How is Purpose Accomplished?

The point: Recognize that wisdom's effectual entrance is impossible until a new heart is given by the Holy Spirit, and you are vitally joined to Christ.

The heart is compared to the capital cities of Beijing and Washington, illustrating that just as these are the seats of government, the heart is the seat of the government of one's life, and what controls the heart controls the whole person.

For the concept of the heart in scripture is that concept of the seat of the whole man. What peaking is to the government of China, see how relevant I am, and what Washington is to the government of the United States, the heart is to the government of your life. As peaking and Washington are the seats of those respective governments, so the heart is the seat of the government of your life. And what or who has the heart has the whole man.

10:16 - 10:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that wisdom's effectual entrance is impossible until a new heart is given by the Holy Spirit, and you are vitally joined to Christ.

Man's innate depravity is described as a 'built-in artesian well of sin and pollution,' highlighting the deep, internal source of sin that modern psychology often overlooks.

All these things proceed from within. And at this point, modern psychology and psychiatry are absolutely all wet in one of their most fundamental principles, that human behavior can be understood apart from the biblical doctrine of man's innate depravity, his built-in artesian well of sin and pollution. Likewise, in the people of God, the source of all true holiness is what the Bible calls a new heart. Ezekiel 36 I will take out the heart of stone, and I will give them a heart of flesh.

11:22 - 11:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that wisdom's effectual entrance is impossible until a new heart is given by the Holy Spirit, and you are vitally joined to Christ.

Paul's description of the Romans obeying 'from the heart that form of doctrine whereunto ye were delivered' is explained as God's mighty operation casting them into the mold of the Gospel, illustrating how the Word takes dominion.

It has had no entrance into the heart. You're not dominated by that word, hence you're not sanctified by it. Oh, you're picking up information, you're picking up facts, all well and good in themselves. But you see, this is never possible until something such as Paul describes in Romans 6-17 happens to us, where Paul speaks of the word, the Romans in their pre-converted state, and he says, But God be thanked that ye who were the servants of sin have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereunto ye were delivered.

14:34 - 15:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Experience 'heartwork' when receiving the word of God, allowing it to seize upon you and take the reins of life.

Martin contrasts superficial engagement with the Word (eyework, earwork, headwork) with true 'heartwork,' where the Word seizes upon and takes the reins of life, emphasizing the depth of engagement required for effectual entrance.

And my friend, you can't have heartwork like that and not know it. All the tragedy of private, family and public exposure to the word in which there's only eyework following the page of scripture or looking at the preacher. Earwork receiving the vibrations of the preacher's mouth. Headwork absorbing ideas.

17:37 - 18:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine if the word heard in sermons has truly entered your heart and led to different activities and plans in your daily life.

He challenges listeners to consider if the morning sermon on the love of the brethren and visible needs has already changed their activities and plans for the week, illustrating whether the Word gained an effectual entrance.

The way of the saints is preserved when the word gains effectual entrance and the first part of that effectual entrance is nothing less than coming and taking the place of dominion. Now let me be very practical. That's what gets me in trouble but also seems to help a number of people so I have to run the risk of getting in trouble in order to be of some help. Those of you who sat here this morning did that word which you heard on the love of the brethren in its relationship to the visible temporal needs of the saints did that word enter your heart?

21:19 - 21:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second aspect of effectual entrance is knowledge becoming pleasant to the soul, meaning it is agreeable to one's sense of goodness and beauty. This delight is only possible…

He uses the examples of a pleasant picture to the eyes, harmonious music to the ears, and delicious food to the taste buds to explain what 'pleasantness' means, setting up the analogy for the soul's reception of wisdom.

is agreeable to your sense of goodness and beauty? When is something pleasant to you? Pleasant to your eyes a particular picture a scenery a piece of scenery a sight When is it pleasant to your eyes? When what comes through the eye gate and registers there on the screen at the back of the eyeball and goes through the right nerve and registers in the brain when that strikes a note of agreeableness to your sense of beauty it is pleasant to your eye Now if what you see registers there as ugly it's not pleasant What about your ear?

23:59 - 24:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Face the fact that your lack of delight in the Word reflects the state of your unregenerate soul, and call upon God to change your spiritual taste buds.

The story of a child (Johnny/Heidi) despising spinach but later delighting in it illustrates how regeneration changes a person's spiritual 'taste buds' to find divine wisdom pleasant, which was once distasteful.

his sense of harmony his sense of taste before such words as are found in the book of Proverbs will be received with pleasantness by the church members at meal time and you see a little kid sitting at the table and he is the picture of misery oh he is misery incarnate and all his misery focuses on a pile of green stuff sitting in the corner of his plate he has got spinach and he has got some parents who have got enough sense to know that they are going to try to cultivate taste for things in the child they don't feed him on the idea that well he knows what he needs and all the rest they have g...

28:58 - 30:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Be content with nothing less than the pleasantness of the Word, avoiding hankering for novelty or fleshly entertainment over solid exposition.

The history of Israel growing weary of manna and hankering for Egyptian leeks and garlics is used to illustrate how believers can grow weary of God's provision in His Word and seek worldly entertainment in worship.

call upon that God to do this mighty work in you then I move in the second application to you who have had your spiritual taste buds changed this text is a call to true believers to be content with nothing less than the pleasantness of the word just as the first part of the text is a call to heart work during the preaching and reading of the word this part of the text is a call to be content with nothing less than the pleasantness of the word as I was meditating upon this my mind went to the history of Israel you remember that when Israel came out of Egypt God began to provide for them with th...

34:48 - 36:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask yourself if you have found this word pleasant to your soul and if you have been conscious of it entering your heart, as these answers determine your preservation as a saint.

Jesus' responses to temptation by quoting Scripture are presented as an example of wisdom, having entered His heart and being pleasant to His soul, regulating His judgment and affections to preserve Him from sin.

they now regulate the affections and the judgment so as to preserve us from sin and evil so that when temptation comes clamoring for our commitment the word of wisdom comes with greater power and we render our commitment to it there is a beautiful example of this of course in the life of our Lord himself I've often been grieved at the simplistic approach to the temptation of our Lord and how he used scripture and the general approach is if you want to ward off the devil quote scripture well that's a very simplistic approach Jesus was not scaring the devil away by quoting scripture at him no no...

43:37 - 45:05 Read in full sermon