Bible Study Lessons:

They That Wait Upon The Lord
Faith #1 - Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?
Faith #2 - Developing Great Faith
Faith #3 - Faith That Makes You Completely Whole
Faith #4 - The Heroes Of Faith, Yesterday And Today

 They That Wait Upon The Lord 

by Rev. Warren C. Cook

9/04/2005

TEXT:  Isa 40:28-31 - Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

INTRODUCTION: There are many who wait upon the Lord, and many who do not. Those who receive Jesus will be saved (Jn 1:12), and those who do not will not. Those who seek God with their whole heart will find Him (Jere 29:13), and those who do not will not. And those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, and those who do not will not. As God is mighty and wonderful, all-powerful and all-wise, it is our joy, our pleasure and our privilege to wait upon Him Who is our very life! By waiting we gain strength, safety, perspective, and endurance to reach the finish line.                    

1.      Hast Thou Not Known?

- Isa 40:28 – Hast thou not _______? Hast thou not heard?

- Point: Not everyone knows what you know! Thank God for finding the truth!

- Lk 10:24 – many prophets and kings have _________ to see and hear what you have.

- John 1:10 – Jesus was in the world, and made the world, and the world ______ Him not

- Jn 1:19ff – Pharisees asked John the Baptist, “are you the Christ?”

- Lk 7:20 – John the Baptist asked Jesus, “Art thou He that should come?”

- Lk 22:67 – the leaders of the Jews asked Jesus Jesus, “Art thou the Christ?”

- Mt 16:13-17 – Whom do ____ say that I am? Whom do ____ say that I am?

- Jn 17:25 – O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee

- Jn 17:3 – this is eternal life, spiritual life, God-kind of life, to know Jesus and the Father

- what a blessing to know God!

- Dan 11:32 – they that know their God shall be strong and do exploits!!!

- 3 Different Kinds of People Who Do Not Know God:

- the one who hasn’t heard, the one who has heard but has been deceived by the Devil, and the one who just doesn’t want to hear it. God knows each type, and will deal with each one of them appropriately. He knows how to have mercy on those who need mercy, and how to judge those who bring judgment on themselves.

- Matt 28:19 – Go ye, therefore, and _______ all nations – they have not heard yet!

- 2 Cor 4:4 – the god of this world (the devil) has blinded the _______ of unbelievers.

- IOW, they hear it, turn on Christian TV, go to church, but the Devil is telling them, “oh, it’s a pack of lies, those Christians are fools, idiots, simple-minded, gullible, how could there be a God?” Like a deer who freezes on the road in the headlights and is run over by the oncoming car, they are dazzled by the devil’s lies and destroyed by their unwillingness to accept the truth!

- Psa 53:1 – the corrupt fool says, “There is ________.”

- he’s worse than the guy who’s deceived by the devil! He’s deceived himself! The devil doesn’t need to bother with this guy. He’s self-willed, thinks he knows it all. But he doesn’t know anything at all. Professing himself to be wise he’s become a fool. He flat-out rejects the God who made him and prefers to believe that he came from some primordial soup, that he’s a result of millions and millions of years of accidents and mutations, that there is no loving, brilliant God who created him. That he has no purpose for existence and that when he dies that’s that. He’s the sorriest of all.

- Note: It is not that God does not want man to know Him.

- Prov 1:20 – wisdom ___________ cries out; she utters her voice in the streets.

- Psa 19:1,2 – the _________ declare the glory of God, speech and language

- Heb 1:1 – God spoke in the past at ______ times and in ______ ways; now by Jesus.

- Jn 12:46 – I (Jesus) am come a _______ into the world, that whoever believes in Me will not abide in darkness.

- Note: Light represents knowledge of the truth. Darkness represents ignorance of truth.

- Rom 8:16 – the ________ bears witness with our ________

2.      Known What?

- That: God is the Lord, the Creator, powerful and wise. And that He is your strength!

- Isa 40:28 – God does not faint and is never _______ weary. He is all-knowing and all-wise!

- Isa 40:29 – He _______ power (strength) to the faint (exhausted, fatigued).

- Note: Those who are just about to give up, or faint, do not have to give up!

- Isa 40:29 – and those who have no _______ might, He causes to increase in strength.

- Note: might = “effort, success, ability, power, wealth”. Strength = “powerfulness”

- Ex: The difference between someone tired of running and one who cannot run at all!

- 1 Kings 19:1-7 – Elijah, rise and eat, because the journey is __________ for thee.

- Acts 13:1-8 – the man who had been lame instantly received strength and ________ walked.

3.      But They That Wait Upon The Lord (heb: kaw-vaw’ – bind together)

- wait = bind together, twist together, expect, look patiently, tarry, wait for, wait on

How we wait upon the Lord: (by Rev. John Gill, who was Charles Spurgeon’s pastor)

1. as children on their parents,

- to do them honor, to obey their commands, and receive food and blessings

2. as servants on their masters,

- to know their pleasure, do their work, and have their wages;

3. as clients on their patrons (attorney),

- to have advice of them, put their cause into their hands, and know how it goes; and

4. as beggars at the door,

- who knock and wait, tell their case and wait, meet with repulses, yet keep their place, and continue waiting:

5. summary: such an act supposes a knowledge and reverence of God, confidence in him, attendance on him, not with the body only, in public and private, but with the soul also, and with some degree of constancy, and with patience and quietness:

The Lord is to be waited upon for:

1. the manifestations of himself,

a. who sometimes hides himself, but is to be waited for,

b. since he has his set time to show himself again, and his presence is worth waiting for;

2. also for the performance of his promises,, which may be expected from

a. his perfections,

b. the nature of the promises, and

c. their being in Christ;

3. likewise for answers of prayer, and

4. for the fresh discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy;

5. and as Old Testament saints waited for the first coming of Christ, so New Testament saints for his second coming,

6. and for eternal glory and happiness:

7. and such "shall renew their strength"; which is to be understood of

a. spiritual strength in the heart, and

b. of the graces of the Spirit there.

- Gen 1:9 – let the waters under heaven be ___________________ in one place

- A beautiful picture of waiting on God. We gather together and draw close unto Him.

- Gen 49:18 – I have ________ waited for Thy salvation (complete deliverance) O God.

- Psa 25:3-15 – they will not be _________ ashamed; they will be shown God’s way, taught God’s paths, and led into truth; they will be forgiven and receive mercy; their soul will have peace; their children will have success; God will speak to them and show them His covenant; God will deliver them from trouble.

Psa 25:3  Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Psa 25:4  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

Psa 25:5  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Psa 25:6  Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Psa 25:7  Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

Psa 25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Psa 25:9  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Psa 25:10  All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Psa 25:11  For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Psa 25:12  What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

Psa 25:13  His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

Psa 25:14  The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Psa 25:15  Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

 - Psa 27:11-14 – Wait on the Lord and He will ____________ strengthen your heart.

Psa 27:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Psa 27:12  Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

Psa 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.  

- Psa 37:7-11 – Wait on the Lord and He will deliver you from ________ people.

Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Psa 37:8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Psa 37:9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Psa 37:10  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

Psa 37:11  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.  

- Also: Psa 37:32-40; Psa 40:1-4; Psa 52:4-9; Psa 56:2-6; Psa 69:5,6; Psa 69:20; Psa 119:95; Psa 130:3-8; Prov 20:22; Isa 5:1-7; Isa 8:18; Isa 25:9; Isa 26:8,9; Psa 63 

·        Verse To Memorize: Isa 40:31 – They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.