Purpose of This Study

The point: Once saved, inevitably ask the second question: 'How shall I now live so as to please the God who in Christ has saved me from sin and its consequences?'

The story of the Philippian jailer asking 'What must I do to be saved?' is used to introduce the most important question of salvation and its divine answer, setting the stage for the subsequent question about Christian living.

Hear us, O God, as we ask this mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ. Our human being, in any age and in any place, can ask no question of greater importance, than the question asked by a trembling man in a jailhouse located in the ancient city of Philippi nearly 2,000 years ago. The man's question, familiar to many of you, was this,

1:27 - 2:07 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first objective is to help believers recognize and repudiate false notions of the Christian life, based on the principle that 'truth alone is the mother of godliness.' Martin…

The Christian life is likened to running a marathon race, emphasizing endurance and the long-term commitment required, contrasting it with a short dash.

Here, the Christian life is likened to running a race. And that's one of the dominant images in the New Testament. It's a marathon race. It's not a hundred yard or a two-thirty dash.

16:23 - 16:34 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first objective is to help believers recognize and repudiate false notions of the Christian life, based on the principle that 'truth alone is the mother of godliness.' Martin…

An allusion to a hymn or common saying about an easy Christian life is used to challenge the false notion of escapism, reminding listeners of the suffering endured by Christ and other saints.

To run with patience the race that was set before them. And what does the writer do? He says you've forgotten something. I want you to recognize and repudiate any notion that you're going to go sailing to the sky on flowery beds of ease while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas.

21:40 - 22:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He focuses upon their instability tossed to and fro and their liability to be deceived to and fro with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men in craftiness after the wiles of error.

False teaching is contrasted with an 'ugly fire-breathing wart-infested dragon' to explain that error usually comes subtly and deceptively, not overtly and obviously.

And what characterizes false teaching? By the use of a combination of terms which suggest the common use of loaded dice and I leave you to the commentators to see why I have said that and the expert use of the dice of slight of hand he indicates that erroneous teaching does not usually stalk about like an ugly fire-breathing wart-infested dragon. That's not the way false teaching stalks about. An ugly warted air-breathing dragon all of us would run away from it.

30:31 - 31:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He focuses upon their instability tossed to and fro and their liability to be deceived to and fro with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men in craftiness after the wiles of error.

The cunningness of false teaching is compared to someone using 'loaded dice' and 'clever sleight of hand' to deceive, highlighting its subtle and tricky nature.

No, he says that error comes to us with the cunningness of someone who is cunning us with loaded dice. And we don't have sense enough to know that that's what he's doing. Someone who has learned the clever sleight of hand in which to deceive us. St. Alenzi

31:10 - 31:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He focuses upon their instability tossed to and fro and their liability to be deceived to and fro with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men in craftiness after the wiles of error.

A quotation from Lutheran commentator St. Alenzi is used to elaborate on Paul's imagery of error, emphasizing its tricky expertness and ability to fool 'infants in Christian faith and knowledge.'

the Lutheran commentator commenting on this imagery. Paul's effective characterization error and of those who propagate it is surely drawn from his own experience. He has been in vessels that were drifting helplessly in waves and wind tossed about with every wind of doctrine. He had seen soldiers and sailors use loaded dice to fleece some innocent greenhorn.

31:30 - 31:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see like its author error is deceitful.

The serpent's beguiling of Eve is used as an analogy to show how Satan and his ministers subtly corrupt minds from the simplicity of Christ, rather than through overt confrontation.

Scriptures tell us in 2 Corinthians 11 3 and I ask you to turn there with me Paul was deeply concerned with the Corinthians that they would be deceived after what pattern? Verse 3 2 Corinthians 11 3 I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is towards Christ. My fear is not that you will confront a fire breathing dragon and walk in his jaws and under the scorching

33:37 - 34:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Satan himself fashions himself into an angel of light he's going to enlighten us he's going to give us deeper insight to the way of God he's going to whisper us into the inner circle of only the initiated would you come …

The human immune system and the experience of getting a smallpox shot are used to illustrate the concept of immunization against false views, emphasizing that prevention is better than cure and that a small discomfort now prevents greater harm later.

immunized purposefully now any doctors here and any biology majors you forgive my oversimplification what is our immune system it's that marvelous part of our physiology which God has armed the body with a regiment of soldiers to fight unwanted invaders and when that unwanted virus or bacteria would invade the body and do it harm the soldiers are called forth to destroy the virus our immune system sets up shop and takes over and we end up in bed we get

38:01 - 38:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Lay in your hearts and minds the major foundation blocks of the Christian life.

Pastor Martin recounts his experience working for a construction company, where Mr. Hughes meticulously ensured the foundation was level. This illustrates the critical importance of laying deep, accurate doctrinal foundations in the Christian life, even if they are hidden.

going from the medical to the construction field I was back carrying a hod and mixing mud and pushing a wheel barrel save up money to put myself through college buy my clothes and my shoes and other necessities in this life I worked for a small non-union construction company John Hughes up in Stamford Connecticut many decades ago and we would go in after the bulldozer dug the hole and we would pour the slag and then we'd raise up the concrete block wall and I can never never forget how careful Mr. Hughes was to make sure when the carpenters came in to

46:43 - 47:27 Read in full sermon