Coming to Christ, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the theme of 'coming to Christ' as a vital, practical, and underexplored biblical subject, highlighting the tremendous promises (rest, acceptance, resurrection)…

Martin compares preparing a sermon on an underexplored topic to walking a mountain trail without a clear footpath, illustrating the difficulty of finding references and the desire for guidance.

I believe under the leading of the Holy Spirit that I have been impressed to choose as our subject for the ministry of the word both this morning and this evening and I believe possibly next Lord's Day morning perhaps one of the most vital practical themes of the scripture and one upon which frankly I've never heard a sermon. This is what made preparation so difficult because I didn't have much as a sphere of reference from which to draw some guidelines and it's not bad walking up a mountain trail there's lots to discover on your own at least if there's some semblance of a footpath where someo...

0:02 - 0:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin argues that coming to Christ is not a physical act like raising a hand, walking an aisle, or participating in sacraments, because such acts do not require the Father's…

Martin describes how pastors at a conference might report "five people came to Christ," illustrating the common evangelical equating of physical acts (raising a hand, walking an aisle) with spiritual conversion.

I'll be. With some of my pastor friends in a few weeks and we'll be discussing different things when we have our conference our district conference second full week in September and no doubt one of the questions that will be frequently asked of the brethren is how are things going how did things go last Sunday night and no doubt I'll hear words like this we had a wonderful service last Sunday night five people came to Christ now what do they mean what they mean is five people came to Christ.

11:32 - 12:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first essential factor in coming to Christ is a conscious, painful recognition of spiritual need that only Christ can meet, likened to being 'heavy laden' under guilt or…

Martin uses the example of a physically thirsty man who only wants water, not money or a Cadillac, to illustrate that spiritual thirst is a need only Christ can fill, making other offers irrelevant.

in the biblical sense are those who have a spiritual need that is likened to thirst a conscious need that only christ can fill physical thirst is a need that only a liquid can fill tell a thirsty man you're going to give him a check for a hundred dollars it doesn't interest him if he's really thirsty he wants water he wants something to quench his thirst tell him you've got a cadillac waiting outside it doesn't interest him why because thirst is a need that only water can meet the lord jesus said if any man thirst if you've been blocked to the awareness of need that only cardinal then come her...

35:23 - 36:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first essential factor in coming to Christ is a conscious, painful recognition of spiritual need that only Christ can meet, likened to being 'heavy laden' under guilt or…

Martin distinguishes between the 'heavy laden' (conscious of guilt and God's justice) and the 'thirsty' (conscious of life's emptiness apart from Christ), showing how the Holy Spirit prepares different people in different ways.

purpose in the holy spirit sues of these two things in matthew is an common to me or even laboring Italy theplet and i believe this is the picture of the man whose most conscious need is bad just he's like the old group who had his adepta police back this man it's him just see you and just kick the fuck off with this acidus you over one hundred worthいい not the kind of an idea that had been imposed until part one hundred my great uncle was out of the minutes but my own success went啦 see that God is holy. God is just and must punish sin. And he realizes that there is chargeable to his account a ...

36:06 - 36:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first essential factor in coming to Christ is a conscious, painful recognition of spiritual need that only Christ can meet, likened to being 'heavy laden' under guilt or…

Martin quotes a hymn about longing for a cool spring and something better than husks, illustrating the cry of a soul made spiritually thirsty.

All the sense of frustration and emptiness is that they have never known vital, true contact with God. There is awakened within them a sense of the absolute emptiness of life apart from the knowledge of God in Christ. And they begin to thirst. As the hymn writer said, all my life long I had panted for a draft from some cool spring that I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Feeding on the husks around me,

37:53 - 38:23 Read in full sermon

The point: If you recognize your nakedness, emptiness, ignorance, blindness, deadness, lostness, slavery to sin, and polluted heart, do not despair, as this is an indication of God's drawing mercy.

Martin uses the analogy of a doctor having no time for social calls but focusing on sick patients to illustrate that Jesus came to call and save needy, conscious sinners, not those who perceive themselves as righteous or whole.

Doctors have no time. Come by your house every three weeks to pay a social call.

44:57 - 45:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to Christ right now, as it is an activity of the heart and mind by the Spirit, not a physical act.

Martin quotes the hymn 'Just As I Am' to illustrate the posture of a needy sinner coming to Christ without any merit or plea other than Christ's shed blood.

Come dead. Just. Just as I am without one plea. But that thy blood was shed for me.

49:42 - 49:49 Read in full sermon