Good morning, everyone.
My name is James, and my middle name is Stuart,
and I'm more than happy for you to make up nicknames based on that.
I love doing that, so please, be creative as you like.
And I'm also very excited to be ordained in a couple of weeks here,
and I'd love to see you all here if you can.
I recently learned a phrase in Korean.
Now, I'm very sorry, my Korean accent is, like, really terrible,
but here we go.
The phrase is,
Does anybody know any Korean?
No? Okay, so it wasn't that helpful.
The phrase means,
when you walk past a mountain,
there is another mountain to walk past.
I think it's a slightly better version of
out of the frying pan into the fire.
And the last part of the phrase,
Taishan, is actually talking about a mountain
in Shandong province in China.
It's this mountain called Taishan.
And it has this imagery of,
once you walk up part of this mountain,
there's just another part of the mountain to climb up.
But I think it captures a certain feeling,
a mixture of joy and pain really well.
That feeling of getting past one struggle
and being joyful that you're on the other side of it,
but then the clouds part
and there is just another struggle,
another challenge ahead.
I know it's been exam period for many people here,
and it's like that short-term feeling of joy
when you finish one exam,
only to remember you have four more coming up.
How foolish is it if we pretend
that after the first struggle,
after the first exam,
that there's no more,
and it's just easy roads ahead.
But I think, I wonder actually,
I wonder if we can do the same thing with God.
Is it possible that we depend on God
in one difficult season,
like a COVID lockdown,
one struggle,
and then we quickly forget how much we need Him,
and we go back to trying to do life on our own.
We've climbed one mountain with God's help,
and then we don't even see the next one,
and we don't realize how dependent we are
on God in every season.
Today is our last in our series,
Hope in Despair.
We've spent the last eight weeks
in the Psalms and the Book of Lamentations,
and I'm really thankful for this series.
I texted in to that number
about how thankful I am
because I have been reminded
of how amazing God's grace is to us.
That we do things which make God grieve,
and He continues to love us.
I'm thankful for Psalm 13 last week,
which gave us a way to use our lament.
The Book of Lamentations
was a very difficult book to read through
as we saw the city of Jerusalem destroyed,
but it has been wonderful for me personally
to see and to be reminded
that we have a God who stands by His people.
Even when He pours out His anger on them,
He continues to love them,
and He does that as well,
ultimately in Jesus.
But the challenge for me
and the challenge for us today
is that as we come out of a season of despair,
as we come back into what seems to be
more like normal life,
that we cannot trust in God.
We can think that we've got it,
and we can forget the mountains ahead.
So the challenge will be for us
to continue to trust in God
and not forget our need in Him
because our God is our only hope.
And so today, we're in Psalm 40,
and King David is going to encourage us
to be lifelong lamenters
who know how to cry out,
how to pray to God,
how to rejoice in Him,
how to do what Aidan did
and prepare a lament
so we can use that later
so that we can lament our sin,
so we can grieve in a difficult season.
When there's a loss of a loved one
or a difficult season,
we can depend on God's grace
in every season.
So let me pray
as we have a look at Psalm 40.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your goodness to us,
that You walk with us
and You continue to walk with us
when we think we don't need You.
Heavenly Father,
as we are reminded of Your love
and Your grace in Psalm 40,
remind us of our continual need
in You today, Lord.
Amen.
So please,
have your Bibles open.
Psalm chapter 40.
We're going to spend our time
in Psalm 40 today.
As we see that God saves
and He continues to save.
Psalm 40 verse 1.
I waited patiently for the Lord.
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire.
This is almost the flip side
of the season we've been in.
We've been looking at a number of laments
and people grieving.
And this is David.
And he's saying,
I have been grieving,
but you have answered me.
David had been in a time of despair.
He cried out to God
and then he waited patiently.
Now, we don't know how long he had to wait
or what he was crying out to God for,
but he waited patiently.
Now, even that word there,
that's a challenge.
I don't like waiting for anything,
especially when I'm in despair.
God, come and fix it now.
But David waited patiently.
David has waited on God
in a season of despair.
And God has answered him.
He has saved him
from whatever the issue was.
And that description of the problem,
it's just so vivid.
It's pictured as a slimy pit
out of the mud and mire
or the miry bog
from older translations.
Now, it makes me think
of my worst nightmare
as a child.
Quicksand.
It seemed to be
in every TV show
that I grew up in.
It was the threat
of stumbling upon to quicksand
and then you,
no matter how much you tried,
you couldn't claw your way out of it.
Now, I've never been in one.
Has anybody been in quicksand?
No, it turns out
it's not actually
that much of a threat.
But it's this picture
of danger,
of slippery walls.
You're unable to save yourself.
David says he was stuck
in a hole,
unable to get himself out there.
He can't even get
a foothold or purchase
to try and fix the situation.
It sounds a lot like
a COVID lockdown.
For a while there,
it didn't seem to matter
what restrictions were in place.
Nothing was getting better.
There seemed to be
no way out.
It was this season
of depression and despair,
attack from outside
and attack from in.
But God has saved David
from what seemed to him
to be an impossible situation.
God has saved him.
He's pulled him out.
And there's a contrast
in the rest of verse 2.
Pulled him out of the miry pit.
Verse 2,
the second part of verse 2.
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
Safety.
Security in God.
Now I don't know
the feeling of coming out
of a slimy pit
onto firm ground,
but I do know
a similar feeling.
The feeling of
being swept into the ocean
and not being in control.
I remember one morning
on holiday
a couple of years ago.
I'd gone for a run
on the beach
early in the morning
and then I jumped in the ocean
and I swam a little bit.
And I didn't realise
how tired my legs were
until I tried
to swim back into shore.
It wasn't then
until then I realised
I was actually being pulled out.
And I had that moment
where I had my life flash before me.
Is this going to be
the place that I die?
Are my two little kids
going to be without a father
at this point?
And I remember that feeling
when my foot
finally hit sand.
Joy.
Inexpressible joy, relief.
Praise to God.
God,
my children are going to see
their dad for another day.
God has taken David
out of the pits
of pain and despair,
a struggle he couldn't
climb out of,
and placed him safe
on a rock
and David responds
by praising God.
Because of God saving him,
David trusts in God more
and he wants to give his life
and not just a couple of offerings.
Have a look at verse 3.
He put a new song
in my mouth,
a hymn of praise
to our God.
Many will see
and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
He is praising God.
He is rejoicing
and his trust
and dependence
has grown.
He cried out to God.
He waited on him.
God answered
and saved him.
And importantly,
David doesn't just move on
to the next thing
he's got to do
in his life.
He sits in this moment
and praises God.
He trusts in him
and he offers
his whole life to him.
Verse 6,
sacrifice and offering
you did not desire,
but my ears
you have opened.
Burn offerings
and sin offerings
you did not require.
Then I said,
here I am,
I have come.
It is written about me
in the scroll.
I desire to do your will,
my God.
Your law
is within my heart.
Now it's hard not
to read this part
and immediately
think of Jesus.
But David is the
fulfillment of expectation.
He is the king.
But where David
desires to do
God's will,
Jesus is the one
who does it.
He is the one
who the scrolls
point to,
the Old Testament
points to.
And whilst God
has been faithful
and answered
David's call,
how much more
for Jesus?
Crying out
on the cross,
God,
why have you
forsaken me?
And yet God
lifted Jesus
out of a pit.
Not just a pit
of despair
and pain,
but the pit
of death.
And because God
has lifted him up,
he lifts us
up to new life too.
Placing us
on the firm
foundation
of Jesus.
In our moment
of salvation,
we don't even
realize how high
the walls
of the pit
are around us
until we get
taken out of them.
We were stuck
in a pit,
but not just
a difficult pit,
an impossible pit.
Ephesians 2
tells us
that we
were dead,
totally unable
to climb out
of our graves.
But God
has pulled us
out of this pit
in Jesus
and he puts
us on him
a firm
foundation.
And so now
we can do
what David
does and see
God's goodness
on the other
side of this pit.
We can see
and be reminded
that God
is good.
He listens
to us.
He answers
our cries.
We can say,
God,
I can depend
upon you
when I'm in a pit
because no matter
what pit I'm in,
it's not going
to be as bad
as the pit
I was in
when I was dead.
but God,
you have pulled
me out of that
and I can stand
on Jesus
regardless
of the season
around me
because no pit
can swallow me
because I am firm
in him.
If those
10 verses
were all we had
of Psalm 40,
it would be lovely
and it would be amazing.
It's this picture
of David
responding to God
saving him,
David crying out
and David
knowing that
God saves him.
But that's not
the full story
because that's not
our lived experience.
That illustration
from before
about that Korean
phrase,
our life
is much more
we climb a mountain,
we go through
a season of despair
and then there's
another mountain
to climb.
The truth is
that we lurch
from disaster
to disaster,
from the frying pan
to the fire.
Just because
someone has
survived cancer
doesn't mean
that they won't
lose a loved one.
Just because
someone has
struggled to
find a job
doesn't mean
their house
won't be threatened
by a bushfire.
The harsh
realistic truth
is that we live
in a damned world
cursed by sin.
God is the only hope
until he sends Jesus
and this world
is remade.
It is easy
to move on
from one mountain
of dependence
on God
and forget him
in the next moment.
Throughout lockdown
I was very aware
of the mountain
that we were climbing.
I was very aware
how much I needed
God's help
just to do
daily things
like have
patience
with my kids.
God was really good
to me in that season.
I really appreciated
reading the book
of Jeremiah
and being reminded
about God's
continued patience
for his kids
Israel.
And that encouraged
me to be a good dad.
And then we got
back to normal life.
We came out
of lockdown
and I didn't realise it
but I'd actually
put that dependence
on God
particularly for
patience to one side.
And I went back
to thinking
normal life
I can do this
on my own.
Even though
it's just a different
mountain to climb.
And so
you know
I'm not sure
if you found this
came out of lockdown
my kids hadn't seen
anybody for four months
they went back
to school
we thought
yes
school's back
and then they all
got sick
because they were
back with people.
And I love you all
thank you for wearing masks.
And even then
I thought
okay
we're back
to this
we've just
gotten our freedom
I thought
I had life
and now
we're back
in a different
sort of lockdown
and that challenge
of having patience
was back
but I hadn't realised
how much
I needed
God in that.
Instead of
coming to him
and grieving
the fact that
we live in a cursed world
where you still have to
deal with sickness
depending on him
as the great healer
I just thought
I can do it.
But there is
a wonderful hope
and encouragement
here for us
in Psalm 40.
The first half
of the Psalm
is David
being thankful
to God
that he has
saved him.
The second half
of Psalm 40
David says
oh God
I've stuffed up
and I need you
to save me
I'm in another pit
I need you
to get me
out of this.
Verse 11
David's own sin
has caused
his trouble
and his request
his request
is based
on God
and on
who God
is.
God
is merciful
he is faithful
and he is loving
and so even though
David has
effectively
just gone
and jumped
back into
the pit
God has
pulled him
out of
David
cries out
to him
our God
is a much
better father
than me
if my kids
continually
come and ask
me the same
thing
I'll be okay
the first
three or four
or five times
on the sixth
it's just like
leave me alone
just figure it
out yourself
God is not
like that
we throw
ourself back
into that pit
of despair
repeatedly
we choose
to sin
and God
in his goodness
and patience
and love
for us
continues to
answer our
cries for help
verse 13
be pleased
to save me
Lord
come quickly
Lord
to help me
David has
learnt the
lesson of
grief and
lamentation
calling out
to God
when in need
depending on
him in
each and
every
circumstance
even the
problems that
he is now
making
God doesn't
ignore him
David sees
how faithful
God is
that he is a
God who
answers prayers
and so he
continues to
cry out
and he's aware
of his condition
verse 17
as for me
I am poor
and needy
may the Lord
think of me
you are my
help and my
deliverer
you are my
God do not
delay
now this is
King David
saying these
words
not sure if
he's in a
cave at this
point but
this is the
king and he
is saying he
is poor
and needy
he is aware
of who he
is before
God
that's what
happens when
we cry out
to God
we see God
answer us
when our
trust and
dependence grows
in him
we become more
aware of who
we are and
who he is
how awesome
he is and
how awful
we are and
how much we
need him
so that we
can say God
I am poor
and needy but
you are my
help and my
deliverer
when we learn
the lament of
Psalm 40 and
the and from
the book of
lamentations or
from Psalm 13
we learn David's
lesson here that
God is always
good he is
always helping and
answering prayers he
is always able to
be trusted but
also how good
God's grace for
us is that our
God would
willingly trade
our place with
Jesus at the
cross and so
that we can
continue to cry
out to him
preacher
theologian and
author Don
Carson told a
story about a
missionary who
came back to
Don Carson's
church while he
was doing his
PhD he brought
his wife and
young daughter
with him when
they were there
and he was
studying his
PhD his wife
got cancer she
was treated with
chemotherapy and
she recovered six
months later he
was diagnosed with
cancer liver
cancer no one
wanted to touch
him eventually
they found doctors
who would help
him they took a
large chunk of
his stomach with
radical treatment
but eventually he
recovered and was
able to continue
his PhD studies
six months after
that his wife died
of cancer he
finished his PhD
but before he went
back to the mission
field with his then
nine-year-old
daughter he went
and spoke at Don
Carson's church
and he thanked
everybody for their
support for their
prayers for him
over this time
and he thanked
God for all his
goodness
he thanked God
for the assurance
of life
for real hope
that he would see
his wife again
he thanked God
that he had left
him there to care
for his daughter
he spent his
whole time
in gratitude
and Don Carson
made the point
a very painful
point
that that is
simply normal
Christian living
hope in despair
is the usual
life of the
Christian
it is to be
the usual
life of the
Christian
our hope
isn't that
this season
of pain
will get
better
our hope
is not that
we will climb
a mountain
and then
it will just
be valleys
it will be
smooth sailing
it will just
be downhill
from here
because that
is not our
lived experience
that is not
life
it is we
climb a
mountain
and there's
another
mountain
our hope
is in
Jesus
who didn't
climb a
mountain
he went up
a hill
to Jerusalem
he went
on to a
cross
who God
raised from
the dead
who pulled
him out
of the pit
and so that
no matter what
happens with
our story
about the
mountains we
have to
climb
we can
grieve the
painful
difficult
seasons
we can
grieve the
challenges of
work
our families
getting sick
because Jesus
has climbed
the most
important
mountain
and he
has placed
us on his
back
and carries
us like a
little child
to stand
before God
the Christian
can endure
that the
story of
the missionary
still rejoicing
and being
thankful to
God
it can be
our story
because Jesus
is walking
with us
he says
this pain
you're going
through
I have
already
walked
through it
come
and follow
me
come and
place your
burdens
on me
because I
can carry
them
and so
as we
finish this
series
this season
of having
hope in
despair
and before
we head
into Christmas
and we get
distracted
with the
food and
the lights
and the
feasting
and the
festivals
and the
presents
remember
the value
of lament
lament
reminds us
of God's
goodness
it reminds
us of how
we still
depend on
God
on how
we should
be grieving
our sins
grieving
the things
that go
on around
us
but also
remembering
and celebrating
and rejoicing
God's goodness
to us
that he
would have
grace for
us
remember it
because there
is another
mountain around
the corner
to climb
but Jesus
is already
there
calling us
to walk
with him
don't
get bogged
down in
the mountain
because
God is
there with
us
cry out
to him
to help
because he
will answer
let's pray
heavenly
father
you were
so kind
to us
that Jesus
climbed
that mountain
to Jerusalem
that he
was on
a cross
that you
pulled him
out of
the pit
of death
and that
you have
raised us
to life
heavenly
father
thank you
that you
continue
to walk
with us
in the
good seasons
and in the
painful
difficult ones
lord
heavenly
father
for those
of us
who are
not in
a difficult
season
at the
moment
help us
not to
think that
we can
do it
on our
own
but lord
remind us
in season
and out
about how
much we
need you
bring us
closer to
you lord
and we
ask this
in your
son's name
and for
your glory
amen
me
amen