Psalm 98:1-9
The main idea of this sermon this morning is that it is time for us to break out of our rut and learn to sing a new song with shouts of joy.
Some of you are singing the same song that you have sung for years and years – in a rut and you need to break out: key is to learn to sing a new song
Important theme throughout the Psalms: Ps 33:3 "Sing to Him a new song"; Ps 40:3 "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to out God"; Ps 96:1 "Sing to the Lord a new song"; Ps 98:1 "Sing to the Lord a new Song, For He has done wonderful things"; Ps 144:9 "I will sing a new song to Thee, O God" and Ps
149:1 "Sing to the Lord a new song"
1 Introduction
If you are stuck in a rut I want you to know today, it is a bad place to be. Our Old Song gets tiresome to us, as well as other people -- and you can believe that the Lord is sick of it too. What we need is to sing the New Song that the Lord has put in our heart.
· The song of Joy.
· The song of Enthusiasm.
· The song of Praise.
· The song of Victory.
But, before we can sing that new song, we have to learn to see things in a new way. In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push.
After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.
For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work. He needed to see a new way of behaving and acting that mad his life a whole lot easier. Many people are trapped in old patterns and cannot break out.
2 (Psalm 98:1-3) Celebrating The Victory Of The King: Contrast Between The Old Song And The New Song
2.1 Boredom vs. Excitement
"For He has done wonderful things"
Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm tells us that Steve Lyons will be remembered as the player who dropped his pants.
He could be remembered as an outstanding infielder ... as the player who played every position for the Chicago White Sox ... as the guy who always dived into first base ... as a favorite of the fans who high fived the guy who caught the foul ball in the stands. He could be remembered as an above-average player who made it with an average ability.
But he won’t. He’ll be remembered as the player who dropped his pants on July 16, 1990.
The White Sox were playing the Tigers in Detroit. Lyons bunted and raced down the first-base line. He knew it was going to be tight, so he dived at the bag. Safe! The Tiger’s pitcher disagreed. He and the umpire got into a shouting match, and Lyons stepped in to voice his opinion.
Absorbed in the game and the debate, Lyons felt dirt trickling down the inside of his pants. Without missing a beat he dropped his pants, wiped away the dirt, and ... uh oh ...twenty thousand jaws hit the floor.
And, as you can imagine, the jokes began. Women behind the White Sox dugout waved dollar bills when he came onto the field. "No one," wrote one columnist, "had ever dropped his pants on the field. …." Within twenty-four hours of the "exposure," he received more exposure than he’d gotten his entire career; seven live television and approximately twenty radio interviews.
"We’ve got this pitcher, Melido Perex, who earlier this month pitched a no-hitter," Lyons stated, "and I’ll guarantee you he didn’t do two live television shots afterwards. I pull my pants down, and I do seven. Something’s pretty skewed toward the zany in this game."
Fortunately, for Steve, he was wearing sliding pants under his baseball pants. Otherwise the game would be rated "R" instead of "PG-13."
Now, I don’t know Steve Lyons. I’m not a White Sox fan. Nor am I normally appreciative of men who drop their pants in public. But I think Steve Lyons deserves a salute.
I think anybody who dives into first base deserves a salute. How many guys do you see roaring down the baseline of life more concerned about getting a job done than they are about saving their necks? How often do you see people diving headfirst into anything?
Too seldom, right? But when we do ... when we see a gutsy human throwing caution to the wind and taking a few risks ... ah, now that’s a person worthy of a pat on the ... back.
So here’s to all the Steve Lyons in the world.
2.2 The Old Song is one of Boredom
A prime example of the song of boredom is that of Solomon in Ecclesiastes -- "Vanity of vanity"
2.3 The New Song is one of Excitement
The Magnificat, song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55), when she knew that she was going to give birth to Jesus How excited do you think Mary was? What could her action have been?
What about Hannah, the mother of Samuel. How excited do you think Hannah was when she found out that she was pregnant? (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
2.4 Defeat vs. Victory
"His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him"
2.5 The Old Song is one of Grumbling and Defeat
The children of Israel as God delivered them from bondage in Egypt and brought them into the promised land:
· Despairing when they reached the Red Sea, pursued by the Egyptians
Exodus. 14:10-14
· Grumbling because they had no water Exodus. 15:22-24
· Grumbling because they had no food Exodus. 16:3
· Grumbling again about lack of water Exodus. 17:3
· Grumbling again because they didn’t like the menu Num. 11:1-10
· Negative report of the spies: We can’t take the land Num. 13:28-31
2.6 The New Song is one of Victory
· Song of Moses: Exodus. 15:1-21
· Faith of Caleb and Joshua Num. 13:30
2.7 Pride vs. Dependence
"The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations"
2.8 The Old Song is one of Pride
Pride – self satisfaction: look at all that I gave accomplished with my life = there are no challenges left for me any more
· Nebuchadnezzar -- Daniel 4:28-30
2.9 The New Song is one of Dependence
Humility – I have no other choice but to depend upon God for my needs to be met
2.10 Loneliness and Disappointment vs. Love and Security
"He has remembered His loving kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel"
2.11 The Old Song is one of Loneliness and Disappointment
The old song – bitterness and resentment, loneliness and disappointment, which often leads people to become ill and, in turn, leads to more bitterness and resentment.
2.12 The New Song is one of Love and Security
The new song is based on the development of an intimate relationship with Jesus that is nurtured and is fed by practicing forgiveness to ourselves and others.
· Book: Song of Solomon
2.13 Ignorance vs. Enlightenment
"All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God"
2.14 The Old Song is one of Darkness and Ignorance
The Bible in Eph 5:8 says that we were once in the darkness of sin, trapped in darkness. When you are in that place, you sing the songs of darkness and ignorance. Songs of revenge: “She hurt me and I’ll not rest until I’ve managed to hurt her as much as she hurt me”; songs of judgment: “He deserves to be punished for what he did to me”; songs of condemnation, “You are a sinner deserving punishment.” These are the old, tired songs of darkness and ignorance.
2.15 The New Song is one of Light and Enlightenment
The Bible also says that we are now in the light because his light has shone into our hearts. In place of revenge there is release, in place of judgment there is freedom, in place of condemnation there is understanding
3 (Psalm 98:4-6) Celebrating The Reign Of The King
· With Shouts of Joy
· With Songs of Joy
· With Instruments of Joy
lyre / sound of melody, trumpets / sound of the horn
4 (Psalm 98:7-9) Celebrating The Return Of The King To Judge (To Make All Things Right)
Global Anticipation by all those who will benefit
All of God’s Creation = "the world"
· let the sea roar and all it contains
· let the rivers clap their hands
· let the mountains sing together for joy
All of God’s People = "those who dwell in it "
Global Judgment with righteousness with equity
