The Fact of Remaining Sin

The point: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, but it's not the fear and trembling that wonders what the issue will be. It's a fear and trembling in the confidence that Almighty God who put me in the way is going to ke…

The Christian life is compared to a real death struggle, not mock battles with blank bullets, to emphasize the seriousness and danger of remaining sin.

We're not having mock battles like they may have at some of the battlegrounds down in the area of Philadelphia or other places in Gettysburg where young men all dressed up in confederate suits and in the suits of the enemy come out with real looking guns that make real sounds, but there are never any bullets in them.

21:11 - 21:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Legal motives have no power to shrivel up the roots of sin. It's only gospel motives that do.

The human heart is likened to a garden that, if cultivated, is lush with gospel motives, but if left to itself, becomes overgrown with the weeds of indifference, illustrating the need for spiritual cultivation.

For from within, out of the heart proceed. And he mentions the sins. Now, the heart must be kept well furnished with gospel motives. It must be like my garden is right now, with all the rain we've had and my three children being little mini-farmers cultivating every day and taking care of it.

26:18 - 26:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates gospel motives through the Apostle Paul, whose life was constrained by Christ's love (2 Corinthians 5:14) and whose philosophy was 'to live is Christ'…

Paul's statement 'the love of Christ constraineth us' (2 Corinthians 5:14) is used as an example of a heart powerfully driven by a gospel motive, binding him to a life of abandonment to Christ.

stated in verses 12 and 13 well let's read them second corinthians 5 we are not again commending ourselves unto you but speak is giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf that ye may have wherewith to answer them that glory in appearance and not in heart here were these people that were trying to undermine paul's authority and paul says the only reason i'm talking the way i'm talking is to give you some ammunition to refute those that would undercut my authority as an apostle and therefore my influence over you verse 13 for whether we are beside ourselves it is unto god

27:48 - 28:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates gospel motives through the Apostle Paul, whose life was constrained by Christ's love (2 Corinthians 5:14) and whose philosophy was 'to live is Christ'…

A hypothetical scenario of a reporter asking Paul his philosophy of life, to which Paul responds 'For to me, to live is Christ' (Philippians 1:21), illustrating how a single gospel motive can dominate every aspect of a believer's life.

whose heart is well furnished with gospel motives. Take one more example from the Apostle Paul. Suppose you have been following around the Roman Empire for three, four weeks, and you saw him working all night, making tents to provide bread for himself and his companions, and you saw him catch a few winks here and there, and then he's in the synagogue preaching, expounding, witnessing out in the marketplace, reasoning, disputing it as well. How are you going to 2009 to co- Squeeze muting, alleging, and opening that Jesus is the Christ.

30:50 - 31:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates gospel motives through the Apostle Paul, whose life was constrained by Christ's love (2 Corinthians 5:14) and whose philosophy was 'to live is Christ'…

Joseph's refusal to sin with Potiphar's wife, stating 'How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?' is presented as an Old Testament illustration of a heart furnished with a gospel motive, prioritizing his covenant relationship with God.

And then the Old Testament illustration is from the life of Joseph. That godly young man. He was born in the midst of an affluent and no doubt sensuous situation in Potiphar's house. And you remember the record in Genesis, how that Potiphar's frustrated wife cast her eyes upon this handsome young man and day after day sought to entice him with her words, and when her words would not prevail, one day when the circumstances were ripe for Joseph's fall, she laid hold upon him physically.

34:01 - 34:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek the Lord in the pages of His Word.

The analogy of returning home and seeking one's wife, not just the house walls, is used to illustrate that in the means of grace (Word, sacraments), believers should not be content with the 'walls' but must actively seek and find Christ Himself.

of Christ in His Word. When I've been away from home, I know where my wife is. She's back within the walls of that split-level house in 25 Meadowbrook Lane. But, boy, I'm not seeking that house. When I come through that door, my eyes look for one thing. And

39:51 - 40:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second negative exhortation is to beware of subtle legalism, where good performance leads to a sense of God's favor, shifting focus from Christ as 'all in all.' Believers must…

The story of 'Daft Jimmy,' a mentally limited man who, when questioned about his conversion, consistently replied, 'I am a sinner and Christ is my all in all,' illustrates the simple, Christ-centered posture that guards against legalism.

No longer am I preoccupied with Christ who is my all in all. As Daft, what was his name? Daft Jimmy? Some of you read the little track.

48:40 - 48:49 Read in full sermon