- 2 hours ago
- #mlcc
- #church
- #churchonline
What if the real reason to celebrate Christmas points beyond the manger to a future event that will reframe every fear, anxiety, and longing we carry? How does a single psalm unlock the reason believers feel an urgent pull toward justice, peace, and righteousness in a world that's far from God? Let’s discover how an ancient promise prompts a question deep inside: are we truly living in confident expectation, eagerly awaiting the coming King?
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/song-of-salvation
#mlcc #church #churchonline
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/song-of-salvation
#mlcc #church #churchonline
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Remember that commercial years ago, some of you may be a little bit too young, but the commercial years ago
00:04was a little boy, he's sitting there holding a ketchup bottle, and he's tilting it up, and he's going to
00:10either pour it on his french fries or his hamburger, and the background song goes, anticipation, it's making me wait,
00:17and that was the whole theme of the ketchup was, how thick the ketchup was, and that was their selling
00:22point, that the ketchup was so thick, but it was this anticipation, the boy couldn't wait until the ketchup was
00:28spread upon his french fries,
00:29or upon, no, thank you, or upon his, yes, that's love poured out, did you feel the love with that
00:37one, that was love, he just couldn't wait, I mean, he just anticipated that ketchup coming out, no, I won't
00:44sing it, it's kind of like the lady in her first pregnancy, there's this anticipation that, you know, I'm going
00:50to be a mother, and we're going to be a family, and the baby's going to come into the world,
00:54and right around the eight and a half month, there's a great anticipation for the birth of the baby, right
00:58ladies,
00:59on that first pregnancy, there's this anticipation, there is a longing for what is coming, or you know, some of
01:07the children here today, or maybe some of the adults, if we're a bit honest, there's this anticipation of the
01:12gift exchange that you're either going to have on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day, especially the children, they can't wait,
01:18they've already been bugging you, haven't they parents, huh, yeah, shaking them, wanting to open one early, they can't wait,
01:26see, there is a longing and anticipation,
01:28anticipation, even in the presence, you know, I'm kind of an odd person, no, no amens on that one, okay,
01:33I'm kind of an odd person, and I'm going to give you one of my idiosyncrasies here today, when I
01:39get mail, you always get junk mail, don't you, I always get junk mail, when I get mail, if I
01:45have a personal letter, I take the personal letter, and I put it on the very bottom of the stack,
01:50and I put all of the junk mail, and the stuff that I'm going to throw away at the very
01:53top, why?
01:55There's this anticipation, knowing at the bottom of the stack is something I actually want to read, and the top
02:01is just a bunch of junk, so as I'm going through each one, I'm moving towards that letter that I
02:07want to read, now I know that's a little bit odd, but there's something in me about the longing, the
02:12anticipation, the feelings that it brings up in me, I like that, I like that, see, in the Old Testament,
02:21there was this anticipation that the Messiah was going to come, and it ebbed and flowed over time, when things
02:27were going very poorly for the nation of Israel, there was this longing for the Messiah to come back and
02:32deliver them, and when things were going very well for the nation of Israel,
02:35it kind of waned a little bit, because they weren't really interested in Him coming back, because things were going
02:40so well for them, there was this anticipation of the Messiah that would come, to set up His kingdom, to
02:47rule in righteousness and justice, there was this anticipation of the coming Messiah.
02:52Well, we have this same sort of urgency today as believers, it's not the anticipation of the first coming of
02:59Jesus, which we're going to celebrate here in a couple of days, it's not that anticipation that you and I
03:04have as believers, our anticipation is for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
03:10That's what we're longing for, that's what we're longing for, that's what we're looking for, because we know when Jesus
03:14Christ comes back, He sets up His kingdom on this earth, a kingdom of peace, and a kingdom of righteousness,
03:20a kingdom of justice and equity, and He rules out of Jerusalem as the righteous shepherd king, and that's what
03:26you and I long for, we actually long for that.
03:29That's the anticipation we have as we come into this Christmas season, is this anticipation.
03:35I think probably one of the greatest hymns, I think, that describes this anticipation of Jesus is a hymn written
03:42by Charles Wesley in 1744, and it's called, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.
03:49And he wrote the hymn, and it was first published along with about, I don't know, I think it was
03:54about 18 other poems that he had written, and you'll see the word scrolling across the screen as I'm talking
03:58about.
03:59Right now, he wrote the words, and it was put to a famous tune of his day, and the longing
04:06that you sense as you read his words of this Christmas, in fact, we probably will sing it, or have
04:12sung it, or will sing it sometime in this Christmas season.
04:15Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free.
04:20Wesley's not looking towards the first coming, he's looking further past us to the second coming.
04:25Let us find our rest in Thee, Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art.
04:33Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart, born Thy people to deliver.
04:41He's looking back to the birth of Christ, but looking forward.
04:44Born a king, a child, and yet a king.
04:46Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
04:52By Thine own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone.
04:58By Thine all-sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne.
05:03There's this anticipation I sense in this hymn.
05:06As you sing it, or as you hear it, as you read the words,
05:09there's this longing for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
05:13Why do you and I long for the second coming of Jesus Christ?
05:16I know why I long for it.
05:18I long to see my Savior face to face.
05:22I long for all of the fears of this life to finally be over with.
05:26All those things that keep me up at night.
05:28All those anxieties that you and I have.
05:30I long to see the face of my Savior.
05:33Because I know in the face of my Savior is safety.
05:36And all fear will be gone.
05:39That's why we long for the second coming.
05:40We long to see God face to face.
05:43We have not seen Him with our eyes.
05:45In fact, Jesus said,
05:46Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
05:48That's you and I.
05:49We've never seen Him.
05:50But we long for Him to come back to see Him face to face.
05:53For all our fears to vanish in His presence.
05:58On one Christmas Eve at the Rogers house,
06:03the wind was blowing.
06:05It was a blustery Christmas Eve.
06:08Even Jessica had gone to bed.
06:11Now, you ever been in a house before?
06:14It's okay.
06:14Just praising the Lord.
06:15It's all right.
06:16Just praising the Lord.
06:17You ever been in a house before?
06:19And the wind is blowing.
06:20And it's blowing a tree up against the house.
06:22And it's rubbing up against the house.
06:24Or it's tapping against a window.
06:25You ever been like that?
06:26Remember when you were a child?
06:27What did it do?
06:28You got scared, didn't you?
06:30You say, what's that outside?
06:31What's that noise?
06:32And the limbs are rubbing up and down the house this evening on Christmas Eve.
06:37Then to make matters worse,
06:39her little nightlight that helped her in her times of fear
06:43went out because the power on the entire block went out
06:46as the wind knocked down a tree into a power pole.
06:50So here's a tree tapping against the window.
06:53Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
06:54Rubbing up against the house.
06:56And her nightlight goes out.
06:58She's terrified.
07:00Her dad gets up at this time and tries to turn on the light.
07:02And of course, no lights come on the house because the power has gone out.
07:05So he grabs a flashlight and he goes down the hallway towards Jessica's room.
07:10And he grabs a knob and he doesn't quite grab it right.
07:12So his hand slips.
07:13So this makes matters worse.
07:15There's a tap, tap, tap on the glass.
07:16Rubbing up the tree against the house.
07:18And now someone's trying to get into her bedroom.
07:20Jessica's terrified.
07:23So dad opens up the door.
07:24He's got his flashlight in his hand.
07:26Comes in.
07:26She's crying her head off.
07:28She is absolutely hysterical.
07:30The first thing that dad does is he puts a flashlight on his face and he says,
07:34Jessica, dear, it's me.
07:36Don't be afraid.
07:38She stops crying.
07:41She knew she was safe.
07:44And really, isn't that what Christmas and the second coming is all about?
07:51It's God shining a flashlight on his own face.
07:55Think about it.
07:57In Jesus, we recognize this as a God who has been with us all along.
08:02Although maybe we have not seen him.
08:05And he shines a light on his face and says, here I am.
08:09Don't be afraid.
08:10And Paul says it like this in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 6.
08:14He says this.
08:16For God who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of
08:21the knowledge of the glory of God.
08:23Where?
08:24In the face of Jesus Christ.
08:27So not only in the first coming do we see God in the flesh, God in human form, incarnate.
08:32But in the second coming, we long to see that God who will shine the flashlight in his face and
08:37say, here I am, the one you have longed for all your life.
08:42The second coming.
08:44It's what we longed for.
08:46In the psalm that we're going to read today, it's one of those psalms that is unique.
08:52And you maybe never have associated it with an Advent psalm, with a Messianic psalm.
08:57But it really is.
08:58And I think you'll see as we go through it, it really is a Messianic psalm.
09:01Hopefully you're already in your Bibles to Psalm 98.
09:05It's broken down into three phases, each with three verses.
09:10And if you look at it, it's past, present, and future.
09:14So it's broken down not only in past, present, and future, but it's broken down in other ways, each with
09:18three verses accordingly.
09:21It starts off and says it's a psalm.
09:24Now, this is the only psalm out of all 150 of them that just says a psalm.
09:29It doesn't have any other description following.
09:31We've seen other ones, a psalm of David, or a psalm when David was hiding in the cave.
09:35We see other descriptions past this, but it just says it's a psalm.
09:38It's one of those that's unique.
09:41It kind of just jumps out at you here, Psalm 98.
09:44And here in this, we see great things, a past working of God, a present working of God, and a
09:51future working of God.
09:53And since it is a Messianic psalm, it's pointing to that great Redeemer who is going to come and who
09:59is going to reign.
10:01So let's look at verses 1 through 3.
10:02I want you to see here not only a past working of God, but He is the subject of the
10:06praise of this psalm.
10:08It's pointing to one person alone, and it's the Lord who is the subject of this praise.
10:12Verses 1 through 3, a psalm.
10:39Now, whatever the psalmist was writing about, it could have been a past work of God, perhaps a delivery of
10:44God.
10:46It's perhaps looking at a work of God in the past, but it's also prophetically looking to that great marvelous
10:51work of the Messiah when He comes to this earth.
10:54His salvation, God's salvation.
10:56So it's not only perhaps a past mighty act of God, but it is going to be the future act
11:02of the Messiah when He comes to this earth.
11:04So if you look at it in that sense, it's prophetically looking forward to the one when God shows us
11:08His salvation.
11:09He reveals His mighty arm and shows us where we can turn to for hope.
11:15This belongs to the royal psalms, the kingly psalms, and the prophetic psalms.
11:20We are told in verse number 1, well, sing to the Lord a new song.
11:25Sing to Him a new song.
11:27Six times in the psalms we hear this phrase, a new song.
11:30Sing a new song to the Lord.
11:31Sing it out.
11:32It's a response to God's revelation.
11:34It's a response to God's salvation.
11:35It's a response to God's marvelous working in your life.
11:38Sing out this new song.
11:41Why is it new?
11:42It's new because it's fresh.
11:44It's not old.
11:46It's relevant for today.
11:48It's also an extraordinary song.
11:50It's not some ordinary song that you would sing.
11:52It's an extraordinary song.
11:54Now, here's another weirdness of Pastor Moore.
11:57I like to walk around the house making songs up.
12:01And, you know, they could be about the dog.
12:04They could be about my coffee machine.
12:06I mean, I just make up all kinds of songs.
12:08And pretty soon I sing along and sing along and my kids go,
12:11Dad, roll their eyes at me.
12:13Would you stop it?
12:14I mean, I just like to do that.
12:16I like to make up songs.
12:17I just like to do that.
12:18That's another one of my weirdnesses.
12:20But I just like to walk around singing songs.
12:23Well, the psalmist is saying here, listen,
12:25God has done something marvelous.
12:28And if we prophetically look toward the coming of Jesus Christ
12:30and the cross and the salvation He has provided for us,
12:33it is a marvelous work that God has done for mankind.
12:36And the idea now is, do you have a fresh song?
12:42Do you have a contemporary song?
12:45Do you have a song that expresses your inward emotions to God?
12:49Are you running around the house singing a new song to the Lord?
12:53This extraordinary song.
12:55You see, the old songs we have, and I'm not talking about dates.
12:59As far as we look up on the hymn, we say a hymn, 1847.
13:03That's not what I'm talking about.
13:03An old song in your life is a song that reflects what God did for you last year.
13:09That's an old song.
13:11A new song is a reflection of what God is doing right now in your life.
13:15That's a new song.
13:17As God is working in you and through you and in your marriage and in your family
13:22and in your community, you break forth in singing of this new song.
13:26That's what this is talking about.
13:28See, far too many times you and I like to live in the old songs, don't we?
13:31See, I remember when God did this.
13:35Well, when was that?
13:35Oh, about 10 years ago.
13:37Well, what's God doing right now in your life?
13:40And you get some deer in the headlights staring.
13:42You know what I'm talking about?
13:45Well, I remember when God did this for me.
13:47No, that's an old song.
13:49How about your new songs?
13:51Do you have a new song today?
13:53Do you realize that God is working in and through and with you today?
13:57That's the marvelous new song.
13:58Break forth in this extraordinary fresh song.
14:03It's when your soul sings out to God in gratitude and in love and in reverence.
14:09It's when your life pours out.
14:12Now, you and I, well, I shouldn't say that.
14:15I don't sing very well.
14:16You may sing marvelously.
14:18I don't sing well.
14:19So I'm not talking necessarily about singing a song.
14:22If you're a musician, you may sing a new song with an instrument.
14:27If you're an artist, you may sing a new song with some sort of artistic expression of what
14:31God is doing in your life.
14:33That's the new song.
14:34It comes in all different kind of ways.
14:39Talking about your life being a song.
14:42Elie Weasel is a survivor of a Holocaust in a concentration camp, and he writes a book
14:46called Night.
14:48In the book, he describes this moment that's etched forever in his memory.
14:51He'll never forget it.
14:54In the midst of this barracks of the concentration camp, for whatever reason, maybe because it
14:59was at the Christmas time, the guards allowed one of the prisoners a violin.
15:06And in a darkened corner, the young man named Juliuk picks up the violin.
15:11And in the midst of dead, literally, in the room, and dying men, he begins to play on this violin.
15:22And on the brink of his own grave, Weasel said he played notes so pure and so heavy to an
15:30audience
15:30of people who were dying.
15:34Weasel recalls, it was as though Juliuk's soul were the bow.
15:39He was playing his life.
15:41The whole of his life was gliding on the strings.
15:44His lost hope, his charred past, his extinguished future.
15:47His life became a song.
15:49And in his case, it was a very negative song.
15:51But the psalmist tells us, take your life and what God is doing right now in your life,
15:56today, this new song, and let your life pour out praise to him.
16:00That's the marvelous thing that he has done.
16:02Let it pour out of your heart.
16:04For think about it.
16:06Hasn't God done marvelous things?
16:09Hasn't he done marvelous things?
16:11I mean, he created a marvelous universe.
16:15He bestowed upon us a marvelous gift in sending his son to die on the cross for us.
16:22He has provided a marvelous redemption in the shed blood of his son, Jesus Christ.
16:28He has established a marvelous covenant with us, an everlasting covenant,
16:32a covenant of peace, of forgiveness, of holiness that God infuses within us.
16:38That's a marvelous covenant.
16:40Jesus said, I am in my Father's hand, you are in my hand,
16:43and no one can snatch you out of my Father's hand,
16:45this everlasting covenant that he has given us.
16:48God has also inspired a marvelous book, hasn't he?
16:52He has opened a marvelous fullness to us by the power of his Spirit that works within us,
16:57opening up life that we could never imagine before.
17:01And he's offered us and effected within us a marvelous transformation.
17:04God has done marvelous things.
17:07And the psalmist says, from these marvelous things,
17:09sing out this new song with your life.
17:12Let your life be a song.
17:13So when you walk down the street, people say,
17:18boy, that person looks like they're really content.
17:22Look at the smile on their face.
17:25What is it with that person?
17:27Let your life be that beautiful new song.
17:31See, God made known to us his salvation, we are told in verse 2.
17:35He has revealed his righteousness.
17:39This shows us these are things that we could never have discovered on our own,
17:43but God in his mercy and grace revealed it to us.
17:46You see, the salvation that he has provided for us is not something that we can work for or earn.
17:51We think in our minds, oh, there's a righteousness we can attain by what we do for God.
17:55That was the idea of the Jewish people.
17:57They thought by their own righteousness they can attain heaven.
18:00God says, no, I'm going to tell you about a salvation you could never have thought about.
18:03You never could have imagined it.
18:06I want to tell you about this marvelous salvation I give to you in my son.
18:09We could have never discovered on our own.
18:11He revealed it to us.
18:13And when Jesus Christ comes back the second time, we see here,
18:17he's going to remember his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
18:22And all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
18:25When Jesus comes back the second time,
18:27it will mean now final deliverance for the nation of Israel,
18:31for the domination of all the Gentile nations.
18:33They will become the center of the earth, Isaiah tells us,
18:36because the king is in their midst.
18:38That shepherd king reigning in their midst is there,
18:41and they become the center of the universe,
18:43the center of God's creation,
18:45because God is in the center of it.
18:49Now, when we get to verse number three,
18:51when we get to verse number three,
18:53see, it was God's mercy that prompted him to make the promises to Israel.
18:58It wasn't because Israel deserved it.
18:59It's the same reason for us.
19:00The promises God made to us are not because we deserve them,
19:03but because of his great mercy towards us.
19:05It's the same for Israel.
19:07It was God's great mercy that prompted him to make the promises,
19:09and now in his faithfulness,
19:11he will make sure that they're completed,
19:13that they'll happen.
19:15Verse three is interesting.
19:17When you go back,
19:17you remember Mary when she got the message from Gabriel,
19:20you're going to have a baby.
19:21Well, how can I have a baby?
19:22I've never known a man before.
19:24The Holy Spirit's going to come upon you.
19:26You're going to be impregnant,
19:27and you will give birth to a son.
19:28That's the son of the Most High God.
19:31Give to him the kingdom of his father, David,
19:34and he will rule forever.
19:35So Mary's going, great, this is awesome.
19:37I can't believe God's going to do this.
19:39And she sings out what's called the Magnificat.
19:41Let's see if I can say it even.
19:42The Magnificat.
19:44She sings out this praise to God.
19:46And in this, it is very interesting.
19:49If you look at verse number three,
19:51it's as if Mary is responding to the psalmist
19:54in verse number three.
19:55When you go back and look in Luke about her Magnificat,
19:58it's as if she's responding to the psalmist.
20:00For example, look up on the screen.
20:02The psalmist says,
20:04Oh, sing to the Lord a new song.
20:06And Mary responds back in the Magnificat,
20:09My soul magnifies the Lord,
20:10and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
20:13Then the psalmist says,
20:14He has done marvelous things.
20:17And Mary responds back with this,
20:18For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
20:21and holy is his name.
20:23And the psalmist says,
20:25His right hand and his holy arm
20:26have worked salvation for him.
20:28And Mary responds back with this statement,
20:30He has shown strength with his arm.
20:32He has scattered the proud
20:33in the thoughts of their heart.
20:35And it continues on.
20:36The psalmist says,
20:37The Lord has made known his salvation.
20:39He has revealed his righteousness
20:40in the sight of the nations.
20:41And Mary responds back in her song,
20:43and his mercy is for those who fear him
20:46from generation to generation.
20:48The psalmist says,
20:49He has remembered his steadfast love,
20:52his mercy and faithfulness
20:53to the house of Israel.
20:54And Mary responds back in this wonderful song,
20:57He has helped his servant Israel
20:58in remembrance of his mercy.
21:00It's as if she's quoting this verse right here
21:03in this great song,
21:04in Luke chapter 2,
21:06in this Magnificat.
21:07You see,
21:08God has not forgotten his promise,
21:10and he will fulfill it.
21:12So that is the subject of the praise.
21:14Also now look at verses 4 through 6,
21:16the manner in which we are to praise.
21:19The subject of our praise
21:20is God's marvelous work,
21:22his salvation that he has revealed to us,
21:24and also the promises that he has made
21:26and will fulfill.
21:28That's the subject, God.
21:30Verses 4 through 6,
21:31now the manner in which we praise.
21:33Make a joyful noise to the Lord,
21:34all the earth.
21:35Break forth into joyous song
21:37and sing praises.
21:38Sing praises to the Lord with a lyre,
21:40and with a lyre and the sound of melody.
21:42With trumpets and the sound of horn,
21:45make a joyful noise before the King,
21:48the Lord.
21:49In what manner are we to do this?
21:51How are we to praise Him?
21:53Well,
21:55verse number 4 is,
21:56all the earth is to break forth
21:58into joyous song.
21:59Why?
21:59Because the event of such significance,
22:02that God has done a marvelous work
22:04in giving us His Son in salvation,
22:06and promised to come back again
22:07to set up His kingdom.
22:08This event is of such significance,
22:10it must be celebrated by all people.
22:12It's not limited just to the nation of Israel.
22:14The whole earth will rejoice in God.
22:16The manner of which we praise
22:18is the whole earth
22:19will respond to this wonderful event.
22:22And it's the audible, joyful praise,
22:25just like you can imagine
22:26a conquering king coming back to the city.
22:29He's coming back riding on his horse
22:31as his armies follow behind him.
22:33As he comes into the city,
22:34left and right is the entire city
22:36on the walls singing out
22:37praises to that conquering king.
22:40That's the idea that's right here.
22:42That everyone is singing praises,
22:44joyful, loud praises
22:45to the King of Kings
22:47and to the Lord of Lords.
22:48With the lyre,
22:50which is a harp sort of instrument,
22:51a musical string instrument.
22:53With the sound of melody
22:54or the sound of a psalm,
22:55some translations say.
22:57With trumpets,
22:58with a horn,
23:00with all these instruments
23:01that belong to the temple worship.
23:02Praise, sing out in that manner.
23:05Sing out with the sound of melody.
23:08Now that's not necessarily the melody
23:11that the worship team plays.
23:13The idea more is the melody of one's voice
23:15as they sing out to God.
23:17Now, I've always liked this commercial
23:19that I heard in Southern California
23:20on a Christian radio station.
23:22I like it because it best describes me.
23:25Phase one of the commercial is this.
23:27Somebody is singing a Christian song
23:29and it sounds like me.
23:32Off key, out of tune.
23:34It sounds horrible.
23:36And the announcer says,
23:38this is what everyone around you hears.
23:40And I thought, ooh, that's pretty bad.
23:43Then it goes to the next one.
23:44And the next one is somebody with this voice
23:47that sounds like an angel's voice.
23:49On key, right pitch, bright melody,
23:52perfect harmony,
23:53singing out this beautiful song.
23:54And the announcer says,
23:55this is what God hears.
23:59And that gives me great courage.
24:02So the idea is that
24:04as I'm singing out with my voice,
24:06although the melody of my voice
24:07to you may not sound very good,
24:09but to the Lord God,
24:10it is a melody that is sweet to his ears.
24:13And that's the idea.
24:14It's man's voice singing out this melody to God.
24:17Make a sound of melody
24:19for man's voice at its best
24:21when it sings with a grateful heart
24:23to the King of Kings.
24:25Sing out.
24:27Now, John Wesley said something.
24:28That's the brother of Charles
24:29who wrote that hymn at the beginning.
24:31Now, remember, this is old English.
24:33So take it for what it is, okay?
24:35He said to his people about singing.
24:37He said this.
24:38He said, sing lustily.
24:41That's the old English word.
24:42Sing lustily and with good courage.
24:46Beware of singing as if you were half dead
24:48or half asleep.
24:50But lift up your voice with strength.
24:52Be no more afraid of your voice now,
24:55nor more ashamed of its being heard
24:57than when you sung the songs of Satan.
25:01Man's voice, that melody that God hears and enjoys,
25:05make a joyful melody to the Lord.
25:08Sound of melody.
25:10Do you notice the instruments here?
25:12I find this interesting.
25:13You've got this stringed instrument,
25:15a lyre, perhaps a harp,
25:16or some sort of stringed instrument.
25:18Then you've got a trumpet,
25:19which is like those straight trumpets
25:22made out of metal normally,
25:24shrill sounding.
25:25Then you've got the horn
25:26that's a curved ram's horn.
25:28You know what I'm talking about?
25:29The deep, deep tone, earth tone.
25:31How many of you have ever been
25:32to a brass ensemble before?
25:34A brass ensemble, okay?
25:36How many of you have ever been
25:37to a brass ensemble in a small room
25:40when the instruments don't have any dampers on them?
25:43Tell me, what is it like?
25:45It's what?
25:47It's loud.
25:50It is really loud.
25:53It's noisy.
25:58Did you see what the praise is like here?
26:01It is loud.
26:03It is noisy.
26:05It is intense.
26:07Why do we think we have to,
26:09and I have no problem with silence in the church,
26:11but we think we have this meditative state
26:12where I really can't sing really loud,
26:15and I mean,
26:17don't let that bass guitar
26:18really get on a good riff
26:19because that's just,
26:20and the drums,
26:21don't let those drums get out of control.
26:23We have this concept in our mind
26:25that these instruments cannot be used
26:27to praise the Lord.
26:28He's saying,
26:29worship is loud and noisy.
26:33Let it go.
26:35Worship team, in moderation.
26:41We want to hear the melodious voices
26:43of the people, okay?
26:44But you get the point.
26:45The point is,
26:47it's this intense worship
26:49that may even incorporate,
26:51which is a Jewish form of worship,
26:52dancing,
26:54twirling around,
26:55all those things that were part
26:56of a Jewish worship service.
26:58It's active and noisy.
26:59That's the kind of manner of praise
27:01that we sing.
27:01We break forth into joyous song.
27:03We can't even control ourselves.
27:07I hope that I can control myself
27:08for your sake,
27:09and I won't break into singing
27:10and hurt your ears.
27:12The extent of our praise.
27:13Okay, now the manner of the praise
27:14is through these instruments,
27:16through our voices.
27:16We're praising the Lord.
27:17We're breaking forth.
27:18We're not going to be inhibited
27:20to praise the Lord.
27:21Now, the extent of our praise
27:23is verses 7 through 9.
27:24How far does it go?
27:26To what extent do we praise?
27:287 through 9.
27:30Let the sea roar
27:31and all that fills it
27:33the world
27:34and those who dwell in it.
27:36Let the rivers clap their hands.
27:38Let the hills sing for joy together
27:40before the Lord,
27:42for He comes to judge earth.
27:43This is yet future.
27:45He will judge the world
27:47with righteousness
27:48and the peoples with equity.
27:50To what extent does the praise go?
27:52How far does it go?
27:53In here we see the sea.
27:55We see the rivers.
27:56We see the hills.
27:57All these parts of nature
27:59that are involved in this.
28:00For we see nature is seen
28:02in a universal proclamation
28:03of praise to the King.
28:05It's singing out praises to the King.
28:08You know, right now,
28:10nature is limited
28:11in what it can do.
28:13It is in bondage right now.
28:16It wants to,
28:17if it could,
28:18break forth in singing
28:19that the seas would roar
28:21and the rivers would clap their hands
28:23and the hills would sing for joy.
28:25It would like to do that,
28:27but do you know right now
28:27it's in bondage?
28:28It can't do that.
28:31It's in bondage,
28:32Paul tells us in Romans chapter 8.
28:34He says,
28:35for the creation waits
28:36with eager longing
28:37for the revealing
28:38of the sons of God,
28:39for our glorification,
28:41for the second coming
28:43of Jesus Christ.
28:44The whole earth waits for that,
28:46for it says,
28:46for the creation
28:47was subjected to futility,
28:49not willingly,
28:51but because of him
28:52who subjected it,
28:53in hope that the creation itself
28:55will be set free
28:57from its bondage
28:58to decay
28:58and obtain the freedom
29:00of the glory
29:01of the children of God.
29:02The earth waits
29:03for the second coming of Jesus
29:04so it can break forth in praise.
29:07The hills will clap their hands.
29:09The seas will roar.
29:10All the hills
29:11will break forth in singing.
29:13It can't wait
29:14till Jesus comes back.
29:15It longs for him being here.
29:18And all creation erupts
29:20here in these verses
29:21with rapturous joy
29:22and the gladness
29:23of the coming king
29:25to reign over the whole earth.
29:27Do you remember
29:28when Jesus came into Jerusalem
29:29in what we call
29:30the triumphal entry?
29:31Remember that?
29:33He's riding on this small donkey,
29:35fool,
29:37and they put their clothes on him
29:39and they lay palm branches
29:40on the ground
29:40in front of him
29:41and he's going
29:41and all the people are saying,
29:43Hosanna to the Son of David.
29:45Glory in the highest.
29:46Oh yes,
29:47Hosanna to the Son of David.
29:48Let the kingdom reign.
29:50And the Pharisees are going,
29:52that's a little bit overkill,
29:54isn't it?
29:54That was a paraphrase,
29:55by the way.
29:56They didn't really actually
29:56say it like that.
29:57It's a little bit overkill
29:58or they would say it
29:59in the vernacular today.
30:00Hey Jesus,
30:01tell your disciples
30:02to shut up.
30:04And Jesus said,
30:06this is what's great.
30:07Jesus said,
30:08if they were to remain quiet,
30:10the stones would sing out.
30:15I wonder,
30:17when God came to earth
30:19the first time
30:20in his first advent,
30:22I wonder on his approach
30:24to earth
30:25if he looked out
30:26at all of creation
30:27who longed to praise him.
30:30If he looked out at them
30:32and said,
30:33shh,
30:34not yet.
30:38We see angels praising
30:39at the birth of Jesus.
30:41We don't see any hills
30:43breaking forth and singing
30:44or rivers clapping their hands
30:46or the seas roaring
30:47at the coming of the king.
30:48We don't see that.
30:49Maybe he said,
30:50shh,
30:51not yet.
30:53Not yet.
30:55There will come a day
30:56I will set you free
30:58and you will praise me
31:00to the ends of the earth,
31:02but not yet.
31:04I can imagine
31:05that creation was just,
31:07let us praise you, God.
31:08Let us praise you.
31:09And God says,
31:10no,
31:11not yet.
31:13But I'm coming back
31:15and then when I come back,
31:16I'll set you free
31:17to praise me
31:19as you desire.
31:25Isaac Watts captured this
31:27in his famous Christmas hymn,
31:28Song.
31:30He said,
31:32joy to the world,
31:33the Lord is come.
31:35Let earth receive her king.
31:38Let every heart prepare him room
31:41and heaven and nature sing.
31:45And heaven and nature sing.
31:47Joy to the earth,
31:49the Savior reigns.
31:50Let men their songs employ.
31:52While fields and floods,
31:55rocks,
31:55hills and plains,
31:57repeat the sounding joy.
31:59Repeat the sounding joy.
32:02He rules the world
32:03with truth and grace
32:05and makes the nations prove
32:07the glories of his righteousness
32:11and wonders of his love.
32:13He captured that.
32:15He captured it.
32:16And when the king comes back,
32:18that which you and I long for,
32:19the second coming of the king,
32:21perhaps all nation
32:23will cry out praise to the king
32:24as you and I finally see God
32:26as he shows the flashlight
32:28on his face and says,
32:29oh, you're the one
32:29I've been longing for.
32:32Psalm 85, 10
32:34gives us a beautiful picture,
32:35a metaphor of the millennial kingdom.
32:37I love it.
32:38It says this one verse,
32:40steadfast love
32:41and faithfulness meet.
32:43So mercy and faithfulness.
32:45Mercy is giving us
32:46what we don't deserve.
32:49And faithfulness meet together.
32:51God is faithful of giving us
32:53what we don't deserve
32:54in his son, Jesus Christ.
32:56And then it goes on to say,
32:58and righteousness and peace
33:00have kissed each other.
33:03That rightness
33:05and that peace
33:06which only he can bring,
33:07they kiss each other.
33:09What a beautiful picture
33:10of the coming millennial kingdom
33:12that you and I long
33:14for the king to return
33:16and to see him face to face.
33:19For in that longing,
33:21John tells us
33:22we are to purify ourselves
33:23as he is pure.
33:24So when we look on his face,
33:26we'll see him
33:27whom we've longed
33:28for all these years
33:29and say,
33:29I am so glad
33:30that you've come back.
33:31I have longed for you.
33:33Now fear is gone.
33:35Anxiety is no longer there.
33:36And joy and peace reign
33:38because the king is here.
33:41Dr. Joe Stoll,
33:42who was with Moody,
33:43I don't think he's
33:44with Moody anymore,
33:45tells the story
33:46of he visiting a shepherd.
33:48It's called
33:48the Shepherd's Home
33:49and School for Children
33:50with Downs Syndrome.
33:54While he was there,
33:55the founder of the school
33:56says to me,
33:56Hey, Dr. Joe,
33:57we like to tell the children
33:59the gospel message
33:59all the time.
34:00We like to tell them
34:01that Jesus died
34:02for their sins.
34:03We like to tell them
34:04that God wants to forgive them
34:06because of the work
34:06of Jesus on the cross
34:08and that they can have
34:08a relationship with God.
34:09He said,
34:10You know,
34:10but we don't stop there,
34:11Dr. Joe.
34:12After we tell them
34:13the good news of salvation,
34:14how they can know
34:15Jesus Christ as their Savior,
34:16we tell them something else.
34:17We tell them
34:18that Jesus is coming back someday.
34:21He's going to take them
34:22to himself
34:23so that where he is,
34:24they will be there also.
34:26He said,
34:27We tell them that all the time,
34:28Dr. Stoll.
34:29He said,
34:30Dr. Stoll,
34:30do you know what our biggest
34:31problem here is at the school?
34:32He said,
34:34Money?
34:34No, it's not money.
34:36Our biggest problem
34:37at the school
34:37is dirty windows.
34:40Dr. Stoll said,
34:41Dirty windows?
34:42What do you mean?
34:43He said,
34:44Yeah.
34:45Every day,
34:46all of the children
34:47are standing
34:47with their faces
34:48against the glass
34:49looking out and say,
34:50Is Jesus coming today?
34:52Is Jesus coming today?
34:54They can't keep
34:55the windows clean.
34:56The new morning,
34:57the kids rush to the windows,
34:59place their oily little nose
35:00and face against that glass
35:01and say,
35:01Is Jesus coming today?
35:03Is Jesus coming today?
35:06How about us?
35:08Are we pressing our face
35:10against that glass,
35:11looking out
35:11and longing
35:12with anticipation
35:13for the second coming of Jesus?
35:15Not his first coming.
35:16When we celebrate that at Christmas,
35:18we're longing for him
35:19to come back again
35:20to set up his kingdom
35:21where righteousness rules,
35:23justice reigns,
35:24love is there
35:25and peace is all over the earth.
35:26That's what we long for,
35:28to see our king face to face.
35:31Do you long for that too?
35:33Do you long for that?
35:35How are your windows at home?
35:39How are your windows?
35:40Psalm 98 shows us
35:44a past working of God,
35:46the present result in our life
35:48and that future hope of his coming.
35:51Shows us the subject of praise.
35:53Shows us the manner of praise.
35:55Shows us the extent of praise.
35:57It points us in the direction of prophecy,
35:59looking forward to the second coming of a king.
36:02And that's what I look forward to.
36:04I look forward to him coming back
36:06and setting up his kingdom on this earth.
36:08Let's go ahead and pray together.
36:12Dear Heavenly Father,
36:15we confess to you
36:16that we are children of our time.
36:21Sometimes we forget
36:23about your second coming.
36:25In our minds,
36:26we have this vague notion of it,
36:28but we are living simply for this very moment.
36:33We forget about your future coming
36:35and we just get wrapped up
36:37in what the world is thinking,
36:38what the world is doing.
36:39And it is the temptation
36:40that bombards us every day.
36:44And this morning,
36:45we want to lift out of the fog
36:47and move into the sunlight
36:49of your promised second coming,
36:52the second advent,
36:53that which we long for,
36:55which we look for with anticipation.
36:58We have been waiting
36:59for over 2,000,
37:00almost 2,000 years
37:02for you to come back, Jesus.
37:03We are longing for you to come back.
37:05This world is a mess.
37:07We need love.
37:08We need peace.
37:09We need justice.
37:10We need righteousness.
37:12We need you to come back, Jesus.
37:14So we want this morning
37:16to move into the sunlight,
37:17to look beyond the haze
37:19of the fog of this earth
37:20and look to the promise
37:22of your second coming.
37:23And that we do in Jesus Christ, Father.
37:26And we thank you.
37:27Lift our hearts today
37:29for that purpose.
37:30We pray in Jesus' name.
37:32Amen.
Comments