Christ Is my Advocate

1 John 2:1-2 Ballast for the Soul in the New Year

Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds on the doctrine of Christ as our Advocate and Intercessor, primarily from 1 John 2:1-2, Romans 8:31-34, and Hebrews 7:25. He argues that this truth serves as crucial 'ballast' for believers navigating the 'turbulent seas' of indwelling sin and its vexations. Martin emphasizes that Christ's advocacy is grounded in His finished propitiatory work and His perpetual presence as the glorified, righteous High Priest at God's right hand, ensuring complete and eternal salvation for those who come to God through Him. He challenges listeners, especially unbelievers, to embrace Christ's lordship and the 'easy yoke' of discipleship.

3 illustrations in this sermon

The Ballast of Truth for Turbulent Seas

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Sailing Ship Ballast

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon as the third in a series on 'ballast truths' for the soul, using the analogy of sailing ships. He explains that certain biblical truths, like God's…

Old sailing ships filled oak barrels with drinking water, then seawater for ballast, to keep them stable in turbulent seas. This illustrates how certain biblical truths function as 'ballast' in the souls of God's people, keeping them on course through life's difficulties.

Now, the ministry in the Word of God tonight is the third in a series of messages that I began on New Year's Eve. We were snowed out of our Lord's Day morning service on the 31st of January. But when we met in the evening, I used as an introduction an illustration from the old sailing ships and the fact that before they set out to sea, they would fill up oak barrels and put them in the belly of the ship. And those oak barrels would be filled with drinkable water and water suitable for the preparation of meals for a lengthy transatlantic voyage.

0:04 - 0:45 Read in full sermon

The Believer's Deepest Problem: Remaining Sin

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Anxiety Over Zits

Driving home: Though you know that your sin cannot condemn you to hell if you are in Christ, listen, you know that your sin as a Christian is no less hell-deserving. You know that your sin is no less odious and offensive to God. No le…

Martin shares a personal anecdote about his anxiety over zits as a young man, contrasting it with the deeper, more vexing anxieties of indwelling sin for a true Christian, to highlight the touchstone of real Christianity.

That's the closest to the effusive statement of deep frustration and vexation. It was the reality of his own remaining sin. And as you and I have set out on the sea of this new year, if we are true Christians, that will be the occasion of our greatest vexation and anxiety. An inward trauma. It will not be whether or not I wake up Monday morning and got a new zit on my cheek. Though the new zit will cause you anxieties, it used to cause me anxieties. I have to cover it sometimes with a little band-aid or a little clearasil or whatever we had when I was in the zit stage. And those anxieties are ...

17:36 - 18:26 Read in full sermon

Correcting Hymnody: The Finished Sacrifice and Precious Scars

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Hymn: Before the Throne of God Above

The point: Ensure that poetic imagery in hymns does not negate sound theology; sing hymns that accurately reflect Christ's finished work.

Martin quotes a hymn that beautifully articulates the doctrine of Christ's advocacy and intercession, contrasting its theological accuracy with the problematic imagery in Charles Wesley's hymn.

Perpetual, eternal reminders that he received those wounds on earth. And so if we sing five not bleeding wounds he bears, but if we sing five precious scarves he bears, received on Calvary, they pour effectual prayers. They strongly plead for me. May I read the words of a hymn that I first came across a couple of months ago.

57:02 - 57:33 Read in full sermon

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