Four Things the Gospel Does

In this part of the sermon: Paul knew the Thessalonians' election not through direct revelation or a 'power meter,' but 'because our gospel came to you not in word only, but in power.' This power was evident…

Martin uses the analogy of God taking Paul up to heaven to peek into the Lamb's book of life to illustrate that Paul did not know the Thessalonians' election through direct, supernatural means, but through observable evidence.

Did God take them up into heaven and say, Let me show you the Lamb's book of life where the names of all of my elect are written from before the foundation of the world and allow Paul and Silas and Timothy to look into the role. and allow Paul and Silas and Timothy to look into the role of God's elect and then from memory say, Well, I remember the names of this and this and this one in the church at Thessalonica. Let me see if their names...

8:23 - 8:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Paul knew the Thessalonians' election not through direct revelation or a 'power meter,' but 'because our gospel came to you not in word only, but in power.' This power was evident…

He uses the humorous analogy of a 'power meter' with electrodes to show that Paul did not know the gospel came in power through a physical device, but through its effects on people's lives.

How did Paul know that the gospel had come in power? Did God give him a power meter? And he could go around to the Thessalonians and say, come here, come here. I want to see whether the gospels come to you in power and place some electrodes on their temple and then watch a meter and if the meter went off, ah, gospel came to you in power.

11:09 - 11:32 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Radical conversion involves a decisive turning: positively, 'unto God,' implying a prior state of being turned away from God; and negatively, 'from idols,' which includes the self…

The metaphor of sinners having their 'face and back turned against God' vividly describes the tragic condition of all humanity by nature, regardless of their sophistication or outward behavior.

Whether they're sophisticated sinners or rotten, stinking, down-out, disgusting sinners, the mark of every sinner is he is a face and a back turned creature with reference to God. His face and his back are against and away from God. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one of us to his own way.

20:32 - 21:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I believe the Apostle is going to the heart of the issue that every sinner has within his own body compressed an idol factory and the idol most frequently manufactured is the one you see when you look in the mirror.

The human heart is described as an 'idol factory,' constantly producing idols, most frequently the self, to illustrate the pervasive nature of idolatry that true conversion turns from.

All of you. Just as surely as every one of you who's experienced a radical conversion has experienced a decisive turning unto God. You've all experienced a decisive turning from idols. And I believe the Apostle is going to the heart of the issue that every sinner has within his own body compressed an idol factory and the idol most frequently manufactured is the one you see when you look in the mirror.

28:05 - 28:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Without this turning and serving and waiting, we can scarcely have a biblical claim to have been converted.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about missing his wife, Dorothy, and counting the hours until her return, to illustrate the longing and attachment believers should have for Jesus and His second coming.

Son from Heaven whom He raised from the dead even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come and I call this a decisive re- orienting a decisive re- orienting what do these words mean in your conversion he says you turn to God from your idols with a disposition of submission and and this is all part of their conversion to wait for His Son from Heaven what's that all about this is what it's all about there's a total re-orientation from attachment to this world to an attachment to the world to come particularly in terms of the place that Jesus has in that world when you are attached in love to...

39:12 - 40:41 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Finally, the gospel in power issues in a gospel-proclaiming and gospel-affirming community. Individuals are gathered into a church that 'sounds forth' the word of the Lord through…

The Greek word for 'sounded forth' is explained using secular Greek examples of a loud cry or a trumpet call, illustrating that the Thessalonians' gospel proclamation was not a whisper but a clear, loud, public declaration.

God took those individually elect converted sinners who experienced the gospel not in word only, but in power in the Holy Spirit, much conviction, and he gathered them into a gospel proclaiming, gospel affirming community. From you the word sounded forth. That word is found nowhere else in the New Testament. But in secular Greek, that word was used when you wanted to speak, let me quote now, they were those who rang out.

54:30 - 55:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't be satisfied with anything less than the radical conversion, implanted graces, Christ-shaped life, and gospel-proclaiming community that the gospel in power produces.

Martin shares a personal testimony of his own conversion at age 17, describing himself as a 'pimple-faced, dirty-mouthed football player,' to illustrate the radical transformation the gospel in power wrought in his life.

Preaching it, my assurance is heightened. A man standing in front of you, needs grace to grow in all of these areas, but to be able to say, Lord, that's what you did for me. When you reached down and took that 17-year-old, pimple-faced, dirty-mouthed football player, and you turned him from his idols to the living God, implanted those graces within, began to make him like Christ, and put him into the company of a gospel-shaped, gospel-proclaiming people. Oh, dear people, don't be satisfied with anything less.

59:25 - 60:09 Read in full sermon