We Shall Maintain a God-Centered Climate

Driving home: We are determined to maintain a God-centered climate in the totality of our church life.

The approaching 25th anniversary of the church is used as the context and motivation for laying bare the church's foundations and making a public declaration of its motives and intentions through this manifesto series.

And for those of you to whom the word manifesto is not part of your working vocabulary, a manifesto is basically a public declaration of the motives and intentions of a group. A declaration regarded as having some public importance. Since God has raised up this congregation and graciously and sovereignly given it some measure of high profile in at least limited circles, and since we are quickly approaching our 25th anniversary of our life together, I have judged that the time has come to lay bare our foundations and clearly but succinctly, to make this public declaration of our motives, our go...

2:51 - 4:19 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Calvinism withdraws the eye from the soul and its destiny and fixes it on God and His glory. It has zeal, no doubt, for salvation, but its highest zeal is for the honor of God.

Martin quotes B.B. Warfield's essay 'Calvinism Today' to explain that Calvinism's distinctiveness lies in its withdrawal of the eye from the soul and its destiny to fix it on God and His glory, making it inherently God-centered.

John Calvin. That has simply become a convenient handle by which to describe an understanding of the scriptures in which the doctrine of salvation is seen to be subsumed under one simple biblical affirmation. Jonah 10, salvation is of the Lord. Speaking to something else is of the Lord as someone else. Salvation is of the Lord. Stinctive to Calvinism when we use that term to express our understanding of the biblical teaching is that the salvation which is of the Lord is also unto of the Lord. In a marvelous little booklet, it was originally an essay made into a booklet by B.B. Warfield,

30:29 - 31:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Calvinism withdraws the eye from the soul and its destiny and fixes it on God and His glory. It has zeal, no doubt, for salvation, but its highest zeal is for the honor of God.

The lyrics of a hymn are quoted to demonstrate how the church's singing reflects its God-centered confession of faith, attributing salvation entirely to God's sovereign choice and grace.

I say that the first demonstration of our determination to maintain a God-centered climate in our life as a church is to be found in the formal confession of our faith which seeks to capture the biblical teaching that God himself. Faith is the ultimate cause of all his works and the ultimate end. The text that has been printed on our church letterhead from the first letterhead we had, Romans 11, 36, for of him, through him and unto him are all things to whom be the glory forever and ever. And that's why we sing hymns consistent with that confession. Tis not that I did choose thee for Lord, tha...

37:25 - 38:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin provides four concrete manifestations of Trinity Baptist Church's commitment to God-centeredness: its Calvinistic confession of faith, the quiet and reverent climate of its…

Martin recounts the early prayer meetings of the church's nucleus, describing them as 'rehearsing a daily description of the ailments of geriatrics in an old folks' home' to illustrate a man-centered, rather than God-centered, approach to prayer.

When I first came to this area almost 30 years ago to a little group of people who formed the nucleus four and a half years later of Trinity Church, you would not believe what their prayer meetings were like. It was like rehearsing a daily description of the ailments of geriatrics in an old folks' home.

46:25 - 46:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin provides four concrete manifestations of Trinity Baptist Church's commitment to God-centeredness: its Calvinistic confession of faith, the quiet and reverent climate of its…

Martin shares that visitors have commented on the absence of begging for money in the church, noting that preachers simply say, 'we'll worship the Lord,' which illustrates the church's God-centered approach to giving.

They say, I can't believe it. There's no begging for money in that church. All the preachers do is say, we'll worship the Lord. And it's blown some people away.

48:54 - 49:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of any man or men who would at any time seek to make themselves the center of attention in this assembly.

Martin humorously mentions that he lectured men on 'Master the Time-Saving Devices' and is now being watched to see if he practices what he preached, serving as a lighthearted transition to the importance of looking at specific texts.

But we're never to forget these three texts. And here I want you to look at them. I don't want to quote them. I've only done the rest, dear people, in the interest of time because I lectured to the men last week on Master the Time-Saving Devices and I know they're all listening this morning to see if I practiced what I preached.

54:48 - 55:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of any man or men who would at any time seek to make themselves the center of attention in this assembly.

The etching of Ephesians 3:20-21 on the church's commemorative stone, chosen by Martin with carte blanche from the elders, is used as a tangible example of the church's deliberate commitment to God's glory as its center.

The very text etched in our commemorative stone in the front of this building and etched there by purpose, deliberately.

55:19 - 55:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of any innovations in worship which in any way detract from a pervasive God-centeredness.

Martin describes an experience where a musician was 'jumping up and down all around the piano' and blaring an organ so loud that it detracted from worship, illustrating the problem of man-centered innovations in worship.

Pray that God will continue to please him, to use our brother who assists us in our praise and enables us to render God's praise without attracting attention to himself. I've been in places where the musician I wanted to go up and grab him by the shoulder and say, get in the church basement.

60:37 - 61:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The final warning is against trends in ministry or service that make men and their felt needs and desires the focus, contrasting such approaches with God's divinely appointed…

Martin recounts a television documentary about a 15,000-member church that conducted a 'market analysis' to determine what people wanted (e.g., exercise rooms, fancy auditoriums, slam dunk contests), illustrating a man-centered approach to ministry focused on felt needs.

Let me explain what I mean. Two of our brethren and I just reviewed this with one of our deacons before the service to make sure I had my facts straight saw a television documentary where there's a church of some 15,000. They went around and did like a market analysis. What would you like in the church?

63:07 - 63:23 Read in full sermon