The Substance and Practical Implications

The point: Buy your pastor books to encourage his heart and support his ministry.

Martin quotes Thornwell's sermons on the necessity of the atonement and Christ's priestly work as masterful treatises, highlighting their profound biblical and theological depth despite being preached in the 1800s.

you can get the tape, and I've talked with the tape man, and they will be included on this evening's tape. I would heartily recommend, if you can come across a volume of Thornwell's works, Volume 2, his two sermons, one on the necessity of the atonement and the second one on the priestly work of Christ. Strangely enough, those profound biblical and theological treatises were preached as sermons at the College of South Carolina in the 1800s. Masterful treatises on the atonement.

0:50 - 1:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Buy your pastor books to encourage his heart and support his ministry.

Martin references Hugh Martin's 'The Atonement' and 'The Shadow of Calvary' (his term for Gethsemane) as unusually perceptive and penetrating expositions of the narratives of Gethsemane.

And then, of course, Hugh Martin, the saintly, unusually perceptive Scottish theologian, his companion volumes, The Atonement, from which I've quoted this week, and the recently reprinted paperback by the Banner of Truth called The Shadow of Calvary. That's his fascinating term for Gethsemane. And he calls Gethsemane the Shadow of Calvary, and it's the most penetrating exposition, of the narratives of Gethsemane that I have ever found in print. And then, thankfully, Smeaton's two volumes are reprinted,

1:32 - 2:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Buy your pastor books to encourage his heart and support his ministry.

Martin suggests that congregants or deacons buy books for their pastors as a way to encourage them and support their ministry, recognizing that pastors often lack funds for theological resources.

the Latin, I believe, into English, called The Atonement of Baker Reproduction. And finally, Warfield's Person and Work of Christ. Now, as I give the bibliography, let me give a suggestion. If you want to do something that will encourage the heart of a true shepherd of Christ, some of you get together at Christmas time, anniversary times, birthday times, and buy your pastor books, he's a shepherd after Christ's heart.

4:06 - 4:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We speak of His doing and of His dying. His dying was His grandest doing.

Martin quotes Hugh Martin to summarize the essence of Christ's priestly activity, emphasizing that Christ's greatest 'doing' was His 'dying' on the cross, a spontaneous, self-instigated act.

and combined in Himself all of the types and shadows separated in the Levitical priesthood and in its rituals by the very necessity of the case, but wonderfully joined in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And perhaps the best summary I can give of that point, and this will conclude our review, is to give you a little tidbit of Hugh Martin. But in the unseen spiritual world, while His body was hanging on the cross, He was pouring out His soul unto death in spontaneous action of His own,

12:28 - 13:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: So that I cannot fathom why any Christian who says he has some felt awareness of his sin is either bored with or indifferent to tracing out the various facets of his glorious redemption.

The analogy of buying a car with 'extras' versus a stripped-down model is used to illustrate that in Christ's atonement, there are no 'extras'; every dimension answers to a real problem of sin.

as that substitutionary curse-bearing relates to a differing dimension of man's sin in relationship to God and God's relationship to man in his sin. Now put on your thinking caps for the next moments. There are no extras in the redemptive work of Jesus. When you go to purchase a car, you can buy the stripped-down model or the one that's loaded with extras.

16:28 - 17:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But I say it is a shame that modern translations for the most part have done away with this word propitiation because the word propitiation means to turn away divine wrath through the substitutionary curse-bearing, of th…

The story of Jacob sending gifts to appease his brother Esau in Genesis 32 is used as a vivid illustration of what propitiation means: turning away wrath through a gift.

And if you want a beautiful illustration of what propitiation is, read at your leisure that story in Genesis 32 when old Jacob is going to meet, not so old, but middle-aged Jacob is going to meet his brother Esau. The last time he saw his countenance, murder was gleaming in Esau's eyes. And Jacob, wise as well as wily, sends before him some of his men, and he says, take these gifts to my brother Esau to appease him. And when the translators of the Hebrew Old Testament were translating it into Greek,

23:22 - 24:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Oh, what theology is packed sometimes into one little Greek word and precious to every believer should be the word Hapax. Once for all, it is a perfect and an efficacious sacrifice and atonement, so perfect and so effica…

The analogy of drawing a perfect circle is used to explain the perfection of Christ's atonement: any alteration would destroy its perfection.

When something is perfect, you can do nothing to improve it. When someone draws a perfect circle, if you change any part of the curved line, you destroy its perfection. And the scripture tells us that this is what characterizes the atonement of Christ. It is perfect and efficacious.

32:35 - 33:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is that the atonement is complete and eternal, securing redemption for all for whom Christ acted, and condemning the blasphemy of the Romish Mass and…

The analogy of a hand casting a shadow is used to explain the relationship between the heavenly sanctuary (substance) and the earthly tabernacle/temple (shadow), emphasizing that Christ's work in the real heavenly sanctuary is the ultimate reality.

is complete and it is eternal another passage that points in this direction chapter nine of Hebrews again and I hope if nothing else Hebrews will become a precious book to you after our study Hebrews 9 23 it was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these for Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands like in pattern to the true in other words the tapestry the tabernacle

41:46 - 42:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is that the atonement is complete and eternal, securing redemption for all for whom Christ acted, and condemning the blasphemy of the Romish Mass and…

Martin uses the contemporary 'ecumania' and the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Mass as an example of false teaching that denies the completeness and eternal nature of Christ's atonement, calling it blasphemy.

at the end of the ages he has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Hebrews 5 verse 9 says and being made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation oh hear me dear people this work of Christ in atonement is not only perfect and efficacious it is complete and it is eternal what's that say to us it says that in this age of ecumania when we are being told because Roman Catholics can go

43:59 - 44:42 Read in full sermon

The point: When your conscience discovers sin, go immediately to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness, rather than indulging in evangelical penance.

The concept of 'evangelical penance' (feeling the need to suffer or be sad for a period after sinning) is used as an example of a practice that undermines the completeness and eternal efficacy of Christ's atonement, urging immediate confession and reliance on Christ's forgiveness.

But so is the doctrine of evangelical penance. And you know what that is? You lose your temper with your wife. And your heart is smitten.

47:04 - 47:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third characteristic is that the atonement is constraining and procuring, serving as the basis and pledge for the application of all other gifts of grace, including the…

Martin uses pictorial language to describe God seeing an elect sinner and Christ's intercession securing the Spirit's work to regenerate that sinner, leading to repentance, faith, and adoption.

And it is the gift of the Spirit in regeneration. May I use pictorial language and imagery, I hope, without bordering on sacrilege. God sees one of his elect sinners in time, born a child of wrath by nature, even as the rest. I hope you have no sympathy for the horrendous doctrine of eternal justification.

54:20 - 54:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Young women, plant the cross between you and any young man on a date, declaring that your body parts were purchased on the cross and are reserved for your husband in marriage.

The example of church fusses is used to illustrate how Paul resolved such problems by planting the cross in the middle, reminding believers of Christ's crucifixion for them.

That is not taken back to the cross. People are fussing with one another. How do you settle a church fuss? You know what Paul did?

70:13 - 70:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Young women, plant the cross between you and any young man on a date, declaring that your body parts were purchased on the cross and are reserved for your husband in marriage.

The example of sexual immorality is used to illustrate how Paul plants the cross in the middle of it, reminding believers their bodies are bought with a price and belong to Christ.

Who was crucified? The best thing for a church fuss is a baptism of a fresh vision. Of Christ crucified. You got people shacking up with people they shouldn't.

70:29 - 70:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Young men, plant the cross between you and any young woman, recognizing that her body is not yours to touch outside of marriage.

The example of slaves being abused is used to illustrate how Paul directed them to the cross, to view their Savior spat upon, as a means of enduring suffering.

And you go through the New Testament. Slaves are getting kicked around and abused. What did Paul do? Organize a Christian movement to throw over slavery.

72:38 - 72:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Husbands, go to the cross and see Jesus giving Himself up for His bride, learning to serve your wife in love rather than merely demanding submission.

The example of husbands who only demand submission is used to illustrate how Paul directs them to the cross, to see Jesus giving Himself up for His bride, teaching them to serve their wives in love.

And be like. Their husbands strutting around. They got one word in their vocabulary. Submit, submit, submit, submit, submit, submit, submit.

72:57 - 73:09 Read in full sermon