This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes (Quality: Good)

[0:00] dependent entirely on the Lord for his help, and I would ask your attention to Psalm 118 and verse 23.

[0:14] Psalm 118, verse 23. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvellous in our eyes.

[0:30] This is the Lord's doing. It is marvellous in our eyes. And what that is, I don't know, but it may be brought to the light, is my desire.

[0:53] Because it is a word which, perhaps, I don't know whether we've ever spoken from it, perhaps in connection with what went before.

[1:04] But it seems to my spirit this morning to have it singled out. And the Lord only knows, and it might be you too, the reason for such a word as this.

[1:21] That it is a remarkable simplicity about it. It doesn't delve into great and tremendous things, but it just speaks very simply of something that the Lord has done, or is doing, or will do.

[1:41] And what it is will be, to the people of God, a time of rejoicing, a season of blessing.

[1:56] And it will be to the honour and glory and praise of an eternal God. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvellous in our eyes.

[2:09] It has many things connected with it as one looks at it now. And really, it's the first time I've had the possibility of looking at it as we come to his house.

[2:24] But it's wonderful, my friends, to be able to trace what the Lord does, has done, and watch his hand to see what it will do.

[2:41] This is not something that man can put any hand to. This is not something which he can draw any glory from. This is not something that he can share.

[2:54] This is something that God has done. And so therefore, God shall have all the honour and all the praise, which is so rightly due to him.

[3:07] I would venture also to say that it is something that you cannot do. If you can trace something that the Lord has done and be able to separate eternally the flesh from it, it is something, it's a matter, whatever it is, it is a matter which the Lord has put his hand to.

[3:31] And therefore, it's marvellous in our eyes. But then before we get into some of these things which the Lord has done, look also at what it says.

[3:44] It is marvellous in our eyes. Why is it marvellous in our eyes? Why is it? Because, my friends, this is spiritual.

[3:57] And it is not only spiritual, but it is because we are spiritual. It becomes marvellous in our eyes. There is a psalm.

[4:09] I must have a look to find it. But it speaks there of what the Lord's doings. It is the 126th psalm.

[4:21] We read, Now, I believe that psalm really refers to the returning of the Israelites from captivity.

[4:55] It's then evident that the heathen itself saw the thing that the Lord has done and said the Lord has done great things for them. I believe, my friends, you might be able to connect the two in this respect, that it is where captivity has been turned, where bondage has been removed, when there's a setting at liberty of the feet of the people of God.

[5:27] These are spiritual doings, my friends. And the Lord's hand is on it. So I see the connection, and I hope you do, that the Lord's doings are those things which the spiritual mind and heart and very soul of a child of God rejoices in.

[5:53] If the Lord should do something spiritual to your soul, one of the things you can't do is go and tell the world. The poet, the psalmist rather, said this, Come and hear all you that fear God, and I will declare what he's done for my soul.

[6:16] But if he's done anything for your soul, the world wouldn't understand it. They would wonder whether you were somewhat afflicted in your mind. If you started talking about spiritual blessings and favours, that these spiritual blessings and favours are to be understood by the people of God, and they are marvellous in their eyes because no one else can do them.

[6:41] And they are marvellous in their eyes because they understand the spiritual nature of those doings of the Lord. And they are marvellous in their eyes because they are answers to prayer, and they are a token of the Lord's divine favour, and they are evidences of his mercy to his people.

[7:02] And if your heart's never touched by the mercy of God, well, my friends, may the Lord soften at heart. This is the Lord's doing. I don't want to go back to the previous verse.

[7:15] I don't see a need of it, not this morning. I don't believe it's connected no more than the Lord's divine purposes are to be brought out of this word.

[7:29] It would be, of course, very suitable to connect the two, but I've no connection to it at the moment. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvellous in our eyes.

[7:41] And it's very wonderful, my friends, when God in his mercy brings about something which the children of God can see, not the world, not the discernment of the natural mind, but that wonderful insight and revealing of the Spirit of God to the spiritual people of God that will prove these things are wondrous.

[8:09] I looked at this Psalm 105 a moment ago and it says this, Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

[8:27] Oh, there seems to be such a lack of that talking of his wondrous works in these days. Many things contribute, of course, to the lack of spiritual conversation.

[8:43] It's a mark, I believe, against the people of God. It surely is, my friends, there's a lack of discernment. More lack of discernment today than there's ever been.

[8:58] There's not so much walking in that path of the prophecy of Malachi than they that feared the Lord spake often one to another.

[9:09] And the Lord hearkened and heard. And a book of remembrance was written. But then, on the other hand, there are times. There are times when there's a blending of the Spirit of the people of God are uniting together in thankfulness, praise, to behold these marvellous things.

[9:34] So, Lord, the Lord, help us to look to him for his direction now, and the opening up of the word, to see what it is that the Lord is doing or done, or will do, bring to pass, and why it is that it is marvellous in our eyes.

[9:56] As we looked down the psalm, we read down the psalm, of course, there were those things which the dear psalmist of old could indeed rejoice in.

[10:08] The Lord's appearance, the Lord's deliverance is thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall, but the Lord helped me.

[10:21] I read this morning, because I felt the need of it, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.

[10:32] This is the pathway of those who fear God. The Lord is my strength and song, and has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous, the right hand that the Lord doeth valiantly.

[10:51] The Lord help us. I do feel to need it. It's very easy, my friends, to speak of remarkable answers to prayer when you go about in your providential path.

[11:03] it's very easy to light upon circumstances which the Lord has done, but there seems to be something very spiritual about this word.

[11:17] We can all say, surely, the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail. But there again, in even such a word as that, there is a spiritual connection.

[11:29] Now, this is the Lord's doing. What is the Lord's doing? That in his mercy and his goodness he's done something you couldn't do, nor I.

[11:43] So he's done spiritual things that he has brought to life, a precious but dead soul, that he's quickened such a soul into divine life.

[11:56] And how do you know that he's done it? This is the Lord's doing. Left to themselves, all of us, each of us, would wander on in this wilderness journey until we sunk into hell at last.

[12:09] The world is the home of the worldly, you know. And the attractions of the world are still attractions to the worldly nature of a child of God.

[12:21] We've got a natural heart, you that are called by grace never let go of your natural heart when he was called by grace. It's been your opposition, it's been your oppressor, it's been the one that's distressed you, it's the one that's tempted you, tried you, brought you into darkness many a time.

[12:44] My friends, but the living soul, that work of divine grace is the Lord's doing. And further to that, my friends, this is the Lord's doing of whom and upon and within who it is to be found.

[13:02] We are chapel goers, that we've been to chapel, most of us, all the days of our life has got nothing to do with it. I'm sure, and it's very solemn to consider, but I'm sure there's people who've been brought to chapel in their childhood and wouldn't have moved away from it and have lived and died chapel goers, but possess nothing of any spiritual nature.

[13:29] What a solemn thing, my friends. But the Lord's doing is spiritual life in the soul. This is the Lord's doing, of whom it is.

[13:41] I've often said to you, and it bears out surely that needs repeating, you may look at these remarkable cases, you may look at those, who was it, the son of David, the son of David, or Hezekiah, I can't remember, who caused his children to walk through the fire.

[14:08] You might remember him that when he was taken and was found in thorns, then he called on the name of the Lord and the Lord became his God.

[14:20] You may look at Saul of Tarsus as one who is a remarkable case of sovereign grace. This is the Lord's doing, that life should ever be found, spiritual life, in one that so persecuted the church of Christ, who walks so opposite to grace and goodness.

[14:39] You might look at a poor eunuch on his chariot travelling down from Jerusalem. absolutely ignorant of Christ, didn't know what prophetic scripture referred to, didn't have the light that I hope you and I have concerning the sufferings of Jesus Christ, but his eyes were open and his heart was touched and there was a bond made which eternity wouldn't destroy and he was one with Christ and you can go on my friends, this is the Lord's doing.

[15:15] But what I want you to do is to look in your heart. That's where the Lord's doing to me is more important and to mine. Scripturally these are witnesses to the grace and sovereignty of God.

[15:30] This is the people of God. I sat in chapels and wondered at the people of God who sat at the Lord's table and I was not. God, I could see that they should be there.

[15:42] I believe they had, and I say it very carefully, a spiritual right to be there. But I wasn't amongst them. This was the Lord's doing, my friends, and I can see it was his doing.

[15:57] But the important part, my friends, in this word is that spiritual life should be found in us. Is it? what's the evidences of it?

[16:09] You can, my friends, go to a place of worship all the days of your life and look like a child of God. You can be like Simon the sorcerer who was baptized.

[16:23] It is said of him that Simon himself believed and was baptized. But oh, it wasn't the Lord's doing, was it?

[16:35] Or else there would have been a continuance of it. This is a very solemn text, my friends, but it is also a very sacred text. This is the Lord's doing.

[16:47] You might look at it also in the divine sovereignty of the word and wonder at the sovereignty why it is that you hope in the mercy of God, trust that the Lord has graciously touched your heart, but in so doing that he might show you in his divine sovereignty that he's not touched others.

[17:12] There is in this house of God those who can look at the way the Lord has separated them from their very kith and kin like Ruth the Moabitess. Why was it in the divine ordering of things that others were left to go on in that dead way, satisfied with the world and the things of the world and that there was something that made an alteration, made it was aware, made aware in the souls as such that there was a difference.

[17:46] It's the Lord's doing. My friends, just as much as a child is born into this world with life and it is not a dead child, so it is in a spiritual child too, the day came when spiritual life was breathed in and brought with it all desire, all exercise, brought with it a cry, made a solemn, solemn difference to what it was previously.

[18:16] This is the Lord's doing. Well, how can you tell it? How can you tell it? Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul.

[18:29] My friends, you can tell it in the language of Zion. You can tell it in that speaking of the things of God. You can see it and understand it, I believe, my friends, in this, that in so speaking of spiritual things, there's one desire only for the praise, the glory, and the honour of a triune Jehovah.

[18:58] What would it be otherwise? Well, the poet said, why me? Why me, oh, blessed God, why such a wretch as me, whose must forever lie in hell, were not salvation free?

[19:16] why was it, my friends, that that gracious hymn writer said, amazing grace? He didn't always say it.

[19:28] He also said, tis a point I long to know, often it calls his anxious thought. But he didn't always sing of sovereign grace when he was pardoned in sin and serving Satan in his occupation and situation.

[19:44] It's the Lord's doing. My friends, just as much as life is formed in the womb, it's the Lord's doing. Just as much as precious souls who are on the way to hell, walking contentedly in that broad way to destruction, not wishing to be disturbed or distressed by anything of a solemn nature.

[20:08] And why is it, my friends, that the Lord should put his hand upon some and not another? It's the Lord's doing. Oh, it sure is. I've always rebutted and spoken so many times against this business of some people would want to put their hand to the work of salvation or they'd want to contribute something to it.

[20:33] And I've always said no one asked Saul of Tarsus whether he would be a Christian. No one asked him to change sides from serving Satan to serving the Lord's Christ.

[20:43] Christ. They didn't give him the offer. They didn't make some stipulation of the benefits and blessings of being a follower of Jesus Christ if he'd only leave his old pathway at home.

[20:56] no one said to Ruth when she kissed her mother in law well it's better to go with the poor widows but nothing than to go back with all part to Moab to all its plenty and all its idolatry.

[21:15] There was one thing my friends which the Lord did in the heart of Ruth. There was a cleaving to the people of God. That wasn't in all part. There was natural affection I'm sure and they got every reason to mourn and to weep because they were all widows and the Lord's hand had been upon them.

[21:35] But the Lord's hand upon Ruth was equal to that which was on all part but instead of separating her from Naomi it gave her that cleaving spirit that desire to be with her and to go with her whatever was in the future whatever was in those steps yet to be taken.

[21:53] This is the Lord's doing. This is grace in the exercise of it. This is faith in the walking out of it. This is this blessed wondrous work which only God alone can do.

[22:10] My friends have you got such a work and if you have such a work my friends give him the honour. Give him the praise because I believe that's the employment of those dear saints in glory.

[22:25] should he not deserve the praise the honour and the glory now while you walk this veil of tears? That you're not with the world going around the shops on a Sunday?

[22:38] That you're not in the world on a Monday? Though you're in the world you're not of the world on a Monday I mean. That you on a Monday can look back on the Sabbath and say oh that it was seven Sabbaths, six Sabbaths and one work day rather than the other way round?

[22:57] And then of course my friends there's something else which is so vital to our living work you know. Whether you call it an exercise soul or whether you call it a spiritual appetite you know a living child a child born into this world won't be long before it tells its mother what it wants and it will do so by crying and then when it gets satisfied it will be satisfied for a few hours perhaps but then it will cry again but then too if there's something wrong with the child it will cry then it can't articulate it can't speak it can't tell it doesn't understand and not for a time my friends how is it with you then?

[23:53] This is the Lord's doing have your spiritual appetite still? There are some you know that believe that they've obtained all they've got and that's it and they go on their way rejoicing like the eunuch when he was baptised but you know in a living soul there'll be living exercises what a strange word was the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount what a strange word to a professor what strange word blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled what a strange word surely if you are spiritual wouldn't you rejoice because you've got all you want wouldn't you rejoice because there's nothing else now to ask for but you don't seem to possess what you ask for in the extent of your desire the Lord bless your soul with spiritual life he'll bless your soul with spiritual desires and with spiritual hunger my friends it's not what you've attained it's what you wish to attain if you've got life in your soul you'll be seeking to attain to possess to be blessed with and to be in possession of those eternal mercies and favours which flow through

[25:24] Jesus did we not read sometime recently the apostles words and one would wonder too I'm sure as many a professor would wonder whether the poor man had got it right what he really was where he said he was in these things I think it's in Philippians 3 it goes something like this that I may know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformal unto his death if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead not as though I had already attained either were already perfect or as I believe the word means complete but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ

[26:25] Jesus brethren I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus oh I know my friends I do know this that there's been some times when if only the Lord would take you home to glory you seem to have such a full soul till my full soul can hold no more the poet said but oh they are so infrequent times this is the Lord's doing that you desire spiritual things oh how vain is all things here below how vain what can you compare even to the greatest treasure it's been a long long time since I walked around the tower of London and saw the crown jewels what measures of course they take to preserve protect watch over those keep them day and night 24 hours a day 7 days a week the security is absolute if I said this my friends a hope in the mercy of God is of more value than him if I said this a smile from his blessed face is more value than them if I said a word from his lips is more value than all those jewels of gold and jewels and the gold and the silver that surrounds him if the witness of your spirit is this

[28:23] I go to prepare a place for you it's more value than all those jewels they're nothing but sordid dust according to the hymn writer and you compare them to eternal joys they are this is the Lord's doing still your old heart seeks for worldly things still your old heart goes out towards the things of time and sense and you can't say it does it my friends you might be able you might have that nature that you don't like certain things the world likes you can't see the wisdom of any man or woman doing what they're doing is not in your like or concern or care or whatever but on the other hand my friends there might be those things that your natural mind and heart goes out after still but remember this what the poet said compared with

[29:29] Christ in all beside no comeliness I see the one thing needful dearest Lord is to be one with thee I would venture to say this you know as a child of God you will prove this if he took everything away he can't take himself away do you believe it if he took everything away sordid dust it is rubbish that will be burned when this world shall be burned up in fire all the things we call good and great all the comforts we can't live without or we think we can't but oh having Jesus my friends he'll never take that away never now the things of time and cent don't bring peace it might bring prosperity of a worldly sort but it never never brings peace and it neither brings with it you know hope beyond the grave now the things of

[30:39] God the things of the soul the things that the Holy Spirit will exercise you cause you to hunger for seek after long for pray after my friends those are the things which are for eternity and for the good of your precious soul here if you should feel the sweetness of that atoning sacrifice if you should feel some sweet union to Christ such love to him if you felt the cleansing power of that blood if you could humbly speak of the removing of the condemnation and the sin in your heart and conscience my friends it's a seal for heaven it's an evidence that your eternal home is before you obviously you've got a veil of tears to walk through a wilderness journey you've got many a warfare between the old man and the new and the things of time and sense also my friends but oh what could you compare to those precious things this is the Lord's doing spiritual eyes are given to spiritual souls you know and they see things different and spiritual understanding is given to spiritual souls and they understand things different and a spiritual heart is given not that old nature reformed there's a lot of religious people that think they've got a new nature but they've only got a reformed old one and what's the difference you say well very simply my friends there's no life in it where there's a work of grace where there's a new nature where there's a new heart there's the spiritual life in it and spiritual life seeks for spiritual things it cuts very close

[32:48] I've thought many a time and had to beg many a time that we might be able to worship him in spirit and in truth that's what the Lord Jesus Christ said that God is a spirit and they that worship him that is that worship him are right must worship him in spirit and in truth well therefore where does the worship come from not your old man because that's not spirit there's a lot of old men worship today isn't there there always has been there's a lot of old nature worship it's a form there's no power it's what we've done it's what we will do as long as we live my friends if the worship doesn't come from the soul can only come from the nature of man and therefore it's an abomination oh but if it comes from the soul if there's a sitting at

[33:50] Jesus feet wondering at his mercy because there's something you know that the living soul will never know there's something you know that the living soul will never know they'll never know the extent of the Lord's mercy well he's not this side of Jordan they will never know it they'll never be satisfied with a complete knowledge this side of Jordan of the extent of his mercy this is the Lord's doing oh to have a spiritual frame there was that poor man well he wasn't poor but shall we he was shut away from all kith and kin he was an old man and due to the evil that came against him he was shut away from the Lord's people his name was John and he was on the isle called Patmos no natural comforts we say would venture to say no communion with near and dear he was in the spirit on the

[35:05] Lord's day my friends there is the blessing that's the Lord's doing that's the Lord's doing it's wondrous in our eyes have you never been somewhere have you never been in such a place where you've been surrounded with nothing but the world and the Lord's broken it's the Lord's doing and you've lost sight of the world I told you once before I was in a supermarket paying out we was paying for the goods we bought and the Lord spoke and I've never forgot those words since all that I meet shall work for my good the bitter is sweet the medicine is food and it goes on doesn't it though painful at present do all cease before long and then oh how pleasant the conqueror's song it's the

[36:11] Lord's doing my friends it's only me that heard it no one else heard it I told you before I was in a factory watching a remarkable business and the noise was far above anything that I could put up with couldn't hear yourself talk if you shouted in one's ear but the Lord spoke and he spoke it into the heart and he said out of the 88th hymn that blessed hymn that says I better find it when I want to remember something Satan comes and takes away the word yet one strange work exceeds them all my friends it's the Lord's doing as he spoke to the heart have you the witness of his voice within all you say but that's when the tempter gets about and he says well you remember that text or you remember that line of a hymn well let him have his day my friends but what was the effect of that word or that line of the hymn to your soul was it not to revive was it not to warm your cold heart was it not to cause even a lisp of praise and thankfulness to God that he should remember you and your lowest date and though at times we off forget him off forget him yet his mercy is that he never forgets us this is the

[37:52] Lord's doing glory but then to my friends to see which we began to talk or read as we commence this poor discourse you know when the Lord came to the when the psalmist came or the children of Israel rather came to the place of deliverance when their captivity was removed when their bondage was taken away when the chains fell off like those Hebrew children in the fire you know they went inbound and came out loose the fire shall not hurt thee I only desire thy dross to remove thy gold to refine or some such words as that and the fire that you thought would consume all your religion proved to the world as well as to the church it was no more than a false prophet and when in that fire of tribulation or whatever it was that was the cause of it it burnt the rubbish up yes but you walked at liberty and not only did you walk at liberty you didn't walk alone either you walked with Christ that was the blessing in that tremendous fire in those days when those three Jews were thrown into it for their faith's sake this is the

[39:28] Lord's doing the day of deliverance now the people of Israel of course saw many days of deliverance it's one remarkable deliverance was what set them on the way to Canaan brought them out of the bondage of Egypt and it was the Lord's doing not theirs they couldn't raise an army that would overcome the task masters of Egypt they couldn't form a work that would indeed steal them out of Egypt overnight as it were the Lord provided it the blood was the token the blood was the token and every sinner under a broken law the law of God condemns your very sin and will do so because it's a very powerful law it speaks of the holiness of God then on the other hand you've got the tempter that tells you that sinners never get to heaven and that your sins too black my friends the same blessed remedies found in the blood of

[40:41] Jesus Christ God's son cleanseth us from all sin this is the Lord's doing and you'll go on from there and you'll see what the price was paid so that that word could ever be written in holy red but also so that the blessed effect of that word on the soul what a price was paid the son of God in human form how many remember it on the 25th of December how many will remember it when they start singing about that little child in Bethlehem that he come to do a work that only God could do a work of redemption a work of atonement a substitutional work a work of deliverance for he shall save his people from their sin my friends ever seek for you and for my own soul that we might have a religion which is of the Lord's doing and then it's real and it will take you to glory no power in hell can prevent what the

[41:48] Lord does and I think again of those dear saints of God in the book of Judges comes again renews to my mind the very sweetness of those words the angel did wondrously and Manoah and his wife looked on it is the Lord's doing oh when you listen for the bleating of the lambs you know when you desire to hear what the Lord has done oh my friend this is the Lord's doings that he's listened for looked for when you see the appearance of signs of grace my friends as a praying over it you put something in your garden to grow you watch that seed you can't see it because it's underground you can't see it but you watch where you put it and when you begin to see some signs of green it's beginning to spring into life what do you do then do you leave it do you go back and say well that's it it's got life my friends you will water it and so will every child of

[43:07] God as he watches over souls when he hears a little bleating of the lamb my friends he'll water it with his prayers with his desires his exercises his supplications he'll lay it before the Lord the Lord to water it with his grace you know when there's that word that we often quote Peter's words but growing grace there's got to be a beginning there's got to be life in the soul there's got to be that separation that grace makes but growing grace not grow without grace grow with grace there's got to be a beginning there's got to be life found there's got to be the evidences of that life the fruit of that grace this is the Lord's doing oh my friends it's such a deep word such a deep word so full of truth many many instances must be brought to show what is the

[44:16] Lord's doing his hand on it his appearance the prayers that are answered the deliverance is made the wonders of it all the Lord's doing and again my friends we must say this in case you forget it's to whom he does these things and it's with whom he does them and it's on whose behalf he does them not unto us not unto us but unto his name give the glory amen the notices today are that God willing there will be a prayer meeting on Tuesday evening and our pastor will preach next Lord's day our closing hymn is 333 333

[45:23] O my soul what means this sadness wherefore art thou thus cast down let thy griefs be turned to gladness bid thy restless fears be gone look to Jesus and rejoice in his dear name hymn 333 tree story which has been heard on them our......

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