Preaching as a Means of Grace (2)

In this part of the sermon: Martin uses 1 Corinthians 4:15-17 (Paul sending Timothy to remind them of his 'ways in Christ') and Philippians 4:8-9 (doing what they 'learned and received and heard and saw' in…

Paul's admonition to the Corinthians is likened to a father giving stiff, stinging medicine to his children, proving his love and setting the stage for his call to imitate his ways.

And in the midst of dealing with one of those problems namely the problem of divisions occasioned by the presence and ministry of various servants of Christ Paul says let's back up to verse 14 of chapter 4 I write not these things to shame you but to admonish you as my beloved children. So I've had to say some pretty stiff stuff. I've had to give you some pretty stiff medicine and I haven't done this to make you ashamed but as a father who must at times say some pretty stiff things and stinging things to his children so as a proof of my love I have had to admonish you. And then he reminds them...

19:28 - 20:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin uses 1 Corinthians 4:15-17 (Paul sending Timothy to remind them of his 'ways in Christ') and Philippians 4:8-9 (doing what they 'learned and received and heard and saw' in…

Paul distinguishes between 10,000 tutors and one father, emphasizing his unique spiritual paternity to the Corinthians through the gospel, which validates his authority to call them to imitation.

for though you have 10,000 tutors in Christ he says remember though there may be 10,000 people coming on your doorstep saying I'm a divinely sent teacher I'm ready to tutor you in the ways of Christ he says though you may have such remember you only you don't have many fathers for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. My claims to deal with you as a spiritual father are validated by the fact that I am under the blessing of God through the preaching of the gospel I did begat you through the gospel I was God's instrument to bring you to birth and to see a church brought to birth. You c...

20:12 - 20:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God hooked their ears with the miraculous. He didn't break their hearts with the miraculous. He broke it with preaching.

The miraculous events of Pentecost (wind, fire, tongues) are presented as God's means to get attention, but Peter's preaching is identified as the actual instrument that pricked hearts and led to 3000 conversions, highlighting preaching's unique power.

Turn back, to our starting point passage in Acts 2.42, simply as a reminder, and also for those who are not with us, to just underscore it, and highlight it afresh. God wonderfully blessed the proclamation, of the gospel through Peter, on the day of Pentecost. And I remind you, it wasn't the sound of the wind.

36:46 - 37:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God hooked their ears with the miraculous. He didn't break their hearts with the miraculous. He broke it with preaching.

Miracles are described as 'hooks to get ears,' while preaching is the 'only heart breaking instrument,' contrasting their respective roles in evangelism and warning against substituting one for the other.

He broke their hearts with preaching. God have mercy. Those that would turn us away from the only heart breaking instrument, to the toys that only have hooks to get ears. That's another subject.

38:18 - 38:38 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is not fit that we should forsake the word of God to serve table.

The problem of disunity over widows is seen as an attempt by the serpent to distract the apostles from the priority of preaching, revealing the spiritual warfare behind practical issues.

They said the problem of unity can be solved if there's a closer administration of the widow's benefits. That's relatively easy to resolve. But we see in this problem of unity something of the fangs of the serpent. We hear the hiss, we hear the hiss, we hear the hiss, we hear the hiss, we hear the hiss, we hear the hiss, we hear the hiss, of the serpent.

46:03 - 46:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He expounds Acts 6, where the apostles, facing a crisis of disunity over neglected widows, refused to forsake the ministry of the Word and prayer, prioritizing preaching and…

Martin shares his personal realization that the apostles' decision in Acts 6 was not just about unity but about maintaining their divinely given priority of the Word, confessing he had missed this insight for years.

You see the wisdom the Holy Ghost gave them? I confess to you, I never saw that until I was preparing for the Southern Conference. All the times I've read this passage and expounded it in pastoral theology, and I said, you dummy, where you been all your life?

48:04 - 48:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember these passages and stand with Bible in hand to ensure the centrality of the public preaching and teaching of the Word of God is maintained, even when worthy issues tempt the church to move away from it.

Martin imagines returning in 20 years to see if the pulpit is still central or if other elements have displaced it, using this to impress upon the congregation their responsibility to maintain the centrality of preaching.

I'm very conscious in these days that if the Lord tarries, forty years from now, we'll declare either the folly or the wisdom of what's being done in these days. When some of us are in our graves, and when worthy issues are set before you as a church, such worthy issues as the care of widows, but issues that will demand moving a few degrees, right or left, of the centrality of the public preaching and teaching of the word of God. Oh, may the Holy Ghost bring these passages back to your remembrance.

53:18 - 54:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Cleave unto the Lord with purpose of heart, clinging to Jesus as your life, wisdom, grace, and power for all demands.

Martin recounts receiving a book that argued conversion is just the first step, and believers must then pursue baptism and speaking in tongues, contrasting this with Barnabas's focus on cleaving to Christ.

I had a book that sent to me a couple of months by a preacher within 30 miles of here saying, this book is being greatly used of God throughout the whole world. I want you to have it. I could not believe that he would be shameless to even print it. But his whole thesis was you trusted Christ, you're in the kingdom, good, fine, nice.

58:41 - 59:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin analyzes Acts 11, showing how Barnabas and then Paul, after seeing God's grace at Antioch, devoted a full year to teaching the people, resulting in their being called…

He describes a hypothetical scenario of attending a 'How to perform signs and wonders' seminar that costs money, humorously suggesting he'd ask for a miracle to pay the fee, exposing the commercialism and lack of genuine power in such movements.

That's part of my task according to Titus 1.9. They'll have the seminars. $150 for a two-day seminar.

61:49 - 61:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Pay the price to maintain the centrality of the teaching and preaching of the Word of God in this place.

Martin warns against having a preacher who is merely a 'joker, not a clever guy, not a nice guy who makes you feel good and smooth talker and skips over the Bible,' emphasizing the need for someone equipped to handle the Word with integrity.

Under God, under God, you will determine what I find. You will be in our graves. Hopefully our prayers will have some influence where they're gathered in the vials of God in heaven and maybe just the memory of what some of us have tried to teach you and maybe some pressure. But at the end of the day as the human instrumentality you will determine whether this pulpit is still central and whether central to what goes on in this pulpit is not a joker, not a clever guy, not a nice guy who makes you feel good and smooth talker and skips over the Bible

71:16 - 71:59 Read in full sermon