A Succinct Gospel Proclamation (Is. 53)

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin begins with personal gratitude for prayers during a past surgery, then introduces a thought experiment: defining the Bible and its purpose. He establishes that the…

Martin asks the audience to imagine being given a notepad and pencil to answer two questions: 'What is the Bible?' and 'Why was the Bible given to us?' This sets up the sermon's foundational points about the nature and purpose of Scripture.

Now I know many of you are weary this first night, you've had a long day of travel some of the parents have been a bit harassed by children that have been a little less than angels throughout the day as they've had to struggle with the heat and with other inconveniences but I would like each of you from the youngest to the oldest to use your imagination with me and try to imagine with me that in preparation for tonight's meeting the elders of the church at Mebane had directed the elders of the church at Mebane to the church at Mebane their deacons to greet each one of you at the door with a li...

1:21 - 2:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The Bible is given to us that we might know those things about God, about ourselves, and about the way of salvation that we may be fit to live, that we may be ready to die, and that we may be prepared to go to judgment.

The conscience is described as a 'stubborn little monitor' with only two words, 'right and wrong,' that cannot learn 'neither.' This illustrates the internal witness of God's moral law within humanity.

all of creation speaks constantly and powerfully and eloquently God is revealing himself in all that he has created what is the Bible then and why was it given to us if God is revealing himself in the creation all around us according to Romans chapter 2 he reveals himself even in terms of what we know about ourselves we have this thing called a conscience This stubborn little monitor within who only has two words in his vocabulary, right and wrong. And we try desperately all through life to teach him a third word, and he's so stupid he won't learn it. He says right. He says wrong. We try to te...

5:32 - 6:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray God will help you to keep your hands in your pocket, no shade-wrapping, and say as you sit here tonight, O God, show me the truth about myself.

Pulling down a 'room-darkening shade' in one's mind is used to represent ignoring or denying the bad news of sin. Martin argues that this doesn't change reality but prevents one from seeing the glory of the good news.

If that was your mental and emotional reaction, then you were tempted to reach up and grab the room-darkening shade that hangs in everyone's mind and begin to yank it down. May I tenderly and lovingly plead with you? Draw your hand back. You see, pulling down the shade on the light of the Word of God concerning who and what you are will not change the fact of who and what you are.

14:44 - 15:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: There is none that seeks after God. Think of it. There is none that seeks after God.

The blank stare of a cow, seeing no more beauty in a breathtaking sunset than in a trough of feed, illustrates humanity's spiritual blindness and inability to seek or appreciate God due to sin.

that seeks after God. Out of the whole vast flock made with the capacity to know Him, made to find their supreme delight in Him, and their supreme desire toward Him, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone aside. I want you to think for a moment of a cow.

26:03 - 26:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Moving from the general imagery to a specific pronouncement, Martin highlights 'We have turned every one to his own way.' He explains that this 'own way' is dictated by self-will…

The difference between a class picture (where one can be lost in the crowd) and an individual portrait (where all attention is on 'you') illustrates the transition from the general truth of 'all we like sheep' to the personal, blunt pronouncement 'every one to his own way'.

All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way. Note from the general imagery the prophet now gets very specific. Some of us can remember in our grade school days. They may still do this.

33:18 - 33:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and He will have mercy upon him and to our God for…

God is likened to a 'street hawker' in Isaiah 55, making a free, full, and condescending offer of grace and mercy to all who thirst, emphasizing the accessibility and generosity of His invitation.

What are we to do? Well in closing may I just direct your attention briefly to the words of the same prophet in chapter 55. As a result of the work of the servant of Jehovah in chapter 54 God speaks of the enlargement of the place of His dwelling. The great increase that will come to God's tent as a result of the suffering of the servant of Jehovah.

71:56 - 72:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Go to this God. This God whom you will find to be disposed to abundantly pardon. You need not go on believing the devil's lie about God.

The devil's lie in the Garden of Eden, suggesting good could be found outside God's will, is presented as the origin of the ongoing deception that God restricts life and cramps one's style, preventing people from coming to Christ.

That God is out to cramp your style and restrict your life and compress you into a pattern that will just shrivel up everything that makes life meaningful. That's a lie. It started in the garden when that vicious liar and father of lies said to our first mother and father there's some good to be had outside the will of the good God who made you. That's a lie.

76:00 - 76:28 Read in full sermon