bible says that a double-minded man is unstable. That means that if you praise God right now, the next sentence you curse, you're double-minded, you're unstable. So the Bible also says this morning that if I say I'm walking with God on that lamp of robe or reading my Bible and praying, but the moment we get in our vehicle and we start wandering away, wandering astray, you're double-minded, and the Bible says that you're unstable. This morning, you've got to understand that the Bible tells us that a water fountain can't bring forth sweet and bitter water out of the same fountain. Either you're going to be on fire for God, or you're going to live like the devil. I told somebody I think this morning that when I first started coming to church, I realized me and going on. I've told you this plenty of times. That I knew that if we were going to get into church, it was time to stop playing with church. Stop time to stop playing with God. So we made up and we talked about it. And we knew that it was time to either, I made my mind up. I was tired. I was tired of running from God. I was either going to give up on God, we move away from God, or I was fixing to settle in and call Jesus my Savior and put my feet on this solid cross. So we thought about it, and I told her, I said, either we fixing to get in church and move, we both. She really told me it was fussing to me. That we either for the get in church, or I'm not going back here. My mindset this morning is that if we're playing with church, you better stop playing with God because God ain't going to play with it. So it tells us this morning that a double-minded man or woman has doubt. You see, when we go through trials and tribulations, and we wonder why do we have doubt? Is it because your mind is double-minded? Is it because you claim to be a Christian, but you seek other things? You see, the Bible tells us secondly that we must be taught at a young age. 2 Timothy 3 and 15 says, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures. You see, Timothy knew the scriptures from a child. My message this morning, one of a part of my message this morning to you is that if you don't teach them Jesus at a young age, the world will teach them the devil at a young age. So if you're not teaching them Jesus, I don't care if they are infant, I don't care if they're two years old. You must beat the devil to it because the devil is striking. The devil is rolling like a roaring line. He's coming. He's coming after your child this morning. So don't think they're too young to learn about Jesus. You know, I told one day this past week we were talking. Never have I brought up, saw a child being brought up that you say, cut up. Get bad, do bad things. Never. Every time we see a child coming up, the mother and father's chastising, telling them, you got to do this. This is right. That's wrong, this is right. You teach them to be good. You see, but the Bible tells this morning that at a young age, we've got to plant that seed. We see we got generations of children, teenagers nowadays, that don't care about dying, they don't care about hell, they don't care about nothing because they're not caught at a young age that Jesus is real. They're not taught at a young age that hell is real. You see, as an adult this morning, as a father, you as a mother, you've got to plant this seed. So that when they get old, the Bible says train them up the way they should go when they get old, they shouldn't depart from it. You see, I remember. Remember so many illustrations I've been taught. I've been fussed out a lot, I've been taught a lot. By a proud pastor. And I always remember saying, You can't let this happen when it grows up. Same way it is when I was children. You can't wait till they get in trouble and try to try to teach them the right things. You teach them now, at a young age, that this is what God says. You know, and I I believe this morning that I've lost a lot of people, followers, a lot of teenagers, because I'm gonna tell them straightforward. You want to shorten your days, you dishonor and disobey your mother and father. Right. You may not come. That if you disobey your mother and your father, you're gonna shorten your time. The Bible says, not me. I don't care. I'm telling you what the Bible says. The Bible says that you shall honor your father and your mother. So it tells us that, thirdly, that you must overcome. We all know this morning there's gonna be obstacles. It's not about how big the mountain is, it's about how big God is this morning. You see, if we can face our mountain, we talk about how big these problems are, how many problems I got, we start having wavering faith. But the moment we see this storm coming, I'm gonna praise God through the worst storm in the world. I don't care the highest mountain in the world, I'm gonna praise God. Because I know this morning my God is better than this storm is coming. My God is bigger than this mountain I'm about to face. Anything you're going through this morning, you can overcome it by Jesus Christ. Whether it's a sickness, whether it's financial problem, marriage problem, whatever your problems is this morning, you can overcome it by Jesus Christ. Jesus has paid the way. When Jesus was dying on the cross, he said it is finished. That means that every problem you have, every burden you share, every sin you got means that Jesus had took care of it this morning. So when you live with Jesus, you've got to understand that yes, I'm going to struggle, but I'm going to overcome these things because the Bible says that it shall come to pass. We've got to live by these words, these words this morning, that Jesus has already made the way. But we've got to be the one to hold on to God when it's time. The Bible says in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world? But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. You can overcome these problems this morning. But the Bible says you've got to believe. Do you believe in Jesus this morning? Are you looking for that breakthrough? Are you looking for that thing to get over with this morning? All you have to do is trust Jesus, but you've got to believe in Jesus. Many people want God to fix problems this morning, but they're not willing to surrender to God. How many times have you said, God help me? But on the other hand, you're not giving God anything. You see, when you come before God this morning, God wants one thing out of you this morning, and it's your heart. If you give God your heart this morning, God will start on the inside and work his way to the out. So I'm not worried about the outward appearance. What I'm worried about this morning is have my heart been born again. Have my heart been remade over again. So we've got to understand this morning, the Bible says, He that believeth can overcome. So if we're struggling this morning, you can overcome by calling on Jesus this morning. Mothers, you must teach your family how to be an overcomer. Mothers, you must show them what Christ can do in you and how victorious you can be in Christ. Think about it this morning. As we go through trials and tribulations, we have problems, problems after problems. Well, the Bible says this morning that we must keep our hand to look out. That means that in order to make it from here to heaven, we can't look back. We can't look to the side, we've got to look forward. This morning, mothers, the Bible is telling you this morning that you are a very, very special woman. My question to you this morning, have you been doing your job this morning as a mother? You see, we got problems. No shame about it. We got problems this morning. We've got so many people that's gone astray that they don't know which way to get back, how to get back to God. Because we've got so many mothers this morning that's not living what the Bible has called them to be. Fathers the same way, we'll get you in a couple months. But this morning we're talking about mothers. Mothers have got to get the ship right. They've got to write the ship. They've got to stand back up for God. Because we've got our children getting in the ditches this morning because we stopped praying for our children. You see, the thing about it, the thing about this morning is that no matter how far our children stray away, we've got to keep our knees bent and praying. We've got to stay prayed up this morning. They tell us this morning that despite all the things Judas have gone through, you think about it. As I told you, an unequally yoked couch. You think about the problems they had. When it took time to go to worship service, think about the things, how bad he talked to her. You're going to worship Jesus. They didn't know Jesus. You want to use killing more time worshiping a God that you hadn't seen. You should be doing this, you should be doing that, we should be doing this. Think about the things that he threw at her because he wasn't saved. But this mother didn't give up. You see, many marriages this morning, people give up because they get tired of one going the opposite direction. But my friend, the Bible tells us this morning, there'll be two in the bed, one called up. So that tells us this morning that I love my wife. You may love your husband, you may love your wife. And I'm going to pray for my wife. But I can't make my wife get saved. You see, when I'm going to be a Christian man, I'm going to keep praying for my wife. I'm going to keep praying for my children. That I'm going to show them how to live for God. You see, think about it. A woman this morning can change their husband. A woman can change it. They're going to watch how you live. They're going to watch how you talk, they're going to watch how you walk, they're going to watch. Everything about you, they're going to watch this morning. So, in order for you to change how your marriage is going, in order for you to change how your family is going, you've got to look in the spiritual mirror and say, Am I walking the right quick Christian walk this morning? So it tells us this morning that we are here this morning to realize that husbands can be saved by a lifestyle of a wife. How many we have this morning, don't know they need to raise your hands, but how many of us this morning have to have mothers that's prayed for their husband when they weren't living right? I think every mother's done that. Every wife has done that, I'm sorry. You see, just because we're living right, my wife or your husband's not living right, we can't stop praying for them. Because we're trying to get to the same place. I want to see my wife in heaven. I want to see you in heaven, so I'm going to pray for you. But the Bible tells us this morning in 1 Peter 3 1. It says, likewise, you wives, being subjected to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be born by the conversation of the wives. So the Bible's telling us this morning. Maybe your husband don't believe in God. Maybe they don't want to talk about God. But your husband this morning can't stop you from praying through a God. This morning you've got to understand. Maybe your husband doesn't want to hear about the Bible. Maybe your husband doesn't want to hear about John and the Well. Maybe your husband doesn't want to hear about Jesus, what he's done. But this morning, wives and mothers, you've got to keep praying because your lifestyle can change that man's walk of God. I know plenty of people that's been saved by prayers from their wives. Prayers from their mothers. Keep praying this morning. Don't give up just because they don't want to hear about God. You're going to have to move on in your breath and walk the other room to talk about God by yourself. But keep talking about God. You keep praying about God. It says that unsaved husbands who will not hear the word of God by your lifestyle and the Christian believer you are, you can win them over. You can win over someone this morning by showing them what God has done for you. My thing this morning is, not only has God been good to me, God has been good to everybody. Everybody I see this morning, God's been good for you. So it just ain't my God. It's a God that we all serve. So just as it is in your marriage, you may look down the street and say, they got the best marriage in the world. You go in their house, they may fight like cats and dogs. But this morning, you make sure that you're praying for the unsaved. You're praying for that husband that don't know God. You keep praying. A wife must keep living for Christ and keep praying for their husband. You must pray this morning for your families. Salvation. The Bible says that we must ask God to draw your children and your grandchildren to Jesus for salvation. This morning, how many mothers have prayed for their children? How many mothers have prayed for their grandchildren? How many mothers have prayed for their nieces and nephews? This morning, the Bible says that we must continue to pray for our families. Because as I said, if you're not planting seed, the devil's coming in just as you're not praying, the devil's praying over your children. This morning you've got to understand. You've got to pray. So it says also that mothers must pray for protection. You must be praying and seeking God his physical and spiritual protection over your children. How many times do I pray every morning for my children and all these children that's going out in this evil world? I pray, God, keep your hand on them. God, keep your hand on. Don't let them get into something not supposed to. God put in their heart, burn their heart. That when they get faced with temptation, that they may ask themselves, what would Jesus do? Amen. That's a simple question. If you ask yourself, even on us as mothers and fathers, you get put in tight spots, you ask yourself, what would Jesus do? You will never get the wrong answer because Jesus didn't make any mistakes. So when you're praying, you're seeking God, you say, God, what would you do in this situation? Pray that our children seek God. This morning, parents, mothers and fathers, we must be praying for a purpose this morning. Praying for children to grow strong in Christ. Not just to live a life that's pleasing to man, but this morning, we as parents, we must be praying for children that they may live for a purpose in life. Everybody this morning is called for a purpose. You may been through up and down your whole life, but God has a purpose for you. You may be through the bottom back to the top. God has a purpose for you. You may have the worst children in the world, and a lot of us do this morning. God has a purpose for them. You keep blaming to keep praying. The Bible also says that mothers must pray for God's hand to lead them. Not only to keep it on, but lead them. Because in this world, they need lead, they need to be led in God in every breath that they take. They must be led by God. I don't know if you know it or not, but the devil is winning over this world. He's killing the world. He's killing it. The devil's winning, seem like we lose. But I'd rather be a loser now on this side of the earth and be a winner when I make it to heaven. This morning, the devil can keep winning on this world because I know that this world is not my home. I'm the same. So the devil can win all he wants to win this morning. He can keep stealing what he wants to steal. He can keep riding how he wants to ride. But the thing I got to tell the devil this morning is get your hand off my children because they belong to Jesus. This morning we've got to keep praying. The Bible says that mothers, don't quit living for God. Just because you struggle this morning, don't quit living for God. Don't quit praying to God. You make sure this morning that we've got to understand, I think the greatest legacy a mother can leave for a children or family is pointing them to Jesus. So my question to you this morning, mothers, have you been living the way God has called you to live this morning? In closing this morning, are you a godly mother this morning? You don't have to answer me. That's just something that God is seeking. You don't have to come down and tell me any of your calls if you don't want to. But I can pray for you. I'll pray for you, pray with you. This morning we ask ourselves, you ask yourselves, mothers, are you living the way God has called you to live this morning? Are you pointing your family to Jesus this morning? Are you letting them know that God is the only way this morning? That no matter what the world has to offer, nothing can buy what Jesus gives you this morning. Are you living up to what God has instructed you to do this morning? Are you setting the right example? Because I told you, it doesn't matter what a father does, doesn't matter what a father says when a child gets in trouble, is Mama help me. So this morning, mothers, we're going to turn the attention to you. The spiritual spotlight's on you this morning. You've got to ask yourself this morning, am I living a godly life like my God has called me to do? The most important question this morning is how do you accept the Christ? In order to be a godly mother, you must first accept Christ. I don't care how good of a mother you are this morning, I don't know how many children you've raised, I don't care how many meals you prepare, in order to be a godly mother this morning, you must first be born in the year. So that's the million dollar question this morning. How many of you have accepted Christ as your Savior? Many mothers don't have this opportunity that they had last year. Many of them are not with us this year. Many of them have children that died in one old. Husbands in one old, brothers and sisters one over. But the question this morning is: have you individually accepted Christ as your Savior? Amen. Do you need this morning to pray for your family? You see, this altar is for sinners, accepting Christ, but it's also an altar for you to come down and say, God, I need you. I'm a Christian, but I still need you. I'm not ashamed this morning as a pastor. I asked God numerous times throughout the day, God help me. God forgive me. So this morning we can't take this out of portion to think that when we give an invitation, it's just for the loss. We give an invitation for those that need Christ, but we're also praying for our brothers and sisters. If you need to pray to God this morning, now is the accepted time to pray. Would you step out this morning and pray for your family? We've all got children. We all got niece and nephew. We all got wives and husbands, we've got somebody that needs prayer this morning. Will you be that godly mother that God has called you to be this morning? And accept it. God is with us to save you this morning. So you can be reunited in heaven with your loved ones and God Almighty. Have you accepted Christ this morning? Let's pray. Father, we thank you again for this opportunity to preach God's word. God, we pray this morning for the grandmothers and the mothers. I pray that they live with Lords and Genesis and I pray God that they start with these children at a very young age. And then, folks, we have a tough play that full play the devils, God, a tough schedule. We got the work trying to provide for our family, but God, we say I don't want to grow work and what we do at home. But it's the mothers that's in the house with them, majority of the time. And God, I pray especially this morning. For these godly mothers. I pray for these mothers in general. That if they haven't accepted Christ, I pray that He calls upon you today. God, we pray for those that's in need of prayer this morning. We pray for these mothers that have broken hearts this morning. God, I pray this morning that thy Holy Spirit comfort. God, thy word says that you would fix the spirits this morning with broken spirits. God, there's so many mothers this morning that have a broken spirit. And I pray, Lord, that you place your hand upon them and help them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.