Message of God Through Man of God

The point: Study the historical context of God's letters (like Ephesians) as thoroughly as possible to understand the author's and God's intent.

An analogy of discovering a great-grandfather's letter and how family records (context) deepen its meaning, used to illustrate the importance of studying the historical context of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

Perhaps some of you youngsters have had the experience on a rainy day or on a sick day when you weren't in school of rummaging through some of the old letters that maybe mommy and daddy saved from their courting days and you sort of sneaked up into the place in the attic where they kept them stored away. Or perhaps some of you as adults have gone through a box of some old heirlooms, trinkets, letters, family papers. And suppose you were to come upon a letter of your great-grandfather written to his family or to the family circle during a period of his absence from the family.

0:04 - 0:46 Read in full sermon

Driving home: As is the life of the messenger in genuine godliness, so will be the message in its genuine fruitfulness.

Paul's comparison of the gospel's effectiveness to the messenger's character initially seemed like comparing 'bananas and elephants' to Martin, highlighting the surprising but profound connection between the two.

First Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 5, Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, even as, and the even as in the scriptures many times has the force of a mathematical equation, an equal sign. The gospel came, he says, with great effectiveness and with genuine fruitfulness, the Holy Ghost, power, assurance, even as, in direct proportion to, what? Even as you know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you.

10:34 - 11:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is reflecting Christ's character, beginning with 'lowliness of mind' or genuine humility. Martin explains how this humility manifested in Paul's…

The miraculous power associated with Paul's ministry (healing through handkerchiefs) is used to emphasize the extraordinary gifts he possessed, making his humility even more remarkable.

Let me suggest several lines of thought that may be helpful. First of all this lowliness of mind will show itself with reference to his own assessment of himself. Here's a man who had no mean gifts. Why at Ephesus all you had to do was get near enough to Paul to touch him with a handkerchief and then you go home and lay that handkerchief on your sick child and he gets better.

25:20 - 25:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is reflecting Christ's character, beginning with 'lowliness of mind' or genuine humility. Martin explains how this humility manifested in Paul's…

An anecdote about George Whitfield's biography marveling at his humility despite his immense popularity and ability to draw crowds, serving as an example of the kind of humility Paul possessed.

You want to get a little idea of what it must have been like you read Whitfield's biography and one of the overriding impressions I had when I was done reading that biography by Arnold Dollimore I marveled at the powerful grace of God. The grace of humility that God poured into the heart of that man Whitfield. When the very mention of your name could gather 10 to 20,000 people wherever you went. That was what the apostle had.

26:19 - 26:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Young men, study humility, focusing on the condition of your heart in self-assessment, relationships with others, and relationship to God's truth.

An anecdote about old writers looking for humility in young men (as evidence of grace) and burning zeal in older men (as evidence of grace), illustrating how different manifestations of grace are sought at different life stages.

I used to wonder about some of the old writers in the way they viewed what they looked for as positive evidences of a flourishing state of grace in different people. And if I can sort of popularize and summarize their thinking and I see the wisdom of it the longer I live now when they saw a young man you know what they looked for as a true evidence of a flourishing state of grace? They didn't look for zeal for they knew that zeal and fluency of speech could be in 90% of the cases simply a natural characteristic of that particular age. So you know what they looked for in young men as an evidenc...

32:35 - 33:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then discusses 'tears' as a reflection of Christ-like compassion, distinguishing them from acting, weakness, or selfishness. He argues Paul's tears were an overflow of deep…

A story about a Bible school acquaintance who knew an old preacher who could cry at a precise paragraph in his memorized sermons, used to distinguish genuine tears from mere acting.

In some cases they reveal a good actor.

35:35 - 35:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then discusses 'tears' as a reflection of Christ-like compassion, distinguishing them from acting, weakness, or selfishness. He argues Paul's tears were an overflow of deep…

Martin's personal example of telling his children that tears never solve problems like opening a drawer or untying knots, used to illustrate that tears can sometimes reveal weakness of character rather than genuine grief.

They go into fits of crying every time they face problems. That's a characteristic of children. One of my famous words to my own children is when did tears ever do a thing? There's a problem.

36:27 - 36:39 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then discusses 'tears' as a reflection of Christ-like compassion, distinguishing them from acting, weakness, or selfishness. He argues Paul's tears were an overflow of deep…

The example of a wife bursting into tears every time her husband crosses her, described as an 'adult tantrum,' used to illustrate tears revealing an overindulged, petulant, selfish character.

When they are tears revealing weakness of character and unwillingness to faith reality and press through difficulty sometimes tears reveal an overindulged petulant selfish character like the wife who every time her husband crosses her she bursts into tears.

37:03 - 37:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then discusses 'tears' as a reflection of Christ-like compassion, distinguishing them from acting, weakness, or selfishness. He argues Paul's tears were an overflow of deep…

An analogy of players being restrained in a hockey game fight is used to vividly portray Paul's eagerness to confront the crowd in Acts 19, demonstrating his courage and refuting the idea that his tears indicated weakness.

So we've got to dismiss his tears as being the tears of a good actor. Well what we know about Paul certainly he was no soft weak character who was afraid of opposition. You look at him in Acts 19 and there that whole crowd has come together shouting for two hours great is Diana God of the Ephesians and Paul wants to run into the whole midst. If you've got any imagination you can't help but laugh at the scene.

38:18 - 38:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Preach and minister with tears, allowing deep compassion for sinners to break your heart, not merely as 'well-oiled truth machines'.

A story from the early Salvation Army where General Booth advised discouraged officers to 'try tears,' illustrating that genuine compassion and brokenness over sin, not mere acting, are essential for effective ministry.

serving the Lord with tears no wonder they wept when he left he had wept his way into their hearts as he had preached his way into their heads that's the mark of a true man of God he weeps his way into men's hearts as he preaches his way into their minds I believe some years ago I told the story but since we have so many new men and women it's worth repeating it was a time in the early days of the history of the Salvation Army back before they had become just a glorified philanthropic organization

44:01 - 44:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't rest until your love for people and desire for their salvation becomes so intense that their refusal to repent breaks your heart into tears.

An anecdote from Dr. Tozer about his mother's conversion after he, as a young convert, sobbed uncontrollably over her lostness, demonstrating the power of genuine, compassionate grief in evangelism, even without an eloquent gospel presentation.

tears I remember one time listening to an anecdote told by the late Dr. Tozer who speaking along a similar vein in another connection mentioned his own experience as a young convert he didn't know much but God had saved him and he said and he had had a deep travail of soul for his unsaved mother she was a good upright moral kind unsaved Presbyterian woman at that time she didn't know experimentally the salvation of Christ and Tozer mentions that one day after being deeply burdened in prayer he came down and his mother looked at him and his countenance was sad and she said son what's the matter...

46:56 - 47:40 Read in full sermon