Encourage the Fainthearted, Support the Weak

Driving home: Paul is speaking of men and women of little souls who dare not venture upon hazardous duties or they faint under the fears or feelings of affliction or they are dejected under a sense of sin in their own unworthiness or …

Martin references characters from Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Little Faith, Mr. Ready to Halt, Mr. Fearing, Mr. Faintheart, Mr. Despondency, Much Afraid) to illustrate individuals who are perpetually fainthearted, demonstrating their consistent struggle but ultimate perseverance.

You have some who by way of temperament and experience and background are through all their Christian experiences the faint-hearted. Those are the characters Bunyan talks about in his Pilgrim's Progress. You have in book one little faith. This was the characteristic of his life all the way through his journey and he got safely on the other side but he always just seemed to have enough faith to get him by.

11:36 - 12:06 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Paul is speaking of men and women of little souls who dare not venture upon hazardous duties or they faint under the fears or feelings of affliction or they are dejected under a sense of sin in their own unworthiness or …

He describes the fainthearted as 'always dragging their feet just as it were escaping the place of danger by the skin of their teeth,' illustrating their constant struggle and minimal strength.

But they were always dragging their feet just as it were escaping the place of danger by the skin of their teeth. And one of them, it mentions, he says, I couldn't make it uphill difficulty but one came and carried me up. See? He couldn't make it uphill difficulty on his own.

12:39 - 12:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Paul is speaking of men and women of little souls who dare not venture upon hazardous duties or they faint under the fears or feelings of affliction or they are dejected under a sense of sin in their own unworthiness or …

Martin uses the analogy of soldiers volunteering for a dangerous mission, with the fainthearted shrinking behind others, to vividly portray their timidity and reluctance to step forward in faith.

Now, Paul may have in mind being an astute observer of temperament and character, he may have noticed even in the church of the Thessalonians while he was there a short time and in the midst of his ministry persecution arose. He may have noticed some who immediately became great hearts who were willing as it were to face all the opposition of hell and in the name of Christ plant the flag of Christian truth and say, here I stand. Where others, they probably saw the battle raging and sort of teetered and tottered and they wouldn't repudiate Christ but they were little-souled. They weren't the on...

12:55 - 13:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: A man who breaks rank you're not to come over and put your arm on his shoulder and say, what's bothering you, my friend? I'd like to understand your problem and comfort you. No, he's to be admonished.

He uses the metaphors of a 'smoking flax' and a 'bruised reed' to describe the temporary state of the fainthearted, emphasizing their fragility and diminished spiritual vitality.

They became instead of a bright burning lamp in the house of God they became a smoking flax and instead of being a healthy sturdy plant they became a bruised reed. Now, do you get the picture of who they are? Whether that's the general perpetual condition or whether it's a temporary state of mind that's what Paul has in mind when he says comfort the faint-hearted. Now, how are they to be treated?

15:12 - 15:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not hope that general church blessing will meet the needs of the fainthearted; seek to be an individual instrument of comfort.

Martin refers to John 11:19 and 31, where friends console Martha and Mary after Lazarus's death, to illustrate the gentle, warm, and supportive nature of true comfort for the fainthearted.

It's not often used in Scripture but here we have it used two times John 11 and verse 19 and then again in verse 31. John 11 and verse 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to, here it is, console them concerning their brother. Lazarus has died and friends come to console them. Now, if you've ever seen anyone consoling someone in the face of the grief of the death of a loved one you get an idea of what this word means.

16:30 - 17:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explores who the 'weak' are, suggesting they may be weak in knowledge of Christian liberty, spiritual development, or ability to overcome sin. He defines 'support' as…

Martin quotes Bunyan's description of Mr. Feeble Mind from Pilgrim's Progress to illustrate the character of the 'weak' brother, who is easily offended by things others can bear and acknowledges his own ignorance.

When you come to any aspect of experimental Christianity you can't go far in Bunyan to what you'll find that aspect dealt with. Listen to his description of Mr. Feeble Mind. He calls him Feeble Mind.

24:03 - 24:14 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explores who the 'weak' are, suggesting they may be weak in knowledge of Christian liberty, spiritual development, or ability to overcome sin. He defines 'support' as…

He uses the analogy of a two-month-old baby barely able to hold its head up to illustrate weakness in spiritual development, comparing it to new believers who have infant life but are not yet mature.

What we mean by that he has all the strength that a two month old is supposed to have. But when compared with a fully matured adult he's very weak. He can just barely hold his head up. You know when they get to that stage when they're on their tummies and they start to lift their head and it just sort of bobs back and forth.

25:50 - 26:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Identify your life with the weak brother or sister, holding them up until they can stand on their own.

Martin uses the analogy of a soldier fainting at a military inspection, propped up by fellow soldiers, to illustrate how believers should 'support' the weak by holding them up until they regain their own strength.

He's like the man that's standing at attention at a military inspection out in the hot sun and he begins to feel woozy and he starts to go down and the soldier next to him comes over a little bit tighter and the other fellow the other side a little bit tighter and they prop him up and there he stands held up by their weight until he's invigorated and gets his own strength back and then they move aside and he breathes again. That's the picture of the man who's so losing his strength that he's going down and God says take hold of him and hold him until he's able to stand upon his own two feet. I...

28:02 - 29:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Identify your life with the weak brother or sister, holding them up until they can stand on their own.

He uses the analogy of a father guiding a child learning to walk, holding the child's wrist when they stumble, to further illustrate the tenacious and supportive nature of helping the weak.

He's like the man that's standing at attention at a military inspection out in the hot sun and he begins to feel woozy and he starts to go down and the soldier next to him comes over a little bit tighter and the other fellow the other side a little bit tighter and they prop him up and there he stands held up by their weight until he's invigorated and gets his own strength back and then they move aside and he breathes again. That's the picture of the man who's so losing his strength that he's going down and God says take hold of him and hold him until he's able to stand upon his own two feet. I...

28:02 - 29:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Identify your life with the weak brother or sister, holding them up until they can stand on their own.

Martin contrasts the church's welcome for the weak with the animal world, where weaklings are 'culled out' by predators or picked on by their own kind, highlighting the unique compassion of Christian fellowship.

One of the laws of ecology the balance of nature is that the weak are culled out.

29:23 - 29:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Exercise self-denial by foregoing legitimate liberties if they cause a weaker brother to stumble or be offended.

He recounts the Spartan practice of casting weak or sickly children into a cavern to die, to illustrate how human society often discards the weak, contrasting it sharply with the church's command to support them.

In nature out in the natural world there's no realm for the weakling and generally speaking in human society there is none. The Spartans most of you have studied about Sparta. You kids in school do you study anything about Sparta? Or don't they study about Sparta anymore?

30:01 - 30:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Be willing to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please yourselves, even if it means saying no to lawful enjoyments.

Martin shares an anecdote from Pastor Chan about college kids with long hair who disregard how it offends older church members, illustrating the need for self-denial and considering the conscience of weaker brethren, even in matters of personal liberty.

That's why I said it takes self-denial because the natural course to please ourselves if I can do it so what? They're God's people. I shall never forget Pastor Chan speaking on the subject of Christian liberty at the Carlisle Conference he was talking to some of his college kids we don't have the problem here at least I'm not aware of it but he said some of you college kids come home and he says you've adapted the hairstyles of everybody around you and you've got your hair hanging down on your neck and he says your attitude is well so what? I've got long hair so what?

34:24 - 34:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Reject a spirit of crass independence that disregards how one's conduct affects others.

He uses the metaphor of men's sins 'ascending up to heaven crying out for vengeance' to illustrate God's long-suffering in withholding justly deserved wrath, providing a model for believers' patience with others.

It's that aspect of the character of God by which he bears with sinful men. Romans 2.4 speaks of the long suffering of God. Romans 9.22 1 Peter 3.20 and 2 Peter 3.15 In each case in these four texts it's the concept of men's sins and their rebellion as it were ascending up to heaven crying out for vengeance to be meted out upon them. They're not crying out for vengeance but their sins do.

36:48 - 37:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Reject a spirit of crass independence that disregards how one's conduct affects others.

Martin alludes to the saints under the altar in Revelation crying 'How long?' to illustrate God's long-suffering in delaying vengeance, connecting it to the human struggle to understand divine patience.

And the God who is a God of pure and holy wrath looks down upon this and he is slow to mete out the justly deserved vengeance. Slow to empty out the vials of his wrath. You remember the saints under the altar in Revelation they cry out Lord how long before thou dost avenge? They know that God will and God ought to but they apparently haven't quite fully understood yet his long suffering.

37:21 - 37:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek to make the same allowances for others that you would like to have made for yourself.

He refers to the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 to illustrate that a lack of forgiveness toward others stems from a defective appreciation of God's forgiveness toward oneself.

Matthew 18 makes this very clear. The man who had his own debt erased and turned around and grabbed his servant by the throat. He knew nothing of the principle of forgiveness in his heart. May I suggest that when you're tempted to become bitter to the person whom in who in love you have admonished and he's turned against you if you're tempted to quit with the person you're trying to encourage and you just can't seem to or support and you can't remember did God quit with you?

43:59 - 44:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek to make the same allowances for others that you would like to have made for yourself.

Martin quotes Charles Spurgeon on the 'trade of apology making' to encourage believers to extend the same allowances and understanding to others that they readily make for themselves, fostering patience and pity.

And now I quote from Charles Spurgeon who said this so beautifully. Listen. It's a pity to carry on the trade of apology making entirely for home consumption.

44:59 - 45:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Be willing to take a posture of humility and prefer one another in honor to avoid spiritual conflict and foster beautiful relationships.

The fable of two goats meeting on a narrow bridge, where one lies down for the other to cross, illustrates the necessity of humility and long-suffering to avoid destructive conflict and achieve mutual progress in the church.

Write him off? No, by the grace of God we are to exercise long suffering that comes from God himself so we must apply ourselves to him for it and plead by his spirit to grant it to us but then meditate upon his dealings with us and then seek to make the same allowances for others that we make for ourselves. The story is told of two goats who happened to meet on a very narrow bridge beneath which there was a raging torrential stream.

46:54 - 47:26 Read in full sermon