If God Had Not...
A, IN PSALMS DELIVERANCE A MAJOR THEME.
1. Men praise God because He does help.
2. They plead for justice where there is oppression, wickedness.
3. They don't just wish, but plead with God to act, deliver, and destroy those
oppressing them.
B. GOD IS OUR HELP!
C. LET'S LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THIS SECTION OF THE PSALM.
A. "HELP" --Hebrew, `ezrah or `ezrath, "help, succor, assistance; a) help, succor, b)
one who helps."
1. Psalms 60:11, Only God can help against some foes.
2. Man's help is useless in such times.
B. REMINDS US OF EBENEZER IN THE SONG, O THOU FOUNT OF EVERY
BLESSING, #545. Ebenezer, 'Eben ha-` ezer "stone of help"; the memorial stone
erected by Samuel to mark where God helped Israel to defeat the Philistines, north
of Jerusalem.
1. Samuel's prophecy about Eli's wicked house( 1 Samuel 3:11-14 ).
2. Israel camped beside Ebenezer; the Philistines in Aphek( 4:1 ).
3. The ark is taken and Eli's sons are killed. There is no help from God.
4. Another battle.( 1 Samuel 7:10-13 ). Help from God this time.
C. WE MUST LEARN TO ASK GOD'S HELP( Psalm 27:9; Heb. 4:16 ).
D. WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT GOD'S HELP?
A. SLIPPETH, mowt-, "to totter, to shake, to slip."
1. An unintentional fall - Careless( Heb. 2:1 ).
2. Psalm 73:2-3, 11-18. Distracted by envy.
3. The slipping of Peter( Matt. 14:22-33 ).
B. HELD UP, ca` ad-, saw-ad', "to support, to sustain, to stay, to establish, to
strengthen, to comfort." KEPT FROM SLIPPING.
1. Heb. 2:1. Give heed to the things that were heard.
2. Psa. 1:1-3. Delight in the law of Jehovah( Psa. 17:5; 119:92 ).
3. We have an anchor( Heb. 6:18-19 ).
C. GOD'S MOTIVE - LOVINGKINDNESS, MERCY( Heb. 4:16; Eph. 2:4-5 ).
A. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS A GREAT SOURCE OF COMFORT( Rom. 15:4 ).
B. GOD IS THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT( 2 Cor.1:3-5 ).
1. Through the comfort of the apostles( vs. 4 ).
2. And of Jesus( vs. 5; Heb. 2:18 ).
C. CONSOLATION IN ANXIETY, sar` aph-, "disquieting thoughts, thoughts."
1. Phil. 4:4-7. Paul's prescription.
a. Rejoice in the blessings of the Lord. d. Enumerate your blessings.
b. Trust him to be with you. e. The result: Peace!
c. Trust him with your troubles.
PRAY!
2. "Think on these things" ( Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:1-4; Psa. 63:5-6; 119:97 ).
A. DEFENSE, FORTRESS, STRONGHOLD, misgab, "a cliff (or other lofty or
inaccessible place); abstractly, altitude; figuratively, a refuge, KJV-- defence, high
fort (tower), refuge, Misgab, a place in Moab."
B. THE ROCK OF MY REFUGE( Psa. 46:1; 71:3; 2 Sam. 22:1-4 ).
C. WHERE CAN I GO, BUT TO THE LORD? WHAT IF HE WASN'T THERE?
A. THE QUESTION OF THE PSALMIST( Psa. 94:1-4, 23 ).
B. GOD'S ANSWER( vs. 23; 50:16-21; 1:4-6 ).
C. OT A HISTORY OF GOD'S PEOPLE AND THOSE WHO REJECTED
( Rom. 11:22; 2 Pet. 3:1-9 ).
D. WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?( 2 Cor. 6:1-2 ).
A. THE WISE AND RIGHTEOUS LEARN TO RELY ON GOD MORE.
B. THE UNGODLY AND FOOLISH WILL REAP WHAT THEY SOW.
Point on preaching: "All clear thinking should be reducible to an outline, no matter what may be the nature of the theme. When such grouping is not possible it may be regarded as a fairly certain indication that one has not thought his way through his subject." (How to Prepare A Sermon, by H.E. Knott, page 21)