Avoid Laziness - Cultivate Diligence #4; Suggestions/Q&A

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin welcomes visitors, explains church policy, and provides a comprehensive review of the ongoing sermon series on child training, emphasizing the importance of the…

Martin humorously refers to himself as the 'one elder among us who regards himself as Lord over time' to explain the church's strict punctuality, setting a lighthearted tone while introducing the church's policy.

Now for those of you who are visiting and may have heard that the man standing before you runs everything with a heavy hand, you just had a clear indication that there's only one elder among us who regards himself as Lord over time. And you heard it with your own ears that he's not late. When he's here, everything is on time. Now, we do seriously and sincerely welcome into our midst today the many young men and women who are with us for this weekend conference and in some cases relatives and friends who accompanied them and trust that this will be a glorious day in the Lord's courts as we meet...

0:21 - 1:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Your reading of that devotional book will be a mockery to God if you don't come to it from having in your legitimate calling fulfilled this directive in diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Martin uses the example of a slave commanded to feed hogs to illustrate that even the most menial and unpleasant tasks should be performed with holy enthusiasm as service rendered to Christ, not just to a human master.

But, he says, you are to do it with singleness of heart as unto the Lord. In another place, he says, for ye serve the Lord Christ. Now, think of it. The slave's master says, go take the slop bucket and feed the hogs. And he may say it in a very curt and unsympathetic way. Hey, you, grab the slop bucket and feed the hogs. Now, what's the slave to do? What a rotten, stinking job I've done.

22:35 - 23:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Your reading of that devotional book will be a mockery to God if you don't come to it from having in your legitimate calling fulfilled this directive in diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Martin shares a personal story of a temporary factory job cleaning urinals and sifting cigarette butts, where his joyful attitude led to opportunities to share the gospel, demonstrating how one can be 'fervent in spirit, serving the Lord' in any calling.

No. When he heard that epistle read in the assembly, he was told to look beyond that churlish slave master and see behind him his Lord giving him directions. And he was with all of his heart to be the best slop bucket carrier of the whole bunch, because he was carrying slop buckets for Jesus Christ. And some of us have known what it is in temporary jobs, literally, to clean the slop bucket. And some of us have known what it is in temporary work in the wilderness. And I have seen the effects that have had on my lives. And they say that I words of sickness gain the word of God in eternity. And I...

23:08 - 23:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Carefully and prayerfully discern the native tendencies and emerging patterns of laziness in your children and give needed, tailor-made correction.

Martin recounts two counseling sessions where parents expressed frustration over their second child being 'radically different' from the first in behavior patterns, illustrating that no two children are alike and require tailor-made correction.

Now, one was in a face-to-face counseling session. The other was in a telephone counseling session. And in the face-to-face counseling session, the mother and father sat there and laughed and said, we don't know where the second kid came from. Well, they know where the kid came from.

26:14 - 26:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Husband and wife must be in constant observation and up-to-date communication regarding their children's behavior.

He uses the analogy of one child loving yard work but hating to clean their room, while another is the opposite, to show how children have unique tendencies toward laziness that require specific, individualized parental discernment and correction.

No two children are alike. In generic terms and specifically in terms of how inbred sin will cut channels of laziness. You may have one child who's greatly enthusiastic about doing outside yard work. It's no test of his disposition to diligence to tell him to go out and cut the lawn.

26:49 - 27:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Husband and wife must be in constant observation and up-to-date communication regarding their children's behavior.

Martin tells the story of a homeschooling pastor who, upon sending his son to public high school, pleaded with his congregation to provide objective input on his son's development, illustrating the importance of seeking outside perspectives and overcoming thin-skinned defensiveness.

I heard just this past week, in meeting with a pastor friend of mine, after homeschooling his son through the eighth grade, he's putting him, after much wrestling, into a public school setting for his high school year, the first high school year. And he not only explained to his congregation in a private congregational meeting why he was doing it, but you know what he did? He said, look, my wife and I are going to be monitoring the fruit of this totally new setting in the life of our son. However, we know that there may be manifestations of this totally new setting that we don't see.

30:39 - 31:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Singles should have the moral courage to seek accountability from discerning married people or mature singles in their assembly regarding patterns of indolence and laziness.

Martin quotes A.W. Tozer's saying, 'Before I take admonition and correction for a man, I look for the oil on his forehead,' to emphasize the importance of seeking counsel from discerning people who exemplify spiritual fullness.

That's right. And you want to have a good conscience, that's your try. You made an effort, and you welcomed the input of others in helping you with that effort. It may be that for some of you singles, what you need to do is have the moral courage to go to the married people and the mature singles in your own assembly and say, look, if someday I'm going to be a parent and take seriously that exhortation given on that Labor Day weekend by Pastor Martin to, prayerfully discern the native tendencies and emerging patterns of laziness in my kids and give tailor-made counsel, I've got to start with m...

33:00 - 33:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Teach children the principle that recreation is for recreating strength for tasks, and diligent work must precede recreation.

Martin shares a story of a couple who asked for counsel on requiring garden work before allowing pool time, illustrating how parents can teach children the principle that diligent work must precede recreation.

This summer or last summer it was. Time goes so quickly. They said, what would be a reasonable amount of time to require work in our garden before anybody can jump in the pool? They wanted to teach the children the principle that recreation was just that, recreating our strength and our faculties for that which is our task, namely work.

45:13 - 45:36 Read in full sermon

The point: When neighbor children join in activities, clearly explain expectations and standards, and obtain their parents' intelligent consent.

Martin recounts how his family's garden often yielded little produce due to pests, but the primary value was the discipline it instilled in his children, reinforcing the idea that the process of work is more important than immediate results.

I don't know that we ever had that blessed problem. When our kids, one of the reasons we kept the garden when our kids were younger was for that very reason. It wasn't that we got that much produce. One or two summers we did. We put up some 50, 60, quart and a half things of green beans, I remember. But the rest of the time, the rabbits and the moles and everything else would just wait until stuff. I'd feel a melon and say, ah, honey, tomorrow I'm going to pick that thing. It's just about dead ripe. I'd go out to pick it that next morning. It was nothing but a shell, something had eaten out th...

46:51 - 47:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Discern children's emerging patterns of interest and enthusiasm about certain tasks, guiding them toward meaningful, God-honoring vocations and marketable skills, while also cultivating hobbies.

He uses the example of a child who loves to read but struggles with mechanical tasks like changing oil or hitting a baseball, to illustrate that parents should not torture children by imposing tasks for which God has not gifted them, but rather guide them toward their natural inclinations.

So with our daughters and with our sons, in monitoring this whole matter of the things that they seem to have a more natural inclination to do that are good in themselves, I use the illustration of the kid that loves to give. He loves to sit out and pull weeds and do outside work, but hates to clean his room up. You've got the kid that just loves to sit and read and has a peculiar interest in a given area, but seems to have very little eye-to-hand coordination. When you try to get him to teach him, you're going to teach him how to change the oil, and it used to be you'd teach a kid how to chan...

53:14 - 53:51 Read in full sermon