03a) Pastor's Spiritual Development, Part 2

Driving home: The word is the great instrument by which the spirit increases holiness in the hearts of believers. It is by faith in that word that men are ordained to be sanctified.

An extended quote from Murphy's pastoral theology work, emphasizing the Word as the Spirit's instrument for holiness, nourishment, and equipping pastors, and its superiority over other books on piety.

One of the best summary statements of this relationship between, the assimilation of the word of God and our own spiritual health and vigor that I have ever encountered in all of my reading, particularly as it relates to the scriptures in the life and heart of the man of God, devotionally assimilated, is found in Murphy's work on pastoral theology, page 76 and following, and it will be the most lengthy quote I will give you today, but I cannot improve upon his... his expression of these issues.

8:10 - 8:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Study the Bible with constant and close self-application, making its chapters and verses familiar not just intellectually, but for blessed comfort in your own soul.

A quote from Dr. Archibald Alexander on the wonderful, penetrating power of God's Word over human consciences, revealing the heart's evils, even to those without prior religious education.

those who are kept under their influence. Wisdom worthy of profound reflection is contained in the remarks of Dr. Archibald Alexander on this point. Quote, There is something wonderful in the power which the word of God possesses over the consciences of men. To those who never read or hear it, this

13:41 - 14:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first characteristic of devotional assimilation is that it must be structured and consistent. Martin uses Psalm 1 and 119, and Colossians 3:16, to argue that regular…

Martin reflects on Psalm 119:62, noting David's commitment to rising at midnight to give thanks, implying deep prior meditation and love for God's ordinances.

but bringing the mind and heart to the revelatory data with a commitment to the will to meditate upon that revelation of God's mind. Then, verse 62, at midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous ordinances. Every time I read that in my own devotional reading, and I recently came through Psalm 119, it struck me that if David was rising at midnight, he must have had a good four-hour cycle of sleep before midnight. I wonder what time he went to bed.

21:52 - 22:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Martin shares his personal experience of listening to Alexander Scorby read the Old Testament during workouts, finding himself humbled and refreshed by 'little details' and principles in Deuteronomy applicable to the New Covenant.

the major and the dominant truths of the mouth of God, but by every word, that proceeds from the mouth of God. And I've been struck afresh, as I've said is my goal this year, as part of my tape listening during my workouts to get through, in the first half of the year, the Old Testament, listening to Alexander Scorby, reading it, and I'm right now in the book of Deuteronomy, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, yes, Deuteronomy. And time after time, I have been tremendously, both humbled and refreshed, in my own soul, as little details of the giving of the law

26:28 - 27:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not fail in the discipline of the devotional assimilation of the Word of God that is both structured and consistent, and systematic and comprehensive.

Martin uses the metaphor 'a rut is nothing but a grave with the ends kicked out' to warn against rigid, unchanging methods of Bible reading that can lead to spiritual dryness.

in everything else with respect to this matter of what you are as a man before God do not fail in the discipline of the devotional assimilation of the word of God that is both structured and consistent and systematic and comprehensive. Now by systematic and comprehensive what I'm referring to is that you have some commitment and you will want to vary it because as one old preacher said a grave is nothing but a rut with the ends kicked out. I mean a rut is nothing but a grave with the ends kicked out. I mixed the figure.

31:08 - 31:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Have a means of personal accountability for your devotional reading so you cannot deceive yourself about your consistency.

Martin describes his personal system of accountability: using tick marks and dates in his devotional Bible to track his reading, which serves as a 'living Nathan' to keep him honest about his consistency.

of personal accountability that you can't kid yourself as to what you're doing in this area. For me that personal accountability is in my devotional Bible a little tick mark with a date and the calendar and the ticks don't lie. It's amazing how I can kid myself after a busy weekend and say well I missed a day or two and I can't and I find lo and behold from Thursday to Tuesday morning I had not had my full devotional reading and so that has to be catch up time which Tuesday often is but I know where I've been where I'm at and I can point my finger right at myself and say hey watch out watch ou...

33:17 - 34:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure your conviction that 'man shall live by every word' marks your commitment to a systematic and comprehensive Bible reading program, even if you have natural gravitating sections.

A quote from Mr. Scott, the commentator, via Bridges, describing his method of reading Scripture with exactness as if to preach on every verse, then applying it to his own case, character, and conduct.

Let me quote here from Bridges, page 52 or 53. In general, quoting Mr. Scott, the commentator, I have found it advantageous to read the scriptures with such exactness as to weigh every expression and the connection as if I were about to preach upon every verse. And that is the way I have found it advantageous to read the scriptures with such exactness than to apply the result to my own case, character, experience and conduct as if it had been directly addressed to me.

35:12 - 35:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your first great business on earth be the sanctification of your own soul, as this will render you more capable of performing ministerial duties in a holy, solemn manner.

A quote from Henry Martin, the missionary, expressing his struggle with the temptation to always think of sermons or expositions when opening the Scriptures, even in private, thus reading 'in public.'

Time must be found for the spiritual feeding upon scriptural truths as well as for critical investigation of their meaning or for a ministerial application of their message. If we should study the Bible more as ministers than as Christians, more, more to find matter for instruction of our people than food for the nourishment of our own souls, we neglect to place ourselves at the feet of our divine teacher. Our communion with him is cut off and we become mere formalists in our sacred profession. Henry Martin seems to have been

41:23 - 42:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your first great business on earth be the sanctification of your own soul, as this will render you more capable of performing ministerial duties in a holy, solemn manner.

Martin uses the analogy of a grave digger, physician, or soldier becoming inured to death and eternity to illustrate how pastors can become hardened to spiritual realities if they view religion professionally rather than personally.

We cannot live by feeding others or heal ourselves by the mere employment of healing our people. And therefore by this course of official service our familiarity with the awful realities of death and eternity may be rather like that of a grave digger, the physician and the soldier than the man of God viewing eternity with deep seriousness and concern and bringing to his people the profitable fruit of his contemplations. It has been well remarked that when once a man begins to view religion not as of personal but merely of professional importance, he has an obstacle in his course

42:26 - 43:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your first great business on earth be the sanctification of your own soul, as this will render you more capable of performing ministerial duties in a holy, solemn manner.

Martin shares his recent experience at sister Mabel's burial, observing the grave diggers' obliviousness and noting how funeral directors often become hardened to death, reinforcing the grave digger analogy.

So shall I be rendered more capable also of performing the duties of the ministry in a holy, solemn manner. And that imagery of the grave digger stamped on my mind having just laid our dear sister Mabel in the earth yesterday. I shake the image of those men, six or seven, who milled around as we arrived at the graveside, obviously totally oblivious from all that could be discerned in their conversation and demeanor. Somber, solemn reality of death and the grave and judgment.

43:29 - 44:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Mark well that the discipline of devotional assimilation of the Word of God is the 'battle of the basics' and 'trenches of the fundamentals' for your long-term usefulness.

An analogy of a boy given a mirror to see dirt on his own face, but who instead uses it to blind others with reflected sunlight, illustrating pastors who focus on others' sins without self-examination through God's Word.

To this devotional assimilation of the word of God, structured and consistent, systematic and comprehensive, fearful. Be like the little boy who was given a mirror in order to see the dirt spots in his own face to clean them. But he saw that when he could catch the sun's rays and reflect it, he could have lots of fun blinding the eyes of others with his mirror. And he spends all his time letting the sun's rays be reflected onto others.

45:34 - 46:10 Read in full sermon