Ps. 40:4 This psalm reveals how our trust in the Lord affects our prayers, praise, delight, witness, and repentance
40:1, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16. We’ll focus on delight this week.
40:8 I delight. Has anyone ever done something for you with an attitude that robbed you both of joy? I know doing God’s will is not always easy or convenient. But Jesus didn’t choose the easy or convenient way when he suffered and died to bear God’s judgment for our sins.
Jesus is our perfect example of delighting in doing God’s will. This psalm also contains a prophecy of why Jesus was born. The Messiah came to fulfill God’s mission.
40:6-8 God established a system of sacrifices to show us the penalty for breaking God’s commandments and to point us to the perfect sacrifice, Jesus. Religious rituals without the right heart were never God’s intent.
40:6 Literally, my ears you have dug or pierced. In Ex. 21, a Hebrew bondservant’s time of service was limited to six years. If the servant recognized the goodness of the owner and loved him, he could choose to stay. His ear was pierced as a sign that he stayed and served, not by law, but by love.
The Son of God came to earth to have his hands and feet pierced to a cross for our sins because he loved us. He calls us to believe in him as Lord, love him, and do his will. When we serve by love, as Jesus did, it’s more delight than duty.
We get to pray, worship, receive his word, fellowship, testify, give, serve, etc. His word is in my heart.
Heb. 10:4-7, 10 Jesus required a body because his body had to be offered as a sacrifice and his sinless blood had to be shed to forgive our sins and set us apart for God.
We remember Jesus and what he did for us in Communion.
Heb. 10:14, 19-22 Since we are in the process of being sanctified, we must do our part to stay in close fellowship with the Lord and grow in Christlikeness until we see him. This is how we fulfill our God-ordained purpose.
Jesus came to
I. Destroy the devil Heb. 2:14
Jesus died in a flesh and blood body to defeat and destroy the devil and break his power.
II. Free us from fear of death Heb. 2:15
We may fear conditions associated with death, but we do not have to give in to fear. Jesus conquered death. And we are free to live and delight in doing God’s will.
III. Help us when we are tempted Heb. 2:17, 18
Thank God, if we know Jesus as Lord, God’s Spirit lives in us and he helps us do God’s will with a right heart. When we sin, God helps us repent quickly and keep going.
Let’s examine our hearts.
Why do you do what you do for the Lord? Is it with gratitude and love that gives joy?
God is too good for us not to do his will, or to do it with a bad attitude.
Let’s delight in doing his will. We will bless him. He will bless us and use us as a testimony to others.