Overcome With Joy

Notes
Transcript
Handout
Overcome With Joy
Overcome With Joy
Welcome
Welcome
Welcome to My Safe Harbor at MBC.
We are so glad that you are here!
Please consider this your safe harbor to explore faith in Jesus. We embrace our imperfections but don't linger there, focusing on learning, growing, and serving Jesus together.
We strive to live out an authentic faith, showing God's love through service, inspiring Aquidneck Island to follow Jesus, united in purpose, and living life as He leads.
Have you ever tried a restaurant based on a coworker’s recommendation? How about have you ever recommended a place for them to try? People discover a fantastic new restaurant, a place with delicious food, great ambiance, fair pricing, or excellent service. If they find a place with three or four traits, they start shouting about it. Friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, the internet, and anybody they happen to find willing to listen while they are out and about. They cannot wait to share their find. The excitement comes from wanting others to enjoy the same delightful experience and perhaps even bond over a shared meal. It's a great way to connect and build relationships at work.
The same goes for almost anything else that outperforms our expectations: electronics, recipes, cleaning products—you name it. If we are impressed, we love to share our experiences with the people around us.
When was the last time you shared your experience with Jesus that way?
Sharing Faith Is Increasingly Optional to Christians Barna -May 15, 2018
A growing number of Christians don’t see sharing the good news as a personal responsibility. Just 10 percent of Christians in 1993 who had shared about their faith agreed with the statement “converting people to Christianity is the job of the local church”—as opposed to the job of an individual (i.e., themselves). Twenty-five years later, three in 10 Christians who have had a conversation about faith say evangelism is the local church’s responsibility (29%), a nearly threefold increase. This jump could be the result of many factors, including poor ecclesiology (believing “the local church” is somehow separate from the people who are a part of it) or personal and cultural barriers to sharing faith. Yet the most dramatic divergence over time is on the statement, “Every Christian has a responsibility to share their faith.” In 1993, nine out of 10 Christians who had shared their faith agreed (89%). In 2018, just two-thirds say so (64%)—a 25-point drop.
Study: Churchgoers Believe in Sharing Faith, Most Never Do- Lifeway Research Jan 2, 2014
Researchers wanted to measure eight biblical attributes they say are found in the lives of spiritually mature believers. Among those attributes is “Sharing Christ.” That category has the lowest average score among Protestant churchgoers, researchers said.
The survey reveals a disconnect between what churchgoers say about sharing their faith and what they do about it.
More than four in 10 churchgoers (43 percent) say they feel a “personal responsibility to share my religious beliefs about Jesus Christ with non-Christians.”
But when asked how many times they’d “shared with someone how to become a Christian,” 78 percent say “Zero.” About 10 percent say they’d shared with one person in the past six months.
Nearly six in 10 (59 percent) say they’d not invited anyone to church, while about one in five (21 percent) say they’d invited one person in the past six months.
We celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior a few days ago- we need to start acting like we are excited that he came! Today’s text is Psalm 66, it calls all the earth to rejoice and respond to God's mighty acts, reflecting on how His supremacy and saving power should inspire our worship, creating an urgency to fulfill our mission to proclaim His praises globally. This sermon teaches that true worship recognizes God's greatness and acknowledges His works, leading to a life committed to glorifying Him and spreading His message of salvation to all peoples.
Big Idea: God is to be praised because he has delivered us from death and given us life. Everything we have, including our very lives, flows from God’s power and grace. Acknowledging God's supremacy should lead us to full-hearted worship and compel us to spread the good news of His saving power to everyone around us. Do you share your experiences and shout His glory? If not, why not?
Powerfully Proclaim His Praise
Powerfully Proclaim His Praise
Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God!
Sing about the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are your works! Your enemies will cringe before you because of your great strength.
The whole earth will worship you and sing praise to you. They will sing praise to your name.” Selah
All together now—applause for God!
Sing songs to the tune of his glory, set glory to the rhythms of his praise.
Say of God, “We’ve never seen anything like him!” When your enemies see you in action, they slink off like scolded dogs.
The whole earth falls to its knees— it worships you, sings to you, can’t stop enjoying your name and fame.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Selah)
SELAH (Sēʹ lah) Term of unknown meaning appearing in psalms, outside the book of Psalms only in Hab. 3. Scholars have advanced various unprovable theories: a pause either for silence or musical interlude; a signal for the congregation to sing, recite, or fall prostrate on the ground; a cue for the cymbals to crash; a word to be shouted by the congregation; or a sign to the choir to sing a higher pitch or louder. The earliest Jewish traditions thought it meant “forever.”
Mike Mitchell
Psalm 66 tells believers that singing is a critical part of worship. It is not something that should be taken lightly or done quietly.
If you are not used to Christian worship, you might wonder why a bunch of adults gather together for a sing-along!
There’s a reason our weekly gatherings include singing rather than only coming to hear a sermon. Sometimes, we act like the sermon is the main event, and everything else is just extra window dressing. Singing is equally vital, pivotal, and essential to our service.
Churches need to sing. We’re a community that can’t help but praise our God. This is one of the primary ways we worship; we sing the glory of his name. We also shout, though shouting is something many churches need to work on.
The Hebrew word for “shout” in verse 1 is used in other places in Scripture as a war cry or a triumphant celebration of victory over one’s enemies. Psalm 47:1–2 says, “Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry. For the LORD, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth.” This loud cry “encourages the faithful while striking fear into the heart of the enemy,” and this needs to be a part of our worship.
What does shouting look like in a corporate gathering? We might sing loudly as we praise God, or it could be that we shout out praise to God during a song or between verses of a song. While singing “How Great Thou Art,” we might shout, “Yes, God, you are great and greatly to be praised!”
As we begin to worship God, imagine singing 'How Great Thou Art', imagine a chorus of voices rising, harmonizing beautifully. And that beauty doesn’t need to equate to in tune! It’s beauty lies in hearing the authenticity of the praise more than anything else.
In the midst of the verses, someone shouts, 'Amen!' or 'Praise God!' The energy in the room shifts. That shout is not just a reaction; it’s an expression of heartfelt praise.
If you were blessed to worship with Miss Shirley you know exactly what I am saying. She couldn’t contain her praise when the Spirit touched her- and she didn’t bother trying.
Worship becomes contagious! Her honest expression of praise was always caught by the people around her. She even danced using her walker!
These days I miss Miss Shirley, but there are others here who remind me of her fearless praise. Especially in the fearless dancing!
It’s a reminder that our voices, even when they shout, raise glory to God.
This kind of shouting is appropriate not only in our singing but also in the preaching of God’s Word. As God’s glory is revealed, we should be free to shout! An “amen” here or there would probably help us escape the spectator mentality where only the pastor is talking, and the people are listening. So if the pastor says something that is true or that our heart resonates with, then we should not be afraid to shout out an “Amen!” or “Praise the Lord!” or “That’s right!” And when somebody else does that, we should not look at that person and think, Man, settle down.
Remember What God Has Done And Look For What He Is Doing Now
Remember What God Has Done And Look For What He Is Doing Now
Come and see the wonders of God; his acts for humanity are awe-inspiring.
He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him.
He rules forever by his might; he keeps his eye on the nations. The rebellious should not exalt themselves. Selah
Take a good look at God’s wonders— they’ll take your breath away.
He converted sea to dry land; travelers crossed the river on foot. Now isn’t that cause for a song?
Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps his eye on the godless nations. Rebels don’t dare raise a finger against him.
When you hear these verses- do you automatically think they refer to bible stories from the OT? Even better- can you think of what stories the psalmist is likely thinking of?
It is good to know the OT. AMEN? But in this case, don’t think that the Psalmist is limited to singing about stories from the Bible. The psalmist sings worship to God and then gives witness about God. When he sees God’s greatness, he can’t help but call other people to see what he sees.
This is the way it is supposed to work in our lives as well. When we see something great, we tell people, “You’ve got to see this!” Like the psalmist, when we behold our God together in worship—the God who reigns over all nature and all nations, the God who saves us from sin and damnation, the God who reveals himself in his beauty and majesty and love and mercy—we should run to the world saying, “Come and see who God is! Come and see what God has done!”
What makes you shout your praise from the mountaintop? What do you shout out loud for all to hear?
Don’t tell me that God doesn’t deserve the praise. Do you genuinely believe that he hasn’t done anything in YOUR life that is worthy of singing and shouting his praise? I promise you that it has to be the way you are looking at things, let’s talk and change your perspective, so you see the miracles God has done, and is doing, in you, through you, and around you.
Part of the problem may well be the way you approach worship. Passionate worship always leads to personal witness. Therefore, if we’re not witnessing, there’s a problem with our worship. We’re not seeing God for who he is. We’re not realizing the magnitude of what he’s done for our souls.
Praise Through the Trials
Praise Through the Trials
Bless our God, you peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard.
He keeps us alive and does not allow our feet to slip.
For you, God, tested us; you refined us as silver is refined.
You lured us into a trap; you placed burdens on our backs.
You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us out to abundance.
Bless our God, O peoples! Give him a thunderous welcome!
Didn’t he set us on the road to life? Didn’t he keep us out of the ditch?
He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fires,
Brought us into hardscrabble country, pushed us to our very limit,
Road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back; Finally he brought us to this well-watered place.
This is the hard truth of the passage: the big idea Psalm 66:8–9 is the primary testimony of the psalmist—that God is to be praised because he has delivered us from death and given us life. Everything we have depends on God’s power and grace, including our very lives. God’s physical deliverance of the psalmist and Israel from their enemies creates a sense of anticipation that something even greater is yet to come.
Here’s how Paul describes this greater deliverance in
He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Through Jesus Christ, God’s people have been rescued from the enemies of sin and death. You are free from being a slave to sin. You no longer need to fear death. We now experience redemption and eternal life.
God tests his people. The psalmist speaks of a refining process, reminding us of how God walked his people through trials—whether in Egypt before he brought Israel to the Red Sea or in the wilderness before he brought them to the promised land.
The text shows that God is in complete control of the world around us. “You lured us into a trap; you placed burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads.” God either causes or allows everything that happens in the world.
God is ultimately in control of all things. Even amid difficulty, God has ultimate authority over that difficulty. God allowed, possibly even caused, men to “ride over our heads” as Israel “went through fire and water,” but God used them to Israel’s good, and God “brought us out to abundance.” There's trust during and on the other side of the trial. And not just trust but “abundance.”
This isn’t some Pollyannaish. It isn’t orphan Annie singing that the sun will come out tomorrow. It isn’t a belief that everything is always going to be okay. This comes from a faith that has lived intimately with pain and suffering. The words speak to the psalmist, having experienced pain and knowing how heavy a burden life can be. At the same time, the psalmist knows what it’s like for God to bring him through trial to a place of abundance, and that is cause for worship.
It is good to know that you have passed the test.
Artic explorers trying to be the first to reach the North or South Poles faced severe conditions. Some tried to leverage the latest technology in their efforts, while others stuck with the tried and true. Did you know that in 1897 some genius tried to reach the North Pole on ez mode? He tried getting their using the latest and greatest travel technology of the day, a hydrogen balloon! Unfortunately, the expedition ended in disaster, and the team never reached their goal.
I remember reading of two other explorers who tried to beat each other to be first deciding to use tried traditional dog sleds. One bought all new gear, and much of it failed them as flaws were brought to light. The other only used gear that had already been field tested- and won the race to be the first.
The best strength is one that has been tested and tried. If you are struggling with praising God through the hard times, it can help to remember God’s words to his people through the prophet Isaiah-
Now this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and the rivers will not overwhelm you, When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched and the flame will not burn you.
Glorify God, Enjoy Him Forever, And Tell The World Why
Glorify God, Enjoy Him Forever, And Tell The World Why
Do you remember the first question of the Shorter Westminster Catechism? Come on now, you have memorized that, haven’t you? :) It tells us that the chief end of man is “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” That resonates with Psalm 66 AMEN? takes almost the same position when it calls “all the earth” to “sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!”
This praise needs to be backed up with practical service, but the Catechism does capture the essence of human responsibility while living on earth. We are to glorify God in everything we think, say, and do! We are created in God’s image, and you and I may be the closest many people will ever come to seeing God.
How do we “glorify” God’s name? Psalm 66 doesn’t give us a complete answer- but it definitely provides us a place to start.
Tell God how awesome he is- and then tell everybody around you why you feel that way. Our songs and shouts aren’t just to praise God, though he is absolutely worthy of all praise. It is also to be God’s witness to others- “Come and see the wonders of God; his acts for humanity are awe-inspiring.”
Share how God’s love is in both suffering and abundance. Jesus haters point to the continued, inexorable, endless suffering in the world and say it is proof that there is no God, and if he happens to exist, he cannot be a loving God. How can a loving God allow the kind of pain and suffering we all see displayed constantly in the evening news? Our testimony to the “awesome deeds of God” while amid tremendous trials gives people a reason to believe that God stands with us in that suffering. That he does love us.
The kind of testimony we give is not a rational explanation or proof—although those may sometimes be necessary and effective. What we testify to is our own experience of God alive and working in our lives during our pain and the graphic evidence of world evil and human suffering.
Don’t fall into the lie that God’s power can only be displayed when we live charmed, painless lives of abundant goodness. Believing that leads us to hide our failures, struggles hurts, and attacks. Our tendency to stress the “trouble-free” Christian life can, unfortunately, alienate those whose experience of the world and life is far from trouble-free.
If we only share and talk about the good, it harms people trying to follow us while we chase Jesus faithfully. But that can harm the people around you. They may think you are either naive, uninformed or outright deceptive. They won’t listen to what you say. If they believe you live a blessed life without trouble, what will they think when they face trouble? They will blame their trouble on not loving God enough or God not loving them.
Abraham and Moses, Paul and Peter—all are intensely aware that it is in their weakness that the power of God is made known.
Paul says in
especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself.
Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Psalm 66, and the Bible as a whole, acknowledges human struggle and suffering as real, but they aren’t a barrier to experiencing God’s power and love. “We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” True abundance is measured against the reality of suffering and want.
In the Bible, Psalm 100:2 states, 'Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.' This is a beautiful directive for us all. The early Christians lived this out, gathering to sing praises and share testimonies of God’s goodness.
The Book of the Acts of the Early Church speaks of many bold believer spokes who spoke of God’s love so passionately, it spread through the streets, waking curiosity in others who soon joined the community of faith.
Glorifying God was not just a personal act, but a powerful invitation to the world. Our joyful service can create waves of transformation around us.
Big Idea: God is to be praised because he has delivered us from death and given us life. Everything we have, including our very lives, flows from God’s power and grace. Acknowledging God's supremacy should lead us to full-hearted worship and compel us to spread the good news of His saving power to everyone around us.