Exposition of Matthew 24:12-13

The point: Go to Jesus in all the vileness of your sin, turning from it as you would from your own vomit, and cast yourself upon Christ.

Martin recounts an early experience preaching in a mission hall where an old, white-haired saint, Mr. Schofield, would sit with his eyes closed but keenly scrutinize the sermon. When the gospel of Jesus doing helpless sinners good was preached, he would respond with a heartfelt 'Amen, Lord, if that ain't the gospel, don't know what is.' This illustrates the foundational truth of the gospel and its enduring power.

The following message was delivered on Sunday evening, July 25, 1993, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. I could not help but think of some of my earliest days as a Christian as we sang that hymn, barely having celebrated my 18th birthday and preaching in a little mission hall where there was an old white-haired saint who sat over to the left, and he looked as though he were sleeping. He would sit there with his arms like this and his head bowed,

0:03 - 0:43 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I'm a man who does his own thing I'm a woman who does her own thing I'm a woman determined to find my own fulfillment on my own terms and no one man or woman will tell me what those terms will be

Martin uses the analogy of God's 'fingerprints' on creation (a blade of grass, a twinkling star, a baby's face) to illustrate how men inherently know God as Creator, even if they suppress this truth.

in unrighteousness because that which is known of God is manifest in them for God manifested it unto them and he here teaches that men know from God's creation which is smothered with his fingerprints you cannot look at a blade of grass you cannot look at a twinkling star you cannot look into a baby's face without seeing that blade of grass and the star and the face of that infant smothered with the fingerprints of God but men play tricks on themselves and say no fingerprints blade of grass is just there notice what verse 21 says because knowing God

24:22 - 25:07 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin provides several biblical examples of epochs marked by abounding lawlessness: the time of the flood (Genesis 6), the period of the Judges (Judges 21:25), and the societal…

Martin contrasts the natural affection of an animal protecting its young with the lack of natural affection seen in abortion, particularly referencing a Supreme Court nominee's stance, to illustrate the depth of moral decay when God gives people over to a reprobate mind.

The affection of an animal to protect the little one that she carries or the egg that's in her nest. Go near to the bird when she's sitting on her eggs. And her bird says, I must protect my progeny with my...

28:35 - 28:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: One of the most pathetic and pitiful sights is the effort to galvanize back into warm activity the love that has been chilled to death.

Martin uses the analogy of a father and son trying to rekindle a properly extinguished, soaked campfire to illustrate the futility and pathos of trying to 'galvanize back into warm activity the love that has been chilled to death' in the professing church.

And that means that its root, faith, has withered and is dying or is already dead. One of the pitiful sights in the life of the church is the effort to galvanize back into warm activity the love that has been chilled to death. One of the most pathetic and pitiful sights is the effort to galvanize back into warm activity the love that has been chilled to death. Go back to the camping illustration, how pathetic to see a dad with his son

49:32 - 50:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third main point is 'the resistance demanded' in Matthew 24:13: 'But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.' Martin emphasizes that this resistance is intensely…

Martin tells the story of a man who drilled for months for precious metal, gave up one yard short of finding gold, and sold his land. The next men drilled one yard further and found it. This illustrates the importance of persevering to the very end to receive the reward of one's investment, connecting it to salvation.

As one writer set forth a very powerful illustration, the man bought a plot of land having heard that there was a vein of some precious metal in it, and he spent months and thousands of dollars boring into solid rock, seeking to find that vein. And he finally gave up and said, there's no precious metal here, and sold off the plot of land. The next men came in and drilled one yard further and discovered gold. You get the point?

56:30 - 57:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All of the saved shall persevere, but all of the saved must persevere to prove that they are saved. They shall, but they must.

Martin uses the account of Paul on the ship in Acts, where Paul assures everyone of their salvation but then warns them that they must stay on the ship to be saved, to illustrate how divine certainty and human necessity are not contradictory in God's word regarding perseverance.

Remember the classic illustration from the book of Acts. Paul says, the Lord is come to me. An angel of the Lord stood by me tonight. Don't be afraid.

60:33 - 60:43 Read in full sermon