The Older Women Training the Younger, Part 2

The point: Be a good steward of gifts you may purchase, or use recommended books for personal growth or as an expression of Christian concern.

Pastor Martin quotes Professor Douglas Macmillan's foreword to Peter Jeffery's 'Christian Handbook,' highlighting its unique combination of Bible survey, church history, and doctrine, to commend the book's breadth and usefulness.

And in the foreword to this book, there is what I think is the most helpful bit of information given by Professor Douglas Macmillan, who is a dear personal friend of mine, a Scot, who labors in the work of training men for the ministry at the Free Church College in Edinburgh in Scotland. And he writes saying, And he writes saying, And he writes saying, And he writes saying, And he writes saying, This is his latest book and is well fitted to achieve the same aim. The book is unusual, and I concur heartily, in that it combines a brief survey of the Bible and its teaching

3:09 - 4:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider purchasing 'Christian Handbook' for every member of the household, especially pre-teens, and work through it in family devotions.

Martin mentions his personal experience of standing before the Reformers' Wall in Geneva, where great men of the Reformation are carved in stone, to illustrate the kind of historical photographs found in the 'Christian Handbook' and emphasize the book's value.

Then the second major section in which we have an overview of the church. And you really have a thumbnail sketch of church history starting from the apostolic period right down to modern church history. And again, interspersed with some lovely pictures. I've been privileged to stand before that very imposing Reformers' Wall in Geneva, where four of the great men whom God raised up in the Reformation are carved in stone.

5:41 - 6:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Give 'The Gospel According to Jesus' to relatives who name Christ but attend churches built on 'easy believism' to help them understand the true gospel.

Pastor Martin quotes Jerry Bridges from 'Trusting God Even When Life Hurts,' explaining that the book was born out of personal struggles and addressing needs in his own life, which gives it an intense pastoral dimension.

And then he demonstrates the sovereignty of God in general, and then he breaks it down and demonstrates from passage after passage, particularly using the Old Testament with tremendous insight, God's sovereignty over people, God's rule over the nations, God's power over nature, and then he tackles the whole question of God's sovereignty even over the evil acts of men, while holding men responsible for those evil acts. And then, having laid that solid foundation of God's total, unqualified, absolute sovereignty, he then begins to apply it to where we live. Trusting God for who you are, growing ...

11:03 - 12:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Purchase and read 'Letters to Young Men' to understand the profile of Christian manhood and pursue character traits like integrity, diligence, economy, and dignity.

Martin uses the analogy of a Model A Ford to illustrate how outdated and rare the concept of 'integrity' seems in contemporary society, emphasizing its vital importance despite its perceived obsolescence.

Integrity in this day? That's like talking about going out and buying a Model A Ford. You might do it if you were collecting cars for museum's sake or an investment, but surely not to be your everyday car. Integrity?

14:26 - 14:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Fathers, have special devotional times with your sons, especially on the threshold of puberty, reading through and discussing 'Letters to Young Men' to bare your heart to them.

He contrasts the concept of 'dignity' with the 'blue-jean cult of the ugly day' to highlight how counter-cultural dignity is, arguing that as image-bearers of God, believers are called to dignity.

I mean, this is the blue-jean cult of the ugly day. Dignity? You don't talk about it. Dignity?

15:23 - 15:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He highly recommends Joni Eareckson Tada's 'Friendship Unlimited' for practical and spiritual guidance on relating to people with special needs, drawing from her personal…

Martin recounts a humorous incident from Joni Eareckson Tada's book where she got bubble gum stuck on her face and wheelchair while speaking, illustrating her willingness to be vulnerable and the practical challenges faced by disabled individuals, which her book helps address.

And special stewardships of people who have special needs. And she's not afraid to tell on herself. She mentions the very humorous incident on one occasion where she was speaking in a given place. As she was about to be wheeled out onto the platform.

19:27 - 19:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Seize opportunities during the Christmas season to give books as gifts, as people may be more receptive to receiving them then.

He shares the story of a blind woman who developed calluses from reading her Braille Bible, then tore them off, and eventually read with her lips after developing a skin problem, serving as a powerful rebuke for those who lack hunger for God's Word.

Amen. In thinking of our privileges, my mind went back to an incident in Johnny's book that greatly rebuked me. She tells of one of her blind friends. Or she heard of a blind person.

23:14 - 23:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But as the Bible so often does it takes the virtue and it fleshes it out in terms of the context in which that virtue is to be exercised.

Martin uses Jesus' teaching to 'go the second mile' in the context of a Roman soldier conscripting a porter for one mile, to illustrate how the Bible often fleshes out abstract virtues in concrete, culturally specific situations, demonstrating a different spirit.

Now what was the context? Well the context was the occupation of the Roman army. And a Roman soldier had the right to conscript anyone as his porter. So at any time a Roman soldier could say to you hey Mac, come here carry my sack for a mile.

45:07 - 45:23 Read in full sermon