Biblically Mandated Activities

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon as the third in a series 'Living Together in the Father's House,' explaining its origin in the church's constitution and the elders' commitment to…

Martin references Wayne Mack and David Swavely's book, 'Life Together in the Father's House,' as the inspiration for his sermon series title, highlighting its focus on a member's guide to the local church.

The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, October 15, 2000, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Those who are members of this assembly and who come regularly to our morning hour of worship will know that we come this morning to the third message in a series of sermons that I have entitled, Living Together in the Father's House. A title borrowed and revised from a most helpful book written by Wayne Mack and David Swavely, which bears the title, Life Together in the Father's House, with the subtitle, A Member's Guide to the Local Church. And for the benefit of tho...

0:02 - 1:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He reviews the first two sermons, covering God's concern for behavior in His house (1 Timothy 3:14-15) and the church's supreme purpose to glorify God (Ephesians 3:21)…

Martin commends B.B. Warfield's sermon 'Faith and Life' on 1 Timothy 3:16 for its profound statement on why God is concerned about behavior in His house, encouraging other preachers to read it.

I commend to any of you men who may be wrestling with this whole issue, is it not fiddling while Rome burns to seek to be concerned with the details of our life together? I commend to you Warfield's sermon in Faith and Life on the 1 Timothy 3, 16 text, which in setting the context in the introduction has, in my judgment, the most profound statement I've ever read, pages 374 to 378. On why? Because God is concerned about behavior in his house.

4:55 - 5:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All things exist primarily for the glory of God rather than for our benefit, and that includes the church, which was created predominantly for his honor and not for our happiness.

Martin points out that Ephesians 3:21 is etched in stone on the left-hand entrance of their church building, emphasizing its pivotal role in identifying the church's purpose.

The purpose of this Church is to glorify the God of the Scriptures. And I call this statement a reflection of the supreme and the all-embracing purpose of the Church. And I was bold enough to assert that any gathering of professed disciples of Christ that a day that identifies itself as a Church of Christ must have as its supreme and all-embracing purpose to glorify the God of the Scriptures. And so we spent the hour opening up what I call the primary text, the text that is etched in stone on the left hand of the entrance of this building, Ephesians 3 and verse 21. 1. To him be glory in the Ch...

6:01 - 7:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All things exist primarily for the glory of God rather than for our benefit, and that includes the church, which was created predominantly for his honor and not for our happiness.

Martin quotes Wayne Mack and David Swavely's book, stating that the church exists primarily for the glory of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, not for man's benefit or happiness, citing Ephesians 3:21.

And I have the temerity to make the statement that the church does not exist primarily to meet the needs of men. It meets unnumbered needs, but it does not exist primarily to meet the needs of men. And in going back through some of the pages of Wayne Mack and Mr. Swavely's book, I found this statement, and I want to read it to you as I conclude the review.

9:50 - 10:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All things exist primarily for the glory of God rather than for our benefit, and that includes the church, which was created predominantly for his honor and not for our happiness.

Martin reads a series of contrasts from Mack and Swavely's book, illustrating the differences in focus, worship styles, doctrine, counseling, discipline, and prayer between man-centered and God-centered churches.

Their primary purpose is to solve people's problems. Rather than bringing glory to God. However, rather than bringing glory to God in the first place, the following contrasts can help us determine whether a church is a God-centered or a man-centered church in its focus. A man-centered church will follow extra-biblical traditions that make people more comfortable because of their familiarity, but a God-centered church will jettison on biblical traditions and be wary of any that might somehow obscure the simplicity of the church, of Christ, even reformed Baptist traditions of 25 years, I may say...

11:14 - 12:34 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin transitions to the second major heading: the biblically mandated activities by which the church glorifies God, outlining them as upward (worship), inward (mutual…

Martin uses the metaphor of a whiteboard with a circle representing the church and arrows pointing upward (worship), inward (mutual edification, benevolence), and outward (evangelism) to categorize the church's biblically mandated activities.

Now we're going to consider, as these things are set before us and collated in our constitution, the biblically mandated activities by which we are to pursue this supreme and all-embracing purpose. The way it's stated in our Constitution is this. The purpose of this church is to glorify the God of the Scriptures in promoting His worship, evangelizing sinners, edifying saints, planting and strengthening churches, and showing benevolence to the needy. We are committed to the proclamation of God's perfect law and glorious gospel of His grace through all the world and the defense of the faith once...

14:28 - 15:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He begins with the first upward activity, promoting God's worship, and expounds John 4, where Jesus teaches the Samaritan woman about worshiping the Father 'in spirit and truth,'…

Martin suggests that the Samaritan woman's question about the place of worship was a diversionary tactic to avoid the direct pressure on her conscience from Jesus' exposure of her sin.

He's beginning to tighten the noose, as it were, in seeking to draw her to face her sin and to embrace the one who welcomes sinners to Himself. And in the course of speaking to her, when the Lord begins to come close to her conscience, she, in my judgment, and many preachers have made this point, seeks to divert the issue from a direct pressure upon her conscience when the Lord tells her to call her husband, she says, I have no husband. And when our Lord says, I know all about that, she says, I perceive you're a prophet. And if you're a prophet, here's a good discussion point for prophets.

18:16 - 18:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then expounds Philippians 3, identifying the marks of true covenant people as those who 'worship by the Spirit of God,' 'glory in Christ Jesus,' and 'have no confidence in…

Martin sarcastically notes that Paul didn't attend a seminar on 'how to have a totally unoffensive ministry' when he called the Judaizers 'dogs,' 'evil workers,' and 'knife wielders,' highlighting Paul's boldness in confronting false teaching.

dogs. Beware of the evil workers. Beware of the knife wielders, would be a contemporary way of translating that word. Now, obviously, Paul didn't go off to the latest seminar on how to have a totally unoffensive ministry and be true to God. Surely word would get out that he's called these Judaizers floating around the church there, and they've not yet done too much damage here as they had done in other places. But he says, watch out for them. They are dogs. Imagine what that meant to a kosher Jew. You're an unclean, ravenous, prowling dog. Beware of the dogs, predators,

24:05 - 24:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Every one of us by nature is an idolater. The word of God says of us, we worship and serve the creature more than the creator. And when God in regenerating grace brings us to himself, he makes of us idolaters. Worshipper…

Martin shares his personal practice of saying 'Messiah Jesus' aloud in his devotions to grasp the profound meaning of Paul's transformation from persecutor to worshiper of Christ.

They are not boasting in their lineage back to Abraham. They are not boasting in external rights that would mark you with an external nation. They boast in Christ Jesus. And I've wondered how many times I've been trying to do this in my own devotions recently. Every time I come to the words Christ Jesus, what they would mean to Paul, Messiah Jesus. And I've been saying it out loud to try to get it under my skin. What a marvel of grace. Saul of Tarsus saying all the time, Messiah Jesus.

26:54 - 27:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He continues with 1 Peter 2, showing how individual believers, as 'living stones,' are built into a 'spiritual house' and 'holy priesthood' to 'offer up spiritual sacrifices…

Martin describes the congregation's feeling of saying 'a fond farewell' to Peter after completing his exposition of 1 Peter, likening it to 'kissing a dear friend on the cheek,' conveying affection for the biblical text.

Worshippers. And the apostle says that's the mark of the true people of God. Now our third text. First Peter chapter 2. The connections I hope to get to when we've considered all three texts. First Peter chapter 2. We said a fond farewell to Peter last Lord's Day evening. Many of us felt like we were kissing a dear friend on the cheek. Hoping to see him again in a better place.

29:25 - 29:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He continues with 1 Peter 2, showing how individual believers, as 'living stones,' are built into a 'spiritual house' and 'holy priesthood' to 'offer up spiritual sacrifices…

Martin uses the metaphor of 'ballast in their souls' to describe how Peter's sound doctrine of what believers are and have in Christ acts as stability during turbulent times of suffering.

But here in chapter 2. Opening up more of those grand indicatives to these suffering saints. The things that they are and have in Christ. That are to act like ballast in their souls as the ship of their lives goes through turbulent seas. Peter is constantly putting in the ballast of sound doctrine of what they are and what they have in Jesus Christ. And here he opens up some dimensions of what they are and have.

29:58 - 30:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates the global reality of Christ's living temples offering worship and points to the book of Revelation to show that worship is the central occupation of heaven…

Martin shares a personal anecdote about his family worship, where he and a visiting pastor prayed for brethren across different hemispheres, illustrating the global, continuous nature of corporate worship.

Think with me in crassly material. Physical ways of what is happening around the world today. Last night in our family worship it was interesting. Pastor blaze has been staying with us.

36:26 - 36:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand the strategic central place of the worship of our God, as nobody is fit for heaven who doesn't begin to experience worship here.

Martin describes various worship settings—basements, factories, dirt floors—to emphasize that true worship is not tied to ornate places but to the gathering of Christ's people, who are living temples.

Come together. And in those places this newly constituted spiritual priesthood has been offering up sacrifices so that from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same the name of our great and glorious God has been worshiped not by people making pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Some of the meeting in basements for fear of the intrusion of a hostile government. Some of the meeting in.

37:31 - 38:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand the strategic central place of the worship of our God, as nobody is fit for heaven who doesn't begin to experience worship here.

Martin references Revelation 4, 5, 7, 11, and 19 to illustrate that the primary occupation of heaven is worship, with all creatures falling before the throne and worshiping God and the Lamb.

Revelation five revelation seven revelation eleven revelation nineteen do it if you can this afternoon. We're going to pull back the. Day. And he shows that the occupation of heaven is.

38:50 - 39:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that when the unconverted come among us, they will be changed from idolaters to worshipers in the context of our worship.

Martin uses the analogy of an unbeliever entering a chaotic Corinthian church service and thinking, 'I've walked into a nut house,' to highlight the importance of orderly worship for evangelistic impact.

When the unconverted come among us, it should be our prayer that they will be changed in the very context of our worship from idolaters to worshipers. And I've got Biblical grounds to say that. I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians 14. This is part of my application if you didn't get the idea. 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Paul is sorting out what we would say were the irregularities of some of the public worship services of the church at Convent. He says that things go on the way they are. The uninstructed, the unbeliever will come in and listen and watch and he'll say he's walked into a nut house....

40:32 - 41:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that when the unconverted come among us, they will be changed from idolaters to worshipers in the context of our worship.

Martin contrasts a vision of God that makes an unbeliever 'jump up and dance' and see Him as a 'nice, sweet, innocuous, little, little cuddly bear' with a vision that puts him 'on his face,' emphasizing the awe-inspiring nature of the true God.

But I see he's just a nice, sweet, innocuous, little, little cuddly bear. And I want to cuddle up to him and get a vision of God that puts him on his face.

43:27 - 43:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But I see he's just a nice, sweet, innocuous, little, little cuddly bear. And I want to cuddle up to him and get a vision of God that puts him on his face.

Martin vividly imagines an unbeliever's internal monologue, contrasting the plainness of a church meeting in 'John's basement' with ornate pagan temples, yet being gripped by the reality of God's presence in the simple, Spirit-filled worship.

God is of a truth among you. We've heard you crazy people say when you meet in this plain place, while we're on our way to our ornate pagan temples where we've got beautifully attired priests and we've got complex and visually and aesthetically impressive rituals and rubrics. We've heard you people say that we have no gods. Our gods are just notions and words.

43:42 - 44:09 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not try to create a climate of 'cuddliness' or prove that the church is a 'harmless bunch' to visitors.

Martin critiques churches that aim to be a 'nice guy's club,' where visitors feel unthreatened and their lifestyles are not constrained, contrasting this with the New Testament vision of a church that inspires fear and awe.

I'm a nice guy. This is a nice guy's club.

45:57 - 46:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will grant us to see unbelievers transformed into worshipers in our assemblies.

Martin references the account of Ananias and Sapphira's death in Acts to illustrate that the early church was not a 'nice guy club' but a place where God's holiness and judgment were evident, leading to fear.

Why? Word got out, if you're a hypocrite, they got a God that kills you. Yeah. Ananias and Sapphira within a space of hours.

46:32 - 46:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not become restive or weary of the consistent elements of biblical worship (reading, hymns, prayer).

Martin uses the metaphor of 'manna' to describe the consistent, seemingly repetitive elements of biblical worship (reading, hymns, prayer), challenging believers not to grow weary of God's provision, even if it always 'looks the same'.

It's going to be prayer. Let's have some of this manna, this manna stuff. It always looks the same. Oh yeah, we can boil it sometimes and we can broil it and we can pickle it, but it's manna still, you know.

48:40 - 48:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Commit anew to be engaged more faithfully in biblically mandated worship, lest God be robbed of the spiritual sacrifice He desires.

Martin shares his recent prayer to God about preaching, asking not to be determined to get through his notes but to preach what the Spirit constrains him to, acknowledging the need for extemporaneous utterance.

So, what do I do? Well, I move to my last page of application and I try to piecemeal these applications that assumed I would have gotten the inward arrows just to tell you where we're going, God willing. The inward arrows have to do with all the activities connected with mutual edification and secondly, with the manifestation of God's practical love for His people which will take in the subject of benevolence and in those inward arrows we look at those activities God has ordained for mutual edification and for the manifestation of His love in practical ways but now, let me come to these conclu...

50:25 - 51:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Guard with passionate jealousy the simplicity, purity, and power of biblically mandated worship.

Martin describes the Christ of John 2 (temple cleansing) as having 'flashing eyes and a whip in His hands,' using vivid imagery to convey His zeal for the purity of worship and contrasting it with a 'cuddly' image.

It should draw from us, my brothers and sisters, a renewed commitment to guard with a passionate jealousy the simplicity, purity, and power of the biblical mandated activity by which God is glorified. Remember, the Christ we worship is the Christ of John 2, the Christ into whose image we are being progressively conformed as we gaze upon Him and the Spirit works internally upon us. 2 Corinthians 3.18, is the Christ who has flashing eyes and a whip in His hands.

54:23 - 55:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Guard with passionate jealousy the simplicity, purity, and power of biblically mandated worship.

Martin imagines someone dropping into the temple during Christ's cleansing and thinking 'a madman is loose,' to emphasize the vigor and intensity of Jesus' actions in driving out money changers and animals.

And I'm convinced if we had dropped down in a helicopter right as He went into the thing, we would say a madman is loose in the temple. When you read the vigor of the verse, over through the tables of the money changers, drove out the money changers and the beasts. You got a little bit of sanctified imagination? See that ox and that lamb?

55:07 - 55:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry mightily to God for greater measures of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit upon these mandated activities.

Martin explains that the corruption in the temple (money changers, animal sellers) likely started with 'very good motives' to help people worship, illustrating how deviations from God's mandated worship can begin subtly and innocently.

Prayer to and heart intercourse with God. You've made it a den of robbers. And it didn't happen overnight. It started with people saying, hasn't God ordained that the poor people offer pigeons and turtle doves?

55:53 - 56:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry mightily to God for greater measures of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit upon these mandated activities.

Martin expresses his longing to see a sinner so gripped by God's presence in worship that they 'slump over in his pew and fall out in the aisle,' confessing their idolatry and seeking God, illustrating a powerful, transformative work of the Spirit.

No, I have yet to see a sinner come in this place and slump over in his pew and fall out in the aisle and have somebody go and say, feel this way, you got it. No, no, no, no heart attack. What's the matter? I'm not right with God.

57:48 - 58:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry mightily to God for greater measures of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit upon these mandated activities.

Martin shares his desire to sing hymns with 'tear ducts spontaneously opening up in tears of gratitude and wonder,' not through emotional manipulation but through the Holy Spirit bringing closer proximity to heavenly realities.

Can you help me? I pray God I'll live yet to see it. We're not saying God help us. If we are saying that we think we know experientially all there is to know of the presence and the power of God in our stated seasons of corporate worship along for the day when I cannot sing some of these hymns without the tear ducts spontaneously opening up in tears of gratitude and wonder.

58:09 - 58:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry mightily to God for greater measures of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit upon these mandated activities.

Martin uses the analogy of a husband with a deep love for his wife being less vulnerable to another woman, comparing it to a soul ravished with God's manna being less likely to seek novelty or unwarranted elements in worship.

you need something more? And I say, no. No, God has come in His own mandated activities and fed my soul upon Himself and given me fresh sights of the glory and the grace of the Lord Jesus, given me a fresh sight of all that I am in Christ and all that I shall be and all the glory that awaits me and a host of other things. You see, it's when men are determined to stick by the simplicity and the purity of God's instituted activities but are content to do so without the power, that people who hunger for something real begin to look in another direction. You follow what I'm saying? Does it not ans...

60:09 - 61:26 Read in full sermon