Every broadcast on this radio
program, we announce the text from which I am speaking, a Bible
passage, a portion of God's Word, because that's what we do. That's
what I attempt to do every time, is speak directly from God's
Word, and the reason I announce the text is I hope you
will follow along. I hope someone will actually
take their Bible like the noble Bereans of old and search the
scriptures to see if these things be so. I wish folks would take
them an old-fashioned King James Bible and actually try the spirits
or preachers by what they say by the Word of God. Psalm 115. Psalm 115 is our text this morning. And in this passage, I want to
ask you a question. Who is your God? And what is
He like? Where is your God? And what is
He like? Now, many people, many people,
as strange as this may sound, To you, many folks do not really
believe that God is God. Now most people do not really
believe that God is God. The name, the title, the name
God means absolute creator, owner, ruler, controller, judge of all
things. The name God means all-powerful,
omniscient, all-knowing, omnipresent God. So few today believe that
God truly is God in the real sense of His name. The Lord Jesus
Christ who was God that manifests in the flesh, said that eternal
life is to know the only true God, that is, the only God who
is God. Paul the Apostle later on wrote
to a church at Thessalonica, and he thanked God that they
had turned to him from idols. He thanked God because it was
God who caused them to turn. It was God Almighty who brought
them from darkness to light, from dead in trespasses and sins
to life. They turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God, that is, God who is truly
God. Sovereign, reigning, ruling,
owner, judge, omnipotent, all-powerful. What about you who listen right
now? Do you know and believe the living
and true God, the God of the Bible? The God of the Bible? Or do you worship an idol? Someone
may say, of course I believe in God. Of course I worship God. I don't worship an idol. I don't
worship a statue or an image. It remains to be seen. If someone
were to take a cross, an actual cross, and burn it before your
eyes, would that shock you? A cross is a graven image. Absolutely. It's a graven image,
which God forbid. Let me ask you something. Do
you believe God is the way you think He is,
the way you imagine Him to be. That's what the word idol means,
an image. It comes from the word imagination
conjured up in men's minds, an image of God. What do you think
of Jesus Christ? Do you think of that picture
they have hanging everywhere that looks more like Wild Bill
Hickok, that long-haired Kind of a Caucasian looking fellow.
That's not Jesus Christ. There's no physical description
of Him in the Bible. Did you know that? Only the one
in Revelation chapter 1 which no man could paint. His countenance
as the sun that shined in all its strength. His eyes as a flame
of fire. No, no, no. There's no physical
description. The only thing it says in Isaiah
53, there's no beauty that we should desire. He wasn't a handsome
man to look at. He certainly didn't have long
hair as they depict him today. He did not have long hair. Scripture
says it's a shame for a man to have long hair. And Christ was
not a Nazarite either, like Samson. Well, he was a dark-skinned Jew,
dark eyes. But there's no description. Why
put a picture of some fellow on your wall who you just think
it's Jesus? That's idolatry, people. That's
a graven image with Scripture which God expressly forbids. Well, do you believe God is the
way you think He is, the way you imagine Him to be or want
Him to be? Or do you believe the God described in the Bible,
the living and true God, the God of David? The man after God's
own heart, he briefly describes his God, the God of the Bible,
as opposed to most gods, gods of our day, the same as the gods
of his day. But there's but one true God,
capital G. He begins by saying in verse
1, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory,
for Thy mercy and Thy truth's sake. Not unto us. God gets all
the glory. We don't get any for anything.
Since He's the Creator, since He made all things, He gets the
glory for all things. Mother Nature surely can't share
it. Man can't share it. God's the
Creator. He's the Sustainer, the One who
sustains our lives. controller of all things, first
cause of all things, a source of all things, a source of all,
every good and perfect gift comes from above, the author and finisher
of all things, the God and creator, the God of salvation. He gets
all the glory. He's the one that purposed all
things. He's the one that first loves and chooses, and He's the
One who predetermines all things. He's the One that does the calling,
the justifying, the glorifying. He's the One that gives repentance,
faith, a new heart, life. He's the One. He's the One that
begets His people by the Word of His power. God gets all the
glory, not unto us, O Lord. This is what the true people
of God, true worshipers of God, those who know the God of the
Bible say, not unto us. but unto thy name be all the
glory." Give glory. Unbelievable as it is, man wants
to share God's glory. Man even puts his name, his name
on the church house. If Martin Luther were alive today,
he would rend his garment seeing his name upon so-called church
building, Lutheran. Oh, no! Not the Lutheran church. If it is the church, it's the
church of Jesus Christ, the church of God. Not the Wesleyan church. For
that matter, not the Baptist church. It's God's church, the
church of God. You know the church of old? The
New Testament church back in days of old, they did not designate
or denominate their so-called local churches by things like Baptist or Methodist
or Episcopalian and so forth. It was just called The Church.
The Church at Thessalonica, The Church at Philippi, The Church
at Galatia, The Church at Ephesus. Because they all believe the
same thing, as does the true church today believes the same
thing. Yes, the one church, true church,
in heaven and on earth is alike, is united, is of one accord,
one faith, one God, one Father who has taught them all the same
thing. Not unto us, but unto Thy Name
give glory. And here he says the reason,
for Thy mercy and for Thy truth's sake. For Thy mercy. We give You glory for Your mercy,
David said. As amazing as it is, man today
doesn't even believe he needs mercy. Mercy means sparing the
guilty. Mercy means not sending to hell
guilty, hell-deserving sinners. A man doesn't believe God even
sends people to hell, let alone man being guilty and worthy of
hell. Throughout the Scriptures, especially
the Psalms, David, the writers say, we need mercy. It's of the
Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. And he says, for thy
truth's sake, God's Word, how many today really believe? that
God, this book, God's Word, God's Bible is the truth and nothing
but the truth. David goes on to say, Why should
the heathen say, Where is now their God? Their God. Speaking
of David's God, Israel's God. David says, You want to know
where our God is? You want to know what He's like?
Verse 3, he says, Our God is in the heavens. Oh, our God is
not doesn't dwell in temples, buildings made with hands. The
heavens cannot contain Him, the Scripture says. The earth is
His footstool. Our God is in the heavens. God is not here, God is not there,
but we are in God. In Him we live and move and have
our being. Where is God? Because we can't
see Him. What is your God like, David?
What is He like? What can He do? What can He do?
David says in verse 3, Our God is in the heavens. He hath done
whatsoever He hath pleased. I hear people all the time talk
to God can. What can God do? What can He
do? Well, David says, Our God hath
done whatsoever He hath pleased. Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning. Scripture says, the Bible says,
of the God of the Bible, all His works from the beginning,
God who worketh all things up to the counsel of His own will. All things predetermined, predestined,
ordered by God before the world began, written in the Book of
Life. Well, that's the God of the Bible.
Do you believe it? He said, Our God hath done whatsoever
He hath pleased. God of the Bible, the true God,
the living God, God who is God, does what He pleases, not what
man lets Him do, not what we are pleased to let Him do. He
doesn't consult anybody. He doesn't depend upon anybody's
will or work or anything. He says of the people, the gods
of the people. Look at what David says of the
gods of the people. Verse 4, their idols are silver
and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak
not. Eyes have they, but they see
not. They have ears, but they hear not. Noses have they, but
they smell not. They have hands, but they handle
not. Feet have they, but they walk not. Neither speak they
through their throat. And they that make them, Those
who have made these idols up are just like them. Blind, halt,
lame. So is everyone that trusteth
in them. Isaiah said they pray unto a God that can't say. They
are idols, images made up by men in men's hands to do with
as they please. Haven't you heard false preachers
say that today? What will you do with Jesus? God has done all He can do. Now
it's up to you. Where does it say that in the Bible? It doesn't
say that anywhere in God's Word. The fact of the matter is, we
are in God Almighty's hands to do with as He pleases. And the
question is, what is He going to do with us? Have you not literally
heard preachers say, God hath no hands but your hand? Well,
that's a false preacher and that's a false God. That's an idol.
What about your God? You who hear this this morning?
Do you believe this God of David, the God of the Bible, who is
the true God? Or do you worship an idol? Oh,
may God, the God of the Bible, reveal Himself to you. The true
God, unless He does, you'll continue, you will worship an idol and
be damned for doing it. May God have mercy upon us all.
Amen.