Intercession: Ingredients Part 1

Driving home: Without that no man will be saved from the condemnation of his sins without the death of Christ. We may say with equal authority no man will be safe from the condemnation of his sins without the intercession of Christ.

Martin compares the sermon series on Christ's intercession to describing a body, where previous sermons covered the 'legs and torso' and this sermon covers the 'head', emphasizing the organic connection and difficulty of understanding a part without the whole.

We generally have, oh I imagine, five or six or seven. But we have many more than that. And today is the third message on the intercession of Christ and it's organically tied in to the first two. And it's like trying to describe what abides.

6:18 - 6:32 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the main topic: the specific ingredients or elements of Christ's intercession. He proposes three key aspects, using the analogy of a baseball's components to…

Martin uses the analogy of dissecting a baseball (laces, horsehide, string, cork center) to explain that Christ's intercession is a complex reality with many essential ingredients, which can be approached and described from various starting points.

It's like me saying to you kids, what is a baseball made up of? Well I take the baseball and I might first of all undo the laces. Now if it's your ball you wouldn't like me to do that but I just might do that. So I take out the laces and then I take off the horse hide covers and then I unwind the string and then I find the cork center.

15:54 - 16:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first ingredient of intercession is Christ's presentation of the perfection of His person. Martin explains that Christ, as the glorified God-man, continually presents His…

The covenant God made with Noah after the flood, marked by the rainbow, is used as an analogy for Christ's presentation of His perfect person. Just as the rainbow reminds God not to destroy the earth by flood, Christ's presence reminds the Father not to bring judgment upon His people.

with regard to the sins of the whole creation. You remember what God said after that initial flood as recorded in Genesis 9 and verse 8. Let's look at it for a moment. One would still be a sinner and that man's sin would rise up and cry for judgment.

22:26 - 22:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second ingredient is the presentation of the perfection of His sacrifice, specifically the 'blood of sprinkling' that speaks better things than Abel's blood. Christ's blood…

The story of Cain murdering Abel is recounted to explain how Abel's blood 'spoke' for vengeance, providing a contrast to Christ's blood which 'speaks better things' (forgiveness and cleansing).

In other words, there is a difference between what the blood of Abel spoke and what this blood speaks. Well, let's go back then to the situation in which the contrast is founded. In Genesis chapter 4, you remember the situation? To slay his brother in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel, thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?

34:20 - 35:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The blood of Jesus Christ is as freshly poured forth in the mind of God as though 30 seconds ago.

Martin uses the imagery of the Lamb 'as though it had been slain' from Revelation to convey that Christ's sacrifice, though completed, is perpetually fresh and efficacious in the mind of God, not physically bleeding but eternally potent.

must never regard as physically opened and perpetually bleed.

40:40 - 40:44 Read in full sermon

The point: When you pray 'in Jesus' name', do so with a conscious sense of the imperfection of all your deeds and the need for Christ's mediation to make them pleasing and acceptable to God.

Martin warns against merely 'tacking on' 'in Jesus' name' to prayers without a conscious sense of the imperfection of our deeds and the need for Christ's mediation to make them acceptable to God.

Through. It's not just a convenient thing you tack on the end of your prayers. Lord we come in Jesus name. My friend.

48:53 - 49:05 Read in full sermon