Marks of a True Ministry, Part 3

Driving home: Flattery is always motivated by self-love. I want something from you therefore I will heap laurels of praise upon you.

The harlot in Proverbs 7:21 flatters a young man to achieve her selfish desire for a companion, illustrating that flattery is always motivated by self-love, not the good of the flattered.

Flattery is always motivated by self-love. I want something from you therefore I will heap laurels of praise upon you. You read in Proverbs 2 Proverbs 7 about the harlot who goes out to seek a companion for the night and she finds the young man and it says in Proverbs 7.21 she flattereth him with her speech.

10:23 - 10:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Flattery is always motivated by self-love. I want something from you therefore I will heap laurels of praise upon you.

Daniel 11:21 is cited, where one gains kingdoms by flattery, showing how flattery is used for selfish ambition and approval.

Now what does she have in mind? Not his good but a companion for the night you see. Her motive is centered in herself and so she uses flattery as a means to that selfish end. We read in Daniel 11.21 of one who shall gain kingdoms by his what? His flattery. Or I may want someone's approval. I want them to like me so I flatter them not because I'm concerned that they receive just thanks or praise but because I want something from them.

10:48 - 11:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: a man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet he becomes ensnared like some dumb brute beast who as he goes out to take a little stroll in the woods all he sees is grass and he does not know that a plac…

Flattery is compared to a net spread for one's feet (Proverbs 29:5), ensnaring like a dumb brute beast, blinding us to our true condition and leading to destruction.

Until I see myself as God sees me I'll never be driven out of myself to seek to lay hold of Christ. Until I as a Christian see myself as God sees me I'll not be able to know the areas of weakness that need to be fortified by the grace of God and the areas of shortcoming that need to be made up by his grace and the use of the appropriate means to that end. So flattery always has as its end delusion which leads to destruction and we find that here in Proverbs 26 and again in Proverbs 29 in verse 5 a man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet he becomes ensnared like some dumb ...

13:07 - 14:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Apply truth personally and practically, even when it is difficult, rather than presenting it abstractly.

Abstract truths are likened to beautiful, floating balloons that people admire, while close, discriminating application of truth is like a machine gun aimed at the heart, making the truth personal and convicting. This illustrates the difference between flattering preaching and searching application.

you ladies in the ladies class here's an area that we touched on this morning that's hard to deal with something so personal and so practical as we had to touch on this morning that's hard it'd be so easy so easy to speak of the general truth of the woman's place in the abstract and leave it up here floating and everybody looking at this floating balloon of truth and saying isn't that pretty isn't that nice look at that but when a machine gun in that balloon is aimed right at your heart and begins to go that that that that that that and you begin to feel what that truth says to you oh then it'...

19:01 - 20:31 Read in full sermon

The point: As a minister, ensure you do not have a 'price' that can be swayed by pay or threatened by less pay; if so, consider another vocation.

Martin observes that people often boast about sins like cruelty, sexual escapades, or gambling wins, but never about covetousness. This highlights that covetousness is almost always cloaked or rebranded (e.g., 'good business deal') because it's socially unacceptable to admit.

be manifest by clinging to things unlawfully or by reaching out after things unlawfully now paul says when i came among you i never used a cloak of covetousness now why does he say a cloak of covetousness it's interesting that men will boast about many of their sins you heard people boast maybe about their cruelty or meanness some guy who's a bully will boast about the people whose nose he's pounded i was walking through uh i was walking through two guys the other day and i saw such a clear example that here's some fella that looks so miserably out of shape i think he was just telling a big st...

24:32 - 25:56 Read in full sermon

The point: As a minister, ensure you do not have a 'price' that can be swayed by pay or threatened by less pay; if so, consider another vocation.

A king's saying about God making one defect in the human body – not putting a window in the breast – illustrates that only God can truly judge the hidden motives of the heart, such as covetousness.

oh he may have run someone into the ground you see unmercifully and unlawfully but you call it what good sharp business deal see it wasn't that i was eaten away with a canker of covetousness no one ever you ever hear anyone bragging about covetousness i never have have you covetousness unlike other sins is always coked by something else we'll call it business shrewdness call it ambition desire to provide desire to have a little nest egg for rainy day all kinds of explanations paul recognizes this so he says to these people look when i came to you my ministry that seemed to be a concern for you...

25:56 - 27:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: i dare not because i see an eye above joe the eye of my god and if i speak flattering words and disobey the entrusted word of god he my maker shall destroy me

Elihu, a young man in the book of Job, felt constrained to speak truth to Job and his friends, refusing to flatter, lest his Maker take him away. This illustrates the powerful motivation of the fear of God in speaking truth without flattery.

way of commendation or condemnation when i stand before him i've been reading in my own old testament reading again i just completed the other day the book of job and i love this young man ellie hugh i guess because i still consider myself young for one reason and another reason i love his spirit he stood around listening to job's miserable comforters missing the boat and he says in essence well i was just a young fella still wet behind the ears and you old gray head fellas i respected you and i listened i kept my mouth shut like to kill me but i kept my mouth shut he actually says that he sai...

40:40 - 42:06 Read in full sermon