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Sermon #30 Micah Series
Title: Why wait?
Text: Micah 7:1-17 Subject: Encouragements to Faith Date: Tuesday Evening — June 26, 2012 Tape: Micah #30 Readings: Rex Bartley and David Burge Introduction:
Sweet the tokens of His grace, When my Savior shows His face! When my soul His presence feels, Raging storms He bids be still.
Oft repeat such visits and, By Your wise, unerring hand, Conquer, comfort, wound or heal, — Let me but Your presence feel!
Here I wait, and pray, and sigh; Raise my languid soul on high! Precious Jesus, Savior, bless With Your mercy, love, and grace!
How often we are admonished to wait on the Lord! — How blindly we ignore the admonition! Listen to the Word of God. Will you just listen? My soul, will you listen?
(Psalms 27:14) “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
(Psalms 37:9) “Evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
(Psalms 37:34) “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].”
(Proverbs 20:22) “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; [but] wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”
(Isaiah 30:18) “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD [is] a God of judgment: blessed [are] all they that wait for him.”
(Isaiah 49:23) “And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with [their] face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”
(Isaiah 64:4) “For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
No wonder Isaiah declared…
(Isaiah 8:17) “I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.”
Good to Wait
Jeremiah tells us that “it is good that a man both hope and quietly wait” upon the Lord.
(Lamentations 3:25-26) “The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him. 26 [It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
“The Lord is good!” · In all his attributes. · In all his works.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him.” — To wait on the Lord is to calmly trust him for deliverance.
“The Lord is good to the soul that seeketh him.” — Let me tell you six things about those who wait on the Lord and seek the him.
1. They know their need of him. 2. They seek him sincerely (Psalm 27:8).
(Psalms 27:8) “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”
· In His Word. · In His House. · Among His People. · In Prayer.
3. They have faith in him. 4. They seek him continually (Philippians 3:10-14).
(Philippians 3:13-14) “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
5. They are sought of him. — “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4).
(Isaiah 62:10-12) “Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. (11) Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. (12) And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.”
“I sought the Lord, but afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him seeking me! It was not I that found Thee Savior true! No, I was found of thee!”
6. They find him (Jeremiah 29:10-14).
(Jeremiah 29:10-14) “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. (11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (14) And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”
“It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” — If God is good to those who wait for him, then it must be good for us to both hope and quietly wait for God’s salvation.
Be sure you understand this: “Salvation is of the Lord.” It is God’s work and God’s work alone. · The salvation of our souls is his work. · Salvation from any danger, any hardship or any foe is also God’s work and God’s work alone. · He is able to deliver us; and he will!
(Lamentations 3:31-32) “For the Lord will not cast off for ever: (32) But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.”
It is good for you who are lost to take your place in the dust as sinners before the throne of grace and wait for God’s salvation (Matthew 8:1 — “If you will you can make me whole!”)
It is good for troubled saints to quietly wait for God’s salvation in all temporal troubles (John 11:40; 13:7).
(John 11:40) “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”
(John 13:7) “Jesus answered and said unto him (Peter), What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”
Micah 7
In the seventh chapter of Micah, God’s prophet is in great heaviness. God’s church is in a time of great darkness. Evil abounds everywhere… · In the State House! · In the Church House! · In the Prophet’s House! · In the Houses of the Wicked! · And in the Houses of God’s Saints!
Where sin abounded trouble abounded! Where wickedness ran rampant woes flooded and overflowed everything! Where transgressions were multiplied troubles were multiplied! Where depravity defied God darkness engulfed the heart! Is that not how you read Micah 7:1-6?
“1 ¶ Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: [there is] no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
2 The good [man] is perished out of the earth: and [there is] none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. 3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge [asketh] for a reward; and the great [man], he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
4 The best of them [is] as a brier: the most upright [is sharper] than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen [and] thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. 6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies [are] the men of his own house.” (Micah 7:1-6)
Now, watch this. — In verse 7 the prophet’s next words seem to the natural mind to be out of place. Micah says, alright, since things are so bad, since I am in such terrible straits, since I see no way out of the mess we’re in, since it appears that all hope is lost…
(Micah 7:7) “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”
When hope is Lost
When you are, like those onboard the doomed ship with the Apostle Paul (Acts 27:20), — When neither the sun nor the stars have in many days appeared, — When a great tempest lays upon you, — When all hope that you should be saved has been taken away, — Then what do you do? You will be wise to do exactly what Micah did here.
(Micah 7:7) “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”
Why? Why wait? That is my subject tonight. — Why wait?
Proposition: To wait on God is to look to him for help. It is to trust him.
Ten Reasons
Keep your Bibles open on your laps, and I will show you ten reasons Micah gives us for waiting on the Lord.
Illustration: “Tried and Proved”
What great encouragements these things are to our faith. May God the Holy Spirit write them upon my heart and yours and teach us to look unto the Lord, to wait for the God of our salvation. — “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation…”
1. Because (verse 7) — “My God will hear me!” · Salvation begins in a look. “Look unto me…” · Salvation is maintained and continued throughout our time in this world in a look. — “Looking unto Jesus!” · Salvation shall be finished in a look. — “They shall see his face!”
I will look to him, I will wait for him, the God of my salvation, because “my God will hear me” (Hebrews 4:16). · He hears my prayers. · He hears my groans. · He hears my sighs. · He hears my tears. · He hears my countless, unspoken fears. — “My God will hear me!”
2. “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” because when I fall I will arise.
(Verse 8). “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise.”
When I fall into trouble or into sin, by divine appointment or by satanic influence, I will arise by God’s omnipotent mercy! · I will fall. — “When I fall!” · I will arise!
3. “I will wait for the God of my salvation” because “when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.”
Though the light of grace is in my heart and the light of God’s Word is in my hand, though I walk in the light as he is in the light, I am often in darkness, because the Lord hides his face. Dark providences are darker still when the Lord hides his face behind the dark cloud.
This I know, if I am in darkness, “He hath brought me into darkness” (Lamentations 3:2). · Spiritual Darkness · Providential Darkness · Mental Darkness
But, blessed be his holy name forever, “though I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me!” Jehovah—Jesus is my Light still. When I have no light of my own, Christ is my Light still! The Sun of Righteousness may be covered with a cloud, but not for long! He will arise and send his Spirit to illuminate, refresh, comfort, and guide me by his Word!
4. “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” because “he will plead my cause.” — He will undertake my cause and plead for me (v. 9).
The Lord Jesus Christ, our mighty Redeemer and all-powerful and ever-prevailing Mediator, pleads our cause before the throne of grace, obtaining all blessings of grace for us. He also pleads our cause against our enemies, the sons of Ham, the ungodly who strive against us, and persecute and distress his church. He will in his own time deliver us from... · Satan’s Temptations! · Earthly Trouble! · Wicked Men! · Our Own Evil Hearts!
5. “I will wait for the God of my salvation” because “he will execute judgment for me.”
Yes, all the judgments of God upon men and women in this world are judgments executed for me, for his church, for the saving of his elect and in avenging his people. — I don’t have to defend myself. My God defends me!
(Romans 12:19) “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
(Luke 18:7) “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?”
6. “I will wait for the God of my salvation” because “he will bring me forth to the light” (v. 9).
He will bring me, like a man is brought out of a dark prison, into the light. John Gill rightly observed that the sense of this statement is…
“He will openly espouse the cause of his church, and give her honor and glory publicly before men; bring forth her righteousness as the light, and her judgment as the noon day; and make her innocence appear as clear as the day, and bring her at last to the light of glory.”
(1 Corinthians 4:1-5) “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
(Psalms 37:6) “And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”
(Isaiah 58:8-10) “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I [am]. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10 And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as the noonday:”
Look at verse 9 again…
7. “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” because “I shall behold his righteousness.”
· The Righteousness of Christ · The Righteousness of His Grace · His Faithfulness in Fulfilling All His Promises · The Equity of His Providential Judgments · The Goodness and Benefit of His Providence · The Wisdom and Goodness of His Chastisement · The Righteousness of His Everlasting Judgment · The Righteousness of Everlasting Salvation
8. “I will wait for the God of my salvation” because he will take away all my shame and reproach (v. 10).
(Micah 7:10) “Then [she that is] mine enemy shall see [it], and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.”
· Christ took away all my reproach when my reproach fell on him and was made his at Calvary! · Consciously, experimentally, he took my reproach and shame away when he saved me by his grace. · And, soon, the reproach that men cast upon us, he will take away; and the wicked shall be put to shame forever! In that great day, the Day of Judgment, our God and Savior shall remove all reproach from us (Mine — Yours — His Church’s) and display the glory of his grace in us!
9. “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” because he will build his church and save his people (vv. 11-13).
(Micah 7:11-13) “[In] the day that thy walls are to be built, [in] that day shall the decree be far removed. 12 [In] that day [also] he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and [from] the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and [from] mountain to mountain. 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.”
· Christ Jesus will build the walls of his Holy City and his Holy Temple. · The decree of captivity and judgment he removes. · He gathers his elect from every part of the world. · Though the earth, this world, is desolate and bears the fruit of man’s ungodliness and rebellion, still, the Lord our God adds to his church daily such as should be saved!
10. “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” because he will yet show his Israel and Egypt “marvellous things” (vv. 14-17).
(Micah 7:14-17) “Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily [in] the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed [in] Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous [things]. 16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay [their] hand upon [their] mouth, their ears shall be deaf. 17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.”
Who is the “him” to whom God will yet show “marvellous things”? · Christ? · His Chosen? · Satan (Pharaoh)? · The World (Egypt)?
What marvellous things our God will yet show the world! What marvellous things Pharaoh and Egypt must yet see! What marvellous things our God shall yet do for us and with us! · In Providence, Saving His Elect! · In the Overthrow of Babylon! · In the Resurrection!
(Psalms 123:2) “Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters, [and] as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes [wait] upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”
(Isaiah 8:17) “I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.”
(Isaiah 40:31) “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.”
Amen.
Don Fortner
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