A Song of Praise

[The following is a manuscript of my brief devotion delivered on Sunday morning, the 30th of July, 2017.  This was our Fifth Sunday service, with The Dix Family of Lexington bringing their ministry of music.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Before we bring The Dix Family back up, I’d like to read a beautiful chapter from our Holy Bible that is most fitting for today’s service.  There is some debate over the actual author of this song, but it seems very close to that which King David wrote and presented to Asaph, as recorded in chapter 16 of the 1st Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.  And we know how David loved to sing and play music.  Listen and follow along to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 96, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
4 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.
13 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.

--Psalm 96 (NKJV)

Isn’t that a beautiful passage?  And it speaks so well of why we should praise God and Jesus.  The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised!  He made the heavens, and firmly established the world and all therein.

So sing to Him a new song!  Proclaim the Gospel of salvation each and every day!  Declare His glory among all people!  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad!  Let the sea roar and all within it!  Let the fields be joyful and even the trees will rejoice!

For the Lord is coming to judge the earth.  He is coming to judge the world with righteousness.  He is coming to judge all the people with truth.  He shall judge the people righteously.

So give to the Lord the glory and strength due His name!  Bring an offering into His courts.  Worship our Lord in the beauty of His holiness!  Let us lift our offering of music unto our Father God and let us give of ourselves to Him, because He reigns, forever and ever.

All in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Amen