Exhortations & Entreaties to the Unprepared

The point: Constantly wrestle with not only exposition but application in your preaching.

Martin shares his experience speaking at pastors' conferences on the subject of preaching, which sets up his explanation of the 'what' and 'so what' of biblical exposition.

In Jesus' name, Amen. As many of you know, it's been my privilege over the course of many years, not only to preach from this pulpit and the pulpits that were placed in various meeting places in our early days, that in addition to this ministry, God has been pleased to give me a door of ministry in speaking particularly at pastors' conferences here in our own country and in many parts of the world. And in such conferences, I've often been asked to address the subject of preaching, what it is, how it should be done, pitfalls to avoid, encouragements in the work of preaching, etc., etc. And in a...

3:32 - 4:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He delves into 2 Thessalonians 1:8, explaining that God describes the unprepared as those who 'do not know God' and 'do not obey the gospel,' arguing this refers to a saving…

He illustrates how Paul could have simply offered comfort to the afflicted Thessalonians, but instead included a warning for the unprepared, highlighting the dual nature of Christ's return.

As Paul is giving a word of encouragement and comfort to these Thessalonian Christians who were brought to faith, as we heard last Lord's Day evening, in the crucible of suffering, and the suffering has intensified at the hands of their fellow men, Paul writing to this church in the midst of its suffering, seeking to encourage and comfort them, writes, verse 7, And to you that are afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power in flaming fire. And he could have gone right on to verse 10, When He shall come to be glorified in His saints and ...

15:56 - 16:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow your children to say 'no' with impunity; teach them obedience.

Martin uses the example of children daring to say 'no' to parents to illustrate the seriousness of disobedience, contrasting it with the ultimate disobedience of not obeying the gospel.

I've told people when they've asked what do you do when your kids say no to you I said they never dared say it in my home I never said it in my home the word no to mother or father never came out of our lips you did not dare that was worse than a string of four-letter words and God have mercy on any of you parents that let that word be said with impunity and God help you if you've got to warn three times before they stop you're not one of those you say yes to mom yes to dad type of words but you've not you've not obeyed the gospel you did not this morning in preparing to come to this place say...

38:13 - 39:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: as the direct sight of God in undiminished glory is the apex of the believers hope and joy banishment from the God who is all light and love into the company of the devil and his angels is the lowest pit of hell

He uses the analogy of an oriental banquet hall with light and feasting, from which one is bound and cast out into darkness, to vividly depict the banishment of hell.

and Paul says to these afflicted believers and Paul says to these afflicted believers rest with us a time is coming when those who hate your Christ and because they hate him they hate you when those who are indifferent to the gospel turn on you because you love the gospel the returning Christ will deal with them he will execute vengeance upon them and the nature of that vengeance will be banishment from his presence depart from me those are the words that are hard to hear that are hard to hear that are hard to hear those are the haunting words in Matthew 25 he shall say to them on the left han...

48:29 - 49:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: no man that loves God and loves his fellow man would ever have invented the doctrine of hell as it comes to us in the Bible and it's only the grace of God that helps some of us to preach it honestly

He references Jude's description of 'wandering stars to whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever' to illustrate the utter desolation of hell.

where there are no electric lights and no street lights and inside the banquet hall there were candles and torches and light abundant and laughter and feasting to be bound hand in foot and cast out and then darkness vulnerability no companionship that's one of the graphic pictures of hell another is given to us by Jude when he says wandering stars to whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever God says I'll make a special black hole and put you in it God have mercy on you but that's what the word of God says no man that loves God and loves his fellow man would ever have invented t...

49:55 - 51:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be like the dwellers in Noah's day or the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were damned by their indifference.

Martin uses the example of those in Noah's day, who were preoccupied with ordinary, non-sinful activities, to illustrate how indifference to God's warning leads to damnation.

until until the day Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all we often have pictures that people mocked people mocked Noah people mocked Noah and teheed and tottered and poked fun at him they may have it says he was a preacher of righteousness but the Bible doesn't say that the Bible says while Noah built an ark and himself ate and gave his own sons in marriage and drank after the flood he drank too much of the fruit of the vine but Noah was doing all these things what was the difference here was the difference Noah found grace in the eyes of God in the eyes of the Lo...

54:43 - 56:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Make this Lord's Day the day you stop your willful unbelief and impenitence, and earnestly seek God's salvation.

He uses the example of those in Lot's day, similarly absorbed in innocent, ordinary life, to further illustrate the danger of indifferent preoccupation with the temporal over the eternal.

that I'm not the preacher's thing this is reality dear young people children Jesus said this is a warning to you don't follow in the pattern of the unconverted in the days of Noah verse 28 likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot now we got six things they ate they drank they bought they sold they planted they gave it not one of them sinful the Lord does not say they fornicated men with men and women with women and men with beasts that's what they did but Jesus doesn't highlight their gross patterns of immorality he highlights their indifferent preoccupation with the innocence and t...

56:11 - 57:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Make Christ happy today by being a returning sinner who obeys the gospel.

He uses the analogy of making God happy not with good behavior but with a 'returning sinner' to illustrate the joy in heaven over one who repents, referencing the parables of the lost son, sheep, and coin.

will that be you? you're all alone in this my friend mom and dad can't pull you into the kingdom preachers can't shove you in if we could I'd have all the more reason to pump a little more iron and make sure there's not a one of you that could resist me when I got behind you to shove you in but I can't shove you in mom and dad can't pull you in you've got to look to Christ and say son of David have mercy on me and he delights to show mercy may I say it I believe it's biblical to say it you want to make God and his son shouting happy today and don't show him your report card with your straight ...

59:23 - 60:52 Read in full sermon