Graces Needed to Maintain Unity of The Spirit, 2

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin introduces the sermon as part of a series on Trinity Baptist Church's 25th-anniversary manifesto, focusing on maintaining an ungrieved Holy Spirit. He reviews…

The church's 25th anniversary is used as a backdrop for a 'Manifesto' series, emphasizing spiritual exercises over elaborate celebrations, setting the stage for the sermon's focus on core biblical convictions.

This present calendar year of 1992 marks the 25th year of the existence of Trinity Baptist Church as a duly constituted church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And those who are a part of this fellowship know that we have had no elaborate celebrations of this milestone in our corporate life, nor are there any plans for celebration. There are no such celebrations as legitimate and as edifying as they might be. However, in conjunction with this milestone of our 25th anniversary, we have been engaged in a rather lengthy spiritual exercise of far greater importance than any such innocent, ordinary, and e...

1:11 - 2:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon's current focus is on the fifth way the Spirit is grieved: failing to diligently maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). This failure…

The imagery of standing together in one unbroken circle, with love as both the left and right hand, illustrates how forbearing and forgiving love maintains the bond of unity.

long-suffering and forgiving love, here again in our fundamental text, forbearing one another in love. In the previous paragraph at the end of this very chapter, chapter 4 and on into the first paragraph of chapter 5, love is there highlighted as essential to our unity in terms of its capacity to forgive. And I use the imagery of our standing together in one unbroken circle, and love will be our left and our right hand. Love on the one hand that by the grace of God forbears and forgives. Love that will enable us to bear with one another in our foibles and in our weaknesses and in our manifold ...

8:34 - 9:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Make sure that you do not stop one centimeter short of the limitations imposed either by the sovereignty of God or the perverseness of the hearts of others in pursuing peace.

The Beatitudes are described not as a roadmap into the kingdom, but as a composite picture of the graces that mark those who have already entered life and are on their way to heaven, clarifying their purpose.

There in the opening of the Scripture, in the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, where our Lord is not teaching us the way into the kingdom. The Beatitudes are not a road map into life, but they are a composite of those graces which mark those who have entered into life by the grace of God. They are not a road map to tell us how to get to heaven. They are a picture of the sojourners who are on their way to heaven.

12:26 - 13:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek with your speech to promote peace and to quiet strife.

The beginning of strife is compared to water breaking through a dam; it's much easier to prevent it from starting than to stop it once it begins to flow, emphasizing the need for early intervention.

Several texts in the book of Proverbs are helpful in illustrating this principle. Proverbs 17 and verse 14. Proverbs 17 and verse 14. The beginning of strife is as one letteth out water and the precise imagery there is debated by the commentators but this much is clear.

21:01 - 21:32 Read in full sermon

The point: By your words, change the direction of conversations and the climate of the congregation when they are moving towards strife.

The analogy of a fire needing wood to burn illustrates how contention ceases when there is no 'whisperer' adding fuel (words) to the 'fire' of strife, highlighting the role of speech in escalating or de-escalating conflict.

Proverbs 26, 20 and 21. For lack of wood, the fire goeth out. You kids, you know if you have a fireplace, you have a wood-burning stove, and the log doesn't burn forever and forever. If you don't put another log on, the fire will eventually die out.

23:42 - 24:03 Read in full sermon

The point: By your words, change the direction of conversations and the climate of the congregation when they are moving towards strife.

A contentious man is likened to someone with a bucket of coal and an armload of logs, ready to inflame the 'glowing embers' of remaining sin in others' hearts, vividly portraying how individuals can exacerbate conflict.

You see what he's saying? Here you have a little handful of hot embers. They can't cook much, can't give out much heat, can't hurt anyone. But if you pour on those hot embers a whole bucket of coal, you can have a raging fire that'll heat the house.

24:40 - 25:04 Read in full sermon

The point: When you come into a discussion among your brethren, open your mouth to dispense water and foam to extinguish embers and coals, not coals and logs to inflame strife.

Putting out a glowing ember with water or smothering sparks with airport foam illustrates how peacemaking speech should extinguish potential conflict, contrasting with the 'coals and logs' of contentious speech.

If you want to put out that little glowing ember, what do you do? Just take a little pan full of water and throw it on it and it's gone. Well, what they do at the airport when they think a plane is going to come in and for some reason the landing gear can't be put down, it's going to have to land on its belly and sparks will fly by the thousands. They'll lay down a blanket of foam four or five feet thick so that any spark that is struck from the metal on the concrete or on the macadam has nothing to consume.

27:48 - 28:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Be committed to cultivating the grace of a peacemaking disposition and the skill of a peacemaker's actions, both in speech and in actions.

The story of Abram and Lot in Genesis 13 is used as an example of a skillful peacemaker. Abram, despite his seniority, humbly offers Lot the choice of land to prevent strife between their herdsmen, demonstrating self-sacrificial action for peace.

One in Genesis chapter 13. Many examples but these are the two that came to mind in my preparation. Most of you will remember the setting. Abram goes up out of the land of Egypt with all of his possessions.

30:55 - 31:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second practical expression of peacemaking is through actions that promote peace. Martin provides two biblical examples: Abraham's humble deference to Lot in Genesis 13 to…

The story of Abigail interceding with David in 1 Samuel 25 is presented as an example of a noble and skillful peacemaker. Abigail's wise words and humble actions prevent David from taking vengeful action against Nabal, illustrating the power of skillful peacemaking to avert disaster.

And then with consummate skill he goes to the younger man who should have deferred to the older one and he doesn't stand upon his rank he doesn't stand upon his privilege he doesn't even stand upon the greater degrees of grace. But he takes the posture of humility and says here you go this way I'll go that way you go that way I'll go this way. There was the skill of a peacemaker. You have another example in a situation entirely different in 1 Samuel 25 1 Samuel 25 when I say we must not only cultivate the grace of a peacemaking disposition but the skill of a peacemaker's action. Where do we ge...

33:38 - 34:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: In this rule, in this principle, in this universal spiritual axiom, is to be found embodied all of the moral demands at the horizontal level of the entire revelatory data of the Old Testament.

A young lad's misquote, 'do unto others as they have done unto you,' is used to highlight the common misunderstanding of the Golden Rule and contrast it with the true biblical principle.

Now, there was a time when anyone who was reasonably intelligent, had come to twenty years of age in our country, could give you the Ten Commandments, say the Lord's Prayer, and knew what you meant by the golden rule. But, alas, those days have long since passed. The golden rule is not that perverse rule of the young lad that I quoted the other day, who said, It is written somewhere in the Psalms, do unto others as they have done unto you. No, that's not the golden rule.

43:36 - 44:09 Read in full sermon

The point: Practice living by the Golden Rule, even when it is inconvenient, by considering what you would want others to do for you.

Martin recounts his personal practice of picking up broken glass while running, even when inconvenient, because he would want others to do the same for him. This illustrates the practical, sometimes inconvenient, application of the Golden Rule in everyday life.

see, dear people of God, if we do not practice... Living by the golden rule, we cannot, we will not, grow in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond. How many irritants would be avoided and removed if we would just think, what would I that others do to me? You know, when you start living by this, it can really at times, it can really at times be inconvenient. I can remember how inconvenient it used to be when I'd be out running. You know, when I'd be out running in the streets. They don't do that anymore because the doctor said to stop it. But, and there'd be a jagged piece of a broken beer bo...

56:28 - 57:27 Read in full sermon