The Overarching Presupposition

Driving home: Whether in the public ministry of the Word or in the private individual ministry of the Word, the instrument... that Christ prays will be effective for the sanctification of His people, John 17, 17, is His Word.

Martin compares the essence of preaching (proclamation, explanation, application of Scripture) to pastoral counseling, arguing that despite different circumstances, the core activity is the same: ministry of the Word.

to choose my words carefully. I did not say that we need to have a conviction concerning the primacy and sufficiency of Scripture as the exclusive source material for pastoral counseling, but the major source material for pastoral counseling. I've emphasized again and again that if our preaching is true preaching, it is, in its essence, the proclamation, explanation, and application of the Scriptures to the gathered people of God. And although in pastoral counseling, the circumstances and the methodological details are materially different,

0:58 - 1:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Whether in the public ministry of the Word or in the private individual ministry of the Word, the instrument... that Christ prays will be effective for the sanctification of His people, John 17, 17, is His Word.

He uses the analogy of not using a pulpit for secular psychology (Freud, Rogers, Skinner) to argue that the same disposition should apply to the counseling study, rejecting secular mindsets.

the essence of what we are doing in pastoral counseling is substantially the same as what we do in the preaching of the Word of God. And it certainly, as you would not be caught dead using a pulpit, as a sounding board for Freud, for Rogers, for Skinner, for Maurer, or much less your own notions of reality, so in the study you should have a disposition that I would not be caught dead using the secular mindset and presuppositions for this dimension of the ministry of the Word of God. Whether in the public ministry of the Word

1:41 - 2:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Not half-equipped, waiting for the latest cycle babble to complete his equipment. Waiting for the latest so-called insight of the experts, which insights are debunked in another 10 to 20 years by the current experts. No,…

Martin quotes J. Adams to underscore the principle that the Bible is the exclusive basis and textbook for Christian counseling because it deals with the same issues counseling addresses: changing lives by changing values, beliefs, relationships, attitudes, and behavior.

And I've listed this quote from J. Adams' More Than Redemption. It's one of the finest statements of this principle in his introduction, Roman numeral 13 and 14. The Christian's basis for counseling and the basis for a Christian's counseling is nothing other than the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments.

6:56 - 7:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not forsake the fountain of living water for the cracked cisterns of modern counseling systems.

He exhorts future ministers not to forsake the 'fountain of living water' (God's Word) for the 'cracked cisterns of modern counseling systems,' emphasizing the sufficiency of Scripture.

As future ministers of the word, be just that. Only that, and nothing else but that, ministers of the word. Do not forsake the fountain of living water for the cracked cisterns of modern counseling systems. And to that I trust we can add a hearty amen as we think of our presuppositions with respect to the counsel that we will give.

10:30 - 10:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Find specific scriptural perspectives and judgments on given problems you will encounter in counseling.

Martin uses Jeremiah's challenge to illustrate the folly of using substitutes for God's Word: comparing them to chaff instead of wheat, a feather instead of God's hammer, or false painted heat instead of living fire.

Why would you use a substitute for my word? Would you take chaff in the place of wheat? Would you, as it were, pound on some needy area of the human heart with a feather when God has given you his hammer? Would you simply apply a little bit of false painted heat when there is that which God says is a living fire?

12:57 - 13:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Whenever possible in the counseling session, have your Bible open and have the sheep with a Bible on his or her lap. Not only read a passage, but have them read it and ask them what it says to their situation.

He quotes Spurgeon's analogy of a man with a basket of oranges, saying it's more helpful to split one open and show what it is than to just point to many. This illustrates that simply stringing Bible verses together is not effective preaching or counseling; explanation and application are needed.

And it was wonderful to hear someone quoting from memory literally probably 100, 150 verses in a sermon. And that was supposed to be preaching. Well, it impressed you that this guy had memorized a lot of Bible. But as Spurgeon said, it would be like a man taking a basket full of oranges and saying, you want to know what an orange is?

14:27 - 14:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Whenever possible in the counseling session, have your Bible open and have the sheep with a Bible on his or her lap. Not only read a passage, but have them read it and ask them what it says to their situation.

Martin recounts an anecdote of counting Scripture allusions in Puritan works and quotes Spurgeon saying, 'prick him anywhere and out falls Biblene' of Bunyan, illustrating the deep saturation of Scripture in Puritan thought and writing.

randomly with people who were just discovering the Puritans with me, taking a Puritan work and opening up randomly and said, let's count all the allusions and references to Scripture on this page 7, on this one 8, on this one 15. As, again, Spurgeon said of Bunyan, prick him anywhere and out falls Biblene. And the more you know your Bible, the more you realize that many places there's an allusion here, a phrase here, an analogy there, drawn out of the stuff of the Bible as Bunyan accompanies the Christian man in his journey from this world to a better one. So, brethren, this conviction has got...

16:26 - 17:10 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And to come into the council in session in an apparent hearty submission to the God of special revelation while putting your hands over your face with regard to what he's saying in general revelation is to have God fight…

He uses the example of crippling depression caused by biochemical issues (trace mineral deficiencies, neurotransmitter imbalances, hypoglycemia) to illustrate the need to consider general revelation and medical insights in counseling.

If your conviction is well it must be strictly exclusively a spiritual problem unconfessed sin oppression of the devil and you're not aware that in God's general revelation he's made some things known about the causes of that kind of depression and one of the things he's made known is that sometimes it has absolutely nothing to do with spiritual dynamics it has to do with biochemical issues. It has to do with deficiencies of trace minerals in the blood and something that's not making the connectors in the brain cells. The neurotransmitters are out of whack.

25:26 - 26:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And to come into the council in session in an apparent hearty submission to the God of special revelation while putting your hands over your face with regard to what he's saying in general revelation is to have God fight…

Martin mentions sending people to the BioBrain Center for broad spectrum analysis of body chemistry, illustrating a practical application of integrating medical knowledge with pastoral care.

And to come into the council in session in an apparent hearty submission to the God of special revelation while putting your hands over your face with regard to what he's saying in general revelation is to have God fighting against God. And it is to cut yourself off and that dear child of God off from the very means that God may have already revealed is critical to address their problem. So when we have this kind of a situation one of the first things we do is send people at times to the BioBrain Center in Princeton, New Jersey where they do a total broad spectrum analysis of body chemistry an...

26:27 - 27:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And to come into the council in session in an apparent hearty submission to the God of special revelation while putting your hands over your face with regard to what he's saying in general revelation is to have God fight…

He uses the example of seasonal depression (SAD) treated with special light, not prayer or sin-dealing, to show how God reveals solutions in general revelation that are not spiritual in nature.

and trace minerals and they do an objective not a subjective voodooism psychological profile. Just the insights in the last ten years with regard to people who don't have any kind of depression except during the months that they have of January and February. And you know what the answer to the depression is a special light.

27:12 - 27:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And to come into the council in session in an apparent hearty submission to the God of special revelation while putting your hands over your face with regard to what he's saying in general revelation is to have God fight…

Martin humorously reflects on wishing he knew more about PMS when his wife was younger, contrasting it with the inappropriate response of reading Romans 6 to her, highlighting the need to discern physical from spiritual issues.

Empirical studies demonstrate the validity of the relationship of certain kinds of depression to that. New strides have been made in PMS. It's not just something in people's minds. Yes, the world may abuse that and the woman who's a witch all month long will blame her double witchery on PMS.

27:53 - 28:14 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And to come into the council in session in an apparent hearty submission to the God of special revelation while putting your hands over your face with regard to what he's saying in general revelation is to have God fight…

He uses the 'smoke stoppers behavior modification pagan structure' as an example of a common grace program that can be 'captured and sublimated to the distinctive dynamics of special grace' by integrating gospel motivations and prayer.

And you see these are things that God unveils in General Revelation and in Common Grace there may be something in the smoke stoppers behavior modification pagan structure that God has provided in His Common Grace to all men which we can lay hold of and sublimate to the service of the gospel. We will not take the smoke stoppers program as it is. We will want to bring to bear upon it the distinct elements of special revelation and of saving grace. In assessing the problem we will not say you have simply quote a nicotine addiction.

28:34 - 29:14 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section provides practical examples, such as addressing depression with potential biochemical causes, to demonstrate how ignoring general revelation (e.g., medical advances)…

The story of Hezekiah's terminal illness and recovery, where God promised healing but also commanded the application of a cake of figs, illustrates that God uses mundane means alongside His divine word and purpose.

The glory of God your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit your testimony all of this and we will underscore that they need to suffuse the use of this means with prayer but at the end of the day smoke stoppers behavior modification program may be something that God has put out there in his common grace that we can capture and sublimate to the distinctive dynamics of special grace. So when I say you've got to enter into pastoral counseling with a conviction concerning both the reality the function and the indispensability of general revelation and common grace this is what I'm talking about. N...

29:53 - 30:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section provides practical examples, such as addressing depression with potential biochemical causes, to demonstrate how ignoring general revelation (e.g., medical advances)…

The account of God's care for Elijah after his encounter with false prophets, providing food and sleep before addressing his spiritual dejection, illustrates God's recognition of the whole person and the interplay of physical and spiritual needs.

God's dealings with the prophet Elijah I love the passage for many many reasons not the least of which it's a constant reminder to me that we are to mirror God in the way we deal with His people and we have these incidents where the Lord Himself was the counselor and as God sees His tired worn out prophet weakened by all of that encounter with the false prophets and the drama of that event on Mount Carmel and then that 18 to 20 mile marathon in which He ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel then Jezebel hears about the prophet and sends a messenger saying by tomorrow at this time you've h...

32:49 - 33:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: for as the soul is not cured by natural causes so the body is not cured by spiritual remedies and we moderns think we're so smart that's Brooks writing hundreds of years ago recognizing this vital principle

Martin quotes extensively from Thomas Brooks on melancholy, where Brooks argues that its cure 'belongs rather to the physician than to the divine,' recognizing that physical distemper can cause soul distemper, thus validating the role of medical care alongside spiritual counsel.

be a drinker of wine but take a little of water but take a little wine for your stomach's sake and your oft infirmities he gives some home remedies for Timothy's recurring infirmities he doesn't say pray more he says take a little wine for your stomach's sake and your oft infirmities there's the recognition you see of this principle and now I've listed Thomas Brooks volume 3 pages 296 and 97 and this is why again young hotshots can throw stones at the Puritans that if they walk with God and they mature they'll find that the Puritans deficiencies will seem smaller and smaller and their greatnes...

36:29 - 37:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Make efforts to keep aware of valid medical advances, not to become an expert, but to be aware of what God is saying to us in general revelation and what God is holding out in his common grace.

Martin shares that he subscribes to and reads medical newsletters, not as a frustrated doctor, but to be a good 'physician of the souls of man' and avoid treating physical maladies as spiritual ones, demonstrating a practical application of staying aware of general revelation.

and in their observation of the functions of common grace to know that such a person did not need the divine but needed the physician that as the body is not cured by spiritual remedies and the soul is not by natural causes so my brethren this conviction will cause you to make efforts to keep aware of valid medical advances that's why I have a good conscience when I write off on my taxes as professional doctors the five medical newsletters that I subscribe to and for the most part read it's not because I'm a frustrated would-be doctor it's because I want to be a good physician

40:56 - 41:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep your eyes and ears open to articles on PMS, neurotransmitters, and chronic depression, and don't be afraid to seek help elsewhere.

He recounts helping a distressed sheep suffering from compulsive hand washing by connecting him with experts in that area, illustrating the benefit of seeking help elsewhere based on insights from general revelation.

of the souls of man and I don't want to be treating as a spiritual malady something that is a physical malady and so you have a responsibility not to become an expert but to be aware of what God is saying to us in general revelation and what God is holding out in his common grace keep your eyes and ears open to articles on PMS on neurotransmitters the problems of chronic depression and don't be afraid to seek help elsewhere one of our dear sheep one of our most precious sheep a man distressed by all kinds of twisted tortured things in his past

41:40 - 42:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Walk the razor's edge of seeking to incorporate into your pastoral counseling a climate in which people recognize that Christ has bought them to be their master, while also respecting counsel from those competent and gen…

Martin describes an accountability practice in counseling where he asks the counseled person to articulate what was a divine command versus his personal counsel, to ensure they understand the distinction and take responsibility for their choices.

did I say that's the only course you can take no did I say you must take it no what did I say you told me that was your counsel if I don't take the counsel I have not sinned I said all right now that's very clear in your mind so if it ever comes back to me Pastor Martin told me if I did you will be breaking the ninth commandment right yes you have to do that at times experience has taught me I have to do that because people want a guru I have to do that and especially if the decision they make ends up bad they want a blame shift and not take the responsibility upon themselves and say I chose t...

51:14 - 51:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Walk the razor's edge of seeking to incorporate into your pastoral counseling a climate in which people recognize that Christ has bought them to be their master, while also respecting counsel from those competent and gen…

He shares a letter from a friend who, despite personal reluctance to go to Nigeria due to negative reports, submitted to the counsel of his fellow office bearers, illustrating the principle of heeding wise counsel even when not a divine mandate, to avoid undermining authority and proving oneself a fool.

so it's vital brethren that with regard to the counsel you give that these three suppositions be there deeply embedded in your own mind and spirit and finding this practical expression in your mind in your interaction and I've saved a letter from a friend that beautifully captures this and I'll close this hour with just reading this it was a matter of guidance with regard to invitation to a ministry in another country and the brother writes and said I come now to the second matter raised in your letter the trip to Africa although I would have preferred you to have gone to Zambia this year but ...

51:59 - 52:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful never to undertake a counseling session while grieving the Holy Spirit.

The story of Samson not knowing the Lord had departed from him after his interaction with Delilah is used as a cautionary tale for counselors: a grieved Spirit becomes withdrawn and inoperative, leading to ineffective ministry, even if the counselor feels no immediate difference.

effects upon us and I've listed three of them we will be careful rather than say not to undertake perhaps you should put the word never never to undertake a counseling session while grieving the Holy Spirit we will be careful never never to undertake a counseling session while grieving the Spirit Ephesians 4 and verse 30 grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption a grieved spirit becomes a withdrawn spirit he becomes a restrained spirit he becomes a presently inoperative spirit and we then become like poor Samson who after

58:34 - 59:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not keep on inordinately, believing that people will wither and die if they are not constantly dependent on your counsel; there comes a time to leave them with God.

Martin recounts spending hours counseling a couple with marriage tensions, only for them to give up. Later, God sovereignly intervened through 'totally disparate' means, transforming their marriage into a 'living monument,' illustrating that God works where, when, and how He wills, often surprising counselors.

And lo and behold, sometimes God wonderfully surprises you. I've used the incidents with you because it's been so dramatic in reminding me of this in recent years of a couple that I spent hours with sorting out tensions in their marriage until they said, enough. The wife said, I just can't take it anymore. Having hopes raised and dashed.

74:12 - 74:32 Read in full sermon