The Church of Eleven22 - S01 E77 - Psalm 40

Episode Date: September 7, 2020

A church family, Devo time. Pastor Chris coming with you today. I have the great privilege to serve you as the San Pablo campus pastor. And I am praying for you and for me today as we open God's work that will be encouraged and lift it up as we spend time together. And so if you would, grab your Bible. We're going to head to Psalm chapter 40. And as you're finding your way there, one of the things that I love about the Psalms

is that they help to give additional insight into historical events. in the Bible. It's kind of like watching a movie with the director's commentary on, although I don't know if anybody else but me has ever done that, but it's a great chance to see the thoughts and feelings and emotions that David was having at different times in his life. So if you read through First Samuel and the events of his life, and then you go to the Psalms, you can see what he was thinking and feeling at the time. And so it's a great opportunity to do that today. You know, the other thing that I love about Psalms as well is, and honestly, all of the Bible, it points to Jesus. And so as we read through this, I would encourage you to ask this question.

How does what David say relate to who Jesus is? How do we see Jesus in the Psalm? And then also, how does this relate to me? How does it relate to you? And what can we learn from it? So hopefully you've found your way there. Psalm chapter 40. Let's read together.

David says, I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock, making my step secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see in fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie. You have multiplied, O Lord, my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us. None can compare with you. I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

And sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, behold, I have come. In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, oh my God. Your law is within my heart. I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation.

Behold, I have not restrained my lips. As you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your door. deliverance within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me. Your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me. For evils have encompassed me beyond number.

My iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head. My heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. make haste to help me. Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt. Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, aha, aha. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who love your salvation say continually, great is the Lord. As for me, I am poor and

needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliver. Do not delay, oh my God. May God bless the reading and hearing of his word. And churches, we look at this Psalm, really three sections that I'd like for us to consider today. Verse 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and then finishing out 11 through 17. And that first section of verses, David begins this Psalm by proclaiming his confidence in the Lord and the deliverance that he brings. He says, I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined to me and heard my cry, drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. I want to ask you, would you say that that's your first response? When you find yourself in a pit

or when you find yourself in a clay, and these days, I can tell you that there's a lot of us, would we say that we're waiting patiently for the Lord? Yes, we cry out to him and we cry out often, but do we wait patiently? I pray that that is your response. And, and although I'll be honest many times it's not mine. I love the Lord to answer me immediately, but we want to wait patiently. David says, I'm waiting and I'm waiting patiently on the Lord. I was thinking about this.

As David was singing this song, I wonder if there were people that were within earshot or that heard or read this, that thought, you know, it wasn't too many generations previous to this that the children of Israel found themselves in literal pits of clay. clay where there were straw and water that were added, where they were stamping day after day after day to make bricks for the Egyptians because they were in slavery. And they cried out to the Lord and they waited patiently.

They waited for 400 years. For 400 years, the children of Israel found themselves in literal pits of clay. And then God heard their cry and sent Moses. And through that process of deliverance, God began to point towards. towards Jesus, Jesus, who would be the ultimate deliver, and would deliver us, lift us from the mire clay and place our feet upon the rock. And if you have followed the divos and if you maybe listen to the sermon series, Loudmouth, Lessons from the Life of Peter, you know that there's a conversation that Peter and Jesus have and that Jesus asked, who do people say that I am? And Peter's

response is that we know that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus says, Peter, blessed are you because it's not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven. And then Jesus says these words, and upon this rock, I will build my church. The rock of what? The rock that Jesus was the Messiah. And so when David says that God lifts us out of the miry clay and places our feet upon the rock, that rock is the person and the work of Jesus. And so we cry out to the Lord.

Church, I want to tell you that he has heard your cry, that he loves. loves you and out of his love for you. The Bible says that he sent Jesus to die for us. John the Baptist saw Jesus coming and said, behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And because of our salvation, David says that a song is placed in our mouth and in our hearts and that we would sing that song of praise to the Lord. And so church, I want to encourage you today, patiently wait, cry out to the Lord, yes, know that the deliverer is coming and that has come for you. is Jesus and because of your salvation that you would sing you would sing this new song that is placed in your heart that many would hear and would come to the Lord from your testimony so David

continues verse 6 through 10 and in the middle of this song that David is singing inspired by the holy spirit I believe that David begins to talk about and prophetically sing about Jesus and his coming work verses seven and eight then I said behold I have come in the story scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will. Oh my God, your law is within my heart. In Luke chapter four, Jesus begins his ministry and he goes into the synagogue and he reads from the scroll of Isaiah and he rolls it up and he puts it down and Luke tells us that everyone's looking at him with anticipation for what he is going to say. And he says these words, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Jesus saying that all of the prophecies of the Old

Testament, that everything that is written in the Old Testament is pointing to him and that he is in that moment fulfilling the prophecy. So David says, speaking of Jesus, that the book, that the scroll is written about him. And we know from Jesus' time in the garden that he said that, Lord, I will do your will. And so Jesus has come to fulfill it. So David is writing about Jesus in those times. In verses 9 and 10, verse 9 says, I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregate. Behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart. I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation.

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. Jesus spent the rest of his life from that moment in the synagogue until his death, proclaiming that everyone should know the good news of the gospel of what he was bringing. It's the deliverance of the Lord that was fulfilled in him. And I think it's a great example for us to follow. One of the ways we do this at 1122 and around the world is through baptism. It is a public proclamation of an inward working faith. It's a public proclamation that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

And so I want to encourage you as you have experienced God lifting you from the miree clay and placing your feet on the rock, that you would sing that new song that you would if you have not follow him in baptism, proclaiming to the world that you are following after Jesus. So Jesus is the fulfillment of this scripture, that the scroll was written about him, that he did not stop talking about the good news of the gospel. And then having sung of the work of salvation, of deliverance, having sung about who Christ was and his coming, David finishes up this song, encouraging us, encourages us for a couple of things real quick, that we can approach the throne of the king, that we can approach Lord with boldness, asking for mercy and for grace. And so as we read through these final verses that you would that you would see and hear God's mercy that is available for us, that you would see and understand our sin and Christ's payment of it

and the hope and the victory that we have over spiritual enemies and those that are around us, the fact that we love God and His salvation and we love Him and that we would continually praise Him. And then what I love, 16 and 17, the end of this Psalm, David says, But may all who seek you rejoice in me glad in you, may those who love your salvation say continually, great is the Lord. As for me, I am poor and needy.

What the Lord takes thought of me. You are my help and my deliverer. Do not delay, oh my God. Church, no matter what your circumstance is today, no matter where you find yourself, know that we can trust in the Lord. We can trust in his deliverance. we can trust and find comfort in him.

Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for the life of David and, Lord, his willingness to pour out his thoughts and feelings and emotions, Lord, for us to be able to see, to be encouraged by. Lord, thank you for your salvation, Lord, that you have lifted us out of the miree clay, Lord, that you have freed us from, Lord,

from being slaves to sin and death. Lord, that you have bought for us freedom, with your blood, Lord, thank you for that. May we proclaim that to everyone that we encounter. Lord, thank you that you have fulfilled all of the prophecies, Lord, that you are the Messiah, the lamb who takes away the sin of the world. And Lord, that we would find comfort in your mercy and in your grace. And Lord, today, that we would know that you are God. Lord, may everything that happens to us, Lord, would we understand that it's from you? And Lord, that we would give you praise and glory. And Lord, that you would be honored.

and glorified in all that is said and done. We ask that in the name of Jesus. Amen.