How to Be the Father of a Wise Child

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Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here’s Adrian Rogers.

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Sometimes children are caught up in the mistakes and the pride AND THE ARROGANCE OF THEIR PARENTS. AND MORE THAN OFTEN IT’S THE PRIDE AND THE ARROGANCE OF THE FATHER. “‘Twas the schooner Hesperus that sailed the wintry sea. The skipper had taken his little daughter to bear him company. Blue were her eyes as the fairy flax, her cheeks like the dawn of day, her bosom white as the hawthorn buds that ope in the month of May. The skipper stood upon the helm, his pipe was in his mouth. He watched how the veering flaw did blow the wind. Now west, now south. Then up spake an old sailor. Had sailed the Spanish main, I pray thee, put into yonder port. For I fear a hurricane. Last night the moon had a golden ring. TONIGHT NO MOON WE SEE, BUT THE SKIPPER BLEW A WHIFF FROM HIS PIPE, AND A SCORNFUL LAUGH, LAUGHED HE. COLDER AND LOUDER GREW THE WIND, A GALE FROM THE NORTHEAST, THE SNOW FELL HISSING ON THE BRINE, AND THE BILLOWS FROTHED LIKE YEAST. COME HITHER, COME HITHER, MY LITTLE DAUGHTER, AND DO NOT TREMBLE SO, FOR I CAN WEATHER THE ROUGHEST STORM THAT EVER WIND DID BLOW. AND HE WRAPPED HER WARM IN HIS SEAMAN’S COAT AGAINST THE STINGING BLAST, AND HE CUT A ROPE FROM A FALLEN SPAR AND BOUND HER TO THE MASS. O FATHER, I HEAR THE CHURCH BELLS RING, O SAY, WHAT MAY IT BE? TIS A FOG BELL ON A ROCK-BOUND COAST, AND HE STEERED FOR THE OPEN SEA. O FATHER, I HEAR THE SOUND OF GUNS, O SAY, WHAT MAY IT BE? some ship in distress that cannot live in such an angry sea. Oh, Father, I see a gleaming light. Oh, say, what may it be? But the father answered never a word. For a frozen corpse was he, lashed to the helm all stiff and stark, with his face turned to the skies. The lantern shone through the gleaming snow and his fixed and glassy eyes. The maiden then bowed her head and prayed that save she might be. AND SHE THOUGHT OF THE CHRIST THAT STEAL THE WAVES ON THE LAKE OF GALILEE. AND ON THROUGH THE MIDNIGHT, DARK AND DREAR, THROUGH THE WHISTLING SLEET AND SNOW, THE VESSEL SWEPT LIKE A SHEETED GHOST TOWARD THE REEF OF NORMAN’S WOE. AND EVER THE FITFUL GUSTS BETWEEN A SOUND CAME FROM THE LAND WAS THE SOUND OF THE TRAMPLING SURF ON THE ROCKS In the hard sea sand, the billows were right beneath her bow. She drifted, a dreary wreck, a whooping billow swept the crew like icicles from her deck. She struck where the white and fleecy waves looked soft as carted wool. But the cruel rocks, they gored her side like the horns of an angry bull. HER RATTLING SHROUDS ALL SHEATHED IN ICE WITH A MAST WENT BY THE BOARD. SHE STOVE AND SANK LIKE A VESSEL OF GLASS. HO, HO! THE BREAKERS ROARED. AT DAYBREAK, ON THE BLEAK SEA BEACH, A FISHERMAN STOOD AGhAST TO SEE THE FORM OF A MAIDEN FAIR LASHED CLOSE TO A DRIFTING MAST, SALT SEA FROZEN ON HER BREAST. saw tears in her eyes, and he watched her hair like the brown seaweed on the billows fall and rise. Such was the wreck of the Hesperus in the midnight and the snow. Christ, save us all from a death like this on the reef of Norman’s Woe. There are many children who are going to be shipwrecked BECAUSE OF THE PRIDE AND THE ARROGANCE OF THEIR FATHERS, WHO WILL NOT DO WHAT THEY OUGHT TO DO TO GUIDE THOSE CHILDREN INTO A SAFE AND SECURE HAVEN. AND THEY MAKE SHIPWRECK NOT ONLY OF THEIR OWN LIVES, BUT THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN BOUND TO THE MASK OF THEIR OWN IGNORANCE. LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD HERE. PROVERBS CHAPTER ONE VERSE ONE, THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON THE SON OF DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL, TO KNOW WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION, TO PERCEIVE THE WORDS OF UNDERSTANDING, TO RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTION OF WISDOM, JUSTICE AND JUDGMENT AND EQUITY. NOW WATCH SPECIALLY VERSE FOUR, TO GIVE SUBTLETY TO THE SIMPLE AND TO THE YOUNG MAN KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRETION. A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain under wise counsel. And then begin to read with me in verse 20. Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets. She crieth in the chief place of the concourse, in the opening of the gates. In the city she uttereth her word, saying, How long, ye simple ones? WILL YE LOVE SIMPLICITY, AND THE SCORNERS DELIGHT IN THEIR SCORNING, AND FOOLS HATE KNOWLEDGE. I WANT YOU TO UNDERSCORE IN VERSE 22 THE WORD SIMPLE, AND THEN I WANT YOU TO UNDERSCORE THE WORD SCORNERS, AND THEN I WANT YOU TO UNDERSCORE THE WORD FOOLS. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT HOW TO BE THE FATHER OF A WISE CHILD. AND WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IN THIS ONE VERSE IN PROVERBS CHAPTER ONE VERSE 22 IS WHAT I WANT TO CALL THE EVOLUTION OF A FOOL. AND GOD HAVE MERCY UPON THE MAN, THE WOMAN WHO HAS A FOOL FOR A DAUGHTER, OR A FOOL FOR A SON. CHILDREN BEGAN AS SIMPLE. THE WORD SIMPLE SIMPLY MEANS OPEN. The Hebrew word is the word open. It has nothing to do with intellectual ability. We’re not talking about a simpleton. We’re not talking about a person who does not have gray matter. As a matter of fact, a simple child may grow up to be a doctor, a lawyer, an architect, a politician. It means naive, plastic mentality. So just write the word naive by the word simple. And then the next word he mentions is the scorner. The scorner is different from the simple. The simple is more or less innocent. But the scorner, today just write the word smart aleck. Or in business, write the word cynic. Or in the university, you might write the word sophisticate. These are the scornful. BUT THEN THE NEXT STEP IS THE FOOL, THE FOOL. NOW, WRITE BY THE WORD FOOL THE WORD REBEL, ARROGANT, WICKED. AGAIN, THE WORD FOOL DOES NOT HAVE THE IDEA THAT A PERSON IS LACKING IN MENTAL ABILITY. HE MAY BE VERY WISE TO DO EVIL, THE WORD HAS A MORAL BASE. IT MEANS WITHOUT ANY ABILITY TO DISCERN. NOW WE ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE IN AMERICA. AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED IN AMERICA. IN 1962, PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS WAS DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. IN 1963 IN AMERICA, BIBLE READING IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL WAS DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. IN 1973, THE KILLING OF PREBORN CHILDREN WAS DECLARED TO BE A RIGHT GUARANTEED BY THE CONSTITUTION. IN 1980, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS DEEMED TO BE ILLEGAL TO BE POSTED ON SCHOOL WALLS. AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY SAID SO, IF A CHILD READ THOSE COMMANDMENTS, THEY SAID, HE MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO EMULATE THEM. AND SO, UH, THEY’RE TAKEN DOWN. YOU SEE, THE, THE SECULAR HUMANISTS HAVE PROVEN TO BE GREAT STRATEGISTS. THEY TRIED TO FIND ONE SEGMENT OF LIFE THAT ALMOST EVERY AMERICAN SCHOOL CHILD WOULD PASS THROUGH, THAT IS EDUCATION. SO THEY TARGETED PUBLIC EDUCATION TO BE, UH, THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS FOR THEIR HUMANISTIC, UH, PHILOSOPHY. AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THEY WANTED TO PURGE OUT ANY VESTAGE OF CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE. SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST YEARS? WELL, PRAYER IS OUT, POLICEMEN ARE IN. Bibles are out. Values clarification is in. The Ten Commandments are out. Rape and armed robbery, gang warfare, murder and cheating are in. Instruction that tells us that we were created in the image of God is out. Evolution is in. Corporal punishment is out. Disrespect and rebellion is in. TRADITIONAL VALUES ARE OUT AND UNWED MOTHERHOOD IS IN. ABSTINENCE IS OUT AND CONDOMS AND ABORTION ARE IN. LEARNING IS OUT AND SOCIAL ENGINEERING IS IN. HISTORY IS OUT AND REVISIONISM IS IN. AND THE PROBLEM PRIMARILY, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IS WITH FATHERS. ARROGANT FATHERS WHO FAIL TO ACCEPT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. I WANT TO TALK TO DADS TODAY, AND I WANT TO TELL YOU HOW NOT TO BE THE FATHER OF A FOOL, HOW TO BE THE FATHER OF A WISE CHILD. NOW GO BACK TO THESE THREE CATEGORIES OF PERSONS THAT WE LOOKED AT HERE, VERSE 22, AND LET ME DESCRIBE THEM MORE CAREFULLY, AND I THINK YOU’LL RECOGNIZE SOME CHILDREN THAT YOU KNOW. FIRST OF ALL, LET’S THINK OF, OF THE IGNORANCE OF THE SIMPLE. HOW IS HE DESCRIBED? LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 22, HOW LONG YE SIMPLE ONES WILL YE LOVE SIMPLICITY. THAT’S HIS FIRST MARK. HE LOVES HIS SIMPLICITY. HE ENJOYS BEING A CHILD. HE ENJOYS THE CAREFREE LIFE. HE DOESN’T LIKE ANY SERIOUS THOUGHTS. ONE TEENAGER SAID, I AM WORRIED. MY DAD SLAVES AWAY THIS JOB SO I WON’T HAVE TO NEED FOR A THING AND SO I CAN HAVE A COLLEGE EDUCATION. MY MOM SPENDS EVERY DAY WASHING AND IRONING AND PICKING UP MY THINGS AND LOOKING AFTER ME AND SHE TAKES CARE OF ME WHEN I’M SICK. HIS FRIEND SAID, YOU’RE WORRIED? WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT? HE SAID, I’M AFRAID THEY MIGHT TRY TO ESCAPE. WE, THE CHILDREN, JUST LOVE HAVING EVERYTHING DONE FOR THEM, THE, THE CAREFREE SIMPLE LIFE. THAT’S THE LIFE OF THE SIMPLE. BUT NOT ONLY THAT, HE LACKS UNDERSTANDING. GO TO PROVERBS CHAPTER NINE, VERSES ONE THROUGH FOUR. WISDOM HATH BUILTED HER HOUSE. SHE HATH HEWN OUT HER SEVEN PILLARS. SHE HATH KILLED HER BEASTS, SHE HATH MINGLED HER WINE, SHE HATH ALSO FURNISHED HER TABLE, SHE HATH SENT FORTH HER MAIDENS, SHE CRIETH UPON THE HIGHEST PLACES OF THE CITY. THAT IS, WISDOM HAS PREPARED A BANQUET OF LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE, AND TRUTH. NOTICE TO WHOM THE INVITATION GOES, WHOSO IS SIMPLE, LET HIM TURN IN HITHER. AS FOR HIM THAT WANTETH OR NEEDETH UNDERSTANDING, NOW, A SIMPLE PERSON LOVES HIS SIMPLICITY. HE LACKS UNDERSTANDING. AS I SAY, ONE DAY HE MAY BE A LAWYER, A BANKER, OR A SURGEON, BUT HE LACKS SPIRITUAL WISDOM AND SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING. HE JUST DOESN’T KNOW. NOW, BECAUSE HE’S CAREFREE AND BECAUSE HE LACKS UNDERSTANDING, HE IS EASILY LED INTO ERROR. TURN TO PROVERBS 14 AND LOOK IN VERSE 15. HERE’S A KEY VERSE ABOUT THE SIMPLE. THE SIMPLE BELIEVETH EVERY WORD. NOW JUST PUT THAT DOWN. THE SIMPLE BELIEVETH EVERY WORD. REMEMBER I TOLD YOU THAT THE HEBREW WORD FOR SIMPLE MEANS OPEN? HE BELIEVES EVERY WORD. THAT IS, HE’S EASILY LED, BUT THE PRUDENT MAN LOOKETH WELL TO HIS GOING. NOW LISTEN, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. IT DOESN’T MEAN HE DOESN’T BELIEVE SOMETHING. HE WILL BELIEVE SOMETHING. HE’LL BELIEVE ANYTHING. HE’S AN EASY TARGET FOR MADISON AVENUE, FOR FALSE RELIGIONS, FOR SINFUL FRIENDS. HE’S LIKE A SPONGE. HE BELIEVES EVERYTHING. HE’S EASILY LED INTO ERROR BECAUSE HE’S SO OPEN. I HEARD ABOUT A YOUNG SIMPLE BOY WHO HAD SOME PUPPIES AND HIS MAMA SAID, YOU HAVE TO GET RID OF ALL OF THEM BUT ONE. SO HE WAS TRYING TO SELL THE LAST PUPPY, TRYING TO SELL IT FOR FIVE DOLLARS. AND A GROWN MAN SAID, SON, THE REASON YOU CAN’T SELL THAT PUPPY IS YOU DIDN’T PUT A HIGH ENOUGH PRICE ON HIM AND PEOPLE DON’T THINK HE’S WORTH MUCH. CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY. THE BOY SAID, WELL, SIR, I HAVE DECIDED THAT I’M GOING TO SELL THIS PUPPY FOR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. WELL, THE MAN SAID, SON, I DIDN’T MEAN THAT MUCH, BUT SEE IF YOU CAN DO IT. LATER ON HE SAW THE MAN. HE SAID, SIR, I WANT YOU TO KNOW I SOLD MY PUPPY. HE SAID, DID YOU GET A HUNDRED DOLLARS? HE SAID, INDEED I DID. HE SAID, WELL, NOT EXACTLY. HE SAID, I TOOK TWO FIFTY DOLLAR CATS. THAT’S THE SIMPLE CHILD. HE JUST, HE’S EASILY LED INTO ERROR. HE, YOU CAN TRICK HIM, YOU CAN FLIM-FLAM HIM. AND, BUT HE’S, HE’S LIVING IN CONSTANT DANGER. LOOK AT THAT VERSE AGAIN, CHAPTER 14 VERSE 15, THE SIMPLE BELIEVETH EVERY WORD, BUT A PRUDENT MAN LOOKETH WELL TO HIS GOING. NOW A CHILD DOESN’T DO THAT. HE DOESN’T LOOK FORWARD. HE DOESN’T PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AND THEREFORE HE’S LIVING IN DANGER. LOOK IN CHAPTER 22 AND VERSE 3, A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. What does that mean? That means that if a person were wise and prudent, he would see danger. But the simple child thinks he’s indestructible. They never think about the future. And therefore, your child is like a pig being led to the slaughter. Madison Avenue knows this. THE BREWERS KNOW IT. NOW THAT’S THE SIMPLE FOR YOU. HE’S CARELESS. HE’S CAREFREE. HE’S EASILY LED. HE THINKS HE’S INDESTRUCTABLE. HE HAS NO IDEA ABOUT DANGER. HE JUST PASSES ON AND IS PUNISHED. NOW, LET’S MOVE AND, AND THINK NOT ONLY ABOUT THE SIMPLE, BUT THINK ABOUT THE SCORNER. YOU SEE, THE NEXT STEP, AFTER A PERSON IS NAIVE, HE BECOMES, IF HE’S NOT LED BY HIS DAD AND HIS MOM, HE BECOMES A SMART ALECK. IN SCHOOL, HE’S THE CYNIC IN THE BUSINESS, HE’S THE MOCKER AT THE UNIVERSITY. NOW, WHAT ARE HIS MARKS? WELL, GO BACK AGAIN TO CHAPTER ONE, PROVERBS CHAPTER ONE AND VERSE 22. AND LOOK AT IT, HOW LONG YE SIMPLE ONES WILL YE LOVE SIMPLICITY, NOW WATCH THIS, AND THE SCORNERS, NOW WATCH THIS, DELIGHT IN THEIR SCORNING. HE DELIGHTS IN HIS SCORNING. HE GETS HIS JOLLIES OUT OF BEING A SMART ELLIC. AND WHAT A TERRIBLE CONDITION THIS IS. I, IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SAY IT, BUT MOST TEENAGERS, OLDER TEENAGERS IN AMERICA ARE NOW SCORNERS. We’ve lost a generation. They are now scorners. They have the devil’s initials carved in their hearts. They have his slimy fingerprints on their minds. And because he delights in scorning, he defies instruction. Turn to Proverbs chapter 13 and look, if you will, in verse 1. A wise son heareth his father’s instruction, but a scorner heareth not rebuke. BOY, UNDERSCORE THAT. DAD, YOU NEED TO LEARN THIS. A WISE SON HEARS HIS FATHER’S INSTRUCTION, BUT A SCORNER HEARETH NOT REBUKE. YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL A SCORNER, BUT YOU CAN’T TELL HIM MUCH. HE WON’T LISTEN. HE’LL TUNE YOU OUT. HE HAS EARS, BUT HE WILL NOT HEAR. AND WHEN YOU TALK TO HIM, IT’S LIKE POURING WATER ON A ROCK. IT’S LIKE TALKING TO A BRICK WALL. BUT NOT ONLY DOES HE DELIGHT IN HIS SCORNING, NOT ONLY DOES HE DEFY INSTRUCTION, BUT HE LITERALLY DESPISES THE GOOD AND THE GODLY. LOOK IN CHAPTER 15 VERSE 12, A SCORNER LOVETH NOT THE ONE THAT REPROVETH HIM. NEITHER WILL HE GO UNTO THE WISE. A SCORNER WILL NEVER COME TO HIS DAD AND SAY, DAD, I NEED HELP. WILL YOU HELP ME OUT? HE’LL NEVER GO TO HIS TEACHER, HIS PASTOR, HIS YOUTH PASTOR AND SAY, WILL YOU HELP ME? OH, NO. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WHEN YOU TRY TO CORRECT A SCORNER, UH, WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IS HE IS GOING TO LOOK AT YOU AND HE’S GOING TO SAY WITH HIS EYES, I HATE YOUR GUTS. REBUKE A SCORNER AND HE WILL INSULT YOU. TURN TO PROVERBS CHAPTER NINE AND VERSES SEVEN AND EIGHT. LISTEN TO IT. HE THAT REPROVETH A SCORNER GETTETH HIMSELF SHAME, AND HE THAT REBUKETH A WICKED MAN GETTETH HIMSELF A BLOT. REPROVE NOT A SCORNER, LEST HE HATE THEE. REBUKE A WISE MAN, AND HE WILL LOVE THEE.” AND SO, UH, YOU JUST REBUKE A SCORNER, HE WILL, UH, FIRE BACK AT YOU. YOU CANNOT TELL HIM ANYTHING. HE WILL SHOOT OFF THE LIP AT YOU. NOW, A SCORNER WAS ONCE SIMPLE, BUT HE BECAME A SCORNER. AND WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM IS HE’S DESTINED FOR DESTRUCTION. LOOK IN PROVERBS CHAPTER 13 AND VERSE ONE, A wise son heareth his father’s instruction, but a scorner heareth not rebuke. We’ve already read that, but now I want you to skip on down to verse 13. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed. He won’t listen. And God says he’s destined for destruction. He laughs at you, but he’ll laugh his way right into hell, and once he’s there, he can’t laugh his way out. But there is some hope for the scorner. THE SCORNER IS VERY HARD TO REACH, BUT THE SCORNER CAN BE RECLAIMED. BUT NOW I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE THIRD CATEGORY. FIRST WE SAID THERE WAS THE SIMPLE, THE NAIVE, THE OPEN, THE CAREFREE. HE BECOMES THEN THE SMART ALECK, THE SCORNER IF HE’S NOT TAUGHT. BUT THEN THE SCORNER BECOMES A FOOL. NOW GO BACK TO THE TEXT AGAIN IN PROVERBS CHAPTER ONE AND LOOK AT IT IN VERSE 22. HOW LONG YE SIMPLE ONES WILL YE LOVE SIMPLICITY? THE SIMPLE ONE LOVES HIS CAREFREE LIFE, AND THE SCORNERS DELIGHT IN THEIR SCORNING. THE SMART ELECT GETS HIS JOLLIES OUT OF HIS SCORNING. BUT NOW NOTICE, AND FOOLS HATE KNOWLEDGE. NOW HERE’S THE DIFFERENCE. THE SCORNER IS INSULENT. BUT THE FOOL IS IMMOVABLE. NOW NOTICE WHAT HE DOES. THE FOOL REJECTS WISDOM. HE HATES WISDOM. LOOK IN PROVERBS CHAPTER 15 AND VERSE 14, THE HEART OF HIM THAT HATH UNDERSTANDING SEEKETH KNOWLEDGE, BUT THE MOUTH OF FOOLS FEEDETH ON FOOLISHNESS. THEY LOVE FOOLISHNESS. THEY LITERALLY FEED ON FOOLISHNESS. AND THEN HE RIDICULES RIGHTEOUSNESS. LOOK IN 14 VERSE NINE, FOOLS MAKE A MOCK AT SIN. FOOLS MAKE A MOCK AT SIN. THAT’S THE REASON, UH, THAT YOU HAVE THESE, UM, SITUATIONAL COMEDIES THAT LAUGH AT DRUNKEDNESS, THAT LAUGH AT ADULTERY, THAT MOCK HOMOSEXUALITY AND PERVERSION. THEY MOCK AT SIN. DO YOU KNOW WHO DOES THAT? FOOLS. Fools make a mock at sin. That’s what the Bible says. He rejects wisdom. He ridicules righteousness. But he’s not finished yet. He literally rejoices in iniquity. Proverbs 15, verses 20 and 21. Look at that. A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Folly is a joy to him that is destitute of wisdom. HE, HE JUST ACTUALLY REJOICES IN THIS WICKEDNESS. HIS MORAL SENSE HAS BEEN SO PERVERTED THAT HE THINKS GOOD IS EVIL AND EVIL IS GOOD. YOU MIGHT WANT TO PUT DOWN ON YOUR NOTES ISAIAH CHAPTER FIVE AND VERSE 20, WOE UNTO THEM THAT CALL EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL, THAT PUT DARKNESS FOR LIGHT AND LIGHT FOR DARKNESS, THAT PUT BITTER FOR SWEET AND SWEET FOR BITTER. WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE FOOL? THE FOOL’S GOING TO DIE AND GO TO HELL. TURN TO PROVERBS CHAPTER 17 AND VERSE 10, A REPROOF ENTERETH MORE INTO A WISE MAN THAN A HUNDRED STRIPES INTO A FOOL. YOU CANNOT BEAT THE FOOLISHNESS OUT OF A CHILD. DON’T EVEN TRY. DON’T EVEN TRY. CAN’T BE DONE. HE WON’T HEAR YOU. HE IS INTRANSIGENT. HE IS FIXED. HIS HEART IS HARDENED, HIS CONSCIENCE IS SEARED, HIS MIND IS DEFILED. NOW IF, IF HE WERE WISE, HE COULD STILL GO WRONG. BUT IF HE WENT WRONG AND GOD CHASTISED HIM, THEN HE WOULD REPENT. WHOM THE FATHER LOVES, HE CHASTENS AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVETH. KING DAVID SINNED TERRIBLY, BUT KING DAVID WAS A WISE MAN IN SPITE OF HIS SIN. AND WHEN GOD CHASTISED KING DAVID, KING DAVID REPENTED AND HE CRIED OUT TO GOD FOR MERCY. PHARAOH WAS A FOOL. AND WHEN GOD JUDGED PHARAOH, PHARAOH JUST HARDENED HIS HEART MORE AND MORE AND MORE. AND IF YOU HAVE A CHILD AND YOU HAVE RAISED A FOOL, AND THEN YOU THINK, UH, WHEN HE’S 18 AND 185 POUNDS THAT YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE HIM A WHIPPING, JUST FORGET IT. ALL YOU’RE GOING TO DO IS TO MAKE HIM HATE YOU ALL THE MORE. BUT YOU SEE, GOD GIVES US LITTLE CHILDREN AND THEY’RE, THEY’RE WHAT WE CALL SIMPLE. BUT IF YOU’RE NOT CAREFUL, WE HAVE A SOCIETY THAT’S GOING TO TURN HIM INTO A SMART ALECK. AND IF HE’S NOT RESCUED WHEN HE BECOMES A SCORNER AND A SMART ALECK, HE’S GOING TO BECOME A FOOL AND HE’S GOING TO END UP IN HELL. HE WON’T EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG. LET’S GO BACK IN THE FEW MOMENTS THAT WE HAVE LEFT AND LOOK AT THE SIMPLE, NOT A SIMPLETON, BUT THE SIMPLE, THE NAIVE, THE CAREFREE CHILD. WHAT CAN YOU DO, DADS? WHAT CAN YOU DO, MOMS, SO AS NOT TO RAISE A FOOL? I WANT TO MENTION FOUR THINGS. NUMBER ONE, YOU NEED TO EXPOUND TRUTH. GO BACK TO PROVERBS CHAPTER ONE AND LOOK IN VERSES ONE THROUGH FOUR. THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON THE SON OF DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL, TO KNOW WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION, TO PERCEIVE THE WORDS OF UNDERSTANDING, TO RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTION OF WISDOM, JUSTICE, AND JUDGMENT, AND EQUITY, TO GIVE SUBTLETY TO THE SIMPLE, AND TO THE YOUNG MAN KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRETION. THAT’S WHY GOD GAVE YOU THE PROVERBS. EXPOUND TRUTH. THE BATTLE IS FOR THE MIND. AS THE CHILD THINKS, SO IS HE. AND WHO IS THE MAJOR TEACHER? THE MAJOR TEACHER IS THE FATHER. YOU READ IN DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER FIVE WHERE GOD GAVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND THEN IN DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER SIX, GOD SAYS TO FATHERS, TEACH THESE COMMANDMENTS TO YOUR SONS AND TO YOUR GRANDSONS THAT YOUR FAMILY WILL SURVIVE AND THAT YOUR HOME WILL ENDURE. NUMBER ONE, EXPOUND TRUTH. NUMBER TWO, EXPOSE SIN. EXPOSE SIN. THE SIMPLE WILL LEARN BY EXAMPLE. TURN TO PROVERBS CHAPTER 19 PLEASE. SMITE A SCORNER AND THE SIMPLE WILL BEWARE. UNDERSCORE THAT. SMITE A SCORNER AND THE SIMPLE WILL BEWARE. AND REPROVE ONE THAT HATH UNDERSTANDING AND HE WILL UNDERSTAND KNOWLEDGE. NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS THAT A CHILD WHO IS CAREFREE AND CARELESS, WHO IS SIMPLE, NEEDS TO SEE THE SCORNER SMITTEN. HE NEEDS TO SEE SIN EXPOSED AND, AND THE FRUIT OF SIN BECAUSE HE OFTEN DOES NOT SEE IT. LOOK IN PROVERBS 21 VERSE 11, THE SAME THING IS TAUGHT, WHEN THE SCORNER IS PUNISHED, THE SIMPLE IS MADE WISE. WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? DO YOU KNOW THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR CHILD? WOULD BE FOR YOUR CHILD TO LIVE IN SUCH A SINFUL SOCIETY AS WE HAVE, AND YET FOR YOUR CHILD NOT TO SEE THE REPERCUSSIONS OF SIN. FOR EXAMPLE, HE WATCHES ON TELEVISION AND HE SEES PEOPLE SLEEPING TOGETHER, BUT HE NEVER SEES ANYBODY GET PREGNANT. He never sees an abortion. He never sees venereal disease. He never sees the breakup of the home. He doesn’t see that. He doesn’t see the scorner being smitten. He sees the guys in the bass boat hoisting a big can of beer and smacking their lips and slapping each other and hugging each other and giving each other high fives and saying, it never gets any better than this. That’s right, it doesn’t even get that good. As a matter of fact, it always gets worse than that. BUT THEY NEVER SHOW HIM, MADISON AVENUE NEVER SHOWS HIM A DRUNKARD IN THE GUTTER COVERED WITH VOMIT AND FLIES. HE DOESN’T SHOW THE ALCOHOLIC WITH DTs. HE DOESN’T SHOW A MAN, A BEARD UP DAD, COMING HOME AND BEATING UP HIS KIDS. AND MADISON AVENUE DOESN’T DO THAT. UH, YOU SEE, THEY DON’T GET TO SEE THE SCORNER SMITTEN. OUR CHILDREN TODAY ARE INSULATED. THEY DON’T KNOW. THAT’S THE REASON THAT YOU NEED TO HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND. YOU NEED TO EXPOSE SIN. NOT ONLY EXPOUND TRUTH, BUT EXPOSE SIN. IF YOU’RE A DAD AND YOU’VE GOT A, A NINE, TEN, TWELVE, FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD, YOU NEED TO GO SOME FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IN THE HOSPITAL, ABOUT BETWEEN ELEVEN AND ONE, AND LET THEM SEE THESE PEOPLE COMING IN AFTER HAVING, AH, GONE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD OF AN AUTOMOBILE, AH, AFTER HAVING BEEN BEERED UP. TAKE HIM DOWN TO SKID ROW. TAKE HIM TO THE PRISONS. LET HIM SEE THIS. SMITE THE SCORNER AND THE SIMPLE WILL LEARN. HE THINKS HE’S INDESTRUCTABLE. HE DOES NOT KNOW. YOU NEED TO PULL BACK THE VEIL. NOW HERE’S THE THIRD THING, EXPEL SCORNERS. TURN, IF YOU WILL, TO PROVERBS CHAPTER 13 AND LOOK WITH ME IN VERSE 20. HE THAT WALKETH WITH WISE MEN SHALL BE WISE. BUT A COMPANION OF FOOLS SHALL BE DESTROYED. TURN TO PROVERBS 22 AND VERSE 10, CAST OUT THE SCORNER, AND CONTENTION SHALL GO OUT, YEA, STRIFE AND REPROACH SHALL CEASE. CAST OUT THE SCORNER. NOW, EVER SO OFTEN WE HEAR THAT THIS DISRUPTIVE CHILD, FOR HIS SAKE, NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO STAY THERE AND DISRUPT EVERYBODY ELSE. BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES. YOU’RE NOT DOING HIM ANY GOOD. YOU’RE ONLY FEEDING HIS EGO IN DEPRAVITY AND YOU ARE DEFINITELY CORRUPTING THOSE THAT HE IS AROUND. THE BIBLE SAYS, CAST HIM OUT. NOW LISTEN, DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN HANG AROUND WITH SCORNERS AND FOOLS. JUST DON’T DO IT. YOU HELP HIM SELECT HIS FRIENDS. AND THAT MEANS YOU MAY HAVE TO BE FIRM AND CAST OUT THE SCORNER. WHY? BECAUSE YOUR CHILD, IF YOUR CHILD IS NAIVE, IF YOUR CHILD IS SIMPLE, THEY ARE GOING TO BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PEER PRESSURE. AND AS SOMEBODY SAID, IT’S HARD TO FLY WITH EAGLES WHEN YOU’RE SURROUNDED WITH TURKEYS. AND, UH, YOU JUST LET YOUR KIDS RUN WITH TURKEYS, AND THE BIBLE SAYS, A COMPANION OF FOOLS WILL BE DESTROYED. NOW, PEER PRESSURE IS NOT BAD, IT IS GOOD IF THE PEERS ARE GOOD. SO THAT’S ALL THE MORE REASON THAT YOU NEED TO GET THE RIGHT KIDS IN YOUR HOME. AND THAT’S ALL THE MORE REASON THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR HOME THE HEADQUARTERS FOR HAPPINESS. YOU NEED TO SAY, COME IN, UH, MARY, SUSIE, BILL, JOHN, MARTHA, WHOMEVER, MICHELLE, COME ON INTO OUR HOUSE. YOU CAN HAVE THE HOUSE. YOU WANT TO HAVE A PARTY? HAVE IT OVER HERE. BOYS, YOU WANT TO RAID THE REFRIGERATOR? GO AHEAD AND DO IT. YOU WANT TO BREAK DOWN THE COUCH? THAT’S OKAY. YOU WANT TO TRACK THE CARPET? THAT’S OKAY. FRIEND, THOSE THINGS ARE SMALL COMPARED TO YOUR CHILDREN. LET YOUR HOME BE THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. AND BY THE WAY, WHEN YOU HAVE THEM THERE, YOU CAN MONITOR THOSE FRIENDS. AND WHEN THERE’S A SCORNER OR A SMART ELLIC OR A FOOL, YOU SAY, SON, THERE’S THE SIDEWALK, GET ON IT. THAT’S RIGHT. THE BIBLE SAYS, CAST OUT THE SCORNER AND CONTENTION WILL CEASE. JOYCE AND I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO HAVE THE RIGHT GUEST IN OUR HOME AND MAKE CERTAIN WHEN THE GUESTS ARE THERE THAT THE CHILDREN ARE THERE. IF WE’RE HAVING IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN OUR HOME, WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE IMPORTANT, I DON’T MEAN THE HIGH MUCKET AND MUCKS, THE RICH, THE WEALTHY, AND THE FAMOUS. I’M TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO KNOW GOD AND LOVE GOD AND PEOPLE OF CHARACTER. WE WANT OUR CHILDREN AT THE DINNER TABLE TO LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION AND ENJOY THE CONVERSATION AND PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION. AND FRIEND, THE BIBLE SAYS THAT A COMPANION OF FOOLS WILL BE DESTROYED, BUT THOSE WHO ARE AROUND WISE PEOPLE WILL BE MADE WISE. HERE’S THE LAST POINT. YOU NEED TO EXPOUND TRUTH. YOU NEED TO EXPOSE SIN. YOU NEED TO EXPEL SCORNERS. AND YOU NEED TO EXPRESS LOVE. YOU NEED TO EXPRESS LOVE. LOOK IN PROVERBS CHAPTER THREE AND VERSE 12. THE BIBLE SAYS HERE, FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVETH, HE CORRECTETH, EVEN AS A FATHER THE SON, IN WHOM HE DELIGHTETH. LOVE YOUR CHILDREN, DELIGHT IN THEM. BE POSITIVE. DON’T EVER BE NEGATIVE. WORDS CAN HURT YOUR CHILDREN MORE THAN AN OPEN HAND AND A SLAP IN THE FACE. LEARN TO LISTEN TO THEM. TRY TO SEE LIFE FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW. THEY’RE FACING THINGS YOU NEVER FACED. BE GENTLE. I HAVE OBSERVED DADS. I SAY, WHY IS IT THAT SOME CHILDREN JUST ADORE AND WORSHIP THEIR DADS ALMOST? AND OTHERS HATE THEIR DADS. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN DADS? AND THERE’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC THAT I’VE ALMOST FOUND IN ALL TRUE DADS WHOSE CHILDREN LOVE AND FOLLOW THEM. THOSE DADS ARE GENTLE. THEY’RE GENTLE. AND IT STARTS WHEN THEY’RE CHILDREN. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT A BIG, HARSH, OVERBEARING DAD WOULD DO TO A LITTLE GUY? IMAGINE WALKING OUT THERE ON THE FRONT PORCH IS A GUY SEVENTEEN FEET TALL. YOU LOOK IN, IN HIS KNEE CAPS. AND LET’S SAY HE HAS A VOICE LIKE THUNDER, AND HE BEGINS TO TALK TO YOU AND TELL YOU WHAT TO DO. HUH, MY SOUL. WELL, IF HE’S THAT BIG, IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT, ONE THING YOU SURE DO HOPE IS THAT HE’S GENTLE, DON’T YOU? THAT’S WHAT THE CHILDREN WANT OUT OF THEIR DAD. SOMEBODY WHO’S GENTLE. OH, THEY WANT A DAD THEY CAN LOOK UP TO. THEY WANT A DAD WHO’S THE STRONGEST, WISEST, SMARTEST, FASTEST, RICHEST, GOODEST DAD. I KNOW GOODEST IS NOT A WORD. BEST DAD IN ALL THE WORLD. BUT THEY WANT HIM TO BE GENTLE. TOUCH THEM, HUG THEM, SHOW OTHER NONVERBAL LANGUAGE. BE TRANSPARENT. LET THEM KNOW OF YOUR FEARS AND YOUR JOYS AND YOUR DISAPPOINTMENTS, YOUR FAILURES AND YOUR GOALS. THEY ALREADY KNOW YOU’RE NOT PERFECT. THEY JUST DON’T WANT YOU TO BE A PHONY. AND THEN BE AVAILABLE TO YOUR CHILD. YOU SAY, PASTOR ROGERS, VERY FRANKLY, I’M NOT ADEQUATE FOR WHAT YOU’VE JUST DESCRIBED. I KNOW YOU’RE NOT. I’M NOT ADEQUATE. NONE OF US HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THIS KIND OF A DAD OR MOM. THAT’S THE REASON WE NEED JESUS, ISN’T IT? THAT’S THE REASON WE NEED THE LORD. THAT’S THE REASON WE’VE GOT TO HAVE CHRIST IN OUR HEARTS. BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT DIFFICULT, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. SO THERE’S ONLY ONE WHO CAN DO IT, AND THAT’S JESUS. BUT HE WILL DO IT IN US AND THROUGH US IF WE’LL LET HIM. SO THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR CHILDREN IS TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART. GIVE YOUR HEART TO JESUS.

SPEAKER 02 : 34:50

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