Alright, brethren, Psalm 115. The Lord had described the idols
and the impotence of idols. And He had mentioned how the
idolaters would say, where now is their God? Speaking of God's
people, where now is your God? Our Lord has told us, you know,
that in the last days there'll be scoffers, there'll be men
who say everything's just continued like it is, where's, he hadn't
returned, where's your God? And the world we see around us
is in the shape it's in because men and women worship and serve
the creature more than the creator. God turns men over to a reprobate
mind and And we're in the middle of all
of this as a little flock of God's people. So having declared
all of that concerning how dead the idols are, the Spirit of
God records this next word. I want you to see here all three
people included. He says, O Israel, this would
be his elect Jews. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord. They trust in idols, they look
to other gods and other things in the world. Trust thou in the
Lord. He's their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, this was the Lord's ministers. The Lord's
ministers. Trust in the Lord. He's their
help and their shield. Ye that fear the Lord, this is
Gentile converts. He's elect among the Gentiles.
trust in the Lord, for he's their help and their shield. All the
Lord's people are included right here in these three people that
are dressed, Jew, Gentile, and his ministers. And he includes
them again down there, down the page where he talks about the
blessing the Lord will give us. We'll see that, but includes
them all three again. And this exhortation's the same
for each of God's people. It's the same exhortation for
each of God's people. Trust thou in the Lord. As opposed
to idols, as opposed to listening to the world and listening to
those that question your faith and question, you know, if you
even serve the true God. Trust thou in the Lord. Trust
thou in the Lord. And the reason is the same for
all of us. The Lord is their help. and their shield. The Lord
is your help and He is your shield. Then He gives us a great word
of assurance and comfort right here. Now listen to this, verse
12. The Lord hath been mindful of
us. The Lord hath been mindful of
us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel.
There it is. He'll bless his elect Jews. He'll
bless the house of Aaron. He'll bless his ministers. He'll
bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great, all his
elect among the Gentiles. The Lord shall increase you more
and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the Lord,
the Lord which made heaven and earth. Now that's the word he
gives to you and me. Now first of all, I want us to
begin here in verse 12. The Lord hath been mindful of
us. He will bless us. The Lord hath been mindful of
us. Now just think about this. This is God who made the heavens.
That's what he says there. God who made the heavens. God
who made the heavens. Holy God. Holy God that man can't
even look upon. Omnipotent God. ever-present
God, the mighty God, have been mindful of us? He's been mindful of us. I like
what Matthew Henry said. He said there's never been a
time that He was not mindful of us. Even when we're not mindful
of Him, He's been mindful of His people and always is. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? That's what the psalmist said
in Psalm 84. And the son of man that thou
visitest him. When you look into the heavens
and you see the vastness of it, and the vastness of creation,
and how large landscapes are, and mountains tall, and the grandeur
of them, and just all his creation, you behold it. And then you think,
what is man that you're mindful of us? Mindful of man, us who sinned
against him, us who trespassed against him, us who broke all
his commandments, us who were conceived in sin, came forth
from my mother's womb speaking lies, us whose faith is so often
small and our unbelief so great. He's been mindful of us. The
Lord has been mindful of us. That makes you feel like Mephibosheth,
doesn't it? Remember when David fetched him to his table, Mephibosheth,
he said, what is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon
such a dead dog as I am? Is that how it makes you feel?
Makes you feel just amazed, doesn't it? Yes, concerning his people, the
Lord hath been mindful of us, and he will bless us. He will
bless us. He was mindful of us in eternity,
and he blessed us then. Remember what Paul said in Ephesians
1? He said, blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath done what? Blessed us. He hath been mindful of us. He
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places,
according as he hath chosen us in Christ Jesus. that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. He
just talked about these idols and all the different things
that men are worshipping, and we were too, we were doing the
same thing, and we would have still been going after the world
and living for the world, The world would have been everything
to us and the only thing to us, if not for God being mindful
of us. But He just talked about those idols who could do nothing.
Idols can do nothing. The true and living God had been
mindful of us, mindful of His people from eternity, mindful
of His people before He ever made anything. He was mindful
of us and blessed us. I tried to write an article on
this, but it's just so, brethren, when he chose his people in Christ,
Christ has always been the head of his body, the church. And
you can't have a head without a body. And all his people were
in Christ. All were in Christ. And all would
obey God in Christ. And all will be born of Christ,
incorruptible seed. And Christ will bring all to
glory, perfect in Him. We've always been in Christ.
The Lord has been mindful of us and He blessed us. He was
mindful of us and we can be sure He'll bless us because He ordered
all things in our salvation. He ordered the end from the beginning.
He didn't leave anything out. Read it again in Romans 8. I
just have to read it. Romans 8, listen to this. And
let's read verse 28 with it, because this is why. He says,
We know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. That's
God's providence. Him working everything for us
exactly according to His purpose. He's doing it on purpose. Here's
why everything works together. Here's His purpose. For whom
He did foreknow Them he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him freely give us all things? You see this? He didn't leave anything, as
men say, to chance or to luck. He's ruling everything. Everything
in our salvation is ordered and sure because God ordered it.
He made it sure in Christ our surety. He's bringing it all
to pass. He blessed us when the Son came and took flesh. and
accomplished the will of God for us, He was mindful of us
then. That's Christ being mindful of
His people. Walking about saying, I must go here, I must go there.
Why? Because He had a certain person
there, He had to say. He was mindful of them. See how
mindful He was? How He knew where His people
were all the time when He walked this earth? Same now. He's mindful
of us. He loved us and He gave Himself
for us. He gave Himself for us. He thoroughly
put away the sin of His people and made us the righteousness
of God in Him. He suffered the death of the cross because He
was mindful of His people. He became obedient in the place
of His people as our head and representative unto the death
of the cross because He was mindful of His people. Did He bless us?
Yes, He blessed us. And He's still mindful of us
now. right now from God's right hand. We've seen Him pray in
John 17. He's still interceding for us
at God's right hand. He's mindful of us right now.
Just think of this. Just sit and think of that. Where
are you sitting right now? You just pictured that Google
Earth going out and how small and small and small and small
the Earth gets. And right there you sit and God's mindful of
you. Isn't that amazing? Christ is praying for you, interceding
for you right now. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who's
he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. He was mindful of us when
He brought us out of the sound of the gospel and quickened us
to life. That old time we were in unbelief, He was mindful of
us. And it was the season of his love, it was the time he
appointed when he brought the gospel to you and he quickened
you. And because you are sons, you didn't become a son when
he called you. Because you are sons, because Christ had redeemed
you. Because you are sons, God has sent forth what? The spirit
of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. That's when we
begin to call on God. See, he hath been mindful of
us. He hath blessed us. So, knowing this, we can be certain
He's mindful of us now and He shall bless us. He put fear in
our hearts. That's what makes us cry out
to Him. Listen, this is what makes you
fearful of losing His presence. You wouldn't be fearful of that.
You wouldn't even care if He didn't put His fear in you and
give you a reverence for Him and a desire for Him and a longing
for Him. You wouldn't care. It's what
makes us pray like Moses did. Lord, please go with us. Please
don't take your spirit from us. Please be with us. No sinner has those concerns
unless God has made himself known in his heart. But the Spirit of God recorded
these words right here for us. He's assuring His people of what
God shall do for His people. The Lord hath been mindful of
us. He will bless us. Go over to Isaiah 49.13. We're
going to look at several scriptures in Isaiah. But I want you to
see this one right here. Isaiah 49.13. Seeing, O heavens, be joyful,
O earth, It's where we are. He's speaking to us. Sing, O
heavens, be joyful, O earth. Break forth into singing, O mountains,
for the Lord hath comforted His people. He will have mercy upon
His afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath
forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. You ever feel like
that? That's why we cry out, Lord, please don't, please don't
leave us. Please don't leave me to myself.
You've seen enough of what you'll do if He does. And sometimes you feel like,
oh, he's forsaken me. No, no, no. Look. Can a woman
forget her sucking child? And she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? Sadly, yes, they may forget.
Yet will not I forget thee. Yet will I not forget thee. Behold,
I've graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually
before me. Thy children shall make haste.
Thy destroyers and they that made thee waste, they shall go
forth of thee. Christ's hands were pierced for
each and every one of His people. His hands were pierced for each
and every one of His people. Small and great, the weakest
He redeemed the same as the greatest. And He made walls about His redeemed. He has walls about His redeemed.
Remember, Satan couldn't touch Job until God gave him permission.
Walls are about His redeemed. Isaiah 26.1 says, In that day
shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong
city. Salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks. Salvation, that's Christ. He's
our, you know, in those days, if you saw a city, what made
a city was it had a wall around it. They say Babylon, they don't
know how thick the walls were. Some say you could run six chariots
wide on it. But that was their protection,
that wall around the city. And that's the analogy he's given. Christ is a wall around his people. He's our salvation. And that
wall won't let his people be separated from him. He won't
forget you. When he walked this earth as
God's servant representing his people, he trusted the Father.
He was perfectly fulfilling God's will, trusting the Father. but
as the servant. Now he's God, but as a servant.
And I want you to think about this now. He used service as
a type of this. Go to Isaiah 45. And here's what
I want you to see in this. Everything the Father did for
our Lord Jesus when He submitted to the Father and looked to Him
and walked this earth as His righteous servant, making His
people righteous and holy. That's what the Father did for
us as we trust Christ. That's what Christ will do for
us as we trust Him. Everything he's talking about
here with Cyrus is a picture of Christ. Just hear God speaking
to Christ. Cyrus, you know, was a Mede.
God called him from a far country. Christ came from a far country.
God's declaring this 200 plus years before it ever came to
pass. God ordained Christ from the foundation of the world.
He's a picture of Christ. He came to redeem his people,
to free his people from Babylonian captivity. That's what Christ
accomplished for us. But look here now at Christ here
in Cyrus and what the father promised to do for his son. Right
here, verse 1. Thus saith the Lord to his anointing. Let's say to Christ because that's
who this is a picture of. God said, whose right hand I've
holden to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins
of kings to open before him the two-leaved gates, and the gates
shall not be shut. I will go before Thee. I will
make crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates
of brass and cut and sunder the bars of iron. And I will give
Thee the treasures of darkness, hidden riches of secret places."
And Christ has all those riches. He has everything. The Father,
He walked this earth and no man could touch Him until His hour
came. And now He is with the Father and all the riches have
been entrusted into His hands. He doesn't give them all to us
at once. But they're all there, the fullness of His grace to
give to you as you need it. Now look at this, He's doing
this very same thing for His people in the earth right now.
Why? End of verse 3, that thou mayest know that I the Lord which
call thee by thy name am the God of Israel. That's what our
Psalms telling us He'll do for us. Go back to Isaiah 42 and
look at this. Our Lord's declaring in our psalm,
our Lord's alive. He's not a dumb idol. He's alive. He's not dead and dumb. Listen
to the promise to us, brethren, here in verse 16. This is the
same thing He promised Christ, and this is the same thing He
did for Christ, and it's the same thing Christ will do for
us. Look, I will bring the blind by way that they knew not. I
will lead them in paths that they've not known. I will make
darkness light before them and crooked things straight. These
things will I do unto them and not forsake them. They shall
be turned back. They shall be greatly ashamed
that trust in graven images that say to the molten images, you
are our God. This is why our psalm says, but
thou trust in the Lord. He's leading you. See, everything
he did for Christ, that's what he's doing, Christ is doing for
his people right now that trust him. As his children, we strive against
sin. We don't want to sin and we strive
against sin. But for his child who sins, This
is what he promises he'll do. He will grant you repentance
and he will restore you. And how is he going to do that?
What is he used to do that? What did the Lord use the first
hour he called you to do that? I'll show you. Look over here
at Isaiah 44. After speaking of idols, you
can read it, I don't have time now, but he's talking all about
idols before this verse. And then he comes to the end
and he's saying something similar to what he's telling us in our
psalm after he spoke of idols. Look here. Here's what he'll
do. When you've sinned, when you've fallen, listen to this.
Verse 21. Having spoken of the idols, he
says, Now remember these, O Jacob and Israel. They're dumb idols.
Remember that. Don't forget. That's what he's saying in our
psalm. For thou art my servant. This is what he's going to use.
You're my servant. I formed thee. We saw that man forms his idol. God said, I formed you. I formed
my people. He says, thou art my servant.
O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out as
a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins. Return
unto me, for I have redeemed thee. That's the message He blessed
you with in the first hour. That's how come you repented.
That's the message he blessed you with the first time. I've
blotted out your sins. Return to me. That's the message
he continues to use to grant you repentance when you fall.
It's his forgiveness in Christ, and he continues to affectionately
renew us in the heart with this good news. That's why Job 5.19
says, He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea, in seven there
shall be no evil touch thee. You're going to feel like it. You're going to think it. You're
going to think he's forgotten me. He said, I haven't forgotten you.
I've redeemed you, I've blotted out all your sin, and he'll come
and speak effectually, return to me, and when he does, you
will. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivereth them out of them all. Psalm 37, 24, though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth
him with his hand. That's his promise to elect Jew
and Gentile. What about his ministers? He
said Aaron's house too, that's his ministers. The ministers
need this promise too. They're the ones that are going
to be attacked the most in the world, because they're preaching Christ
and Him crucified. And you take one of his preachers
that goes to, is called to go pastor a congregation, and he
has love in his heart for that congregation, and he's packed
up, moved his whole family, left his job, left everything he had
behind, and gone to a place so they didn't have to move, so
they didn't have to pack up and leave and go anywhere, and goes
there to serve them. and has an idea how it's going
to be, and he's opposed right away. Within and without. They don't
see anything. They don't know anything. They
don't see. They don't see. They don't know the heart he had.
They don't see what he's done for them. They don't see it.
Don't see it. Look at Isaiah 44, 26. This is
His promise to you, you that are His servants ministering
in His name. This is His promise right here.
Don't forget this. Don't forget this right here.
He'll work this in you, and He'll work it in His people. Look at
this, Isaiah 44, 26. He said, He is God that confirmeth the
word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers,
that saith to Jerusalem, thou shalt be inhabited, and to the
cities of Judah you shall be built, and I will raise up the
decayed places thereof. That's what he promises. That's
good news when you realize you can't make anybody do anything.
You can't keep them there. That's the only reason you really
get frustrated is you try to get people to do something you
want them to do and they don't do what you want them to do. We ain't supposed
to do that. If they did it because you got
them to do it, it ain't faith and somebody else can turn them
another way. Just keep preaching Christ. Just keep trusting the
Lord. Trust thou in the Lord. That's what he said. He's your
shield and he's your help. He'll confirm the Word. He'll
confirm the Word. It takes time, but he'll do it. The true and living God is not
an idol. He is actively working all things together to grow His
people in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. That
is what He is doing. Verse 14, The Lord shall increase
you more and more, you and your children. Oh, we are just going
to grow and grow and grow and the sun is always going to be
shining. It is going to be green grass and everything is going
to be good. No, He is going to put you through the fire. That
is how dross is consumed. Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. That's
how he's going to grow you. That's how he's going to make
you know he's alive and his grace is real and you don't have not
one ounce of strength in you whatsoever. That's how he's going
to humble you from that proud lofty seat of thinking you really
are strong. He's going to show you, you're
not. And he'll bring you in such a place where you'll know if
it wasn't for him, there ain't no way I'd be standing. Ain't
no way I'd still be believing him. Ain't no way I'd be trusting
him. Think of the things you got some brethren who've been
through some things. You think of some of the things they've gone through
and just quietly didn't say a word, just kept hearing the gospel,
kept serving the Lord. How'd they do that? The Lord.
The Lord. He's growing us inwardly in spirit.
He's making us grow up into Him in all things. He's making us
no longer be tossed to and fro by every one of doctrine. He's
making us hate our sin more and love righteousness more. That's
what He's doing. And He's increasing in this way
too. He's adding to the church daily
such as should be said. We're kind of like a snowball
rolling down the hill. It's getting bigger and bigger
and bigger. He's adding, adding, adding. But it's never more than
a remnant in the world because he's taken on the glory with
him too. And there's only a certain amount in the world. He's just
going to keep us knowing. We're not mighty and we have
to depend on him, don't we? That's why he left us in this
body of death. It's why he's made his church a remnant in
the world. It's why he surrounded us with enemies in this world.
Couldn't he just stop people from saying, where's your God?
We don't believe your God lives. Couldn't he just stop people
from doing that? Yeah. Why does he let people do that?
Why does he let them say that to you at your job and in your
neighbors and everything? Why does he do that? To keep
you trusting him. Keep you trusting him. Keep you
knowing he's your help and he's your shield. Now let me show
you this, lastly. In the midst of this earth, in
the midst of this body of death, in the trials of this world,
it's so easy for a believer to get cast down. So easy. But listen to this word, verse
15. You are blessed of the Lord,
which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens
are the Lord's, but the earth hath he given to the children
of men. Now get that first part. You're
blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth. I love this. I love how the Lord Jesus is
spoken of in Isaiah 40. I'll just give you this. You
don't have to turn back unless you're there. Isaiah 40, 11. Listen.
This is what it says of Christ for His people. He shall feed
His flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with young. That's what our Psalm is saying.
He's mindful of you all the time. He's carrying you. You know what
the next word says? Who had measured the waters in
the hollow of his hand? who's meted out heaven with a
span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and
weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance. He's
saying this is God. This same one who's mindful of
you and caring you and leading you gently like a little lamb. He's the God who made heaven
and earth. He can do what he will. He can do what he will.
When it says he dwells in the heavens and the earth he's given
to us, it doesn't mean our Savior's not present. It doesn't mean
he's not present. He's dwelling in the hearts of
his people. He's in the midst of his church. He's with his
people. It doesn't mean that. But think about this. Remember
what Paul said, all things are yours. All things are yours. I wish we could get this. He
said, life and death are yours. Death, that's probably about
the most troubling thing, you know, that's final for our body. Well, any other trouble that
comes about, that's yours too, just like death is. Things present,
things to come, your ministers, things that are going on in the
world, everything is yours. That means it's for your benefit.
Everything. We don't have anything to complain
about. Everything is for your benefit. So he says to us in Hebrews 13,
5, he says, let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things
as you have. For he saith, I will never leave
thee nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say just what our
Psalm said, the Lord's my helper. I will not fear what man shall
do unto me. Contentment is the opposite of
covetousness. Contentment is being content,
first of all, with the providence you have, because God sent that
to you. He gave that to you. That means
wherever you're at, whatever's happening in your life, be content
with the providence He's given you, because He gave it. And
also it means be content with the possessions He's given you. All spiritual blessings are yours. You possess them. The riches
in heaven that He's supplying you are yours. They're your possession. That means He may not give you
great possessions in this earth. He may take things from you.
Why? Keep you knowing He's your greatest
possession. And contentment is knowing God,
He's my Lord. He's my possession. I have Him.
He's given this providence. He's given me every possession
I have. And He's doing everything for me. He'll never leave me. He'll never forsake me. He's
my help. He's doing everything for me. Covetousness is not being
content with the providence he's given. It's not being content
with the possessions you have. And that's idolatry. What we
just said, don't be worshiping idols. Trust the Lord. What he's
doing. Our God's not an idol. He made
heaven and earth. He gave his people every blessing
we have in this earth. In providence and in our possessions. Everlasting righteousness. Eternal
life, Christ Himself. These are your possessions. Dead
idols and sinners that are dead in sins, they don't praise our
God. Verse 17, Psalm 115, 17. The dead praise not the Lord,
neither any that go down into silence. Those dead idols, there's
no reason to praise them. They're not doing anything. They're
dead. And the Lord said, and the people that worship them
are just like them. They worship silver and gold.
Not just the silver and gold they put on their idol. The silver
and gold is their salvation. You take the money from them
and they're just, oh, everything's gone. How am I going to make
it? God gave it to you. God will
take it away if He wants to show you that. But these dead folks
aren't worshiping anything. They don't praise God in anything.
But here's what he says to you, child of God. Here's the good
news. This is the result of these continued
blessings that he puts in the heart of his people. Verse 18,
But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. When we go to the grave, we're
going to the grave, and when our body lies silent in the grave,
we're still going to bless the Lord forevermore. From this time forth, Preacher,
you just, I've messed up. I've been, I hadn't trusted the
Lord, and I've sinned so in my own belief, and I've sinned so
in my flesh, and I've just, I wanted to quit. I just, I did it. Ah, okay. Have you heard what the Lord
said? Do you believe him? Do you trust him? Then from this
time forward, trust him. You can't do nothing about yesterday.
Quit trying to. From right now, look to Him and
follow Him. That's what we're gonna do. That's
what His people are gonna do. There's no maybe here. We will
bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Because
the Lord is going to bless you and keep you honoring Him. And we're going to praise the
Lord. Now, the Lord has never been mindful of us, so let us
be mindful of Him. That's how we're going to bless
the Lord. Set your affection on Christ
above. That's what it means. We bless
the Lord from this time forth forevermore. Be mindful of His
gospel, of Christ Himself, the sure salvation He's accomplished
for His people. Be always mindful of this. Be
mindful of all His covenant promises that He's given to you. All these
promises we've been seeing this hour. I'll never leave you. I'll
never forsake you. I've redeemed you. You're mine.
I've blotted out your sin. Remember though, keep them mindful.
Be mindful of your brethren who are weak and cast down. and need
to be restored, because tomorrow you'll be needing them to restore
you. There he is. There he is. Be mindful to obey and glorify
and honor him in all that we do. And when you fail, What did
the Lord say? Return to me. Return to me. He's going to keep saying that
to his people. Return to me. Return to me. And you're going
to keep returning to him. One day we're going to return
to him for good. For good. Why? Verse 12, because the Lord
has been mindful of us. He will bless us. That's just
so. Amen. All right, brother, great.