Sunday, May 24, 2026
Packing Parachutes
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:5-7
Introduction:
We started a new series last week titled, “Becoming A Generational Church”. I believe this series will help us understand the vision of this house and also help us run with it.
Habakkuk said to write the vision and make it plain that he who sees it may run with it. So I am going to do my best for the next few weeks to preach my heart and the vision that God has given me for this house to you.
In 2 Timothy, Paul is writing his second letter to a Pastor by the name of Timothy who by this time is middle aged.
Paul is at the end of his life, his is about to be killed for his faith and the gospel message but with what little time he has left he writes a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy.
In that letter, Paul lets us in on a little something. He says in Chapter 1 that the unfeigned faith that is in Timothy dwelled first in his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice.
That tells us that it is a Generational Faith. It is a faith that has been passed down from one generation to the next. It started in Grandma, it was handed to Momma, and now Timothy is walking in it as well.
Parents, what you do in the moment is not only effecting you, but every decision you make pushed your children in a certain direction.
Paul tells Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 to “continue in the things that he has learned..” and in the very next verse he says “The Holy Scriptures that you learned as a child.
That means that Timothy had a momma who valued his spiritual walk more than how fast he could run the bases. She valued his God-given purpose more than she did how well he could shoot a ball.
When Timothy joined Paul in Acts 16, according to scholars he was around 16-18 years old. He was still in his youthful age but yet his knowledge of the scriptures surpassed those who were older than he was.
The Bible says when Paul met Timothy he was not only wise in scripture but he was a disciple. At an early age he was found being devoted to Christ and the things of God.
Timothy didn't have a Pastor. He didn’t have a youth group to be apart of or a children’s church to attend. His daddy was Greek and in his mind there was a god for everything. But his momma was Jewish so she knew the law and the scripture.
She read in Proverbs 22:6 where Solomon said to “Train up a child in a way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
So she instilled into Timothy from an early age the importance of the scripture. The importance of Holy living, the importance of walking with God and being devoted with God.
It makes me wonder where Timothy would have been if his momma valued the external more than she tended to the internal. Now don’t start getting upset because I am preaching on your favorite things, but before I do, let me put this in there…as long as Christ is first, there is nothing wrong with them.
But I wonder what Timothy’s life would have looked like had his momma not been a praying momma who taught him the scripture. I wonder what his life would have been like if she allowed him to hang around anyone he wanted to and go and do as he pleased.
I wonder what his life would have been like if he never went to the temple because ball games were played on days that were set aside for worship.
If that were the case, scripture probably would not have labeled him as wise or devoted. How can you say that pastor, because you cannot be devoted to Christ and also to the things that take you away from him.
It was very unique for a 16 year old to have the knowledge of the scripture that Timothy had, but he didn't get it by living in a home that didn't value it.
If you don’t value the things of God, don’t get mad when your children value the things of the world.
If there is no emphasis on the Bible in your home, don't expect your children to hide it in their heart. If there is no prayer in your home, don’t expect your children to be sensitive to the spirit.
Timothy had a knowledge of the scripture because he had a momma who had a love for the scripture.
- A Generational Church Must Start At Home
Before Timothy was active in ministry, there was already a love instilled in him for the things of God.
He didn't go to seminary to find that. He found that at a dinner table when his momma would silence the noise of the outside world long enough to say “Timothy, let me tell you about a man named Isaiah who prophesied about a suffering servant…”
Timothy let me tell you about 3 boys your age who would not bow to the standards of society but would stand against the world for the right.
We force our children to come to church to be exposed to the word, but that is not going to cause them to love the things of God. They can go to youth and go upstairs to children’s church, they can build friendships that will last a lifetime but where is their love and passion for God?
I have heard people say “I don't know where I went wrong…I took them to church and now they don't want to go to church.”
That is the issue. We take them to church but we never teach them the importance of being the church and serving others.
They know every word to the worship songs but they can’t quote the scripture. Is it their fault? NO. It is the parents fault. Why? Because your Children will mimic what they see.
We cannot teach our children to have disciplines that we do not have ourselves.
You want your children to love the Lord and live according to his word, then let them see you do it first. Before your children will ever chase after God, they want to see you chase him. Before they will ever live out the purpose he has for their life, they want to see you live in purpose.
2. Parenting is not Lordship, it’s stewardship.
Paul calls to remembrance the unfeigned faith within Timothy.
Then word unfeigned means “unhypocritical”. It is a sincere faith, a genuine faith, a devoted faith. The word faith in this text means “Conviction”
When Paul said unfeigned faith, it means that Timothy would not bend in directions pushed by culture. He stood upright. He had a godly character. He did not participate in things that were appealing to the flesh. He did not preach one way and live a different way.
But that unfeigned faith came from his grandmother and his mother. He lived this way because he did not see Grandma Lois live differently at home than she did at church.
Momma Eunice did not participate in activities that compromised her convictions. That faith, that unfeigned faith, was passed down to Timothy.
Here is my question — What are you passing down to your children?
Your complaining spirit or your servants heart? Your compromised convictions or you unwavering devotion?
Are they seeing a different version of you at home than they see at church? Do they hear you talking about ungodly things, participating in ungodly things?
“Well pastor, do as I say and not as I do..” You know what that is called? Hypocrisy. It is not an unfeigned faith, its a double standard and a hypocritical mindset.
I remember my uncle when were little. He smoked cigarettes. I loved him but one day he had that Marlboro in between his fingers and he said “Boy, don’t you ever let me catch you smoking…”
That same man would drink a beer and say “Boy, don’t you ever let me catch you drinking..”
How hypocritical to tell someone else not to do something that you are actively doing yourself. If your children live like the world it is probably because they saw more of the world in you than they did Christ.
The reason that we tell our children to do as we say and not as we do is because we have a Lordship Mentality over them.
“Well preacher, they are going to do what I tell them to do..” that’s great! They should, the Bible calls that honoring your parents. But make sure that you are living up to the same standards that you are expecting them to live by.
If all they see is a momma who worships on Sunday and never does it any other day of the week, what are you teaching them?
If all they see is a daddy that works, pays bills, and lives for his self…what are you teaching them?
We need mommas and daddy’s who does not just talk about the Bible. We need mommas and daddy’s who will live it out in front of their children. Teaching them through their actions to honor the Lord with every fiber of your being.
Your babies need to be taught how to pray. They need to be taught how to worship. They need to be taught the importance of the scripture and why we go to church. Teach them about the Holy Ghost and the importance of Holy Ghost baptism. Teach them about JESUS who can save their soul from a devil’s hell.
Quit looking at them with a lordship mentality and start looking at them with a stewardship mentality.
God didn't give you your babies just for you to rule over them and control them for the rest of their life. He gave you them because he entrusted you to teach and instill in the the things of God.
That does not start in a church pew, that starts with conversations at home.
It starts when Jesus is not someone the family visits with on Sunday but he is someone who has mommas whole heart and daddy’s whole heart. It starts when they don’t just hear Jesus mentioned in a sermon but they see him come to life in you.
Paul said “I see it in you Timothy.” I see your grandmas faith and I see your mothers gifts.
Daddy you can work day and night trying to get them through college and that dream car they always wanted. Momma, you can spend you entire life doing their laundry and picking up after them but listen to the preacher today…
Your children need a Godly inheritance more than they need a worldly inheritance.
I pray for my children to fall in love with Jesus and become active in the ministry. That God would give them their own anointing and they they would see double of everything I have seen God do.
God will honor that and give it to them but while i have them under my roof it will be mine and Brittany’s duty to raise them up in the Lord and teach them the ways of God.
God gave you your babies because he entrusted you to raise them up in him.
3. The Outcome of Faithfulness
Paul met Timothy when he was between 16-18 years old. Timothy became a pastor and spent years training under Paul.
Timothy pastored the church at Ephesus. He was handpicked by Paul to go there and combat false teachings because he had such a knowledge of the word.
The reason he was ready at a young age is because of the Godly heritage that he had.
Timothy was walking in prayers that maybe his grandmother prayed or his mother prayed. Eunice and Lois is only mentioned in scripture one time. They were not famous. They were not well known. They were simply…Faithful.
The real hero’s are not the ones you see on stages, its the ones who invested in them at a young age.
You and I are investors. We are investing in the very ones who will carry this church forward long after we are gone. But what are we teaching them?
Are we teaching them to be complacent or to run the race? Are we teaching them to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength or are we teaching them to be loves of pleasure?
Are we teaching them how to walk with God and how to be devoted?
Are we teaching them how to be Godly men and women.
Are we teaching them Pentecost? Are we teaching them how to worship? Are we teaching them how to pray?
Timothy became who he was because the scriptures were not just a conversation piece but he saw them lived out before his very eyes.
We can complain about this generation until the cows come home but listen to the preacher, every baby in that nursery, every child in that classroom, every youth in that youth room…they are all a product of our faithfulness. Will they see faithfulness in us? Will they see a people who are lovers of God and the things of God or will we lose another generation because we cannot align our life in such a way to live out what we preached.
This generation does not need people to tell them how, they need people to live it out in front of them.
Somebody stand to your feet and give Jesus some praise if you are going to live it! I am not just talking about it…I’m living it!
Conclusion:
Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam war. He flew from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and completed a total of 74 combat missions.
On his 75th mission, his jet was hit by a surface-to-air missile. He had only seconds to react. He ejected front he aircraft and watched his parachute open above him.
The parachute saved his life…
After landing, he was captured and became a prisoner of war in Vietnam for nearly six years. He survived the imprisonment and he later returned home.
Years later, after the war, Charles and his wife were sitting in a restaurant in the United States. A man across then room kept looking at him and finally he walked over to him and said:
“You’re Charles Plumb. You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier. You were shoot down.
Charles was stunned and he asked “How in the world did you know that?” The man replied “I packed your parachute..”
That night Charles said he could not sleep. He kept thinking about the sailor. He wondered how many times he had seen that man aboard the carrier without really noticing him.
He imagined the sailor working below the deck:
- Carefully folding silk
- Checking lines
- Making sure every strap was right
- Doing repetitive work that others might overlook
Meanwhile Charles was a fighter pilot:
- wearing a flight suit
- Receiving attention and status
- Being saluted and admired
Yet when everything went wrong, the pilots survival depended entirely on the sailor who packed his parachute correctly.
To every mom and dad — you are packing parachutes.
To every children’s worker — you are packing parachutes.
To the youth pastors — you are packing parachutes.
To the media team — you are packing parachutes.
To the praise team — you are packing parachutes.
To the cleaning team — you are packing parachutes.
To the hospitality team — you are packing parachutes.
To the Cafe team — you are packing parachutes.
To the Van ministry — you are packing parachutes.
To the safety team — you are packing parachutes.
To the community meal team — you are packing parachutes.
You are the real hero’s! You are the ones who are investing in the future of this church and someday someone is going to remember you and you may be the very reason someone gave their life to Christ. Your faithfulness and your dedication to the word. Your example of what it means to be a servant in the kingdom of God.
What we are doing is important. The survival of this generation relies on your willingness to serve and to do it correctly.
It is our vision to see every generation reached, restored, and actively engaged in the Kingdom of God and if we are going to accomplish that, we have to keep packing parachutes.
Momma, when you see them going in a direction that breaks your heart, keep packing!
Daddy, when the advice you give goes in one ear and out of the other, just keep packing.
Volunteer, when you feel overlooked, overwhelmed, and unseen…just keep packing!
It is up to us to make sure that NO GENERATION IS LEFT BEHIND!
