Self-conscious Identity; His Manner

The point: Be encouraged in your efforts to proclaim the gospel during this week.

Paul's willingness to treat his own life as 'of little account' illustrates his overwhelming passion to testify the gospel, enabling him to face death with delight.

of greater worth than even his own life. In the fulfillment of this obsession, he came to the place, according to 2 Timothy 4, verses 6 through 8, where he could face death with great delight and with joyous anticipation. He could say, I have finished my course, I am ready to be offered, the time of my departure is at hand. Now we may well ask the question, what was this obsession in the life of the Apostle Paul that made him, as it were, treat his own life as a thing of little account?

4:04 - 4:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I, Saul of Tarsus, stand here in Ephesus as a bond slave of Jesus Christ. In other words, the apostle Paul was bound to Jesus Christ in bonds of the deepest kind of intimate love and loving obligation.

Paul's identity as a bond-slave meant he did not come to Asia for denominational approval, personal ego, or popular consensus, but out of loving obligation to Christ.

I am a man. I knew my identity as a gospel preacher and that identity was essentially to be understood in terms of a bond slave of Jesus Christ. In other words, he did not come to Asia because the denominational mission board thought it would be a good idea and he therefore would come as the lackey of his missionary society nor did he come because there was some general consensus there at Ephesus that it would be nice for him to come and this would be a good ego trip. No, no.

10:34 - 11:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will raise up gospel preachers who have such a sight of Christ's majesty and glory that they are indifferent to the frowns and smiles of men.

Paul did not 'wet his finger and hold it up' to gauge popular theological winds, illustrating his freedom from man-pleasing in his preaching.

If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a bond slave of Christ. You see the practical implications it had? When he came to Ephesus, he said, conscious that he came there, not primarily on an ego trip or under the pressure of his church or missionary society, but in loving bonds to Jesus Christ, he says this had tremendous practical effects upon him. When he came to Ephesus, he did not, as it were, wet his finger and hold it up and see which way the current theological winds were blowing so that he might adjust the sails of his message accordingly.

13:22 - 14:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will raise up gospel preachers who have such a sight of Christ's majesty and glory that they are indifferent to the frowns and smiles of men.

Paul did not conduct a 'man on the street poll' to discover what truths people wanted to hear or found offensive, illustrating his commitment to God's message.

He didn't go around and take, as it were, a man on the street pole and say, now, I'd like to find out what truths you'd like to hear and what truths are rather offensive to you people and what you... No, no, no, no.

14:02 - 14:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will raise up gospel preachers who have such a sight of Christ's majesty and glory that they are indifferent to the frowns and smiles of men.

The riot in Ephesus, where people chanted 'Great is Diana,' illustrates that Paul's preaching offended the religious climate but did not deter him because he was serving the Lord.

He came conscious that he was a slave, a bondservant of the Lord who had loved him and died for him and in grace had saved him. And he says, as long as he was self-consciously the bondservant of men, he could never make seeking the favor of men or pleasing men the goal of his ministry. And he said, the moment I begin to be activated, motivated, adjusted in my thinking, my methods and message by pleasing men or by seeking the favor of men, I cease to be a bond-slave of Jesus Christ. And so, as we look at Paul, the model of a gospel preacher, we understand that the position from which he preache...

14:13 - 15:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will raise up gospel preachers who have such a sight of Christ's majesty and glory that they are indifferent to the frowns and smiles of men.

A 'reverend, who is the slave of the frowns of his people' or their smiles or wallets, is a 'sickening sight,' illustrating the danger of man-pleasing in ministry.

There is nothing more sickening upon the face of the earth than a reverent, who is the slave of the frowns of his people. Or a slave of the smiles of his people. Or a slave of the wallets and the purses of his people. Who is not Christ's slave and therefore Christ's free man.

16:30 - 16:49 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For you see, the man who knows that he's the bond slave of Christ is the man who knows he is what he is by the grace of God. And no man who understands grace can be a proud man.

Martin recalls being told in school that evangelists need 'something unique, something scintillating, something dazzling' beyond an ordinary personality, which he dismisses as 'sheer rubbish' in light of Paul's humility.

No one who understands grace can be marked by strut and swagger and that kind of carnal projection of the super personality, the cursed image of the modern evangelist. I remember when I was in school, I had speakers come and actually talk to potential preachers and say, now, if you're sort of just an ordinary personality and you don't have a lot of zing, and zip, and charisma, you can be a pastor. But if you're going to be an evangelist, you've got to have something unique, something scintillating, something dazzling, something very attractive about your personality, that sheer rubbish.

20:12 - 20:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For you see, the man who knows that he's the bond slave of Christ is the man who knows he is what he is by the grace of God. And no man who understands grace can be a proud man.

A 'puny little creature' or 'little worm of the dust' telling God what should be in His Word or preached is an act of pride, illustrating the opposite of lowliness of mind.

It has to do with the disposition of heart, lowliness of mind that means, first of all, he receives everything that God says, as truth, so that he may be a conveyor of truth. You see, the greatest act of pride is for a man who says he is a preacher of the gospel to say there's either certain things in the Bible that aren't true or that aren't worthwhile preaching. What an act of pride when God has given the whole word for our good for some puny little creature to say, well, this doesn't belong in there and this should never be in there and that's an error and this is a mistake and that's not n...

21:30 - 22:48 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For you see, the man who knows that he's the bond slave of Christ is the man who knows he is what he is by the grace of God. And no man who understands grace can be a proud man.

Martin asks if Paul's 'weakness and fear and much trembling' meant he was nervous for his first sermon, then explains it was due to his understanding of human spiritual blindness and dependence on God.

And this comes through, you remember, when he says, in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. What's the matter, Paul? Is this your first sermon you're preaching?

23:11 - 23:33 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is compassion, evidenced by Paul's 'tears.' These were not tears of frustration or self-pity, but expressions of deep, selfless love and a broken heart…

A child crying when a sibling takes something illustrates tears as expressions of frustration or anger, distinguishing them from Paul's compassionate tears.

Now, tears, you see, are funny things. Tears can be expressions of frustration and anger.

24:49 - 24:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second characteristic is compassion, evidenced by Paul's 'tears.' These were not tears of frustration or self-pity, but expressions of deep, selfless love and a broken heart…

The saying 'Let's have a pity party' illustrates tears as expressions of self-pity, distinguishing them from Paul's compassionate tears.

Or tears can be an expression of self-pity. We have a little saying around our house. Let's have a pity party. Poor me.

25:09 - 25:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When he preached to men concerning their sin, when he preached to men concerning Christ and His glory, Christ and His salvation, when he pleaded with men to repent and to believe, he wasn't play-acting. He was not just p…

A 17-year-old crying over his first smashed car illustrates how tears reflect a heart bound up with something, explaining why Paul's heart for the gospel led to tears.

You see, generally speaking, apart from these other expressions of tears, tears are usually a reflection of the heart being bound up with something. Here's a fellow, just turned 17, gets his first car and the first day he has it, someone smashes it up and he stands there and cries like a baby. Why? His heart was bound up in that bucket of wheels and bolts and the rest.

26:11 - 26:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When he preached to men concerning their sin, when he preached to men concerning Christ and His glory, Christ and His salvation, when he pleaded with men to repent and to believe, he wasn't play-acting. He was not just p…

Jesus 'wailed over' Jerusalem, using the word for professional mourners, illustrates the depth of His broken heart, paralleling Paul's compassionate tears.

And in so doing, he was just a picture, a little picture of his own master, who when he beheld the city of Jerusalem according to Luke's gospel, that city which was under now the judgment of Almighty God, it is said when he beheld the city and it's vivid in the original, it does not say he merely wept over it with the same word used for weeping in John's gospel when he came to the grave of Lazarus. Jesus wept. But the word there, there is literally he wailed over that city. The very word used for the professional mourners who wept and who wailed, it was uncontrollable weeping.

27:19 - 27:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third characteristic is faithfulness in the face of opposition, as Paul endured 'trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews.' His commitment as a bond-slave meant he…

Jeremiah's desire to stop preaching due to trouble, but finding God's word like 'fire shut up within my bones,' illustrates faithfulness in the face of opposition.

Every time I open my mouth, I get in trouble. Remember Jeremiah? This is what happened to poor Jeremiah. He said, every time I open my mouth, I get in trouble.

29:11 - 29:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third characteristic is faithfulness in the face of opposition, as Paul endured 'trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews.' His commitment as a bond-slave meant he…

Martin mentions opposition during the previous night's sermon (horns, trains), suggesting it should be gloried in as a mark of true gospel enterprise.

And in the same way, Paul knew this and every true gospel preacher will know it. And in a sense, we ought to have been encouraged by some of the opposition we had last night. I didn't know whether it was someone sitting outside tooting the horn who was hearing us on the radio and knew we were in there and was determined. I didn't know it was a train and other kinds of opposition.

29:52 - 30:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I did not shrink from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.

A seasoned man of God's statement, 'the most sickening sight I've ever seen in all my life is my own heart,' illustrates the profitable but unpalatable truth about sin.

Do you think people like to be told that their hearts are a sink of iniquity? Do you think people sit down and start clapping their hands and then shouting hallelujah when for the first time they discover what they are as sinners? I shall never forget one man of God saying to me, and he was a seasoned man of God, and this was just a couple of years before the Lord took him home, he said, the most sickening sight I've ever seen in all my life is my own heart.

31:03 - 31:36 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fifth characteristic is intelligent solemnity. Paul's 'declaring' was solemn and emphatic, reflecting the weighty issues of heaven and hell, while his 'teaching' involved…

The 'racy Johnny Carson type mentality of the average evangelist' who seeks to entertain illustrates the opposite of Paul's solemn bearing.

Now that word declaring literally means to declare solemnly and emphatically even more. So when Paul came from the first day he set foot in Asia, there was a solemnity about his bearing. He didn't stand up with the racy Johnny Carson type mentality of the average evangelist who for the first 15 minutes wants to prove, you know, he's a nice guy and he can make you laugh and he knows how to handle a crowd and he's master of the situation. No, no.

34:21 - 34:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fifth characteristic is intelligent solemnity. Paul's 'declaring' was solemn and emphatic, reflecting the weighty issues of heaven and hell, while his 'teaching' involved…

A preacher with a 'heart pregnant with the great issues of heaven and hell' will exhibit solemnity, illustrating the proper disposition for gospel ministry.

When any man comes before you with a heart pregnant with the great issues of heaven and hell, a heart pregnant with the great realities of God and his law, of the sinner's obligation, of the sinner's liability to wrath and judgment, any preacher that comes before you with his heart pregnant with the mysteries of Mary's womb and of Golgotha and of the open tomb, whatever legitimate place for humor may find expression along the way, the dominant characteristic will be the one will be solemnity. You don't tickle people into conviction of sin.

34:55 - 35:35 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fifth characteristic is intelligent solemnity. Paul's 'declaring' was solemn and emphatic, reflecting the weighty issues of heaven and hell, while his 'teaching' involved…

Martin recounts being told he was a 'Bible teacher' but 'not an evangelist' because he opened up passages and didn't tell jokes, illustrating a common misconception about evangelism that he corrects by pointing to Paul's teaching.

That's what I'm trying to do today, to teach. I can remember when I was, quote, an evangelist for five years, a traveling preacher. And for lack of a better term, I was called an evangelist. And many times when I would go to a place for the first time, after the first or second meeting, dear people would come to me and they'd say, Mr. Martin, Brother Martin, um, I don't want to be unkind and I'm not quite sure I know what I want to say, but you're not an evangelist. I said, no. No, no, you're a Bible teacher. I said, oh.

36:15 - 36:46 Read in full sermon