Ministry of the Word of God, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins by sharing a personal anecdote about his parents' use of repetition for character molding, linking it to Peter's practice in 2 Peter 1:12. He then explains how…

Martin recounts his parents' repeated sayings like 'doing things you don't like to do develops character' and 'a job worth doing is worth doing well.' This illustrates the principle that repetition and reinforcement are crucial for character molding and passing on important truths, linking it to Peter's practice in 2 Peter 1:12.

The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, April 8, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now allow me to lead you into our study of the Word of God this morning by taking you back with me into my childhood and into the period of my life when my mother and father exercised an immediate and direct influence upon the molding of my character. Now for some of you who know a little bit of the arithmetic, that's like being invited to take a trip back into the dark ages. But nonetheless, if you were to come with me and periodically to listen in to some of the verbal...

0:02 - 1:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon briefly reviews previous topics in the 'Living Together in the Father's House' series: the church's supreme purpose (to glorify God), its God-appointed activities…

Martin uses the imagery of a circle with upward, inward, and outward arrows to organize the six God-appointed activities of the church (worship, edification, love, evangelism, church planting, nurturing churches). This helps visualize the different dimensions of the church's purpose.

I organize them under the circle in the arrows imagery. Those six are the purposes of the church. The first activities, supreme in them, promoting the worship of God, the upward arrow. The inward arrows, mutual edification and mutual manifestation of the love of Christ in practical concern for one another.

5:53 - 6:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Pursue a thorough and broad theological education, especially if laboring in the word and teaching.

Martin contrasts church systems where bishops appoint pastors or wealthy patrons influence appointments with Trinity Baptist's congregational system where the people select their ministers. This highlights the congregation's responsibility in choosing those who will minister the Word.

In our system, of church government, no bishop appoints our pastors, our preachers. No bishop. In some systems, they do. Nor in our system of government can a wealthy man put his man in by patronage.

30:21 - 30:36 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines faithful proclamation using the Greek word 'kerux' (herald), meaning to faithfully sound out the message. This involves both accurately quoting scripture to explain…

The role of a 'kedux' (herald) sent by a sovereign to proclaim a message is used to define faithful proclamation. The herald's task is not to judge the message but to faithfully sound it out, illustrating the preacher's role in delivering God's Word without alteration.

well when the ambassador of the I'm sorry when the sovereign would send an official ambassador to speak in his name in the cities or villages to carry a directive or an announcement from the throne the man whom he appointed was called a he was a herald he had one task and that task was to faithfully sound out the message given to him by his sovereign he was not to judge it whether it was fair whether it was equitable whether it was kind no no he had no business in judging the message he was to hear it he was to receive it in his hand he was to proclaim it he was to read it out loud in the city...

42:26 - 43:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines faithful proclamation using the Greek word 'kerux' (herald), meaning to faithfully sound out the message. This involves both accurately quoting scripture to explain…

The devil quoting scripture to tempt Jesus (e.g., 'He shall give his angels charge concerning you') is used to illustrate that merely quoting scripture does not constitute faithful ministry if the purpose is not to explain, establish, or enforce God's truth.

for the simple reason scripture can be quoted for a purpose and not for a purpose and the devil seeks to entice our lord to sin by tempting him to prove in a way that he was under no obligation to prove that he was what the father just said he was in the baptism of Jordan this is my beloved son in the son of God turn these stones into bread stretch your stuff and prove it the lord foiled him by saying man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God verse 5 then the devil takes him into the holy city set him on the throne and he shall not live by bread ...

45:24 - 46:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines faithful proclamation using the Greek word 'kerux' (herald), meaning to faithfully sound out the message. This involves both accurately quoting scripture to explain…

Martin constructs a false syllogism: 'God is omniscient. Jesus did not know the time of his return. Therefore, Jesus is not God.' This example demonstrates how quoting scripture (Mark 13:32) without proper theological understanding (Christ's two natures) can lead to erroneous conclusions, emphasizing the need for faithful interpretation.

that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation is our salvation our great salvation and and the last event in the end of the preaching of the will of the Lord and in all the things that the scripture and the faithful ministry of the word it must be quoting the words of scripture in order to explain establish and enforce the truth of scripture you can For example, I can prove from Scripture God is omniscient. He knows all things.

48:21 - 49:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be lazy or hypercritical in listening; discern when a speaker is accurately conveying scriptural truth in their own words versus merely quoting or twisting scripture.

Pastor Lamar Martin's survey of Old Testament books, which included both direct quotes and summaries of chapters, is used to illustrate that conveying the truth of scripture in one's own words, accurately, is still a faithful ministry of the Word, even if not verbatim quotation.

But no man of God is under obligation to take you to the chapters and verses and segments of Scripture that lie behind every utterance of truth that he gives. But it is nonetheless the word of God. For example, some of us have sat here in this place in the adult class the last two Lord's days, the last two Lord's day mornings. And we have had the book of Genesis, the book of Job, and the book of Exodus opened up in the way of a masterful survey.

54:02 - 54:34 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes that scripture's words, though divinely chosen, are human words from specific cultures and languages, requiring explanation. He illustrates this with Nehemiah…

The account of Ezra and others reading the law distinctly and 'giving the sense' to the people who had returned from captivity and were less fluent in pure Hebrew, serves as a primary Old Testament illustration of faithful explanation and exposition of scripture.

The book of Nehemiah. The people of God have returned from captivity. They've been out of their own land and their own cultural setting for seventy years. And many of them have acquired a greater fluency in the Aramaic language, a dialect, which made them less astute and comfortable with the pure Hebrew.

60:26 - 60:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes that scripture's words, though divinely chosen, are human words from specific cultures and languages, requiring explanation. He illustrates this with Nehemiah…

Jesus interpreting 'in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself' to the dejected disciples on the road to Emmaus, causing their hearts to burn, is presented as the most heartwarming New Testament illustration of faithful exposition.

Luke chapter 24. Do you remember the setting? The Lord is risen from the dead. He draws near to these two people walking on the road to Emmaus.

63:51 - 64:03 Read in full sermon

The point: When preaching, after answering 'what does the text say?', always answer the question 'so what?' in your application.

A quote from a 'bygone generation' preacher, 'application is the highway from the head to the heart in preaching,' is used to emphasize the crucial role of application in moving listeners beyond mere intellectual understanding to heartfelt response.

But so what? Reprove, correction, instruction in righteousness. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching. Preacher from a bygone generation said, application is the highway from the head to the heart in preaching.

70:07 - 70:29 Read in full sermon