His Backbone, Part 1

The point: Every man in the academy should have a scriptural picture of what he is seeking to become as an able minister of the new covenant.

Martin explains how a sermon he preached on 'the anatomy of a man of God' for the annual academy night led to the current sermon series, demonstrating the organic development of his preaching schedule.

Now in planning the schedule for our fall ministries in the Word, it was our intention that we should be found back in the gospel of Mark, more particularly in the fourteenth chapter of Mark. And as I anticipated this beginning of the pastor's conference, I had every reason to believe we would be in the second paragraph of Mark's gospel and for a number of months had even thought of the areas in which that passage would have peculiar relevance to the servants of God who would be gathered with us. However, when we had our annual academy night a month ago, that's an evening service in which the ...

2:22 - 3:43 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon transitions to how ministerial backbone is attained, maintained, and strengthened, focusing first on the 'initial dynamics of regenerating grace' as the womb where it…

Martin uses the imagery of a womb (from Psalm 139) to describe how ministerial backbone is originally and fundamentally formed within the 'initial dynamics of regenerating grace,' emphasizing its divine origin.

And the second category, the continuous supplies of sustaining grace. First of all then, the initial dynamics of regenerating grace. regenerating grace there are mighty operations of divine grace in regeneration which are as it were the womb in which ministerial backbone is originally and fundamentally formed and i take that imagery from the 139th psalm for you'll remember there speaks of god as covering him in his mother's womb and there forming him as a man well taking that imagery i say ritual backbone is form the womb of the dynamics of the grace that god all when he regenerates and perhap...

14:59 - 16:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Men aspiring to or currently in ministry should examine their hearts to ensure they have truly known the initial dynamics of regenerating grace, as the root cause of lacking backbone may be unregeneration.

Martin shares a personal story from his childhood about trying to shine shoes and running home crying after being confronted, illustrating his natural timidity and contrasting it with the Spirit's work of boldness.

most beautiful thing about god that you have been a part of this military camp when god knit me together in my mother's womb he knit a very insecure in faith of fearful little boy and my parents liked to recount all the evidences of that that were manifested in me long before i can remember but i can remember the first day i made my shoeshine box and i was going to go to the main I was rather proud of my shoeshine box, and I had properly furnished it with black polish and brown and tan and liquid cleaner and shine rags, and I went off all bright-eyed but fearful to earn a little money. No soon...

41:20 - 42:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Pastors must maintain a constant awareness of God's call in public preaching, never shrinking from any facet of God's counsel out of fear of offending mortals.

Martin quotes Martin Luther's famous declaration, 'I must go were there as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the houses,' to exemplify Holy Ghost backbone rooted in a sense of divine call.

by pragmatism by sensationalism by the itch of the flesh for entertainment you will be bold as your Lord these things hence why because you are called to be a watchman for the purity of his house I said I'd give you an illustration from church history I get the goose bumps every time I read this it's found in Gardner Springs book the power of the pulpit and he is emphasizing this very thought that I am a called man no matter what the difficulty or danger lies in their course there is in the bosom of every intrepid teacher of God's truth that whether he wake or sleep he is reiterating the thoug...

55:25 - 56:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Pastors must maintain a constant awareness of God's call in public preaching, never shrinking from any facet of God's counsel out of fear of offending mortals.

Martin recounts the story of Samuel Davies, an American preacher, boldly rebuking King George III during a sermon, stating, 'When the lion roars, the beasts of the forest tremble; when Jehovah speaks, let the kings of the earth keep silence before him,' to illustrate backbone derived from the awareness of God's call.

in firms as there are tiles on the houses that's Holy Ghost backbone that distinguished American preacher Samuel Davies then the president of the College of New Jersey now alas Princeton University went on a visit to England on behalf of the college was invited to preach before King George the third King George's youthful Queen was sitting by his side and so enchanted were they by the preachers eloquence that the King expressed his admiration in no unmeasured terms and so audibly as and rudely as to draw the attention of the audience and to interrupt the service the preacher made a sudden and ...

56:52 - 58:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second means of sustaining grace is maintaining a constant awareness of the presence of God. This is illustrated by Elijah's boldness before Ahab (1 Kings 17) when he…

Martin points out that Elijah, despite his earlier boldness, ran from Jezebel when he 'forgot that awareness of the presence of God,' demonstrating that backbone is not self-sustaining but requires continuous awareness of God's presence.

You see, this same man, when he, for a while, forgot that awareness of the presence of God, what did he do? A painted witch named Jezebel went, and he ran off into a wilderness.

63:08 - 63:23 Read in full sermon