Responsibilities to the World, Part 3

The point: Acknowledge your native inability to grasp spiritual realities or have compassion for the lost, and ask the Spirit by the Word to effect these things in you.

Martin compares visitors joining the sermon series late to reading only the last chapter of a book or the last movement of a symphony, highlighting the challenge of grasping the full theme without prior context.

Amen. Now, for those of you who are visiting with us and who have not been present for the previous ten studies in this series, your presence among us this morning is sort of like handing you a book and then asking you to turn to the last chapter and begin to read. Or to change the imagery, it would be like coming into the last half of the last movement in a symphony hall where the orchestra was playing the latter part of an extended composition, and you have to try to pick up from that last segment something, perhaps, of the overall

2:29 - 3:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He reviews the series' framework from Acts 2:41-42, outlining duties within the church (to God, to one another) and to those outside. The duties to those outside include…

He uses the visual concept of a circle (the church) with arrows pointing upward (duties to God), inward (duties to one another), and outward (duties to those without) to organize the sermon series' themes.

the visual concept of a circle which represents the church and everything within it, its activities, and then three sets of arrows, two arrows pointing directly upward within the circle, the duties and privileges we have with respect primarily to God himself, and then two arrows pointing inward, the duties and privileges we have with respect to one another, and then two arrows penetrating the circle to the outside of the circle, our duties and privileges with reference to those who are without. And when we came to that third division,

4:46 - 5:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the third aspect of proclamation: the 'manifold general proclamation of the gospel by all of the people of God,' defining 'manifold' as having many and varied…

To explain 'manifold,' Martin uses the example of someone enjoying the varied sounds of nature (birds, brook, leaves, waterfall), illustrating something having many and varied forms.

Someone may go out on a walk in a nature trail and come home and say, I thoroughly enjoy the manifold voices of nature. What does he mean? Well, he heard the singing of the birds, the babbling of a brook, the rustling of the leaves, and perhaps the thundering of a waterfall. Well, he heard the many voices of nature coming in varied forms.

12:03 - 12:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the third aspect of proclamation: the 'manifold general proclamation of the gospel by all of the people of God,' defining 'manifold' as having many and varied…

To explain 'general,' he uses the example of widespread unrest or dullness during allergy season, illustrating something existing or occurring extensively.

And I use it in the sense, and I quote, And again, existing or occurring extensively, common or widespread. We say there is general unrest among the people during allergy time. And it's one of the things I prayed about. The Lord would help those of you, those of us who suffer with allergies.

12:48 - 13:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And I want us to focus upon one text of Scripture which, to my present understanding, is the clearest and most convincing text in all of the Word of God, with reference to this duty and privilege of the manifold proclama…

Illustrates Matthew 12:34 by showing how a heart full of money-making schemes or a favorite sports team will lead the mouth to speak of those things, applying it to a heart full of Christ.

Or, we could establish it from the general principle of the relationship between the heart and the mouth. Matthew 12, 34b says, Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Whatever fills your heart flows out on your lips. If your heart is full of schemes and ways to make money, your lips will be filled with conversation about those schemes.

15:41 - 16:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds the purpose clause in 1 Peter 2:9, 'that you may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.' He defines 'show…

He uses the childhood activity of 'show and tell' to explain the word 'show forth,' suggesting it includes both demonstrating and verbally explaining, but emphasizing the verbal aspect of 'publishing abroad.'

You kids, do they still have show and tell in school, or am I showing how old I am? When my kids were in school, they had show and tell day. You still have show and tell? Kids, raise your hand. Oh, they do. Good. All right. At least one does. But on show and tell day,

26:58 - 27:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds the purpose clause in 1 Peter 2:9, 'that you may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.' He defines 'show…

Explains 'arete' (virtue) by referencing pagan Greek literature where telling forth the mighty deeds of gods was showing forth their virtues as manifested in actions.

qualities of inherent worth. But then the word can also mean those qualities or virtues as manifested in the deeds. In Acts of someone, in pagan Greek literature, when someone would tell forth the mighty deeds of the gods, he was showing forth the virtues, the arete, or plural, the aretos of the gods. That is, the virtues of the gods as they came to expression in the mighty deeds of the gods.

29:18 - 29:58 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses how this duty should be regulated, presenting four principles: one's peculiar spiritual gifts, present station in life, providentially ordered circumstances, and…

Martin shares his personal experience of street preaching as a young Christian, facing former classmates, to illustrate how some might find public proclamation liberating despite potential consequences.

Well, for some of you, nothing else would be a liberating experience for you. It might not hurt you. It might land you in the local police station, but it might do wonders for you, as street preaching did wonders for me as a young Christian. Four times a week on the street corner, facing all the guys I used to play football with, all of my classmates in high school knew me, and I became a marked man, and I thank God for that experience.

44:23 - 44:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Fulfill the duty of telling forth God's virtues in a manner consistent with your own peculiar spiritual gifts, soberly assessing them.

He describes a spiritual gift of easily connecting with total strangers, making them feel at ease and earning the right to share the gospel, contrasting it with his own abilities.

Spiritual gifts are generally a delicate combination of natural endowments, acquired skills, and divine grace. And each of us must soberly assess what his gift is. Some of you, by divine gift, have an unusual facility of meeting total strangers and engaging them. I was fishing for a word, and the best one I could come up with was hooking up and locking in to the ability to make people feel at ease with you as a total stranger.

45:58 - 46:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Fulfill the duty of telling forth God's virtues in a manner consistent with your own peculiar spiritual gifts, soberly assessing them.

He describes the gift of hospitality, making strangers feel at ease in one's home, and how it can combine with verbal gifts for effective evangelism.

You have a peculiar facility, and in writing your deepest thoughts, some of you have a unique ability, a gift of hospitality. You can make strangers feel at ease in your home, and when you get them on their territory and get in one of these people who can lock in verbally, then you've got a good team, you see. You may have that gift of making a home feel so comfortable and inviting and everyone feels at ease. The minute they come through your front door, that's a gift.

47:19 - 47:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Fulfill the duty of telling forth God's virtues in a manner consistent with your own providentially ordered circumstances.

Illustrates adapting to providential circumstances by recounting Paul and Silas singing praises in jail, leading to an earthquake and the jailer's conversion, showing how they declared God's virtues even when unable to preach publicly.

God intensified the measure of gospel testimony. Just look at the Apostles themselves. Paul in one chapter is in the midst of multitudes preaching. A few days later, he's got his feet and his hands in stocks.

52:15 - 52:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for God to guide your circumstances (e.g., airline seat assignments) to create opportunities for witness or provide quiet time as needed.

Martin shares his practice of praying for God's guidance in airline seat assignments, either for opportunities to witness or for quiet time, illustrating trust in God's providence to order circumstances for witness or rest.

And so I lay before you those four simple factors that should govern your practice of telling forth the virtues of Him who's called you out of darkness, your own peculiar spiritual gifts, your own present station in life, your own providentially ordered circumstances, your own present measures of grace. And I noticed that I put in my notes, as an illustration, assignment of airline seats. I try always to pray, Lord, as I make my request for an aisle seat, non-smoking, if you've got someone you want me to speak to, you guide that computer that spits out my card.

55:03 - 55:45 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And the people who are concerned about authenticating the gospel but indifferent to its proclamation become a people stagnant and ingrown. And when that happens, all kinds of carnality breed and break forth with a horrib…

He uses the Dead Sea's lack of an outlet to illustrate how a church concerned with authentication but indifferent to proclamation becomes stagnant and ingrown, leading to carnality.

And when there is apparent authentication without proclamation, though I doubt the condition can truly exist, apparent authentication without proclamation, there is a grieved spirit and horrible stagnation. The Dead Sea is what it is because there is no outlet. There is no outlet. And the people who are concerned about authenticating the gospel but indifferent to its proclamation become a people stagnant and ingrown.

62:09 - 62:40 Read in full sermon