The Crisis Unfolded

In this part of the sermon: The sermon establishes that the crisis in 2 Chronicles 20 arose immediately after a period of significant revival and reformation in Judah under Jehoshaphat. This challenges the…

Martin uses Trinity Baptist Church's current building program crisis in 1977 as a contemporary parallel to Judah's crisis, arguing for the validity of applying the passage to their situation.

polemic, that is, a reasonable argument for the validity of using this passage to give directive to Trinity Baptist Church existing in 1977 in the midst of a building program crisis. All right, having laid that background, and I will not take the time to do it again tomorrow night, we want to think through the passage as it is given to us by the inspiration of the Spirit. And the first thing we must notice is what I'm...

13:39 - 14:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Now isn't it strange that with that account, account of this great return in true revival and then this tremendous outworking of practical obedience when the nation of Judah is as we might say at a pinnacle of spiritual …

He contrasts Judah's crisis coming after revival with a hypothetical scenario where crisis follows idolatry, explaining that the former is more perplexing but offers greater consolation.

In other words, this returning to the Lord was not some kind of a mystical experience. It was a genuine turning to God which resulted in practical obedience to the law of God. And as you read through the rest of chapter 19, you have further details of how this work of revival and reformation went on under the ministry of Jehoshaphat. Now isn't it strange that with that account, account of this great return in true revival and then this tremendous outworking of practical obedience when the nation of Judah is as we might say at a pinnacle of spiritual obedience and blessing in terms of that segm...

15:40 - 17:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not assume that a crisis is a chastening from God for some specific sin; it is wrong to assume that.

Martin shares his personal experience of repeatedly retracing his steps and praying, 'Lord, where have I sinned?' in response to the church's crisis, finding consolation in Jehoshaphat's similar situation.

What have I done to bring upon this people this kind of a strange and a frowning providence? And I'm sure it's been the disposition of my fellow elders and of the deacons as well. And in recent days we have retraced every step that has brought us to this crisis. I've retraced mine at least probably 25, at least 25 times, somewhere around that.

18:31 - 18:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not assume that a crisis is a chastening from God for some specific sin; it is wrong to assume that.

He recounts the church's past growth and initial belief that their small building would suffice, illustrating their past obedience and reliance on God's word in policy decisions.

Gone back to the very beginning. Lord, what has brought us? What has brought us to this crisis? And we've gone back and reviewed that when God brought us into this place, as far as we knew this would take care of us for many, many years to come, this little cracker box, and we sought to be obedient to the word of God, never having done all, and even if we had, we would have to claim we're still unprofitable servants, but in every situation seeking to be true to the word of God.

18:58 - 19:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not assume that a crisis is a chastening from God for some specific sin; it is wrong to assume that.

Martin describes the church's efforts to find and renovate existing buildings (supermarkets, schools) to avoid a large building program, highlighting their commitment to stewardship and gospel outreach.

When we've tried to thrash out policy with respect to the administration, the administration of the life of this congregation, our concern has been again and again, not what is in vogue, what is the current evangelical tradition, but what sayeth the scriptures. And God has done a gracious work in turning many of our hearts back to the Lord our God, with a turning that has not been a mere mystical flight into some kind of religious shiver and a shake, but a turning that has resulted in our homes being ordered by the word of God, as never before. In our lives, in relationship to work, in our soc...

19:27 - 20:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not hoard money when God brings tremendous needs for Christ's kingdom work within your awareness, but give generously according to Scripture.

He details the unexpected discovery of deep clay and a high water table on the purchased land, which dramatically increased construction costs and created a logistical impossibility, mirroring Judah's sudden crisis.

These are the passages which, as it were, cried for our obedience. And so, in a sense, we're caught with the crisis upon us without enough time to do what we might otherwise have been able to do. The land situation dawned upon us almost overnight. We had some initial borings done before we ever purchased the land.

27:01 - 27:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not hoard money when God brings tremendous needs for Christ's kingdom work within your awareness, but give generously according to Scripture.

He alludes to Jesus' parable of the foolish man building on an unstable foundation to explain why building on the discovered clay was irresponsible and financially ruinous.

Our architect checked several projects in the area and came up with good reports. It wasn't until we were well into the project, and it's time now to actually begin to think about how you're going to construct the foundation, that the full engineering job was done, and storage engineers went in, and bored down to seventy feet. And then the story was told. That once you got down below eight or nine feet, nothing but clay, down to seventy feet, and you don't build a building that size on clay, unless you want a living illustration of what Jesus talked about in Matthew 7, about the foolish man th...

27:39 - 28:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the military hopelessness of Judah's situation, with a vast enemy army just 15 miles from Jerusalem, leaving no time for human solutions. He draws a direct parallel…

Martin contrasts Trinity Baptist Church's financial situation with other churches that have members capable of writing large checks without feeling a pinch, emphasizing their own lack of such resources.

There are some churches that love the truth, in whose midst there are men to whom God has entrusted hundreds of thousands of dollars. Who could, if they faced a crisis in a church like that, very easily write out a check for $250,000 and not even feel the pinch? It would barely put a nick in their assets. Well, God has not entrusted us with anyone like that, unless some of you have been holding out on us.

28:49 - 29:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Fear and faith together in the same heart. What am I afraid? I will trust in thee.

He uses the hypothetical 'fear-o-meter' to illustrate how the logical presentation of the crisis's facts would naturally increase fear in the listeners.

So there was fear. And we would be less than human beings, rationally facing the facts of our crisis, if there was not fear. If I had some kind of a fear-o-meter, by which we could measure fear, I'm sure the longer Mr. Spence talked, the more that fear-o-meter would have gone up, from 5 to 10 to 15 to 20.

32:18 - 32:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize the nature of the crisis and consider engaging in extraordinary prayer, coupled with the extraordinary measure of voluntary fasting, without binding conscience.

He suggests that children noticing their parents not eating can prompt questions, providing an opportunity to explain that 'Daddy has business to do with God,' making the commitment to fasting evident.

But I can entreat you and I can plead with you to recognize the nature of the crisis and certainly it is one that warrants extraordinary prayer and extraordinary prayer is often a testimony intended with the extraordinary measure of the voluntary giving up of all food or some food, certainly not the giving up of the intake of liquids so that we might give ourselves to prayer so that it might be evident even to the members of our household. Daddy, why aren't you eating today as you have? Daddy has business to do with God. Mummy, why aren't you eating?

39:54 - 40:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Gather in twos and threes in your homes to pray, taking the principles of this passage and crying to God.

Martin recalls the elders' prayer that a new building would not come at the expense of their souls, but would lead to greater godliness, holiness, and faith, suggesting the current crisis might be God's answer to that prayer.

The night we established before God in a combined meeting after waiting upon God and discussing all of the factors the night we were convinced as a corporate body of leaders that the time had come to forge ahead to obtain land and construct a building one of the things we discussed and then prayed over together was this Lord we don't want to get into a new building at the expense of our souls. And whatever you do in giving us land and a building Lord so deal with us that when we occupy that building we shall be further ahead in the realm of the Spirit. That we shall be more godly men and women...

42:24 - 43:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Gather in twos and threes in your homes to pray, taking the principles of this passage and crying to God.

He speculates that God might have intentionally placed muck and raised the water table on their land, and ordered the economy, to drive them to their knees and teach them new lessons of faith.

You've asked me so to work that men will know that this is my doing. So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to wait until you get into this program up to your ears to where you can't get out and then I'm going to show you what I did long ages ago when I settled the strata of that earth out there in that section of Moncton. I'm going to show you that I stuck a bunch of muck down there to drive you to your knees.

44:00 - 44:25 Read in full sermon