2003 Saving Union with Christ in the New Year

Hebrews 9:27 Back to Basics at the Beginning of a New Year (1997)

In his sermon "2003 Saving Union with Christ in the New Year," Pastor Albert N. Martin urgently presses the question of whether each listener will enter the new year in a saving union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Expounding on passages like Hebrews 9:27, Matthew 24:37-44, Acts 17:24-25, James 4:13-15, Luke 12:15-32, and Matthew 25:1-13, Martin argues that preparation for death and Christ's return is the primary business of life, as life is fleeting and the time of judgment is fixed. He warns that God calls those who neglect this preparation 'fools' and then outlines the biblical steps to achieve saving union: acknowledging oneself as a hell-deserving sinner, believing in Christ as the only hope, and embracing Him in penitent faith.

4 illustrations in this sermon

A Pastoral Plea for Attention: The Heidi Illustration

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Cupping Heidi's Face

The point: Give the preacher permission to ask you, individually, if you enter the new year in union with Christ.

Martin recounts how he and his wife would gently cup their daughter Heidi's face to ensure she was paying attention. This serves as an analogy for his intense desire to capture the congregation's individual attention to the sermon's central question.

Now please, please don't tune me out and switch me off upon hearing those words. I plead with you to allow me to do with the energy and the sincere passion of my heart and with my words what both my wife and I used to do with our hands with my daughter Heidi, now Mrs. Cook. And though she sits here, I know she's not going to be angry with me because I asked her earlier this morning if I could tell on her and I had her permission.

2:33 - 3:10 Read in full sermon

Reason 2: The Uncertainty of Life's Duration and Christ's Return

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Accidental Acceleration in Car

The point: Adopt the mindset that all future plans are contingent on 'If the Lord will, we shall both live and do this or that.'

Martin shares a recent personal anecdote of accidentally stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake while backing up his car. This illustrates how small, inadvertent actions can have potentially life-altering consequences, underscoring the fragility of life and God's sovereign control over all circumstances.

I had a reminder of this just a couple of days ago.

27:41 - 27:44 Read in full sermon

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President Preaching on Heaven

In this part of the sermon: He argues that no one knows how long they will live or when Christ will return, citing scriptures that affirm God's sovereign control over life and the brevity of human existence…

He mentions a Christian college president who died while preaching about heaven, slumping on the platform. This anecdote reinforces the unpredictability of death and the desire to be found faithful when it comes.

Like he took the president of a Christian college some years ago. He was in a chapel service preaching about heaven. And all of a sudden, he backed up, raised his hands, slumped to the platform, and he was gone. I don't know.

32:24 - 32:42 Read in full sermon

The Angelic Dunce Cap Illustration: A Call to Self-Examination

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Angels with Dunce Caps

In this part of the sermon: Through a vivid imaginative illustration of angels placing 'dunce caps' on those marked as fools by God, Martin challenges listeners to honestly assess their spiritual state and…

Martin creates an imaginative scenario where angels are commissioned by God to place 'dunce caps' on the heads of everyone in the congregation marked as a 'fool' for not being prepared for death or Christ's return. This vivid analogy aims to drive home the personal and serious nature of God's judgment on the unprepared.

Perhaps it'll help to drive home the point. What if the God. Who knows every heart of every man, woman, boy or girl in this place today. What if God.

40:24 - 40:36 Read in full sermon

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