The Response of the Mixed Multitude

The point: Pray for illumination, faith to apprehend, ability to retain, and power to respond appropriately to God's word.

Martin quotes Haywood's definition of the right use of truth (apprehension, retention, reproduction) to set the stage for the sermon's goal: a transformative response to God's Word.

This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, May 20th, 1990, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. A treasure by Haywood, Mr. Haywood said that the right use of truth involves its apprehension by the mind, its being deposited and retained in the memory, and its reproduction in the life. Apprehension by the mind, deposited in the memory, and reproduced in the life. Let us pray that the exposition of the word of God will find such a response in us this morning. Let us again seek the face of God in prayer.

0:05 - 1:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin identifies the mixed multitude as a nondescript, curious crowd gathered at Jerusalem for Passover, drawn to the spectacle of the crucifixion like 'rubberneckers' at an…

Martin compares the mixed multitude's curiosity at the crucifixion to people slowing down to gawk at a car accident, especially a gory one, to illustrate their initial motivation for being there.

a great multitude and in our text all multitudes plural as it were in behind the Lord Jesus when they saw him being led out execution as the procession made its way out of Jerusalem and it became evident that an execution was about to take place the same spirit that causes rubbernecking delays in a metropolitan area that same spirit that a crowd mingling by a special event particularly gory events create the greatest rubbernecking delays if it's just a fender bender things slow down a little if it's a real sure enough wreck that involves the demobilizing of several cars the rubbernecking delay...

11:22 - 12:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The multitude returned to Jerusalem 'smiting their breasts,' a sign of deep grief, woe, and self-reflection. Martin suggests this initial conviction may have been a preparatory…

He references the publican in Luke 18 who beat his breast, crying 'Be propitious to me the sinner,' to explain the significance of the multitude's gesture as a sign of inward grief and awareness of sin.

to Jerusalem and all away those who were returning who came out with all those who are involved the kind of activity I described earlier the eagerness of those simply curious seekers those very people returned to Jerusalem smiting all the upon their breasts the significance of that smiting upon the breast you know it is sign language that speaks of grief that speaks of tragedy it is sign language of spirit for Luke it all used in the description in the 18th chapter when describing the publican who stands in the spirit awareness or the spirit given awareness of his utter wretchedness and sinful...

23:08 - 24:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The multitude returned to Jerusalem 'smiting their breasts,' a sign of deep grief, woe, and self-reflection. Martin suggests this initial conviction may have been a preparatory…

Martin quotes a writer who said the multitude 'came for the show and left with woe' to succinctly capture the transformation of their disposition.

content is grief in the beating upon his breast this is what Luke says happened to that multitude and all that came together to this site when things that were done returned now that does not mean that every single last individual know but it does mean that the that mixed multitude left deeply burdened with woe they came for the show as one writer has said and they left with woe they came as curiosity curiosity seekers let's watch it the more but now curiosity has turned into self reflection what they have been actions and the words of the one upon the central cross strung them and unhinge the...

24:37 - 26:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not quibble about calling and election; beat your breast about your sin and run to the Savior.

He uses the prophetic imagery of God taking out a 'heart of stone' and giving a 'heart of flesh' to explain the spiritual transformation that occurs in God's effectual calling, leading to grief over sin.

that is not responsive that can stand before Golgoth with a home disposition forever and God takes out the and often the very first indication that he's given a heart of flesh is we turn from whole curiosity observers into deeply pained breast beaters we see our sin we see God in his holiness we see God in his justice we see God in his and we see Christ upon the cross the heart of stone and often the first indication that the heart of stone is gone is that the tear duct is open to weep over something that we jested about before our sins for fools make a mock at sin and if we do not outwardly w...

58:35 - 59:59 Read in full sermon