When Israel went out of Egypt,
a house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah was
his sanctuary and Israel his dominion. The sea saw it and
fled, the Red Sea, fled before their presence. Jordan was driven
back. Mountains skipped like rams and
the little hills like lambs. What haileth thee, O thou sea
that thou fleddest, thou Jordan that thou wast driven back, ye
mountains that ye skip like rams, ye little hills like lambs? Here's the reason. Tremble, thou
earth, at the presence of the Lord. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence
of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, the God
of Israel. which turned the rock into a
standing water, a flood. The flint, when he stood upon
the rock smitten by Moses, into a fountain of waters. And now in Psalm 115, the Lord
is entreated by his people to glorify himself again, to unbear
his mighty arm. to show his power and glory. He is entreated to glorify himself
again. All believers today, I'd like
to see it. All believers now long for God
to manifest his power, exalt his name, vindicate his servants. But the psalmist is careful to
say, not unto us, O Lord, Not unto us, but unto thy name give
glory. There's no glory to us. As Thomas
is saying, we're not asking that you unbear your mighty arm for
our sake or for our glory. We're not asking that you manifest
your glory again, exalt your great name for our sake or to
vindicate our claims. That would be a poor prayer.
Not unto us, not on account of anything we are or have done,
naturally, materially, spiritually, or eternally. Not unto us, O
Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. Because have
we a being? Have we physical life? It's not
unto us, but unto God that glory belongs. Have we health? Have
we outward comforts? Not unto us. Not unto us, but
unto God be the glory. Have we friends and family? Not
unto us. Not unto us, but unto God be
the glory. Have we the means of grace? Have
we the faith to believe? Have we the perseverance to continue? Not unto us. not unto us, but
unto his name give glory." Have we some usefulness in his kingdom? Have we hope of his glory? Well, it's not unto us. So the
psalmist is saying right off, now not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us, but unto thy name give glory, not for our sakes, not
for our glory. But watch this, but for your
mercy, For your mercy, the word is grace, mercy and grace are
the same. For your mercy and for your truth's
sake, these are the attributes in question. These are the attributes
that are assaulted in this day. His grace, his sovereign, peculiar,
particular, redeeming grace, and his truth, and his purpose,
and his verity, and his name, that's what's in question. In
John chapter 1, turn over there a moment, John chapter 1, that's
what's being assailed and assaulted today, God's grace and God's
truth, the truth of his word. In John 1, now God's jealous
of these two glorious attributes, grace and truth. grace and truth. The triumph
of grace and truth in other days is what we're talking about.
In John 1 verse 14, the Word was made flesh, dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Verse 16, and of His fullness
Grace and truth have we all received, grace for grace. For the law
was given through Moses, not by Moses, through Moses. But
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Grace and truth. And the psalmist is saying, Lord,
unbear your mighty arm. Exalt your great glorious name. Reveal yourself in glory and
majesty. Do what you've done in these
other days like we read about here in Psalm 114 when he turned
the rock and the standing water and the flint into fountains
of water. When the sea was driven back
and Jordan was driven back and the mountains kept like rams
and the little hill like lambs. The great victories of the gospel
preached by the apostles, the great victories in the days
of the Reformers, the Reformation, oh my, what days those were. The revivals in history when
God was pleased to redeem many people. They're all remembered,
but they're remembered as a history of the past. It's like one One
fellow in the days of Spurgeon went out to one of the church
cemeteries and knelt before the tombstone of a great and mighty
preacher of the gospel, and he said, Lord, do it again. Do it
again. Verse 2, Wherefore should the
heathen say, Where is now their God? Where is their God in whom they
trust? Where is this Almighty God that
they preach? And they say, He will deliver
us. Where is now their God? Why does He not show Himself?
Why does He not appear in power and blessings on His church?
Wherefore should the heathen, God, wherefore should they be
permitted to talk like that? Why do you permit them to talk
like that? Where is now their God? Wherefore should the pretended
wise men of this day be permitted to doubt the existence of the
living God? But they do. Wherefore should
they be permitted to speak lightly of the deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ, take his name in vain, ridicule his blood and righteousness,
speak disparagingly of the great Redeemer. Wherefore should the
heathen question your mercy and your truth, your sovereignty,
your elective grace, your wrath against sin, and be allowed to
live? Wherefore should they be permitted
to say, where is now their God? They speak exceeding proudly,
and only God can stop their boasting. We can't. or they're bragging
or they're blustering. Wherefore, God, should they,
the heathen, say, where is now their God? Where is the promise
of his coming? Everything continues like it
always has. Verse 3. You ask, where is now
our God? A better question would be, where
is he not? Our God's in the heavens. Our God's in the heavens. What
has he done? He hath done whatsoever he pleased. That's the answer that David
gave over here in another psalm. Psalm 135. Verse 4, the Lord hath chosen
Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure. I
know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is above all gods
and whatsoever the Lord please. That did he in heaven and earth
and the seas and all deep places. Where is now their God? He's
in the heavens. He's in the heavens where they'll
never be. And he has done whatsoever he
please. He's in the heavens and he's in the earth. He fills both
with his presence. and neither one can contain him,
whither shall I go from his spirit or flee from his presence? If
I ascend into heaven, he's there. If I make my bed in the grave,
he's there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, he's there. Even
there shall thy hand lead me, thy right hand hold me. If I
say, well, surely the darkness will cover me, even the night
shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and
the light are both alike to thee. Where is our God? He's the maker
of heaven and earth. One's his throne, the other's
his footstool. Where is our God? He dwells in
the highest heavens. He overlooks all and overrules
all. Not even a sparrow falls to the
ground without His hand. And the hairs of every man's
head is numbered. Where is our God? He's in the
heavens. What has He done? Whatever He pleases. In creation,
He created all things by His power and for His glory. He said in Revelation 4, verse
11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power. Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure
they are and were created. He said in Proverbs 16, verse
4, listen, The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea,
even the wicked. Yea, even the wicked for the
day of evil. Everyone that's proud in heart
is an abomination to him. Though hand joined in hand, he
shall not go unpunished by mercy and truth. That's what we want
to see. That's what we want vindicated,
his mercy and truth. By mercy and truth, iniquities
purged. By grace and truth, Iniquities
purged. What hath he done? In providence
he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. He says
to the lightning, go and it goes, come and it comes. To the rain,
fall. To the snow, cover the earth.
He has all power over all flesh. In grace, what hath he done?
He's gracious to whom he will be gracious. He's merciful to
whom he will be merciful. Where is now your God? He's in
the heavens. He quickens whom He will. He
calls and saves men and women today, like He always has, not
according to their works, but according to His own purpose
and grace given to them in Christ before the world began. Our God's in the heavens. He's
infinitely wise. He doeth all things well. Our
God is infinitely holy. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? Our God is infinitely good. In
Psalm 84, verse 10, verse 11, For the Lord God is the sun and
the shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good
thing will he withhold from them that walk upright. This is our
God. Wherefore should the heathen
mock? and ask, where is now your God? Our God's in the heavens.
He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he doeth whatsoever
he will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of
this earth. And none can stay his hand or say unto him, what
doest thou? This is our God, and we're not
ashamed to own him. We're not ashamed to praise him.
We're not ashamed to bow down and worship him. He may not work
miracles at our beck and call, he usually doesn't. And he may
not work miracles at the beck and call of those who challenge
him. One day they challenged his son to come down from the
cross, and they said they would believe. Now they challenge him
to come down from heaven and prove himself. He that sitteth
in the heaven shall laugh. He shall hold them in derision.
Why should he give one more sign to those who shut their eyes
to so many marvelous miracles of his grace all around them? Verse 4. Their gods, their idols, the
idols of this world are silver and gold, The idols and gods
of the heathen are not in the heavens. They're made from the
earth. They're made of matter dug out
of their silver and gold. It may be precious to them and
precious for a while, but they're nothing but idols dug from the
earth. They're the work of men's hands,
verse 4. The maker is always greater than
the thing he makes. So their gods have more honor
than they do. They have more honor than their
gods, rather. The maker is always greater than
the thing he makes. They're dug from the earth. They're
the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak
not. They speak neither wisdom, nor
holiness, nor peace, nor comfort. Eyes have they, but they see
not. Hagar said, Thou, God, seest me. Oh, what comfort that is. He saw me in Christ before the
foundation of the world. He keepeth His covenant. He saw
me in Christ in His righteousness and obedience. He saw me in Christ
at Calvary. He saw me in Christ when he rose
from the grave. He sees me in Christ seated at
his right hand. He sees me at every trial he
provides for all the ways and days. They have eyes, but they
don't see. Without God sees me. They have
ears, but they don't hear. No use for them to say to their
Idles what we say to our God. Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee, O Lord, hear my voice. They have ears, but they don't
hear. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
They have ears, but they don't hear. They have noses. That's interesting,
isn't it? They have noses but they don't
smell. Does our God smell something? Turn to Ephesians 5 and I'll
show you what he smells. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 2. Walk in love as Christ also hath
loved us and he hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for sweet smelling savor. Sweet fragrance. The blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the death of the Son of God, is to our
God a sweet smelling savor. He says of the heathen gods,
they have hands, but they can't receive anything. Sacrifices
of praise and thanksgiving, offerings of love. David said, we've given
unto thee that which is thine already, but they can't receive
anything, and they can't help. They can't assist those who call.
They have hands, but they handle not. Feet have they, but they
walk not. They never move from the place
where these makers of idols put them. need to speak they through their
throat. But this is interesting. They that make these idols are
likened to them. They are likened to their gods.
So is everyone that trusteth in a false god. Now let's go back and see what
these false gods are like. How are these people like their
idols that they make, their false gods that they conjure up or
out of their imagination? How are they like their gods?
Well, number one, remember their gods are dirt only, made from the earth, and that's
all these false worshippers are, dirt only. Dust allied to dust. Thou shalt return. No spiritual
life, only God can give life. They're dirt only. And then they're
senseless. These idols know nothing. And
the people who make them know nothing. Spiritually, they're
senseless. Having eyes they cannot see.
Our Lord said that. They have eyes, but they cannot
see the glory of God. Satan has blinded the minds of
them, so they cannot see the glory of God. They have ears,
but they do not hear His truth. They receive not the love of
the truth. They have mouths, but they speak nothing of any
worth, nothing of any value, nothing of any consequence, nothing
of any glory, nothing spiritually do they speak. and they have noses but they
can't smell. What is a sweet fragrance to
a believer, life and delight, the fragrance of Christ is death
to these makers of idols. Every person is just like his
God. Just like his God. Religionists
today are just like their gods. Grace people are like their god.
What's their god like? Their god is great. And those
who know that great god have great thoughts, great expectations,
great hopes, and great thoughts that cannot be defeated. Their God is feeble, and they're
feeble. Their God is changeable, like
the wind, and the heat in the desert. The believer's God is in the
heavens, so where is his affection? Things above. Looking for the appearing of
our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. So verse 9, O Israel,
Who is Israel? Jacob. God wrestled with him. Our Lord wrestled with him that
night. He said to Jacob, he said, what's your name? He said, Jacob. Your name's no longer Jacob.
Your name's Israel. Prince. A prince with God. I loved you before you were born.
I chose you before you were born. I changed your name. Oh, Israel, who's that? His elect, sons of Jacob, His
chosen people. Oh, Israel, let others do what
they will, but you, trust thou in the Lord. You trust in the
Lord. Oh, house of Aaron, verse 10.
Who's the House of Aarons? The priest of God, nearest to
Him. Your very calling is by His grace
and truth and faithfulness. You're His priest who comes into
His presence with sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise to
the mercy of Satan. You fear the Lord. You trust
the Lord, O House of Aarons. And verse 11, ye that fear the
Lord. Who's this? It's every nation. Every believer of every nation,
every tongue, every people who've been taught. I'll teach you the fear of the
Lord. They've been taught. The beginning of wisdom is the
fear of the Lord. They've been taught. They worship
in reverence His name. O ye that fear the Lord, trust
in the Lord. After each one of these commands
in 9, 10, 11, there's the same words. Israel, trust in the Lord. House of Avon, trust in the Lord.
He that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their help. He is their help. We're helpless in ourselves.
Vain is the help of me, Jehovah is our help. He has promised
help for the helpless. And he's able to do, Abraham
said what he promised. He laid help for us on his son. And he did for us all that God
commanded. He has a throne of grace to which
we can come for mercy and grace to help in time of need. His goodness and mercy follow
us to help us all the days of our lives. His Spirit helpeth
our infirmities. We know not what we should pray
for as we are, and make it in a session. He's our help, a very
present help, a sufficient help, a complete help. all we need. But He's our shield. As a shield
protects the body. Our God protects and defends
us from all dangers, all devils, and all enemies. It is a shield that has hedged
us about. And this shield is Number one, his love and favor. He's shielded us, hedged us about
with his love and favor. They're mine. Touch not mine
anointing. Number two, his great power and
might shields his people. He gives his angel charge over
them. His truth and faithfulness, David
dying, says, God made with me a covenant, ordered in all things
and sure. This is my salvation. His blood and righteousness.
You were beautiful, but not in your beauty, but in my beauty,
in my holiness. And then His Spirit and His grace. My grace is sufficient. But I need to be rid of this.
My grace is sufficient. But this hill is too steep. My
grace is sufficient. Then verse 12, the Lord hath
been mindful of us, and because of His being mindful
of us in His purpose. He's the first cause of all things.
His purpose, His love toward us, He's mindful of us. The Lord's been mindful of us.
And listen, and He'll bless us. He'll bless us. Whom will He
bless? Go back, a while ago He said,
O house of Israel, Trust the Lord, He'll bless the house of
Israel. He's been mindful of the house of Israel. And because
He's mindful of His chosen, His elect, He'll bless them. He'll
bless the old house of Israel. He'll bless the house of Abram. He'll bless those, His priests,
kings and priests under God. He'll bless those that fear Him.
He gave us that fear. He shed abroad in our hearts
that love. The Lord will bless them that
fear Him, small and great. And then it says the Lord will
increase you more and more. He'll increase you how? Increase
your knowledge, your growing grace, and then the knowledge
of Christ Jesus. He'll increase your love. He'll
increase your faith. He'll give you trials that will
strengthen your faith and give you patience and teach you His
way and His will. He'll increase you. He'll increase
His grace to you because you'll need it more and more as you
get older. He'll increase you more and more, you and your children. Now in closing, you're blessed of the Lord which
made heaven and earth. These heathen gods we've been
reading about have no power to perform anything
or to do anything. But we have all these blessings
because we're blessed of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
He made all things. And one who is able to do what
He's done is able to bless us with enormous blessings. Enormous
gifts. Enormous grace. Not like those
helpless idols. Our blessings depend upon the
power of our God. I've often said there's only
one place that a man will really, a woman will really worship,
really worship, and that's before the throne of an almighty, sovereign,
omnipotent God with all power in heaven and earth that we'll
worship when we find out who He is. There's only one place
that a man or woman will find true salvation. And that is as
a gift of the grace and kindness of that almighty sovereign God
who's able to save. Who's able to be just and justify. Who's able to redeem the cheap
offenders. Who's able to keep us from falling.
That's the only place you'll find salvation. A God that offers
something depending upon your work. That's not reliable salvation. Reliable salvation is when he
does it all and gives it to you with no strings attached. Gives
you the gift of his love and grace. And then the third thing,
the only place that a man or woman will find comfort in this
world of disappointments, sadness, heartache and heavy trials get
one place. And that's to know that these
trials and burdens and heartaches are sent by Him for His glory
and for our eternal good. And like we were saying, we know
that all things work together for good to them who love God,
who are called according to His sovereign, unchangeable, Purpose. Now then, that's comfort. You're blessed of the Lord who
made heaven and earth. If he made it, he owns it. If
he owns it, he disposes of it as he will. If he owns it, he'll
give it to whom he will. If he owns it and you are his
son, you own it. The heavens, even the heavens
are the Lord's. The earth has He given to the
children of men. They've used it and abused it
and misused it. And He's going to burn it up
and make a new one. But the dead praise not the Lord.
The dead sinners don't praise the Lord. Neither any that go
down into silence. But I'll tell you this. We'll bless the Lord. No question
about it. We will. We will. We'll bless Him. We'll give Him
all the glory. We'll give Him all the praise.
We'll never be ashamed of this, His gospel or Him. We'll praise
Him now and we'll praise Him then. We'll praise Him forever.
From this time forth, forevermore. We'll praise the Lord.