Devil's Murderous Lies

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces John 8, highlighting Jesus' profound claims about Himself (Light of the World, from above, always pleasing the Father, giver of freedom) and the intense…

Martin uses the examples of Jesus shedding real blood if pricked, getting bruises, and scraping His knee as a boy to emphasize His true human nature, contrasting it with His divine origin.

You are of this world, I am not of this world. Appearing in true human nature, with a real body, if someone pricked the finger of Jesus, he would have shed real blood. When he got bumped in a little neighborhood game with his buddies as a boy, he got bruises like everyone else. If he fell on the parking lot, he'd scrape his knee and need to have Mary clean out the gravel and put a band-aid on it.

1:24 - 1:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To be a murderer is to take another human life without divine warrant.

To define 'murderer,' Martin uses the vivid example of squashing a cockroach, arguing that taking its life does not make one a murderer, because it's not a human life without divine warrant.

And when I want to gross out the kids, I go into an extended illustration of what would happen if a big fat cockroach came up the stairs and across the platform, reared back on its hind legs and began to insult me. And I would have bring my size 12 right down on that cockroach's back and you'd hear the cracking crunch and the squish and the kids usually go, yeah, and whisper, that's gross. But no matter how gross it is, no one would have the right to rise up and point a finger at me and say, you murderer, you took another life. Well, it is true.

10:35 - 11:10 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To be a murderer is to take another human life without divine warrant.

Further clarifying 'murderer,' he uses the example of a hunter killing a deer, noting that taking an animal's life, even a noble one, is not murder.

I would have taken another life if I squashed little Charlie Cockroach. But I wouldn't be a murderer. Some of you here are hunters. You see a nice eight-point buck in your crosshairs through your scope and you pull the trigger on your 30-06 and that deer drops.

11:10 - 11:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To be a murderer is to take another human life without divine warrant.

Martin cites David's military conquests, including slaying Goliath, to show that taking a human life with divine warrant (in war or judgment) is not murder.

We read in the scripture tonight that David was blessed of God in military conquest and he slew many. He slew the giant. Yet God did not charge him with murder. Why?

11:47 - 11:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To be a murderer is to take another human life without divine warrant.

To explain how effective liars make their lies seem plausible, Martin uses the example of lying about his age, noting that claiming to be 21 would be unbelievable, but a more plausible lie (like 59 or 64) might be believed.

Then were I speaking to children I'd use this illustration. If you children should ask me how old are you Pastor Martin? And I'm determined to lie to you and to really get you to believe my lie would I be stupid enough to say well I just had my 21st birthday? Yeah, you'd do exactly that.

14:09 - 14:29 Read in full sermon

The point: When the devil comes raising doubts about God's word, respond by saying, 'God's word is clear. God's word is true. Get lost, talking serpent. I'm finished with you.'

Martin imagines Eve responding to the serpent with a 'holy poetry' or 'doggerel' to firmly reject his doubt-sowing, emphasizing the need for a decisive rejection of the devil's lies.

End of discussion. But the murder weapon has in a sense been poised and now is brought to the surface of her heart, ready to be plunged into its very center. Last Lord's Day morning early as I was meditating upon this matter and thinking of how Eve should have engaged in a little holy poetry, doggerel if you will, when the devil said, has God said? Is his word really as clear as you think it is or as true as you believe it to be?

26:54 - 27:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not believe the devil's lie that you can effectively cover your sin from everyone, because a day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men.

Martin describes Adam's experience naming animals and realizing none could meet his need for companionship, highlighting God's goodness in creating Eve as a perfect helper, contrasting this with the devil's lie about God's restrictive will.

does it make you want to weep hiding running from this God whose goodness whose love whose kindness is funneled in concentrated waves into their very being into their inviting firemen into their relationship Adam doesn't even know what's lacking and God says it's not good for the man to be alone he looks at all the animals he analyzes their structure and function in God's world and he gives a name appropriate to the animal but the scripture says there was not found in any of those beasts a helper answering to his need he couldn't put his arms around the horse after he named it and say isn't Go...

48:03 - 49:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not believe the devil's lie that you can effectively cover your sin from everyone, because a day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men.

He references Milton's description of Adam and Eve's wedding night in Eden to illustrate the perfect, unashamed intimacy they enjoyed before the Fall, contrasting it with their post-sin shame.

and the two were made one and God performs the wedding ceremony if you have any ounce of romanticism you read Milton's Paradise Lost in the section on their wedding night in Eden if that doesn't thrill you you are a hopeless unromantic dud well enough for promoting Milton now the devil comes and says you shall not surely die there's something new to be had she believes the devil's lie and that God who had showered his goodness upon them who had manifested it they run from him that's enough to make angels weep they run from him why because they now know that they've stained and defiled their so...

50:08 - 51:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not believe the devil's lie that you can effectively cover your sin from everyone, because a day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men.

Martin uses tombstones as a metaphor, saying each one is an 'eloquent voice' declaring, 'Devil, you're a liar,' because they prove that sin indeed leads to death, contrary to the devil's promise of impunity.

every tombstone is an eloquent voice saying devil you're a liar devil you're a liar the truth is what God said to Adam and Eve in Eden God says in Ezekiel 18 for the soul that sinneth it shall die God says in Proverbs 28 13 he that covers his sin shall not prosper in the book of Deuteronomy God says be sure your sin will find you out Romans 6 23 the wages of sin is death you cannot deliberately sin and get away with it for the soul that sinneth it shall die be sure your sin will find you out the wages of sin is death he that covers his sin shall not prosper that's God's word God is serious and...

53:02 - 54:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not believe the devil's lie that you have sinned too much or too greatly and put yourself beyond the grace and power of Jesus. This is the devil's lie to keep you from going to God through Christ.

He references the Gadarene demoniac, who was bound by chains but broke them, to illustrate Christ's power to free even those deeply possessed and enslaved by the devil, countering the lie that one has sinned too much.

is to have you with all of those sins and all of those blasphemies sitting here praising the God of grace and saying amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see the devil hates the God of grace he hated him in the garden of Eden he hates him now and he'll hate him when he's burning in hell with all who've believed his murderous lies and refuse to repent of them and embrace Jesus and his word of truth he's a liar you have not sinned so much that your sin goes beyond the power of his blood to cleanse the liberating streng...

61:50 - 63:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Dear children, the devil means business with you, and the only way to escape him is to do business with Christ.

Martin shares a personal anecdote from his high school years, where friends tempted him to abandon his Christian walk for 'fun,' but he now looks back and sees the grace of Christ compared to their 'sunken eyeballs' and 'wrecked lives,' proving the devil's promises are lies.

we come back to John 8 44 he was a murderer from the beginning he was a liar and he abhorred not the truth these four murderous lies of the devil have you been believing them may God grant that this night you will turn away from the devil and his lies and embrace him who is the truth and all of the truth that radiates from his person and his lips and supremely in his gospel dear children dear children the devil means business with you and the only way to escape him is to do business with Christ dear young adult on the threshold of your prime years if the Lord spares you Jesus said the thief re...

67:37 - 69:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Dear children, the devil means business with you, and the only way to escape him is to do business with Christ.

He recounts his English teacher's disappointment when he told her he felt called to preach, her saying 'Albert, what a waste,' and expresses his wish to tell her now that it was 'no waste,' affirming the value of a life devoted to Christ.

we're going to do this we're going to do that and here you are reading your bible passing out tracts preaching on the street corner you won't do this you won't do that I wish I could gather them all together and sit them down here tonight and look them straight in the eye and say Uncle Sam's throwing my social security checks at me I'm joining over the hill gang look back over almost 50 years I can say that my master's yoke has been easy and his burden has been light his commitments have not been brief he has been kind to me can you say that of your master you see their sunken eyeballs and the...

69:05 - 70:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Dear children, I plead with you tonight, don't believe the devil's lie; he's out to kill you, to destroy you.

Martin uses David's sin with Bathsheba as an example of a child of God believing the devil's lie that something outside of God's will could bring fulfillment, resulting in murder, family wreckage, and a 'battered and broken man,' despite being forgiven.

I wish I could bring her back from where she is if she didn't repent and say it's been no waste it's been no waste dear children I plead with you tonight don't believe the devil's lie he's out to kill you to destroy you I plead with you I plead with you if I never plead again may my words ring in the chambers of your heart and Jesus said I'm come that you might have life and have it more abundantly and you who are God's children who may have fallen by a temporary lapse of spiritual sanity in believing some lie of the devil that's what David did he looked at Bathsheba's flesh and he said there'...

70:30 - 71:59 Read in full sermon