Hebrews 3:12-14: The Means Prescribed

In this part of the sermon: This section details the meaning of 'exhort,' explaining its broad New Testament usage to include urgent instruction, fervent appeal, admonition, reproof, and correction. It is…

Martin suggests using a concordance to study the word 'exhort' in the New Testament as a profitable Lord's Day afternoon activity, illustrating the word's breadth.

Now what does the word exhort mean? Well in the New Testament this word is a very broad and flexible word. If you want an interesting study to spend a profitable Lord's Day afternoon, take a Young's or Strong's Concordance and look up every usage in the New Testament of this word to exhort. It is the verb form of the noun used to describe the ministry and person of the Holy Spirit, the paraclete, parakaleo.

6:02 - 6:31 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The minute you begin to tamper with conscience, you're on the high road to apostasy. And you're going at breakneck speed.

This analogy illustrates the conflict between the law of God and lust, where both make total claims, forcing a choice rather than compromise, highlighting sin's totalitarian nature.

Lust is crying out, let it live and feed it. Now both can't have their own way. It's like two guys going for the same girl and asking her to marry. I mean, they're both not content just to date her for the next 40 years. She's got to make a choice. One's saying, you know, will you walk down the aisle with me? And the other one says, will you walk down the aisle with me? Well, she just can't go on dating them both forever. I mean, she's got to bail out of one relationship or the other. The claims are too total when both are asking the woman's hand in marriage. Well, that's what the law of God d...

29:01 - 29:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Reject the spirit of Cain; do not be indifferent to the spiritual state of your brethren.

The story of Cain is used to illustrate the unchristian spirit of indifference to a brother's spiritual state, contrasting it with the spirit of Christ.

Here is one of the clearest statements in all of scripture concerning our responsibility one to another within the confines of the visible church. Who was the first person who tried to act as though he had no bona fide responsibility to anyone else other than himself? Remember who he was? Remember who he was? His name was Cain.

34:27 - 34:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Reject the spirit of Cain; do not be indifferent to the spiritual state of your brethren.

Examples of abusing the sanctity of sex (monasticism vs. Christian marriage) and material possessions (making a god of a car) are used to argue that abuse of a truth does not negate its proper use.

Whenever we observe in another that which seems to indicate a departure from the doctrines or laws of Christ, we are solemnly charged to engage in this activity. Now granted, I know there are people who abuse this. And they go around as the Lord's chief checker-uppers on everybody. I know that. I know that. There is no truth but what the ignorant and unstable will not rest to their own and others' destruction and harm. Granted. Granted. But do you allow the abuse of other truths to keep you from their proper use? Lots of people abuse the sanctity of sect. I'm not about to go into a monastery a...

35:35 - 36:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize the reality of sin and hell, and the fearfulness of falling into God's hands impenitent.

Martin contrasts churches that prioritize 'lovely little ditties' and testimonies with the need for 'lengthy and careful and glorious settings forth from Scripture' to arm believers against sin's deceitfulness, explaining Trinity Baptist's worship philosophy.

many of God's professing people are living in a fool's paradise. We have a number of visitors with us today. Many, many others hear these messages via the tapes. I have people from time to time ask us how come in your worship services you don't have a lot of special music and you don't have a lot of testimonies and you don't have this, don't you?

42:41 - 43:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Abound more and more in getting to know each other to discern between sin's deceitfulness and mere temperament when offering exhortation.

This analogy warns against misapplying exhortation by coming at a brother who is merely temperamentally down with harsh reproof, rather than discerning true hardening by sin.

Most other churches I go in, they're emptied in 15 minutes. And I stand around with my tongue hanging out and my jaw down looking for some people just to fellowship with. They've all come and heard this sermon and gone their way. And I rejoice to see that sense of shared life that in some measure God's given us. But oh, dear people, we need to abound more and more. We need to abound more and more so that we get to know each other and know the difference between what may be the deceitfulness of sin working in my brother to harden him and what may simply be a low point in his natural emotional c...

47:04 - 47:50 Read in full sermon