In a Christianity Today article, “Contemporary Music: The Cultural Medium and the Christian Message,” D. H. Williams, a professor of religion in patristics – the study of the writings and lives of the early Christian theologians – and historical theology at Baylor University, wrote:
Our consumerist culture has co-opted many churches, creating a mall-like environment marked by splashiness and simplistic messages. When the church becomes essentially a purveyor of religious goods and services, it reinforces the believer's own consumerist habits, allowing him to pick and choose according to taste or functionality.He wasn’t necessarily being critical of the music, but the bigger picture: He was questioning the attitudes that drive what some call “modern worship.” While tradition for tradition’s sake can be stifling and turn people away from hearing the Gospel, too much of making a worship service resemble a concert or a multi-media event with slick production potentially can distract people from what they need to KNOW and HEAR in God’s Word.
In other words, through weekly worship services, for a variety of reasons many modern-day churches have molded themselves into the image of the community (maybe the world) they serve – rather than transforming the community (the world) they serve. If I read the article correctly, Williams seems to say that churches have been emphasizing form over the substance of the Gospel, rather than having the Gospel shape the form of the church. And honestly, during my vacation, I wondered if at times we’ve allowed that to happen here at CICF.
But God, in His ever infinite wisdom given to us in His Word, provides a way for us to get back onto the path HE wants us on.
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
I’m going to take these points out of chronological order because the most important point to learn today is at the beginning of the psalm.
Teaching Point No. 1: Who should praise God
v. 6 Everything that has breath.
Elsewhere in God's Word (just a sampling, be a Berean, double-check me, look for other passages.)
Psalm 145: 10-12
All your works praise you, LORD;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Revelation 5:13
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Teaching Point No. 2: Why He should be praised
v. 2: For His acts of power and surpassing greatness.
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Teaching Point No. 2: Why He should be praised
v. 2: For His acts of power and surpassing greatness.
Elsewhere in God's Word (just a sampling, be a Berean, double-check me, look for other passages.)
Deuteronomy 3:24
“Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? ”
(Emphasis on "have begun," because God is not yet finished showing us His greatness and strong hand.)
Jeremiah 32:17-19
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.
Revelation 15:3-4
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
(Since God created the heavens and the earth, it is quite logical and possible to think that He existed BEFORE the heavens and the earth came into being, that He existed BEFORE the beginning. And isn't that a display of His power and surpassing greatness?)
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(Isn't this even a larger display of His power and surpassing greatness that He would even want to rescue a bunch of rebellious misfits like us by sacrificing His one and only Son -- who did no wrong, ever -- on a cross to die a criminal's death? How often do we think on that, how often we take that for granted, in our times of corporate worship?)
v. 3-5 With instruments, voices and loudly
Look at it this way: Each line in verses 1-5 begin with the word praise; each line in verses 3-5 begins with the praise. Praise means to express, and in the context of this psalm, it means to express boldly and loudly, with instruments and with the body. And while singing isn’t explicitly mentioned in Psalm 150, in other psalms of praise it is. Here’s just one example (and, again, I encourage -- I challenge -- you to be Bereans and check me and find other passages where it says to praise the Lord boldly and loudly):
Psalm 98:4-6
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(Isn't this even a larger display of His power and surpassing greatness that He would even want to rescue a bunch of rebellious misfits like us by sacrificing His one and only Son -- who did no wrong, ever -- on a cross to die a criminal's death? How often do we think on that, how often we take that for granted, in our times of corporate worship?)
Challenge: What other verses in the Bible can you find that define God’s power and surpassing greatness? How you observed them in your life and the lives of Christians you know?Teaching Point No. 3: How we should praise Him
v. 3-5 With instruments, voices and loudly
- sounding trumpet
- timbrel = hand drum
- dancing = physical expression
- harp and lyre = stringed instrument
- pipe = flute in other translations
- with cymbals = these instruments tend to be anything but quiet: v5 = crashing and ringing, constant
Look at it this way: Each line in verses 1-5 begin with the word praise; each line in verses 3-5 begins with the praise. Praise means to express, and in the context of this psalm, it means to express boldly and loudly, with instruments and with the body. And while singing isn’t explicitly mentioned in Psalm 150, in other psalms of praise it is. Here’s just one example (and, again, I encourage -- I challenge -- you to be Bereans and check me and find other passages where it says to praise the Lord boldly and loudly):
Psalm 98:4-6
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Shout for joy is emphasized because when you realize God's power and surpassing greatness was used to rescue us from our own mess, that he would love us first even when we would not love Him, that it cost Him the ultimate price ... why would you express your love for Him quietly?
Teaching Point No. 4: Where we praise the Lord
v. 1 In His sanctuary and in His mighty heavens
Sanctuary = here on earth
His mighty heavens = not here on this earth, but in His throne room.
This is important, and if you were nodding off before, here is where you need to wake up … and look to the left and right of you and wake up your neighbor.
The psalmist says we should praise the Lord in His sanctuary. That’s here in this building AND outside this building, because the earth is the Lord’s sanctuary. Our praise is NOT limited to this time and this place. Our praise of God, based on all the verses that come after verse one – AND ELSEWHERE IN SCRIPTURE – should be on going and should be without boundary, without limits that we so often impose on ourselves.
Which leads to the second place where God is praised: in His mighty heavens.
Teaching Point No. 4: Where we praise the Lord
v. 1 In His sanctuary and in His mighty heavens
Sanctuary = here on earth
His mighty heavens = not here on this earth, but in His throne room.
This is important, and if you were nodding off before, here is where you need to wake up … and look to the left and right of you and wake up your neighbor.
The psalmist says we should praise the Lord in His sanctuary. That’s here in this building AND outside this building, because the earth is the Lord’s sanctuary. Our praise is NOT limited to this time and this place. Our praise of God, based on all the verses that come after verse one – AND ELSEWHERE IN SCRIPTURE – should be on going and should be without boundary, without limits that we so often impose on ourselves.
Which leads to the second place where God is praised: in His mighty heavens.
Look at Psalm 148:1
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
OK, I know we are not in heaven – yet. But also consider this in Hebrews 12:18-24. Because of the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sin, Scripture says:
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
OK, I know we are not in heaven – yet. But also consider this in Hebrews 12:18-24. Because of the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sin, Scripture says:
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
When we come together as a body in Christ like we do this moment, like we do every Sunday, like we do even in our D-group gatherings, God invites us to a piece of heaven on earth. God invites us into his presence, in the joyful assembly of the saints – the spirits of the righteous made perfect in the blood of Jesus – and the angels. And that is going on RIGHT NOW IN HEAVEN.
Revelation 4
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits w of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:That, according to God’s Word, is what is taking place in heaven right now. And when we assemble as followers of Jesus, made righteous by the sacrifice of His blood shed for us on the cross, we enter in the assembly of saints and angels.
"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Think on that – God has invited us in to a piece of heaven right now. Think on this, you who have loved ones who have gone on before you and me: God is giving us the opportunity to join with them in their worship of Him in His very throne room in this very moment.
Application of Psalm 150
Don’t take Sunday worship, don’t take your D-group gatherings, as just activities to do because you think it’s expected of you as a Christian. Do it because God is inviting you and me to praise Him in the company of the saints and angels in heaven. Don’t come here with the attitude that you are here to be served. Come here with an attitude of awe and gratitude that God – the creator of the universe, the Eternal One – invites you and me to be here.
Think of the implications of this as you allow Scripture to shape you in the image of Jesus:
Application of Psalm 150
Don’t take Sunday worship, don’t take your D-group gatherings, as just activities to do because you think it’s expected of you as a Christian. Do it because God is inviting you and me to praise Him in the company of the saints and angels in heaven. Don’t come here with the attitude that you are here to be served. Come here with an attitude of awe and gratitude that God – the creator of the universe, the Eternal One – invites you and me to be here.
Think of the implications of this as you allow Scripture to shape you in the image of Jesus:
- No longer do worship gatherings reflect the world; instead they reflect heaven, God’s Word, and most important His glory
- No longer do you approach corporate worship as a thing you do
- No longer do you relegate it to just one more thing to add to your weekly calendar
- No longer (I hope) do you arrive late every Sunday, or your D-group gathering
- No longer to you stand or sit silently as the worship team leads you in song, and as the pastors lead you through God’s Word
- No longer do you leave here unchanged. The teaching of God’s Word NOT just head knowledge; it become part of you, making you a LIVING TESTIMONY, A LIVING EXAMPLE of God’s power and surpassing greatness.
If you leave here the same person you were when you got here, maybe you have not yet surrendered yourself to the cross.
Maybe you've let tradition get in the way.
Maybe there is some pride involved as you let your personal preferences dictate how you worship rather than letting God's Word dictate how you worship.
Last, but certainly not least, maybe you have not yet fully committed and fully come to trust in God’s redeeming grace He offers through Jesus: that grand display of His power and surpassing greatness.
If that’s you, pray this out with us before the saints and angels in heaven and before God’s throne:
Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving me that You want to reveal a piece of Your perfect throne room in our imperfect world. I am so sorry for not realizing the depth of that love, and for rejecting You and what You teach to make me right again in Your eyes. Thank You for dying on the cross for all of my sins. With Your help, I will turn away from all those things, and walk in Your path and declare Your greatness. Today, I declare my trust in You to be my Master and Savior, and I receive You into my heart. Thank You for Your forgiveness, thank You for Your mercy, thank You for Your grace and love that is Your free gift of eternal life. Thank You for that one day when I will go home to You in heaven, when I will be with the saints and angels who are worshipping You this very moment.
Amen.
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