What is the Straightened Way? Part 1

The point: Examine yourself: Are you for real? Or are you on a way that seems right to you, but leads to death?

Martin recounts the character Ignorance from Pilgrim's Progress, who trusts his own heart's assurance of being a Christian, refusing to test it against God's Word. This illustrates the danger of self-deception and a way that 'seems right' but leads to death.

As Solomon also said in Proverbs 28, 26, Whoso trusts in his own heart is a fool. And those of you familiar with Bunyan's immortal work, Pilgrim's Progress, will remember that when one of the true travelers on the road to the celestial city asked a man named Ignorance, how did he know that he was a true Christian? How did he know that he was on his way? How did he know that he was on his way to the celestial city?

8:25 - 8:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into the linguistic meaning of 'straightened' (Greek: 'thlibo'), explaining it as 'pressed together,' 'compressed,' or 'restricted,' like a crowd pressing in. He…

Martin shares a personal anecdote about applying for a gun permit and being asked for 'distinguishing physical characteristics.' He initially lists common traits (five fingers, five toes) before understanding the need for unique marks (scars). This illustrates the concept of a 'distinguishing characteristic' for the straightened way.

But what is its distinguishing characteristic? And what do I mean by that? Well, when I want to make an application for a gun permit and at that point somebody's ready to shoot me that a preacher should own a gun. But be that as it may, I believe it's my liberty guaranteed under the Constitution and I own several guns.

35:36 - 35:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into the linguistic meaning of 'straightened' (Greek: 'thlibo'), explaining it as 'pressed together,' 'compressed,' or 'restricted,' like a crowd pressing in. He…

He uses the analogy of being in a parade crowd, jostled and pressured from every side, to help visualize the meaning of 'thlibo' (phleboize) as being compressed or restricted.

you get the picture of it sometimes you've been at a parade and you were desperately trying to make your way up to the front world where you could see the bands all the way and you were being jostled and pressured from every side and if you went home and tried to describe that this would be a word you could use my mom dad I was trying to get to the front of the ranks but everybody was shoving and pushing I thought I was going to be squeezed to death

43:32 - 44:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into the linguistic meaning of 'straightened' (Greek: 'thlibo'), explaining it as 'pressed together,' 'compressed,' or 'restricted,' like a crowd pressing in. He…

Martin uses the example of picking up a watch to illustrate the difference between active and passive verbs, explaining that the 'way' is acted upon (restricted) rather than acting.

The Bible says, The form of this verb is what is technically called a perfect passive participle. And to put that in layman's terminology, what that signifies is this. A passive verb is a verb in which something is done to another thing. Let me illustrate. My watch is now on the

46:20 - 46:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the dimensions of that way have been once and for all established and they will forever remain as long as the way nobody is free at any time to change the significance of that way

He uses Jesus' cry 'tetelestai' on the cross to explain the perfect tense in Greek, signifying an action in the past with results continuing indefinitely, applying it to the unchangeable nature of the straightened way.

a perfect. And in the Greek, the perfect tense refers to action in the past, the results of which continue indefinitely. When Jesus cried on the cross, tetelestai, it stands accomplished. He used a perfect. I have fully offered unto God the only sacrifice for sinners.

47:53 - 48:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Settle it in your heart that there is no other way that leads to eternal life but this narrow, restricted, compressed, and difficult way.

Martin references Bunyan's Christian, who leaves the City of Destruction with fingers in his ears, crying 'Life! Life!' This illustrates the profound value of eternal life as motivation for enduring the difficulties of the narrow way.

Didn't Bunyan understand that? When Christian leaves the city of destruction, puts his fingers in his ears, what's the one word on his lips? Remember kids? What's the one word he kept saying?

67:39 - 67:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: No other way, folks. Settle it.

He gives the example of professional athletes who curse, profane the Lord's Day, and are divorced for unbiblical reasons, yet thank Jesus as Lord and Savior on camera. This illustrates the 'wide gate' of pseudo-conversion and the 'broad way' of a compromised Christian life.

into a big broad way in which people got all kinds of elbow room to carry all the baggage of the world plus their profession of Christ. I never cease to be amazed when men who in interviews are known to curse, who profane the Lord's day week after week as professional athletes, who may be divorced for no biblical reasons, whose lifestyle is far from this lifestyle. When they get in the ward, look in the camera and say, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to vomit.

69:01 - 69:32 Read in full sermon

The point: If your heart leaps within you, affirming that the description of the way is true of you by God's grace, then do not worry about the indistinctness of your conversion's beginning.

Martin uses the analogy of a mighty oak tree to explain that one doesn't need to know the precise details of their conversion (when the acorn was planted) to know they are truly saved. The proof is the present reality of being on the 'way' (the tree's existence and shade).

you got to know when you got through the gate, precisely how you got through, that you needed to get through with the best, no. It's sort of like people whose job is to cultivate the best, strongest, most virile oak tree. And they can tell you out in the area where they plant their acorns, what crossbreed this is and what type this is and all the rest, and they can tell you the exact date, it was placed in the ground, and if eventually a mighty oak grows, they can punch in the computer and tell you what was its genetic background, when it was planted, how much it grew. My friend, if I know non...

76:03 - 76:48 Read in full sermon