The Centrality

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'biblical revelation' by distinguishing between general revelation (God's self-disclosure in creation, providence, and conscience) and special revelation (the…

The world is described as 'smothered with God's fingerprints,' illustrating how general revelation clearly displays God's attributes and handiwork.

And that is nothing other than the world of men, the world of men and things, as they come from the hands of God, literally smothered with God's fingerprints. Everything in general revelation speaks of God. This is precisely what the Psalmist was celebrating when he penned that well-known 19th Psalm, in which he declared, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge.

5:27 - 6:05 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He argues that general revelation, despite its grandeur, cannot answer humanity's most burning question: 'How can a guilty conscience find rest and peace with God?' Only special…

Martin quotes a children's hymn to celebrate the blessedness and sufficiency of the Bible (special revelation) in teaching about salvation, the Savior's love, and life's ultimate questions.

It is here and it is here alone that the most fundamental and burning questions of life can truly be answered. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3 and verse 14 that it is through the scripture that we are made wise unto salvation through faith that is in Jesus Christ. It is in this second book and in this second book alone that the great issues of the man's relationship to his God are addressed clearly, authoritatively, and thoroughly. I love the little hymn that's in the children's section of the Trinity hymn book that celebrates the blessedness of the Bible. And I perhaps would be very surprised if man...

12:40 - 14:06 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God was saying, All that belongs to me the holy living God of Israel must be the approach made in the consciousness that I am holy and you my creatures are sinful and there is but one point the basis upon which sinners c…

He wishes they could 'reconstruct literally the entire fabric' of the Levitical system for one day to impress upon their minds the constant, thundering message of sacrifice and blood atonement as the only way for sinful man to approach a holy God.

We could trace out the emergence of sacrifice in the period of the patriarchs when Abraham meets God in the context of a bloody sacrifice and God holds communion with his great child and friend Abraham in the context of the blood of atonement. But surely nowhere in all of the Old Testament is the centrality of the atonement more evident than in the institution and the perpetuation of the Levitical priesthood and the system of sacrifices which surround it. And there are times when I wish we could reconstruct literally the entire fabric of that system for one day to impress upon our minds and he...

24:28 - 25:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God was saying, All that belongs to me the holy living God of Israel must be the approach made in the consciousness that I am holy and you my creatures are sinful and there is but one point the basis upon which sinners c…

The continuous 'acrid smell of burning flesh' and blood-splattered garments of the priests in the tabernacle/temple are used to vividly convey the constant, inescapable message of the necessity of blood atonement.

And if you and I were to be there for one day and smell the acrid smell of burning flesh day after day you go home once a year when the roast is burned and you say, Mom, what in the world have you done? The roast is burning. The house stinks. The tabernacle and the temple continually stank with the smell the pungent acrid smell of burning flesh.

26:55 - 27:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God is saying whatever else you read whatever else strikes you whatever else grips your mind don't miss this don't bypass this lightly don't trip over this carelessly the death of my son is the most important event in th…

He contrasts a typical biography (covering a person's whole life with relatively equal portions) with the Gospels, which disproportionately focus on Jesus's last week, to highlight the centrality of Christ's death.

When you read a biography of a great missionary such as John Payton a missionary to the New Hebrides or Livingston of Africa Hudson Taylor minister of the Gospel to China usually a biography begins with an account of a man's background his birth his childhood his development to trace out all of the things that made him the man that he was his college years if he went to college his marriage his early experiences in other words his whole life is spread out and generally speaking relatively equal portions are given to the various epochs in a man's life but when we pick up the Gospel records we d...

30:45 - 32:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God is saying whatever else you read whatever else strikes you whatever else grips your mind don't miss this don't bypass this lightly don't trip over this carelessly the death of my son is the most important event in th…

He quotes a writer who described the Gospels as 'four narratives of the death of Jesus Christ with extended introductions,' emphasizing that God intends for us to see Christ's death as the most important event.

that central to whoever Jesus of Nazareth is whatever he came to do central in all of this are the events surrounding his laying down his life upon the cross one writer has stated it in this very striking way the four Gospels are four narratives of the death of Jesus Christ with extended introductions that's how he described the Gospels four passion narratives with extended introductions God is saying something to you God is saying something to me when we pick up this book of special revelation God is saying whatever else you read whatever else strikes you whatever else grips your mind don't m...

33:38 - 35:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He says my preaching was a holding up of the cross and I marched before you like demonstrators with their placards and with their banners wherever I went I held up Christ crucified Christ crucified Christ crucified God's…

Paul's preaching is described as 'placarding Christ crucified,' like demonstrators with banners, to convey the open, prominent, and central display of the atonement in apostolic proclamation.

the proclamation of the cross was central there's a striking expression of this in Galatians 3.1 you remember these Galatians they were beginning to believe that Christ was not enough that they needed Christ crucified plus something else to be accepted with God and Paul writes to them with burning passion in Galatians 3 and verse 1 and he says oh stupid Galatians who has bewitched you cast a spell over you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly placarded crucified among you he says my preaching was a holding up of the cross and I marched before you like demonstrators with their placards and...

38:03 - 39:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that if Christ crucified is not central to your religious experience, you know nothing of saving religion; what remains is a 'lifeless religious corpse.'

A religious experience without Christ crucified at its center is likened to a 'stinking rotting lifeless religious corpse,' which can be covered with 'perfume of humanism and legalism' but remains dead, illustrating the emptiness of religion without the atonement.

in its native setting but then this also leads to several urgent concerns and I have upon my own heart as I've prepared the concern of what I would call omission of this great doctrine if this grand and glorious doctrine of the atonement is omitted from our thinking so that it is not central in all of our conceptions of God and our relationship to God then I want to state it as simply and plainly as I know how and I plead with you to listen to me gird up the loins of your mind if your life today has had no reference to Christ and him crucified you know nothing of saving religion the heart and ...

46:47 - 48:14 Read in full sermon

The point: For young people, ensure Jesus Christ becomes more attractive than worldly fads and idols; otherwise, God will magnify His justice by sending you to hell for despising His Son.

He uses the example of young people knowing more about Michael Jackson's glove than why Jesus was immolated on a cross to illustrate a dangerous omission of the atonement and misplaced priorities.

or neutralized with the perfume of humanism and legalism and ritual and formalism but a corpse is a corpse no matter how much perfume is poured upon it if you have come to this conference a religious person a church going person maybe even a bible reading and a praying person if Jesus Christ crucified is not the focal point of your religious experience you are a stranger to saving religion you know nothing of your heart and its horrible sin which can only be cleansed in the blood of the cross you know nothing of your frightening bondage which can only be broken in the virtue of the cross I spe...

48:14 - 49:41 Read in full sermon

The point: For young people, ensure Jesus Christ becomes more attractive than worldly fads and idols; otherwise, God will magnify His justice by sending you to hell for despising His Son.

The 'glitter' of the world is contrasted with a 'sight of Christ crucified' that can 'smash all the pencil and glitter,' illustrating how the cross reorients one's affections and priorities.

or neutralized with the perfume of humanism and legalism and ritual and formalism but a corpse is a corpse no matter how much perfume is poured upon it if you have come to this conference a religious person a church going person maybe even a bible reading and a praying person if Jesus Christ crucified is not the focal point of your religious experience you are a stranger to saving religion you know nothing of your heart and its horrible sin which can only be cleansed in the blood of the cross you know nothing of your frightening bondage which can only be broken in the virtue of the cross I spe...

48:14 - 49:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of distorting or imbalancing the atonement by making something else central to your Christian life, time, prayers, and energies, even if the cross brought you pardon.

He uses the 'right to life movement' as an example of a good cause that, if made central over Christ crucified, represents a distortion or imbalance in the Christian life, leading to misplaced hope and stunted spiritual growth.

to this doctrine there are I fear many Christians to whom the cross is indeed the focal point of their hopes of salvation but when it comes to their view of the Christian life something else is central when it comes to their real concerns about what they're going to do with their time and their prayers and their energies it's not Christ and him crucified that is central there is a distortion and an imbalance a deflection from the centrality of Christ crucified in the totality of life there may be enough of Christ crucified to bring them into a state of pardon and justification but their lives ...

51:06 - 52:33 Read in full sermon

The point: For preachers, recognize that the cross is the one true cure for the world's ills; preaching against social or political evils without the cross will bring no true healing.

Preaching against political figures like Ted Kennedy or Marxism 'until your face is blue' is used to illustrate that such efforts, without the cross touching the world's 'ugly open sores,' will yield no true healing.

the abortionists crucified make joining the forces of right wing political conservatism the dominant occupying force in their lives I say to you my preacher friend there is one true cure for this world's ills you can preach against Ted Kennedy and his ilk until your face is blue you can preach against Marxism until your face is bluer yet but until the cross touches the ugly open sores of this world's state there'll be no true healing oh may God this week as we study together the doctrine of the atonement so burn into our hearts the centrality of Christ and him crucified that is never before he...

52:33 - 53:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be indifferent to the cross, for Christ crucified is the arbiter of your eternal destiny, and indifference to God's provision will result in righteous damnation.

He distinguishes between 'ha ha foolishness' (things you laugh at) and 'ho hum foolishness' (things you are indifferent to) to explain how the preaching of the cross is 'ho hum' foolishness to those who perish, highlighting their dangerous indifference.

1 Corinthians 1 15 1 18 the preaching of the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness there's two kinds of foolishness some kinds of foolishness are the things you laugh at that's ha ha foolishness other kinds of foolishness are the things you go ho hum that's foolishness who cares Paul says the word of the cross is to those who perish ho hum ho hum Christ died yeah so George Washington died so President Truman died so what's the big deal ho hum perhaps you're even looking up here tonight and saying what in the name of all common sense is that preacher getting excited about and worked u...

53:58 - 55:26 Read in full sermon