Christian Liberty #20

Driving home: But truth has a way of working itself out into the highway of life. And when our understanding of any truth is imbalanced, it can do great harm to us and to others.

An unbalanced tire is harmless when stationary but dangerous at speed. This illustrates how imbalanced truth, though seemingly benign in isolation, can cause great harm when applied in the 'highway of life.'

I think most of us are aware of the fact that a tire on a car, out of balance, is a relatively harmless thing when your car is sitting in your driveway or safely in your garage. However, when you get out on the road and begin to gather speed, then that tire, out of balance, can be a very dangerous thing. It can even so shake the front end of a car as to cause the tie rods to drop and to engage someone in a very serious accident. Well, so it is with many of the truths of the word of God. When they are understood in isolation from the very reality of living, even though they may be understood in...

2:24 - 3:25 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But truth has a way of working itself out into the highway of life. And when our understanding of any truth is imbalanced, it can do great harm to us and to others.

The doctrine of Christian liberty, if misunderstood, is likened to a Trojan horse, suggesting it can subtly introduce danger and compromise into the rising generation of churches.

And perhaps there are few truths concerning which this is more true than the truth of the word of God that we've been exhausted, examining in recent weeks the matter of Christian liberty as it pertains to issues neither forbidden nor commanded in the word of God. And out of a deep pastoral burden, one shared by my fellow elders, shared by teachers in the Christian school, shared by a number of my brethren in the ministry who've become aware of my preaching on this subject and have affirmed their persuasion with me that in many ways to change the imagery, this doctrine is the Trojan horse of th...

3:45 - 4:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize and discharge the God-imposed debt to bear the infirmities of the weak; failure to do so is sin.

Paul's statement 'I am debtor both to the Jews, and to the Greeks' (Romans 1:14) is used to explain the meaning of 'ought' as a solemn indebtedness.

A verb which means to be indebted to another. In its noun form, it's the word Paul used in chapter 1 in verse 14 when he said, I am debtor both to the Jews, and to the Greeks, so as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome. It's the very verb used in verse 8 of chapter 13. Oh, no man anything.

10:10 - 10:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize and discharge the God-imposed debt to bear the infirmities of the weak; failure to do so is sin.

The command 'Owe no man anything save to love one another' (Romans 13:8) is used to further illustrate the concept of 'ought' as a legitimate, non-illicit indebtedness.

Have no illicit, illegitimate indebtedness to any person. Oh, no man anything save to love one another. If I were to say, if I were to give you a rather wooden literal translation to show the emphasis from the original, it would go like this. We are indebted, we the strong ones, the infirmities of the weak ones, to bear.

10:39 - 11:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the three strands of the directive: positively, to 'bear the infirmities of the weak'; negatively, 'not to please ourselves'; and positively again, to 'please his…

The word 'bear' is linked to Luke 14:27, where Jesus speaks of taking up and carrying a cross to execution, emphasizing the costly nature of bearing infirmities.

Those are the things he is not to do. But here, in this crowning directive to the strong, the apostle goes even further, and he says, the strong are, are to bear the infirmities of the weak. Now what does it mean to bear them? Well, this word translated bear is the very word used in Luke 14, 27 where our Lord speaks about taking up and carrying a cross, placing a cross upon your shoulders and carrying it to a place of execution.

17:18 - 17:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the three strands of the directive: positively, to 'bear the infirmities of the weak'; negatively, 'not to please ourselves'; and positively again, to 'please his…

Galatians 6:2, 'Bear one another's burdens,' is used to explain 'bear' as getting one's shoulder under a brother's burden and carrying it with him.

It's the word used in the well-known words of Galatians 6, 2. If anyone be overtaken in a fault, you that are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. You see a brother with a burden, do your best to get your shoulder under it, draw on side of him and carry it with him.

17:56 - 18:24 Read in full sermon

The point: If uncomfortable with divine imperatives, recognize this as discomfort with loving Jesus, and seek to keep His commandments as a demonstration of love.

Martin humorously asks if there's a 'flutter meter' to measure love for Jesus, then clarifies that Jesus's own 'flutter meter' is keeping His commandments, linking obedience directly to love.

Each one of you must! It's a divine imperative! And if you're uncomfortable with imperatives, let me state it bluntly. You're very uncomfortable with loving Jesus. What in the world is a crazy preacher talking about this morning? If you're uncomfortable with imperatives, you're uncomfortable with loving Jesus. For Jesus said, if you love me, Lord, how can I tell if I love you? What's the flutter meter, Lord? Lord, how many flutters do I get when I sing? My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art my Lord. Is there a flutter meter? He says, yeah, I'll give you a flutter meter.

34:36 - 35:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third strand, 'let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good unto edifying,' is explored. Martin distinguishes this from a sinful man-pleasing spirit…

Love is described as the 'motor, the engine of our walk before God,' while God's precepts are the 'tracks on which the engine runs,' illustrating the necessary relationship between affection and obedience.

So note I say, the person, the personal nature of this third strand, let each one of you and the imperative mood. It is a divinely imposed duty. I love to think of love as the motor, the engine of our walk before God. But God's precepts are the tracks on which the engine runs.

38:09 - 38:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Until broken before Jesus, do not speak of liberty, as you are likely a slave to self, sin, and the world.

Martin quotes an earlier statement from the series: 'None is a greater fool than he who mistakes his gilded chains for his liberty,' to underscore the deception of worldly self-indulgence disguised as freedom.

And as I quoted way back at the beginning, at the beginning of this series, none is a greater fool than he who mistakes his gilded chains for his liberty.

53:19 - 53:30 Read in full sermon