Motives to Perseverance, Part 2

Driving home: So if God put all the slices in the pie, then he knows we need them all.

Martin uses the metaphor of dumping out motives on a table and sorting them into categories based on 'similar colors and shapes and smells' to explain the process of organizing the various motivations for perseverance.

And as our memories have brought them to remembrance, we've just thrown them in from wherever we found them in the Word of God. Now, let's try to dump them out on the table. And having dumped them out on the table, let's see if we can sort them out into certain categories where at least they have similar colors and shapes and smells. All right?

17:13 - 17:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not reject seemingly 'unspiritual' motives that the Holy Spirit brings to remembrance, as this is prideful and resists God's wisdom.

Martin introduces the analogy of a 'rotating pie' with different slices representing categories of motives. This illustrates that God uses various motives at different times in a believer's life, and all are important and integrated, not to be ranked in descending importance.

That's what we're going to try to do, to use the imagery. So we're going to sort them out, and we're going to put them into the pie. And the reason I put them in the pie, and this came as I was working on it. This was not the suggestion of the pie.

17:34 - 17:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not reject seemingly 'unspiritual' motives that the Holy Spirit brings to remembrance, as this is prideful and resists God's wisdom.

Martin gives an example of a believer rejecting a seemingly 'earthy' or 'unspiritual' motive that the Holy Spirit brings to remembrance. He argues that this is an act of pride, telling God one is wiser about how to be kept in the way.

So you see the error of saying, well, this one is spiritual, therefore I'll only wait when this spiritual motive turns around. If God is bringing to your remembrance a very earthy, seemingly unspiritual motive, and you reject that motive, you know what you're doing? You're resisting and grieving the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is bringing that motive to bear upon you, and shining the light on that motive, and God put it in his word, and you say, well, that's not spiritual enough, you're telling God you're wiser about how to keep you in the way than he is.

19:05 - 19:41 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first major category proposed is the glory of God, with 1 Corinthians 10:31 expounded as the foundational text. Martin recalls how this motive was emphasized in his generation…

Martin uses a lighthearted anecdote about Chet, a carpet cleaner, being bold to suggest a category, linking it to the boldness required to clean messy homes.

Who will be best? All right, Chet, you're going to be bold this morning. Carpet cleaners are bold. When you can come into our messy homes and clean our carpets.

20:28 - 20:35 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first major category proposed is the glory of God, with 1 Corinthians 10:31 expounded as the foundational text. Martin recalls how this motive was emphasized in his generation…

Martin uses the example of eating and drinking from 1 Corinthians 10:31 to illustrate that if even the most animal-like aspects of life are to glorify God, how much more should every other area.

...of life taking its springboard from a very mundane aspect of life, namely eating and drinking, and uses that to say...

23:18 - 23:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Before engaging in an activity, ask yourself if you can sincerely say, 'Oh God, glorify you in this activity?'

Martin recounts a common rule given to young Christians of his generation: before doing something, ask, 'Can I say, 'Oh God, glorify you in this activity?'' He applies this to questions like smoking, drinking, and going to the theater, highlighting its helpfulness in making choices.

Yes. Do you remember that? We were told, here's a good little rule of thumb. If you don't know if you should do this, this, or the other, ask yourself, before you do it, can you say, oh God, glorify you in this activity?

24:55 - 25:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second major category is gratitude to God for mercies received. Martin expounds Luke 7:47 (the sinful woman) to illustrate how forgiveness produces great love and gratitude…

Martin retells the story of the woman with a checkered reputation in Luke 7, emphasizing her extreme devotion to Christ and how her great love was evidence of her great forgiveness, illustrating gratitude as a motive.

Woman with a very checkered reputation appears in a Pharisee's house. And she appears there not because...

30:03 - 30:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fourth major category is the consciousness of our identity as the people of God. Martin expounds Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Peter 2:9, and Colossians 3 to show how…

Martin uses the example of temptation to fornication from 1 Corinthians 6, urging believers to consider that their bodies are united to Christ, and engaging in such sin would implicate Christ, serving as a powerful motive to turn away.

Alright, here in 1 Corinthians 6 you have many examples of that. Our brother Kenny has picked up on the last part, but if you even go up further, he's dealing with the subject of fornication and how to be armed against it. And he says in verse 15, don't you know your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I take away the members of Christ and take away the members of Christ?

45:10 - 45:31 Read in full sermon

The point: When the Bible says you are a new man in Christ, pray, 'Lord, help me to live out that reality,' and let the consciousness of your identity regulate your words and actions.

Martin shares a personal anecdote of his own irritation during the sermon, confessing it as an expression of the 'old man in Adam' rather than the 'new man in Christ,' illustrating the practical application of identity in Christ.

That this is not just poetic language. When the Bible says I'm a new man in Christ, that's reality. Oh, Lord, help me to live out that reality. When I'm about to say something, let me ask, is that an expression of a new man in Christ or,

49:12 - 49:29 Read in full sermon

The point: When faced with present distresses, ask yourself, 'How will I look at this when I'm in heaven?' to gain perspective and release yourself from undue upset.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about dropping a dozen eggs and getting upset, then applying the motive of being a 'sojourner' to ask, 'How will I look at this when I'm in heaven?' to gain perspective and avoid distress.

And you pray in those things. And when you read, we are pilgrims in sojourn. You say, Lord, that means this is not my resting place. So what's the big deal if I drop a dozen eggs today?

50:16 - 50:29 Read in full sermon