The Processional to Paradise (Psalm 96)

Processionals are used for the grandest occasions — weddings, pageants, coronations.

What is more beautiful than a wedding processional? First, the groomsmen and bride’s maids enter the hall dressed in finery. They walk in step to regal music. The anthem changes — a cue for the congregation to rise in honour of the bride who now comes down the aisle in radiant splendour.

The Olympic torch relay is an example of an extended processional. Twenty-five years ago, Sue and I awakened our children at 4.30am so they could see the torch pass by on the Great Western Highway near our home. Later, we saw on television that same torch enter the Olympic stadium on the 100th day of the relay. The music, the lighting, the collective acclaim of the crowd as Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron — breathtaking.

And then there are coronation processionals. These are the most glorious. No expense is spared to honour the coming of the king.

This morning, I want you to picture the coronation processional for the King of kings, Jesus Christ. This occasion is infinitely more awe-inspiring than any the world has ever seen.

The procession has already begun.

Are you part of this glorious parade? Is your voice raised in adoration? Are your feet falling in-step?

Psalm 96 is our text. As I read it, picture the processional with Jesus Christ Himself as the focal point. He is come to claim His global throne.

Listen to the array of sounds. Observe the worthy actions along the parade route. Marvel at His Majesty.

Psalm 96 “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.”

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.

For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.”

Did you hear the praise? Did you see the glory?

Sermon in a Sentence: March joyfully behind His Majesty.

The Destiny to Desire (v 13)

A procession has a destination. For the bride, it is her groom at the front of the church. For the Olympic flame, it is the cauldron in the stadium. For the King, it is His throne.

Yet, in each of these examples, the destination represents something more — a determination that endures.

What is the determination of the King of kings? What will be the action of Jesus Christ when He arrives at His destination?

Psalm 96:13 “For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.”

Judge?

His relentless determination is emphasised in the repetition: He is coming, He is coming; to judge the earth, to judge the world.

Judgement is coming!

Does that make you feel hopeful? Or fearful?

Is this celebratory? Or sobering?

When Christians talk about the Second Coming of Christ, they most often speak of victory, of deliverance, of eternal ease.

Judgement?

Yes, judgement because there can be no peace without justice.

That is why, in the wake of the Bondi massacre, many called for a Royal Commission.

That is why there is snicko in cricket.

That is why many tries in Rugby League are referred to the bunker.

Justice must be done.

Jesus comes to judge.

Verse 13 describes this ultimate justice in three ways. It is . . .

Imminent — The procession is in progress

The word used is ‘coming’. Preparations for the arrival of the King commenced 2000 years ago and are accelerating.

He may appear on the horizon at any moment.

Are you watching? Are you waiting? Are you ready?

The judgement may be this week. It is imminent.

It is also . . .

Impartial - The standard is applied comprehensively

Jesus judges righteously. He has no cronies. He has no benefactors to favour. He has no ulterior motives.

His standard is applied equally to Jews and Gentiles. To rich and poor. To male and female.

And when He pronounces His verdict, you can be sure it will be . . .

Indisputable - The verdict is sure

It is truth, the text says.

The procession of Jesus Christ is a certainty. Justice is coming!

On what side of justice are you?

The writer of Hebrews warns about this coming judgement: Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

The truth is all are on the wrong side of justice. We have all sinned. We are all unworthy.

Malachi 3:2 ““But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.”

Is there no hope?

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

If justice has already been satisfied, there is no judgement to fear.

That is what Christ achieved when He died on the cross. He was your substitute. He paid your penalty. He satisfied God’s justice.

1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Is it possible, then, to joyfully desire the destiny of justice?

Of course it is.

Are you on the right side of justice? Have you repented of your sin? Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone to save you?

Delay no longer. Our Lord the Judge is coming.

March joyfully behind His Majesty.

The Destiny — justice — is desirable.

Next, from verses 4-6, we note . . .

The Deity to Delineate (vv 4-6)

Why is Jesus the One we desire? Why should we follow Him?

To be sure, there are many paths available.

Religiously, there is Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Animism, Atheism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and many others.

Experientially, there is materialism, celebrityism, narcissism, hedonism, and the list goes on and on.

Why Jesus?

The reasons demand a decision. Jesus stands alone as profound, peerless, and prodigious.

He was justified to assert exclusivity: John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Profound - Gloriously Great (v 4)

Psalm 96:4 “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”

I have heard the call to prayer in Indonesia. I have seen men bowed low on their prayer mats facing Mecca. I have been inside Hindu and Buddhist temples and watched business professionals bow before Brahman and place their offerings on the altar. And I have watched the ridicule of the godless who profane the sacred — such as the Last Supper during the Paris Olympic processional.

Devout? Yes. Deceived? Certainly. Dangerous?

He is to be feared above all gods.

Why? Because He is . . .

Peerless - Uncreated Creator (v 5)

Psalm 96:5 “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.”

Here is the contrast: Allah? Brahma? Vishnu? Shiva? Diana? Zeus? Baal? Science?

Inventions of the depraved human imagination.

Idols.

But . . . the Lord made the heavens.

And those heavens declare the glory of God.

Jesus is peerless.

Years ago, my Muslim neighbour commented to me while we shared a cup of tea — ‘I am more like you than you know. I believe in Jesus.’

‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘I appreciate that you do, but we differ on the most important point: Is Jesus unique?’

My neighbour said, ‘Of course he was unique. He is a prophet.’

I said, ‘Like Mohammed?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’m sorry, but that does not make sense to me. Tell me — was Mohammed born of a virgin? was Mohammed put on a cross?’

He interrupted me — ‘Jesus did not die on the cross. You Christians are wrong about that.’

I continued, ‘Let me rephrase that — is Jesus alive today?’

‘Yes,’ he admitted, ‘and Mohammed is dead.’

I have one more question: ‘When does the world end?’

He answered immediately, ‘When Jesus comes again.’

‘Since all this is true, you must admit Jesus is more than a prophet.’

Jesus is peerless.

And He is . . .

Prodigious - Magnificently Majestic (v 6)

Psalm 96:6 “Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”

We have just come off the Christmas season. Santa Claus. Christmas trees. Baby Jesus in a manger.

This is the Jesus the world is prepared to tolerate. An innocuous baby. Silent. Immobile. Powerless.

Nothing to fear?

Not according to the wise men who bowed before Him. Not according to Herod who sought to kill Him.

And not according to His glory — honour, majesty, strength, beauty — before which the Apostle John fell as though dead.

Beware the impulse to over-humanise Jesus.

The portraits do not do Him justice. He may not have broken a bruised reed in His first coming, but He will bear a double-edged sword in His second coming.

You cannot consign Him to a small compartment of your life. You cannot presume on His gentle generosity. You cannot patronise Him with a passing interest.

Jesus is Lord. Majestic. Fearsome.

Are you ready to meet the Lord?

He is the Deity to Delineate. He stands alone.

Will you march behind His Majesty?

The Declaration to Display (vv 1-3, 7-12)

The rest of Psalm 96 describes what it looks like to March behind His Majesty.

This march is active, not passive. This march is unwavering, not meandering. This march is unrelenting, not momentary.

What does it look like? What does it sound like?

The answer is categorised in three ways:

Sing, show, and say.

Sing (v 1-3)

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 . . . ”

Three times the imperative is given: sing!

Singing is joyous.

Singing is communal — look around; we come from all over the world; speak different first languages; are from different generations, but we sang the same songs today.

Singing is a gift of heaven given to men — an expression implicit in the Image of God.

Are you aware that singing is unique to Christianity?

There’s no singing in a mosque. There’s no singing in a Hindu temple . . . apart from eerie chants.

And you won’t hear hymns at the Sunday Assembly — that’s what atheists call their ‘church’. I suppose they might do a karaoke rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ or Frank Sinatra’s ‘I Did It My Way’, but you will never hear ‘Amazing Grace.’

But we sing in church.

(Paradoxically . . . or we could say, hypocritically? . . . without the church, there would be no musical scale or music theory for Lennon to compose his blasphemous song. Music historians are unequivocal — Western music — its order and beauty — came from the Christian church.)

Will you sing?

Here’s what we must sing about:

Proclaim (v 2)

Psalm 96:2 “. . . Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

Your worship is a witness.

In Acts 16, we read about Paul and Silas being unjustly beaten and thrown into the Philippian dungeon. At midnight, they did not moan and groan. They did not curse and rant.

They sang hymns of praise to God.

Later, when an earthquake struck, why do you think the pagan jailer sought the secret to salvation from these two prisoners?

Worship is a witness.

Asuka was baptised by our teammate, Bill, in Izumi, Japan, last Easter. How did she come to Christ?

Salvation proclaimed through Christian singing.

She heard a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion - from which the hymn ‘O Sacred Head Now Wounded’ comes.

Intrigued by the lyrics, she researched the origin and found it in the Bible. She read the Bible from beginning to end.

Wanting to know more, she found a small church in her city, Izumi, and joined a Bible study group.

After the final lesson, she was converted: “All of a sudden, a light flooded my heart,” she testified, “I realised, this is my real sin: I’ve been trying to go to the Father on my own. But he says, ‘No one comes to the Father but through the Son.’” 

Will you sing a new song?

This is what it means to March behind His Majesty.

Declare (v 3)

We sing about salvation. We also sing about the Saviour.

Psalm 96:3 “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”

Our singing declares marvel of His person (glory) and the wonders of His works.

But among whom?

The nations. All peoples.

Picture the processional. Is there any ambiguity in a processional? Does the bride go hesitatingly down the aisle? Does the Olympic torch take detours? Does the coronation entertain a rival?

So, too, our song on the march behind His Majesty is unapologetic.

We are not marketing Jesus. We are not making Jesus more palatable. We are not attracting with a song and stinging with a Saviour.

We are declaring unashamedly, joyously, confidently, Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

I suggest to you that our cynical world — all the more entrenched in cynicism because of algorithms that feed wrong thinking — will not be converted by cerebral arguments.

It can only be converted by the mercy of the God we sing.

Let them hear us sing! Proclaim His salvation with Amazing Grace. Declare His glory with How Great Thou Art.

Sing like the victors of a footy match. Sing like the gold medal athlete at the Olympics. Sing without regard for your volume or tone.

This is how we march behind His Majesty.

There is a second charateristic to this march:

Show (vv 7-9)

Actions speak louder than words. It is true, isn’t it?

Jesus put it this way: ‘by their fruit you will know them’ (Matthew 7.16)

What is the demonstration of allegiance to Christ?

Ascribe (v 7)

Three times were told to sing in v 1-2. Now, three times, we are told to give or ascribe in v 7-8.

Psalm 96:7–8 “Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name . . . ”

Singing can be cheap. Giving is expensive. It is sacrificial.

What do those who march behind His Majesty give?

Offering (v 8)

Psalm 96:8 “. . . Bring an offering, and come into His courts.”

We give our money. We give our time. We give our talent. This is our offering.

The collection we took up earlier in this service was not a fund-raiser. It was an act of worship.

It is an expression of our faith to give the Lord the first tenth . . . or whatever He directs . . . and to live on the remainder.

It is an expression of our gratitude to give and give again.

Worship (v 9a)

Psalm 96:9 “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!”

To worship means to bow humbly before the Lord in awe and submission. It means to recount His matchless worth.

Be careful. Not all worship is acceptable.

It is not enough to turn up to a church service.

It is not enough to go through the motions of singing.

It is not enough to keep quiet during the sermon.

We are in the holy presence of Almighty God. Our participation must be in all solemnity in spirit and in truth.

Has God had your undivided attention in this service?

I recall a puzzling moment while preaching at another church. At a serious point in the sermon, a regular attender was fighting to stifle a laugh. Did I mispronounce something? Was my collar up? But then I saw him lean over to his neighbour and show something on his phone. He was multitasking.

He was not worshipping.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Tremble (v 9b)

Psalm 96:9 “. . . Tremble before Him, all the earth.”

In some churches today, people are sipping on barista-made lattes and hearing how they can have their best life now.

Nothing is said about sin. Nothing is said about righteousness. Nothing is said about coming judgement.

God is reduced to a benevolent genie granting wishes to all who believe in dreams coming true.

Psalm 96.9 stands as a frightful contrast. Tremble before Him.

In the words of C. S. Lewis, God is not safe, but He is good.

May we never trifle with God.

Sing. Show. Lastly, on the march behind His Majesty, we say.

Before we look at these concluding verses, I want to draw your attention to the universal scope of the procession.

We sing in the presence of the nations and all peoples. We show before all the families of the peoples — every language and people group — and all the earth.

Our Christianity is not a private affair. It is public. Let them hear us. Let them see us.

And let them heed the call.

Say (vv 10-12)

Psalm 96:10 “Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.””

Speak

God ordains that His message be verbalised. Christ commissioned His followers to take this message — the gospel — to every people.

Some Christians erroneously think being a good example is their only role in witnessing. But God says, ‘speak’.

The march behind His Majesty is no more silent than a parade with marching bands.

It is meant to be attention-seizing.

But what is said?

God is sovereign (‘the world shall not be moved’)

God will judge.

These are statements of truth — unchanged by people’s acceptance.

Jesus Himself showed us how this is done. He never marketed Himself. He did not ask a focus group to make Him more attractive. He did not measure His success by the size of the crowd.

He simply spoke the truth: Mark 1:15 “. . . the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.””

Will you speak up for the Lord?

Stir (11-12)

You won’t be the only voice. Creation itself is already testifying. It will crescendo as the processional approaches its conclusion.

Psalm 96:11–12 “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.”

Here is the third and final triplet of this Psalm. After sing, sing, sing, comes give, give, give, and this leads to joy, joy, joy.

The heavens. The earth. The flora. The fauna.

All stirred to rejoice at the justice, the liberation, the life in Jesus Christ our King.

This is the March behind His Majesty.

Grand occasions. Processionals.

Nothing compares to the coming of the Lord.

Will you fall in line?

Will you sing, show and say?

Will you declare His glory?