Responsibilities of Members: Holiness

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin introduces the pre-membership class, explaining its purpose to cover foundational issues for intelligent and conscientious church membership. He highlights the…

Martin describes the pre-membership class as 'pretending a little bit that all of the members and everyone sitting here is applying for membership' to engage everyone in the foundational issues.

So, for the sake of those visiting, let me give a brief word of explanation as to exactly what we are doing. We are in week 11 of 13. Hard to believe it's been 11 weeks already. But we are in week 11 of 13, conducting a pre-membership class, pretending a little bit that all of the members and everyone sitting here is applying for membership in Trinity Baptist Church.

0:32 - 1:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But merely practiced devotion in fact and in reality as the overall pattern and lifestyle of the membership of the church.

Martin explains that if 'ardent devotion' were required, many sensitive consciences might resign due to struggles, illustrating why 'practiced devotion' is the more appropriate and realistic constitutional requirement.

And we lament that our devotion to God is at times so cold and is not what it ought to be. But if we put in there ardent devotion to God, half of us might need to resign from the church if we were of sensitive consciences, saying more often than not, I struggle with the maintenance of ardent devotion to God.

12:05 - 12:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Wives must practice basic submissiveness and avoid a de facto role reversal in the family.

Martin shares his pastoral experience that a de facto role reversal where the wife rules the household often leads to recurring church problems, dissatisfaction, and members leaving under a cloud, illustrating the importance of biblical family order.

dissatisfaction with the church, and leaving the church under a cloud. So you might, as well, know now that if you have a role reversal in your family and you want to come here and join the church, you really are not going to be comfortable here. You might, as well, know sooner or later, sooner or later, the wife that is ruling the household will not fit in. It just isn't going to work out. Now, also in experience as a pastor, I know that there are times when it looks like

31:50 - 32:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Wives must practice basic submissiveness and avoid a de facto role reversal in the family.

Martin recounts situations where a seemingly 'bossy woman' is actually responding to a 'whiny, wimpy man' who abdicates leadership, illustrating the need to judge righteously and not by appearance in family dynamics.

that you really have a bossy woman, and she's running the show. When you get a little deeper into the situation, you find out it's not the case. You find out what you really have is a whiny, wimpy man. And the woman would just love and value leadership if the man would give it to her. And she just is waiting to have

32:32 - 32:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Know the gospel message (God's wrath on sin, Christ's provision, and the duty of repentance and faith) so you can tell it to others.

Martin shares an anecdote about an academy student suggesting 'prescription' instead of 'duty' to maintain a 'three P's' alliteration for the gospel message, illustrating the components of knowing the gospel.

I remember one time I preached a sermon on this and I called it the problem, the provision, and the duty. One of the academy students came to me and said that's no good. It has to be changed. It has to be three P's. It has to be the

41:15 - 41:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Be discreet in exercising Christian liberty, considering if your public actions could embolden weaker brethren to sin by violating their own consciences.

Martin uses Paul's actions regarding circumcision as an example of principled liberty, showing how Paul was willing to circumcise someone to avoid stirring up trouble over an indifferent matter, but would not if it compromised the gospel.

be discreet and consider the consciences of others. Then there's compassion for the lost. You know that there are people that have problems with this thing. The greatest example of this that I see is circumcision in the New Testament.

49:38 - 49:50 Read in full sermon