The Power of a New Song Part 1

Passage

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
7 To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever--
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever. "
Ps alm136:1-9 NKJV)

Pondering

There is a song in the Old Testament that appears many times and was used throughout Jewish history at important events and had a powerful impact when used. This song became known as the 'Great Hallel' and was sung at all the important feasts of Israel and is recorded in full in Psalm 136.

This Psalm was probably originally written by King David. King David was a worshipper who established the Tabernacle of David to renew worship in Israel. It was at this Tabernacle, where the Ark of the Covenant was stationed, that he probably sang this song first as a spontaneous new song in it's basic, primitive form. It may later have been adapted and had additional verses added by David himself or other Psalmists and became a powerful anthem for Israel at important times in their development.

It was sung responsively (see Ezra 3:11), meaning that the leader of worship would sing one line and then the whole congregation would sing the next line and so on until the end. I have only included 9 verses above, the Psalm is actually 26 verses long. As you progress through the Psalm it is a powerful declaration of God's goodness and lovingkindness to the nation of Israel. When this Psalm is quoted in Scripture only the first verse or a variation thereof is quoted but the rest was probably sung in its entirety.

It is important for a group of God's people, whether it be a local church , cell group or missions organization to have a clear identity. A song or motto that comes from within is a powerful binding agent and motivates the members to move on for the greater glory. In the case of a local church, or any group of God's people for that matter, a prophetic song of praise to God that rises out of the body of believers is a powerful force.

Do you have a song that God has given you for your life? A song for your family? For your Church? Pray for Davids to arise up who will pen songs that speak in a specific and powerful way to those God has placed together with you. Maybe you are that David!

Poem

We must decrease, You must increase,
Let Your glory fall in this place.
We must decrease, You must increase,
Lord we want to see You face to face.

(This was a spontaneous new song the lord gave in this Tuesday night's prayer meeting and the whole congregation was singing it together.)

Prayer

"Father, fill me with songs of deliverance, songs that are meaningful to me, to my family and to my local church. Raise up Davids in my fellowship that will write new songs that minister powerfully and take us to the next level. Amen."

The Power of a New Song Part 2

Passage

"Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying:

"For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,"

that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God." 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NKJV)

Pondering

David's new song, as recorded in Psalm 136, was so powerful that it was continuously used in Israel's history. The first recorded instance of its use is at Solomon's dedication of the Temple. As the worship team played and sang this song the whole Temple was filled with with the glory of God and the priests were overwhelmed and unable to continue ministering as they were used to.

Notice that the new song is totally God focused! There's no me or I in it and it totally exalts and dwells on the character and nature of God as good and full of mercy. The Hebrew word used for "good" is "toeb", meaning "good in the widest sense: Beautiful, best, bountiful, cheerful and prosperous". Hence, it goes way beyond our modern meaning and may be best interpreted as "full of abundant richness". The Hebrew word used for "mercy" is "checed" which is always used of the covenantal lovingkindness and faithfulness of the Lord.

As we sing forth new songs with our whole heart, dedicating our temple, our body, to the Lord, focussing solely on God and His goodness and mercy then the Lord will meet us in a special way, maybe even sweeping us off our feet as the priest were in Solomon's temple! I've experience this quite a few times - when I focus wholly on God and worship Him with new songs I have sensed the glory of God falling, sometimes even physically seeing what appears to be a cloud fill the place where I am and I am dumb struck with His goodness and loving kindness, unable to minister, only able to be ministered to!

I challenge you to simply sing out the phrase, "For He is good and His mercy endures forever" with all your heart before the Lord in your quiet time with Him and you will experience something of God's glory.

Poem

As we sing of His goodness,
As we sing of His grace,
He will reach down to bless
And reveal His face.

Prayer

"Lord, Your are totally good and awesomely merciful, full of lovingkindness and compassion. I pour myself out before You, singing of You and focusing on You alone. Amen!"

The Power of a New Song Part 3

Passage

"And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

"Praise the LORD,
For His mercy endures forever."

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. "
2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (NKJV)

Pondering

The next time we see David's new song sung by Israel is when they are under attack under the reign of Jehoshaphat. They are surrounded by the enemy and as the king prays before God in the Temple the Lord tells him to send out His mighty army. However, His mighty army is not quite the kind of army we expect! It's an army of singers and musicians who go forth singing the new song of David as they march towards the enemy.

This singing army does not even engage physically in battle with the enemies of Israel because the Lord sets ambushes against them and they scatter, fighting each other and are totally destroyed when Israel finally reaches where they were station as a once mighty, intimidating force.

We may find ourselves surrounded by enemies, towering over us and intimidating us. However, as we march forward singing new songs of God's goodness and mercy then the Lord will send angelic ambushes against the enemy. Where the enemy formed a mighty barrier in our way we will walk right through with the new song on our lips. This new song of praise will be like a mighty sword that will go ahead of us and slay the enemy.

I have experienced this reality many times. At times when I'm overwhelmed by the attacks of the enemy on my thoughts, my health, my finances, my relationships and so forth, as I have chosen to march forth singing new songs of His goodness and mercy then defeat is turned to victory. There are times I can remember when I have walked along burdened by financial woes and, after a simple bursting forth of a new song, I have ended up my journey dancing and skipping along with great joy and release.

Poem

When the enemy comes in like a flood,
New songs shall gush forth from my lips,
And they will drown in the power of His blood,
And be lost like sinking ships.

Prayer

"Father, put a new song constantly on my lips, especially in the presence of my enemies. I will rise up to sing when the enemy rises up to attack. Amen!"

The Power of a New Song Part 4

Passage

"The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:

"Praise the LORD of hosts,
For the LORD is good,
For His mercy endures forever"-

and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD. "
Jeremiah 33:11 (NKJV)

Pondering

The final time we explicitly see David's new song being used by Israel in Scripture is when they return from captivity. Jeremiah prophecies that the Jewish captives in Babylon will return and joyfully sing this song. This is fulfilled in Ezra 3:11 where we see the new Temple has been rebuilt after the Jews return and on the dedication of the second Temple they sing this song:

"And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD:

"For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel."

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. "
Ezra 3:11 (NKJV)

Singing new songs to the Lord sets the captives free, especially ourselves! Recently in our Church Tuesday night prayer meeting we have been singing new songs and there are testimonies of many burdens simply lifting off people as they sing. Last Tuesday I led the congregation in a responsive singing of Psalm 136 and the Lord's presence was awesome and He was setting many captives free.

Open up Psalm 136 now and sing through it with all your heart. If you are with Christian friends you can sing or speak the first line as they responsively say or sing "For His mercy endures forever". This is powerful stuff! Try it!

Poem

Lord You are good
You've set us free
And as we sing
New life we see.

Prayer

"Father, You are good and Your mercy and grace has delivered us from slavery to sin and the word. Praise You Lord that you have set this captive free. Let me sing forth this freedom so many others may be set free. Amen!"

Should Christians Judge?

Passage

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye.." Matthew7:1-5 (NKJV)

Pondering

For the next few days I'll be looking at the common Spiritual Urban Legend that says, "Christians Shouldn't Judge". This SUL (Spiritual Urban Legend) says something like, "Jesus forbade His followers to judge, therefore Christians should not judge others."

This thinking come from such verses as:

"Judge not, that you be not judged." Matthew 7:1 (NKJV)
"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore." Romans 14:13 (NKJV)
"Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge." James 4:11 (NKJV)

However, as we shall see, this is not what these passages teach us! As in the other SUL’s, this one takes Bible verses out of context and makes them say whet they never intended. Indeed, not only does this SUL take these verses out of context but it fails to see the whole Biblical context of teaching on judging. For example, what about 1 Corinthians 2:15? This verse seems to state the opposite of the above verses when it states, "But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one"(NKJV). The Greek word for ‘to judge’ is the same in all instances (‘krino’), meaning "to properly distinguish between right and wrong".

To see how we are to know when to judge and when not to let’s start by examining Matthew 7:1 in context.Jesus was here addressing the Jewish leaders who were pointing their fingers at others in judgement, like those who came condemning the woman in adultery. Jesus was not saying there's no place for such judgements as sin needs to be exposed. However, He was bringing forth the principle that we cannot judge hypocritically, where we are living with sin in our own lives, often in similar areas to those we are accusing.

Jesus ends up by saying, "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye.." Here He is clearly saying that there is a time for removing the sins of others, only not when we are having bigger sins in our own lives due to hypocrisy. Indeed, Matthew 7 goes on to say that we must judge who are "dogs" and "swine" (v6) and judge between true and false prophets (v15).

In the case of the woman caught in Adultery (John 8:3-11). Jesus exposed the scribes and Pharisees hypocrisy and then did not condemn the women but let her go. You may look at this as proof that we are not to judge. But Jesus did make a judgement when He said, "Go and sin no more" (v11) and He was also judging the hypocrisy of the others! There is a time for us to judge but we need the wisdom of God to know when that is. That's what I will look at in over the following days.

Poem

To judge or not to judge?
That's a tricky question.
If , in sin, I will not budge,
Then it is I who is undone!

Prayer

"Father, purge me of all hypocrisy that I may live an upright life that others will judge as worthy of following. Amen."

Righteous Judgement

Passage

"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
John 7:24 (NKJV).

Pondering

So, what exactly is Jesus’ teaching about judging?

Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." John 7:24 (NKJV). This excellent verse gives us a needed balance that helps us unravel what Jesus really taught on this subject. There are times when we must not judge but there are also times we are to judge with righteous judgment. The question we must ask then is, "What is righteous judgment and what is unrighteous judgment?"

It is important to know when to judge and when not to because the consequences can be dire. If we judge when we are not supposed to then, according to Matthew 7:2, we will reap judgment back in our own life and bring others under unnecessary condemnation, even stumbling other Christians (Romans 14:13), maybe causing them to sin. If we do not judge when we are supposed to then we are protecting others in their sins and indirectly showing that it alright for them to continue sinning.

"Righteous judgment" basically means we can judge when we have the right to judge. When do we have the right to judge? As we have seen, we can only judge when there is no unconfessed sin in our lives, especially in the area we are judging. And, as we shall see, we should only judge when we have the authority given to us to do so, judging only in the area of clear cut morality as revealed in Scripture.

The problem is we tend to judge when we shouldn't and not judge when we should!
We tend to judge according to what we see externally (by sight) and not according to how a person measures up to the Word (by faith). Over the next few days I will be looking at important Scriptures showing us when we should and should not judge.

Poem

We should judge with righteous judgment,
But what does that really mean?
It means to judge when we have the right
And not merely from what we have seen.

Prayer

"Father, You are the righteous judge. Help me to be like you and only judge when I have the right to do so and to keep my mouth shut at all other times! Amen."

When not to Judge Part 1

Passage

"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way". Romans 14:13 (NKJV)

Pondering

There are some areas that we are not to judge in.

Firstly, don't judge others personal convictions/preferences.

Romans 14:13 says, "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way". This does not mean that by judging others in any situation we are stumbling them and so we should not judge at all. We must read the whole context that starts with Paul pinpointing a particular problem the church in Rome was experiencing.

Romans 14:1-4 gives us the context: "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand."

The problem with the Roman Christians, that Paul is addressing, is that they were disputing "over doubtful things". They were judging each other concerning their own personal convictions and preferences in their worship to God. These were not black and white moral issues but grey areas of conduct.

Personal convictions include Christian practices such as what food and/or drinks they can or cannot consume, which day is the Sabbath and what can or cannot be done on the Sabbath and so forth. Paul's teaching in Romans 14 is that these are not black and white areas and we may differ greatly in these areas. In Christ we have been freed from legalistic practices but that does not mean we must force others into the same freedoms we have if their conscience cannot take it. We must not put stumbling blocks before Christians in areas where they have a weaker conscience.

One example Is drinking beer. I come from a culture and background where drinking beer is a socially acceptable practice among Christians, as long as we do not get drunk. I go on missions trips to Cambodia and make sure that I do not openly drink beer there as it is not acceptable for Christians for a variety of reasons. If I did drink beer in front of other Christians there they may think, "This pastor is drinking beer, why can't I?". However, they may well start drinking and have too much and be stumbled, feeling shameful due to the cultural context. I could say to them, "You are free in Christ to drink alcohol in moderation, Jesus did!" but I would really be judging their convictions.

Therefore, the over riding principle that Paul is getting to is that we must always take the most loving course of action. If we know person has certain convictions that are not sinful we should not judge and challenge those conviction and we should act in a way that will not stumble them.

Poem

Do not judge others in areas that are gray,
Such as the food they prefer or their chosen special day.
These personal convictions are not life and death,
But show the variety we have from the one who gave us breath.

Prayer

"Lord, help me to hold judgment when it comes to other's personal preferences that are not necessarily sinful, but different to mine. Help me not to be a stumbling block but a stepping stone for your love to walk into our relationship. Amen!"