On Which Side Are You?

Introductions

Rev. Matthew Poole (1624-1679) explains in his English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1685), “The occasion of this Psalm was to manifest some eminent danger or distress of the people of Israel from some idolatrous nations; but whether it was that mentioned 2Ch 20:1-37, or what other, is but matter of conjecture, and not worth our inquiry.”2

Dr. Robert B. Hughes and Dr. J. Carl Laney share, “The nations mocked Israel concerning the perceived absence of her God. In that light the writer prayed for God to glorify his name (Ps. 115:1). Compare [Psalm] 115:4-8 with Isaiah 44:9-20.”3

In Psalm 115:3, David writes, “But our God is in heaven; / He does whatever He pleases.” We will discover several aspects of our great and mighty God.

I. The Subjects Of His Kingdom

“But our God. . .” (Psalm 115:3a)

“Why should the Gentiles say, / ‘So where is their God?’” (Psalm 115:2) Please note unbelievers refer to speak of the true and living God as being someone else’s God.

We discover in the fifteenth psalm the contrast between the futility of idols and the faithfulness of God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we serve the God of divine revelation not merely the god of human imagination. We must test everything we think we know about God with the Bible. I must warn you not to get your theology from popular books like The Da Vinci Code or The Shack. Read all of the reviews of these books before you uncritically accept the word of Dan Brown or William P. Young.

Interestingly there are many people claim to believe in God but reject Jesus Christ. John writes in his first epistle, “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies  the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:22-23).

To use a phrase used in advertisements, God is “often imitated, never duplicated.” David reveals the foolishness of those who try, “Their idols are silver and gold, / The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; / Eyes they have, but they do not see; / They have ears, but they do not hear; / Noses they have, but they do not smell; / They have hands, but they do not handle; / Feet they have, but they do not walk; / Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; / So is everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 115:4-8).

The following psalms clearly attack idolatry. In Psalm 96:5 we read, “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.” Also Psalm 97:7 records, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, / Who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.” Finally we discover this in Psalm 135:15-18, “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, / The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; / Eyes they have, but they do not see; / They have ears, but they do not hear; / Nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them are like them; / So is everyone who trusts in them.” Consider the following poem:

“Formed by human hands, behold Gods of silver, gods of gold; Worship unto these they pay,  Unto these bow down and pray.

Mouths have they, yet not a word From their speechless lips is heard; Eyes they have, yet blind are found; Ears,—but cannot hear a sound.

They as void of sense appear, Who these senseless idols rear; All who trust in them for aid, Miserable dupes are made.

Israel, trust thou in the Lord; He alone can help afford:

Make Jehovah's name your shield; Sure protection he will yield.”4

Regrettably there are those who say in their heart like those in Jesus’ parable of the minas, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).

Paul writes to Timothy, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:15-17). Later in the same book Paul writes to Timothy, “which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

In a sense all men and women are subjects of the King of kings and Lord of Lords as we read in Philippians 2:5-11. Here Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Those who follow the false teaching of Universalism might take these verses to mean that all will go to heaven. Just because people recognize Jesus on that day does not mean they have a personal relationship with Him. As we read Jesus’ warning recorded in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Are you a loyal subject of the King of kings and Lord of lords, or are you guilty of high treason against heaven’s King? Hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels, and all men and women, who rebel against the rule of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

II. The Seat Of His Power

“But our God is in heaven. . .” (Psalm 115:3)

The Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary gives the following definition for the term residence, “The seat or place of power in government.”

Isaiah the prophet writes, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is My throne, / And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, / And all those things exist,’ / Says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:1-2).

David declares, “The Lord is in His holy temple, / The LORD’s throne is in heaven; / His eyes behold, / His eyelids test the sons of men” (Psalm 11:4).

John writes in Revelation 4:2, “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.”

Paul proclaimed to the men of Athens, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:24-25).

We discover the term “Almighty God” over 40 times in the Old Testament for example, in Genesis 17:1 and 35:11. This term reappears in the book of Revelation in (1:8; 4:8; 11:7; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:15; and 21:22).

From Hebrews 1:8a we read, “But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; / A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” Also we read in Hebrews 8:1-2, “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) shares the following insight in The Interpreter, or Scripture for Family Worship, “However much the ungodly may rage, God sits upon the throne, they cannot thrust him from the seat of power; and, moreover, amid all their riot the Lord achieves his purposes, and in every jot and tittle his decrees are fulfilled. Sweet comfort this.”5

III. The Sovereignty Of His Will

“But our God is in heaven; / He does whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3c).

William MacDonald (1917-2007) explains in his Believer’s Bible Commentary, “The sovereignty of God means that He is free to do whatever He pleases, and what He pleases is always good, just, and wise.”6Sometimes a person will ask, “Is there anything God can’t do?” God’s only limitations are His perfections. Maisie Sparks wrote a book titled 101 Things God Can’t Do. Here are ten that apply to the believer: “God can’t get tired” (Isaiah 40:28); “God can’t take on a job he can’t handle” (Jeremiah 32:17); “God can’t be unholy” (Isaiah 6:3); “God can’t be prejudiced” (Acts 10:34-35); “God can’t break a promise” (Psalm 89:34); “God can’t remember sins He has chosen to forget” (Isaiah 43:25); “God can’t make a loser.” (2 Corinthians 2:14); “God can’t abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6); “God can’t stop thinking about you” (Psalm 139:17-18) and “God can’t stop loving you” (Jeremiah 31:3).7

In the Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, Mark Water explains, “God has the unlimited power to accomplish anything that can be accomplished - this is known as omnipotence. The things God does are neither difficult nor easy for God; they are only either done or not done. God has the power to accomplish everything he desires to do.”8 Paul writes in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” We read in Hebrews 2:3-4, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various  miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”

Adelaide A. Procter (1825-1864) shares the following poetic expression: “In every life

There's a pause that is better than onward rush, Better than hewing or mightiest doing;

'Tis the standing still at Sovereign will.

There's a hush that is better than ardent speech, Better than sighing or wilderness crying;

'Tis the being still at Sovereign will.

The pause and the hush sing a double song In unison low and for all time long.

O human soul, God's working plan Goes on, nor needs the aid of man! Stand still, and see!

Be still, and know! Thankfulness

My God, I thank Thee who hast made The Earth so bright;

So full of splendour and of joy, Beauty and light;

So many glorious things are here, Noble and right!

I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made Joy to abound;

So many gentle thoughts and deeds Circling us around,

That in the darkest spot of Earth Some love is found.

I thank thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept The best in store;

We have enough, yet not too much To long for more:

A yearning for a deeper peace, Not known before.

I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls, Though amply blest,

Can never find, although they seek, A perfect rest

Nor ever shall, until they lean On Jesus breast!”9

George Müller (1805-1898) is a stellar example of a man of faith. He relied on God’s sovereignty in his ministry to orphans in London. After his wife of thirty-nine years died, he preached her funeral message from the text "Thou art good and doest good" (Psalm 119:68). He recounted how he prayed when he discovered she had rheumatic fever: “Yes, my Father, the times of my darling wife are in Thy hands. Thou wilt do the very best thing for her, and for me, whether life or death. If it may be, raise up yet again my precious wife—Thou are able to do it, though she is so ill; but howsoever Thou dealest with me, only help me to continue to be perfectly satisfied with Thy holy will.”10

However, it was the Lord's will to take her. Note his great confidence in the sovereign mercy of God, when he said: “I bow, I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father, I seek by perfect submission to his holy will to glorify him, I kiss continually the hand that has afflicted me. . . . Without an effort my inmost soul habitually joys in the joy of that loved departed one. Her happiness gives joy to me. My dear daughter and I would not have her back, were it possible to produce it by the turn of a hand. God himself has done it; we are satisfied with him.”11

Conclusion

Dr. Merrill F. Unger (1909-1980) shares a concise summary of Psalm 115 in The New Unger's Bible Handbook about Israel’s God: “Who He is, 1-3, is contrasted with what idols are, 4-8. The exalted One can be implicitly trusted, 9-18.”12

Charles Haddon Spurgeon provides the following comment, “But our God is in the heavens—where he should be; above the reach of mortal sneers, over hearing all the vain jangling of men, but looking down with silent scorn upon the makers of the [Tower of] Babel. Supreme above all opposing powers, the Lord reigneth upon a throne high and lifted up. Incomprehensible in essence, he rises above the loftiest thought of the wise; absolute in will and infinite in power, he is superior to the limitations which belong to earth and time. This God is our God, and we are not ashamed to own him, albeit he may not work miracles at the beck and call of every vain glorious boaster who may choose to challenge him. Once they bade his Son come down from the cross and they would believe in him, now they would have God overstep the ordinary bounds of his providence and come down from heaven to convince them: but other matters occupy his august mind besides the convincement of those who wilfully shut their eyes to the superabundant evidences of his divine power and Godhead, which are all around them. If our God be neither seen nor heard, and is not to be worshipped under any outward symbol, yet is he none the less real and true, for he is where his adversaries can never be—in the heavens, whence he stretches forth his sceptre, and rules with boundless power.”13

As David writes in Psalm 115:3, “But our God is in heaven; / He does whatever He pleases.”

Allow me to share three passages from the gospel of John, beginning with chapter 17 verse one, “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come.

Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:1-5). From John 14:6 we read, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Finally from John 10:7-18 we read, “Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves  and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. Andother sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. ‘Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.’”