Evangelizing the Lost by Our Lives

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon series 'Living Together in the Father's House,' reviewing previous messages on God's concern for behavior in His house and the church's supreme…

Martin uses the visual image of the church as a large circle with arrows pointing upward (worship), inward (edification, benevolence), and outward (evangelism, church planting) to illustrate the various means by which the church glorifies God.

You see, the church is not left to her discretionary powers as to the means by which God is to be glorified. But the same Bible that identifies and defines the purpose of the church identifies and defines the activities by which the church is to pursue and to realize, that noble purpose. Our Constitution, in seeking to answer that question by what means, has put it together in this language. The purpose of the Church is to glorify the God of the Scriptures in, could have used the preposition by, promoting His worship, evangelizing sinners, edifying saints, planting and strengthening churches, ...

3:36 - 4:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Manifest the truth and power of the gospel by a consistent and radically different pattern of life, both corporately and individually, in all interactions with the unconverted world.

The inseparability of the witness of life and the witness of word in evangelism is compared to the two sides of a genuine coin, where both are necessary for validity.

They are the two sides of a genuine coin. If you have a bona fide, genuine coin, minted in the proper place in the proper way, it will reflect its genuineness on both sides. You may have a perfectly formed head of Washington on your quarter, and all the other engravings seem to be the marks of a bona fide, genuine, valid medium of exchange, but if you turn it over and it's blank, or if it's got a picture of your Uncle George on it, you know that this is bogus currency. Like the two sides of a genuine coin.

12:49 - 13:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Manifest the truth and power of the gospel by a consistent and radically different pattern of life, both corporately and individually, in all interactions with the unconverted world.

The essential and inseparable nature of inhaling and exhaling is used to illustrate that both the witness of life and word are vital for spiritual life and evangelism.

Like the two parts of breathing. Sitting here, if you're a real-life, sure-enough-breathing human being, you're doing two things constantly. You can't say, well, I just prefer inhaling. Forget the exhaling.

13:29 - 13:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure that your witness is a combination of both a radically different life and verbal testimony, never separating the two.

Day and night are used as an analogy to further emphasize the natural and inseparable pairing of the witness of life and word.

Breathing has two inseparable activities. You inhale, and you exhale. Like the two phases of a full day. Day and night.

13:54 - 14:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds Matthew 5:13-16, explaining that Jesus' description of His followers as 'salt of the earth' and 'light of the world' is a statement of fact about their transformed…

The Beatitudes are likened to a police composite sketch, forming a picture of the leading features of every son and daughter in the kingdom of grace.

The Beatitudes are not exhortation to become something. The Beatitudes are a description. They are a composite picture of the leading features of every son and daughter who is in the kingdom of grace established by the King who is speaking, even Jesus. Remember if someone believes that a crime has been committed against them and they're trying to track down the perpetrator and they say, what did he look like?

18:55 - 19:26 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You, my people, who by grace manifest the character traits of the sons and daughters of the kingdom, you are like salt sprinkled upon the earth that is putrefying, that is decaying, that multiplies the bacteria and its s…

Martin explains the ancient use of salt to preserve meat in a climate without refrigeration, illustrating how believers, as 'salt of the earth,' check the putrefaction and decay of sin in the world.

It is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. You are the salt. What would have come to the minds of his hearers? Salt.

22:29 - 22:40 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds Matthew 5:13-16, explaining that Jesus' description of His followers as 'salt of the earth' and 'light of the world' is a statement of fact about their transformed…

Martin recounts driving on a road in the rural South, miles from any town, to illustrate the profound darkness of ancient Palestine and how even a small light could be seen for hundreds of yards, emphasizing the impact of believers as 'light of the world'.

No electricity, no ever-ready flashlights. They knew what darkness was. Years ago, when I was preaching at a little mission in the rural south, there was a road that we would take from Augusta, Georgia, back to Greenville, South Carolina. It was miles away from any town, any city.

28:14 - 28:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for God's help to be a Christian man or woman in all circumstances, so that your demeanor commends the gospel.

Martin shares a personal story about his shoulder infection and frequent doctor visits, where his pleasant demeanor (witness of life) led his doctor and staff to commend him, opening a door for explicit verbal witness about resurrection hope.

This came home so forcibly. This past week. As many of you know, the surgery on this shoulder went well. But then I've developed complications that have resulted in a deep skin infection.

49:18 - 49:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What they see is like the arrowhead that pierces the hide and makes way for the shaft of what we say to follow.

The impact of a consistent Christian life is likened to an arrowhead that pierces the hide, making way for the shaft of verbal testimony to follow, illustrating the relationship between life and word in evangelism.

What they see is like the arrowhead that pierces the hide and makes way for the shaft of what we say to follow.

51:44 - 51:54 Read in full sermon