“If It Had Not Been For The Lord”
Psalms 124:1-2 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
God is calling His people right here, right now. Has He been good to you? Has He done anything for you? If He has, how can you sit down on Him? How can you not praise Him? You ought to stand on your feet and praise Him in here today! You ought to praise Him, you ought to acknowledge Him, you ought to thank Him! If He’s ever brought you out of anything, you ought to praise Him! Do it now, don’t wait! He’s worthy! He’s worthy to be praised! Look, I know it’s early in the message and I haven’t had time to work you up or prime you up to shout, but if you can’t shout about what God has done for you, if you can’t shout about where He has brought you from, if you ain’t excited about how God has kept you…….then keep your seat! You ought not to have to have a jump start to get stirred up! Nobody ought to have to fill you with Holy helium like a balloon in order for you to thank God! You should’ve left all your negativity at the door, put on your happy face, skipped-to-my-Lou-my-darling your way in here and got your praise on, if for no other reason than God!!! I don’t care what church folk have done to you, but baby I see what God has done for you! I don’t care how they look at you…b/c His eye is on the sparrow and you know He watches over you! I know what folks do to you, mistreat you, drag and scandalize your good name, lie on you, laugh at you, and look over you, hit
you in the front and stab you in the back! But you gotta know that God has your back! I think David said it best….”surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!”! Although I might not be what I ought to be, I thank God I’m not what I used to be! I know it’s somebody in here that knows IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!! His goodness, His mercy, His peace, His longsuffering, His patience, His love, His grace, His amazing grace, and His guidance! If it had not been for the Lord, you would have been undone or become undone a long time ago. Thank you Lord for your grace, your goodness, and your guidance!
David was determined to give his message to listening ears, and I’m also here today to tell you that you should not be ashamed to tell somebody just how good God has been to you! In David’s time, Israel was on the brink of total destruction, and I came across this poem the other day. It reads:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Can you see our nation fall?
Headlines scream of our decay,
Is there any hope today?
Welfare numbers are soaring high,
Drugs are causing our kids to die.
Villains are heroes on TV,
While legal loopholes set them free.
Morality is a foreign word,
Love with marriage is unheard.
Hijacked planes, and negative press,
Schools are in an awful mess.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Is there any hope at all?
In a world so crooked and perverse, we ought to all be saying, “IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD”. I feel safe saying that everybody in here has been through something. I also feel comfortable in saying that most of us have been on the brink of some type of disaster in our life. You ever been on the brink of:
Bankruptcy?
Losing your mind?
Not making it from check to check?
Not making ends meet?
Total frustration?
Giving up and getting out?
I feel obligated to tell you that when you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work, I’ve got a friend you ought to try. Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus! He’s always been and always will be the one cure-all! Even if your troubles seem more complex and more profound than anything you’ve ever faced, and even if everything you’ve ever dealt with in your life has seemed like you were walking a tightrope, you still ought to know and understand you can depend on Jesus! As you look back over your life and it seemed to be trial after trial, tribulation after tribulation, and trouble after trouble, you made it. Just like the Williams Brothers’ song I Made It Through! You ought to be able to say: IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!!
I remember many problems in my life. God said Come to the edge. I said I can’t, I’m scared. God said Come to the edge. I said I can’t, I’ll fall off. God said it again, Come to the edge. I went to the edge. He pushed me. I fell. But then, I began to fly. You see, all it takes is a little bit of faith. God said in His Word in Matthew 17:20, that if ye have faith the size of a mustard seed, then anything is possible. God blesses us in ways we could never imagine. As bonafide, sanctified, and glorified as we may present ourselves to be, we’ve all done bad things. We’ve all engaged in bad behavior, said some bad words, and had some bad habits. IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!! He transformed my bad into B-A-D. Instead of being bad, badder than old King Cole and meaner than any junk yard dog. Instead of that, now I’m B-A-D, Blessed and Delivered! When the enemy attacks me, I’m B-A-D. When things ain’t right at home, I’m B-A-D. When the kids won’t act right, I’m B-A-D. When folks talk bad about me, I’m B-A-D. When all hell breaks loose, I’m still B-A-D!!! When you consider how many times you’ve came out of a problem unmarked, unharmed, unwounded, and undeterred, somebody ought to be able to say, IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!!
Acts 14:22 says confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen the storms and the rain, I’ve been buked and scorned, I’ve had trouble in my way. I’ve had my ups and downs, had my share of heartache, and even been heartbroken a time or two! But I want you to know today, that Paul says in the book of 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, But we have treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed, perplexed but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed. In my troubles, my distress, my perplexity, my despair, and my loneliness, I can truly say IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!! God says He is the only way out. He is all sufficient! There is no problem He can’t solve, no mountain He can’t move, no disease He can’t heal, or no door He can’t open! There is no sinner He can’t redeem or no valley He can’t bring you out of! He is God all by Himself! He is with us, He is for us, He is among us, and He is in us! IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!! Nothing but the power of God can protect me! John 1:7 says But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all our sin. That’s why we can say that nothing but the blood of Jesus can cover me! Phillipians 4:7 says And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That’s why we can say nothing but the peace of God can keep me! Isaiah 54:17 says No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. That’s why we can say nothing but God’s protection can defend me!
I’m glad:
I’m not a prisoner of my enemies.
I’m not a victim of some dreaded disease.
I haven’t fallen victim to some homicidal maniac.
When all my props gave way, He held me up!
Anybody know it’s the Lord holding you up? If it had not been for the Lord when my friends failed me. I found out that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. When all your friends are gone, when your best friend bails out on you, and the friends you have just ain’t friendly no more! Let me whisper in your ear and shout to your spirit, What a friend we have in Jesus!!! All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry it to the Lord in prayer!
All to Him I owe,
Sin left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
He made the forests where they sprung,
The tree on which His body hung.
He died upon a cross of wood,
Yet made the hill on which it stood!
The sky which darkened above His head,
By Him above the earth was spread.
I remember when I first started preaching, people would say I know that ain’t Burney up there! What is he doing? He ain’t got no business preaching! He ain’t been called by God! All the beer I drunk, all the refer I smoked, all the women I ever done wrong, all the laws I ever broke! I’m here to tell you, IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!! Don’t act like I’m by myself! If it had not been for the Lord, you’d still be walking how you used to walk, talking how you used to talk. Don’t ya’ll act like I’m by myself in here! If it had not been for the Lord, you’d still be smoking like you used to smoke, drinking like you used to drink, fornicating like you used to fornicate, and most of all you’d still be lost like you used to be lost! Tell your neighbor IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!!!
A man was shopping in a grocery store. His young son followed closely behind him, carrying a large basket. The father loaded the basket with one thing after another, until another customer began to notice and feel sorry for the boy. The lady approached the boy. “ That’s a heavy load for such a young fellow, isn’t it?” The boy turned to the woman and said, “ Don’t worry. My dad knows how much I can carry.” In the same way God knows our limitations and gives to us no burden that we can’t carry. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad He knows just how much we can bear!
IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD:
He descended that we might ascend.
He died that we might be born again.
He was hungry that we might be fed.
He went thirsty that we might be satisfied.
He was stripped that we might be clothed.
He was sad that we might be glad.
He was bound that we might go free.
He came down that we might be called up.
He bled that we might live.
He hung that we might live.
He died that we might live.
Most of all, He rose that we might live!
IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD!
Tell somebody what the Lord has done for you!
Tell them how He brought you!
Tell them how He taught you!
Tell them how He bought you!
Tell them, neighbor…You don’t know!
You weren’t there. You don’t know when and you don’t know where!
You don’t know like I know what the Lord has done for me!
The doors of the church are open………
