Put on The Lord Jesus Christ

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin introduces the sermon as the second in a series on Romans 13:14, emphasizing the need for divine unction and power. He reviews the previous week's introductory…

The text Romans 13:14 is likened to a magnifying glass that takes scattered rays of truth about Christian living and brings them to a 'burning focal point'.

We return tonight to our examination of this text with which the paragraph closes, namely verse 14. Now, in our initial study which last Lord's Day evening I designated as an introductory study, I likened this text to a magnifying glass. And as a magnifying glass takes the more diffusive, gentle rays of the sun and bends them to a burning point, so this text takes the rays of truth found scattered throughout many portions of the Bible. reference to living the Christian life and brings them into a very burning focal point in this very graphic language and imagery of putting on the Lord Jesus Ch...

3:36 - 4:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He begins to unpack the meaning of the mandate, first by examining the verb 'to put on.' He explains its literal use for dressing oneself (John the Baptist, Jesus, Adam and Eve)…

The graces of compassion, kindness, meekness, etc., from Colossians 3:12 are likened to a 'beautiful garment' or 'wardrobe' that believers are to put on.

Here these graces, so essential to peace and harmony in the interaction of the people of God, are likened to a beautiful garment, or to a set, a whole wardrobe of garments, which the people of God are to put on, so that when they appear in each other's presence, they are clothed with the graces of kindness. Now, in this particular verse, Paul uses a form of the verb which directs the action towards the person himself, and so we could render it, put on for yourself. Now that's the action commanding. It is an activity likened unto dressing oneself. Now then, notice, the object of that action or ...

14:40 - 15:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Self-consciously take to yourselves the Lord Jesus Christ as your dress and your armor, making this your constant practice for progress in holiness.

Martin quotes Bishop Moule's striking description of Christ being 'laid at our feet' in all He is and has done, to be put on as our power and victory against sin, which helped him grasp the text's bold imagery.

We must self-consciously take to ourselves the Lord Jesus Christ as our dress and our armor, and little or no, no progress will be made in the life of holiness unless this becomes our constant practice. Now, in seeking to penetrate the mind of God in this text, I have not only spent many hours reflecting upon it, but I have read almost every commentary within my grasp on the text. I have talked with Professor Darlington about the basic significance of the text, and yet everything that I read left me unsatisfied that any of the commentators was really coming up to the measure of the strikingnes...

24:27 - 25:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Constantly remember and appropriate the privileges of your acceptance in Christ (justification) to combat discouragement in the battle against sin.

Sins from a past life, like gluttony, sexual deviation, jealousy, are described as 'clawing at the souls and passions of sin, and hang, as it were, to the hull like barnacles from their past life'.

of our acceptance in Him. In the great conflict with sin, even sins of gluttony and drunkenness, sins of bedding around in other forms of sexual deviation, sins that claw at the souls and passions of sin, and hang, as it were, to the hull like barnacles from their past life. In dealing with the sins of jealousy and dissension, we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ if we are to make progress in warring against those sins. But how do we do it?

29:21 - 30:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember and appropriate the implications of your union with Christ in death and resurrection, reckoning yourselves dead to sin's mastery and alive to God.

Sin is personified as a 'usurper' that comes 'strutting' and 'barks orders' to the believer's members, demanding indulgence, which the believer must resist by remembering union with Christ.

Sin is a usurper. And when it comes strutting, as it were, in the form of some passion or lust or temptation, and barks orders to your members, says to an empty stomach, or not to empty stomach, fill me and gorge me. Master, does Christian say no? I die to your mercy.

33:51 - 34:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Maintain consistent prayerful attendance upon the public means of grace, as God has ordained them to display Christ and enable you to put Him on.

The public means of grace (worship, preaching, sacraments) are described as 'God's showcase to display the glory of Christ as the dress of his people,' emphasizing their role in helping believers 'put on' Christ.

Now you see, these are institutions of God calculated to set Christ, who is the bread of life, before his people, that they might feed upon him. To use the imagery of our text, the public means of grace are God's showcase to display the glory of Christ as the dress of his people. And if we are to put him on, we must see him. If we are to see him, we must be where God has appointed to display him.

42:44 - 43:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your conscience honestly answer if there is disciplined engagement in private means of grace; if not, this may be why you struggle with persistent sins.

Martin shares an anecdote about his mother, a busy mother of ten, who found her 'best times of intercession' late at night at her ironing board, which became her 'altar' for communion with God, illustrating how private means of grace can be adapted to difficult schedules.

But if too many days go and there are not even five minutes seized by the forelock to be alone, something's wrong. The most pressured, distraught, busy mother who can't find five minutes several times every other day to be alone and to reflect, something's wrong. Something's drastically wrong. You may have to have your times of quietness as my dear mother did with her brood of ten with her iron in her hand late at night when we were all tucked in bed.

47:27 - 48:11 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have worldly goods, learning, or standing, be the most humble of all people, recognizing God's grace in choosing you despite His general rule of choosing the poor and weak.

Martin quotes Fox's description of God generally choosing His elect from 'that five-ranked army of descending human weakness' (referencing 1 Corinthians), to underscore the humility appropriate for believers, especially those with worldly advantages.

Common people. For God has generally chosen His elect from what Fox called that five-ranked army of descending human weakness. 1 Corinthians. Not many mighty, not many noble.

50:05 - 50:19 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are not in Christ, put Him on in conversion by taking Him as He is offered in the gospel, as your righteousness, hope, and deliverer.

The sermon concludes with the famous account of Augustine's conversion, where he heard a child's voice saying 'Tolle lege' ('Take up and read'), leading him to open the Bible to Romans 13:13-14, which instantly broke the chains of his sin and led him to put on Christ.

Not the sense of this text, but the sense of Galatians chapter 3. As many of us as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. And that's the putting on of Christ in conversion. And some of you are familiar with the incident from the life of Augustine.

58:15 - 58:34 Read in full sermon