Address—N. Berry
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Would you turn first, please, to a verse in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 5? Colossians 254 Zo IB absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit. Now this part joying and beholding.
Your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
Now if we were writing this, no doubt we would put faith 1St and then our order second.
But the Spirit of God has put order first, and I just trust now that what I have to say this afternoon will be.
For the glory of the Lord and for the blessing of each one of us, young and old alike. The longer I live, the more conscious I am of the awful conditions that are blowing in upon us from the world. And this word that is before me this afternoon is discipline. Now discipline.
Has immediately a connotation of somebody beating me over the head.
I don't mean that, dear young people. I trust that as we look at this word in all its different ramifications, that we will see that this is God's remedy in this Dark World for you and for me to be blessed. And I just trust as that what I say to each one of us. I don't have anyone in mind but young and old alike. You dear children that are here, I trust that there will be.
For you, you teenagers here in a desperate world and age and time of life to be in, you younger ones that are married and children beginning to come along. I trust that there is a word for you and then those of us who are older that we may realize our part in all this. First Peter, chapter 5.
Peter, speaking himself, said.
Addressing the older ones that they would be an example to.
The flock. Oh, I think this is your part and mine. Who are older, you brothers and sisters alike, that we shouldn't be looking down our noses at the young ones and complaining about their behavior. What about ours? What about our behavior? Are we living in this life of joy and happiness and separation from the world and devotion to Christ and trusting Him no matter what the conditions may be? Or are we?
Settling down and being occupied with the material things of this life, self-discipline I believe is just going out of the window these days. Indulgence, indulgence. No obedience to our parents and therefore no obedience to the word of God. And I, as I said, I trust that what I say.
Won't offend, but I trust that we will draw strength and encouragement from the Word of God.
Now in First Corinthians 1546 it says, How be if that was not first which is natural, but that which is that? For how be it that was not first quit your spiritual, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. In other words, God gives us many examples in the natural sphere of life in order to teach us the spiritual side. Now I don't have.
This afternoon, as we go on with this subject, to be applying this in the assembly, I trust, I wish I had the time, but I will leave it to those of who are older to apply these principles that are given in the scriptures that are flying to children, teenagers, parents, that we would apply this in the assembly because I really believe that the two spheres are identical. What?
In the home applies in the assembly.
First Timothy chapter 5 I can't remember the verse says if a man know not how to rule his own family, how shall he take care? Notice that take care of the Assembly of God. If you and I don't know how to run our home, how is the Lord going to entrust you and me, as 16th of Luke tells us with the true riches. So I'm talking about the physical.
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Natural side first, or at least this afternoon, and I trust, as I said, that we will apply these things.
In a spiritual way and as applying to the assembly.
Now let's go over to Proverbs chapter 22.
This is God's recipe now.
This is God's medicine, as it were, to do us good. This is applying the Word.
In your and my daily life and childhood, of course, is the very foundation of it. You dear young ones here, I hope you're sensitive to not what I say. I'm nothing but what the word of God is saying to you. You may be in a rebellious state of soul. It may be I saw one yesterday.
Sad to see it. This is the objection to discipline.
This is the objection to obedience. Now here is a verse that tells us, as I said, the recipe for blessing in your life and mine. Each one of us wants to be blessed. Here's what God says to the parents. First of all, verse 6, train up a child in the way he shall go, and when he is old he will not.
Depart from it.
Now that word will there is that determinant of tense and God is saying this, that if you and I bring up our children properly and we we teach and instill into them a training, not a teaching, but a training by.
Precept and also by example. God says that your children and my children will be blessed. Let me read it again. Train up a child in the way he shall go, and when he is he is old, he will not depart from it. Count on God.
To fulfill this verse in your life, you dear young parents that are bringing up your children.
Now let's turn to an example of this. First of all, a good example in First Samuel chapter one.
God gives us these wonderful examples, good ones and bad ones. We'll look at both of them.
For Samuel, chapter one.
Verse 11 There is a mother talking.
Words to the mothers. See this mother? She had a husband, but he was rather lacking in taking his headship in his home. Another trend these days in the world.
Passing on the responsibilities to others, I read this this week. 9 million American children last year were in the hands of others than their mother.
9 million American children. This is the trend. This is the trend.
Now here is a mother who is making a having a conversation with the Lord, verse 11.
And this is Hannah Samuels mother. He wasn't born yet. She was acting in faith and she vowed a vow and said, Oh Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid and Remember Me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man child. Now here's the verse.
Part, then I will give him unto the Lord.
All the days of his life.
And there shall no razor come upon his head.
She didn't say if that child that you give me is willing.
Didn't say that, she said, I will give this child to thee for you. Dear mothers, here are you whispering the name of Jesus into the ears of those little infants? That's what I tried to do with my children.
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This, these are these are the things that lay our foundations for blessing. Here was a mother who was willing to trust the Lord, and she was speaking for her unborn child.
There she was. She didn't say if he doesn't object a little bit, I think he'll be devoted to the she didn't say that she had trust you trust the Lord and see what the Lord will do for your children. You commit that child and you whisper, as I said into its ear, that blessed name of Jesus. And as they grow up, the other verse says they will not depart from that.
This is a promise. Claim those promises. Now let's go over a few chapters and we will see a bad example. This time it's a father.
Chapter 3.
Chapter 2. I'm sorry.
Verse 23 Here's a father that's making excuses. I hear lots of excuses these days. We make them all, don't we? Here's a father who now is an example of what is the wrong way. Verse 23 And he said unto them to his boys, tapping them on the wrist, Why do ye such things?
There they were going on in absolute immorality and he just gently says to them, why are you doing those things?
Is that the way you talk to your children?
And then he says, for I hear, I think that's strange, isn't it? I hear of your evil doings by all this people. He was bringing up his boys by what his the neighbors thought or the other of the friends. He wasn't watching them. It says he didn't see those things. He heard them. He was depending on the opinions of others. We can't go by the opinions of our peers, beloved ones.
Unless they are giving us instruction from the word of God. And here was this Father who never corrected his children. But what is the 29th verse say, Oh, this is something that hits into the conscience of each one of us. Wherefore, Hickey, at my sacrifice, and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation. This part and.
Onerous thy sons above me.
Oh, are we putting our children before the Lord?
Is that what we're doing here? Was God speaking? He was responding now and He was saying this to his.
To this unfaithful man.
I just like to say this consciously or unconsciously every day.
We're training our children.
And if I tell my child to do something.
And if they wait for me to tell them the second time, I'm training them.
And I am training them.
If they're waiting.
For me to raise my voice.
And I'm training them.
If they're waiting until I threaten them, I hear mothers and fathers threatening their children.
But I'm also training them beloved ones. If I just in a normal voice tell my child to do something, I don't hear it much these days. This is what God said about Abraham, that he would command his children well.
May you, dear mothers and fathers, just take these examples.
From the word of God. Now we're going to look at.
Five, I don't want to be funny about this, but we're going to look at 5 mothers or five parents. We might say, let's turn over to Proverbs 22 and we will see some of the daily excuses that are given these days in the scriptures.
Proverbs.
Chapter 22.
Here's mother #1.
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And she sang to her, to us.
Oh, my child is is really good. He doesn't need to be spanked.
What's God say in this verse? Proverbs 22, verse 15.
Proverbs, 2215.
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child.
The rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
That's what God says in answer to the mother or the father that is so protective of it, that little child that is absolutely disobedient, but they don't see a bit of it. God says that that must be taken out of that child, and God's remedy is the rod.
Now that sounds kind of harsh, doesn't it? But here is what God says. This is if you follow it as they say, this is what God promises that He will do. It'll be driven out of that child. Let's go over to the 13th chapter. Just listen to mother #2.
Maybe I should say father also.
This apparent that is saying I don't really need the rod. I was brought up well I can I can handle that child without the rod. Here's what God says verse 24 he that speareth his rod hateth his son.
But he that loveth him chasteneth him.
The times as far as the occasion arises.
This is what God says. Let's go back now over to the 23rd chapter.
For #3.
Educated parent who says I can reason with my child. I don't need to use the rod. I can just present what is a nicer way of doing things and my child will respond. Here's what God says about that suggestion. Verse 132313 Withhold not correction from the child for if thou beatest him with the rod.
He shall not die, Thou shalt beat him with the rod, notice this, and shall deliver his soul from hell. I'm sure every mother and father wants to do this to your child. This is what God gives as the remedy.
Don't withhold that rod. That child of yours will rise up and thank God.
Later on if you do.
Let's go over to the 29th chapter.
There's another theory. What's this parent saying? Oh, my child get nervous if I beat him. I hear that you make him a nervous wreck. There's what God says in response to that. Oh, these verses are so serious, Beloved ones, verse 15.
The rod and reproof give wisdom, give wisdom.
But a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Verse 17.
There's another thought that is often heard these days, and we see it in the whole in the world rebellion.
The mother or the father liable to say, well, he'll rebel if I'm too strong, if I'm too hard on him, he'll rebel. Here's what God says. 17th verse Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest, shall give the rest.
Yeah, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
Let's go over to one more now in the 19th chapter.
Here's what this parent might be saying.
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Too young to beat yet. I'll wait till he or she is older.
Here's what God says, verse 18.
Chasten thy son while there is hope.
And let not thy soul spare for his crying.
I read a number of years ago.
An article on children that were running away from home.
They were tracing them in this article. They found them ending up in communes.
They traced the child there and there they found that child chose to be in that commune where discipline was so strong that they would break their arm if they didn't conform to the rules. They ran away from their parents. Why? Because beloved ones, it wasn't according to the word of God and there was no consistency in the parents life.
I need to emphasize this in my own soul, my own life.
And in yours too, you dear young people, consistency.
Is so, so very, very important.
Discipline is what brings joy and happiness into homes. We visit homes very constantly. Some of the homes we go into, what a joy it is the children in subjection to their parents order in the home.
Glory to God brought by it, and then sometimes sad to go into a home where there is anything but discipline. The children in rebellion. How sad it is to see this. It's never too young to start. Let's read this verse.
Chase at verse 18. Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Now let's go over to the New Testament in Hebrews 6:00, and we are going to read there what God, Hebrews 12, what God Himself as the Father says.
Verse 6.
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth, if he endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?
Verse 10.
For they verily for a few days.
Chasing us after their own pleasure, but he for our prophet that we might be partakers of His Holiness. Oh isn't this the key beloved ones here is God now a loving father, a consistent father. I say this to you and I who are fathers is.
Consistency in our life is that is there a changing from.
Fooling with our children and then suddenly becoming strict with them.