Sing Something New

Bible Passage

Psalm 96:1–2 (NKJV)

"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."

Introduction

As we look at this passage of scripture, we come to the realization that there are people who are still singing yesterday's song.

You woke up this morning,

but your worship is stuck in last year.

You go to church every week,

but your mind is still parked in the parking lot of the past.

And the Psalmist walks up to all of us,

and he doesn't whisper.

He doesn't suggest.

He commands.

He says, "Sing to the LORD a NEW song!"

Not the old song!

Not the same song!

A NEW song!

Three times in two verses he says, "Sing!"

Sing!

Sing!

Sing!

When God says a thing three times,

God means it.

He is saying to us,

let go of the old tune.

He is calling for somebody open their mouth for a new season.

Because the God who carried you through last year

is not finished with you this year!

Context

As we examine the text, we find that Psalm 96 is a worship psalm.

It is a song written to be sung when God's people gathered together.

It calls "all the earth" to praise.

Not just one family.

Not just one church.

Not just one nation.

The whole earth.

The whole creation.

The Psalmist is standing in a moment of remembering.

In those days, God's people had a habit—

a beautiful, holy habit— of singing about what God had done.

They sang about the Red Sea.

They sang about the wilderness.

They sang about manna in the morning.

And that was good.

That was right.

But here is the danger, church.

When you only sing about what God did,

you can forget that God is still doing!

So the Psalmist says, give Him a NEW song.

Not because the old testimony was bad—

but because God is writing a new chapter,

and you cannot fit a new chapter into an old song.

Movement One: God Is Doing Something New—Don't Miss It

Hear me, church.

The reason God says "new" is because God is never finished.

God is not the God of yesterday only.

God is the God of right now.

The same God who opened the Red Sea,

is the same God watching over you in traffic this morning.

The same God who fed Elijah by the brook,

is the same God working out your situation this week.

But here is our problem.

We get so attached to how God moved last time,

that we miss how God is moving this time.

Israel did it.

They stood at the Red Sea and saw a miracle,

and three days later they were complaining at Marah.

Three days!

You mean to tell me you forgot already?

But before we judge them, look at us.

God brought us through 2020,

through the sickness,

through the loss,

through the lonely seasons,

and some of us are STILL acting like God left us back there.

No, my brothers & sisters!

He's right here!

He's doing a new thing right now!

The prophet Isaiah said it—

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth."

That word he used is, NOW.

Not later.

Not someday.

NOW.

And the danger of dwelling on the past is that you can be so busy looking back that you walk right past your breakthrough.

You can be crying about the door that closed while God is holding open a brand new door.

Stop staring at what's behind you!

Turn around!

God is doing something new!

Movement Two: A New Song Requires a New Mind

Now watch this.

You cannot sing a new song with an old attitude.

You cannot praise a new mercy from God with a bitter heart.

A new song starts on the inside before it ever reaches your lips.

Some of us want a new blessing, but we're holding old grudges.

We want new joy, but we keep rehearsing old pain.

You can't move into the new house still carrying all the junk from the old one!

The Psalmist understood something.

The Bible says His mercies are new every morning.

Every morning!

That means yesterday's mercy was for yesterday.

You don't fight today's battle with yesterday's strength.

You don't face this morning's mountain with last night's faith.

God gives new mercy,

for new mornings.

So here's a question, church.

If His mercy are new every morning,

why are we still singing yesterday's sad song?

Some of you are walking around

in a brand new day

humming an old funeral march.

God says, "I gave you a new morning—

now give Me a new song!"

Let go of the regret.

Let go of the replay.

Let go of "what could have been."

And open your mouth for "what God is about to do!"

Movement Three: From Day to Day—This Is a Daily Decision

Look at verse 2 again.

It says, Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day."

From day to day.

Not one day.

Not Sabbath only.

Not just when you feel like it.

But, DAY to DAY.

This means the new song is not a one-time event.

It's a daily decision.

You have to make up your mind every morning—

I am going to praise Him today.

Not because of how I feel.

But because of who He is.

Some mornings you wake up

and the bills are due,

the body is aching,

the children won't listen,

and the boss is unreasonable.

And on that morning—

THAT is when you sing the new song.

Real worship is not waiting for the storm to pass.

Real worship is singing IN the rain.

The Psalmist didn't say "sing when everything's fine."

He said, "from day to day."

On Good days—sing!

On Hard days—sing!

On Waiting days—sing!

On Breakthrough days—SING!

Because every day you wake up

is proof His mercy is still new.

Every morning you open your eyes

is a brand new verse

in a brand new song.

Movement Four: Proclaim It—The New Song Is a Witness

Now don't miss this last piece.

The Psalmist didn't just say sing.

He said, "Proclaim the good news of His salvation."

The new song isn't just for the sanctuary.

The new song is a witness.

When you sing a new song over your life,

somebody who knew the old you,

is going to wonder what happened.

They remember you broken.

They remember you bitter.

They remember you barely holding on.

And now they see you singing!

And they want to know— what did God do?

That's the proclamation, church!

Your new song preaches to people who never read a Bible.

When the world expected you to fall apart,

and instead you started worshiping,

that's a sermon!

That's the good news of His salvation,

from day to day!

The world has enough old songs.

Enough songs of complaint.

Enough songs of defeat.

Enough songs of giving up.

But when you open your mouth

and sing something NEW—

heaven hears it,

hell trembles at it,

and the lost get curious about your God!

Closing

Church, I came to tell somebody—

it's time for a new song!

Stop singing about the prison,

when God already opened the cell!

Stop singing about the funeral,

when God already gave you life!

Stop singing about the desert,

when God already opened the well!

Because the same God

who got you through the past,

is the SAME God writing your future!

I don't know about you,

but I'm not gonna sing the old song no more!

The old song said, "I can't make it."

But the NEW song says, "God brought me through!"

The old song said, "It's over."

But the NEW song says, "He's not finished!"

The old song said, "Look at what I lost."

But the NEW song says, "Look at what He kept!"

Oh, I feel a new song rising!

When the doctor said it's over—

SING A NEW SONG!

When the money ran low—

SING A NEW SONG!

When the family fell apart—

SING A NEW SONG!

When the night got long—

SING A NEW SONG!

Because His mercy—

is NEW!

every—

MORNING!

I didn't come this far to keep crying old tears!

I didn't survive that storm to keep singing that sad song!

He woke me up THIS morning—

Thats NEW!

He started my heart THIS morning—

Thats NEW!

He gave me breath THIS morning—

Thats NEW!

So I owe Him—

a NEW song!

Sing it in the kitchen!

Sing it in the car!

Sing it in the valley!

Sing it on the mountain!

Sing it when you win!

Sing it while you wait!

Because we serve a NEW-every-morning God!

And as long as He keeps waking me up,

I'll keep singing something new!

Closing Declaration

Old song's over—I'm singing something new!