Why Africa? Psalm 96

Introduction

Last Thursday, our mission team ministered to a group of refugees in the deep recesses of Swaziland. They were placed there by the UN as a result of civil wars in Mozambique and Malawi. Even the impoverished Swazis, pity them as the most forgotten among the forgotten. After we had driven for what seemed like forever to get to what appeared like nowhere only to find an entire community of people there living in mud huts and worshiping beneath a threadbare tarp, the Lord brought to my mind Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” We had literally made it to the end of the Earth. It’s surreal experience, and it’s one I think more people should have.

So, this morning, I want to answer a question that I’ve often heard over the course of my ministry: Why should we go to Africa? Why should we go to “the ends of the earth?” I’ve often heard Christians ask: “Don’t you have to fly over a lot of lost people to get there?” Or, “What about all of the needs in our area?” Or, “Couldn’t we just send the money of the trip and feed a lot more orphans anyway?” Yet, this wasn’t a tension that the Church at Antioch felt. It wasn’t a tension that the Philippians felt. It wasn’t a tension that Paul or Barnabas or Timothy or Titus felt. So, why? Why should we go to Africa or Mexico or Salt Lake City?

God’s Word

I want us to turn to perhaps the last place we’d think to turn for a great missionary call — the book of Psalms. Missions isn’t a New Testament invention. It’s rooted in Old Testament theology. Psalm 96 is a messianic Psalm, meaning it’s written to reveal the Messianic King and his Messianic Kingdom. It’s written about Jesus and what his kingdom will be like. Martin Luther calls Psalm 96 “a missionary hymn,” and it helps us to see “Why Africa?” (Headline)

God is “worthy.”

Zach and I joked with Geoffrey that no one in Africa is tone deaf. The people there love to sing, and their voices harmonize so naturally. One of the striking differences between their culture and ours is how they treat the breaks. Many of them are in poor health and have attended at great inconvenience and cost to themselves. But, when there’s a break, they don’t scroll Facebook or talk about sports. They sing hymns of praise to God. There’s a purity to it that’s hard to describe.

While they sing, I’d often close my eyes to pray and listen. For me, it’s a preview of how life will be when Christ returns. The voices of the nations harmonizing together in praise to God. And, it’s that vision that opens this missionary hymn. And, it’s the vision that helps us to understand why we go to places like Africa.

Worship “fuels” missions.

Psalm 96:1–2 “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.”

Psalm 96:7–8 “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!”

David is describing a world totally enraptured by the glories of God. That is, he’s describing the world as it was meant to be, and he’s describing the world as it will one day be. The collective heart of the world is exhilarated and the collective mind is captivated. That’s why they “sing to the Lord”. That’s why they “bless his name.” That’s why they “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” They’re thrilled in the presence of God and amazed at the person of God. There’s a fresh discovery every day that God is even better and greater and more beautiful than you realized the day before. So, every day, the song is “new.” Every day, the passion is stoked. “Day to day” the singing just pours from your heart through your lips to the ears of the Almighty.

That is, the New Heavens and the New Earth will be defined by this fresh amazement of God and the savoring of his person. And, it’s this vision of the nations enjoying the fullness of God together that is the starting line of true missional passion. Missions is fueled by amazement in God. Missions is sustained by savoring the glory the God. Missions is fueled by a desire to “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” It’s to be passionate today about that which we will be passionate about forever — God and his glory.

You see, the church’s missionary fervor will never exceed her singing. Singing is the expression of affection and the overflow of passion. And, so is the work of the missionary. Worship happens when you see God as He actually is. So, does missions. Why do we go to Africa? We go for the same reason the William Carey went to India and Lottie Moon went to China and David Brainerd went to the Native Americans. Because we believe that God is great, and we want the nations to know it. We believe that God is great, and we want to exhaust every avenue we have to express it.

So, you see, missions is the outflow of amazement and worship. And, missions is for the purpose of bringing even more worship and glory to God. That is, worship is the fuel of missions, and worship is the aim of missions.

Worship “aims” missions.

Psalm 96:1 “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Psalm 96:7–9 “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!”

Who is commanded to sing in Psalm 96? Who is commanded to “ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name?” It’s not just Israel. It’s not just the current church. It’s not just Iron City. It’s “all the earth!” It’s the “families of the peoples!” That is, ever since God made a promise to Abraham, the purpose of God’s people has been serve as a blessing to all nations that they might know God, enjoy God, and worship God. John Piper says: “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

So, see the Psalm 96 vision for missions. It’s a heart so exhilarated and mind so captivated by God that it won’t stop until every heart and every mind is captivated by who God is. It’s a refusal to stop until the whole earth is filled with the harmony of God’s glory. That is, we go to Africa and Mexico and Salt Lake City because we’re singing, and we go that they might sing too.

I’ve come to realize that my heart had grown cold toward the people of Africa. I would’ve never admitted it, but it’s true. I had not been since 2018, and they had become out of sight and out of mind in many ways. But, this is just a symptom of something deeper. My passion for the glory of Jesus had waned. My love of his glory had lessened. It just wasn’t as important to me as used to be. But, looking them in the eye and watching them soak up his word and our love has reignited something in me. You see, one of the reasons that we don’t just send a check is because we need our hearts stirred toward one another. They need to feel our touch, and we need to feel theirs. Missions is as much a work of God in you as it is a work of God through you. It’s for the purpose of their worship and for yours.

We are “commanded.”

Imagine what it was like for Jesus’ disciples to be in the presence of Jesus after his resurrection. They had watched him be crucified. Many of them had scattered like cowards. Some of them had prepared his body for the tomb. And yet, there He stood. There’s never been an audience more captive. And, what did Jesus do now that his disciples finally understood? He gave them a command. He gave them a command that would lead to the fulfillment of Psalm 96. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” “Be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

They would all obey him unto death. Peter died in Rome, and Andrew died in Greece. James was pushed off the Temple in Jerusalem, and John was exiled on to Patmos. Thomas died in India and Matthew in Ethiopia. Judas Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot were both martyred in Lebanon. This seems like a stark contrast to: “Why should we go?” The Apostles went because they were commanded, and so are we. We see the shadows of the Great Commission here in Psalm 96. We’re commanded to...

Tell what God “has done.”

Psalm 96:2b–3 “tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”

David commands: “Tell of his salvation! Declare his glory and marvelous works!” That is, tell them how good God has been to you. His “marvelous works” can be translated as his “marvelous deeds” or his “wonders.” In other words, David is saying, “Aren’t you amazed at how good God has been to you? Aren’t you amazed at how He has delivered you? Aren’t you amazed that his Messiah has come to rescue you? Aren’t you amazed that at the cross you see the Son of God and not yourself?” My goodness, you have to tell them!

To tell others about how good God has been to you is less a command and more a privilege. How good has God been to you? Do you have to answer for your sins, or have they been forgiven? Do you have the bare minimum for life, or has He given you excess? Do you have a future of hope or a future of gloom? My goodness, is that not reason enough to leave what’s comfortable that others might hear? Is that not reason enough to dislodge yourself from modern convenience for just a bit? Why do we go to Africa? We go because God has been so good to us! We go because our lives are filled with his kindness!

Last week, many of the pastor’s we trained have a theological libraries consist of one sermon written by one pastor — often it’s not even the true gospel. We’ve begun an 18 month track where we’ll train them monthly in systematic theology and how to study the Bible, and they signed up in droves because they receive a certificate and study Bible upon completion. And as they soaked in every unqualified word I spoke, my mind went to how many seminary assignments I’ve turned in begrudgingly. My goodness, God has been good to me. I have responsibility to pay it forward. Jesus has said: “To whom much is given much will be required.” How much have you been given? We have to tell them!

And, we must...

Tell what God “will do.”

Psalm 96:10 “Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.””

God will judge the world. Jesus will separate the world into goats and sheep. Sins will be punished, and justice will be realized. David reminds us that we have to tell them. We have to say among the “nations” that “he will judge the peoples with equity.” You see, there is a naive universalism that has penetrated the church. We believe if they never hear then they’ll be just fine. But, Romans 1:20 “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” There is no escape clause. There is no excuse of "I did not hear.”  There is not excuse of “The missionaries haven’t gotten here yet.”  There is no excuse of “I don’t have a Bible.” If there was, hearing about Jesus would be the worst news possible — for then they would become accountable. But, the gospel is Good News to everyone who hears it!

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one gets to the Father except through him. We have to tell them about Jesus. We have to tell them about the judgment. We have to tell them.

The burden of proof is not, ultimately, whether we should go to Africa. We’ve been commanded to go. In the New Testament, there are only two categories of Great Commission people. Senders and goers. Some gave and prayed and discipled and equipped. Others took what had been invested and went to the nations. Brothers and sisters, look around at all we have. Walk through the millions of dollars of vehicles in our parking lot. Think of how many Bible studies you’ve sat through. Think through how many times God has sustained you through life. Why can’t we be both? Goers and senders! To whom much has been given, much is required.

The Kingdom is “coming.”

Can you let your mind escape to what it will be like when all this is over and Jesus’ Kingdom has come? Think about it for a second. Hospitals and funeral homes will be replaced with community centers and banquet halls. We’ll turn our children loose to play with one another in the street without fear or worry. Virtual worlds to which we escape today will give way to a real world of peace and serenity. The light of God will displace the sun, and it’s blazing warmth will never set in the evening. There’s no bad news. There’s no confusion. There’s no fear. There’s no boredom. There’s no concern for how your children will turn our or how your life will turn out or how your health will turn out. Your tear ducts will be closed forever.

This is what I understand David to be describing as he closes his hymn. He’s describing a time in which a king better than him and more powerful than him will create a kingdom that is more secure than his. Listen to what he says:

Psalm 96:11–13 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

It feels like evil is taking over our world, doesn’t it? Boys aren’t sure they’re boys, and girls aren’t sure they’re girls. Wars rage in every corner of the earth, and little children are having their heads cut off. We wonder about the world we’re leaving for our children because it feels like darkness is spreading. But, there is a day coming in which darkness will be wiped out, and gladness will spread over the face of the earth. That’s what Jesus accomplished. That’s what the resurrection ensures. Today the earth groans and cries, but soon enough it will rejoice! Today, even our children struggle to sing, but then even the trees of the forest will sing for joy. “For he comes!” “For he comes!” “For he comes!”

Brothers and sisters, that sounds like a fairy tale in a world where we’re chased by ambulances, but Jesus’ resurrection says that it’s the soon approaching reality. And, that’s why we go to Africa. We have Good News that gets us through our darkest days and darkest thoughts. And, we have responsibility to take that Good News to the darkest places. The best news is meant for the darkest places.

While we were in Swaziland, we had the opportunity to minister in a maximum security prison that Pastor Geoffrey ministers in each week. At the entrance, they have a polaroid photographs of the inmates with their charges written over them. On a number of the photographs, I noticed that they had written on them “King’s pleasure.” So, when we got in the van, I asked Geoffrey what it meant. You see, in Swaziland, you can be arrested simply because the king doesn’t like you or feels threatened by you. There’s no trial. No jury. No set length of sentence. You’re there until he says that you’re not. While we were in that prison, Geoffrey’s wife was able to visit with her brother for the first time in six years. He’s there because at the King’s pleasure. And, this just scratches the surface of what’s happening there. The US State Department’s report on Swaziland acknowledges the practice of human sacrifice. The King has hired groups like the Wagner group out of Russia to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations. The average life expectancy of a man in Swaziland is 45, and they have the highest per capita HIV infection rate in the world. Women are second class citizen and frequently abused physically and sexually. Swaziland is a place of darkness.

But, there is hope! The kingdom is coming! We have to go and tell them.