52a) Disposition of Biblical Oversight, #2

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds on Christ's disposition of zeal for God's honor and glory, first through His cleansing of the temple (John 2), where His actions were driven by zeal for His…

Martin quotes Hendrickson's commentary to vividly describe the chaotic, commercialized, and exploitative scene in the Court of the Gentiles, setting the stage for Christ's zealous action.

read in John 2 and verse 14, and he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and calves and the changers of money sitting. And the comments of Hendrickson in giving us a real verbal picture of what our Lord found when he went into the temple is most helpful. I read from Hendrickson's commentary on John, page 122. Now, at this occasion, Jesus, entering Jerusalem's temple, notices that the court of the Gentiles had been changed into what must have resembled a veritable stockyard.

4:08 - 4:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin expounds on Christ's disposition of zeal for God's honor and glory, first through His cleansing of the temple (John 2), where His actions were driven by zeal for His…

Martin footnotes Edersheim to illustrate the exorbitant prices charged by vendors, highlighting the exploitation that fueled Christ's zeal.

and disappointment, animals for sacrifice were bought right there in the outer court, which was called the court of the Gentiles, because they were permitted to enter it. Of course, the dealers in cattle and sheep would be tempted to charge exorbitant prices for such animals. They would exploit the worshippers. And those who sold pigeons would do likewise, charging perhaps four dollars for a pair of pigeons worth a nickel. And he footnotes that

5:12 - 5:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Regulate and order the worship of God, cultivate the gift of public prayer (even by outlining), take the lead in church discipline, and track down wayward sheep, sustained by zeal for God's honor and glory.

Martin quotes James Spencer Cannon's extended analogy comparing unholy zeal to a noisy, destructive volcano and proper pastoral zeal to a majestic, enriching river, providing a balanced perspective on this disposition.

I want to conclude this section on the disposition of zeal for the honor and glory of God by reading his most balanced perspective on this quality of disposition. That zeal, however, which is a proper qualification for the pastoral office is associated with knowledge, humility, and prudence. It is therefore in its operations not like the noisy eruptions of a volcano which attract deepening and awaken strong emotions in beholders but endanger life and destroy the beauty and fertility of the earth with burning lava but is like a majestic river which waters and enriches a country

37:09 - 37:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for a disposition of zeal for God's honor and glory that is balanced, modest, cautious, and untainted by pride or lust for power, as described by James Spencer Cannon.

Cannon's quote describes unholy zeal as self-aggrandizing and reckless, referencing Finney's 'new measures' to illustrate how it seeks fame and new methods rather than the old gospel.

than its own aggrandizement and power. That unholy zeal which has so often troubled the churches commences its course with loud professions of superior piety and benevolence blowing the Pharisees' trumpet that everyone may hear it. But its grand object is to stand at the head of a party to acquire fame as a reformer and to be distinguished as the author of new measures while it is reckless of the consequences of its doctrines and measures when the excitement it has industriously enkindled shall have subsided. And he wrote at the time when he was seeing the effects of the so-called new measures...

38:52 - 39:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for a disposition of zeal for God's honor and glory that is balanced, modest, cautious, and untainted by pride or lust for power, as described by James Spencer Cannon.

Cannon's quote contrasts holy zeal with the pride that proclaims 'former systems are radically defective' or that 'former ministers have not understood the scriptures,' cautioning against arrogance in new insights.

And you see the man saw through this. On the contrary, the zeal which qualifies the Christian pastor for great usefulness in the church is a flame fed with beaten oil and ardor of the soul which seeks to extend the influence and triumphs of an old gospel. If that knowledge which is associated with it is instrumental after profound and prayerful study of the sacred scriptures and careful attention to the history of the church in resolving any difficulty connected with sound doctrine or in exhibiting any revealed truth in a way that is not in a stronger light holy zeal does not hence take occasi...

39:36 - 40:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for a disposition of zeal for God's honor and glory that is balanced, modest, cautious, and untainted by pride or lust for power, as described by James Spencer Cannon.

Cannon's quote highlights the modesty and caution of holy zeal, citing a Puritan minister who thanked God for never having 'broached any manner of new opinion,' emphasizing continuity and humility.

No, this grace is modest and cautious as it existed in the breast of Meade, Edwards, and Newton and so linked with humility and its progress that after unwearied efforts to explain the word and save souls it can thank God as an eminently learned and laborious minister among the Puritans in England did quote that it has never broached any manner of new opinion end quote. At this day brethren listen if this were true in the mid-1800s at this day the spirit of change is abroad and its course both in civil and religious society is marked by an intemperate daring and proud zeal

40:39 - 41:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that preaching alone is insufficient for a healthy church; hands-on, wise, alert, non-sluggardly pastoral involvement is essential to prevent churches from becoming like the 'field of the sluggard' with uncheck…

Martin uses the biblical metaphor of the sluggard's field (Proverbs 24) to illustrate the destructive consequences of a lack of diligence in pastoral oversight, leading to spiritual decay in a church.

only they would that we should remember the poor which very thing I was also zealous to do I did not simply do with a minimum amount of energy and interest and industry no I was zealous to do it there was principled diligence and dogged determination to do the will of God in this matter of the constant remembrance of the poor and then by way of application what I've done is cited those texts out of Proverbs that tell us the baneful effects of the sluggard and I've chosen as the first and primary text the one that I trust again will constantly haunt us

57:52 - 58:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Nurture the disposition of relative indifference to men's approval and praise by constantly bringing near the last day, when the only approval that matters will be the Savior's 'well done, good and faithful servant.'

Martin quotes John Brown on Galatians, stating it is a 'happy circumstance' when a minister, slandered, can appeal to his life's tenor, reinforcing the idea of integrity over seeking approval.

live as a man who has a relative indifference to the approval and to the praise of men in the interest of time I can't read the quote but there's a masterful comment on this in John Brown's commentary on the book of Galatians and it's found on page in my in my edition anyway on page 50 of John Brown on Galatians let me just give this last part of it it is a happy circumstance if a Christian minister when slanderously reported of can fearlessly appeal to the tenor of his life and leave the decision with those who know him best it's a marvelous statement it's a happy circumstance

70:27 - 71:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Nurture the disposition of relative indifference to men's approval and praise by constantly bringing near the last day, when the only approval that matters will be the Savior's 'well done, good and faithful servant.'

Martin quotes Lenski's commentary on Paul rebuking Peter, highlighting how those in error often focus on technicalities of the rebuke to avoid accountability, underscoring the need for indifference to men's approval.

to his face before others listen to what Lenski says I've had occasion to quote this to a number of pastors in the last few months much to their comfort then Paul acted and did so effectively he rebuked Peter the one who was chiefly guilty and he did it in the presence of all should he not have gone to Peter privately we have found that men who have committed some grave error are very particular not to have those who rebuke them commit the least error in the place and the manner of the rebuke otherwise they become the guilty ones and the errorist become persecuted

72:41 - 73:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: In a real sense this final aspect of the disposition vital to the work of oversight shepherding caring ruling and governing is both the taproot and the capstone of all others

Martin references Owen's 'shocking statement' that even in glory, Christ's human nature is continually dependent on the Father, establishing Christ as the paradigm for conscious dependence.

it's the taproot and it's the capstone conscious dependence upon the grace and power of God at this point you might think well surely our Lord is not our paradigm here yes he is he's our supreme paradigm he is our supreme paradigm notice what I have stated in the incarnation our Lord voluntarily assumed real humanity which in its very nature placed him in a posture of dependantness and remember Owen's shocking statement that was read in our hearing from the glory of Christ that even in glory the human nature of Christ is continually dependent

77:05 - 77:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Anticipate the task of oversight by cultivating the full dispositional complex: assertive servanthood, meekness, gentleness, vulnerable compassion, self-giving love, zeal for God's glory, diligence, dogged determination,…

Martin uses the contrast between Christ beckoning a child and Christ with a scourge in the temple to illustrate that a faithful pastor will reflect the full, sometimes seemingly contradictory, spectrum of Christ-like dispositions.

to perform your mannerisms of old task and if God helps you to any degree to be marked as a man who has that dispositional complex you'll be a marvel to yourself and a conundrum and an enigma to others some will see you at times when that particular aspect of the dispositional complex of meekness and tenderness are being exceedingly highlighted two days later someone else will see you with the scourge in your hands and the fire in your eye and they'll say which is the true man well both are the true man just as people seeing the Lord Jesus beckoning the little child to come and sit on his knee...

86:43 - 87:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the character of Christ continually emerge from your Bible, and pray that God will make you more and more into that likeness, rather than relying on fixed, one-dimensional images.

Martin explains his dislike for pictures of Christ because they can only capture one or two dimensions, potentially fixing an incomplete image in the mind and leading to idolatry, emphasizing the need for a full biblical understanding of Christ's character.

seeing him with flashing eyes and scourge in the temple would say is that the same man it looks like him but surely it can't be the tender hands that welcome a child now are white knuckled holding upon the scourge yes and you and I are to reflect him we're to reflect him in the full beautiful spectrum of what it is to be like Christ that's why I don't like any pictures of Christ because they can only capture one or two dimensions of his character they may capture one or two dimensions but I don't like them because they can fix an image on the mind that becomes an image of the soul and that's t...

87:28 - 88:12 Read in full sermon