Responsibilities One to Another, Part 3

In this part of the sermon: He reviews the series' starting point in Acts 2:41-42, discussing who was admitted to the apostolic church and their four major activities. He then reintroduces the organizational…

Martin uses the analogy of a circle with upward, inward, and outward arrows to organize the various duties and privileges of church membership, making the complex topic more comprehensible.

And I suggested that a helpful, not the only, but a helpful organizational diagram or framework to sort out the many duties and privileges for the church members and members of the church. to sort out the many duties and privileges for the church members and members of the church. to sort out the many duties and privileges for the church members and members of the church. And to consider the churches of Jesus Christ in one idea.

5:56 - 6:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is Christ who said in terms of ultimate authority, Call no man master. You have one Lord, one Master. Do not share that title with another.

He likens congregationalism, where every man does what is right in his own eyes, to the situation in the book of Judges, arguing it often leads to a lack of proper church government.

Christ-appointed, God-given leaders. Now this subject has been dealt with in great detail in the Sunday school class by Pastor Nichols several years ago and if you've never had a thorough treatment of all the major passages, I commend that series that is on tape, what it means to embrace our rulers. I dealt with in a very extensive way in a series of some seven exposés and expositions on Hebrews 13, 17, again several years ago. So what I propose to do is basically a reminder for those who may have heard the more extensive treatment, but particularly just an appetizer for some of you who have c...

14:47 - 16:14 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is Christ who said in terms of ultimate authority, Call no man master. You have one Lord, one Master. Do not share that title with another.

Martin uses the term 'spiritual Gestapo' to describe a common slander against churches that take Christ's instituted government seriously, aiming to immunize the congregation against such accusations.

And this is simply not the teaching of the Word of God. And so because some of you come out of that background, I want to address the issue briefly. I have a second reason for wanting to address it and that is one of the constant slanders that is made against any church that seeks to take seriously both the reality of the areas of our equality in Christ in spiritual standing and privilege while at the same time taking seriously the instituted government of Christ is that such a congregation will generally sooner or later find itself vulnerable to the slander that its leaders are some kind of a...

16:33 - 17:46 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When one duly recognized to the office of an elder, a public teacher and governor in Christ's church brings the word of God, that, that is God exercising His authority over you.

He uses the example of deciding the shape of the church's five-sided pulpit to illustrate how members should submit to leaders' judgment calls on matters not explicitly covered by Scripture, even if they disagree aesthetically.

But it means if God has given to them the responsibility to order the life of the church and they ultimately decide that the pulpit shall be a five-sided pulpit, that it will be most aesthetically and from the standpoint of public discourse most helpful in giving the entire sweep of the congregation a sense that the preacher is looking right at them. See, you get three nice equal planes when I look at you. When I look at them, you get three nice equal planes. And when I look at you, it's like I've got a revolving pulpit.

25:42 - 26:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When one duly recognized to the office of an elder, a public teacher and governor in Christ's church brings the word of God, that, that is God exercising His authority over you.

He draws an analogy to the husband-wife relationship, specifically a wife's submission to her husband's judgment in choosing a blue car despite her personal dislike, to explain submission to leaders in non-biblical matters.

But if you're prepared to buck and squawk and fight and not peacefully embrace the fact that God put the decision of the shape of the pulpit in the hands of others rather than you and accept joyfully that administrative decision, you've got a problem with authority. It's like a husband-wife relationship. God says, wives, be subject to your husbands in everything. Does that mean a husband will have chapter and verse for everything he does in the administration of the household?

26:47 - 27:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that while all believers are equal in Christ, God has instituted church government with leaders. He outlines three duties: being governed by the Bible in their…

He compares a husband's judgment calls to an umpire's call in baseball, and a wife's contentious reaction to an 'old weaver fit,' emphasizing the need for peaceful acceptance of administrative decisions.

No! And some things he does, he's got to make judgment calls like an umpire. But God says, when the umpire's made his call, don't stomp and fuss and throw your hat like an old weaver does and kick up dust in his face.

27:19 - 27:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He must either having seen his brother's need he must either have his heart move his hand to the brother in his need or he must shut up the bowels of his compassion now John says if he does the latter how can the love of…

Martin uses the vivid metaphor of 'shutting up the bowels of his compassion' or 'cauterizing' instinctive motions of love to describe withholding help from a brother in discovered need, highlighting the un-Christlike nature of such an action.

for them. Now with that disposition he turns around and he sees a brother he beholds a brother and that brother has a need and as he looks at that brother's need he sees that he has some commodity called in the text this world's good whatever it may be and that world's good that he possesses is precisely what his brother's brother needs now this is what he must do the moment he sees his brother in need has some commodity that answers to that need he must do one of two things he must allow the dictates of love to empty his hands sufficiently to meet the needs of his brother or he must do what t...

37:43 - 39:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that you will have eyes to see the need of fellow believers and hearts that respond, rather than willfully ignoring it.

He categorizes the needs mentioned in Matthew 25:35-36 into 'low-key or ordinary needs' (food, drink, shelter) and 'critical or extraordinary needs' (clothing, sickness, imprisonment) to show the breadth of Christ's expectation for care.

in their actions I was hungry and you gave me to eat I was thirsty and you gave me to drink I was a stranger and you took me in naked and you clothed me I was sick and you visited me I was in prison and you came unto me then shall the righteous answer him saying Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you thirsty and give you drink and when did we see you a stranger and take you in and when did we see you sick or in prison and come unto you and the king shall answer and say unto them truly I say unto you inasmuch as you did it unto one of these my brethren even the least you did it unto me no...

43:40 - 45:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that you will have eyes to see the need of fellow believers and hearts that respond, rather than willfully ignoring it.

Martin powerfully states that 'the closest thing you'll come to seeing Jesus with your eyes is seeing his people in their need,' cutting through 'sophistry' about adoring Christ's glory while ignoring His people.

before the cloud of glory appears before the heaven is rolled up as a scroll before the voice of the archangel and the trump of God and the retinue of ten thousand times ten thousands of angels welcome our returning Lord and we see him with these eyes the closest thing you'll come to seeing Jesus with your eyes is seeing his people in their need all you're going to see of Jesus before the cloud before you get to heaven if you're going to get there is what you see of him and his people that's right don't talk to me about your visions of Christ and all the rest no all you're going to see of Jesu...

49:33 - 51:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Become a 'union of blanket makers' to throw the blanket of fervent love over the mild disorders of fellow believers, covering a multitude of sins.

He proposes the imagery of a 'union of blanket makers' (Local 47) to illustrate the church's duty to 'throw blankets' of fervent love over the 'mild disorders' of fellow members, covering a multitude of sins.

For mild disorders, we ought to be one big union of blanket members. I was thinking this morning about trying to have some imagery that would stick, and I said, well, maybe this one will stick. We want to unionize Trinity Church, and the union is going to be local 47 of blanket makers. We make blankets, all the time, making blankets. What for?

55:15 - 55:40 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Expounding 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Martin defines 'disorderly' as being 'out of step' with biblical norms, illustrating with examples like harsh parenting, dominating conversation…

He uses the detailed analogy of a soldier consistently 'out of step' during drill exercises on a parade ground to illustrate the concept of a 'disorderly' church member who shows a pattern of being out of step with biblical norms.

Now, try to picture. It's 7 o'clock in the morning and the drill sergeant has called the troops out to the parade ground. And on this morning, the whole platoon lines up, everyone in his place, the marching orders are given, and everyone's right in step, all the shoulders square to one another, the line straight as an arrow, everyone in step. And one of the men in line number 3, fourth one back, he hits a rock that was on the parade ground and he stumbles for a couple of minutes and gets right up again, sees his first pair of his shoulders, now, that's not a disorderly man who happens to hit a...

60:33 - 61:09 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Expounding 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Martin defines 'disorderly' as being 'out of step' with biblical norms, illustrating with examples like harsh parenting, dominating conversation…

Martin shares a personal example of using 'hand signals' with his wife to help each other correct areas that were 'less than up to biblical norms,' demonstrating a practical way to admonish lovingly.

And lo and behold, when you give them the for instances and the examples and you bring the Word of God to bear as to why this can appear as selfishness and self-centeredness, they are broken, they ask God to forgive them, and then they even say, look, set up some hand signals with me. I've gotten in such a habit, I don't know when I'm doing it. So in a group situation, I'll keep looking at you and if you ever put your finger on the end of your nose, that'll be a signal. That'll be a signal.

69:44 - 70:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Encourage the faint-hearted with the Word of God and His promises, reminding them of God's commitment to preserve His own.

He references Bunyan's characters Mr. Feeble Mind and Mr. Fearing to describe the 'faint-hearted' or 'little soul' who is always afraid and needs encouragement.

We're to encourage the faint-hearted. Literally means the little soul, the small soul. What Bunyan called Mr. Feeble Mind and Mr. Fearing and Mr. Ready to Halt. Always afraid they're going to apostatize day after tomorrow. Always afraid every time there's a disciplinary thing, oh, the church is going to blow up.

70:51 - 71:09 Read in full sermon