In the 114th Psalm, the wonders
of God which God had wrought in bringing the children of Israel
out of Egypt is the subject. They speak of His honor and His
glory. Speaks of that exodus. That's
the subject of the 114th Psalm. It's recorded in Exodus chapter
14 and Exodus chapter 15. In chapter 14 you have their
deliverance through the Red Sea and the destruction of their
enemies. As they stand on the other side of the shore looking
back at what God has done, Moses leads the children of Israel
in a song of praise to God in chapter 15. This Psalm, previous to the one
we read, that is Psalm 114, speaks of that great work of God for
the children of Israel at the Red Sea. Look, if you will, at
verse 7. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence
of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. Stand still. Hush. Be quiet. God says, and know
that I am God. Tremble at the presence of the
Lord. The Lord. That's how Psalm 115
begins. Not unto us, O Lord. The word
means, among other things, master. master and king. There can only
be one. There can only be one master,
Lester. There can only be one king. That's why he's called in another
place the king of kings, the only potentate, the Lord of glory. Isaac Watts, looking at this
114th psalm, wrote a hymn. He said, this is such a beautiful
psalm. It's pure poetry. And he wrote
just a quote, a verse of it. Let every mountain, every flood
retire and know the approaching God. The King of Israel, see
him here, tremble thou earth above, or rather, tremble thou
earth, adore and fear. Fear. Stand in holy wonder at
the God of Israel. at the true God, the Lord, the
only Master and King. And then in the 115th Psalm,
because of the absence of the miracles that were sung of in
Psalm 114, the enemies of God, the enemies of God's children,
the heathen, Take that as a reason to mock God's people because
of the absence of those miracles spoken of in Psalm 114. Look again, if you will, at verse
2 in Psalm 115. Here's the thought that they
give to God's people. Wherefore should the heathen
say, Where is now their God? The psalmist says, that's what
they're asking us. Where's your God now? We don't
see taking place what you've seen of in Psalm 114, and we're
doubtful that it ever really did. Where's he at now? Where's your God now? Being grieved,
the psalmist being grieved that God should be so dishonored,
beseeches God, to answer, to vindicate his own great name,
to answer their mocking question, where is now your God? And that brings us to our text,
verse 3. Here's the answer. Here's the
answer to their mockery. Here's the answer to their taunt.
But our God, are you listening? But our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. That's the psalmist's
answer. That's always the answer to the
worshipers of idols. Our text speaks of the greatness
of God, and our outline is a very simple one. Consider who God
is, but our God. Where He is in the heavens. And what's He doing? What's God
doing? Whatever He pleases. And the title of our message
is, A Reminder for the New Year. A Reminder for the New Year. First of all, who? Who is God? David says in answer to their
mockery, but our God, but our God. Notice that word, how the
verse begins, but, but. Oh, what a sweet note. What a
sweet note on which to end the old year and to begin a new year,
but our God. No matter what might transpire,
but our God. No matter what heartaches we
may be called upon to endure, but our God. Looking back over
the past year, 2011, Oh, we can all say we experience some heartache,
some sadness, but we can also say we stand here, why? But our God, our God, oh, I pray
that I don't say anything, say anything, because the man that
stands before you, Let me say it again. It's not necessary,
but let me remind you, he's just a sinful man. Pray for me. Pray that I won't say anything. in any way to give any hint to
anyone here that God is anything less than glorious. He's the Lord. He's the King. He's the Master. Oh, I pray that
I not do anything in this message or any message I ever preach
here or anywhere else that would dishonor Him. You perhaps heard
of an old preacher who got up and after reading some verses
from which he intended to preach, looked out at his congregation
and he said, now I'm going to confound the text for you. He
meant to say expound, but he said, I'm going to confound.
And he did. And he did. That still goes on,
does it not? Oh no, let's not confound. Let's
preach God as He is, as the psalmist said He is, high and lifted up. I want you to be impressed with
that. If God is pleased to do it, that's
what I want for each and every one of us, saved and unsaved. I want each of us, me, you, to
be impressed with the greatness and the glory and the majesty
of God Almighty. That's what I want. I pray that
God will be pleased to grant it. Because if you're only impressed
with me, positively or negatively, what difference does that make?
What difference will that make? Oh, but if you're impressed with
God, that'll make a difference. If God is pleased to refresh
the hearts of believers with His greatness, that'll make a
difference. And if He is pleased to open
your eyes that have never seen Him with the view of His majesty,
that's going to make a difference. You won't leave here like you
came in. I know you won't. You won't. No, not if God is pleased to
impress us with Himself. He alone He alone can make the
only difference that matters. Only He. He's the God of all
grace. Our Lord said to His disciples
on one occasion, No man knoweth who the Son is but the Father.
And He says, nobody knows who the Father is but the Son. And
He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. Gotta be a work of
His mighty grace. Oh, that will make the difference.
I can't. And no one else can. It's a difference
that only grace can make. Looking again at verse 3. But
our God is in the heavens. But... Oh, that's the reason
for what is said in verse 1. Look at verse 1 again. Not unto
us, O Lord, not unto us. He repeats it, doesn't he? It
needs repeating. It needs repeating. I need reminded again and again. Not unto me, O Lord, not unto
me, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and thy truth's
sake. Oh, in this religious day, it
needs repeating over and over again. Not unto us, not unto
us, not unto man, Any man, all men, know but unto thy name,
O Lord, for thy great mercy and truth's sake." Thy name, thy
name. We mentioned it earlier, the
meaning of that name, Master, that is Lord, Master and King. But it's more. Robert Hawker,
in his Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible, he's always worth
consulting. And I looked up the word Lord
in his book and he wrote this. He said, this is properly the
distinguishing name of Jehovah. That means it doesn't belong
to anybody else. And ought to never upon any occasion
be applied to any other. He says, we've read that the
Lord is very jealous of his name. That's what he says in his word,
doesn't it? And he won't allow the very mention of it unless
in a way of reverence to himself. Turn, if you will, as an example
of that to Isaiah 42. Isaiah chapter 42, and then we'll
move on. This is God himself speaking. Isaiah 42, verse 8. This is the God that the psalmist
tells the heathen of when they ask that question. And here is
how our God describes himself, Isaiah 42 and 8. He says, I am
the Lord. That is my name, and my glory
will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images, images
made with hands or images in your mind. Behold, the former
things are come to pass, and new things do I declare. Before
they spring forth, I tell you of them. sing unto the Lord a
new song and his praise from the end of the earth. Ye that
go down to the sea and all that is therein, the owls and the
inhabitants thereof, all unto thy name give glory. Sad to say, it's true, but it's
sad. In most places today, what's
being taught and what's being sung about, everything is geared
toward the glory of man. It's not to God be the glory,
it's to man be the glory. What he's done for God, what
he's allowed God to do, that's not the God David spoke of here. Oh, and for that very reason,
for that very reason, because man is exalted in the place of
God. For that reason, we should sing
all the more, all the more. To God be the glory. Great things
He has done. To God's name be the glory. He has redeemed us, not ourselves. And this is exactly what David
says, not unto us, not unto us. Oh, but unto thy name, O Lord,
be glory and honor for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Oh,
why? Why should our Lord be glorified
and honored and adored? David says in verse 1 again,
for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. And people that know themselves
to be sinners, people that God has taught, that they're lost,
helpless, hell-deserving, and hell-bound, except He intervenes,
they're thankful for that mercy. They're thankful for it. Oh,
and they don't mind singing of it. They don't mind hearing about
it. They don't mind being reminded
of it because they know, except for God's mercy, they would either
be in hell or on their way to hell, especially the fellow that's
speaking to you right now. Oh, Lord, thank you for thy mercy. Thy mercy. Notice that now. It's God's mercy. It's God's
mercy. Do you know what that means?
It means it's God's prerogative. Thank you for your mercy. But
what makes it even more astounding? God's mercy is not something
he had to do. It's not something he owed you,
Lonnie. If He did, it wouldn't be mercy anymore. It's God's
prerogative. And I know even while I'm saying
that, it flies right in the very teeth of what every other preacher
around here is saying. So be it. They're telling you
a lie. I'm telling you the truth. God's
mercy is God's prerogative. He can bestow it or He can withhold
it. It's up to Him. It's entirely
up to Him. Is that not so? That's why David
sings as he does. Oh, it's entirely up to God. And I'm so thankful that we read
in another place that God delights to show mercy. He delights to
do so. But it's still His mercy. It's His choice. If a sinner
is saved, it's God's choice that makes the difference. It's God's
will that makes the difference, not man. Man's salvation is not
up to him. It's up to God. It's not a cooperation
between man and God. Salvation is all of God. It's entirely up to him. Remember
when that publican stood in the temple as the Pharisees stood
and spoke seven times more words in his so-called prayer than
this poor publican. But the publican wouldn't even
lift his head and he said, my soul, I'd like to hear these
words, like to hear this. God, be merciful to me, the sinner."
Seven words, but it spoke more than that self-righteous Pharisee
could even think to say, because God Almighty, the King of glory,
heard the prayer of the public. He heard it. He heard him. Remember I said, He delights
to show mercy. Oh, I would like to meet a sinner. I'd like to meet a sinner. A
lost, helpless sinner. I meet self-sufficient, self-made
men all the time. All the time. They tell me themselves. They tell me what they've done
for God. what they've done for God. Now
I very feebly thus far have tried to set forth before you something
about the majesty of God as this psalmist does. But with that
in view, God, God over all, has need of nothing. What could a
man do for Him? People talk about doing something
for God, helping God, allowing God. That's the pygmy, the idols
that David's talked about here. Their God can't do anything. That's not our God. Remember
that rich young ruler when he came to Christ and Christ told
him what he must do? Remember his response? You remember
what he said? It's not a problem. That's not
a big deal. I've done that all my life. Done
that all my life. He didn't have a clue, did he,
Lord? He didn't have a clue as to what he was or to who God
is. If he did, he would never make
such a statement as that. He was deceived and his words
proved it. I've done all these things since
I was a little boy, since I was on my mama's knee and she would
read me Bible stories. There is not a problem. I've
done it all my life. I've been a Christian all my
life. Henry said, well, that's too long. That's too long. It's way too long because if
you've never been lost, you've never been saved. If you've never
been lost, you've never been found. If you've never been stripped
naked before a holy God, you've never been clothed in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. It ain't gonna happen. It ain't
gonna happen. Oh, until He by His grace says,
come down sinner. Remember that church at Laodicea? Our Lord Jesus said, I know your
works. I know your works." And he didn't
view them like they viewed them. They viewed them and said, we're
rich. We're rich. We're increased with goods. We
don't need anything. We don't need anything. Can you
imagine that? A church saying, we don't need
anything. Don't need God. We've done it
all ourselves. We don't need anything from God.
Our Lord said, you say that you're rich and increased with goods
and have need of nothing? Don't you know, our Lord said,
that you're miserable and you're blind and you're naked and you're
poor? You'd better come to me, He said,
so that I might clothe you in true riches, the riches of His
grace. Turn, if you will, to Romans
chapter 9. Romans chapter 9, David said, Not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory for Thy mercy and
Thy truth's sake." That mercy is God's doing. I said earlier,
it's His prerogative to bestow it or not. Where do you get that
from, preacher? This book called the Bible. That's what it teaches. You say,
that's not what I heard other preachers say. I know it. I know
it. I heard the same thing all my
life till God taught me better. Listen to what Paul says in Romans
9 verse 13. As it is written, this is God
speaking, Romans 9 verse 13. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau Have I hated? What's your response to that?
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated? It doesn't mean
he loved Esau a little less. It means he hated him. God said,
I hated him. The wonder, as you've heard say,
is not that he hated Esau. The wonder is he loved Jacob.
That's the wonder of it. Considering he was no different
than Esau, only grace that made him to differ. Look at verse
14. What shall we say then? What do you say to that? Oh,
you may smile and shake my hand and say, great sermon preacher,
I enjoyed it. But in your heart, if you don't know him, I know
what you're saying. That's not fair. That's not fair. I don't like it. I don't like
it. And if it wouldn't embarrass
me, I'd get up and walk out right now. I don't like that. Well,
Paul said, I expected that. That's the answer I expected.
What should we say then? Is there in right unrighteousness
with God? Because when you speak of God's
sovereign mercy, that's what people say. That's not fair.
That's not fair. Paul said, God forbid. God forbid. And then listen to
verse 15. God said to Moses, I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy. You say, well, I like that. I
like that. Me too. But did you like the
rest of the verse? And I will have compassion on
whom I will have compassion. It's up to Him. Do you hear me? Would you be impressed with that?
Would God impress that on your heart? You're here today and
you don't know Him. You're in His hand. That breath you just drew, it
could be your last. It's up to Him. Look what Paul
concludes in verse 16. So then, so then, If that's the case, what he just
spoke of in the previous verses, if that's the case, so then it's
not of him that willeth. Well, I thought it was. I thought
it was. I thought salvation was a matter
of man exercising his will. No. So then it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. But our God, our God, David says. Oh, thank God for him. Our God
is in the heavens. He had done whatsoever He had
pleased. They said, oh, it's your imagination. We don't see God doing anything.
That's because they were ignorant. That's because they were blind.
Anybody would bow down to an idol. I'm not going to be bothered
by what they had to say. David says, our God is in the
heavens. Peter speaks of much the same
thing in his second epistle. He said, you know, they're willingly
ignorant of this. When we speak of His certain
return, folks say, well, we've heard that all our life. How
many times have people told you that? We've heard that all our
life. Well, how long is that? How long
has that been? That's a vapor. But Peter said,
they respond, we've heard that ever since we were young. And
Peter said, of this they're willingly ignorant. That everything is
kept by the word of God's power just like in Noah's day. And
when it's done, God will dispose of it just like he did then and
create a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, Peter said, seeing
that all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought we believers to be in all manner of conversation, living
to God's glory. Look at the God back in Psalm
115. Can you imagine these people
mocking the psalmist God? Look at their God, verse 4. Their
idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They can't
do anything. They're rabbit-foot gods. The
work of a man's hand. Look at verse 8. They that make
them are likened to them. Well, there's the problem. They that
make them are likened to them. We can't expect much from those
idol gods, can we? So is everyone that trusteth
in them. Years ago, there was a priest,
a Catholic priest. One of his parish members were
dying. This man was a woodworker, a
carver, very good, made many things with his hands out of
wood. On his deathbed, his priest came
to him as he lay there and held up his wooden crucifix and said,
Behold your God. And the poor dying man looked
up and said, My God, I made that. I made that. That's my God? That's all you can give me? I
made that. And this is what David's saying.
They that made them are like unto them. They that trust them
are like them. They can't do anything. They
made that God. That God that's preached today
that can't have His way? Men have made that God. That's
not the God that David speaks of. We can't say much about that
God, this other, their God, because he's helpless. David said he
can't do anything. He's the product of their own
making, he says in verse 8. That God could never inspire
this, could he? Could that God inspire a word
like this from Job that we considered a few weeks ago? Job said, I've
heard of thee. with the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye seeth thee." What are you going to do, Joe? I'm
going to get down in the dust before his throne, get down in
the dust where I belong, and shut my mouth. That's what Job
said. Look, if you will, staying in
the Psalms. Turn back to Psalm 77, if you
will. Psalm 77. What does our God inspire? This God that's the work of men's
hands, can He inspire this reaction in His people? And of course,
the answer is no. He doesn't deserve it. There's
nothing there to produce it. But in Psalm 77, Look at verse
10. And I said, this is my infirmity,
but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most
High. I will remember the works of
the Lord. Surely I will remember thy wonders
of old. I will meditate also of all thy
work and talk of thy doings. Not mine. Thy way, O God, is
in the sanctuary. Who is so great a God as our
God? Thou art the God that doeth wonders. Thou hast declared thy strength
among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed
thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph." Selah. Think about
it. Selah, he says. Stop and think
about that. Turn over to Psalm 86. Psalm 86. This is the reaction
of sinners saved by grace. This is how they respond when
they become aware of the Lord their God. Verse 8 of Psalm 86. Among the gods there is none
like unto thee, O Lord. Neither are there any works like
unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made
shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify
thy name. All nations Saved, lost. All men, all men are gonna bow
before Him. They're gonna glorify Him in
their salvation, or they'll glorify His great justice in their everlasting
damnation. But every man, every man, every
boy, every girl, we're all gonna bow before Him. Verse 10, why? For thou art great, and doest
wondrous things, thou art God alone." From Genesis chapter
1 to Revelation and everywhere in between, God says, I'm sovereign,
I'm mighty, there's none like me. I'm God and there is none
else. Where is my God? He's in the
heavens. Doing whatsoever he hath pleased. David said, your God is like
you. You made it. You've heard the
expression that water can't rise above itself. Well, their gods
can't rise above them. Remember that stupid little song
years ago? How did it go? So-called gospel. Put your hand in the hand of
the man. That's that pygmy God. That's that rabbit's foot God.
Or what was that other one? Jesus, you know, if you're looking
below, No. No, that's the work of men's
hands. But our God, He inspires reverence. He inspires holy wonder
in the hearts of redeemed sinners. He inspires true worship. He enables a man by the grace
of His mighty Son to bow down before Him and look up and say,
of Him and through Him and back to Him are all things to God
be the glory. Great things. he had done. I bet Bess even heard that. To
God be the glory! to God be the glory. That's what
we want to hear. That's what we want to preach.
And that's who we want to worship. He inspires something like this. He inspires songs like this. Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome
wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the
stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe
displayed. And when I think that God his
Son, not sparing, sent 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. Then sings my soul, my Savior
God to thee, How great thou art. Right, Kenny? How great thou
art. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. Time goes swiftly by. Do you
know why there's no fear of God in the eyes of this generation
that you and I live in? in this our day, while people
today will go to church, and they'll go in, as they always
do, and they'll sit down, and they'll listen, and they'll get
up, and they'll go out having no concept of who God is whatsoever. Ask them, who's God? Who did
you just hear about? Who's your God? And they'll talk
about a God that's wanting to do something, that's trying to
do something. They'll talk about a failure.
That's not who David said his God was. Our God is in the heavens. He had done whatsoever he had
pleased. God said in Psalm 50, you thought
I was altogether like you. You made a bad mistake. I'm not
like you, God said. You think I'm like you. That's
what David said. They that make them are like
unto them. That's their God. What a deception
by Satan, the father of lies. This generation's been hoodwinked. Their professed faith in their
so-called God is no more than a belief in good luck, and there's
no such critter. Tell them of the true and living
God and they'll look at you and scratch their head and say, where
are you getting that stuff? Where is that coming from? I've
never heard that. I've been in church all my life
and I've never heard such a thing. Well, what I just told you, what
I just read is what God said. It's in that book. It's in his
book in your lap or on the coffee table collecting dust. This is
how God describes himself. I am God and there is none else. God that has his way, David says,
all the time. I don't have some axe to grind,
if that thought's crossed your mind. But I'll tell you what
I do have. I have lost sons and daughters,
Lord, and lost grandchildren, teenagers now, several of them. And I have loved ones, loved
ones, believing in another Jesus, another God, the product of another
gospel. Like we sang earlier, See our mothers and our fathers
and our children sinking down. That's what's on
my mind. And that's why we've got to preach
the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Can you bear to let them go?
No. No, I can't bear to let them
go. Not until I've done all I can to set before them the glorious
gospel. Not until I with every breath
tell them, don't look unto that God that cannot save, Isaiah
45, but look unto me and be ye saved. I'm God and there is none
else. And I pray that He opens their
eyes and they behold Him. They behold Him, God. When years ago, when my children
were still small. I took them out one afternoon
down to a creek that used to run all for several miles through
the trees and then dump into the river. And we sat there on
the bank of that creek as it rushed by and Roger was here. My children are dominoes two
years apart. Roger's the youngest. Y'all met
him. He was here, then there was Larry, then there was Missy,
and then there was me. And the creek was rather wide,
and he was rushing pretty good, and there was a waterfall right
below him. And you know how quick a child can just... I was watching. Next thing I
know, I seen a little white head come by under the water, and
I reached up and grabbed him and said, Roger, he done slipped
in. And man, I reached out there
and grabbed him. Wayne, I'd have jumped in. If he'd went over
to fall, I'd have jumped in head first. But I grabbed him. I grabbed
him and pulled him up. Why? Why? Because I love him. I love him. I couldn't let him
go. Couldn't let him go. And I can't let them... I can't
stand by and see them worshiping false gods, trusting a product
of their own hand, their own imagination, and just say nothing. What kind of love would that
be? Oh, no. Oh, no. I've got to wrap this
up. They ask, where is now your God, David? David says, you should
ask me where he isn't. where He is not. He's everywhere. He's everywhere. He's in heavens
plural, meaning He's over all, meaning He's above all, meaning
that He's ruling all. That's what that means. Doing
whatsoever He hath pleased. Remember that rebel, Nebuchadnezzar? He was a great king. God taught
him that. Best thing ever happened to him.
Best thing ever happened to me, or you believe. Nebuchadnezzar
walked out on the balcony of his palace and he said, look
what I've done. Look what my hands have wrought.
Great Babylon. I did this. I did all this. And man, he just strutted around
and God said, I'm going to teach you who did this. You know the
story and brought him down. Next picture you get of that
great king, he's out in the field, down on all fours, eating grass
like an animal. Stark, raven, mad. And after that, God gave his
senses back to him, and you know what he said? He said, I've learned
something. He said, oh, at the end of the
days, my mind came back to me and I learned something. And
he said, I'm going to extol and praise the God of heaven. The God of heaven. He has his
way among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth.
And none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? And those that exalt themselves,
he's able to abase. He can bring them down. What's He doing? David says,
He's in the heavens doing whatsoever He hath pleased. That follows,
doesn't it? He's God. He's God. If He's God, He does whatsoever
He hath pleased. And the keen subjects, believers,
they love to have it so. God's sovereignty, His absolute
reign and dominion, is not something they just grit their teeth at
and bear. They rejoice in it. They're thankful
for it. As we go through another year,
as we stand at another year, we cry, Our God's in the heavens. Whatever happens, He's in control. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter who's in the White House, who's out. God's on the throne. He's ruling everything. That's
what David said. God give me grace to live and
act like I believe that. That God is in the heavens doing
whatsoever He hath pleased. The hymn writer said, "'Tis so
sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self-decease, just
from Jesus simply taking life and rest and joy and peace. Our God is in the heavens. Our
God. Our God. That's the sweetness,
Lester. Our God. That's sweet. I'll tell you, the last several
weeks, you ladies have forced me to eat a lot of sweets. Every
time I turn around, somebody's, you know, got to eat it. What else you going to do? Boys, the outside, the crust,
some of that is just delicious. But inside, that apple filling,
those pies, donuts, whatever. Oh, here's the sweetness. He's my God. He's our God. Is He your God? Is He your God? Does David describe your God?
Or is yours that idol God he describes that just can't have
His way? May our God in the heavens, doing
whatsoever He hath pleased, be pleased. May He be pleased to
give you faith in His Son. Only He can. For by grace are
you saved through faith, And that not of yourselves, it's
a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Not unto us, O Lord. Not unto
us. God bless you.