Lordship Salvation

Pastor Martin moves from the Old Testament period of preparation to the period of manifestation in the Gospels, showing that from the very first verse of the New Testament Jesus is presented as the rightful King who fulfills the promises to Abraham and David. He examines Matthew 1:1, Gabriel's annunciation in Luke 1, the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2, and Nathanael's confession in John 1, demonstrating that Jesus' kingship was openly declared at his conception, his birth, and the beginning of his public ministry. He pointedly rejects the dispensationalist view that Christ's enthronement is postponed until a future earthly reign.

Pastor Martin moves into the period of proclamation, the book of Acts, to demonstrate that the kingship of Christ was a dominant note in apostolic preaching. He shows that the very words 'Christ' and 'Lord' carry the freight of messianic kingship and supreme rule, and that Acts opens and closes with the kingdom motif framing the whole book. He then expounds the first Christian sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2, where Peter's climactic argument from Psalms 16 and 110 declares that God has made the crucified and risen Jesus 'both Lord and Christ' and that all forgiveness flows from a presently enthroned Savior who must be obeyed.

Pastor Martin completes his survey of apostolic preaching in Acts, walking through Acts 5, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, and 26 to show that the present kingship of Jesus Christ was a constant note in evangelism whether to Jews, Samaritans, or pagan Gentiles. Paul's gospel of repentance and faith, the gospel of the grace of God, and the gospel of the kingdom are one and the same gospel. He concludes with three sober applications: all true preaching must include the note of an enthroned Savior, all preaching that omits it dishonors Christ and deceives men, and all teaching that deliberately denies it is another gospel. The sinner's basic problem is that he wants to keep the throne of his own life and still go to heaven.