Sermon – Psalm 98 – Sing A New Song

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Psalm 98 – Sing A New Song
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
May 17, 2009

Listen to this sermon.

Last Thursday two people were joined in marriage. One was from the Philippines. The other was from Taiwan. One plays the cello. The other plays the piano. Victor and Yahsin played for us last week in a concert on Saturday and in worship Sunday morning. Before Thursday they were individual soloists. But now they are playing something new, a duet, a marriage, blending their music together into beautiful harmony. One plays the melody while the other, in softer tones accompanies. Together they join with God in creating something better than what existed before, a new song.

God is calling all of us to sing a new song. God has heard the songs we have been singing, but now God wants a new song of worship and praise. I am not talking about the kind of music we play in church, whether we have classical music, or soft rock contemporary music or something else. What I am talking about is the song we sing to God whenever we approach God in prayer and worship. God hears the song we sing, but according to scripture God wants to hear a new song.

But before we get to all of this, will you pray with me? Holy Spirit, fill each of the people in this congregation with a new song from God. Fill us with the desire to praise God with our whole hearts. Fill us with God’s love so that our hearts will burst with overflowing love for others. We pray this with you, the Son and the Father. Amen.

Psalm 98 – The Message – Eugene H. Peterson

Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves; he set things right. God made history with salvation; he showed the world what he could do. He remembers to love us, a bonus, to his dear family, Israel – indefatigable love. The whole earth comes to attention. Look – God’s work of salvation! Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band! Round up an orchestra to play for God; add on a hundred voiced choir. Feature trumpets and big trombones; fill the air with praise to King God. Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with everything living on earth joining in. Let the ocean breakers call out, “Encore!” And the mountains harmonize the finale - a tribute to God when he comes, when he comes to set the earth right. He’ll straighten out the whole world. He’ll put the world right and everyone in it.

This morning I will be sharing with you three stories of people singing new songs. The first is about a woman who came to pray with the pastor. This is not the first time she had been to early morning prayers. She and the pastor had prayed for her health and for the reduction of pain. She and the pastor had prayed for her family. And she and the pastor had prayed for her finances. As she drove to the church she remembered these prayers. It was then that she realized that the prayers she had been offering up to God were always about her problems and her concerns. So she wanted to pray in a different way this time. She wanted to offer prayers not asking God to do something for her. Rather she wanted to do something for God. She wanted to praise God with her whole heart for all blessings she had received.

She arrived at the church and met the pastor for prayers. The pastor, as usual, was ready with a passage from scripture. They opened their Bibles to Psalm 98 and they began to read it out loud.

Psalm 98:1-3 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

The pastor had selected, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the perfect word of God for that moment. Through Psalm 98 the pastor and the woman were able to praise God in highest seeing themselves not as helpless beggars asking for something, but as children of God praising God for his great love and steadfast faithfulness.

The woman left that prayer session singing a new song. Her own concerns, although still important, seemed so small when compared to the grandeur of our creator God. And after experiencing God’s abundant love, her heart was filled to overflowing and ready to confront the day with a new song on her lips.

My second story is about a seminary intern who was coming for his weekly supervision with the pastor. As usual they prayed for the intern’s ministry and for the church. Together they offered prayers for individuals in the congregation who were having hard times. Some in the congregation were looking for work. Others needed housing or access to health care. Some were dealing with the effects of old age. Some were concerned for their families. Some were fighting addictions. Everyone in the congregation had some concern to take to God, and it was the pastor’s and intern’s responsibility to bring these concerns to God. Over time the pastor and the intern began to think that there were so many concerns that solving them was impossible. They had focused so much on the problems of the church they had failed to see what God was doing in the church. So they opened a Bible and began to read from Psalm 98.

Psalm 98:4-6 4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

The pastor and the intern then realized what the problem was. They had been praying so hard for the concerns of the congregation they had forgotten about God. Their prayers needed to include praise for God. So they resolved to sing a new song by including prayers of praise and thanksgiving. And they realized as they planned the worship service for the following Sunday that everything we do in worship, the sound of the organ and piano, the voices of the choir and soloist, the prayers, and the proclamation of the Word were all acts of praise to the God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, whom we worship. The intern left the supervision meeting praising God with a new song running over and over again in his head.

And my third story is a about a woman singing a new song after studying scripture. The pastor stopped in on a weekly Bible study. A small group was talking about spiritual maturity. They were wondering how you would know if you have obtained the “full stature of Christ.” One participant was worried about her own spirituality. Problems at home often left her depressed. And when feeling depressed she did not feel connected to God. At times her problems just seemed to overwhelm her. Satan seemed to be challenging her every step on the way. The group gave their ideas about how she could overcome her difficulties and grow in spiritual maturity. What she really needed was to sing a new song. When it was the pastor’s turn to speak he offered these words from Psalm 98.

Psalm 98:7-9 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. 8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy 9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

The pastor reminded this woman how she had kicked a serious drug habit a few years before. He also reminded her of how hard she had worked trying to bring her children to Christ. So he suggested to her that a God of righteousness and equity would surely approve of what she had done, and that any lingering sin that might still cling to her would surely be washed away by the blood of Christ.

With the realization that God would treat her fairly and with great compassion she was raised from her depression and began to clap her hands and shout praises to this amazing God. The evil spirits which had tormented her were cast out by the praise and gratitude she offered toward God. This was the new song she had been waiting for, a song to replace the hurt and sense of failure she had experience for so long. As she left the Bible study she smiled broadly because she had a new song to sing, praising God, thanking God for the joy she had experienced in God’s presence in the Word.

Each of us has our own old song. Each of us has regrets and failures. Each of us has fears and concerns. We all experience pain and sorrow and disappointment. We offer all these up in the old songs we have been singing to God for so long. But isn’t it time to begin singing new songs of praise to God? With the resurrection of Jesus Christ our sins have been forgiven and we are offered eternal life. So why keep singing the old songs of sin and death. Let’s sing the new songs of forgiveness and life. Let’s sing praises to God for all that God has done for us.

Cora (Stephen) leads us in praising God every Sunday. The reason we sing these songs is to learn them so that as we live our lives during the week we can hum familiar tunes and remember familiar lyrics. If we learn praise songs here in church then we can continue praising God throughout the week. So I urge you to sing enthusiastically in church today and carry a new song of praise with you as your leave this place. Whenever you sing, whenever you pray always remember your new song and praise God for all that God has done for you.

Father in heaven, we praise you for what you have done for us in Jesus Christ. We are overjoyed with the gifts of forgiveness that we have received and the gift of eternal life that we anticipate. So we offer our praises up to you in gratitude for all of your blessings upon us. Receive these offerings of prayer and praise in the name of your son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.