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Proverbs 26:13-16

Proverbs 26:13-16 Proverbs

Pastor Martin expounds Proverbs 26:13-16, dissecting the character of the sluggard. He illustrates the sluggard's non-productivity through the metaphor of a door turning on its hinges, emphasizing motion without progress. Martin then highlights the sluggard's self-conceit, where he believes himself wiser than many, rationalizing his laziness. The sermon applies these truths to parenting, urging parents not to tolerate laziness or self-justification in their children, but to cultivate diligence and self-awareness.

2 illustrations in this sermon

The Door on its Hinges: A Picture of Non-Productivity
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Door on its Hinges

In this part of the sermon: He expounds Proverbs 26:14, using the analogy of a door turning on its hinges to vividly illustrate the sluggard's motion and activity that ultimately goes nowhere, signifying…

Martin uses the analogy of his study door turning on its hinges, traveling miles over time but going nowhere, to illustrate the sluggard's activity that lacks progress or productivity.

As the door turns upon its hinges, so does the sluggard upon his bed. As I was meditating on this passage last night, I almost took off. I took on a calculator and my yardstick or my sliding rule to measure the distance that the door into my study travels from door jam to open at 90 degrees where it stops at one of the bookcases. And I wanted to figure out how many feet the edge of that door covers in the course of a month.

Applying the Door Analogy to Parenting
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Sergeant Major's 'Show a Leg'

The point: When it's time to get up, feet on the floor. Don't encourage the spirit of 'five more minutes'.

He recounts a story about an English elder, a former sergeant major, who would bark 'Show a leg!' to guests in the morning, illustrating a firm, no-nonsense approach to getting out of bed.

There was an old... There was an elder in a church in England.