Walk in the Way of Good Men

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces Proverbs as a unique verbal form that sticks in the mind, communicating eternal truth. He reviews Proverbs 2, noting Solomon's path to wisdom and its practical…

Proverbs are compared to 'verbal birds' that 'stick on the mind' with unusual vigor, helping to retain truth, just as common proverbs do in human experience.

A portion of Holy Scripture in which God has chosen to communicate to us in a very unique verbal form. Proverbs are those pithy, catchy statements which attack the mind with unusual vigor and force and are like verbal birds. They have a way of sticking on the mind and therefore the mind is able to retain the truth that comes in proverbial form. This is commonly acknowledged in every sphere of human experience and all of us have heard various proverbs touching on practical matters of human experience.

0:03 - 0:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Your greatest enemy is sin. Only sin can damn you.

The proverb 'A bird in hand is worth more than four in the bush' is used to illustrate the common, practical nature of proverbs and how they attack the mind.

A bird in hand is worth more than four in the bush. It's better to have something than a bunch of promises that you may have something in the future and we find proverbs on every hand which are very useful. And so because proverbs are simply a matter common to human experience that they do attack the mind with unusual vigor and attach themselves to the mind with unusual strength God in the inspiration of his word does not bypass the natural but he seizes it and makes it the vehicle by which he communicates his own eternal truth to our hearts. And we are presently studying in the second chapter...

0:44 - 1:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Oh, you say you sound very bombastic and authoritative. Who in the world do you think you are? Well, my friend, that would be the height of crass, bombasty, but I'm not telling you my opinions.

A story about 'Liza Leopard' trying to change her spots illustrates the biblical truth that humans cannot change their sinful nature by willpower, just as a leopard cannot change its spots.

The Scripture says, can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? And the answer's obvious. Little Liza Leopard gets up one morning and looks in the mirror and she says, I'm sick and tired of going out with all these spots on. I think the boys would like me a little bit better if I went out with no spots.

11:17 - 11:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Because it is never good to have a controversy with God and God says, You're a sinner. Depraved and polluted and defiled to every last fiber of your being. You're a sinner. You're a sinner. You're a sinner.

The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is used to demonstrate that true goodness involves acknowledging one's sinfulness before God, unlike the self-righteous Pharisee.

You say, That doesn't make sense. How can a good man be a sinner who admits he's a sinner? Well, you just read your Bible and you find in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talks about two men who went up to a temple to pray. The one a Pharisee, the other a what?

14:21 - 14:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The way determines your destination and as sure as you sit in that pew tonight you get on route 80 going east and get in the express lane and you're going to end up at the George Washington Bridge. The way determines you…

An analogy of a man driving aimlessly but expecting to reach New York illustrates the folly of separating one's chosen 'way' from their desired 'destination' in life and eternity.

Suppose we were to go out here tonight and some fellow's riding around here doesn't seem to be knowing what he's doing where he's going we say mister what's where you're heading? Well he said I'm going to New York that's my destination. Well we said what road are you taking? He said I'm not fussy about roads just riding around.

38:28 - 38:42 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: True godliness involves both negative duties (being preserved from evil men and women) and positive duties (walking in the way of good men, actively pursuing righteousness)…

The analogy of a servant who sleeps all day and claims not to have done any evil illustrates that godliness is not merely the absence of sin (negative) but also the active production of good (positive).

the positive enactment of righteousness. Then we have, on the other hand, modern fundamentalism, which so often is all negative. If you don't do this and don't do that and don't do this and don't do this and don't do the other, then that's godliness. You see, the servant who lays home and lies home all day and sleeps, and when the master comes and boots him out of bed and stands up and says, oh, but master, I haven't done any evil today. You see, it's

48:53 - 49:20 Read in full sermon