Listen to Parental Instruction; Pursue Wisdom

The point: If these things are not part of your repeated admonition to your children, then to some degree you are not nurturing them in the admonition that is of the Lord.

Martin recounts his mother's consistent reiteration of the phrase, 'Doing things you don't like to do develops character,' and how it shaped him, even into adulthood, illustrating the power of repeated parental admonition.

Say, yes, be quiet. You need to hear it again the same way as many of you. You have heard me recount my mother's constant reiteration of the little term or the little pithy statement. Doing things you don't like to do develops character or was so many things in my early years of development.

5:56 - 6:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must have an ongoing and thorough preparation by an increasing acquaintance with the word of God, so their words are an accurate expression of God's mind.

Martin shares a recent call from a parent who was effectively using biblical principles and texts to counsel his son through a crisis, demonstrating how a father armed with God's Word can admonish his child.

If you aren't confident that that word in that law is an accurate expression of the mind of God is revealed in the scriptures. For example, yesterday sitting at my study about to get down to work again on this material. I had a call from one of our parents who just that week had had a very encouraging, but in some ways critical session of interaction with one of his children. And what a thrill it was to me to see how that father was bringing a broad spectrum of biblical principles and text and illustrating it.

21:28 - 22:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second major issue is the need for parents to admonish their children to be active in the pursuit of true knowledge and wisdom. Martin provides extensive textual support from…

The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is compared to men spending decades hunting for sunken galleons and hidden gold, emphasizing the active, energetic effort required.

It's like treasure hidden in the veins of silver and gold in the hard rock or in the bowels of the earth. And he says you must seek it as for silver search for it as for hidden treasure. Think of that image right down to our present day man. Who've given decades to find some old sunken galleon down in the Bermuda Triangle to get in the hold and find the gold.

28:10 - 28:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What is the principle thing? The principle thing. Is the attainment of wisdom and understanding.

Wisdom and understanding are depicted as objects of affection, like a man pursuing a desired lover, to convey the intensity and devotion with which they should be sought.

She will bring thee to honor. When thou dost embrace her. You see here is the picture of someone going after wisdom and understanding. Like a man pursuing one who's become the object of his affections.

30:50 - 31:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second major issue is the need for parents to admonish their children to be active in the pursuit of true knowledge and wisdom. Martin provides extensive textual support from…

Martin tells a story of telling a father that even if he had nothing but rags, he would be wealthy to have a son with such wisdom, illustrating the immense value of a child's wisdom.

Yea thy heart will be in my hand, and thy lips will be in mine. He is comin ing with his own word. He will be looking at life and human relationships through the eyes of God. And I said to that father if you were sitting there today with nothing but a rag on your back and a towel for a rug under your feet, I said you're a wealthy man to have that kind of wisdom coming out of your son.

39:11 - 39:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must be examples of actively seeking true knowledge and wisdom themselves, constantly striving to increase their understanding of God and His world.

An example of a child needing unusual attention to physical culture after rheumatic fever is used to explain that while all aspects of development are important, specific needs may require temporary focus without implying one is inherently more important.

Now, I would say at a given point in a child's development, you may need to concentrate on one aspect more than another. For example, suppose a child had rheumatic fever and was greatly weakened. The doctor said this given course of therapy is absolutely essential after the rheumatic fever is over. If this child is to regain a modicum, a modicum of strength and live a normal life, well, for a period of a year, you might give an unusual amount of attention to the physical culture of that child more than you would be giving in actual time to his intellectual or spiritual culture.

44:17 - 44:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must make calculated efforts to speak in such a way and to provide tools for the acquisition of wisdom and understanding, prioritizing good books over designer clothes.

Martin uses the contrast between providing good books for children versus designer jeans and sneakers to illustrate the priority parents should place on tools for wisdom over material possessions, likening books to 'hunks of rubies and gold and silver'.

Someone, venture suggestion because we're only going to get this far this morning and so I'm not pushing for another yes Michael all right find ways of applying it to our children this is what I've put we must take calculated efforts to speak and to provide tools for the acquisition of wisdom and understanding we must make calculated efforts to speak in such a way and to provide tools for the acquisition of wisdom and understanding that means we will be more concerned to provide good books for our kids than designer jeans and sneakers how's that for being blunt and practical well that all the ...

47:14 - 48:39 Read in full sermon