Katrina/Rita: Mother Nature or Father God? #1

The point: Do not fail to put tragic events into a sound biblical perspective, as it is a grave injustice to both saint and sinner.

Jesus' compassion for the hungry multitudes (feeding of the 5000) and for Nineveh's children and cattle is used to establish that God is compassionate, setting a tone for discussing tragedy.

For the God we know and worship as revealed in Jesus Christ is the God who, when he beheld several thousands of people hungry because they had followed him and attended to his ministry for several days, the scripture, the scripture says, seeing them in that state, he was moved with compassion. His bowels were stirred as he looked upon human need. The God we worship is the one who had compassion upon children and cattle in a wicked city called Nineveh. And he rebukes a pouting prophet who does not share his heart of compassion. And he rebukes a pouting prophet who does not share his heart of co...

1:44 - 3:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For of him, and through him, and unto him are all things. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. What words could be more sweeping?

The analogy of a parent slapping a child's hand to prevent them from touching something is used to illustrate that no one can 'stay God's hand' or question His actions.

Daniel sets this before us, or I should say Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan king who is taught this lesson at great personal cost. In Daniel 4 and verse 35, Nebuchadnezzar confesses, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he, the one true and living God, does according to his will in the army of heaven. That is, among all the inhabitants of the earth, all the heavenly hosts, good and evil, and among the inhabitants of the earth, good and evil, and none can stay his hand. None can slap God's hand. The marginal reading is, none can strike his hand. You have a little child that be...

7:59 - 9:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Without embarrassment, affirm that Jehovah is king over Katrina and Rita, and He birthed them.

A meteorologist saying hurricanes 'seem to have a mind of their own' is used as an example of attributing human attributes to impersonal forces, thereby ruling God out of His world.

this gospel, the Lord sat as king over the flood. The Lord sat as king over the flood. reality. Should we not be offended when people speak of mother nature has dealt us a severe blow? I wouldn't be very enamored with such a mother. Furthermore, what ground of comfort do the saints have if there is no all-embracing sovereignty of God as revealed in Jesus? Further, when we hear as I did one meteorologist saying, you know, these hurricanes seem to have a mind of their own. Do you see what that meteorologist is saying? He's attributing to brute forces a human attribute. Do you see what he's doing...

19:43 - 20:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Without embarrassment, affirm that Jehovah is king over Katrina and Rita, and He birthed them.

A quote stating 'the laws of nature are God's ordinary footprints' is used to explain that God is sovereign over the natural processes He established.

Had he said something like this, there is a governing power that often overrides the predictable movements of these hurricanes, I would have said, amen. And you know who that governing power is, according to Romans 1. It is God revealing himself in the depths of your consciousness, and you're suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. But to give a human attribute to impersonal forces and say these hurricanes have a mind of their own. As one man said, and I heard it years ago, the laws of nature are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, God's ordinary footprints as he makes his way in the w...

20:33 - 21:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Think biblically about why these things happen in the present order, recognizing that ours is a world under God's righteous curse.

The bursting levees are described as 'the groans of a cursed created order,' connecting the physical devastation to the biblical concept of creation groaning under the curse.

Those levies that burst were the groans of a cursed created order.

27:02 - 27:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Think biblically about why these things happen in the present order, recognizing that ours is a world under God's righteous curse.

The tragedies are likened to 'the groans and the pains of birth,' signifying that they are leading to a glorious future when God completes His redemption.

They are not the groans of the pains of death, but they're the groans and the pains of birth.

27:26 - 27:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for protection and restraint in times of disaster, but when God doesn't answer as desired, be able to say, 'Not my will, but yours be done,' being made like Jesus.

Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane ('Let this cup pass from me') is used to illustrate how believers can desire to avoid suffering without sin, yet ultimately submit to God's will, thus being conformed to Christ.

But perfectly conformed to the Son. And so what has God done? You remember with our Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, there was an aspect of his character in which he desperately wanted something that it was not sinful to want.

37:36 - 37:57 Read in full sermon

The point: View your passports as stamped with a visa for earth, but your true homeland is heaven; live as strangers and sojourners.

The analogy of passports and visas is used to explain that believers are strangers and sojourners on earth, with heaven as their true homeland, encouraging heavenly-mindedness.

The Bible describes us, if we're two Christians, as strangers, sojourners. Those who have here no abiding place. We're living in tents. And as I had occasion to say in another situation some time ago, we ought to view our passports as stamped with a visa for earth.

42:59 - 43:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third purpose is to use believers' suffering to shut the devil's mouth, drawing extensively from the book of Job. Martin explains that God allows trials to prove that His…

Satan's accusation against Job ('Does Job fear God for nothing?') is interpreted as accusing Job of being a 'mercenary Christian' or 'rice Christian,' loving God only for His benefits.

Touch all that he has and he'll renounce you to your face. The devil accuses Job of being a mercenary Christian.

48:03 - 48:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Be equipped to comfort one another, knowing that God puts you into the crucible to experience His comfort experientially.

Martin shares a personal story of comforting his grieving sister after the death of her son, illustrating how personal experience with suffering equips one to minister comfort to others.

You know it. When in the crucible of that which is crushing you, God comes to you as the God of all comfort and you know Him to be that experientially. And you can sit. As I was saying, I was able to do earlier in this past week as a 71-year-old man with my 69-year-old sister sitting on my knee like a little girl and her cheek next to my cheek and her tears streaming down my face as she wept over the death of her 42-year-old son and my tears dripping from my cheeks onto her hands.

53:48 - 54:32 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The fifth purpose is to use the deprivation of some believers to draw out the compassionate benevolence of others in the body of Christ. He uses the example of the famine in Acts…

The story of children collecting money for Gulf Coast brethren is used to illustrate how deprivation stirs up benevolence and helps children prioritize spiritual over material things.

Little children going around here a few Sunday nights ago. It was beautiful. Collecting money for the brethren. For the brethren down in the Gulf Coast.

59:24 - 59:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will help weak believers to embrace the ways of God, even when they are mysterious.

The analogy that 'crisis doesn't create anything; it simply pulls back the layers of what someone appears to be and shows us what they really are' is used to explain how suffering reveals the depth of one's faith.

weaving something beautiful into the lives of his children advancing their conformity to and love for Christ making them more heavenly minded making them the occasion of shutting the devil's mouth making them better able to minister comfort to others using their deprivation to draw out the compassionate benevolence of other believers can we not in our prayers now pray that these five things will be accomplished in the lives of our brothers and sisters I believe we've got solid biblical words and Lord accomplish these things because they're not accomplished automatically left to themselves with...

62:01 - 63:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Turn to Christ in grace and trust Him for the forgiveness of sins and acceptance as His child; do not argue with a God like this.

An anecdote about a pastor friend explaining God's sovereignty to an unconverted banker is used to illustrate the simple truth that if God made the world, He has the right to run it.

over me that's sin the determination to be your own little self-determining speck in God's universe and that's why you need a Savior you need the Savior who bowed in submission to his Father and took the wrath of God for Rebel sinners like you and like me and he has promised that if you turn to him and and grace and trust him that he will forgive all of your sins and he will accept you as his own child. I would urge you and plead with you. Don't argue with a God like this. I'm concerned about a pastor friend of mine who labors in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Lake Charles has been in the news. ...

64:50 - 66:01 Read in full sermon