Your Churchmanship, Part 2

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin begins by reading Revelation 2:25, setting the stage for his final sermons as parting counsel. He reiterates his foundational counsel to cling to Christ and obey His…

Martin shares his impending retirement after 46 years, emphasizing his departure is not due to moral or doctrinal defection but a conviction that younger, stronger men can better serve the church. This sets the context for his 'parting words of counsel.'

God willing, on June the 15th, that's next month, the third Lord's Day, I will preach my final sermon to you as one of your pastors. After 46 years of laboring among you as one of your under-shepherds, I will on that day relinquish that role and function. I'm grateful that I come to this, the close of my labors among you, with no disruption in our mutual affections for one another. I'm even more grateful that I do not leave under a cloud of moral or doctrinal defection. Rather, convinced that your good as a people can be better promoted by younger, stronger, more physically and emotionally res...

2:18 - 3:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Hold fast to your convictions and practice regarding the worship of the church.

Martin refers to the 'worship wars' in evangelical churches, a term describing heated debates over worship styles, to highlight the contentious nature of the topic he is addressing.

hold fast. your convictions and practice regarding the worship of the church. Hold fast to your convictions and practice regarding the worship of the church. For the past 25 years or so, there has been much writing, discussion, debate, conferences, etc., in evangelical churches concerning the issue of worship. Some of the discussion, some of the rhetoric has become so heated, there is a term that floats around in evangelical circles called the worship wars. It's a tragedy, but it's true. People speak of the worship wars. So that, right

10:43 - 11:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The one true and living God. Who is to be the sole object of our worship is the only one who has the right to tell us how he is to be worshipped.

This biblical narrative is used to illustrate the principle that God dictates how He is to be worshipped, showing God's rejection of Cain's self-devised offering and acceptance of Abel's blood sacrifice, which was presumably commanded by God.

And that began all the way in Genesis chapter 4, where we read these words, And in the process of time, Genesis 4, 3, it came to pass, That Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, And of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering, But unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect.

14:43 - 15:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fourth aspect of churchmanship is introduced: holding fast to biblical convictions and practice regarding worship. Martin addresses the 'worship wars' and establishes the…

This biblical account from Leviticus is used as a severe example of God's judgment on those who offer worship not explicitly commanded by Him, reinforcing the regulative principle of worship.

I am pure spirit, and you worship me in the way of my revelation. You shall not make unto you any grave in image, nor bow down thereunto. And then it isn't long after God gives a revelation of how the priesthood is to function there in the wilderness, in the tabernacle, and you have an incident recorded in chapter 10 of Leviticus. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them as censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. God had given explicit directives through Moses concerning all the details of t...

16:58 - 18:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is Bible-dominated worship, where the Bible is read, sung, prayed, and preached. Martin emphasizes the importance of consecutive public reading of…

Martin recounts an experience of reading a book where an author defined the regulative principle as reading, praying, singing, and preaching the Bible. This brought him great blessing and confirmed his understanding of Bible-dominated worship.

And Jesus defines where the truth is. John 17, 17, Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. And I shall never forget the day when sitting in my reading chair, I was reading a book on worship, and I came across one particular essay in which the author said, when we talk about the regulative principle in worship, I'm waiting for the attention of some who for some reason choose not to fix their eyes on me when I'm preaching.

31:11 - 31:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is Bible-dominated worship, where the Bible is read, sung, prayed, and preached. Martin emphasizes the importance of consecutive public reading of…

Martin shares that over his 46 years, Trinity Church has read through the Old Testament three times and the New Testament eight or nine times, demonstrating their commitment to Bible-dominated worship.

One that is Bible-dominated where the Scriptures are continually read. Not a bit here and a bit there, but large portions of the Word of God. And so in my 46 years we've gone through from Genesis to Malachi. Best I could figure out three times.

35:30 - 35:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fourth characteristic is Spirit-animated worship, drawing from Philippians 3:3 and Ephesians 5:18-20. Martin explains that being filled with the Spirit is linked to being…

Martin recounts a specific Lord's Day in the late 1960s when the worship service was marked by a 'cloud of heaviness,' lifeless prayers and singing, and ineffective preaching. This incident led the congregation to deep repentance and prayer, resulting in a renewed experience of Spirit-animated worship ever since.

I don't think there's anyone here except possibly Mr. Dixon, possibly Ms. Hiller, Ms. Karunia.

53:35 - 53:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Bring the Bible and show where changes are needed, rather than conforming to societal trends or expert opinions.

Martin describes the church's commemorative stone, on which he chose Ephesians 3:21 to be inscribed, symbolizing the church's commitment to God's glory through biblical worship across generations.

But those four things have not changed until God rewrites His Word or you abandon the Word. They will never change in the life of Trinity Church. So long as you are tethered to your Bibles, worship in this place will be God-centered, Bible-dominated, prayer-saturated, spirit-animated, and you know what the result will be? There's a commemorative stone out in the front on the left of the last door to the left.

57:56 - 58:36 Read in full sermon