A New Song

It’s hard to believe we are approaching another year's end. This past year, for many, has been full of great times and, for some, very difficult times.

The good times remind us of the goodness of God, and the difficult times remind us of how much we need to walk close with our Savior as we recognize the fragility of security, relationships, health, and even our lives. Both of these rhythms throughout our lives are necessary to understand God’s goodness and dependence on Him.

But now, once again, we approach a new year. It is both exciting and possibly foreboding. What will this year hold?

The novel, “The Lord of the Rings,” is an allegorical fiction about Christian life.

Frodo Baggins must be the sole bearer of the ring for all. The ring, of course, represents sin and the hold and death that it brings to all mankind. Frodo is entrusted with the ring to take it to Mt. Doom to destroy it.

Listen to this quote from Gandalf in a conversation with Frodo about the task ahead.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

None of us get to control what takes place in our lifetime. We only get to decide what to do with the time that has been given to us.

Now God has seen fit to see us all through the previous year and by his grace we get to begin another. So now what will we do with the time we have been given? Whether we use our time wisely should not depend on the circumstances we find ourselves in good or bad. We must use our time to the best of our ability.

Scripture places a similar emphasis on our time as well.

Psalm 90:12 CSB

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

Ephesians 5:15–17 CSB

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

So now some of you have already noticed the title of the sermon “A New Song”. Your are wondering what does all this have to do with music. If you would turn with me to Psalm 96

Psalm 96 CSB

Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and enter his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.” Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for he is coming— for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.

In the ancient near east, “ To sing a new song” was not just out of boredom. It wasn’t just to add additional songs to their repertoire to make things more exciting. It was to commemorate some great event. When David became successful in the military the people began to sing “Saul has killed his thousands but David his ten thousands.”

People wrote a new song based on what they had seen and experienced. It was away of both remembering the actions and praising the one for it.

So to write a new song meant that there was a new experience and a new celebration.

A few years ago, I wondered if we as a church would survive. Now God has continued to bless us with new life. A song worth singing. But just like any song. At some point, it is no longer new and I believe this year we are entering into something new.

Lord willing we will be adding an additional pastor on staff building a new team. I think that is definitely part of our new song, but I think that is a small part.

If I am honest there is something that has been on my mind for a awhile, “Where are the new converts?”. Where are the people being resurrected from death to life? Why are we not seeing people come to Christ as a result of God’s presence and work here?

This question isn’t asked in order to guilt us or to say that we are necessarily doing something wrong but rather its just an observation worth noting and reflecting on.

after-all isn't the purpose of the church to make disciples who make disciples. So then where are the new disciples?

Psalm 96 is a psalm that is all about proclaiming publicly the glory of God and not just when we get together but there is a thyme of daily life tied into this song. In it we will see that our public witness is directly tied to both our private and public worship of Yahweh God.

Its as if this song is describing the intentional life we as disciples are meant to live.

Application: As we start a new year, this Psalm invites us to reflect on how we can be messengers of hope and joy to those who are lost. By singing a new song, we can express God’s love and grace, becoming a source of light in our communities and encouraging others to seek Him.

Lets look at the verses together.

A New Song for a New Year: Proclaiming His Glory

Bible Passage: Psalm 96

How this passage could point to Christ: In the overarching narrative of the Bible, Psalm 96 points to Christ, who is the fulfillment of God's glory and the message of salvation for all nations. He is the ultimate reason for our worship and songs of praise, reminding us that all creation groans for His return.

Big Idea: As we embrace the new year, we should commit to singing a new song of praise that acknowledges God's greatness and actively seeks the lost, becoming a beacon of hope in our communities.

1. Sing a New Song

Psalm 96:1–3 CSB

Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.

Notice right from the beginning that the New song is not about anything new for God has always been these things but its a about a fresh encounter, a fresh experience with Him that results in public praise.

These verses emphasize the universal call to worship and the proclamation of God’s wonderful deeds among all peoples. By emphasizing a new song, these verses can inspire us to renew our worship and commitment to share the gospel. As a new year begins, encourage your congregation to seek ways to be light in their communities, singing of God's love and grace to those around them.

2. Sovereignty and Splendor

Psalm 96:4–6 CSB

For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

As the people of Israel were conquering the promise land. The feats of our Yahweh God begin to spread. The conquering of nations by a people without a land.

The wicked fear our God. So much so in our culture people would rather live in denial of his existence then to live with the reality of His great power. For to acknowledge God to Acknowledge his splendor and majesty would strike fear in the heart of all those living in rebellion. So choosing to be ignorant is bliss.

True worship is a recognition of God’s sovereignty and an acknowledgment of His unmatched worth.

We as God’s people are to live out this truth by sharing God’s glory with those who do not yet recognize His majesty.

3. Share His Reign

Psalm 96:7–10 CSB

Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and enter his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.”

Notice with me the progression here. Families ascribe to the Lord Glory and strength. Families say among the nations......How often do we view our own families as a means to reach the nations together How often do we forget the impact that a family that worships together can have on the world around us.

This Psalm has reminded me that my family together is a team that God has ordained through our recognition and praise of Yahweh to reach the wold for Christ. The Great commission begins at home and with our homes.

In this new year, I challenge you to expand your vision and efforts in sharing the gospel globally, praying, supporting , and getting involved in missions that proclaim 'the Lord reigns.'

4. Celebrate His Coming

Psalm 96:11–13 CSB

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for he is coming— for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.

Notice with me, creation itself rejoicing at the Lord’s coming to judge the earth. The anticipation of righteousness and truth speaks to the ultimate fulfillment found in Christ's return.

As believers we are to put our hope in this coming kingdom.

We are to live in joyful anticipation, working towards justice and goodness in our communities as a reflection of this divine promise. As an imperfect reflection of things to come.

This year let the new song we sing be one that prioritizes the glory of God not just to remind ourselves but also to reach the lost and spread the knowledge of the Glory of God to the nations.

When is the last time you have told someone outside of your community of faith about these things? Can you imagine with me what would take place in our nation if all of God’s people began to publicly and unashamedly declare the goodness and glory of God.

But there is one more aspect of this idea that has been on my mind besides becoming more vocal and is just as important and that is praying for the Lost by name together as a church.

Just a few weeks ago we did a series on prayer. We talked about the importance of us praying together and making prayer a normal part of our Sunday gathering.

So here is what I would like us to do this year. I want us to take the next couple of weeks and begin to pray that God would both increase our boldness in proclaiming his glory but then also that God would bring to mind specific people in our area of influence that we could begin to pray for by name in our services. This could be a co-worker, a waiter or waitress, at your favorite restaurant, a friend, or family member.

We will have a form for you to fill out and turn into the church by January 26th. During our morning service prayer time we will have their names scrolling through on the the screen. It will have their first name and who they are connected to. For instance It will say Fred -Patrick Thompson.

We will pray for both people. We will pray for the lost but also for the connecting person for boldness and opportunity. This part will not be televised online. This will also be part of other prayer request on the screen. So It will be a private moment for our church.

Then as God gives us opportunities to show his love and speak his truth we will have a second form. A update form. Here the connecting person can give us an update. Like maybe the lord gave me the opportunity to serve this person in a their time of need. etc. Then we will praise God together for these opportunities to proclaim and his name and ask him to use it to bring that person to Himself. We will have one for answered prayers as well.

This year I believe our new song is one of proclamation of God’s goodness to the lost. Will your life sing it with the rest of the God’s people?