Implications of Union with Chirst

The point: Think hard, think long, pray, meditate, and concentrate on the concept of salvation through union with Christ.

Martin uses the analogy of a tour guide in a cavern who discovers a small glint of precious metal that might lead to a rich vein. This illustrates his decision to pause his exposition of Ephesians 2:7 to delve deeper into the concept of union with Christ, which he sees as a rich vein of truth.

Imagine a man who is committed to be a tour guide in an underground cavern in which there is to be found many and diverse, or there are to be found many and diverse sites to dazzle the eyes of all who go on this tour into this underground cavern. Now the guide knows that at certain points along the way it is not unusual to see coming right out to the wall of the cavern little evidences of precious metals. Perhaps as he goes through with his lantern pointing out the different sites it will catch that which glistens like gold or silver or some other precious metal. And he also knows that sometim...

11:55 - 13:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek to grasp the significance of being quickened, raised, and seated with Christ, because God is dishonored by ignorance of His gifts.

He tells a story of a father who buys thoughtful gifts for his children, only to find them unopened days later. This illustrates how God is dishonored when believers ignore or treat lightly the spiritual gifts and truths He has provided, specifically the doctrine of union with Christ.

God is dishonored if we ignore or treat lightly the gifts which he has conferred upon us. Imagine a father away on a trip. His children are in his mind continually. And one of the ways he expresses his love and thoughtfulness is to purchase gifts for each of his children.

16:34 - 16:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Pursue a clear, loving, trustful understanding of what it means to be joined to Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, lest you dishonor God.

Building on the previous illustration, he adds that if one of the unopened gifts was a book to help a child with a school discipline, the child is not only insulting the father but also impoverishing themselves. This illustrates how believers are impoverished by not utilizing the practical and useful truths God has revealed, such as union with Christ.

He knew that one of the children was having a terrible time with a certain discipline at school with a certain academic discipline and he had purchased a book which was geared to help children with that kind of problem. Not only is the father insulted when the child does not open the gift to examine its context the child is impoverished by not utilizing what the loving father has provided for the well-being of the child. And dear people everything that is revealed in scripture God has revealed for our prophet. Deuteronomy 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord but the things that are rev...

19:16 - 20:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Pursue a clear, loving, trustful understanding of what it means to be joined to Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, lest you dishonor God.

Martin uses the analogy of a car's wheels, engine, and gas tank. The wheels represent practical obedience, the engine represents faith, hope, and love, and the gas tank represents a 'believing apprehension of what we are and have in Christ Jesus.' This illustrates that the strength of Christian living (obedience) depends on the spiritual fuel of understanding union with Christ.

The strength of your faith as a Christian my faith as a Christian the degree of our love and the certainty of our hope will be in direct proportion to our believing apprehension of what we are and have in Christ Jesus. Think of the car. You'll get no more out of the wheels in terms of performance than is coming from the engine and the engine gets no more than what's going in at the gas tank.

20:34 - 21:08 Read in full sermon