DOCTRINE: Christ is the happiest man in existence and Christians are the happiest people on earth.

I. WHY CHRIST IS THE HAPPIEST MAN IN EXISTENCE

I) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he waited patiently for the LORD (Psalm 40:1a).

II) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he had His prayers heard (Psalm 40:1b)

III) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he went willingly into the pit of destruction and was then drawn up (Psalm 40:2a)

IV) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he was raised up from the dead, never to die again (Psalm 40:2b).

V) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he possesses the joy of paying the price of the world’s redemption (Psalm 40:3a)

VI) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he will save many people from their sins (Psalm 40:3b)

VII) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he trusted in the LORD and did not go astray after a lie (Psalm 40:4)

VIII) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he calls to remembrance the abundance of deeds and plans of God (Psalm 40:5a)

IX) Christ is the happiest man in existence because he proclaims to others the abundance of deeds and plans of God (Psalm 40:5b)

II. WHY CHRISTIANS ARE THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH

I) In Christ, you can wait patiently for the Lord, never fearing He has forgotten you (Psalm 40:1a)

II) If you are united to Christ by faith, you can be sure God bends down and hears your prayers with a smile (Psalm 40:1b)

III) If you belong to Christ, God has already drawn you up from the pit of destruction for sin, and you can be sure he will draw you up from the pit of destruction of sin and suffering (Psalm 40:2a).

There are three ways to apply this part of verse 2:

(I) If you belong to Christ, God has already drawn you up from the pit of destruction for sin. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Has God saved you from the pit of destruction by forgiving you of your sins for Christ’s sake? If not, go to Jesus Christ now by repentance and faith. Turn from the fleeting pleasures of sin, cast yourself on Christ, trusting in him alone to save you now and forever, then come let us know so you can be baptized in water because He commands you to be (Matthew 28:19). Then you can confidently say, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,” If you are not yet a Christian, you need to be brought up out of the pit of destruction for your sin. Jesus can save you. Go to him. Turn from trusting in and seeking after your sin. Trust in him and seek after him, and be baptized. If you have been saved from this pit of destruction for sin, praise the Lord and sing with both David and Christ, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog.”

(II) Christian, you can also be sure God will draw you from the pit of destruction of your indwelling sin. Though Christians are delivered from the penalty of sin and from its enslaving power, we are not yet delivered from sins presence. Peter says our sins “wage war against your soul.” David sings in the second part of Psalm 40:12, “my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.” Is that you, believer? Have your sins overtaken you so that you cannot see? Are they more than the hairs of your head? Is your heart failing because of your indwelling sin? Do not despair. There is more sanctifying mercy is Christ Jesus than there is corrupting sin in you. “Cry” out to God and “wait patiently for the Lord.” He will “draw you up from the pit of destruction.”

(III) If you belong to Jesus, you can be sure God will draw you from the pit of suffering. David sings in the first part of Psalm 40:12, “For evils have encompassed me beyond number.” Is that you, Christian? Have evils encompassed you beyond number? Is your heart failing because of suffering? Then cry out Psalm 40:13 with David: “Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!” Edmund Calamy said, “God has put us into the fire of affliction to refine us, and make us a vessel fit for His use.” He will bring you out of the pit of suffering, believer, after he has done what he wills with you in that furnace. Christians are the happiest people on earth because God has drawn, is drawing, and will draw them up from the pit of destruction.

IV) If you are a believer, God has made your salvation as solid and secure as possible, planting your feet upon a rock and making your steps secure (Psalm 40:2b).

V) In Christ, you have a reason to sing and praise the Lord (Psalm 40:3a).

VI) If you are united to Christ by faith, it is because the promises of Christ’s accomplishments have come true for you (Psalm 40:3b).

VII) If you belong to Christ and do not go astray after a lie, you are plugged into the source of happiness, God Himself (Psalm 40:4).

VIII) If you are a believer, the sovereign God of the heaven and earth is continually working by His providence for your good and His glory (Psalm 40:5a).

IX) In Christ, you get to proclaim of the amazing works and purposes of God (Psalm 40:5b).