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2 Timothy 3:14-17 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Please take out your copy of God's Word and turn with me to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 3.
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We may all remember Mother's Day 2019 as the Sunday that it got a little rock and roll at Christ Family Church.
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There's a little white stripes going on on the stage, I think.
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It's good stuff.
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I commend you guys for that.
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It's great.
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Our text for this morning is 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 through 17.
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As we take a break this morning from our verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Hebrews,
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it's my intention to be an encouragement to the mothers and future mothers of our congregation.
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You may find some challenge in God's Word to us this morning,
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but I want you to know that I believe that the mothers of our church work hard to excel in the training of their children,
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and this does not go unnoticed.
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Moms, we know you are working at this.
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I know that your job as mothers can often seem mundane and unending,
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and that it is always exhausting.
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So I want you to be encouraged this morning to persist by grace,
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to train your children as God will use you to yield fruit in their lives.
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If you are not a mother or future mother ever planning on being a mother,
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like you may be a man in the room,
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I hope that this morning will help aim your prayers for the moms of our congregation.
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So with that in mind, let's take a look at 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 through 17.
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Beloved, this is God's Word to us, written for His glory and our good.
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We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Paul writes,
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In verse 14, Timothy is exhorted by Paul to continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,
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as opposed to, set up against, in juxtaposition to, the men of verse 13.
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Paul says they're evil people and imposters,
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that will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
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It's in light of that statement in verse 13,
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that he's now exhorting Timothy to continue,
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but you continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.
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And then Paul encourages him to faithfulness to those things with the phrase,
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knowing from whom you learned it.
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Paul states that remembering the godly people from whom you learned the truth
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is a source of strength and of encouragement.
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Continue in the things you learned because of who taught them to you.
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And Timothy learned the truth that he has learned and has firmly believed by being instructed,
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we see this in verse 15,
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in the sacred writings,
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and also we see in verse 16,
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Paul tells us this is the Scripture.
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Timothy had been taught the Bible.
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But who is it that taught Timothy the Bible?
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Timothy learned the Scripture from his family.
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Timothy's mother was a Christian.
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His father, unfortunately, and as far as we know, was not.
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And we know this from Acts chapter 16 and verse 1,
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where Luke writes,
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Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra.
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A disciple was there named Timothy,
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the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.
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He was a follower of Christ, a believer in the way.
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And then Luke writes,
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but his father,
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in opposition to, in difference to,
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was a Greek.
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He doesn't say that he was a believing Greek.
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He's speaking to his ethnicity, to be sure.
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He just says that he's a Greek.
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He doesn't include any reality that he's a follower of Christ there.
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We know later, 1 Timothy 1, verse 2,
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that Paul became Timothy's spiritual father.
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He adopted him in that sense,
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where we read,
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to Timothy, my true child in the faith.
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So, Timothy was also instructed by Paul in the way of the Lord.
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A bit earlier in chapter 3 of 2 Timothy,
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verses 10 and the first part of 11,
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we can read,
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you, however, have followed my teaching,
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this is Paul speaking,
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my conduct,
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my aim in life,
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my faith,
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my patience,
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my love,
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my steadfastness,
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my persecutions,
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and sufferings.
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And so we have Timothy learning from his mother.
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We have Timothy learning from Paul
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as a spiritual father,
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and likely,
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his grandmother.
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You see in the first part of verse 15,
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and how from childhood you've been acquainted
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with the sacred writings.
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And in chapter 1 of 2 Timothy,
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verse 5,
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Paul writes,
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I'm reminded of your sincere faith,
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a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois,
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and your mother Eunice,
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and now, I am sure,
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dwells in you as well.
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So, God-fearing Christ-following mother,
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God-fearing Christ-following grandmother,
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instructing young Timothy
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in the sacred writings in the Scripture,
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and then Paul as a spiritual father to him,
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instructing him in the manner
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that he should walk.
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So, Timothy is instructed.
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He is trained in the Bible
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by Paul as an adult,
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but also as a child,
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he becomes acquainted with the Scripture.
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That is to say,
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Timothy knew his Bible
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from an early age.
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God worked saving faith in Jesus Christ
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into Timothy
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through the labors of his mother
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and grandmother.
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Recall that when Paul encounters him
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in Acts chapter 16,
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he's already there called a disciple.
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He's already a follower of Jesus Christ.
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God has used the work of his mother
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and his grandmother
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and their instruction
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to bring him to saving faith.
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What an absolute blessing it is
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that God includes us
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in his saving purposes
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toward our children.
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He uses us as the means
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to bring our children
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to believe in him.
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And this is a blessing for us
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to get to participate
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in this way.
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Now, I would never argue
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that the church does not have a place
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in the instruction of children.
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That is not good
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for the gathered people of God
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to diminish the word of God
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to our gathered children.
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But I will argue
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that the responsibility
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of instructing children
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belongs firstly,
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primarily,
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to the family.
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Fathers and mothers
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loving their children
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with gospel truth.
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How can I say such a thing
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with any measure of authority?
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In many churches
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that function today
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as if the work
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of bringing children
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to Christ
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is entirely the work
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of the church
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and the work of the parent
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is to merely drive
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their children
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to gather
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with said church.
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There are many Christian leaders
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today
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that would strongly
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even disagree with me
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that aim most
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of their ministry
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at child evangelism
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and sadly altogether
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neglect the parent's
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spiritual maturity.
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I can make this claim
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because God's word
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makes this claim.
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And I want to give you
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just a couple of examples
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and we're going to do so
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from the book of Proverbs
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and I'll run through these
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quickly.
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You're welcome
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to try to join me
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if you'd like.
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Proverbs 22
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and verse 6.
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We read,
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Train up a child
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in the way he should go
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even when he is old
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he will not depart from it.
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Proverbs 23
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verse 13 and 14.
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Do not withhold discipline
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from a child.
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If you strike him
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with a rod
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he will not die.
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If you strike him
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with a rod
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you will save his soul
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from Sheol.
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Now,
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neither of those two
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specifically say
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that this is
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the job of parents
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although I think
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most parents in the room
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would agree
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that I shouldn't
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strike your children
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with a rod.
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This is not my place.
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But,
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we can read on
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Proverbs chapter 29
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and verse 17.
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More specifically here
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discipline
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your son
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and he will give you rest.
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He will give
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delight
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to your heart.
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Just a couple of examples
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of instruction
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in the Bible
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for parents
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to help train up
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their children.
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Charles Spurgeon
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once wrote,
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You are as much
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serving God
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and looking after
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your own children
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and training them up
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in God's fear
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and minding the house
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and making your household
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a church for God
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as you would be
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if you had been called
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to lead an army
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to battle
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for the Lord of hosts.
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It is a weighty
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and important task
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that's been given to us
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as parents.
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Mothers,
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it is a privilege
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to spend
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the day in
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and the day out
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with your little ones
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wiping
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snotty noses
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and teaching them
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to share.
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We need to be
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familiarized
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at all possible
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as young children
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with the sacred writings.
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We would know
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the gospel truths
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that we would be able
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to pick them up
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when God brings us
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to faith.
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But more specifically,
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right,
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and we're developing
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this idea
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and continue to,
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how are children
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trained for godliness?
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How predominantly
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and primarily
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are they trained?
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Right?
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It's not merely
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through
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moralistic shaping
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of our children.
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It includes that
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teaching them
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what is right
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and what is wrong.
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But doing that
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from a place
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of authority,
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right,
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as bringers
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of God's authority
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into their lives.
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We live in an age
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where people
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desperately
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need to understand
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authority.
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Authority is given
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to us as a good
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blessing for us,
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right,
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not as something
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to restrict
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our freedom.
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Deuteronomy 6,
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verses 6 and 7,
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God says,
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and these words
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that I command you
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today shall be
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on your heart.
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You shall teach
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them diligently
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to your children
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and shall talk
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of them when you
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sit in your house
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and when you
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walk by the way
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and when you
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lie down
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and when you
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rise.
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So all the time,
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right,
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the good instruction
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of the Lord
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is to be taught
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to our children
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for their good.
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Mothers,
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you provide
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many necessary
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things for your
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children.
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Don't stop
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doing that.
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There's many
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things that they
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need that I know
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takes a lot
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of time,
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right?
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You keep them
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clothed and fed,
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but your children
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do not need
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a perfectly clean
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house.
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Stop trying to
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compete with the
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Pinterest moms.
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They're faking it
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anyway,
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right?
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Only that corner
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of the house
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is really that
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clean for that
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moment.
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They don't need
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wrinkle-free
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clothing.
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They honestly
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don't really even
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need clean clothes
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to be totally
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frank.
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They don't need
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the most exciting
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meals.
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They don't need
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to love everything
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that you put
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in front of them.
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In fact,
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it's probably good
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if they don't.
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They do need
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you.
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And they need
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your careful
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instruction in
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the scripture,
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right?
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Let the laundry
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stay unfolded
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if it means
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that you're
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going to neglect
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spending time
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in the Bible
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with your kids,
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right?
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Make that,
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right?
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Instructing them
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in the way
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of the Lord
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the priority
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and see if the
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other things
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appropriately fall
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into place.
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So our children
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need the good
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instruction of
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the word of God.
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We never
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outgrow our need
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of this instruction
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by the way.
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We're always
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in need
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of the instruction
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of God
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found in the
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scriptures.
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As the scripture
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is necessary
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for our salvation
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and it's also
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necessary for
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our sanctification,
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our continued
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growth in the
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Lord.
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And let's take
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a look at both
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of these as we
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consider the rest
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of the text.
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First,
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found in the
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last half of
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verse 15,
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we can see
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the scripture
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is the power
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for salvation.
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As Paul say,
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familiar with
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these sacred
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writings which
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are able to
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make you wise
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for salvation
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through faith
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in Jesus
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Christ.
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Our children
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are currently
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forming a
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worldview,
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an understanding,
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a base on
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which to build
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an understanding
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of the world,
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a lens through
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which they will
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interpret the
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world around
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them and
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their place
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in it.
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We ought to
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work to build
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for them a
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biblical worldview
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for the glory
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of God and
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for their good.
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The book of
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Proverbs juxtaposes
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the way of
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wisdom and
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the way of
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folly.
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And what is the
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beginning of
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wisdom?
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Fear of the
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Lord.
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It's understanding
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rightly Him as
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creator, God,
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and us as
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creation.
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This is why
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this is stated.
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Having a
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proper worldview
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lends us
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toward wisdom.
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We want our
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children to walk
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in the way
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of wisdom.
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Proverbs 2.6
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says,
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For the Lord
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gives wisdom.
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From His mouth
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come knowledge
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and understanding.
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And what is the
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Bible?
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But the very
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words of God.
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Paul tells
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Timothy that the
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Scriptures are
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able to make
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you wise.
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Here in
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verse 15,
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specifically for
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salvation through
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faith in Christ
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Jesus.
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It is the
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Scripture that
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tells us the
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story of the
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world in which
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we live.
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Our children
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need to
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understand that
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we have a
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creator God
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who made all
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things, who
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spoke it by
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His power out
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of nothing.
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We weren't
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and then we
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were.
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And then He
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ordered it
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under His
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good rule.
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He gave
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very simple
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instruction.
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Things to do
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and things to
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not do.
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And Adam and
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Eve were meant
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to live in this
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world and to
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go forth and
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to multiply and
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live under the
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good rule of
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God forever.
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But it didn't
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last for very
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long.
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One of my
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post-glory
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questions will
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be how much
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time actually
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passed from
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Genesis 1-1 to
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the beginning of
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chapter 3.
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Was it only a
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couple days?
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I want to hope
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they did a little
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better than that
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in the garden.
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But it doesn't
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take long in the
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biblical narrative.
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For Adam and
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Eve to do the
16:23
very thing they
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were commanded
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not to do,
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to say to God
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that they wanted
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to be like God,
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they rebelled
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against Him,
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they became His
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enemies.
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And He justly
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and rightly
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punished them
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for it.
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Our children
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need to understand
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that they live
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in that fallen
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world.
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That they have
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inherited the
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sin nature of
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Adam.
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That they are
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guilty before God.
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That they are
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rebels before
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Him.
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If you have
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held children
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for very long,
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you know.
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I've seen people
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walk out of this
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room already this
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morning that are
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going,
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sin.
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Voddie
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Baccham has
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famously said,
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a contemporary
17:05
pastor has
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famously said,
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do you know
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why children
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are so small
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when they're
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born?
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And people
17:10
go, you
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know, why?
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He said,
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because if they
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weren't, they
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would kill you.
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The first time
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you didn't give
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them something
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that they wanted,
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seen the rage
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of a baby.
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And thankfully
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they're so cute,
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so we don't
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want to do the
17:25
same.
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They're broken.
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Right?
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My children
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are broken.
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They're enemies
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of God.
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They need
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reconciliation to
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our Creator,
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God, because
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it's good for
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them.
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It's loving
17:39
kind that God
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would even give
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them a way to
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be restored to
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Him.
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So they need to
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understand redemption.
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We don't always
17:49
use these types of
17:50
words with our
17:50
children.
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They need to
17:52
understand that in
17:53
order for them to
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be accepted by
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God, all of the
17:56
penalty for their
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sin needed to be
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erased.
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It needs to be
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stricken from the
18:03
record.
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But beloved, they
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also need to
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understand that
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that's not enough.
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That's not a full
18:09
presentation of the
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gospel of Jesus
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Christ.
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Just to say that
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the record was
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canceled is not
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enough.
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That only brings
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them to neutral
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with God.
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God requires that
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we not be His
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enemy, but He also
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requires that we be
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obedient to His
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command, that we
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show ourselves to
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belong to Him.
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We cannot do
18:28
this because of
18:30
our nature.
18:31
And so we need
18:32
the perfect nature
18:33
of Christ.
18:35
Our children need
18:36
to understand that
18:36
we are found
18:37
righteous in
18:38
Jesus.
18:40
That His
18:40
righteousness is
18:41
imputed to us.
18:42
It's given to us.
18:44
There's a great
18:45
exchange that
18:45
happened on the
18:46
cross as Jesus
18:47
hung for the sins
18:48
of the world.
18:49
There was a trade
18:50
that happened.
18:51
We gave Him our
18:53
guilt.
18:53
He gave us His
18:56
righteousness.
18:57
And therefore, we're
18:59
justified before God.
19:00
We're counted as
19:02
righteous.
19:03
No longer guilty, but
19:04
being perfect law
19:06
keepers because Jesus
19:08
kept the law
19:09
perfectly.
19:11
Our children need to
19:12
understand this.
19:14
And oh, what a work
19:15
it is to help them
19:16
understand this.
19:17
I have tried every
19:18
imaginable way to
19:20
explain this to my
19:21
children.
19:21
I'm going to
19:22
continue to do
19:23
that very thing.
19:24
To plead with them
19:25
to understand not
19:28
only the person, but
19:29
also the work of
19:31
Jesus Christ.
19:32
What it accomplished
19:33
for us.
19:35
And our children need
19:36
to have their minds
19:37
drawn to to be
19:39
enthralled by the
19:40
final restoration
19:41
that will one day
19:43
take place.
19:45
Christ will return
19:46
and He will judge
19:46
the world and He
19:47
will set all things
19:48
straight.
19:50
We want to aim our
19:51
children to that
19:52
bigger and higher
19:53
reality.
19:55
Yes, the world lives
19:56
in a cursed and
19:57
broken state, but one
19:58
day God's going to
19:59
make it all new
20:00
again.
20:02
Our children need
20:03
this worldview to
20:04
fit everything else
20:05
that they're going to
20:06
learn into creation,
20:08
fall, redemption,
20:10
restoration.
20:11
And these things are
20:13
important for us to
20:14
understand rightly.
20:15
You ask many people
20:16
in the church today,
20:17
what is the gospel?
20:18
And you will get a
20:19
varied and wide
20:20
range of answers.
20:22
And many of those
20:22
answers will be
20:24
partly right,
20:25
sometimes they'll just
20:26
be totally wrong,
20:27
but mostly partly
20:28
right, but
20:29
incomplete.
20:31
Full biblical
20:32
narrative answer
20:33
to that question.
20:34
Creation, fall,
20:35
redemption,
20:37
restoration.
20:39
And allow me to
20:40
caution you at this
20:40
point to not jump
20:43
at the first
20:44
opportunity your
20:45
child offers to
20:47
lead them to
20:48
faith in Christ.
20:49
When you present
20:50
the gospel in some
20:52
form or fashion,
20:53
it kind of makes
20:54
sense.
20:55
When you say to a
20:57
young person,
20:57
heaven is a great
20:58
place and hell is a
20:59
horrible place.
21:00
And here's a thing
21:01
you should do to
21:02
have the one and
21:03
not the other.
21:05
They're not dumb.
21:07
It's not a
21:07
complicated choice
21:10
to make.
21:12
We want to be so
21:13
careful that we
21:15
don't give our
21:15
children false
21:16
assurance.
21:17
Be so careful that
21:19
they actually are
21:20
placing believing
21:21
faith in Jesus
21:23
Christ.
21:24
We also don't want
21:25
to overcomplicate
21:25
that.
21:26
But we should be
21:27
exercising some
21:29
caution.
21:31
Many, as I
21:32
mentioned, churches
21:33
are all about
21:35
child evangelism.
21:36
Every year I get
21:37
tons of promotions
21:38
from our denomination
21:39
to put on vacation
21:40
Bible schools,
21:41
to do them super
21:42
well.
21:43
This will be the
21:44
chance.
21:44
This is the
21:45
opportunity.
21:45
This is the...
21:46
And a couple of
21:47
years ago I got a
21:48
stat as an enforcer
21:49
to that which said
21:51
children are 70%
21:53
more likely to
21:55
respond to a gospel
21:56
invitation before
21:57
they turn eight.
21:59
This was the
21:59
promotion for this.
22:01
And I wouldn't
22:01
throw statistics out
22:02
the window altogether,
22:04
right?
22:04
But this was the
22:05
reason they were
22:06
saying we should do
22:07
this work because
22:08
they're 70% more
22:10
likely to respond to
22:11
a gospel invitation
22:12
before they turn
22:13
eight.
22:14
You know what else
22:15
happens on average
22:17
at the age of eight?
22:19
Children stop believing
22:20
in a particular
22:21
jolly elf that
22:23
comes down a
22:23
chimney and fills
22:24
stockings at the
22:26
same time.
22:28
So at the age of
22:29
eight children become
22:30
less gullible.
22:33
And we want to be
22:34
careful that we're
22:35
not preying upon
22:36
that.
22:36
Is it possible for a
22:37
child to come to
22:38
faith before eight?
22:39
Sure.
22:40
But we just want to
22:40
be very, very careful
22:41
in the process of
22:42
sharing the good
22:44
news with children.
22:47
The call of the
22:48
gospel is repent
22:49
and believe, not
22:52
repeat after me.
22:54
It's repent and
22:56
believe.
22:58
Our church has
22:59
unapologetically
23:00
reformed soteriology,
23:02
which means if our
23:04
children are to be
23:04
saved, they will be
23:05
saved by God's
23:06
grace alone.
23:08
Sola gratia.
23:10
This is good news
23:11
for parents.
23:12
This is really good
23:13
news for parents who
23:14
want their children to
23:15
make professions of
23:16
faith that persist,
23:18
to make real
23:20
professions of faith
23:21
that persist to the
23:23
end, that God is
23:25
in control.
23:28
Thomas Watson, a
23:30
Puritan, once said,
23:31
this is on your
23:31
bulletin if you
23:32
happen to have one,
23:32
God's decree is the
23:34
very pillar and
23:35
basis on which the
23:36
saints' perseverance
23:37
depends.
23:40
That decree ties the
23:42
knot of adoption so
23:43
fast that neither sin,
23:46
death, nor hell can
23:47
break it asunder.
23:50
That said, God uses
23:52
and has always used
23:54
means to accomplish
23:56
his saving purposes.
23:58
So, moms and dads, we
24:02
want to faithfully
24:03
teach the gospel to
24:05
our children that
24:06
they might believe.
24:09
A number of years
24:09
ago, I went to a
24:10
large conference called
24:12
Together for the
24:13
Gospel.
24:13
It's in Louisville,
24:14
Kentucky, every other
24:14
year.
24:15
And there were some
24:16
10,000 church leaders
24:19
and seminarians from
24:20
Southern Seminary
24:22
there.
24:23
Rather a large
24:24
crowd.
24:25
And it's kind of a
24:26
warm-up thing to the
24:27
conference.
24:28
A pastor named Mark
24:29
Dever got up and was
24:31
just asking questions
24:32
about how people had
24:33
come to faith in
24:34
Christ.
24:34
So they were having us
24:35
stand when he said,
24:37
how was it that you
24:38
came to faith in
24:40
Christ?
24:41
And he had gone
24:42
through a couple of
24:42
options.
24:43
And then he said,
24:44
how many of you came
24:45
to faith in Christ
24:46
because your parents
24:48
taught the gospel to
24:50
you in your homes?
24:52
And if you've ever
24:53
been in a stadium
24:54
where it's quiet and
24:55
everybody stands and
24:55
the chairs flip up
24:57
because you're all
24:57
packed in way,
24:58
way too tight,
24:59
it was almost
25:00
deafening the amount
25:01
of those people who
25:02
stood.
25:05
It was 85% of that
25:09
group.
25:10
And their parents
25:10
were used of God
25:12
to share the gospel
25:13
with them and God
25:14
saved them.
25:16
So we play an
25:17
incredibly important
25:18
part in this.
25:19
It's not dependent
25:20
upon us,
25:21
but we're used as a
25:23
tool in the mighty
25:23
hands of God to see
25:25
our children come to
25:26
faith.
25:27
And so we should do
25:28
it all the more
25:29
and all the more
25:30
confidently because
25:32
of this reality.
25:34
We should be like
25:35
Paul in Romans
25:37
chapter 1,
25:37
verse 16,
25:38
where he said,
25:38
for I am not ashamed
25:39
of the gospel,
25:40
for it is the power
25:42
of God for salvation
25:43
to everyone who
25:44
believes,
25:45
to the Jew first
25:45
and also to the
25:47
Greek.
25:47
Right?
25:48
We would see our
25:49
children come to
25:49
faith in Christ.
25:52
So Paul exhorts
25:53
Timothy.
25:54
Continue in what
25:55
you have learned.
25:55
Don't be like those
25:56
men who have
25:57
abandoned the faith.
25:58
Continue in what
25:59
you have learned
25:59
and firmly believe
26:00
knowing from whom
26:02
you learned it
26:03
and from childhood
26:04
you were acquainted
26:05
with the sacred
26:05
writings,
26:06
which are able to
26:07
make you wise
26:08
for salvation
26:09
through faith
26:10
in Christ Jesus.
26:12
Scripture is also
26:14
powerful for
26:16
sanctification.
26:18
Verse 16 and 17
26:20
teaches us this,
26:21
that Scripture
26:21
is breathed out.
26:22
God is its very
26:23
source.
26:24
And because of
26:25
that, it is
26:26
sufficient.
26:28
It's profitable
26:29
for teaching,
26:29
reproof, correction,
26:31
and training
26:32
in righteousness.
26:34
And then in verse 17
26:34
Paul says that the
26:35
man of God
26:36
may be complete,
26:39
equipped for
26:39
every good
26:41
work.
26:42
It is what we
26:43
need to be
26:45
trained in
26:46
godliness.
26:48
Our labor as
26:49
parents is to
26:49
raise men and
26:51
women, not
26:52
merely boys
26:53
and girls.
26:55
We want to
26:56
think with the
26:56
end in mind.
26:58
And we should
26:59
want our children
27:00
to grow up
27:01
to be children
27:02
who honor the
27:03
Lord with all
27:05
that they feel
27:06
and all that
27:06
they do
27:07
and all that
27:09
they say.
27:10
Our children
27:11
will seek
27:13
instruction.
27:15
If you are not
27:16
instructing them,
27:17
they will find
27:18
some path to
27:19
follow.
27:20
They are going
27:20
to find it
27:21
on TV.
27:22
They are going
27:22
to find it
27:23
with their
27:23
friends.
27:25
Eventually,
27:25
someday,
27:26
they will find
27:26
it in the
27:27
philosophies of
27:29
their school.
27:31
As adults,
27:33
they will continue
27:33
to do this
27:34
very thing
27:35
if they have
27:35
not been
27:36
given
27:36
faithful
27:38
instruction,
27:38
faithful grounding
27:39
in the
27:41
Scripture.
27:42
This is why
27:43
the Oprahs
27:43
and the Dr.
27:44
Phills and
27:45
the Tony Robinsons
27:46
of the world
27:46
are so very
27:48
popular.
27:50
People are
27:50
saying we
27:51
need instruction.
27:52
We need
27:53
help for how
27:54
to walk
27:54
in the
27:56
world.
27:57
But only
27:57
the Bible
27:59
is competent
28:00
to this
28:00
task.
28:01
Only the
28:02
Bible is
28:02
competent to
28:03
the task
28:03
of training
28:04
our children
28:04
in faith
28:05
and godliness.
28:07
And it
28:08
is sufficient
28:09
for this
28:10
task.
28:11
It contains
28:12
within it
28:12
everything we
28:14
need to
28:15
know.
28:15
Any other
28:16
good books
28:16
that we
28:17
promote,
28:18
there's a
28:18
couple of
28:18
wonderful
28:18
books out
28:19
in the
28:19
book note
28:19
on mothering
28:21
and on
28:21
fathering,
28:22
are just
28:22
aiming us
28:23
at the
28:23
Scripture.
28:24
They're just
28:24
helping us
28:25
to understand
28:25
what the
28:26
Scripture
28:26
teaches
28:26
about this
28:27
topic
28:27
or any
28:29
other.
28:30
Moms
28:31
and dads,
28:31
we must
28:32
be faithful
28:33
students of
28:34
the Bible
28:34
ourselves,
28:36
that we
28:36
might be
28:37
faithful
28:37
teachers
28:38
of the
28:38
Bible
28:39
for the
28:40
sake of
28:40
our
28:40
children.
28:41
And that
28:41
doesn't have
28:42
to be an
28:42
overwhelming
28:43
task for you.
28:43
That can
28:44
simply start
28:44
today.
28:46
Open up
28:46
the Scripture
28:47
and learn
28:47
something from
28:48
it and
28:48
then turn
28:49
and impart
28:50
what you're
28:50
learning to
28:52
your children.
28:53
Try to
28:54
speak it in
28:54
the simplest
28:55
possible terms
28:56
you can
28:56
without diluting
28:58
it as truth
28:59
at all.
29:00
I still fly so
29:01
high for my
29:02
kids sometimes
29:03
and then I
29:04
think,
29:04
can I say
29:05
this any
29:05
simpler?
29:06
I don't
29:06
know that I
29:06
can try to
29:09
explain the
29:10
Trinity to
29:10
anybody but
29:11
much less a
29:12
five or six
29:13
year old.
29:13
You can
29:15
only make
29:15
it so
29:16
simple.
29:19
So our
29:19
children and
29:20
we need
29:21
the Scripture
29:21
to lead us
29:22
to the
29:22
gospel for
29:23
our salvation
29:23
and for
29:24
our
29:25
sanctification.
29:27
So I want
29:28
to close with
29:28
an encouragement
29:29
to you from
29:30
history.
29:31
I'll commend
29:32
this book.
29:32
It's called
29:33
Devoted.
29:34
It's by a
29:34
man named
29:35
Tim Challey.
29:35
The subtitle is
29:36
Great Men
29:37
and Their
29:37
Godly Moms.
29:39
It's got a lot
29:39
of really neat
29:40
examples of the
29:41
way men
29:42
throughout church
29:43
history were
29:44
served faithfully
29:44
by their
29:46
mothers,
29:46
moms especially.
29:48
This would be
29:48
a great one
29:49
to pick up
29:49
and to read.
29:51
Husbands,
29:52
you could order
29:53
on Amazon
29:53
right now
29:54
for your
29:54
wives.
29:55
I think it
29:56
would be
29:56
good for
29:56
their souls.
29:58
I want to
29:59
tell you a
29:59
little bit
30:00
about a
30:01
man named
30:01
John Gresham
30:02
Machen.
30:04
Late
30:05
19th century,
30:06
early 20th
30:07
century Christian.
30:08
Became a
30:09
Christian rather
30:10
young in his
30:10
home.
30:12
His mother
30:12
faithfully
30:13
worked with
30:14
him and
30:14
taught him
30:15
the scripture
30:16
as well as
30:17
his father,
30:18
but this book
30:18
is not about
30:18
the fathers
30:19
of these
30:19
men.
30:20
His mother's
30:21
name was
30:21
Mary,
30:22
but went by
30:23
the name
30:23
Minnie.
30:24
I don't know
30:25
why,
30:25
but this book
30:26
tells us that
30:27
she did and
30:28
refers to her
30:29
as such.
30:31
And Gresham
30:32
Machen was
30:33
tempted by
30:36
the liberal
30:36
theology of
30:37
his day.
30:38
He had gone
30:39
away to school
30:39
where he
30:40
encountered
30:40
liberal
30:42
theologians
30:43
who were
30:44
whimsical,
30:47
who were
30:48
kind to
30:50
him,
30:51
and he
30:51
was tempted
30:52
to begin
30:53
to forsake
30:54
the inerrancy
30:55
and the
30:55
authority of
30:57
the scripture.
30:58
And his
30:58
mother was
30:59
aware of
30:59
this.
30:59
He had
31:00
shared this
31:00
with her
31:01
and was
31:01
talking out
31:01
these things
31:02
with her,
31:03
and I'll
31:03
pick up
31:04
reading at
31:05
this point.
31:05
Minnie
31:07
wrestled
31:07
with
31:08
growing
31:08
anxiety
31:09
over
31:09
her
31:09
son's
31:10
doubts.
31:11
But because
31:12
she was
31:13
rooted in
31:13
scripture,
31:14
she knew
31:14
better than
31:15
to panic
31:15
and confront
31:16
her son
31:17
in fear
31:17
or anger.
31:19
Relying
31:20
instead on
31:20
the grace
31:21
of God,
31:21
she chose
31:22
to provide
31:22
him with
31:22
comfort
31:23
and steadfast
31:24
love.
31:25
She wrote
31:26
to him,
31:27
quote,
31:27
But one
31:28
thing I
31:29
can assure
31:29
you of,
31:30
that nothing
31:31
that you
31:31
could do
31:32
could keep
31:33
me from
31:33
loving you.
31:34
Nothing.
31:35
It is easy
31:36
enough to
31:37
grieve me.
31:37
Perhaps I
31:38
worry too
31:39
much,
31:40
but my
31:40
love for
31:41
my boy
31:41
is absolutely
31:42
indestructible.
31:44
Rely
31:45
on whatever
31:46
comes.
31:48
I'm sorry,
31:49
rely on that
31:49
whatever comes.
31:51
And I have
31:51
faith in you
31:52
too and believe
31:52
that the strength
31:53
will come to
31:54
you for your
31:55
work,
31:55
whatever it
31:56
may be.
31:56
And that
31:57
the way
31:58
will be
31:59
opened.
32:01
Pulled back
32:02
by his
32:02
mother's
32:02
love,
32:03
along with
32:03
the counsel
32:04
of other
32:04
godly
32:05
mentors,
32:06
Gresham's
32:07
crisis was
32:07
soon quelled
32:08
and he
32:08
returned to
32:09
the sound
32:09
doctrine in
32:10
which he
32:10
was raised
32:12
in the
32:12
Presbyterian
32:12
Church.
32:13
One of
32:14
Gresham's
32:14
biographers
32:15
would write,
32:17
No one
32:17
ever seriously
32:18
rivaled his
32:19
mother in
32:20
her capacity
32:20
to satisfy
32:21
his need
32:22
of deep
32:23
spiritual
32:23
sympathy or
32:24
in her
32:24
hold upon
32:25
his affection
32:26
and admiration.
32:29
With God's
32:29
help,
32:30
the combination
32:30
of training
32:31
and tenderness
32:31
won her son
32:32
back to his
32:33
roots.
32:35
He soon
32:35
took up a
32:36
position at
32:36
Princeton teaching
32:37
New Testament
32:38
and became
32:39
well-liked and
32:39
highly respected
32:40
among both
32:41
faculty and
32:42
students.
32:43
This is a
32:44
long time ago
32:44
Princeton.
32:47
Non-liberal
32:48
Princeton.
32:49
He would
32:50
teach at
32:50
Princeton until
32:51
1926,
32:52
though his
32:53
time there
32:53
would be
32:53
interrupted by
32:54
overseas service
32:55
during the
32:55
First World
32:56
War,
32:56
but liberalism
32:57
would continue
32:58
its ascendancy,
32:59
forcing him
33:00
to take
33:01
action.
33:02
In 1929,
33:03
he would
33:03
take the
33:04
lead in
33:04
founding
33:05
Westminster
33:05
Theological
33:06
Seminary,
33:07
and in
33:07
1936,
33:08
a new
33:09
denomination,
33:09
the Orthodox
33:10
Presbyterian
33:11
Church.
33:13
Because Gresham
33:13
was a lifelong
33:14
bachelor,
33:15
his mother
33:16
would remain
33:16
the closest
33:17
woman in
33:17
his life
33:17
until her
33:18
death in
33:18
1931.
33:20
This was the
33:20
most grievous
33:21
event he had
33:22
experienced,
33:22
for no one
33:23
had held
33:23
him in
33:24
greater
33:24
esteem
33:25
than his
33:26
mother.
33:27
No one
33:27
had been
33:28
so unswervingly
33:29
loyal to
33:29
him.
33:30
Perhaps no
33:30
one had been
33:31
so impacted
33:32
by him.
33:33
She once
33:34
wrote to
33:34
him,
33:35
I cannot
33:36
half express
33:36
to you my
33:37
pride and
33:37
profound joy
33:38
in your
33:39
work.
33:40
You have
33:40
handled in
33:41
a very able
33:42
manner the
33:42
most important
33:43
problem of
33:44
the age,
33:45
and you
33:45
have given
33:45
voice to
33:46
my own
33:47
sentiments
33:48
far better
33:49
than I
33:49
could
33:50
myself.
33:50
On the
33:52
day the
33:52
family laid
33:53
her to
33:54
rest,
33:54
Gresham
33:55
wrote,
33:56
My mother
33:56
seems,
33:57
to me at
33:58
least,
33:59
to have
33:59
been the
34:00
wisest and
34:01
best human
34:01
being I
34:02
ever knew.
34:05
May we
34:06
be a church
34:06
that produces
34:07
faithful mothers
34:09
and fathers
34:10
who will
34:12
impart with
34:12
great charity
34:13
and patience
34:14
the wisdom
34:15
of God
34:16
to their
34:17
children.
34:18
Let's pray.