Central Place of Personal Bible Reading (1)

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by setting the context of 2 Timothy 3, highlighting the spiritual climate of self-love and false godliness. He then quotes J.C. Ryle on the importance…

Martin uses the contemporary 'self-esteem, self-love, self-actualization generation' as an example of the 'grievous times' described in 2 Timothy 3, where men are lovers of self, contrary to biblical teaching.

in giving to Timothy, his spiritual son, a realistic assessment of the spiritual climate in which he will have to carry out his ministry, a climate in which there will be increasing manifestations of self-love, very interesting, self-esteem, self-love, self-actualization generation. The scriptures tell us that grievous times have come when men are lovers of self. So rather than this whole religion of self-love being an evidence of our coming of age,

0:46 - 1:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by setting the context of 2 Timothy 3, highlighting the spiritual climate of self-love and false godliness. He then quotes J.C. Ryle on the importance…

He illustrates 'holding to a form of godliness but denying its power' with people singing hymns and attending church but 'living like the world,' showing no gospel transformation.

it is another manifestation of the grievous times that have come upon us. And then the apostle goes on to say that in the midst of, in those grievous times, men, being the inveterate religious creatures they are, will hold to a form of godliness, but they will deny its power. They will go on singing their hymns and attending church, but living like the world. There will be no evidence of the power of the gospel transforming them.

1:27 - 1:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Nevertheless, it is a sorrowful fact, that man has an unhappy skill, in abusing God's gifts.

Martin quotes Bishop J.C. Ryle's perceptive words on the importance of Bible reading, its ability to make one wise, and the sorrowful fact of man's abuse and neglect of God's gifts, including the Bible.

Find the powers of darkness, that wicked one, who, like the birds that follow the path of the sower, seeking to snatch away the seed sown. May he not be able to snatch away the seed sown in our hearts this morning, but from the youngest to the oldest, may that seed be received in good and honest hearts, and bring forth fruit thirty, sixty and a hundredfold to the praise of your name we plead. A little more than a hundred years ago,

4:56 - 5:38 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Nevertheless, it is a sorrowful fact, that man has an unhappy skill, in abusing God's gifts.

Ryle's analogy of man's 'unhappy skill in abusing God's gifts' (speech, imagination, intellect, time, money) is used to parallel the widespread neglect and abuse of the written Word of God.

Happiest of all, is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith, and of his practice. Nevertheless, it is a sorrowful fact, that man has an unhappy skill, in abusing God's gifts. His privileges, and power, and faculties, are all ingeniously perverted to other ends, than those for which they were bestowed by God. His speech, his imagination, his intellect, his time, his influence, his money,

6:38 - 7:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Nevertheless, it is a sorrowful fact, that man has an unhappy skill, in abusing God's gifts.

Ryle's observation about the abundance of Bibles in Great Britain (and by extension, America) but the lack of reading and obeying them, illustrates the danger of possessing the Bible without assimilating it.

The proof lies at our own doors. I have no doubt that there are more Bibles, and writing as someone ministering in Liverpool in England, he says, I doubt not that there are more Bibles in Great Britain at this moment, than there ever were since the world began. There is more Bible buying and Bible selling, more Bible printing and Bible distribution, than ever since England, when England was a nation. We see Bibles in every bookseller's shop, Bibles of every size, every price and style, Bibles great and Bibles small,

8:01 - 8:43 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by setting the context of 2 Timothy 3, highlighting the spiritual climate of self-love and false godliness. He then quotes J.C. Ryle on the importance…

Martin defines 'personal Bible reading' as 'personal, mental, and spiritual assimilation of the contents of the Bible,' using the biological metaphor of a living organism taking in and making food part of itself.

the habit and the disposition of personal or private grace. Today, we begin to examine together the second major private means of grace, namely, personal , Bible, reading. However, lest the triteness of that phrase be an impediment to real application of mind and heart to our subject, I want to address this matter of personal Bible reading in this way. When I use that term, I am referring to the practice of personal, mental,

11:27 - 12:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Expounding Psalm 1, Martin argues that the spiritually blessed man delights in and meditates on God's law day and night, refusing the counsel of the wicked. He challenges…

The Hebrew word for 'meditate' is explained as 'mumble,' 'muse,' or 'hum,' picturing a man so engrossed in God's law that he speaks it to himself, illustrating deep engagement.

Meditate could be rendered on his law. He doth humble. He doth mumble. He doth speak.

21:05 - 21:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your heart: if you do not delight in and meditate on the Word of God as a baseline pattern of life, you are a wicked man/woman/boy/girl.

The dictionary definition of 'assimilate' for living things (what is taken in becomes part of the organism) is used to illustrate the desired relationship to God's Word for the spiritually blessed man.

to living things is that what is taken into the plant or the animal becomes a very part of that living organism and it is this relationship to the word of God which is celebrated in Psalm 1. The spiritually blessed man, spiritually blessed woman, boy or girl, wherever you find him as one who resolutely deliberately refuse

23:44 - 24:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your heart: if you do not delight in and meditate on the Word of God as a baseline pattern of life, you are a wicked man/woman/boy/girl.

Martin shares his personal experience of spiritual dullness, where his 'own soul felt like a glacier,' to acknowledge the reality of such periods while still upholding the baseline of delight in God's law.

There are times when due to our physical and emotional state and a general state of spiritual dullness we can't delight in anything spiritual. We'd give a thousand dollars if we could feel one twitch of delight in some spiritual reality. I know what that is. I know what it is to have to stand and try to lead you in worship where my own soul felt like a glacier.

26:30 - 26:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your heart: if you do not delight in and meditate on the Word of God as a baseline pattern of life, you are a wicked man/woman/boy/girl.

He contrasts children's excitement for Dumbo or favorite videos/comic characters with their resentment towards Bible reading or memorization, illustrating a lack of delight in God's Word.

and you meditate in it day and night you are a wicked man a wicked woman a wicked boy a wicked girl. Mom and Dad are going to play your favorite radio. Oh, we're going to see Dumbo. Oh, we're going to see this or that or the other.

27:39 - 28:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Children and teenagers, if you delight in worldly entertainment but resent God's Word, it is because you are wicked.

Martin acknowledges that parents can make the Bible uninteresting through 'dull, pedantic' devotions, showing pastoral sensitivity while still pressing the point of the child's heart condition.

We're going to read about Moses. We're going to read about Joshua. We're talking now about parents that seek to make the Bible stories come alive not talking about dull pedantic parents sitting at the table mumbling through the Bible. Dear people I'm not a jerk.

28:30 - 28:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Desire to be a spiritually stable man or woman, kept from destructive sliding by the law of God being deeply resident in your heart.

Martin shares a nostalgic anecdote about preaching his first sermon in a church from Psalm 37, connecting his personal history to the text's significance.

a life turn please to psalm 37 and verse 31 for the answer considering now the central place of the assimilation of the word of god of the scriptures in the spiritually psalm 37 to this psalm without a little bit of nostalgia the first time i ever preached a sermon in a church was in a little church in forchester new york and i expounded portions of this song i'd already preached on the street corner but that was my first proper preaching in a church in pulpit

34:52 - 35:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Desire to be a spiritually stable man or woman, kept from destructive sliding by the law of God being deeply resident in your heart.

The image of walking on 'treacherous ground' with loose soil and rock, where one could 'slide down a deep craggy precipice,' illustrates the danger of spiritual instability without God's law in the heart.

the law of god here we are torah again the word of god is in his none of his steps description of us spiritually it says none of his steps shall slide it's the picture of someone who's walking in a treacherous where there is loose soil and rock beneath his feet and to have his feet go underneath out from underneath him would be to

36:02 - 36:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Desire to be a spiritually stable man or woman, kept from destructive sliding by the law of God being deeply resident in your heart.

The analogy of a thread passing through the eye of a needle, leaving nothing on the surface, is used to describe how God's law must be deeply assimilated into the heart, not just heard or read superficially.

the law of god is off his ears in family devotion and the law of god is being threaded through his eyes in private story of a man's life or another in marriage or in marriage is their death or their last name goes in the name of god of devotions for when the thread passes through the eye of the needle it leaves nothing on the surface of the needle takes nothing from the thread no he's described this one as the law of god in his in other words there's been a process of mental and spiritual assimilation for the

38:03 - 38:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Desire to be a spiritually stable man or woman, kept from destructive sliding by the law of God being deeply resident in your heart.

The 'banana peels of this world' and 'loose ground' are metaphors for temptations and trials that can cause spiritual ruin, emphasizing the need for God's Word resident in the heart for stability.

scripture says guard thy heart above all that thou guardest for out of it what has your heart has you what's in your heart is what you are and here spiritual stability is attributed to the fact that the law of god is in his heart therefore none of his steps who and i to be kept from the banana peels of this world the loose round us down a precipice into ruin it is only as of god

38:44 - 39:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using Joshua 1:7-8, Martin demonstrates that spiritual success—accomplishing God's will in His strength—is conditional upon diligent meditation and observance of God's law…

Martin quotes A.W. Tozer's statement, 'when a man of God died... I am that I am,' to emphasize God's unchanging nature and purposes despite Moses' death, providing context for Joshua's call.

i swear unto their fathers to give them what is god saying he's saying now joshua here's your task moses my servant is dead but nothing of god died as tozer has so beautifully stated it when a man of god died my servant is dead but i am that i am and because i all that i am and all that i ever have been my purposes are such that as i was with moses so i will be with you i will not fail

42:15 - 42:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Students, study hard, master material, and have discernment to see through ungodly counsel, having the moral courage to be like Daniel in your high school.

He uses the example of Daniel in Babylon to illustrate the moral courage required for high school students to discern and stand against the 'counsel of the ungodly' at Montville High School.

I've shown that I've mastered the material. But I don't believe a word of it. I believe what my Bible says. To have the moral courage to be like a Daniel in the midst of the Babylon of Montville High School.

47:52 - 48:05 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin asserts that spiritual blamelessness, as described in Philippians 2, is a standard for all Christians. He then uses Job 23:11-12 to show that Job maintained his uprightness…

A parent losing temper with unconverted kids and then humbling himself to confess sin and ask forgiveness illustrates how one can be 'blameless though not sinless.'

Though not sinless. And no little part of blamelessness is when you sin even before the ungodly. You confess your sin. A parent who loses his temper with his unconverted kids.

51:13 - 51:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Young women, blush when a fellow looks at you with a leering eye; desire to be blameless.

He uses the examples of a young woman blushing at a leering eye and a man feeling ashamed of lustful glances to illustrate the desire for blamelessness and purity in a perverse generation.

Without blemish. As a brilliant of light. Against the inky black backdrop. Of this crooked and perverse.

52:13 - 52:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin asserts that spiritual blamelessness, as described in Philippians 2, is a standard for all Christians. He then uses Job 23:11-12 to show that Job maintained his uprightness…

Martin mentions Gardner Spring, who ministered for 62 years in New York City, as his standard for long-term, fresh ministry, implying that deep personal devotion to the Word prevents staleness.

And that's why there'll never be staleness. In the ministry of a man. If he stayed in one place. Like Gardner Spring did for 62 years.

54:42 - 54:51 Read in full sermon

The point: To be spiritually blameless and steadfast in trials, take hold of and assimilate God's Word into your very being.

He recommends Alexander Scorby's reading of the book of Job as a 'wonderful exercise,' suggesting it as a means to engage deeply with the text and its emotional impact.

In the midst of all of the trauma, those of you that have Alexander Scorby's reading of the Old Testament, if you've not listened to him reading the book of Job, it would be a wonderful exercise for you to do so this afternoon. Most moving. In the midst of this confusion, not knowing what God is doing, he says in verse 10 of Job 23, But he knoweth the way that I take. When he hath tried me, I shall come forth, as gold.

57:15 - 57:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: From Psalm 119:97-100, Martin argues that spiritual wisdom—the ability to apply God's truth to situations—comes from loving and meditating on God's law. He rebukes those who lack…

He uses Jesus' words 'let these words sink down into your ears' and the image of turning one's head to let it 'sink in' to illustrate the active, receptive posture needed for deep assimilation of God's Word.

I'm not content to let it merely be thread through the needle of my eye. Moss over the outer vestibule of my ear. As Jesus said let these words sink down into your ears. When I'm before the word of God I get out of the upright position and turn my head this way and say Lord let it sink in.

61:38 - 62:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: From Psalm 119:97-100, Martin argues that spiritual wisdom—the ability to apply God's truth to situations—comes from loving and meditating on God's law. He rebukes those who lack…

The marginal reading of Psalm 119:24, 'men of my counsel,' is used as a metaphor for the Bible's precepts, precedents, and examples serving as wise advisors in decision-making, contrasting with a lack of such counsel due to biblical ignorance.

The Hebrew. The men of my counsel. Thy testimonies are my delight. So that in a given situation I don't know what to do.

62:58 - 63:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not neglect God's Word in favor of worldly entertainment (prime-time news, soap operas, sports, videos), as this leads to a lack of wisdom and stupid life choices.

He contrasts knowing more about prime-time news, soap operas, or sports pages than Ephesians, Revelation, or Psalms, to illustrate the misplaced priorities that lead to a lack of spiritual wisdom.

You go to the counsel chamber in a given situation. And you have no men of counsel there. Why? You know more of prime time news than you know of the contents of the book of Ephesians.

63:35 - 63:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not neglect God's Word in favor of worldly entertainment (prime-time news, soap operas, sports, videos), as this leads to a lack of wisdom and stupid life choices.

The example of spending 'two and three and four hours a week watching movies out of Hollywood' versus not spending 'a solid hour a week alone knowing your Bible' highlights the neglect of Scripture.

You know more about the plots of soap operas. Or the plot of the life of children. Every five minutes in your Bible you're spending five hours in front of your televisions. Some of you have a practice of regular renting of videos.

64:16 - 64:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not neglect God's Word in favor of worldly entertainment (prime-time news, soap operas, sports, videos), as this leads to a lack of wisdom and stupid life choices.

He uses the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme to illustrate the futility of running to elders for help after making 'stupid choices' due to willful ignorance of God's Word, expecting them to 'put you back together.'

You'll spend two and three and four hours a week watching movies out of Hollywood. And you don't spend a solid hour a week alone knowing your willful ignorance. And then when your ignorance gets you in trouble where do you run? You run to your elders and you want them to do what all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't do for Humpty Dumpty.

64:38 - 65:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin summarizes the five lines of evidence, likening God's Word to the necessary food for spiritual life. He challenges listeners to test themselves by their love for God's…

Martin uses the analogy of physical food being necessary for all living things (animals, plants) to illustrate that God's Word is the only food that can sustain the spiritual life imparted in conversion.

All have this in common. They are who are assimilating the word of God. Like what you heard this morning. Every living thing God created requires food.

69:01 - 69:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not rob Christ of the fruit of His sufferings by your careless neglect of personal Bible reading; do not put so light a price upon His blood.

He states, 'Tell me what the Bible is to a man. And I will tell you what he is,' using the Bible as a 'barometer' to gauge the true spiritual state of a person.

There was never a man or woman truly converted from one end of the world to the other. Who did not love the revealed will of God. Tell me what the Bible is to a man. And I will tell you what he is.

69:47 - 70:02 Read in full sermon