Would you turn to Psalm 124?
Psalm 124. If it had not been the Lord who
was on our side now, may Israel say, If it had not been the Lord
who was on our side when men rose up against us, then they
had swallowed us up quick or alive when their wrath was kindled
against us. Then the waters had overwhelmed
us. The streams had gone over our
soul. Then the proud waters had gone
over our soul. Blessed be the Lord who hath
not given us a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as
a bird out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken
and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the
Lord who made heaven and earth. Let's pray. Lord, how we give thanks for
who you are. How we give thanks that. By your
grace, you've been on our side. For Lord, we know what would
be had that not been the case. We ask in Christ's name. That your gospel would be preached
in the power of your Holy Spirit. Lord, deliver us from those things
that would distract us in hearing your word. Lord, how we thank you for the
forgiveness of sins, how we thank you for the power of the blood
of your son and his glorious righteousness. Lord, how amazed we are that
you'd set your favor upon us and we give thanks. Lord, we're
a needy people. We're a sinful people. We need
your grace. We need your loving kindness.
We pray for those that are going through trials and afflictions
that you've brought their way, that you'd bless them for your
glory and their good. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Now if I was going to give this
psalm a title, I would entitle it If. If. If, then. If this took place, that would
take place. If we were taking a logic class,
that would be called a conditional statement. If, then. And that is throughout this Psalm.
And there's some spiritual logic being used. Somebody says, why
would you use language like that? Well, if God be for us, here's some
logic. Think of it. If God be for us, what's the necessary result?
Then who can be against us? Now that is the spiritual logic
used in this passage of scripture. And this really is our personal history, all of
us. David said, if it had not been
the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say Israel is
the elect, every believer. If it had not been the Lord who
was on our side, now may Israel say, if it had not been the Lord
who was on our side, when men rose up against us, verse two,
then, if then, then they had swallowed us up quick. They would
have eaten us alive when their wrath was kindled against us.
Then the waters had overwhelmed us. And think of the waters of
last week and the devastations that hurricane caused and the
flooding that hurricane caused. And what could people do about
it? There's nothing you can do to prevent it. The streams had
gone over our soul. The proud waters had gone over
our soul. This is what would have taken
place. Blessed be the Lord who has not
given us a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird
out of the snare of the fowlers. That has something to do with
deception. A snare is to deceive and become entrapped. And that
would have happened to us had not the Lord been on our side. Now, verse one, if it had not been the Lord who
was on our side, now may Israel say, that's the elect, if it
had not been The Lord who was on our side now, may Israel say,
had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose
up against us. Now, every believer realizes
that the difference between them and everybody else is the Lord. You know that, don't you? If
you're a believer, the difference between you and an unbeliever
One reason, the Lord's favor toward you. The Lord's grace
toward you. I've already quoted this. If
God be for us, well, who's the us? If God be for us, who can
be against us? Who's the us? Let's turn to Romans
8 and see how the us is identified. This is a very familiar passage
of scripture and what I think is so glorious about this passage
of scripture is as familiar as it is. It's still powerful and
fresh and new and glorious. Who is the us of Romans 831? And we know verse 28, and we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. That's who the
us is. Those who love God. Why do they
love God? Why do you love God? Because
you were the called according to his purpose. Now think about that. God purposed you to love him. That's the only reason you do.
And he's altogether glorious, he's altogether worthy of love
and adoration. But God purposed you to love
him. Look what verse 29 says. Now
this is God being for us. For whom he did for know. He knew me beforehand. He loved
me beforehand. There's never been a time when
God did not love his people. Eternal love. Behold, I've loved
you with an everlasting love. That's what foreknowledge. Foreknowledge
is not God knowing what's going to happen before it takes place.
Notice it says, for whom he did foreknow. This is not just talking
about events. This is talking about persons.
Whom he did foreknow. Then he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his son. I love predestination
because I love the God of predestination and I love what he's predestinated
me to, to be conformed to the image of his son. Most people
think of predestination, well, you fall down the steps, glad
that's over with, it was predestinated. Well, I'm sure it's all according
to God's eternal purpose, I'm not denying that, but predestination
has to do with people being predestinated to be conformed to the image
of Jesus Christ. Think of your future. Perfect likeness to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Moreover, verse 29. Moreover, verse 30, I mean, whom
he did predestinate, then he also called. Now think about
this. God being for you and calling, he called you. Paul put it this
way in Galatians 1.15, when God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace. He didn't leave you to yourself.
He called you. This is the call of invincible, irresistible,
saving grace. The Jews, Paul said, require
a sign. The religious people, they need something they can
see, visible, something in my life that'll prove to me God's
done something for me, or something in your life that'll prove to
me God's done something for you, a sign, something visible. The
Greeks seek after wisdom. How can we make this world a
better place? How can we improve our education? How can we improve
our health care? How can we become more wealthy
and have less problems? The Greeks seek after wisdom. Paul said, but we preach Christ
crucified. Oh, that's the gospel. We preach
Christ crucified down to the Jews. That's a stumbling block.
You mean to say I'm supposed to get assurance only by him
being crucified and being raised from the dead? It's not something
I can see. It's the Greeks. That's foolishness. How's that
going to improve education? How's that going to improve our
wealth? That's foolishness. But unto them which are the called. Christ, the power of God. Christ,
the wisdom of God. He's for you in calling. Verse
30, whom he called, then he also
justified. Now talk about God being for
you, justifying you. You know, let me remind you what
being justified is. It means before God, I've never
committed a sin. How could that be? Because Christ
made the way for God to be just and justify the ungodly, but
don't miss this, before God, if I'm justified, before God,
I have no guilt. Now talk about having God for
you, to justify you. and whom he justified, them he
also glorified." Past tense. Not he will glorify, he hath
glorified. Now, if it had not been the Lord who
were on our side, what would happen to us? Back to our text
in Psalm 124, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
now may Israel say, if it had not been the Lord who was on
our side, when men rose up against us, they'd swallowed us up quick. Now the image here is a big beast
that we can't stand before that eats us alive. That's how much,
quote, chance we have. If the Lord is not for us, like
a big beast that could eat us alive. Verse four, then the water had
overwhelmed us. There's something very awesome
about how no man can control the weather. You know, I love
that. I don't, I want to pray for the
people who have been devastated by what's gone on. And I don't
want to say, be indifferent about any of that, but I love to think
about the weather. No man can control it, but God,
it's his weather and he does his will with it. And there's
not a thing men can do about it. The floods. The waters had overwhelmed
us, the streams had gone over our soul, then the proud waters
had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord who has not
given us a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird
out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken and we're
escaped. Now that snare is given to deceive. It's gonna trick that bird, that
weak bird and trap it, but that trap, that snare has been broken
by the gospel. You know, a passage of scripture,
you think of the Lord saying this. He said, when these false
prophets would come, he said, they'll show great signs and
wonders. This is found in Matthew 24,
24, talking about the false prophets. They'll show great signs and
wonders that if it were possible, They would deceive the very elect. Now those are the words of the
Lord, but think about that. You know what he's saying? It's not
possible for one of God's elect to be finally deceived. Not finally. They can trip, they can fall,
they can become confused. You can say all kinds of things
about God's elect. But they can't finally be deceived.
It's not possible. Why? Because they're one of God's
elect. And don't you love the way the Lord used that language?
This is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking when he's speaking of
election. His elect. He said it's not possible for
one of the elect to be deceived. That the snare of the fowler
is broken. The gospel breaks it. I love
that scripture in 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 13. Paul had been talking
about those people. who were deceived, who received
not the love of the truth, and God sending them strong delusion
that they might be damned, who believed not the truth, but followed
after unrighteousness. I mean, that's strong language.
But then he says, but, we are bound to thank you for your,
no, we're bound to thank God. Always for you. Brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. Why are we not deceived? We're bound to thank God. That's
the reason. Our soul is escaped as a bird
out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken and we are
escaped. Our help. Now, this is so important. Our help. I need help. Do you need help? I need help. If the Lord leaves me and myself,
I'm in trouble. I need him to help me. I love the Passage of scripture
with regard to the Syro-Phoenician woman. She came to the Lord. Lord, have mercy on me. Thou
son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is grievously vexed
with the devil. She came with a great need. She
came the right way. And the scripture says he answered
her, not a word. She dealt with the silence of
the Lord, but it didn't shut her up, did it? If you need help,
you won't give up. You'll continue to cry for mercy. She continued to cry for mercy. And finally, the disciples said,
tell her to leave. She's driving us crazy. She's
driving us crazy with all this. Tell her to shut up, leave. And
then the Lord looked at his disciples. He didn't even look at her. He
looked at his disciple and he says, I'm not sent, but to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel. Now you can look at that and
say, why didn't he come save everybody? You can say that if
you want, that sense of entitlement to that sense of being, oh, I'm
a victim to God's sovereignty. He didn't. No. You can look at
it that way. But how did this woman look at
it when he said that? I'm not sent to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. I've only come to save the elect.
Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. If you don't help me, I won't
be helped. Lord, help me. Now this is what every believer
has the privilege of saying to the only one who really can help
them. Lord, help me. And I don't care what it is you're
asking him to help you for. Ask him, Lord, help me. With whatever it is. No problem too big, no sin too... Lord, help me. I need help, Lord. Help me. The psalmist says our
help is in the name of the Lord that made heaven and earth. Now,
our help is in his name. Now his name is his attributes. It's the person behind the name.
When I'm saying Lord help me, I'm saying Lord help me by who you are. Help me by your
sovereignty, will, when I'm asking you to help me to take place.
Help me by your justice in a way that honors your justice. Help
me by your grace. Help me by your power. Help me by your independence.
I love to think of the independence of God, how he has no needs,
that he doesn't have to wait for me to do something for him
to do something. He has no needs. All he's got to do is will it.
There it is. He doesn't have to wait for my ability to do
anything. Lord, help me by your immutability. Cause me to be loved with an
everlasting love of your purpose. Just whatever attribute God has,
you're saying, Lord, help me by that attribute, by that name,
by who you are. He further identifies the Lord
he's asking to help, the one who made heaven and earth. The
one who spake the universe into existence. What a glorious one. If I have him helping me, oh,
I'm helped, aren't I? If he helps me. Now I pray that
the Lord will make this our prayer and our understanding, our help,
not The way we hope we're helped, our help is in the name of the
Lord. You know, the Lord helped me
when he loved me, before time began, how he helped me. When
the Lord Jesus Christ, before I was ever born, before the world
was ever created, stood as my surety and took full responsibility
for my salvation, how he helped me. How he helped me when he became
flesh, and lived on this planet for
33 years, and perfectly kept God's law for me. Oh, how he
helped me. I love it when he said to John
the Baptist, suffered to be so now, when John said, me baptize
you, I need to have you baptize me. And I love the way the Lord
said, suffer it to be so now. I realize it seems totally ridiculous
for a son of Adam to be baptizing me. I understand that feeling,
but thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. How he helped
me and you when he fulfilled righteousness for us and kept
the law for us. How he helped me when he died
for me. and put away all my sin. How he helped me when he was
raised from the dead. I love that scripture. He was
delivered for our offenses. He was raised again for our justification. Oh, I was helped when he was
raised from the dead. I was justified. How he helped me when he ascended
to the Father, because he wasn't the only one who ascended. All
in him ascended to the Father. That's what the gates be open,
everlasting gates, and the Lord of glory shall come in. The Lord
of hosts. That's me and you. The Lord of
hosts ascending back to the Father. How he helped me. How he helps
me now as my intercessor. Right now, representing me before
his father. Oh, how he, that helps me. Peter,
I've prayed for you. What else needs to be said? If
he prays for me, if he represents me before the father, oh, how
that helps me. How it's going to help me when
he returns. And let me tell you why it's going to help me. The
moment I see him, I'm going to be perfectly conformed to his
image. I'll no longer be a sinner. I'll be just like him. Talking
about help. how he's gonna help me when I
behold his glory throughout eternity. Oh, the Lord, our help is in
the name of the Lord that made heavens and earth. Now with that
in mind, turn with me to Hebrews chapter 13. This is what we're
gonna close with. Now we're painfully aware that
if the Lord had not been on our side, we'd been eaten alive. We'd be carried away with the
flood. We'd be drowned by the proud
waters. We'd be like that little bird
caught in the snare, deceived by the snare. We're aware of
that had not the Lord been on our side, but the Lord is on
our side. And that makes me feel so confident. The Lord's on my side. Well,
so and so is against you. Do you think I care? The Lord's
on my side. The Lord's my helper. Well, Hebrews chapter 13, here's
what this all means. Verse five, let your conversation,
that's everything about your life, that's your daily life,
your walk. I don't care what's going on.
Let your conversation be without covetousness. Now, you covet
what you don't have. I covet a good life. I covet
whatever it is I'm coveting, something that I perceive that
I don't have and I'm desiring it. The writer of the Hebrew
said, wipe that out. Let your conversation be without
covetousness. Now the only time, as soon as
I say don't covet, you know what you do? You covet. As soon as
I say that, you start coveting. Isn't that amazing? As soon as
you say it, all I got to do is don't covet. I think of a million things I
could covet. Ten million things. The only time you don't covet
is if you have nothing, you have everything and you have no reason
to covet. That's the only, the only way you can covet is if
you have everything. Jesus Christ is all. That's why you don't covet. You
don't covet anything over Him. You really don't. You know if
you have Him, you have all. There's nothing to covet. I don't
need to covet. I've got all. There's nothing to covet. Let
your conversation be without covetousness and be content with
such things as you have. What do you have? Jesus Christ,
God for me. Is there anything to not be content
about? Well, this happened. It was for your good. Whatever
it is, it's for your good and his glory. Be content with such
things as you have, for he has said, I will never leave thee. And in the originals, the original,
there are five negatives. I will never, never, no, never,
never, never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Verse six, so that
we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall
do unto me. Now, Psalm 124. is the history,
it's the biography of every believer and we know it. If the Lord had
not been on our side, here's the way it would be. We understand
that because we understand something about ourself. If the Lord had
not been on our side, we'd been eaten alive. We'd been carried
away. But since the Lord is on our
side, he's our help. Our help is in the name of the
Lord, the one who made heaven and earth. Amen.