Closing Pastoral Admonitions/Encouragements to Parents

The point: Determine to fulfill your parental duties according to the scriptures, regardless of the real, imagined, or apparent results.

A parent imagining alienating a teenager by confronting them is an example of an 'imagined result' that can lead to waffling on duty.

There will be other results that we imagine will follow upon our obedience. For example, the parent who is coming to his first head-on confrontation with a teenager that is going to embarrass him before his peers, and the parent says, if I do that, I'll alienate the child. That's an imagined result. And if you allow that imagined result to influence the performance of your duty, you'll waffle.

5:12 - 5:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't be bullied into pragmatism by the real, imagined, or apparent results of implementing biblical principles.

Paul's willingness to spend and be spent for the Corinthians, even if his love was unrequited, serves as a paradigm for parents to fulfill their duties regardless of their children's response.

Yes, you may experience periods of unrequited parental love, but Paul indicates in 2 Corinthians 12, that as a spiritual parent to the Corinthians, this did not affect the fulfilling of his duty. For he says in 2 Corinthians 12, 14, and 15, this is the third time I'm ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, for I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls, if I love you more abundantly.

7:41 - 8:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't be bullied into pragmatism by the real, imagined, or apparent results of implementing biblical principles.

The Proverbs' doctrine of the foolish son illustrates that a child's foolishness does not necessarily follow parental failure, but rather the child's defiance despite parental duty, providing comfort for parents with a good conscience.

There's the paradigm for the godly parent. It may be that you will experience and exegete in your own heart all of those passages in Proverbs that speak, of the foolish child that is a grief to his mother, and a shame to his or her father. The whole doctrine of the foolish son. Look up the passages at your leisure, Proverbs 10.1, 13.1, 15.20, 17.25, and in almost every one of those passages, without exception, I went over all of them again yesterday in preparation. It is clear that the doctrine of the foolish child does not follow, notice on parental failure. It is the child who, in spite of t...

8:46 - 10:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't allow yourself to be paralyzed or crippled by a perfectionist mentality with respect to your efforts at parenting.

Martin shares his own experience of preaching imperfect sermons for 40 years, illustrating that he must act with the light and grace he has, rather than being paralyzed by perfectionism.

And according to the light I have and the grace I have, Lord, I'm going to do it in all that's deficient. Wash it in the blood of your Son and use it in spite of me, not because of me. And then you go ahead and do it. If that were not true, I wouldn't be here preaching this morning.

13:36 - 13:50 Read in full sermon

The point: When the moment of truth comes in a confrontation with your child, apply the rod of correction with wisdom, controlled spirit, and prayer, repentance, and reaffirmation of love.

A quote from an unnamed Christian mentor, 'Do not dig up in unbelief what you've sown in faith,' is used to encourage parents to trust God after acting in faith, rather than succumbing to false guilt.

Now, I don't know who it was that said that to me as a young Christian, but it's been a great companion. Do not dig up in unbelief what you've sown in faith. And when, as a man or woman of faith, the moment of truth has come, there's a confrontation of your will and the child's will, you say, Lord, give me wisdom. I'm going to apply the rod of correction with the prefix.

15:06 - 15:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not have a 'do as I say, not as I do' parenting mentality; be able to say, 'follow me as I follow Christ.'

The slow, drop-by-drop formation of stalactites and stalagmites in caves is used as an analogy for how character is built in children through consistent, patient parental actions over time.

This is serious stuff. Well, water rich in lime drops a good bit of time, and as the water evaporates, carbonate of lime builds up until you have these mighty structures inside caves. Well, that's what building character is like, a drop at a time, a drop at a time, a drop at a time, a drop at a time, a drop at a time. And that's where we as parents need to constantly remind ourselves. When the child walks...

34:18 - 35:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Mothers, pray that God will give you the vision that your greatest ministry, hidden in the obscurity of the home, may be the molding of a Timothy or a Hannah.

The examples of Moses, who retained godly principles despite being raised in Pharaoh's palace, and Timothy, whose faith came from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, illustrate the long-term impact of godly parenting.

Let's pray for him. Let's pray for him. into their lives lives of their little ones such principles that they can't escape them throughout the rest of their days and the mother of Moses that's the most amazing thing it's a little lab he goes into Pharaoh's palace yet he had learned enough in that godly home that under the blessing of the Spirit of God when he came to years and he'd been surrounded with everything that could appeal to his flesh he says no I refuse to be called son of Pharaoh's daughter and choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of ...

37:28 - 38:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Mothers, pray that God will give you the vision that your greatest ministry, hidden in the obscurity of the home, may be the molding of a Timothy or a Hannah.

A quote from A.W. Tozer about God's greatest works being done in the dark (creation, Mary's womb, Calvary) is used to elevate the hidden, often unappreciated work of parenting as a profound ministry.

and that life became a unique companion to the Apostle he said I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for yourself you're not going to be able to do that you're not going to be able to do that you're not going to be able to do that state only Timothy dear mothers pray that God will give you the vision your greatest ministry hidden as it were in the relative obscurity of that home may be the molding of the Timothy the molding of a Hannah will give birth to a sample was listening recently to a sermon of dr. aw tozers and he made the very cryptic striking comment that most of God's gre...

38:50 - 40:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for courage to do all that is written in the Bible concerning parenting, to confront children, and to stand against current child-rearing philosophies.

The story of a Christian couple unable to adopt because they refused to sign a pledge not to spank illustrates the courage needed to stand against unbiblical child-rearing philosophies.

It has recently stuck a knife into at least one of our couples.

46:25 - 46:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray first and foremost for your children's everlasting salvation, carrying a continual burden for each until they are vitally united to Christ.

The scenario of a neighbor calling child protective services (Dyfus) over a child crying during biblical discipline illustrates the courage parents need in a hostile cultural climate.

We need courage. Courage. Because you may have some neighbor who overhears your child crying when you're giving not a child abuse, thrashing with your tongue or with a rod, but a sanctified, spirit-filled application of discipline. And all they need to do is call a bureaucratic agent connected with Dyphus and someone can be on your doorstep in a half an hour demanding entrance into your home.

46:54 - 47:21 Read in full sermon