Three-Fold Basis

The point: If you are manipulating and molding your children to fulfill your own unfulfilled frustrations and carnal ambitions, you need to deal with God.

Martin uses the analogy of parents prayerfully conceiving a child with the godly ambition of raising a man or woman of God, not for carnal ambitions. This illustrates Christ's specific, non-frustrated purpose in His death.

A man and a woman prayerfully commit to God the stewardship, the awesome stewardship of being able to bear children. And God, in answer to their prayers, causes life, in the womb of that praying couple. And they conceive that child with a specific end in view. They don't have notions that they will conceive the most beautiful woman in the world, nor the most handsome man.

35:39 - 36:12 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are manipulating and molding your children to fulfill your own unfulfilled frustrations and carnal ambitions, you need to deal with God.

He extends the parenting analogy to the grief of parents whose child dies shortly after birth, representing 'unsatisfied travail.' This contrasts with Christ, who 'shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied,' emphasizing the certainty of His redemptive purpose.

some cases a few hours, the little one dies. That mother, that father, the mother more particularly, she never envisioned just coming to the waddling stage that we thought about a few weeks ago in conjunction with the birth of our Savior, and going through birth pangs, simply to stand weeping by a grave after a few days. The travail of her soul has been frustrated. The travail of all of those months, and all of those Godly dreams and ambitions, and it's perfectly proper that such a couple,

38:49 - 39:33 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are manipulating and molding your children to fulfill your own unfulfilled frustrations and carnal ambitions, you need to deal with God.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about his mother's enduring grief for his brother Jonathan, who died at 13 days old, even decades later. This further illustrates the concept of 'unsatisfied travail' to highlight that Christ's travail will indeed be satisfied.

even if God blesses them with 15 children, should carry a weeping, sore in their hearts to their graves. There is nothing rebellious or unspiritual that they should carry in their hearts something of the pain of unrealized, unfulfilled, unsatisfied travail. Most of you don't know this. I'm one of 10 children, but my mother bore 11.

39:33 - 40:05 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are manipulating and molding your children to fulfill your own unfulfilled frustrations and carnal ambitions, you need to deal with God.

He uses the image of an elderly parent, full of ailments, smiling in a rocking chair, satisfied by seeing their children walking with God. This illustrates the satisfaction Christ will have in seeing the fruit of His travail.

He went into all of that, into all of that agony of Gethsemane, all of the travail of Golgotha, all of the mysteries that surround those events and those circumstances, not to be a disappointed Savior, but to be satisfied. Like the parent who sees his children come to maturity of years, walking with God, living beneath the eye of God, taking their place in the will of God. And that parent can sit from his rocking chair with all of his arthritis and his glasses thick as Coke bottles

40:43 - 41:27 Read in full sermon

The point: For those struggling with sin and doubt, find hope in the unchangeable purpose of the Father, who determined to make you holy, and credit God's word as true for you.

Martin presents a hypothetical scenario of a preacher telling a visibly wretched, alcoholic sinner that he is 'too far gone' for Christ. This example highlights the hypocrisy of believers who have great faith for others' salvation but struggle to apply God's promises to themselves.

See, some of you got amazing faith for everybody else. But it's crediting God's promise for yourself that's your trouble. If I were to stand here tonight with someone who in his external bearing was the living expression of debauchery, bleary eyes, the lines of sin upon his faith, wrenching, reeking of alcohol, bent over with the burden of a guilty, accusing conscience, and I were to say, is there anyone here who believes that man is too wretched for Jesus Christ to save? I don't think there'd be a person who sat under the ministry here longer than a month that would dare to say, no, no, he's ...

67:12 - 67:56 Read in full sermon