Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024013S
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00:16 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:20 Well, we are here. This is the 13th study, 00:23 the 13th lesson on the book of Psalms, 00:26 and today we're going to bring everything together. 00:29 The title is "Waiting on the Lord." 00:31 How do we wait on the Lord, 00:33 and why is that the very final lesson 00:36 in our study of the book of Psalms? 00:37 We're about to find out. Let's begin with prayer. 00:40 Father, thank You for being with us 00:42 on this quarter-long journey, this 13-week journey. 00:47 We've been on a bit of an odyssey and learned much 00:50 about You through the book of Psalms. 00:53 We ask now that as we bring our study to a close right now, 00:56 You would bless us with a deeper understanding and send us off 01:00 into the future the better for our time with You. 01:03 We thank You in Jesus' name. 01:05 Amen. 01:06 Well, we're glad that you are back, and we're also glad that 01:10 we have our special guest, the author of this quarter's 01:13 "Sabbath School" lesson back with us once again, 01:15 Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 01:18 You have a PhD in Old Testament, 01:20 and we are grateful for you sharing so much with us 01:23 because your passion for the book of Psalms 01:25 has been very clearly evident through this quarter. 01:28 Thank you once again for being here. 01:30 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Praise God, yes. 01:32 >>Eric: So, let's take a look at this: 01:33 "Wait on the Lord." It's perhaps an interesting note 01:38 to end our study of the book of Psalms on: 01:42 Wait on the Lord. 01:43 What is the significance of waiting on the Lord? 01:46 Why end our study of the book of Psalms 01:48 on waiting on the Lord, and what is that all about? 01:50 >>Dragoslava: Well, Eric, don't we all wish to finish 01:55 our study with lesson number 12, the worship that never ends? 02:01 And not just to end the study with that lesson but to end up 02:06 in that worship that never ends. 02:08 But as we all know, once we accept the Lord, 02:13 once we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb 02:16 and become part of His covenantal people, 02:20 we are not automatically transferred from this earth 02:26 into God's heavenly kingdom. 02:29 Our journey on this earth continues. 02:32 And hence the message to wait on the Lord is a crucial message 02:37 from the Psalms to finish our study. 02:40 And I would like to say if there is a final word 02:44 that the Psalms want to impose on our hearts is--and minds-- 02:49 is wait on the Lord. 02:53 Waiting on the Lord becomes this spiritual context 02:57 in which we wait, live, and work while awaiting 03:03 the eschatological fulfillment 03:06 of all the Lord's glorious promises 03:09 and Jesus's second coming. 03:11 >>Eric: So that is something that we are most certainly 03:13 looking forward to with great anticipation. 03:16 We wish it would come a little sooner rather than later, 03:18 but yet here we are. 03:21 So how does that help us in our spiritual life? 03:25 We want to be there now. We're not. 03:28 How does a correct understanding of how waiting 03:32 fits into this process, how does that help us today spiritually? 03:37 >>Dragoslava: Yeah, so, well, I believe that waiting 03:41 is one of the greatest stresses in life, 03:45 and especially in these modern times when we have 03:49 everything at the fingertip. 03:51 And sometimes when our, let's say, internet connection 03:55 is slow, we're like, "Oh, when? Come on, hurry up." 03:59 We are impatient in waiting. 04:01 That's a difficult, difficult task for us, for many of us. 04:05 However, when we read the Psalms and the rest of the Bible, 04:10 we realize that the waiting on the Lord is different. 04:14 It's not an idle and desperate bidding over one's time. 04:20 Quite contrary, waiting on the Lord is filled 04:23 with hope and filled with faith in action. 04:28 So there are things that we need to do. 04:31 There is a work on this earth that remains to be done, 04:35 and we are called to participate in it. 04:39 And by doing that, it is a time for self-reflection 04:44 and time for drawing near to God our Lord. 04:48 And maybe, Eric, if we have time, 04:50 we can read some texts from the Psalms, which tell us 04:55 about waiting on the Lord. 04:57 And first one I would like to share 05:00 is Psalm 39, verses 4 and 7. 05:04 And maybe, Eric, if you would like to read. 05:07 >>Eric: Sure. Psalm 39, verse 4 says, 05:10 "Lord, make me to know my end, 05:12 "and what is the measure of my days, 05:14 that I may know how frail I am." 05:17 And verse 7 says, "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? 05:21 My hope is in You." 05:23 >>Dragoslava: So the first aspect of this waiting 05:26 is drawing near to God in self-reflection. 05:30 The psalmist says, "Make me know my end." 05:33 Let me understand my life. 05:35 And what I wait for is my hope in You, 05:38 is the hope of righteousness, 05:40 of renewal, and closer relationship with God. 05:44 Another text in 37, verse 34. 05:48 >>Eric: It says, "Wait on the Lord, 05:50 "and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; 05:55 when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it." 05:58 >>Dragoslava: So another aspect of waiting of the Lord 06:02 is when, while we wait, we keep His way. 06:06 And we will remember from couple weeks ago 06:10 we spoke about the way. 06:12 The way in the Psalms is the way of the Lord's law, 06:16 of His righteous revelation, 06:19 of His righteous will for our daily living. 06:22 So while we wait, we walk in the path of righteousness, 06:26 keeping the Lord's righteous precepts and laws. 06:30 Then chapter 40, verse 1 tells us about another thing 06:35 we do while we wait on the Lord. 06:38 >>Eric: "I waited patiently for the Lord; 06:40 and He inclined to me, and heard my cry." 06:42 >>Dragoslava: "He heard my cry." He heard my prayer. 06:46 So while we wait on the Lord, we pray for ourselves, 06:50 for the Lord's kingdom, for the Lord's work on this world. 06:55 So we pray. Waiting time is filled with prayer. 06:59 Then another one, and in 37, verse 7. 07:03 >>Eric: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." 07:06 >>Dragoslava: Ha, so while we wait on the Lord, 07:08 we are called to rest in the Lord. 07:12 So it means that we have this peace and reassurance 07:16 that the Lord is coming. 07:18 We are not to fret and worry but instead rest in the Lord. 07:22 And maybe one final text in Psalm 126, verse 6. 07:28 So yes, we work for the Lord, but we also rest in the Lord. 07:32 >>Eric: "He who continually goes forth weeping, 07:35 "bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again 07:38 with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." 07:42 >>Dragoslava: Yes, so while we wait on the Lord, 07:44 we bear this wonderful news of bringing in the sheaves 07:48 of the plentiful mission fields of the Lord's mission. Yes. 07:54 >>Eric: So this waiting is not a sitting by, 07:57 twiddling one's thumbs, and saying, 08:00 "I sure do hope Jesus comes soon," 08:02 but this is a very active waiting. 08:04 It's a very engaged waiting rather than just kind of hoping 08:10 for the best in the near future. 08:13 Can you think of any other benefits of waiting? 08:16 What would--what else could we be doing while we're waiting, 08:20 instead of just wishing He would come? 08:23 >>Dragoslava: Yes. >>Eric: Anything else we can do? 08:24 >>Dragoslava: Yes. Waiting is an act of faith. 08:28 We can recall Jesus's parable of the 10 virgins, 08:33 five that were wise and those that were unwise. 08:37 The wise one had their lamps filled with the oil, 08:41 the precious oil that represents the Holy Spirit, 08:45 and the unwise ones, well, they thought, 08:48 "Well, we don't need that much preparation. 08:51 "Everything is going to go smoothly and according 08:55 to our plan." 08:56 But the bridegroom was a bit late-- 09:02 from their perspective, all right? 09:04 And when the time of his arrival came, 09:07 those who were prepared, therefore those who were 09:10 waiting in the Holy Spirit, in faith, they were ready 09:14 to come in. And waiting, as I said, is an act of faith. 09:19 When you wait on something, you know and you confess this trust 09:24 that it is coming. 09:26 Eric, when I was coming to Collegedale on Sunday, 09:31 I waited on my airplane for almost 13 hours. 09:37 It was delayed and delayed and delayed for 13 hours, 09:44 but I sat there because I knew I had to be here. 09:48 I felt that the Lord wanted me to be here. 09:52 So I knew that the plane, that the transportation somehow 09:56 will come, and I waited. 09:58 And I could--I can tell you many people just gave up, 10:02 bought a ticket for another day, but I waited for my place. 10:07 So when we wait in faith, we confess to the world 10:11 that we trust that the Lord is coming. 10:15 >>Eric: And the good news is God is even more reliable 10:18 than the airlines are. >>Dragoslava: Absolutely. 10:20 >>Eric: So we can be absolutely certain that when He promises 10:23 He's going to come, He will indeed come. 10:26 And I think we've kind of touched on this, 10:27 but maybe we can elaborate a little bit more on it, 10:30 the--about how it's done in the Psalms. 10:32 We looked at several different things. 10:34 What's the ultimate goal in our waiting? 10:37 What's the ultimate hope in our waiting? 10:40 It's, I think you just--you said it to some extent-- 10:43 it's in Jesus' return. 10:44 It's in Him fulfilling His promises. 10:47 Any other thoughts on that? 10:47 >>Dragoslava: Yes. It's exactly that. 10:50 It is meeting our Lord face to face. 10:54 Now we meet Him in faith. 10:56 Now we see in faith many things that are promised in the Bible, 11:02 in the Scripture, but we are waiting for this grand 11:06 fulfillment of all His promises, but it doesn't mean 11:10 that we do not have things fulfilled even in this life. 11:14 And they give us strength to continue waiting. 11:19 And waiting encourages us to become humble, 11:23 to become patient; and these are great qualities 11:27 in the Lord's side, especially being humble because 11:30 when we wait, we acknowledge that God has His own time 11:35 and that He is wise in His doings. 11:39 And our waiting becomes a testimony to other people 11:43 as well. 11:44 >>Eric: I think you're absolutely right. 11:46 And speaking of waiting, if you have waited to pick up 11:49 the companion book to this quarter's 11:51 "Sabbath School" lesson, don't wait any longer. 11:54 You want to pick that one up because 11:56 it won't be around forever. 11:58 You can find it at itiswritten.shop. 12:02 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 12:04 And why should you get it now 12:06 when the quarter is well-nigh over? 12:09 Well, because we hope that your study of the book of Psalms 12:12 will not end with this quarter, with this week in the quarter. 12:16 We hope that your study of the book of Psalms 12:17 will continue and that you will grow in your relationship 12:20 with Jesus and that His-- 12:23 your love for Him will grow as you continue 12:25 to spend time in the Psalms. 12:27 As we're waiting for Jesus, one of the greatest things 12:30 that we can do is learn more about Him, 12:32 and one of the best ways to do that is to learn more about 12:35 what the book of Psalms has to say about Him. 12:38 So you can find that book very easily at itiswritten.shop. 12:42 Again, itiswritten.shop. 12:44 The author is Dr. Martin Klingbeil. 12:47 And you will gain a deeper understanding 12:49 and incredible depth of the book of Psalms 12:52 as you read that companion book. 12:55 We're going to be back in just a moment or two 12:56 as we have our final segment in the final episode 13:00 of the book of Psalms 13:02 here on "Sabbath School" with It Is Written. 13:04 We'll be right back. 13:05 ♪♪♪ 13:09 >>John Bradshaw: Most everybody wants to live a little longer, 13:13 a little healthier, and a little happier. 13:16 But the question is, how can you experience that life? 13:20 Jesus said that He came into the world that we might 13:23 have life more abundantly. 13:26 Evidently, it's what God wants us to have. 13:29 So don't miss "Life and Longevity" 13:32 with special guest Dr. David DeRose. 13:35 We uncover simple secrets of the Bible, 13:38 attainable secrets, the things that God presents to us 13:43 that are guaranteed to enhance our lives 13:46 and at the same time open up our hearts and minds 13:49 to receive more of the Holy Spirit of God. 13:52 "Life and Longevity," Bible secrets to living 13:56 the abundant life that God wants you to have. 14:00 Featuring special guest Dr. David DeRose, 14:03 "Life and Longevity" on It Is Written TV. 14:10 >>John: Thank you for remembering that 14:11 It Is Written exists because of the kindness 14:13 of people just like you. 14:15 To support this international, life-changing ministry, 14:18 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 14:23 You can send your tax-deductible gift 14:24 to the address on your screen, 14:25 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 14:29 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 14:32 Our number again is 800-253-3000. 14:36 Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 14:41 ♪♪♪ 14:45 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:46 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:48 We are in the very tail end of this quarter's study 14:51 on the book of Psalms. 14:52 Slava, the Sabbath, it is a part of our weekly journey 14:59 all around the world. 15:01 Unfortunately, many Christians are missing out 15:02 on that blessing, but for those who have found it, 15:05 it is indeed a blessing. 15:07 When it comes to waiting on the Lord, 15:09 what role does the Sabbath play in an appropriate 15:13 type of waiting? 15:14 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, we mentioned earlier 15:17 Psalm 37, verse 7: 15:20 "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." 15:25 So there is this connection between waiting on the Lord 15:31 and resting in the Lord. 15:34 And what a wonderful rest we have in the Sabbath rest 15:40 that the Lord has creating at the creation of the world 15:44 and granted this gift of rest to us as His loving, caring gift. 15:51 The Sabbath rest is crucial as we wait on the Lord 15:55 because no amount of human enthusiasm will help us 16:01 against the strain of this endurance 16:05 and the waiting that will pause on us. 16:08 And that's why this call to rest in the Lord while we wait 16:13 is so important, and here comes Sabbath rest. 16:16 And Psalm 95 is a psalm for the Sabbath day. 16:22 It is traditionally read on Sabbath, 16:25 and well, because the topics mentioned in these psalms 16:32 are the Sabbath topics. 16:34 The psalm speaks about creation, 16:37 about praising the Lord for His wonderful works of creation, 16:43 and also praising the Lord for His work of redemption 16:49 as our covenantal Lord. 16:52 And when we read the Ten Commandments 16:55 in Exodus and Deuteronomy 20 and Deuteronomy 5, 17:00 Exodus 20, we see these two aspects of the Sabbath rest: 17:05 creation in Exodus 17:07 and redemption in Deuteronomy. 17:10 And this is exactly what this psalm has. 17:13 So as we wait on the Lord, we don't wait in our own strength 17:19 because we don't have enough strength to endure this waiting, 17:23 but we wait in the Lord's rest. 17:26 However, I would like to-- us to come to verse 8 and 9 17:33 because there is a warning in this psalm that speaks 17:38 about Sabbath rest. 17:42 So while we rest and wait on the Lord, 17:45 there is a warning. 17:47 And, Eric, I don't know if I can ask you to maybe read verses, 17:51 maybe the last line of verse 7 17:55 and then verses 8 and 9. 17:57 >>Eric: "Today, if you will hear His voice: 18:00 "'Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, 18:03 "'as in the day of trial in the wilderness, 18:05 "'when your fathers tested me; 18:07 they tried me, though they saw my work.'" 18:10 >>Dragoslava: Yes, so while we wait on the Lord, we are tempted 18:14 and we can be tempted to rebel against the Lord. 18:18 When we go back and read this event in Numbers, 18:22 we realize that the people rebelled against the Lord 18:25 because the 40-year journey in the wilderness 18:30 was too long for them. 18:33 And in the course of that journey they rebelled 18:36 against the Lord; they couldn't patiently wait for the Lord 18:40 to bring them to the Promised Land. 18:42 And verse 10 says, 18:44 "For forty years I was grieved with that generation, 18:48 "and [I] said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, 18:53 and they do not know my ways.'" 18:56 So we can stray away from the Lord 18:59 in our heart by becoming impatient and giving up 19:03 on everything, giving up on the Lord. 19:06 And because of that, the Lord says in verse 11, 19:09 "So I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" 19:16 And this is a solemn and serious warning for us, 19:21 that we may miss the Lord's rest as we become impatient 19:28 and give up on this faith while we are waiting. 19:31 And the book of Hebrews also cites this psalm 19:36 and has something important to tell us. 19:39 >>Eric: So let's go take a look at that, 19:40 and that's over in Hebrews, chapter 4, 19:44 Hebrews, chapter 4. And let's see, 19:47 looks like we got it in several different verses here. 19:50 Verse 3, Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 3 says, 19:54 "For we who have believed do enter that rest, 19:57 "as He has said: 'So I swore in my wrath, 20:00 "[that] "They shall not enter my rest,"' although the works 20:04 "were finished from the foundation of the world. 20:07 "For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day 20:10 "in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day 20:13 "from all His works'; 20:14 and again in this place: 'They shall not enter my rest.'" 20:18 >>Dragoslava: This is very interesting. 20:20 The author of the book of Hebrews 20:23 mentions in verse 4 the Sabbath day; 20:26 "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works." 20:30 In the book of Genesis, we read that that's the Sabbath day, 20:34 Saturday, His holy day of rest. 20:37 But then although God gave that as a gift to His people, 20:42 the reality very often is, as mentioned in verse 5, 20:48 "They shall not enter my rest." 20:51 So here are several things important for us to notice here. 20:55 Number one, whose rest is Sabbath? 21:00 It is God's rest. 21:03 Sometimes we may forget that and we may think 21:07 that Sabbath rest is something that we create for ourselves. 21:11 We don't work on Sabbath, we go to church, 21:14 maybe plan some nice outings with friends in nature, 21:19 maybe we take a long nap after a nice lunch. 21:23 And these are all nice activities, 21:25 I don't want anyone to misunderstand me, 21:28 but in doing that, in trying to create this nice rest 21:32 for ourselves and our families, we must not forget that 21:37 the Sabbath rest is a bit different type of rest. 21:42 It is connected to this physical, mental, 21:46 but it is a different type of rest. 21:48 It is--the Lord says, "It is my rest." It is God's rest, 21:52 that only He can create for us and give it to us as His gift. 21:59 And for that reason, we see that some people-- 22:03 and we see, for example, 22:05 in Hebrews, chapter 3, verse 19, 22:11 "So we see that they could not enter in 22:16 because of unbelief." 22:20 Through unbelief, through the lack 22:22 of our wholehearted commitment to the Lord, 22:27 we may miss receiving His Sabbath rest. 22:31 And though we cease from our usual work, 22:34 we can miss on His Sabbath gift. 22:38 And so the question is, how do we miss the Sabbath, Lord? 22:45 Hebrews says through unbelief. 22:47 Psalm 95 says, verse 8, 22:52 "Do not harden your hearts, as in...rebellion," 22:56 through hardening of our heart. 22:58 If the Holy Spirit is speaking to us throughout 23:02 the week and we neglect and we keep repressing 23:06 that voice, we allow our heart to become hardened and hardened. 23:10 And isn't it awful and so tragic to miss this Sabbath rest 23:17 of the Lord that empowers us to wait on the Lord in faith? 23:23 >>Eric: So a gift that He gave us all the way back at creation 23:26 that helps us to be ready for Him to return--powerful. 23:31 There is a lot of symbolism in the book of Psalms, 23:33 and it talks a lot about the morning. 23:36 What's--what is the morning in the book of Psalms? 23:38 How does that help us? 23:40 >>Dragoslava: Yes, many psalms will tell us that 23:42 the "joy comes in the morning." 23:44 "I have waited on the Lord, and in the morning 23:48 He has reached out to me." 23:50 There is a nice symbolism here. 23:52 Just as the sunshine, the light of the morning, 23:57 reverses the darkness of the night, 24:00 so the deliverance, 24:01 the redemption of the Lord will reverse whatever darkness 24:06 we are going through, and ultimately the darkness 24:09 of sin and death in this world. 24:12 It points us to the morning of resurrection of Jesus 24:16 that we read--in the morning, 24:18 that early in the morning, the stone was removed, 24:23 and our resurrected Lord exited the grave gloriously 24:28 to give a victory to all those who trust in Him. 24:32 >>Eric: So that's something that we can look forward to 24:35 with great anticipation as we see the morning being referenced 24:38 through the book of Psalms. 24:41 Slava, we've been on quite a journey here 24:43 for the last 13 weeks, and we've had 24:46 quite a few people join us in the journey. 24:49 Any final thoughts or words that you'd like to share 24:53 as we draw this to a close? 24:55 >>Dragoslava: Yes, my dear co-journeyers and co-pilgrims 25:00 to the heavenly Zion, 25:02 for the very end of our 13-week journey 25:05 through the book of Psalms, 25:08 I would like to share several verses with you 25:11 from Psalm 37 to serve as an encouragement to all of us, 25:17 Psalm 37: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; 25:23 "dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 25:28 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, 25:31 "and He shall give... the desires of your heart. 25:35 "Commit your way to the Lord, 25:37 "trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.... 25:43 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." 25:48 Our desire and prayer is that your journey 25:53 with the book of Psalms does not stop here 25:57 but continues on a daily basis. 26:00 I promise you you will find encouragement, 26:03 an entirely new world of faith will be opened up to you, 26:09 and you will see that you get matured and strengthened 26:14 in the Lord's Word and in His prayers. 26:17 Also, we hope that as we meet with our God daily, 26:25 heart-to-heart in the Psalms, that one day soon 26:29 we will meet with our Lord Jesus face to face. 26:34 This is our prayer. This is our desire. 26:37 And may God bless us all as we continue praying and singing 26:42 the psalms in the strange land. Thank you. 26:47 >>Eric: Slava, thank you so much for spending this time with us 26:50 and guiding us through this journey of an incredible book, 26:54 a much-loved book, a much-quoted book, 26:58 and a book that has brought a great deal of encouragement 27:01 and comfort to many people over the years. 27:03 We appreciate the time that you have spent in studying this book 27:06 and the time that you have spent with us to share with us 27:09 some of the wonderful beauty of the book over the course 27:13 of the last 13 weeks. 27:14 And we want to thank you also for joining us on this journey. 27:18 We trust and pray that it has been a blessing to you. 27:22 And please do not keep this blessing to yourself. 27:25 Share what you have learned with others so that they 27:28 may be encouraged on their journey as well. 27:32 May God bless you and keep you. 27:35 May His face shine upon you. 27:37 And we look forward to seeing you again next time 27:40 for a brand-new study here on "Sabbath School," 27:43 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:45 ♪♪♪ 28:24 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-03-22