Definition, Necessity, God-like Character

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin begins by thanking the congregation for prayers during his illness and introduces the tenth lesson in the series 'How Not to Foul Up the Training of Our Children.'…

The analogy of invisible, deadly radon and asbestos particles in the air is used to illustrate how spiritual and emotional 'radon' like hypocrisy, sham, coldness, and rejection can poison the home's climate, hindering children's spiritual development.

Using the analogy of the deadly effects of radon and invisible particles of asbestos suspended in the air, we have sought to demonstrate that the climate of our homes must be free of such spiritual and emotional radon. And asbestos as hypocrisy and sham, these ought not to characterize our own religious experience, but rather spiritual reality and sincerity should be the climate that we create in our homes with reference to spiritual issues. And that at the emotional level,

2:41 - 3:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All chastening seemeth for the present not to be joyous, but grievous. Whatever this chastening is, when it is being administered, it's always grievous.

The scourging of Jesus is used as a concrete example of the verbal form 'paideuo' meaning a literal, physical lashing, thereby proving that 'chastening' in Hebrews 12 refers to physical punishment.

Every son whom he receiveth. Now, this word must be God's for scourging cannot in any setting under any context mean anything other than a figurative lashing or a literal scourging. It's the word. Used most frequently of the scourging, which our Lord Jesus received.

10:14 - 10:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He that spareth his rod hateth his son but he that loveth him chastens him diligently.

Martin explains that the Hebrew word for 'beat' (used with 'rod') means 'to strike' and does not necessarily imply uncontrolled anger or thrashing, clarifying its biblical usage to avoid modern negative connotations.

with the rod is used, I'm not going to use the word beat because in our day the very word beat conjures up the idea of a father in uncontrolled anger thrashing at his kid with a club. And the whole concept of beating is filled with negative, rightly negative, connotations. The Hebrew word itself means to strike, does not mean to strike necessarily fiercely or with great force, it's even used of the son, beating down upon Jonah's head. That's the verb that's used

23:57 - 24:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He that spareth his rod hateth his son but he that loveth him chastens him diligently.

He quotes and critiques modern psychological ideas about 'terrible twos' and 'frightening fours' as 'ungodly, humanistic, abominable, hellish nonsense' that contradicts biblical teaching on foolishness in a child's heart.

Rendering. Stages are bound up in the heart of a child and toughing it out will ride you through them. That's the modern version. Terrible twos.

27:33 - 27:56 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Foolishness. Moral perversity is bound up in the heart of a child. But the rod of correction shall drive it far. What is God's ordained instrument? To drive the moral perversity from the child? The rod of correction.

Martin refers to a 'bearded guru' on public television promoting humanistic views on child-rearing, contrasting his teachings with the Word of God and labeling him a 'devilish tool'.

Being promoted hour after hour over channel 13. Public television. Supposedly non-religious. That bearded guru that hour after hour has hundreds of people eating out of his hands is a humanistic devilish tool.

28:14 - 28:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Foolishness. Moral perversity is bound up in the heart of a child. But the rod of correction shall drive it far. What is God's ordained instrument? To drive the moral perversity from the child? The rod of correction.

He cites Philip Grevin's thesis that the roots of societal anger lie in the Judeo-Christian heritage's emphasis on the rod of correction, presenting it as a direct contradiction to biblical truth.

Now you see how it bleeds that verse of its knee jerk call it consultations. If thou strike him or punish him with the rod he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and shalt make him a twisted angry psychological misfit. Why do I say that?

29:43 - 30:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not excise the biblical doctrine of the absolute necessity of the sanctified use of the rod of physical chastening for the nurture of your children, remembering the warnings against altering God's Word.

Martin quotes Wardlaw's commentary on Proverbs, which affirms the necessity of the rod in education and warns against gainsaying God's prescriptions, reinforcing the sermon's argument for physical chastening.

the child left to himself not nurtured by the constant pressure of rod and reproof becomes such a horrible creature that he ultimately brings shame to his mother now I want to quote from Ward Law who has an excellent three volume commentary on the book of Proverbs and he says this after considering these texts from the wisdom of Solomon he says in their system of education some are for excluding the rod altogether but the

32:24 - 33:09 Read in full sermon

The point: If you reject the God of the Bible who chastens, go make another God, but recognize the consequences of worshipping a helpless deity.

He defines sadism as receiving pleasure from inflicting pain, using it to frame the argument that if chastening is evil, then God would be sadistic, thereby highlighting the goodness of God's chastening.

Now, I have two reasons for making this a separate heading and taking the time to develop it. Number one, to show if chastening is essentially evil or unnecessary, then God is evil or unwise or is guilty of sadism. Sadism is the receiving of pleasure by inflicting pain upon others. Sadism is the receiving of pleasure by inflicting pain upon others.

36:16 - 36:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Does this look like a tormented man who says blessed is the man whom you chasten? He's a man who's blessing God that he loves him enough to chasten him.

The analogy of a bastard child or a waif living under a porch is used to illustrate the spiritual state of those whom God does not chasten, implying they are not truly His children and are uncared for.

Blessed is the man whom you chasten. The Lord will not cast off his people. He says to be without chastisement, according to Hebrews 12, is to be like a bastard child that no one wants to own as his own. It's to be like a little waif that lives under the porch.

50:12 - 50:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your conscience be held captive to the word of God regarding chastening.

Martin quotes Bridges' commentary on Proverbs, which describes God as the great disciplinarian who chastens His children out of love, even when it causes pain, for their ultimate profit, serving as a pattern for human parents.

Stop that nonsense and say, Oh God, I will have my conscience held captive to the word of God. I close with this brief quote from Bridges. Having read his comments on all of these verses in Proverbs, they are choice comments. Bridges' commentary on the book of Proverbs, which ought to be a household companion in every household here in this assembly.

55:39 - 56:05 Read in full sermon