Judgment

Pastor Martin begins defining the fear of God by examining how the Hebrew and Greek words for fear are used in ordinary Scripture language. He identifies two aspects: the fear of dread and terror (illustrated by Adam hiding from God, and Jesus commanding fear of Him who can cast into hell), and the fear of reverence and awe (illustrated by the command to fear parents). He then expounds the first aspect at length, showing from both Testaments that a legitimate dread of God is commanded and commended, even for Christians, as a deterrent from sin.

Returning after a six-week absence, Pastor Martin advances the second affirmation about God: that He is the God of unrivaled sovereignty. He demonstrates from the Old and New Testaments that the enthroned God wills what He performs and performs what He wills without cabinet, congress, or counselor, then applies this to creation, providence, and grace. The sermon closes with comfort for believers and a solemn warning to the impenitent that God is whetting His sword of judgment.

Pastor Martin argues that "Son of Man" — often misunderstood as a mere title of Christ's humanity — is actually a title of His deity, drawing from Daniel 7 and Christ's own self-consciousness. The title points simultaneously to Christ's heavenly pre-existence, His present state of humiliation, and His future glory. Son of God and Son of Man occupy common ground as ascriptions of deity: the former emphasizing that He who is God is God, the latter emphasizing that He who is God is truly man.

Returning to Psalm 1 after several months, Pastor Martin moves to the negative contrast of verse 4: 'The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.' He explains why the psalmist gives this contrast (God both draws with promises and drives with threats), defines 'the wicked' as anyone not fitting the description of verses 1-3, and unpacks the winnowing simile. Chaff represents fickleness (no stability), lifelessness (no vital relationship with God), and uselessness (fit for nothing but to be burned), in sharp contrast to the planted tree.

In the concluding sermon on Psalm 1, Pastor Martin expounds verse 6: 'For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.' He defines the two 'ways' as trodden paths or habitual patterns of life, explains the righteous as those with both imputed and imparted practical righteousness, and demonstrates that 'knoweth' means God regards with special favor, purpose, and delight. By contrast, the way of the ungodly is described without any reference to God -- it simply shall perish. He concludes that a man's destiny and his way are inseparably joined, and the only escape is repentance and faith in Christ.