Introduction: Approach, Definition, Demonstration

The point: Do not limit your embrace of God's truth to what your reason can grasp, lest you have a small God and a shriveled soul.

Martin uses the analogy of trying to compress the Atlantic Ocean into a teacup to illustrate the futility of trying to compress the great mysteries of the Godhead into a small human mind, emphasizing God's incomprehensible greatness.

We must never forget that faith may swim out into the great deeps of divine truth where reason may only wade. And if you'll only go as far in embracing the truth of God as your reason will let you, I pity you. You've got a small God and you'll have a small shriveled up soul. I remember one time witnessing to a Jehovah's Witness, and he got very smart and sarcastic with me.

7:50 - 8:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not limit your embrace of God's truth to what your reason can grasp, lest you have a small God and a shriveled soul.

Martin recounts a conversation with a Jehovah's Witness who challenged him to explain the Trinity, which Martin used as an opportunity to express his gladness that God is too great to be fully comprehended by his finite mind, reinforcing the need for faith.

He said, now look, here you've got your three headed God, one God in three persons, three God in one. Explain that. He thought he had me hung up and I turned and said, my friend, I'm glad I can't explain. I'm glad I can, but I have a God so great that I can't compress him into my little teacup mind any more than I can go down to the shore some weekend and come back with the Atlantic Ocean in the trunk of my car.

8:23 - 8:48 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Lord. Let me never adopt any position on any truth that will make me embarrassed to turn up any page of the Bible and to preach it in all of its fools.

Martin shares his personal ambition, even before becoming a pastor, to never adopt a theological position that would make him embarrassed to preach any page of the Bible, illustrating his commitment to biblical authority and the challenges this posed with passages on sovereignty.

I said is my goal. You didn't know this many of you but I trust you have experienced at least some measure of the fruit of it. I said is my goal even before God called me to this pastor it but especially when I thought of coming into a pastor at where I would attempt to preach through regular sections of the word of God and where I determined to read through whole books like we're doing Sunday morning. I said Lord as I seek to crystallize in my own mind what you've said about these issues of your sovereignty of man's responsibility all of these things Lord let me never adopt a theological posi...

11:25 - 12:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Though the phrase, the sovereignty of God, is not found in the Scriptures, that concept is found from Genesis to Revelation. And it is what I would call the very backbone of divine revelation.

Martin describes the doctrine of God's sovereignty as the 'backbone of divine revelation,' explaining that without it, other truths are disjointed and limp, but with it, they form a harmonious unit, illustrating its foundational importance.

But it's when this truth begins to be understood by the revelation of the Spirit that all the other bones and flesh of divine revelation come together into a harmonious unit like the human body built upon the basic structure of the backbone. The backbone becomes a beautiful and useful thing. Without that backbone, it becomes a mass of a limp flesh and disjointed bone. And I must confess that for years, my understanding of the Scripture, though it was sufficient in God's grace for my need then, as I look back now, I can see that so much of it was just that, disjointed flesh and bone.

21:55 - 22:39 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Before demonstrating the doctrine, Martin distinguishes between the wrong way of proof-texting (using texts to support preconceived notions, like cults do) and the right way…

Martin uses the example of cults, specifically Jehovah's Witnesses, to illustrate the wrong way of proof-text teaching: starting with a depraved, preconceived notion and then twisting Bible verses out of context to support it.

Number one, wrong way. Especially done or done with great effect and devastating destruction by the cult. Here a man stands in his depraved reason. The mind of natural man is darkened.

26:12 - 26:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And he doeth according to his will, in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants …

Martin uses the analogy of a parent stopping a child from doing something dangerous (like touching a centerpiece) to illustrate God's absolute right and power to intervene and direct events, asking who can stay God's hand when He acts according to His will.

What doest thou? There are times when as a father, as a parent, my child purposes to do something. Little Beth, she was awfully slow learning that she was not to take that little centerpiece off the round coffee table over there in the parsonage. And Joel and Heidi learned a bit more quickly, but Beth, it seemed like six slaps on the hand didn't do any good, but one little tap on her bottom worked well. Why? I don't know. Perhaps if we have a psychologist in the crowd, you can

46:30 - 46:58 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You say, I can't understand that. I can't reconcile it. Who asked you to? God just told you, believe.

Martin compares the phrase 'all things' in Romans 8:28 and Ephesians 1:11 to 'X' in algebra, explaining that it represents anything the formula necessitates, illustrating the comprehensive scope of God's control.

say, the secret things belong unto God, but the things that are revealed belong unto us, and to our children. And so in this text, we read that God worketh all things. Now, we Christians love the all things of Romans 8, 28, don't we? First thing that happens when you get a flat tire on your way to church, at least I hope the first thing that happens is, look over to your wife and say, what did you leave those nails in the garage floor for? No. You remember, all things are working

50:41 - 51:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for strong faith to swim where reason may only wade.

Martin recounts advising a man with problems concerning God's sovereignty to declare a 'moratorium on discussion' and simply pray and read the Bible for a few months, illustrating his conviction that the Spirit teaches this truth directly from the Word to a humble heart.

pray for strong faith to swim where reason may only wade pray that you'll have the posture of utter dependence upon the holy spirit and then i assure you dear ones i think those who've been here long enough know this that if you have problems that are not the result of a proud heart that stands off trying to judge god i will never discuss this subject in an argumentative way the minute i sense it's in that climate i won't discuss it the other day several folk at the home who wanted to talk about this subject and the minute i sensed there was any kind of a heated spirit i said no we're dealing ...

62:08 - 62:52 Read in full sermon