Recovery of the Biblical Gospel

Driving home: The gospel of God is a kind of theological nose of wax. And as long as the wax contains the ingredients of Christ and something of forgiveness and peace and joy and a little bit of the cross somewhere there in that wax, …

The gospel is compared to a 'theological nose of wax' that people feel free to shape according to felt needs or socio-political climate, illustrating the danger of accommodating the gospel rather than adhering to its fixed content.

There is abroad in our day a notion, assumed by many, expressed and even defended by some, that the gospel is the gospel of God. The gospel of God is a kind of theological nose of wax. And as long as the wax contains the ingredients of Christ and something of forgiveness and peace and joy and a little bit of the cross somewhere there in that wax, we are free to shape that in terms of the felt needs of men in any given place, in terms of the socio-political climate in which the gospel comes, and to accommodate it in terms of that climate, as the well-known pop psychologist who calls himself Dr....

12:42 - 13:56 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The gospel of God is a kind of theological nose of wax. And as long as the wax contains the ingredients of Christ and something of forgiveness and peace and joy and a little bit of the cross somewhere there in that wax, …

Martin quotes Dr. Robert Schuller's definition of preaching as 'to find a hurt and heal it,' illustrating the modern tendency to reduce the gospel to addressing superficial needs rather than fundamental sin.

There is abroad in our day a notion, assumed by many, expressed and even defended by some, that the gospel is the gospel of God. The gospel of God is a kind of theological nose of wax. And as long as the wax contains the ingredients of Christ and something of forgiveness and peace and joy and a little bit of the cross somewhere there in that wax, we are free to shape that in terms of the felt needs of men in any given place, in terms of the socio-political climate in which the gospel comes, and to accommodate it in terms of that climate, as the well-known pop psychologist who calls himself Dr....

12:42 - 13:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes the gospel's central revelation of God's imputed righteousness, arguing against accommodating the message to a generation that has lost awareness of retributive…

The shift in the penal system from punitive to remedial is used as an example of how modern society has lost the concept of retributive justice, making it difficult for people to grasp the forensic nature of the gospel.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there that is within the gospel is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith as it is written, but the righteous shall live by faith. And here the apostle Paul informs us by the inspiration of the Spirit that the central truth which is revealed in the gospel is that of a revelation of a righteousness of God. That is a righteousness that God Himself has provided, a righteousness with which God Himself is pleased, a righteousness which God imputes to the ungodly by fai...

14:31 - 15:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Be consumed with a passion for a recovery of the biblical gospel in its essential doctrinal contents, ensuring preaching creates a climate where imputation, righteousness, and God-centered reconciliation are glorious goo…

Martin quotes a poem (likely by Anne Brontë, 'The Captive Dove') that vividly contrasts God's burning holiness with man's fallen, dim nature, illustrating the great dilemma of how sinful man can approach a holy God and setting up the gospel as the solution.

to be reconciled to God eternal light eternal light how pure that soul must be which placed within thy burning light it shrinks not but with calm delight can live and look on thee the spirits that surround thy throne may bear this burning light may bear this burning light may bear this burning light may bear this burning bliss but surely that is theirs alone for they have never never known a fallen world like this but how shall I whose native sphere is dark whose mind is dim before the ineffable appear and on my naked spirit bear the uncreated being there's the great dilemma of reality God is ...

25:51 - 27:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Be consumed with a passion for a recovery of the biblical gospel in its essential doctrinal contents, ensuring preaching creates a climate where imputation, righteousness, and God-centered reconciliation are glorious goo…

The mystery of the hypostatic union is described as the 'eternal word takes to himself flesh and while never never ceasing to be what he always was eternal God he begins to be something he never had been true man,' illustrating the unique person of Christ as the God-man who lived, died, and rose for salvation.

thundering out the sober imperatives of the gospel for you see the gospel is essentially comprised of those two elements it has its grand indicatives it declares what God has done first Corinthians 15 this is the gospel we preached unto you the gospel by which you are saved if you hold fast to this truth Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures he was buried he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures he was seen he ascended he sat down he sent forth the spirit the gospel is not primarily of subjective feelings it is a declaration of the most glorious indicatives eve...

30:18 - 31:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Be committed to the primacy of preaching and strive to excel in accurate, earnest, and pathetic (suffused with pathos and entreaty) proclamation.

The story of the blind man who cried out to Jesus for mercy is used to illustrate the logical sequence of calling, believing, and hearing, emphasizing that belief precedes calling and hearing precedes belief.

for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved now the great question how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed if there is no object to faith how can there be the cry it was when blind that Jesus of Nazareth passes by that he cried upon a day have mercy upon me though blind he believed the report and he called and he was healed Paul says by an escapable logical sequence yes whoever calls will be saved but how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him not of whom but whom they have not heard the one upon whom...

34:45 - 36:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Be committed to the primacy of preaching and strive to excel in accurate, earnest, and pathetic (suffused with pathos and entreaty) proclamation.

The gospel message is described as 'treasure in earth in vessels' (2 Corinthians 4:7), illustrating that God uses humble, fallible human preachers to proclaim a message that the world regards as 'utter folly'.

not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord in ourselves your servants for Jesus sake proclamation in the spirit of the apostle who said we were willing to impart unto you not the gospel of God only but our own souls because you were become dear to us I am not in any way overlooking the kingdom these dimensions of preaching that exist in the heart of the preacher his spirit of servitude to those to whom he preaches his deep solicitous yearning that he says I was willing to impart my very soul unto you in preaching but at the end of the day we come back to the question what is the appointed means of...

39:10 - 40:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Be committed to the primacy of preaching and strive to excel in accurate, earnest, and pathetic (suffused with pathos and entreaty) proclamation.

The humble origins of Jesus – born amidst blood and mucus, raised in a carpenter's shop – are contrasted with His cosmic claims and the implications of His death, illustrating why the gospel message is considered 'utter folly' by the world.

not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord in ourselves your servants for Jesus sake proclamation in the spirit of the apostle who said we were willing to impart unto you not the gospel of God only but our own souls because you were become dear to us I am not in any way overlooking the kingdom these dimensions of preaching that exist in the heart of the preacher his spirit of servitude to those to whom he preaches his deep solicitous yearning that he says I was willing to impart my very soul unto you in preaching but at the end of the day we come back to the question what is the appointed means of...

39:10 - 40:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third area of recovery is the gospel's efficacious power, which comes not from human wisdom or rhetorical skill, but from the demonstration of the Holy Spirit. Martin explains…

The Corinthian standard of regarding a learned man as one who could speak well is contrasted with modern academics who 'grunt and snort and can hardly put sentences together,' highlighting the degeneration of standards and setting up Paul's rejection of rhetorical excellence.

for we are committed as the vision for these days not only for recovery of the gospel but also for the in its essential doctrinal content in its appointed means of communication but oh brethren hear me carefully in its efficacious power in its efficacious power and what is that efficacious power I direct you to two texts of scripture that are probably already coming to your mind just turn one chapter over in Corinthians 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and I brethren when I came unto you did not come with excellency of speech or of wisdom that is I did not come speaking to you within the categories whi...

45:03 - 46:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third area of recovery is the gospel's efficacious power, which comes not from human wisdom or rhetorical skill, but from the demonstration of the Holy Spirit. Martin explains…

The arrogance of philosophers attempting to penetrate all reality with 'a cup full of grey matter' is used to illustrate the futility of human wisdom compared to God's revealed truth in the gospel.

and if they detected your familiarity with and submission to those canons of rhetorical excellence then they would say you spoke with excellent speech excellency of speech Paul said I did not come with one eye on your canons of rhetoric to make sure that you ticked me off as a man who spoke with excellency of speech I did not come in the capacity of an orator and when he says I did not come to you with excellency of speech or of wisdom he was speaking of course of the role of a philosopher the philosopher who's going to bless the world with his almighty insights into reality when you think of ...

46:31 - 48:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: it is bad enough to have a generation sink into hell with a watered down gospel worse yet to sink into hell with a straight correct orthodox gospel that never grips because it was not preached in the demonstration of the…

Paul's 'weakness and in fear and in much trembling' is explained as the disposition of a true preacher who knows he has no inherent right or power to break through man's sinful prejudice, illustrating dependence on God's Spirit.

in Acts 14 at Lystra and in Acts 17 there among the Athenian philosophers even though he had to begin with basic biblical theism and move by steps into the more central nerve centers of the gospel he said here was my passion to know nothing among you ultimately fundamentally but bringing you to see that in Jesus Christ immolated and lying under the anathema of God was the great answer to all of the mysteries that elude your philosophers and all of the aches and all of the unmet needs of the heart which the rhetorician may momentarily give some sense of satisfaction by the melodious sound of hi...

49:28 - 50:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Walk in utmost integrity before God day after day, keeping a conscience void of offense, frequenting the secret place in prayer, being weaned from creature confidence, and running from pride, to receive the anointing of …

The Holy Spirit's work in making preaching effectual is likened to the 'wind of heaven' filling the 'sails of my proclamation' and carrying the 'ship of gospel preaching' through the 'heaving sea of prejudice' to anchor in a man's conscience, depositing the Son of God.

his fear and trembling were rooted in the reality of his knowledge of the true state of man he couldn't argue them into the kingdom he couldn't tickle their phones and get them giggling into the kingdom he couldn't play upon their emotions and float them in on their keel of intrusive sovereign grace and he said I didn't carry the power of God in my pocket nor was it fused to my vocal cords the wind blows where it wills will God come will God attend my preaching will God come with the wind of heaven till the sails of my proclamation and carry the ship of gospel preaching clean through that trem...

52:26 - 53:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Walk in utmost integrity before God day after day, keeping a conscience void of offense, frequenting the secret place in prayer, being weaned from creature confidence, and running from pride, to receive the anointing of …

The story of God using the mouth of an ass to turn aside a mad prophet is cited to illustrate that God can use even a charlatan preacher to effect salvation, though it is not the general rule.

but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance or fullness or conviction even as you know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake our gospel came not in word only but in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance brethren while there is so much that is mysterious in the operations of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with preaching and while I know my Bible well enough to know that God will make the preaching of some man effectual to the salvation of others who themselves were strangers to its power as preachers many will say unto me in that day Lor...

56:48 - 58:14 Read in full sermon