The Lordship Controversy, Part 3

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces four aspects of the nature of obedience: motive, extent, degree, and standard. He first defines the motive, arguing it is dominantly evangelical (love, gratitude…

Martin uses the analogy of a slave obeying his master out of fear of punishment or hope of reward, without love for the master, to define legal obedience.

concern, a fixation of the eye of the soul, the one hand with respect to fear of punishment if I don't obey, and the hope of reward if I do obey. That's legal obedience. It's the obedience of the slave. He know who knows if he's been stabilize or not. It's the same thing with the slave.

8:43 - 9:07 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He expounds 2 Corinthians 5:11-15, showing how the 'terror of the Lord' and 'love of Christ' coexist as motives, with love being the constraining evangelical force. He further…

Martin references Paul's passionate preaching, which some perceived as madness, to justify his own fervent delivery and link it to the constraining love of Christ.

Paul moves so easily and naturally from the legal to the evangelical without a spiritual burp in between. He says in verse 11 of 2 Corinthians 5, Knowing therefore the fear or the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, the terror of the coming day of judgment, fearing for their damnation, we labor to persuade them untold, unto salvation. But then he says in verse 13, In pursuit of this passionate endeavor to win men to Christ, there are times when people think we've gone out of our tree. That's why I never, never bleed into backing off when people say,

16:15 - 17:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second aspect of obedience's nature is its extent: it must be universal, not partial. He defines partial obedience as deliberately selective, illustrating it with Matthew…

Martin provides a detailed, humorous explanation of the ancient practice of straining wine to remove gnats, then contrasts it with the absurdity of swallowing a camel, to illustrate Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees' hypocritical, partial obedience.

It was right to be meticulous in the little, but it was wicked to be careless concerning the greater matters. You blind guides, and then our Lord uses a grotesque illustration. Kids, people who say the Lord Jesus never used humor. If this isn't humorous, I don't know what is.

30:41 - 31:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And the one corrupt, unmortified member will bring the whole body into hell. Mark 9.43-48 Reservations to universal obedience are the canker upon godly sincerity.

Martin quotes Bridges' commentary on Psalm 119:6, using examples like Herod and Saul, to emphasize that even one unmortified lust or exception to obedience proves unsoundness and renders all other obedience unacceptable to God.

Listen to his comments in his book on Psalm 119 and verse 6. The Lord expects our obedience not only to be diligent, but, here's our word, universal, willing, willing to dispense with the least of the commandments proves we have yet to learn the spirit of acceptable obedience. Grace is given suited for all, no less than for one of them, that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Colossians 1.10

36:22 - 36:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third aspect is the degree of obedience: it is purposeful but never perfect. He uses Romans 7:19-22 and Galatians 5:17 to show Paul's internal struggle and delight in God's…

Martin uses the analogy of a pilot lining up with landing lights at Newark airport to illustrate how a believer's heart, God's law, and actions aligning represent being 'true to what I am as a new man in Christ'.

for I delight in the law of God after my inward man as purposeful obedience I'm never more true to what I am as a new man in Christ than when my heart and God's law and my actions all line up like the landing lights for that pilot coming into Newark airport that tells him he's on the right path at the right altitude he says when those things line up I'm never more true to what I am as a new man in Christ I delight in the law of God after my inward man but I feel crosswinds getting me out of line with the landing approach and I feel updrafts

47:19 - 48:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Some of you husbands read husband is the head of the wife that's me the head and you've got a notional idea of headship no more reflects the gentle sensitive tender love of Christ than a monkey resembles an elephant and …

Martin uses the vivid, somewhat crude analogy of a monkey resembling an elephant to describe how some husbands' notional idea of headship bears no resemblance to Christ's gentle, tender love.

about not your children to wrath nurture them in the changing of the Lord and then you get your own notions to spin out a system of vicious child abuse in the name of disciplining your children I've heard of some of it until if I could I would have vomited in my elders meetings there's sitting in this room child abusers who think you're obeying God when you're brutalizing your sons and daughters some of you husbands read husband is the head of the wife that's me the head and you've got a notional idea of headship

53:12 - 53:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Flee fornication... it doesn't say simply abstain from intercourse it says flee fornication from the contacts the senses the relays that make sexual impurity possible keep away from the girly magazines keep away from the…

Martin explains how the Pharisees used the 'Corban' tradition to avoid supporting their indigent parents, illustrating how tradition can void God's explicit commands.

that's what Jesus said they had a convenient tradition that cancelled the commands of God and all the while they prided themselves in being the super obedient ones and our Lord focuses on but one aspect that had to do with their indigent parents honor your father and your mother implicit in that is if they have monetary physical needs that you can meet MEET THEM they said alright God we know you require that but you also tell us none shall appear before us empty what's greater to come to the temple with no gift or to walk by your mom and dad and give them no bread well they decided that

56:49 - 57:32 Read in full sermon

The point: If you've indulged yourself that pint of ice cream night after night... you've got to ask your wife to tie your hands together until you go to bed do it.

Martin uses Christ's struggle in Gethsemane, where He chose God's will against His natural holy inclinations, as an example of costly, purposeful obedience.

because there is no other there is no other do you see that there is no other like obedience obeying Christ didn't feel like going to the cross he wanted to go somewhere else he said if it be possible take the cup from me some of you got the idea Christ just went playing the violin and the fiddle through Gethsemane and Golgotha everything in his holy soul wanted to go another direction he chose the will of God against all of his natural holy inclinations and that's what some of you have yet to begun to learn to do yes when you go home tonight

64:48 - 65:32 Read in full sermon

The point: If you've indulged yourself that pint of ice cream night after night... you've got to ask your wife to tie your hands together until you go to bed do it.

Martin gives a practical, humorous example of a person struggling with ice cream, suggesting they ask their spouse to tie their hands, to illustrate the active, conscious effort required in obedience.

you've indulged yourself that pint of ice cream night after night week after week and everything in you is going to drool and you say oh well it doesn't work until I can walk by that refrigerator and have no desire for that ice cream God isn't working in me I need a woman to work nonsense you've got to ask your wife to tie your hands together until you go to bed do it and you get up in the morning and say thank you God one night's victory over the pint of ice cream you say pastor you're serious you bet your boots I'm serious this is heaven or hell folks either you get in the way of obedience a...

65:32 - 66:16 Read in full sermon

The point: That very knee one day is going to thaw and touch the ground before Jesus every knee shall bow your knee shall confess that he is Lord... his last act of authority before your bowed knee and your confessing tongue will b…

Martin asks those who have served Christ for 30-40 years to raise their hands and affirm that Christ is a gracious master, providing a living testimony to the younger generation.

and while that God tenderly invites you in the person of his son to come why don't you come he's a gracious master he's a loving God by his grace I've served him for forty years and not once as he caused me to say Lord Jesus you're an unreasonable master not his yoke is easy his burden is light there are others here who've served him equally as long would not that be your testimony

72:41 - 73:24 Read in full sermon