Paul's Attitude While Away

Driving home: if you take your appetizer and mix it in with your potatoes and your dessert and mix that in with the vegetables and just serve it up in one big gloppy mess it will not be very appetizing and it might actually send some …

Martin compares preparing a sermon to setting a table for a meal, emphasizing the need to arrange spiritual 'meat and potatoes' appetizingly to avoid 'indigestion' and ensure proper nourishment.

And I confess, as I've labored over this passage, trying to know how to lay it out, is I told one of the men at the banquet I had to speak to or speak at up in Massachusetts Friday night a group of preachers were sitting at the table and I said you know one of the most difficult things to me is how to set the table for God's people digging into the word and seeing the meat and the potatoes and the appetizer is one thing but then to arrange it in such a way that it's appetizing and doesn't give you indigestion is quite another if you take your appetizer and mix it in with your potatoes and your...

2:36 - 4:06 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you take your appetizer and mix it in with your potatoes and your dessert and mix that in with the vegetables and just serve it up in one big gloppy mess it will not be very appetizing and it might actually send some …

Martin likens Paul's letter to a love letter, explaining that one doesn't analyze a love letter but devours it, highlighting the deep affection Paul had for the Thessalonians and the challenge of dissecting such a text.

And I confess, as I've labored over this passage, trying to know how to lay it out, is I told one of the men at the banquet I had to speak to or speak at up in Massachusetts Friday night a group of preachers were sitting at the table and I said you know one of the most difficult things to me is how to set the table for God's people digging into the word and seeing the meat and the potatoes and the appetizer is one thing but then to arrange it in such a way that it's appetizing and doesn't give you indigestion is quite another if you take your appetizer and mix it in with your potatoes and your...

2:36 - 4:06 Read in full sermon

Driving home: we were like parents who having brought you to the birth long to stay with you long enough to nurture you and see you come into full development of spiritual life but in the midst of that concern and in the midst of that…

Paul's use of 'bereaved of you' or 'orphaned of you' is explained as a violent separation, like children torn from parents, emphasizing the deep emotional bond and abrupt severance.

it's been very difficult it's full of holy affection but I think maybe the Lord's helped me to at least keep the appetizer out of the potatoes and the dessert out of the vegetables and with the Lord's help I will try to set this before you in that way first of all consider the fact of Paul's separation from these people notice this is the theme verse 17 but we brethren being taken from you for a short time in presence not in heart endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire he's talking about a separation from these people and how he now feels since this separation has co...

4:06 - 5:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: we were like parents who having brought you to the birth long to stay with you long enough to nurture you and see you come into full development of spiritual life but in the midst of that concern and in the midst of that…

The uproar stirred by the Jews in Acts 17 is compared to contemporary riots, illustrating how agitators move pliable multitudes to achieve their goals, making the ancient account relatable.

obviously with great blessing and power for he described in the first chapter of his letter that the gospel came to many of them not in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost they turned from their idols to serve the living and the true God the noise of this wonderful work of God went abroad and everyone heard of this church and what God had wrought so Paul is preaching there at Thessalonica and he hasn't preached long before there's opposition stirred up Acts 17.5 but the Jews which believed not moved with envy took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company...

5:35 - 7:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: we were like parents who having brought you to the birth long to stay with you long enough to nurture you and see you come into full development of spiritual life but in the midst of that concern and in the midst of that…

Paul's relationship to the Thessalonians is likened to a nursing mother and a father, emphasizing the deep affection, care, and dependence involved in their spiritual nurturing.

when they heard these things and when they had taken security of Jason and of the other they let them go and the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea who came to them coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews now there's the account the historical narrative of how Paul was severed from these people abruptly violently with very little preparation for this severance and in the light of chapter 2 of 1st Thessalonians you realize why he uses this term we were orphaned of you for remember he likens his relationship to the Thessalonians as that of a nursing moth...

7:04 - 8:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin presents Paul's specific, immediate, and deeply longed-for attempts to return to Thessalonica as tangible proof that his heart remained with them, despite Satan's hindrance.

Martin shares a personal anecdote of driving away from home for weeks and immediately thinking of the return journey, illustrating how deep affection causes one to plan for reunion soon after separation.

or of his concern he made these attempts to come back again now notice what he says about these attempts first of all he says they were made soon after his departure but we brethren being taken from you for the space of an hour in presence not in heart endeavored the more abundantly to see you when did this endeavoring to see them take place he said when we had been severed from the space severed from you from the space of an hour no sooner had we been wrenched away when we were making plans how we're going to come back now any of you who've known what it is to have to be wrenched away from lo...

14:25 - 15:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin presents Paul's specific, immediate, and deeply longed-for attempts to return to Thessalonica as tangible proof that his heart remained with them, despite Satan's hindrance.

The phrase 'Satan hindered us' is explained as a military term, meaning to impede by cutting a trench across a path, illustrating Satan's active obstruction of Paul's plans.

to make your plans it's the same word used in 2nd Peter 1 10 where we're told to give diligence to make our calling and our election sure take some specific steps to know whether or not you're a Christian Peter doesn't say just sit back and wishfully hope that all is well he said you better apply yourself diligently to know whether or not you are a true child of God well we could multiply examples but you see this is a strong word so when Paul writes to these Thessalonians he's assuring them that his severance was merely in heart merely in body presence not in body not in heart because soon af...

18:51 - 20:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Husbands, express your love verbally to your wives, even when it's difficult.

Martin uses the common difficulty husbands and wives have in verbally expressing love, even when it's felt, to illustrate the depravity that makes it easier to express negative emotions than affection.

let us not love in word or in deed in word or in tongue but in deed and in truth he's using a figure of speech he's using an absolute for the relative he doesn't mean we shouldn't express our love in words the Lord Jesus did this the apostle Paul does it again and again what John is saying let it be something more than words but let's at least start with words Paul does here and he tells them that they are the objects of his deepest love isn't it strange it's so easy for us when we're perturbed to use words to express our perturbed state that's easy isn't it we don't like something the words f...

27:41 - 29:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine where your heart truly is, especially during worship, to ensure it is directed Godward and not merely present in body.

Martin imagines himself as Mandrake the Magician, causing those present in body but not in heart to disappear, to challenge the congregation on the sincerity of their worship and presence.

gotten here yet I just wonder if I could be Mandrake the magician some morning and by some magic words and then waving my hand could cause every single person who was merely here in body but not in heart to suddenly disappear I wonder how many people I preached I wonder how many would be left to preach to there are times I've wondered if I'd be here in the pulpit if I let the wand pass over my head is my heart really here the longing the deep inner affections are they directed Godward are we simply here because that's part of the routine searching isn't it it's a good principle of self-examina...

33:38 - 35:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Be sensitive to God's guidance in all areas of life, not just 'purely spiritual' ones, avoiding both insensitivity and passive over-scrupulousness.

Martin shares a personal struggle with over-scrupulousness in Christian guidance, questioning whether drinking a glass of milk before bed was gluttony, to illustrate the bondage that can arise from misapplying principles of divine guidance.

some who really aren't sensitive to knowing and doing the will of God in any other area but the so-called purely spiritual they just would never think of asking the Lord whether or not they ought to buy a certain car or to guide them when they go to buy a suit that they can get a good bargain get a suit that'll hold up I believe in the scriptures as in everything by prayer and supplication that means just what it says so you've got those people who are insensitive to guidance in what we call the small areas then on the other hand you get that earnest soul who wants the will of God in all those...

39:31 - 41:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Realize the need for face-to-face confrontation and contact with neighbors and sinners to earn the right and privilege to talk about the Savior.

The Old Testament story of the prophet stretching himself upon the dead boy is used to illustrate that while tools (the staff) are useful, true life-giving ministry often requires personal, face-to-face contact, where 'life communicate life'.

there's that dead boy and the servant of the prophet goes in and touches him with the staff he's got the right means that staff that's supposed to have divine power but the boy is still there held in the grip of death and you remember what the prophet did he says he went in and he stretched himself upon that land he allowed his body to come against that cold lifeless form of the land and as life contacted death then it wasn't long before life was communicated by the power of God and I think there's a beautiful lesson there the apostle Paul saw these people there was spiritual life they'd been ...

42:30 - 43:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Realize the need for face-to-face confrontation and contact with neighbors and sinners to earn the right and privilege to talk about the Savior.

The film 'The Gospel Blimp' is referenced as a caricature of foolish efforts to evangelize through mechanical means while neglecting simple, face-to-face contact with neighbors, reinforcing the need for personal ministry.

there's that dead boy and the servant of the prophet goes in and touches him with the staff he's got the right means that staff that's supposed to have divine power but the boy is still there held in the grip of death and you remember what the prophet did he says he went in and he stretched himself upon that land he allowed his body to come against that cold lifeless form of the land and as life contacted death then it wasn't long before life was communicated by the power of God and I think there's a beautiful lesson there the apostle Paul saw these people there was spiritual life they'd been ...

42:30 - 43:58 Read in full sermon