Pardoxical Relationship to The World

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon's theme: the individual Christian's relationship to society, distinguishing it from the church's role. He establishes two presuppositions for this…

Martin references a sermon series by Pastor Jim Huffstetler on the church's role in society, recommending the tapes as a helpful resource, distinguishing it from his current focus on the individual.

Pastor Jim Huffstetler of our sister church in Grand Rapids addressed that subject at one of the family conferences last summer and did so in a most helpful way, and the tapes of those messages are available. I reviewed some of my notes of those messages as I was privileged to take them while they were being originally delivered. And I heartily...

2:08 - 2:32 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. John distinguishes the people of God as a separate entity, and the people of God as a separate entity, and the people of God as a separate entity fro…

The world's moral and spiritual control by Satan is illustrated by the analogy of Delilah sleeping in Samson's lap, conveying a sense of intimate, deceptive control.

the world lie in the lap of the evil one. The world is under the moral and spiritual control of Satan. It sleeps in his lap as Delilah slept in the lap of Samson. Again, in Ephesians chapter 2, in describing the lifestyle of those in the world, Paul, including his own lifestyle and the former lifestyle of the Ephesians, describes it in this way, Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 2,

9:01 - 9:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not let the world cause you to think in terms of rights, but rather in terms of duty to God.

Martin uses the analogy of being created as a worm or a dog versus a human to emphasize that our existence and form are God's sovereign choice, not our right, underscoring the concept of duty.

Duty. He could have made me a worm buried in the earth waiting for spring to come till I could wiggle up and have some robin pinch my head off. Did you tell God to make you a human being and not a worm? How many of you marched up to the throne of God and said, make me a human being and not a worm?

42:52 - 43:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Be salt in the midst of society by being consistent with your heavenly birth, position, inheritance, and destiny, checking putrefaction.

The primary function of salt in ancient times (Matthew 5:13) is explained as checking putrefaction, not flavor, to illustrate the Christian's role in preserving society from moral decay.

Ye are the salt. And in that context and in that day the dominant concept of salt would not have been that of flavor and savor but of checking putrefaction. There were no Kelvinator, Amanda, GE or Sears refrigerators. And if you were to preserve meat you would use salt as a preservative.

48:09 - 48:36 Read in full sermon