Warning to Professing Christians

In this part of the sermon: Martin establishes that while a profession of attachment to Christ is necessary for true religion, Jesus' prophecy warns that mere profession ('Lord, Lord') does not guarantee…

The example of Peter's call to repentance and baptism on the Day of Pentecost illustrates that open confession of Christ is an indispensable part of true religion, even if baptism is not the meritorious ground of forgiveness.

we must be prepared to confess unto him in faithful environment where men may threaten us even with death itself. This is why on the day of Pentecost, when those who were stabbed in the heart cried out, men and brethren, What shall we do? said to the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? Peter, without in any way becoming a sacramentalist, inferring that there is some grace unto forgiveness to be found in the water of baptism,

8:14 - 8:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your profession of faith, recognizing that not all who profess Christ truly possess saving religion.

Martin contrasts the cost of professing Christ in Iran (imprisonment, death) with the social acceptability of it in America, arguing that ease of profession makes the warning of Matthew 7:21 even more relevant for American Christians.

Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, fulfillment of this sobering prophecy than in this our own country, in this our own part of the country, in the context of Trinity Baptist Church. If to profess Christ meant for you and for me what it means for those who know about our brother in Iran, that the

18:19 - 19:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He emphasizes that doing God's will begins with true conversion, characterized by a 'flesh-withering acknowledgement' of sin, repentance, and desperate faith in Christ…

Martin quotes a self-affirming mantra from a weight loss program ('I am a 10... I am special... Nothing is wrong with me') to illustrate the pervasive modern emphasis on self-worth that directly contradicts the biblical call to humility and repentance.

How can there be hungering and thirsting for righteousness. When we've convinced ourselves I'm okay and you're okay. Recently. Someone handed me what people are told to enroll in a certain weight loss program and the use of the number 10 has reference to that vile movie I only know because I read the reviews I don't see the movies in which a man lusts after a woman other than his wife whom he numbers in her physical perfections and proportions as a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10.

32:33 - 33:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand that true and saving faith is not a casual acknowledgment but a desperate thrust upon an almighty Savior, clinging to Christ crucified.

He uses the metaphor of becoming a 'zero' (in contrast to the 'I am a 10' illustration) to describe the necessary humility and self-abasement required for entry into God's kingdom, referencing the tax collector's prayer.

Jesus. No one gets in the kingdom till he's a zero. Looking in the temple would not so much as lift up his eyes, let alone his head, and he beat his breast. Merciful to me, the sinner, I'm a zero mind.

34:19 - 34:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Cut off the 'right hand' of lust and gouge out 'offending eyes' by mortifying sin in your mind and actions, rather than merely whimpering about it.

Martin uses the vivid analogy of brutal self-mutilation (cutting off a hand, gouging out an eye) to illustrate the radical, painful mortification of sin required by Christ, contrasting it with superficial attempts at change.

And he says, My sheep, hear my voice. Not only when it calls to rest, but when it calls. Not only when it calls to mortification that has analogies in the brutal self-mutilation of cutting off one's own hand and with the other hand casting it far away with no thought of ever rejoining it by a kind of demonic spiritual neurosurgery.

42:34 - 43:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This is the hypocrite's couch. This is the believer's. He lies back, no serious determination to do the will of God, and says nobody's perfect.

Martin quotes Rabbi Duncan's distinction between the hypocrite's use of 'nobody's perfect' as a 'couch' for complacency and the believer's use of it as a 'bed of thorns' for conviction, illustrating the difference between false and true humility regarding imperfect obedience.

There's nowhere of life from the deepest reach to the most visible outward deeds observed by all in which our heart's desire is not to do the will of God. I read recently in Rabbi Duncan, I often hear people say, and this is why it struck me so well, you know, Pastor, nobody's perfect. You know what Rabbi Duncan did with that little statement, nobody's perfect? This is what he said about it.

48:56 - 49:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Start doing the will of Christ where it hurts, being willing to be marked as a Christian in school and avoiding intimate or romantic friendships with ungodly people.

Martin quotes a prophet's lament about laboring and bringing forth 'nothing but wind' to express his own pastoral frustration when his preaching seems to have no lasting impact on the congregation.

Tell you, I think I understand what the prophet meant when he said, I've spent. They have come to the birth. And brought forth nothing but wind.

55:50 - 56:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not turn your kids loose to watch movies that normalize or humorously twist sin like divorce or transvestite lifestyles, as this softens them to evil.

He uses the example of Trinity Church members allowing their children to watch a PG-13 movie with a humorous transvestite plot to illustrate how Christians can become desensitized to sin and worldly values, compromising their discipleship.

And cut off that right hand of a relationship that's begun to feel so nice. The terms of discipleship are not watered down because you're a teenager. When I hear of Trinity Church members dropping their kids off to see PG-13 movies. The plot of which.

57:03 - 57:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not suck at the world's fountains for fulfillment, such as needing alcohol to have a good time, but find your fulfillment in Christ.

Martin uses the example of Trinity Church members needing 'a good bit of booze flowing on a New Year's night like the world' to have a good time, illustrating a worldly dependence on external pleasures rather than finding fulfillment in Christ.

I wonder what in the world kind of movies you watch. When I hear the Trinity Church members got to have a good bit of booze flowing on a New Year's night like the world to have a good time. I say, Oh, God! What in the world am I doing in this place?

58:22 - 58:42 Read in full sermon