Waiting for Rescue

This is a thick passage

Messianic passage

Hebrews 10:5-9 quotes verses 6-8 of this Psalm

Introduction

If you have followed Jesus for any length of time you will find yourself in one of two categories:

1) Remembering a time when the Lord rescued you

(Remembering a time / situation / context / problem through God rescued you)

2) Waiting for a time when the Lord will rescue you

(Waiting in the middle of a situation / context / problem for God to rescue you)

If you have been walking with Christ for an extended period of time you will have many instances of both.

This Psalm will describe both and show us that remembering how God rescued us through our waiting will help us wait for His rescue.

We will spend significant time on first 3 verses and last verse and walk through the rest to understand the flow of the psalm.

Rescued While Waiting (1-5)

Worship for the Rescue (6-10)

Waiting for a Rescue (11-17)

Rescued While Waiting (1-5)

Redemption. (1-3)

Psalm 40:title–17 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

I WAITED

Waiting — lit, looking, I looked or waiting and waiting

***RESCUE BEGINS WITH WAITING***

Seems like a no-brainer, but for how many of us this is the first area of struggle.

Waiting is the only first-person action in this sequence.

Waiting is not the key - I have no choice in waiting

- Children can’t make Christmas come any sooner

- No matter what tea you drink or exercise you do, the mother still needs to wait until the baby is ready to be born.

****ILLUST - waiting for 911

PATIENTLY

Most of us can identify with this feeling — there are several types of waiting:

Waiting patiently

Waiting anxiously

Waiting in a way that doesn’t look like waiting

ILLUST - How many of you parents have intentionally withheld information from your children about an event, trip, or person visiting simply because of the lack of patient waiting that will occur?

“It is not in the power of Israel to do anything but wait for the Holy One, blessed be He, to redeem them in reward for saying I waited patiently for the Lord.” (Midrash on Psalms, also referenced Is 25:9, Zech 9:12, Lam 3:25)

A more literal way to translate this passage would be to say, “I waited, waited”

I’m not so sure David is trying to say he did wait patiently - perhaps he just waited a long time

Psalm will teach us that the Key to waiting for rescue is to remember the rescue of those who have waited

Are you in a place of waiting today?

See how David describes his rescue when he waited patiently and we will see how it will provide what he needs for another time when he waits for rescue.

* WHAT WAITING DOES NOT MEAN:

God will not rescue

God has not / can not / will not hear you.

God has poor timing (In fact it’s perfect)

God is uncaring or unloving

Because, how does God respond to our waiting?

He inclined to me and heard my cry.

Inclined = bent down - Why?

Because of our soft voice?

Because sometimes all we have is a low whimper?

NO, It is so God can draw close.

Let’s see HOW God rescues those who wait:

David describes 4 stages of God’s redemption (see if this rings true)

We’ve already talked about one:

Listened - “Inclined”

Drew me up — set my feet — Put a new song

Be Worshipful Praise God for All He Has Done (vv. 1–5)

A quaint country preacher used verses 2–3 for a sermon text, and his “points” were: God brought him up, God stood him up, and God tuned him up!

Rescued - “Drew me up”

(more than a simple rescue - redemption)

Established - “Set my feet”

“upon a rock” does not mean he put me on a rock in the river.

= “cliff” — God pulled me up out and away and established me on solid ground.

Gave Joy - “Put a new song”

Joyful worship is not only a thing is the proper thing for the rescued.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

The new song is not finished until others are drawn to worship God.

Our stories of redemption have a missional purpose to lead others to follow God. Notice the rescue is not simply for me / you — its for others.

(So much of what is taught in Christian teaching today has only an individual focus — God is mine, my PERSONAL Lord and Savior, rescued ME, saved ME, etc. When really, “God so loved the whole world” and sent His Son so that the “world, through Him, might be saved)

Greatest picture of this is the gospel.

Are you willing to share Jesus?

Perhaps the statement is not:

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

Perhaps the question is:

“Will ANY see and fear (what God has done in your life) and put their trust in the Lord?

Because of God’s redemption in our lives, we see something about God in the process:

Reflection. (4-5)

Reflection about God’s greatness as compared to others. (4)

Reflection TO God about His incomparable greatness. (5)

4 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!

5 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.

It is important to reflect on what God has done for us — it is right and it is good:

- Looking forward to what God has promised to do fuels HOPE.

To increase HOPE look forward to what God has promised to do.

- Looking back at what God has done fuels JOY.

To increase JOY look back at what God has done.

*Some of you are depressed and anxious because you are dyslexic in your Reflection.

Switching the direction of our vision will only leave us anxious and depressed.

- Looking forward for JOY never satisfies.

- Looking back for HOPE leaves us worried it won’t happen again.

Being Rescued While Waiting (causes us to)

Worship For the Rescue (6-10)

Dedication. (6-8)

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

8 I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

ILLUST - “Lord, if you get me out of this pickle, I’ll become a missionary.”

How do you show love and gratitude to the God who has everything? OBEDIENCE.

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.

“given me an open ear” = “Ears you have dug for me.”

(The tree in the garden — God desires our love. For humans to love God it is expressed through obedience.)

ILLUST - 1 Sam 15 - Bleating of Sheep

1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

1 Samuel 15:7–9 (ESV)

7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

1 Samuel 15:13–14 (ESV)

13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)

22 And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

and to listen than the fat of rams.

Obedience is better than sacrifice

God cares more about your daily obedience than he does your weekly sacrifice.

Obedience in life is better than sacrifice. (6)

Partial obedience is no obedience

Life sacrifice is the best obedience. (7-8)

9 I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

behold, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O Lord.

10 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.

Proclamation (9-10)

David’s flow of the rescued ones is that they are sure to give testimony about God’s truth and faithfulness.

Speak it out loud — “I have told. . .”glad news of deliverance

Hold nothing back — “I have not hidden. . .”your deliverance within my heart;

I have told of your faithfulness

I have not concealed your faithfulness

** When we tell the story of God’s rescue in our lives it opens the door for God’s rescue to be the story in someone else’s life.**

This worship in our life now enables us to:

Waiting for Rescue (11-17)

The Problem. (11-12)

11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain

your mercy from me;

your steadfast love and your faithfulness will

ever preserve me!

12 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.

Source FOR the problem - God (11)

Source OF the problem - Everything (12)

Problems Outside (12a)

“Evils”

Problems Inside (12b)

“Iniquities”

Overwhelmed (12c)

Encompassed, overtaken, cannot see, more than hair.

What does David do with his problem? Pray!

The Prayer. (13-15)

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!

O Lord, make haste to help me!

14 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!

15 Let those be appalled because of their shame

who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

Prayer first!

You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.

John Bunyon

Directed to God

So important that we direct our problems to the right place

Where do you first turn when the problem is overwhelming

Based on His will

The goodness of God controls our problems

Urgent!

Here we may get a glimpse of David’s problem — People out to get him.

The Promise. (16-17)

16 But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

17 As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!

God’s promise to All who look to Him. (16)

God’s promise for me as I look to Him. (17)

David moves from the general principle of what happens to those who trust to his own need for trust.

“Give me a reason to praise you, God!”

V. 17 “I am” . . . “But the Lord”

I am

I am ___________, but the Lord takes thought for me.

struggling in my marriage

frustrated with my work situation

worried about what 2020 will bring next!

Ultimately, this phrase = the gospel!

You are my help and my deliverer;

Conclusion

Where are you? Rescued through Waiting or Waiting for Rescue?

MOVE - to one side or another - sit and stand

RESCUED — stand

WAITING — sit

Have the Rescued sing over the Waiting.