Dealing with Our Awakened Children, Part 2

The point: Parents must cautiously, hopefully, and prayerfully await the emergence of a fixed disposition of Christian graces and commitment in their children, rather than focusing on a precise conversion time.

This analogy distinguishes between a jet engine, where the exact moment internal power takes over from external starting force is unknown, and a reciprocal engine, where the firing of pistons is immediately evident. It illustrates that in Christian nurture, the precise moment saving grace is implanted is usually unknown, unlike a crisis conversion.

And what I would say is this as we come now you remember my illustration about the jet engine and the reciprocal engine and that seemed to help many of you that when the jet engine is being started by an external force and the turbine is being turned at some point it fires and begins to operate under its own internal energy but we can't mark the place when we're sitting there in the place in the plane but when it's cruising at 30,000 we know that somewhere along the line it flamed unless there's been a flame out whereas the old piston reciprocal gas fired engine the moment one of those pistons...

16:07 - 17:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must cultivate a sanctified restraint upon the natural desire to know as soon as possible that their children are safe from God's wrath, patiently trusting God's working.

Martin uses the example of birds instinctively caring for their young to argue that the natural desire for children's well-being, especially their salvation, is good and God-given, not evil.

upon the natural desire to know as soon as possible our children are safe from the wrath of God and the wrath of God and the wrath of God and the wrath of God carefully we must have a sanctified restraint upon I didn't say the evil desire or devilish desire or carnal desire I said we must have a sanctified restraint upon the natural desire natural in terms of natural affection natural in terms of grace brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God for my fellow kinsmen is that they may be saved it's a natural desire to know as soon as we can or as soon as we have sufficient evidence that our ch...

30:49 - 32:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must cultivate a sanctified restraint upon the natural desire to know as soon as possible that their children are safe from God's wrath, patiently trusting God's working.

Timothy's life is presented as a biblical paradigm of a child raised in Christian nurture by a godly mother and grandmother, who knew the scriptures from infancy, yet whose precise conversion date is unrecorded. This illustrates the 'dispositional' model of grace.

comes and we know that their greatest need is to be safe from the wrath of God their greatest need is to be regenerated and have the image of God restored in them by implanted grace that desire burns within us and it ought to burn within us God help us if it doesn't burn within us and all I'm saying is we must have a sanctified restraint upon that natural desire to know that our children are safe from the wrath of God it is not it is a natural desire in nature and in grace but God must work in us by the spirit a willingness to be patient for his working one sows another waters but God gives th...

32:19 - 33:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents are obligated to impose the claims of the law and gospel upon their children, even when children are unawakened or resistant.

A hypothetical scenario where a six-year-old refuses to obey, claiming no heart to do so, is used to demonstrate that parents must still enforce obedience to God's commands, even if the child lacks the right disposition.

dead as a dodo to the claims of the law and of the gospel are you still under obligation to impose those claims upon your children huh suppose someday the kid is six years old and looks up you've given him an order and he says you know mummy I used to like it when you gave me orders I don't like it anymore because I have no heart to obey the fifth commandment I'm not going to do it what would you do oh dear I wouldn't want to bend your poor little psyche I wouldn't want to make you bitter to God in religion but of course my dear I won't make you do a thing you tell me dear sweetie pie when you...

39:42 - 41:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents should use appropriate punishment to enforce the duty of repentance and affect the spirit of repentance in their children.

A vivid story of a child violently taking a toy and refusing to apologize is used to illustrate how parents must enforce the duties of repentance and seek to affect the spirit of repentance through appropriate discipline, connecting it to the rod of Proverbs.

so and so has gone in and in cold blood wrenched the toy out of his sister's hand and runs off to his own room slams the door and when she comes back she says oh my god she tries to come in he squashes her fingers in the door and she comes down bloody free I mean it's a mess and you sit them down and say now look son you sinned you took that toy from sister you had no right to do that that was selfish that was putting what you want ahead of her you sinned and you've got to say sorry to God and sorry to your sister don't want to or is that so you've got to anyway I'm not going to oh you're not ...

41:10 - 42:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents must discern if a child's repentance is genuine or merely an attempt to avoid punishment, and teach that forgiveness comes because someone was punished for sins.

A scenario where a child goes through the motions of repentance with an agenda (e.g., to avoid punishment) is used to warn parents against being conned and to emphasize the need for discernment in discipline.

that I had sinned forgive me and wash me in the blood of your son so part of the training of our children is to teach them at the end of every day to ask God's forgiveness for all the sins of the day in a general sense as well as pressing the particular more evident critical issues that come to focus along the way otherwise you'd be doing nothing from morning till night if you went around hounding for every little aberration alright yes is that answer satisfactory yes yes and then this will have to be the last question our time has gone from us there's no fixed answer because sometimes the lit...

48:33 - 50:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents should look for opportunities to teach both the consequences of sin and the principle of grace (receiving undeserved good) in their daily interactions.

Martin describes a situation where a parent gives a child something special when they least deserve it, using the opportunity to teach the concept of grace as receiving the opposite of what is deserved.

for our sins we're forgiven and so that becomes a wonderful opportunity to teach the gospel principle but there's no hard fast rule in every little case each person each parent must give himself to knowing his child knowing his patterns and over the long haul you've got all the strands of biblical doctrine you're trying to teach there are times when you're trying to teach that grace gives us the opposite of what we deserve and the kid knows he's just been you know he's just been out of sorts and kind of just going on and on around with a chip on his shoulder not the kind of thing any one manif...

50:03 - 51:30 Read in full sermon