Sing a new song for him

Dear church, good morning. Thank God we have another chance to praise God. He is indeed good. He is indeed loving. He is indeed worthy of all our praise.

Recently, people talk about worship in a selfie world. And I thought about it, yes, we do take a few selfies these days eh? This time a went to blue mountain you thought a girl looking at you. Then she goes 7/3 face, and some hand gesture, and you thought do I know this girl, then she (raise up a phone), oh… you are taking a selfie, I see.

The world of selfie people takes something that is not about them and make it about them through the lens of their camera. But doesn’t a world a selfie also has some effect on our worship today? Our sinful hearts want to fill up the frame of God’s glory with our face. Our flesh wants to distract us from the infinite worth of holy God who invited us into his presence and behold him and be made like him. We want to songs to be sentiment over substance, we want music preference over meaningful proclamation, we prefer our sermons to be useful to me rather than a worship to God. To be sure, our faces are in the frame, but they are a speck of sand on the beach of a cast ocean of his beauty and holiness.

But thank God, he gave us Psalms. He tells us our God is a different God that a God’s purpose to meet our needs, different from a gospel to make us loved, significant, validated, entertained a charged up. Instead, we are created for Him, we are created to worship him. We are created to sing a new song for him. We are created that no matter what circumstances we are in, to be joyful because of him. Here we are told to worship him with joy, we are told to sing him a new song, we are to make noise, using instruments to worship him. Let’s pray,

Dear Lord, so easily we could be distracted from our worship. But father, help us know it’s about you, help us know you alone is worthy of our praise, help us to concentrate and fix on you Jesus today. Thank you Lord.

Sing a new Song (1-3)

Today we would also select a we will be preaching from the psalms. It is our prayer that despite sometimes things that looking down, despite the future seems unclear, that we will be a people of praise, as God is doing a new thing in us. Let’s first look at Psalm 33 1-3 “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

See here, we are to be joyful in front of God. Shout for joy can mean yelling for joy because we are happy. Long time ago I was eating with my family and we saw a famous singer eating in a corner. My sis was so excited, her eyes are shining and asked for autograph. I was so embrassed, they were not happy as well. But my sis, just excited and joyful and can’t stop talking about it. This maybe the same sort of excitement, but maybe even more. God the creator and redeemer is so much more worthy. What cause it, contrasting to only startstruck, yes God struck but also we felt the weight of sin and God’s forgiveness, his goodness and generiosity. Psalm 32 1-2 “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” His kindness, his grace takes your breath away. Worship is about get carried away by God and shout praises to God.

Not only are we to shout for joy, in verse 2 and 3 And we use music, that’s why every week we have worship team with us singing our heart to him. Worship should be accompanied by instruments who is also created by God. A pastor put it right, “Singing is the Christians way of saying, God is so great that thinking will not suffice, there must be deep feeling; talking will not suffice, there must be singing.” How to do music in church? First, it calls us for freshness. THis is the idea of our topic, sing a new song for him. Believer’s in every generation experience God’s grace for themselves, and thier musicians write new songs with creative joy. “As God gives us fresh occasion, so do not content yourselves with old songs and psalms, but make new one suited to the ocassion.” I was reading the bible with family every night, and when we encounter a new chapter of bible, nearly every time we could find a new song on youtube. And all these songs spoke to us. But also the new songs since I’m introduced in Meadowbank Service, thanks for all the brothers and sisters that lead us in singing. It spoke to my heart in a new way. But not only fresh, but also with musical excellence. The psalmists calls on the musicians to “play skillfully”. I wonder how many of us here knows an instrument. Have you ever occur to you that this talent is not only for our own enjoyment, but for God. And to be skillful is to honour God and help people praise him. Will you consider serving in this area? If so, let us know. And lastly, worship should also be enthusaistic and heart. “Loud shouts” can sometimes mean a war cry or a cry of alarm. It shows again the energy, emotion and enthusiasm that is proper and fitting when we are cheering for such a great king and great God. “Men shout at the sight of thier kings (or their favourite sports team), shall we offer no loud hosannahs to the son of David? So let us sing with fevor, with freshness and play skillfully. Every week when we come here, let’s sing praises to Lord with a new song, loudly, heartily.

His creative word (4-9)

After this call of worship, the psalmists gives us cause for worship. In verse 4-19 the pslamist fans the coals of our heart with another three main reasons for praising God. It is hard to get excited about nothing. The joy and energy of verse 1-3 are rooted in the truth and theology of verse 4-19. Great worship grows out of great doctrine. And the first cause of worship is through his word.

Psalm 33: 4-9 “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

First we parise God’s word because it is truth. The words of God is so true and that it is one with his actions in faithfulness. “In all this we find the true secret of our confidnece, and so our joy . The word and the work of God are eve one. Hiw words never returns to Him Empty. More than that, this truth loves rightesousenss and justice. His word is not amoral, but his goodness spread over all the earth. The God is not destached from the human condition, he is what we understand as good. There is no spot in it where the traces and footprints of God’s love may not be discerned, if only the eyes and hearts are open.

God’s word are not only about is moral qualities, but also the power of the word, that he brought the existence of the world. He spoke, and it is done. This goes way back to Genesis, where his glory is reflected in his work of creation. The more we study the world around us, the more clearly we see God’s character displayed. The order in the universe displays God’s order, and the beauty in the world displays the goodness of God’s heart. The earth could have filled with endless terrors, but instead God filled it gnerously with grace. And he today still holds us together. Wonder if you have been travelling aroud this holiday? But yeah during my travel some of these memories remind me of our great God, the beauty of God. This includes a travel to New Zealand Milford Sound and Cananda Lake Louise. You are going to a place that looks like heaven on earth, and for me it is very natural, to stand in awe of him because it cannot be done by random events, it is created by a beautiful God. So what we should do? Let’s fear God who is so powerful, and let’s praise him.

His trumphant will (10-12)

The second we praise him is because of God’s will amongst human history.

Psalm 33:10-12 “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!”

The could mean some plot to attack Israel as a nation, but in the context it may be “the cousel of the nations” in terms of Psalms 2. The nations have set themselves against God anointed one. But here it say God pops their plans like a baloon. Instead God’s will and his purposes will stand forever. His plan for the universe is to set CHrist on the throne of the universe and to bring all things. And although through Old Testament and New testament many men and nations try to overthrow his kingdom. It never happens, so let’s praise him. Blessed are those called Yahweh the God.

WHat it means today, you know sometimes when we see the news it is depressing. All those plans from all nations, for all their strength, China, America, whatever nation is plotting sometimes scares us. Last year even we were a bit worried if there is going to be a third world war with Russia warring with Urkaine. All we see sometimes is human plotting, human’s aspiration, human’s failure, human’s achievement. Greed, power, self-made God, comfort, substance, materialisam hatred - all these idols. But the Psalmist once again reminds us God is in control. Behind all the news in the media, there is a undelying, more important news we need to remind ourselves, God is leading history to his purpose. And hence we, each of us is also been caught up with his triumpant will, so let’s praise him.

His loving gaze (13-19)

And lastly, we praise him because of his loving gaze.

Psalm 33:13-19 “The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”

The view goes from earthly matters back up on heaven, where God’s eye is on everyone - male and female, young and old, great or small - and he considers everything we do. From the creator God to his loving gaze on the individual. The word “observes” has the sense of perceiving or understanding. God does not merely see what we do - he understands what we are doing. This complete knowledge is terrifying to those who do not know God. But God’s complete knowledge is an immense comfort to his people. If God’s knows everything and looks and everything, he can protect us from everything and provide in every situation.

in verse 16-19 we see how this world depends on, the king depends on his great army, probably military might, and a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is like the most powerful weapon in those times, advanced military tool, like today a nuclear bomb. But most effective technology, great military is not enough, those are false hope for salvation which cannot resuce. But only God, only God’s loving gaze, on those who fear and hope in him, may deliver from death and alive. We worship today because we might forget, not only his the creator of all, but also see each of us, that only he knows all things, only he can protect us in every situation. God’s perfect knowledge means perfect control, and his complete control is used for complete love and care. The joyful worship the psalmists call us to is fulled by his creative word, his trunmphatn will and his loving gaze.

We hope in him (20 - 22)

Finally the psalmist describes the faith that comes from hearthfelt worship. And it is my prayer that this happens after every Sunday. The psalm began with a shout, like us singing in the Sunday morning, the end result of true worship is quiet and stronger faith. If we today worship in spirit and in truth, you are strengtehning your heart to trust God for the coming week. This is waht we all want ourselves in our church. We want to strengthen our faith in God togehter as we worship him together Psalm 33:20-22 “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” After praising God, having considered the reason to wait. it is appropriate to wait for him. Wait for his guidance, wait for his wisdom. Wait for his word. Wait for his deliverance. Wait for him as our help and our shield. Our soul is always happey because we have taken God as a potion. Let your mercy be upon us. Let your convenant love, love be with us. We today could praise him, and wiat for him because that his word is reliable, his will is unshakable, his care is unwavering.

We hope in Jesus

As we come to an end, this call to praise to God, this Jesus Christ, our help and our shield. And this passage it is entirely appropriate to meditate on Jesus creative will, Jesus triumpt will and Jesus’s loving gaze. Jesus himself, is called word became flashed into us. He words also have the power to create, power to order. His creative word calmed storms, defeated demons and inspirited repetence. Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Roman centurians he speaks and it is done. And his last words, it is finished is God’s ultimate plan that secured our forgivensss. By this words, a new creation order, a new era has begun. From the beginning of his minsitry Jesus had one plan - Luke 4:18 “to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Even he knows it will cost him his life, he resolutely meets the danger. Jesus plan was more strategy than Roman’s military complex, and more powerful than Israel’s religious hypocrisy. Even both conspiried to kill him, even death cannot stop his plan, his ultimate plan for saving all those who call on Him and usher a new creation, a new age into earth. His resurrection, his rose from the dead lets him see us above, but not only that, he is our high priest to knows our weakness, and once came down our earth to see us face to face.

And so every day we have reasons to sing new songs. So I pray that holy spirit would stir you up in praise. And may you see Jesus as the one whosse word, plans and gaze save us so completely we can wait and sing in hope, especially as this new comes.