Promise if Wisdom is Retained

In this part of the sermon: Martin explores the promise of 'length of days,' demonstrating its presence in both Old Testament (Proverbs, Psalm 91) and New Testament (1 Timothy 4:8, Ephesians 6:1-3)…

Solomon personifies wisdom as a woman endowed with length of days, riches, and honor, encouraging his son to 'court' such wisdom for its blessings.

She's got riches in one hand and she's got length of days in the other. He says, now if you're going to go courting, find a woman like that. That's a good find. He personifies wisdom and he pictures wisdom as this well-endowed woman endowed on the one hand with length of days and on the other with riches and with honor.

8:19 - 8:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Immediately connect a lengthy life with the course of obedience.

Martin quotes Hodge to explain that promises like 'length of days' reveal a general purpose of God and the usual course of His providence, not an absolute guarantee in every instance, helping to reconcile apparent contradictions.

This is a revelation of a general purpose of God and makes known what will be the usual course of his providence. You get those two phrases the general purpose of God the usual course of his providence that some obedient children are unfortunate and short-lived is no more inconsistent with this promise than that some diligent men are poor is inconsistent with the promise that the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Diligent as a general rule does secure riches and obedient children as a general rule are prosperous and happy. The general promise is fulfilled to individuals specifically just so fa...

15:56 - 17:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that the world's philosophy unmasks your folly if you seek these ends (long, true, peaceful life) by rejecting God's ordained means.

Martin illustrates the world's folly by listing common secular approaches to achieving a long life (doctors, diet, chiropractic, 'Vermont medicine'), highlighting the absence of God in their thinking.

indictment of the folly of the world you say where do you see that well right here men of the world generally desire what is promised in the world in this passage don't they they want a long life they want a true life and they want a peaceful life but now the promise is how do they the problem is how do they think it's attained well you ask the average man how can you be sure of a long life and he says well you must have clever competent physicians we must have advanced medical technology and some would say and this will suit some of you very well you must have very careful dietary habits and ...

25:10 - 26:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that the world's philosophy unmasks your folly if you seek these ends (long, true, peaceful life) by rejecting God's ordained means.

He illustrates the world's view of 'true life' as indulging fleshly desires, minimizing work, and maximizing pleasure, contrasting it with biblical wisdom.

is to be attained by these natural means and generally speaking the man of the world as he thinks of his desire for a long life and the means he will use to gain it God doesn't enter the picture at all except in so much as he might say well I believe there's some kind of power up there running things and I just hope he's smiling and it isn't in his purpose that I get knocked off on Bloomfield Avenue or on Route 46 or something else you'll find some kind of a you know a blind resignation to something that they call God that is more like the fatalistic concept of a Mohammedan than submission to ...

26:37 - 28:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that the world's philosophy unmasks your folly if you seek these ends (long, true, peaceful life) by rejecting God's ordained means.

Martin illustrates the world's approach to a 'tranquil life' through international diplomacy, political solutions, and tranquilizers, showing how it seeks peace apart from God.

is not of the father but is of the world and the world passeth away and the lust thereof no you see the worlding says true life comes by being able to indulge my appetites and my flesh to have a minimum of work and a maximum of pleasure and then when you ask him what about a tranquil life how do you get that he says well if the UN will always be and only begin to function if we can just get rid of international tensions and if the UN will really function the way it ought to and if President Nixon will just go make a few more trips over there to those nasty people on the mainland of China and d...

28:06 - 29:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand that the devil's lie is that God's commandments are restricting and will rob you of true life; this text exposes it as a lie.

He recounts the temptation of Adam and Eve, where the devil lied by suggesting that true life and blessedness were found outside the boundaries of God's obedience, directly contradicting God's command.

and he is a liar he seeks to destroy life by means of the devil by means of his lies and what was the first lie he perpetrated on our first parents was it not this that the way of godliness or obedience to God is the way to ruin your life wasn't that the lie he perpetrated God had come to his creature Adam and said now Adam of all the trees in the garden you may freely eat but of that tree in the midst of the garden you may not eat for in the day that thou eatest thou shalt die here are the clearly revealed limits the ground rules of our relationship if I may state it that way and Adam for you...

31:02 - 32:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Have a proper sense of self-love, recognizing your life as a trust and stewardship from God, and preserve it by obeying His law.

Martin humorously notes how he picks up mannerisms and phrases from other preachers, specifically mentioning 'Arshielisms' (referring to R.C. Sproul, whose first name is Robert Charles, often called R.C. or 'Archie' by some) and his phrase 'that's what the book says,' to emphasize the scriptural basis for self-love.

unless you love yourself for it says the second part of the law of God is love yourself your neighbor as yourself indicating unless I have some proper self-love I have no measure by which to love my neighbor I didn't put it there that's what the book says that's what our good friend Arshiel would say that's what the book says that's what the book says I told him for two or three weeks I'd be getting Arshielisms out of my system whenever I listen to anybody who can really preach I get so absorbed with it without knowing it some of their mannerisms and phrases become a part of you and that was o...

36:54 - 38:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Have a proper sense of self-love, recognizing your life as a trust and stewardship from God, and preserve it by obeying His law.

Martin uses the Texan phrase 'you're plum loco' to emphasize the absurdity of not desiring to be honored by God the Father, reinforcing the appeal to legitimate self-interest.

as the crucified one verily verily verse 24 of John 12 except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die it abideth alone but if it die it beareth much fruit he that loveth his life loseth it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal if any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall my servant be now look at this if any man serve me him will the Father honor now he could have said if any man serve me the Father will be honored by him and that would be true a man who serves Christ brings glory to God but in this setting Jesus appeals to legitimat...

42:47 - 44:14 Read in full sermon