Make a Joyful Noise 2/5/2023
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Pyramids
Pyramids
-So this morning, If you haven’t already noticed, we’re going to do things a little bit differently
-I feel like that should be my catchphrase at this point
-but we’re going to do things a little different
-we’re gonna change up the order of service.
-This is a temporary thing that I wanted to do just today for this message
-So if you’re someone who doesn’t like change, don’t worry next week we’ll go right back to the way it was before
-But today I wanted to change thing up a little bit
-And I hope that as we go On you’ll start to understand that there’s a method to my madness
-I’m not just changing things for the sake of change
-This is something that I’m meaning to be benneficial to you.
-We’re in our Pyramids series on the book of exodus
-And last week God told us an amazing story about how he delivered the israelites through the red sea
-God’s people were surrounded on all sides
-there was no where to run
-they were terrified
-they even lashed out at moses and said
-how could you do this to us?
-Were there just not enough graves in egypt so you brought us out here to die in the desert?
-But despite all that, God brought a strong east wind
-and parted the water
-and the israelites walked through the red sea on dry ground.
-And the egyptians chased after them
-only to have God release the waves crashing down the waters on top of the Egyptians
-The very end of chapter 14 we get this picture in our mind
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.
-A lot of times, when I’m trying to present scripture
-I’m asking myself, how can I make the Bible come alive for people
-how can I give you the knowledge you need, the insight you need
-the perspective maybe
-to help you really understand God’s word
-How can I make you feel like you were really there.
-And then you get to verses like this
-and God’s word really stands on its own here
-The Israelites went through the sea on dry ground
-with a wall of water on their right and left
-close your eyes for a minute and imagine that
-imagine how terrified you just felt
-because you were certain that you were about to die a horrible death
-imagine how dumbfounded you might be as you’re walking across the sand
-and the wind is blowing in your face
-what are you thinking to yourself
-Is this some kind of dream?
-am I already dead is this what the afterlife is like?
-Is this real?
-maybe you’re toward the front of the line
-and when you look in front of you and all you see is wind and storm
-but you look back and you see somewhere around 2 million people behind you.
Exodus 12:37 by the way
-That’s more than the entire state of Nebraska by the way
-And you get to the other side and maybe you’re still a little disoriented
-and you’re standing on the shoreline
-waiting for all the rest of the people to get across
-and the last person steps on to dry ground
-and all of a sudden the wind stops
-and there’s a very brief moment where it’s completely silent
-very brief
-before milions and milions of gallons of water crash down
-can you imagine how loud that would be?
-When would be the point for you when you realized that this was real?
-what would be the moment when you realized that this was real
-and the people who were trying to kill you just moments before are gone
-and you don’t have to worry about that ever again
[open your eyes]
-What would be the first thing you said?
-Well for the Israelites, the very first thing to come out of their mouths was a song
-they were so overjoyed, so grateful, that normal words just wouldn’t do it justice
-they sang to God
-And that’s what we get in Exodus 15. We get, by the way the very first song in the Bible
-Here’s the amazing thing about music.
-We find example of songs all throughout the Bible
-a lot of us think about the book of Psalms when we think of songs in the bible
-Which is obviously a big example
-But we find singing and songs all throughout
-there’s songs in the books of Moses
-There’s songs in the book of Judges
-and 1 &2 samuel and kings
-we find them in the prophets
-we find them in the Gospel
-there’s even places in paul’s letters where we think that he might be quoting a song lyric
-And so I want to take a look at this song that the isrealites sang
-and my goal today is to get us to a place where we can sing to God with the same level of joy and excietment in our hearts as the people in the bible did
-with the same level of ferver and commitment
-so as we go through this scripture this is going to be one of the few times I tell you not to take notes
-if you’re a note taker, I want you, just for today to focus on the words of scripture
-focus on the song
-and try to experience.
-try to put yourself there
-try to imagine what it might have been like to sing this in the moment
-what did the melody sound like?
-what did it sound like to hear 2 million people singing these words to God
-I just want to read all of it, let you experience all of it
-and then we can go back and talk about it, and we can take notes
Exodus 15:1-21
Exodus 15:1-21
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
“The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, Lord,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
shattered the enemy.
“In the greatness of your majesty
you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
it consumed them like stubble.
By the blast of your nostrils
the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy boasted,
‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.’
But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
Who among the gods
is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?
“You stretch out your right hand,
and the earth swallows your enemies.
In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, Lord,
until the people you bought pass by.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.
“The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.”
When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.”
-Isn’t that powerful?
-it honestly gives me goosebumps
-I want to look at that song
-I want to analyze it,
-I want to figure out what God is telling us in this passage
-And the first thing I noticed in that song
-the first thing that Jumped out to me
God is Personal
God is Personal
“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
-There’s a lot of me’s and my’s and I’s in there isn’t it
-We have a personal God
-I want you to think about that
-because they don’t say our God, even though that’s also true
-the song says My God
-Almost like each person singing it has the confidence to say God
-this is my personal song just to you
-When’s the last time you just personally sang to God
-When’t the last time you were spending time with God and just said
-you know what, I want to sing a song to you.
-My guess is not very often
-That’s not something I’ve ever done
-but after reading this passage it’s something I want to start
-I want to start singing to god like there’s nobody else around
-I want to serenade God
-that is a very intimate moment
-you don’t just personally serenade someone unless you have a deep personal connection to them
-unless you fully trust them
-unless you have enough faith in them to bear your soul
-That’s the kind of relationship we should have with God
-That’s the kind of worship He deserves
-To say your amazing Grace
-Just the sound of it is sweet
-that you saved a wretch. a sinner like me
-and not only to sing it personally to God, but to beleive it
-do you truly believe that Gods’ grace is amazing
-how do you show it to God
God is a Warrior
God is a Warrior
The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.
-We have a personal God
-but we also have a God who fights for us
-a Warrior
-We don’t think about God as warrior very often do we
-but it paints a picture in our mind
-Because when you think of the word Warrior a different picture comes to your mind as opposed to the word soldier, doesn’t it
-A soldier does his Job
-but a warrior is valliant and noble and worthy of praise
-A soldier stands among the ranks
-But a warrior stands on his own.
-But you know what Kind of warior God is?
God is the Kind of Warrior who Sings over You
God is the Kind of Warrior who Sings over You
-Turn with me to Zepheniah chapter 3
-that’s a tricky one
-we don’t read zepheniah very often
-the quickest way to get there is to Matthew and then go backwards
-And then you’re gonna go past malachi and you’re gonna see zechariah
-and then you’re gonna think that that’s the scripture I’m reading
-and you’re gonna get really confused
-because we’re looking for the other Z name prophet zepheniah
-so keep going a little bit further
-and then your pages are going to stick together and you’re gonna accidentally skip Zepheniah
-But if you hit Habbakuk and Nahum you’ve gone too far
-Maybe that’s just my experience but that always happens when I try to find Zepheniah
Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
-You want to know what happens when we sing to god
-when we praise him as the Warrior of our lives
-He sings back
-The warrior who fights for you
-the warrior who just hurled your enemies into the sea stops what he’s doing and sings over you.
-And as the Israelites are proclaiming this
-as they are declaring that God is their warrior
-We get verse 11
Worship doesn’t require knowledge
Worship doesn’t require knowledge
Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
-Now at first glance this is just more praise to God
-God is magestic, God is Holy, God is Awesome
-But let’s read it one more time, pay attention to how they phrase it
-Who among the what? Among the gods?
-now I might be willing to say that this is just a figure of speech
-that the isrealites didn’t truly believe in multiple gods
-if it weren’t for the fact that in like three chapters they melt down all of their jewlery and start worshipping a cow
-The isrealites did not know God
-they did not understand God
-they had a false notion as to who god was
-But at this point they didn’t know any better
-they hadn’t received the 10 commandments yet
-they hadn’t been told that all of those idols were false gods
-they didn’t know any better.
-But let me give you a little bit of encouragement here.
-they praised him anyway.
- you know what the beautiful part about worship is?
-They may not fully understand God
-they may have a flawed idea of who he is
-but you don’t have to know it all to worship God
-You don’t have to fully understand the trinity
-and all of those big bibles words like sanctification and justification, and all the other “ations” that we sometimes like to use because we think it makes us look smart
-you don’t have to understand any of that to pour your heart out in worship to him.
I have a close friend who as a child he experienced some head trauma,
-and as a result he’s not always on the same level when we’re talking about things
-an amazing guy
-but you can’t talk to him about complicated things
—I don’t even know, honestly, if I’ve ever even seen him read the bible.
-I don’t think I’ve ever even heard him quote a bible verse
-he’s not on that level.
-I’ll talk to him during Bible studies and stuff
-and we’ll get to talking about ideas in the Bible
-and He’ll say I don’t know about all that stuff
-but God’s my friend
-I don’t really know about all that stuff you just said
-But god’s my friend
-I like to talk to my friends
-I like to spend time with my friends
-I like to sing songs with my friends
-and God’s my best friend, so I like to do all of those things with him most of all
-He always takes care of me.
-and it’s usually at that point where I’ll close my bible and say
-yeah. I like to sing songs with my friends too.
-because he gets it
-he doesn’t understand 90% of this book
-but he trusts God
-when he sings
-I’ll be honest it’s not very good
-he misses half the notes
-he’s usually off key
-I don’t even know if he gets the words right half the time
-but he’s got a smile on his face
-because he know’s he’s singing to his best friend
-You don’t need to know it all, you just need to sing
-Let god lead you.
God Leads Us
God Leads Us
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance— the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.
-This line in the song is a declaration that they are going to let God lead their lives
-it was a declaration of submission to God
-it was a declaration to God saying God you are in control of where I go, what I do, how I act, what I think
-pick me up and plant me on the mountain
-Lead me to the place where you declare your law to me.
-Do you sing to God like he’s in charge of your life?
-do you sing to him with your whole heart?
-because let me tell you something He’s the one who is keeping it beating
-Do you sing with all the force you have in your lungs?
-because let me tell you something
-he’s the one keeping air in those lungs in the first place
-
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
and this is the final point I want to make
- When it comes to how we worship
-Paul specifically lists Psalms, Hymns, and Songs from the spirit. Some translations say spiritual songs
-but we have Psalms, Hymns, and songs
-and those are all slightly different
-a Psalm is a biblical song
-It’s usually from the book of Psalms
-But not always
-a hymn is something a little different
-it might not be biblical per se
-it might not quote scripture
-but there’s a tradition behind it
-they were usually sung unaccompanied
-the doxology is an example of a hymn
-it’s something that’s been passed down.
-and then we have spiritual songs
-which is just a catch all term for any type of song to God
-a psalm, a hymn, a contemporary song,
-something spontaneous
-Why is that important?
-because far too often I’ve seen churches fight over music
-it becomes a sticking point for a lot of people
-one person says I think that we should only sing hymns because hymns are more theological
-they give more praise to God
-another person says
-I think we should only sing contemporary music
-because that’s the kind of music that brings more people to the church
-I’ve been a part of congregations who say we shouldn’t sing any any songs using instruments
-I’ve even heard people argue over whether or not it’s appropriate to clap while you’re singing in church
-and we can get so caught up in the details and the specifics
-that we sometimes forget the point
-paul’s telling us here
-sing em all.
-Let the message of christ dwell among you
-sing the Psalms
-syng the hymns
sing the songs from the spirit
-sing em all
-with gratitude in your hearts
even if you’re just singing
the B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me
-sing it like you’re greatful that you even have the opportunity to sing to God
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.