James T. Cleland - "On Singing the Law" (September 24, 1972)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(organ music) | 0:03 | |
(choir singing) | 0:37 | |
(organ music) | 2:27 | |
(choir singing) | 3:33 | |
- | The hour cometh and now is | 4:17 |
when the true worshiper shall worship the Father | 4:19 | |
in spirit and in truth, | 4:24 | |
for the Father seeketh such to worship him. | 4:26 | |
Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. | 4:30 | |
♪ Lord, have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:44 | |
♪ Christ, have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:51 | |
♪ Lord, have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:58 | |
Almighty and most merciful Father, | 5:11 | |
we have erred and stray from thy ways like lost sheep. | 5:14 | |
We have followed too much the devices and desires | 5:18 | |
of our own hearts. | 5:22 | |
We have offended against thy holy laws. | 5:23 | |
We have left those things which we ought to have done. | 5:27 | |
And we have done those things which we ought not | 5:31 | |
to have done. | 5:33 | |
And there is no health in us. | 5:35 | |
But thou, oh, Lord have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. | 5:37 | |
Spare thou those who are penitent | 5:42 | |
according to thy promises declared unto mankind | 5:45 | |
in Christ Jesus, our Lord. | 5:48 | |
And grant, oh most merciful Father for his sake | 5:51 | |
that we may here after live a Godly, righteous | 5:55 | |
and sober life to the glory of thy holy name. | 5:58 | |
Amen. | 6:02 | |
Hear the words of assurance. | 6:05 | |
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just | 6:09 | |
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us | 6:13 | |
from all unrighteousness. | 6:16 | |
The Lord is gracious and merciful, | 6:19 | |
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. | 6:22 | |
This is the message we have heard from him | 6:28 | |
and proclaim to you; | 6:31 | |
that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. | 6:33 | |
If we walk in the light as he is in the light | 6:38 | |
we have fellowship with one another | 6:42 | |
and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin. | 6:45 | |
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, | 6:52 | |
his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins | 6:55 | |
to all those who turn to him with true repentance | 6:58 | |
and sincere faith, have mercy upon you, | 7:01 | |
pardon and deliver you from all your sins, | 7:05 | |
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, | 7:09 | |
and bring you to everlasting life through Jesus Christ | 7:12 | |
our Lord. | 7:16 | |
Amen. | 7:18 | |
Our Father who art in heaven, | 7:19 | |
hollowed be thy name. | 7:22 | |
Thy kingdom come, | 7:25 | |
thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. | 7:27 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 7:31 | |
and forgive us our tresses | 7:34 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 7:36 | |
And lead us not into temptation, | 7:40 | |
but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom | 7:42 | |
and the power and the glory forever and ever. | 7:47 | |
Amen. | 7:51 | |
(organ music) | 7:54 | |
(choir singing 845) | 8:44 | |
The Lord be with you. | 13:36 | |
- | And lift our spirit. | 13:38 |
- | Let us pray. | 13:40 |
First, our prayers of thanksgiving. | 13:43 | |
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, | 13:47 | |
we, thine unworthy servants do give the most humble | 13:51 | |
and hearty thanks | 13:54 | |
for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us | 13:56 | |
and to all men. | 14:00 | |
We bless thee for our creation, | 14:02 | |
preservation and all the blessings of this life. | 14:05 | |
But above all, for thine inestimable love | 14:10 | |
and the redemption of the world by our Lord, Jesus Christ. | 14:12 | |
For the means of grace and for the hope of glory. | 14:17 | |
And we beseech thee, give us that due sense | 14:21 | |
of all thine mercies | 14:25 | |
that our hearts may be unfaintedly thankful, | 14:26 | |
and that we show forth thy praise | 14:30 | |
not only with our lips, but in our lives, | 14:32 | |
by giving up ourselves to thy service | 14:36 | |
and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness | 14:39 | |
all our days through Jesus Christ our Lord | 14:43 | |
to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit | 14:48 | |
be all honor and glory, | 14:51 | |
world without end. | 14:54 | |
Amen. | 14:57 | |
And now our prayers of intercession. | 14:58 | |
Remember, O Lord thy church upon Earth. | 15:02 | |
Deepen her influence | 15:06 | |
and extend her power for good. | 15:08 | |
Til the kingdoms of this world | 15:12 | |
become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. | 15:14 | |
We pray for our beloved land, | 15:19 | |
for our leaders and governors, | 15:22 | |
and for all who have any part in public service. | 15:26 | |
Make them pure in motive, | 15:30 | |
wise in counsel, | 15:33 | |
and strong in action. | 15:35 | |
Doing right in the fear of thy holy name. | 15:38 | |
Father in heaven, look down in mercy upon our distraught | 15:43 | |
and fevered world. | 15:47 | |
Forgive the mistaken ambitions, | 15:49 | |
the selfish passions, | 15:53 | |
and the presumptuous claims of men. | 15:55 | |
Remove all suspicion and bitterness from among the nations | 15:59 | |
and bring them to peace and concord | 16:03 | |
by the redeeming love of Christ. | 16:07 | |
Have mercy, O Lord upon those who are passing through | 16:11 | |
sore trial. | 16:14 | |
The poor, | 16:16 | |
the sick, | 16:17 | |
the anxious, | 16:19 | |
the oppressed, | 16:20 | |
those who are in danger from the fury of the elements | 16:21 | |
or from the violence of men. | 16:25 | |
Inspire in us and in our fellow man | 16:28 | |
the will to help our suffering brethren. | 16:31 | |
Heal, protect and strengthen them according to their need. | 16:35 | |
Comfort those in sorrow with the comfort | 16:40 | |
which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. | 16:43 | |
We pray for our own dear ones wherever they are, | 16:47 | |
that surrounded by thy love, | 16:51 | |
they may be kept in health and joy | 16:54 | |
and abide in safety and peace | 16:57 | |
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. | 17:00 | |
And now our supplications. | 17:04 | |
Oh gracious Father, who through thy mercy | 17:06 | |
has added another day to our lives, | 17:09 | |
we here dedicate both our souls and bodies | 17:13 | |
to thee and thy service | 17:16 | |
in a sober, righteous and Godly life. | 17:18 | |
In which resolution do thou, oh merciful God | 17:23 | |
confirm and strengthen us. | 17:27 | |
That as we grow in age, we may grow in grace | 17:29 | |
and in knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. | 17:34 | |
But O God, who knowest the weakness and corruption | 17:40 | |
of our nature and the manifold temptations | 17:43 | |
which we daily meet with, | 17:47 | |
we humbly beseech thee to have compassion on our infirmities | 17:49 | |
and to give us the constant assistance of thy Holy Spirit | 17:54 | |
that we may be effectually restrained from sin | 17:59 | |
and incited to our duty. | 18:03 | |
Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of thy judgments | 18:06 | |
and such a grateful sense of thy goodness to us | 18:10 | |
as may make us both afraid and ashamed to offend thee. | 18:14 | |
And above all, keep in our minds a lively remembrance | 18:18 | |
of that great day in which we must give a strict account | 18:23 | |
of our thoughts, words and actions | 18:27 | |
to him who thou has appointed the judge of quick and dead | 18:31 | |
thy son, Jesus Christ our Lord. | 18:37 | |
In particular, we implore thy grace and protection | 18:41 | |
for the ensuing day. | 18:45 | |
Keep us temperate in all things | 18:48 | |
and diligent in our several callings. | 18:51 | |
Grant us patience under our afflictions. | 18:54 | |
Give us grace to be just and upright | 18:57 | |
in all our dealings, | 19:00 | |
quiet and peaceable, | 19:03 | |
full of compassion, | 19:05 | |
and ready to do good to all men | 19:07 | |
according to our abilities and opportunities. | 19:09 | |
Direct us in all our ways. | 19:13 | |
Defend us from all dangers and adversities. | 19:16 | |
And be graciously pleased to take us | 19:20 | |
and all who are dear to us under thy Fatherly care | 19:23 | |
and protection. | 19:27 | |
These things in whatever else thou shalt see to be necessary | 19:29 | |
and convenient to us, we humbly beseech thee | 19:33 | |
through the merits and mediation of thy son, | 19:37 | |
Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior. | 19:40 | |
Amen. | 19:44 | |
And now for our responsive reading, | 19:46 | |
which is selected verse of Psalm 119 | 19:49 | |
and a selection 594 in the hymnal. | 19:54 | |
"Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes." | 20:11 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:15 | |
- | "Give me understanding that I may keep thy law." | 20:17 |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:21 | |
- | "Lead me in the path of thy commandments, | 20:23 |
for I delight in it." | 20:26 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:28 | |
"Turn my eyes from looking at vanities." | 20:32 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:36 | |
"Confirm to thy servant thy promise." | 20:38 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:42 | |
"Turn away the reproach which I dread." | 20:44 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:48 | |
"Behold, I long for thy precepts." | 20:50 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:53 | |
"Let thy steadfast love come to me, O Lord." | 20:55 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 20:59 | |
"Then shall I have an answer for those who taught me." | 21:02 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 21:06 | |
"And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth." | 21:08 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 21:13 | |
"I will keep thy law continually, forever and ever." | 21:15 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 21:19 | |
"For I find my delight in thy commandments which I love." | 21:23 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 21:28 | |
"I long for thy salvation, O Lord." | 21:32 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 21:35 | |
(organ music) | 21:38 | |
(choir singing) | ||
And now may we join in the unison affirmation of faith. | 22:20 | |
We believe in God, who is created and is creating, | 22:25 | |
who has come in the true man, Jesus | 22:30 | |
to reconcile and make new, | 22:33 | |
who works in us and others by his spirit. | 22:36 | |
We trust him. | 22:39 | |
He calls us to be in his church, | 22:41 | |
to celebrate his presence, | 22:44 | |
to love and serve others, | 22:46 | |
to seek justice and resist evil, | 22:49 | |
to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen, | 22:52 | |
our judge and our hope. | 22:56 | |
In life, in death, | 22:58 | |
in life beyond death, God is with us. | 23:00 | |
We are not alone. | 23:04 | |
Thanks be to God. | 23:06 | |
- | When a preacher approaches retirement age, | 23:26 |
it may be hoped, | 23:31 | |
hopefully, | 23:33 | |
that he is not yet in his dotage. | 23:35 | |
But it may be presumed, usually accurately, | 23:40 | |
that he is in his anecdotage. | 23:45 | |
Here is personal proof: | 23:51 | |
for many years, I have had an aversion | 23:55 | |
to the 119 Psalm, | 23:58 | |
part of which was the lesson of the morning. | 24:02 | |
Whenever I hear the number of that Psalm, 119, | 24:06 | |
it recalls an incident from my boyhood. | 24:12 | |
Listen and you will hear. | 24:16 | |
On one of my birthdays, the 8th I think, | 24:20 | |
my mother presented me with a Bible | 24:25 | |
and a few well chosen words. | 24:29 | |
"When the king was a small boy, | 24:33 | |
he promised his mother that he would read one chapter | 24:37 | |
of the Bible every night. | 24:41 | |
He has kept that promise. | 24:44 | |
If the king can do that for his mother, | 24:48 | |
it is surely not too much to expect | 24:52 | |
that one of his subjects will do as much for his mother." | 24:55 | |
So I began to read the Bible one chapter per night | 25:02 | |
as parentally requested. | 25:07 | |
Now the Bible starts, interestingly enough, | 25:11 | |
Genesis 1 describes a kind of | 25:15 | |
celestial bolder dam project | 25:18 | |
with God as a super engineer. | 25:22 | |
Genesis 2 is a more folksy tale | 25:26 | |
of the same cosmic undertaking. | 25:30 | |
The third chapter tells how a snake deceived a woman | 25:34 | |
and how a woman deceived a man. | 25:38 | |
I did not gather the full import of that | 25:42 | |
at the age of eight. | 25:45 | |
In chapter 4, there's a good murder. | 25:49 | |
(congregation laughing) | 25:53 | |
But then in five, begin the begats. | 25:55 | |
However, the book rallies quickly, | 26:01 | |
and through the rest of Genesis and Exodus, | 26:04 | |
the narrative is plain and interesting sailing. | 26:06 | |
However, | 26:11 | |
the laws of the priests in Leviticus, | 26:13 | |
the census of the tribes in Numbers, | 26:17 | |
and the second account of the law in Deuteronomy | 26:22 | |
where an uninteresting grind. | 26:26 | |
But the king had promised his mother. | 26:30 | |
Perhaps then we're sow in the seeds of a republicanism, | 26:35 | |
with a small R, | 26:40 | |
which blossomed when I came to the United States. | 26:42 | |
Nevertheless, I persevered one dose per night | 26:45 | |
as prescribed. | 26:50 | |
And months later, I was rewarded. | 26:52 | |
The chapter for the night was Psalm 117. | 26:56 | |
Only two verses. | 27:02 | |
It was unbelievable. | 27:06 | |
Only two verses. | 27:09 | |
Without a doubt, God was good. | 27:11 | |
(congregation laughing) | 27:14 | |
And two nights after that, | 27:17 | |
the reading was Psalm 119. | 27:20 | |
176 verses. | 27:24 | |
At one sitting. | 27:29 | |
It was a symbol of the fact that man could not win. | 27:32 | |
Certainly small boys couldn't. | 27:36 | |
It was a sign of man's finiteness. | 27:39 | |
His impotence. | 27:43 | |
God's the boy. | 27:46 | |
It was a devastating experience and I heartily rebelled | 27:48 | |
against the 119th Psalm. | 27:52 | |
It was more or less anathema to me. | 27:55 | |
But years later, a verse from Psalm 119 | 27:59 | |
was quoted in a letter from Scotland. | 28:02 | |
"Thy statues have been my songs | 28:06 | |
in the house of my pilgrimage." | 28:09 | |
The verse intrigued me. | 28:14 | |
I turned to the Moffatt translation for further light. | 28:15 | |
"Thy statues are my songs | 28:19 | |
as I wonder through the world." | 28:23 | |
The verse took possession of me, | 28:27 | |
and here is how I reflected on it. | 28:29 | |
First, my mind turned to the idea of religion | 28:33 | |
as statues, | 28:38 | |
regulations, | 28:40 | |
decrees. | 28:41 | |
That is to what God lays down as binding on man | 28:43 | |
if he is to be a considered religious. | 28:49 | |
Any organized faith that's sensitive to the need | 28:53 | |
for ethical living, | 28:56 | |
personal and social, | 28:58 | |
is almost bound to view religion as statues. | 29:00 | |
Do this, | 29:04 | |
do not do that. | 29:06 | |
Right relations with God are created and maintained | 29:08 | |
by obedience to his will. | 29:11 | |
To his will as revealed in his Holy Law. | 29:15 | |
The man who keeps the ordinances, | 29:18 | |
person who keeps the ordinances, | 29:21 | |
is the good person. | 29:24 | |
The first Psalm corroborates that point of view. | 29:26 | |
"Blessed is the man that walketh north in the council | 29:30 | |
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, | 29:33 | |
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, | 29:37 | |
but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law | 29:40 | |
doth he meditate day and night." | 29:45 | |
Now you don't have to be a Jew or a Presbyterian | 29:49 | |
to grasp that. | 29:53 | |
Though it helps if you are. | 29:55 | |
I can recall as a boy of seven, | 29:58 | |
in a Glasgow school having to buy the shorter catechism. | 30:01 | |
It's a series of questions and answers | 30:07 | |
on Presbyterian doctrine bound in a little brown pamphlet, | 30:09 | |
which cost 2 cents, | 30:15 | |
and which had the multiplication table, | 30:17 | |
up to 12 times 12, on the back cover. | 30:20 | |
Scottish thrift and foresight had decided | 30:24 | |
that if we learned nothing from within the book, | 30:27 | |
we might from without. | 30:30 | |
(congregation laughs) | ||
Now, here are three questions and answers. | 30:34 | |
What is the duty which God requires of man? | 30:37 | |
The duty which God requires of man is obedience | 30:41 | |
to his revealed will. | 30:45 | |
What did God at first reveal to man | 30:49 | |
for the rule of his obedience? | 30:51 | |
The rule which God at first revealed to man | 30:55 | |
for his obedience was the moral law. | 30:58 | |
Wherein is the moral law summarily comprehended? | 31:03 | |
The moral law is summarily comprehended | 31:08 | |
in the 10 commandments | 31:11 | |
and then follow 40 questions | 31:14 | |
on the 10 commandments. | 31:19 | |
40 out of a total of 107. | 31:21 | |
Almost two fifths of the digest of Presbyterian doctrine | 31:26 | |
is on the summary of the law. | 31:32 | |
That and oatmeal were a staple diet for Scotland. | 31:35 | |
How firm a foundation for saints of the Lord. | 31:42 | |
And that type of of religion did create saints, | 31:46 | |
but very doer saints. | 31:50 | |
They were distinguished by proverty and severity, | 31:53 | |
by chastity and censoriousness, | 31:57 | |
by uprightness and rigidity. | 32:01 | |
Robert Burns even described the women in Kirk as | 32:04 | |
tied up in Godly laces. | 32:08 | |
These men and women had grit rather than grace | 32:12 | |
and stability rather than charity. | 32:16 | |
They were easily distinguished in their clothing, | 32:19 | |
Sabbath blacks, | 32:22 | |
which covered their bodies and their spirits. | 32:25 | |
Perhaps this point of view became flesh in my sister | 32:30 | |
at the age of seven. | 32:33 | |
During the 30 minutes devoted to religion each day | 32:36 | |
in day school, she was asked the answer | 32:39 | |
to the first question in the shorter catechism. | 32:42 | |
Question is a sober, serious one. | 32:45 | |
What is man's chief end? | 32:49 | |
The answer is magnificent. | 32:53 | |
Man's chief end is to glorify God | 32:56 | |
and enjoy him forever. | 33:00 | |
But that was not my sister's answer. | 33:04 | |
She replied, | 33:08 | |
"Man's chief end is to glorify God | 33:10 | |
and endure him forever." | 33:14 | |
Now she was credaly wrong | 33:19 | |
and substantially right. | 33:21 | |
Scot's Presbyterianism glorifies God | 33:24 | |
but it endures him more than it enjoys him. | 33:28 | |
What's wrong with religion as statutes? | 33:32 | |
It fails to recognize | 33:36 | |
that man should not carry his religion | 33:39 | |
as a burden to be born. | 33:44 | |
His religion | 33:48 | |
should carry him. | 33:50 | |
It's not the highest compliment we can pay a person | 33:53 | |
to say that he keeps the law. | 33:57 | |
It's not the highest compliment we can pay a religion | 34:01 | |
to say that it requires us to keep the law. | 34:04 | |
Religion as statutes may be good but it's not the best. | 34:08 | |
So my reflection moved to a second idea: | 34:14 | |
religion as statutes and songs. | 34:18 | |
There are times and occasions when a religious man, | 34:23 | |
even one who obeys the revealed decrees of God, | 34:26 | |
has to shout, "hallelujah" | 34:30 | |
or run the risk of an inner explosion. | 34:35 | |
Song is present as well as statutes in any vital faith. | 34:38 | |
And then the worshiper raises his Hosannahs, | 34:44 | |
his pains and adoration, | 34:48 | |
is psalms of praise, | 34:50 | |
and Judaism with all its legalism knew this. | 34:53 | |
That is why it put the Psalter | 34:58 | |
alongside the law. | 35:02 | |
The Psalter was the hymn book | 35:05 | |
of the second temple. | 35:08 | |
150th Psalm tells of the joy of that, | 35:10 | |
and we'll sing a paraphrase of that Psalm after the sermon. | 35:14 | |
But you look at the words of that, | 35:19 | |
there's nothing quiet about the music, | 35:20 | |
no soft overtones. | 35:22 | |
It says obvious as a Salvation Army band, | 35:25 | |
and as enthusiastic, | 35:29 | |
Praise of God goes hand in hand with obedience to God. | 35:31 | |
Yes, there is a type of religion | 35:36 | |
which is statutes and songs. | 35:39 | |
When one of the authors of the Bible thought about | 35:43 | |
the creation of the world, | 35:45 | |
he pictured the cornerstone | 35:48 | |
being laid to music. | 35:51 | |
"Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the world, | 35:55 | |
when the morning stars sang together, | 36:00 | |
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" | 36:04 | |
And what was true for the Jew | 36:09 | |
was also true for the Christian. | 36:11 | |
The chapters in Luke telling of the birth of Jesus | 36:14 | |
are filled with hymns. | 36:16 | |
The Magnificat of Mary, | 36:19 | |
the Gloria of the angels, | 36:22 | |
the Benedictus of Zacharias, | 36:25 | |
the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon. | 36:27 | |
The last supper ended with a hymn. | 36:30 | |
And in his picture of the climax of the age | 36:34 | |
in the new Jerusalem, | 36:37 | |
John wrote about those who won the victory for God | 36:39 | |
against the beast, standing having the harps of God | 36:43 | |
and singing the song of Moses | 36:48 | |
and the song of the Lamb. | 36:51 | |
In the Bible, religion in its high moments breaks into song | 36:56 | |
and that it experience has come right down. | 37:01 | |
One of the things that fascinates me, if it's true, | 37:03 | |
and I think it's true, | 37:05 | |
that in the new Roman Catholic hymn book in England, | 37:07 | |
the first Hymn | 37:12 | |
is Martin Luther's "Ein feste Burg." | 37:14 | |
Oh, they'll have to make a saint out of him yet. | 37:20 | |
And John Henry Newman groping his way from a religion | 37:24 | |
which he couldn't entirely accept | 37:28 | |
to one which completely accepted him, | 37:31 | |
wrote "Lead, Kindly Light" | 37:34 | |
amid the encircling gloom, | 37:36 | |
"Lead, Thou Me On." | 37:39 | |
Let me ask you a question. | 37:42 | |
Has there ever been a great American revival preacher | 37:45 | |
who was not accompanied by an able song leader? | 37:49 | |
Billy Sunday and Rodden Heber. | 37:54 | |
Moody and Sankey. | 37:58 | |
Chapman and Alexander. | 38:01 | |
Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea. | 38:04 | |
There's a PhD thesis there | 38:08 | |
for someone who is somewhat adept in the areas of religion, | 38:11 | |
music and social psychology. | 38:15 | |
Let me ask you another question. | 38:19 | |
Do you grasp why a choir, | 38:21 | |
like our choir, is so important? | 38:24 | |
A president of the university of Alabama | 38:29 | |
is reported, now notice I just say reported, | 38:32 | |
to have said that someday he hoped he would have a faculty | 38:36 | |
worthy of the football team. | 38:40 | |
(congregation laughing) | 38:43 | |
Now our problem in the Duke Chapel is to make the pulpit | 38:47 | |
worthy of the choir. | 38:52 | |
One reason we don't have the second anthem before the sermon | 38:54 | |
is that many of you would leave | 38:58 | |
before the interpreted word. | 39:01 | |
And many a time I'd go with you. | 39:04 | |
(congregation laughing) | 39:06 | |
Beware of a religion that doesn't sing | 39:08 | |
the law and the Psalms. | 39:10 | |
The Psalms and the law. | 39:13 | |
Neither without the other. | 39:15 | |
This is typical of the average religion | 39:17 | |
of the average worshiper. | 39:19 | |
He combines statute and song. | 39:21 | |
He unites obedience and praise. | 39:24 | |
Most of us are content with that | 39:28 | |
and it's not a bad balance. | 39:30 | |
But my mind had to move one step further. | 39:33 | |
Because this solution of statutes and songs | 39:38 | |
was not satisfactory to our sermons. | 39:43 | |
Turn back to our text. | 39:47 | |
"Thy statutes are my songs | 39:49 | |
as I journey through the world." | 39:55 | |
The two are identified. | 39:58 | |
Stern, relentless duty has become a hallelujah. | 40:01 | |
His obedience to the will of God | 40:07 | |
is as spontaneous as a song of praise. | 40:10 | |
For him, religion is law set to music. | 40:14 | |
The transformation of legalism into melody. | 40:20 | |
He obeys God and enjoys him. | 40:25 | |
What's happened to the law? | 40:30 | |
Nothing. | 40:32 | |
Still stands inflexible. | 40:34 | |
What's become of the statutes? | 40:37 | |
They're still binding. | 40:39 | |
Personally and socially. | 40:40 | |
Well, what has come over this Psalmist? | 40:42 | |
And now we're asking the right question. | 40:45 | |
He doesn't have the quote, "normal," end of quote, | 40:48 | |
attitude to the law. | 40:53 | |
He doesn't say what's required of him in reluctant, | 40:55 | |
legal phraseology; | 40:58 | |
he's singing the law, it's become a chant. | 41:00 | |
A canticle. | 41:04 | |
A carol. | 41:05 | |
But why? | 41:06 | |
Why? | 41:09 | |
What's come over him? | 41:10 | |
I'm not sure, but I'm willing to hazard a guess. | 41:12 | |
He's grasped what God is trying to do by means of the law. | 41:16 | |
Think of that. | 41:22 | |
He sought to know God, | 41:23 | |
to understand him, | 41:26 | |
to fathom the reason for the law, | 41:28 | |
and the answer has come. | 41:31 | |
God cares for man. | 41:33 | |
That's the reason for the law | 41:37 | |
with its religious requirements and his ethical obligations. | 41:39 | |
It's not a sign of the anger of God. | 41:43 | |
It's not even just a seal of the justice of God. | 41:46 | |
It's a revelation of his mercy. | 41:50 | |
What proof is there? | 41:54 | |
Did you learn the 10 commandments? | 41:57 | |
Somewhere? | 42:00 | |
Sometime? | 42:02 | |
I guess most of you did. | 42:03 | |
Did you ever learn the verse | 42:05 | |
before the 10 commandments? | 42:07 | |
Listen to it. | 42:10 | |
Tells you why a Jew is willing to obey the decalogue. | 42:12 | |
"I am the Lord, your God | 42:17 | |
who brought you out of the land Egypt, | 42:20 | |
out of the house of bondage." | 42:24 | |
And the next word ought to be "therefore." | 42:28 | |
Thou shalt, thou shalt, thou shalt. | 42:32 | |
The God who, in his mercy, delivered them | 42:35 | |
from internment camp | 42:38 | |
has some right to be obeyed and praised | 42:41 | |
in deep gratitude. | 42:45 | |
Is this true for the Christian? Yes. | 42:48 | |
Our Christian faith stems from Judaism. | 42:51 | |
Jesus came to fulfill the law, | 42:54 | |
not to deny it, | 42:58 | |
destroy it. | 43:00 | |
In fact, he summed the law up in one sentence. | 43:01 | |
Love God and your neighbor | 43:04 | |
as much as you love yourself. | 43:08 | |
If you do that, you'll keep the 10 commandments. | 43:12 | |
You'll keep them in spirit | 43:15 | |
if not in letter. | 43:17 | |
We may even hum it | 43:19 | |
or sing it. | 43:21 | |
Because our tuneful obedience | 43:23 | |
is as willing disciples of the God | 43:26 | |
who, in his mercy, delivers. | 43:30 | |
And even in his wrath, forgives. | 43:33 | |
The duty is the same. | 43:37 | |
The motive has changed | 43:40 | |
so that the law itself becomes a song of praise | 43:42 | |
and God and we are in harmony. | 43:47 | |
How are you, each of you, | 43:52 | |
going to travel through life? | 43:55 | |
Will you give a second thought to the Psalmist's suggestion | 43:58 | |
about singing the law? | 44:01 | |
Maybe you'll come to believe in it. | 44:04 | |
Then unlike my small sister, | 44:08 | |
if you are asked, "What is man's chief end?" | 44:11 | |
You'll answer with a lilt in your voice, | 44:14 | |
"Man's chief end | 44:19 | |
is to glorify God | 44:21 | |
and enjoy him forever. | 44:24 | |
Let us pray. | 44:30 | |
Our Father, God, | 44:35 | |
who hast revealed thyself | 44:37 | |
in the word made law | 44:39 | |
for our instruction, | 44:42 | |
and in the word made flesh | 44:45 | |
for our perception. | 44:48 | |
Give us minds to know thee, | 44:51 | |
hearts to love thee, | 44:54 | |
voices to praise thee, | 44:57 | |
and wills to obey thee | 44:59 | |
as we wander through the world. | 45:03 | |
Amen. | 45:08 | |
(organ music) | 45:14 | |
(choir singing) | 45:54 | |
(quiet organ music) | 48:04 | |
(organ music) | 49:49 | |
(choir singing) | 49:56 | |
(choir singing) | 50:53 | |
(organ music) | 51:59 | |
(choir singing) | ||
(organ music) | 53:10 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 53:29 | |
♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ | 53:34 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 53:39 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 53:42 | |
♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly host ♪ | 53:46 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 53:51 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 53:56 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 53:59 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 54:02 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 54:04 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 54:07 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 54:15 | |
- | Oh God, most merciful and gracious, | 54:22 |
of who's bounty we have all received, | 54:25 | |
accept this offering of thy people. | 54:28 | |
Remember in thy love those who have brought it | 54:31 | |
and those for whom it is given. | 54:34 | |
And so follow it with thy blessing | 54:37 | |
that it may promote peace and good will among men | 54:39 | |
and advance the kingdom of our Lord and savior, | 54:43 | |
Jesus Christ. | 54:46 | |
Amen. | 54:48 | |
And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, | 54:50 | |
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God | 54:54 | |
and of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. | 54:58 | |
And the blessing of God, Almighty, | 55:02 | |
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost | 55:04 | |
be amongst you this day and evermore. | 55:08 | |
Amen. | 55:12 | |
(choir singing) | 55:20 | |
(bell ringing) | 56:55 | |
(organ music) | 57:12 |
Item Info
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