Thank you, Rex. I pray, I have
prayed. And I trust you have and will
that I will do exactly what Rex just said, exalt the Savior. Turn back, if you will, to the
psalm that Brother Martin just read, Psalm 135. Thank you, Mark. I asked him
this morning or this afternoon, sometime today, if once Rex informed
me that he had the reading out here, would he be so kind as
to read this psalm to us? And he did. I appreciate that. Once again, it's been a delight
to be with you. It's always good to come back.
I've been in Sylacauga, it'll be 12 years this year. The older I get, the faster time
flies. It just hardly seems possible,
but I know that it is. But it's always a joy to come
back. I was here for 20 years, and
what precious, precious memories I have of being here. Okay, here
in Psalm 135, five times in verses three, verse four, and verse
five, we find that little word for written, F-O-R, twice in
verse three, twice in verse four, and then once again in verse
five. and except where it's used the
second time in verse four, which reads like this, Israel, for
his peculiar treasure, we could in the other four cases rightly
use the word because, because, in those other four places where
it's used. For example, verse three, we're
exhorted to praise the Lord for or because, because the Lord
is good. We have ample reason to praise
the Lord, don't we? Because the Lord is good, sing
praises unto his name, because it is pleasant. Verse 4, continuing
the same line of thought, praise the Lord, because the Lord hath
chosen Jacob unto himself. My soul, there it is again, chosen,
chosen. The Bible speaks much about God
choosing His people. A lot of folks take issue with
that, but it doesn't change a thing. God still chooses His people.
And then in the last case, verse 5, praise the Lord because for
or because I know that the Lord is great. David. the sweet Psalmist
of Israel, he was called. And he never wrote, he never
wrote a sweeter psalm or uttered a more pleasant note than this.
Indeed, verse five, because I know that the Lord is great, this
is the spring or the foundation of all his psalms. Because it
rings aloud with this key note, God is great. Mark, that's pretty good news.
Mark's smiling and shaking his head, and I'm smiling and shaking
my head with him. That is good news. Oh, Lord,
my God. It's on page 37 of your handbook,
how great thou art. Oh, Lord my God, when I in awesome
wonder consider all the worlds thine hands have made. I see
the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, and I think about a
big bang theory. Oh, no, no, no. Thy power throughout
the universe displayed. That's as the psalmist said in
another one of his sweet psalms. The heavens declare the glory
of God. and the firmament showeth his
handiwork. But to him, writer, of that old
hymn, How Great Thou Art, seems to have advanced beyond considering
the God of all creation to considering the God of all grace, because
he went on to write, And when I think that God his
Son not sparing, seeing Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died
to take away my sin. For God, for, because God had
made Jesus Christ to be sin for us, for us, wonder, wonder, for
us, Sinners? Lost? Helpless? Hopeless? Perishing? Christ died for us
who knew no sin, that we, brethren, might be made the righteousness
of God in Him, all the wonder of God's free and amazing grace. It was in consideration of that
especially that the hymn writer said, then, then, oh, not just
in view of creation, but how the creation bears witness to
the greatness of the Creator. Oh, but when we consider that
Jesus Christ Himself put away our sin, then, especially, sings
my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art! How great
Thou art! As Paul put it in Romans 11,
oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding
out. For who has known the mind of
the Lord? Who hath been his counselor?
Who hath first given to him? And it shall be recompensed unto
him again. For of him, and through him,
and back to him are all things to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. Let it be so. Taking verse
5 as our text, I could think of no better title for the message
than this. How great thou art. How great thou art. David affirms
that the Lord, the Lord Jehovah, is that God who is sovereign. The Lord is great. The Lord is great. I recall as
I was looking over my notes this afternoon, I added this thought
when I remembered reading a sermon by Old Spurgeon in which he told
a story about a dear old lady, a saint of God. who had written
on the margin of her Bible, nearly on every other page, these two
letters, T and P. T and P. T and P. And someone asked her, what does
that mean? And she said, tried and proved. Try and improve. God is good
at his word, is he not? Notice that in the first clause
of this verse, that the word Lord is in capital letters. Every one. Capital L, capital
O, capital R, capital D. So that being the case, then
we are not surprised at all to read that the Lord is great.
If he's the Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, then of course He is
great. Why wouldn't He be? Why wouldn't
He be? We also read that our Lord, this
Lord, is above all gods again. Why wouldn't He be? If He's the
Lord, He must be great. And if He is above all other
gods, He is indeed God over all. For example, And the most, I
suppose, the most famous of all the sweet psalmist songs is Psalm
23. And it begins in the same way,
doesn't it? Verse 1, the Lord, capital letters. The Lord is my shepherd, the
same Lord that is great and is above all gods. And if that is
so, And it rejoices the heart of the believers to affirm, yes,
it is so. We rejoice that it is so. The
Lord is my shepherd, then naturally it follows. We're not surprised
at the words that follow after that. If the Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. They that I shall not like. If
I like anything, then is there a deficiency in my shepherd?
the fallen light in him. Oh no, the Lord is my shepherd,
therefore I shall not want." And everything that David declares
in that sweet song rests on the sure foundation of his sovereign
God, the Lord. The Lord. It is precisely because
of this that David says, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. The emphasis is not on me, on
He. He, my Lord, my Shepherd. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures, otherwise I wouldn't. Wouldn't. He leadeth me. Oh, I love that old hymn. He
leadeth me, he leadeth me. Oh, bless his thought. He leadeth
me wherever I go, wherever I be, to steal God's hand that leadeth
me. The Lord, that is great. David went on to say, he restored
my soul. He, not they. It's not dependent
upon me. Those who have me at the center
of their theology, no wonder they're downcast. No wonder they're
depressed. Oh, but David says, no, it's
not me. It's he. He leadeth me. That removes any possibility
of those things not happening. Not that the Great Shepherd is
the one doing them. And David goes on to say, Or
even though I walk through the valley, that dark valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why, David, are you
some super-Christian? Have you reached the plateau
above all the rest? Oh, no, we all know better than
that. That's why I think we're attracted to the Son, because
we read our own experience there. David was a man just like us. And yet he said, because the
Lord, God Almighty, is my faithful, good shepherd, even when I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why David? Because he's with
me. Children of God, it doesn't seem
extreme for me to say this. It almost makes us want... We
look forward to that time, don't we? I know we're walking through
that valley now, boy, when we come to the last step. the last
mile of the way, according to God's Word. It's not an exaggeration. It's got to be true. It's not
an exaggeration to think He will meet me there. Oh, He'll take
me by the hand and I'll step out of this life into glory.
and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Why? How could that
be? Because the Lord, He is great. He is great. If the Lord has
His way, have you ever heard that expression? And isn't it
interesting in a sense that the people that use such words are
religious folks. It's not the drunk out there
in the gutter. It's religious folks. It's preachers that come
to speak for God. If God had His way, If God had His way, it makes
you wonder, do those poor deceived souls that's sitting listening
to that nonsense, do they not ever scratch their head and think,
wait a minute pastor, wait a minute, did I understand you just now
to say if God has His way, Who are you talking about? It's not the God who is great. It's not that faithful shepherd
that David trusted. If God ain't his way, really? Omnipotent? God's all-powerful? How can he
not have his way? The Lord is slow to anger and
great in power. Omnipotent. The Lord had His
way. The Lord had His way. And aren't
you glad He does? The Lord had His way in the whirlwind. Robin and I, when we drove up
here Friday, I told Rex when we got here, man, I am wore out. I mean, I was white knuckling
that steering wheel just about the whole time. We hit Chattanooga,
which was not really too far, what, 90 miles from home? And
man, the winds picked up. Both our phones began making
those sounds, alarms, tornado in Chattanooga, and I was whispering. And man, it was like that most
of the way. And we went through hell and
wind, storms. Oh, fierce wind, as was evidenced
here with all the fallen trees. But the Lord has His way. It
doesn't phase Him. He has His way in the world,
wind and storm, and the clouds are but the dust of His field.
O my soul, how great Thou art! Now, if He is not the Lord God
Almighty, then David most certainly never would have written with
such assurance and such confidence, would he? Of the greatness of
God, David had an assured personal persuasion, didn't he? He says,
I know. This is not a second-hand knowledge. I'm not having this handed down
to me. I know. I know. I've experienced
it, David said. And all did he not? And did not,
cannot every believer say the same? I know that the Lord is
great. Of this greatness David knew
by personal experience. That's worth knowing, isn't it? That's worth knowing. He knew by observation. He knew
by inspiration. And he knew by realization. And
that's refreshing. Isn't that refreshing? We turn
to the Word of God. Paul, for example, is in prison. He's pretty sure he's not coming
out this time. And he writes his last epistle,
his last letter to his beloved Timothy. And he says, Timothy,
just keep preaching the gospel. Don't be ashamed. It's a worthy
cause. Timothy, don't let what's happening
to me deter you. No, no, no, Timothy, preach the
gospel. I know whom I have believed. and on whom I have believed,
the Lord, L-O-R-D, Jehovah God, that is great, is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day." It sounds
like he's echoing the very sentiment of David so many great years
before. Because God is the same. He changed
us not yesterday, today, and forever. He's always great. He's always the faithful and
good shepherd of his people. It is the truth of our sovereign
God that gives us confidence, isn't it? Is it wrong to believe
that what God has promised he's able to perform? Can you believe
that too much? Does not our wrong run in the
other direction, that our thoughts of God are just too small? Just
too small. Too low. We can never thank too
much of our God. Don't worry about that. There's
some things concern me. I spoke to Jimmy back in the
office a moment ago. Talked about being finally in
the house and out of the church, out of the back of the church.
He said, yeah, you appreciate that. I said, yes. He said, oh,
we take things for granted, don't we? I said, Jimmy, we do. But
you know the thing that is most senseless is for a sinner like
me to take God's grace for granted. You would think that would be
the very last thing that we would take for granted. Oh no. Thank God that His grace is never
less. He giveth And He giveth. And He giveth. And I could stand
here until 830 and just say, and He giveth, and He giveth,
and He giveth more grace. And it's always full. The fountain
has never left, it's always overflowing because the deposit where God
puts His amazing grace is in the person of His Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is all fullness. All fullness. Thank God for such
a great God and Savior. In another place, David wrote
a sweet psalm, Psalm 131-21, verse 1, he says, I will lift
up mine eyes into the hills, from whence cometh my help. Well,
David, aren't you having any problems down below? Yes, indeed
I am. Oh, but I'll lift up my eyes
into the hills. My help cometh from," there it
is again, capital letters, "...from the Lord, which made heaven and
earth. He will not suffer my foot to be moved. He that keepeth
thee will not slumber." Don't you like that? Behold, he that
keepeth Israel, his people, his church, shall neither slumber
nor sleep. Someone once said, if the Lord
is keeping watch over me, then I don't need to. If the Lord
never slumbers, then I can lay down and sleep. He's watching
over me. How often? How often? I wonder. When we lie down at night in
our warm bed, tuck that blanket up over ourselves. Oh, just what's
the old expression? A snug is a bug in a rug. That
just feels good, doesn't it? That just feels good. But I wonder,
outside the walls of our home, I wonder how much is going on. How much danger? What's going on out there? We
don't think that way. Why? Because our Great Shepherd
is watching over us. So lay down and sleep. Lay down
and sleep, my child. The Great Shepherd never slumbers
nor sleep. The psalmist said much to that
effect, didn't he? Psalm 127, verse 2. It is vain. Ouch. Ouch. I'm saying ouch because
this is hidden close to home. It is vain for you, Larry, to
rise up early, to set up late, to eat the bread of sorrows.
It's fruitless. For so he giveth his beloved's
sleep. It is so sweet, isn't it, brothers
and sisters? When God gives us grace to do
it, It is so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His
word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know the saint. Lord,
yes, it's sweet. to trust in Jesus. He's trustworthy. Just from sin and self-deceit. Oh, that's the jawbreaker, isn't
it? That's the toughie. Just from sin and self-deceit. Just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest and joy and peace. Yes, David said, our God is great. He's sovereign. Rest easy. The very definition of sovereignty
is contained within the Word. R-E-I-G-N. God reigns. God reigns. Everything stands
on this truth, or falls on this truth. It crumbles if it's not
so. If God is not sovereign, then
he does not reign. Indeed, if God does not reign,
then he is not God. He is not God. And I've had folks
say this to me, perhaps to you as well, that this matter of
God's sovereignty has no practical benefit for God's people. That
it's one of those doctrines that's too high, too lofty. Maybe it's
reserved for those theologians sitting in there, Offices, sipping coffee, discussing
deep theological things. It's not for us down here in
the trenches. It has no practical benefit.
My soul, that's exactly who is spoken. What did Don call it? Shoe leather theology. Down here
where I live, over the fact of God's sovereignty, what else? The fact that he is God, that
he is the great God, Lord over all, what is more of a comfort
to us, Rex, than that? What gives us hope? Everything
rests upon that solid and sure foundation. This truth is the
very thing that gives us hope, knowing that the Lord is great.
That rests upon no precarious grounds like man's work, now
that you can fret about. Or man's will, throw that in
as well. Or man's worth, that's precarious,
that's uncertain. Oh, but not this truth. It rests upon the eternal, everlasting
rock of ages. Rock of ages. Hear my cry, the
psalmist said in another place. Psalm 61, he prays to his God,
hear my cry, O God, attend to my prayer. From the end of the
earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed. Ever been there? We'll show you. When my heart is overwhelmed. Wow. Overwhelmed. The last straw. Can't take it. Not one more day,
not one more hour. I'm overwhelmed. What should
we do? What David did. When my heart
is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I like the quote, the hymns.
They express, as I've told you before, they put it in a way
better than I can. Sometimes the shadows are deep,
are they not? And rough seems the path to go,
And sorrows sometimes how they sweep, Like tempests down over
the soul, overwhelming. But that's so, but so is this. Oh, then to the rock let me fly. To the rock that is higher than
I. Oh, then to the rock let me fly. To the rock that is higher
than I. Psalm 93, verse 3. The floods had left it up, oh
Lord. The floods had left it up their
voice. The floods left up their waves. The next verse says, the
Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea,
than the mighty waves of the sea. You remember when John the
Baptist came on the scene, and all the people were wondering,
you suppose this is the Christ? Could John be the Messiah? And John said, no, no, I'm not
worthy to lose his sandals. John told him, there cometh one
mightier than I. There cometh one mightier than
I after me." Mightier than John. Oh, indeed he is. Because it
was not concerning John that these words were spoken, but
the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it was said, He shall save his
people from their sins. Do you see any possibility of
failure in those words? I mean, look at him from side
to side, underneath or from above. It speaks of a victorious Savior.
He shall save. He shall save. He didn't do it
then. He's a failure. He shall save. Before he ever
entered the world, call him Jesus Joseph because he shall save
his people from their sins and glory to his name. He lived up
to his name, didn't he? Yes, he did. He is mightier than
John. It would take one mightier than
John to do this. Who is this that cometh from
Edom? Who would dye garments from Bosphorus? This that is
glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?
And only one that was mightier than John could answer. There's
only one that could answer that question. I. I. That speaketh
in righteousness, mighty to save. That's Him. That's our great
God and Savior. When my heart is overwhelmed
with Him, O Lord, lead me to the rock that is higher than
I. The rock that the Lord Jesus Christ described Himself as being. upon which his church is built,
that the gates of hell shall never and has never and will
never prevail against, founded upon that solid foundation that
God himself has laid in Zion for his people, his church, the
bride of Christ. He is the sovereign Savior of
his people. He's great. Who, after being
made sin by a holy God, after having trod the winepress all
alone, The one prince of God's wrath shouted with a loud voice
that was heard by the God whose justice he had just satisfied
when he cried, It is finished! Mmm, I like that. And God Almighty
said, Amen, my son, it is finished. I'm satisfied. And He proved
His satisfaction when He raised His Son from the dead and set
Him at His own right hand in heavenly places and said, I decree,
ordain, that every knee is going to bow to my Son. And every tongue
is going to confess that he is L-O-R-D to the glory of God the
Father. The stone which the builders
refused has become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's
doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. It is not, oh yes,
then to the rock let me fly. This wonderful truth that the
Lord is great, that he is sovereign, he reigns, they say has no practical
value for God's people. Hmm? Just for the theologians?
Is a well-grounded hope beneficial to God's people? Resting in the
true grace of God in Christ Jesus, is that beneficial to know? Is
sin actually being put away good to know? Is trusting that one
who has begun a good work in you that he's able to carry it
on into the appearing of Jesus Christ, is that worth anything?
Does that bring any comfort? How about the assurance that
He's able to keep you from falling and to present you, yes, even
you, fall before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy?
Is that helpful? Is that comforting? Only a great
God can accomplish those things. Every one of those things, whether
they succeed or fail, whether they're true or just mere fables,
depend upon whether the Lord is great. And how they rejoices
the heart of every pilgrim, as they journey through this world,
to know that if these things do not depend upon them, but
upon the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and forever. Amen. Let me share. You probably have read this,
perhaps it's been in your bulletin. This is by dear brother Henry
Mann. Assure Shelter is the title of
it. Assure Shelter. Henry says, as
we grow older and experience the fulfillment of God's promises
in Christ Jesus, as we prove, T and P, try to improve, as we
prove the peace and rest that our Lord truly gives and become
more aware of the vanity and the emptiness and the insecurity
of religion, the flesh and the world, we're not swayed by the
loud claims of new revelations, nor alarmed by the rise and fall
of religious professors, nor distressed by our own failures.
We look around at it all, then flee again to our refuge, the
Lord Jesus Christ. One old brother, I think it was
in Rescue, California, someone told us of him, or perhaps he
was in the church, They were discussing fellowship, the fellowship
of believers, the sweet fellowship of believers. And he described
it like this, this is what it is, it's fellers in the same
ship. Just fellers in the same ship.
And that one who is responsible for all the fellers in that ship
is the captain of our salvation, the Lord. Jesus Christ, the Lord
that has His way in the world, He's the master of the sea. Bills
His will obey. And He says that none of those
that His Father entrusted into His hands shall ever be snatched
out in any way, in any time, by anything or anybody. He's
the Great Shepherd. Mark chapter 4 verse 35, I just
love this if you're so familiar with it and you know what follows.
Now I'm just going to read verse 35, you know what came after
this. And the same day when the evening
was come, he saith unto them, his disciples, let us pass over
unto the other side. You reckon they'll make it? A fierce storm comes up, but
then in verse 1 of chapter 5 we read, and they came over unto
the other side. Well, why wouldn't they? Why
wouldn't they? With the Lord. They crossed over. They crossed all the way over,
and they all crossed over. That reminds me of what we read
of in Revelation 7. One of the elders answered, saying
unto me, What are these, John, which are raised in white robes,
and whence came they? And John said, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and wash their robes, and make them white in the blood
of the Lamb. They came out, they all came out, and they all came
from out to the other side. Therefore they before the throne
of God, and they served him day and night in his temple. And
he that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell among them." That deserves a pause. Wow. He that sat upon the throne shall
dwell among them." King Jesus steps off his throne and dwells
among the multitude of those redeemed sinners with his own
precious blood. They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sun light upon them any more,
nor any heat for the lamb. which is in the midst of the
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto the living fountains
of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
And in the meantime, brothers and sisters in Christ, here's
his promise. Here's another T and P. But now
thus saith the Lord, L-O-R-D, that created me, O Jacob, and
he that formed me over Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed
thee." Well, that must be worth something. "'I have redeemed
thee, and therefore thou wilt go to hell.'" No, no. "'I have
redeemed thee. I have called thee by name. Thou
art mine.'" You're mine. When you pass through the water,
not if you pass through the water. When you pass through the water,
when you pass through the storm, perhaps you're doing it at this
very moment. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed, like David said. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee. Nobody else might not be around.
Nobody else, if you can identify with what you're going through,
you're overwhelmed. God says, I will be with thee. When thou passest through the
waters and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned,
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." I like these lines
that I found by a lady named Annie Flint. She was an invalid
for most of her adult life. But she wrote this, she said,
When thou passest through the waters deep, the waves may be
in cold, but Jehovah is our refuge, and his promise is our hold.
For the Lord himself hath said it, he the faithful God and true,
when thou comest through the waters, thou shalt not go down
but through. That's what he said, did he not?
Whatsoever the Lord pleased, verse 6, that did he in heaven,
here in Psalm 135, that did he in heaven and in earth and in
the seas and in all deep places. Let me wrap this up. Let me share another brief article
with you by old Thomas Manton. He was one of the old Puritans.
And he's commenting upon this passage from John 1, 16. And
of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace. Thomas Manton
wrote, For these six thousand years God has been multiplying
pardons, and yet free grace is not tired. Christ undertook to
satisfy, and He had money enough to pay. It were funny to think
that an emperor's revenue would not pay a beggar's debt. Mercy
is an ocean, never flowing yet, ever full. The saints carry loads
of experiences with them to heaven. Pretty grace can show you large
accounts and a long bill counseled by the blood of Jesus Christ. That's been tried and proved. Let me read to you an eyewitness
account. Of those who no longer like us
see through a glass darkly, but at this very moment as we sit
here, they see Jesus Christ face to face with an unsinning heart. Wow. My dear, dear friend, Dave Coleman
is there. Don's there, Lindsey's there,
Henry's there, Scott's there, Judy's there, Bob and Sally are
there, and there's a multitude of others, and here's their eyewitness
account to you and I. And I heard the voice of a great
multitude, and it is the voice of many waters, and it is the
voice of mighty thunderings, saying, hallelujah, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. For the Lord, He is great. He is great. When Christ shall
come, we shout of acclamation, and take me. Me. Can you believe that, Rex? Me. That's what He asked of His Heavenly
Father. Father, I will, that they also
whom You have given Me be with Me where I am. When Christ shall
come, with shout of acclamation, and take me home, oh, what joy! What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and then proclaim, like I can't
do now, and then proclaim, O my God, how great Thou art! God bless you. Thank you for
your attention. It's been a pleasure to be with
you.