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South Bay SDA Church

Jeremy Arnall

The Song of Glory

In August of 2013, Time magazine ran an article on how singing changes the brain.

It highlighted how singing releases endorphins and even has been shown to reduce cortisol levels.

But what I appreciated most was the insight in the opening lines of the article.

It reads, and I quote, When you sing, musical vibrations move through you, altering your physical and emotional landscape.

Group singing, For those who have done it, it is the most exhilarating and transformative of all.

It takes something incredibly intimate, a sound that begins inside of you, shares it with a room full of people, and it comes back as something even more thrilling.

Song offers 1 the opportunity to touch the feelings of the heart.

Thus someone put it well when they wrote, Christianity is the only religion that abounds in song.

The various forms of idolatry are not tuneful, but Judaism said, oh come, let us sing unto the Lord.

And when Christ came, the angels greeted His birth with praise.

And since then, Christian song has gained in fullness and strength a voice with each century." So Christianity is about receiving a new heart and thus a new song.

Title the message this morning as we wrap up this little mini-series, The Song of Glory.

Lord would you speak to our hearts this morning?

Would you help us to comprehend and to internalize this song that you have given us to sing, a new song, a song that will be sung throughout eternity.

We dare not open the words of scripture without your Holy Spirit, so please, would you speak to us through your spirit, guide our eyes, guide our hearts, guide our minds, and help us to find ourselves at the end at your feet.

Help us, Lord, to receive that song in our hearts.

Through the ministry of your word, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

I would invite you to open your Bibles to Psalm 96.

It's referred to as the missionary psalm.

And if you look at 1 Chronicles chapter 16, you will find that it is the song that David used, the psalm that David used in large part along with a few other psalms like Psalm 105, 106, and others.

This is a psalm that David used when the ark had found its resting place there in Jerusalem.

You remember the story, I'll go over it in a minute.

But I want you to read with me this psalm, Psalm 96.

Would you just stand up wherever you're at and let's read this together?

You don't have to read out loud, but read it, follow along with me.

And let's stand up because this Psalm, well, it deserves it.

I didn't make that very clear, but you're ready to sing since you're standing, right?

If you want to read with me out loud, that's fine, but let's read together, otherwise it will take longer.

It said, Oh, sing to the Lord a new song.

Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised.

He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the peoples are idols.

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples.

Bring an offering and come into his courts.

Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad.

Let the field be joyful and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord, for he is coming, For he is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.

So, as I mentioned, this psalm is rehearsed in a great way, and there's a strong connection in 1 Chronicles chapter 16.

And there you find that the ark is enshrined in Jerusalem.

You remember that when they tried to carry it before, they had used oxen and a cart, and it almost fell because they weren't following the instruction of the Lord, because God is particular when it comes to his presence and worship, amen?

And because of that stumble, because of it looked like the ark was about to fall, because they were not obeying the will of God, what does Uzzah do?

He reaches out and tries to touch and steady the ark.

They realize their mistake, they realize, they're awakened to their error, their failure, and so what happens?

It goes to Obed-Edom and to his place, and then this chapter, in chapter 16, is where we see it has arrived at its proper destination in Jerusalem.

David had danced and sang unto the Lord, and there in chapter 16 you see him singing to the Lord, quoting heavily from Psalm 26.

Now I want you to think about the fact that this psalm is associated with the presence and throne of God.

When the ark was established in its proper place, when the people recognized it had found its home, when they recognized that the glory of the Lord was in this place, they give God praise using this hymn.

Let's look at this hymn a little bit more closely.

I want you just to go with me through it and let's look at some key terms.

First, if you've got it there, I want you to just look at verse 2.

So we see here in verses 2 and 3, proclaim the good news, declare His glory, and do it to the nations and among the peoples.

Verse 4, it says, he is to be feared above all gods.

Verse 5, it says that the Lord made the heavens, the Creator.

Verse 6, you see mention of the sanctuary.

Notice Verse 7 and verse 8, give to the Lord what?

Verse 9, oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Verse 10, Last part, he shall judge the peoples righteously.

Notice verse 13, he is coming to judge the earth, he shall judge the world with righteousness.

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The Song of Glory

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