Practical Counsels

Driving home: And so in a very real sense, having come out of the womb spiritually, I have found myself unweaned from the breasts of the Psalms. And from them I have continued to draw. That which has been of nourishment to my own soul…

Martin recounts preaching his first formal sermon from Psalm 37, highlighting his lifelong companionship with the Psalms since his spiritual birth, illustrating his deep personal connection to the Psalter.

own experience of living for some 43 years as a constant companion of the Psalms. And in preparation for this series, I was reminded of something that I do not often remember, and that is that the first formal sermon that I ever preached in a church setting, having preached for several months on the street corner as my initial experience in preaching, the first proper sermon preached in a proper church setting, I preached from the 37th Psalm. And I can still remember the basic outline of that sermon. And so in a very real sense, having come out of the womb spiritually, I have found myself unwe...

2:58 - 4:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider engaging in the discipline of a regular or periodical consecutive praying through the Psalms for your devotional prayers and supplications.

Martin provides a detailed, verse-by-verse example of how to pray through Psalm 1, demonstrating how to apply its truths to personal life and current temptations, illustrating the 'consecutive praying' counsel.

When we seem to lack the raw materials out of which to construct much fluency and constancy in secret prayer, it is of tremendous benefit to take the very words that God has inspired and not necessarily pray them word for word, though that certainly would not be displeasing to God any more than to meaningfully pray back the so-called Lord's Prayer in secret is displeasing to God. But take the Psalm as a framework to pray through that Psalm in terms of your own devotional heart's communion with the living God. For example, if you went back from this conference determined to do this, and you sta...

15:39 - 17:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Give me such a delight in your law that there's nothing that's ever been written or yet to be written that will gladden my heart like your holy word.

Martin shares a personal anecdote from his youth as a rabid Brooklyn Dodgers fan, where his conversion was evidenced by his newfound desire to read his Bible before the sports page, illustrating a true delight in God's law.

But God, I want to delight in it. Lord, increase my love for your word. God, give me such a delight in your word that I'll actually want to go to my Bible before I go to the sports page. That was one of the greatest proofs to me that God really saved me when I was 17 years of age.

19:27 - 19:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember others who may be in the very condition reflected in the Psalm, and intercede for them.

He uses the analogy of a root system to explain why God allows opposition to blow upon believers, helping them sink their roots more deeply into Him, illustrating the benefit of being acquainted with trials through the Psalms.

But it obviously happened to David. And it happened when, as an older man, he was being tested from the rebellion of his own son. Lord, when the time comes, help me to remember how David sought your face. Help me not to be shocked to remove this wall around the new convert while he's beginning to get his spiritual moorings.

22:50 - 23:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember others who may be in the very condition reflected in the Psalm, and intercede for them.

Martin gives the example of Christians in Muslim lands, particularly Pakistan, who face death for their faith, illustrating how Psalms can draw believers into intercession for others in similar situations.

I'm not in this situation, but, oh Lord, think of your people in Muslim lands where if it becomes known that someone renounces Muhammad and claims allegiance to Christ and is baptized in many villages in Pakistan where I have walked personally, there is a price on the head of every single openly confessed Christian. The local Muslim priest has said, take him out and you get so many rupees. Well, then you're able to enter in and intercede, oh God. There are teenage people, you remember, some of you heard the news, the 14-year-old boy who was sentenced to death in Pakistan, thankfully, the sente...

24:47 - 25:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn the discipline of the mastery of your own emotions by letting your mind and heart follow the path the Psalm cuts.

He presents a scenario of meeting a sad brother in Christ while one is joyful, illustrating the duty to harness one's emotions to weep with the grieving, demonstrating the mastery of emotions.

Otherwise, how can we ever learn to fulfill, Romans chapter 12 and verse 15? Weep with those who weep. Rejoice those who rejoice. You're walking down the street some morning and your brother or sister is coming toward you, your brother or sister in Christ.

27:25 - 27:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice, even if your feelings don't align.

Conversely, he describes meeting a rejoicing brother while one's heart is heavy, illustrating the duty to rejoice with him despite personal feelings, further demonstrating the mastery of emotions.

And draw near to your brother until your heart feels his pain and you weep with him. Likewise, the reverse is true. You've come with a heavy heart. Your brother meets you and he's rejoicing.

28:23 - 28:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice, even if your feelings don't align.

Martin quotes Augustine's advice to 'Form thy spirit by the affection of the Psalm,' emphasizing that the heart should reflect the emotions and intentions expressed in the Psalm, reinforcing the discipline of emotional mastery.

In my background reading, as I took out Plummer on the Psalms, a reprint that the Banner did of a classic work on the Psalms, and I commend it to you, in the introductory section of that marvelous commentary, there is a wonderful distillation of quotes from across the ages on the benefit and blessing of the Psalms to the people of God. I found this quote from Augustine. I quote, Form thy spirit by the affection of the Psalm that you are reading. If the Psalm breathes the spirit of prayer, then do you pray.

30:03 - 30:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin shares a confirmation of this practice from Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, whose wife Dorothy has consistently prayed through the Psalms daily for years, highlighting its…

Martin shares an anecdote from Dr. Sinclair Ferguson about his wife Dorothy's non-negotiable daily practice of praying through a Psalm, confirming the benefit and practicality of this spiritual discipline.

of being wall to wall with Dr. Ferguson this past week and it's been many years since we've had such a lengthy opportunity for fellowship. On one occasion he spent two weeks in my home when he was a guest lecturer in our academy. But over the years our mutually busy schedules have taken us in different directions and our contacts have been very brief. But during this week we've had some precious times of fellowship. And as I was running by, I was able to show him some of this material since it was the first time I had presented it and I highly esteem his knowledge of the word of God and his pr...

32:15 - 33:09 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider the judicious use of non-technical commentaries as an aid to the devotional use of the Psalms.

He uses the metaphor 'din of jungle music' to describe the pervasive noise in modern society, lamenting the loss of the ability to sing among people, illustrating the need to reclaim singing, especially of Psalms.

if you just know a couple of tunes like, O God our help in ages past, or Jesus thou joy of loving hearts, a few familiar hymns that have a long or short meter, you can sing all of the Psalms that are in this metrical version. And I would urge you in the light of this, in the parallel passage in Colossians 3, we don't have time to turn to it, I simply mention it, Colossians 3, and verse 16, to begin to sing the Psalms. One of the curses of the glut, of all the noise that comes in upon our ears, is we have lost the ability to sing. We are not a singing people. There are people listening to the d...

37:38 - 38:45 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Think of it, when we gather and he is present in the livingness of his power by the Spirit, he sings the psalms with us, the very ones he sang in the days of his flesh.

Martin discusses Christ singing Psalms at the Passover feast and Dr. Ferguson's conviction that Christ had the entire Psalter memorized, illustrating the deep connection of the Psalms to Christ's own life and worship.

And then we take up a psalm, and we begin to sing that psalm in the presence of the living God and realize David and the people of God, hundreds, several thousands of years ago, they sang these very words. And my Lord Himself, in the days of His glory, after they had sung Him, they went out into the Mount of Olives, and they would have sung the set portions from the Psalm allocated for the Passover feast. And Dr. Ferguson and I were talking and he said it was his own conviction that, surely, as our Lord had committed so much of the Scripture to memory, he said, I am personally persuaded, he sa...

47:37 - 49:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Would leave the conference. Determined to make the Psalms. Their more intimate and lifetime. Companion. In the nurture of their walk with you.

Martin recounts a woman telling him her decision to make the Psalms her lifelong companion after hearing his second study, illustrating the direct impact and accomplishment of his sermon's goal.

Yesterday or day before. A woman I'd never met before. Face beaming. She said you know Pastor Martin.

51:48 - 51:55 Read in full sermon