Practical Helps to Enhance the Quality of Public Worship

The point: Ask forgiveness for careless use of words that caused offense.

Martin recounts how his words at a prayer meeting, expressing a desire to minister elsewhere, offended two women who perceived him as a 'hireling.' He uses this personal anecdote to illustrate the impact of careless speech and his need for forgiveness.

In the midst of making those comments, I said something, first of all, along the lines that in trying to affirm the worth of that congregation, I said to Pastor Thompson that if I did not have other and greater responsibilities back in New Jersey, I'd count it a privilege to come and minister to those people. Well, there were several who were offended at those words, two women in particular who spoke. They spoke of their offense to me and said that they gave the decided impression that I was somewhat of a hireling, that if I could just give up my responsibilities with a good conscience, I was ...

1:30 - 2:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Moms and dads should work together to ensure Lord's Day morning is orderly, not a 'shambles of flurried activity.'

Martin shares a family rule of a 10 PM Saturday night curfew for his children, even during serious courtship, as a practical example of remote preparation for the Lord's Day, aiming for a sense of holy anticipation.

as to whether or not it contributes to that due preparation of forehand for the Lord's special day. It means that moms and dads must work together to make sure that the Lord's day morning is something other than a shambles of flurried activity because at the last minute Susie has no socks to match her dress and Johnny has no shirt that is ironed and dad has no trousers that are pressed and Sunday morning becomes a flurry of innocent activity in itself but activity which not only occupies the time and turns us into a society of Martha's but often agitates the spirit because the husband says hon...

17:59 - 19:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Leave for church in time to avoid violating your conscience by speeding.

He shares a precious family memory of memorizing hymns while driving to church, illustrating a practical way to engage in immediate preparation and instill spiritual truths in children.

The biblical principles. And my conscience does not trouble me that I'm not citing dozens of texts. I simply don't have time to. And if you're familiar with your Bible, you know that there are texts upon texts which underscore these principles. So rising in time to make sure that the necessary affairs of eating and dressing and getting out the door are done with a quiet, orderly calm as opposed to an agitated bedlam. Rising in time to make time to at least have brief season to wait upon God. Leaving in time that you don't have to violate your conscience by driving 60 miles an hour in a 40 mile...

23:14 - 24:05 Read in full sermon

The point: If you've 'blown it' that morning, come to God for forgiveness and whisper apologies to your children for any irritation.

Martin describes how a busted shoelace on a Lord's Day morning almost 'turned his day on its head,' illustrating how small, unexpected frustrations can agitate the spirit and hinder immediate preparation for worship, even for a pastor.

But one thing you didn't factor into that was the busted shoelace when you were tying Johnny's shoes. Oh, I've had a Lord's Day almost turned on its head with a busted shoelace. And I had no extra shoelace. And here I was trying to tie a knot small enough that there was still enough room to get the thing through the six-eye loop. Lord's Day has been colored by a busted shoelace. You say, Pastor Martin, you're that carnal? Yes, I am. And so are some of you, if you didn't let it. So you may have to come in, and your preparation is, oh, God, forgive me for letting my spirit get all in a tizzy ove...

26:57 - 27:50 Read in full sermon

The point: If you've 'blown it' that morning, come to God for forgiveness and whisper apologies to your children for any irritation.

He humorously shares his internal struggle to resist dancing in the pulpit when filled with joy, illustrating that while deep emotion is good, it must be tempered by decorum and love for the assembly.

That may be the preparation one morning. Another morning, you may come in here so full of joy and of the Holy Ghost, you'll have to pray for grace not to get up and dance in the aisles. Because you know that that would be unseemly, and love does not behave itself unseemly. You know, some of us get so full of joy with a dance, you don't know how many times I've resisted dancing in this pulpit. My feet and legs said dance. Everything in my heart said dance. But my head, under the light of the word of God, said don't dance until you're in big bad trouble. So, we're not binding your conscience to ...

27:50 - 28:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin challenges passive views of worship, such as the 'dry-leaf,' 'puppet,' or 'dry sponge' mentalities. He argues for the active engagement of all redeemed humanity, including…

This metaphor describes a passive worshiper who waits for external spiritual 'wind' to move them to enthusiasm, rather than actively engaging their will and faculties.

When we look at the new-found nature that you can relate to, some of you have a radically defected view of worship. You have what I'm going to call, first of all, the dry-leaf-on-a-windy-day view of worship. You say, Pastor Martin, didn't quite have enough food in your stomach. It's affecting your brain. What do you mean by the dry-leaf-on-a-windy-day concept of worship?

29:27 - 29:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin challenges passive views of worship, such as the 'dry-leaf,' 'puppet,' or 'dry sponge' mentalities. He argues for the active engagement of all redeemed humanity, including…

This metaphor illustrates a worshiper who feels they are merely waiting for God or angels to 'pull the strings' of their affections and actions, rather than actively choosing to worship.

Others have. I had the puppet hanging loose on Celestia String's view of worship.

30:55 - 31:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The duties of God's worship are high and spiritual and holy, but by nature our hearts grovel in the dirt and we are carnal, sensual, drossy, dead, slight, sottish, and vain, altogether unfit to come into the presence of …

This metaphor depicts a worshiper who is passively present, expecting to absorb spiritual blessings without active engagement, like a dry sponge waiting for rain.

And if the string that opens the mouth to praise is pulled down, and, oh, I really feel like, my friend, that's a terribly unbiblical view. You're not a puppet held by Celestial Strings when you come to worship. Then some of you have, you're a dry sponge passively waiting for heavenly dew and heavenly rain view of worship. You view yourself as a sponge.

31:43 - 32:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The duties of God's worship are high and spiritual and holy, but by nature our hearts grovel in the dirt and we are carnal, sensual, drossy, dead, slight, sottish, and vain, altogether unfit to come into the presence of …

Martin shares that he sweats when he worships, even when not preaching, to illustrate the physical exertion and full engagement of strength that true worship demands, contrasting it with lazy or passive worship.

I say it without any sense of embarrassment. These lights contributing to it, yes. But when I stand as a worshipper where you're sitting and I sit where you sit, I sweat when I worship, even when I'm not in this puppet. Why?

35:43 - 36:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Let intention be kindled as you prepare and sit in God's presence, renewing it if your mind wanders, to offer your whole redeemed humanity in worship.

He recounts a martyr who, while being kindled at the stake, told an officer he was 'speaking to God,' illustrating intense intention and focus in prayer that transcends external distractions.

When you're coming to pray, be intent about it. When you see some that when they're going about in the street, intent on their business, if their friends meet them, they give them no mind. In other words, they walk past them and say, sorry, I'm on business. My brethren, look upon every duty of worship as a great thing, which you must be intent in your thoughts, and not give way to the wandering of your thoughts.

38:04 - 38:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Let intention be kindled as you prepare and sit in God's presence, renewing it if your mind wanders, to offer your whole redeemed humanity in worship.

Jeremiah Burroughs' analogy is used: cold air from bellows represents worship without stirred affections, while warm air from a living man's mouth represents worship with genuine, heartfelt affection.

If you ever had a heart inflamed with anything, it should be when you're praying or attending upon the Word, even as the heathens that worshiped the Son. There must be strength of affection. And then he uses a beautiful illustration. He says the air that comes out of our bellows is cold.

40:01 - 40:20 Read in full sermon

The point: When the word is preached, sit up, breathe deeply, and if drowsiness comes, take physical measures like biting your lip to stay awake and engaged.

Martin shares his college practice of biting his lip to avoid falling asleep in class, illustrating the discipline and physical effort required to maintain attention and engagement, which should also apply to listening to preaching.

And if you need to bite your lip if drowsiness comes. I determined I would go through college never falling asleep in a class. And it meant sometimes I had bloody inside of my lip. You say that's extreme.

45:45 - 45:57 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have a physical problem like hypoglycemia that causes drowsiness, look into dietary suggestions to manage it during service.

He mentions giving dietary suggestions to a brother struggling with hypoglycemia to prevent drowsiness during service, illustrating that physical factors can impact engagement and should be addressed.

Some of you need to take hold of yourself. Some of you, I talked with one brother Wednesday night. I had to play doctor and give him some dietary suggestions. He's got all the marks of being borderline hypoglycemic.

46:41 - 46:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And it will always be imperfect when you've had your best worship experience it will still need to be cleansed in Christ's blood it will be full of enough sin to send you to hell.

Jeremiah Burroughs' analogy from the Old Testament, where the altar sanctified the gift, is used to explain how Christ's perfect work (our altar) makes our imperfect worship acceptable to God.

And so it comes to the question now what is the source of our enablement for worship? And I thank God that scripture makes plain there's both an objective and a subjective enablement for all the people of God. Just as we have an advocate above 1 John 2 2 and we have a paraclete an advocate a representative a pleader within Romans chapter 8 and verse 26 so when we worship we have Christ for us making our worship acceptable and we have the spirit within us making our worship acceptable. And here I commend to you Jeremiah Burroughs I don't have time to read it on the objective work of Christ maki...

49:26 - 50:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And it will always be imperfect when you've had your best worship experience it will still need to be cleansed in Christ's blood it will be full of enough sin to send you to hell.

Jeremiah Burroughs' analogy of an acceptable coin needing both the right material and the right stamp (Caesar's face) is used to explain that worship needs both the regulative principle (right material) and the Holy Spirit's energizing presence (right stamp).

the sacrifice of praise to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God how through him but then there is the subjective spirit within us making worship acceptable we are the circumcision of worship God by the spirit we worship in spirit and in truth and here Burroughs again uses a very fascinating illustration pages 138 and 139 he said for a coin to be acceptable coin in Bible days it not only had to be made of the right material it had to have the right superscription on it had to have Caesar's face on one side and I don't know what was on the obverse he said so that our worship it must n...

50:55 - 52:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He recommends specific books by Jeremiah Burroughs, Richard Steele, and Richard Baxter, as well as audio tapes by Pastor Fisher and himself, to aid further study on worship and…

Martin quotes Richard Steele's introduction to 'A Remedy for Wandering Thoughts in Worship,' where Steele compares wandering thoughts to 'Egyptian flies' and justifies writing extensively on this 'minute point' due to its commonality and impact on God's people.

gospel worship would even encourage those of you whose children are up into the junior age and early junior high school age to read a section each Lord's Day evening as part of your devotions that's only a recommendation and suggestion helpful hints these are not divine mandates and then if you struggle with wandering thoughts in worship Steele's book a remedy for wandering thoughts in worship by Richard Steele another old Puritan and just the introduction is enough to grab the heart of any true Christian you have here an antidote against the most common distemper of God's people in his worshi...

52:24 - 53:54 Read in full sermon