Our Duty Toward the Rising Generation (7)

In this part of the sermon: He expounds on the biblical description of unbelievers as 'enemies of God,' citing Romans 5:10, Romans 8:7, and Colossians 1:21-22, and challenges listeners to consider this…

Martin uses the analogy of encountering an enemy of one's country during WWII to illustrate the seriousness of men being enemies of God, arguing that indifference would be impossible in the former, and thus should be in the latter.

I'm sorry, verse 21. And you being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind and in your evil works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death. You were alienated and enemies. Now if we during the Second World War were present when the consciousness of the tremendous conflict going on in the world, that consciousness that has been heightened by the D-Day celebrations, if you really believed you were in the presence of someone who was out to give all of his time and energy and mental and physical faculties to cooperate either with Hitler and his vision for the Third...

15:07 - 16:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Do I really believe that the wrath of God is hanging over me? And the moment their heart stops beating, it crashes down upon them and presses them irretrievably into hell. Dear people, we really don't believe that, do we…

He describes neighbors reading the Sunday paper and watching TV as examples of those living apart from God, challenging listeners to truly believe the wrath of God hangs over them.

Do I really believe that? Do I believe that my neighbors, when they got up this morning, if they've gotten up yet, and turned to their Sunday Bible, the Sunday paper that gets thicker and thicker, at least from what I can see of the ones that are thrown out by my neighbors, I wouldn't have one in my home. I don't care how many coupons you can get from it. The end does not justify the means.

19:57 - 20:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Periodically meditate upon and bring near the final day of judgment.

Martin explains his passionate preaching by contrasting it with casual conversation about the weather, emphasizing that the eternal issues discussed from the pulpit demand earnestness, unlike trivial topics.

It fills me with a sense of holy dread of that day that multitudes of men are unprepared for it. Therefore, we persuade men. People have asked me, look, Pastor Martin, when you're sitting and talking about the weather, you don't get excited and wave your hands and get a red face and wrinkle your brow. You're talking about, why can't you just stand up in the pulpit and chit-chat?

27:09 - 27:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Plead with God to increase your faith in these realities (man's true state and ultimate fate).

He shares his personal practice of looking out at the congregation during worship and meditating on the coming judgment, where every face will be upturned before Christ, motivating his earnestness.

Because you see in this pulpit, we're not talking about the weather. Talking about issues of any servant of God, they could not live in the constant meditation on these things. They would crush us, and God doesn't expect us to. I urge you as I urge myself to meditate upon and bring near the final day. Often when I sit on that, very few, the last hymn or during the offering, before I go, it's one of the few times I ever look out. Any of you who've tried to see, I'm not here as a spectator, I'm a worshipper. And I don't go gawking around if I'm on this platform And you know that, because I want ...

27:39 - 29:05 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further substantiates the inevitability of hatred and rejection by expounding John 15:18-23 and Matthew 5:11-12, showing that the world hates those who are not of it and…

Martin explains why he reads scripture passages aloud himself (rather than having others read) for the benefit of tape listeners, drawing from a frustrating personal experience with unheard questions on conference tapes.

And the reason why I don't ask you men to read the passage is that when they go out on the tapes they can't be heard. And I just had the frustrating experience of listening to a series of tapes. From a pastor who was preaching in a conference somewhere and for my own edification I wanted to hear the tapes and it was so frustrating that when the questions were asked I couldn't hear them so I had to figure out from his answer what the question was and so I read the passages so that they'll come through clearly on the tape. But now verse 15 hates you you know hated me before the world would love ...

42:08 - 43:02 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further substantiates the inevitability of hatred and rejection by expounding John 15:18-23 and Matthew 5:11-12, showing that the world hates those who are not of it and…

He reminds listeners that Jesus was persecuted not just by enemies, but by His own brethren and friends who thought He was 'out of His tree,' offering comfort to those who experience misunderstanding from loved ones.

Yes or no and who persecuted me tell me some of the groups that persecuted Jesus no no persecuted Jesus his own brethren did not yet believe in one place it was his friends they said he's out of his tree he was so busy ministering to people remember in our studies in mark his friends said he is beside himself giving me great comfort when some of my friends didn't even understand me out of his tree think of it incarnate God received me and they did they and by and large.

44:08 - 45:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Christ was as narrow as the dimensions of his own person and work, and he said, outside of that, there's nothing but darkness and death and damnation.

Martin uses the analogy of true prophets 'pulling off the mask' of people's self-deception about their spiritual state, contrasting them with false prophets who confirm illusions, to explain why true prophets (and true disciples) face vilification.

only beatitude on which he expounds is this final one blessed are you when men shall reproach and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven I'll notice for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you now what have prophet ever fulfilled his office by silence no you see the prophet was the man who in his generation told them what they were in God's estimation by pulling off the cloak of what they had become in their own estimation which often was confirmed by the false prophets that's why Je...

48:58 - 50:17 Read in full sermon