Title: It’s Time to Sing a New Song
Place: Oakdale Wesleyan Church
Date: January 9th, 2005
Subject: Celebration Sunday of Christmas Experience
Introduction
It’s time to sing a new song. Have you ever gotten an old song just stuck in your head and its not a song that brings joy and gladness to your heart. These are sad songs bring back bad memories or memories you would like to forget. They are unlike those songs that trigger your mind to think back or remember better times, or good time, or joyful times. I am sure we all have those type of songs in our minds, songs that remind you of your first kiss, may-be a song that played at your graduation, possibly a song that was being played when you gave your heart to Jesus Christ, may-be a song that you heard on the radio on that perfect spring morning, or may-be a song that was sung at your wedding. Those are great songs that just have a way of making your heart feel good.
But then there are those other songs, those songs that make you sad, that bring back hard memories, songs that you would rather not hear. Or may-be a song that just drives you nuts like, “This is the song that never ends, come on kids help me out, it goes on and on my friend….”
Songs are power things in our human minds. Songs make us happy or sad, they have the power to make you speed up or slow down. Listen sometimes to the songs in restaurants, in quiet sit down restaurants the music is soft and slow, but in McDonalds it if fast – they know the music helps set the speed of how fast you eat. Sit down it’s all about ambiance and good memories, in McDonalds it hurry up, eat a lot and get out. Listen to the music of Applebee’s, it’s loud and fast to set the fast acting, exciting sports bar scene type atmosphere. The media also knows the power of music. How often have you sat and watched a tense movie or show and what made it tense was the music! The power of music. This is not a knew thing science has just figured out, in fact the power of music and song has been known scene the beginning of time. In fact, the largest book in the Bible is a collection of songs and it’s title is Psalms, which means song.
One of the most characteristic things about the book of Psalms is that David and the other writers of the Psalms often preface their lyrics by saying, a new song for the Lord, this collection of music was not old music that’s gone stale with over use, but these are fresh new songs, just written to sing the praises of God.
Old songs are like old ruts, they are familiar but they also get old and stale before too long. Have you ever heard a song just played too many times on the radio. When it comes on you just feel like flipping the station. If we follow the Palmist’s idea, what we need is a new song, a new song that the Lord has put in our heart. That is the idea behind celebration. Celebration is an opportunity and a new chance to sing a new song to God. Much of the Psalms are exactly that, a new song of celebration to God.
Today we celebrate a new thing that the Lord is doing in our midst. We are celebrating particularly the Christmas Experience with all of it joys, it work, if fun, and yet its hardships. For our church, the Christmas Experience has marked a new beginning, a new thing which God is doing within our congregation, a new era and age has opened and it is appropriate for us to celebrate what God is doing! It’s time to leave some of our old stale songs behind and to sing a new song of celebration to God!
Open With Prayer
Psalm 98:1-9
I. The difference between the Old Song and the New Song
A. Boredom vs. Excitement
"For He has done wonderful things"
1. The Old Song is one of Boredom
example of Solomon in Ecclesiastes -- "Vanity of vanity"
2. The New Song is one of Excitement
the Magnificat -- song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55)
How excited do you think Mary was?
How excited do you think Hannah was? (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
B. Defeat vs. Victory
"His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him"
1. The Old Song is one of Grumbling and Defeat
cf. The children of Israel as God delivered them from bondage in Egypt and brought them into the promised land:
a. Despairing when they reached the Red Sea, pursued by the Egyptians
Exod. 14:10-14
b. Grumbling because they had no water Exod. 15:22-24
c. Grumbling because they had no food Exod. 16:3
d. Grumbling again about lack of water Exod. 17:3
e. Grumbling again because they didn’t like the menu Num. 11:1-10
f. Negative report of the spies: We can’t take the land Num. 13:28-31
2. The New Song is one of Victory
song of Moses: Exod. 15:1-21
cf. Faith of Caleb and Joshua Num. 13:30
C. Pride vs. Dependence
"The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations"
1. The Old Song is one of Pride
cf. Nebuchadnezzar -- Daniel 4:28-30
2. The New Song is one of Dependence
D. Loneliness and Disappointment vs. Love and Security
"He has remembered His loving kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel"
1. The Old Song is one of Loneliness and Disappointment
2. The New Song is one of Love and Security
cf. Book: Song of Solomon
E. Ignorance vs. Enlightenment
"All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God"
1. The Old Song is one of Darkness and Ignorance
2. The New Song is one of Light and Enlightenment
II. (:4-6) Celebrating the Reign of the King
A. With Shouts of Joy
B. With Songs of Joy
C. With Instruments of Joy
lyre / sound of melody trumpets / sound of the horn
III. (7-9) All things should rejoice for God will make all things right
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) What must you do in order to bring before the Lord new and different songs than you’ve sung in the past?
2) The Lord has shown Himself to be powerful, able to save and bring about victory. Can you recognize God’s power and victory in areas of your life that needed His saving grace?
3) If God causes nature to move -- out of praise for Him -- does He expect anything less from us when we worship?
4) What will be God’s yardstick for judging the world when He comes?
