[1] Psalm 40 has been called "The autobiography of Jesus."
 It's one of the Messianic Psalms and Psalm 40 depicts his death and
 declares His resurrection from the dead.
But it also could be called the "autobiography of the believer."
 It's a story that we all could tell.
 It depicts our past life and describes our present life.
 It tells us how we've been brought from the mire to the choir.

[2] There are many great stories that are thrilling and stirring:
Teddy Roosevelt and the charge up San Juan Hill,
Abraham Lincoln, a poor Kentucky farm boy that eventually became president of the U.S.,
the Alamo and the bravery of the men that wouldn't surrender.
But there's no story as thrilling and stirring as the story of a sinner
in the mire becoming a singer in the choir.

[3]  Moody said of the day of his conversion, "I went outdoors and fell in love with everything. I never loved the bright sun shining so much as I did that day.  When I heard the birds sing, I fell in love with the birds. Everything was different."

[4] All of us can shout,
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."
We can sing, "This is my story, this is my song."
 It's a story of sinking in the mire and now singing in the choir.
Notice our text and this wonderful story.

[1]  The text describes our past life as a horrible life.
 He speaks of us as being in a "horrible pit" and in the "miry clay."

A. THE GUILT OF SIN THAT HAUNTED US.

[1]  (Horrible pit) literally a "pit of noise."
 It's possible that David had in mind the pits that were dug to capture
 wolves, bears, lions, etc.
These pits were shaped so that every cry and sound would reverberate and echo.
 He may have had in mind the wells or pits that were dug for water.
 The water falling into it created a roaring sound.

[2] How well many remember the guilt of sin that haunted them.
 There was the echo's of the life we lived and the sins we loved.
 There was the reverberations in the depths of our heart of a God we
 fled, an eternity we faced, and a judgment we feared.

[3] There's no heavier burden than the burden of sin.
     There's no greater misery than the misery of sin.
     There's no deeper despair than the despair of sin.
     There's no echo like the echo of guilt.

B. THE GRIP OF SIN THAT HELD US.

[1] (Miry clay)
 Oftentimes in the bottom of these pits was a miry clay, sticky
 sediment that held its prey tight.
The more it struggled to get free, the deeper it sank.

[2] Dr. Walter Wilson once witnessed to a man at a Sinclair Station. He pointed  at the Sinclair sign and asked the attendant, "How did sin get in Sinclair?" The fellow replied, "I don't know how sin got in Sinclair, but I wished many times I knew how to get sin out of me."

[3] Sin is often the Alcatraz of the soul.
 It imprisons us and escape is humanly impossible.
 Sin ensnares, entraps, and enslaves.
Many are held in the chains of sin.
Many imprisoned by sin.

[1] Chapter 1 of our story is grievous, but chapter 2 is glorious.
(Note Vs.4  "Blessed" - happy)

We lived a horrible life in the past but now enjoy a happy life in the present.
The Psalmist tells us that we've been brought out of the mire and put into the choir.

A. WE'VE BEEN BROUGHT UP!

[1]  (VS.2"brought me up also out of the pit") ... The first thing we're reminded of is that we were in a pit that we couldn't get out of by ourselves.  The Lord had to get us out.

[2] Notice carefully that Vs.2 says "He brought me up."
 He did more than reach down a hand and pull me out.
 He did more than lower a rope and pull me up.
 He  "brought me up."
 He got down in the pit with me and lifted me out.
 He came to where I was.
 He came and met me in my miserable state.

[3] I think of Charles Grabriels great hymn:  "In loving kindness, Jesus came - My soul mercy to reclaim - And from the depths of sin and shame - Thru grace He lifted me - From sinking sand, He lifted me - With tender hand, He lifted me - From shades of night, to plains of light - O praise His name He lifted me.

[4]  "I was sinking deep in sin - far from the peaceful shore - Very deeply stained within - sinking to rise no more - But the Master of the sea - heard my despairing cry - From the waters lifted me - Now safe am I."

B. WE'VE BEEN CLEANED UP!

[1] (Vs.2 "out of the miry clay")    He brought us up out of the miry clay.
You can imagine how filthy and dirty someone would be.
There's a  story of a mother named Maria and her daughter Christina in Brazil. Her husband had died when Christina was an infant. Maria got a job to support herself, although there were no luxuries, they got by.   But when Christina became a teenager she dreamed of the city life and all it had to offer. One morning, Maria awoke to find Christina gone. She knew where she had headed. She packed a few things in her bag and headed to the city. But on the way she stopped at a drugstore and spent all the money she could afford on pictures of herself. With a purse full of black and white photo's she headed for Rio de Janeiro. She searched all of the bars, hotels, night clubs, but Christina was nowhere to be found. Finally out of money she had to returned home.  Sometime later Christina descended a flight of motel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her brown eyes no longer danced with youth. Her laughter was gone, her spirit was broken, her innocence lost, and her dream a nightmare. As she walked through the lobby she noticed a familiar face.   There on the lobby mirror was a picture of her mother. On the picture were the words, "Whatever you've done, whatever you've become, it doesn't matter.  Please come home."  She did.

[2] There was a day when the Lord said to me....... "Whatever you've done, whatever you've become, it doesn't matter.  Please come home."

He took me as I was and  cleansed me from all my sin.

[3] You ask me why I'm happy then I'll just tell you why.
      It's because my sins are gone.

C. WE'VE BEEN SET UP.

[1] (VS.2 "set my feet upon a rock")
 We're no more on sinking sand but on solid rock.
 We're no longer in the mud but in the Master.
 We're no longer sinking but standing.

[2] An old lady was sitting by some teenagers and their bus and they were playing their rock and roll music as loud as they could. The old lady said, "I am into rock and roll also." "Your into rock and roll?" "Yes! My foot is on the rock and my name is on the roll.!"

[3] The rock speaks of:
         our security in Christ,
           our sufficiency in Christ,
             and our stability in Christ.

D. WE'VE BEEN HELD UP!

[1]  (VS.2 "established my goings")
  He established me in a brand new life with a new direction and purpose.
  He gave me something worth living for.
  In my case he took me out of the mire and put me in the
  ministry.

E. WE'VE BEEN TUNED UP.

[1] (VS.3 "He hath put a new song in my mouth.")
 Once we were a pitiful people but now we're a praising people.
 Once we were sinking, but now we're singing.
 Once we were in the mire but now we're in the choir.

[2] "I have a song Jesus gave me - It was sent from heaven above - There never was a sweeter melody - Tis a melody of love - In my heart there rings a melody - There rings a melody with heaven's harmony - In my heart there rings a melody - There rings a melody of love."

[3] Notice Vs.4-5...These are the words of this new song....
The Lord has done so many wonderful things for us we can't number them all.
I've got something to sing about!
Salvation and singing are twins.

[4] Sin has no anthem.   Unbelief has no song.
     Atheism is songless.

When Robert Ingersoll died, the funeral program read,
"There will be no singing."

[5] Salvation puts a song in the heart and praises on our lips.

 In Vs.1 he cried.

 But in Vs.3 he sings.

 Salvation has put a song in my heart!