Declare His Praise Before the Great Congregation

I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.

May God bless this the reading of His holy and infallible Word.

David Before the Great Congregation

Psalm 40 is one of the Royal Worship Psalms. David as the king of Israel was not just their political and military leader, but their worship leader as well. The vast majority of the Psalms were composed directly by one of Israel’s kings or indirectly by someone commissioned by him. Psalm 40 is most likely composed directly by David.

Psalm 40 has two parts. The first half, verses 1-10, gives thanks to God for his past mercies. The second half, verses 11-17, presents a new need for God’s mercy.

It is probable that the first time this psalm was used in public worship, David rose from his royal throne set up outside the Tabernacle, grabbed his lyre, and in a clear, strong voice began to sing. At just the right moment, the Tabernacle choir added their voices and the other musicians began to play. What a glorious sight that must have been!

Christ Before the Great Congregation

It was not as glorious however, as what is happening right now before the Great Congregation before the heavenly Temple. As we learned serveral years ago in our series from the Psalms, the Psalms are Christ’s psalms. Not just because these were the songs Jesus sang, but He is the one who, through the Holy Spirit inspired the psalmists. Moreover, the Psalms are about Him, and most importantly, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, He is the great Worship Leader of Israel!

Even now Jesus leads the worship of the Great Congregation. This Great Congregation consists not only of the Host of Heaven, but all congregations upon this earth. Yes, even this congregation!

This means that Jesus is simultaneously the object of our worship, the leader of our worship and a participate in our worship! Our understanding of what worship is often far too small. It is so much more glorious than we imagine.

The Christian Before the Great Congregation

Our view of of our role in worship is too small as well. By virtue of our union with Christ we have been engrafted into the Commonwealth of Israel (Rom 11:11-24; Eph 2:11-22), we have been made are royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9) and seated with Christ at the Father’s right hand (Eph 1:20, 2:6)! This means that we are not mere participates in worship, but leaders as well!

Who do we lead in worship?

The rest of creation, including the angels!

Hebrews 13:5 says that we are to be continually offering up to God a sacrifice of praise, and what is this praise to consist of?

Our praise consists of giving God thanksgiving for the glorious things He has done. Let us look at our text again this evening:

Psalm 40:9–10 ESV

As a royal priest, are you doing this?

Too many Christians approach worship as a consumer, not as a servant.

We are conditioned to judge worship by whether or not we are pleased with it, rather than asking whether or not God is pleased with it. We judge what others are doing in worship and fail to judge ourselves. We literally have everything backwards!

So let us all do a 180 degree turn this even and ask ourselves using this Psalm:

Am I “restraining your lips” from declaring God’s praise?

Am I “hiding God deliverance in your heart”?

Am I “concealing God steadfast love and faithfulness”?

One of my earliest memories as a small boy in church is noticing that most of the men in church were not singing. Whether or not these men realized it or not, they were sending a powerful message, “Real men don’t sing God praises!”

What a terrible message to send a small boy!

What other messages are we sending to others? If the only time we are thankful is Thanksgiving, what message are we sending to the world about our faith in God?

Worship is a serious business, and if we are failing to live up to our calling as royal priests we are doing incalculable harm to the mission of the church. Why should anyone believe the Good News about Jesus if we are not thankful for it?

It is true that actions often speak louder than words, but it is is also true that some words speak louder than other words. Thanksgiving and praise speak more loudly than any other words we speak. Without them, all other words lack credibility.

Consequently, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us declare His praise before the Great Congregation!

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