During the Sermon, Part 7

The point: Lash God's words to your heart, binding them continually, so they regulate your life.

The analogy of sailors lashing themselves to a ship's mast during a storm illustrates the urgency and necessity of binding God's words to one's heart to prevent being separated from them and dashed by life's waves.

Lash them to your heart. As sailors might lash one another to the mast of a ship in the midst of a turbulent storm, that they be not separated from their ship and dash into the waves. He says, lash my words. Lash them to your heart.

9:10 - 9:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be content until the preached Word has been written upon your heart and is taken into a beloved relationship.

The metaphor of writing God's law on the tablet of the heart from Proverbs 7:3 is discussed, prompting the question of how humans can do this, which Martin promises to address later regarding the means ordained.

How can I write anything upon my heart? Well, that we'll address. And we come to the subject of the means ordained. But the principle is we're not to be content until the word to which we have been exposed in the preaching and teaching of that word has been written upon our hearts and is taken into a relationship beautifully likened in verse 4 to that of a beloved sibling and of a beloved familiar friend.

11:02 - 11:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, taking over every room and living like a king in your heart, not as a suspicious stranger.

The metaphor of letting the Word of Christ 'dwell richly' is expanded to mean letting it 'set up shop and live like a king in your heart,' rather than treating it like a 'suspicious stranger' or an unwelcome guest.

And the adverb for, translated richly, pluseos, means lavishly, extravagantly. Let the word set up shop and live like a king in your heart. That's what he said. Don't treat it like some suspicious stranger that you put out in the potato bin where you keep your potatoes over the winter and throw in a cracker.

15:24 - 15:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Be under a solemn obligation, by the grace of God, to retain the essence and substance of the preached Word in your hearts and to experience its appropriate influence upon your lives.

Martin shares his personal experience of often forgetting his own sermon outlines by Wednesday, humbling himself to assure the congregation that retaining the outline is not the burden he is placing on them.

That would be to lay an insufferable burden on you. I can't even retain my own outlines often by Wednesday. It's very humbling and embarrassing to spend many, many hours trying to hammer out the word in a clear and a simple way and I ask myself by Wednesday what I preach on Sunday and I can tell you the general drift in the room. Many times I can't remember my own outline.

16:43 - 17:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not hear slightly, but hide the word in your heart, laboring to get something into your heart by every sermon, guarding against negligence, forgetfulness, carnal distractions, and the devil's attempts to snatch it awa…

A lengthy quotation from an unnamed preacher (over 300 years ago) emphasizes the need to hide the word in the heart to prevent its loss through negligence, forgetfulness, carnal distractions, or theft by the devil, who is present in the assembly.

how you hear take heed how you hear I close by letting you hear what some people heard one congregation over 300 years ago this is what they heard their preacher say do not hear slightly but hide the word in your heart that it be not embezzled by your own negligence forgetfulness running into carnal distractions that it be not stolen by the devil that he may not snatch away the good seed out of your soul when the word is preached there is more company present than is visible there are angels and devils in the assembly whenever the sons of God meet together Satan is present with them the devil ...

19:03 - 20:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Take all care and pains that the influences of the preaching of the word do not slide from you, being faithful and diligent in using means to fix them in your hearts to avoid dreadful judgment.

Another lengthy quotation from a preacher warns against allowing the influences of the preached Word to 'slide from you' like 'water spilt on the ground,' urging diligence to avoid judgment on individuals and future generations.

it's sad to consider how many have heard much and laid up little or nothing at all it may be they have laid up the sermon in their notebooks but they've not laid up the word in their hearts another preacher said to his people if then you are not then you would avoid a judgment which strikes not only at your estates and your lives but at your souls if you would prevent that dreadful stroke which may not only reach you but your children and your children's children if you would not have them and yourselves and thousands and millions with you bereaved of the gospel and the means of grace and life...

20:32 - 21:56 Read in full sermon