Divine Deliverance

Divine Deliverance

Psalm 40:1- 3

Pastor Greg Mc Donald

There are many things in our churches today, but there is one thing that we are sadly lacking. That is the old time testimony that not only was life changing to the person giving it, but also to the people around him or her.

I’m talking the kind of testimony where a man would stand up and tell what the Lord has done for him and every eye would be upon him and every ear would be listening.

If we could get a sincere Christian to come to the pulpit every Sunday morning, having a different person each week, to tell there conversion experience, their testimony would probably have more effect than any sermon a Pastor could preach.

The sincere words that come from the heart and out of the mouth can have a dramatic affect on the people we speak to.

Let me share a story with you about a man by the name of John Wesley. John Wesley was a well known preacher in London in the 1700’s. One night as he rode across a place called Hounslow Heath, singing a favorite hymn of his, when all of a sudden he was startled by a fierce voice shouting,"Halt," while a firm hand seized his horse bridle. Then a man demanded him, "Your money or your life."

So Mr Wesley obediently emptied his pockets of a few coins and then invited the robber to examine his saddle bags which were filled with books. Disappointed at the result of his holdup, the robber started turning away when the evangelist cried, "STOP!" I have something more to give you.

Then the robber, wondering at this strange call, turned back. Then Mr Wesley, bending down toward him, said in a very soft voice,"My friend, you may live to regret this sort of a life in which you are living. If you ever do, I want you to remember this,"The blood of Jesus Christ, will cleanse us from all." At that point the robber hurried silently away, and John Wesley rode along, praying in his heart that the word spoken might be fixed in the robbers conscience.

Years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service with the people with the people streaming from the large church, many lingered around to se the aged old preacher, John Wesley.

When a stranger stepped out of the crowd, begging to speak with Mr.Wesley. As the stranger came closer to Mr Wesley he was surprised to see that it was the robber of Hounslow Heath, who now was a well-to-do tradesman in the city, but better yet, he was now a child of God! The words spoken to him that night long ago had been

used of God in his conversion.

The man looked at Mr Wesley and said to him, Mr Wesley, "To you dear sir, I owe it all." But Wesley said to him softly, "Nay, nay, my friend, not to me, but to the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us from all sin."

It was the testimony and kindness to this man by John Wesley, that helped to make a difference in his life. In the Psalms we find a man who really loved to give his testimony. This man is David. Many times David said, "Listen and let me tell you what the lord has done for me." ( READ PSALMS 40:2 Here in the fortieth Psalm David says, "I was in a pit, sinking down into the miry clay. But the Lord came lifted me up. He put my feet on a solid rock and put a new song in my mouth".

I want you this morning to try to picture this in your minds, just think for a moment what it would be like for this man deep down in a pit. It was dark down there, but there was just enough light that you could see that he was sinking, he was helpless and hopeless. There is no way to get him out of there. Sooner or later if he is not rescued he is going to die.

Then all of a sudden you can see a man walking over to the pit, he stops and looks down and see’s the man is in trouble. Then he reaches down and takes hold of the mans hand and lifts him up out of the pit and he sets him on the solid ground. The man that was in the pit was so happy that he couldn’t thank the man who rescued him enough.

This morning there is another way we can look at this situation, this individual in the pit is a lost soul, sinking down into hell. The strong man who pulled him out is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is now saved and his feet are standing on the Rock of Ages and he is singing praise to his Savior for saving him.