We're going to begin by singing to God's praise now in Psalm 93 in the Scottish Psalter.
Psalm 93, it's on page 354 of the Psalm books.
We're going to sing the whole of this Psalm.
The Lord doth reign and clothed is he with majesty most bright, his works to show him
clothed to be and girt about with might.
We're going to sing the whole of this Psalm, the tune of Stroudwater.
The Lord doth reign and clothed is he with majesty most bright, his works to show him clothed
to be and girt about with might.
The world is also established that it cannot depart.
Thy throne is fixed of hope and life from everlasting heart.
The floods, O Lord, have lifted up.
They lifted up their voice.
The floods have lifted up their waves and made a mighty voice.
But yet the Lord that is on high is more of might by far than voice of many waters.
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I will come to God in prayer.
Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer.
Our Father in heaven, we do come with thanksgiving in our hearts to be able to sing praise to you.
That the Lord doth reign and clothe to see with majesty most bright.
We thank you that in all that glitters around us in these days and all the lights that we see in so many different forms.
We thank you that we come today to focus our attention on the one who is the light of the world.
The one who came into the world to give us the light that shines into our darkness.
And we pray that today we would see Jesus.
That we would know more of him and come to love him with all our hearts.
We thank you that, especially maybe at this time of year when there is so much going on around us.
That you give us this your day to be able to come aside for a time.
That in the busyness of our lives and in the hectic nature of our day-to-day lives just now.
That we have this your day.
A day that reminds us of the rest that you give and the blessing that is ours in Christ.
And so help us to be still in your presence at this time.
And to know that you are God.
That we would know you near us in every way.
That your hand be upon us for good.
That you would bless us young and old alike as we come to worship you this day.
Take care of us as well, Lord.
In the dangers of the day when it's slippy and icy outside.
Watch over each and every one of us.
And be with us in all our homes and our families.
As we look to you and seek your blessing on us.
Asking it all in Jesus' precious name.
Amen.
But before the young ones go out to Sunday school.
Just say a wee word to you.
It's good to be able to come and just focus our attention on God's word today.
And in fact, every day we are to look to God's word.
And seek his blessing to us from it.
And maybe just now you're hearing lots of different stories from the Bible.
And especially the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So whether it's in school or nursery.
You'll be hearing all about the one who came into this world.
For sinners such as we are.
We are so thankful to have the good news of Jesus before us.
But as well as that, it's a busy time.
And we're often distracted as well.
There's many things that are just wanting our attention.
Many things will distract us from focusing on the good news of Jesus.
And one of the main things is, although it's a very good thing.
It's also something that can just lead us completely away.
And that is the idea of presence.
And what we want for Christmas.
How often have you been asked that question in these last few days?
What do you want for Christmas?
And I'm sure every one of you will have an idea maybe of what you want for Christmas.
Maybe you've got a very long list of things that you want for Christmas.
And it's nice sometimes to have an idea of what we want.
But sometimes it can just be distracting.
And you may be watching the telly.
You may be looking in magazines.
You may be looking online.
And you're seeing all these gifts being advertised.
And they're all just saying, buy me, buy me, buy me.
They're all saying, you need me.
I'm the most important thing that you need in your life just now.
And today as you go into Sunday school and creche, you're going to be hearing about the word covet in the Ten Commandments.
One of the commandments says, thou shalt not covet.
Now what does that word mean?
Well, covet means to really want something.
And especially to really want something that's not yours.
And you're going to hear a story about a man in the Old Testament called Ahab.
And he wanted something that somebody else had.
He wanted somebody else's field.
Because he thought, this is what I really need.
But it wasn't his.
And when he went to the man to ask for it, he said, no, you're not going to get it.
So what Ahab did was he took things into his own hands.
And he did a very silly thing, as you will hear about in Sunday school.
But it all came about because he had this covetousness in his heart.
He coveted what somebody else had.
And that's the danger that we have today as well.
And especially at this time of year that we look around and think, that's what I want.
That's what I really need in my life.
But what we really need is to keep our eyes on Jesus.
And to see that he is what we really need.
Not just at this time of year, but every day of our lives.
In the New Testament, there's a wonderful story about a man who was blind.
And Jesus asked him, what do you want me to do for you?
It was like he was asking, what do you want me to give to you?
And just before he met this blind man, two of his disciples had been asked the same thing.
James and John had been asked by Jesus the very same question.
He asked of them, what do you want me to do for you?
And what they wanted was glory for themselves.
They wanted to sit one at his right hand and one at his left in glory in heaven.
And Jesus was saying, you're asking for the wrong thing.
And so often that's the way we are when we're looking at this world.
We're asking Jesus for the wrong things.
But Bartimaeus, the man who was blind, is a great example to us.
When Jesus asked him the very same question, what do you want me to do for you?
He said, I want to see.
Not just to be able to see physically, but to be able to see Jesus.
And of everything that's going on in our lives just now, of all the busyness of life,
all the attractions that are all around us, may we have that longing and desire of Bartimaeus.
That we would see Jesus.
Keep your eyes on him.
And don't get distracted away by everything else that's going on around us.
Keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus.
And that the Lord would do that for us in the weeks and months and even years ahead.
That we would always look to him.
We're going to sing to God's praise again.
We're going to sing in Psalm 42 in the Scottish Psalter.
It's not on the notice sheet, but we're going to sing Psalm 42 in the Scottish Psalter, page 262.
Again, this psalm just speaks of our longing for the Lord.
We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 5 to God's praise.
And the tune is Glencairn.
Like as the heart for water brews,
Entharched and hunt and pray,
So pats my longing soul, O God,
That come to thee I may.
My soul for God, the living God,
Doth thirst when shall I near.
And to thy countenance approach,
And in God's sight appear.
My tears have unto me been me,
Both in the night and day.
While I love to be contenderly,
Where is thy God they see?
My soul is poor and I tend me,
When this I think upon.
Because that with the multitude I here to forth upon.
With the multitude I have to forth upon.
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O why, why, why, hast thou my soul, why it be so dismayed?
Was God for I shall praise him yet, his countenances my name.
We turn together now to read in God's Word.
We're going to read two passages, one from the Old Testament and one from the New.
Our first reading is in the Old Testament in the book of Psalms.
We're going to read Psalm 98.
Psalm 98, we'll read the whole of this psalm, then we'll turn to the New Testament and to Luke, the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2.
First reading, Psalm 98.
O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn, make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea roar and all that fills it.
The world and those who dwell in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Now if you turn with me into the New Testament, to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2.
Luke chapter 2.
We're going to read from verse 22 down to verse 35.
Luke chapter 2 at verse 22.
Luke chapter 2.
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And we thank you that wherever we read,
we are always pointed to the one
who is the Savior of the world,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank you that your word is fulfilled in him,
for he is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
And so we ask your blessing on your word to us this day.
As we approach it, O Lord,
may it not be a word that we become over accustomed with,
that we come over familiar with,
but there would always be a word
that speaks to us in season and out of season,
a word that reminds us of the world in which we live,
the chaos of it,
the wonder of the creation in the midst of all of it.
We see your beauty around us
and yet the dangers that surround us too.
But we thank you that your word reproves,
that your word challenges and convicts,
even as the psalmist says,
that your word is able to convict us,
to bring us to that knowledge of salvation.
It converts us, O Lord.
And we pray, Lord, for your mercy over us as a people,
to bring us to that point where we will be turned
from having our eyes fixed on the things of this world
to having our eyes fixed on the wonder and beauty
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so we pray your spirit to be with us
and to be with the preaching of your word
throughout all ends of the earth today.
As we have been reminded in the reading in the psalm,
that your wonder of your story is made known
throughout all the ends of the earth,
that there is the knowledge of the Lord
in so many ways and nations and people.
As the psalm says,
all ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
And we pray that that will be true more and more
as each and every day goes past,
that your salvation will be made known
to all the ends of the earth,
that every nation, tongue and tribe and creed of people
will hear and come to have a knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ,
but more than that,
to have a saving knowledge.
We know how our world needs you
and we pray, Lord, for our nations,
that you will turn us towards you,
that you will have mercy on us as a people,
that you, O Lord, will come in a day of your power.
We thank you for the assurance and the promise
that you are a God who hears your people
as we cry to you.
We offer up our prayers for one another
and for our communities,
for our people all around us, near and far.
That in all our different needs,
in all our different anxieties and worries,
in all our different illnesses and times of trial in our lives,
in all the sorrow and sadness that life so often brings,
that we'll be able to cast our cares upon you
as the one who cares for us.
And so hear our prayers for one another.
And Lord, we come praying for the work of the gospel
around us here,
thankful for the way the gospel goes out
and for the way that the ministry of the gospel goes on
in many practical ways as well.
We thank you for the service yesterday,
for the street pastors in the town,
and we do continue to pray for the work of street pastors.
Thankful for all who go out in the weekends
to be there to help those in different needs.
We pray them, especially for them,
over this festive season when the nights are so cold
and so many people are out and about.
We pray your protection over people
and for those who are out as street pastors,
Lord, that you will guide them and help them
in all that they do.
Give them strength and courage
and boldness as well
to proclaim the good news of Jesus
in the midst of a world that is perishing.
So Lord, be with them in that work,
not just now, but throughout the year as well.
Remember, Lord, the needs of our congregation as well.
Remember all our homes and our families,
those who mourn, those who are unwell,
those who are going through all kinds of difficulties just now,
Lord.
We pray that you will surround us
and uphold us and keep us.
Remember, we pray just now for Scott
as he sits exams in Edinburgh.
Lord, we thank you for his sharing of the stage
he's at in the call of ministry last Sunday evening.
We do pray for him over these days
as he comes to his last exam on Tuesday.
Give him clarity of thought and mind
and help in all things.
We thank you for his work and life and ministry
and pray for his family too.
Lord, look after them and care for them day by day.
Remember our presbytery and the wider work of the gospel
throughout our congregations.
Remember our youth.
Oh Lord, as we pray for the holiday club this coming week
and all the youth work that goes on throughout our presbytery.
May you bless Sunday schools, creches,
and youth work throughout the week as well.
We pray, Lord, your blessing on our young people
that you will be with them in their young years,
that they will come to praise you.
Remember our vacant congregations and our presbytery too.
We pray for North Tolstown,
especially with the meeting this week,
with a view to a call.
We pray for your leading and guiding for them
as a congregation and the one you will call as well.
May your hand be upon them to lead them and to guide them.
So remember the congregation in North Uist as well,
praying your blessing on all there too.
We do continue to remember our nation.
We pray for Jersey at this time
and then what has been such a tragic week for them
with the loss of the fishermen
and now this explosion in the last few hours as well.
Lord, we pray, Lord, for your help and your peace
and your grace upon them.
We know, Lord, we live in a world
of so many difficulties and trials.
And we do pray, Lord, for a day of your peace
and for your blessing over us.
Lord, hear our prayers as we come,
convicted and even in our own hearts
of how faithless we are at times.
But renew us, we pray,
and revive us as your people.
Quicken us, O Lord,
that we will come to praise you
and give glory to you with all our hearts.
Continue with us throughout this day.
Watch over us, bless us, and keep us
as we ask all with forgiveness of our sins.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, again, we'll sing to God's praise.
We're going to sing in Psalm 98,
the psalm we're going to be looking at
together this morning.
And we're singing in the Sing Psalms version.
Psalm 98.
We'll sing verse 1 to verse 4,
page 1 to 9 of the psalm books.
We'll sing a new song to the Lord
for wonders he has done.
His right hand and his holy arm,
the victory have won.
The Lord declared his saving work
and made it to be known
to all the nations of the world
his righteousness is shown.
We'll sing from verse 1 to 4,
and the tune is blocksome.
O sing a new song to the Lord
for wonders he has done.
His right hand and his holy arm,
the victory have won.
The Lord declared his saving work
and made it to be known.
To all the nations of the world
his righteousness is shown.
His steadfast love and faithfulness
he has remembered well.
The covenant he made with them
the eyes of Israel.
And all the nations of the earth
have seen what God has done.
Our God who brings deliverance
by his right hand alone.
Acclaim the Lord, all the earth
shout loudly and rejoice
to Him with our hearts.
Well, we can turn back together,
especially to our reading in the Old Testament
in the book of Psalms and Psalm 98.
We'll focus on this psalm for our time together this morning.
Read again at verse 3.
He has remembered his steadfast love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord.
All the earth break forth into joyous song
and sing praises.
It is a busy time of year,
and I'm sure maybe many of you feel it
in that sense of being.
It's a busy and a hectic time
when there's so many different things going on.
But it's also a time where we need to keep our focus
and keep our attention on what is truly important.
It's often a time of year when I'm reminded of the words of Jesus
as he looked around and surveyed the crowds.
It says in Matthew 9, verse 36,
that when he saw the crowds,
he had compassion on them
because they were harassed and helpless
like sheep without a shepherd.
And even just as you walk around the town
or if you've been away recently
to any of the cities in the mainland
and you've been out and about in our busy streets
when people are dashing around
going to all the different shops,
perhaps you've had a sense of that feeling,
seeing a people who just seem to be harassed
and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
You just want to say,
you know, just come and sit down for a moment.
Come, let's have a cup of tea,
have a cup of coffee.
Just take the weight off your feet for a moment.
Let's just talk.
Let's just look at the world in which we live
and let's look at what's important.
And as we come to God's word,
we are reminded of what is truly important,
not just at this time of the year,
but on every occasion throughout the year.
But isn't it sad that at a time of year
when our attention and focus should be more so upon
a saviour who came into the world
that we are so easily distracted?
We often maybe hear about how early Christmas comes
every year when decorations start to go up,
when Christmas gifts start to appear in the shops
and adverts are there focusing on Christmas.
It's become so much commercialized in so many ways.
And our attention has been drawn away
from what's important.
You start having these conversations earlier
and earlier each year.
When can we put the Christmas decorations up?
Is it too soon?
But what about speaking about the Christmas story?
Is there a time when we can say to ourselves,
is it too early to speak about the Christmas story?
It's a very different kettle of fish altogether.
We don't put the Christmas story away
with the Christmas decorations each year.
The Christmas story is a story of salvation
and that's a story for all year round.
It's a story we are to hear all the time.
And the scriptures throughout remind us
of the promise of a saviour,
that God would send a saviour into this world.
Right throughout the Old Testament
and to the birth of the Lord Jesus
and right to the book of Revelation.
It's all a story about our redemption
through Jesus Christ,
a saviour who came for the world.
From the very beginning in the book of Genesis,
when we are reminded of how sin came into the world
and Jesus, the Lord spoke into that.
He said, I will put enmity between you and the woman
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel.
How Satan had come in and deceived
and sin came into this world.
But then there is a gospel message,
the message of good news,
that God will provide a saviour.
And it runs like blood through our veins
as it runs throughout the Old Testament
into the New Testament.
It shows us the life that the Lord is able to give.
And throughout the Old and New Testament,
we're always being pointed towards the saviour who will come.
And Psalm 98 is one of those points
where we are seeing the psalmist expressing his delight,
that the Lord will make known to all the nations
the salvation that is being revealed
and about to be revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 98 is very much a psalm that reminds us
of the real joy that is to the world
and that that is through Jesus Christ.
You hear so many different songs,
maybe being played on the radio
or being sung out and about.
Even yesterday was the carol service in the town
where you're hearing all these different songs being sung.
And there's one maybe you hear from time to time.
It's called Joy to the World,
a hymn written by Isaac Watt.
And the hymn is based on this very psalm,
Psalm 98.
It's a paraphrase of the psalm.
It's a reminder that joy to the world
is found in the one who is king.
And the Lord is king over all.
And the Lord, the king,
has come into this world for our salvation.
Isaac Watt never intended it just to be
a hymn that would be sung at Christmas time,
although it is a time it seems to be brought to the fore.
Because it's a psalm that speaks
not just about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ,
it speaks also about how we need the Lord with us
in all our days.
And then as you see at the end of the psalm,
it speaks about the coming of the Lord in judgment.
So it's a wonderful psalm for this time of year
and for all year round
that we remind ourselves of the wonderful theme
and the thrust,
joy to the world.
The Lord is come.
Let earth receive her king.
And as we look around ourselves today
and we see the crowds harassed and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd,
don't you just want to shout that praise?
Joy to the world.
The Lord is come.
Let the world, let the earth receive her king
to see and seek the Lord Jesus with all our hearts.
This psalm is a psalm that's then we see quoted
around the time of the birth of Jesus.
We see it quoted three times early on in the book of Luke.
In chapter 1, Mary's song, it's quoted there.
In Zacharias' prophecy, it's quoted there.
And also as we read in chapter 2 with Simeon,
being able to see the salvation that was promised,
we see it quoted there as well.
It's pointing us towards the Lord Jesus.
He has come for our salvation.
He has come to be judge over the world.
And I want us to focus on three things
and take three things from this psalm together today.
The first thing is the purpose of the psalm.
The second thing is we see the passion of the psalm.
And the third thing is the progression of the psalm.
So the first thing we see is the purpose.
And the purpose is so clear as you go throughout this psalm.
The purpose is to give praise to God.
To come and offer up our praise to God.
Like many of the psalms,
sometimes we struggle just to find the exact place
that it points to,
the exact maybe occasion that it points towards.
But from the outset of the psalm,
what is clear is that it's a sense of making a joyful noise to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvelous things.
His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.
There is a sense that God has been with His people.
Maybe in a particular set of circumstances,
or maybe just in a general sense,
the psalmist is pointing us towards the fact
that salvation,
deliverance from all the dangers,
the wickedness of this world,
belongs to God.
And so the purpose from the outset
is the sense of bringing a praise to Him.
In the hymn, Joy to the World,
it resonates that theme throughout it,
that salvation is completely of God.
And when we think of just this time of year,
we're reminded again and again
that our salvation is come
in the person of Jesus Christ.
That in everything that's going on in our lives,
and all the dangers that we're in,
and everything that would lead us astray,
that God sent His Son into this world.
He sent Him as the light into the darkness,
to make His light shine upon His people,
to give them the hope that is found in Him.
And so the thrust of this psalm
is very much to see the Lord,
to recognize the Lord
as the one who is able to save.
Because what does salvation lead us to?
Where does a knowledge of salvation lead us to?
It leads us, as we saw last week,
it leads us to the cross.
It leads us to that place of darkness
where Christ gave His life.
It brings us to that place of sorrow.
But it also brings us beyond that.
Because we remember, He is risen.
He came, He gave His life,
He rose from the grave,
and He will come again.
And that's what we see in the purpose of this psalm.
It ties our whole lives together.
In the fact that the Lord has come,
the Lord lives with us,
He is risen,
and that He will come again.
And the more we see that,
the more we are led to praise God,
to give thanks to Him.
You know, as we come to worship God,
we will hear these words,
let us praise God together.
As we come and sing praise to Him,
we say, let us come and worship God.
Let us praise His name together in song.
We come and we sing praise to God.
And how we love to sing praise to God.
But there's a great difference between singing
and singing with conviction.
Singing with this knowledge of the one who we are singing about.
To sing the words, you know,
such the well-known psalm as Psalm 23.
If we were asked to sing it just now,
I'm sure you could sing it probably without even looking at the pages before you.
You know the words so well.
But there's such a difference between singing the words that you know well
and the Savior that you know well.
Because the more that you sing with a knowledge of the Savior,
the more your praise is full and complete.
And so the psalmist here is saying,
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing to Him of the wonders that He has done.
Convinced in the saving work of God.
In the book of Romans chapter 10 verse 14,
it says,
How then will we call on Him in whom they have not believed?
How can we offer up our praise if we have not fully believed,
if we are not fully convinced?
Well, the psalmist here is saying,
To come and know the Savior for yourself.
The purpose is to know that the Lord has provided His way to salvation.
Psalm 40 puts it like that as well.
He gives us a new song to sing.
He has put a new song in my mouth.
Our God to magnify, to praise.
And that is the longing of this psalm too,
that we would come and praise Him with all our hearts.
It is leading us to God.
It is leading us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who has brought salvation for us.
And how undeserving we are.
And yet He came for us.
And so often we feel our lives may be just a mess.
Our lives are just caught up in the ways of this world.
And we think,
Well, what can God do with me?
Well, God can do so much.
There was a story told about a sculptor who had ruined a huge piece of marble.
An enormous piece of marble.
And he'd started trying to sculpt it, but it just ended in disaster.
Everything had gone wrong for him.
And this was in Florence, in Italy.
And the sculptor just abandoned this work.
And it was left for almost a hundred years with no one almost daring to go near this piece.
It was an expensive, a valuable piece of marble.
But no one could see a way forward with it because of the mess that this sculptor had made.
Then in the year 1505, a young sculptor by the name of Michelangelo,
he started to look at this giant piece of marble.
And he started to get an impression in his mind of what he could do with it.
And he measured it carefully.
He looked around.
He saw all the imperfections in it.
But he started working on it.
And the image that came to his mind was David, the young shepherd.
And he worked away on this piece of marble for three years.
Chiseling away bit by bit.
Shaping it skillfully.
And finally, it was finished.
And out of this, what had been seen as a disaster to so many,
Michelangelo had created this wonderful sculpture.
And one of his students, when he saw it,
nine tons of marble shaped in this wonderful sculpture,
exclaimed, Master, the only thing it lacks is speech.
It was so impressive.
The only thing it lacked was speech.
It was so real.
But isn't there a greater story than that about the way God brings our lives,
how he works away at us?
It takes time.
Sometimes it takes years.
But in the mess that we have made of our own lives,
in all that we have done wrong,
God can come and chip away and shape us and form us
and make us into something beautiful,
but something that doesn't lack speech.
Because we have that.
He's able to put a new song within us,
to make us praise God.
And the reality for us all is that we're never the finished product.
He's still chipping away at us all,
shaping us, correcting us,
writing us, and putting us back on the right track again and again.
But the wonder of it is that the Lord has come.
He has made known his salvation.
It has been revealed to us as his people.
May we know more and more of the purpose of this psalm,
to see a Savior given for us,
a Savior given to so many people who are imperfect,
with every wrong chip in us,
so much wrong about us,
but God chipping away at us day after day.
The second thing we see about this psalm
is the passion of this psalm,
the passion that there is in this psalm.
And it just reminds us, as you look at these words,
the purpose is to show us God,
but then there's the passion
that runs through these words of what God has done.
For he has done marvelous things, it says.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness,
it says in verse 3.
Verse 4, make a joyful noise all the earth.
Sing praises to the Lord.
There is this passion that we are to sing with.
The Christian faith is very much a singing faith.
And as Christians, we are to be a singing people.
Our praise is expressed so much in song.
In whatever tongue we sing with,
whether it's in English or Gaelic,
or whatever other language we might be able to sing in,
we are to offer up praise to God.
Because there's a passion in our praise,
and there's a passion to our praise.
And the passion is the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because we're able to sing about God's victories.
The battles that we could never fight by ourselves.
The victories that he has won for us.
We start singing to the Lord.
No matter how low or defeated we might feel,
we can come and offer up our praise to God.
Psalm 42, which we sung together,
it's one of these Psalms that you just see this turning in it.
So often you find the Psalmist low or challenged
or in difficult circumstances.
But he says in Psalm 42,
why are you so downcast, O my soul?
He says, praise God.
And isn't it great as God's people,
that whatever goes on in our lives,
we can still come and say,
yet God is good.
That we can come and say it with passion.
We can say it with conviction.
Because we know the victory is in God.
It's not in ourselves.
So we sing about his victories.
We sing about his salvation.
Praise God, my soul,
the Psalmist so often says.
From our very soul,
we are to often up with passion
our praise to God.
We sing about his mercy
and his faithfulness.
We sing about his steadfast love,
how he has remembered us.
Even as we were singing together last week
at the Lord's table,
we come and remember him.
We come and rejoice in him.
We come and give all glory to him.
And we do so today again.
He has remembered his steadfast love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
In verse 3,
all ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of God.
He has made himself known to us.
And so the question is,
are we singing with passion?
Are we singing with that passion
and praise to the Lord?
You know, there's times
when we can lose our song.
When we don't feel like singing.
It means we've lost something else,
so if that's the way we feel.
It brings us to realize
we're losing our vision of God.
We're losing our sight on him.
We're looking at the troubles
that surround us.
We're looking at maybe the wickedness
of our own hearts.
And we feel,
how can I offer up praise to God?
And yet we are to come
with passion and conviction
to sing to him.
The psalm,
like so many other psalms,
they refocus our attention.
They point us back
to the Lord of our salvation,
to the God who is good,
whose steadfast love
goes on and on.
Sing to the Lord
a new song, he says.
And isn't it interesting
how when you sometimes look around
the things of this world
and you see how song plays
such an important part
in people's lives.
Often strikes me
how when you see
maybe films more so,
but other times
it's seeing footage
of old films
where you have maybe soldiers
or slaves
or workers doing a very hard work
or sailors in difficult conditions.
You look around
and you see people
going through
all these hard experiences,
these hard jobs,
but what you so often see
is they sing.
It is song
that keeps them going.
And yet how as God's people
we have a greater song to sing.
The song of salvation.
The song of the one
who is the Lord
who has come
to be with us.
Born into this world
for the salvation
of his people.
And we are to sing
with passion.
To sing the song
that keeps us going.
To sing the songs
through all our trials,
through all our experiences.
And that's the beauty
of the Psalms.
They speak into
our circumstances,
into the reality
of our lives.
They don't hide
the things that are difficult.
They don't shy away
from the trials
and temptations
of this world.
They focus on them
in order to bring us
to see the Lord Jesus.
To see how he has come
to save us
from our sins.
What he has done
is worthy
of all our praise.
But again,
we see the sin
that so easily
clings to us.
But when we come
to sing
the song of salvation,
we are reminded
that he has come
to deal with
all our sins.
Look at it
in this way
as somebody
once highlighted.
A story about
a national park
where there was
many trees growing,
but there was
this one particular
oak tree
that was,
if you looked at it,
just seemed to be
surrounded by this vine
that had grown
all around it.
and the vine
had started growing
and over a long
period of time
the talons
of the vine
were just reaching
out and out
and surrounding
the whole tree.
And it almost seemed
like this vine
was starting to crush
into the oak tree.
It was going to
take the life
out of this tree.
But the gardeners
had seen
what was happening.
And if you looked
closely
you could see
that the gardeners
had dealt
with a problem.
They had dealt
with it down
at the root
of the vine
with one precise
cut
the vine's
root
had been cut
into
and it was
being killed.
And although
to the eyes
of those
who were passing
it seemed
like this vine
was still holding
on and clinging
to the oak
and crushing it,
the life was gone
out of the vine.
And over time
the vine
would gradually
fall away.
And that's
sometimes the way
we can look
at our own lives too.
Where we see
the sin
that so easily
clings to us.
And where focus
is on that
and can seem
to be just
crushing in on us.
But as we focus
our attention
on the one
who has remembered
us with his
steadfast love
we remember
that he has cut
that source
to our sin
that he has dealt
with it.
Yes we'll sin.
Yes we'll still
go on
and it seems
that it's clinging
to us.
But the wonder
of his salvation
is that he has
dealt with our sin.
And so we are able
to praise
the Lord
our God.
The final thing
and just briefly
that we see
with this psalm
is the progression
of this psalm.
It's a psalm
not just
for this season.
It's a psalm
for every season
of our life
for every day
of our life.
It's a psalm
that reminds us
of the battles
that we're in
but the victory
that is the Lord's.
We may not be
in the same battle
as the psalmist
was focusing on
but we may be
in a very similar battle.
We're all in the same
battle against sin.
And it's why
the likes of Paul
in Ephesians chapter 6
reminds us
how much we need
the Lord.
And he says there
in Ephesians 6
that wonderful passage
on the whole armor
of God
he says
put on
the whole armor
of God
that you may be able
to stand
against the schemes
of the devil.
For we do not wrestle
against flesh
and blood
but against the rulers
against the authorities
against the cosmic powers
over this present darkness
against the spiritual
forces of evil
in the heavenly places.
we are all
in this battle.
But the progression
of this psalm
is it reminds us
that we go on
in the strength
of the Lord.
We go on
through him.
You see the progression
of this psalm
and how it's quoted
in those early chapters
of Luke
reminding us
of the fulfillment
that there is
in the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the psalm
also goes on
as you see
towards the end
where it says
in verse 9
before the Lord
for he comes
to judge the earth.
He is coming
again.
And so this psalm
is reminding us
to go on
in his strength.
To go on
reminding ourselves
that when the Lord
came
there was a choir
of angels
that proclaimed
his coming.
That's as you see
in the early chapters
of Luke
the angels
sang glory
to God
in the highest
and on earth
peace
and goodwill
to all men.
We go on
in that knowledge
that Christ
has come.
Joy to the world
the Lord
has come.
Let earth
receive
her king.
That is the king
that we are
to look to today.
So do you rejoice
in God today?
Or are you saying
why should I
rejoice
in God today?
Well if you look
through
verse 1
to verse 3
of this psalm
you see
six reasons
given
for singing
praise to God.
The psalmist
puts it in
six different ways.
He says
he has done
marvelous things.
Can you not
say that today?
He says
his right hand
and his holy arm
have worked
salvation.
Can you not
put your confidence
in that today?
He has made
known
his salvation.
Can we not
say that today
as we come
before the word
of God
his salvation
is made known.
He has revealed
his righteousness
in the sight
of the nations.
It's seen
around
the world.
He has remembered
his people
with steadfast
love.
As we saw
last week
as we saw
in the Lord's
supper we
remembered that
how he has
remembered
his people
with steadfast
love.
And all
the ends
of the earth
have seen
the salvation
of the Lord.
The Lord
makes known
to people
far
and wide.
How often
have we
boasted
or heard
people boasting
in gifts
and purchases
that they have
made saying
oh you need
this.
What a difference
this will make
in your life.
Oh it's pricey
but it's worth
every penny.
Well how much
more we have
to rejoice
and boast
in the Lord
who has come
to make himself
known.
And if we know
this for ourselves
how much more
we are to show
that forth
in our praise
of him.
just remember
Simeon
and the joy
that he had
that we read
of in Luke
where it says
Lord now you
are letting
your servant
depart in peace
according to
your word
for my eyes
have seen
your salvation.
It is the only
way that we
can ever
depart in peace
if we
behold
the wonder
of this
salvation.
The saviour
who came
into the world
joy
to the world
the Lord
has come
let earth
receive
her king.
May we
receive
this king
anew today
and keep
our eyes
fixed
on him
in the busyness
of this life
in the busyness
of this season
may we know
the joy
of salvation
that is in him.
Let us pray.
Our Father
in heaven
we do thank you
for your word
and the way
we are able
to sing
your praise
we thank you
that you put
a song
in our mouth
that song
of salvation
and help us
Lord
to rejoice
in you
and to know
the joy
that you are
able to give
in salvation
and the peace
that is ours
through looking
and focusing
on and trusting
in the Lord
Jesus Christ
to have
even the peace
of Simeon
who was
able to say
those great words
your servant
is able
to depart
in peace
for my eyes
have seen
your salvation
may we see
with eyes
of faith
ourselves
as we ask
it in Jesus
name
Amen
we sing
to God's
praise
and conclusion
in this
psalm
psalm 98
at the end
of the psalm
verse 5
down to the end
page 129
of the psalm books
psalm 98
at verse 5
with harp
make music
to the Lord
with harp
his praises
sing
with trumpet
and with horn
rejoice
before the Lord
the King
let earth
and all
in them
rejoice
triumphantly
let streams
clap hands
and mountains
sing
together
joyfully
we'll sing
these last
three stanzas
to God's
praise
and the tune
is Gainsborough
with harp
make music
to the Lord
with harp
his praises
sing
with trumpet
and with horn
rejoice
before the Lord
the King
let earth
the sea
and all
in them
rejoice
thy
heart
humbly
let streams
clap hands
and mountains
sing
together
joyfully
now let
them sing
before the Lord
who comes
to judge
the earth
he'll judge
the world
in righteousness
the people's
heaven
is
through
after the benediction
I'll go to the door
to my right
we'll close
with a benediction
now may grace
mercy and peace
from God
Father
Son
and Holy Spirit
rest upon
and abide
with you all
now and forevermore
Amen
Christ
amen
while
tonight
we're
eles
and
their
those
are
Thank you.