I Came Not to Destroy but to Fulfill

The point: Be spiritually diligent, honestly and thoroughly study the Word of God, and depend on the Holy Ghost to be kept from legalism and antinomianism.

A philosophical friend's observation about a pendulum moving fastest at its center and slowest at its extremes is used to illustrate how easy it is for Christians and churches to drift into legalism or antinomianism, and how spiritual diligence keeps them centered on truth.

Now, one dear brother, who's not very philosophical, he's a good friend of mine, he's now in Brazil, but he waxed very philosophical when he said this. He said, the pendulum moves fastest at its center point, and slowest at its extreme. Now, if we had a big grandfather clock here today, and then some kind of an intricate timer, and we could time the pendulum, when does it move fastest? When it's gained momentum and passes the center point, it's moving at its fastest, then it slows down as it reaches the end of its arc, and at the point where it stops here, and just as it begins down, it's perf...

7:36 - 8:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin emphasizes the importance of extracting general principles from specific biblical instances (like the rich young ruler or the Samaritan woman) to apply God's truth to…

The story of Jesus telling the rich young ruler to sell all he has is used to illustrate the principle that one must part with the dearest idol of their heart to enter eternal life, not that everyone must sell their possessions.

Now what God wants us to do is to find out what principle was being applied, and extract the principle, and then apply it to ourselves. Let me illustrate. One day a young man came to Jesus and said, good master, what shall I do to have eternal life? Jesus turned to him and said, why callest thou me good?

11:18 - 11:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Be ready and willing to come to Jesus on His terms, parting with the dearest idol in your life.

Jesus telling the Samaritan woman to call her husband is used to illustrate the principle that one must be willing to be honest about their sin to drink of the water of life.

There's a woman with whom our Lord is dealing. And she says to him, Oh, Master, give me this living water. I want some of this water. I don't want to have to come down to this well anymore.

13:23 - 13:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Discover the general principles in specific biblical commands and apply them to your current life situations.

The command to give one's cloak is used to illustrate the need to extract the underlying principle of self-denial and apply it to modern situations, like being asked to serve at church when having other plans.

He is taking general principles and is applying them in specific instances. Our job as students of the Word, my job as a pastor, is to try to discover the principle that's involved, extract the principle, and then apply it where you and I live right here and now. If we don't do that, what sense is there when we read, Him that would ask your cloak, give him your cloak also. Who in the world ever came up to you and asked you for your cloak?

14:50 - 15:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not shy away from specific, clear-cut exposure of evil and evil teaching, following the example of Christ and the apostles.

Martin recounts writing a letter to a Protestant minister who requested a prayer for the dead, using it as an example of the need for specific, clear-cut exposure of evil and false teaching, even if it means being unpopular.

Exposure of evil and evil teaching. May God help us from being caught up in this, what Brother Tozer called this, togetherness orgy, where everybody's throwing kisses at everybody else and nobody's exposing anything. If you happen to meet somebody downtown and wonders if you go to the church where the pastor wrote a letter to the chaplain or the policeman, something or other, you tell them, that's the church. I got a letter a few weeks ago asking if I would come and say a prayer for the dead policeman at the policeman's memorial day, and the letter was from a Protestant minister.

19:08 - 19:49 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Christ came not to destroy all the ceremonial law. He came to fulfill it as its final type and having been fulfilled in Him, there's no need for it anymore.

The bleat of the sacrificial lamb is used as a metaphor to prefigure Christ's cry on the cross, illustrating how the ceremonial law was fulfilled in Him.

There's the ceremonial law. How did Jesus fulfill it? Every time the knife was plunged into the very life of that little innocent lamb and the lamb let out its bleat and then it poured out its blood and it died in the hands of the offerer, the priest, it was a little voice prefiguring the coming of one who as the Lamb of God would let out one's bleat that would forever mystify the sons of Adam when he cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

30:18 - 30:59 Read in full sermon