Controlling the Spirit #1

Introduction to the Series and the Topic of Spirit Control

0:02 How not to foul up the training of your children. This is cassette number 29 in a series given by Pastor Albert N. Martin in the adult Sunday school class of the Trinity Baptist Church on September 8, 1991.

0:17 Now in the light of the fact that having a number of visitors with us last week, I gave a very extensive review and overview of our 26 studies at that time, and last Lord's Day morning was our 27th study. I will not take but a moment to introduce the new material that we covered this morning, thereby keeping any review to an absolute minimum. But for the benefit of any who may be visiting with us, so that you're not hopelessly lost until two-thirds of the way through the lesson, we have been considering for a number of weeks biblical principles in child-rearing under the general title of How Not to Foul Up. The training of our children. And we are presently concerned with focusing our attention upon the second of the two major means given by God to parents for the nurturing of their children. And according to Ephesians 6-4, that second great means is godly admonition, or admonition which is of the Lord.

1:28 And having discovered from the word of God that the foundational elements in all admonition, which can in any way be called godly admonition, or admonition which is of the Lord, that is, derives from the Lord's authority, is shaped by the Lord's mind and word, is this great issue of the fear of God, which according to Proverbs 1-7 is the chief part, or the principal part, of all wisdom. And then using the book of Proverbs, as our main source book, we are seeking to discover together what were the major areas of Solomon's emphasis in his admonitions to his own son. What is the focal point of the admonitory data in the book of Proverbs? And we have covered five major areas of admonition. And now this morning we come to consider no, I think we've covered six.

2:35 I'm losing my numbers here. We've covered six major areas, yes. And we come now this morning to the seventh. And the seventh I'm expressing this way.

Proverbs 16:32: The Nobility of Ruling One's Spirit

2:48 Parents must admonish their children to seek to attain the moral nobility of controlling their own spirits. As we read through the book of Proverbs, we find not only continuous emphasis upon such things as the righteous use of the tongue, the dangers of laziness, and the virtue of industry and diligence, etc., but we do find a repeated emphasis upon this subject of the controlling of one's spirit. Now what I have done in making sure that I had my two commentaries and my notes, I did not bring my Bible with me.

3:32 Ernie, would you mind going in the back room and you'll see my satchel there sitting up on the chair, the brown satchel, and bring it to me so that I have my Bible before me, all right? Now, while I'm waiting for him to bring it, since the text is printed in the old Matthew-Henry, we're going to look first of all at the primary texts which address this issue. If you've done some homework and sought to speed read through the book of Proverbs, picking out the verses which address the subject of controlling...

4:02 controlling our own spirits, you will have noticed, I trust, that there are several texts which are tremendously forceful in their emphasis upon this subject. And so this morning, I want us together to study the four primary texts which address this issue to summarize their collective teaching, and then before we move on, God willing, next week, to consider the production, the dominant areas in which this issue will express itself, and then thirdly, the broader implications of this issue, and then practical directives for giving admonition. Thank you. Yeah, it's locked.

4:46 In this area... I should have told you that, Ernie.

4:50 I'm sorry, and I didn't give you the combination. Okay?

4:55 All in a day's work for a New York businessman. Thank you, my brother. I want, after we've looked at these four pivotal texts and summarized...

5:05 their points of emphasis to make three very vital applications, and I hope we'll be able to accomplish that this morning. All right, then. The first of the major texts is...

5:18 Will someone tell me what you would regard to be, if not the most pivotal text in Proverbs on this subject, certainly one of the front-rank soldiers in the phalanx of texts which deal with the ruling of one's spirit.

5:37 Yes, Mr. Gergelis?

5:45 Ah, very good. And we had no collaboration ahead of time, did we? All right. I've given that as the first text.

5:52 Proverbs 16 and verse 32.

5:57 Proverbs 16 and verse 32.

6:02 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Now let me say at the outset that some of you may have modern translations that do not use the word spirit, but give some other translation. He that is slow to anger, or something else. But in each of these texts, the Hebrew word for spirit, ruach, is found.

6:34 And I personally believe that it's irresponsible paraphrasing at this point to leave out the word spirit, because the concept of the ruling of one's spirit is so fundamental in the scriptures that to confuse it by paraphrasing the idea is not indeed helpful in an accurate translation. So in this text we are told, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Now by the Hebrew poetic structure, being slow to anger is in this context an expression of the governing or the ruling of one's spirit. Do you see that? He that is slow to anger and he that ruleth his spirit. Sometimes in Hebrew poetry you have parallelism, sometimes you have contrast, sometimes you have...

7:38 You have an augmentation of the concept in the first verse to which something is added in the first part of the verse, something added in the latter. Here you have parallelism. There is a parallel between the man who is slow to anger, whose spirit and disposition and capacity to be angry is under control. It is not immediately vented. It is not fully vented. It is not vented in an unrestrained way. It gathers intensity and finds expression under control. He that is slow to anger and then something is said about such a person is better than the mighty.

8:29 The mighty are those who with their political or physical or financial power and influence are able to control the spirit. They are able to control the spirit. They are able to control the spirit. They are able to control the spirit. They are able to control the spirit. They are able to control others. And he says that the man who controls the activity of this anger is better than the mighty ones of the earth who with political or military or economic or physical might and power control others. And he that ruleth his own spirit, he that rules his spirit, than he that takes a city. When you find a man, a woman, a boy or a girl who is ruling his spirit, his spirit being that part of him where the emotions of anger and of joy and of grief and of desire and a host of other things are active, when you find a man who is ruling his spirit rather than being ruled by the impulses of his spirit, God says that he has a nobility exceeding that of the military genius and heroism of a conquering general or monarch who is able to invade, overcome and subdue a whole city in ancient warfare.

9:58 Now that was no small task, for remember cities were walled. And to conquer a city. In order to take a city, it was a tremendous accomplishment of both military might, strength, cleverness, ingenuity and often of heroism. However, Solomon says, the man who rules his spirit is possessed of a noble quality exceeding all of the nobility of the conquering general or of the conquering monarch.

10:35 Listen to Matthew Henry's commentary upon this text. And I read this for two reasons, for immediate edification and then also I hope to further convince you that in due course, as you work through the book of Proverbs for yourself and for your family, you will use Matthew Henry again and again. He quotes or after quoting the verse and expounding it briefly, he says, Behold a greater than allegory. or Caesar is here. The conquest of ourselves and our own unruly passions requires more true wisdom and a more steady, constant, and regular management than the obtaining of a victory over the forces of an enemy. A rational conquest is more honorable to a rational creature than a brutal one. It is a victory that does nobody any harm, no lives or treasures or sacrifice to it, but only some base lusts. Isn't that a marvelous statement? In order to attain a military

11:51 conquest in the Middle East, lives and great amounts of revenue were sacrificed to that conquest. Matthew Henry says, When there is the conquest, the conquest of a man over his own spirit, nothing is sacrificed in the process of that conquest but some base lusts. It is harder and therefore more glorious to quash an insurrection at home than to resist an invasion from abroad. When you can in this old English word, not squash, but quash an invasion from home, your own spirit would be invaded by others, but you cannot quash this.

12:35 We would have a conflict of many kinds. Such as an invasion from the cross, the invasion of a woman's heart, the invasion of a man's heart, and so forth. However, Ephesians 1.2 can be said to be a very comprehensive discussion.

12:40 In the end, the protection of the unrighteous, the unrighteous, powerful, the unrighteous and the unrighteous and unrighteous, and the unrighteous and unrighteous, and unrighteous beings of an unrighteous person, the unrighteous and unrighteous, the unrighteous and unrighteous ones, the unrighteous and unrighteous beings of unrighteous beings, are the people they are with. It is true on this day that Christ is like a key to the salvation of a living man at home. says, is greater, more noble than he who resists an invasion from abroad. Nay, such are the gains of meekness that by it we are more than conquerors. Now what would happen if under God we reared a generation of kids who recognize this principle and who strove for this virtue of self-possession? Not stoicism. We're not talking about stoicism. For the ruling of one's spirit will involve at times being enabled so to govern my spirit that though it may be bubbling with joy, I can bring it by the grace of God into a tender, sensitive, grieving state and fulfill the biblical obligation to weep with those who weep.

Proverbs 25:28: The Danger of an Unrestrained Spirit

13:44 So the governance of the spirit is not a stoicism in which we seek to neuter all of the possible expressions of our spirits. It is something entirely other than that. And this text, I believe, is indeed one of the texts that we ought to make our children memorize and work through with them and constantly bring to bear upon their consciences that they might strive for this. Nobility of a governed spirit. All right? Did someone else think of another text that you would put as one of the front-ranked soldiers in this matter? Yes, Ina? Very good. You're following my own order. Thank you. All right? Proverbs 25, 28. All right? And here again,

14:37 the Hebrew word ruach is used so that if your translation is what I would regard to be an accurate translation from which you could derive the meaning of the word ruach, then you would be able to understand the meaning of the word ruach. Proverbs 25, 28. All right? And here again, the Hebrew word ruach is used so that if your translation were call to perception or it could catchта shepherd or a shepherd or the shepherd would not fall.

14:55 Proverbs 29, This verse actually asset to the personality of a male, but with no power one is visa. Proverbs которое خلص. It then is said in the passage it would be found in the bible, Proverbs 29, 28. He whose spirit is without restraint is like a city that is broken down and without walls.

15:10 Here is a description of a given person without any imagery. Here is the man, a woman, a boy or a girl, who is not right. Tablet of continuing speech. spirit is without restraint. It's very interesting how we come up with euphemisms to make virtuous that which God calls vicious. What's one of the euphemisms peculiar to our generation when describing a maverick who, whatever he feels like doing, he does in whatever company he may be found in whatever circumstances, he is now called a blank hyphen blank man. What's the term they choose? Someone got it. A what? A free spirit. And that's said as a matter of commendation.

15:58 This is a free spirit. Here's a man who is free spirited. He has not allowed convention and he has not allowed the expectations of society and the trappings and hangings. Religious scruples to influence him. Whatever he feels like doing, he does. He's a free spirit.

16:21 Solomon talks about a free spirit. He whose spirit is without restraint. He whose spirit is free to express itself in whatever way it desires to express itself in whatever circumstances or relationships at whatever time and place. That's what Solomon is describing.

16:43 The person whose spirit, whose inward disposition, which gives birth to everything from laughter to tears to anger to hatred and a host of other things. He whose spirit is without restraint. There is no bit in the mouth of his spirit. No reins holding the bit. Totally unbroken, unbridled. A man whose spirit is like an unbroken, unbridled horse. It follows its impulses when it wants to kick its heels. It does when it wants to buck. It does when it wants to graze. It does. He whose

17:29 spirit is without restraint. There's the description. Now, here's the imagery. Is like. Is like. Here's the simile. Is like a city that is broken down. And without walls. Now, what is the imagery of a city broken down and without walls? Well, again, to whet your appetite. If you've not yet gotten your copy of Bridges on Proverbs as well as to edify you and hopefully to motivate you to get a copy. This is what he says on this text. Most helpful. Having no discipline over himself. Temptation becomes the occasion of sin and hurries this man onto fearful lengths that he had not contemplated. The first outbreak of anger tends to murder. Unwatchfulness over lust plunges into adultery. The mightiest natural strength is utter feebleness into great conflict. How should such an object excite our tenderest compassion? But, there are many cases of moral weakness less shameful and yet, scarcely less inابile in Love justice

18:32 or ultimate justice. Either, who wants to practice this? I I don't know that I feel likable. By the way I've never been Obi O Irwin, in fact the only one who I last read was not Obi Orwin but disso, but tusher of an elderly artist. I quote John deception, tore over his underway navel called Leo, which I am not fond of his必 dam who wants to I'm sorry fail alwaysよろしく do me once you sing hyperbole my commons as I treat a знаем weakness, less shameful and yet scarcely less injurious to the soul. Every outbreaking of irritation, every spark of pride kindled in the heart, before it ever shows itself in the countenance or on the tongue, must be attacked and determinately resisted. It is the beginning of a breach in the walls of the city. Without instant attention, it will widen the breach to the ruin of the whole. The man whose spirit is without restraint is like a city that is broken down and without walls. A city without walls is utterly vulnerable to predators that will come in and prey upon the people, to robbers, thieves, alien armies. It has no protection around it. And this text says that the free-spirited man or woman is the only one who is free.

19:40 It is indeed like a city broken down and without walls. So parents, in your rightful, righteous desire that each of your children should recognize his or her distinct personality and character traits and not be forced into the mold of child number one or unborn child number three or four or seven, which is going to be the very perfect one.

20:11 And so I'm not in in any way negating anything that was established in that part of our study, looking into Psalm 139 and other parallel passages. However, when that concept is carried over, well, in these days, many of us are in the process of receiving the message of the Holy Spirit, and we've been left without a place to go. Do you think you're a good example of the key word? Do you think this is another glorious usage?

20:40 Yes. Well, I think. This particular child is unusually excitable, and I have another child who's more phlegmatic and slow and responds easily, and we want the more excitable one not to bash that excitability. But if you then carry that to the place where you allow that one, beginning to manifest that, no restraint over it, so that whether baby brother or sister is sleeping or not, when he does something that pleases him or she and lets out a screech and squeal of delight, you don't teach him or her that they have a responsibility to the sleeping sibling.

21:20 You say, well, that would be to squash its spirit. No, that would be to teach him to control his spirit. And without it, you are bringing up a child who will come to adulthood that will be not like a well-constructed, well-protected city with high expectations. High and strong walls, but like a broken-down city without walls.

Proverbs 14:29: Understanding vs. Hasty Spirit

21:44 All right? Someone else had another text. Joe, did you have another? Is that the one you were thinking of?

21:48 Yes.

21:50 All right.

21:53 14, 1470.

21:58 I don't have that, but let's look at it. I think that may be one of my...

22:04 Yes. That's one I'm going to use as a secondary text because it doesn't mention the spirit. It's focusing upon anger. He that is soon angry will deal...

22:13 Foolishly, and a man of wicked devices is hated. So when we come to consider what are the two major areas where an uncontrolled spirit manifests themselves according to the book of Proverbs, one of them is anger, and you'll find the other, and we'll study it next week. All right? So this is a second-ranked soldier, but I want another first-ranked soldier.

22:33 All right, Jerry?

22:35 That's it. 1429. 1429. Proverbs 14 and verse 29.

22:45 He that is slow to anger is of great understanding, but he that is hasty of spirit... Now, again, you have a use of the word ruach, the Hebrew word for wind and spirit, a very broadly used word.

23:03 He that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. Now, notice the contrast. 29a. A person who is slow...

23:15 to anger is manifesting the nobility of good judgment. You see that? He that is slow to anger is of great understanding. May not have great intellect, may not have the greatest grade point average, but in terms of God's report card, this person has a nobility of moral knowledge and understanding that exceeds the 4.0 GPA.

23:45 A person who lacks this dimension of understanding. He that is slow to anger is of great understanding. Here is true moral and intellectual and mental nobility. When a man realizes how stupid and foolish it is to have an uncontrolled spirit that manifests itself particularly in rashness in the realm of anger and temper, he that is slow to anger is of great understanding.

24:19 But now here's the contrast. The slow to anger is called the hasty of spirit. The man whose spirit is always wearing its running shoes and it doesn't ever purchase running shoes for long distance running. It's sprinting shoes with spikes.

24:41 Such a person is described as the one who is... hasty, hasty, of a hasty spirit.

24:50 Whatever he feels in a given moment, he's going to give expression to it, especially in this context, in the sinful expression of unrighteous anger and ungodly manifestations of temper. Again, such a one is said to exalt folly. And if you have the 1901, you'll notice the word, exalt, it says carried away with folly. Bridges commenting on this passage writes, and I quote him now from page 189 of his commentary.

25:30 He exalts folly. Terrible flames have arisen from these trifling sparks. This is indeed exalting folly on an eminence to be seen by all. Yet too often, passion serves as a source of joy.

25:52 Yet too often, passion serves as a source of joy. Yet too often, passion serves as a source of joy. Instead of law and reason, and this folly is deemed high-mindedness and proper spirit. Oh, it is a mercy to be delivered from the standard of this world and to live, act and judge by the standard of God's word.

26:11 Let the children of God remember that a hasty spirit condemned the meekest of men, that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Never was folly more exalted than this. exalted than by the fretful selfishness of a prophet of the Lord. He's referring to Jonah.

26:29 Doest thou well to be angry? And Jonah says, yes. The gentlest spirit needs to be cast into a deep mold of lowliness and love for communion with God. Who can plead inability to resist? Has not God given understanding to show the temper, reason to govern it, his word and spirit to crucify it? Realize our obligations to sovereign grace as the effective discipline for this baneful propensity. God has given us understanding that we might recognize ungoverned temper. He has given us reason to govern this passion of anger, his word and spirit to crucify it. And when we do not,

Proverbs 17:27: The Virtue of a Cool Spirit

27:17 but we are in the language of this text, hasty of spirit, we are continually putting folly on the throne and exalting it to a place of prominence, which is indeed the opposite of true nobility. All right. Now there's a fourth front rank text. Does anyone think you have found it or venture to guess which one it may be? All right, Larry.

27:48 Oh, you were just moving your arm. All right. Yes. Dr. Bob, 1727. There's our fourth, front rank text, Proverbs 17 and verse 27. Now notice the emphasis here falls upon words. Now we're giving away part of next week's lesson. What are the two areas in which a controlled spirit are most frequently emphasized in the book of Proverbs? Anger and words. He that spareth his words hath knowledge, and he that is of a cool spirit. Is a man of understanding. Now here again, modern terminology and slang has taken cool and made it mean something other than what is meant here. But the Hebrew word car, it's a root word, which means to chill. So it is cool as opposed to hot. So here we have again,

28:50 the parallelism, not contrast. He that spares his word hath knowledge, and the man who spares his word hath knowledge. And the man who spares his word hath knowledge, and the man who spares his word is now described as a man of a cool spirit. He has a spirit that is kept in the refrigerator and not in the oven. His spirit is kept in the refrigerator of God's word and the influences of the spirit of God and not in the oven of worldly carnal perspectives and of a life in which the Holy Spirit is green.

29:31 Or quenched. And the man who spares his word manifests that he has true nobility of godly knowledge, even the man who is of a cool spirit. A man whose spirit, if you could touch it, has as its prevailing temperature the quality of being cool as opposed to that which would make your flesh curl and be singed. And perhaps that imagery ought to be driven home to our own children and to our own hearts. If I could at any given moment reach in and with my fingers touch my spirit, would I feel a prevailing coolness on my fingertips, or would my fingertips jump away instinctively like they jump away when we inadvertently place our hands upon a hot stove or a hot plate?

Summary of the Four Key Texts: Commendation and Condemnation

30:31 Now then, put the key text together and what do we have? Well, in 1632 we had the terminology ruling one's spirit. Then in 2528 we had he whose spirit is without restraint. 1429 hasty of spirit. And then in 1727 a cool spirit.

30:51 So in the four passages where the condition of the human spirit is described, you see what we have? Two negatives and two positives. Two virtuous descriptions of the human spirit and two vicious descriptions of the human spirit. Two are commended and two are condemned.

31:16 The ruling of one's spirit is a noble internal quality that is to be coveted. Being of a cool spirit is to be desired and coveted. Cultivated. That's the commendation of the governed spirit and the cool spirit. Now the condemnation, the negative, the vicious state of the spirit is one that is without restraint and one that is hasty.

31:51 So God as a good teacher comes to us with the positive and with the negative. He comes commending a certain quality of spirit. He comes commending a certain quality of spirit. He commends the quality of a governed spirit. He commends the quality of a cool spirit.

32:09 He condemns the ungoverned spirit, the spirit without restraint. And he condemns the hasty, impulsive spirit that aims, I'm sorry, shoots and then aims. Speaks and then thinks, if it thinks at all. And then if it's a Christian spirit, upon thinking must repent.

Practical Applications: Confronting Worldly Mindsets

32:32 And again realizes that he has exalted folly. Now, having looked at these four front-line texts dealing with the governance of the human spirit, I say next week, God willing, we'll look at the predominant areas in which these things come to expression, the broader implications of the issue and practical guidelines. But now I want us in the remaining 15-16 minutes this morning to focus on some practical...

33:02 practical applications of this teaching now coming back to Romans chapter 12 in which we are commanded be not conformed to this world that is to the mindset to the prevailing perspectives of this present evil age but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good the acceptable and the perfect will of God what prevailing mindsets are exposed in these four texts what prevailing perspectives about the human spirit are diametrically opposed to the teaching found in these verses yet so prevalent in our day have you thought of some throwing it out for discussion at this point yes Phil all right selfishness in what sense all right so certainly this would be these texts would be a direct attack upon the whole idea that the most important thing in life is my selfhood my self-fulfillment my self-expression my self

34:27 this self that I mean you go to the average bookstore today and books in which self dash something are offered are are are , loving the shelves self-improvement self-image self-esteem self-realization self-actualization I mean that the terminology is becoming it's becoming top-heavy and Phil is suggesting that this whole perspective is diametrically opposed to much of that self-centered mentality I think that's a valid observation it's not one of the ones that I have listed here I certainly think it's valid someone else I think that's a valid observation it's not one of the ones that I have listed here but I have listed here but I agree that too boorish

35:52 worst sense instant trend Klein it's still is going against the present standard If you do not it will not be in the best interest It is not right anything that's still considered against present societal standards so what you do is you ask to be excused and you go in the men's room or the women's room and there you kick the stalls and the partitions between the toilets you pound them until they're dense in them and you just give vent to that spirit on some inanimate object that can't fight back and kick back and throw you out of school or as Henry has suggested if you're upset with what your parents say don't necessarily vent your anger upon your parents go in your room, scream put a pillow between you and the wall and the door and bang your head on it until you get it all out of your system that's the way to do it well of course these texts you see just fly right in the face of that whole approach that is very very popular in many circles today with respect to this matter of how we are to deal with the more violent passions of the human spirit alright well What else do these texts show for what they are? George and then come down to George alright

37:16 George in the back and then George in the front yeah so if the child doesn't like the fact that you told them not to do this thing I hate you you don't love me you're a stinking mama you're a stinking daddy let him do it and later on then you somehow redirect that into something virtuous and noble I'm not quite sure how that's all supposed to work out but you must not in any way repress that instinctive response of that little one and George has indicated that he saw this in one of the popular magazines and this is being advocated as a very noble way and proper way to deal with these expressions of the spirit of your children alright and it's the Gurglers okay the concept of immediate gratification the human spirit is like thirsty land or in the language of Proverbs I've been meditating much in recent days there are three things you hate for that never say enough

38:45 and then the wise man looks and he observes and he says it's the fire the raging fire that never says enough the more you throw on it the more it wants the crusty dry earth the grave never seems satisfied then he puts into that context the barren womb which is why we need to be very sensitive to those who are afflicted with barrenness put right in the category with a raging fire and cracked earth and these other things that are so evident to us now then we come to this whole issue then of the human spirit and the human spirit has a tremendous capacity for all kinds of things all kinds of things it wants it desires it longs and when certain objects are set before the eyes they occasion desire the human spirit is stirred up to get this, get that and Mr. Gurglers is saying that the whole thing was and is The whole thrust of advertising and much of the sales approach that many adopt is instant gratification. If you have had your desire awakened, it must be fulfilled and fulfilled now.

39:58 To go back to Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, it's little old passion sitting on his stool emptying out his bag of gold and all his goodies now. He has no patience with patients who will wait to have the best things in the future. So this again is a prevailing spirit in our day that's in the air, it's on the television constantly, it's part of the whole advertising scheme. To continue to keep the economy going and to increase consumer spending. I'm just embarrassed when I hear the brief economic reports occasionally that I get on the news in which one just assumes that it's virtuous to continue to create consumer demand and hope that people will stick their necks out and open up their wallets and get the economy going again. The crass way in which these things are constituted. Constantly bombarding us.

41:00 Alright, other expressions that stand opposed to these perspectives. Let's see, if we can take someone who hasn't contributed yet. Alright, Mr. Davies and then over to you, Dean.

Application 1: The Depravity of Man vs. Humanism

41:12 Ah, good. Alright, this is the one I put as number one. And I knew sooner or later someone would hit on it. All of the texts assume that the natural expressions of the human spirit are not innately good.

41:37 But will most... Most frequently be evil.

41:42 Whereas this present humanistic age assumes that the human spirit is essentially good. Therefore, to squelch its expression is to hinder some form of goodness.

41:59 Now, brethren, if anything assumes the biblical doctrine of the depravity of the entirety of the human being since the fall... It's these texts.

42:10 It's these texts. It's these texts. It's these texts. It's these texts.

42:11 It's these texts. It's these texts. It's these texts. It's these texts.

42:11 It's these texts. It's these texts. The hasty spirit exalts folly, not virtue. Why?

42:18 Because the spirit is an expression of the depravity of man in the case of the unregenerate and in the case even of the regenerate of the powerful actings of remaining sin. The assumption of all of these texts is a tremendous frontal attack upon humanism. The assumption of all of these texts is a tremendous frontal attack upon humanism. Which has as its fundamental tenet the innate goodness of man.

42:47 These texts assume the innate badness of man. Do you see that?

42:54 And you must point that out to your children. Why does God say that to be a spirit without restraint is not good? And to have a hasty spirit is not good. But to have a governed spirit and a cool spirit...

43:12 A governed spirit is virtuous because by nature if that spirit is allowed to be spurred and to take off and run where it will, it will run in courses contrary to the law and will of God because we are natively sinful and depraved and even if we are in a state of grace, remaining sin is embedded not in the corpuscles and in the atoms that make up our physical constitution. There's some...

43:42 There's some weird teaching going around in our day as it went around in the early church and in early church history that remaining sin has its seat somehow in our physical parts. That's ludicrous. It has its seat in the non-material and expresses itself through the members of our body. Romans chapter 6.

44:07 And so these texts in unison stand up and cry out... against humanism which assumes the innate goodness of man.

44:18 That's why when the child is ready to kick you in the shins and say I hate you, you don't restrain it because somehow that's an expression of its goodness. And if you squelch that, you're going to squelch that child's full potential into its ultimate goodness. You remember what the prophet Isaiah said, woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.

44:46 And an intelligent humanist who in his humanism holds to these views of non-discipline and non-restraint of the child were he to see a godly loving Christian parent applying biblical discipline by rod and admonition to teach a child self-restraint, he'd throw his hands up in horror and say you're guilty of child abuse. That's why Dyphus can send in its unelected, non-legally authorized agents, their bureaucratic agents into the home of any Christian and demand to have your children pull their trousers down and see if there are any indications you might have spanked them on the buttocks and intrude into the sacred sanctuary of the home and impose its own standards. How do you think that's going to work? It's come to pass. It's come to pass because of the widespread acceptance of the dogmas of humanism.

45:52 That man is essentially and inherently good. Now you've got to understand that. Back of pop psychology are deep and profound theological issues. So that's the first and I'm glad somebody hit upon it.

Application 2: Distinguishing Valid Emotion from Unbridled Self-Expression

46:08 All right. But there are a couple of more. All right. Dean, are you going to say the same thing or something akin to it?

46:22 Yes. All right. There's confusion in our day between unbridled self-expression and the expression of emotion that is essential to honesty and the vital part of our humanity. God nowhere says if you are brought to an emotional state that warrants weeping, restrain your weeping because that's unmanly.

46:48 Now God does have a right to tell the prophet, when I take away from you the desire of your eyes today. That is your wife. I don't want you to weep. You may sigh, but God was using that as a sign.

47:00 It was unnatural to the very fact that God commanded him not to do it and then said, I'm going to make you a sign. If it was the ordinary thing, it wouldn't be a sign. The very fact that God had to tell the prophet, don't do what is natural. And when people see that, knowing that your wife, even as an old married man, she's still the desire of your eyes and you have a very live and warm romantic relationship.

47:23 And when I take her by death and you don't sigh and mourn and weep and convulse with grief, Ezekiel, that in itself will be a sign. And then God gave what the message was validated by that sign. But the assumption is that's unnatural. And Dean has made the point that this generation has failed to make that distinction between the valid expressions of emotion in their proper place, which is a part not only of honesty.

47:53 It's a part of accepting realistically our humanity and unbridled self expression. All right. Someone else. Yes.

Application 3: Self-Control as an Attainable Virtue

48:05 Yes. So that humanism with its preoccupation with the now and no more doesn't have the values that we would have. All right. Because I've only got three minutes left, may I be given the luxury of giving you the other two heads as I had them.

48:39 And you've hit on them in a different way, one or two of you. But let me at least feel that I got through what I had prepared to say to you. All of the text assumed that sin naturally expresses itself through the activity of the human spirit. We are not creatures of innate goodness, creatures of innate badness, a blow to humanism.

49:01 Secondly, all of the text affirmed that unbridled self expression is an evil and not a virtuous thing. All of the text affirmed that unbridled self expression is an evil and not a virtuous thing. And we could analyze everything from the increasingly unbridled expressions of the basest human attitudes and perspectives and actions in the far out rock culture to things that are not as blatant and patent on the surface. But they have as their common sense.

49:40 They have as their common denominator unbridled self expression. When that man looking like he came out of a cave with matted hair and jumps around with gyrations of an animal and has an impulse to take his guitar and break it over someone's head in the first row, everyone cheers. Little unbridled self expression wants to grab a woman and throw her on the stage and go through a mock rape. Everyone cheers.

50:10 Where's all that come from? It comes from a denial of what's here in these passages. Not the only place it came from, but that's one of the major principles. Then thirdly, all of the text assume, and this is critical my brothers and sisters hear me.

50:27 All of the text assume that self control of one's spirit is an attainable virtue. All of the texts assume that self control of one's spirit is an attainable nature. All of you conclude this, please? attainable virtue or god is dangling out carrots when he says he that rules his spirit it assumes that one can rule his spirit and when it says he whose spirit is without restraint it is an indirect admonition learn to restrain your spirit and when it speaks of a cool spirit the assumption is that one can attain a prevailingly cool temperature in his spirit now where does that virtue come from well it comes either from common grace or from special grace now it's interesting had i the time i could quote and some of the commentators have some choice quotes from ancient heathen philosophers and this was one of the virtues that they greatly exalted and towards which they greatly strove and some obtained it in great measures and if they did they obtained it by common grace

51:45 and with our children it is the rod and admonition that are the instruments of common grace as well as instruments to help our children if god has regenerated them to grow in saving grace so in dealing with our children we must not set forth the control of their spirit as an unattainable virtue something again that just floats by and is noble and if you look at it you become better for having looked but it will never be your house companion no the control of one's spirit is indeed an attainable virtue either in common grace or special grace for malaysians 523 gives as the crowning grace of the fruit of the spirit what self control met amazing it's the fruit of the spirit but it's self control the doesn't say the food the spirit is laud joy please long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness spirit control but self control well if its the fruit of the spirit how does my self it myself is in control how could it be said to be the fruit of the spirit it's either the spirits work or my own self

53:11 themselves work well you see there's the great mystery of gospel sanctification god's working in our working our concurrent realities his working secures my working and my working is the manifestation of his working so that all of my dependence is upon him for that virtue all of my concentration is upon the cultivation of that virtue and all of my success returns in praise to him for working it in me now that's true of every grace in the christian life you look to god for it it's all his working yet i concentrate in the cultivation of it as though it were all my working and having attained the slightest degree of success i give all the praise to god you see god's got his cake and eats it too that's right because of him and through him and unto him are all things to whom be the glory forever and forever you i leave you in closing with a beautiful example of this at work in the heart of a man who had special grace nehemiah 5 6 and 7 very quickly now as we close nehemiah chapter 5 verses 6 and 7 ezra nehemiah esther if you're beyond psalms and proverbs go back toward the front of your bible

54:38 a little bit more some of you new to the christian faith and don't be embarrassed to use your index when you need to at the front of your bibles all right nehemiah 5 6 and 7 nehemiah had become aware of a practice in israel that was against the law of god israelites were taking advantage of israelites with excessive interest rates and when he heard it we read in verse 6 and i was very angry when i heard their cry and these words he was ticked off he was very angry so what did he do then i consulted with my self and contended with the nobles and rulers there's a beautiful example of a man controlling his spirit he's conscious of anger that it's righteous anger people are blatantly flagrantly disobeying the word of god and bringing the frown of god upon them and if ever a leader in israel had a right to be angry nehemiah had a right to be angry but he didn't allow his spirit to be mounted on his spirit and he didn't allow his spirit to be mounted on his spirit and he didn't allow his spirit to be mounted on his spirit and he didn't allow his spirit to be mounted on his by this passion of anger and driven willy-nilly wherever it would go he consulted with himself and he said all right now how shall this anger find a righteous expression and only after

56:02 consulting with himself and taking out his mat and mounting his steed and putting on the bridle and the bit does he ride out among the people with a controlled spirit then i consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and rulers and rulers and rulers and rulers and rulers and the nobles and rulers and said and the end result is the overturning of an unrighteous practice by a man who was of a cool spirit he was of a cool spirit that it didn't mean he liked the capacity to be angry but he was not of a hasty spirit but he is a beautiful example of one ruling his own spirit and channeling its most turbulent activity into righteous and into noble activity go down and do likewise let us pray our father we're so thankful for your word that is a lamp to our feet in the light to our pathway bless we pray our study this morning on this crucial subject oh god we feel ourselves standing more and more against the prevailing winds that blow in the world help us by your grace

57:25 to stand in the paths marked out by scripture and to guide our children into those paths we pray in jesus name amen you have been listening to how not to foul up the training of your children by pastor albert n martin these cassettes are distributed by the trinity book service if you would like a free listing of other audio cassettes and books please call us at 1-800-722-3584 or if you prefer you can write us at the