1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,900 We’re looking at these proverbs which are wise sayings 2 00:00:04,900 –> 00:00:07,160 that describe the normal pattern 3 00:00:07,160 –> 00:00:09,960 that prevails in this world. 4 00:00:09,960 –> 00:00:12,020 And we come to this book knowing 5 00:00:12,020 –> 00:00:15,060 that Jesus Christ is our wisdom 6 00:00:15,060 –> 00:00:16,879 and to walk in the way of wisdom 7 00:00:16,879 –> 00:00:19,020 is to walk in the way of Jesus 8 00:00:19,020 –> 00:00:20,760 and to walk in the way of Jesus 9 00:00:20,760 –> 00:00:23,879 is always to walk in the way of wisdom. 10 00:00:23,879 –> 00:00:26,600 To follow Jesus is to follow wisdom 11 00:00:26,600 –> 00:00:28,920 and so when the book of proverbs 12 00:00:28,920 –> 00:00:30,480 maps out the way of wisdom, 13 00:00:30,480 –> 00:00:32,720 it really is mapping out what it looks like 14 00:00:32,720 –> 00:00:37,200 to be a disciple of the lord, Jesus Christ. 15 00:00:37,200 –> 00:00:39,240 Now proverbs gives us wisdom 16 00:00:39,240 –> 00:00:41,799 for the whole of life 17 00:00:41,799 –> 00:00:45,360 and we’re looking at five themes in particular. 18 00:00:45,360 –> 00:00:48,180 Last week, we looked at the theme of friendship 19 00:00:48,180 –> 00:00:52,160 and today, we are looking at the theme of family 20 00:00:52,160 –> 00:00:55,279 and the book of proverbs gives wisdom 21 00:00:55,360 –> 00:00:57,740 for husbands and for wives, 22 00:00:57,740 –> 00:01:00,400 for parents and for children 23 00:01:00,400 –> 00:01:04,000 and for brothers and for sisters. 24 00:01:04,000 –> 00:01:05,879 So whatever your situation in life, 25 00:01:05,879 –> 00:01:10,879 there is something here for each and every one of us today. 26 00:01:11,959 –> 00:01:16,959 We’re going to begin with wisdom for brothers and sisters 27 00:01:17,760 –> 00:01:20,879 and I want to draw your attention 28 00:01:20,879 –> 00:01:24,239 to Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 19 29 00:01:24,239 –> 00:01:27,400 where we learn that close relationships 30 00:01:27,400 –> 00:01:30,059 are vulnerable to deep wounds. 31 00:01:30,059 –> 00:01:34,160 Proverbs 18, 19, a brother offended 32 00:01:34,160 –> 00:01:39,239 is more unyielding than a strong city 33 00:01:40,279 –> 00:01:45,279 and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 34 00:01:46,879 –> 00:01:49,339 The references to a sibling 35 00:01:49,339 –> 00:01:53,519 and if I were to ask how many of us here in this service 36 00:01:53,599 –> 00:01:56,599 have a strained relationship with a sibling, 37 00:01:56,599 –> 00:01:58,160 a brother or a sister. 38 00:01:58,160 –> 00:01:59,599 If I were not going to do this 39 00:01:59,599 –> 00:02:02,019 but if I were to ask for a show of hands 40 00:02:02,019 –> 00:02:04,260 I think there would be plenty. 41 00:02:04,260 –> 00:02:07,440 If you have a sibling how do you get on with your brother? 42 00:02:08,440 –> 00:02:11,320 How do you get on with what is your relationship 43 00:02:11,320 –> 00:02:13,259 like with your sister? 44 00:02:14,460 –> 00:02:16,880 What we’re being told here very clearly 45 00:02:16,880 –> 00:02:18,880 is if you have a good relationship 46 00:02:18,880 –> 00:02:20,800 with your brother or your sister, 47 00:02:20,820 –> 00:02:24,619 cherish it and guard it. 48 00:02:24,619 –> 00:02:28,500 Because Proverbs reminds us that close relationships 49 00:02:28,500 –> 00:02:31,460 are especially vulnerable to deep wounds 50 00:02:31,460 –> 00:02:34,279 that don’t heal easily. 51 00:02:34,279 –> 00:02:39,279 A brother offended is more unyielding 52 00:02:39,759 –> 00:02:42,440 than a strong city. 53 00:02:42,440 –> 00:02:44,779 Now of course you see this throughout the Bible. 54 00:02:44,779 –> 00:02:46,460 You remember that the first two children 55 00:02:46,460 –> 00:02:48,740 born into the world were both boys, 56 00:02:48,740 –> 00:02:50,320 Cain and Abel. 57 00:02:50,320 –> 00:02:53,899 And one of these brothers was jealous of the other 58 00:02:53,899 –> 00:02:57,039 and you know that that story didn’t end well. 59 00:02:58,000 –> 00:03:02,220 Then you have Jacob and Esau. 60 00:03:02,220 –> 00:03:06,699 Then you have Joseph and his brothers. 61 00:03:06,699 –> 00:03:10,880 In the gospels, you have a man who comes to Jesus 62 00:03:10,880 –> 00:03:13,539 asking if Jesus can settle a dispute 63 00:03:13,539 –> 00:03:17,860 that he has with his brother over inheritance money. 64 00:03:17,860 –> 00:03:19,539 How often does that happen? 65 00:03:19,539 –> 00:03:21,720 Squabbling and quarreling in families 66 00:03:21,720 –> 00:03:26,020 between brothers and sisters over who gets what. 67 00:03:27,820 –> 00:03:31,539 And then we are told in regards to the family 68 00:03:31,539 –> 00:03:34,100 in which our Lord Jesus was raised 69 00:03:35,020 –> 00:03:40,020 that the family of Jesus, that is his brothers and sisters, 70 00:03:40,699 –> 00:03:45,119 said that he was out of his mind. 71 00:03:45,759 –> 00:03:50,360 So if jealousy of a brother or sister 72 00:03:50,360 –> 00:03:53,179 is a trial in your life, 73 00:03:54,160 –> 00:03:57,559 then know that the Lord Jesus has been there 74 00:03:58,639 –> 00:04:02,440 and he knows what living with this is like. 75 00:04:02,440 –> 00:04:05,740 A brother offended is more unyielding 76 00:04:05,740 –> 00:04:07,020 than a strong city. 77 00:04:07,020 –> 00:04:12,020 And quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 78 00:04:12,820 –> 00:04:17,660 Now, what that’s telling us is that 79 00:04:17,660 –> 00:04:20,420 when quarreling takes root, 80 00:04:21,700 –> 00:04:24,720 it locks a person in so that it’s as if 81 00:04:24,720 –> 00:04:27,660 you’re behind the bars of a castle 82 00:04:27,660 –> 00:04:30,380 on the one side and your brother or sister 83 00:04:30,380 –> 00:04:35,440 is behind the bars of a castle on the other side. 84 00:04:35,440 –> 00:04:37,339 And the closer the relationship, 85 00:04:37,339 –> 00:04:40,619 the stronger the bars can be. 86 00:04:42,019 –> 00:04:45,579 So, close relationships are vulnerable to deep wounds 87 00:04:45,579 –> 00:04:49,339 and so we are to handle them with special care 88 00:04:49,339 –> 00:04:53,260 and to be very careful not to quarrel 89 00:04:53,260 –> 00:04:56,519 with a brother or with a sister. 90 00:04:56,519 –> 00:04:57,779 And another of the proverbs, 91 00:04:57,779 –> 00:05:00,239 this is Proverbs 17 in verse 14, 92 00:05:00,239 –> 00:05:04,519 says that the beginning of strife, 93 00:05:04,519 –> 00:05:07,459 the beginning of strife, 94 00:05:07,480 –> 00:05:11,220 is like the letting out of water. 95 00:05:12,200 –> 00:05:17,200 So, quit before the quarrel breaks out. 96 00:05:17,660 –> 00:05:20,100 Wonderful wisdom from the Word of God, 97 00:05:20,100 –> 00:05:23,380 guard these relationships that are vulnerable 98 00:05:23,380 –> 00:05:27,260 with special care and especially be careful 99 00:05:27,260 –> 00:05:32,260 not to quarrel with your brother or with your sister. 100 00:05:33,019 –> 00:05:36,880 Second, wisdom for husbands and wifes. 101 00:05:36,880 –> 00:05:38,519 There’s so much here in Proverbs, 102 00:05:38,519 –> 00:05:40,320 I want just to touch on one thing 103 00:05:40,320 –> 00:05:43,380 and that is to remind those of us who are married 104 00:05:43,380 –> 00:05:48,140 that your spouse is a gift from the Lord. 105 00:05:48,140 –> 00:05:50,980 Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 22. 106 00:05:50,980 –> 00:05:55,880 He who finds a wife finds a good thing 107 00:05:55,880 –> 00:06:00,640 and obtains favor from the Lord. 108 00:06:00,640 –> 00:06:04,079 Now remember these are the words of wise King Solomon 109 00:06:04,140 –> 00:06:06,679 to his son Rehoboam. 110 00:06:06,679 –> 00:06:10,179 And here you have therefore a wise father 111 00:06:10,179 –> 00:06:14,739 commending marriage to his son as a good thing. 112 00:06:14,739 –> 00:06:19,739 It’s a good gift from the Lord son, this father says. 113 00:06:20,859 –> 00:06:23,320 Now this is very important for us to remember 114 00:06:23,320 –> 00:06:26,000 because we live in a culture 115 00:06:26,000 –> 00:06:30,799 that often flaunts what it calls freedom. 116 00:06:30,799 –> 00:06:32,880 So you get a question like, 117 00:06:32,880 –> 00:06:36,500 well who wants to be tied down? 118 00:06:37,839 –> 00:06:41,380 But you see the Bible has a very different view 119 00:06:41,380 –> 00:06:43,760 of marriage from that, 120 00:06:43,760 –> 00:06:47,040 a much higher view of marriage. 121 00:06:47,040 –> 00:06:50,399 Solomon says to his son, chapter 12 and verse four, 122 00:06:50,399 –> 00:06:55,399 an excellent wife is the crown of her husband. 123 00:06:57,480 –> 00:07:00,779 The crown of her husband. 124 00:07:01,779 –> 00:07:05,059 And as many of you know well, 125 00:07:05,059 –> 00:07:08,480 the book of Proverbs ends with a poem 126 00:07:08,480 –> 00:07:11,940 composed by a wise husband 127 00:07:11,940 –> 00:07:16,299 in praise of his good and godly wife. 128 00:07:16,299 –> 00:07:19,959 Proverbs 31 and verse 29 here’s what the husband says 129 00:07:19,959 –> 00:07:21,019 of his wife. 130 00:07:21,019 –> 00:07:25,540 Many women have done excellently, 131 00:07:25,540 –> 00:07:29,619 but you surpass them all. 132 00:07:30,540 –> 00:07:33,059 Now, from this from Proverbs chapter 31 133 00:07:33,059 –> 00:07:38,059 where a wise husband expresses his appreciation 134 00:07:38,480 –> 00:07:43,119 and valuing of his wife and all that she does. 135 00:07:43,119 –> 00:07:48,119 From this we learn, husband tell your wife where she excels. 136 00:07:50,380 –> 00:07:54,459 Build her up with this kind of appreciation. 137 00:07:54,459 –> 00:07:59,459 A wise husband expresses the praise of his wife. 138 00:08:00,500 –> 00:08:04,220 Ray Ortland, a pastor who has a very fine book 139 00:08:04,220 –> 00:08:06,660 on the book of Proverbs, points out 140 00:08:07,459 –> 00:08:11,920 that the meaning of the word husband, 141 00:08:11,920 –> 00:08:13,880 wonder if you’ve ever thought about this, 142 00:08:13,880 –> 00:08:17,459 what is a husband, what does that word mean? 143 00:08:18,500 –> 00:08:22,640 Well, when the word husband is used as a verb to husband, 144 00:08:22,640 –> 00:08:26,679 it means to cultivate. 145 00:08:26,899 –> 00:08:29,679 Think of this, husbandry, 146 00:08:29,679 –> 00:08:34,679 husbandry is about the art of caring and cultivating. 147 00:08:36,979 –> 00:08:41,099 So if God has entrusted you with a wife, 148 00:08:41,099 –> 00:08:45,000 your job is to husband her, 149 00:08:45,000 –> 00:08:50,000 that is to create the conditions in which she can flourish. 150 00:08:50,760 –> 00:08:55,539 That is by definition what it means to be a husband, 151 00:08:56,380 –> 00:09:01,380 husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church 152 00:09:02,140 –> 00:09:06,900 and gave himself up for her. 153 00:09:06,900 –> 00:09:09,219 So we read from chapter three this morning, 154 00:09:09,219 –> 00:09:12,419 let love and faithfulness never leave you, 155 00:09:13,299 –> 00:09:14,919 bind them around your neck, 156 00:09:14,919 –> 00:09:16,739 in other words, let your love 157 00:09:16,739 –> 00:09:20,460 and let your faithfulness be evident to all 158 00:09:20,460 –> 00:09:22,979 because it’s visible, bind them around your neck 159 00:09:22,979 –> 00:09:25,739 but also let it be in your heart. 160 00:09:25,739 –> 00:09:28,179 Write them on the tablet of your heart, 161 00:09:28,179 –> 00:09:30,900 then you will win favor and good success 162 00:09:30,900 –> 00:09:35,200 in the sight of God and of man. 163 00:09:36,320 –> 00:09:39,679 So the book of Proverbs, it is full of wisdom 164 00:09:40,599 –> 00:09:42,739 and particularly we are given wisdom 165 00:09:42,739 –> 00:09:46,280 in relation to sibling relationships, 166 00:09:46,280 –> 00:09:48,380 your brother and your sister, 167 00:09:48,380 –> 00:09:52,020 in relation to marriage, husband and wife, 168 00:09:52,979 –> 00:09:56,840 but by far the largest number of Proverbs 169 00:09:56,840 –> 00:09:59,020 that relate to family life 170 00:10:00,020 –> 00:10:02,380 are directed towards the relationship 171 00:10:02,380 –> 00:10:05,419 between parents and children, 172 00:10:05,419 –> 00:10:09,419 and I want to focus in especially on that today. 173 00:10:09,419 –> 00:10:13,940 And first, for us to see together the wisdom of God 174 00:10:13,940 –> 00:10:17,559 that is given to us here for children. 175 00:10:17,559 –> 00:10:19,659 And two things, for all who are younger, 176 00:10:19,659 –> 00:10:23,099 but also all of us who are older as well, 177 00:10:23,099 –> 00:10:25,119 that I want us to see clearly. 178 00:10:25,119 –> 00:10:30,119 The first is always seek to bring joy to your parents. 179 00:10:33,099 –> 00:10:37,099 Whereas I have the privilege of speaking especially now 180 00:10:37,099 –> 00:10:39,200 to those who are younger, 181 00:10:39,200 –> 00:10:42,299 to the children, young people 182 00:10:42,299 –> 00:10:45,619 who are here in the congregation today. 183 00:10:45,619 –> 00:10:48,159 I want you to take this in, 184 00:10:48,159 –> 00:10:51,799 that the word of God calls you 185 00:10:51,799 –> 00:10:56,799 to always bring joy to your father and to your mother. 186 00:10:59,599 –> 00:11:04,599 Look at this, a wise son makes a glad father, 187 00:11:05,039 –> 00:11:10,039 a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. 188 00:11:12,479 –> 00:11:14,979 Or Proverbs 23 and verse 25, 189 00:11:14,979 –> 00:11:19,559 let your father and mother be glad. 190 00:11:20,659 –> 00:11:25,440 Let her who bore you rejoice. 191 00:11:26,460 –> 00:11:28,780 Now, of course, this is very simply an application 192 00:11:28,780 –> 00:11:30,859 of the fifth commandment, 193 00:11:30,859 –> 00:11:33,099 the commandment in which God says to us 194 00:11:33,099 –> 00:11:36,979 honor your father and your mother, 195 00:11:36,979 –> 00:11:40,159 and that is a commandment that speaks to children, 196 00:11:40,159 –> 00:11:41,820 but not only to children. 197 00:11:41,820 –> 00:11:43,859 There’s not a time limit that’s put on it. 198 00:11:43,880 –> 00:11:46,859 Throughout life here is the commandment of God 199 00:11:46,859 –> 00:11:50,299 that you honor your father and your mother. 200 00:11:50,299 –> 00:11:51,979 Now, what does that mean? 201 00:11:53,059 –> 00:11:55,580 Well, very simply the word honor 202 00:11:55,580 –> 00:11:59,960 means give weight to, 203 00:11:59,960 –> 00:12:03,299 or regard as heavy. 204 00:12:03,299 –> 00:12:05,640 That’s what the word honor means. 205 00:12:06,619 –> 00:12:11,619 So when your father or your mother 206 00:12:11,679 –> 00:12:14,039 tell you to do something, 207 00:12:14,039 –> 00:12:18,799 you are to give weight to what they say. 208 00:12:19,619 –> 00:12:22,500 And in older life, in later life, 209 00:12:22,500 –> 00:12:24,539 as father and mother may have needs, 210 00:12:24,539 –> 00:12:29,219 you are to give weight to their needs 211 00:12:29,219 –> 00:12:30,619 and to their circumstances. 212 00:12:30,619 –> 00:12:32,299 That’s what it means to honor, 213 00:12:32,299 –> 00:12:36,200 give weight to your father and your mother. 214 00:12:37,099 –> 00:12:39,099 So to put this as simply as I can, 215 00:12:39,140 –> 00:12:40,979 especially for the children 216 00:12:40,979 –> 00:12:44,299 and younger folks here this morning, 217 00:12:44,299 –> 00:12:49,099 if your father or your mother tells you to do something 218 00:12:50,419 –> 00:12:52,539 and you don’t want to do it, 219 00:12:53,539 –> 00:12:55,679 here’s what you should say to yourself. 220 00:12:56,739 –> 00:12:59,219 You should say to yourself, 221 00:12:59,219 –> 00:13:04,219 the person who told me to do this is my mother. 222 00:13:04,500 –> 00:13:08,140 It is my mother. 223 00:13:08,140 –> 00:13:11,640 You’ve got to give weight to your father. 224 00:13:11,640 –> 00:13:14,140 And we need to practice this. 225 00:13:14,140 –> 00:13:15,739 Together, please. 226 00:13:15,739 –> 00:13:20,739 The person who told me to do this is my mother. 227 00:13:22,739 –> 00:13:25,000 You see, if it’s your mother who says it, 228 00:13:25,000 –> 00:13:27,099 you give weight to that. 229 00:13:27,099 –> 00:13:29,020 If it’s your father who says it, 230 00:13:29,020 –> 00:13:30,059 you give weight to that. 231 00:13:30,059 –> 00:13:31,099 That’s what it means, 232 00:13:31,099 –> 00:13:34,020 to honor your father and mother. 233 00:13:34,140 –> 00:13:35,520 And when you do that, 234 00:13:35,520 –> 00:13:38,020 you will bring joy to your parents. 235 00:13:38,020 –> 00:13:40,700 A wise son makes a glad father. 236 00:13:40,700 –> 00:13:44,940 Let your father and your mother be glad. 237 00:13:44,940 –> 00:13:48,020 And since we’re in Proverbs, 238 00:13:48,020 –> 00:13:50,380 and there are some ones that are very memorable, 239 00:13:51,340 –> 00:13:53,039 if there should come a time 240 00:13:54,219 –> 00:13:56,500 when you are ever tempted 241 00:13:57,559 –> 00:14:01,940 to look at your father as if you despised him, 242 00:14:02,919 –> 00:14:07,919 or to look at your mother as if you were going to defy her, 243 00:14:10,419 –> 00:14:13,099 then just remember this from the book of Proverbs. 244 00:14:13,099 –> 00:14:15,859 This is Proverbs 30 and verse 17. 245 00:14:15,859 –> 00:14:17,780 What do you think of this? 246 00:14:17,780 –> 00:14:22,159 The eye that mocks a father 247 00:14:23,320 –> 00:14:27,260 and scorns to obey a mother 248 00:14:27,820 –> 00:14:32,580 will be picked out by the ravens of the valley 249 00:14:35,320 –> 00:14:38,640 and eaten by the vultures. 250 00:14:41,520 –> 00:14:46,119 I think that means don’t ever defy your father. 251 00:14:47,500 –> 00:14:51,640 Don’t ever despise your mother. 252 00:14:53,239 –> 00:14:56,739 Okay, always seek to bring joy to your parents. 253 00:14:56,760 –> 00:14:59,239 That’s the wisdom of the word of God. 254 00:14:59,239 –> 00:15:02,479 And here’s the second thing, especially when we’re young, 255 00:15:02,479 –> 00:15:04,719 but really it is a principle to keep with us 256 00:15:04,719 –> 00:15:06,059 all through our lives. 257 00:15:06,059 –> 00:15:10,979 And it’s this, always be willing and even eager to learn. 258 00:15:11,799 –> 00:15:16,039 Always be willing and even eager to learn. 259 00:15:16,039 –> 00:15:18,239 Look at chapter 15 in verse 32. 260 00:15:18,239 –> 00:15:22,119 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, 261 00:15:23,099 –> 00:15:27,659 but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. 262 00:15:27,659 –> 00:15:29,500 Or chapter 13 in verse one. 263 00:15:29,500 –> 00:15:34,500 A wise son hears his father’s instruction, 264 00:15:34,739 –> 00:15:39,739 but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke. 265 00:15:39,859 –> 00:15:43,460 Now one of the things that’s often true when we’re young 266 00:15:43,460 –> 00:15:47,179 is that we can easily feel that we know it all. 267 00:15:48,140 –> 00:15:51,539 And hopefully as we grow older, 268 00:15:51,739 –> 00:15:52,979 we become a little more humble 269 00:15:52,979 –> 00:15:57,140 and realize that we don’t know as much as we used to think. 270 00:15:57,140 –> 00:16:01,039 There’s a great comment that I believe Mark Twain made. 271 00:16:01,039 –> 00:16:03,099 And it was something to the effect of, 272 00:16:03,099 –> 00:16:08,099 when I was 14, I was convinced that my father knew nothing. 273 00:16:10,479 –> 00:16:13,280 By the time I was 21, I was amazed at how much 274 00:16:13,280 –> 00:16:15,299 he had learned in the last seven years. 275 00:16:15,299 –> 00:16:20,299 Now we read earlier from Proverbs chapter three 276 00:16:21,260 –> 00:16:26,260 and verse seven, do not be wise in your own eyes. 277 00:16:28,340 –> 00:16:31,119 And that theme of the danger of being wise 278 00:16:31,119 –> 00:16:36,119 in your own eyes is repeated throughout Proverbs. 279 00:16:36,119 –> 00:16:39,659 For example, chapter 26 and verse 12 takes it up, 280 00:16:39,659 –> 00:16:44,580 do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? 281 00:16:45,859 –> 00:16:48,500 There’s more hope for a fool than there is for him. 282 00:16:49,159 –> 00:16:53,760 See, Solomon was a teacher. 283 00:16:53,760 –> 00:16:58,460 He was a king, but he was also a teacher of wisdom. 284 00:16:59,380 –> 00:17:04,060 And as a teacher, he discovered what all teachers know, 285 00:17:04,060 –> 00:17:06,420 that there are some students who learn 286 00:17:06,420 –> 00:17:07,839 and others who don’t. 287 00:17:08,699 –> 00:17:13,000 And what Solomon observes here is that those who don’t learn 288 00:17:13,000 –> 00:17:15,979 are those who think they are wise already. 289 00:17:15,979 –> 00:17:17,859 They’re wise in their own eyes. 290 00:17:18,579 –> 00:17:22,099 And so they don’t think that they need to learn anything. 291 00:17:22,099 –> 00:17:23,020 And Solomon says, 292 00:17:23,020 –> 00:17:26,380 there’s more hope for a fool than for that person, why? 293 00:17:26,380 –> 00:17:29,540 Because the fool at least has the advantage 294 00:17:29,540 –> 00:17:31,579 of knowing that he needs to learn. 295 00:17:32,780 –> 00:17:35,260 And the very first lesson 296 00:17:35,260 –> 00:17:38,619 for all of us in the school of wisdom 297 00:17:39,520 –> 00:17:43,500 is that all of us need to learn. 298 00:17:44,540 –> 00:17:47,800 And that is why the Bible says that the fear of the Lord 299 00:17:47,880 –> 00:17:49,540 is the beginning of wisdom. 300 00:17:50,459 –> 00:17:55,459 Wisdom begins when I come to see that I don’t have it. 301 00:17:55,739 –> 00:17:58,239 I need to receive it. 302 00:17:58,239 –> 00:18:00,959 And I need to receive it from the Lord 303 00:18:00,959 –> 00:18:03,859 and I’ll receive it through His word. 304 00:18:04,760 –> 00:18:08,000 In other words, the greatest barrier to gaining wisdom 305 00:18:08,000 –> 00:18:10,939 is the conviction that you already have it. 306 00:18:12,239 –> 00:18:15,819 That is why in Romans 1 in verse 22, 307 00:18:15,839 –> 00:18:20,180 we read that people who thought themselves wise 308 00:18:20,180 –> 00:18:21,780 became fools. 309 00:18:23,000 –> 00:18:25,199 You see, here are men and women who say, 310 00:18:25,199 –> 00:18:29,680 we don’t need God, we’re wise, we’ve got all that we need. 311 00:18:29,680 –> 00:18:31,300 And so they push God away. 312 00:18:31,300 –> 00:18:32,859 And thinking themselves wise, 313 00:18:32,859 –> 00:18:35,060 being wise in their own eyes, what happens? 314 00:18:35,060 –> 00:18:37,119 They begin to live as fools. 315 00:18:37,959 –> 00:18:39,839 That’s Romans 1 in verse 22. 316 00:18:41,500 –> 00:18:44,660 That’s why in 1 Corinthians 3 in verse 18, 317 00:18:44,660 –> 00:18:49,640 Paul says if any of you thinks that he is wise in this age, 318 00:18:49,640 –> 00:18:52,819 let him become a fool in order that he may become wise. 319 00:18:52,819 –> 00:18:55,239 In other words, the only way to really learn 320 00:18:55,239 –> 00:18:59,020 is to begin by recognizing your own need. 321 00:19:00,560 –> 00:19:02,760 So recognize that you need to learn. 322 00:19:03,800 –> 00:19:06,800 Listen to those God has placed around you. 323 00:19:07,699 –> 00:19:12,099 Especially when you are young, listen to your parents. 324 00:19:13,000 –> 00:19:16,800 Take in all that you can from the Word of God 325 00:19:16,800 –> 00:19:20,319 so that you will grow in the path of wisdom 326 00:19:20,319 –> 00:19:22,719 because we are not born with it. 327 00:19:22,719 –> 00:19:27,719 We need to receive it and to receive it from the Lord. 328 00:19:27,880 –> 00:19:30,599 So here are some things especially for children, 329 00:19:30,599 –> 00:19:34,400 but clearly, they remain with us all of our lives, 330 00:19:34,400 –> 00:19:39,079 always seek to bring joy to your parents. 331 00:19:39,900 –> 00:19:42,660 I’ve spoken to so many folks in midlife 332 00:19:42,660 –> 00:19:45,339 who are caring for older parents 333 00:19:46,260 –> 00:19:49,780 and what a wonderful thing to be able to say 334 00:19:49,780 –> 00:19:53,420 the smile of God is upon you as you are doing this. 335 00:19:54,380 –> 00:19:57,939 It is a reflection of the wisdom and the very heart of God. 336 00:19:57,939 –> 00:19:59,760 The way of Jesus. 337 00:20:00,619 –> 00:20:02,540 The way of a disciple. 338 00:20:02,540 –> 00:20:07,239 And always, always be willing and eager to learn. 339 00:20:08,079 –> 00:20:10,760 Now fourthly, the Book of Proverbs 340 00:20:10,760 –> 00:20:14,619 has an abundance of wisdom for parents. 341 00:20:15,640 –> 00:20:19,079 And I want to draw out three themes today 342 00:20:19,079 –> 00:20:22,020 that are especially important. 343 00:20:22,020 –> 00:20:24,800 And the first is that you 344 00:20:24,800 –> 00:20:29,380 have more influence than you may think. 345 00:20:30,479 –> 00:20:35,319 I want this to be a real encouragement to moms and to dads 346 00:20:35,319 –> 00:20:36,839 and to grandparents as well, 347 00:20:37,560 –> 00:20:38,800 but especially to mothers and fathers 348 00:20:38,800 –> 00:20:41,060 who are raising children. 349 00:20:41,060 –> 00:20:43,880 I want you to receive this encouragement from the scripture 350 00:20:43,880 –> 00:20:48,880 that you have more influence than you may think. 351 00:20:50,140 –> 00:20:52,219 Perhaps the best known of the Proverbs 352 00:20:52,219 –> 00:20:54,160 in regards to children, 353 00:20:54,160 –> 00:20:59,119 train up a child in the way he should go 354 00:21:00,040 –> 00:21:03,640 even when he is old, 355 00:21:04,479 –> 00:21:08,119 he will not depart from it. 356 00:21:10,000 –> 00:21:13,119 Now, remember as we recognized right at the beginning 357 00:21:13,119 –> 00:21:16,839 of this series that the Proverbs are Proverbs. 358 00:21:16,839 –> 00:21:18,979 They are not promises. 359 00:21:18,979 –> 00:21:21,060 They are wise sayings 360 00:21:21,060 –> 00:21:23,079 that describe the normal pattern 361 00:21:23,079 –> 00:21:25,819 that prevails in this world. 362 00:21:25,819 –> 00:21:29,959 And this Proverb describes the normal pattern. 363 00:21:29,959 –> 00:21:32,800 It does not promise a particular outcome, 364 00:21:32,859 –> 00:21:35,119 and we recognized this choosing this verse 365 00:21:35,119 –> 00:21:38,280 as an example right at the beginning of the series 366 00:21:38,280 –> 00:21:41,219 as we recognized that Proverbs are Proverbs. 367 00:21:41,219 –> 00:21:43,439 They describe the normal pattern 368 00:21:43,439 –> 00:21:45,219 that prevails in this world. 369 00:21:46,819 –> 00:21:51,640 But when all of that has been recognized and said 370 00:21:51,640 –> 00:21:53,260 and given its due weight, 371 00:21:54,939 –> 00:21:59,819 Proverbs here is making a stunning statement. 372 00:22:00,699 –> 00:22:04,619 Your influence in the lives of your children, 373 00:22:04,619 –> 00:22:09,619 mom, dad, go deeper than you may often think. 374 00:22:11,060 –> 00:22:12,739 It will still be with them, 375 00:22:12,739 –> 00:22:15,119 your influence will still be with them 376 00:22:15,119 –> 00:22:18,599 even when they are old. 377 00:22:20,660 –> 00:22:22,300 There may be times, of course, 378 00:22:22,300 –> 00:22:26,140 and this is the common experience of all parents, 379 00:22:26,140 –> 00:22:28,780 there may be times when it seems to you 380 00:22:28,800 –> 00:22:30,920 that your children are not listening. 381 00:22:31,979 –> 00:22:34,880 There may be times when in exasperation 382 00:22:34,880 –> 00:22:37,099 you say to your husband or your wife 383 00:22:37,099 –> 00:22:42,099 does anything I say ever go in in the life of this child? 384 00:22:44,979 –> 00:22:47,459 And when you find yourself exasperating that way, 385 00:22:47,459 –> 00:22:48,739 I want you to remember this, 386 00:22:48,739 –> 00:22:51,380 that more goes in than you see 387 00:22:52,619 –> 00:22:56,739 and more will remain than you think. 388 00:22:57,699 –> 00:22:59,400 That’s the point of the proverb. 389 00:23:00,339 –> 00:23:03,339 Now let me give you an illustration of that 390 00:23:03,339 –> 00:23:05,020 that’s very striking to me. 391 00:23:06,459 –> 00:23:08,339 The thief on the cross, 392 00:23:09,699 –> 00:23:13,819 the one who was crucified right next to Jesus. 393 00:23:13,819 –> 00:23:16,439 Remember there were two, one on either side. 394 00:23:17,699 –> 00:23:20,660 The thief on the cross had lived his life 395 00:23:20,660 –> 00:23:24,040 in open rebellion against God. 396 00:23:24,979 –> 00:23:26,180 He was a thief. 397 00:23:27,459 –> 00:23:30,459 And from the penalty that he suffered, 398 00:23:30,459 –> 00:23:31,660 being crucified, 399 00:23:31,660 –> 00:23:32,859 it seems very clear, 400 00:23:32,859 –> 00:23:35,219 this wasn’t petty theft. 401 00:23:35,219 –> 00:23:37,339 This man was a robber. 402 00:23:37,339 –> 00:23:42,219 And in all likelihood a violent one at that. 403 00:23:42,219 –> 00:23:44,939 This is the kind of man who would have assaulted 404 00:23:44,939 –> 00:23:48,739 a traveler on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho 405 00:23:48,739 –> 00:23:50,939 and then, having robbed him, 406 00:23:50,939 –> 00:23:54,979 leave him bleeding and wounded in the road. 407 00:23:55,979 –> 00:23:58,780 So here is a man who quite clearly has had 408 00:23:58,780 –> 00:24:02,260 absolutely no place whatsoever 409 00:24:02,260 –> 00:24:04,739 for God in his life. 410 00:24:04,739 –> 00:24:06,819 And yet, 411 00:24:06,819 –> 00:24:09,699 in the last hours of his life, 412 00:24:10,819 –> 00:24:13,699 he looks from where he is on the cross 413 00:24:13,699 –> 00:24:15,339 to the other side of Jesus 414 00:24:15,339 –> 00:24:16,699 where there’s another robber 415 00:24:16,699 –> 00:24:19,819 who presumably was his companion in crime. 416 00:24:19,819 –> 00:24:21,800 And he says to that man, 417 00:24:22,000 –> 00:24:25,680 do you not fear God? 418 00:24:28,280 –> 00:24:29,760 Where did that come from? 419 00:24:31,640 –> 00:24:36,479 Some awareness that there really is a God 420 00:24:36,479 –> 00:24:40,239 to whom we must all one day give an account 421 00:24:40,239 –> 00:24:43,439 had been planted in his soul. 422 00:24:44,400 –> 00:24:46,359 And he’d suppressed it. 423 00:24:47,319 –> 00:24:50,839 And he’d rebelled against it for years. 424 00:24:52,520 –> 00:24:55,599 But even though the truth was suppressed, 425 00:24:55,599 –> 00:24:57,520 the conviction remained. 426 00:24:59,540 –> 00:25:01,619 So I want to say as your pastor 427 00:25:01,619 –> 00:25:06,219 to a troubled father or mother today, 428 00:25:06,219 –> 00:25:10,239 if you have a rebel son or daughter, 429 00:25:10,239 –> 00:25:13,160 a son or daughter who is far from God today, 430 00:25:13,160 –> 00:25:14,760 do not despair. 431 00:25:16,560 –> 00:25:21,359 The living seed of the word of God has been planted 432 00:25:21,780 –> 00:25:25,020 and who knows what God may yet do with it. 433 00:25:26,479 –> 00:25:30,380 You have, mother, father more influenced 434 00:25:30,380 –> 00:25:32,140 than you may think. 435 00:25:33,260 –> 00:25:38,260 So be encouraged by this wonderful proverb. 436 00:25:38,540 –> 00:25:40,859 Train up a child. 437 00:25:40,859 –> 00:25:41,939 Notice that word, by the way, 438 00:25:41,939 –> 00:25:45,520 emphasizing the importance of early years. 439 00:25:46,579 –> 00:25:49,660 Train up a child in the way he should go 440 00:25:49,660 –> 00:25:52,959 and even when he is old, 441 00:25:53,819 –> 00:25:55,520 he will not depart from it. 442 00:25:57,420 –> 00:25:58,859 That’s the first piece of wisdom 443 00:25:58,859 –> 00:26:01,180 that I want to draw out for us today 444 00:26:01,180 –> 00:26:02,319 from the book of Proverbs. 445 00:26:02,319 –> 00:26:03,339 Here’s the second. 446 00:26:04,219 –> 00:26:09,219 Your child needs restraint 447 00:26:09,380 –> 00:26:12,939 as well as affirmation. 448 00:26:12,939 –> 00:26:17,939 Your children need restraint as well as affirmation. 449 00:26:18,900 –> 00:26:22,819 Now, here, let’s begin with Proverbs 22 in verse 15, 450 00:26:22,819 –> 00:26:26,520 where we’re told folly is bound up 451 00:26:26,520 –> 00:26:28,520 in the heart of a child. 452 00:26:28,520 –> 00:26:32,540 But the rod of discipline 453 00:26:32,540 –> 00:26:35,900 drives it far from him. 454 00:26:37,479 –> 00:26:40,280 Now, our secular world, as you know well, 455 00:26:40,280 –> 00:26:43,880 has largely bought into the idea 456 00:26:43,880 –> 00:26:47,800 that if you just follow the impulses of your own heart, 457 00:26:47,819 –> 00:26:50,199 they will lead you into life. 458 00:26:51,520 –> 00:26:55,160 But Proverbs says very clearly, not so fast. 459 00:26:56,060 –> 00:26:58,260 There’s a problem with that. 460 00:26:58,260 –> 00:26:59,859 And here’s the problem. 461 00:26:59,859 –> 00:27:04,540 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. 462 00:27:04,540 –> 00:27:09,540 So if you follow every impulse of your own heart, 463 00:27:10,060 –> 00:27:12,619 there will be impulses in your own heart 464 00:27:12,619 –> 00:27:14,839 that will lead you to your own destruction. 465 00:27:15,739 –> 00:27:18,719 Now parents you see who have bought 466 00:27:18,719 –> 00:27:22,140 into the philosophy of the culture 467 00:27:22,140 –> 00:27:26,099 and have come to believe that everything, 468 00:27:26,099 –> 00:27:29,420 everything in your child’s heart is good, 469 00:27:29,420 –> 00:27:32,660 well, if you really believe that, 470 00:27:32,660 –> 00:27:37,660 then you will see the entire job of parenting 471 00:27:38,839 –> 00:27:43,280 as simply being encouraging and affirming, 472 00:27:43,300 –> 00:27:47,900 bringing out what’s there because you believe 473 00:27:47,900 –> 00:27:51,719 that everything that is there is good. 474 00:27:53,479 –> 00:27:58,380 But parents who believe the Bible know something else. 475 00:27:58,380 –> 00:28:01,219 Parents who believe the Bible know 476 00:28:01,219 –> 00:28:06,219 that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. 477 00:28:07,319 –> 00:28:10,560 In other words, that sin is deeply-rooted 478 00:28:10,640 –> 00:28:13,420 in all human nature. 479 00:28:13,420 –> 00:28:15,719 And when a parent understands that, 480 00:28:15,719 –> 00:28:18,660 this wise parent will therefore know 481 00:28:18,660 –> 00:28:23,660 that their calling is not only to encourage and affirm, 482 00:28:25,180 –> 00:28:29,020 which it certainly is, to surround with love, 483 00:28:29,959 –> 00:28:33,160 but that a significant part of the love 484 00:28:33,160 –> 00:28:35,119 with which you surround your child 485 00:28:35,119 –> 00:28:38,439 is to exercise restraint in regards 486 00:28:38,439 –> 00:28:40,800 to the impulses in your child’s heart 487 00:28:40,800 –> 00:28:43,560 that otherwise would be destructive. 488 00:28:44,900 –> 00:28:48,699 Proverbs speaks in this regard 489 00:28:48,699 –> 00:28:52,339 several times about the rod. 490 00:28:53,239 –> 00:28:56,119 Chapter 29 and verse 15, 491 00:28:56,119 –> 00:29:00,500 “‘The rod and reproof give wisdom, 492 00:29:00,500 –> 00:29:04,119 “‘but a child left to himself’,” 493 00:29:04,119 –> 00:29:05,439 very striking phrase, 494 00:29:05,439 –> 00:29:10,439 “‘a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” 495 00:29:11,819 –> 00:29:14,140 Now let’s confront this directly. 496 00:29:15,520 –> 00:29:17,339 Is the Bible telling us 497 00:29:17,339 –> 00:29:21,160 that we are to beat our children with sticks? 498 00:29:22,199 –> 00:29:23,520 Answer, 499 00:29:23,520 –> 00:29:24,619 no. 500 00:29:25,760 –> 00:29:28,800 Now that may be how these verses 501 00:29:28,800 –> 00:29:32,319 have been understood in past centuries, 502 00:29:32,319 –> 00:29:35,719 but I think that there is a better way 503 00:29:35,719 –> 00:29:39,119 for us to understand what is being said here. 504 00:29:39,959 –> 00:29:40,880 When we were studying 505 00:29:40,880 –> 00:29:43,920 in the book of Lamentations a couple of years ago, 506 00:29:43,920 –> 00:29:46,239 I was greatly helped 507 00:29:46,239 –> 00:29:50,839 by what Bible scholar Christopher Wright says about the rod, 508 00:29:50,839 –> 00:29:54,920 which also appears in the book of Lamentations. 509 00:29:54,920 –> 00:29:57,140 He points out 510 00:29:57,140 –> 00:30:00,300 that the best-known reference to the rod 511 00:30:00,339 –> 00:30:04,079 in all of the Bible is in Psalm 23, 512 00:30:05,560 –> 00:30:07,280 where David says, 513 00:30:07,280 –> 00:30:12,280 “‘Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’” 514 00:30:13,380 –> 00:30:15,380 Now that raises an obvious question. 515 00:30:15,380 –> 00:30:18,420 Why in the world would David say 516 00:30:18,420 –> 00:30:22,119 that God’s rod comforts him? 517 00:30:23,099 –> 00:30:24,739 And the answer, of course, is 518 00:30:24,739 –> 00:30:29,619 because the shepherd did not use the rod 519 00:30:29,619 –> 00:30:30,920 to beat the sheep. 520 00:30:31,939 –> 00:30:36,500 The shepherd used the rod to fend off the wild animals 521 00:30:36,500 –> 00:30:39,819 that might otherwise attack the sheep and kill them. 522 00:30:40,680 –> 00:30:45,680 The shepherd carried the rod in order to fend off the wolf. 523 00:30:46,060 –> 00:30:50,300 And the sheep had the comfort of knowing 524 00:30:50,300 –> 00:30:51,939 that they would not be left 525 00:30:51,939 –> 00:30:56,260 at the mercy of enemies that otherwise would consume them. 526 00:30:57,020 –> 00:31:02,020 Now, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. 527 00:31:04,020 –> 00:31:08,359 Foolishness is bound up in the hearts of your children. 528 00:31:08,359 –> 00:31:11,739 And you will bring them great comfort 529 00:31:11,739 –> 00:31:16,119 if they know that you will not allow them 530 00:31:16,119 –> 00:31:21,119 to follow the destructive impulses of their own hearts. 531 00:31:21,939 –> 00:31:26,939 A child left to himself, as the Proverbs puts it, 532 00:31:27,119 –> 00:31:32,119 is in a very scary place, indeed. 533 00:31:32,160 –> 00:31:36,619 See, your little girl, your little boy, 534 00:31:36,619 –> 00:31:39,839 as they grow up they’re going to find impulses 535 00:31:39,839 –> 00:31:44,839 within their own hearts of pride and selfishness 536 00:31:45,459 –> 00:31:50,260 and anger and laziness and much else 537 00:31:51,479 –> 00:31:56,479 besides and they need the security 538 00:31:56,540 –> 00:31:59,420 of being restrained by rebuke, 539 00:32:00,579 –> 00:32:05,579 of incurring some loss or by bringing some penalty to bear 540 00:32:07,619 –> 00:32:12,619 and with that restraint you will bring comfort. 541 00:32:14,520 –> 00:32:17,540 Now, don’t expect your children to say, 542 00:32:17,540 –> 00:32:20,140 your restraint comforts me, 543 00:32:23,420 –> 00:32:28,420 but without it, they would be in a very scary place indeed. 544 00:32:31,380 –> 00:32:33,479 So, here is wisdom for parents, 545 00:32:34,459 –> 00:32:37,500 you have more influence than you may think, 546 00:32:37,500 –> 00:32:39,359 so please be encouraged. 547 00:32:40,660 –> 00:32:45,199 Second, remember that your children need restrant 548 00:32:45,199 –> 00:32:47,160 as well as affirmation. 549 00:32:48,439 –> 00:32:51,160 And then, here’s the last thing today. 550 00:32:51,160 –> 00:32:56,160 Never underestimate the power of example. 551 00:32:57,339 –> 00:33:00,599 Never underestimate, mother, father, 552 00:33:00,599 –> 00:33:05,060 the power of your example. 553 00:33:05,060 –> 00:33:07,560 And here we come back to chapter three in verse one 554 00:33:07,560 –> 00:33:09,319 that was read for us earlier. 555 00:33:09,319 –> 00:33:11,619 Solomon says to Rehoboam, his son, 556 00:33:11,619 –> 00:33:16,619 my son, do not forget my teaching, 557 00:33:17,119 –> 00:33:20,579 but let your heart keep my commandments. 558 00:33:21,420 –> 00:33:23,420 If you look back to the beginning of chapter two, 559 00:33:23,420 –> 00:33:25,939 you’ll see that that personal pronoun, my, 560 00:33:25,939 –> 00:33:28,640 is repeated there, and it’s also in chapter seven, 561 00:33:28,640 –> 00:33:32,920 verse one, my son, keep my words. 562 00:33:32,920 –> 00:33:36,239 Treasure up my commandments with you. 563 00:33:36,239 –> 00:33:40,739 Keep my commandments and live. 564 00:33:41,800 –> 00:33:46,119 Think about that, keep my commandments and live. 565 00:33:46,160 –> 00:33:50,380 The only commandments that are life-giving 566 00:33:50,380 –> 00:33:54,680 are the words and the commandments of God himself. 567 00:33:54,680 –> 00:33:57,680 So what we have here is a father 568 00:33:57,680 –> 00:34:01,079 who has made God’s commandments his own commandments, 569 00:34:01,079 –> 00:34:06,079 God’s teaching his own teaching, God’s word his own word. 570 00:34:06,640 –> 00:34:09,620 And so what he commands to his son 571 00:34:09,620 –> 00:34:12,040 is what he has made his own, 572 00:34:12,919 –> 00:34:17,719 in other words, he is exercising the power of example 573 00:34:17,719 –> 00:34:20,020 and he is leading his son, 574 00:34:20,020 –> 00:34:23,979 leading the daughter in exactly that way. 575 00:34:25,939 –> 00:34:28,060 Most of you know that I very rarely speak 576 00:34:28,060 –> 00:34:30,040 in a personal way from the pulpit, 577 00:34:30,040 –> 00:34:32,899 but speaking of the power of example. 578 00:34:34,739 –> 00:34:38,780 My father worked two jobs when I was young 579 00:34:39,739 –> 00:34:42,860 and on top of that he was a deacon 580 00:34:42,860 –> 00:34:44,820 in the little church in which we grew up 581 00:34:44,820 –> 00:34:46,219 in Edinburgh, Scotland. 582 00:34:47,639 –> 00:34:51,360 And I have to say that these deacons’ meetings 583 00:34:51,360 –> 00:34:56,100 were evidently not well-organized or run 584 00:34:56,100 –> 00:34:58,959 in the way that our meetings of the church board 585 00:34:58,959 –> 00:35:00,600 are at the Orchard 586 00:35:00,600 –> 00:35:04,979 because they often went on well after midnight. 587 00:35:05,979 –> 00:35:09,939 And my father worked shifts, 588 00:35:09,939 –> 00:35:12,560 which meant that there were oftentimes 589 00:35:12,560 –> 00:35:14,780 when he was up at four in the morning 590 00:35:15,860 –> 00:35:20,699 and he was at a deacons’ meeting until past midnight 591 00:35:20,699 –> 00:35:23,739 and was up at four o’clock the next morning 592 00:35:23,739 –> 00:35:25,620 for the work of the next day. 593 00:35:26,820 –> 00:35:29,800 And I remember thinking as a boy, 594 00:35:30,159 –> 00:35:35,159 he thinks that serving the church is that important. 595 00:35:41,459 –> 00:35:45,560 And I remember very vividly him telling me 596 00:35:45,560 –> 00:35:46,919 when I was a teenager 597 00:35:48,320 –> 00:35:51,699 about a time when he was put under great pressure 598 00:35:51,699 –> 00:35:53,959 to bend the truth. 599 00:35:54,959 –> 00:35:57,360 and he wouldn’t do it 600 00:35:59,020 –> 00:36:01,000 and it cost him greatly. 601 00:36:02,719 –> 00:36:05,760 And I remember thinking as a teenager 602 00:36:06,860 –> 00:36:10,540 the truth is that important 603 00:36:12,320 –> 00:36:13,620 to my dad. 604 00:36:15,879 –> 00:36:18,560 And now after all these years, 605 00:36:18,560 –> 00:36:20,639 and I have my own grandchildren now, 606 00:36:22,000 –> 00:36:23,760 I look back 607 00:36:23,760 –> 00:36:26,120 and I see that the very things 608 00:36:26,120 –> 00:36:29,479 that I’ve tried to pursue in my own life 609 00:36:30,760 –> 00:36:32,199 to serve the church 610 00:36:33,560 –> 00:36:34,959 and to hold the truth, 611 00:36:36,300 –> 00:36:39,600 they were planted in me very early 612 00:36:40,620 –> 00:36:42,699 by the example of a godly father. 613 00:36:44,840 –> 00:36:47,139 So if you are a parent, 614 00:36:47,139 –> 00:36:51,280 a great motivation for living a godly life 615 00:36:51,360 –> 00:36:55,580 is to give your children a credible example to follow. 616 00:36:57,560 –> 00:37:01,580 God’s words are the words that I believe, son. 617 00:37:02,879 –> 00:37:07,560 God’s way is the way that I am committed to follow, 618 00:37:07,560 –> 00:37:09,719 son, daughter. 619 00:37:11,520 –> 00:37:13,300 Now, how are you gonna do that? 620 00:37:14,719 –> 00:37:17,520 Well, the only way to walk in obedience 621 00:37:17,520 –> 00:37:20,760 is to walk by faith, 622 00:37:20,800 –> 00:37:23,600 and that is why it’s so significant and so beautiful 623 00:37:23,600 –> 00:37:26,899 that in Proverbs in Chapter Three, which was read to us, 624 00:37:26,899 –> 00:37:31,639 Solomon begins speaking to his son 625 00:37:31,639 –> 00:37:33,399 and then he goes next to say 626 00:37:33,399 –> 00:37:36,080 trust in the Lord with all your heart. 627 00:37:36,080 –> 00:37:37,659 That’s the only way you can do it. 628 00:37:37,659 –> 00:37:40,600 You have to receive from the Lord what you need 629 00:37:40,600 –> 00:37:44,860 in order to pursue the way in which he calls you to live. 630 00:37:44,860 –> 00:37:47,699 So trust in the Lord with all your heart, verse five, 631 00:37:47,719 –> 00:37:50,860 and do not lean on your own understanding. 632 00:37:51,760 –> 00:37:55,379 Now you see, you can only call on your children 633 00:37:55,379 –> 00:37:57,020 to trust in the Lord 634 00:37:57,959 –> 00:38:02,600 if you clearly are trusting in the Lord yourself. 635 00:38:04,020 –> 00:38:08,659 So I want to say to parents especially today, 636 00:38:09,659 –> 00:38:14,040 trust in the Lord with all your heart 637 00:38:14,979 –> 00:38:19,639 and especially trust in the Lord with all your heart 638 00:38:19,639 –> 00:38:21,979 in relation to your children. 639 00:38:24,159 –> 00:38:26,399 The wisest counsel that I ever heard 640 00:38:26,399 –> 00:38:28,439 in regards to raising children 641 00:38:28,439 –> 00:38:32,360 came from a man strangely who never had the joy 642 00:38:32,360 –> 00:38:34,719 and privilege of being a father. 643 00:38:34,719 –> 00:38:37,280 William Still was a Scottish pastor 644 00:38:37,280 –> 00:38:40,399 now many years with the Lord 645 00:38:40,399 –> 00:38:44,360 and he remained single throughout his entire life. 646 00:38:44,360 –> 00:38:46,639 But this was his counsel to parents. 647 00:38:47,959 –> 00:38:52,959 Bring your children up in faith not fear. 648 00:38:54,919 –> 00:38:56,520 That has helped me so much. 649 00:38:57,540 –> 00:39:01,659 Bring your children up in faith not fear. 650 00:39:01,659 –> 00:39:04,959 In other words trust the Lord in regards to your children, 651 00:39:04,959 –> 00:39:06,540 trust him with all your heart. 652 00:39:07,500 –> 00:39:10,659 You fear what sin can do to them, 653 00:39:12,239 –> 00:39:15,120 trust what the Lord can do in them. 654 00:39:16,280 –> 00:39:19,419 You fear the pressures of the world 655 00:39:19,419 –> 00:39:23,159 and of the schools and of the media 656 00:39:23,159 –> 00:39:24,780 and of the culture. 657 00:39:24,780 –> 00:39:28,199 Trust what God can do in your children 658 00:39:28,199 –> 00:39:31,820 through his Spirit and by his word. 659 00:39:32,479 –> 00:39:36,399 Trust in the Lord with all your heart 660 00:39:38,060 –> 00:39:41,639 and give your children reason to think, 661 00:39:41,639 –> 00:39:46,639 my Father and my Mother trust the Lord 662 00:39:47,120 –> 00:39:49,840 even when it comes to me. 663 00:39:52,159 –> 00:39:54,760 Now let’s take a moment to bow in God’s presence 664 00:39:55,600 –> 00:39:56,479 and to pray. 665 00:39:58,139 –> 00:40:00,540 And as we take a moment to respond today 666 00:40:00,639 –> 00:40:03,360 I want you to think about a sibling 667 00:40:03,360 –> 00:40:06,300 if you have one, your brother or sister, 668 00:40:07,860 –> 00:40:11,360 and to ask God to help you in these relationships 669 00:40:12,820 –> 00:40:14,540 to show the love of Christ 670 00:40:14,540 –> 00:40:17,780 to your brother, your sister. 671 00:40:20,100 –> 00:40:22,860 And if there are bars of a castle in your heart 672 00:40:22,860 –> 00:40:26,060 towards your brother, ask God to take them down now. 673 00:40:30,840 –> 00:40:32,699 And if there are bars of a castle 674 00:40:32,699 –> 00:40:34,860 that your sister or brother has towards you, 675 00:40:34,860 –> 00:40:38,500 ask God to help you do what you can to make things better 676 00:40:39,800 –> 00:40:42,399 and pray that he may yet give you a better day. 677 00:40:45,020 –> 00:40:46,300 And now I want you to think about 678 00:40:46,300 –> 00:40:47,939 your father and your mother. 679 00:40:49,540 –> 00:40:50,820 Thank God for them. 680 00:40:52,739 –> 00:40:53,899 If they are still living, 681 00:40:53,899 –> 00:40:56,620 ask God to help you honour them, 682 00:40:56,699 –> 00:41:00,000 to give weight to their words and to their needs. 683 00:41:02,199 –> 00:41:03,840 And especially if you’re young, 684 00:41:03,840 –> 00:41:08,020 right now, will you ask God to help you bring joy 685 00:41:08,020 –> 00:41:10,879 to your father and your mother’s heart? 686 00:41:11,820 –> 00:41:13,679 Ask God to help you do that. 687 00:41:16,739 –> 00:41:17,800 If you’re married, 688 00:41:18,860 –> 00:41:20,979 will you thank God for giving your husband 689 00:41:20,979 –> 00:41:22,439 or your wife to you? 690 00:41:23,199 –> 00:41:26,219 And resolve today with the help of God 691 00:41:26,219 –> 00:41:29,919 to do all in your power to help them flourish. 692 00:41:34,479 –> 00:41:35,780 And if you have children, 693 00:41:37,379 –> 00:41:39,659 will you trust them right now here in church, 694 00:41:39,659 –> 00:41:42,300 today, afresh into the hand of the Lord? 695 00:41:44,260 –> 00:41:48,399 Ask God to help you bring them up in faith, 696 00:41:48,399 –> 00:41:51,159 not in sacrifice. 697 00:41:52,639 –> 00:41:54,840 Ask God to bring them up, 698 00:41:56,179 –> 00:41:57,379 not fear. 699 00:41:59,899 –> 00:42:01,979 And if they are far from God, 700 00:42:01,979 –> 00:42:04,399 ask Him to bring them back. 701 00:42:08,399 –> 00:42:10,239 Father, hear our prayers 702 00:42:11,000 –> 00:42:13,139 and strengthen our resolve. 703 00:42:14,399 –> 00:42:18,120 Cover our many sins and failures with your grace 704 00:42:18,120 –> 00:42:21,239 a blessing on our families, 705 00:42:21,239 –> 00:42:23,040 for Christ’s sake, 706 00:42:24,540 –> 00:42:25,439 amen.