The Problem of Ongoing Sin #3

2 Samuel 12:7-11 Justification

In the third sermon of a series on 'The Problem of Ongoing Sin,' Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds on the necessity for justified believers to recognize and deal with sin as sin. Drawing primarily from 2 Samuel 11-12, Revelation 2-3, Matthew 6, Luke 11, Proverbs 28, and Psalms 32 and 51, Martin argues that while the condemning power of the law is exhausted in Christ and its commending power secured by His obedience, its commanding power and governing rights remain for believers. He illustrates this through the analogy of a pardoned rebel and demonstrates from Scripture that God's displeasure, not condemnation, is provoked by sin in His children, necessitating confession and repentance for spiritual prosperity.

2 illustrations in this sermon

Introduction: The Importance of Justification and the Problem of Ongoing Sin

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Emptying a Church

Driving home: However, believing, that this doctrine is indeed, as Luther and the reformers asserted, the central article of the standing or falling church, and believing that justification by faith is at the very nerve centers of the…

Martin asks the audience to imagine a gathering of evangelical ministers discussing the ten most effective ways to empty a church in one year. This sets up his defense for preaching a lengthy series on justification, implying that deep doctrinal preaching is often seen as 'user-unfriendly' but is, in fact, essential.

The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, August 19th, 2007, at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. I want you to imagine with me this morning that you are present with me at a gathering of evangelical ministers and church leaders.

0:02 - 0:24 Read in full sermon

Three Powers of the Law for the Justified Believer

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The Pardoned Rebel

The point: If you go home and have a sinfully angry disposition, recognize that it is as much sin as though you were still under the wrath of God outside of Christ.

This extended analogy describes a righteous king whose laws are just, and a rebel who comes under the sway of a wicked rival. The king pardons the rebel, but this pardon does not exempt the rebel from the king's righteous laws; rather, it heightens his motivation to obey. This illustrates that justification removes condemnation but not the obligation to obey God's law, and in fact, strengthens the desire to do so.

the demands of the law and in him God sees me that way but if I go home this afternoon and my grandson does something that ticks me off and I have a sinfully angry disposition that is as much sin as though I were still under the wrath of God outside of Christ and on my way to hell it's sin that does not change its nature because of what we are as justified in Jesus Christ now it's crucial if you don't get hold of that forget it forget it you will never manage the matter and the problem of ongoing sin in a way that glorifies God and is healthy to your own soul let me try to illustrate I sit at ...

20:54 - 22:23 Read in full sermon

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