Psalms 124:1-8 11/12/23 a.m. Day after Veterans
Today we honor our Veterans. These men and women were not called upon to give their ALL. That’s why they are here with us today. They’re alive. But they were WILLING to give their ALL. And they ALL gave some of their life for you and I. It COST all of them something that we as a people and a nation will never be able to REPAY.
Some of them still carry physical scars from their time in the service and they ALL have MEMORIES from their time serving our country that they will NEVER forget.
And I just want to say this. I’m SO THANKFUL that they are here today. I know God’s protection was upon them whether they were in battle or not.
ILLUS: Maybe I’m overthinking this but I think about what if they wouldn’t have come home. What if I had never met them. How much we all would have missed out on NOT knowing them and hearing their stories.
I think about my own grandfather who died when he was my age. 57. A WW2 Veteran who was injured while fighting in Belgium. What a sweet man that he was and even though he died so young, I got to know him. Why? Because the LORD’S HAND was upon him and God spared his life from a German Grenade that severely injured him. God spared his life so that he could put his trust in Jesus before he died. And now today, my dad and him are together and someday I’ll get to join them in Heaven.
This morning I want to preach to you about the GOODNESS and PROTECTION of God. How if it weren’t for Him we would all be destroyed. So I want to read the 124th Psalm. We’ll begin with Verse 1 and read all 8 Verses.
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say;
2 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
I love history and I especially love military history. And I REALLY LOVE Aviation Military History.
It was 1943, and a B17 Bomber named Tondelayo was flying a mission over Kassel, Germany. The plane was piloted by a fellow by the name of Bohn Fawkes. But on this particular mission the flack from the German ant-aircraft guns was strong and the Tondelayo was hit.
It wasn’t too unusual to be hit but this day was different. The Tondelayo’s FUEL TANK was hit by a 20mm shell. And for some reason, it didn’t explode. They made it back to base and landed safely. But there’s more to the story. It wasn’t just one 20mm shell that hit their fuel tank. It was 11. They found 11, 20mm shells inside the fuel tank of their B17 Bomber and none of them had exploded. It was a miracle. They removed all the shells and sent them to be defused. What they found was amazing. None of the shells were armed. None of them had an explosive charge. But one of them had a rolled up note inside the casing where the charge would have been. It was written in Czeckoslavakian. And when it was translated to English, this is what it said. “This is all we can do for you now.”
A Czech war prisoner, working in terrible conditions, had risked his life to do what he could for the cause of FREEDOM. If it had not been for the PROTECTION of God and HIM working in the lives of people, like that Czeckoslavakian man, everyone on that B17 would have been killed.
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side”
Before I get into my message, let’s go to the lord in Prayer.
Brother ____, would you lead us?
I. As we look here at the 124th Psalm, both Verses 1 and 2 start off with, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side.”
And then Verse 2 goes on to say, “when men rose up against us:”
Psalms 124 is a Psalm of David. A lot of scholars believe he wrote it when the Philistines came up against Israel. David knew the FIGHTING POWER of the Philistine Army. They were known throughout the region for their advanced weaponry and powerful military. David knew that on their own, Israel would be totally destroyed without God being on their side.
And let me just say this. In this DAY and AGE that we live, MEN WILL RISE UP AGAINST US. And I’m NOT just talking about the FIERCE BATTLES that take place on FACEBOOK. Man those can turn into REAL BLOODBATHS!!!
No, I’m talking about taking a stand for the RIGHT.
I’m talking about standing for MORALITY in our land where so many have become IMMORAL.
I’m talking about DEFENDING the LIVES of PRECIOUS LITTLE BABIES before they are even born.
I’m talking about standing for BIBLICAL MARRIAGE. One MAN and one WOMAN!!!
I’m talking BEING what God created you to be and NOT trying to CHANGE IT. God don’t make mistakes!!!
I’m talking about standing against EVIL. I’m talking about FIGHTING CORRUPTION. I’m talking about FIGHTING the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH!!!
And let me warn you. If you do ANY of these things, if you STAND against EVIL and CORRUPTION. If you stand for LIFE, MEN WILL RISE AGAINST YOU!!!
In the past EVIL MEN have RISEN UP and tried to destroy an ENTIRE RACE of PEOPLE, the Jews. And our brave men and women FOUGHT AGAINST them and with the LORD’S HELP, they OVERCAME THEM.
In the past, countries have tried to ENSLAVE their own people through COMMUNISM, and BRAVE men and women have stood against them.
And now today, the BATTLE is here on our own shores. It’s a battle for the MINDS and HEARTS of our YOUNG PEOPLE. There are those in leadership roles who would take our CHILDREN and PERVERT their minds.
ILLUS: I was looking at the Tulsa County Library Sight and it has a special section JUST FOR LGBTQ people. And part of that section is broken down into TEENS and YOUNG ADULTS. An LGBTQ section for TEENS. That’s YOUR TAX DOLLARS and MY TAX DOLLARS going to PROMOTE HOMOSEXUALITY and TRANSGENDERISM to our young people. When you stand against this, I guarantee you EVIL MEN and WOMEN are going to RISE AGAINST YOU.
II. “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:”
Well, I think it’s pretty clear that EVIL MEN and WOMEN are going to RISE UP against us. All you have to do is look around. And that’s what David was saying here. As he was writing this he probably remembered OLD GOLIATH standing there with HIS SWORD and SHIELD TOWERING over him. David with nothing but a SLING and 5 smooth stones. It was gonna be a QUICK LITTLE SLAUGHTER for Goliath, the Philistine. It wouldn’t take long to STOMP this LITTLE SHEPHERD BOY into the MUD. That is ... UNTIL GOD STEPPED IN.
You know, in the past I’ve seen pictures of 5 little stones about the size of a MARBLE. Remember the LITTLE ARCH STORY BOOKS. That’s kind of what they show. And maybe I’m wrong here but I kind of doubt that David put a little rock in a sling shot and brought old Goliath down. I betcha the stone was more like the size of a GOLF BALL. I betcha it had some weight to it. And when God got ahold of that stone as it left David’s sling, He put a little bit more UMP to it and steered it straight toward Goliath’s forehead. If not for God doing that, Goliath would have made QUICK WORK out of David.
And I kind of think the WEAPONS that are used against us today would ABSOLUTELY DESTROY US, if not for the Lord.
Let me tell you something today. Don’t FOOL YOURSELF. Don’t think for a MINUTE you can handle the DEVIL on your own.
The POWER of the DEVIL is GREAT.
He, as a FALLEN ANGEL is POWERFUL.
He as Prince of the Power of the Air IS STRONG.
He with his LEGIONS of DEMONS is NOT something to be MESSED WITH.
And he is EMPOWERING our enemies today. He is ENABLING the WICKEDNESS that is so PREVALENT in our WORLD TODAY. And he would STOMP US down into the MUD. He would OVERWHELM US like a FLOOD of WATER EXCEPT for ONE THING. One little small detail. Look at Verse 6.
III. “Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.”
Old Goliath would have liked to GNAW on David. But instead of GNAWING on David ... David stood on top of Goliath and CUTOFF his head with Goliath’s own SWORD.
David doesn’t MINCE WORDS when it comes to HOW CLOSE he was to death. Look at Verse 7.
“Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.”
It looked like David was caught. It looked like he was a GONER. But then God stepped in and BROKE the SNARE. The TRAP was BROKEN. And David escaped.
Later on David had to deal with others who wanted to DESTROY HIM.
King Saul became so jealous of David that he tried to run his SPEAR through him on two different occasions but David escaped.
After David became king, his own son Absalom rebelled against him and tried to take the kingdom from him. But once again David escaped and later prevailed. Oh, King David knew who protected him. It was God. Verse 8 tells us,
“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth.”
Can I be honest with you for a minute. Some of the battles that MUST be fought today seem overwhelming. You see, I don’t think we have a choice on some of these things.
Some of the things that are going on today are SO WICKED and EVIL that they are an ABOMINATION to God. It is OUR RESPONSIBILITY to STAND and FIGHT.
We can’t always just turn our heads and look the other way. We can’t always just GET ALONG. There are times when we MUST STAND AGAINST EVIL.
Paul told young Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 to “Fight the good fight of faith.”
Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Even when it’s not popular to stand ... WE MUST STAND.
Even when people say, “Oh just LIVE and LET LIVE. You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”
Even when people say “Oh, that Bible is OLD and OUTDATED. It’s just a bunch of Fairy Tales.” Romans 3:4 tells us, “let God be true, but every man a liar”
In Ezekiel 22, the WORD of the Lord comes to the Prophet Ezekiel. And it talks about the Priests and the Prophets, the Princes and just the common people. And in Verse 30 it says,
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
Would there be just one person who would be willing to stand against the EVIL in the LAND? No, there was NO ONE. How sad is that. And today, God is still searching for people, both men and women, who will STAND in the GAP against the EVIL in the land. Is there anyone willing?
Listen, as time goes on and things get worse and worse, THIS SCRIPTURE RIGHT HERE will be a comfort to us.
“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
I love Lamentations 3:22 and 23.
“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
ILLUS: Friday morning I was talking to Jerry McDow right before they took him back for surgery. Penny and Willie were there. His daughters and grand daughters were there. But they had all stepped outside and it was just me and him. We talked about his time over in the jungles of Vietnam. How hard it was as a sergeant leading men into harm’s way. And all of the blessings that God had given to him through the years. And I asked him if I could read Psalms 124 to him. And of course he said yes. I read it and I said “Jerry, if it had not been the Lord who was on your side, I don’t know if you would have made it home. I don’t know if you would came out of that JUNGLE.”
And folks, all of the things that we all have been through, some of you all have faced GIANTS in your own life, GREAT TRAGEDY, GREAT LOSS, GREAT MEDICAL EMERGENCIES and HEALTH SCARES. And IF IT HAD NOT BEEN for the Lord being on our side, I don’t know where any of us would be today. GOD has been there for each one of us, each step of the way. God has GRANTED you LIFE, He has given you the BREATH to BREATHE, the FOOD to EAT and the WATER to DRINK. He has met your needs. Now, what have you done for Him? Have you committed your life to Him? Have you been there to take a stand for Him? Have you STOOD AGAINST the EVIL that is everywhere around us today. Have you FOUGHT the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH? Or have you just given in to the PRESSURE of the world?
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say;
2 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
If something I’ve said today has spoken to you, you can come today. If you needed to take a stand but you haven’t, you can take that first step today. Listen, God loves you and He wants to be Lord of your life.
Let’s Pray
