Fruit of Restoration

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'teach' as intelligent communication, 'transgressors' as rebels, and 'sinners' as condemned criminals. He explains 'thy ways' as God's patterns of action and…

Martin describes 'transgressors' as people of the 'now generation' who throw off moral standards and God's law, illustrating the kind of rebels David intended to teach.

Here the transgressor is called the wicked man who shall be cut off. So David obviously has in mind a ministry that as a restored sinner, he will have to transgressors, rebels, people of the now generation who say that there is no moral standard, there is no law, who are saying as we saw this morning, let us cast his bands asunder. Let's break his cords. Let's throw off the chains that our forefathers have forged for us in terms of absolute moral concepts and of a God who has a right to rule us.

7:13 - 7:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But at the same time, he doesn't stop with verse 12, simply praying that he'll be restored, for this, in a very real sense, would be the utmost form of spiritual selfishness, to simply pray that he might be restored with…

Martin uses the analogy of a salesman knocking on more doors to get more sales to explain that increased church attendance from mere witnessing programs is a natural principle, not necessarily a sign of God's quickening Spirit.

And there are many in our day that are attempting to do this. They say the problem with the church is it's not witnessing, let's organize, let's plan, let's program, and let's get out and witness. Witnessing never brought revival. It may bring increase, but you just multiply after your time.

18:09 - 18:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: David understood that God converts sinners through the instrumentality of truth, viewing evangelism as primarily a work of instruction in God's ways, character, and plan of…

Martin compares a transformed life to an arrowhead that pierces the heart, preparing the way for the shaft of divine truth (verbal witness) to follow and bring knowledge of God. Without the arrowhead, the blunt shaft bounces off.

But then the shaft of divine truth must follow that arrowhead, you see, and bring into that heart the knowledge of the living God and of His Son and His salvation. And so, you see, it's not a contradiction. It's not the witness of a life or the witness of a lift, but it's the witness of the life preparing the way for the teaching of transgressors of the way of God. And if the piercing arrowhead of a holy life and a transformed life does not prepare the way for your verbal witness, it's like trying to shoot the blunt shaft of an arrow without an arrowhead into the side of an animal.

25:23 - 25:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't let past failure keep you from witnessing; cry to God for restoration, deal with the sin, and ask Him to open your lips to speak His praise.

Martin explains why God commissioned humans, not angels, to preach the gospel: angels lack experimental awareness of God's forgiving grace, which a restored sinner possesses, giving their testimony unique conviction.

and God had restored him Lord if you restore me then I'll teach as a sinner restored by grace reveling in the joy of that restoration I'll speak with a conviction that this is so. I think I saw more clearly than ever I've often had it posed as a question when men had preached why didn't God commission angels to preach the gospel I believe here's the basic reason I'm more convinced it than ever now because no matter what an angel may say with accuracy they don't have to be plagued with the dullness of mind that you and I have to be plagued with and the slowness of tongue there's one thing an an...

27:32 - 28:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't let past failure keep you from witnessing; cry to God for restoration, deal with the sin, and ask Him to open your lips to speak His praise.

Martin quotes Charles Spurgeon, who said the greatest need in ministry is for men with the 'SS degree' (Saved Sinner degree), because it produces a powerful, convincing eloquence that resonates with sinners.

in your name to say anything to sinners why they'll know they know about me they know what I've done won't they throw into my teeth who are you who are you to talk to me David would say well just a forgiven sinner and all the sweetness of his restoring grace has entered in and penetrated the deepest recesses of my soul all that you might know and I know that'll sweep away a lot of objections pretty quick when a sinner consciously standing under the canopy of God's grace and forgiveness tells another sinner about the mercy of God in his own quaint way Charles Spurgeon says along this line the g...

30:30 - 31:15 Read in full sermon