God Works for Those Who Wait for Him

well thank you Brett and Thomas and Wally and Christ Redeemer for inviting me to come there are many Joy's in life and one of them is to see your children walking in the truth even children of churches so to be with you to worship with you is very powerful for me so thank you leaf ray and ask God to help us for these next few minutes Oh God there are glorious things to be spoken of now and we need hearts minds that are supple and tender and malleable touchable so that the things in your word don't bounce off of us don't ricochet off of granite hearts but sink in and do their saving sanctifying sweetening humbling joy giving work so do the heart work Lord that I can't do well I try to give a voice to the glories of your word pray in Jesus name Amen so I thought to myself is different preaching once in a church instead of week after week after week which I've done most of my adult life and so you get a chance to step back and say no what would you say if you had one time to say to a people what would you say and I find that my mind runs back to formative periods in my life where a truth did something amazing for me it never stopped changing because it's thunk it just came once it came once and then it was there for years and years I thought well if I could make a deposit like that that happened for me say when I was 22 so I'll just give you a little this is one of those so I'm about 22 newly married living in Pasadena California no Ellen tell they're back here so tell though I mean Noel will remember this and truths are coming at me as I'm studying Bible and theology and seminary and some of them are simply explosively transforming for me and one of those was the simple discovery and I think the seeds of it were already there from my family but it was just explosively true that God's greatness is not magnified by his gathering workers to work for him but rather his greatness is magnified by working for his people acts 1725 clobbered me God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything but he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything so like get your service right here you don't serve him he serves you I just never put it like that before I was 22 the eyes of the Lord this is 2nd chronicles 6 1699 remember 2nd chronicles 16:9 the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth what's he looking for to show himself mighty on behalf of those whose heart is hold toward him the Keith looking for somebody to work for he's so strong so self-sufficient so overflowing with energy where's somebody I can show myself strong for I just never I just never hit me some 50 verse oh shoot forget 15 I believe it is call on me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you and you will glorify me so what does God get glory for you call on me you're the one who has needs I don't call on you when I need help you call on me when you need help I show up I do wonders then you spend the rest of your life eternity glorifying me that's the deal I work for you you glorify me you get the joy you get the help I get the credit I get the glory that's the deal and I had just never I mean that was a life changer for me here's a picture of it I don't jog as much as I used to I do elliptical now easier on the knees I used to jog through my neighborhood 25 years I had routes that I went through the neighborhood where we lived on Phillips so I jog down Franklin Avenue I take a left on Cedar go up through Seven Corners come across Washington come down 11th take about half an hour so and there was a machine shop of some kind I never figured out quite what it was and it had a permanent Help Wanted sign it was it was attached to the building Help Wanted only sometimes there was a big red no pasted on it no Help Wanted and and every time I ran by the the read no I said yes that's the gospel God never hangs out a Help Wanted sign like I can't run my shop if you guys don't show up I can't do it he just never does that the gospel is no Help Wanted help available in fact this is I'm adding to the picture now God's running out of the shop and chasing me down the Avenue I got help for you stop I want to help you don't run away from me this these things have stayed with me all these years that God is a God who works for us so I invite you to open your Bible to Isaiah big glorious prophet in the Old Testament Isaiah right near the middle of your Bible after Psalms a few pages and we're going to read four verses and I'm going to preach for a little while on one of them namely Isaiah 64 for which perhaps better than any of those three or four verses I've just quoted already capture this moment of Revelation in my life in those early years which have shaped my view of God ever since so let's read Isaiah 64 I'll read it to you you follow along one through four oh that you would rend the heavens and come down that the mountains might quake at your presence as when fire Kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil to make your name known to your adversaries that the nation's might tremble at your presence when you did awesome things that we did not look for you came down the mountains quaked at your presence here comes now watch from of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear no I have seen a god besides you who acts or I'm going to translate it works because I think that that has a striking and Trop in fact I know I have seen a god besides you who works for those who wait for him my son Abraham I have four sons and a daughter when he was two and a half he's 33 now when he was two and a half I remember I remember because I read about it recently in my journal I remember coming upstairs to waken the family and I don't think I usually did this but I can wake all the family by announcing a Bible verse and and the Bible verse I announced was Psalm 20 verse 7 some boast in chariots some boast in horses but we boast in the name of the Lord our God family and that morning Abraham became a preacher at least for two or three years he did and he stood on the stool in the kitchen later and said we not boasting horses we're not boasting cherries we boasted in the name of our God and he'd jump off the stool and at church after I finished preaching he come upon the platform in the old sanctuary about three feet high they said we not trust in horses ran out trust in cherry we trusted name in the world our God and he dilip off these listen it was like Mary and I watched that with absolute pleasure because I think every family in this church and every single person in this church should have a flag flying over your life we don't trust in horses we don't trust in chariots we don't trust the internet we don't trusted our health we don't trust in our smarts we don't trust in our job we don't trust in our minds we trust in the Lord our God that's the banner I think should fly over every family and he is the reason God works for those who wait for him Isaiah 64 4 so I just want to linger over this verse for for the rest of our time and help you feel and see the wonder of it and read it again from of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear no eye has seen a God besides you who works for those who wait for him so I want to lift up that truth that God and enjoy him with you for the next little while by focusing on what that verse means you know if if everything that you needed was provided by your work or another person's work then preaching would look very different than it does we would celebrate you and we would celebrate your friends who provided by working all of the things that you really need that's what we would do if if the provision of all the things you most need came from people I would preach people but people be exalted we'd sing people songs but that's not true let me ask you a few questions did you did we work to be created did we make our eyes so that we could see the joy of sight was eating my cereal this morning looking down at the granola thinking I can see did you do that you you would not take a million dollars for your eyes you didn't do that did you make your ears so that you could hear the sweetest sounds that you love to hear did you make your tongue to taste sweetness in your nose to smell bacon and toast you didn't you didn't make it did we supply the earth with water for drinking did we make the Sun or station it at a perfect distance from the earth so that we would swing in perfect rotations there would be day and night with temperatures that are at least manageable and the growth of all the trees that are just trying their best against this crazy spring to make things green no you didn't did you surround the earth with air to carry the clouds and birds and the oxygen for your lungs you didn't do that either do we paint the sunrises or the sunsets that come up every day no they don't just come up every day they come up every minute somewhere in the world right there's always a sunrise and always the sunset happening somewhere in the world and God's doing every one of them not you you didn't have anything to do with that beauty at all and it meets your needs profoundly morning and evening if you have eyes to see and when we come to die will our labor help us will it be us who make it possible for God to equip us for our sins and take away our fear and our pain and our guilt and give us new resurrection bodies someday forever and ever no in other words all the things we need most and love best we did not do we didn't make we our work is not the key here work is the key so the truth I want to leave ringing in your ears is that God works for those who wait for him God works decisively for those who wait for him and so I have three things to observe from this verse one is the uniqueness of this God because that's the that's the main point secondly his competence in working for you and third what it means to wait for him because it says he will work for those who wait for him so those are the three pieces of the verse that we'll focus on for a few minutes let's talk first about uniqueness the uniqueness of this work let's look at the verse again and see if you agree that this is the focus from of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear no one has seen and I know no eye has seen a god besides you who acts this way because there isn't work jetsam because not there there isn't any God like this you are unique you're in a class by yourself the uniqueness of the Christian God is that he doesn't ask people to work for him he works for them and all of their service is a depending upon his service that's the uniqueness of our God that's what the verse says now to just underline this you might want to just flick back to chapter 46 verses 1 through 4 because in 46 1 through 4 Isaiah contrasts the true God Yahweh the God and father of our Lord Jesus he contrasts him with bel and Nebo that's the the Zeus and the mercury of the Babylonians no there's there there are so-called gods right warum is called bel and one's called Nebo these were the gods of the Babylonians now how are they different it's as though it's what this text is about so I'll read the first four verses of chapter 46 and you ask how the difference is like 64 for Bel boughs down niebo Stoops their idols are on beasts and livestock these you carry are born as burdens on weary beasts they stoop they bow down together they cannot save the burden but themselves go into captivity listen to me o house of Jacob all the remnant of the house of Israel who have been born by me you know carrying me I'm carrying you see the difference o house of Jacob all the remnant of the house of evil who have been born by me from before your birth carried from the womb even to your old age I am he I love this verse even to your old age I am he and two gray hairs yes I will carry you I have made and I will bear I will carry I will say six times I mean that's repetitious what's he contrasting me let me give it to you again starting in verse three who have been one born by me I carry you to carried from the womb three two gray hairs I will carry you for I have made and I will bear five I will carry six I will save Bela Nebo what are you doing you're making your people carry you on carts all the gods of the world except our triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit are a burden rather than a burden bearing God because the way of salvation in every religion is work enough for me and you'll make it that's not Christianity we have a God who works for us there's the difference it was the difference in the Old Testament and we're going to see that it's a difference in the new here's another verse from Isaiah chapter 30 verse 18 goes like this he exalts himself to show mercy to you Scott is unique he exalts himself in getting down low and treating people better than they deserve a type makes much of himself I like a god like that I need I desperately need a God like that who who will come to me in my undeserving and show that he's great by treating me better than I deserve amazing God and as if this were true only in the Old Testament it is also true in the new here's the story you remember this Jesus teaching James and John come up to Jesus and say we would like to be on the right hand and on the left hand of you in your kingdom and Jesus says well are you able to drink the cup that I will drink and be baptized with the baptism and they say we're able and he said well I don't I don't make those assignments my father does and at that point the other 10 catch what's going on here they hear they're really angry so I'll pick it up right there and read it to you this is Mark 1041 2:45 the reason I'm reading Jesus here even though I'm talking about Isaiah is because what you find in Jesus the son of this guy that we're talking about is the clearest demonstration of that kind of God die lariat this is Mark 1041 when the ten heard it they began to be indignant at James and John and Jesus called them to him and said you know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them hey everybody knows how to be great in this world right have lots of people to lord over that's what makes you great in this world I got lots of employees they do what I tell them to do they meet my needs they serve me I'm great that's true that's true that's the way the world does it so Jesus you know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them it shall not be so among you whoever would be great among you must be your servant whoever would be first among you must be slave of all why for the Son of man came not to be served you got to stop right there let it sink in I didn't come to gather slaves I'm not a plantation owner I didn't come to get a workforce over whom I could exercise my authority that's not my greatness I'll finish it the Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many that's Isaiah 64 4 written with blood who has ever seen a God like this who not only works for those who wait for him but who does the hardest most painful most despised were there is namely crucifixion where show me show me come up to me after this service and name me any Savior any God any deliver any person any deity like that no religion not Muslims not Hindus not Buddhists not Judaism nobody has a God like this only Christianity has a God who sends his son into the world and says this is what he meant back in 64 for this is what he meant I'm coming not to be served I'm coming to serve you I'm gonna lay my life down for you there's nothing you can do to save yourself nothing you can do to work for me I'm gonna do it all and all you need to do is trust me will you trust me will you have me as your God or will you insist I'm gonna work and be somebody there is no God like this so I my first point he's unique because that's what the verse says no one has heard or perceived by the ear no I have seen a God besides you who works for those who wait for him because there isn't any other God who does that period and Jesus is the proof of it most clearly most powerfully Jesus is incomparable in the demonstration that God his father works for you and does the kind of work that you could never do that you so desperately need to have done namely an atonement for your sins point number two the competence of the work so the first is the uniqueness of this God and the second is the competence of the work I don't like incompetent work really I do not like incompetent work we got new gutters put on our house two years ago they still leak I have called back four times over and over they cannot make these gutter stop and during the rain drip drip drip and then when it freezes long icicle I'm calling back ooh incompetent work makes me mad doesn't like incompetent work I wouldn't want a god who's incompetent everything's different with God everything is different there are reasons humans are incompetent one might be motive they don't really care these are just workers the boss they don't even like the boss so they've put in lousy effort you know because they don't there was zeal for the name of the company but God has a zeal for the name of the company God is zealous for the name of the company called God it is an infinite zeal he will not suffer himself ever to do anything but the best and another reason people are incompetent is because they lack wisdom or knowledge they do their best did you don't know enough God always knows everything so you can't be incompetent because he knows everything a third reason people are incompetent is because they don't have enough strength they may have all the heart but the name of the company they may know everything they need to know but they're not good at it their arms aren't strong enough or they don't know how to just they're not able well God is infinitely able in other words all the reasons that things are done incompetently don't apply to God ever all the work that God does he does perfectly he's God that's what it means to be God isaiah 46:9 i am god and there is no other i am god and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done saying my counsel will stand and I will accomplish all my purpose yes he will he never fails to accomplish everything he sets out to do his work is always totally competent well done well timed and you can bank on it with your life so we have a unique God that's point number one there's no god like this God who works for those who wait for him and we have an infinitely competent God because that's what it means to be God I accomplished everything that I put my hand to because I'm God finally number three he does this for those who wait for him no eye has seen no eat no ear or I have seen or heard a god besides you who works competently for those who wait for him as he is 64 for so what is this prerequisite not every work of God for people has this prerequisite does it got to clarify this now does God work for people who don't wait for him well he does but not this way so let's let's make the distinction okay here's a verse that causes me to reflect on this acts 1416 goes like this in past generations God allowed the nations to walk in their own ways yet he did not leave himself without a witness for he did good by giving you rain and from heaven and fruitful seasons satisfying your hearts with food and gladness these are for people who didn't even know him or love him this is called common grace you know the distinction between common grace and special grace common grace is looking out over the Twin Cities metro area and realizing my lord the Sun came up on this city this morning and most of them don't give a rip for God he did that for this city he's done it ten thousand thousand times on the world that's common grace God works for people who don't love him thumb him that's not what this verse is talking about this verse is talking about a different kind of work a kind of work that God does only for those who wait for him no I have seen a God besides you who works in special saving helping strengthening preserving adopting saving reconciling preserving joy giving eternal life giving ways for those who wait for him so the big question is then what does it mean what does it mean to wait for God in Isaiah waiting for God usually implied the people were in trouble and they needed to wait for God to work rather than running to Egypt to get help here's Isaiah 31 verse 1 woe to those of you who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses who trust in chariots sound familiar because they are many or in horsemen because they are very strong but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord so the first meaning of waiting for the Lord I'm going to give you is you don't do that your first reflex is not Egypt not chariots not horses not horsemen but God what should I do god help me God showed me I need you that's a waiting it's like is this this reflex to run to Egypt I'm going I know I know how to fix this that that that those are all those natural causes I'm gonna use that one that one quick and fix and you wake up a half an hour later or an hour later a day later or a week later oh I never consulted God I never talked to him I never prayed I never asked I just did what I thought would fix it that's not waiting for the Lord one of the reasons we forfeit much divine engagement in our lives in remarkable ways is that we just rule it out from the start we're straight after our own plans and our own designs how to fix the problem in our life and we don't get on our faces linger for just a few minutes maybe I mean some decisions you have to make quick right you don't have three days to take a retreat you've got you got to get an answer now at least you got a tune in on the frequency and say God in five minutes I'm having this meeting and frankly I'm not sure what the right thing to say is or the right thing to do is and a lot hangs on it I'm consulting I crying out and I'm hanging on to the promise that you you work for those who wait for you so the first meaning of waiting is pause in prayer and consult your God this is simple a six-year-old can do this and a 65 year old can do this it's not complex but it does require a God orientation to your life and let me just be honest and exhort you to form this habit early because it's not automatic even when you've preached for 33 years preach this believe this it's not automatic for John Piper today to have a problem arise in my life and my first reflex would be to consult God instead of fix it with ways I know can fix it isn't that a shame what that shows you is that you can walk with God for 60 years and nothing is automatic you'd like to think that if you've done something and preached something and believed something long enough that all the spiritual impulses would be fairly automatic they're not they're not Satan is too real my flesh is to corrupt still and this age in this world are pressing us into its mold continually and the walk of the Christian life therefore is an ever renewed ever fought through life so I'm just encouraging you in as much as you can wherever you are in your pilgrimage form this habit put it on your clay you got one of these Dini clocks just in every hour make you go beep and this oh that's a consult God beep something I mean that's weird right but that would help maybe or you got one of these you can do it on this little dinger here or just something that begins to help you say that's right I'm that I'm walking through these days never talking to God about how to help me next I'm never I'm I get out I go to prayer I'm gonna prayer at night by the Bears they shoot I haven't even consulted with him today something's wrong with that dude you have to do do what you have to do God works for those who wait for him and the first meaning of wait for him is pause and consult with him in prayer so that's the first one there is more sometimes what God says when we ask him to help us to guide us to work for us sometimes he says pause and do nothing let me do it and sometimes he says act and here's how to act and I want to argue that in both cases we must keep waiting for God so the first way I put up here how to draw this in the air the first way of waiting for him is you pause and you turn to Him you pray and you ask for his help and his guidance you consult with him before you run to to Egypt for all the human means of solution you consult with him then his two possible answers are stand still and another possible answer is go at it use the means I've given you and tackle this thing head-on so the second meaning let's go here of waiting for the Lord would be just just stand still and watch me work don't don't enter the battle yet let me do the work so he might say Isaiah 30 verse 15 Isaiah 30 in returning and rest you shall be saved in quietness and in trust shall be your strength and you would not but you said no we will speed on horses therefore you will speed away and we will ride on swift steeds therefore your pursuers will be swift in others he said to Israel I'm telling you in quietness and Trust will be your strength and they said no no we're getting on our horses and take in charge here Jesus okay I'll tell you what's gonna happen you got fast horses Assyrians are going to be faster I'll see to it you know you don't throw away God's counsel to be still and expect him to keep working for you Exodus chapter 14 verse 13 fear not he said to Moses God said to Moses fear not stand firm behold the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today the Lord will fight for you and you have only to be still so the second way you wait for God is when God makes it plain to you let me do this be quiet be still there are you can think of situations in your life right now probably related to family issues where you feel helpless you'd like to see some things change maybe Church family you'd like to see some things change and you've tried everything you know to bring about the change it didn't work and God is now saying to you lay this down I will work for you trust me I work for those who wait for me you got children grown children maybe and you've done everything you know to do that they would be where you'd like them to be other relatives and he's making it plain but let me do this I will do this for you that's the second meaning we wait after we consult we get the word stop you've you've done everything you should do it's now mine trust me and there is one more namely he might say act get up do something prepare fight Mick war on the situation fight your own sin fight sin do what you have to do and then the meaning the third meaning of waiting for the Lord is that you don't say oh good now I can stop stop waiting on the Lord and act that's not the right way to think you you stop waiting one way and you start waiting another way in other words as you begin to act like right now I'm preaching okay I was waiting here sitting in the chair and as I was waiting I'm praying for help for sustaining grace if you tell me not to preach I won't go preach but you didn't say that so here I am now at this moment what should I be should I not be waiting on the Lord right now right now if my brain has the capacity on two frequencies to send up little messages which it should I think in between sentences and here near just say I need you I need you still to finish the message you look at somebody and you see a certain disposition on their face as you're looking around preaching and say could maybe what that means this and you whisper if it means that work please work there some way I'm expectantly walking through my working with the sins that God do something God will do something in me do something in you so you don't ever stop waiting just different kinds of waiting different kinds of expectancy that God will come and work in through your working not just telling you to stop don't work that's one way not just hearing your consultation at the beginning that's another way but as you pour your life out in your job where you work do most of you are called to do ordinary work and you should give it your hundred and ten percent ah if you're a Christian Jesus is in you there's this other frequency that's been tuned in your brain like this and all day long I need you I love you I trust you help me anything new here anything more I haven't thought of anything helped me strengthen me help me guide me if I had another sermon to preach here I'd probably go over to Isaiah 41:10 which is like the the word of the gears of my brain when you're in neutral if you're not for I'm with you be not dismayed for I am your God I'll strengthen you I'll help you I'll hold you up with my victorious right hand I've quoted that a thousand times in my life in the middle of an activity when I need help in it in it not just before it not just after it in it you're in it help me God help me help me God loves to work for people who are expectantly waiting on him in the midst of their life a king this is a psalm I mean where Psalm 33 a king is not saved by his great army a warrior is not delivered by his great strength the warhorse is a vain hope for victory and by its great might it cannot save our soul waits for the Lord he is our help and shield yes our heart is glad in him because we trust in His Holy Name let your steadfast love O Lord be upon us even as we hope in you and I think he means even as we sit on the warhorse and make war as another proverb the horse is made ready for the day of battle but victory belongs to the Lord which doesn't mean you don't need a horse this is not what that means he called his people to make war often get on your horses go up against the Philistines why if you if you fight for us because I'm gonna fight through you I might fight for you while you stand still Exodus watching the Red Sea do its work and I might fight through David swinging his sling I guide that rock I give him courage I bring down the Giant but I do it with a David David is waiting upon the Lord trusting in the Lord so that's the Third Way let me sum them up and close number one so three ways of waiting upon the Lord so that he will work for those who wait for him in all the ways that we especially need number one seek his counsel by pausing to pray at crucial moments when you have something you need to do and you're not sure what to do according to his will or at any mine just pause pause pause send up a brief prayer consult with the Lord it is amazing I have done this so many times it is amazing how much he does for you in those moments I don't think I can count it is a countable number I just can't remember I'm ready to walk out of the house we go on vacation we're going to some ministry trip or something I pause at the door and I say this God if there's anything I have forgotten right into my mind comes my computer cord yes I mean where did that come from where did that come from number two if he says be still let me do this for you she sometimes does trust him with it trust him with it that's very hard very hard to do we're all Americans are productive people week we know how to get things done so we're known for around the world we make it happen people and therefore for us to be told stand still on this one and let me work because if you if you push too hard here it's going to backfire on you let me do this for you so the the second way of waiting is let him do it and trust him it's not laziness it's not laziness not shirking duty and third when he does say okay go move act work in the very work itself trust him one of my favorite verses by the grace of God this is the Apostle Paul first couldn't in 1510 by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain but I worked harder than any of them nevertheless it was not i but the grace of god that was with me so i worked but it was grace working in me and what was my disposition trust in that ever arriving grace in the work so concluding comment back to Jesus when Jesus said to his disciples don't try to be great by elevating yourself to have lots of people under you don't try to be great that way be great by coming under people being their servant lifting them up laying your life down for them and giving them life by your sacrifices when he said that and then when he Illustrated it by dying for sinners and rising again when he did all of that we should not respond by saying well thank you Jesus for working for us then but now I have work to do and you're not working anymore don't ever treat Jesus that way he is alive and when he said I'll be with you to the end of the age he meant all authority in heaven and on earth is mine I'm a worker today trust me no one has heard or perceived by the ear no eye has seen a god besides you who works for those who wait for him let's pray father in heaven I thank you for being the God who works for those who wait for him I thank you that Jesus came and said the Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many and so we now in this room together simply say we lay down our demands that we do the work and we get the glory we lay that down and like little children we say go ahead work for me help me strengthen me forgive me cleanse me save me strengthen me guide me show me everything I need so that I get the help and you get the glory I get the joy you get the credit it's work that in us I pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Desiring God

Views: 318,487

Rating: 4.8861122 out of 5

Keywords: John Piper, God, Love, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible

Id: G6t-iFeVavw

Length: 51min 40sec (3100 seconds)

Published: Thu May 16 2013