Sermon Tone Analysis

Psalm 115 (KJV 1900)

1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?

3 But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.

5 They have mouths, but they speak not: Eyes have they, but they see not:

6 They have ears, but they hear not: Noses have they, but they smell not:

7 They have hands, but they handle not: Feet have they, but they walk not: Neither speak they through their throat.

8 They that make them are like unto them; So is every one that trusteth in them.

9 O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: He is their help and their shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: He is their help and their shield.

11 Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: He is their help and their shield.

12 The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.

13 He will bless them that fear the Lord, Both small and great.

14 The Lord shall increase you more and more, You and your children.

15 Ye are blessed of the Lord Which made heaven and earth.

16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: But the earth hath he given to the children of men.

17 The dead praise not the Lord, Neither any that go down into silence.

18 But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and for evermore.

Praise the Lord.

Introduction

This Psalm has been cited throughout history as Psalm for those who have found themselves at victory against all odds.

My favorite of these occasions involves the resilient William Wilberforce.

This famous British statesman fought to abolish slavery for forty-six years.

Wilberforce also loved the Psalms.

He was known for reciting Psalm 119 by heart.

He also loved Psalm 115.

After Parliament finally passed a bill to abolish slave trade, this little 5’3 warrior went home to mediate on Psalm 115:1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

What an appropriate response to a major victory!

Not to us, Not to Us

The Psalmist opens with the declaration that God, not men, should receive glory,

Illustration: Need a mirror.

What do you see? Favorite

Dad Joke: Look they have a picture of me here.

Regeneration

The shattered glass is restored and pointed toward our God.

1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

What to be more like Jesus than look at Him.

Rejecting glroy is needed to relfect glory

Main Idea: The Psalmist exalts the superiority of God over man-made idols, exhorting God’s people to worship and trust in God alone.

Not to Us, But to His Name Be the Glory

Not to us, but to His name (1-3)

Psalm 115:1-3 “1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. 2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? 3 But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”

The Psalmist opens with the declaration that God, not men, should receive glory,

This is the decisive decision we must make with our days.

Because of sin, we want to be our own king.

God will not share His glory.

Isaiah 48:11 “11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: For how should my name be polluted?

And I will not give my glory unto another.”

Told the MNG the 3rd word of Acts 13:36 brought a real decisive hour in my life.

Idols were attractive to Israel because the surrounding nations worshiped them.

They were attractive because idols didn’t speak, like God speaks.

Notice the emphasis on the idols lack of ability to speak (5, 7).

It was much easier to submit to a silent god, then a talking God, who calls you to holiness.

People today may not reject God in theory, but they don’t want a talking God, who makes demands on their lives.

They want a silent God.

I estimate their are well over 100 wooden, metal, or concrete idols in our county.

New ones have been added each year at a staggering rate.

I do not expect to get a transfer letter from one of those places.

Different idols but the same motive; want what the neighbors have.

We want to love, trust, worship, and find satisfaction in things other than the God of the Bible.

There’s a “mental aspect” and a “heart aspect” to idolatry.

Mentally, we indulge in idolatry when we have thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. 1 John 5:21 “21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Amen.”

Heart idolatry involves trusting in anything other than Christ to give us meaning, significance, joy, and salvation.

There can be no spiritual growth without the detection of idols, and the destruction of them.

We become what we behold/worship

Psalm 115:8 “8 They that make them are like unto them; So is every one that trusteth in them.”

“There’s nothing that makes you more miserable, or less interesting, than self-absorption” Kings Cross

The cure for this is to become “God-absorbed.”

We need a dynamic encounter with God that makes us long for Him, and His glory, rather than our own glory and our selfish desires.

Why should he receive this glory?

Psalm 115:1 “1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.”

His loyal steadfast love.

For His truth’s sake.

Beholding is becoming

When one worships worthless idols, they will live a spiritually worthless life.

In contrast, those who worship the living God, will grow into His image.

Psalm 135:18 “18 They that make them are like unto them: So is every one that trusteth in them.”

By constantly beholding the glory of Christ, we become more like Him. 2 Cor 3:18 “18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Not the dead, but we the living (14-16)

Psalm 115:16-18 “16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: But the earth hath he given to the children of men.

17 The dead praise not the Lord, Neither any that go down into silence.

18 But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and for evermore.

Praise the Lord.”

Praise God while you have breath and you will praise Him after your breath is gone!

Don’t waste your life, living for substitute gods.

The key to understanding difficult passages is hidden in the 3rd stanza of Hymns.

Where no one looks.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.

Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,

For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!

’Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,

To sound in God the Father's ears no other name but Thine.”

What Idols Can’t Do; What God Does

Where is our God?

Question: Psalm 115:2 “2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?”