The Problem of Ongoing Sin #1

In this part of the sermon: The sermon begins by setting the stage with the return of Christ and the final judgment, emphasizing the importance of being found in Christ's righteousness. Martin then reviews…

A quote from a familiar hymn, 'When He Shall Come with Trumpet Sound,' is used to illustrate the believer's hope of standing faultless before God's throne, dressed in Christ's righteousness, connecting it to the doctrine of justification.

evil to the resurrection of judgment. If we have laid to heart what the Bible says about God, about ourselves, and about the only way in which sinful man can come out of God's court vindicated, then we will sing with some degree of understanding the familiar words, when he shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness

3:54 - 4:33 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon begins by setting the stage with the return of Christ and the final judgment, emphasizing the importance of being found in Christ's righteousness. Martin then reviews…

Martin likens the Larger Catechism's definition of justification to a 'beautiful, well-furnished seven-room house' to represent the comprehensive and balanced nature of the doctrine's elements.

or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God, imputed to them and received by faith alone. And I likened that definition to a beautiful, well-furnished seven-room house, and we looked at the seven elements of the doctrine of justification as so beautifully, comprehensively, and in such a balanced way are set before us in that definition. Now, having completed the exposition,

6:34 - 7:13 Read in full sermon

The point: May God have mercy on you if you don't care about sin, God, judgment, or hell.

Martin uses the analogy of reading about an ancient Indian dynasty in Hindustani to describe how boring the topic of sin, God, and judgment might be to those who are unconcerned, highlighting their spiritual deadness.

Now, for some of you, this will be as boring as if I were reading in Hindustani the record of some ancient Indian dynasty. You know why? Because you don't care a hoot about sin, or about God, or about judgment, or about hell. And all I can say is, may God have mercy on you, that while sitting around you are men and women and boys and girls who are deeply concerned about this issue, I want to know how I can deal with my sins.

13:40 - 14:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Do you get up in the morning and say, 'Who am I?' and think of yourself in terms of your justified identity in Christ?

Martin recounts Pastor Donnelly's advice for every Christian to look in the mirror each morning and declare their identity as 'a having been justified by faith man/woman,' emphasizing the foundational nature of this truth.

That's our identity if we have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ with that living faith that is productive of these other graces. And we as the people of God must understand, believe, and regard as foundational our identity. And Pastor Donnelly said every Christian needs to get up every morning and go to the mirror and look in the mirror and say that is a having been justified by faith man. That's a having been justified by faith woman.

24:54 - 25:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Do you get up in the morning and say, 'Who am I?' and think of yourself in terms of your justified identity in Christ?

Martin contrasts mundane morning routines (coffee, washing, combing hair) with the profound question of 'Who am I?' to underscore that a believer's true identity is found in Christ's justification.

Well, right now I'm a half-awake person that needs his first or second cup of coffee. I need to wash my face. I need to run a comb or a brush through my hair so I don't look like a banshee that just came out of the woods somewhere in the jungle. No.

27:08 - 27:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Do you believe that not one legal claim can ever be brought against you with respect to sin, and do you live in the light of that joy?

Martin quotes Martin Luther: 'Outside of myself and in Christ I am no sinner. Outside of Christ and in myself I am yet a sinner,' to succinctly capture the dual reality of a believer's justified standing and indwelling sin.

Remember Luther's words. Outside of myself and in Christ I am no sinner. Outside of Christ and in myself I am yet a sinner. Do I really believe that outside of myself and in Christ there can be no legal, legal claims against me?

29:46 - 30:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The scriptures teach us that in every justified person sin no longer reigns as a welcome master. But it remains as a, as a vexing troubler.

An extended analogy of a rightful king dethroning a usurper, yet still dealing with 'pockets of insurgents' loyal to the former king, is used to illustrate how sin is dethroned in the believer but remains as a vexing troubler.

Let me try to illustrate. Someone usurped the throne of the rightful king back in the days when they had kings. They had kings. They had kings.

31:08 - 31:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: they allow their sin to so fill their vision that they lose sight of who and what they are in Christ and so solicitous are they to deal biblically with their sins to mourn their sins to set right any sins at a horizontal…

Martin shares his personal story of being raised in the Salvation Army, repeatedly going to the 'penitent form' (altar) to get saved and then losing it, illustrating the soul-weakening effect of Arminian theology on a sensitive conscience.

hall what they called the penitent form they would call it in some places the altar and they would invite you to come down and kneel and pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and God alone knows how many times with tears conscious of my sin I would come and ask the Lord Jesus to come in and I can remember singing the song into my heart into my heart come into my heart Lord Jesus come in today come in to stay but he never stayed long stayed sometimes a couple of months then I would find myself back in patterns of sin in the next quarterly decision Sunday they had it every quarter every thr...

57:07 - 57:52 Read in full sermon

The point: If you sense your sin and danger, go out of yourself and lay hold of Christ, in whom God offers perfect righteousness and full pardon.

Martin quotes two stanzas from a John Wesley hymn, 'Join Earth and Heaven to Bless the Lord Our Righteousness,' to powerfully convey the glory of the believer's justified state in Christ and encourage worship.

seeking to make sure that they act like a quality control upon what I think I see in the scriptures but I want to do your souls good let me close with one other hymn that captures the glory of our state as justified men and women and I trust if I'm speaking to some who this morning have come to a sense of what your sin is and how odious it is to God in what danger you presently are that you go out of yourself lay hold of Christ in whom God offers to the vilest of sinners a perfect righteousness and full pardon

63:11 - 63:56 Read in full sermon