Let God’s People Trust Him as Their Help and Shield
In response to the warning in verse 8 this section calls all the members of God’s family to trust the Lord . The Lord alone is qualified to be our help and our shield.
Psalm 115:9-11 (ESV)
9  O Israel, trust 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  You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
 
“The fear of the Lord” what does this mean? Does it mean if we cross God, if we disobey Him he will smash us like a bug? He will really do us harm because we sinned or failed Him?
 
No! The fear of the Lord is to hold God in the highest reverence as the Most Holy. To be revered, worship, honored and praised continually. What does verse 1 say,” but your name give glory for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.”
 

The next verses are passage that exposes the folly of worshipping idols.
Psalm 115:4-8 (ESV)   Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.5  They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6  They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7  They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8  Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.
 
You may say, well I don’t worship an idol. Are you sure you don’t? There are sorts of modern day idols:
Popularity- fitting in with the crowd.
Career- climbing the corporate ladder
Family or children can be an idol.
Pleasure of sorts- can be an idol.
Pornography-
Personal appearance or physical fitness can become an idol.
Certain types of possessions( material things) can be an idol.
Entertainment, social media,
Food can be an idol.
I guess we can go on with the list.
 
Anything that takes first place in your life  except the Lord Jesus Christ is an idol.
The Psalmist says the idols worshipers become like their idols.
 

Psalm 115:2-3 (ESV)
2  Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Is the world asking “Where is our God?” I think so and it because they see no demonstration of His power through those who call themselves children of God. They see little or no difference in their lives and our lives.
So if they can’t see or know our God they turn away from Him.
3  Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
The Psalmist answer the question: Our God is in the heavens and He does whatever He pleases. Too often we try to figure out God with our limited knowledge. We try to explain God , when we have little knowledge.
Hear what Nebuchadnezzar had to say about the Most High God,            Daniel 4:35 (ESV) 35  all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
What did the sailors on the ship with Jonah cry out? Jonah 1:14 (ESV) 14  Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.”

 
As we move through the Word of God to see what He is saying to us in 2019. We go to a very familiar chapter in Psalm. What does what us to hear from him today.
 

1. Only One God Deserves Worship

Psalm 115:1 (ESV)
  Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
 
As we have said over and over and God says it to us: It is not about me. Western Christianity thinks and practice a self-centered , self-absorbing religion.
 A pastor who visited China was asked by one of the pastor there to pray that they would be like the people in the US who had freedom to worship. He relpied absolutely not, I will pray that we will be like you.
 

If you are still beset, bother, heavy laden with some sin(s) in the past or even some recent sin there is one or two reasons:

1. You have not confessed it- that is agreeing with God that you have sinned. And therefore not forgiven and cleansed
   
2. And if you have confessed it maybe you not accepted the forgiveness of that sin and realized that God has forgiven you and he doesn’t remember that sin anymore. He has wipe it out. But if you hang on to it, it will torment you, you will live in a valley of guilt and regret.