A Pop Quiz #2

The point: Contemplate preaching a series on justification by approaching it in a comprehensive, structured way, perhaps using the Larger Catechism as an outline.

Martin uses the analogy of tightening mental seat belts to prepare the congregation for a rapid, condensed review of 24 hours of preaching, emphasizing the intensity and speed of the upcoming summary.

And seriously. I do this not only that as we come to the final message you will feel something of the back pressure of what ground we have covered in the previous 24 messages, but I hope for you pastors I can sow some seeds of suggestion that if you are contemplating preaching a series on the doctrine of justification, you might choose to approach it in the way I have approached it, and be persuaded that perhaps there could be other ways that would be equally edifying, but perhaps none that you could trust would be more edifying. And then secondly, having completed that flyover review, I want ...

2:28 - 3:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners in which He pardons all of their sins, accepts and accounts their persons as righteous in His sight, not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only fo…

Martin likens the Larger Catechism's definition of justification to a 'beautifully furnished seven-room house' to provide a memorable and structured outline for understanding the doctrine's various components.

Then we launched into our study of the doctrine proper, this marvelous provision of redemptive grace, using the larger catechism definition of justification as a teaching outline. I likened that definition of the larger catechism to a beautifully furnished seven-room house. And I sought to take God's people into each room of that house and in that room to focus upon several epitomizing texts which opened up, underscored, and I hope applied to the consciences and to the comfort of God's people that aspect of this provision of God's grace in Jesus Christ. What is that definition? It is this. Jus...

6:39 - 8:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not pull down the shade over your mind or shut out the preacher's loving entreaty; hear the warning about eternal judgment.

Martin recounts splitting his finger open on the pulpit during a sermon, illustrating the intensity and passion with which he preached on the glory of imputed righteousness, underscoring his deep concern for the lost.

Category number two you who are not in Christ you who have sat through some many perhaps all of these twenty-four sermons on this marvelous provision of redemptive grace in which phrase by phrase that comprehensive balanced definition of the doctrine and all of the basic texts from which that definition grows opened up in your hearing and not just opened up as teaching but you've been pled with at times with tears in one sermon with blood. Some of you remember I got so worked up on the glory of an imputed righteousness that I split my finger open on the edge of the pulpit and yet you're still ...

19:31 - 21:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not pull down the shade over your mind or shut out the preacher's loving entreaty; hear the warning about eternal judgment.

Martin uses the analogy of the church roof abiding over the congregation to explain that God's wrath abides over the unconverted, even if they are not consciously thinking about it, making the reality of wrath tangible.

minute you've sat in this auditorium, this roof has abided above you, upon you, over you. If I were to ask for a show of hands, how many of you consciously thought this roof is over me? Probably very few. It doesn't change the fact that we've all been under the roof of God. It doesn't change the truth from the moment we walked in the front doors. And you see, you're in la-la land. If you are not in Christ, and if the court of heaven has not declared you pardon of all of your sins, accepted your person as righteous in Christ, the wrath of Almighty God hangs over you right now. And all that keep...

25:33 - 26:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not pull down the shade over your mind or shut out the preacher's loving entreaty; hear the warning about eternal judgment.

Martin uses the vivid image of a saber saw severing supporting beams and the roof crashing down to illustrate the sudden and crushing reality of God's wrath if He were to withdraw His sustaining hand from the unconverted.

Is God stretching forth his finger, touching that organ that's a little bit left of center of your chest. And that wrath will come down upon you as surely as if someone were to come with a huge saber saw and sever these supporting beams. And this roof would come down and crush us all to death. That's reality. Not the lie that you can go on indifferent. To that righteousness offered you in the gospel. That righteousness that God entreats you through his servants to receive. No, the scriptures tell us the wrath of God abides on you. But the

26:30 - 27:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Run from the lie that you can refuse justifying righteousness and escape condemnation; recognize the reality of God's wrath.

Martin recounts a powerful sermon he heard 55 years prior in a rural black church, where a preacher's dramatic delivery of Revelation 6:15-16 deeply impressed upon him the terror of God's coming wrath, emphasizing its lasting impact.

there are multitudes who shall go away. When the Son of God speaks the words, Depart, they shall go away. And if you go on believing the lie that you can refuse this justifying righteousness and somehow escape, you are living in the la-la land of a fool. Revelation, 6, verses 15 and 16 say, When this day described by Matthew comes, the great ones of the earth, the kings and the rulers, will hide in the rocks and caves and pray for mountains to crush them. Hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come. And who, who, w...

30:39 - 31:51 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second question challenges unbelievers: Do you believe the lie that you can substitute your own righteousness for Christ's and be accepted by God? Martin expounds Romans 10:3…

Martin quotes a hymn writer's lines, 'Bold shall I stand in thy great day. For who ought to my charge shall lay, fully absolved from these I am, from sin and fear and death and shame,' to illustrate the confidence of those who hide in Christ's righteousness.

Place themselves under the covering of God's provided righteousness in the perfect righteousness of his Son. God proclaims it in the gospel and he says to sinners, hide in Christ, hide in that righteousness. Range yourself under that righteousness so you can say, with the hymn writer, bold shall I stand in thy great day. For who ought to my charge shall lay, fully absolved from these I am, from sin and fear and death and shame.

35:16 - 35:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second question challenges unbelievers: Do you believe the lie that you can substitute your own righteousness for Christ's and be accepted by God? Martin expounds Romans 10:3…

Martin presents the Pharisee's prayer from Luke 18 as a soliloquy, allowing listeners to hear the language of someone relying on their own righteousness, thereby exposing the nature of self-righteousness.

You want to hear the language of someone actually doing this? God's given us a soliloquy of one of these kinds of people in Luke chapter 18. And we read in verse 9, Jesus spoke this parable unto certain, now listen, who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. They did not need to subject themselves to a righteousness external to them, outside of them.

36:30 - 37:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Repudiate everything you once thought gave you acceptance with God (your own righteousness) and count it all as loss for Christ.

Martin quotes Martin Luther's statement, 'in myself, out of Christ, I am a sinner, nothing but a sinner. Outside of myself and in Christ, I am no sinner,' to powerfully articulate the radical shift in identity through justification.

I regard it as scubala, rubbish, dung, all scourings. I have no confidence in the righteousness that has any foundation in me. As Luther said it so beautifully and Luther-like, in myself, out of Christ, I am a sinner, nothing but a sinner. Outside of myself and in Christ, I am no sinner.

40:39 - 41:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Repudiate everything you once thought gave you acceptance with God (your own righteousness) and count it all as loss for Christ.

Martin quotes Isaiah 61, where Isaiah rejoices in being clothed with garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness, likening it to a bridegroom and bride adorning themselves, to illustrate the beauty and joy of imputed righteousness.

Just as the Bible makes clear that the carnal mind is enmity against God and not subject to the law of God, the carnal mind is enmity against the gospel. You see, the gospel scheme strips away every ground of self-glorying and self-praise. That's why Paul could say, but by God's doing are you in Christ Jesus who is made unto us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption that according as it is written he that glories or boasts let him boast in the Lord. The publican could go down to his house Jesus said, justified. That is declared righteous in the court of heaven and ...

41:55 - 43:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be conformed to this world; desire to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, letting Christ govern every part of your life.

Martin uses the graphic analogy of a cadaver hanging on a Roman gibbet to illustrate how unattractive a true Christian is to the world, emphasizing the mutual crucifixion of the believer and the world through the cross.

is not worthy of the pursuit of my mind and my energy that world has no right to tell me what's good what's bad what's nice what's not nice no no it is seen in its native ugliness in the bruised torn battered body and the shrouded heavens of the son of God the world is crucified to me and he said by the way it works both ways because of Christ capturing my heart and divorcing from the world you know what the world thinks of me I am as attractive to the world as a cadaver hanging on a Roman gibbet the world is crucified to me I to the world you know what the world thinks of me go out there and ...

55:07 - 56:35 Read in full sermon