The Lordship of Christ, Part 2

The point: Consciously confess to the Lord that you will receive nothing unless He gives you the grace and ability to receive.

The time spent traveling to and from the sermon is likened to wasted time unless God grants the grace to receive something, emphasizing human dependence on divine enablement.

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. He's come tonight to deliberately waste two and a half hours out of an evening figuring the time you left your home, the time you're here and get returned to your home. And yet this is exactly what that two or two and a half hours will be unless God is pleased to give us something.

0:11 - 0:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The sound convert takes a whole Christ. It takes him for all intents and purposes, without exceptions, without limitations, without reserve. He's willing to have Christ on any terms. He's willing to have the dominion of …

God is described as a 'consuming fire' to illustrate His transcendent majesty and holiness, implying that one cannot be at ease with Him in sin.

a God whom the scripture describes as a consuming fire. Nobody cuddles up to a consuming fire.

4:52 - 5:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The sound convert takes a whole Christ. It takes him for all intents and purposes, without exceptions, without limitations, without reserve. He's willing to have Christ on any terms. He's willing to have the dominion of …

A lengthy quote from Joseph Hylian (early 1600s) is used to illustrate that the error of taking Christ 'by halves' (benefits without Lordship) is an ancient and common mistake, showing the unchanging nature of the human heart and Satan's subtlety.

of this crown, then I cannot know the blessings. So to summarize what it took me about two and a half hours to is just to read a paragraph from the book. Then I'll ask you when you think this man was writing. The unsound convert takes Christ by halves for the salvation of Christ, but he does not appropriate the person of Christ.

5:48 - 6:20 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What I do is seek to lay the truth to your mind and your conscience and then urge upon you to act in the light of that truth as the Holy Ghost deals with you. ... Beloved, that's the only evangelism that's taught in the …

Martin recounts an anecdote from his traveling ministry where a woman told him he wasn't an evangelist because he made people think before asking for a decision. He uses this to explain his biblical approach to evangelism as instructive, not manipulative.

Now, you've got to stick with me. I know this is hard. I remember one time I was out in meetings in the Midwest when I was in the traveling ministry. They called me an evangelist.

8:24 - 8:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He never does it to an unbroken, impenitent heart. Robert Murray McShane said, It's only a broken heart that can receive a crucified Savior.

The story of young Charles Spurgeon's conversion in a Methodist chapel, after five years of spiritual agony, illustrates how the Holy Spirit sovereignly makes general promises of mercy a personal word to the heart.

who having spent five years under deep agony of soul as a young lad from the ages of ten to fifteen, crying to God, seeking to embrace the offers of the gospel, but unable to see the promises of mercy as his own, crying, hungry, That memorable, memorable day when he sat up on the balcony in the little Methodist chapel and the layman stood up to preach from Isaiah 45, Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved. And he looked up and said to the young man, Look and be saved. And he said, At that instant I did both, and I knew I was saved. What happened?

25:13 - 25:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds on 1 John, arguing that John wrote 'these things' (a series of tests) so believers could examine their lives for evidence of transformation. He details tests of…

1 John 5:13 is personified as an 'underdog' verse that has been 'kicked around and abused' to highlight how it is often misused to promote false assurance without considering its context.

In other words, there is the evidence of a transformed life. Will you turn to 1 John 5? This is one of my, I guess, I sort of always fight for the underdog. And this poor verse has been kicked around and abused and insulted.

30:25 - 30:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Honestly and objectively evaluate your life against the standards of 1 John to discern if you are truly saved.

A quote from A.W. Tozer about an old bishop describing God's people as 'cracked vessels' is used to illustrate the need to love all of God's people, even those with imperfections.

jealousies who were not even a ship and they claimed to be born of God John says he that loveth not is abiding in a state of these things have I written unto you that you may know do you find that all things be equal there's nobody would rather be within God's people ones that are different from you I gave W Tozer used to like to tell the story of one of the old bishops who said well you know

41:05 - 41:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Honestly and objectively evaluate your life against the standards of 1 John to discern if you are truly saved.

An example of a pastor turning away without shaking hands is used to illustrate how love for the brethren seeks to put the best construction on others' actions, rather than assuming negative motives.

for the motive of meanness when you're going out Sunday morning just as you've to your pastor, he turns away from you, doesn't shake your hand, what motive do you put on there? Do you say, uh-huh, I thought so, uh-huh, I thought so, he's getting irritated with me. Or do you say, well, I know, he probably turned away because he just thought of somebody he had to see and I know there was no real meaning behind it. You see, love, love is seeking to express itself in those ways, thinking no ill of its neighbor, bearing all things, believing all things. John says, do you want to know whether or not...

42:28 - 43:09 Read in full sermon

The point: Honestly and objectively evaluate your life against the standards of 1 John to discern if you are truly saved.

The clock on the wall is humorously referred to as 'that white man with the black hands' to indicate the passage of time and the need to move on in the sermon.

your attitude is to the brethren. Do you find love in your heart to the brethren? He says, then you know you're born of God. Now you go through, I don't have time tonight, that old clock, that white man with the black hands, I call him, he's always haunting. I'm looking

43:09 - 43:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He explains that true believers can lose their assurance through neglect of grace or unconfessed sin, likening the Holy Spirit's ministries to interconnected dials. He advises…

The story of Christian losing his roll (testimony of assurance) in Pilgrim's Progress is used to illustrate that a child of God can lose their assurance, though not their salvation.

You lose the assurance. He lost his role when he slept. You remember? In Pilgrim's Progress?

56:36 - 56:42 Read in full sermon

The point: If you lose your assurance, deal with the specific sin or neglect of grace that caused it, and return to active obedience to God's will.

The ministries of the Holy Spirit (illumination, empowering, comfort, assurance, sanctification, guidance) are compared to interconnected dials on an instrument panel. Tuning out the Spirit in one area (e.g., sanctification) causes all other dials, including assurance, to go down.

You see, the Holy Spirit's ministries... I wish I had a blackboard.

58:08 - 58:11 Read in full sermon