An Ancient Song for Today's Church

(1)Give thanks to God, call on His name;

to men His deeds make known.

(2)Sing ye to Him, sing psalms; proclaim

His wondrous works each one.

(3)See that ye in His holy name

to glory do accord;

And let the heart of ev’ry one

rejoice that seeks the Lord.

(4)The Lord Almighty, and His strength,

with steadfast hearts seek ye:

His blessed and His gracious face

seek ye continually.

(5)Think on the works that He hath done,

which admiration breed;

His wonders, and the judgments all

which from His mouth proceed;

(6)O ye that are of Abr’ham’s race,

His servant well approv’n;

And ye that Jacob’s children are,

whom He chose for His own.

(7)Because He, and He only, is

the mighty Lord our God;

And His most righteous judgments are

in all the earth abroad.

(8)His cov’nant He remember’d hath,

that it may ever stand:

To thousand generations

the word He did command.

(9)Which covenant He firmly made

with faithful Abraham,

And unto Isaac, by His oath,

He did renew the same:

(10)And unto Jacob, for a law,

He made it firm and sure,

A covenant to Israel,

which ever should endure.

(42)For on His holy promise He,

and servant Abr’ham, thought.

(43)With joy His people, His elect

with gladness, forth He brought.

(45)That they His statutes might observe

according to His word;

And that they might His laws obey.

Give praise unto the Lord.

- Psalm 105:1-10,42,43,45, Scottish Psalter (1650)

This song, in the day it was inspired and first sung, looked back into ancient history to the miraculous salvation of God and His covenant preservation of His people. However, this song doesn’t just look back. It serves as an arrow pointing forward, Church, pointing forward to the salvation of Christ and your in-grafting into the ancient purpose of God to save you as His people:

• The Gospel promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:8) is fulfilled in the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16).
• The Gospel blessing belongs to those true children of Abraham who have put their faith in Christ alone (Romans 4:12; 9:7,8; Galatians 3:7,29; 4:22-31).
• The Gospel obedience is an expression of love to Christ (John 14:15,21; 15:10; 1 John 5:3) and the true fruit of genuine faith (John 3:36; Romans 1:15; 15:18; 16:26; Acts 6:7).

So sing the song, Church, for it speaks of God’s purpose from long, long ago to save you and preserve you today for His praise and a loving, faith-based obedience.

Praise the Evangelist of the Whole World

“The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Psalm 98:2,3).

He has done great things:

• “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; ‘THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD [a quote from Psalm 19:4]’” (Romans 10:17,18).
• “Now to Him Who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 16:25-27).
• “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth...and although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach - if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:3-6,21-23).

Commit yourself by faith unto obedience (John 3:36; Romans 1:5; 16:26; Acts 6:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:8) in the power of His Holy Spirit - praise Him with great praise for the Gospel song of salvation He has sung (and keeps singing) over all the earth through His Church: “O sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him...shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy 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 shout joyfully before the King, the LORD. Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy” (Psalm 98:1,4-8).

Fed by the Shepherd

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments” (Psalm 119:176).

“For thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries...I will feed them...I will feed them in a good pasture...I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,’ declares the Lord GOD...‘Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,’ declares the Lord GOD. ‘As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 34:11-15,30-31).

Who is the Shepherd of the sheep promised through the prophet Ezekiel? He is Jesus, Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-13), Son of David (Ezekiel 34:24-26; Luke 1:32,33,69; Romans 1:3), Prince of life (Acts 3:15): “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice...truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture...I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep...I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd...My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one’” (John 10:1-4,7,9-11,14-16,27-30).

The Psalmist tells us the desired food of true sheep: “...I do not forget your commandments” (119:176). The Lord tells us the mark of true sheep: “...the sheep hear His voice...they know His voice...My own know Me...they will hear My voice...My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:3,4,14,16,27).

Hear the Word of God and hear the voice of the Shepherd-King as He gathers us together and leads us home.

Attendance and the Proclamation of Truth

“People are far more interested in what works than what's true. I hate to burst your bubble, but virtually nobody in your church is on a truth quest. Including your spouse. They are on happiness quests. As long as you are dishing out truth with no ‘here's the difference it will make’ tacked on the end, you will be perceived as irrelevant by most of the people in your church, student ministry, or home Bible study. You may be spot-on theologically, like the teachers of the law in Jesus' day, but you will not be perceived as one who teaches with authority. Worse, nobody is going to want to listen to you. Now, that may be discouraging. Especially the fact that you are one of the few who is actually on a quest for truth. And, yes, it is unfortunate that people aren't more like you in that regard. But that's the way it is. It's pointless to resist. If you try, you will end up with a little congregation of truth seekers who consider themselves superior to all the other Christians in the community. But at the end of the day, you won't make an iota of difference in this world...culture is like the wind. You can't stop it. You shouldn't spit in it. But, if like a good sailor you will adjust your sails, you can harness the winds of culture to take your audience where they need to go. If people are more interested in being happy, then play to that...Jesus did...”

- Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend (Zondervan, 2012)

Consider Paul’s teaching on the proclamation of truth in love in the gathered Church:

• “If I have the gift of prophecy...but do not have love, I am nothing...love...rejoices with the truth...love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away...” (1 Corinthians 13:2,4,6,8).
• “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy...one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation...one who prophesies edifies the church” (1 Corinthians 14:1,3,4).
• “...if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification” (1 Corinthians 14:24-26).

The goal isn’t to make people comfortable, or to give them what they want. The goal is a Spirit-empowered explanation and application of Scripture alone (a definition of biblical prophecy), motivated by a cross-inspired love that recognizes our sin and God’s absolute holiness (1 John 4:1-21). We have been gracefully loved by God through Christ, and so love others with the Spirit of truth (John 4:23,24; 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; Ephesians 1:13; 1 John 5:6) by proclaiming the saving truth to them.

The problem with “playing to” people’s desire to be happy is that people think being their own god and being worshiped as that god will make them happy (Genesis 3:1-6; 1 John 2:15-17). This is the primordial sin of every human being, and I’ve never seen any evidence to counter that scriptural conviction. Another problem: lost people do not love the truth. If I do not speak truth since no one else is on a “truth quest,” I have left them in their truth-hating pit. It’s a very large pit; its capacity can more than handle very large congregations that people love to attend. “...those who perish...did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved...in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10,12). Catering to their desire for happiness is problematic, since their desire is radically misplaced through their hatred (or apathy) of the truth. They must be saved through proclamation of the truth before their desires can even begin to be corrected. The reason catering to a desire for happiness cannot work is that wickedness (and rebellion against truth) makes them happy. There is a way of happiness that man seeks, for it seems right, but it’ll lead them to an eternity apart from God every time (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

I always tell our congregation that if we don’t speak the truth, no one will. It’s why we exist as the Church. “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14,15).

If we want to get even more basic than this, the proclamation of truth is why Jesus came (not primarily to “love” apart from this proclamation, as most contemporary pop preachers would have us believe): “...the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth...grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ...Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me...when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak.’ ...Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice’” (John 1:14,17; 14:6; 16:13; 18:37).

I reject the proposal that a commitment to truth means we will become “a little congregation of truth seekers who consider themselves superior to all the other Christians in the community.” The proclamation of truth, when done in the power of the Holy Spirit, will be loving. The risen and exalted Christ “gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him Who is the head, even Christ, from Whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16). In fact, I reject the idea that a body that does not live for the truth can be truly loving – since true love is revealed in propositions of truth counter-intuitive to our truth-hating natures (Romans 5:1-10; 1 John 4:8-10)!

Be commissioned, Church: “These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates...so love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:16,19). Preach the truth, love the truth.

Remember the God Who has created you, Church: “You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth...I trust in the LORD. I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness” (Psalm 31:5-7). Be the Church the God of truth loves to attend.

Repent, Saints, as the World Burns

Babylon has attacked Jerusalem (586 B.C.). The City of David, the Temple of Solomon, destroyed. The land ravaged. The people killed or displaced. “O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the dead bodies of Your servants for food to the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem; and there was no one to bury them. We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those around us” (Psalm 79:1-4).

How do the ruined people pray?

They repent of their own sins, appealing to the mercy of the God of salvation for the sake of His glory and name, vowing to offer Him thanks and praise throughout future generations: “Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake...so we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; to all generations we will tell of Your praise” (79:8,9,13).

Remember: our hardships and trials in this world don’t atone for our sins before a holy God. He hears the prayers of those who repent and call on His name. “Repent” is His first command to us in the Gospel (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Luke 13:1-5; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 26:20; Romans 2:4), and it is the gateway into His deliverance.

Gather with His people in Christ this today and praise Him with great praise Who grants us the gift of repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18) and abundantly pours out His mercy and grace for His great glory.