Abound More and More

Driving home: It is not enough to know what pleases God to please Him, but we must do what pleases God to please Him.

Paul's address to 'brethren' is likened to 'children's bread,' emphasizing that the sermon's directives are specifically for God's people, not for unbelievers or the world at large.

But we exhort you, brethren. In other words, Paul is reminding us that whatever he is saying, this is children's bread, and it is not fit meat for the dogs. This is children's bread. Whatever we encounter in our study this morning, this is directive, peculiarly addressed, to the people of God, to the brethren.

3:09 - 3:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine yourself to determine if you are truly one of the 'brethren' to whom this exhortation applies, having experienced the word and power of the gospel.

An example of people misapplying the sixth commandment ('thou shalt not kill') to national affairs like Vietnam, rather than to individuals, illustrates the foolishness of applying the wrong scripture to the wrong people.

There's more foolishness abroad, in the church and in the world, by a failure to apply the right scripture to the right people. I talked a few months ago with some people who absolutely have no respect to the commandment of God, say the seventh commandment or the ninth commandment or tenth commandment, but when we get talking about Vietnam, all of a sudden they want to start applying the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill. And when you take the directive of God to individuals and try to apply it to the affairs of nations, you get all kinds of foolishness. And when you take directive for so...

3:36 - 4:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The form of address is an authoritative exhortation, meaning a charge to specific duty, primarily engaging the mind and will. Martin explains that this kind of exhortation is how…

The Greek word for 'exhortation' (parakaleo) is explained by the analogy of calling someone alongside for various reasons: to collect a debt, pay a debt, chat, comfort, or rebuke, illustrating the broad meaning of the term.

As the men were reminded by Mr. Emmerich this morning, it comes from two Greek words. One means to call, and the other one, alongside. Now, when you call someone alongside of you, it can be for a number of reasons.

8:10 - 8:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your 'thinker' sweat and your 'willer' work to produce holy resolve in response to God's word.

The word 'stir up' (used by Peter) is compared to the wind stirring up a glassy, calm lake into action, illustrating how exhortation should activate the mind and will of the listener.

Chapter 3, He uses the same word. And that's an interesting word. The same word used in Matthew 1.23 when Joseph was awakened from sleep.

12:21 - 12:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: True biblical Christianity has these two things inseparably fused together a body of truth believed and a set of directives obeyed and unless you have those two you don't have Christianity.

Christianity is described as a game with two 'balls': a body of truth and a set of directives. Liberalism is depicted as booting off the truth, while evangelicalism is depicted as booting off the directives, illustrating the need for both to be inseparably fused.

For Christ said make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you. Give them the body of truth about sin and grace and redemption that when they repent and believe and confess me openly they are made my disciples. Ah, but he says that's the half of it. The other half is this.

14:28 - 14:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The specific duty is to 'abound more and more' in brotherly love, meaning to increase and overflow in it, even though the Thessalonians already possessed it. Martin explains that…

The concept of 'abounding' in love is illustrated by desiring to be 'filthy rich' with it, moving from a nice stream to an overflowing river, a harvest to a bumper crop, or a spring shower to a deluge.

He says now look you're well furnished with brotherly love but I want you to be filthy rich with it.

18:15 - 18:23 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have little assurance but much evidence of love for the brethren, stop living like a 'corporate' (impoverished) and start believing God more, living on the goods that are rightfully yours.

The church's virtues without love are compared to Michelangelo's David with his body parts scattered, illustrating that love is the 'bond of perfection' that ties everything together to make the church beautiful and symmetrical.

If I had to bury some of you tomorrow I'd do it with a heavy heart not that I'm God but I haven't seen much evidence and yet you've got all kinds of assurance all kinds of evidence Oh listen if you don't have this abounding love of the brethren you have no right to abounding assurance for hereby do we know that we've passed if we love but some of you got just a little trickle of assurance but I see all kinds of evidence of love to the brethren you've got lack of assurance in spite of evidence and that's terrible unbelief and you ought to start believing God more so I hope that as we unfold the...

21:13 - 22:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Actively promote the good of your brother, especially in monetary need, even if it means sacrificing personal desires for 'foolish nothings'.

The difficulty of defining love is compared to trying to define 'chapatis' without knowing what they are, or isolating 'electricity' in a test tube. This illustrates that love, like electricity, is better known by what it does and how it acts than by its essence.

you can't increase and abound in love to the brethren unless you know what love to the brethren is suppose I said you ought to increase and abound your refrigerator with chapatis you'd say that's nice but now the Indians here they're smiling this morning and some of these semi-Indians like Jerry Starrett who was brought up in India they know what I'm talking about you say how can I increase and abound in chapatis I don't know what chapatis are but some of you Indians know so you'd proceed to get the proper elements I know there's at least some flour and some oil because it was in the back of m...

24:12 - 25:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Actively promote the good of your brother, especially in monetary need, even if it means sacrificing personal desires for 'foolish nothings'.

The idea that love is not primarily a feeling or emotion is illustrated by a nurse checking one's pulse when a brother walks by, showing that love isn't just a physiological reaction.

of what it does and how it acts than what it is suffice it to say when we try to isolate for what it is it is not primarily a feeling or an emotion one of my brethren walks by and then one of the nurses here feels my pulse and it goes up from 72 to 87 and I say oh I must love the brethren see what happened now it's not primarily a feeling or an emotion that will register in your pulse count but rather love of the brethren is a vital energy listen carefully now a vital energy that works with intelligence and purpose for the good of my brother not primarily a feeling or an emotion but an energy ...

25:41 - 27:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Actively promote the good of your brother, especially in monetary need, even if it means sacrificing personal desires for 'foolish nothings'.

Martin quotes or paraphrases the Puritan divine Thomas Manton, who helped him understand brotherly love as an energy that produces esteem, desire for good, and active promotion of good.

of what it does and how it acts than what it is suffice it to say when we try to isolate for what it is it is not primarily a feeling or an emotion one of my brethren walks by and then one of the nurses here feels my pulse and it goes up from 72 to 87 and I say oh I must love the brethren see what happened now it's not primarily a feeling or an emotion that will register in your pulse count but rather love of the brethren is a vital energy listen carefully now a vital energy that works with intelligence and purpose for the good of my brother not primarily a feeling or an emotion but an energy ...

25:41 - 27:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Actively promote the good of your brother, especially in monetary need, even if it means sacrificing personal desires for 'foolish nothings'.

A parent who lost a wife finding delight in the daughter who most resembles the mother illustrates how believers delight in each other because they see more of God in them.

just no no aesthetic sense well people like that generally don't hit it off well in the world but lo and behold in the church of Jesus Christ you've got people like that that would die for each other how come well you see it's the fact that God in the one is seen by the other and the reverse is true that's what binds them together so love of the brethren then is that esteem and delight that brethren have in each other because there is more of God in them if I were a parent who had lost a husband who had lost a wife and with her loss all pictures of her had gone I would take most delight in the...

28:39 - 30:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not deliberately absent yourself from stated church meetings without providential reasons, as this indicates a lack of deep affection for the people of God.

A young woman whose fiance stands her up for two out of three dates is used to illustrate that persistent absence from church services, without providential hindrance, indicates a lack of deep affection for the people of God.

an expression of pain an expression that you miss being with the people of God don't say it's inconsequential you tell a young woman whose fiance stands her up two out of three appointments and dates and try to convince her oh that's inconsequential you know life's got a lot of problems and you can't expect him to be there every time he says he'll be there well she says look we agreed that we'd be together three times a week and he shows up just once well that's a pretty good average if you bat 333 in the major leagues you might win the batting crown she says hey wait a minute those two times ...

35:57 - 37:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not deliberately absent yourself from stated church meetings without providential reasons, as this indicates a lack of deep affection for the people of God.

Being easily offended or 'touchy' is likened to Elijah's dwindling stream by the brook Cherith, symbolizing a lack of abounding love.

that delight in the fellowship of the people of God not just certain ones about whom or with whom we have common interest outside the circle of the kingdom you see there's fellowship and there's social what we'd call social intercourse and it's possible that because people are professing Christians they may like to get together simply because they have common interest outside the circle of kingdom interest brotherly love is that delight to be with people because of the common kingdom interest the common concerns of the glory of God and the salvation of his dear son well I can't labor this poin...

37:24 - 38:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Choose to do what love does: confront grudges, forgive, overcome jealousy, suspicion, and hurt.

The idea that love comes passively is refuted by comparing it to a sponge thrown into water, which doesn't wiggle or work but simply absorbs. This illustrates that abounding love requires active engagement of the will, not passive waiting.

same words and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one to another the Lord's got to give it to you he's got to do it so let's all sit back and wait till he does it alright Lord do it now he says in chapter 4 I exhort you to abound well who does it me or the Lord all those that vote for me raise your hand all those that vote for the Lord raise your hand who does it who does it the Lord make you to abound you increase and abound you increase and abound well it brings us into that whole area that I think God has been setting before our minds providentially in the past few weeks in th...

40:19 - 41:48 Read in full sermon