Song Of The King (1 Chronicles 16:8-36)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:04.519 If you're able, please remains standing and let's give our attention now to God's 2 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:15.070 word and first chronicles. This first chronicles chapter sixteen. So First Chronicles Chapter 3 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:22.620 Sixteen. On tonight we hear this song that David Commands to be Sung and 4 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:27.100 the Lord's response. So I'm going to begin reading it verse seven and we'll 5 00:00:27.179 --> 00:00:32.700 read through verse thirty six. Let's hear God's word. then. On that 6 00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:38.369 day, David first appointed that Thanksgiving Be Sung to Jehovah by ASAF and his 7 00:00:38.490 --> 00:00:43.929 brothers. Oh, give thanks to Jehovah, call upon his name, make 8 00:00:44.049 --> 00:00:48.409 known his deeds among the People's sing to him, sing praises to him, 9 00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:53.640 tell of all his wondrous works, glory and His holy name. But the 10 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:59.039 hearts of those who seek Jehovah Rejoice, Seek Jehovah and his strength, seek 11 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:03.629 his presence. Continually Remember the works that he has done, his miracles and 12 00:01:03.750 --> 00:01:10.670 the judgments he uttered. Oh offspring of Israel, his servant, Oh sons 13 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:15.269 of Jacob, his chosen ones, he is Jehovah, our God. His 14 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:21.099 judgments are in all the earth. Remember his covenant forever, the word that 15 00:01:21.219 --> 00:01:26.579 he has commanded for a thousand generations. The covenant that he made with Abraham, 16 00:01:26.819 --> 00:01:32.019 his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob, 17 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:37.489 as an everlasting covenant to Israel, saying to you, I will give 18 00:01:37.489 --> 00:01:42.250 the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance when you were few in 19 00:01:42.329 --> 00:01:48.560 number and of little account. And sojourner's sojourners in it, wandering from nation 20 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:53.480 to nation and from one kingdom to another. People he allowed no one to 21 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:59.079 oppress them. He rebuked kings on their account, saying touch not my anointed 22 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:04.909 ones, do my prophets no harm. Seeing to Jehovah, all the Earth 23 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:09.110 Tell of his salvation from day to day, declare his glory among the nation's, 24 00:02:09.189 --> 00:02:14.189 his marvelous works, among all the peoples. For Great is Jehovah and 25 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:17.300 Greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all 26 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:23.219 gods, for all the gods of the People's are idols, but Jehovah made 27 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:29.500 the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him, strength and joy are in 28 00:02:29.699 --> 00:02:35.650 his place. Ascribe to Jehovah. O clans of the People's ascribe to Jehovah 29 00:02:35.689 --> 00:02:38.689 Glory and strength. Ascribe to Jehovah, the glory, do his name, 30 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:45.840 bring an offering and come before him. Worship Jehovah in the splendor of holiness. 31 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:50.800 Tremble before him, all the earth. Yes, the world is established, 32 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.840 it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad and let the 33 00:02:53.919 --> 00:03:00.710 earth rejoice, and let them say among the nation's Jehovah reigns. Let the 34 00:03:00.789 --> 00:03:04.349 sea roar and all that fills it, let the field exalt and everything in 35 00:03:04.509 --> 00:03:08.030 it. Then the then shall the trees of the Forest Sing for joy before 36 00:03:08.110 --> 00:03:13.659 Jehovah, for he comes to judge the Earth. Oh, give thanks to 37 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:20.020 Jehovah, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Say 38 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:23.659 Also, save us, Oh God of our salvation, and gather and deliver 39 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:28.689 us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name 40 00:03:28.810 --> 00:03:32.810 and glory in your praise. Blessed Be Jehovah, a god of Israel, 41 00:03:32.849 --> 00:03:40.009 from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said Amen and praised Jehovah. 42 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:52.439 You may be seated. Was We've been reading in first chronicles. God has 43 00:03:52.520 --> 00:04:00.509 been chronicling for us the rise to power of his anointed servant, David the 44 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:04.870 King, and through his servant. He's been showing how he intends to rule 45 00:04:04.990 --> 00:04:11.099 over his people, how this is a somewhat the culmination of promises that he's 46 00:04:11.139 --> 00:04:14.460 been making to them at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that they would be 47 00:04:14.620 --> 00:04:17.939 in the promised land. And now here they are and here is their king 48 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:23.100 ruling over them. But the king, as we have seen, does not 49 00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:27.569 rule on his own, he doesn't rule apart from God and a way or 50 00:04:27.610 --> 00:04:32.610 away from him, a contrary to what Saldid David has sought. The Lord 51 00:04:33.569 --> 00:04:41.920 has sought God and has brought the arc, also called his name to Jerusalem 52 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:46.720 and has set it in this place where God will be worshiped. And now 53 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:51.870 the king commands that those who lead in worship, these levites, who are 54 00:04:53.149 --> 00:04:59.110 particularly appointed and anointed by the spirit to lead the people in worship, are 55 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:03.990 to call the people to these particular acts of worship. In other words, 56 00:05:04.069 --> 00:05:08.980 now that to God, their Lord, Their Covenant God, is placed among 57 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:13.939 them, so to speak, as he is set his king on the throne 58 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:17.699 and promised us to rule over them, they are to praise him, they 59 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:23.250 are to worship him. They have received a kingdom, they have a king, 60 00:05:23.449 --> 00:05:28.089 and a good king who is pointing them on to their God and not 61 00:05:28.730 --> 00:05:34.839 to himself. And so we consider this evening, this song of worship, 62 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:42.199 the commands to worship there, as well as the People's response. But we 63 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:46.319 consider it not only from David's perspective, not only from Israel's perspective as those 64 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:53.389 who have a new king and are now further established in the land, but 65 00:05:53.470 --> 00:05:59.149 we consider it also from our perspective, our particular church, in this time 66 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:05.620 and this place. How are we called to worship? Are we called to 67 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:13.180 worship the king? Are we called to worship God? Well, this is 68 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:17.300 the difference, so the great difference between Israel and us. King, Jesus, 69 00:06:17.420 --> 00:06:21.850 does call us to worship God, but he also is God. And 70 00:06:23.009 --> 00:06:28.009 so whereas Israel didn't worship David but only worshiped the God who had brought them 71 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:33.319 David, we worship both our king and the one who sent him, the 72 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:40.160 father. So I want to begin by just putting that in perspective of this 73 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:46.959 and thinking about our situation, our call to praise. I'll put it as 74 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:50.829 a question. Does Jesus call us to worship in a way that's similar to 75 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:58.029 David? The answer is yes, you're right. Remember Jesus at the well 76 00:06:58.470 --> 00:07:01.779 with the woman and John, for there she asked this questions. While we 77 00:07:01.860 --> 00:07:05.540 worship on this mountain or on this mountain, and he says an hour is 78 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:13.819 coming when people will worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus says that an 79 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:18.209 hour is coming in even now it's here. He calls US A to worship 80 00:07:19.410 --> 00:07:24.610 the apostle, Paul. Jesus is Apostle, the one he has sent out. 81 00:07:24.769 --> 00:07:30.160 Calls us in Romans to present our bodies as a spiritual act of worship. 82 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:33.560 I'm in Colossians, we read that we are to let the word of 83 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:41.279 Christ dwell in US, richly singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with Thanksgiving 84 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:46.230 on the command a to worship not only the the father, but also the 85 00:07:46.310 --> 00:07:50.310 Lord Jesus. We read in Philippians three, where we are told that we 86 00:07:50.509 --> 00:07:58.310 worship by the spirit of God and Glory in Christ Jesus. We glory in 87 00:07:58.430 --> 00:08:03.259 our King, even as we glory in the father. Or One more, 88 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:09.019 Hebrews, Chapter Twelve twenty eight. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving 89 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:15.649 a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable 90 00:08:15.689 --> 00:08:22.050 worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. So 91 00:08:22.170 --> 00:08:26.810 Jesus is, of course, the god of whom David speaks when he says 92 00:08:26.850 --> 00:08:30.519 we are to worship God, we are to glory in Him, rejoice in 93 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:35.320 him and praise him. Well, if David calls us to worship our God, 94 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.720 then how much more, now that the sun has come, that he 95 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:45.149 has come for us and come to save us, to fulfill the promises that 96 00:08:45.230 --> 00:08:48.110 we have at the end of this song? So back to the question. 97 00:08:48.309 --> 00:08:52.669 Does Jesus call us to worship, to sing, to praise, to rejoice 98 00:08:52.750 --> 00:08:58.259 in our God for receiving a kingdom, even as David did? I'll absolutely 99 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:05.580 that's exactly what scripture says and it makes a lot of sense. So let's 100 00:09:05.580 --> 00:09:11.250 consider now what it is, what praise is, what does it mean to 101 00:09:11.409 --> 00:09:16.129 worship? What is David want to teach us through this song? We're going 102 00:09:16.169 --> 00:09:20.570 to come. We're going to consider three things. The how of praise, 103 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:26.320 the why of praise, maybe for the when and the where of praise. 104 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:33.320 So the how, the why, the when and the where. So the 105 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:39.710 how of praise. To get at this question, how are we to praise? 106 00:09:39.909 --> 00:09:43.590 I want to simply a list the verbs that are used here in this 107 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:48.870 song and I hope that they'll sort of overwhelm you a little bit. This 108 00:09:48.990 --> 00:09:52.340 will give me an opportunity also to do with the puritans off and did in 109 00:09:52.340 --> 00:09:56.220 their preaching and have lots and lots of points. So I've got eleven verbs 110 00:09:56.220 --> 00:10:03.379 here for you and how we are to praise God. Will move somewhat quickly. 111 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:07.049 First, we are to give thanks. This is verse eight. Oh, 112 00:10:07.129 --> 00:10:13.850 give thanks, we are told. Praise means being filled with gratitude. 113 00:10:13.850 --> 00:10:18.250 It means responding for something that is given. Remember Again Hebrews twelve. We 114 00:10:18.370 --> 00:10:24.320 have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Therefore, let us worship God. 115 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:28.159 We are to be. We are to be people who give thanks. 116 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:33.360 Number two, we are to call upon him. We are not giving thanks 117 00:10:33.399 --> 00:10:39.269 sort of just abstractly or just feeling great and are grateful in our hearts, 118 00:10:39.350 --> 00:10:43.429 but we call upon a particular a God, the God of Israel, a 119 00:10:43.549 --> 00:10:50.620 God who has given his even his name, Jehovah or Yah, way however 120 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:56.899 you pronounce it. These small capital letters where it says Lord, they're indicate 121 00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:03.340 this very particular name, the special covenantal name that God has given to his 122 00:11:03.580 --> 00:11:09.529 people. We are to call upon him and him in particular. Number three, 123 00:11:09.649 --> 00:11:15.409 we are to make known his deeds. Giving praise means not just being 124 00:11:15.529 --> 00:11:20.840 grateful and calling upon him, but to make known his deeds or the parallel 125 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:26.679 tell of his wondrous works. God is an active God and we respond by 126 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:35.750 sharing and telling of the things he has done. We don't just tell number 127 00:11:35.830 --> 00:11:41.149 four, we also sing, David says in verse nine. Sing to him, 128 00:11:41.830 --> 00:11:46.460 sing praises to him. We are not just a talking people, we 129 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:52.899 are a singing people. If you are not a singing Christian, become one. 130 00:11:54.019 --> 00:12:00.539 Number Five, glory in His holy name or praise his holy name. 131 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:05.929 We are to enjoy, revel in a sense, and lift up God. 132 00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:11.690 I lift up his name. It's not an accident that the ARC is connected 133 00:12:11.769 --> 00:12:18.279 with his name or that we see this word Lord or Yahweh or Jehovah over 134 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:22.480 and over again. God has revealed himself in this way. He's made himself 135 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:28.399 known to us in his covenant promises. He has promised to rescue his people. 136 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:33.350 He says that he is, I am. We are to glory and 137 00:12:33.470 --> 00:12:39.789 who he is and how he has revealed himself to us. Number six, 138 00:12:39.990 --> 00:12:48.100 we are to rejoice, be happy, have lifted hearts, exalt, we 139 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:54.419 read it later, of the trees, even lifting the trees of the field. 140 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:58.210 Here, I'm shall exalt and sing for joy. The seas roared. 141 00:12:58.730 --> 00:13:05.690 Creation is personified here, is just filled with noise for God it. He 142 00:13:05.889 --> 00:13:09.929 is their maker, he made them, he called them to be these kinds 143 00:13:09.970 --> 00:13:15.799 of creatures. Shall we not also join in praise? We, who ever 144 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.639 made higher than them, who are put in charge of them? Shall the 145 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:24.480 trees teach us what to do? We are God's creatures and we should be 146 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:30.389 happy about that. Lift up our hearts and rejoice. Number seven, praise 147 00:13:30.509 --> 00:13:35.509 means seeking the Lord. Three things are lifted. Seek the Lord, his 148 00:13:35.669 --> 00:13:41.419 strength, his presence. Praising God means not only calling to him, but 149 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:48.100 bringing to mind, as we see in number eight, remembering. We are 150 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:50.580 to remember the things of the Lord, the works, his miracles, his 151 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:56.730 attributes. Again, we don't worship an abstract principle or a theory or an 152 00:13:56.769 --> 00:14:03.490 algorithm or a feeling. We worship God, God of Israel, Father, 153 00:14:03.769 --> 00:14:11.279 son and Holy Spirit. We don't remember things in general, Remember his works, 154 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:15.559 his miracles, his judgment, his strength, his presence, and we 155 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:22.600 seek him in it. Number nine we ascribe to him praise, not to 156 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:28.710 others, but to him alone. Number ten, we bring gifts. This 157 00:14:28.870 --> 00:14:31.429 is a part of our worship, David mentions. It's a it's a way 158 00:14:31.750 --> 00:14:37.149 that we show our gratitude and rejoice and give thanks to God by giving things 159 00:14:37.230 --> 00:14:45.980 to him. And finally, he loventhe we tremble. We read there in 160 00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:52.299 the last few verses there, that we are to tremble before the Lord. 161 00:14:52.690 --> 00:14:56.730 Remember Again Hebrews Twelve, twenty eight. Therefore, let us be grateful for 162 00:14:56.889 --> 00:15:01.690 receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God 163 00:15:01.809 --> 00:15:09.519 acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. 164 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:16.080 We tremble before the Lord because we recognize that he is really strong, 165 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:22.149 that he is truly powerful. We've seen it in his works, we know 166 00:15:22.269 --> 00:15:28.269 it even in his salvation. And so this is what it means to give 167 00:15:28.429 --> 00:15:33.830 praise, to give thanks, to call, to make known his deeds, 168 00:15:33.429 --> 00:15:37.179 to sing to him, to glory in his name, to rejoice, to 169 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:43.980 seek, to remember, to ascribe, to bring gifts, to tremble. 170 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:54.090 This is how we praise. Now the why of praise? Why does this 171 00:15:54.289 --> 00:15:58.809 make sense? Well, David gives a number of reasons. Some we've described 172 00:15:58.850 --> 00:16:03.840 I'bed already. There's his wondrous works, there's his strength, his presence. 173 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:10.960 There's a bit his ability to actually answer our call when we call upon him 174 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:18.710 to be found, when we seek him, unlike the idols of the people's 175 00:16:18.470 --> 00:16:26.509 these false gods that do not seek us and find us and go wherever we 176 00:16:26.830 --> 00:16:33.019 are, present, everywhere at all times, always strong, always knowing, 177 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:42.340 but rocks and sticks and little things. Why Praise God? Well, because 178 00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:45.620 of his wondrous works, because of his ability to answer, because of his 179 00:16:47.019 --> 00:16:52.049 strength, praise because his creative power, because of his steadfast love and, 180 00:16:52.250 --> 00:17:02.240 most particularly, because of his covenant promises, David Says, after in this 181 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:04.799 first part, especially calling. This is where we have the majority of these 182 00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:11.400 verbs in the first part of this song. He then says he is Jehovah 183 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:17.670 Yahweh our God. His judgments are in all the earth. Remember his covenant 184 00:17:17.789 --> 00:17:21.509 forever than he goes on to say the word that he has commanded for a 185 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:26.509 thousand generations. He goes on to talk about this covenant that he has made 186 00:17:26.589 --> 00:17:30.099 with able, for him, Isaac Jacob, Israel, and with us, 187 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:36.619 this covenant that he promised to Abraham. This promise that through a child, 188 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:41.420 he would make Abraham a great and mighty people, that he would overcome the 189 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:48.089 death that was promised after the fall, that life would be brought forth and 190 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:52.210 that the people would enter into a land where they would dwell with God forever 191 00:17:52.410 --> 00:18:00.440 and ever and ever lasting. Covenant, he says, and this an act 192 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:06.960 of salvation and an act of grace. This is why we praise God. 193 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:11.759 As he puts it in perspective in verses, Nineteen through twenty two, when 194 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:18.309 you were few in number and of little account and of sojourners in it, 195 00:18:18.869 --> 00:18:22.750 wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another. People he allowed 196 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:26.740 no one to oppress them. He rebuked kings on their account, saying touch 197 00:18:26.900 --> 00:18:33.500 not my anointed ones. Do My prophets no harm. You might summarize all 198 00:18:33.539 --> 00:18:40.819 that by saying when they were small, God was big. God took care 199 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:45.529 of them. They didn't come before God and say we are a mighty people, 200 00:18:45.650 --> 00:18:48.289 now you will be our God. No, God went to them and 201 00:18:48.329 --> 00:18:55.089 said you're a tiny, insignificant people, traveling, wandering, unsecure her but 202 00:18:55.289 --> 00:18:59.480 I will make you secure, I will take care of you and I will 203 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:03.119 establish you. And he did, and he has. Here's David, King 204 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:11.309 David with a vast multitude of people standing there in the Promised Land, all 205 00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:15.390 pointing forward to the Greater Promised Land of the new heavens and the new earth, 206 00:19:15.630 --> 00:19:22.390 where Jesus will stand before millions, millions who lift up and worship the 207 00:19:22.549 --> 00:19:30.980 god of the promise. I'll pause here and say that if you know these 208 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:37.339 things, if you belong to the promised child that is Jesus, as Paul 209 00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:41.809 tells us, and Galatians, if we belong to the family of Abraham by 210 00:19:42.009 --> 00:19:48.730 faith, then glorying and praising and rejoicing and seeking and calling and giving gifts 211 00:19:48.809 --> 00:19:55.519 and ascribing, all that makes a lot of sense. It's like a let's 212 00:19:55.519 --> 00:20:00.720 imagine a bride on her wedding day. She's been waiting for years and years 213 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:06.880 to get married. She wants so badly to find the man of her dreams 214 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:11.869 and then she finally finds him. He's handsome, he's smart, he's going 215 00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:15.750 to take care of her, he's wonderful. And now the day is, 216 00:20:15.829 --> 00:20:22.660 the day of her wedding. is she going to be sad and disappointed and 217 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:27.460 moping around? No, she's going to be happy and excited and rejoicing for 218 00:20:27.900 --> 00:20:33.940 this gift she's been given, this thing that she has received, this person 219 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:37.410 that God has brought into hers her life, the bride. You won't go 220 00:20:37.450 --> 00:20:42.089 to the bride and say why are you just so happy today? It's a 221 00:20:42.170 --> 00:20:47.609 kind of crazy question to ask. Of course she's happy. It makes sense. 222 00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:52.960 Well, this is true of just a human relationship like this. How 223 00:20:52.000 --> 00:21:00.920 much more for finding our husband, Jesus, who takes us not a lovely 224 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:07.789 bride who's always wanted a great man, but a whore? The scripture describes 225 00:21:07.910 --> 00:21:15.630 us a wretched person that is given herself away over and over again to false 226 00:21:15.750 --> 00:21:19.339 gods, and he comes and he takes her and he says, you're mine, 227 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:26.099 you belong to me, I will be your God, you will be 228 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:33.049 my bride. Makes Sense that we're happy. It makes sense that we would 229 00:21:33.049 --> 00:21:37.450 seek him and call upon him and give gifts to him and smile and rejoice 230 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:45.369 and praise him. Of course, if you haven't received these gifts, if 231 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:48.720 you're separated from Jesus, or if there's a hardness us in your heart and 232 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:53.079 a lack of faith and not really believing that he said he will do the 233 00:21:53.240 --> 00:22:00.630 things he will do, then glorying and praising and rejoicing and singing. They're 234 00:22:00.630 --> 00:22:07.190 going to feel a little weird. They're not going to make sense. Maybe, 235 00:22:07.230 --> 00:22:11.589 if you take it seriously enough, they'll even be offensive for the Christian 236 00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:18.220 who's been rescued, the Christian who knows her husband, we as the church, 237 00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:25.420 who know the one who has saved us. The why leads very much 238 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:30.890 to the how. The why is answered, we might say, by a 239 00:22:30.009 --> 00:22:36.250 WHO. We praise and we worship our God because he is who he is, 240 00:22:37.049 --> 00:22:42.289 he's done what he's done. And now to the when and where. 241 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:55.200 What is David say? You read it in Verse Twenty Three. Sing to 242 00:22:55.240 --> 00:23:03.190 Jehovah, all the Earth Tell of his salvation, from day today, never 243 00:23:03.349 --> 00:23:08.829 stop. In other words, this praising that he describes here, throughout this 244 00:23:10.269 --> 00:23:15.940 songs praising that he describes is to not stop. It's to be everlasting. 245 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:22.500 And this makes sense, doesn't it? God is a not a partial God, 246 00:23:22.619 --> 00:23:26.650 he's an everlasting God, a complete God, Holy God. His Salvation, 247 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:33.450 likewise, is not a partial salvation, a halfway salvation. His Covenant 248 00:23:33.569 --> 00:23:38.329 is everlasting, his salvation is everlasting. He is everlasting. Shall our praise 249 00:23:38.490 --> 00:23:47.839 then be a little bit? Of course not. Our everlasting God who's made 250 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:56.589 an everlasting covenant and who saved US unto everlasting deserves everlasting praise. Tell of 251 00:23:56.750 --> 00:24:03.430 is salvation. From day today, should never stop among us and doing our 252 00:24:03.589 --> 00:24:08.630 homework, in losing our loved ones, in eating a meal, in finding 253 00:24:08.670 --> 00:24:17.700 a friend, from day today, from night tonight, from everlasting to everlasting, 254 00:24:18.380 --> 00:24:26.049 we should proclaim the glories of God. And if the when is always 255 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:33.009 the where is everywhere. What does he say? What is David here say 256 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:41.000 to Israel? He says declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works 257 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:48.119 among the People's. Though the omission to the world will greatly expand in the 258 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:52.069 New Testament with the outpouring of the spirit at pentecost, with the command and 259 00:24:52.349 --> 00:24:59.069 Commission of Jesus to go to all the nations, making disciples, baptizing men 260 00:24:59.109 --> 00:25:04.950 and teaching them the missionary work of God's people, is even here in the 261 00:25:04.990 --> 00:25:12.380 Old Testament. Hear it declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works 262 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:18.980 among the peoples. If that's true for Israel again, how much more now 263 00:25:18.660 --> 00:25:22.890 that the kingdom that we've received that cannot be shaken as a heavenly one. 264 00:25:23.450 --> 00:25:30.369 It's one that's everlasting. It's one that is not limited to just a portion 265 00:25:30.529 --> 00:25:33.890 of the world, but includes all of the world and all of the heavens. 266 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:41.039 Would we consider the fact that gentiles like me and perhaps like you, 267 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:45.880 have been included in this covenant? Now that the kingdom has spread throughout all 268 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:49.829 the world, where are we to praise God? Where are we to tell 269 00:25:49.950 --> 00:25:55.109 of his marvelous works? Where are we to lift up his name and ascribe 270 00:25:55.269 --> 00:26:03.380 a glory to him? Everywhere, always? And so this is what praise 271 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:10.420 is. This is what it means to worship our God. The how, 272 00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:18.019 the why, the when and the where. This is what David Commands these 273 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:22.890 Levites, asap in particular, and his brothers, to sing on this and 274 00:26:23.049 --> 00:26:27.089 things like this. This is the kind of ministry that they are to exercise. 275 00:26:29.529 --> 00:26:33.440 And how are the people to respond? will end with this. How 276 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:38.160 are the people to respond to this call to worship? We read of it 277 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:44.240 in the very last sentence of this passage, at the end in verse thirty 278 00:26:44.359 --> 00:26:52.470 six. Then all the people said all men and praised the Lord. These 279 00:26:52.509 --> 00:26:57.549 are the two things they did. They said Amen and they praised, exactly 280 00:26:57.630 --> 00:27:03.859 as they're called to do throughout the song. What does this mean to say 281 00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:12.299 Amen? One commentator, Robert Rayburn, says. I believe the amen that 282 00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:19.849 the congregation responds to the words that they have been a led in worship is 283 00:27:19.970 --> 00:27:23.210 one of the very best ways of making sure that all the members of the 284 00:27:23.289 --> 00:27:30.000 congregation have a proper sense of participation in the offering up of prayer to God. 285 00:27:32.759 --> 00:27:36.799 One senses, he says in a meaningful way, that he is participating 286 00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:41.559 with others in the offering up of specific praises and petitions to God, and 287 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:47.829 he experiences the communion of the saints in a very significant way when he joins 288 00:27:47.910 --> 00:27:55.349 his voices with others in the congregation or she and says Amen. And this 289 00:27:55.509 --> 00:28:00.059 is how the people responded to this call, this call to worship. They 290 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:04.299 lifted up their voices and they said Amen. It's a way of saying yes, 291 00:28:04.859 --> 00:28:08.980 I agree, my heart is with these things. It is not, 292 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:14.250 in other words, the Levites alone who have said these things, but when 293 00:28:14.289 --> 00:28:19.769 the people add their all men to it, they too are saying them as 294 00:28:19.890 --> 00:28:30.240 well. There's a quote from Jerome in the Early Church that he's he described 295 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:34.880 the sound of the men from the congregations like a crack of thunder. Sometimes 296 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:41.990 kind of an amazing thing to consider. Suppose the congregations were probably fairly large 297 00:28:42.109 --> 00:28:47.869 to have that kind of sound, but even if it's not audibly that loud, 298 00:28:47.869 --> 00:28:51.910 it should have that kind of feeling in our hearts. When we say 299 00:28:51.950 --> 00:28:56.460 all men together, when you say Amen in response to a prayer and response 300 00:28:56.539 --> 00:29:00.019 to a song that has been sung or a blessing that has been given, 301 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:06.140 it is the way in which you unite your voices together and say yes, 302 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:14.730 we are together in this, we participate in this together, and this is 303 00:29:14.849 --> 00:29:22.210 what they do. They confirm their minds and their hearts to this confession and 304 00:29:22.410 --> 00:29:32.200 then they praise as they have been called to praise. So how shall we 305 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:37.279 respond to this God's word, or the commands that Jesus gives us, or 306 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:41.029 the many commands that we have in the psalms or the spirit in our own 307 00:29:41.109 --> 00:29:49.109 hearts calling us to worship and praise God? Amen, and we praise the 308 00:29:49.150 --> 00:29:56.900 Lord. If you have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, if you 309 00:29:57.339 --> 00:30:03.180 have been married to Jesus Christ, the great husband of his church, if 310 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:07.730 you belong to the Lord God, who has promised to save us and has 311 00:30:07.769 --> 00:30:15.049 indeed gathered us and delivered us from all the nations of the world. Then 312 00:30:15.130 --> 00:30:21.799 let's join our voices together and say blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, 313 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:30.160 from everlasting to everlasting, and all God's people said, let us pray