But you turn to Genesis 49, while
you're turning there, Dave and Christy Burton had a healthy
baby this Monday. Laura Nicole, eight pounds and
something. And I got to thinking about this. I don't know of anyone else that's
with child right now. I can't remember the last time.
It's been years since there hadn't been at least somebody. Somebody's
going to have to get up, you know, to get going. But there's
a sign-up sheet out front to... There's a sign-up sheet for meal
out front to help them out. I'm going to have a hard time
recovering from that. Okay. So Genesis 49. And you're going to find this
interesting when I read this verse of Scripture, now we've
as we probably the last six or seven weeks, we've been looking
at Jacob's prophecies regarding. His sons and in the middle of
these prophecies, He makes this statement that seems almost out
of place, verse 18. All of a sudden, Jacob bursts
out with this statement, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Now, this was the spontaneous
cry of his heart. I have waited. For thy salvation. Oh, Lord, you know, this is the
first time we read this word salvation in the Word of God
right here. I have waited. I have waited. And why do you wait for something?
You expect it. If you don't think it's going
to be there, you won't continue to wait, will you? You only wait on that
which you expect. I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord. And he's speaking to somebody
he knew. You can tell that just the way this sounds. I've waited
for thy salvation, O Lord. He is speaking of the same salvation
that Jonah spake of in Jonah chapter 2 verse 9 when he said
salvation is of the Lord. This is the same salvation that
David spoke of when he said restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. This is the same salvation Paul
spoke of in Romans chapter 1 verse 16 when he said I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. It's the same salvation Jude
spake of when he spake of the common salvation, that which
is common to all. of God's children, that which
all of God's children truly have in common. It's the same salvation
Simeon spoke of when he held that child up in his arms, the
child, the Lord Jesus, eight days old. He held that child
up in his arms and he said to God the Father, Lord, now let
us thou thy servant depart in peace. For mine eyes have seen
Thy salvation. You know, I had a fellow that
I've talked with in the past. I saw him this week, and he's
a preacher, and we've had some discussions, and he doesn't believe
what we believe at all. And he said, Are you still saved? And he was really being smart. Are you still saved? I didn't
know what to say. It aggravated me so much when
he said it. Thinking about it afterwards,
I always know what I should say after a few hours later. You
know, I never come up right away. But I thought, next time somebody
asks me that, I'd like to be able to respond to it like this.
Well, is Christ still at the right hand of the Father? If He is, I'm still saved. If
He is, because He is my salvation. The same salvation the writer
to the Hebrews spoke of when he said, how shall we escape
if we neglect so great a salvation? Paul even called this salvation
in Ephesians 1.13, the gospel of your salvation. Now, that's gospel, isn't it?
The gospel of your salvation. Jacob says, I have waited. I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord. Now, like I said, that's the
first time that this word is used in the Bible, but that's
the subject of this Bible, God's salvation. God's salvation. As a matter of fact, when he
names himself in Exodus chapter 3, verse 14, Moses said, when
they say, who sent you? What am I going to tell them?
What am I going to say your name is? He said, tell them I am that
I am. has sent you, and that means
I save in the manner which I save. If you want to know who God is,
if you want to know His attributes, if you want to know who He really
is, you're going to know Him in how He saves. I save in the manner which I
save. I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord. Now what does the word salvation
mean? That means deliverance. Peter is walking on the water
to Christ, and he looks at the wind, boisterous and the angry
waves, and he begins to sink. And he cries out, Lord, save
me. Does anybody wonder what he meant
by that? You know exactly what He meant by that. If you don't
save me, I'm going to drown. I'm going under if you don't
save me. I can't save myself. I'm going
down. Lord, save me. You know, I'm praying that prayer
right now. Lord, save me. Save me. Aren't you already saved?
Lord, save me. There's never a time when that
prayer is not appropriate. Lord, save me. Well, what is it we need saved
from? You know, there's really a lot of
things that come to my mind when I think of what we need to be
saved from. I need to be saved from dangerous
circumstances. There's all kinds of dangerous
circumstances we need to be saved from. We need to be saved from
messes that we get ourselves into. You know, I don't know
how many times I've said things that I thought that's going to
come back to haunt me. It's going to get me in trouble. It's going
to bring reproach on the gospel. Oh, Lord, overrule it. Or maybe I've done something
that I thought, oh, this is just going to mess up. Oh, Lord, overrule
it. Save me from these terrible,
terrible circumstances, the messes I've got myself into. Save me from temptations and
trials. If I'm tempted, don't even let
me be tempted. Save me from trials. I'm all
for getting out of any trials that I can. I don't want to be
tried. I'd rather everything be just
real easy. Lord, save me from trials. Save me. Save me from
the devil. You know, the Scripture says
he walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. I would save from him. I'm no
match for him. You know, when I see these preachers
get up and say, we're going to do a dance on the devil's head
and all that kind of, I just, oh, I think you guys don't even know
you're being controlled by the devil. When you say something
like that, save me from the devil. You know who I need to save from
mostly? Myself. Do you know that you are your
own worst enemy? You and I need to save from ourselves. But if I was going to answer
this question from the Scriptures, you know, all those things I
said are true, no doubt about it. But if I was going to answer
this question from the Scriptures, what do we need to be saved from?
You know the answer to that. We need to be saved from what? Our sins. Aren't you thankful
for that verse of Scripture in Matthew chapter 1, verse 21,
Thou shalt call His name Jesus. For he shall save his people
from their sins. I need to be safe from my sinful
nature. I need to be safe from my bad
sins. I need to be safe from the good
things that I do, which are nothing more than whitewashed sins. Now, why do we need to be safe
from our sins? Well, let me give you three reasons. First, because God is going to
punish sin. Now while I'm talking right now,
there is a place called hell where people are suffering the
wrath of God because of their personal sin against Him. And I don't want to go to that
place. I don't want to go to hell. I
don't want to be judged and punished for my sins. I need to be saved
from my sins. There's nothing I can do to save
myself. I need him to save me. Just like Peter said, Lord, save
me. I can't save myself. Lord, save
me. I need saved from my sins because
and you need saved from your sins for this reason. We can't
stop our sins. We can't just up and stop. Quit
sinning. OK. OK. We can't just stop and sin. You
see, we have sinful natures that are about under the dominion
and I can't just stop sinning. I know I should, but I can't. I can't get. Can't be done. So I need to be safe from my
sins. I need him to do something for me. I need him to do something
in me. I need to be safe from my sins because I can't stop
being a sinner. I can't. I can't. Do you know that if we have any
sin at all, we cannot be accepted by a holy God? He said, I will
by no means clear the guilty. The soul that sinneth shall surely
die. I mean, if I have any sin on
my record, I will not be saved. Now, what can I do about that?
I cry again, just like old Peter did. Lord, save me. That's a
mess I can't get myself out of. Lord, save me from my sins. Now,
how are we saved from our sins? Well, there are three words,
three Bible words that are so important for us to have some
understanding of. I don't suppose you could ever preach a sermon
without dealing with these in some aspect. How is it that I'm
saved from my sin? Well, here's three Bible words.
These are words found in the Word of God. They're not just man's
doctrines. They're words found in the Word of God. The words
are justification, sanctification, and glorification. Now, these
are the three words that teach us how we're saved by our sins.
Justification. How we're saved from our sins,
not by our sins. We're saved from our sins. Now,
how is this? Well, when God saves somebody.
Now, Peter said, Lord, save me. He does save folks. He really
does. He saves sinners. He delights
in saving sinners. He enjoys saving sinners. If you're a sinner, this is good
news to you. Now, how is it that he saves sinners? With justification.
That means, you know what it means, not guilty. My sin was placed upon Christ.
He died for it, put it away. There is no sin there. His perfect
obedience is mine. I'm just before God. You know, he said I'll by no
means clear the guilty. He won't clear the guilty. If
I'm justified, I'm not guilty. It's true he will by no means
clear the guilty, but he will always clear the just. There's nothing for them to be
condemned for. Now, that's how he saves from
sin. He gives me a perfect standing before God's holy law. And it's
real. This is not just Would to God we believe this.
This is not God looking at me as guilty, but pardon me for
Christ's sake and just kind of overlooking it and thinking,
well, I'll pardon him for Christ's sake, but I know what he is underneath.
No, it means I really am not guilty. It means I really am
just and holy before God. Now that's a salvation, isn't
it? That is nothing less than a salvation. Sanctification. Being made Holy. He gives every one of His people
in the new birth a holy nature, a new nature, a nature that loves
Him. Remember how I said, I can't
stop sinning? You know, that holy nature He gives can't sin.
It can't do anything but love God. It can't do anything but
see the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does believe. Saved from the dominion of sin
by him giving me this new nature and glorification. You know what
that is. You know, the scripture actually says the believers already
glorified in Romans 8, 30, whom he justified, then he also glorified
past tense. That means you're without sin.
Now, I haven't experienced this yet. As far as my experience
goes. But one of these days I am going
to be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And I'm waiting on that. What's that song, Waiting for
My Body? That'll never see it. I'm waiting
on that. Well, who is speaking? Jacob. I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord. Jacob is the representative man
of every believer, of all of God's elect. And Jacob is a weak, sinful, frail man. And you look at the history of
this man, it was up, it was down, it was up, it was down. He was
a sinful, weak man who had been singled out by the sovereign,
distinguishing, discriminating grace of God. Now, we better
be thankful God discriminates. If He didn't, me and you wouldn't
be saved. Thank God for his discriminating
grace that picks people out. You know the scripture regarding
Jacob, Romans 9, 11, for the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand not of works, but of him
that calleth that was said unto her, the elder shall serve the
young. It's written. God said this, Jacob have I loved, but
Esau have I hated. Somebody asked me recently, What
does that mean? Jacob ever loved and he saw the
hated? I said, well, it means that he
hated Esau and he loved Jacob. That's what it means. Discriminating. Discriminating grace. And I'm
thankful for that. If he didn't discriminate like
this, where would you be? If he didn't pick you up off
the dunghill, where would you be? There wouldn't be any hope
for any of us. Thank God for this. This is Jacob
speaking. He knew something about discriminating
grace, didn't he? He says, I have waited for thy
salvation, O Lord. I've waited for thy salvation. It's God's salvation. Who's He? Well, God, God the Father, God
the Son, God the Holy Spirit. He's speaking of all the persons
of the Godhead when he says, I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord. He, God the Father, saved us. Would you turn with me for a
moment to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
Paul says in verse 13. But we are bound. We're under solemn obligation
to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. He, God the Father, saved us
in eternal election. Now, what would happen to you
if He didn't choose you unto salvation? Where would you be? You wouldn't be saved, would
you? Where would you be without the
sovereign grace of God? I love what Isaiah said, unless
the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed, we'd been likened
to Sodom and made like unto Gomorrah. If there were no election, there
would be no salvation. And it's sheer insanity to argue
against the electing grace of the Father, isn't it? It's the
only hope you have. No election, no salvation. Can you say from the very depth
of your heart, thank God for election? Thank God. This is a doctrine
of divine praise. We're bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God had from
the beginning chosen you to salvation. He who has saved us is God the
Son, being now justified by his blood. We shall be saved from
wrath through him. Where would you be? I'm asking
myself this question. I'm asking you this question.
Where would you be without Christ dying for your sins? Well, you'd
have to die for your own sins, wouldn't you? And that's something
that I can't bear. He, God the Son, saved us by
His death. And it doesn't say we will be
saved if we do anything. We shall be saved from wrath
through Him. This is a sure salvation. He
is God the Holy Spirit who saved us. When He's saying, I've waited
for thy salvation, He's speaking to God the Father, He's speaking
to God the Son, He's speaking to God the Holy Spirit. Turn
to Titus chapter 3. Verse five, not my works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by
the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Where would you be without the
regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit? How necessary is the
Holy Spirit to our salvation? I mean, he's the one who gives
us a heart to believe. He's the one who gives us hearing
ears. He's the one that gives us eyes to see. So when David
says, I mean, Jacob says, I've waited for thy salvation, O Lord. He's speaking to God, the Father.
He's speaking to God, the Son, and he's speaking to God, the
Holy Spirit. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Now, notice,
Jacob says, I've waited. I've waited for thy salvation. You know, there's a lot in the
Bible about this thing of waiting on the Lord. Would you turn with
me to Psalm 27? Verse 14. Wait. On the Lord. Be of good courage and he shall
strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say. on the Lord. Psalm 37, verse 7. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently
for Him. Threaten not thyself because
of him who prospers in the way, because of the man who brings
wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake
wrath. Threaten not thyself in any wise to do evil, for evildoers
should be cut off. But those that wait upon the
Lord shall inherit the earth. Turn to Psalm 40. David says in verse one, I waited
patiently for the Lord. And he inclined unto me, and
heard my cry. He brought me up also out of
an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a
rock, and established my going." Psalm 62. Verse 5, "'My soul wait thou
only upon God, for my expectation is from him.'" Turn over to Isaiah
40, one other one. Isaiah 40. Verse 31. But 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. They shall walk
and not be faint. Now, what is this thing of waiting
on the Lord? There's a lot of scriptures regarding
this. You know, we even read of the
patient waiting for Christ in the New Testament. What is this
thing of waiting on the Lord? Well, first, waiting on the Lord
is a supernatural thing. Only God the Holy Spirit can
enable somebody to truly wait upon Him. I mean, when you're
truly waiting, you're waiting for Him. You're waiting on Him. Galatians chapter 5 verse 5 says,
we through the Spirit, we through the Spirit, only enabled and
energized by the Spirit of God, we through the Spirit do wait
for the hope of righteousness. by faith. This is a supernatural
thing. It's above the strength and energy
of the flesh to wait upon the Lord. Now, waiting on the Lord
is inseparably connected with faith and hope. You only wait
for that which you expect. Now, you've waited for something
or someone to show up, and then all of a sudden you figured out
they're not showing up. They're not coming. And when you figure
out they're not coming or you just get there, you go ahead
and leave. You don't continue to wait. You'll only continue
to wait if you expect that person to show up. Turn with me to Romans
chapter 8. Verse 23. And not only they, but ourselves
also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves,
grown within ourselves, waiting, we're waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of our body. Are you waiting right now
to be delivered from your sinful body? And you're waiting for
that adoption. You're waiting. Now, you haven't
experienced it yet, but you believe you're going to have it. And
if you believe you're going to have it, you wait. Verse 24,
For we're saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not
hope for what a man seeth. Why doth he yet hope for? But
if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience
Wait for it. Now, I have a hope that I will
be accepted by God himself on Judgment Day. And this hope I
have is not like I hope it won't rain tomorrow, but I'm not sure
whether it will. You know, I mean, all of us hope
for good weather and so on, but I'm talking about a hope that's
kind of like, well, I hope the sun will rise. Well, I know the sun's
going to rise. I know it is. If the Lord doesn't come back
and destroy them, then the sun's going to rise. Now, I don't know about
whether it's going to rain or not, but I know the sun's going to rise.
This is the hope we're speaking of, and this is not a presumption.
This hope of confident expectation. I have a confident expectation
that I have, as I'm speaking to you right now, no sin before
God. I have a hope that I am seen
by God as He sees Christ." How pleased is God with His beloved
Son? That is how pleased He is with
me. Now, I have a hope. I have a
hope. I have a hope that his righteousness
is my righteousness. I have a hope that I have a holy
nature that does not sin. Somebody may ask, well, can you
see these things? No. No, I can't. I surely can't. That doesn't take away from the
hope that I have. You see, if you can see it, you
don't have to hope for it anymore. He said that hope that is seen
is no longer hope. What a man sees, why is he yet
hope for? But if we hope in that which we see not, I can't see
that I'm perfect in God's sight. You can't see that you're perfect
in God's sight. You can't look at yourself and say, yep, perfect. No, you
can't see that. But you believe it. You believe
that you have a hope. This confident expectation. Faith
is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not
Turn with me to the book of Habakkuk for just a moment. It's Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk. Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk. Verse 1 of chapter 2. Are you
there, Habakkuk? I will stand upon my watch, and
set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he'll say unto
me, and what I shall answer when I'm reproved." I'm waiting to
hear something. Verse 2, And the Lord answered
me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables,
that he that may run, that readeth it. For the vision is yet for
an appointed time, that at the end it shall speak, and not lie,
though it tarry." Wait for it. Because it will surely come,
it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted
up is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith. Now, I'm waiting. I'm waiting. It's certain. This is faith.
This is hope. I'm waiting for his salvation.
Perfect acceptance, perfect conformity to the image of Christ. And I
know it shall come. Therefore, I am waiting with
full expectation of it. Just like Jacob said, I've waited
for thy salvation, O Lord. Now here, I was trying to rack
my brains thinking, how can I illustrate this thing of what it is to wait
on the Lord? Remember, this waiting on the
Lord is a confident expectation. It's not, hope he shows up. No, you know he'll show up if
you're truly waiting on him. What does this mean to truly
wait on the Lord? Now, I've got a scripture that
helped quite a bit. Would you turn with me to Hebrews
chapter 10? Verse 12. But this man. after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God from henceforth expecting, that word is usually translated
waiting, waiting, from henceforth waiting until his enemies be
made his footstools. Now, let's talk about the Lord's
waiting. The Lord's waiting on something. He's waiting. till
his enemies be made his footstool. Do you think that he has the
slightest uneasiness that maybe they won't be made his footstool? Is there any contingencies or
things that may happen that might mess things up? No, he's waiting
in absolute confident expectation. It's called faith. It's not presumption. It's faith. For you to have complete
confidence, for me to have complete confidence, simply waiting to
be made just like Christ. It's not presumption. It's faith. He's good to His Word. We believe
what He says. And we rest in what He says. Now, this waiting is not spent
idly. We're believing. We're calling. We're persevering. And we know
this, this wait that we're talking about, this wait waiting on Him
will soon be over. And you know what I'm waiting for more than
anything else? Is to see His face. to just be able to look at Him. To behold His glory. Is that worth waiting on? That's worth waiting on, isn't
it? Absolutely. It doesn't matter
whether it's a long wait or a short wait. We know it's going to take
place. We know it's going to take place. He's going to come
back in great glory, and the Scripture says, we'll be like
him, for we'll see him as he is. And every man that has this
hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure. We're waiting
in confident expectation, and without question, this wait is
worth the wait. Amen. Let's pray together.