A Most Encouraging Promise, Part 1

Driving home: Our response to any promise made to us will be determined by our perception of the character and the competence of the one who promises.

Martin uses the analogy of a will, where the author (the deceased) is distinct from the executor, to highlight that in God's promise, God Himself is uniquely both the author and the executor, personally committed to its fulfillment.

We are the authors of that will in conjunction with a lawyer, in most cases. And in that will, we who are the authors, we name an executor to administer what is in the will. And in all wills, the one who is the author is not the executor. You don't executor eyes from your grave.

13:50 - 14:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Our response to any promise made to us will be determined by our perception of the character and the competence of the one who promises.

He tells a story about an irresponsible Uncle John who promises a car but has no reputation for keeping his word or the competence to fulfill it. This illustrates how human perception of a promiser's character and competence determines the response to a promise, contrasting it with God's trustworthiness.

Our response to any promise made to us will be determined by our perception of the character and the competence of the one who promises. Now think of that for a minute and ask yourself, is it not true that my response to a promise made to me is in direct proportion to my perception of the character and the competence of the one who promises? Suppose some of you had an uncle. He was a big-hearted, kind of a jolly guy, but very irresponsible.

16:18 - 16:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Meditate on God's character and promises, ruminating over them when faith weakens.

Martin quotes John Brown's commentary, which states that such a promise from men or angels would be mockery, but from God, it is enough to sustain and encourage, due to His infinite power, wisdom, kindness, compassion, and faithfulness.

To grasp that he will do what is promised personally, individually, by his presence and his power. We need a fresh to focus our minds upon him as both the author and the executor of this promise. John Brown has captured the spirit of this in his commentary when he writes, such a promise from the most accomplished of men, from the highest of angels and the highest of angels and the highest of angels from all good men and all good angels together would sound like bitter mockery. Suppose Peter had written, and all the good men in the apostolic church and all of the holy and elect angels shall in ...

24:49 - 25:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Meditate on God's character and promises, ruminating over them when faith weakens.

The story of Peter walking on water is used to illustrate how Peter's faith faltered when he fixed his eyes on the circumstances (waves and winds) rather than on Christ, the author of his ability. This emphasizes the need to fix one's gaze on God as the author and executor of the promise.

You've got to ruminate over it. When we come to the amazing promise in those four future verbs of what God is committed to do not in the age to come as a surface reading of the text might lead us to believe but in the midst of the suffering in the midst of the devil who goes about like a voracious beast seeking to grasp us and chew us up and swallow us down in the midst of all of that it is God himself who will perfect us establish us settle us. No wonder he breaks out in the doxology to him the power to him the kratos the might the divine energy committed in grace to do exactly what God has p...

27:49 - 29:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Wrestle with the question of whether you are 'in Christ' or 'in Adam,' as it will be infallibly revealed at judgment.

To explain why the gospel leaves some cold, Martin uses the metaphor of a dead man who cannot salivate over a gourmet meal. This illustrates the spiritual deadness of those still 'in Adam' and their inability to respond to spiritual truths.

And then shall he say to those, on the left hand, depart from me you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. He shall say to them on the right, come, you blessed, enter the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. You may have been able to sit there this morning and say, that crazy old preacher, he's getting all excited about this stuff. It leaves me absolutely cold. My friend, you know why it leaves you cold? You're still in Adam. You're dead. You can set the most delicious, well-prepared gourmet meal before a dead man. He doesn't salivate one drip. You...

63:01 - 63:51 Read in full sermon