Behold the Works of God

The point: You and I must train our spiritual eyes to see what we ought to see.

A mother tells her son he can play ball when his room is clean. He goes out, but the room is still messy. He claims he didn't see the mess because his eye was 'trained to see' only his basketball, illustrating how people only see what they want or are trained to see.

works of Jehovah you and I must train our spiritual eyes to see what we ought to see well you see the eye only sees what it's trained to see and what it wants to see for instance the mother says to the son when your room is all fixed up, you may go out and play ball. A few minutes later, she sees the son outside playing ball and she happens to look into his room and there are dirty socks on the floor. The bed is all disheveled and papers from past homeworks strewn over the desk. And she calls the son in or the daughter and says, so how come? I said, when your room was picked up, you could go o...

14:22 - 15:17 Read in full sermon

The point: You and I must train our spiritual eyes to see what we ought to see.

Four different professionals (architect, interior decorator, artist, jealous friend) enter the same living room and each sees different things based on their training and desires. This illustrates how one's perspective shapes what they perceive, emphasizing the need for a 'trained eye' to see God's works.

in the corner of his closet. And because that's all he wanted to see, that's all he really did see. He didn't look at the dirty socks and all the rest and say, well, no, no, the eye is trained to see what it wants to see. Again, let me illustrate. Four individuals can come into the room, say into your living room. What will they see? Well, one of them happens to be an architectural designer. And all he sees is that probably the lines of your ceiling come in at something less than right angles to the walls. They're about two degrees off. That's what he sees. The other man happens to be an inter...

15:17 - 16:09 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first specific work to behold is the desolations God has made in the earth. Martin defines 'desolations' as the result of God's judgment upon wicked peoples and nations…

Martin recounts the plagues in Egypt (water to blood, frogs, murrain, firstborn dead) as vivid examples of God's desolations against a nation opposing His people, urging listeners to 'put themselves under the skin' of those events.

There is a barrenness, an absence of life and activity, an absence of that which bespeaks the blessing of God, either in special or common grace. Now God says to his people who are seeking to maintain their spiritual equilibrium in troublous times, not only must we focus attention upon the being of God. Upon the reality of his relationship to us, not only must we be confident of that gladdening river, of the indwelling keeper, of the timely helper, but we must look back into the pages of history and behold the desolations that God has wrought in the earth, behold the activity of God in making ...

22:00 - 23:19 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first specific work to behold is the desolations God has made in the earth. Martin defines 'desolations' as the result of God's judgment upon wicked peoples and nations…

The destruction of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea, with over a hundred thousand slain, is presented as a powerful example of God's desolation, highlighting the personal tragedy for Egyptian families.

Besieged by the forces of hell. Go forth with the eye of faith. Behold the desolations God has made in the earth against that nation that dared to oppose my purpose for my people. Behold the desolation of the destruction of that entire army of over a hundred thousand in the Red Sea.

23:49 - 24:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first specific work to behold is the desolations God has made in the earth. Martin defines 'desolations' as the result of God's judgment upon wicked peoples and nations…

The mighty, impregnable city of Jericho is cited as an example of God's desolation, demonstrating His power over seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

No longer a big brother who was the hero as he came home with his military garb. Hundred over a hundred thousand slain. What desolations God hath made in the earth. Behold the mighty city of Jericho with its thick and high walls.

24:42 - 25:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first specific work to behold is the desolations God has made in the earth. Martin defines 'desolations' as the result of God's judgment upon wicked peoples and nations…

The angel of the Lord destroying 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 18-19) is given as a dramatic historical proof of God's desolating power against those who defy His people.

Impregnable city. Behold the desolations God hath made in the earth. Behold the desolation of that Assyrian army recorded in 2 Kings chapters 18 and following when they came up and defied the people of God and in one night the angel, the angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000 soldiers.

25:01 - 25:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful you enemies of Zion, city of God... for all of these desolations are but previews of that great and final desolation.

The cities of the plains, Sodom and Gomorrah, are presented as an example of God's desolation due to their pervasive wickedness, leaving them like 'smoldering fire.'

Behold Sodom and Gomorrah, those cities of the plains that were evangelistically committed to inundating the then known earth with their foul and perverse wickedness. Behold the desolation of the city that's left like a smoldering fire. After the winter days have gone, behold the cities of the plains. Behold the whole generation of men in the time of Noah when out of the thousands, perhaps millions of the inhabitants of the earth, there is left but one family, the desolations of the flood.

26:03 - 26:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful you enemies of Zion, city of God... for all of these desolations are but previews of that great and final desolation.

The global flood, leaving only Noah's family, is cited as a profound example of God's desolation of a wicked generation.

Behold Sodom and Gomorrah, those cities of the plains that were evangelistically committed to inundating the then known earth with their foul and perverse wickedness. Behold the desolation of the city that's left like a smoldering fire. After the winter days have gone, behold the cities of the plains. Behold the whole generation of men in the time of Noah when out of the thousands, perhaps millions of the inhabitants of the earth, there is left but one family, the desolations of the flood.

26:03 - 26:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful you enemies of Zion, city of God... for all of these desolations are but previews of that great and final desolation.

The destruction of Jerusalem, where not one stone was left upon another, is referenced as a historical desolation beyond Israel's scriptural history.

Behold what desolations he has made in the earth. Behold the desolation and the destruction of Jerusalem as we look beyond the earth, beyond the history of the nation of Israel as recorded in scripture. When not one stone was left upon another in that city. Behold the desolation of the Roman Empire with all of its might and glory.

26:45 - 27:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful you enemies of Zion, city of God... for all of these desolations are but previews of that great and final desolation.

The desolation of the mighty Roman Empire due to internal wrath and barbarian hordes is presented as a historical example of God's judgment on nations.

Behold what desolations he has made in the earth. Behold the desolation and the destruction of Jerusalem as we look beyond the earth, beyond the history of the nation of Israel as recorded in scripture. When not one stone was left upon another in that city. Behold the desolation of the Roman Empire with all of its might and glory.

26:45 - 27:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful you enemies of Zion, city of God... for all of these desolations are but previews of that great and final desolation.

The destruction of 'mighty Babylon' in the book of Revelation is cited as a future, ultimate desolation of all man-made power opposing God.

I'll make them desolate. Then open up your Bible and read in the book of the Revelations, the book of the Revelations, mighty Babylon. See its destruction. See all that man can create destroyed by him who comes upon the white horse with his armies following him.

27:26 - 27:46 Read in full sermon

The point: When you read them look for two things: the positive activity of God in fulfilling his covenant promises and the desolating activity of God in destroying everything that would hinder the fulfillment of those promises.

The 430-year period of Israel's bondage in Egypt and God's timely deliverance, fulfilling His promise to Abraham, is used to illustrate God's positive activity in history.

since you carefully plowed through those historical sections with your eye trained to see one thing the works of God in the vindication of his purposes and in the destruction of his enemies this portion of the Psalm lays upon us this necessity of a constant perusal of the historical sections of Holy Scripture and when you read them look for two things number one the positive activity of God in fulfilling his covenant promises look at the promises he makes and then see what he does to fulfill them in history and having just come through that section in the Old Testament dealing with the deliver...

44:21 - 45:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider the desirability and benefit of studying church history and secular history with a believing eye.

Martin references the historian Merle d'Aubigné, suggesting that reading his work on the Reformation can evoke shouts of 'Hallelujah' as one beholds God's works in history.

what does the newspaper the arts the science everything amassed against the purposes of God righteousness holiness godliness what are we to say go forth and behold the works of God behold Sodom and Gomorrah lying in the ashes of God's desolating work behold the mighty Roman Empire lying in the dust and the rubble of God's desolating work child of God here lies the necessity of a constant perusal of the historical sections of Holy Scripture secondly consider the desirability not necessity but the desirability and benefit of studying church history and secular history with a believing eye you se...

47:02 - 48:27 Read in full sermon

The point: No Christian can adopt that godless mentality [that history can teach us nothing].

The Holy Spirit's redirection of Paul from Bithynia and Ephesus to Macedonia (Philippi) is used to illustrate God's sovereign hand in redemptive history, bringing the gospel to Europe and ultimately to the listeners.

and history can teach us nothing there's an indifference to history but no Christian can adopt that godless mentality it's a truism it's a trite cliché but it's true history is his story not only in the church but in the world because the church is being formed in the midst of the world we were struck with this at our family worship last night Paul would have gone into Bithynia but the Holy Spirit suffered him not he would have gone to Ephesus but the Lord suffered him not he brings him to Macedonia the word of God finds an entrance and there at Philippi God opens a heart and from there the go...

49:53 - 51:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider the necessity of developing a biblical philosophy of history.

These nations are cited as examples whose histories should be read in the light of God's judgment, crushing national pride through military defeat or other means.

for their inveterate attachment to heathen gods how does God feel when he sees people bowing down to Buddhist shrines when they've had Christian missionaries some of them there for dozens of years could it not be that the smoking of God's nostrils in anger against heathenism is in part the answer of some of the bloodshed in war in these other lands you see dear ones we've got to view what happens not from a humanistic standpoint but develop a philosophy of history that is rooted in the principles of the word of God who knows how much sin God has judged in nations that have been to us the objec...

52:47 - 54:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider the necessity of developing a biblical philosophy of history.

The current state of the United States, with its loss of confidence and moral fabric due to kicking God out of public life, is presented as a contemporary example of a nation facing desolation for forgetting God.

for their inveterate attachment to heathen gods how does God feel when he sees people bowing down to Buddhist shrines when they've had Christian missionaries some of them there for dozens of years could it not be that the smoking of God's nostrils in anger against heathenism is in part the answer of some of the bloodshed in war in these other lands you see dear ones we've got to view what happens not from a humanistic standpoint but develop a philosophy of history that is rooted in the principles of the word of God who knows how much sin God has judged in nations that have been to us the objec...

52:47 - 54:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Let us trust him let us not be found like leaves shaking in the crosswinds of men's foreboding predictions let us go forth and behold the works of God.

The nations are likened to a wild horse trying to get the bit in its teeth, but God holds the reins firmly, illustrating His absolute sovereign control over world governments and events.

he holds them right now he holds them though the nations may be like a wild horse trying to get that bit in the teeth they'll never be able to he's got it firmly pressed back against the soft folds of its headstrong mouth and he holds them and he makes desolations and when it pleases him he's going to make wars to cease to the ends of the earth and when it pleases him he's going to destroy every weapon of war and in the new heavens and in the new earth righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea take hope child of God God who's written the pages of the past has told us what...

57:09 - 58:38 Read in full sermon