PSALM 40

Psalm 42 the choirmaster a Psalm of David 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 Ally you have multiplied. Oh Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us. None can compare with you. I will Proclaim and tell them you're there more than can be told and sacrifice and offering you have not delighted but you had 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 restrain my lips as you know, oh Lord. I'm not hitting your deliverance with in my heart. I have spoken of your faithfulness in your salvation. I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation house for you or Lord. You will not restrain your mercy from me your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me for Evil 7 Compass 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 the Lord to deliver me. Oh Lord, make haste to help me let those be put to shame and disappointed all together who seek to snatch away my life that don't be turned back and brought to dishonor who Delight in my heart. Let those be appalled because of your shame who say to me, haha, haha. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you may those who love yourself a shinsei 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 deliverer do not delay. Oh my god. Let's pray.

Gracious Heavenly Father we are so thankful for your word this morning. Can we come to you father God in the preaching of your word looking to glorify you?

And to be edified by you.

By being a case father God. We need your help. We can do neither of those things apart from your help. So we pray that your spirit would help us in the hearing of your word to glorify. You had to be ratified by Your Word.

We're told and scripture that your word is a mirror father God. Would you by your Holy Spirit use your word in us today as a mirror so that we can see ourselves clearly, but more importantly than that father died this morning your scripture also says that your words are light to us. Would you buy your Holy Spirit use your word to shine your light so that we can see you and all of your glory?

I understand father God from you that to see you all you see you in all your glory. We need to see Christ and so we ask for help in that this morning as well. Father God would you help me to Proclaim your word in a way that glorifies you and edifies your people. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen Psalm 40 and if you think way back way back to when we started the sermon series on the Psalms. I may be informed you for the first time or perhaps reminded you that this book of Psalms 150 songs are actually composed are comprised of Five Books when the songs were put together. They were put together with intentionality and the Book of Psalms. The entire book of Psalms can be divided into five separate books. The first one being Psalms 1 through 41 the Psalms of David as getting the song. I'm 40 this week and next week song 41. We are coming to the end of the first book of Psalms within the larger Book of Psalms. And as we do so, I think we can see in this song. So I'm 40 the psalmist David starting to summarize the Psalms that have come this far. In fact, I think we see in the song a song which would summarize the entire book of Psalms. We can see that if we consider the main themes of these the song main themes being prayer and praise the salvation of God and our trust in obedience Durant Road all hundred 50 songs, and we see in the first four verses of Psalm 40 real introduction to this song. We see this idea of Prayer in the first verse I waited patiently for the Lord he inclined to me and heard my cry every first verse gives us this idea of Prayer. We see that these are serious issues because the Lord hears the Cry of the psalmist. And is persistent prayer is seen in that he waits patiently and we see the theme of Salvation in the second verse. 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 the context of this song as we've seen in many so far. The surroundings are depressing. The surroundings are dangerous there is distress and doubts and despair. That's the context in which David rights. And yet there is salvation in the midst of this salvation that will help us in our helplessness and Aid us in our Affliction and place our feet on the ground that is safe and secure. We also see ID of Praise in the third verse he put a new song he being God in my mouth a song of praise to our God many will see in fear and put their trust in the Lord. Praise grows out of God's goodness and our praise directs people's attention to God and to that goodness. We also see this idea of dedication through trust and obedience. The response of the psalmist to God saving work verse for blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust who does not turn to the proud to those who go astray after Ally. Active an authentic faith is seen in those who trust God and in those who obey God. So we might say the main idea from Psalm 42 something like this in Salvation. The Lord is steadfast in love and merciful and faithfulness. Therefore we are to praise him for deliverance. We are to dedicate ourselves and trust and obedience and to pray to him with confidence. Let's look at verses 5 through 11 after those first four versus a sort of introduce the main themes of the song Let us look at verses 5 through 11 where we see in here praise for salvation. Where's Five you have multiplied? Oh Lord. My God, your wondrous deeds in your thoughts towards us. None can compare with you. I will Proclaim and tell them you're there more than can be told the psalmist Praises God for his salvation. He speaks out. He declares are sings In this case. Eddie declares that he's going to Proclaim and praise the works of God. He's going to speak to them even though they are more than can be told I did we can all appreciate as we think about God's saving acts about God's work of Deliverance that they give rise to praise. Will they certainly should give rise to praise and that's God's design. It's his intention that is divinely intervenes and situations that we declare his praises.

I see three things in regards to praise in the song One. Our prey should be personal our prey should be public and our praise should be prolific. Consider the words in this first section of Praise that David uses I will Proclaim and tell of them I have told the Glad news of Deliverance. I have not restrain my lips. I have not hidden your deliverance. I have spoken of your faithfulness. I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness. This is something that of course on a Sunday morning that we gather to do as a congregation to do together, but the congregation is made up of individuals in our praise ought to be personal. We personally ought to praise God for his work of salvation. As we praise God we affirm our loyalty and our commitment to him which will come up later in the song. Endless praise should be the result of personal experience. If you are here and you are a Believer, you're a follower of Christ. You've entrusted your life in you have experienced his saving work in his life a saving word work of such magnitude that you should always be able to personally Praise Him.

This praise is public. We read verse 9 that the Samus as I have told the Glad news of Deliverance in the great congregation. I have not restrain my lips when I'm together with God's people. I'm not hit in your deliverance. I have not concealed your steadfast love from the great congregation the psalmist Praises God in public for other people to hear for those like-minded people to hear but maybe even for those in opposition to hear as well.

Are private praise when we praise God in private which we should do as well that inflames are out of radiation and it demonstrates an exhibit. Our gratitude towards God will public praise does the same thing, but there's something that happens additionally a public praise. but doesn't happen privately are adoration is inflamed and our gratitude is displayed when we praise God privately but when we do it in public together It also instructs our brothers and sisters it encourages our brothers and sisters it inspires them. You know, it's packed this morning. I spend most mornings during the time of Praise of my eyes straight ahead because as I glanced around and I see God's people raising their hands to God and praising them and sing his Praises I get emotional. I got to reel it back in before I get started. I have a propensity to go that way without the encouragement of your Praises, but it inspires me and it instructs me our praise needs to be public for that reason.

Needs to be prolific. Early in the song. He says your wondrous Deeds are too many to count. But he gives a good shot at it. Anyways, even though they are so many he can't keep track of them. He can number them. He's going to give it a go. Anyways, he will not restrain his lips because God has not restrained his Mercy.

God salvation is not Meagher. It's not a little thing that God has done in Saving sinners. Not to mention all of the other wonderful gifts that he gives and saving Works. He performs in our lives our praise must be prolific. We seen this song that the song his Praises God explicitly for his righteousness for his faithfulness for his salvation for his steadfast love.

And those explicit Praises also imply certain things. They apply to God is merciful because we understand that we don't deserve salvation. Reply the God is powerful because he can execute the Salvation that he is determined to come to pass. It implies that God is present. He is here with us. He is not negligent. He is not unaware of what you're going through. But he's present. And it's implied that he's wise because he knows how to save us all these things come out in the prolific Praise of the psalmist.

She wanted to take a moment now and I want you to think about when you walked in the building here.

We're on the praise barometer was your heart when you came to church this morning.

Were you excited to praise God with God's people when you came this morning to the Praises of God flow easily from your lips this morning? When we sang when the worship team lettuce and singing was your heart wholeheartedly involved was it willing to join in?

For many of you the answer will be no. Let me encourage you if that's the case. If you find yourself in a place where you can't praise God personally and publicly and prolifically to do with the song look to his salvation. I find it hard to believe that if you spent a few minutes considering God's saving work in your life before you came this morning. I find it hard to believe that you would be encouraged to praise him even in difficult situations.

That's what we're called to hear in regards to praise. I also seen this first section really the psalmist dedication. His dedication through trust and obedience.

One of the elk workings of our own acknowledgement through Praise of who God is and what God has done is our dedication to him. What are the things that flows at of praising and remembering his saving works and giving him praise for that leads us into dedicating Our Lives to him to trust him and to obey him? It draws us to that place of dedicating ourselves to the one who has delivered our soul fires up our faith and it fuels our obedience.

The reason that is is because we don't praise God so that we can get salvation. We praise God because he's already demonstrated salvation to us. And therefore our faith in him isn't something we must drop from within ourselves. It's a response to what he's done. As is our obedience, we don't obey so that we will be safe. We obey because we were saved. If you're trying to obey so that you will be saved that will end in Failure. You can't obey well enough to deserve salvation, but because God has been gracious and merciful and saved you and as you think of reflecting that it is you praise and you can come to my place of dedication.

Where your faith is strengthened? Can you walk in obedience we can see this idea. First of all from God's perspective in verse 6 and sacrifice and offering you have not Delight it burnt offering and sin offering you have not required see what God is over. The Saudis is expressing in there when gun is communicating through the psalmist is that God doesn't desire empty ritual. He desires heartfelt worship and commitment if you came this morning and you just sang the words and your mind and your heart were engaged and what you were saying. That's not what God is looking for anyone can do that the most evil vile rebellious Center in the world can come here and say the words and sing the words. But Tamina is what God wants from us. We see this line verse in for 6, but you have given me an open ear. So strange phrases saying we're really what that means is God has made the psalmist in such a way. So as to be able to hear What God Says and to do what God desires him to do. And so it's a call from God's perspective to trust him and to obey him. And it's not a possible for us we can do it because he has saved us his place in our hearts the faith to believe and trust in him and the desire to obey.

Lucien verse 7 again from God's perspective in regards to this dedication and trust and obedience. Then I said behold I have come in the scroll of the book. It is written of me again another may be difficult phrase. The Bible says scripture has been written of me. It's to say scripture has prescribed for me my behavior. So God is pleased with our dedication to him God has prepared us so that we can be dedicated to him. But he is also prescribed for us how we are to live our life in regards to that. He is given a scripture. He has shown us and spoken to us about how we ought to live our life. We had this idea of dedication and trust and obedience from the song is perspective as well from our perspective in verse 8. I Delight to do your will. Oh my God, your law is within my heart.

See dedication demonstrates your desire the song that says I Delight to do this. This is where my heart is at.

It's interesting here that the dedication in the commitment of the Samus is strengthened by the declaring of the words out loud. It's interesting that God has made us that way that we speak the words out loud that strengthens our own dedication to something. I was thinking of an example of this this morning and I thought of our marriage vows When there's a marriage we have the bride and the groom articulate. their vows articulate their dedication to one another and this these valves that we use express to Delight we have to do this in the person we marry

they also prescribed for us how we're going to live the married life. And they result in the actual doing of what we declared to be true. Let me just read some valve for you and I checked with the the couple cuz I'm going to insert their names in it the first couple I married were Andre and Joanna vanderlaan. There was no pressure. Marrying Pastor Mike's daughter. That was easy.

figure when I got through that I could make it through any but I want to read these vows so that you can hear the the audible Declaration of dedication that you can see in them that the desire of a person's heart is expressed. But the dedication is strengthened. The actions going forward are prescribed. And thank God Andre and Joanna are doing it.

Here's what we went through on that day Andre. Do you now take Joanna to be your lawfully wedded wife promising to love her to respect her to protect her and forsaking all others to be her faithful husband, as long as you both shall live. She said I do. Joanna you take Andre to be your lawfully wedded husband promising to respect him to love him to care for him and forsaking all others to be his faithful wife. As long as you both shall live I do. I asked you to bind your life together by solemnly making vows to one another now in the presence of God before your friends and family, and here's the valves and I'll just do Andres. I Andre take yuja Wang. Joanna to be my lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward for better for worse for richer for poorer in sickness and in health in joy and in sorrow to love and cherish until death separates us and so now before God and these Witnesses, I promise you my faithfulness. Those were the Declaration that are spoken out loud strengthen the dedication we have they prescribed for us the path. We're going to follow.

Turn the result with the help of God and I was doing what we're supposed to do. And that's the Samus perspective and making these craze full declarations in the midst of the congregation.

Is a final perspective in these words that I hope you all recognize there's the perspective of Jesus that is to say that Jesus is the Fulfillment of this song film into beef dedicated follower of God who demonstrates his dedication to the Lord through trust and obedience.

We know this because in the book of Hebrews. The author of the letter to the Hebrews uses Psalm 40 and talking about Christ.

The author is discussing Jesus's substitutionary saving sacrifice any rights this consequence consequently when Christ came into the world he said So Christ said these words and then he quote Psalm 40 sacrifices and offerings. You have not desired but a body you have prepared for me and burnt offerings and sin offerings. You take no pleasure that I said behold. I have come to do your Will O God as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. These verses are applied to Christ because it was Christ to please God the Father with his dedication to trust in to obey. God had prepared Christ to accomplish salvation for his people and God prescribed how Jesus would do that. We can see that in the many Prophecies of the Old Testament.

This is wholesome and its themes of prayer and salvation and dedication and trust and obedience. Ultimately resolve Around Jesus. And specifically revolve around his work on the cross to save his people. Jesus is the dedicated trusting and obedience, son who saves God people.

And he sees them through his dedication in his trust in his obedience obedience, which took him were told to the Cross where he died the death of his people deserved where he paid the penalty. He enjoy the punishment for the sins of his people. That's a glorious story of the Gospel. The Jesus was the dedicated and obedient and trusting follower of God who obeyed God and that resulted in our salvation. Read words in the song of God's saving works. We should immediately think of Christ cuz he is the filament of all of them.

We go on we move from praise to the section of dedication to move on to prayer in times of need. Obviously another great Steam and solve 40 but in the whole book of Psalms, we Cena verses 12 through 15.

Be pleased the Lord to deliver me. Oh Lord make haste to help me. It's a prayer. It's a calling out to God. for help and for deliverance See when we experience God's saving works that results in Praise. One of you have workings of our Praises dedicating ourselves to trust and obey God. And I dedication our trust and obedience to God takes us to a place where we give prayers to God so that his saving work will continue in our life.

We experience difficulties we experience trials. We experience tribulations. The church this big when so many of them come across my desk it. It seems like there on ending in many ways. They are. I know I don't even hear about all of them.

I've been away for two weeks vacation. The day we're getting ready to leave. We hear one of the young people in our church may die.

Thankful. God has stepped in and seeing incredible things happen and Noah's life. And then when I'm away. Another Congress and longtime congregant passes away. Another one is in the hospital. Is it an accident? It's just nonstop. That's what I like is like and so we need to pray to God in times of need. So I'm 40 suggest we should pray and we should pray because these are real personal problem. They're important problems. Can ultimately we see that their internal problems again. I remind you this is the song of speaking individually about his situation. He says for eagles have encompassed me Beyond number my iniquities have overtaken me and I cannot see their more than the hairs of my head. My heart fails me a verse 14 adults be put to shame disappointed all to get a new seat to snatch way my life, but don't be turned back and brought to the Saint who Delight in my the dogs be appalled because of their shame you say to me, haha, haha.

And so we need to be praying about the difficult times. We are going to food whatever it is. We need we need to be praying to God no, see how this work. The song that says praise God for his saving works. We think about them. We remember them and we praise God because he has shown us that he is a saving God. We commit ourselves to him and we dedicate ourselves to him. But you know what the difficulties aren't over but because we know where our Salvation comes from. We ask the one who saves us help us in our time of need.

We need to be praying but our personal needs and difficulties know this doesn't take away from praying for others were instructed to do that as well. But I want to emphasize this point just because of something I have experienced in my own life. I find it much easier to pray for other people's needs and I do to pray for my own. If you were to look at my shoulder devotional journal in my prayer list. It's all about other people and that's a good thing. God calls us to that. But I need to get better a praying about my own needs. But looking to God for salvation for things that I need then I would encourage those of you who struggle with this. The psalmist is giving us an example of crying out to God for our personal needs and our personal struggles and we ought to do that. These are important things. 3 versus a tree lines talking about how important these are these about people seeking the snatch away. The song is life about people who Delight to see him hurt for people who mock him saying a-ha, a-ha.

He's a very real problems. These are real things difficult things that you are walking through whatever it is.

You're you I know I've heard from you you are going through things that are trying to steal your life from you. You are going through things that are causing you immense amount of pain physically emotionally mentally.

You're going through things.

Which almost seemed to mock you and what you believe? I remember enough time of the Samus. This was an external salvation. They were focusing on real people who are doing this to the Samus but we recognized as an internal thing for us. And so as you experienced these difficult things are difficult for many of you in the physical world. There's an internal truth and you trying to steal your life and to cause you pain and timocuan we need to pray for God's help in these serious situations. It's almost reminds us. That's really all of our problems are the result of one thing. send now I'm not saying every difficult thing you go through you can make a direct correlation to some send that you've done. That's not what I'm saying. I've been clear about that and yet it's sin in the world. The causes of the face difficult things and trying things we see in verse 12. He says four evils having Compass me Beyond number my iniquities have overtaken me and I cannot see their more than the hairs of my head. My heart fails me. Take a look at that line. That's all one line. They're all semicolons. Evil 7 Compass me Beyond number semicolon. My iniquities have overtaken me and I cannot see semicolon there more than the hairs on my head. Send me my heart fails me. This is the translators vanquishing. These things are all connected. They all go together. It's sin and specifically our sins that are our ultimate problem. Send in the world is the reason for all of our problems. And send arsons are certainly the reason for our main problem. That is that every human being has offended The Sovereign ruler of the universe and rebelled against in the face certain punishment for doing so

true praise for God saving Works can only truly be proclaimed by those who have experienced his great saving work through Jesus Christ.

If you are here today, and you're not a Believer, you've never availed yourself of God saving work through Jesus Christ. Let me encourage you this morning. Praying for deliverance from other problems no matter how serious they are without having experienced salvation from sin.

Is an exercise really in futility? And I encourage you to keep praying to God about problems. And if you ask us to pray for problems that you have we will certainly pray that God would move in the but let me make clear if we haven't experienced God saving work of Salvation in regards to send all of that will ultimately be futile. Because we Face our one true problem a God we have rebelled against who is angry with us and will punish us for eternity.

This morning. Let me encourage anyone who hasn't availed themselves of Christ saving work to do so to cry out to God recognizing your sin.

Asking him to help you to believe in Christ and all that he did for that soon.

Be remiss if I didn't say that this morning in light of this song.

the Samus then concludes and he returns to these ideas of praise and a prayer and as we look at these last few verses I want you even now to begin to encourage yourself as we spend the last Moments of our service together singing and praising God to do so to do so personally in to do so prolifically and publicly and to do it wholeheartedly as you do it to dedicate your self. Too trusting the continuing to trust in God and to obey his word. And for those of you who are struggling through difficulties to sink prayerfully knowing that God sees your need. He says in verse 16 Speaking to praise but may all who seek you rejoice and be glad and you may those who love yourself patience a continually great is the Lord. Calling us again to praise and speaking of prayer verse 17 hours for me. I am poor and needy but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer do not delay. Oh my God, and for those of you who are struggling through difficult circumstances. You can do both those things this morning. You can praise God in the midst of the congregation declaring great is the Lord but also be crying out to him. I am poor and needy do not delay. I encourage you to do that. Let's pray father God. We thank you for the songs. We thank you for this song which reminds us. First and foremost that you are a saving God and points to your great savior your son Jesus Christ who came to Earth to save us from our greatest problem our send. Which separates us from you and puts us under your wrath and ensures a we Face judgment, but we reminded that Christ came to save us. And I pray father God that the Glorious news of the gospel of Christ work on behalf of Sinners. Would Inspire praise would Inspire praise now as we sing to you, but throughout the week that we would be people who continually say great is the Lord.

And as we praise you we will dedicate Our Lives to you that we will commit to trust you and Obey you and do walking away the corresponds with those declarations and father got even as we do that. Thank you that you are a God who understands our great need in the many situations of our life and I pray your spirit would help us to pray to you. Pray personally father God for the difficulties were going through the things that are trying to steal our life and cause us harm and even mock us. Help us to cry out to you after all this in Jesus name.