Four “Excepts” of The Lord Jesus Christ

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces a break from his sanctification series to address four 'excepts' from Jesus's teachings, which he argues are fundamental and eternally important for…

Martin suggests a hypothetical survey asking people what Jesus taught as essential for heaven, predicting widespread ignorance and appalling confusion, even among those present.

The confusion that exists is absolutely appalling. If we had the time tonight to just split up, give everybody a notebook and a piece of paper, and send you out in every direction of the compass to do a candidate, in this area, and you were to ask in home after home, what must a person do to get to heaven according to Jesus? Even if you limited that according to Jesus, I think you would be absolutely appalled at the ignorance. But closer yet, I think we might be appalled if I were to do a little survey just with a hundred people that are here tonight.

2:12 - 2:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not regard someone who asks if you have been born again as a wild-eyed fanatic, but as someone who takes Jesus's words seriously.

The inability to 'see' or 'grasp' what someone is explaining, even when understanding the words, is used to illustrate how one cannot 'see' (perceive) the Kingdom of God without being born again.

Except one be born from above, he cannot, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That is, he cannot perceive the kingdom of God. He can have no perception of it. Someone is explaining something to us and we say, I can't see what you're talking about.

6:05 - 6:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not regard someone who asks if you have been born again as a wild-eyed fanatic, but as someone who takes Jesus's words seriously.

A preacher or Christian asking 'Have you been born again?' should not be regarded as a 'wild-eyed fanatic' but as someone taking Jesus's words seriously.

A man, a woman, a fellow or girl, must be born again before he or she can see or enter the kingdom. So when a preacher looks you in the eye, when a Christian, someone who's experienced the new birth, puts his hand upon your shoulder and says to you, dear friend, son, daughter, mom, dad, have you been born again? Don't you regard them as some kind of a wild-eyed fanatic who's got something less than a full load up here. You just regard them as someone who takes seriously the words of Jesus.

7:11 - 7:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine yourself: Have you been born from above? Have you experienced that inward cleansing and severance from sin that only God the Holy Spirit can effect?

Martin contrasts how Nicodemus, a 'separated one,' might understand the need for new birth less readily than a 'gentile dog,' highlighting the internal defilement of even outwardly religious people.

That was Saul of Tarsus. Externally respectable, internally deceiving cauldron of sin and uncleanness. Nicodemus, you look pretty good on the outside. And if I had said to some gentile dog you must be born again you could understand it.

13:51 - 14:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses the disciples' pride and ambition, explaining that entering the Kingdom requires conversion to the humble trustfulness of a little child, submitting one's mind to…

The suspicion and jealousy among preachers who have not died to ambition (for big churches, salaries, names) is used to illustrate how unholy ambition breeds suspicion.

Because he thinks other people are like himself. This is true even in church life. I'm amazed at the suspicion that exists amongst preachers. Because if they've not died to ambition, ambition to preach in a big church and to have a big salary and a big name,

21:16 - 21:34 Read in full sermon

The point: If you seek to use your mind in a way God never intended (as a judge over truth, not a receptor), you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Your mind must be brought subject to God's mind as revealed in Scripture.

Jesus calling a child to sit on His knee, a child with no ambition but to play and be loved, illustrates the humble trustfulness required for the Kingdom, contrasting it with the disciples' jockeying for position.

And yet, the little child, you see, the Lord sits on his knee, the child that has no ambition but to play in the dirt and cuddle up to its mummy and this loving stranger that was in the town and said, come here, sonny. No problem. He comes and he sits him upon his knee. No ambition.

22:11 - 22:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Embrace what God demands in his gospel with the trustfulness of a little child, recognizing that true faith is the most humbling act.

Faith is described as an 'empty naked hand' that lays hold of God's free offer of salvation, emphasizing that true faith involves bringing nothing of one's own merit.

The most humbling thing in the world is one exercise of true faith. You say, how is that? Well, you see, faith is the empty naked hand that lays hold of God's free offer of salvation in his dear Son. And no hand, there is no true hand of faith, but an empty hand, that be brought to the place where we can say from the heart, nothing, nothing, nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.

24:53 - 25:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Embrace what God demands in his gospel with the trustfulness of a little child, recognizing that true faith is the most humbling act.

The Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18, thanking God he is not like other men, illustrates the natural human pride that compares oneself favorably to others.

Foul I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. Oh, how withering to human pride. By nature, every one of us is a Pharisee, who says, as the Pharisee in Luke 18, I thank thee, God, I'm not like other people.

25:35 - 25:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine yourself: When, where, and by what means did God bring you to childlikeness of spirit, withering your carnal pride and leading you to gladly cast yourself upon Christ alone?

The 'wheels of your mind' working to recall God's stripping of carnal pride and self-trust is used to encourage self-examination regarding one's conversion experience.

Where and by what means did God bring you to the place where you gladly cast yourself upon Christ and Christ alone? For some of you, the wheels of your mind begin to work at that question. And you can think back at the various strands of influence by which God began to zero out and zero in on you. And He began to strip you of your carnal pride and your self-trust.

29:21 - 29:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine yourself: When, where, and by what means did God bring you to childlikeness of spirit, withering your carnal pride and leading you to gladly cast yourself upon Christ alone?

The healing of those bitten by snakes in the wilderness by looking to the brazen serpent is used to illustrate the simplicity of looking to Christ in faith for salvation.

And He began to give you a sight of your heart and your nature that was sickening. And then He began to give you a sight of the Savior that seemed too good to be true. You mean simply by looking to Him? Even as those bitten with the snakes in the wilderness looked to that brazen serpent and were healed, you mean by looking in faith and reaching out in a naked hand to take what is freely offered?

29:49 - 30:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not dismiss the words of Jesus as foolish; make your assessment of His servant, but not of His words, for they carry eternal consequences.

The quote 'Look unto the rock from whence you were hewn, and unto the pit from whence you were digged' is used to encourage believers to remember their spiritual origins and God's work in their lives.

You remember that book. It's good to look back, isn't it? God says, "'Look unto the rock from whence you were hewn, and unto the pit from whence you were digged.'" But listen to me.

30:33 - 30:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not dismiss the words of Jesus as foolish; make your assessment of His servant, but not of His words, for they carry eternal consequences.

Searching the 'file drawers of your mind' and 'racking the corridors of memory' for evidence of conversion is used to challenge those who draw a blank on their spiritual experience.

You're fishing around in the file drawers of your mind and they're pretty empty, aren't they? Pretty empty, aren't they? You're racking the corridors of memory! You can't find anything on the walls, my friend, except you be converted and become as a little child.

30:57 - 31:17 Read in full sermon

The point: To young men preparing for ministry: Never get beyond preaching simple gospel truth; never be too proud of your gifts or reputation to preach a 'Bible school sermon.'

The tragic plane crash involving the Kansas State football team is used as a contemporary example of public calamity, paralleling the Tower of Siloam incident, to illustrate that such events are not necessarily judgments on 'worse' sinners but calls to repentance for all.

So when a power fell at a certain time and place, and killed certain people, they didn't say, Isn't that a terrible accident? They said, wasn't that a frightened judgment of God? Now to that point they were right. In that they viewed God as in control of all the so-called natural tragedies. If our Lord were preaching today, I think he would say In place of this Tower of Siloam, he'd say, Do you think that those 31 football players and coaches were sinners above the rest in that they died in a tragic plane crash two weeks ago? Most of us heard about the Kansas State football team and that trage...

34:00 - 35:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider: When and by what means did God bring you to see the guilt arising from what you've done, your breaches of God's holy law?

A great preacher's description of a Christian as 'a man whose mouth has been stopped in the presence of God' is quoted to illustrate the silence of guilt before God, contrasting it with the Pharisee's verbose self-justification.

I shall never forget hearing a great preacher preaching on the doctrine of justification. And he was dealing with the fact that no man is justified until first of all he is brought to see his sin. And he was quoting from Romans 3, the text I've just now quoted, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. And he said, you know what a good description of a Christian is?

39:12 - 39:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider: Where and when and by what means were you brought not only to the acknowledgment of your sin but to some genuine grief over it?

The idea of being 'happy-fied into the kingdom of God' by presenting Jesus 'brightly and sprightly enough' is rejected as foreign to Scripture, which emphasizes godly sorrow and wounding before healing.

grief over what I am and what I've done. Godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented on 2 Corinthians chapter 9. No man ever was happy-fied into the kingdom of God.

40:58 - 41:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider: Where and when and by what means were you brought not only to the acknowledgment of your sin but to some genuine grief over it?

Thinking of repentance without grief is compared to thinking of a 'bright day without the sun' or 'wet roads without the rain,' emphasizing the inseparable connection between repentance and sorrow over sin.

But to think of repentance without grief is like trying to think of a bright day without the sun. Trying to think of wet roads without the rain. You can't separate them. And every instance in scripture where God says a certain person is repenting involved in that description.

42:19 - 42:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider: Where and when and by what means were you brought not only to the acknowledgment of your sin but to some genuine grief over it?

Esau's weeping with a 'great and bitter cry' is presented as an example of self-pity, not true repentance, highlighting the difference between sorrow for consequences and sorrow for sin itself.

There. There is this element of grief. Not grief primarily of what the sin did to me. That's Esau.

42:38 - 42:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using examples of public calamities, Martin emphasizes that all are exposed to God's wrath and must experience true biblical repentance, which involves a hearty acknowledgment of…

The publican beating upon his breast is used as an example of genuine inward pain and grief over sin, contrasting with play-acting.

Wasn't the tears of repentance. When you see the public in beating upon his breast. What's he doing? Play acting?

43:03 - 43:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using examples of public calamities, Martin emphasizes that all are exposed to God's wrath and must experience true biblical repentance, which involves a hearty acknowledgment of…

The prodigal son's return, confessing 'Father, I've sinned against heaven and in thy sight, I'm no more worthy to be called thy son,' is used to illustrate genuine grief and humility, contrasting with a self-serving return.

You see a David sobbing out his heart in Psalm 51. You look at the prodigal. He says, I will arise and go to my father and say, Father, I know you have a wonderful plan for my life and I haven't been enjoying it. So I'm going to come home and cash in on it.

43:17 - 43:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider: Where and by what means did God bring you to grief over your sin?

Martin imagines the prodigal son's reluctance to approach home due to shame, and the father running to him, smothering him in love, to illustrate the depth of shame in true repentance and the father's welcoming grace.

The sense of grief. Then the scripture goes on to say of the prodigal that while he was yet afar off, the father ran to him. I believe that's significant. In my mind's eye, I can picture that son starting out the first day in his trip home, making a good bit of time, but as the time drew near for him to come closer home, there was a reluctance.

43:51 - 44:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Honestly ask yourself, with judgment-day honesty: If your life were taken now, and God asked on what basis He should admit you, what would your real answer be?

Martin describes a personal practice of asking himself, with 'judgment-day honesty,' what his answer would be if God asked on what basis he should be admitted into His presence, to ensure his reliance is solely on Christ's righteousness.

From time to time I like to sit myself down and I ask myself this question in this whole area. I say now, if your life was to be taken from you in the next two minutes and you were to stand in the presence of God and God were to say to you, on what basis should I admit you into my everlasting presence?

56:22 - 56:48 Read in full sermon

The point: If God were to summon you, would your answer be the reflex response of your heart to say, 'Oh, eternal God, accept me solely for the merits of thy dear Son?' Is this the sum and substance of your heart, or just words you…

Jesus's description of the Pharisees as 'whitewashed sepulchers' is used to illustrate their outward appearance of beauty covering inward defilement, highlighting their defective practical righteousness.

So Jesus, in Matthew 23, verses 23 or 25 to 28, said, You're like whitewashed sepulchers. You appear beautiful to men, but within. But within. That was the constant emphasis of our Lord with the Pharisees.

59:30 - 59:46 Read in full sermon