Beware of False Prophets, Part 2

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins with a review of the Sermon on the Mount's final section, emphasizing the narrow gate of true conversion and the wide gate of spurious conversion. He then…

Martin compares his practice of reviewing previous sermons to Paul's statement about writing the same things, arguing it's necessary for progressive understanding, even if it breaks homiletical rules.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians that for him to write the same things to his readers, to him was not grievous, and to them was necessary. And for me to introduce each message each Lord's Day morning with a period of review and introduction, to me is not grievous, and I believe to you it is necessary. If I were seeking to attain reputation in pulpit oratory, I would bypass all this, for it's one of the rules of homiletics that you don't encumber each message with tying back to the other. But I don't know who gave the rule.

0:20 - 1:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He said, I was commissioned to proclaim the gospel but not only to proclaim the gospel but to proclaim it in a certain way. And he said, if I just change the manner of my delivery, I can take the cutting edge off my mess…

The false prophet 'pablumizes' the Word of God, making it bland and mushy so that it's palatable to everyone, regardless of their spiritual condition, thus diluting its truth.

But the false prophet, you see, gains his popularity from all classes of people at the expense of the sharp cutting edges of divine truth. He has learned how, to what I would coin a word, pablumize the word of God to make it palatable to everybody. Everybody can eat pablum.

10:08 - 10:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: False prophets speak of sin in vague, general terms, avoiding the biblical truth that man is a clenched-fist rebel, spiritually dead, ignorant, and utterly incapable of pleasing…

He compares man's spiritual state to a student who can't even pick up a pencil to start solving a problem until the Holy Spirit illuminates their mind, emphasizing total spiritual inability.

The Bible says that he doesn't need just a little help from God. You know, sometimes you kids are in class and you're working on a problem and you've got it half done and you've understood it halfway through and you reach a snag and a teacher comes along and says, what's your problem, dear? And you say, well, I understand this much, but I can't quite get the last part. She says, oh, let me help you.

27:07 - 27:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin clarifies that false prophets can be either conscious deceivers or unconscious in their deception. He illustrates that regardless of motive, the effect of false doctrine is…

Two men in a hospital bed receive poison pills. One is given by a deliberate enemy, the other by a well-meaning but ignorant friend. Both die, illustrating that false doctrine is equally deadly regardless of the preacher's motive.

Let me illustrate. Two men are in a hospital bed, or two beds in a hospital. One of them has a bitter enemy who's sought devious ways to destroy him. And now he finds his time.

50:21 - 50:33 Read in full sermon