01b) General Introduction, Part 2 (9/9/1994)

The point: Ministers should make the maintenance of their power in the pulpit their great concern, recognizing that the erosion of this conviction has led to shoddiness in preaching and ministerial training.

The example of God opening the mouth of a dumb ass to speak to a mad prophet is used to illustrate that while God can use any means, His ordinary primary method for calling out His own is through sent preachers.

That God can and does use the humble witness and testimony of any of us. Of his children and even of non-Christians to bring people to repentance and faith. If he can open the mouth of a dumbass to be an effectual mouthpiece to a mad prophet, God can open the mouth of a rational creature. But as an ordinary means, God's primary method of calling out his own is through those who preach as those who are sent.

7:26 - 8:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should make the maintenance of their power in the pulpit their great concern, recognizing that the erosion of this conviction has led to shoddiness in preaching and ministerial training.

Spurgeon's quote comparing the pulpit to Thermopylae is used to emphasize the critical importance of preaching in the spiritual battle for Christendom, where the fight is 'lost or won'.

And therefore, this whole course is framed by this presupposition of the primacy. The primacy of preaching among the public duties of the ministry. It is the agreed testimony of scripture and church history that the pulpit is, in the words of Spurgeon, the Thermopylae of Christendom. And those of you who remember some ancient history, Thermopylae was the mountain pass in which the Persians destroyed the Spartans.

8:25 - 8:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should make the maintenance of their power in the pulpit their great concern, recognizing that the erosion of this conviction has led to shoddiness in preaching and ministerial training.

Broadus's statement that 'no great religious movement... without new power in preaching' is quoted to historically validate the primacy of preaching as both a cause and effect of revival and restoration of truth.

Any subsequent editions are not worth the money you pay for them, but the Dargan edition is considered the best edition. This is what Broadus says. In every age of Christianity, In every age of Christianity, since John the Baptist drew crowds in the desert, there has been no great religious movement, no restoration of scripture truth, and reanimation of genuine piety, without new power in preaching, both as its cause and its effect. Now you see where your historical theology comes in?

10:51 - 11:32 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Under the blessing of God, when preaching is what it ought to be, now notice, under the blessing of God, when preaching is what it ought to be in content, form, and spiritual energy, a vigorous, healthy, well-ordered chu…

Martin imagines visiting the chaotic Corinthian church before Paul's letters, highlighting how its very existence, despite problems, validated Paul's apostolic ministry and the solid foundation he laid through preaching.

My speech and preaching were not with enticing words of men's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of God. that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of God. that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of God. of men but in the power of god first corinthians 2 1 to 5 but he could also say you are our epistle i came preaching you are our epistle you have listened to these people who undermine my authority and you say that i must now descend to the level of unknown people who traveling from place to place to make it valid tha...

18:35 - 20:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should strive for a well-ordered church life, as it serves as both the fruit and validation of God-honoring preaching, moving hearts even before the sermon begins.

Martin shares how visitors to his own church have been moved Godward and expectant simply by observing the interaction of families and the quiet atmosphere before the sermon, illustrating how a well-ordered church validates preaching.

vigor in its life and its well-ordered state is both the fruit and the validation of our preaching ministry and i have found over the years in this place with all of our faults and sins god alone knows them fully i know enough of them starting with the preacher to ever keep us from thinking we've attained anything but in spite of all of that how many people have said before i ever stood to open my mouth to preach just watching the interaction of parents with their children in the foyer and seeing the quiet atmosphere of whole families sitting preparing to worship their hearts were moved godwar...

21:24 - 22:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should strive for a well-ordered church life, as it serves as both the fruit and validation of God-honoring preaching, moving hearts even before the sermon begins.

James Stalker's perceptive words are quoted to explain that ministerial failure often stems from a lack of deep spiritual experience, curtailed prayer, or professional tone without present feeling, emphasizing that power for ministry is acquired in secret.

Baker did the last reprint. It was originally printed in 18... or they were the lectures of 1891. Writing on this very theme, listen to Stalker's perceptive words. Perhaps of all causes of ministerial failure, the most common lies here.

24:58 - 25:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should aim to be known for feeding their congregations with sound doctrine and edifying them by their godly example, wooing and alluring people to Christ through both preaching and walking.

Stalker's observation that hearers form an 'image of what he is' about a minister, which determines the 'weight and effect of every sentence,' is quoted to underscore the critical importance of the minister's character and godliness.

But alas, it does. That's pages 54 and 5. Hear the same man of God on page 167 when he says, We are so constituted that what we hear depends very much for its effect on how we are disposed to the one who speaks to us. The regular hearers of a minister gradually form in their minds, almost unawares, an image of what he is, into which they put everything which they themselves remember about him and everything they've heard of his past life. And when he rises on Sunday in the pulpit, it's not the man visible there at the moment. They listen to, but this image which stands behind him and determine...

27:12 - 28:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should aim to be known for feeding their congregations with sound doctrine and edifying them by their godly example, wooing and alluring people to Christ through both preaching and walking.

The description of an old divine who 'fed you with his doctrine and he edified you by his example' is used as an ideal for ministers, illustrating the integration of sound teaching with godly living.

we are. We are so constituted that the effect of what is spoken in great measure is determined by our perception of the one who is speaking to us. And this presupposition that a life of vital godliness is the indispensable prerequisite of all ministerial efficiency, if you're uncomfortable with that, you're going to be uncomfortable with this course. It was said of an old divine, and I love this, he fed you with his doctrine.

28:21 - 28:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers must be diligent and give themselves wholly to their gifts and responsibilities, understanding that progress in grace, gifts, and usefulness comes through conscious, deliberate effort.

The analogy of the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers is used to explain how divine and human elements in ministry flow together, becoming inseparable yet distinct, illustrating the concept of 'confluence' and 'interaction'.

Now, what do I mean by the words confluence and interaction? Well, confluence, the confluence of two rivers is the point at which they flow together. And you cannot tell which is the Allegheny and which is the Monongahela at the confluence of those rivers out there in the area where that airline tragedy occurred last night. And I'm concerned that we understand that word and its significance because there is a wealth of sound biblical theology that in my understanding can only be expressed by the term confluence. When the two rivers come together, there were two rivers now coming into one. A co...

30:03 - 31:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Believers should never fear that their working will outstrip God's working in them, but rather engage fully in obedience, understanding that God secures their will and performance.

John Owen's statement that God 'does not work without us or against us, but he works with us and in us' is quoted to clarify the nature of the divine-human confluence, emphasizing cooperation rather than passivity.

both inclining my will to do what is pleasing in his sight and giving me the power to do it, then surely I must just let go and let God. No. I must engage all of my faculties, because he does not work in me, bypassing my will and my performance, but securing my will and my performance. Brethren, for some of us who wandered in the wastelands of everything from let go and let God and breathe in the spirit and rely and relax and got ourselves entangled in all kinds of webs of self-destruction, to come to grips with this truth was the most liberating thing in the world. I need never fear that my w...

42:20 - 43:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Ministers should be wary of intellectual pride and the notion of having entirely novel insights, instead seeking confirmation from past theological guides and acknowledging God's goodness to His people throughout history…

Martin shares his fear of acting as though he has discovered something entirely novel, stating that a mark of heresy is believing 'the sun of truth were setting in the west till it arose on his fair head,' emphasizing the importance of historical confirmation for theological insights.

presuppositions and it has driven me and i've gone to the old masters and as you'll find along the way there are certain conclusions that i had come to tentatively but i didn't find anyone else saying them and i never uttered them until i could get some confirming voice in terms of what god had made known to his people in the past one of the marks of every heretic and everyone guilty of serious error is that he acts as though the son of truth were setting in the west till it arose on his fair head ain't nobody know nothing till i came along and i'm scared to death of that and that of course in...

47:36 - 49:05 Read in full sermon