Foundations: Common Convictions; Commitments

In this part of the sermon: He critiques the ecumenism of the Charismatic Movement, which unites on shared experience (baptism in the Spirit) over doctrine, and evangelistic ecumenism (e.g., Billy Graham's…

Martin quotes David Duplessis, 'Mr. Pentecost,' who argues that the Charismatic Movement's shared experience of Spirit baptism has 'leaped over the wall of doctrine' that divided Protestants and Roman Catholics, uniting diverse groups.

I have never heard it more ably defended or more clearly articulated than by David Duplessis, who is called by Charismatics Mr. Pentecost. And David Duplessis' fundamental thesis is this, that with the onset of the Protestant Reformation, a thick, vast, high, massive wall went up between the visible church, dividing it into Protestants and classic Roman Catholics. His thesis is that for four hundred years, nothing has knocked down that wall.

12:06 - 12:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He critiques the ecumenism of the Charismatic Movement, which unites on shared experience (baptism in the Spirit) over doctrine, and evangelistic ecumenism (e.g., Billy Graham's…

Martin uses Billy Graham as an example of evangelistic ecumenism, where doctrinal distinctions are deemed unimportant for the sake of reaching the lost, leading to liberals and Roman Catholics sharing platforms.

And while thankful for the moral integrity He has maintained over the decades, and the financial integrity, this has been the cursed legacy that Billy Graham will leave to unborn generations. The notion that if we're concerned to reach the lost, doctrinal distinctions are no longer important. And so we have an evangelistic ecumenicity in which liberals and Roman Catholics and fringe cult groups who can all sit on the same platform and doctrine, Dr. Graham and Louie Palau and a host of lesser men of lesser stature have followed His example. And we are told that, no, we must have a minimal doctr...

14:05 - 15:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is not doctrine that divides, it is error that divides.

He cites the pro-life movement as an example of cause-oriented ecumenism, where Christians unite with Jews and Roman Catholics in fundamentally religious associations, denying the antithesis between truth and error.

abortion. So now as Christians we can lock arms with Jews and Roman Catholics and say prayers together, sing hymns together, and deny by that association that is fundamentally religious, the antithesis between truth and error. Dear people, that's the climate in which we live. I'm not setting up straw dummies, but I'm asserting that if we take the Word of God seriously, we will come to the conviction that the foundation of true church unity is not only a common experience of the grace of God. But a common conviction concerning the revealed truth of God. It is not doctrine that divides, it is er...

15:24 - 16:42 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is not doctrine that divides, it is error that divides.

Martin recounts the story of Adam and Eve in Eden, where the devil's lie (error) brought the first disunity between God and man, illustrating that error, not doctrine, divides.

man were one in blessed, unbroken communion. Adam, who is called the son of God, was not of God, not as the eternal Word, the incarnate God-man, but he is called the Son of God by Luke. He was God's direct creation, made a creature who had no existence prior to God forming him out of the dust of the earth and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life and causing him to become living soul. And as long as Adam's mind was in accord with God's mind concerning all reality, God and man were one. God put a test. Of all the trees you may freely eat, but of that tree which is in the midst of the g...

16:42 - 17:48 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is not doctrine that divides, it is error that divides.

He uses the story of Cain and Abel to show how Cain's unrighteousness and belief in the devil's lie, rather than God's revealed truth about acceptable sacrifice, led to the first open hostility between men.

And there is no indication in Scripture that God's frown was upon Cain because he brought of the fruit of the ground. God accepted such sacrifices in the Old Testament Levitical structure He even mandated them. But God had revealed that any offering had to be brought in faith by a righteous man. And the Scripture tells us that Cain was an unrighteous and wicked man who hated his brother because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous and that he did not bring his offering in faith.

19:03 - 19:45 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He says, I beseech you that you all be speaking the same thing. I want you to have one united confessional tongue.

The Greek verb for 'perfected' or 'mended together' in 1 Corinthians 1:10 is compared to mending fishing nets or setting dislocated bones, illustrating the need for the church to be put back into joint through doctrinal unity.

It's the same verb used concerning, those early disciples that were by the seashore mending their nets. The same verb found in Ephesians 4. He gives pastors and teachers for the perfecting, for the mending, the joining together, the putting into joint of the saints. He said, I want you perfected.

24:22 - 24:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Sit down and get your theology sorted out, especially concerning the person and work of Christ, the significance of baptism, and the nature of Christian ministry, to achieve confessional oneness.

Martin contrasts the idea of curing division with 'holy hugs' and warm feelings with Paul's actual method in Corinth: sitting down and getting theology sorted out, emphasizing that emotional unity is insufficient without doctrinal unity.

He's curing the problem of division not by telling them to have a prayer meeting and wait until they feel okay. Let them feel a warm glow and have a holy hug. Now, I'm not against hugging. I'm a hugger.

31:58 - 32:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Humbly submit to the Scriptures, being ready to believe and practice all that they require, even if it means jettisoning long-held thoughts, convictions, and practices.

He shares a personal anecdote from his church's early days where members objected to biblical practices by saying, 'We never did it that way,' which he likened to a Roman Catholic objection based on tradition, highlighting the need to jettison unbiblical traditions.

In that context, we will be brought to an ever-growing, common conviction concerning the revealed truth of God. We must be ready to believe and practice all that the Scriptures require of us, even if it means we must jettison thoughts and convictions and practices long held. I think back many years ago when God first brought our assembly into birth, more years ago than I'd like to remember, I think, more years ago than I'd like to remember, I think, more years ago than I'd like to remember, I think, more years ago than I'd like to remember, I think, more years ago than I'd like to remember. An...

49:01 - 49:42 Read in full sermon

The point: When considering church practices or tenets, ask: 'Is it mandated by the Word of God? Has a convincing biblical case been made?' rather than relying on tradition.

Martin quotes John Owen, who states that the Jewish Sabbath went into the tomb with Christ and the Lord's Day Sabbath emerged, illustrating that the day of worship is a matter of revealed truth, not indifference.

That's a matter of revealed truth. God has set His mark upon the Lord's Day Sabbath from the beginning of creation as our own confession so beautifully states. There was one day in seven and that principle becomes embodied in the Mosaic framework with all of its trappings and with the centrality of the seventh day. And as John Owen so beautifully states in his introduction to Hebrews, that Jewish Sabbath went into the tomb with the Son of God and there it buried.

51:35 - 52:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He concludes this section by stressing the need for humble submission to Scripture, even if it means jettisoning long-held traditions. He uses the example of the Lord's Day…

He describes his church meeting in various unconventional locations, including Parisian sidewalk cafes with strange lighting, to illustrate that the physical location of worship is a matter of judgment, while the principle of meeting on the Lord's Day is not.

No, no, no! When we meet, that's where we need to be sensitive to one another. Where we meet, we've met in everything but bar rooms,

52:50 - 53:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin clarifies that unity doesn't mean uniformity on every interpretation, but on core doctrines like God's nature, man's condition, and the nature of salvation (e.g…

Martin tells the story of a humble black woman, Sister Jones, who, when confused about election, is led by her preacher to understand it as God doing all the saving 'on purpose,' illustrating that core doctrines can be understood and embraced without knowing the theological term.

You heard the story of the poor, humble, but godly black woman whose preacher got hold of the doctrine of election. He started preaching it. And it got her a little confused at first. And she came to him and says, Preacher, you was talking about this election business.

54:50 - 55:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Young people, do not despise the careful opening up of the scriptures by your pastors, as it is for the purpose of binding the church together in the unity of the faith and growing in the knowledge of the Son of God.

He uses the example of feminist interpretations of passages like 'I suffer not a woman to teach' to illustrate how error distorts clear biblical truth, contrasting it with centuries of devout scholarship.

Sweetly drew. Some write, and I think it's the original text, sweetly forced me in. Not forced me against my will, but so operated operated upon my will that I came most freely, being made willing in the day of His power. You see, if we're not of one mind on such fundamental issues as these, there can be no true spiritual church unity. And when we come to such issues as the relative roles of men and women, there must be common convictions about the Word of God. Either the Bible means what it says, or God has thrown a whole handful of curbs. I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority...

56:56 - 57:58 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He introduces the third foundation of unity: a common commitment to God's great concerns, which are powerful forces for unity. He illustrates this with the shared purpose and…

Martin recounts his childhood memories of World War II, where a common cause (the war effort) united people in sacrifice and purpose, making individual concerns seem petty, to illustrate how a common cause can foster unity in the church.

True biblical spiritual church unity, it must not only be a unity based upon a common experience of the grace of God, a common understanding of the revealed truth of God, but a common commitment to the great concerns of God. It is a fact of human experience that a common cause which is bigger than the petty concerns of individuals is a powerful force to affect one's life. It is a great unity among otherwise disunited men and women. For example, I'm old enough to believe, I mean to remember the Second World War, and to remember what it was like living through that war. Now, I was in a home that...

61:52 - 62:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He applies this commitment to prayer meetings, advocating for a focus on the spread of the gospel among nations (1 Timothy 2:1-6) rather than trivial personal ailments. He shares…

He shares the story of missionary Arif Khan returning to Pakistan, highlighting the excitement and unity generated by the church's commitment to seeing Christ known in the house of Islam.

Because this is so real and I close with this very current illustration. This concept was brought home to my own heart so powerfully this past weekend. Our own missionary Arif Khan returns today, tonight to Pakistan. And we had a one day missionary conference for people in churches that we couldn't send him to in this brief furlough.

77:32 - 77:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He applies this commitment to prayer meetings, advocating for a focus on the spread of the gospel among nations (1 Timothy 2:1-6) rather than trivial personal ailments. He shares…

He describes a young man's powerful sermon on heaven, which moved two teenage girls to ask if they could say 'Amen' aloud, illustrating the spiritual fervor that arises from a shared passion for God's truth.

Because we wanted him to be rested and have interaction with the Lord's people. The Sunday night before one of our young men recently graduated from the academy preached. And he preached with such unction and blessing of God upon him that I felt the congregation was going to rise up as one. And just raise its hands and break out in the hallelujah chorus.

77:54 - 78:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He applies this commitment to prayer meetings, advocating for a focus on the spread of the gospel among nations (1 Timothy 2:1-6) rather than trivial personal ailments. He shares…

He tells of a young man and his wife going to South Africa for pastoral labors, whose wife's initial fear was overcome by God's work through prayer, demonstrating the unifying power of commitment to missions.

Why am I saying all of this? Well, you see, God gave us an unusual concentration. Frank Barker over in Nigeria on a Barnabas visit. A possible whole new door of gospel endeavor.

79:05 - 79:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He applies this commitment to prayer meetings, advocating for a focus on the spread of the gospel among nations (1 Timothy 2:1-6) rather than trivial personal ailments. He shares…

He shares the story of six churches in Nigeria, formerly part of a cult, being reached through a single tape and a man's persistent letters, illustrating the excitement and unity that comes from seeing Christ known in new areas.

That Christ may be known in the house of Islam in Pakistan. Why the sense of excitement when we get a telex and a telephone call from Nigeria? Because Christ may be known in areas where these six churches have been part of a cult that you wouldn't believe the horrible mishmash of Romanism and animism. And one tape fell into the hands of one man.

80:18 - 80:46 Read in full sermon