More Sermon Series
Part 1
The Lord Shall Increase You
Psalms 115:14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Intro: The new theme for this year is MORE. The Bible is filled with verses and promises containing the word “MORE.”
We will look at many of these verses this year as we explore this word.
Here are just a few:
More Praying
- Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
More Fruit
- John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
More Giving
- Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
More Praise
- Psalms 71:14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
More Church
- Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
More Labor
- 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
More Souls
- Acts 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.
Our text for this theme and this series is Psalm 115:14.
But there’s something different about this verse – our theme verse – and many of these other verses.
Many of these verses refer to us doing more.
Many of them refer to more of certain things.
- Psalms 115:14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
The more in this verse is God increasing us.
Let’s look at the context of this verse before we dissect this amazing 2022 theme verse.
I. The Focus of MORE
- 1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
It is absolutely essential that our motivation for MORE is not just a selfish, covetous reason.
This whole idea of “MORE” must consist because of an underlying desire to bring God MORE glory.
Notice how adamant David is here to make sure that the glory goes to God – NOT UNTO US!
God is a jealous God and will not share His glory with anyone.
God’s response to several key Bible figures that failed to give Him the glory due unto him is severe.
ILLUSTRATION #1:
Nebuchadnezzar – Daniel 4:29-37
ILLUSTRATION #2:
Acts 12
- 21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
- 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
- 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
If our primary motivation for increase or wanting more is to be bigger or greater than someone else, it will not happen.
God will not honor a selfish glory-seeker.
God is not going to increase anyone that looks at what God does as a status symbol.
God is not going to do anything for you that will take glory away from Himself.
II. The Facilitator of MORE
- 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.
The heathen that worship idols and false gods have no hope of “more.”
They heathen prefer a god they can see as opposed to our God who is in the heavens.
But make no mistake: our God has power to do WHATSOEVER HE HATH PLEASED.
The gods of the heathens are created; ours is the Creator.
Their gods are seen with the human eye; our God made the human eye.
Their gods are silver and gold; our God made silver and gold.
Their god is the work of men’s hands; our God made men’s hands.
Then David goes into this long list of things that the heathen idols have that do not work.
NOTE: These idols are the epitome of false hope.
- You can sit and watch the mouth of an idol for decades; it will not speak to you.
- You can work for a lifetime in front of your idols, and they cannot see you.
- You can pray for hours and hours to your idols, they cannot hear you.
- You can expect them to help you, but their hands can do nothing.
- You cannot walk with a false god; their feet cannot walk.
Then David makes a full circle. He goes back to the inability of false gods to speak.
In verse 5, he mentioned that their God cannot speak. Then in verse 7 he mentions it again.
I kind of think David placed a high premium on the Word of God.
III. The Forecast of MORE
Verse 14 says “The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.”
A. The Expectation – “The Lord SHALL…”
- Vs. 11 – He is their help and their shield
- Vs. 12 – He will bless us
- Vs. 13 – He will bless them that fear the Lord
- Vs. 14 – The Lord shall
B. The Expansion – “…increase you more and more…”
- Vs. 15 – Ye are blessed
The contrasts between God and Satan are innumerable.
But one of the ways that God differs from ole Slewfoot is this one here.
Satan came but for to steal, kill and destroy.
God on the other hand is a God that delights in blessing and increasing His children.
We will look at this passion of God in another message, but here are just a few references to this truth in Paul’s writings.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:10 …but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
- 1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase…
- Colossians 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
C. The Extention – “…you and your children.”
God has always been a generational-minded God.
From the earliest passages of Scripture, God things in future generations.
ILLUSTRATION: The first living thing that God created was on Day Three of Creation.
- 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
- 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
But this verse goes much deeper than just physical children.
This verse does not only apply to those that have been blessed with offspring.
I believe God is making a bigger point here.
God is a God of perpetuity.
He’s interested in what He does to continue.
He’s interested in what He blesses to keep being blessed.
God is promising that the increase will not stop with you.
It will not end with you and your life; but will go on an affect others.
It may be your children in the flesh; it might also be your children in the faith.
IV. The Formula of MORE
This is the system that God has chosen: If we bless Him, He will bless us.
If we make Him increase, He will make us increase.
- Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
ILLUSTRATION: John the Baptist had a profound ministry philosophy:
- John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
His attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ was one of deep humility and reverence.
- 31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
- Mark 1:7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
What was God’s response to this kind of humility and willingness to “decrease so that he might increase?”
- Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist:
In our text, David started out in verse 1 emphasizing – Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us but unto THY NAME GIVE GLORY.
He closes out the chapter with, “But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.”
The formula is simple – when we get interested in blessing God, God will bless us.
When we get serious about Him increasing, He gets serious about increasing us.