Evidence of True Conversion: A Holy Life

In this part of the sermon: The sermon begins by explaining that the Sunday school class is functioning as a pre-membership class, designed to help attendees understand and discern true conversion. The…

Martin uses the idiom 'flies on the wall' to describe the attendees as unobserved observers in a pre-membership class, making them privy to the intimate discussions about conversion and church membership.

As Pastor Dixon has just intimated, we are conducting the Sunday school class in these days as a pre-membership class, as though all of you were in the process of applying for membership. And I made a comment in that respect last week. I said it as though all of you are like flies on the wall. And I assumed that you would know what that meant.

0:19 - 0:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin outlines the sermon's structure: first, the necessity of a holy life; second, the distinctives of a holy life; and third, the discernment of a holy life through…

Martin apologizes for the squeaking of the whiteboard while he was writing, illustrating his early preparation and the extensive material to be covered, which necessitated three columns on the board.

And these three things are written in columns here on the board because there is so much material to cover this morning. I came in early, and for those of you that were somewhat distracted in your preparation by the squeaking of the board as I was writing all these things, I apologize, I tried to make it as quiet as I could. But there are three columns because there is so much material to cover. First of all, the necessity of a holy life.

4:32 - 4:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If you flunk the doctrinal test, you're called a heretic. If you flunk the moral test, you're called a hypocrite. If you flunk the devotional or experimental test, you're called a formalist.

Martin compares the three distinctives of a holy life (doctrinal, moral, devotional) to phases of a school or board exam that one must pass, making the concept of testing for true conversion more relatable.

And all of these are present always in every true Christian. If you think of it in terms of school or a board exam or something like that that you have to pass, there are three phases of the test.

29:12 - 29:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. You must examine yourself and you must do this diligently.

Martin extensively quotes and draws principles from John Flavel's introduction to Volume 1 of his works, using Flavel's personal practice of self-examination as a model for discerning the root of the matter in oneself.

I guess it is the most helpful thing I've ever read although I don't claim that my reading is all that extensive. But the most helpful thing I've ever read is found in an old Puritan work. The work of John Flamel. Volume 1.

45:09 - 45:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Flavel attempted to distinguish between reigning and remaining sin. As he puts it sins which should be grounds for humiliation that's remaining sin or sin which should be grounds for doubting that's reigning sin.

Martin provides an example of when NOT to conduct serious self-examination, advising against doing so during periods of depression, as it could lead to despair and false conclusions about one's spiritual state.

And for everything there is a time and a season. When you are especially going through a period of depression there may be certain times of the month when it would be utterly inappropriate and unwise for you to be conducting serious self-examination for you would be likely every time you attempted in such a frame to prove yourself a hypocrite and go down into the valley of despair. Therefore take a quiet and serious and stable season. Not an emotional peak nor an emotional valley.

48:33 - 49:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin elaborates on how to distinguish between reigning sin (willful, stubborn, gross, loved, indulged, un-mortified) and remaining sin (hated, confessed, forsaken, being…

Martin illustrates the mortification of sin with the example of an anger problem, showing how a lessening in degree (ranting to harsh words), duration, and frequency indicates that sin is being mortified rather than reigning.

Well you look at the degree of it. Is there a lessening of the degree? Someone had an anger problem he used to rant and swear but then he went to a period where he was striking and throwing and then yelling and now a harsh word. Then the duration of the sin.

53:32 - 53:49 Read in full sermon