Worship the Coming King

0:54I had a couple hot dogs myself. They're wonderful. Reflecting upon the independence of our country, you know, when you think about the 4th of July, it's kind of hard not to think about England as well. It's kind of hard not to think about who we want our independence from, right? One of the things, though, when you think about England, especially in relation to Americans, is this weird paradoxical thing that Americans are fascinated with British royalty. Like fascinated with it.

1:25I remember as like a first raider, I guess, when Charles and Diana married, right? That was a big deal. I remember that being a huge deal. And then their kids got married, right? And that was a big deal, right? Because you have the big at the giant St. James Chapel, the church there in Westminster, where you have these huge weddings with William and Kate and Harry and Megan. The Netflix show, The Crown. I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, but like that show is driven by primarily an American audience, right? Fascinated with the crown.

2:09We're just a nation that's fascinated by all these things, which is really strange because we, we're the ones who are citizens of a nation where titles of nobility are explicitly prohibited by Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8 of our own Constitution. And yet we provide this huge media audience for royal weddings and coronations and TV programs and anything related to the British monarchy. People are fascinated with royalty. And I will confess, as an Anglophile who has watched all of Downton Abbey and I'm proud to say it, I'm kind of fascinated by it too. Which makes Psalm 96 really exciting to be able to watch. Walk through together. Because in Psalm 96, we get the ultimate picture of the royal throne. It's classified as one of the psalms of enthronement that's found between Psalms 93 and 100.

3:15The idea is to see the Lord as ascending to his proper place as king over all the earth and having dominion over all its inhabitants. Psalm 96 is almost entirely found actually in 1 Chronicles chapter 16, verses 8 through 37. This is where this comes from. So even though the psalmist here in Psalm 96 is not named, we are pretty sure that it's David because this is primarily taken from 1 Chronicles chapter 16. And in that text, King David is celebrating the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, where it will find its proper place, its setting in the tabernacle of God after the defeat of the pagan Philistines. Psalm 96 is a call to worship, not only for the whole congregation of God's people, but it's ultimately for all the world, inviting all the world to join in. Psalm 96 is a call for the whole world to sing, to rejoice, and to worship the Lord and to celebrate his coming judgment.

4:27In verses 1 through 6, one of the first things we see. As we see a call to sing a new song of praise. Look at those first two verses. We'll see the psalmist has a new song to sing. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord. Bless his name. Tell of his salvation from day to day. We have three imperatives, three commands to the congregation to sing to the Lord, to raise our voices to God, to bless his name.

5:03And what are they singing? They're singing a new song. What's a new song? That's literally a fresh hymn of praise. In 1 Chronicles 16, they were singing of God's victory over the Philistines and the restoration of God's kingdom. This new song of victory is also sung at the consummation of the age, the end of the age, in Revelation 5 and 14. Read what John the Revelator sees in the final victory of Jesus over an even greater enemy than the Philistine pagans of 1 Chronicles 16, but over evil, over Satan itself, over death.

5:41In Revelation 14, then I looked and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice like heaven, a voice from heaven, like the roar of. Of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

6:27Who is this 144,000? Well, the 144,000 is a symbolic number for the redeemed, those whom Jesus has purchased by his own blood. They are singing a song of victory over sin and over death, a victory won by their own victor, the Lord Jesus Christ. We, the church, are the redeemed. We have a new song to sing. Church, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of what is going on in our lives, the redeemed of the Lord can always sing that new song of salvation.

7:05And that is good news. We're called to sing to the nations in verse 3. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. Among the nations, among the peoples. We see God's heart for the nations. He is referring to non-Jewish inhabitants of the earth. He's not just speaking. To the Jews there settled in Israel. This is a call to the nations to come and to sing, to be sung to, to have his marvelous works declared in their presence.

7:45In Isaiah chapter 42, verse 6, the Lord says through the prophet, I am the Lord. And speaking to Israel, he says, I have called you in righteousness. In other words, I have called you to be different than the rest of the nations. I've called you to be different than the rest of the world. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. It has always been God's intention from the beginning, whether using Old Testament Israel or using the New Testament church, to shine the light of God's goodness and righteousness to the nations. He wanted to use his people to demonstrate his power and might among their neighbors. And that is still God's mission today.

8:50Read Matthew 28:19 through 20, the great commission. Go, therefore, Jesus says, and make disciples of all. Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you to the end of the age. It is primarily God's mission, and he invites us, his people, the redeemed of the Lord, to come on his mission with him. Folks, when we go on mission with God, we are embarking on a mission that cannot fail. Amen? That should excite us this morning. That should encourage us this morning. We cannot fail on mission with God because he cannot fail. In verses 4 and 5, we see that he is a great God, and he is worthy to be praised.

9:55For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols. But the Lord made the heavens. Look at the incomparable greatness of our God. Verse 4 notes why he's worthy of our praise. He is to be feared above all gods because of verse 5. All the gods of the people are worthless idols. They are non-existent things. They are unreal. Are useless. They are that which is nothing. They are powerless. The Hebrew has actually a play on words here, contrasting the true God, the creator God of the universe, Yahweh, and these worthless idols. The Elohim, which is just a word for gods, the Elohim, the gods of the nations, however, are mere worthless idols. Worthless idols is Elalim. Elalim means heathen gods, worthless idols, literally that which is nothing that can make nothing. So if we actually understood Hebrew, and I'm not going to actually act like I'm some sort of expert in Hebrew, I paid good money to struggle through Hebrew.

11:21But if we understood and saw Hebrew and read Hebrew, we would sort of chuckle at this. The Elohim, Elalim, the gods who can't do anything. That's literally what it means. And he contrasts that. The psalmist contrasts that by describing God as being the Lord who made the heavens. The Lord, Yahweh, is the creator, and this should cause our hearts to rejoice and to sing. Think about 1 Kings 18, where Elijah is mocking the false prophets of Baal. He's mocking them, saying, Hey, why don't you guys? Yell louder. Maybe he's asleep. Maybe you can wake him up. He's calling on the false prophets of Baal to become divine alarm clocks because their God has fallen asleep. He's mocking them. He's making fun of them.

12:16What made them false prophets? It wasn't for lack of devotion or religious fervor because they began to cut themselves to demonstrate their zeal. They were false prophets because they served a false God. They're false prophets because they serve a non-existent nothing. They serve something that didn't exist. We serve the living God, the Creator God. And what does this Creator God desire from us? Well, in Romans chapter 1, the Apostle Paul tells us what everyone owes God. What the Creator God, what is due him from every living creature. For what can be known about God, Romans chapter 1, beginning in verse 19, can be known about, for what can be known about God is plain to them. Who's them? It's natural man. Man in his natural state, even without specific revelation from the Word of God. All men, all women, all peoples.

13:30Can know something about God. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. But they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. What do we owe God? What does man owe God? As witnesses of his divine nature, we owe the creator of all things our worship. He deserves our honor and he deserves our gratitude. He is worthy of all things. He is worthy. So the call from Psalm 96 is to worship this worthy creator. And when we sing this new song to this worthy creator, we sing according to verse 6, we sing because of his strength and his beauty. Splendor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Remember that in the original setting of this scene in 1 Chronicles 16, what has just been said. In the tabernacle. What is it that projects both the strength and the beauty of our God? It's the ark. It's what one commentator calls the covenant box, which houses the word of God, the Ten Commandments. God's word is what projects His strength, in that it tells of His unique, perfect character. It's out of this very character that God keeps His covenant promises to His people.

15:34David in Psalm 119, this is how He describes God's Word. My soul clings to the dust. He is low. To be clinging to the dust means that you're on the ground, a place that is reserved for serpents and things that crawl upon their belly. My soul clings to the dust. Give me life according to your word. Three verses later, my soul melts away for sorrow. Strengthen me according to your word. Life and strength are found in the eternal, the inerrant, the infallible word of God.

16:26God's word projects his beauty as well. And what does the living word, Jesus, call beautiful in his revealed word? We love beauty. We're attracted to beauty. We love art in its forms. We love beauty. What does Jesus describe as beautiful? Matthew chapter 26, this wonderful scene where Jesus actually uses that word. And this is what he thinks is beautiful. Now, when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask, a very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at the table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the world, in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. The living word of God, Jesus, defines beauty as life-giving service, ultimately exemplified. In the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus overcoming the grave and saving sinners is beautiful. Behold the Lord's beauty. I'm reminded of Psalm 27 when David says, One thing have I asked of the Lord that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to be in God's presence. And how is anyone allowed to be in God's presence? It's through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And in God's presence, in reflecting on our own sinfulness. David was a sinner. He was an adulterer, a murderer, a liar.

18:52And yet he was one who sought after God and desired to be in his presence, knowing that his sin must be atoned for. And when he's there, he wants to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. When David is going to reflect for eternity upon his own life and God's great mercy and grace towards him as a sinner, in bringing him into his presence because of the atoning work of the Messiah that was to come in David's instance, he would sit and gaze. Upon the beauty of the Lord forever.

19:35He's beautiful. In verses 7 through 10, we see a call to the nations of the world to praise the Lord. A call to the nations of the world to praise the Lord. Look at verses 7 and 8, where we see we are to give to the Lord glory and strength that is due to him. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name. Bring an offering and come into his courts. To ascribe is literally to give or to pronounce something to someone. Which would bring us a really interesting question, right? Well, isn't God already glorified? Doesn't he already possess all the strength that can be had? How can we, measly, sinful, wretched humans, how can we give the God of the universe something that he already has? Well, the context helps us to understand what David is describing. We are giving or ascribing to the Lord not what he doesn't already possess, but what we owe him.

20:55Ascribe. The Hebrew word is yab. I don't know why I told you. You that, but I just want you to think about Yob today, right? A scribe. Yob is not a request from some man for something he lacks. A scribe is an imperative, it's a command from the king of kings and the Lord of lords to acknowledge his might, his power, his majesty, his dominion over all the universe and everything therein. It is precisely because God lacks nothing and is the maker and sustainer of all things that he deserves worship, glory, and honor from all things. If there is anything above God, that is what we should worship.

21:50But there is none like him. Again, reflecting on Revelation, the elders are gathered together. These 24 elders, these we're not really sure exactly who they are, but they're these amazing spiritual men. These 24 elders are gathered together. And this is what they say about King Jesus in Revelation 4: Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power. Why? For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

22:41Jesus is not only the agent of creation, he is the sustainer of all things. Without his permission, we could not draw another single breath. He is our king, he is our creator, he is our sustainer, and he deserves our worship. He doesn't need anything, he's not like a man, but we owe him. He is owed, he is due worship. Verse 9, we're called to worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth. The idea of worship is to fall down before, to prostrate or bow down before. The word for fear is to tremble. To tremble is to fear, to trust, to wait carefully, to wait patiently. It reinforces the idea of worship. It's to have humble attitudes before our God. We're to approach. Him with the spirit of the most deepest awe, of reverence of worship. Think about the call to worship this morning. Isaiah in the temple. We need to recognize God's holiness and our need for the atonement of our sin. That is what it means to worship the Lord, to tremble before him. In verse 10, it says, He will judge the peoples with equity. Say among the nations, the Lord reigns. Yes, the world is established. It shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity. Notice how the psalmist is calling on God's people to proclaim his majesty to the nations. Regardless of whether or not people are walking in righteousness, God deserves our worship. Also, notice that part of the call to worship, to worship God, is that he will judge the peoples with equity.

25:04There doesn't seem to be a lot of equity in the world. That's because the world is broken by sin. It's corrupt. It favors carnality and corruption over truth and over justice. We would do well to heed John, the disciple's words from 1 John 2, for all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, And the desires of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. But we contrast that with a God who is just, and he will make straight all that is crooked in the world, he will make all things new and right, and for that he deserves our worship.

25:57Psalm 9. The psalmist, David, says, But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness, he judges the peoples with uprightness. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, O Lord. For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. He is good and just. Things don't seem good and just in the world, and that's just because we're not to the end yet.

26:42But, church, the day is coming, and we are to wait with anticipation and delight, and we are to proclaim to the world, to all of the people of the world, that God is just. And the judge is coming. More on that in a second. Lastly, we see in verses 11 through 13 a call to all creation to celebrate his return and judgment. In verses 11 and 12, we see that the whole creation is called upon to praise God. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar and all that fills it. Let the field exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy. In this text, creation is personified, it's given human-like qualities. These created things, which are inanimate in their natural state, they're depicted as bursting forth with emotion, with gratitude, with worship for their Creator, Yahweh. In Romans chapter 8, Paul touches on this in describing how this broken world that has been touched by sin yearns for redemption. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption. Obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Adam brought sin into the world, and in bringing sin into the world, he brought death and judgment. With Adam's sin, death was brought into all corners and features of the world. All of creation has been afflicted by sin and longs for its ultimate redemption in the second Adam, the greater Adam, the one who will bring not death, but new redemptive life into the world. Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Let the whole world worship the Redeemer.

29:37And finally, the Lord is coming to judge. Verse 13. We are to worship all the trees and the forests sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world. World in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. Jesus is bringing redemption, but he's also bringing judgment. See the messianic nature of this psalm of enthronement. The king is coming to restore, to make things right, to faithfully judge in righteousness.

30:30Look finally at Revelation chapter 19, the consummation of the age, the end of this wonderful book where John gets this vision of this coming king and judge. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and the one sitting on it called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, or diamonds, or jewels. And he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and by the name of which he is called the Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

31:26From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down. The nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We celebrate our redemption and we worship our King, but He is also to be worshipped as the judge. He will make things right, and we are to worship Him in that. We are to celebrate that.

32:10Why? Because no lawbreaking will go unpunished, no sin will be overlooked, it won't be winked at. The King of kings and the Lord of lords will make all things right, for he is just. And the redeemed of the Lord, we celebrate in that. And those that do not know Christ as Lord and Savior, this morning, this should chill you to your core. Please hear this call, this pleading with you to repent of your sin and place your faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Christ, because he is coming and he will make all things right.

33:09He will bring to consummation the end of our sin. Our sin will be judged, and it will either be judged in eternity in a real place called hell, or it has been judged in the person, and body, and work, and blood of Jesus Christ for the redeemed. But no sin will be overlooked. About 10 years ago, there was a man named Clifton Williams who was attending the hearing of his cousin in Jolia, Illinois. His cousin pled guilty to a felony drug charge. And when federal Judge Daniel Rozak delivered a sentence of two years' probation, Mr. Williams let loose the incriminating yawn.

34:03Judge Rozak noticed, later describing the incident by saying that Williams raised his hands while at the same time making a loud yawning sound. The judge decided that this was a disrespectful interruption of the court, and he sentenced Williams to six months in jail. The maximum penalty for contempt of court would have a jury trial. Now that sounds harsh. Six months for yawning. I mean, I just spank my kids for rolling their eyes, right? Six months in jail for yawning?

34:40What's the offense? The offense is this. The offense is the indifference, the indifference of the judge towards the judge. The lack of recognition that Mr. Williams was in a place where there was someone who was in judgment. In church, our world is in this type of predicament and doesn't even know. They are indifferent. This world is indifferent to the commands of God. This world is indifferent to his beauty. They're indifferent to his power, to his creative power, to his majesty. They are indifferent to his reign as king.

35:39But one day, God will come and deliver the sentence. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess. The eternal difference is when that happens. Does it happen before the judge comes, or does it happen after? God deserves our worship. Let us sing a new song to Him. Ascribe to Him the glory that He is due. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. And declare His majesty to those who are in judgment and in love and mercy. Extend to them the free gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

36:40Let's pray. Father, you are good and wonderful and great, and you do all things well. There is none like you. We have seen from Psalm 96 that you are a merciful king, that you're a creative and creator king, that you're a powerful king, but also, Lord, that you are a coming. King, and as we envision your enthronement in heaven, Father, help us, Lord, to have hearts that are turned towards those who were once just like us, rebels, subjects who have rebelled against their rightful king. And help us in mercy and in compassion, in grace, but also in truth.

38:13Go and tell them of the coming king. Tell them of your mighty work upon the cross, of your victory over death and sin, and of your expectant return. O Lord, send us from this place as your loyal subjects, but also as your heralds, telling of Jesus. Lord, help us. Help us even now as we remember you and your death. Father, unite us around your blood and body given to us. May it remind us of our own subjection to your kingdom, how you brought us into your kingdom through your body and blood. And may it encourage us to proclaim your blood and body to those who do not know you. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.

39:42Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.