“Seven Broad Biblical Principles” (nos. 5-7)

The point: Seek to establish a regular, well-balanced diet of reading.

Martin uses the analogy of good nutritional habits (regularity and balanced intake of wholesome food) to explain the need for a regular, well-balanced diet of reading for spiritual health.

Now first of all. Let me. Explain the analogy in the terms I have used and then answer the question what constitutes such a regular well balanced diet. I'm using the analogy that would apply in the rules the principles of good nutrition.

7:50 - 8:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Train your children to cultivate a taste and appreciation for foods essential for their physical well-being.

He uses the example of training children to eat properly, even if they prefer junk food, to illustrate that spiritual infancy doesn't automatically lead to balanced reading; guidance is needed.

Children who can and must be trained to eat as they ought and I say to some of you parents who obviously did not hear some of the things in the lessons last year on how not to follow up the training of your children I still see as I move among not a few of you a pitiful indifference to the training of your children in habits of nutrition that are.

9:51 - 10:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If we believe this is God's world ordered by God for the manifestation of his glory and the outworking of the principles of his righteous rule we must have some modicum of concern and interest with respect to what God is…

Martin suggests that a Christian can read National Geographic, despite its evolutionary philosophy, to behold God's world with wonder, demonstrating how to engage with secular material discerningly.

and the outworking of the principles of his righteous rule we must have some modicum of concern and interest with respect to what god is doing in his world and if we believe that this world reflects in spite of the presence of sin the glory of god and particularly his creation then surely there will be something that we periodically pick up that is calculated to penetrate the mysteries the wonders and the glory of the beauty of god's world so that the national geographic it's evolutionary philosophy notwithstanding which we can readily

22:55 - 23:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin argues for the inclusion of secular literature in a balanced reading diet, citing Jesus's awareness of current events (Luke 13) and Paul's engagement with heathen poets…

He uses Shakespeare's 'Othello' to illustrate how secular literature can offer penetrating insights into human nature and biblical doctrines like jealousy, helping to appreciate God's common grace.

to appreciate God's world. There are some like Shakespeare who have been given penetrating insights to human nature. I say it reverently. There is, apart from perhaps the incident of Saul and David and the horrible fruits, the self-consuming fruits of jealousy, nothing that I've ever read that can compare with Shakespeare's account of the self-consuming jealousy of Othello.

26:51 - 27:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that establishing a regular, balanced diet of healthy reading requires effort, conscience, guidance, and help, and avoid becoming 'intellectual chocoholics.'

Martin coins the term 'intellectual chocoholics' to describe those who only read what they naturally enjoy, neglecting other necessary 'nutrients' like doctrinal books, leading to spiritual anemia.

of it with its treatises on mortification indwelling sin and temptation but the point that i want to make and this is my summary statement under this fifth principle is no one simply floats into a regular balanced diet of healthy reading it must be a matter of effort and of conscience and guidance and help from those competent to get the understanding of the message that is being given to you in the form of a breast it to us left to ourselves we become intellectual chocoholics now you know what a chocoholic is

29:19 - 29:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek to establish a realistic, moderate, and consistent reading program that takes into account the full spectrum of your God-given responsibilities.

He uses the analogy of a 'pie' representing the full spectrum of God's will and responsibilities (husband, father, workman) to explain that a realistic reading program must be a 'slice' that doesn't jangle with or replace other duties.

the full spectrum buddy raw curve republican columbus it at least of every christian did in the particular circumstances in which bob replaced him willek so his in a pile. It is far better to regard our duties this way than to regard them as various sizes of building blocks. Though there is an element of truth that certain duties have a priority over others, the Bible speaks of our knowing and proving the good, the acceptable, and the perfect

32:04 - 32:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sixth principle: a healthy Christian will establish a realistic, moderate, and consistent reading program. He defines 'realistic' as taking into account the…

Martin recounts his experience with a heart stress test and a conversation with a cardiologist about running, illustrating how many people 'bluff' about their disciplines and quit when it gets hard, emphasizing the need for realistic and consistent effort in reading.

defeated by saying there's no way I can incorporate that discipline into my life, or convinced we can and must. We bite off far more than is realistic, we get discouraged, and then we quit. It's an interesting thing, when I was having all these series of heart tests a couple of years ago, when I had a funny little arrhythmia, which thankfully has gone and never returned, I had to take the stress test. And some of you have had a stress test. And when you get on

34:37 - 35:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Start your reading program realistically, perhaps with just five minutes a day, and gradually increase it as you find benefit.

He shares his personal story of starting his running regimen by running around his backyard, gradually increasing the distance, to illustrate the principle of starting small and realistically to build consistency in disciplines like reading.

you some of the spiritual vitamins and nutrients in an area where you know you desperately need them and lo and behold as you find the benefit of that you'll say well if i did it for five minutes i can stretch it to seven and after a while you'll say i can stretch it to ten but you started reading realistically just like when i was age 40 and was convinced i needed to do something regular for my cardiovascular system and caloric consumption so i didn't look like an archbishop by the time i was 50 i started out by running around the perimeter of my backyard now you'd say that looks silly little...

37:29 - 38:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate self-control and proper time management as a fruit of the Spirit to maintain consistency in your reading program.

Martin shares an anecdote about advising someone to read 'two pages a day' of Thomas Watson's Body of Divinity, which proved to be excellent practical advice for consistent reading.

I don't know whether he mentioned he wanted to start working through Thomas Watson's Body of Divinity, an exposition of the shorter catechism that is a wonderful time proven means to establish anyone doctrinally and yet written in such a warm and vivid and quaint way that it's fascinating reading as well as edifying. And I said, two pages a day. That's all I ask you. Two pages a day. You think you can handle that? Now, it may have seemed ridiculous, but this man, months after the fact, said to me a week ago, he said, that's the best bit of practical advice you ever gave me.

40:49 - 41:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate self-control and proper time management as a fruit of the Spirit to maintain consistency in your reading program.

He quotes Alexander's advice (from his father) to ministers to spend at least five minutes a day reading Puritans like Owen for penetrating biblical insight and knowledge of the human heart, demonstrating the value of consistent, even brief, engagement with profound authors.

And as a result, he's been able to work through Thomas Watson's Body of Divinity. But it was the consistency. In Alexander's thoughts on preaching, he gives these paragraphs of little thoughts to be shared with preachers. And ministers and men preparing for the ministry. And he passes on the advice given to him by his father, who said, son, at least five minutes a day, have in your hand and be working through one of those authors who is in a class all by himself for penetrating biblical insight, for knowledge of the human heart, for sound biblical psychology, not secular humanistic psychology,...

41:27 - 42:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Be committed to a regular Bible reading schedule that takes you through the entire Bible, avoiding 'lucky dipping.'

He uses the term 'lucky dipping' to describe an undisciplined approach to Bible reading, where one randomly opens the Bible hoping for a 'zap,' contrasting it with a committed, scheduled reading program.

You are committed to a certain pattern of Bible reading. That keeps you from what some have perhaps rather cheekily called luckiness. Lucky dipping. You know what lucky dipping is?

45:39 - 45:49 Read in full sermon

The point: During an accumulation of unusually dark providences or grievous sin, break off your regular scheduled Bible reading and turn to passages specifically addressing your crisis (e.g., Job, Romans 8, Psalms).

He uses the example of brethren in Florida devastated by a hurricane, suggesting they would naturally turn to the book of Job, illustrating how providential crises should lead to modifying one's reading program.

Australia, but that you would break off your regular scheduled Bible reading and you would turn say to the book of Job or you would turn to the latter part of Romans eight or you would turn to second Corinthians chapter one or you would turn to some of the Psalms in which the psalmist is in the midst of a concentrated season of affliction. I'm sure many of our dear brethren in Florida in the midst of the recent crisis brought on by the hurricane. That devastated overnight turn their world upside down.

47:17 - 47:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides examples of how to modify reading during personal crises, such as serious illness (turning from biography to books on suffering) or a crisis of guidance (turning to…

He gives an example of someone reading a biography of George Whitfield who receives news of a serious illness, illustrating how the crisis would naturally lead them to put aside the biography for books on suffering.

So at this particular time in your balanced reading program, you've been whacking away at a big Idaho potato of the biography of George Whitfield. And you've been getting blessed with that. But in the midst of that, you're halfway through. You get news from the doctor after a series of tests that you may well have some kind of a very serious illness.

48:53 - 49:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides examples of how to modify reading during personal crises, such as serious illness (turning from biography to books on suffering) or a crisis of guidance (turning to…

He gives an example of someone facing a career advancement with relocation, illustrating how a crisis of guidance would naturally lead them to read a book on discovering God's will.

perhaps you have in the midst of whacking away at that big idaho potato of dalimore's book on whitfield you are suddenly confronted with a crisis of guidance you've been offered a wonderful advancement in career opportunity but with it is a relocation into an area where there is no established work with a solid foundation where there is no established work but a solid foundation with a solid foundation where there is no established work with a solid foundation where there is no ministry and you you're wrestling with principles of guidance it would be most natural then that you would slot into ...

50:00 - 50:44 Read in full sermon