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by Sandy Shaw
Psalm 98 – Sing to the Lord a new song. Repetition is one of the best ways of learning. Do you recall the value of having learned the tables at school? Recapitulation of the last lesson - and for various reasons - to see how things flow - to see something of the logical way God has had His Holy Word prepared and presented to us - so that we can be given a solid grasp of those truths which are central - which lie at the very core.
Sing to the Lord a new song. Why? For he has done marvellous things - His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.
In the light of Jesus Christ - it is as if God the Father handed down Jesus to us - to be where we were - to be where we are. It is as if His long arm of mercy and might reached down and said to the world - "There you are - have what you so need to heal you - to forgive you - to rescue you - to lead you - to guide you - to hold on to you when you feel you are about to sink and drown." Whatever it might be - His arm of mercy and might - stretched down to where we are.
His arm held back the waters of the Red Sea. Our God has never required the aid of others. He can do things by His arm alone.
Verse 2 – The Lord has made His salvation known - how? Through Israel - through what He had been doing over the years in Israel - giving them judges and prophets - and now a king like David - even when this was not the way God wanted Israel to live.
God never intended Israel to have a king. He would have been their guide and leader and authority - but they cried out for a king - so that they could be like the other nations - and God permitted it. We have to be very careful that we do not settle for second best in God.
Through the Holy Spirit, He has good gifts for us His people - but frequently we can settle for second best. And if we will not receive His gift - HE will not force it upon us. Again - that is a mystery we have to accept.
God has made His salvation known through Jesus - He reveals all that needs to be revealed. He shows Israel a dried up seabed and says - "Cross it" - with walls of water at either side. He shows men a Cross - and an empty tomb - and a band of anointed disciples - and says to them FOLLOW ME - CHOOSE.
Which will you have - your own selfish self-centred ways in your sin - or MY WAY whereby you are washed and filled and loved.
And He gives the simplest of instruction - Repent - Believe - be Baptised in water - Receive and be filled with the Holy Spirit. So simple. That is how men and women came into the Church of Jesus Christ – and I know of no other way – do you?
Compare the instructions of some modern appliances - video recorders - building from a flat pack - they can be so complicated. God's instructions are so simple. You know exactly what He is saying - the problem comes in obeying His simple word.
Verse 3 – What this verse says to me is - through Israel the whole world has seen something of what our God can do. People know there is a God. We see this so often when a crisis arises - when there is a disaster - when a real problem crops up - and if people do not experience the reality of Jesus Christ - then once the crisis passes, their seeking after God will diminish - and/or they will turn to a false god.
Would it be true to say that people only turn to a false god because they have never encountered the real and living and loving Lord Jesus Christ?
The problem is not God's - He has done all he can to reveal Himself in such a way as to allow men the right to chooses to follow Him or reject Him.
One of the most astounding and astonishing books I read last year was based on Matthew 12verses 43to 45 and Luke 11verses 24to 26 . An unclean spirit is gone out of a man, but it finds no place to rest. It returns to the house from which it left and finds that house unoccupied, swept clean and now with everything in order. It goes and finds seven other spirits more wicked than itself – worse than itself – and they all go and live there. The final condition is worse than it was at the start.
Might this not be an amazing insight as to what has happened to our society over these past 50 or so years?
Jesus is not simply speaking about a man in the Matthew passage – Jesus speaks about a generation – the serious condition of a community – how morality once again deteriorates and declines. These verses help answer many questions.
“Almighty God – our loving heavenly Father – help us to understand what has been going on in our world – in our society over these past years – as men have moved far away from Your Holy Word – and almost insignificantly and silently immorality has invaded the hearts and minds of millions. Only by Your Holy Spirit can this be reversed and bad legislation withdrawn – so help us as we pray in Jesus Name.” Amen.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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