Okay, now, Psalm 146 this evening. I've enjoyed reading this psalm
over the years. I've probably looked at this
psalm off and on for at least a better part of 25, maybe 30
years. And you can't wear it out. You can't wear out the Word of
God. You can read portions of Scripture, Where's the poems
of men the sayings of men that we have read hundreds of times
We just don't don't do that. But with the Word of God we read
it and reread it and Meditate on it and it's deep. It's deep. It's wide Because it's the inspired
record of God some want psalm 146. I'm entitling the message
from this psalm from the words that are found in verse 1 Praise
the Lord. Oh my soul oh my soul praise
the Lord it's similar to what is said back in Psalm 103 turn
back over there Psalm Psalm 103 verse 1 where it says bless the
Lord oh my soul and all that is within me all that is within
me bless his holy name bless the Lord oh my soul and forget
not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth
all thy diseases." So we have great reason to honor and praise
the Lord. Now, this Psalm, notice Psalm
146, it begins with this phrase, praise ye the Lord, and it ends
with that phrase, praise ye the Lord. Wouldn't it be great if
when we meet together to preach the gospel and worship the Lord
that in the beginning of the service we truly in our heart
and in our soul praise the Lord and at the end of the service
when we're going home meditating upon the Word truly in our heart
praising, praising the Lord. Now I realize that this phrase,
praise ye the Lord, has been widely used and abused by this
religious world, so much so that it has been reduced to a mere
meaningless religious catchphrase, a slang word with really no true
substance. If you watch these TV clowns,
TV evangelist or whatever they're called, they just flippantly
sling out that word about three times in every sentence, don't
they? They just, they use it in a irreverent way. They use
it in a way of contempt. Before the very throne of God,
we ought to use great care in using the name of the Lord. This is not just some by word
or some religious catch phrase when you can't think of anything
else to say, well, you know, just praise the Lord. It's got to the point in TV evangelism or TV religion
especially, and I'm sure it's this way in churches as well,
It has just become really a meaningless phrase. We ought to use great
care in using the name of the Lord, lest we take the name of
the Lord in vain and use it irreverently. Because holy and reverent is
His name. His name. Praise the Lord, O
my soul. Yeah, now look at verse 1. That's
what he says. Now praise ye the Lord. And then
David said, praise the Lord, oh my soul, oh my soul. Yet, having said that, this is
every believer's desire to honor, to exalt and worship the Lord,
not just with lip service, lip service, but with a sincere heart. full of gratitude, full of love. You remember over here in Psalm
145 verse 1 and 2, David said, I will extol thee, my God, O
King, I will bless thy name forever and ever. Verse 2 says, Every
day will I bless thee. I will praise thy name forever
and ever. And then we're going to see again,
look at Psalm 147 verse 1, Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to
sing praises unto our God. For it is pleasant, it is right,
praise is comely, it is proper to praise the Lord. But not with
this insincere, flippant matter of religious jargon that we see
going on today. The Father seeketh such to worship
Him in spirit and in truth. You remember over here in Matthew
15, turn there just a minute. Our Lord said to those Pharisees
in His day, in Matthew 15 verse 7 he said you hypocrites well
did Isaiah prophesy of you saying this people draw nigh unto me
with their mouths they say praise the Lord and they honor me with
their lips but their heart is far from me in vain they do worship
me teaching for doctrine the commandments of men you see God
looks on the heart as a matter of fact We can truly worship
and praise the Lord and not utter a word. That's right. The scripture, I think it's Psalm
46, where God said, Be still and know that I am the Lord.
So we can truly worship and honor God and not speak a word because
God looks on our heart. Hannah prayed that way in the
temple. Remember they thought Eli looked at her as she prayed
and worshiped the Lord her mouth was moving But she uttered not
a word and Eli said you've been you've been at the you've been
drinking too much No, she said I'm praising the Lord and she
was really truly God looked on the heart, although she didn't
utter a word you know this thing of worship this thing of worship
is not not in bodily exercise and It's a matter of the heart
before God. It's reverence before the Lord.
Now look at verse two. He said, while I live, I, will
I, I want to read this, I will praise the Lord. Will I praise
the Lord. I will sing praises unto my God
while I have any being. Any being at all. Now every believer
is highly motivated to worship the Lord out of gratitude and
love we have good reason to do so because we have life what
he says there well I live I'll praise the Lord we have life
from him not only physical and fleshly life but more importantly
to every believer we've been given spiritual life by the sovereign
will of God by the eternal purpose of God You have he quickened
who were dead in trespasses and in sin. We know this is The will
of God the purpose of God he quickens whom he will it's God
who gives us life. We don't Regenerate ourselves
We don't seek the Lord according to our will he seeks us first
and then we seek the Lord If we have life and salvation in
Christ Jesus, it's because of his eternal purpose. Of his own
will begat he us with the word of truth. You remember from Psalm
65, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach
unto our God. While we have any being about
us, the believer is determined and highly motivated to give
God all the glory for all of salvation and God forbid we should
glory in any other but Christ the Lord Jesus Christ and him
crucified therefore he says in verse 2 verse 3 rather put not
your trust in princes princes and you can expand that word
as far as you want presidents governors put not your trust
in princes, nor, he says, in any son of Adam, in whom there's
no help." There is no salvation. Now, believers desire to worship
and to honor and exalt the Lord. Therefore, believers will put
no confidence or trust or faith in the flesh. What did we read
in Jeremiah 17? cursed it is that man that trusteth
his flesh we dare not trust the flesh and I'm talking about this
old sinful man that we are in our flesh Paul said dwelleth
no good thing put not your trust in any prince we dare not trust
the flesh we dare not trust our feelings do we? Feelings come and feelings go
and feelings are what Martin Luther said feelings are deceiving
The heart what we read in Jeremiah 17 the heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked who can't know it So feelings
come and feelings go and feelings are deceiving my warrant is the
Word of God Nothing else is worth believing the Apostle in Philippians
3 says We are the true Israel which worship God in the Spirit,
rejoice in Christ Jesus and we have no, well some, no, no confidence
in the flesh. None whatsoever. As far as obtaining
salvation, as far as maintaining salvation, as far as accomplishing
salvation. Now how much confidence do you
have in your flesh? Well I'm just going to please
God. You're a fool. You're a fool. Now the only way
any sinner can please God is in the Lord Jesus Christ. God
speaks from heaven and said, this is my beloved Son in whom
I'm well pleased. There is no help, and notice
that word means there's no salvation in any earthly prince, but there
is salvation in the Prince of Peace the Lord Jesus Christ,
for He made peace for us with God, with His own blood. There is no help, no salvation
in any son of Adam, or the phrase could be rendered, in the best
of men. Man in his best state is altogether
vanity. We're instructed, our God said,
come boldly unto the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. We do look rather to
the Son of God who became the Son of Man that we might become
sons of God. We do look to Him. Behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should
be called sons of God. Now, let me say this about help. We can help one another in earthly
and temporal things. The Lord sent us some very good
and talented help these last few years during these floods.
I mean, the Lord sent us electricians, plumbers, carpenters, roofers,
I mean, we had some talented people. The Lord sent us some
good help and I'm most thankful. You know, the Apostle Paul, I
was looking at just a minute ago before the service started,
in Romans 16, he called Priscilla and Aquila. He said, they're
my helpers. Paul called others who labored
with him in the gospel, fellow helpers, fellow laborers. So,
we can help one another in natural things, temporal things. I mean,
to help someone who has a flat tire, or to help someone build
a house, or to help someone clean up a building who has been flooded.
Those things are fine, but we don't look to one another to
accomplish salvation. Would you dare trust me to accomplish
salvation for you? Well, you'd be a fool. I can't
even accomplish salvation for myself. In spiritual things,
we are totally shut up and dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ who
accomplished salvation for us. As I've told you over the years,
salvation is always determined, dependent, and accomplished by
Him. That makes sense. He's all our
help. He's all our help. The Lord is my help. We've seen
this so many times through the psalm. The Lord is my help and
my strength. I will not fear. The Lord is
my help. The Lord is my strength. Now
here's the reason in verse 4 that we're not to trust any prince
or any president or any governor or any mayor to accomplish our
salvation or any the best of men, any son of Adam because
Verse 4, he's a frail creature just like you and I. His breath
goes forth. Now where does he get that breath?
He gets to every breath you draw. How many times a day do you breathe? How many breaths do you take
in 24 hours? That's a whole bunch. Just stop
breathing. What happens? Death. When God takes that breath of
life, this flesh goes right back to where it came. That quick. Brother Bob can tell you there
how He bombed thousands of bodies. Just as soon as the breath goes
out of the body, the body corrupts immediately. That's right, isn't
it? Corruption sets in immediately. His breath goes forth. He returns
to His earth. Remember what the Lord said?
Dust you were made, and dust you shall return. In that very day, when the Lord
is pleased to take the breath, He returns to His earth in that
very day. All the plans that He had for
tomorrow, and the next day, the next month, the next year, all
those plans that He's made, what's going to happen? They're going
to perish. Look what it says there. In that
very day, his thoughts, his plans, his ambitions, his wishes, they
all perish with him. That's why we don't trust any
son of Adam to accomplish our salvation. That's why we do trust
the Lord. His word abides forever. Forever! Now look at verse 5. Happy is the man. Happy, blessed. Blessed is he, happy is he that
hath the God of Jacob for his help, the God of Jacob for his
help, whose hope, these two words here are encouraging words, well
really three, happy, help, and hope. Those are three good words,
happy, help, and hope, whose happy, in the God of Jacob, whose
help is in the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the God of Jacob. That's a blessed man, whose hope
and help is in the God of Jacob. That's a happy man. Look at Psalm
144 verse 15. 144 verse 15. Happy is that people
that is in such a case, happy That people whose God is the
Lord at the happy people at the blessed people You know, I found
in Scripture this Name that God takes to himself the God of Jacob,
you know, he uses that name more than any other name He calls
himself the God of Jacob. I found this in Scripture at
least 26 times He calls himself the God of Jacob. Many times
he calls himself the God of Israel. Now, where did Israel come from?
Jacob. God changed his name from supplanter
to a prince of God. The God of Jacob. The God of
Jacob. You know, that's significant.
The God of Jacob. You see, the God of Jacob is
a God of covenant mercies. The God of Jacob is a God of
covenant mercies. You remember from Isaiah 55,
talked about the sure mercies of David and that's the greater
David, the Lord Jesus Christ. The covenant mercy. God, the
covenant God. The God of Jacob. Secondly, the
God of Jacob is a God of covenant love. Jacob have I loved, Esau
have I hated. He loved his people with an everlasting
love. The God of Jacob is a God of
covenant revelation. He's hid these things from the
wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. The God of Jacob,
the God of covenant salvation. You remember the last words of
David? God hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things, and is sure this is all my hope and all my salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ, our great
God, is all our help for the present And He's all our hope for the
future. We have a very present help in
time of need, don't we? And He's all our hope for the
future. We have a good hope through grace. It's a good hope. It's not something,
you know, it's not like a shot in the dark. It's not like a
shot in the dark or just a mere wish. We have a good hope through
grace. everlasting consolation and good
hope through grace. So happy is he that hath the
God of Jacob. Our Lord said, I am the Lord,
I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. God saves Jacob's sinners, sinners
pass by the Esau. and saves a rascal like Jacob. Now, in the following verses,
verse 6 down through verse 10, we have a good and fit description
of the God of Jacob. This is what God says concerning
Himself. This is why we should trust Him
alone. Why He should be our help, our
hope, and all of our salvation. Now he mentions, if I've counted
right, 12 things. Now, sometimes it's not good
for a preacher to tell you how many points he's got because
right away you get, oh no, I've got to listen to 12 more points.
Pastor Mahan often told us young preachers, just don't tell them
how many points you got. That way they won't get too discouraged. But there's 12 things here. that
are given to us that describe the God of Jacob and why we should
hope in Him and trust Him alone and not look to any other source. Again we see here that salvation
is of the Lord. That's what we see in these following
verses. So let's look at the first one.
Verse 6 The God of Jacob is the one who made heaven and earth
and seas, and all that therein is. The God of Jacob, God our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and is our Creator. Not only
did He make the heaven and the earth, but in this new creation,
I'm talking about regeneration. It is He that made us, not we
ourselves. You remember that back in Psalm,
what is that? Psalm 100, turn over there. You see, only Christ alone can
make us fit for heaven. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things have become new. Look at Psalm 100, verse 3. Know
ye that the Lord, He is God, it is He that made us. You know,
we are what we are by the grace of God. He's made us new creatures
in Christ. It is He that made us, not we
ourselves. We are His people and the sheep
of His pasture. Ephesians 2, 10. The Apostle
Paul says we are His workmanship. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. You see, He created us a new
in Him. He's given us a new heart and
a new spiritual nature that we did not have before. Look what
he says. Secondly, the Lord, the God of
Jacob, the last part of verse 6, He keepeth truth. He keepeth
truth forever, forever, forever. Truth, truth never changes. Now lies always change. You've
got to tell one lie to cover up another lie. Truth never changes. Truth can be trusted. Our Lord
said, Heaven and Earth will pass away. His truth abides forever. Truth never changes. In Psalm
119 we read, Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled. It settles in Heaven forever. He is true to His own nature.
true to the relationships he has assumed, true to his covenant
promise, true to his word, true to his son. He keeps true and
is a keeper of all that is true. Now that language is a little
bit strange because that's a quote from an old preacher. But he
keeps truth forever. He doesn't change. He's the only
true God. This is eternal life, that they
might know Thee, the only true God, Jesus Christ, whom Thou
hast sent. Verse number 7 is the third one. The Lord executed judgment for
the oppressed. The Lord executes judgment and
justice for His people, those who were oppressed. His covenant
people oppressed, who are oppressed with sin. He judged our sin in
Himself. What a marvel of love! And gives
us His righteousness. What a marvel of grace! He executes judgment and justice
for His people who are oppressed with sin. He is the Lord, our
righteousness. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
imputeth righteousness without works. Again in verse 7, it says,
the fourth thing is this, the Lord our God, the God of Jacob,
He giveth food, you see that? He giveth food to the hungry. He gives food to the hungry.
The Lord does feed His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd. The
Good Shepherd leads His sheep. He does feed his sheep. You know
the sheep must have two things. The shepherd must lead them in
the green pastures. What else do they have to have?
Water. Water. And the Lord Jesus Christ
does feed his sheep and he does water his sheep with himself. He is our food and he is our
water. In John 7 37 he said, come unto me and drink. If you're
thirsty, come to me and drink. Christ is the water of life.
John 6.35, he's called the bread of life. The bread of life. In
1 Peter 2.2, he's called the milk of the word. In Hebrews
5.14, he's called the meat of the word. You know, when our
Good Shepherd feeds us, look at Psalm 145, verse 15 and 16, The eyes of all wait upon thee,
thou givest them their meat in due season. He opens his hand
and satisfies the desire of every living thing. He feeds us not
with closed fists, but with an open hand. And he satisfies our
need. My God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus.
The Lord giveth food to the hungry. Anybody hungry? He said, come
and dine. Come and dine. The fifth one
is found in verse 7 as well. The Lord looseth the prisoner. That is, the Lord gives freedom.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoner. He sets them at liberty
from the bondage of sin, from the power of sin, from the penalty
of sin, from the captivity of sin. Remember Galatians 5 verse
1? Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ has set us free. Our Lord said you shall know
the truth and the truth will set you free. This is why the
Lord Jesus Christ came. He came to set the captive free. And that's what He has done. He's come to seek and to save
that which is lost and to set them free. Look at verse 8. The sixth thing
he does, the Lord open blind eyes. The Lord openeth the eyes
of the blind. You know how he does that? He
commands the light to shine. God who commands the light to
shine out of darkness has shined in our heart to give us the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We see because he commands the
light To shine. He is, he said, I am the light
of life. He that follow with me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Lord opens our blind eyes. We see who he is, holy. We see
who we are, just the opposite, sinful. And we see in the Lord
Jesus Christ the remedy for our problem. atonement and righteousness
and he is all of that to us the Lord opens our blinded eyes not
only that now look at verse 8 again the Lord openeth the eyes of
the blind the Lord raises up them that are bowed down the
Lord loveth the righteous the Lord raises up, here's the seventh
thing, the seventh reason we should trust by God's grace,
the God of Jacob, the Lord raises them that be bowed down. The Lord God by his mighty grace
raises a beggar from the dunghill. Take your Bible for a minute
there and turn back to Psalm 113. Psalm 113, look at verse
seven. He raises up the poor out of
the dust He lifts us to needy out of the dunghill by nature. We are dunghill dwellers that
God Almighty the God of Jacob that he may set him with princes
even the princes of his people Were raised up together made
to sit together in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ What
we are by nature on the dunghill what we are by his grace the
Lord raises us up and makes us kings and priests unto our God. Surely by God's grace we can
love and trust the God of Jacob. Now look again at verse 8, and
here's the eighth reason that the Lord gives why God's people
trust the God of Jacob for all of salvation. Look at the last
part of verse 8, the Lord loveth the Lord loveth the righteous
the Lord loves the righteous now admittedly none of us who
know the gospel and who love the Lord Jesus Christ none of
us will admit or claim we have any righteousness in ourselves
all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight Romans
3 said there is none righteous no not one but here it says The
Lord, that is Jehovah, Almighty, God our Savior, loveth the righteous. Now who are the, definite article,
who are the righteous? Well certainly not anything that
we have produced or have done that makes us righteous, but
the Lord loves those in the Lord Jesus Christ, that's where the
love of God is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the
Lord Jesus Christ we are righteous. Blessed is a man to whom the
Lord imputed righteousness without works. No wonder the Apostle
Paul said, I count all things but dung and ruin and loss that
I might win Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness
which is of the law but that righteousness which is by the
obedience and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing,
my friend, can separate the believer from the love of God which is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can trust the God of Jacob. We love him because he first
loved us. The Lord loveth the righteous. Now look at verse 9. Here's the
ninth reason that he gives Why? God's people. Happy is he that
hath the God of Jacob for his help, for his salvation, whose
hope is in the Lord his God. You remember back in verse 5?
Now look at verse 9. The Lord preserveth the strangers. The strangers. We are, believers
are, strangers and pilgrims here. We're just passing through. We're
looking for that eternal city whose builder and maker is God. In 1st Peter chapter 1, turn
over there for just a minute. 1st Peter chapter 1, we see this
word again, strangers. Look at 1st Peter 1.1. Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Asia. were strangers, scattered
throughout this world, but known unto God. Look at verse 2, 1
Peter 1 verse 2, elect according to the foreknowledge of God,
God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience
and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ grace unto you
and peace be multiplied the Lord knoweth them that are his we
are made nigh unto God by the blood of Christ and notice what
it says there about those strangers God's elect scattered throughout
this earth throughout this world are preserved preserved now how
are we preserved? well we're preserved by the grace
of God. We're made nigh by the blood
of Christ, washed in the blood of Christ, God's Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ. His blood cleanses us from all
sin, and those who the Lord is pleased to save are saved with
an everlasting salvation. They are preserved. They are
preserved with an everlasting salvation. Here's what it says
in 1 Peter 1.5, we're kept by the power of God. The Lord's
sheep He knows them, they hear His voice, and they follow Him. And He gives unto them eternal
life, and they shall never, never perish. Certainly by, again,
by the Lord's grace, we can trust the God of Jacob for all of our
salvation, who is all of our hope. Now here's the 10th reason
that He gives, found in verse 9 again. He says, the Lord relieveth
the fatherless and the widow the Lord himself the Lord Jesus
Christ is our relief he's our help grace to help in time of
need mentions two things there mentions a fatherless or the
orphan and the widow the widow who has lost her husband now
I want to look at that in this sense He's talking about those
who are in need. The widow has a need, someone
to care and take for her, to love her, to cherish her. The
orphan also has a need, food and clothing and a father to
look after and to instruct and to teach. Now, we can look at
this in this sense. By nature, We are orphans without
God, without hope, and without Christ. By nature, we are widows. That is, we're in great need. We're destitute because of our
sin, because of our depravity. But here's the good news of the
gospel. To the widow, Christ is our husband. He loved the
church and gave himself for it. The church is called the Bride
of the Lamb. Those who were married to the
Lord Jesus Christ have a glorious and wonderful husband who sees
to every need that we have. Likewise the orphan who needs
a father. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
loving and tender father. Beloved, behold what manner of
love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called
sons of God. To the widow, Christ is our husband.
To the orphan, Christ is our father. To the sinner, the Lord
Jesus Christ is our Savior, who has made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. What a blessing it is to look
to the God of Jacob for all our help, all our hope, all our salvation. Now here's the 11th reason that
he gives in verse 9 of Psalm 146, but the way of the wicked,
the way of the wicked, the Lord turns upside down. Now we saw something similar
to this back in Psalm 145 verse 20, the Lord preserveth all them
that love him, but all the wicked will he destroy. and looking
forward to Psalm 147, look at verse 6, "...he casteth the wicked
down to the ground." Now what is being taught here is this,
any way that is contrary to the way of salvation exclusively
and only in Christ, we can be certain and sure it will not
stand. It must and will be destroyed. There is a way that seems right
unto men, but the end of that way is death. Now the good news
of the gospel again, the Lord said, I am the way, the truth,
the life. No man comes unto the Father
but by and through me. To come any other way would be
a thief and a robber. To come any other way than by
the way that God has appointed and anointed in the Lord Jesus
Christ is a wicked, wicked way and God will destroy every wicked
way and preserve that one way of salvation in Christ. Know
the name under heaven given among men whereby we must, we must
be saved. Now here's the last reason that
he gives why believers trust the God of Jacob as he describes
himself in verse 10 The Lord shall reign forever, even thy
God, O Zion, to the church unto all generations. And the believer
says, Thank you, Lord. Praise the Lord. The psalm ends
in the way it begins, Praise ye the Lord. The believer rejoices
that his God is God, that his God is King of all the earth,
and we rejoice We praise the Lord that he does reign forever
and ever. We can fully trust the God of
Jacob because he reigns forever and ever. Remember from our study
in the Revelation? Revelation 19, 5 and 6. Let me
read this in closing. And the four and twenty elders
and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on
the throne saying, Hallelujah, and that's the same phrase here,
praise the Lord, And a voice came out of the throne, saying,
Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small
and great. And I heard, as it were, the
voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. There are 12 valid reasons that
we should trust the God of Jacob May God give us grace to trust
Him at all times, in all circumstances. May God give us faith to look
unto the Lord Jesus Christ and rest in Him. Well, that's a blessed
psalm, and I pray the Lord will give you grace to meditate upon
it, to read it again, and to study it, and ask the Lord to
reveal the gospel again unto you.