The Christian Sabbath (SS Open Forum)

The point: Members of the congregation should ask legitimate questions in the open forum, understanding it's a guided discussion, not an open line for any question.

Martin contrasts the church's open forum with Christian radio call-in shows, where trivial or blasphemous questions are entertained, to explain why the church restricts questions to members for edification.

not like the open forum conducted on certain Christian radio stations, where anybody can ask anything and is treated fairly. Frankly, I believe that some of the impudent and almost blasphemous questions and trivial questions that are asked on some of the Christian stations ought to be met with a rebuke, rather than even given the credit of the attempt to give an honest answer. However, we don't in any way regard ourselves, as an open telephone line, for anyone to ask any question, but rather this is an opportunity for the members of this congregation who may have legitimate questions to ask th...

2:00 - 2:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Regular supporters of the ministry should be given preference in asking questions, as their questions are assumed to come from a shared doctrinal framework.

Martin recounts past instances where visitors' questions, stemming from entirely different doctrinal frameworks, caused embarrassment and tension in the class, illustrating why the policy of member-only questions was adopted.

Well, the basic answer to that is, the people who regularly support the ministry here by their presence ought to be given preference in terms of questions related to common concerns, but then secondly, we can assume that their questions, we can assume that their questions, will come out of the context of a doctrinal framework to which they have consciously committed themselves by becoming members. And the most practical questions have doctrinal roots. And there have been times in the past before we adopted this policy, when the whole class has been thrown into embarrassment, when a visitor ask...

3:14 - 3:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Aggressively address the issue of violation of the second commandment (idolatry) verbally, not with physical force.

David's hypothetical scenario of seeing a cousin bow before jade statues before a meal is used to illustrate a clear violation of the second commandment, setting up the parallel question about the fourth commandment.

for the position that is taught in this church, being a confessional church. Now, David's question is, in all of this, to see someone who put in this New Covenant and blatantly listing an idol, what would we do? To say we had a cousin, and we went into his home,

12:06 - 12:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Aggressively address violations of the seventh commandment (adultery) verbally, questioning how one can claim to be a Christian while openly defying God's law.

A hypothetical scenario of confronting 'Cousin John' about shacking up with a woman other than his wife is used to illustrate how clearly and aggressively one might address a violation of the seventh commandment, contrasting it with the difficulty of the fourth.

We would aggressively address, verbally, not with hands, with knife, with club. We would say to them, now, cousin John, how in the world is it, professing to believe in the Lord Jesus, and love the law of God, and having the law of God written on the heart, going down to image, inhabiting with a woman other than his wife, and the seventh commandment, opportunity to address the issue. We'd say, cousin John, is it true that you're shacking up with some woman other than your wife? And if he said yes, we'd say,

13:39 - 14:23 Read in full sermon

The point: If a visitor is in your home, you have the right and responsibility as head of your home to set standards for Lord's Day observance, such as turning off the television.

The scenario of a visiting cousin watching television on the Lord's Day in one's home is used to illustrate the rights and responsibilities of a homeowner to set standards and how to graciously address the issue.

question for example if cousin John has come to your house and is spending a weekend with you now God has established a relationship in which you as the head of your home David have certain rights and responsibilities in ordering the affairs of that home even with respect to visitors who may come among it so if cousin John is accustomed to visiting your house you have every right to say cousin John in our home we believe the Lord is most honored on his day if we leave the television off so we would appreciate it

32:17 - 33:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Be a wise reprover, approaching others graciously rather than in an attacking way, seeking to be a catalyst for understanding.

Martin contrasts an 'aggressive thump' approach to confronting someone about Lord's Day practice with a 'wise reprover' approach, using the example of discussing how watching TV affects one's spirit for worship.

just in time to brush his teeth and get ready to go off he could say John how in the world do you think you can do what you've done for the last two hours and be ready to go to church that's the aggressive thump on him way the other way is to say John I've got a problem if I were you and had just spent a couple of hours in front of the television you know how I'd find my spirit

34:20 - 35:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: So we have got to have a well-grounded scriptural doctrine of the ethical, moral obligations of the Holy Spirit. Of the Lord's Day. That the Lord's Day is not a matter of Christian liberty. It is a matter of Christian du…

The example of certain dispensational 'grace churches' that do not practice water baptism, calling it a 'Judaizing of the New Covenant,' is used to illustrate how varying degrees of dispensationalism narrow the portions of Scripture considered binding on believers.

up the Bible in the way it comes to us Old Testament New Testament but you have varying degrees of dispensationalism who say that the only things that are really binding upon believers are the directives that come to us in the epistles some even go further and say only those things in the prison the berean searchlight it's put out by a man by the name of Stam S T A M I read one of his articles the other day he's just produced his book for years and you have so-called grace churches all over the country that teach this that Water Baptism is peculiar to the

40:57 - 41:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Practice gracious, judicious withdrawal from ungodly activities like gossip, slander, or ribald laughter, as it can be a powerful reproof to others' consciences.

Martin references John Bunyan's 'Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners' and 'Pilgrim's Progress' to show that Bunyan himself was convicted of Sabbath breaking, despite some misinterpreting his views on the Jewish Sabbath.

Yes, I think here's another point that so often is not mentioned, and it's very interesting. When you read John Bunyan's Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, do you remember what was the instrument of his conviction that led to his conversion? How many of you remember what it was? Do you remember reading it, Dave?

47:04 - 47:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Be happy, joyful, serious keepers of the Lord's Day, and be prepared to be called a legalist, letting such slander 'roll off our backs' as we press on in evangelical obedience.

Martin shares a humorous but serious anecdote about slander against Trinity Church, claiming elders forbade marital relations on the Lord's Day and conducted unannounced home checks, to illustrate the kind of accusations believers upholding the Lord's Day might face.

And in closing, let me just say that you can expect, for whatever reasons, if you've fallen in here and you have conscience as to the obligations as well as privileges of the Lord's Day and you express them practically, you will be called a legalist by anyone over here. You'll be called a legalist. I had to laugh. When someone recently confessed to horrible slander about Trinity Church and one of the bits of slander that they both heard and passed around was that Trinity Church was so legalistic about the Lord's Day that the elders publicly forbade married couples

55:08 - 55:50 Read in full sermon