Paul's Indictment of the Jews, Part 1

The point: Do not bleed any anti-Semitic feeling from these verses; understand their true intent as a broken-hearted pronouncement from Paul.

Martin uses the analogy of an anti-Semitic rally to highlight how Paul's words might be misconstrued if taken out of context, emphasizing the need to understand Paul's true intent.

In fact, if I were simply to read these two verses, and say the Jews are a people who killed the Lord Jesus, killed their prophets, cast out the apostles, contrary to all men, they don't please God, they're under the wrath of God, you might think that this was some kind of an anti-Semitic rally, at which I was seeking to stir up bitterness toward the Jews, as a nation. In order that none of us would ever try to bleed any anti-Semitic feeling from these verses, and understand their true intent, I would remind you that the same man who spoke these words of denunciation, calling the Jews killers ...

3:13 - 4:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Therefore, these are not to be regarded as sour, vindictive, hot-headed words, but the broken-hearted, sober, calm pronouncement of an inspired apostle who is explaining the state of the Jews as a nation.

Martin uses the analogy of a loved one in Vietnam to explain how Paul's recent suffering at the hands of Jews would naturally bring those thoughts to the surface when the word 'Jews' was mentioned.

So it's only natural, if you're in a special crucible of suffering, that anything that relates your mind to that, would cause you to think along those lines. If someone is going through a particular suffering, that's related to having a loved one in Vietnam, the very mention of the word Vietnam, makes your mind branch out into thoughts of that conflict. So here, Paul mentions that the church at Judea is suffering at the hand of the Jews, and when he says Jews, then immediately there comes to the surface of his mind, the treatment he's been receiving over the past months. He can think of his im...

7:19 - 8:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Confess that your own sins helped to nail Jesus to the cross.

Martin quotes John Newton's hymn 'I saw one hanging on a tree' to illustrate the theological and experimental truth that every Christian acknowledges their own sins put Christ to death.

If you're a Christian, you have no problem singing or quoting the words of John Newton when he said, I saw one hanging on a tree in agony and blood. He fixed his loving eyes on me as near his cross I stood. My conscience felt and owned the guilt and plunged me in despair. I saw my sins.

14:17 - 14:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Confess that your own sins helped to nail Jesus to the cross.

Martin references a recent dictum from the 'infallible church' (implying the Roman Catholic Church) that absolved the Jews of unique guilt for Christ's death, using it to contrast with clear biblical teaching.

Not we, all men in general, or even we Jews in general, but you Jews. Peter is a Jew, Paul is a Jew, preaching to other Jews, accuse them of killing the Lord Jesus. Now immediately we run into a problem. For last year the church that is infallible, and makes no mistakes and never changes, issued a dictum in which they said that the Jews as a nation were no more guilty of the death of Christ than any other people.

15:28 - 15:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The Jews are charged with killing their own prophets, God's unique messengers of mercy and warning. Martin illustrates this historical pattern of rejection from 2 Chronicles and…

Martin describes the prophet as standing between God and His people, and between the people and judgment, as a messenger of mercy, illustrating their crucial role and the gravity of rejecting them.

nor inclined your ear they said turn ye again now every one from his evil way and from the evil of your doings they spelled out their sin they called them to repentance but verse 7 yet ye have not hearkened unto me saith the Lord that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt therefore because you've not heard my words I will send judgment oh get the picture this morning beloved what was the prophet what was the prophet looking at it from God's side the prophet stood between the unseen Jehovah God and his gathered people and he stood as the visible representati...

26:10 - 27:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The message of the apostles the message of the prophets the message of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Jewish nation again and again was this inherited privileges are not enough privilege is to lead to experience but never …

Martin uses Jesus' metaphor of 'whitewashed sepulchres' to describe the Jews' external religion, which was beautiful on the outside but full of uncleanness within, highlighting the need for inner reality.

because it meant a Jew with all of that history of redemptive privilege if he was to rightly hear the Lord Jesus would have to say I'm nothing but a gentile dog in my heart and I need salvation like a gentile dog and that would humble him so he says take that fella and put him on a cross the prophets came saying the same thing what unto me are the multitude of your sacrifices I don't want this God wants reality there's only one thing to do with a fella like that got to kill him put him out of the way the apostle came and said the same thing external privilege was not enough secondly and this f...

37:57 - 39:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that inherited privileges (e.g., Christian home, godly parents, faithful pastor) are not enough for salvation; they must lead to an inner, experimental acquaintance with Christ.

Martin uses the vivid metaphor of God taking 'the needle of judicial blindness' and sewing shut the eyelids of those who willfully close their eyes to truth, illustrating the terrifying consequence of persistent rejection.

but external religion is not enough they had to do one of two things as the light of that truth came to them they had to open their eyes to it and let it come and renovate them from the inside out or they had to close their eyes to that truth and that's what they did they closed their eyes to it and you know what happens after so long a period of time when a man closes his eyes to truth long enough listen to me and I hope God will haunt some of us with the thought you know what God does God says alright you want your eyes shut you know what I'll do willful blindness then gives way to judicial ...

40:52 - 42:17 Read in full sermon

The point: If you desire a church where a man will preach to make you feel comfortable in your sin, there are many such churches, but you run a risk by remaining where truth is preached.

Martin uses the conflict between Jeremiah and the false prophets to illustrate the difference between true, convicting preaching and comforting, deceptive messages that allow people to remain in sin.

In your sin. You see, the prophet wouldn't do what the false prophet would do. Jeremiah's biggest conflict was with the false prophet who came by and said, look, you're the people of God. You're the covenant people of God.

47:23 - 47:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the account of the Jews' rejection of Christ and the prophets instill holy fear, lest the privilege we have also lead to judgment; instead, let it lead to brokenness before Christ and prayer for all who do not know H…

Martin uses the metaphor of a 'cup that gets fuller and fuller until it reaches the brim' to describe the Jews filling up their sin, leading to the ultimate result of wrath.

When we read the account of the Jews killing the Lord Jesus and the prophets and casting out the apostles it should have the effect upon us of holy fear lest the privilege which led to their judgment should be privilege which in our case leads to judgment. Oh may God grant that the privilege shall not lead to judgment but to the privilege but to its intended goal of finding us prostrate in brokenness before the feet of our Savior loving his truth and his word and then pleading with God for the Jew for the Gentile for all who know not our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord willing we should pick up th...

53:35 - 54:48 Read in full sermon