Which is His Body - Applications, Part 1

The point: No one ought to be admitted into the local body who does not evidence that he has been savingly joined to Jesus Christ.

Martin uses the analogy of adding to one's physical body ('some of us have too much addition') to explain why 'believers were the more added to the Lord' is not a strange phrase, as what is added to the body is added to the person.

of that assertion, Acts chapter 5, verses 12 to 14. By the hands of the apostles were many signs. And wonders wrought among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. But of the rest dared no man join himself to them, albeit the people magnify them. Now notice this careful description. And believers were the more added to the Lord. Multitudes, both of men and women. Believers were added to the Lord. Isn't that a strange phrase?

10:10 - 10:51 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He identifies three historical errors regarding church membership: the state church (geographical birth), the family church (inherited membership, critiquing infant baptism…

He describes the state church error as taking the geographical map of a state and transposing it directly onto the church, making everyone born in that area automatically a church member, regardless of spiritual union with Christ.

There have been three. One is the tragic error of the state church structure. The idea being that in a given geographical area, the only officially recognized religion is the Reformed Church of this, or the Lutheran Church of that, or the Roman Catholic Church of this particular area. And everyone who is born in that area is automatically not only a member, a citizen of the state in which he's born, but he's automatically made a member of the church which is circumscribed by the same geographical boundaries. So what you do is you take the state, and whatever the shape of the geographical area ...

17:09 - 18:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: So they've had to come up with an unscriptural concept to try to negate another unscriptural concept rather than do what the scripture calls us to do throw out the mother and then you won't have to be nursing its baby.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'nursing its baby' to describe how unscriptural concepts like 'non-communicant members' are invented to try and mitigate the inevitable problems arising from the unscriptural 'family church' concept, rather than simply discarding the foundational error.

God and I don't mean this with tongue in cheek that many pious sincere godly men who having swallowed the error of the family church structure saw the concept that the church must have vital piety and so what they've done to put a check on the natural and inevitable tendency of considering your children members of the church they have made them second class members non-communicant members a phrase nowhere found in scripture and they won't let them come to the Lord's table or be considered full-blown members till they give some evidence that they are now vitally joined to Christ. So they've had...

25:27 - 26:23 Read in full sermon

The point: The church is to welcome a man who has been brought out of the death of sin by God's sovereign work, even if he still has 'grave clothes' upon him, if he purposes to walk with Jesus Christ in obedience.

He uses the story of Lazarus coming out of the tomb, walking but still in grave clothes, to illustrate that a person newly united to Christ may still have many 'grave clothes' (remaining sins and imperfections) but should still be welcomed into the church if there is evidence of life and a purpose to walk in obedience.

no no dear ones you don't set the standard any higher than God has the man may be united to Christ and still have an opportunity to live and still have an opportunity to live and still have an opportunity to live there's an awful lot of the grave clothes hanging on him the Lord may have brought him out of the grave of sin and he's a new man in Christ and he's walking he's not just laying in the tomb stinking with a record player next to him saying I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive there's evidence of life as there was when Lazarus came out of that tomb he was walking it was a spooky s...

31:47 - 33:15 Read in full sermon

The point: The church must not tolerate error, as it is poison to the body.

Martin uses the metaphor of food (meat, potatoes, vitamins, minerals) for truth, which nourishes the body, and poison (foreign bacteria, viruses, infectious diseases) for error, which makes the body unhealthy, to explain why the church must be vigilant against false teaching.

here's an area of sin and I refuse to deal with it I'll justify it I'll continue in it Jesus said we no longer have reason to regard him as a member of the body therefore let your action display what his attitude conveys put him out there with those who say we don't care about this we're not joined we have no union with the Holy Son of God we don't being like he is the Lord says put him out then with that crowd why if you don't do that you blur the church's image as the body of Christ the body that is to reflect his holiness same way with error how is the body edified Ephesians 4 speaking the ...

37:39 - 39:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Church discipline, though painful, is necessary for the health of the body, like amputation for gangrene.

He shares a personal memory of his mother making bread and his fascination with how a small block of yeast could affect a huge mass of dough, illustrating Paul's point that 'a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump' in the context of church discipline.

1 Corinthians chapter 5 Paul is dealing with the subject of this immoral person at Corinth who has not been disciplined he gives his directions in verse 6 I'm sorry to verse 4 and 5 in the name of the Lord Jesus ye being gathered together by my spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus excommunicate him give him up to Satan that is take him out from the ranks of those who are in Christ visibly and vitally hoping that this drastic final step may shake him and jar him loose and ...

40:34 - 42:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Church discipline, though painful, is necessary for the health of the body, like amputation for gangrene.

Martin uses the analogy of a surgeon amputating a limb due to gangrene to explain why church discipline, though painful, is sometimes necessary to restore health to the body of Christ when sin or error spreads.

even as ye are unleavened for our Passover also hath been sacrificed even Christ wherefore let us keep the feast not with old leaven this is all an analogy from the Passover supper neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity transparency godliness and truth then he goes on to say don't keep company with any man who calls himself a brother who is abandoned to fornication and extortion and railing et cetera why because a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump you see why there must be a biblically disciplined membership if the church is a body if w...

43:30 - 44:58 Read in full sermon