"Don't worry about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!" "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth." But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!" -- 1Samuel 17: 33-37 (NLT)
King Saul and all the fighting men of Israel were cowering in fear before the nine foot tall Goliath. David said -- The Lord -- The Lord -- The Lord. His new song focused on praise to God not how big his problems looked. He magnified the Lord and his problems shrunk before Him. That is the first lesson to consider today. What message are we sending the world with the songs our lives sing? We are saved by the blood of the Lamb and are living the eternal life now but is our song still singing the blues? What do we focus on? The fact that we serve the creator of everything in existence or the petty giants before us? Do we magnify the fact that the God who spoke the universe into existence has said He is working all things out for our good or do we magnify the pitiful giants the enemy shows us standing in the way of the land God has promised to us? Even if we love the misery we need to magnify God and sing a new song because of the second truth from the key verses. People will be watching.
David says it plainly for us -- many will see what He has done and be amazed. I know it is hard to worry about other people because we live in such a me-centric society but once we are saved our lives are no longer about us. One of the fundamental problems in American Christianity today is that too often people try to fit Christ into their lives instead of making their lives about Christ. The problem with the former is that you are still the focal point of your life. Your wants and needs. Your shortcomings and foibles. Your insecurities and fear of giants. God is not magnified in that life; there is no new song. But when your life becomes about Christ then you unleash His power in your life. You begin to see things from an eternal perspective. Let's take a look at the perspective of Peter. Peter walked directly with Jesus for his entire three year ministry. Despite this, the Peter in the Gospels is radically different then the Peter in the Book of Acts. What turned the man who would deny even knowing Christ three times into the man who demanded to be crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy enough to die like his Lord? Perspective. Here was Peter trying to fit Christ into his life:
From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!" Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's." -- Matthew 16: 21-23 (NLT)
Peter had his own version of what the Messiah was going to do. In Peter's mind the Messiah was going to deliver the Jewish people from the oppression of Rome. Jesus however came to deliver mankind from the oppression of sin. When Jesus starts explaining the plan of God Peter simply didn't like it because it did not fit into what he thought he wanted. Later on when Jesus was arrested, Peter would deny even knowing him, despite being warned by Jesus that he would do so. Do we sing a similar song with our lives today? Are we essentially denying Christ in our workplace? To our family? In social settings? What song does our life sing to others? Are we trying to fit Christ into our lives or have we made our life about Christ? People are watching beloved and the result is life-saving!
The last lesson is the importance of singing a new song for the kingdom. Not only are people watching but they will put their trust in the Lord because of your new song! That is what holds eternal value. That when you get to heaven there will be people there specifically because of the life you led. The Holy Spirit convicts and it is only God who can save but He uses yielded vessels such as us to accomplish His will. I know who He sent into my life to bring me to the cross; it was my friend Anne. She never seemed to complain. Her life was always singing a new song despite what were not always sunny situations. She understood the God she served and she represented Him well. Jesus taught:
"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. -- Matthew 5: 14-16 (NLT)
Why let everyone see the light inside of you? So that everyone will praise God! So that everyone will sing a new song! Remember the heart of God is that none would perish:
The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. -- 2Peter 3: 9 (NLT)
