SONGS WE SING: ‘THIS IS AMAZING GRACE’
PSALM 24:1-10
#AmazingGrace
SING ‘THIS IS AMAZING GRACE’
INTRODUCTION
This morning we are continuing a sermon series called: “The Songs We Sing.” Part of worshipping God is singing.
FOCUS ON “WORSHIP”
I realize I am using that word… “worship”… and you may not realize what it means. “Worship” is one of those words that can mean different things to different people and also can have wrong definitions. What is worship? Is worship just singing songs in church? Worship is more than just singing songs in a church service, but is an important attitude of the heart and a total disposition of our soul.
The word most associated with “worship” as we think about what it means is the word “bow.” Bow indicates many times what the people did as they worshipped, but also indicated the direction of humbleness and reverence in their minds and hearts. For example, in Genesis and Exodus, 4 of the first 5 times (80%) the word “worship” is used the word “bow” occurs with it in the same sentence as a description word.
READ GENESIS 24:26 (ESV)
“The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord”
READ GENESIS 24:48 (ESV)
“Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way…”
EXODUS 4:31 (ESV)
“And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.”
EXODUS 12:27 (ESV)
“You shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for He passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.”
As we focus on the different songs we sing from now until Easter, understand that the songs are the surface focus, but the real focus is the direction of our hearts and minds when we sing. Worship is actually our focus. The worship of God Almighty is our focus. Our worship claiming the blood of Christ is our focus. Our worship in the Spirit and in Truth is our focus no matter what the songs are that we sing.
SONGS WE SING: “This is Amazing Grace”
“This Is Amazing Grace" is the lead single on Phil Wickham's fifth studio album The Ascension. It was released on August 6, 2013. Billboard named it No. 1 on the Christian Airplay Songs chart for 2014 and is certified platinum by RIAA.
SONGS WE SING: ‘THIS IS AMAZING GRACE’ LYRICS (OPTIONAL)
Who breaks the power of sin and darkness? Whose love is mighty and so much stronger? The King of glory, the King above all kings. Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder? The King of glory, the King above all kings.
This is amazing grace; This is unfailing love; That You would take my place; That You would bear my cross; You laid down Your life That I would be set free Oh, Jesus, I sing for All that You've done for me.
Who brings our chaos back into order? Who makes the orphans a son and daughter? The King of glory, the King of glory Who rules the nations with truth and justice Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance The King of glory, the King above all kings.
This is amazing grace; This is unfailing love; That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You laid down Your life That I would be set free Oh, Jesus, I sing for All that You've done for me.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy is the King who conquered the grave; Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy is the King who conquered the grave; Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy is the King who conquered the grave; Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy, worthy, worthy.
BIBLE REFERENCES BEHIND THE SONG ‘THIS IS AMAZING GRACE’
"This Is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham (also popularized by Jeremy Riddle) contains strong biblical references throughout its lyrics. The song is a powerful declaration of Christ’s victory, grace, and kingship. The song overall has some strong ties to Psalm 24 which will be our main focus today, but there are other passages that seem to be highlighted in the lyrics which came to mind.
“Who breaks the power of sin and darkness? Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?” brings to mind passages like the beginning of Colossians which reminds us of the power of God over darkness, sin, and the draw of this world.
READ COLOSSIANS 1:13-14 (ESV)
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
"Who makes the orphan a son and daughter?” brings to mind passages like Romans 8-9, Galatians 4:5, and Ephesians 1:5 all of which talk about our salvation in terms being adopted into the family of God by way of the blood of Jesus. Not to mention the countless passages in the Old Testament that call God’s people His children. All of these passages show us that God is a personal God and interested in an abiding relationship with each one of us.
"Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder?" recalls the over 40 passages in the Old Testament and New Testament where the voice of God shakes our very existence. I think of John 12:29-30 when Jesus prays aloud and God answers.
READ JOHN 12:29-30 (ESV)
“Father, glorify Your Name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered.”
"That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You laid down Your life That I would be set free,” speaks to the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross which we can find in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19. We might also think of verses like Romans 5:8:
READ ROMANS 5:8 (ESV)
“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain" is a direct reference to Revelation 5 and Revelation 13:8 which shares with us that Jesus is the lamb of God sacrificed for us that we might have salvation.
READ REVELATION 5:11-12 (ESV)
“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
TRANSITION
In the song ‘This is Amazing Grace’ the phrase “King of glory” is repeated several times and grabs my attention. That phrase can be found specifically in the Bible in Psalm 24. As I mentioned earlier, let’s look deeper into Psalm 24.
PASSAGE FOCUS: KING OF GLORY IN PSALM 24
READ PSALM 24:1-10 (ESV)
“The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory!
Psalm 24 definitely helps us understand and focus on worship. What I mean by this is that Psalm 24 is full of good solid direction for our souls in terms of humbleness and reverence in our minds and hearts as we think about God, the King of glory. When God is our focus, we cannot go wrong in worship.
VERSES 1-2
In verses 1-2, the Psalm begins by praising God for Who He is. He is the Creator of everything that we see and Master of the physical realm and the spiritual realm. He is the founder of the whole world and filled it with creatures and people all of which came from His imagination and will. When we realize our place before God and bow before the Lord our Maker, we are at the beginning of worship. Acknowledging our place below God and in reverence to God as our Creator is worship. Acknowledging His power is worship. I think of some of the lyrics from ‘This is Amazing Grace’ which reflect on His nature as the Creator:
LYRICS:
“Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder? The King of glory, the King above all kings.”
VERSES 3-4
Psalm 24 continues in verses 3-4 reflecting on the one who is worshipping the King of glory. Worship is referenced in terms of “ascend[ing] the hill of the Lord” and “stand[ing] in His holy place.” Those two images are meant to invoke worship for us. We who humble ourselves and worship God do so focus on God alone. We ask God for clean hands that we might serve Him and serve others in His Name. We ask God for a pure heart that we might see God clearly and follow His will. We ask God to bend our heart to the truth that we might understand Him. All three of these allow us to worship God in the Spirit and in Truth and show us the seriousness with which we should take worshipping God.
I find it interesting that we started off this morning talking about how “worship” brings to mind “to bow,” but now I am mentioning “ascending a hill” and “standing” also mean “worship.” Hopefully you are catching that worship is not a thing, a song, a practice, or what you do or don’t do with your hands, but a complete focus of our mind, body, emotions, and heart on God in whatever we are doing wherever we happen to be.
In worship, we bow before God and focus all our thoughts and intentions on Him.
In worship, we ascend to where God is concentrating on praise for Him.
In worship, we stand in His presence in awestruck wonder of Him.
VERSES 5-6
The next verses, verses 5-6, are in the center of the Psalm and are so on purpose as there is even a musical term at the end of verse 6 to indicate that we are to sit and ponder these words a little bit.
RE-READ PSALM 24:5-6 (ESV)
He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
The central theme of this Psalm is that we worship God Who blesses us, gives us righteousness, and saves us. Those that seek the face of God find Him. This is a wonderful reality for those that seek God. When we seek Him, we find a God Who blesses, gives, righteousness, and saves.
The Bible has this same truth sprinkled in the Old Testament and the New Testament:
READ DEUTERONOMY 4:29 (ESV)
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
READ JEREMIAH 29:13 (ESV)
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.”
READ LUKE 11:9-10 (ESV)
“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
READ ACTS 17:26-27 (ESV)
“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us…”
This reminds me of lyrics from ‘This is Amazing Grace’ which focuses on some of the blessings God gives to us…
LYRICS:
“Who brings our chaos back into order? Who makes the orphans a son and daughter? The King of glory, the King of glory. Who rules the nations with truth and justice Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance? The King of glory, the King above all kings. This is amazing grace; This is unfailing love; That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You laid down Your life That I would be set free Oh, Jesus, I sing for All that You've done for me.”
Those who seek God with a pure heart and right intentions find Him and receive His blessing. Worshipping in the Spirit and in Truth leads to our transformation and an abiding relationship with God.
VERSES 7-10
Psalm 24 ends with the section of verses 7-10 which has several repeated phrases of “lift up your heads you gates” and “King of glory.” The Psalm is describing an event which is the arrival of God as the King entering His holy city. Surrounding the King entering the city are all the people worshipping Him. This King Who enters is entering as a conqueror and one worthy of all the accolades. He is strong and mighty and the One Who has won all the battles. God is praised for power, strength, and the victory that is His.
This section of Psalm 24 reminds me of lyrics from ‘This is Amazing Grace’:
LYRICS:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy is the King who conquered the grave; Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy is the King who conquered the grave; Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy is the King who conquered the grave; Worthy is the Lamb who was slain; Worthy, worthy, worthy.”
In worship, we praise Jesus Who conquered the grave victorious.
In worship, we focus on Jesus Whose blood pays for our sins.
In worship, we stand before God the Father only by the blood of Jesus the Son.
SUMMARY
Worship is a complete attitude and direction of our hearts and minds towards God. When you and I come into this place, I want to encourage you to make worshipping together a priority in our lives. The words that we sing are important, but even more important is the disposition of our hearts to God. May it be…
… that God be our focus and nothing else. Let nothing distract us from praising our Father!
… that Jesus be Whom we celebrate and no one else. May we remember what He has done!
… that the Holy Spirit fill us and push out our selfish natures. May He fill us completely!
Worship is not a thing, a song, a practice, or what you do or don’t do with your hands, but a complete focus of our mind, body, emotions, and heart on God in whatever we are doing wherever we happen to be.
TRANSITION
In closing I’d like us together participate in a responsive reading.
RESPONSIVE READING / LITURGY: Psalm 24 & This is Amazing Grace
Leader:
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Congregation:
For He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Leader:
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?
Congregation:
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.
Leader:
They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.
Congregation:
Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, God of Jacob.
Leader:
Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!
Congregation:
Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!
Leader:
Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!
Congregation:
Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—He is the King of glory!
Leader:
Who breaks the power of sin and darkness? Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?
Congregation:
The King of Glory, the King above all kings!
Leader:
Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder?
Congregation:
The King of Glory, the King above all kings!
Leader:
Lift up your heads, you gates! The King of glory comes in victory!
Congregation:
This is amazing grace! This is unfailing love!
Leader:
That You would take my place, that You would bear my cross!
Congregation:
You laid down Your life that I would be set free!
Leader:
Who is this King of glory?
Congregation:
The Lord Almighty—He is the King of glory!
PRAYER
INVITATION
Who breaks the power of sin and darkness? Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?
Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder?
Who brings our chaos back into order? Who makes the orphans a son and daughter?
Who conquered sin? Who conquered the grave?
Jesus.
Only Jesus.
I invite you to accept Him as your King of Glory today.
