Three Central Truths, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin explores how Satan attacks these central truths: first, by blinding men to their sin; second, by confusing them about Christ or His work; and third, by distorting the…

A man shouts about a remedy for deadly malaria, but the audience is indifferent because they don't perceive themselves as having the malady. This illustrates how people are indifferent to Christ if they don't recognize their sinfulness.

If someone were to break through these back doors within the next 15 seconds, running down the aisle, shouting at the top of his lungs, I have the remedy! I have the remedy! And someone says, sir, please stop. You're causing a disturbance.

13:42 - 13:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using a detailed analogy of a payday clerk, Martin explains Romans 4:4-5, distinguishing between a reward reckoned as debt (for work) and a gift reckoned as grace (for no work)…

An analogy of a pay clerk distributing wages for work done versus giving a gift to a stranger. This illustrates the difference between earning a reward (debt) and receiving salvation by grace (gift) as explained in Romans 4:4-5.

And he says to him who works, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. Try to imagine with me back before the days when everything was computerized and transferred from one place to another by computer and shows up on a computer printout. Back in the days when you had real live pay clerks who had real live pay envelopes with real live dollar bills in them. Not Federal Reserve notes either.

25:29 - 25:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your heart: Have you ever truly come to Christ with nothing in your hands, acknowledging your utter sinfulness and clinging only to His cross?

Quoting Charles Wesley's hymn 'And Can It Be,' particularly the lines 'My chains fell off, my heart was free,' to illustrate that salvation is not by human effort but by divine quickening.

And even Charles Wesley with a defective theology at some points surely speaks the truth of the Word of God when he wrote long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature's night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray. I woke the dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off.

36:23 - 36:54 Read in full sermon

The point: To young people: Despite your sensitive conscience and awareness of sin, come to Jesus just as you are, without trying to clean yourself up first.

Recounting Christian's burden rolling off at the foot of the cross in Pilgrim's Progress, illustrating that the sinner brings nothing and does nothing to remove their burden of sin; it is removed by Christ.

My wife and I are reading through Pilgrim's Progress again in our own devotions recently and I was struck again with how beautifully Bunyan captured it. You see Christian wasn't even looking at his pack when it rolled off. It was the side of the cross. And the burden rolled off and it rolled and rolled until it was lost in the tomb and he says I saw it no more.

37:17 - 37:45 Read in full sermon