Turn back to where we read in
that 40th Psalm. I call this the new psalm for
the new year. And if you notice Here in that
40th Psalm, that Psalm of David, as is said elsewhere throughout
the Scriptures, God promises to make all things new. Some of those new things would
be that the new covenant, the new creation, the new birth, the new heavens, and a new earth. But here David speaks of a new
Psalm. Look in verse 3. And He hath
put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it, and fear,
and shall trust in the Lord." Now any time that we speak of
a song in our day, We have to distinguish. This is not the song that is
sung by most religionists in our day. It most certainly is not the
song of so-called gospel music. If you take your Bible and look
at the lyrics of most gospel songs, what you find out is they're
missing that critical element. There's no gospel in them. And it's not those fleshly, blasphemous,
unscriptural songs which are most of all void of the main
theme of the Scriptures, void of the gospel of God's free
and sovereign grace in Christ. They call it worship, but God
is only worshipped in spirit and in truth. They have a zeal. They have a
zeal, as Paul said, toward God. But it is not according to knowledge. And it is sung for the most part
by natural men and women to natural men and women, who the Scriptures
say, receive not the things of God, for they are spiritually
discerned." The things of Christ are spiritual. The worship of Christ is spiritual. And so this song that he describes,
distinguishing it from all others, is a new song And it is the song
that Paul speaks of in places like Ephesians 5. It is for the
most part a song of the heart and of the mind. And it is a
song to God. If you look back at verse 3,
it says, "...even praise unto our God." So Paul says to the church at
Ephesus, "'Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what
the will of the Lord is, and be not drunk with wine wherein
is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.'" speaking to yourselves
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And virtually the same thing
in Colossians when he writes, "...let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing of one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord." singing with grace in the heart
to the Lord. And you don't have to read very
far to find out who the author is of this new song. Find out where it comes from. If you look back in verse 3 again,
it says, and He hath put a new song in
my mouth." That is, God is its author, it is this heavenly song,
and He has put it in the hearts and in the minds and therefore
the mouths of His people. And whatever it be, however it
be expressed, it is undoubtedly the gospel. The gospel. Look again at verse
3. He goes on to say, "...many shall
see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." This isn't something
merely for the ear, it's something for the heart. This is a word,
the gospel being called glad tidings. And it is a very exclusive
psalm, the one he speaks of, given only to the Lord's people,
and known only, and sung only by them. A psalm came to my mind,
Psalm 89, where he said this, "...Blessed is the people that
know the joyful sound." This sound brings joy to their
hearts and their minds. This is a song that goes beyond
fleshly entertainment or anything like this. This is a song that
belongs to those who have been blessed of the Lord, His people,
His chosen ones. Blessed is the people that know
the joyful sound. Turn over to Revelation chapter
14. And listen to what John is led
to write in John chapter 14. These are all visions that John
is given that hold elect company the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He says, And I looked, and lo,
a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty
and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their
foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven,
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder,
and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps, and
they sung as it were a new song. They sung, as it were, a new
song before the throne and before the four beasts and the elders,
and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and
four thousand which were redeemed from the earth. You see, if you notice something
that is distinguishing about them, He identifies them as having
been marked by the Father. They have the Father's name. They are His people. And they have been distinguished
by His grace, as that old hymn writer said, those marks of indelible
grace. He has marked them, chosen them,
and purposed to bless them. He's given them this new song. And no one knows this song but
them. They know and they sing a song
that neither devil or angel, fallen or unfallen, not even
those angels that did not fall know this song. Nor does any
unbelieving man or woman on earth know." As a matter of fact, they
are described here as having been redeemed from the earth. They are in this world, but as
Christ said, they are not of this world. And the song that
they sing, and the God that they praise, and the Christ that they
worship, and the hope that they possess is foreign to this world,
especially to the religious of this world. But that's the will of God. Because
as Christ says in Matthew 11, It says, "...I thank Thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in Thy sight." All things are delivered unto me of my Father,
and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither knoweth any
man the Father, save the Son. And he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal Him." So it's like the psalmist says
in another place. He says, "...praise ye the Lord,
and sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation
of saints." These people have not only been given this song,
but this song involves the reason that they have for singing. The reason that they find this,
the joyful sound. The reason that they find this,
a thing to rejoice in. Because it's the song of redemption. God pictured this for us in the
Old Testament where we find the first mention of a song or singing
in Exodus chapter 15. Turn back to Exodus 15. Because it begins, this 15th
chapter begins on an occasion where it says, "...then sang
Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord." and
spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
gloriously. The horse and his rider hath
he thrown into the sea." This is something about a victory. It is something about a warfare
that has been accomplished by God, a rescue, a redemption and
deliverance By God alone. The Lord is my strength and song,
and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare
Him in habitation, my Father's God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war. That's
kind of foreign to our day. or unto what men think concerning
God. The Lord is a man of war. The
Lord is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host
hath he cast into the sea. His chosen captains also are
drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them.
They sank into the bottom as a stone. And Thy right hand,
O Lord, is become glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord,
hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of Thine
excellency, Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against Thee,
which Thou sendest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as
stubble, and with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were
gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and
the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea." The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil. My lust shall be satisfied upon
them. I will draw my sword, my hand
shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind,
and the sea covered them, and they sank as lead into mighty
waters." What a strange song that is. But it was a reason for these
people to rejoice. Who is like unto thee, O Lord,
among the gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious
in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretcheth
out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy
hath led forth the people which thou hast redeemed. This is all
about redemption. They've been redeemed from the
captivity and the slavery and bondage of Egypt. And it is the
Lord Himself who single-handedly, without their help, has redeemed
them, delivered them. Thou hast guided them in thy
strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear and be
afraid. Sorrow shall take hold on the
inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Eden shall
be amazed. The mighty men of Moab trembling
shall take hold upon them. All the inhabitants of Canaan
shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon
them. By the greatness of thine arm
they shall be as still as a stone till thy people pass over." O
LORD, till thy people pass over which thou hast purchased." This
is about the redemption of a purchased people. Thou shalt bring them
in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the
place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in
the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign forever
and ever." You see, this is a spiritual
picture, and this is representative of a spiritual song, because
most of those who actually participated in the literal singing of those
words, they died in unbelief. They did. And likewise, those
who would stand and they'll sing the actual words, maybe even
word for word of the Psalms, they can also sing them without
any understanding of them. Why? Because they're all about
Christ. And they must be revealed to
our hearts. They sang, so many of them, this
song of redemption, and they died in their sins. Many will
be sticklers about how we are to sing in public worship. They
may get it right by the letter, but if they don't know Christ,
they don't have any real reason to sing. You see, theirs was
a physical redemption. But that redemption that is in
Christ is a spiritual redemption, that eternal redemption which
Christ has obtained by the shedding of His blood and also by the
delivering power of God's Spirit. That's what these were picturing.
And that's what this song was picturing. And when you hear
John speak of this company, he says this in Revelation 15, And
they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song
of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are
thy works. And my friends, if you think,
which they really were, if you think the work that God did in
delivering this earthly people out of Egypt into the land of
promise by all these miraculous things that He did, if you think
that that work was great, They are nothing to compare to
the work of spiritual redemption. Because the song of the Lamb
goes, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are all Thy ways,
Thou King of Saints! Now isn't it amazing that such
a psalm, such a talking about God's marvelous work, such an
ascribing to Him, all this glory, it would be centered around this
fact. Just and true are thy ways. just and true are thy ways."
In other words, this song has to do with this work, this deliverance
and redemption that God has accomplished in Jesus Christ and at the same
time remained just and true. He wasn't just and true just
when He punished those Egyptians. He wasn't just and true when
He punished those Canaanitish people. He wasn't just and true
only when He dealt with Belshazzar and others like Him. He was just
and true in the saving of all His people. His redemption is
just. and true. That's His glory. And though it is described here
as a new song, it is in truth as old as God's purpose, His
eternal purpose. Though it's called a new song
because it is, in the matter of God's revelation, a newly
revealed thing, it is really the oldest song. It was a song before there was
ever a sinner saved to sing it, to know it, to feel the joy of
it in their hearts. It is newly revealed, and not
only that, it is a song that never gets old to them. I'll
never get tired of hearing about that redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. I don't ever get tired of ascribing
to God in light of how He has saved me in His Son's cross death. I don't ever tire of ascribing
to Him in view of that, that just and true are His ways. Because there'd be nothing to
sing about if that was not the case. You
know that? If God sought to save us in a way in
which He was not just, that is, just in the punishment of our
sin, and at the same time true to Himself, not only would we
not be really saved, He'd cease to be God. Isn't it a wonderful thing? That
being the sinners we are, and God being the Holy One of eternity,
that He is the Just One, that we can sing joyfully in our heart,
know and rejoice in our minds and heart concerning how He has
saved us, and yet say He has been just and true in the doing
of it. You see, the new song gives all
glory and all praise to God alone. The psalmist says, O sing unto
the Lord a new song, for He hath done marvelous things. His right
hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory. Who did it? He did it. And none sing this song but the
redeemed, and they sing of who and how God redeemed them, the
song of redeeming love through the blood and the righteousness
of Christ the Lamb." And when do they have reason
to sing? when they are brought to the
knowledge that He has accomplished all on their behalf and taken
the throne. Look back over in Revelation
again in chapter 5. This is a marvelous chapter of
Scripture here. Revelation chapter 5 and look
beginning in verse 1. You see, the reason why John
was shown these things by our God was so that He might write
them down for us, for His people. John says, "...and I saw in the
right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within,
and on the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong
angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open
the book and to loose the seals thereof?" And no man in heaven? nor in
earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look thereon." And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not. Behold, the line of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo,
in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb." as it had been slain, or as it
says, a lamb that is newly slain. having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the
earth. And he came and took the book
out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And
when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty
elders fell down before the throne, having every one of them harps
and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the
saints, and they sung a new song. You see, what you'll find out
in the Bible is that none of the Lord's people ever sing a
song until there's a reason to sing. A good reason to sing. Why? Because the Lord inhabits the
praise of His people. Our rejoicing Our joy arises
out of something that He has revealed to us and shown us concerning
how He has redeemed us. How He has saved us. Now look back in verse 9. They
sung a new song. saying, Thou art worthy to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof." Now what book or books
is it that is being spoken of here? Well, it shows us that
Christ the Lamb... Now, there's so many characters
that could be used to speak of Christ, wouldn't you say? In
another place, He's called the King of Saints, and Lord of Lords,
and King of Kings, just a host of things. But where does our
rejoicing about Christ come in? Is Christ in His redemptive character? It's Christ as the Lamb slain. It's Christ that is pictured
here in this lamp. It's Christ the Lamb in whom
all of God's decrees and purposes and covenant grace in salvation
are fulfilled. All the books. The book of life. All the book of God's decrees
and purposes of grace, they're all in Christ. He is the one
who unfolds them all. Not only accomplishing them,
but revealing them to those He saves. There's no worthiness
in us. But look at what it says. Thou
art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof. Why? What made him worthy to open
these books? Because thou was slain. Because you were slain. You know the Lord Jesus so voluntarily,
willingly laid down His life for the sheep. There is no doubt
of His willingness, His freely giving of Himself as the Savior
and substitute of His people. But it says that He was slain.
You were slain. Who slew this Lamb? God did. He commands the sword of His
justice to rise up and smite The shepherd. When Christ hangs there on that
tree as the Redeemer of His people, with all the purpose and plants
and gifts and decrees of God hanging on this one man's head,
the one thing that showed Him to be the Mediator of the covenant,
His blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant, and Himself the testator
of the New Testament, is the fact that God in our place takes
Him and slays Him. That's why He cries out, My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? You know He knew why. You know
the Father knew why. But it's our joy and our blessing
when we find out why. Thou was slain. You wasn't just
a pretty lamb. You wasn't God's mascot for all
eternity. You're the Lamb of God that takes
away sin. Thou was slain. He died. And He is not dead now,
He is raised from the grave, having conquered death, hell
in the grave. So this living Lamb, they ascribe
praise to Him because He was slain. He's not slain now. Do you ever notice how all the man-made
holidays modern so-called Christianity,
they all picture Christ as helpless. Little baby Jesus. The man hanging there on that
cross, dead with his head slumped over. But He's not dead, my friends.
The Good News is the One who stood in our place and who died
for our sins. God accepted His blood. He accepted that perfect life
in our place. And by virtue of having accepted
it, He's raised up from the dead. Thou was slain. But not only that, but in that
death, He says, "...and has redeemed us." Now the glory of this is, He's
not waiting for us to do something before that can be sung in praise
to Him. When He was in the decrees and
purposes of God, taken and slain, He redeemed us. He redeemed us. You know, most people think that
He made us redeemable. It's as if the Lord Jesus Christ
hung on that cross and as a result of that death, God passes out
coupons. And all you've got to do in order
for that redemption to be effectual to you, you've got to redeem
your coupon. No. He redeemed us. And I'll tell you what, that
soul that's quickened by the Spirit of God can ponder on that
thought and if they will surely find reason in their heart to
sing and praise and thank God. Thank God that you did not simply
make redemption possible or available. You actually redeemed us. That word, redeem, means purchase. It's to buy back as a slave,
off the slave market, to redeem from bondage and ruin. Like Boaz,
who is the kinsman redeemer, went down to the city gate and
he actually redeemed Ruth. In Revelation 14 it says, "...these
are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which follow the
Lamb, whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among
men, being the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb." These were
redeemed. You know, if the Lord presses
to our hearts the truth of His Word, If He enables us to believe what
He tells us in His Gospel, we can't help but rejoice. He says of Himself in Matthew
20, even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister and to give His life a ransom, a ransom price for
many. That's what he came to do. Matthew
26, he said, "...for this is my blood of the New Testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins." That's what the Lord's people
have to sing about. That's what their heart song
is all about. They're rejoicing. In Acts 20, Paul says to the
Ephesian elders, "...take heed therefore unto yourselves and
to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,
to feed the church of God which He hath purchased, redeemed with
His own blood." That's why the Lord Jesus Christ's
blood can be the redemption price for a multitude of sinners, because
it's the blood of God. to the Romans, Paul writes, being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His
righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness,
that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus." Just and true are His ways. Paul to the Corinthians in chapter
6 says, For you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God
in your body and in your spirit which are God's. Is that our
song? Is that sweet to us? Does that make us, in our sad
times, though we can't see any other
reason to sing, don't feel any reason for joy in our hearts,
but yet that one thing is still unchangeable. still
the source of all our true comfort and joy and rejoicing. We can't
rejoice in anything else, but we can rejoice in the most important
thing of all. Again to the Corinthians, you
are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men. To the
Ephesians, speaking of Christ, in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of all our sins
according to the riches of His grace. And to the Colossians, in whom
we have redemption. through His blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. To Titus, who gave Himself for
us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto
Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Is that us? And to Peter, For as much as
you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot. Back to that ninth verse in Revelation
5. He said, Thou hast redeemed us
to God. Redeemed us to God. And redeemed
us by Thy blood. That's what the price was. That's
the price of redemption. And the witness of accomplished
redemption was the blood. I've read some articles in which
a preacher wrote a number of good articles on the blood of
Christ. I'm waiting for one article. And that is, who was the blood
shed for? Because everything is really
general. Not really accomplished. until
we find out who the blood was shed for. It was for the sheep. For the transgressions of my
people, the Messiah said, was He stricken. And has redeemed us to God by
Thy blood out of Now those two words right there, if we didn't
have anything else, we'd know that universal redemption is
non-existent. This people, they were redeemed
out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. He didn't redeem all. Just like
He didn't in this picture of redemption there in Exodus, He
didn't redeem all those Egyptians and Hivites and Hittites and
everything else. He redeems His people. I want
to be found among His people. And He made us unto our God, kings and priests. and we shall
reign on the earth." He's made us a kingdom of priests, or king-priests, and we shall
reign on the earth. Because grace has reigned under
righteousness, We shall reign on the earth. And so here's the prophecy in
Isaiah 51. Therefore the redeemed of the
Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion, And everlasting
joy shall be upon their head, they shall obtain gladness and
joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away." They're not
singing a funeral dirge, they're singing a hymn of joy and rejoicing. And every redeemed one, they're going to be brought to
the Lord's church. brought to that believing people
that He's ordained, that they would be found associating with,
they're going to come with rejoicing. And they'll be singing, not with some melodic voice,
but in their hearts, the song of redemption. Praise to Christ. because He
redeemed us by His blood out of a mass of humanity that
God was pleased to leave in their sins. Father, to this day, we come to praise You and to
thank You that You have saved us. and not we ourselves. But the blood that was required
for our redemption could only be shed by the God-man. The justice
that had to be satisfied in the matter of our sin could only
be satisfied by perfect blood, perfect death. And we thank you
and we rejoice that you're redeeming love and redeeming grace through
Christ Jesus our Lord. We acknowledge Him as our Redeemer.
Thank you in Him. Praise the Godhead in Him. We pray that you might bring
these truths, these thoughts to our hearts and minds every
day that our tongues of rejoicing and praising and telling others
what great things and marvelous works You've done for us might
never cease. Help us, we pray, in all things,
for we ask it all in Christ Jesus. Amen.