SF814 - THE SONG OF THE NEW LIFE - 5 of 9 NEW LIFE FOR YOU (Psalm 40 1-4)
Psalm 40:1-4 (key 40:3)
Introduction
New life for you…
The Seed of the New Life – the Word of God
The Source of the New Life – Jesus Christ
The Start of the New Life – Faith in Christ alone
The Seal of the New Life – The Holy Spirit
The Song of the New Life…
We have been created to sing.
Ø This explains why a nation has its national anthem
Ø Why the Armed Forces march to the strains of martial music
Ø Why a college has its alma mater
Ø Why each of us has a favorite song.
The God of creation and redemption is the God of song.
When the universe was brought into existence
“The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).
When God brought His people out of the bondage of Egypt the children of Israel sang the song of Moses (Exodus 15).
One day, when God’s purposes of redemption are consummated, we are all going to sing the Song of the Lamb.
Singing is an evidence of our life.
No one helps us understand this truth better than the psalmist David, he could testify:
“He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God.”
1A. This New Song Speaks of a Life of Deliverance (2)
1B. Deliverance from the Guilt of Sin (2a)
Speaks of the presence and persistence of sin
The Hebrew reads: “He brought me up out of a pit of noise” —and this is most suggestive.
Ø The pit was so shaped that every cry for help would echo and reverberate.
Ø A trap of this kind was truly a “pit of noise.”
Ø Until we know the deliverance of God, the accusations of the devil, as well as the voice of our self-condemnation forever haunt us.
2B. Deliverance from the Grip of Sin (2b)
Speaks of the power of sin
Ø The bottom of these pits was often covered with a miry clay, or sticky sediment, which impeded attempts to escape.
Ø Indeed, the more the victim struggled to get free, the deeper he sank into the miry clay.
Illustration
Stephen Olford Goose hunting in Angola, West Africa. Caught in a bog. Nothing I could do but cry for help—A faithful men who served on our mission compound. He was wearing a beautiful native print cloth; he stripped it from his body and threw one end to me. I grasped it with the strength of desperation, and little by little my deliverer drew me safely out of the bog. A saving hand had been stretched out at the sacrifice of something that was very valuable to my African friend. I could sing a new song. I was alive!”
This is the gospel in a nutshell.
Ø Jesus lay aside His glory
Ø By His death, we are delivered from the penalty of sin.
Ø By His life, we are delivered from the power sin.
2A. This New Song Speaks of a Life of Direction (2b)
To be without Christ is to be without direction, it is to be lost.
To be a Christian means to have direction, and having direction speaks of…
1B. The Christian’s Position in Christ (2c)
We are standing on the rock
It is a place of security
(Exodus 33:22 NKJV) "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by."
It is a place of sufficiency
(1 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV) "and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ."
It is a place of serenity
(Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT) "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! {4} Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock."
2B. The Christian’s Progression in Christ (2d)
God has a perfect plan for your life!
Ø Long before the foundations of the world were laid, the God of foreknowledge planned our lives.
Ø One of the most exciting things about the Christian experience is to find, follow, and finish that plan as we walk the pathway of obedience.
(Ephesians 2:10 NKJV) "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
3A. This New Song Speaks of a Life of Devotion (3)
Deliverance leads to direction, but direction leads to devotion.
When we know our salvation in Christ, as well as our standing in Christ, then and only then can we fully express our song in Christ.
God made us to love Him, and this response finds expression in:
1B. The Devotion of Worship (3a)
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever” Westminster Confession
Worship is primary
(Matthew 22:37-38 NKJV) "Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ {38} "This is the first and great commandment."
Worship is preparatory
(Matthew 22:39 NKJV) "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
2B. The Devotion of Witness (3b)
Where there is worship there is also witness.
Ø No one can live in the presence of God without reflecting the glory of God.
(Acts 4:13 NKJV) "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus."
Application
How does this song begin? (1)
Literally, “Waiting I waited for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”
First, there must be submission
“I waited.”
Ø Until we stop struggling and start trusting, God will never hear our cry.
Ø As long as we think that we can save ourselves from the guilt and grip of sin we are doomed to defeat and destruction.
Ø So waiting on the Lord suggests utter submission to His saviorhood and to His sovereignty.
Second, there must be petition
“He… heard my cry.”
(Romans 10:13 NKJV) "For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.""
Ø When Peter began to sink beneath the boisterous waves he cried, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30), and instantly the Master was there to deliver him and to restore his faith.
Will you cry right now and know this song of deliverance, this song of direction, and this song of devotion?
This is the song of the new life.
THE SONG OF THE NEW LIFE
New Life For You – Part 6 of 9
Sunday, February 7, 1999 - Psalm 40:3
Introduction
Man has been created to sing. Song is a part of man’s soul. The Bible reveals that the God of creation and redemption is the God of song (see Job 38:7; Exodus 15). Singing a new song is an evidence of a new life.
1A. This New Song Speaks of a Life of __________________ (40:2)
1B. Deliverance from the _________ of Sin (40:2)
2B. Deliverance from the __________ of Sin (40:2)
2A. This New Song Speaks of a Life of ______________________ (40:2)
1B. The Christian’s _______________ in Christ (40:2)
2B. The Christian’s Progression in Christ (40:2)
3A. This New Song Speaks of a Life of _____________________ (40:3)
1B. The Devotion of Worship (40:3)
2B. The Devotion of Witness (40:3)
Application
This new song can begin as we wait on the Lord, submit to His Saviorhood and sovereignty, and call upon His name.