Thank you, sir. Good morning, everyone. As I
think everybody knows, Gabe is on vacation. this week and I
saw a picture, Stacia showed me a picture of them this morning
sitting, I think they were drinking coffee and just looked very relaxed,
much more so than I am. A little bit envious there. Brother Cody will be bringing
our message this morning, and William will be bringing Wednesday
night's message, and then Gabe should be back next Sunday. Last
I heard, anyway. If you want, open your Bibles
to Psalm 100. In Revelation 5, 9-10, John recorded,
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests, and we shall reign on the earth. We vainly try to imagine that
singing. We vainly try to imagine the
harmonious voices, all in perfect pitch, perfect tempo, perfect
unity, as one voice with a great range. The greatest performance
on this earth would compare only as noise to that song. Psalm 100, verse one. Make a joyful noise unto the
Lord, all ye lands. Yesterday morning as I was getting
ready, I could hear Audrey in the living room. I couldn't make
out what she was saying, but she was chattering along and
singing. She was happy. And she was making
a joyful noise, and it made my heart glad to hear it. I'm so very thankful. that this
verse says, make a joyful noise. I can make a joyful noise. When
I compare myself to that heavenly host, noise, it's all I am. When I compare myself to my brothers
and sisters in Christ who I look to and think How sweetly they
speak of our Lord. How easily they sang his praises. How well they lead in prayer.
And I compare myself to them and I think, just noise. It's all I can do. Thank God
he is pleased to enable us to make a joyful noise. Who decides
what noise is? Who decides what a joyful noise
is? There are sounds and pitches
that cause most of us to cringe, such as fingernails being dragged
across a blackboard. But some noises are defined by
who hears them. Take, for instance, a crying
child. In so many instances, that crying child is noise, even
to their parents. But sometimes, a crying child
is a sweet noise. There were times when the kids
were little that Stacia would leave the house, and I would
be left with the kids. And as she was leaving, and the
kids realized she was leaving, there would be a crying session. It was a brief period of time
that this would happen, and for me, the parent left behind with
the crying kids, it was a bit annoying, but there was a sweetness
about it as well. In the tears, of that child crying
after their mother. You have wrapped up in it. I
love my mama. I don't want her to leave. I
don't want to be alone. Please stay with me. That noise was a joyful noise. As a father, I've heard many
joyful noises in our house that others could hear and think,
how on earth do you bear that noise? That ruckus, that racket
would drive me insane. Well, many times in our household, Events that occurred at other
households that are just the normal development of a child. Normal stage that a child goes
through. They were insignificant events
in those households. But in our household, Audrey might have worked very
hard to accomplish whatever it is that is making that noise. And because she had worked so
hard for it and had finally obtained it, that noise that would generally
just cause you to cringe That noise was a wonderful, sweet
sound for our household to hear. As Gabe was concluding his message
Wednesday night, my thoughts were turned to consider our Heavenly
Father, how very patient He is with us and all our noise, and
I wondered Do I make a joyful noise unto the Lord? What does
he consider a joyful noise? Is joyful noise just happy noise? I just touched on how our noise
is defined by who hears it. How you react to it is defined
by what you know of that person. While we are in this sinful flesh,
while we inhabit this body of death, can we expect to produce
anything other than noise before our Lord, before the Holy One
of Israel? We, whose imagination of the
heart, that inward person, is only evil continually, We, even
when we are able to have a moment of worship and praise, we readily
confess, Lord, forgive me. You are worthy of so much more
than I can give. Just noise. Sin, sin is what
I am, sin is what I do, and sin taints even my worship. If it weren't for the intervening
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, anything, praying, singing, preaching,
reading God's word, anything I do condemns me. Without Christ
Jesus, my doing, praying, singing would be noise falling on holy
ears to be removed. This is our natural condition,
but thank God As a loving father, he predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. Now, in our
Lord Jesus Christ, our noise, our noise, noise to ourselves,
noise to those around us, our noise has been made joyful noise
unto our father. For the rest of the service this
morning, I just want us to look at some of the noises that have
been recorded in scripture for us. Some noises that I believe
the Lord has made joyful noises for himself. And the first example that occurred
to me as I thought on this was the noise of silence. Turn with
me to Genesis 18, and we're going to turn quite a bit this morning,
so you don't need to hold your place anywhere. Genesis chapter
18. Genesis 18, we'll start reading
in verse 22, but in the preceding verses, the Lord had told Abraham
he would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. And starting in verse 22, we
have Abraham interceding for them. Genesis 18, 22. And the men turned their faces
from thence and went towards Sodom. But Abraham stood yet
before the Lord. And Abraham drew near and said,
wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure,
there be 50 righteous within the city. Wilt thou also destroy
and not spare the place for the 50 righteous that are therein?
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous
with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the wicked,
that be far from thee, shall not the judge of all the earth
do right? And Abraham continued pleading
through verse 32. Now look over at Genesis 19 verse
24. Genesis 19, 24. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom
and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
And he overthrew those cities and all the plain and all the
inhabitants of the city and that which grew upon the ground. Verse 27, and Abraham got up
early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord.
And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the
land of the plain, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country
went up as the smoke of a furnace." As far as we know from this account,
Abraham didn't know if Lot had been spared from the destruction
or not. I'm sure his heart broke. supposing
that his nephew had fallen. But Abraham held his peace, silently
submitting and knowing the Lord of all the earth had done right. Now turn over to 2 Samuel 12.
2 Samuel 12, beginning in verse
18. 2 Samuel 12, verse 18. And it came to pass on the seventh
day that the child died. And the servants of David feared
to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, behold,
While the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would
not hearken unto our voice. How will he then vex himself
if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that
his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was
dead. Therefore, David said unto his
servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then
David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and
changed his apparel and came into the house of the Lord and
worshiped. Then he came to his own house
and when he required, they set bread before him and he did eat.
Then said his servants unto him, what thing is this that thou
hast done? Thou didst fast and weep for
the child while it was alive. But when the child was dead,
thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, while the child
was yet alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, who can tell whether
God will be gracious to me that the child may live? But now he
is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I
shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. when the weight of our sin comes
upon us, when we realize what we are, what we've done, what
we deserve, when we witness God's justice carried out, and our
hearts grieve and are broken. Oh, may God give us the grace
to bow and worship in silence, making a joyful noise unto the
Lord, acknowledging the judge of all the earth does right. Another joyful noise. Turn to
Job, Job chapter one. Job chapter 1 beginning in verse
20. Job, his children and his livelihood
being destroyed in a day, arose and rent his mantle and shaved
his head. He grieved, his heart broken
and he grieved. And he fell down upon the ground
and worshiped. and said, naked came I out of
my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Now turn over to 1 Samuel 3.
1 Samuel 3. Excuse me. 1 Samuel 3, verse 11. And the Lord said to Samuel,
Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears
of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. 1 Samuel 3, 12. In that day, I will perform against
Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house. When I
begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will
judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth, because
his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not. And
therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity
of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. And Samuel lay until the morning
and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared
to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel and said,
Samuel, my son? And he answered, here am I. And
he said, what is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee?
I pray thee, hide it not from me. God do so to thee, and more
also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he
said unto thee. And Samuel told him every wit,
and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, it is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. Both Job and Eli bowed to and
worshipped God as he is, the sovereign king, who does according
to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth. We make a joyful noise unto the
Lord in bowing to our sovereign king. The next example is perhaps the
sweetest noise ever muttered by a sinful man. Turn to Matthew
14. Matthew 14, beginning in verse
28. And Peter answered him and said,
Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he
said, come. And when Peter was come down
out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But
when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. And beginning
to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. over the page to chapter
15, verse 22. And behold, a woman of Canaan
came out of the same coast and cried unto him, saying, Have
mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David. My daughter is grievously
vexed with the devil. But he answered her not a word,
and his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away. For she crieth after us. But
he answered and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, help me. Lord, save me. Lord, help me. What a sweet, delightful cry. when the Lord causes a person
to know their true condition and gives them a heart to cry
out to the only one who can save. As parents, there are circumstances
in which we watch our children, and we know the outcome. We know
they're going to fail. They're doing something, and
we're watching them, and we know failure is coming. But for that
child's good, we have to let it play out. They've got to learn, and the
only way for them to learn is to go through it. Then when the failure comes,
And the child turns their eyes to you and says, help me. We're there immediately. Those sweet words, sometimes
not even words. Sometimes it's just a noise.
Help me. Those words say, I trust you. I need you and I know you're
able to help me. One final example, John chapter
21. John 21, beginning in verse 15. So when they had dined, Jesus
saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these? He saith unto him, yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second
time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, yea,
Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, feed
my sheep. He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because
he said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? And he said unto
him, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him, feed my sheep. Lord, thou knowest all
things. The child of God knows My heart
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can
know it? Because we have been made to
know the nature of our hearts, because God has revealed to us
what we are, we cry out with Peter and David, search me, oh
God. and know my heart. Try me and
know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead
me in the way everlasting. Those were some examples I thought
of that are noises we make, noises that are made joyful if Christ
dwells in us. But how does he make these noises
joyful? How does the noise of a sinful
man be made to be a joyful noise unto the Lord? Only because God
the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, being manifested in the flesh
for the joy that was set before him, he himself made joyful noise
on our behalf. In Luke 23, as our Lord hung
upon the tree, after being beaten, his tongue, as recorded in Psalm
22, cleaving to his jaws, our Lord makes a joyful noise as
he prays, Father, forgive them, even as he shed his precious
blood. Then, in the three hours of darkness,
just as Abraham and Isaac went up the mount to worship alone,
God the Father and God the Son concluded their covenant alone. There in the darkness, our precious
Savior, bearing our sins, endured as absolute justice fell upon
him, the wrath of God. And at the ninth hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,
which is being interpreted, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Why was he forsaken? Surely he
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. but he was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Turn one last
time over to John 19. John 19, verse 28. After this,
Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the scriptures might be fulfilled, saith I thirst, skip
to verse 30. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. It is finished. Salvation is
done. The Lord Jesus Christ, in living
for us, in keeping the law as a man, in taking and burying
our sin and iniquity in his body on the tree, in suffering the
death, and my sins are due, he put them away in the tomb. And
he arose that he might clothe those he saved in his righteousness. Because he ever liveth, making
intercession for us, our Heavenly Father hears the noises we make,
and those noises are made joyful noises, because our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ maketh joyful noises unto the Lord. Do we make
a joyful noise unto the Lord? We do if we bow before him as
the one true and living God, the one who does all things well,
our sovereign King. And if we look to, rest in, and
trust our Lord Jesus Christ alone. For he is made unto us all and
in all. Amen.