First Truth: Wait Patiently on the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-2)

Good evening. Welcome to all to our annual Bible conference. I can't remember which one it is. Tim, do you know? 32nd. All right.

32nd annual Bible conference at LaRue Baptist Church. Glad to have you with us this evening. our scripture reading is james chapter 5 verses 7 through 11 if you could stand for the reading of god's word please thank you james 5 verse 7 be patient therefore brothers until the coming of the lord see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth being patient about it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also be patient.

Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast, you have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Well, it is my privilege to introduce to you Dr. Glenn Dunn. I could introduce him as the preaching, teaching, and founding pastor of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship in 2004, Dr. Dunn is involved in extensive counseling ministry and counseling training He has a master's degree from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary and a doctorate from Biblical Counseling from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary I could introduce Dr.

Dunn in the way that in the fact that he's been certified by the Association of Certified Counselors We're all familiar with that here, aren't we? and he's the executive director of the biblical counseling institute of ohio which has been involved in biblical counseling in this state wow since the 70s old incredibly well-rooted ministry dr dunn has served as the moderator of the fellowship of independent Reformed Evangelicals Fire. Again, we're familiar with that, aren't we? And he now serves as moderator, pro tem, and board member.

Dr. Dunn has brought his wife, Beth, with him, and we're glad for that. And they have two children and a son-in-law. But I think I'll just introduce him as my friend, Glenn. so we've known each other for a number of years and I always appreciate him I really do we've had some good times together so Glenn we're looking forward to your ministry of the word of God he made me very nervous he could introduce me he could introduce me but how would he introduce me So good to be here with you.

Thank you for the privilege of opening the Word of God with you. We're anticipating our time together, and our theme, of course, this weekend is Trusted Truths in Trials. trusted truths in trials and we're really going to be looking not extensively but fairly deeply into Psalm 40. So if you take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 40. And as you turn there, as we think about trusted truths in trials, contrary to the superficial appeals of the health wealth preachers who tell us that God wants us to be healthy and wealthy and to live our best lives now.

Jesus tells us something completely different, doesn't he? In John chapter 16 and 33, Jesus says, These things I have spoken to you that in me you might have peace. Why? Why do we need that kind of peace? Because Jesus says, in this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world. So this present world and all of its systems, all of the systems of the world, is in opposition to God. That's Ephesians 4.17. Paul says in Ephesians 4.17 I insist in this brethren that you no longer walk like the Gentiles walk in the foolishness of their thinking why? because in verse 18 he says because their hearts are darkened so we don't need the systems of the world we don't need the world to give us peace because the world will not give us peace in the world we will have tribulation.

The world is in opposition. This reality means that those who follow Christ, and if you follow Christ for, let's say, 10 minutes, you already know what it is to be in opposition against an enemy who seeks to devour. Those of us who are Christians will face all kinds of trials all kinds of heartaches We will endure hardships We will endure some varied form and level of persecution We will even endure the pains of death.

And I'm sure that if we took the time to speak to each person here tonight, and if I said please give us a past trial or a current trial I'm sure that every one of us would be able to speak of a past trial or maybe a current trial in which they're going through. Jesus says in this world we will have tribulation. That is the universal experience of every Christian. to some degree or another.

And so we shouldn't be surprised at this. For this is what Jesus promised. You know, we sometimes sing standing on the promises, but I've never heard anybody say, well, we stand on the promise that Jesus said we're going to have tribulation in the world. We stand on that promise. But that's a promise. And it's contrary to so much of what we hear in the church today.

We shouldn't be surprised that we'll have trouble. We shouldn't be surprised that we'll have trials. But Jesus said, listen, in me you may have peace. The world is full of trial, full of trouble, full of tribulation. But in Christ, we're promised peace. So we know that the Christian life is not without trials. but in relationship to Christ, it is still a life of great peace.

Well, how can that be? Martin Luther called these kinds of statements the great denox of Christianity, the great paradoxes of Christianity. How can we say that we'll be in trial, but yet we have great peace? Because Jesus promises to give his followers something that the world can never give, and that is real, true, honest, spiritual peace. a peace that surpasses understanding I remember visiting a woman from our church who was in the hospital and had gone through terrible terrible time of trial her husband had died her sister died her brother-in-law died it's the only time as an adult that I've been to a double funeral for two adults.

The wife died one day and the husband died the next day. And this woman's husband had died maybe two or three months previous to that. And now I'm visiting her in the hospital because she was having a very delicate back surgery with the possibility of not being able to walk again after having this surgery. and so here we are standing together in the hospital room and she says to me pastor i can i ask you a question i said sure she said do you think i'm crazy i said do i think you're crazy now she was kind of crazy but she was crazy fun right she had a great sense of humor she was so she said do you think i'm crazy.

I was tempted, but thank the Lord I'm maturing in the humor department, so I just kept my mouth shut. And I said, why would you ask me if you're crazy? She said, because the hospital psychiatrists and psychologists keep coming in, and they're looking at my history, and they're telling me that I'm too joyful. I'm too much at peace. I must be in denial and I need medicine can you believe that you're too happy you need some medicine and so she was earnestly asking me am I crazy am I not seeing things correctly I said can you tell me when your husband died she said yes and she gave me the date I said can you tell me when your sister died Yes.

Your brother-in-law? Yes. You remember the few, were you sad at your husband's feet? Yes. Your sister? Yes.

I said, you're not denying anything. What you're showing them is that Christians have a peace that passes all understanding. See? Understandably, you should be in bad shape. You're on the verge of a surgery that you could wake up and you might not be able to walk again. but here they are coming in and saying to you you're a little too happy you're a little too joyful so as Christians we have this peace that passes all understanding but how do we have it? well Jesus tells us it's through him it's by living in relationship to him thus does Paul say in Ephesians he is our peace so when Christ is the source of our peace we can have true peace even in the midst of trials and heartaches.

In the Old Testament, the book of Psalms often speaks about Jesus Christ, whether regarding his divinity, his humanity, his kingship, prophecies concerning his ministry, his life, his death, his resurrection. And Jesus recognizes that he is the focus of the Psalms when he says in Luke 24, 44, everything written about me and the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms, must be fulfilled. So indeed, Jesus is not secondarily mentioned in the Psalms.

He's the central focus of the book of Psalms. And many of the Psalms can be classified therefore as Messianic So the piece that we read of in the book you know so many people will say I love the book of Psalms because it so comforting to me It gives me peace. You know why? Because Christ is the focus of the Psalms. A little wonder Martin Luther called the book of Psalms the favorite book of all the saints.

Each person, whatever his circumstance may be, finds in the Psalms words which are appropriate to his circumstances. the circumstances in which he finds himself and meet his needs as adequately as if they were composed exclusively for his own sake and in such a way that he himself could not improve upon them nor find any desire or any better psalms or words. So as psalms written about Christ almost Luther says as if it was written individually to each one of us as Christians. What a kind God we serve. that in the midst of trials he gives us 150 chapters of something that we can sing about because our peace is in him.

Calvin writes in his introduction to the Psalms, there's no other book in which we are more perfectly taught the right manner of praising God or in which we're more powerfully stirred up to the performance of this exercise of piety. So as you may understand from these quotes, the book of Psalms is spiritually rich and has much to do with David's trials with a messianic picture and overtones to the coming trials of Christ. All of this combined in the message of the Psalms.

And so we can say that the Psalms can often be related to, as Luther says, to our own trials. Haven't you found that to be the case as a Christian? You pick up the Psalms and you say, I need comfort. My soul is languishing. and perhaps you're fighting fear or you're fighting worry and I need something. I need the Spirit of God to give me something for my soul.

And you go to Psalm 34 and verse 4. I sought the Lord. And what did He do? He delivered me from all of my fears. Psalm, just as if it's written for you, just as it's written for your particular circumstance. Many commentators believe that the book of Psalms epitomizes all of the Old Testament comprised in this 150 chapter hymn book.

In addition, they rightly hold that the book of Psalms is pivotal for its prophetic passages of Christ in his church. Pierce says, Pierce was an old English Reformed Baptist, and he writes, As the Psalms contain the whole subject of grace as revealed and made known, so is there every great act of the Lord recorded and taken notice of in and throughout them. The covenant of the three-in-one Jehovah and the other undertakings of the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of the elect are a grand subject in this sublime part of the book of inspiration in the entirety of our Bibles.

So with that, I hope, just a brief little picture of the book of Psalms. You by now have found Psalms 40. If you haven't, please ask your neighbor to help you. Now, I know we already did this, but just out of respect to the word of God, let's stand together and let's read Psalm 40. You probably have varied translations of the psalm, so if you'll allow me, this is for no other purpose than this is the new King James translation.

I'll read it. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps. He's put a new song in my mouth. Praise to our God. Many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord.

Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are your wonderful works which you have done, and your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to you in order. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering you do not desire.

My ears you have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering you did not require. Then I said, behold, I come. In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God, and your laws within my heart. I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly indeed I do not restrain my lips O Lord for you yourself know I've not hidden your righteousness within my heart I've declared your faithfulness and your salvation I've not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly do not withhold your tender mercies from me O Lord let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me for innumerable evils have surrounded me My iniquities have overtaken me so that I'm not able to look up.

They're more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life. Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil. Let them be confounded because of their shame who say to me, Aha!

Aha! Ah, let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let such as love your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. But I am poor and needy. Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You're my help, my deliverer.

Do not delay. Oh, my God. Please be seated. We ask the Lord to bless his word as we look at it tonight let pray together Father thank you already for the time that you given to us to fellowship together The kindred spirits of Christians joined together through faith in Christ is so sweet. And we praise you and we thank you already for that. And now, Father, we seek that you would speak to us through your word.

We ask that you, by your spirit, would ignite your word in our hearts tonight. We pray that as we come to this psalm, as we come to this weekend that you would give enablement we pray that christ will be exalted and glorified father should it please you we ask that each of us as christians would be refreshed even those who may find ourselves in some kind of trial or just coming through a trial lord that you would deal sweetly with each one and and i would pray that perhaps if there's some here who do not know Jesus Christ, who do not know the peace that only Christ can give even as they hear the word tonight, tomorrow, this weekend, Father should it please you to let them hear the voice of the shepherd that they would come to Christ in confession and repentance, we would give you the praise and the thanks so Father we pray that you would send your word forward from this pulpit with power with clarity and with authority that it will not return to you void because that's your promise and we'll give you the thanks as we ask it in Christ's name Amen. So, in our time together this weekend, God willing, we'll be reflecting together on the richness of this psalm.

You've already seen that it contains 17 verses. It can be divided into two sections. The first portion really would be verses 1 through 5, a section of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. And then the second portion, verses 6 through 17, is really a prayer of response in light of God's deliverance from the pit. And at the start, we note that the psalm is authored by David, and it deals in part with the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And because of that, we can say that Psalm 40 is directly quoted in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 5 through 7, which speaks of Christ's incarnation and his earthly ministry. And that makes at least certain portions of Psalm 40 messianic in their scope. So it's a psalm in which we see both David and the Lord as the subjects, with David, of course, as the lesser light and the Lord, of course, being the greater.

And so we'll begin tonight by considering this psalm first from David's perspective. So just to help, when I preach, and I know you have notes. I'm sorry, this is what happens. I change things already. Sharon, whom I would like to thank. Where is she?

Sharon, there she is. such a gracious lady why she demands all these things from you in the email so I have affectionately referred to her as my slave driver so I sent notes but I always I'm a I always tweak things so don't get too twitterpated that's a Hebrew word if if your notes don't match but I always like to at least start by giving the points that we'll cover in each of the messages, right? So our first point together will be the context of David's writing. The second point that we'll cover, David chooses to wait patiently.

These headings should match what you have, I hope. The third point will be David's trust in waiting. And then the fourth point will be David's trust in the reason for waiting. A little bit different, but his trust in the reason for waiting. Okay, so those four points, no one asked, no one told me how much time I was supposed to take, and I didn't ask, so here we go.

Let's start with the first point together, the context of David's waiting. You see at the beginning here, it starts out with David saying, making this declaration, I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me, and he heard my cry. Of course, Psalm 40 is connected both in its theme and the time of its writing to Psalm 37, 38, and 39. It's likely that these four psalms all deal with the same adversity and time of opposition which was against David.

If you look back at Psalm 37, David deals again with this topic of waiting. Look at verse 7 through 8 in Psalm 37. David says, rest in the Lord and wait, how? Patiently for him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. And notice how David says we wait, not just patiently, but don't be angry about it. cease from anger and forsake wrath do not fret.

Why? Because it only causes harm. Another translation rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass cease from anger, forsake wrath, do not fret it only causes harm. what appropriate counsel for our day and time isn't it we would do i think all well to follow the counsel of david here both in psalm 40 and psalm 37 being assured that those who are in christ the righteous are promised yes tribulation but something else we're promised a godly heritage david says that those who are wicked who may seem so strong so powerfully in charge now Thank you.

Those maybe being able to change the law of the land to go against God's written law. Or those being able to accomplish their collective will through the brow-beating power of social media. All will be brought to the eventual judgment before the throne of God. And so the charge for us as Christians is to wait. To wait patiently. not to be fretting, not to be anxious and not to be angry we're not allowed to let our anger at all that we see to overtake us why? because David warns us it only causes you harm you know the old statement about bitterness bitterness is a poison I mix for someone else and end up doing what? drinking myself I would make this statement to you in the hopes that it's encouraging you, brethren.

The problem with our country is not in Washington. The problem with our country is not in state government. The problem with our country is not in local government. The problem, dear saints of God, in our country is the church. The church who sits on her hands and doesn't do what Christ has uniquely given the church of Jesus Christ to do. I know, and I've gotten caught up in it myself, So many of us as Christians, well, the problem is this, and if we could only do that, and if we could only do this.

And if we would just hear the words of Christ ringing in our ears, what are we supposed to do? Well, let's do what God has given us uniquely to do. Let's be the church. You know what? That would be a good place for an amen. Wouldn't it?

Can the world be the church? can the world change the heart? Can a law make a person righteous in his heart? No. Only Jesus can do that and only the church knows the Christ of the Bible and only the church is commissioned to go out and tell the world about Jesus Christ. Let's be the church. A lot of Christians sit around and bemoan the country and they fret and they worry and they're angry and you say to them, well, when's the last time you witnessed to someone When's the last time you invited someone to come to church?

When's the last time you did something that the Christian could do, that Christ has uniquely given to the church to do? And they look at you like you've got three heads. Well, that's not the problem. The problem is that we have to vote against this, or we have to vote for that. It's fine. Let's take our Bibles into the voting booth.

I'm all on it. But let's not forget that we've got a message to give to a dying world. and the message is about the peace that can only come through Jesus Christ. Not to be fretting, not to be worried, not to be angry. Why? Because it only causes harm. A likely reference to holding some anger, not just at the things of the world, but here, more dangerously, to be angry at God.

I've been, as our brother says, I wasn't in BCI in the 70s. I wasn't in diapers in the 70s, but we could pretend. Just in junior high in the 70s. But anyway, one of the things that I've noticed, and I've not talked to you about this, but one of the things that I've noticed in counseling, and we do a lot of counseling, is I've noticed this new phenomena with Christians who are no longer afraid to say that they think God has done them wrong. now it might have been before where christians would have thought that like maybe god is being unfair maybe this trial is just too much maybe maybe this is unfair you know asap psalm 73 psalm 77 right we would that's we wouldn't be first at that but this common thing now to accuse god of being wrong here all the time by the way in the culture god put me in the wrong body I should have been this and God has made me that that's all Romans 1 stuff it's all arrogant stuff you see and so now Christians entertain in their minds that it's okay it's okay to accuse God I could point you to an article in a charismatic magazine written by a guy by the name of R.T.

Kendall maybe you know that name Many of you know that name? R.T. Kendall, you believe this? R.T. Kendall took over as the pastor after Martin Lloyd-Jones. Okay?

And R.T. Kendall has written an article and it says in the article, it's okay for you to be mad at God. He gets it. He understands. It's all right for you to be angry at God. You ready?

Because this is the next logical step. and then it's okay for you to forgive God. Saints, can I just tell you something? You will never, ever, ever, ever in your life find yourself in a place where you have to forgive God for something. That's blasphemy. You know why it's blasphemy? Because it's accusing God of doing something wrong.

That's why. this whole thing is so dangerous for us if we hold some kind of anger against god if we hold some kind of anger against his plan for our lives and times i remember being at the acbc conference in memphis i think we're in memphis when johnny erickson tata did that little speech she said something there i've never forgotten a couple three four years ago and she was saying that she was really struggling. Of course, who wouldn't? Being you know one dive and it changes your whole life A paraplegic you can do anything for yourself You go from being a beautiful California girl to just a paraplegic.

And she said she expressed her frustration, her anger to her pastor. This is probably, she said, after a year and a half or two years of being like this. And she really struggled. I think we all probably would struggle. And she said to her pastor, why would God do this to me? And her pastor said, this is just so good.

Her pastor said, Johnny, many times God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. That's pretty good. God allows in these secondary causes things that are hard and trials that are difficult because it accomplishes what he loves. And you know what he loves? He loves us to lean more on Christ. He loves us to look more like Jesus.

And he knows this trial, he knows this affliction is going to cause that to happen. So Psalm 32 also attests to the fact that the harm of David speaks here can be a physical trial or a spiritual trial. So in all of this, David is telling us to remember that our God's timing is always perfect. God will always set things right in the right time. But why the seeming delay?

Why does David say, well, I have to wait patiently. I have to wait. We're not real good at waiting, are we? We live in an instant culture, don't we? I know even in my house I think probably I'm not the only one who can stand in front of the microwave and say hurry up right we're not real good at waiting and yet David says we have to learn to wait we have to learn to wait patiently why? because there are divine and sovereign reasons that God has for our waiting not the least of which is forestalling his judgment until the very last of Christ's sheep is brought into the fold.

His love for his sheep that are yet lost forestalls his judgment now, but his judgment is coming. And he will make all things right. And when Christ comes, the wrath of God will be executed in swift judgment. And so one of our tasks as Christians is to therefore wait. I can't allow the temporal to supersede the eternal. I can't, because I'm going through this, think that God better hurry up and get this all done.

God's got his perfect way and his perfect timing, his perfect plan. The theme of waiting brings to light the additional themes of the chapters in 37, 38, 39. waiting creates the opportunity to further confess known sin and to grow in the hope of the Lord. In chapter 39, waiting produces a further desire to keep from sin, especially the sin of the tongue.

So Christians, we must always be mindful of the ways that we use our tongues. How quickly we all sin against God and against each other with our tongues. simply we give a quick comment here an unnecessary complaint there a sarcastic job here a question asked that we know is none of our business and in a myriad of other ways we can all use our tongues sinfully can you use your tongue through your fingers? huh? does that even make sense? his eyes just rolled in the back of his head can you use your tongue through your fingers you bet is this Matthew 12 stuff will give an account for every careless text that we've ever spoken I often tease with our people in the abundance of Facebook there is sin but it's true isn't it in the abundance of our words. Evidently, I have opportunity to go to Trinidad.

Dear brother there in Trinidad, Tim knows. Pastor Amrish Simrath. And I was over there a while back and we were at a place for dinner and this young guy said to me, Pastor Dunn? I said, yes sir. He said, I played you in the Christmas program. I said, you played me?

In the Christmas program? Yeah. I said, I don't know what you're talking about. Oh boy, he said, we did a whole Christmas program on Facebook. I said, you did it on Facebook? No, he said, the subject was Facebook.

I said, I don't know what you're talking about. He said, Pastor, do you know how you don't like Facebook? I said, yeah. He said, well, we did the whole thing. We put Facebook on trial. I said, yeah.

He said, yeah. He said, and Pastor Don, I played you, boy. I said, you played me? He said, yeah. I said, well, what is it? He said, oh, come in.

I had a suit on. I had a tie on. I said, yeah. And he said, Anna, I have to tell you, Pastor Don, I put powder in my hair. I said, what kind of powder? He said, white powder?

I said, what else did you do? He said, I don't want to tell you, Pastor. I said, come on, what else did you do? He said, well, I did put a little pillow in my belly. I said I knew I get to the truth I said so the whole thing was on what Well, we put Facebook on trial. Like, should the Christian be using Facebook?

I said, well, did we win? What was the outcome of the case? No, Facebook was guilty. Now, and I said to my wife, I'm confident. I have not gone over there and preached against Facebook. You know, you tell people, we're not on Facebook. and then immediately you have to say, but we do have electricity and running water in our house.

I'm not making a judgment on you all. If you all are on Facebook, it's fine. We're not on Facebook. I don't really care what some woman in Boise, Idaho thinks about stuff. Do you? Evidently people do.

Will we give an account for all of that and all of this? We will. And we use our tongues sinfully against God. Boy, the kind of counsel that flies over social media is awful. And when things don't go our way, we're so quick, brethren, we're so quick to speak sinfully against God. Somehow God has been unfair to us because of our circumstances.

It's especially so when Christians see the wickedness around us and we as Christians see the wicked prosper. we often evidence our anger by complaining against God perhaps couched in sarcastic jokes about God and his ways to those around us you've got to be careful even sacrilegious stuff some of these Christian comedians are great, funny but they cross a line sometimes into the sacrilegious stuff like you are skating on thin ice we're talking about the triune God who is holy and makes no mistakes. So listen to the ways that people will speak about God's ways. Not God, but about his ways.

And you know what? You'll get a pretty clear picture as to what they think about God. And so keeping that in mind, just look at 39.1. I said, I will guard my ways. Why? lest I sin with my what church? with my tongue I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle while the wicked are before me well we would certainly do well to pray the same and I would say may God forgive us for the times that we've charged God with doing wrong in his perfect and sovereign ways in our lives because we're going through heartache or trial especially in front of the unbeliever.

Whether it's about a particular heartache from the past or whether you're undergoing a time of trial now, I encourage you, pray that God will keep you from speaking sinfully about His character and His ways. Be patient. Remember that Ecclesiastes 3.11 says, He makes all things beautiful, but it's in His time. Further in chapter 39, we see that waiting produces humility regarding time and its brevity. in verse 4 David prays Lord make me to know my end and what is the measure of my days that I may know how frail I am there's a temptation to think that we can what we want to do so much accomplish this or that in the time that we have and these current obstacles of trial and heartache are actually keeping me from accomplishing the will of God and we forget that these trials and these heartaches are the will of God.

They're not keeping you from doing God's will. They're the opportunity for you to submit to God's will. That we forget that those very obstacles are given to us as a part of God's perfect plan and His perfect timing in our lives, brief as they may be. We forget that God ordains all things that comes to pass and He does so to make us look more like Christ.

The London Baptist Confession is helpful here when it says, God hath decreed in himself from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably all things, whatsoever comes to pass. Yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin, nor hath fellowship with any therein, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established in which appears his wisdom in deposing all things in power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree. The trial that you may be in is God's will.

Not outside of it. Not keeping it from God's will. It is part of God's will. And God is in charge even of our heartaches. And they always eventually will serve in sanctifying us. thus does R.C. Sproul say that there cannot even be one maverick molecule which is not under God's firm hand Jerry Bridges in his wonderful work entitled Trusting God a book I would highly commend to you if you haven't read it Bridges says nothing not even the smallest virus escapes his care and control I thought about that a lot during COVID right this isn't escaping God's control Wuhan or wherever it came from you know and don't we all have opinions about that you know where it came from it's part of God's will and accomplishing God's purpose it sure taught us all how to use zoom but brethren that's quite a different perspective from that of most people today who prefer to speak of luck or chance.

Not God. Because we have such a low view of God we have this hard time of saying well yeah this bad stuff is still under God control And so they would say luck or chance and this is a new one you know I saw it, not that I watched all of what they did in Hollywood last week or whenever it was, but they stand up and they thank the universe. Sounds so stupid.

I would like to thank the universe for this. Well, let's blame the universe for that. Does it make sense? Thank the universe. And humanly speaking, it's a more difficult perspective for us to say, yeah, we know that God is in the heartache. Exactly because it requires us to see God's hand, even what we would call the quote-unquote bad things in our lives.

As the Puritans would say, the dark providences. But I ask you, would you want to live in a world where luck and fate are more powerful than God. I wouldn't want to live in that world. I much prefer the biblical doctrines of God's sovereignty and his sustaining care over that of blind luck and fate. Wouldn't you rather know that God is still in control even in the bad circumstances of life?

Wouldn't you prefer to know that and not just fate? We have to fight our own tendency to be practical deists in this area of suffering and trial. professing a belief in the sovereign rule of God but living as if we really believe in luck. As Christians, we know that nothing happens to us because of luck or fate. Jesus tells us as much. In Matthew chapter 10, 29 through 31, Jesus tells us that God's eye is even on the sparrow.

According to Jesus, God does exercise his sovereignty in very minute events, even the life and the death of a sparrow. And Jesus' whole point is this. If God so exercises his sovereignty in regard to sparrows, most certainly he will exercise his sovereignty in regard to his children. If God controls all the circumstances around the life of that sparrow worth half a penny, how much more does he not control the circumstances of those who bear his image?

Thankfully, God does not walk away or leave us to the mercy of uncontrolled or random events. so I'm sorry but all that gets us into verse 1 of chapter 40 I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined to me and he heard my cry and so here's this prayer for deliverance and David is starting by saying that to wait upon the Lord is worthwhile David is learning throughout his life that there will always be some new adversity and trial that he will have to take to God in prayer and then he will have to wait upon his timing for the right answer. As Ross says, the first part is declarative praise or thanksgiving. It's the report of deliverance with this lesson and its praises, as well as a vow of dedications to the Lord.

The last part of Psalm 40 is a prayer based on the psalmist's experience of deliverance expressed in his praise to the Lord. So Psalm 40 is a picture of the cycle of what every believer's life looks like. You ready? Here's the cycle of the Christian life. Trial. A need for deliverance from the trial.

A time of deliverance. Appropriate praise and thanksgiving for the deliverance. And then, trial. A need for deliverance from the difficulty of trial. A time of deliverance. Appropriate praise and thanksgiving for the deliverance. and then get the picture I know he was here because I remember when Lance came and in our fire meetings we often have prayer times it's such a wonderful thing and we pray for the churches we pray for you we pray for this church we pray together and I remember doing one of these church report times and some of the guys are standing up saying well, we are just giving God praise.

We are in such a season of blessing and such a season of peace and such a season, you know, these kinds of things, which is great, and we rejoice in that. But Lance leans over to me and he whispers and he said, we don't say that anymore in our church. And I said, you don't say what? He said, we don't say we're having a season of blessing or a season of praise.

I said, why not? He said, we just say, Satan is reloading. I thought well that's a lousy way to have to look at but this is the reality isn't it? It's the cycle of the Christian life. In this world you will have what? You'll have tribulation.

The whole process is God ordained. The whole process is necessary to our sanctification. It's what we all need in order that we might look more like the Savior. But here, rest in this. God will never waste your pain. He'll never waste it.

As Carson says, the message of Psalm 40 is that even when God answers prayer and provides relief, there will usually come a new crisis that forces a return to God as one's refuge and deliverer. It's therefore the ebb and the flow of the Christian life. This is why Jesus said that we would have tribulation in this world in order, according to Romans 8, 29, to make us look more like Christ.

So if we're predestined to look more like Christ, to be conformed to his image, then here's a thought I'll plant with you now. We'll maybe return to it later then. Perhaps our trials are predestined too. Therefore, as Christians, one of the things we should hope for is to grow and to mature as we respond to this cycle of the Christian life. that by faith we would be maturing to look more like Jesus as the wheels of time turn.

Our goal should be that we wouldn't be like the disciples of Jesus who after seeing Jesus, Jesus feed the 5,000 in Matthew chapter 14, you know, loaves and the fish, five loaves, two fish. How many disciples are there? Twelve. Hey, how many disciples are there? Twelve. Okay.

We're all here, right? Okay. Twelve disciples. Now watch. Now watch. Jesus does the miracle.

If you do the math, we won't take the time to figure out all the math. Do the math. Probably something like 15,000 people have been fed. Okay? Because you just counted the men. So if you just divided, say, half the men were married and then children and all that.

Okay? Trust me, I've kind of worked it out in math. I'm not great with math, but I think it's okay. 15,000. At least. Okay?

And the disciples each come back with what to Jesus? Leftovers. Twelve baskets of leftovers. Wow. So the disciples see Jesus feeds the 15,000. Okay?

And then they each come back with a basket themselves, carry it back themselves to Jesus. Here you go, Lord. Basket filled. What is that? Leftovers. from all the... Wow.

Jesus is amazing. Yeah, until next week when the disciples, there's a crowd of people and they say to Jesus, how are we going to feed all these people? Huh? And Jesus says, I tell you what, let's do this. Bring me what you've got. But this time, Now, you don't have to write this down.

This is only my surmising. This time, not all 12 come back with baskets, only 7. 7 come back with baskets. Just my thinking. You don't have to put this down. I think maybe those 7 guys are the ones who are going, how's Jesus going to do this?

And the other 5 were probably like, hey, didn't he do this already? You know what our problem in the Christian life, brethren, is? And I've been a Christian a long time by the grace of God. You know what our problem is? we go from event to event to event, the cycle of the Christian life, and we don't seem to grow in our faith. We're just like the disciples.

How's Jesus going to get me out of this? Like he got you out of it before? How about like that? Yeah, but this is now. Yeah, but how about the time before that and the time before that and the time before that and the time... You see the pattern? and you walked away from things in your life and you came back with a basket full of blessings that you didn't deserve and you put it before the Lord and said, wow, Lord, thank you for this.

It's totally amazing. And then the next trial in the cycle, you say, Lord, what am I going to do? How are we going to do this? How are we going to... Aren't you tired of living that way? A growth in the faith cycle is what the trial is supposed to bring.

It's what we see with David. So David chooses, second point, David chooses to wait patiently. David waited upon the Lord, and the Lord answered him. The Hebrew verb for wait is kavah. And it conveys the idea of waiting with expectancy. Words are important.

And this Hebrew word gives to us an important picture of waiting. David doesn't paint a picture of unengaged sufferer, one who's just resigned himself to his lot in life and sits in the corner depressed, just waiting to die. That's not the kind of waiting that David is speaking about. David speaks of himself as in a trial, earnestly and often bringing himself to his God and waiting in humble expectation for God's timely and right answer.

Is it today, Lord? I appreciate the rendering that Alec Moyder gives in his translation of this when he writes, I just waited for Yahweh and he turned to me and he heard my cry for help. I just waited for Yahweh. I just waited for the Lord. And intense anticipation, intense anticipation. I think in that translation you get the idea that there's no place else for David to be able to go than just to wait upon the Lord even in the times of distress.

It's much like Peter's attitude in John 6, 68 when Peter says to the Lord, Where else can we go, Lord? For you alone have the words of eternal life. Upon whom else can we as Christians wait? for God alone is the right answer and the best answers and also the power to bring those right and best answers to pass. Indeed, this is what he promises to those whose faith is in Jesus Christ.

This is the kind of peace that he gives to us in the waiting. So we see that David also earnestly waits upon God in prayer. David reminded himself that his God had not forgotten him. And even though he may have felt like God had forgotten his feelings, didn't dictate to his faith. His faith superseded his feelings. Once again, David shows us that no matter what was going on in his life, David was a man of prayer.

He was not ashamed to take his many distresses to the Lord. We see that throughout the Bible, whether it's Abraham, Moses, David, or even Jesus himself. Each one depended on the importance of prayer in their lives, and this is seen most clearly in their times of greatest sorrow and greatest difficulty. What did they do? They prayed. Evidently the knowledge that God is sovereign and ordains all things didn stop even Jesus from praying Not wanting to pray because we think that God going to have His way anyway What's the sense?

If God is sovereign, why should I pray? Prayer isn't going to change anything? You know what, brethren? Those statements reveal more about the selfishness of our own hearts than it does about our desire to be able to communicate with God in our trial and suffering. The truth of God's sovereignty should actually be an encouragement for us to pray, not an excuse not to pray.

When we ask why we should pray, why should I pray? We reveal the poor theology that we have of both God and prayer. So much more to prayer, at least there should be, than just asking God for what we want. Questioning why bother to pray because God is sovereign simply evidences that we're more concerned with our own will than with God's will. The greatest biblical characters, culminating with Jesus himself, show us that they were willing to wait upon God in prayer.

Both David and Jesus teach us that even if prayer doesn't change the situation, such prayer in times of distress and temptation serves to change us. it's remarkable and we'll come to this you'll no doubt talk about this next week god spares us good friday jesus praying in the garden of gethsemane you ever consider that jesus in his humanity praying to his father is there another way wow but i mean that is so much to take in you think about genesis 22 right when god said to abraham take your son your only son you think the language is purposeful? It is. Take your son, your only son.

And Abraham the next morning gets up and obeys and the whole thing. Oh, can you imagine the heart of it all? I don't know. I think Genesis 22 is partially given for us to understand John 3.16 that God so loved that he gave. Can you imagine Abraham, Isaac, Dad, I see the altar, I see the wood, I see the robe. The only thing I don't see is the sacrifice. and Abraham having to take that knife having to prepare to plunge it into the heart of his son his only son and he hears the voice, Abraham can you imagine?

I provided the ram God knowing that the provision of that would be his own son and no one would stop him no one even when his son prays so earnestly in the garden of Gethsemane that he sweats drops of blood is there another way? and we want to sit around and talk about why we should pray? when the example of Christ is so powerful Christians should be a people of prayer because such prayer includes private and corporate prayer times Christians should be you know Spurgeon said that the furnace that heated his church was not the furnace in the basement it was the furnace of the prayer room Christians gather for prayer I'm thankful we have a group of men every Lord's Day that meet in a room and you know what they pray for? they pray for the service and they pray for me as I preach or whatever man is going to stand in the pulpit that day to preach. You know why? Because we have to wait patiently on God in prayer.

You know why? Because God works through the means of this grace called prayer. Takes us to our third point, David's trust in waiting. See, you all got nervous there at that first point, didn't you? You said, this guy is going to be preaching until 11.30. here's our third point David's trust in waiting see how David ends verse 1 he ends it with a statement of fact what is it? he heard my cry isn't that comforting? he heard my cry David's patient and prayerful waiting is rewarded how comforting for us to know that even when our God in heaven doesn't answer us in the time that we might like he always hears our prayers he hears Psalm 34 5 we read the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears are open to their cry in 1 Peter 3 12 we read for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil David says he heard my cry it's an amazing truth brethren if you knew that you could talk to the most powerful person in the world you would probably take better advantage of that than we might do with prayer especially when you're in trial I've seen in my own life and it's anecdotal I understand that but I've seen in my own life ministry life when people go through deep dark trials generally the first thing that falls is their Bible reading and prayer and attendance at church.

You know why? What will they say? I just can't do that right now. I just can't focus on that right now. I just can't pay attention to that. The very thing that they need the most at that time is the very thing that they avoid.

But the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears open to their prayer. Pray. Gil says His ears are open to their prayers or prayer in the Hebrew text to their cry. He is a God hearing prayer And His righteous ones have His ear He hears them while they are speaking and will sooner or later answer and avenge his elect who cry unto him day and night.

For he has an ear to hear their cries, which is not heavy. He has an arm to save them, which is not too short. David's crying out to God reminds us of the wonderful truth that God hears your prayers. He hears our prayers, especially in the times of greatest distress. He hears our prayers in our times of greatest temptation. He hears our prayers when we are at our weakest.

He hears our prayers when we are joyful and praising him. He hears us when we don't know what to say. And we ask the Spirit of God would make intercession and yet raise our voice to God's ears. Christian, take heart in the comforting truth that just as God heard David's prayers in the cycle of the Christian life, so too does this same God ever and always hear your prayer.

Faltering and fleeting as it may be, He hears you. And this means that God heard every prayer you prayed last week, even though you might not have gotten an answer, and even though you might now feel like God doesn't hear you. Listen, in spite of no answers, take the example of David. David waited patiently upon the Lord in prayer. he took the privilege of prayer seriously choosing to pray through every event in his life David knew very well the power of prayer and knowing that God is sovereign over the affairs of his life he cries out to him with confidence in prayer even though he has to wait our prayers are the preordained sovereign means of God to accomplish his purposes you know, here's the statement that I like to use when people say, well if God is sovereign, why pray?

I like to say this it's because God is sovereign that I do pray that's why don't lose heart in praying don't lose heart and if you're tempted to do so like David in addition to your prayer for help pray for patience that God will help you to wait patiently upon him he promises to give you grace enough enough through this trial he'll give you grace don't give up keep praying Lord I find it hard to wait would you help me? he'll run right to that prayer he'll help you remember that just because the Lord hasn't answered your one earnest prayer at this point doesn't mean that he stopped answering all of your prayers so keep praying perhaps you're discouraged in praying for those whom you love who stand apart from Christ what should you do? Keep praying. Follow the example of the great heroes of the faith.

Pray. It will be an encouragement to you, even as you must still wait patiently upon the Lord. That takes us to our fourth point. Trust. Trust in the reason for waiting. Have you ever wondered why it is that sometimes the Lord forces us to endure the trial of waiting? throughout the Psalms, David shows us that there are some trials in the life of every Christian that must include the discipline of not having our prayers answered according to our timetable or in the way that we wanted them to be answered.

What could be the purpose of such prayerful waiting? Well, it's only to remove the dross of sin that remains in us and thus increase our faith. well it's not wasting it the reality is that as Christians we have to remember and believe that we can trust that in our waiting God is accomplishing his purposes it might not feel as if God is listening but he still is and he always will be listening to the cries of his people can I just encourage you with this truth remember just because we feel a thing doesn't make it true and just because we don't feel a thing doesn't make it false at such difficult times we have to pray that God will help us to as it were re-believe re-believe what? re-believe the gospel all over again we must walk by faith to know that sometimes are providentially brought to us to prompt us to fly more quickly and more fully to god for god is ever and always near and he always hears us our lack of sensing that he hears us may be influenced by many things none of which really affect the reality that he is hearing you and he is attentive to your cry when our feelings speak louder than our faith. And don't they?

We must defy those feelings with a renewed faith in the promises of God to us. And so David acknowledges that there can be the further temptation to look at the ease and the wealth of the wicked when we're in such a difficult time. And we see the shortness of our own days. And we'll know perhaps we'll never attain to the level of prosperity like those people in this particular life.

And here again, in both of these, can be the temptation to question God's wisdom and his justice. Well, it's the antidote. David combats this by praying. By praying that God will help him to remember his end. This is a prayer for humility. It's a prayer for submission.

For these are both needed in waiting upon the Lord. And this is what David prays for. David prays that he would be humble and he would be submissive, knowing that in his own life is very short and that he must keep it in order. Psalm 90. Teach me to do what Number my days That I might what Squander them No That I might live in the right way Calvin said, men are most, I'm sorry, Calvin said this, blame Calvin.

Men are most stupid when it comes to thinking about their own death. You know why? Calvin says they never think it's going to happen to them. That's not David's perspective. David isn't saying I know my life is short I'm missing out David is saying I know my life is short I better have my act together see that's where prayer brings us and so that perspective in prayer given to us by David I think is helpful and that is for us to also remember that this world this world and its power this world and its fame this world and its riches it's all coming to an end we're to remember that the end of the wicked is just the beginning for those whose faith is in Christ Jesus and in his coming kingdom the end of the wicked is the beginning of the saint David thus prays that God would teach him to know his own end in other words David is saying that for the Christian this life is not all there is we have this wonderful hope here it's the hope of heaven and that hope of heaven lies before us David is praying that God will help him to remember this truth.

And as Christians, we should rightly pray for the same perspective. Nothing you do here is going to be forgotten as you do it for the Savior. Nothing. I love what Alcorn says in his book entitled Heaven. He says this, Every kingdom work, whether publicly performed or privately endeavored, partakes of the kingdom's imperishable character. every honest intention every stumbling word of witness every resistance of temptation every motion of resistance every gesture of concern every routine engagement every motion of worship every struggle towards obedience every mumbled prayer everything, literally which flows out of our faith relationship with the ever-living one will find its place in the ever-living heavenly order which will dawn at the coming of Christ.

Nothing wasted. No wonder David prays that God will teach him to know his end. Job also helpfully describes his trust when he had the sense that God was not listening to him. For in Job chapter 10 and 23, right after saying that he doesn't feel God's presence, in essence, that's what Job says, Job then exclaims, But he knows the way that I take. And when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Job knows that in spite of how he feels and in spite of having to wait, God has not left him and more, God has a purpose in allowing him not to sense the nearness of his presence at that time. So Job is thus saying that he will not doubt in the dark what God has shown him to be so true in the light. He will trust God. even if he still had not had an answer to this particular prayer he will trust God and like Job we must remember that our feelings can be both lying and deceptive and therefore never worthy to be trusted David teaches us how to combat this when he says I waited patiently for the Lord and he turned to me and he heard my cry So as we think about some application to this first session, I wonder tonight, do you find yourself in a time of trial?

Do you find yourself in a time of unanswered prayer? Dear Christian, if that describes you right now, I just want to encourage you with this truth. Jesus is your peace. Pray for God to give you the grace to trust and to wait patiently for him. persist in prayer but be willing to wait don't allow the temptation of hard thoughts against God as the Puritans would say dark thoughts about God and his ways to dissuade you from praying remember that even Jesus in his humanity waited upon his father in prayer Spurgeon is helpful when he says did the only begotten wait and shall we be petulant and rebellious and he inclined unto me and heard my cry neither Jesus the head nor any of one of the members of his body shall ever wait upon the Lord in vain what a marvel it is that our Lord Jesus should have to cry as we do and wait as we do and should receive the Father's help after the same process of faith and pleading as must be gone through by ourselves the Savior's prayers among the midnight mountains and in Gethsemane expound this verse the son of David was brought very low but he rose to victory and here he teaches us how to conduct ourselves in conflicts so as to succeed after the same glorious pattern of triumph let us arm ourselves with the same mind and panoplyed in patience armed with prayer and girt with faith let us maintain this holy war Christian trust and patiently wait knowing that he really will make all things beautiful in its time.

Wait and pray and look forward to seeing what God might be pleased to do. Let's pray. Father, how thankful we are for your word. It is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. And we pray that you, by your spirit, would own your word in our hearts tonight. I pray Lord for that one who may be enduring a time of difficulty a real time of trial of heartache of grief oh Lord I pray that you make your promised presence known to them.

That you would encourage them that you speak peace to them even in this difficult trial situation. Father, we pray that you would help us as we enter into Psalm 40 to see not only the examples that are given to us but then to put these into practice. How thankful we serve a God who promises that he will work out all things for us. Whether good or bad, he'll work it all out for our good and for his glory.

Do your work amongst us this weekend, we pray to the glory of Christ. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.