Psalm 96 - Music and Song
Transcript
Good morning. I think that was the remix version. Get halfway through. God's working magic up there. It's good to see you guys today. My name's Matt.
I'm one of the pastors here with Mill City. If it is your first time hanging out with us, welcome. We're glad you're here. We do pray that this morning there'll be a blessing to you. And as Spencer said earlier, we are walking through the book of Psalms, basically talking about what does it mean to have a life of worship. And today specifically, we're going to talk about singing and music.
And for most of us, if you grew up in and around the church, that's actually the thing you think of first when you hear the word worship. You think music and song is the first thing that kind of pops in your mind. And I kind of want to address this right up front. So singing and music are worship, but worship is not just music and singing. Okay. So what we do on Sundays is worship, but worship is not just Sundays.
We believe that worship is a lifestyle. That's the way the Bible talks about it. That basically anything we think, say, or do when done for the glory of God is worship. So that's everything, which also means that music and singing do fit into that category. So as we continue the Psalms today and talk about worship, we're going to talk about music and singing.
Make sense? Got it? All right. I'm going to interchange those words today. So I just want to make sure we're all on the same page.
Go ahead. Grab a Bible. Turn to Psalm 96. It's going to be on page 286 in the white Bibles. As you're turning there, if you don't have one of these, if you don't have a Bible that's your own, I want you to take this one with you. We want everyone to have a Bible.
And as Spencer said earlier, we do have our Psalms books kind of over there by the door. But here's how Psalm 96 begins. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name. Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. You guys pray with me as we get started this morning. God, your word very clearly commands us to sing, commands us to make music. And so our prayer this morning as a church family is that as we continue to grow in what it looks like to have a lifestyle of worship, God, that you would work as your Holy Spirit speaks, as you speak through your word to teach us how music and singing can be used as worship of you and how we ought to do that. I pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right. So right from the get, Psalm 96, Oh, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord. Tell of his salvation. Declare.
Bless. So like right up front, you're kind of hit with a whole bunch of commands. A whole bunch of commands right at the beginning. Sing, sing, sing. And then the other three commands, bless, tell, and declare, are all just tagging back to this idea of singing. So right out the gate, this, this Psalm is talking about singing and music.
And really, all told, the Bible has over 400 references to singing and music and over, there's 50 direct commands to sing. I mean, that, that's crazy when you think about all of scripture. Uh, the book of Psalms is really one of the largest books in, in the Bible. And it's basically a book of songs. In the New Testament, we're commanded in two different places to sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs when we're together. Uh, Psalm 22, which is, uh, in reference to Jesus says that in the midst of the congregation, I will sing.
The night before, uh, Jesus was crucified, he gathered with his disciples and they sang a hymn. In Zephaniah 3, 17, we get this picture of God singing over his people, exalting in the midst of his people. And it's just kind of crazy how much the Bible actually talks about, uh, music and singing. But if you think about it, that's, that's kind of weird. Or, or it at least makes you ask the question, why? Why does God command us to sing and make music?
Because I think for most of us, there are other commands that it's way easier for us to get on board with, right? It just, it just kind of makes more sense. Uh, so when the Bible commands us to love one another. Okay, makes sense. I can see how that works out well for us. Uh, the Bible says don't commit murder.
Okay, well, if we're going to love one another, that makes sense. Probably, probably shouldn't kill each other. Bible commands, open your mouth and sing loudly with a group of other people. That, it just, it just doesn't quite fit in the same category. Like, if I'm sitting down with someone and I'm kind of in a, oh, lost my papers here. Uh, if I'm in a pastoral counseling situation with someone, and they basically look at me and say, Matt, I am really struggling right now with two sins.
Two major sin areas in my life that I am just struggling with. I'm stealing. Every time I see something that I want, I just, I just take it and I'm stealing. And when our church gets together on Sunday, I don't sing. There's one of those that I'm just going to kind of just move to the side. I'm saying, all right, grab a Bible.
Let's go to the 10 commandments where it says you shall not steal. It also says you shouldn't covet. Uh, let's talk about the punishment for stealing. And like, that's, that's the one I'm most comfortable going after. Uh, but here's the deal. The Bible actually only talks about theft and stealing in general 52 times.
The Bible talks about music and singing 400 times and has 50 direct commands to sing, but that's not the one I'm going after. I'm just kind of shooing that one to the side because for some reason in my brain, it fits in a different category. Like it's, it's not a command. It's a, it's kind of like a suggestion or maybe it's optional. It just doesn't fit in the same category. I've even been in conversations with people, uh, like about what we do on Sundays and they'll say things like, wow, man, you know, I really don't like to sing or I'm not a huge fan of the music that we do on Sundays.
And I have in those conversations said, ah, it's not that big a deal. You know, just stand, you know, just, just listen. Don't worry about singing. Bad pastor, bad, bad pastor. Like if I have said that to you wrong, like I am wrong there. The Bible commands us to sing.
It carries the weight of obedience, which means that God's serious about it. And when we don't do it, it's actually sin. So, and I think, truthfully, I think there are all kinds of reasons why, why people don't want to sing on Sundays. So, uh, for some of us, it's a self-conscious thing. Okay. Like we just, we do not sing well.
And so we do not want other people to hear us sing and therefore be a distraction. I get that. Uh, for some of us, maybe just music isn't your thing. You don't connect with music or maybe you just don't, uh, see the point. Uh, maybe you're a guy and you think, ah, music's kind of effeminate. And look, I know our church family.
Uh, some of you are going, I don't know about that fancy musical term effeminate, but it's kind of girly. Uh, fair point. Uh, maybe you just kind of think it's weird and awkward. Okay. So maybe you didn't grow up in and around the church.
And so standing with a bunch of other people and singing just isn't comfortable. Or maybe you like music. Maybe you're kind of a music person and you like coming in and singing songs, but you just kind of come in and you just kind of go through the motions. Like you're singing good, good melody. It's like you're, but you're not actually thinking about the words. And the truth is whatever spectrum you kind of fall in, uh, wherever you fall on that line across the room, we got to wrestle with the fact that God commands us to sing.
And this really is one of the most unique aspects for us, uh, as followers of Jesus. There are very few organized groups and even organized religions that gather on a regular basis for the purpose of singing together. And I'm not talking about like at a concert where you sing along because you know the words or like in a high school course. I'm talking about singing with a group of other people because you believe the same thing. And the purpose is to glorify and magnify and lift up the name of Jesus. Like that, that's us.
And it's part of what makes us, us. It's very unique. But if you think about it, it, it is kind of weird. It is odd. It is different. So the question we got to wrestle with is why would God command us to sing?
Why would he command us to do that? Um, most of you know this, but I studied music in college. And so I just tried to, to take a second that when the Bible says, sing to the Lord, a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth. Like, I wanted to just think like, what is it? What could it be about music in general? What, what is it made up of, uh, that might clue us in on why God might call us to sing?
Why might command us to make music to him? So these are just, these are some general observations. These are not coming directly out of the text, but I think we would all agree to most of this. And I think it'll help us see why God commands us to sing. We're, we're actually going to put these up on the screen. Uh, if you're a note taker, uh, maybe these are helpful for you.
If not, just, just kind of listen along. Uh, the first one is this music helps us learn, remember, and internalize. It does. Music just helps us learn, remember, and internalize. Think about, think about this situation. What if I asked you, what are the three letters that come after I in the alphabet?
Yeah, someone's, I heard it. I heard someone singing it. That's how you got there, right? You didn't just go J KL. Nobody's doing that. You went A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L.
Also, did anyone think elementa was a letter for a while? Elementa, man. Sorry, that's a tangent. Helps us learn good things and bad things. J KL, it's how you learned, was by song. Here's another one.
Play along. One little, two little, three little chickens. I'm going to try again. And I'm going to expect better results. One little, two little, three little chickens. All right.
Yep. We're talking about making a joyful noise in a second. But yeah, that's part of how we learn to count. And music has that ability. It helps us remember things. It makes things sticky.
It just does. Play along again. Ready? Ba-da-ba-ba-ba. Yeah. You all know the jingle.
When you got $3 in your pocket and it's midnight and you kind of want some semblance of a hamburger. You know that jingle. Okay. Don't stop. Oh, that was better. We were having more gusto on that one.
Yeah. Everyone's favorite wedding song. Music just sticks with us. It helps us remember things in a way that without music we're not able to. If you were to sit me down and ask me the question, Matt, what has more value? The book of Ephesians or Limp Bizkit's album from 1998?
I would without batting an eye tell you the book of Ephesians. If your follow-up question was, which one of those two do you have mostly memorized? Don't judge me. Stop it. Stop it. You all have songs and albums memorized that you couldn't forget them if you wanted to.
Music has that ability. It just makes things stick with us. It helps us learn, remember, and internalize in a way that without it you can't. You can remember an entire song but not the parts of the body on an exam. I mean, like, that's how it works. Music helps us do that.
The second thing is this. Music can bring us together. It is. It's just one of the properties of music. Music has the ability to bring us together. For those of you who are Carolina fans, just imagine.
In a couple of weeks, you're in Williams-Brice Stadium with upwards of 20,000 other people. And sandstorm. Yeah, it'll sink in. And sandstorm comes on. And you're just like... You didn't say two words to the person sitting next to you until that song came in.
And now you're just in it together. I mean, it's your favorite two parts of the ballgame. Music just has the ability to bring us together. That one will sink in later. Okay. Or imagine you're at a baseball game.
Imagine you're at a baseball game and this is what you hear. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. What are you doing? You are standing up. And you're going to sing. You're going to sing with other people who are Americans.
The national anthem. Or you've probably been to a concert where you've just gotten like lost in the moment. Some of our church fam went to a Beyonce concert last year. And they just talked about it forever and ever. And ever. My wife and I are going to see...
In Charlotte next week, we're going to see Counting Crows. And Matchbox 20. I'm very excited. It'll be a bunch of other 30-year-olds who now have kids that were product of the 90s. And we'll throw on our Birkenstocks and sing Mr. Jones at the top of our lungs.
But there's something about that moment that just makes you connected to the people who are around you. But not even on the big scale like that. Think about small scale. Let's imagine you're working with someone. And then all of a sudden you realize they like the same band that you do. Like a whole new level of friendship is unlocked.
Or maybe you find out it's like they like country music. Like old country music. Not new country music. They actually hate new country music. They love old country music. Your best friends from forever except for like Chris Stapleton.
We'll take him. But it does. It just helps us connect. We bond over music. What happens very often after tragedies like the Manchester bombings or even after 9-11? Benefit concerts.
Why? Because music has the ability to heal and to bring us together. Okay. The last one I just want to point out as I thought about it is that music also has the ability to connect with our emotions. It just does. Even if you're not an emotional person, music has the ability to connect with our emotions.
Music can get behind our walls and boundaries that we have set up and get to our hearts. And in some ways music can get deep inside of you to stuff that you didn't even know was in there. Think about it like this. If you're in a good mood, if you're happy and you listen to a happy song, it makes you happier. If you're sad and you listen to a sad song, it makes you sadder. It helps us connect with our emotions.
Music does in a way that really nothing else can. And I want to just illustrate this. Okay. So, I'm going to play some stuff on the piano. And I'm not going to tell you what to feel. I just want you to think about what it makes you feel in the moment.
Okay. You ready? Just turn it on. We're good? For real, imagine Jaws without the soundtrack, right? It would really be a camera person following someone doing a beautiful breaststroke and then shark.
Like there's no suspense, no buildup at all. Like really any movie. Think about any movie without the soundtrack. Or just imagine you've got the camera angle where you're looking up through the water at the person swimming. Doesn't match, right? It doesn't create the same type of emotion.
Okay, but it's not just fear. Like some of you are ready to go run right now. Okay, here's another one. Some of you makes you think about a wedding. Some of you guys got that sick feeling in your stomach again. I will remember you.
I will remember you. I will remember you. Will you remember me? It's not like you say sorry. Who's waiting on a different story? This time I'll...
Music does that. It has the ability to make you feel all kinds of different things. And here's what I want to point out. If all of that is actually true about music. That it has the ability to help us learn and remember and internalize. And it can bring us together.
And it can make us feel things in a way that without it we can't. Doesn't it make sense that the God who so desires a relationship with us to connect with us would give us the gift of music. And its fullest expression would be when we actually give it back to Him. God didn't discover music. He created it. He made it potent and powerful.
And He's weaponized it. That melody and harmony and beat and rhyme and meter and melody and harmony. All of it can be used by Him to teach us who He is and to help us connect with Him. So when the Bible actually commands us to sing to the Lord. God's got a purpose in it. And it's to help draw us closer to Him.
So with those kind of things in mind. Since music actually can do that. Now I want us to walk through and look at these verses. And basically say if that's what music can do. What should be the substance of our music and song? What should the worship actually look like?
So we're just going to walk through. I'm going to kind of move at a quick clip. Because I think the scripture helps us see this very clearly. We're just going to make six observations about what music and song and worship should look like. So pick back up.
Psalm 96. Verse 1. Oh sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord bless His name. Tell of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations. His marvelous works among all the peoples. Okay so we already said this. But it starts off with six commands. All of which are pointing towards singing. Sing to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord. I want to read that again. And I'm just going to add some emphasis. Because I think it will help us see the first aspect of worship. Oh sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord. Bless His name. Tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations. His marvelous works among all the peoples.
Sing to the Lord. The worship of the church should be God centered. That's the purpose. So when it says sing to the Lord. Our worship is about Him. It's to Him.
It's for Him. It's through Him. The songs that we sing collectively are in worship to God. So they're going to be for Him and about Him. And I want to point this out. So perk up this morning.
If any of those hesitations or reasons for not singing kind of resonated with you earlier. I want you to hear this. Because this is important. Maybe the most important thing you hear this morning. Whatever reason it was. So like take the example of I don't like to sing.
Because I don't sing well. Okay. The Bible actually kind of addresses that one clearly. Raz read it earlier. Psalm 95, 98, and 100. All say make a joyful noise to the Lord.
But all of those reasons that we give. Whether it's we don't like music. Or we don't feel it. Or it really doesn't do anything to us. Think about this for a second. What better way for you to make your worship God centered.
Than by moving past all of your personal thoughts about music. And singing to God. You see that? So every one of the reasons or excuses that we leverage to say. Well I just don't sing. It's not my thing.
What better way for you to worship God. To make your worship God centered. Than by putting those to the side. Because what happens is. What's happening in those moments when we choose not to sing. Or when we choose not to make music.
Is that worship is actually about us. We're the most important thing in the room. But when we move past that. And put it to the side. And give ourselves fully into worship. God's honored through that.
And if you tag back to some of what we said at the beginning. God's got a purpose in it. If the songs that we're singing are to him. And for him. And about him. God can use those.
To help us learn. And remember. And actually begin to internalize truths about him. That music can take that truth. And plant it in your hearts. In a way that affects normal everyday life for you.
So when we gather for corporate worship. It's going to be about him. He's the point. It's to him. And for him. Verse number two.
Kind of repeating a little bit of what we've already read. But it says. Sing to the Lord. Bless his name. Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations.
His marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord. And greatly to be praised. Okay. I want to point something out. That if you just read the text.
It's hard to pick up on. If you go back to the original language of Hebrew. That this was written in. You'd notice one thing. That every one of those verbs. And commands.
Are not in the singular. They're plural. It's not you sing. You tell. You declare. It's y'all.
Y'all sing. Y'all declare. Y'all tell. Which means that. The worship of the church. Should be congregational.
Should be congregational. It's an us thing. Or here's. Here's kind of another way to say it. The worship of the church. Should be corporate.
It should be unifying. It should be among other people. It should bring us together. It's not solely a personal thing. It can be. It absolutely can be.
Music and singing can be a personal thing. But we are commanded together. To sing. To the Lord. Among other people. And let me give you a little clue into why.
At least why I think this is so good. Have you ever walked into this room. Just not feeling it. You're down. You're depressed. Maybe you're angry.
About something. Maybe you're struggling with sin. It's just. You're done. You're just done. But you showed up this morning anyways.
And you walk in. And people stand up. And they start singing. You stand up with them. But you're not singing.
But you're listening. You're listening to people singing on your left. And on your right. And they're singing truths about God. That you're wrestling with. Believing.
Whether they're even true. And God starts doing something in that moment. That as you hear your brothers and sisters. Stand and sing about how good God is. And how he's to be worshipped. And how loving he is.
The Holy Spirit starts doing something in that moment. To encourage us. He's helping us see that like. We're not alone. We're not by ourselves in the midst of that fight. That you've got people on your left and right.
Who believe the same thing you do. Who are going to bear burdens with you. Who are going to call you to holiness. He does something in the midst of us singing. That encourages us. And brings us together.
So in those moments where we think. Well I don't need to sing. Or I don't need to participate. What's actually happening. Is that we're short changing the people around us. From one of the means that God actually uses.
To heal them. That part of the reason the church is called to sing together. Is to remember that we're in us. That we are a family. That we are in this together. So we can actually.
The worship of the church should be congregational. So that we can remember that we're in us. That we're actually together. And let me just say this. There are going to be times. There are going to be times where you need to sit and listen.
There are going to be times where you're not there. You're wrestling with whether our singing is actually true. You need to sit and listen. And to ponder that. But on the whole.
We're commanded to sing. And it should be done. Together. Grab your Bibles. Go back to verse 7. Ascribe to the Lord.
O families of the peoples. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Oh I'm sorry. I jumped. I jumped. Go back.
Strike that. Go. Go back to verse 4. Says this. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. For he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the people are worthless idols. But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Says great. Great is the Lord and worthy to be praised.
He's worthy of it. Because of what we've already talked about earlier. His wonderful deeds. And his marvelous works. And then it says. He is to be feared above all gods.
Little g. Gods. We said this earlier. But music has the ability to get to our emotions. In a way that nothing else really does. Has the ability to get past our walls.
And our boundaries. To get to our hearts in a way that exposes stuff. So that when it says that God is to be feared above all gods. It is tapping into the idea of our emotions. Fear has the ability to influence in such a way. That it becomes the dominant feeling or emotion.
But fear and emotion. It goes beyond that. It goes to a place where it's a recognition. That begins to expose what we love. What we value. What we hold up and honor.
Fear. So when it says he is to be feared above all gods. What it's saying is. When we come together and we sing these truths. What happens is that it begins to expose. All of the areas in our hearts and in our lives.
That we're fearing all of the other little g. Gods. That something else holds sway in our life. Other than God. There's all these little g. Gods.
And that can be our spouses. That could be our work. That could be our bank account. And what happens is. When we come together and we start singing. There's something the Holy Spirit does.
That is you're singing truths about how big God is. And how glorious. And how he provides. And how he redeems. It actually begins to expose. All the other little things that we're trusting in.
That aren't God. So in that moment. Music is getting to our hearts. In a way that we weren't ready for. And so the worship of the church should affect our hearts. And lead us to repentance.
And faith. So that in that. In those moments where we're singing. Truths about God. And the Holy Spirit's moving and working. There should be times.
When you are absolutely cut to your core. Because you're singing something about how God provides. And the Holy Spirit's going. Not your bank account. You don't believe that. We're talking about how big.
And how good. And how loving God is. Because it's not your wife's Job. And we're broken. Over it. And the Bible says.
In that moment. We get to repent. We get to turn from. Wrong belief. About who God is. And turn to.
Correct. Belief. That's part of what music does. It has the ability to get to our hearts. And help us see that. Help us see what we're loving.
Trusting. And believing in. More than. Jesus. And so we turn from it. In.
Repentance. And faith. Verse 7. Now. Now we'll do this one.
Ascribe to the Lord. O families of the peoples. Ascribe to the Lord. Glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord. The glory.
Do his name. Bring an offering. And come into his courts. Worship the Lord. In the splendor of holiness. Tremble before him.
All the earth. Okay. So it starts off with. Ascribe. Ascribe to the Lord. Ascribe.
Ascribe is a fancy word for acknowledge. To acknowledge that God is the source of. Fill in the blank. And maybe another way to think about it. Is to. To give credit to.
Or to attribute. Something to. But it's not really a word we use very often. But basically it's saying. Acknowledge that God is worthy of worship. Or he is the source of.
All of these different things. That. That. Glory and strength. Or do his name. That we should bring an offering.
That we should. Tremble. Before him. And here's. I want to take a step here. And help us see something.
If our worship is supposed to be. God centered. And we're supposed to. Ascribe. Or acknowledge him. As we ought to.
Then it's on God. To reveal himself. To us. So that we know who he is. And what he's done. And the way that he does that.
Is through the Bible. Okay. So it's not specifically. Saying that here. But the only way.
We're going to be able to acknowledge God. As we ought to. Is through the Bible. So the worship. Of the church. Should be.
Formed. By the Bible. It should be huge for us. That's why we spend so much. Time in our worship gatherings. Together.
Preaching. It takes the majority of our time. But even as we. Talk about praying. We're talking about it. In reference to the Bible.
Giving. Because God calls us to. To it through his word. The songs that we're singing. Are coming directly. From the Bible.
Without the Bible. We're sunk. When it comes to worship. But through the Bible. We begin to learn. Who God is.
And what he's done. And why we ought to be. Worshiping him. Most of you know this. But part of.
Part of my job. As one of our pastors. Is that I get to plan. Our time of worship together. And I have a great team of people. Who help me do this.
But that's. Really what we're shooting for. When we're choosing songs. For us to sing. Are songs that. Accurately reflect.
What the Bible says. About God. And what he does. And in turn. What that means for us. And what we do.
Because music is so catchy. It helps us learn. And remember. And internalize. If we're singing things. That aren't true about God.
Or aren't true for us. It's actually helping us. Rehearse bad theology. It's actually part of the reason. We. You probably noticed.
That maybe you don't know. All the songs. When you show up. We steer away. From some of the stuff. That's on Christian radio.
Because it has the ability. To just talk about us. But the point of worship. Is God. So we try to find songs.
That actually help us. Remember. And learn. And internalize. Things that are true. About God.
And here's another thing. The Bible not only tells us. About God. And why we should worship him. But it tells us.
How to do it. So. We're already talking about. Sing to the Lord. But here.
Just check out this list. Okay. I'm going to kind of tag it quickly. And we'll keep moving. Psalm 9. 2 says singing.
Isaiah 29. Says standing. Dancing. Psalm 71. Says shouting. Psalm 5.
Says praying. Psalm 30. Says dancing. I'm going to say that one again. Psalm 30. Says dancing.
Some of you with Baptist roots. Just died a little bit inside. I need y'all. Church. I need y'all to hear that this morning. I know the predominant stance.
In worship. Is coffee cup. In this hand. In this hand. In this pocket. But watch.
You can. You can. Guys. You can move. You can dance. As a part of worship.
Says clapping. Psalm 47. Guys. You can clap. Before a song. During a song.
After a song. Permission granted. Go for it. Lifting hands. That's Psalm 134. Bowing down.
That's Exodus 34. The Bible actually tells us. How to worship. It tells us how to do it. I want our church. To be a place.
Where you can freely. Express yourself. In worship. If you want to raise your hands. Do it. If you want to clap.
Do it. If you need to bow down. And pray. Do it. As part of the reason. We're doing a worship night.
This coming Thursday. Is that we've got room. To grow. As a church family. And actually being able. To express ourselves.
In worship. One of the coolest aspects. Of this Psalm. In particular. Is that it's actually used. In worship.
In the Bible. In 1st Chronicles 15. And 16. David's leading the Ark of the Covenant. Back into Jerusalem. And the people actually use.
Part of this Psalm. To worship God. They're singing. And it says. They're clashing cymbals together. And people are playing trumpets.
And they're playing lyres. Which is like a string instrument. It says the people. Were singing. And making music. Loudly.
David. Danced. Before the Ark of the Covenant. And that was a man. After God's own heart. So we've got room.
To grow. As a church family. What it looks like. For us to worship. I'm not afraid. To put a saxophone.
On stage. Not afraid. To have a drum set. Be up here on stage. That's why. It looks a little bit different.
Every Sunday. Because there's so much. Variety for us. In worship. And we've got a lot. Of room to grow.
But for us. The Bible is central. It helps us see. Who God is. And how. He wants to be.
Worship. Verse 10. Say among the nations. The Lord reigns. Yes. The world.
Is established. It shall never. Be moved. He will judge. The peoples. With equity.
It says. Say among. The nations. The Lord reigns. The whole. The whole world.
Tell it. To everyone. The worship. Of the church. Should propel us. To mission.
It should. The worship. Of the church. Should drive us out. To tell more. And more people.
About. Jesus. The part of the reason. We come together. As a church family. On Sundays.
Is to sing. And to celebrate. And to remember. The good news. Of the gospel. And that it's good.
So that when we leave this place. We're more apt. Because we've been reminded. That God is good. And the gospel is good news. For everyone.
So the worship of the church. Should drive us out. Should remind us. That as believers. We've been called. To share that message.
To tell. To bless. To declare. To sing. To go tell as many people. About Jesus as possible.
And I'm going to lay all my cards. On the table. If you. If you're in this room. This morning. And you are not.
A Christian. That's what we believe. We believe. That Jesus. Came and rescued us. At our point of need.
That we were dead. In our sin. Without hope. And that Jesus. Came to rescue us. And to redeem us.
That he died on the cross. To pay for our sin. And he rose from the grave. So that we could have. New life in him. And that's why we come together.
To celebrate. And that's the good news. We want you to know. You can place your faith. In Jesus today. And for us.
As a church family. When we sing. Songs about the gospel. It drives us out. Drives us out. To tell as many.
People. About it. As possible. Verse 11. As we wrap up. Let the heavens be glad.
And let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar. And all that fills it. Let the field exult. And everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest.
Sing for joy. Before the Lord. For he comes. For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world. In righteousness.
And the peoples. In his faithfulness. You see that? The sea is going to roar. And all the animals that fill it. Fields and creation.
Come to life. Trees singing before the Lord. As he comes. What we get here. At the end of this Psalm. Is a look forward.
To what's going to happen. In the future. Which means the worship of the church. Should fill us. With hope. And joy.
In Christ. Should fill us with hope. That one day. Jesus is going to crack the sky. And come back. And get his church.
And everything that is wrong. With the world. Will be made right. The world itself. Will be returned. To a state.
Of the garden of Eden. That justice. Will be had. That vengeance. Will be served. And God's going to set up.
His eternal reign forever. And that's actually good news. For Christians. That's the best news. Because it says. He will judge the world.
In righteousness. His. Right. His righteous standard. And for those that have placed faith. In Jesus.
Your hope is secure. There's joy. That we can go through. What. Everything we're going through. Right now.
Is just a blip. On the radar screen. Of eternity. We can walk through life. Right now. With hope and joy.
That we have in Christ. In fact. When the church gathers. On Sunday. When we gather to sing. It's actually just a little bit of practice.
For what eternity is going to be like. We're actually getting in work now. That when you sing with brothers and sisters. All across this room. That's just a small picture. Of what heaven.
Is going to look like. Should fill us with hope and joy. Raz and Bianca are going to come back up. And we're actually. We're going to take a little bit of time. To just put this into practice.
That when God commands us to sing. He's serious about it. But it's for our joy. That he created music with a purpose. That it can help us learn. And remember.
And internalize. And bring it. It can bring us together. And can help get to our emotions. So that as we sing as a church family.
We're going to make it about God. We're going to sing songs together. And remember that we're unified. We're going to allow the Holy Spirit to work. And get to our hearts. And lead us to repentance.
And faith. We're going to sing songs. That come out of the Bible. Like we're about to. That come from the book of Romans. And 1 Corinthians.
And John. And Psalms. And Hebrews. And then as we leave this place. We're going to be filled. We're going to be reminded.
That our worship should. Propel us out to mission. And give us joy. And hope. I want to ask you guys to stand. Go ahead and stand.
We're going to sing in just a second. God my prayer. Is that we would be a church. That rightly sees the joy. Of your command to sing. To sing to you.
And bring honor and glory to your name. That God you use it. You use it powerfully. God to work in our lives. In such a way that we. Come to know who you are.
Or that you can get to our emotions. You can bring us together. Father. So God my prayer. Is that you would actually. Help us push back.
All of the hesitations. All of the reservations. All of the wrong thoughts. About your commands to sing. And your Holy Spirit. Would allow us to do so freely.
This morning. Because you're worthy of our praise. In Jesus name. Amen. You guys sing with us.