Legacy of a Godly Life

Driving home: he, having died, yet speaks.

Martin recalls Denzel bristling with holy anger when God's glory was detracted from, illustrating Denzel's deep love for God and abhorrence of anything that robbed God of glory.

As Pastor Nichols has already intimated, we do meet this morning under the dark cloud created by the sudden homegoing of our beloved brother and our friend, Mr. Richard Denzel. Because our brother deeply loved the living God, revealed to sinners, and the faithful men in the person and work of Christ, he abhorred anything that robbed that God of glory that was due to him. I can remember occasions when our mild-tempered and mild-mannered brother would bristle with holy anger when he heard or observed something that was a blatant detraction from the glory of God. And I know in the light of that d...

2:26 - 3:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: he, having died, yet speaks.

Martin quotes Paul's confession, 'I am what I am by the grace of God,' to show Denzel's humility and his desire that any praise be directed to God's grace, not his person.

His unreserved confession concerning anything that was praiseworthy is the confession, couched in the language of the Apostle Paul who said, I am what I am by the grace of God. However, since God has taken away from us a man of no little stature in our midst, as I have prayed about the ministry of the Word, I have been constrained to speak to you this morning on this very relevant subject of some biblical truths highlighted in the life and death of Mr. Dempsey. Some biblical truths highlighted both in the life and in the death of our brother. And in this sense, then, it can be said of him as w...

3:52 - 5:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: he, having died, yet speaks.

Martin quotes Hebrews 11:4 concerning Abel, applying it to Denzel to illustrate that Denzel's life and death continue to speak profound biblical truths to the living.

His unreserved confession concerning anything that was praiseworthy is the confession, couched in the language of the Apostle Paul who said, I am what I am by the grace of God. However, since God has taken away from us a man of no little stature in our midst, as I have prayed about the ministry of the Word, I have been constrained to speak to you this morning on this very relevant subject of some biblical truths highlighted in the life and death of Mr. Dempsey. Some biblical truths highlighted both in the life and in the death of our brother. And in this sense, then, it can be said of him as w...

3:52 - 5:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He breaks down a saving profession into three components: unreserved acknowledgment of personal guilt, childlike acceptance of divine testimony concerning Christ, and wholehearted…

Martin references a hymn Denzel loved, 'Weary of earth and laden with my sin,' to illustrate Denzel's personal consciousness of sin and unworthiness before God.

The scripture said of him as it says of us, there is not a righteous man upon the face of the earth, a just man who sins, who does not sin, and who does only what is right. And it was the unreserved acknowledgement of our brother that the Bible's description of him was true. He loved the hymn that we sang because it embodied his own consciousness of sin. Weary of earth and laden with my sin, I looked to heaven and longed to enter in.

9:21 - 9:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: there is no greater inheritance that you can leave to your loved ones, to the people of God and to the world but that inheritance left by our brother of a well attested profession of a saving relationship to the living G…

Martin recounts visiting Denzel's family minutes after his passing, illustrating the comfort derived from a well-attested profession of faith, allowing loved ones to rejoice in the departed's presence with Christ.

of one who is indeed a Christian in reality? Well the Bible says such things as these 2 Corinthians chapter 5 to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Philippians chapter 1 to me to live is Christ and to die is gain verse 21 and then in verse 23 he said I desire and to depart and to be with Christ which is far better or Hebrews 11 23 speaks of the spirits of just men made perfect. And I say from deep pastoral sensitivity what a blessing it was to go into a home just a matter of minutes after our brother was taken and sit down with loved ones and while mingling tears with thei...

16:07 - 17:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Be a constant monument of God's law, heaven, hell, and the Savior to everyone you interact with.

Martin shares an anecdote about Professor John Murray, whose life had a 'revelatory character,' such that when doubts arose, one could say, 'If it's not true, how then do you account for Professor John Murray?' This illustrates how a well-attested life of faith serves as a 'roadblock' to unbelief for others.

I read something the other day and I couldn't read it. I couldn't read it. I couldn't read not help but think of our brother when I read this, someone who was privileged to have close contact with Professor Murray, the late, beloved professor of theology at Westminster Seminary. Speaking of his life, this individual said that his life had almost a revelatory character.

28:47 - 29:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Start 'whacking off right hands and plucking out right eyes' by radically transforming your life's priorities and patterns.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'rubbing shoulders with sodomites' to illustrate how a shoddy Christian life can make it hard to distinguish a believer from the ungodly, neutralizing their witness.

You ought to hang your head today and weep, not for Dick Denzel, but for your shoddy life. Like a lot, you've rubbed shoulders with sodomites so long, it's hard to tell whether you're one of them or not.

36:20 - 36:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Start 'whacking off right hands and plucking out right eyes' by radically transforming your life's priorities and patterns.

Martin alludes to Jesus' teaching about radical self-denial ('whacking off right hands and plucking out right eyes') to urge listeners to deal decisively with sin and misplaced priorities that hinder their spiritual legacy.

Well, friend, what are you going to do about it? It's time you started whacking off right hands and plucking out right eyes. If your business is destroying you, go to heaven with glory as a poor man, but not with glory living the way you're living.

36:55 - 37:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not have a distorted view of usefulness, waiting for some great opportunity; mold the precious lives God has given you as future husbands, fathers, and citizens in Christ's kingdom.

Martin highlights Denzel's joy in seeing his children come to faith, marry in the Lord, and establish God-honoring homes, illustrating the profound wealth of a godly parent's legacy, making 'the wrongs and the Rockefellers look like paupers.'

He lived long enough to see each of his children come to open profession of faith in Christ, to marry in the Lord and to establish God-honoring homes. I say the man who lives to see that is wealthy. He makes the wrongs and the Rockefellers look like paupers. And again I speak, I trust as a Christian father.

41:22 - 41:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not have a distorted view of usefulness, waiting for some great opportunity; mold the precious lives God has given you as future husbands, fathers, and citizens in Christ's kingdom.

Martin notes that 'dozens and dozens, probably several hundred hands' would go up if he asked who had experienced Denzel's hospitality, illustrating his extensive usefulness in the ministry of hospitality.

God's given you precious lives to mold as future husbands and fathers and citizens in Christ's kingdom. Give yourself to that task. There are a few members in this church and many friends, very few, who have not known the hospitality of that home. It'd be amazing if I were to ask how many of you have sat at Rich's table for a meal as a guest in that home.

42:29 - 42:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not have a distorted view of usefulness, waiting for some great opportunity; mold the precious lives God has given you as future husbands, fathers, and citizens in Christ's kingdom.

Martin mentions Denzel's consistent presence in a particular pew, illustrating his faithfulness in the means of grace and the void his absence creates.

There would not be five, 10, 15, 20, dozens and dozens of hands, probably several hundred hands would go up in this place this morning. An extensive usefulness in the ministry of hospitality, consistency in the means of grace. And we all, without renting pews, we all get feeling more comfortable in a given place. I don't know who will fill that place down there, but we'll miss it.

42:59 - 43:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand that usefulness in Christ's kingdom is not dependent upon special gifts for public ministry, but on stewarding what God has placed in your hand for His glory.

Martin uses the analogy of God asking Moses, 'What is that in thy hand?' to illustrate how Denzel viewed his family, home, and income as gifts from God to be used for His glory, demonstrating that usefulness is not limited to public ministry.

And how many, how many a juniper tree has been kept off our back because of his warmth of encouragement to press on in the work. I say his life and his death are a powerful reminder that extensive usefulness in Christ's church does not depend upon special gifts for public ministry because we believe in the primacy of preaching because God in grace and it's been all of grace has been pleased to bring blessing to this people through the ministry of the word of God we can very easily get a distorted view of the place of that ministry in the total life of the church and the place of that ministry ...

44:01 - 45:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Be prepared for death, as the person unprepared is a fool.

Martin recounts Balaam's desire to 'die the death of the righteous' and then quotes a couplet, 'then live his life the sacred book replies,' to illustrate the hypocrisy of desiring a godly end without living a godly life.

it's appointed unto men once to die and coupled with that is the possible suddenness of our death in the old Anglican prayer book the people of God prayed from sudden death good Lord deliver us he does not always answer that prayer and it's a general rule that men die exactly as they've lived seeking to prepare my own heart for this morning I went back over that incident in the book of Numbers some of you will remember it you have the incident of that man that very mixed character called Balaam who's being seduced by Balak to prophesy evil against the people of God and he can't do it and God c...

49:51 - 51:15 Read in full sermon

The point: If you desire to 'die the death of the righteous,' then you must 'live his life' by acknowledging your sin, accepting Christ's testimony, and embracing Him as Savior and Lord.

Martin shares Denzel's last words, 'I am at rest, I am content in the will of God,' to illustrate the peaceful death of the righteous, contrasting it with Balaam's desire.

oh let me die his death dear friend dear relative dear member of trinity cries let me die the kind of death that Dick Denzel died his last words to his loved ones I am at rest I am content in the will of God I am content in the will of God oh that I might die oh that I might die the death of the righteous that I might give some broken hearted pastor the solid basis of preaching on my death as he's preached on the occasion of Mr. Denzel's death oh that I might die the death of the righteous you cry let me die his death the member of trinity cries then live his life the book of God God replies a...

51:15 - 52:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Go home today and with vicious hands pull up the weeds of worldly cares that are choking out the Word in your life.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'weed beds of the cares of this world' choking out the Word to illustrate how worldly concerns can stifle spiritual fruitfulness in believers.

of the cares of this world to choke out the word in some of you the very word that caused Him to flourish has been overshadowed utterly choked by the cares of this world and the lust of other things entering in oh may God help some of you to go home today and with vicious hands pull up the weeds by the dozens in the name of God, friend do it today Christians have come to knock your right where you were a year ago two years ago and I fear you'll die and it'll take Herculean acts of Christianity and charity to even bury you as a Christian God help the poor preacher that has to go through that ag...

54:13 - 55:38 Read in full sermon