Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Mark 1:21-28, using it as a springboard to articulate a vital principle for understanding all New Testament documents: responsible exposition requires traversing 40 centuries. This involves going back 20 centuries to understand the first-century context in which God's changeless word is embedded, and then coming forward 20 centuries to apply that living word to contemporary lives. He warns against the dangers of neglecting either journey, leading to inaccurate handling of Scripture or sterile orthodoxy, and outlines the demands this journey places on both preacher and congregation, emphasizing diligent study, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and a sanctified imagination.
Primary Texts
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Mark 1:21-28This passage is the primary text from which Martin draws examples of first-century realities (Capernaum, synagogue, scribes, demon possession) to illustrate the need for historical-cultural understanding.
Introduction to the Galilean Ministry and the Need for a Vital Principle0:04
The 40-Century Journey: Understanding God's Word in Context6:17
The 40-Century Journey: Bringing the Word to the Present14:03
Consequences of Neglecting the 40-Century Journey16:34
Demands on the Preacher for the 40-Century Journey22:48
Demands on the Congregation for the 40-Century Journey26:55
The Importance of Discerning Faithful Preaching36:03
The Value of Original Languages and Vigorous Preaching39:36
Concluding Prayer and Call to Diligence41:57
Key Quotes
“All responsible. God honoring exposition and application. Of any portion of the New Testament. Demands an exercise of mind and heart. Traversing the span of 40 centuries.”
“God's word embodied in first century documents. Is his living. Changeless. And authoritative. And universally. Relevant word for every people. In every place. For all times.”
“If we refuse the journey backwards. It will result in an inaccurate. Irresponsible handling of the word of God.”
“If we make the journey back. But refuse to come forward. Twenty centuries. What happens? Well it will result in a sterile orthodoxy.”
“Worst of all. It will rob us. Of the livingness of Christ. As our present prophet, priest and king.”
“It means you must have a willingness to think and learn when the Bible is being preached and taught rather than simply to be excited and stirred and blessed.”
“Television tends utterly to destroy. All of this stuff is just paraded before the eye and then add to that the curse of addiction to video games. No, really. It's tragic because in a sense you can't appreciate your Bible without the imaginative faculty.”
“Regardless of how impressive a man's oratory may be, if he's not prepared for the discipline and the digging on his own part to take you back in that time capsule into those documents and to be honest with the words of Scripture that point to institutions and places and people and things of first-century reality and explain them responsibly, Scripture interpreting, Scripture, regardless of how lovely and likable he may be, regardless of how eloquent he may be, reject him as a public teacher of the Word, for he is not going to cut a straight course in the Word of Truth and your souls will be butchered because of his inability or unwillingness to do so.”
Applications
Parents & families
Young people preparing for ministry must acquire the tools and discipline for diligent study, including original languages, to be trusted guides.
All listeners
Preachers must take the congregation into a time capsule back 20 centuries to understand the first-century realities of the New Testament documents.
Believers must bring the first-century word forward 20 centuries to feel its impact on their understanding and consciences in the present.
Preachers must publicly pledge and commit to the demands of the 40-century journey in their exposition.
Congregations must commit themselves to the demands of the 40-century journey in their listening.
Preachers must have a thorough acquaintance with the Bible itself, recognizing it as its own best interpreter.
Preachers must have adequate academic tools and know where to go for help in opening up obscure biblical details.
Preachers must have a heart for hard work, diligently plowing through reference works to understand the biblical context.
Preachers must have a deep knowledge of the human heart, primarily by studying their own, to preach with relevance.
Preachers must have a love for the souls of men and a determination to labor constantly to apply the word to their people's present needs.
Preachers must depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide them in making precise applications of the Word.
Congregants must have a willingness to think and learn when the Bible is preached, rather than just seeking excitement or blessing.
Congregants must not be spoiled or mentally lazy, but joyfully engage in the mental effort of going back into the first-century context.
Congregants must reach out for the Spirit's enablement to have a sanctified imagination, not dulled by media, to visualize the first-century events.
Congregants must come to the New Testament documents with a longing to know their Savior and to do His will, seeking to behold Christ.
Congregants must join to their longing a determination to believe and obey all that Christ says to them.
Congregants must reject any public teacher of the Word, regardless of oratory or likability, who is unwilling or unable to responsibly explain first-century realities through diligent study.
A full transcript is available on the
tab. 191 paragraphs, roughly 45 minutes.
Machine transcription
Introduction to the Galilean Ministry and the Need for a Vital Principle
This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, December 18th, 1983, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now may I encourage you to turn with me to the first chapter of Mark's Gospel, the Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 1.
And follow, please, as I read verses 21 through 28. Mark's Gospel, Chapter 1, beginning the reading with verse 21.
And they go into Capernaum, and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority and not as the scribes. And straightway there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Are you come to destroy us?
I know you who you are, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, The unclean spirit convulsing him and crying with a loud voice came out of him. They were all amazed. Insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this, a new teaching?
With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee round about. Let us again seek the face of God for his blessing on our study of his word. Our Father is once again.
We have read a portion of. Your holy word. We come in conscious dependence upon your Holy Spirit. That he would even now enable us to understand that word.
And in a very special way that he would come teaching us what is involved in properly understanding your word. And feeling the impress of its application to our own lives. Bless then our study together. We ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. Now according to Mark's gospel chapter one verses fourteen and fifteen. This particular section of Mark's gospel is concerned with setting before us. Some of the events which took place in what we call the Galilean ministry of the Lord Jesus.
And for those of you who were not with us in previous studies. I would say. Simply this. That in the general geography of Palestine.
We had Jerusalem in the southern part. And Samaria in the middle part. And then the northern part. Galilee.
And around the sea of Galilee the major cities in that section of Palestine. And we see in verse fourteen that after John. That is John the Baptist was delivered up. Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God.
And saying the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. And after this summary statement.
Mark then records the call of the four fishermen along the shores of the sea of Galilee. And as we saw last week in our study of this passage. These four were called with a calling that was on the one hand. A further manifestation of the validity of their previous attachment to Christ.
In faith and repentance. An attachment recorded in John's gospel chapter one. And on the other hand. It was a calling to a new level of preparation for their special task.
As the future apostles of our Lord Jesus. Now as we address ourselves. To this next paragraph. We are confronted with numerous realities.
Which force upon us. The recognition of a very vital principle. Pertaining to all responsible handling. Of the documents of the New Testament.
As I read this paragraph in your hearing. We came across such terms as Capernaum. A place in first verse. A place in first century geography.
We read about the synagogue. A place and an institution. In first century religious life. Furthermore we read about the scribes.
A group of people in first century religious life. We read about one who was possessed of a demon. Or literally demonized. A reality very much present.
In the records of our Lord's earthly life. And ministry. And so as we come to this paragraph. In which we are confronted with these many realities.
There's a very vital principle. That we must come to grips with. And the more I meditated upon the principle. And sought to lay it out.
I became convinced. That that would be the heart of our study this morning. And to attempt actually to open up. Verses 21 and 22.
The 40-Century Journey: Understanding God's Word in Context
As I originally intended on doing. Would be utterly impossible. Now the principle is this. All responsible.
God honoring exposition and application. Of any portion of the New Testament. Demands an exercise of mind and heart. Traversing the span of 40 centuries.
Now let that sink in for me. Any responsible. And God honoring exposition and application. Of any portion of the New Testament.
And that's all I'm speaking about this morning. Is the New Testament. Demands an exercise of mind and heart. Which causes us literally to traverse 40 centuries.
Now why is this so? Well the answer contains two parts. Number one. God has embedded his living.
Changeless infallible word. In first century realities. And in first century documents. God has embedded his living.
Changeless and infallible word. In first century documents. Now we live in the 20th century. With 20th century places.
Not Capernaum's and Nazareth's. But New York's and Newark's. And Philadelphia's and Los Angeles. We live in 20th century institutions.
And customs. And groups and classes of people. But in the passage before us. We are brought into direct contact.
Not with 20th century places. 20th century institutions. 20th century classes of people. But first century geography.
Capernaum. A place. Along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We are brought into confrontation with the Sabbath day.
A first century Jewish institution. As it is described in this passage. We are brought into contact with a synagogue. A place.
And an institution. Scribes. A class of people. Now as a teacher.
And preacher of the word of God. I have an awesome responsibility. God says to me. Through his word to Timothy.
Do your utmost. To show yourself approved unto God. A workman who needs not to be ashamed. Handling aright the word of truth.
I am under solemn obligations. As a public teacher of the scriptures. To cut a straight course in the word of truth. Well that word of truth is embedded in first century documents.
With first century realities. Of geography. Institutions. Places.
And classes of people. And if I am to be what God says he would give to his people in the new covenant. Jeremiah 3.15.
I will give them shepherds after my name. Shepherds after my heart. Who will feed them with knowledge. And with understanding.
I dare not make any simplistic and inaccurate equations. Between 20th century places. Things and institutions. And first century places.
Things and institutions. It would be irresponsible for me to say. Since Capernaum was a city by a body of water. We can liken it to Newark.
Which is a city by a body of water. Or to New Orleans. Which is a city by a body of water. Or because the passage says.
Jesus entered into a synagogue. That I can say. Well a synagogue is like a church. And therefore whatever you think about.
When you think of a church building. And a church service. You can apply it to the synagogue. It would be totally irresponsible for me to do that.
As a public teacher of the word of God. I dare not. I must not. I cannot.
Rather as simply as possible. As accurately as possible. As interestingly. And as animatedly as possible.
I must take you into a time capsule with me. And go back 20 centuries. Into the realities of the first century. It's the only way.
I can fulfill my obligations before God. I must take you back 20 centuries. So the Capernaum of this passage. Becomes in your mind.
The Capernaum that it was. The actual Capernaum. In which Jesus ministered. So that you conceive of the synagogue.
Not in terms of an inaccurate equation. Between our church building. And our church service. And a synagogue building.
And a synagogue congregation. And a synagogue service. But I must seek to take you into the synagogue. As Jesus went into the synagogue.
And when I tell you about the scribes. Where Jesus' teaching is contrasted with that of the scribes. I must not simply say. Well they were sort of the official secretaries.
Who copied the word of God. And occasionally commented upon it. Sort of like New Testament preachers. No, no.
That would be totally irresponsible. You see. It is essential for any public teacher of the word of God. If he's to treat the word of God as he's commanded to.
To take you 20 centuries back. Into the realities of those New Testament documents. God's living. Infallible.
Inerrant word. Is embedded in first century documents. That's why we've got to go at least 20 centuries. But you said pastor.
It's an exercise spanning 40 centuries. Well that brings us to the second part of the principle. God's word embodied in first century documents. Is his living.
Changeless. And authoritative. And universally. Relevant word for every people.
In every place. For all times. God's word. Embodied in first century documents.
Is his living. Changeless. Authoritative. And universally relevant word for every people.
In every place. For all times. As the Lord Jesus thought of the extension of his church. He could say.
Teach them to observe whatever I have commanded you. That is in first century language. In first century social customs. In first century relationships.
And institutions. Whatever I have commanded you. Command them and lo I am with you. Even to the consummation of the age.
The 40-Century Journey: Bringing the Word to the Present
Heaven and earth shall pass away. But my word shall never pass away. In other words. Having squeezed into our time capsule.
And gone back twenty centuries. Properly to understand the word of God. In that first century setting in which it comes to us. We must then get back into our time capsule.
And shoot ahead. Twenty centuries to the now. And ask ourselves. What does that living word of God.
Embedded in first century documents. Say to me. Sitting where I am in the twentieth century. In a totally different cultural setting.
In the midst of totally different institutions. And relationships. And geographical settings. If it is the living word of God.
Then we dare not stop simply going twenty centuries back. Properly to understand it. We must then. We must then bring it back.
Another twenty centuries to where we are. Until we feel its impact. Upon our understanding. Upon our consciences.
So that we can say in the twentieth century. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet. And a light unto my pathway. And so just as I dare not.
Cannot and will not. Irresponsibly pass over the labor. Of seeking to take you back. Twenty centuries.
I dare not. I cannot. I will not. Simply leave you standing.
In Capernaum. Saying isn't that marvelous. I can as it were with my mind's eye. See Capernaum.
I can see the synagogue. I can see the structure. I can see the Lord Jesus entering. I can see him standing to read.
Sitting to teach. I can see that demoniac coming in. And causing a ruckus. I can see it.
Isn't that marvelous. Why the word of God has come alive. It's not enough. Until what happened there in Capernaum.
Impinges on you. Right where you are. Sitting this morning in Montana. Until what happened in that synagogue.
When he taught not as the scribes. But with authority. Until that comes and impinges upon you. Where you are.
Consequences of Neglecting the 40-Century Journey
In your world. Right now. So in summary. Let me underscore.
What will happen. If we fail to do one or the other. Suppose we say. Well I just don't want to go through that trouble.
Of the 40 centuries exercise. Going back 20 centuries. And then coming forward 20 centuries. Well let me tell you what happens.
If we refuse either of those journeys. First of all. If we refuse the journey backwards. It will result in an inaccurate.
Irresponsible handling of the word of God. The Bible speaks of those. Who rest the scriptures. To their own destruction.
And describes them. As ignorant and unstable. Now I don't think there's anyone here. Who would like to stand up this morning.
And say. You know I'm really proud. To be ignorant and unstable. Those are not words.
That we like to have used about us. But it is the ignorance. And the unstable. That rests the scripture.
And often that ignorance. That leads to a twisting. And arresting of the scriptures. Is an ignorance.
That comes to light. Precisely at this point. Either a willful unwillingness. To make that journey backward.
Laziness. Or irresponsibility. In making that journey. It will leave us vulnerable.
To the thrust of skepticism. And unbelieving scholarship. It will rob us of the richness. Of the word of God.
Because God ordered. That these documents should come to us. Embedded in the particulars. Of that first century context.
When the fullness of the time was come. God sent forth his son. So if we refuse. To make the journey backwards.
It will result in an inaccurate. Irresponsible handling of the word. It will leave us vulnerable. To the thrust of skepticism.
And unbelieving scholarship. It will rob us of the richness. Of the word itself. But then.
If we make the journey back. But refuse to come forward. Twenty centuries. What happens?
Well it will result in a sterile orthodoxy. We will have some measure of understanding. What happened then. But we will not make the connection.
Between the then and the now. Between the Lord's dealings. With the demoniac then. And his dealings with us.
In our need now. It will result. In a non-religious. Non-ethical.
Non-scientifying interaction. With the bible. And few things are more tragic. Old Dr. Tozer used to talk about the difference.
Between being bible taught. And spirit taught. And what he was going after. Was this very issue.
I think it can be better explained. We don't want to set up a dichotomy. Between the bible and the spirit. Because the spirit always works by and with the word.
But the thing he was driving at. Is this very issue. It is not enough for us to be able. Accurately to reproduce.
What Mark is describing. In Mark chapter one. So that when we read. He came into Capernaum.
And saw that it was a town. On the northwest shore of the sea of Galilee. Marked by this peculiar characteristic. And that and the other.
That is not enough. It is not enough. That we handle those things non-religiously. Non-ethically.
And simply become fascinated. With the knowledge contained. In the biblical witness. If we refuse to make that journey back again.
It will not only result. In a sterile orthodoxy. And in this non-religious. Non-ethical fascination with the bible.
Worst of all. It will rob us. Of the livingness of Christ. As our present prophet, priest and king.
It is interesting. In studying Mark in the original. Again and again. You come up short.
Because Mark will stick in a present tense verb. He is describing events. This happened. This happened.
This happened. But in our very passage. As though we are to stand there. Watching them.
Going into Capernaum. There is the livingness of Christ. In his own word. And as we saw in one of our introductory studies.
These are the galleries of the king. And what a tragedy. To come into the galleries. And not see him.
And it is when we make that trip. Twenty centuries. From the first century documents. To the present hour.
The Christ who spoke. With authority then. Does he yet speak with authority? Though he is at the right hand of the father.
The Christ who could say. Literally to a demoniac. Bemuzzled. Come out of him.
And the demon obeys. Is he the Christ who can speak. To the demons of our own pride. And envy.
The demonic influence. Of lust and pride. And avarice and greed. Is he the Christ who speaks.
In this hour. With a word of power. That liberates those. Who are in bondage to their sins.
That is the question we must wrestle with. And if we refuse. To make that journey from the first century. To the twentieth century.
We will be left without the livingness. Of our savior. And to be left without him. Is to be left without hope.
And to be left in darkness. So that is what happens if we refuse. Either. The twentieth century journey back.
Demands on the Preacher for the 40-Century Journey
Into the first century. Or the twentieth centuries journey. From the first century to now. Then my final question is.
What is necessary. To take this forty century journey. Every time we come. To the new testament documents.
Well it makes demands on the preacher. And on the people. And I want publicly to pledge afresh. My commitment to my demands.
And I am pleading with you. To commit yourself. To the demands it makes upon you. What demands does it make upon the preacher.
Well the demands it makes upon him. If he is going to go backwards. Twenty centuries is. A thorough acquaintance with the bible itself.
It is amazing. But the more I study the bible. The more I am convinced of the simple truth. That the bible is its own best interpreter.
The bible is its own best interpreter. And if someone. Is going to be a safe guide. In taking you into those twentieth.
Those first centuries. There must be a thorough acquaintance. With the contents of the bible itself. But there must be more than that.
There must be the adequate academic tools. To know where to go. For help. In opening up.
Some of these things. For instance. What were the scribes. What was their precise function.
Well there are many passages in the bible. That we can read. And we come up with a good. And substantial outline.
Of the precise function. Of the scribes. But how helpful it is. To turn to some non-biblical sources.
Where men have given themselves. To the labor of unearthing. From other disciplines. Nuances and insights.
And supplemental perspectives. That do not take precedence. Over the word of God. Let alone substitute for it.
But help to cast light. Upon what otherwise would be obscure. And so if a man. Was a good teacher.
He ought to be. He must have a thorough acquaintance. With the bible itself. He must have adequate acquaintance.
With the necessary tools. And above all. He must have a heart. For hard work.
You think it is pleasant. To plow through page after page. Of bible dictionaries. Likes of Christ.
And all kinds of reference works. Till one feels. That the bible is. A sign of the gospel.
That it must be. Intertwined with the gospel. And to bring it to the people. That the bible must.
Be a source of knowledge. That it must be. A source of knowledge. That it must be.
A source of knowledge. That it must be. A source of knowledge. And that is.
The gospel. if they are available. If someone only had his Bible, God would bless his preaching of all he knew and could know from the Bible alone. But God has blessed us with these other tools.
And if a man is to take his people week after week, accurately and helpfully, by the hand, twenty centuries back into those first century documents, he must have a heart for hard work.
You men preparing for the ministry, if you don't have those things, you won't ever become a safe guide in the things of God. But now, what does he need if he's going to take the people from there back into the twentieth century? You see, some are quite adept and efficient in putting their people in the time capsule and going back into the first century. But somehow, they don't know how to get them stuffed in there and get that machine going to come from the first century into the twentieth.
Demands on the Congregation for the 40-Century Journey
And that is equally necessary. Well, it requires, first of all, a deep knowledge of the human heart.
A man who doesn't know the human heart will never preach with relevance.
And how does he know the human heart? First of all, then, primarily by studying his own.
And the study of one's heart is many times a very unpleasant task.
One would hope that with the passing of the years, the study of one's own heart would be, it would become a more pleasant exercise, but it isn't.
In many ways, it becomes more and more unpleasant with the passing of the years. But it's absolutely essential. And if a man would take his people from the first century into the present, he must not only have a knowledge of the human heart, but he must have a love for the souls of men, a determination that they will not sit there looking up to hear and to know and to sense the livingness of that word, only to, only to go away disappointed, having been left with a marvelous, lucid view of what happened then, but no understanding of what it says to me. It must be the knowledge of the human heart, the love that is willing to labor constantly with the question, what does this say to my people, where they are, and above all, the dependence upon the Holy Spirit who alone, knowing the hearts of men, can guide his servants in making those precise applications that are most warranted at any given point in the life of any given congregation. Time and time again, anyone who's preached for any length of time with the blessing of God's Spirit upon him, one is amazed when a year, two, or sometimes months or years afterward, one is made aware that in a given sermon an application was made
that one would think the preacher had been made privy to the most intimate details of someone's life and he was as ignorant of that as he could be. How did that happen? Some of the dynamics of the Spirit of God and his gracious ministry in the act of preaching. So these are the demands that it makes upon the preacher, but it makes demands upon you, the people of God, and here I want you to hear me carefully.
If you're to go backwards as the preacher tries to put you in the time capsule, you know what it means? It means you must have a willingness to think and learn when the Bible is being preached and taught rather than simply to be excited and stirred and blessed.
You have got to have a willingness to think and to learn rather than simply coming to be excited and stirred and blessed. And frankly, if I may let out a little honesty of pastoral concern,
few things grieve me more in preaching than when I've sought to do my homework and been willing to subject myself to the mental agony of hours of plodding, reading, and tracking down the meaning of words and all of the rest, and then have sought to put it in as neat and simple a structure as possible and throw my very life's blood into giving it. I don't stand up here and give a lecture first point one, second point two, third point three, I mean, you'd be welcome to go to sleep when someone does that. But to pour my soul into it, to pour my life's blood into it, to try to make it come alive, and to see some of you sit there glassy-eyed because you're waiting for the exciting part. You're waiting for the application. You're waiting for the bringing home of the Word of God to the theater of your conscience. Dear people, don't be spoiled.
Don't be spoiled. Don't be mentally lazy. If you're to have an accurate knowledge of the Word of God, you must be willing, joyfully, to get in that time capsule. And when the preacher says, into the time capsule, get in, buckle up, put your thinking cap on, and say, all right, let's go back and get embedded in the first century.
I'm determined that as the preacher tries to help me to understand what a synagogue was like so I can see Jesus coming into that synagogue and what He did when He taught, that God giving me strength I'm not going to go away until I feel and sense and understand what a synagogue was all about. Then when the preacher says, now what does all of that say to us? You're the one who will feel the weight of the application far more. So there must be a willingness to think and to learn rather than simply to be excited and stirred and blessed.
But then there must also be, and this is so vital, there must be that reaching out in your own heart for the enablement of the Spirit of God, that crying to God that He would come by His Holy Spirit and enable you to have a sanctified imagination that when the preacher seeks in an animated and living way to take you back into the first century that your mind has not been so dulled by television. That's one of the curses among many of the television. It is destroying the imaginative faculty in the human mind and soul. Some of us who go back to the so-called golden days of radio, how you could use your imagination with Fibber McGee's closet. Some of you have heard the records. Every week, no matter what the episode was, somewhere along the line, she'd open that closet and you'd hear these pans and your mind could just see all of this stuff tumbling out and crashing down. Well, it was great because many of the old radio programs cultivated the imaginative faculty.
Television tends utterly to destroy. All of this stuff is just paraded before the eye and then add to that the curse of addiction to video games.
No, really. It's tragic because in a sense you can't appreciate your Bible without the imaginative faculty.
Mark so wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit that he wants us to see Jesus going into Capernaum. He uses a present tense verb and they are going into Capernaum. Watch them. No.
Well, how can I watch them? He's in heaven and the four apostles are dead and their bodies are rotting and engraved somewhere. How can I see them? By a sanctified imagination.
That's how.
And it is the sanctified imagination that must be brought not only into preaching but into listening and receiving the Word of God. And then the demand on you to get in that time capsule and be brought forward twenty centuries. What is that demand? Well, let me mention just two things.
There must be a longing to know your Savior and to do His will. You come to these documents not to be fascinated by an exercise in investigation into ancient things and people and places. But you come to the passage above all else saying, Oh God, this is the beautiful setting of the great crown jewel of my Christian privilege. The knowledge of my Savior.
Oh, may I behold my Savior here. May I see Him going into Capernaum. May I hear Him speak to me with authority. May I hear Him speak to me with that mighty voice that conquers the powers of darkness and brings holy amazement at the graciousness and the authority of His Word.
And so we must come then with that renewed and that continually quickened longing and earnest desire to know Christ and His will and then join to that a determination to believe and to obey all that He says to us. The word preached did not profit them, the writer to Hebrews tells us why. Not being mixed with faith in them that heard. What a tragedy.
The Importance of Discerning Faithful Preaching
The word preached did not profit. Not being mixed with faith. Well, you see why now my introduction became a brief sermon? I had hoped only to make that statement on the threshold of the study of verses 21 and 22.
But as I meditated upon it, I said, no, the time has come to underscore these principles for our people so that our remaining studies in the Gospel of Mark by God's blessing will be richer. Are you prepared for that fortitude of 40 centuries every time we come to the passage? Prepared to get into the time capsule and go back? Not find it tedious if I read a paragraph or two that summarizes what synagogue life was like?
Not to consider that boring, tapping, as it were, your mental feet until I say now what is the application of all of it? And then you come alive?
I hope you love the Word of God more than that. I hope you're not so irresponsible as to just want to sit back and get blasted and blessed before you're prepared or beyond being prepared to think and to come to grips with the Word of God. You see, as a minister of the Word of God, my task is not only to teach the content of the Bible, but to give you the principles by which you can handle that content yourself.
And the brevity of life is such that one of the great passions in the heart of your elders is, to do everything within our power to prepare this congregation for at least one more generation of usefulness. Many of you young people who will be those determining whether or not a man is worthy to stand in the pulpit of phase two in years to come as a trusted guide in the Word of God, you are either acquiring now the tools to discern whether or not he is a trusted guide or whether you ought to reject the ministry of such a man.
And regardless of how impressive a man's oratory may be, if he's not prepared for the discipline and the digging on his own part to take you back in that time capsule into those documents and to be honest with the words of Scripture that point to institutions and places and people and things of first-century reality and explain them responsibly, Scripture interpreting, Scripture, regardless of how lovely and likable he may be, regardless of how eloquent he may be, reject him as a public teacher of the Word, for he is not going to cut a straight course in the Word of Truth and your souls will be butchered because of his inability or unwillingness to do so. That's the burden lying behind my taking a whole sermon time to open up this simple principle and then recognizing you men in the academy are here and you ask the question, what is it that from the human side has been used of God to bring about whatever measure of stability we have as a congregation? This is one of the answers, the willingness to do the painstaking work of making that forty centuries trip every Lord's Day,
The Value of Original Languages and Vigorous Preaching
going back into the language of the first century. Now you see why we force those two funny languages on you? Because the culture is embedded in the language and an unacquaintedness with that language will result in oft times in inaccuracies in handling those documents. That's why it's essential that we labor in such things as grammar.
How vivid it's come home to me. I'll give you just a little taste. You see when Jesus spoke to that demon this all looked so polite, but it wasn't polite at all. But Jesus said to him literally, this only comes out in studying the original.
He didn't say, hold thy peace. That's too polite. He said, be muzzled and get out. I tell you, you talk about vigorous.
Jesus talking to the demon says, be muzzled, get out. No argument, case dismissed. The demon was muzzled and came out. In other words, Jesus said, I don't need your fawning acknowledgement of who I am.
We've got these scribes and Pharisees going around looking to pick on things and they think I'm in league with the devil and they hear you, Mr. Demon, confessing who I am. That'll give them fuel for their very accusation that I'm in cahoots with the devil. So devil, you shut up.
Be muzzled and get out. Well, that just makes that passage come alive. Doesn't it? It does to me.
Well, that's the responsibility that is ours, men. You want to rob your people of that? Then be lazy. Complain that you got to learn your Greek.
Complain that you get assignments and exegesis that bend your brain. But if you're committed, committed to the self-giving, self-denying labors of being a true minister of the Word of God, then mark it down as an inflexible rule. It's going to be a lifetime to your grave endeavor in hard, arduous study. But oh, the joy of seeing God own that study and labor to building up a people into spiritual stability who have an intelligent grasp upon the Word of God and upon whom that Word has a powerful grasp in molding thought and life and worship.
Concluding Prayer and Call to Diligence
Well, we come around full circle to where we began. God willing, we'll attack this paragraph next week. But we'll attack it with the understanding that all responsible God-honoring exposition and application of any portion of the Word of God demands an exercise of mind and heart and of the consciousness to be fulfilled by His power. And you know that we can.
And if you would, if you'd do what we have been told, that is to remove all offenses that we have committed and to remove any offences and any animosity that have been or are 1930s enfermed. You were the one who tried to break the bondage that was the legal law of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ. You were the one who tried We thank you that we have your word as a lamp unto our feet and a light to our pathway. We do thank you that in your inscrutable wisdom you chose to embed your holy word in all of the realities of the first century there in Palestine and in other parts of the Roman Empire. We thank you, O Lord, for all that you have given us in the way of tools to help us to understand, but we pray above all else that we will be given by the Spirit a heart and a mind that long to know your word, that long to believe and to obey all that you have revealed. Help, we pray, your people in this place to be intelligent listeners of the word.
We think especially of the rising generation whose minds are bombarded by the media, whose minds would become utterly paralyzed by the constant bombardment of their eyeballs by the TV and by magazines. O God, give us, we pray, a generation of young men and women who know how to think, who know how to exercise their imaginative faculties under the discipline of the Spirit. Holy Father. Father, prepare, we pray, a generation to do exploits for you should you delay the coming of your dear Son.
We ask you now to write your word upon our hearts and bless our meditation to our mutual prophet. Continue with us through the remainder of this day that we may honor you in it and that we may receive blessings from your hand. We ask through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Amen.
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It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
Mark 1:21-28
This passage is the primary text from which Martin draws examples of first-century realities (Capernaum, synagogue, scribes, demon possession) to illustrate the need for historical-cultural understanding.
Texts Expounded
auto_stories
This passage serves as the immediate textual basis for the sermon, highlighting first-century realities that necessitate the '40-century journey' principle.