The Reality Of The New Song

Just make sure you want to just grind your heel

just a little bit more in his head. I don't know

if you can hear. I can hear myself good. If nobody

else is going to hear it, I'm going to hear some

good preaching. My answers are hot today. So

they're going to work on it, and we'll get it

the best we can. I want to thank some fellows

for being here this morning on the front row,

some of our first responders. Amen. Guys, thank

you for... Taking time out to be with us today.

Thank you so much. Trust by the time you leave

here, you'll have been honored to be in the house

of the Lord. You honor us with your presence,

so thank you very much. If they have to slip

out, it's because they get in a call, and it's

nobody down in the foyer. Could be around here.

You never know. It happens, doesn't it? I guess

let's look at Isaiah one more time, 43. You do

realize it takes 21 times repeating something

for it to be ingrained and become a habit. And

I'm not going to preach this text for 21 Sundays,

I don't think. But we're going to hit it again

a little bit. Because it's where we're drawing

our emphasis for the remainder of the year. And

it's good to be reminded that God's desire is

to do new things in our life. Amen? So we'll

look at Isaiah 43, 18 and 19. Remember ye not

the former things. I think this is just as important

as looking for the new. Matter of fact, you're

not going to receive the new until you get the

past out of your mind. That's the reason he mentions

his first. Remember ye not the former things,

neither consider the things of old. Behold, I

will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth.

Shall you not know it? I will even make a way

in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. This

morning, with the help of the Lord, we're going

to continue that. Behold a new thing. But the

thought I want to put with that this morning

is the reality of the new song. The reality of

the new song. I know sometimes in church, we

do not like new songs. We don't. You don't like

new songs. You shut down on a new song, mainly

because you don't know it. And sometimes it takes

a little bit to get to it, right, to get it in.

But I think the Lord appreciates a new song.

How do you know that, preacher? I'm going to

tell you right here in just a minute. Because

he's the one that gives the new song. Amen. He

provides for us a new song. So the reality of

the new song. Father, I love you today. Thank

you so much for your goodness and your mercy

and the abundance of your love. And Lord has

already stated what grace that you bestow upon

us. There's no limit to that grace. It's grace

to grace, grace upon grace, like waves upon the

shore. They just roll in and they roll out and

they continue to roll. There's no end. There's

no limit to your grace. So touch us today. Help

us this morning. And Father, we'll be quick to

praise you for it all as we look forward to the

reality of a new song. To you be praise forever.

In Christ's name, the church say it. Amen and

amen. You can be seated. Just a reminder, we're

talking about things and new things and that

thing that cannot, you wish not, the object that

you desire not to put a particular label on.

There are some things in life that I don't want

to label because I don't want to see it again.

I just don't want things like that just continue

to reoccur in my life. So we're talking about

these new things. And last week we talked about

some of those principles and the ideas of how

we align and know what it is that God knows for

us. If you remember the Lord Jeremiah through

his prophet said, I know the thoughts that I

have towards you saith God, right? The things

that I have concerning you, they're good things,

things of hope with an expected end to them.

So whatever may be transpiring in your life right

now, know that that's not the end of the matter.

If it's good, trouble's on its way. If it's bad,

good is going to find you. Amen? One of my favorite

phrases of Scripture is that it too shall come

to pass. Amen. That's one of my favorite phrases.

I want some things to pass on by and leave and

move on out. And when we think about the principles

of accessing the new thing, remember we talked

about prioritizing the word. The word of God

is the hope of life for my and your soul. It's

the hope of this life and life eternal in God.

Amen. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by

the word of God. Amen. We're not going to make

it through this world. to make it through this

existence without faith in God and a way that

our faith is strengthened and built is when we

prioritize the word of God it's not what some

preacher says it's not what necessarily this

preacher says or anyone else it's what thus saith

the Lord. That's the final line, right? That's

where we stop. So we access new things by prioritizing

the Word of God. We do so by just unrestricted

obedience. If the Lord is speaking to you, I'm

telling you you've got to do everything the Lord

says the way the Lord says. Jericho's walls don't

fall unless the people keep their mouths shut

and they march every time around, right? That's

the only way. Tell them not to speak a word.

I don't want to even hear a whisper. I want them

to go around once for six days, and on the seventh

day, you take seven trips around. And when I

tell you, sound the trumpet and lift up a shout.

Do not say a word until then. If you want to

avoid the power and the promise of God, just

do exactly opposite of what he tells you to do.

But if you want to access the promise of God,

then you do exactly as he has stated, the way

he says it, and you just do that in your life.

Amen? And the power of God then becomes revealed.

Shout when he says shout, when you trumpet when

he says trumpet. Walls fall, victory comes, and

access to the new things of God enter into your

life. So obedience is a key. We move on to where

we talked about total and complete surrender.

Look, it's hands up with God. You cannot keep

maintaining control of your own life. You must

let God lead you and guide you 100%. This walk

of faith, this walk with God has nothing to do.

with your will, but it's you and I fulfilling

the will of God in and through our life. And

the only way we do that is we have to surrender

control. You cannot keep trying to lead and fight

against the will of God for your life because

all we do is end up making a bigger mess than

we already had made to start with. So it has

to come through surrender and control, forgetting

the past. We've already mentioned that. You've

got to get this out of your head. You've got

to get what's behind you, what you've done, what

you may have done, what you may have said. If

you've been to the foot of Calvary's heel, amen,

and the blood of Jesus has cleansed you, then

you've got to forgive yourself as much as God

has forgiven you. People in humanity, we have

struggled with that. We have a problem with forgiving

ourself, amen, even though we accept the grace

of God. Even though we accept Christ as Lord

and Savior, we confess our sins, we repent of

those mistakes. The one that has the most trouble

to forgive is you and I forgiving ourselves.

Why? Because condemnation from the enemy sets

in. He begins to work in him. Well, you did that.

How can you be this? And how can you say that?

When I know for a fact you did this and you did

that. Well, the key word there is did, not doing.

Hallelujah. Just tell the devil, get behind me.

This, Tim, he will flee from you because you're

no longer practicing those things that you once

did. Every one of us in this room has a shaded

past. Every one of us have things that we wish

we had not said. We had things we wish we had

not done, places we wish we had not been. There's

not a one of us who is guiltless, but we've all

come short of the glory of God, for we have all

been born into sin. But thank God I do not. practice

sin anymore. So give yourself a break. And as

God is forgiving you, forgive yourself and forget

those things which are behind and move on forward.

I didn't want to re -preach this. I'm just trying

to recover it when we move past that. We go into

positioning and repentance. Keep repentance as

a daily act of your life. A daily act. Positioning.

Therefore, come boldly into the throne of grace.

This is what the author of Hebrews said, that

you might find help in a time of need. We come

boldly to the throne of grace. Don't go to everyone

else before you turn to God. Turn to God first,

and then he'll provide others who may be able

to assist you. Repent and position yourself.

Shifting your focus. Always looking to Jesus,

the author and the finisher of your faith. Changing

your perspective. Amen. Acting through faith.

Let your faith in God show through the light.

life that you live daily. And that's how we begin

to access. And when we begin to access these

things, these new things that God has for us,

something begins to happen. Transformation begins

to happen in my and your life. When we begin

to access through the Word of God, the blessings

and the goodness of God, transformation begins

to happen. Things begin to change. And the Bible

clearly tells us one thing that happens. The

Scripture describes it as a brand -new song.

Like I said last week, when you start looking

up individual words and specific thoughts, it

pops up everywhere you are reading. And God begins

to, when you look up the word things, it's countless.

And you begin to look through Scripture how many

times God uses the word things and new things

and different things and objective things. And

it's just like, wow, Lord, you really are mindful

of what you want to do in our heart and in our

lives this upcoming new year. a new creation

in 2 Corinthians 5 and 17. So you're talking

about transformation. This is where transformation

begins. Old things pass away. Behold, all things

become what? New, why? Because we become new

creations, new creatures. In who? In Christ Jesus.

So we begin to access the blessing of God through

repentance. First of all, the new thing is your

new life. It is a brand new life. I just wonder,

is there anyone like me that has an occasional

stroll down memory lane when the Lord saved you?

The very moment when you give your heart to the

Lord and you ask him to cleanse you of your sin,

you remember that day. It was like air come into

my lungs for the very first time. first time,

when the weight and the burden of sin was off

of my chest, I could breathe brand new life,

and I began to fully understand. There is a transformation

being taken place in my life because something

new has happened. We become new creatures. You're

a new creation. Over and over and over and over.

Isaiah, we've read it for several weeks now.

Behold, he'll do new things. Luke 22 and 20,

he talks about a new covenant, a new heart that

is given. Lamentations 3 .23, we'll look at a

little later on. Behold, his mercies are new

every morning. What matter is that? We are not

consumed. We are not already consumed by the

power of God, the awesomeness of God. We've not

already been consumed. Why? Because his mercies

are new every morning, every day. You need to

thank God for that mercy. I thank him for that

mercy every day because I need new mercy every

morning when I wake up because I'm still battling

the enemy every single day. The devil who is

out to steal, to kill, and destroy everything

about me. me, but most importantly, my soul.

He's trying to destroy me, but I need new mercy

every day. Why? So I can become like the old

apostle Paul. I don't fight against a shadow.

I've got my own flesh in my scope and in the

crosshairs, and I fight against myself daily

that this new creation, this new creature makes

its way forward because it would be so easy to

fall back into the hateful, mean, ornery, what

I used to be. I'm on a thin edge sometimes anyway.

I've got to keep I've got to keep that old man

beat down. I've got to keep that old flesh put

behind me and understand that the thing that

God has given me is a new creative nature. I'm

not what I used to be, hallelujah, but I am what

he's making me to be and to become. And out of

that new creation comes a brand new song. It's

a new song. One of the greatest struggles of

sanctification is for a musician to get saved.

And then that salvific work, trying to dismiss

the old song to sing the new one. Now, I don't

know what your thought is on what you listen

to. But don't ask me what my thought is about

what you listen to because I would tell you if

it ain't of God, turn the thing off. I don't

care if it is the old soft classic rock. Well,

those are love songs, aren't they? You might

as well slow down and listen to them a little

bit. If it made my old flesh happy, this new

flesh does not need to be indulging there. But

I'll digress on that for today. I just thought

I'd lay that out there. The eyes and the ears

are the gateway to your soul. That's the access

of the enemy. That's the reason the struggle

is for me when I can't hardly play music anymore

because my fingers want to go back to what I

used to play. Somewhat, they're getting stiff

as my knuckles swell as I get older. So the temptation

isn't near as bad as it used to be. We have to

be careful on what we allow in, but more importantly,

what we allow out. There is a new song that's

been given to us. After this transformation begins

to take place in our heart and life, we begin

to be different. We sound different. We act different.

Why? Because we are different. Somebody said,

well, I've always been this way. And if you're

claiming to be a Christian, let's go and I'll

go to the altar, will you, until we can come

back up with somebody else. Because you've not

had the same encounter or the same experience

if I have. If you were the same as you was before

you went to the altar, after you got up, honey,

you didn't stay long enough. You didn't get your

heart right while you were there. You were not

totally repentant. Amen? Because when you're

totally repentant and then become dependent upon

the salvation of Jesus Christ and the cleansing

of your soul, you will be different. You won't

talk and act and do all those things that you

used to do. That is a sign, therefore, of the

transformation. And your song is different. It

becomes sweeter as the days go by. Receiving

a new song, a fresh, heartfelt response to God's

ongoing acts of salvation, mercy, and his deliverance.

that shows up in our life every single day. It

makes me want to sing of the goodness of the

Lord. It's not about whose tractor's parked in

my shed or whose boots is under her bed. It has

nothing to do with that. It has to do with the

exaltation of he who sits upon the throne of

glory, who is the redeemer of my soul and the

cleanser of my sins and the one who says, let

not your heart be troubled, but you believe in

God, believe also in me. For in my Father's house

there are... many mansions, and I'm going to

prepare a place for you that where I am, there

you may be all. That causes a new song to come

out of me. Where I used to sing like a fox on

the run. I sing, I never shall forget the day.

You ever listen to something, see, you think

bluegrass is kindly, well, that's just, that's

just bluegrass, that's innocent. Well, you better

listen. She walked through the corn leading down

there. Hair shone like gold. And our born son

took all the love that a poor boy could give

her. Left him to die like a... Is there any glory

to God in that? It's catchy. I can see the turnarounds

in my mind right now. Huh? I can hear the chord

progressions ringing in my mind. I see a fiddler

begin to saw and a banjo player beginning to

roll. And the poor old manlin guy just chopping

half a lick alone. And the guitar boy with his

tongue hanging out trying to keep everything

going. That's not the song that I sing now. I

come in the door down there this morning singing

redeemed again. That just hit me again. Hit me

again. I'm redeemed. I'm not that anymore. There's

a new song because of the salvation that is in

my life, because of the ongoing mercy that distributes

to my soul every single day, and the grace that

empowers me every time the path gets hard and

the obstacles seem large and tall, and the grace

of God enables me and empowers me. It makes me

want to sing Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.

Amen. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Amen.

I was blind, now I see. Come on. somebody, when

we begin to have the change of the song in our

heart and life, the word of God begins to elevate

our hope and begins to elevate our faith. There's

nothing elevating about secular. There's only

elevating about glory because the anointing of

God and the presence of God displays itself where

the heart of God is lifted up and the heart of

God's people begin to exalt him. Then he begins

to be. new song. Three different places that

it's mentioned. Psalm 96, 98 and 40 and other

places but these three in particular. It's not

an old corporate tune but it's a vibrant personal

continuously updated expression unto God whose

mercies are new every morning. It's believed

that the psalmist David wrote the 96th chapter

as a praise to God after the return of the Ark

of the Covenant from the Philistines. You can

read about in 1 Samuel 5 -7. You remember the

story in 1 Samuel? Israel took the Ark out. And

it was taken captive by the Philistines in war.

Hophni and Phinehas had died. Brother Randy mentioned

it even Wednesday night. The old fat priest Eli

fell over backwards, broke his neck and died

as well. Upon hearing and receiving all of this

news of death and loss, one of Eli's daughter

-in -laws went into labor. When his baby's born,

she said, call his name Ichabod, for the glory

of God has departed. You know the story following

that. I think it's very humorous, but God is

God, isn't he? So Philistine's got this bright

idea. They're going to put the Ark of the Covenant

of God, the semblance of the presence of Jehovah,

in the temple with Dagon, their half -fish God.

So they put him over there in front of Dagon.

They come in the next morning, he's fell over

on his face. Well, who needs a God? You got to

prop up anyway, but they had one. They propped

him back up and done their little whatever to

Dagon. They come back in the next day, and he's

fell over again, but this time he's fell over,

and his little hands just broke off, and his

head broke off, laying in front of the ark of

God. And then after that, it even gets more funny.

They ain't got enough sense to realize what's

going on, and then God strikes them with M -rods

and mice. You'd call them tumors or M -roids

in the lower extremities. Them old boys in pain.

And finally, somebody has enough sense to know,

well, that is the semblance of their God, so

we might ought to get him out of here. Well,

how do we do that? So them having no better sense,

they got two young milk cows and a brand -new

cart. You got to love it. They formed five golden

images of those emeralds and five mice golden,

and they put them in a treasure box, and they

said they're going to point the arc. in this

direction. And if it goes over to his own people,

then we'll know we did the right thing. If it

goes the other way, we've got trouble. So what

do they do? They point it out, and where do those

cows go? You need to read the story. It's powerful.

They're lowing as they go. They're getting out

of Dodge, and they've got God right behind them.

And they make their way all the way. way to Abinadab's

place and it stays there for 20 years until Saul

is out of the way and then all of a sudden David

says, where is the ark of God? It's down at Abinadab's

place. Benadab's place. We've got to go get it.

So he has no better sense. It's been 20 years

and didn't know how to move it either. So he

thought if they got it out on a new cart, let's

build us a new cart. And they begin to make their

way. And they put two men on the cart. Us is

on one side, the other fellow on the other. They

hit a bump in the road. Us are thinking he's

got to stabilize God. And there's a message right

here. You don't have to stabilize God. God stabilized

himself. Hallelujah. You don't have to hold him

up. He's not a day. God, you've got to prop up.

All you've got to do is bow before him. But he

reaches out, and God got mad and struck him dead,

and they parked it right there. And that's where

it was left for 20 years. Here comes David. We've

got to get this right. He's got the priest. He

finally got the right instructions. Amen. Look,

worship was even going on before when they were

doing it the wrong way. They were dancing and

shouting and everything until the old boy got

struck dead. It was there that they stopped in

their tracks until they figured out how to do

it right. And a new song began to come in. A

new song began to arise. Sing unto the Lord a

new song, David said. Why? Because we've got

it figured out. And let's sing of his salvation,

his saving word. Amen. That's where this is.

all coming from, out of the heart of desperation

to be in the presence of God. When transformation

begins to take place, you've got to do it the

right way. You've got to walk it out the right

way. You've got to follow the instructions. And

honey, when you follow the instructions, the

deliverance of God is on your side and new things

enter your life. Psalm 98, scholars believe that

Psalm 98 was written after a crisis again in

David's life. After the rebellion and the uprising

of Absalom. That's Psalm 40. Psalm 80 is the

deliverance from Babylon. Because he talks about

the strong arm of God. The right hand of God.

The scholars believe this come in after. They're

set free from Babylon. But there's something

that you and I must always remember about the

deliverance from Babylon. They had a promised

decree going in. God had it already orchestrated,

and he already had a timeline on their behalf.

They're coming to carry you away, and you're

going to be gone for 70 years, so go ahead and

build you some houses, plant you some gardens,

and carry on. But I will come and get you and

bring you back into my city after 70 years has

been complete. What you and I have to remember

is we can't hang our harp up while we're waiting

on the fulfillment of the promise. If you remember

while they were in Babylon, they were down by

the river, and they asked them, would you not

sing of us the songs of Zion? Because they knew.

that Israel was a singing, worshiping people.

And they had a happy tune that they sung to the

glory of God. Would you not sing us one of the

songs of Zion? How can we sing the songs of Zion

when you've raised our city and we have hung

our harps in the willow bushes? I'm here to tell

somebody, go to the bush and get your harp because

your time of deliverance is already marked down.

Don't... Stop singing your songs of joy and glory.

Even though you may feel bound and in captivity,

the answer is on its way. You are approaching

your hour of deliverance. Sing him a song. So

they're out on the opposite side now of that

Babylonian devastation, and they hear the words

from the psalmist. Sing a new song. Because of

his right hand and his strong arm, he's give

us the deliverance. We back up to Psalm 40. On

the opposite side now, on the deliverance side

of the Absalom uprising. David, we need to look

at that one a little bit more. Turn over there,

would you? Psalm 40. We're going to look at that

just a minute. I'm about to wind down, believe

it or not. It's early, too. You may get out early

today. They may want y 'all back next week. Psalm

40. Look over here just a minute. We don't need

to rush past that. Look what the psalmist said.

I waited patiently. That knocked about 99 .92

% of us out. We're already out on this one. We

ain't even seen what's coming, but we're out.

I'm not a very patient individual. Psalm said,

I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined

unto me, and he heard my cry. He brought me up

out of the miry clay. I have a horrible pit.

He brought me up, and he set my feet upon a rock,

and I like this. He established my goings. I

see some transformation language here. David's

different than he was. The psalmist is different

than when this event occurred. He found me. I

was in a bad place in life. Have you ever been

in a bad place in life? You ever been in a horrible

pit? Better than being in a pit with a lion on

a snowy day. You have to look that one up and

read that story. By the way, God was there with

that fellow too. In a pit with a lion on a snowy

day, David was in a low place. He was in a state

and condition of depression. He was down. How

would you like your son rising up and taking

your throne and you're running for your life?

He had been running for his very life. But God's

hand was on him and not Absalom. He goes on further

in verse 2. He brought me up also out of that

horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my

feet upon a rock and he established my goings.

And he hath, are you hearing me? 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. Your and my song is important

as a testimony to those who are watching us when

we're in the pits of life. And I'm here to tell

you there are pitfalls everywhere we turn around.

The psalmist talks about the snare of the fowler

and the noisome pestilence that is out there.

The devil is an unrelenting, non -ending, agonizing

devil. A nagging foe that's out to get us every

day. That's why God establishes waves of grace

and mercy every single day. Because he knows

who's going to be coming against you. Not mong

after your eyes awaken. And that's why he can

put a new song. And that's why he establishes

a new song in your life. Every time he delivers

you out of one of the pits. Every time he takes

you out of the mire. And he washes his off. Every

time he stands you up on solid ground. Every

time he makes a way. As Isaiah said, in the wilderness

or highways, in desert places, there's water

available. There's nourishment for you. Grace

is the nourishment for the soul of a dried out

believer. It's grace every single day. And he'll

establish a new song. It becomes a testimony.

Many shall see it. You know how nosy people are.

We're nosy. Easy for you to laugh at everybody.

You and I, we're people. So that means you're

nosy and I'm nosy. We're nosy by nature. We think

we need to know. You think you really need to

know. And here's the sad thing. A lot of folks

know more than you think they do. And when they

begin to tell you and rehearse to your ears some

of your own problems, you say, how'd you know

that? So if they know some of the pits that we're

in, and they know some of the mire that we're

trying to walk our way through, shall they not

even know more when we get out, get washed off,

get stood up? Get our feet under us, get our

bearings back in the established path because

we know that the steps of a good man are ordered

of the Lord. Amen. We may take a step off the

path and get in the mire. Take a step off the

path and trip and fall in the pit. But one thing

about it, God's not going to leave you and I

in the pit. He's going to send a word to the

pit, and you're going to take hold of the word,

and you're coming up out of the pit. And when

you get out of the pit, and he cleanses and washes

and establishes, then he's going to give you

a new song. You're going to go around singing

a song about the pit you just got out of because

God's deliverance has found you in your pit.

The reality of the new song is new every day.

It's fresh every day. And it's because of the

delivering hand of God in our life daily. That's

the reason I refute this doctrine. It's a one

and done deal. Just one time, that's all. They

don't know me. God does. He knew that I need

to be a part of a place that would tell you one's

not enough. You got to keep it done. Oh, it diminishes

not the power of his blood sacrifice, but it

sure does show the insufficiency of the flesh

in which he's applied it to. I'm telling you,

God knew when he saved me he had to put me in

line with some preachers that preached hell hot

and heaven sweet and sanctification necessary

for me to see him face to face. Here's the thing

about God, he knows every pit along the way.

Straight is the way. Narrow is the gate that

leads to life everlasting. We want to blame people,

and there are people who even blame God for the

pit, for the mire, for the mess, and he didn't

have anything to do with it. But they want to

look up to heaven and begin to curse God and

blame God. That's why I'm not that patient type

of fella. It would not be good for me to be God.

Unless I inherited his divine nature. Because

the first time one of y 'all looked up at me

like that. And want to cuss me for something

you did to your own goofy self? There'd be more

than a few epiphanies recorded. I'd show up right

in front of you. Now look here. Uh -uh. No. The

psalmist said, I waited patiently. And he inclined

his ear. And then he heard. How long was he listening

before he decided to hear? Pastor Brian and I

had this discussion the other day about listening

and hearing. You need to hear more. It's just

me and him talking. You're listening. He wants

you to hear. So incline that ear. I'm just teasing.

You had faith for that in yourself. So you stepped

in that pit. I just laid the trap. How long did

the Lord incline his ear? You have to read scripture.

Slow down and read it. And the nuances of the

words, you have to really read it. I waited patiently

on the Lord. I prayed. I cried. And he inclined

his ear. And there's punctuation there. Comma.

How much time between the comma. And he heard

my cry. Go to that next one. Pop number two up.

He brought me up. Also. See the. See the connection?

He brought me up also out of a horrible pit.

There was multiple things going on in David's

life. I know we just run through this, but you've

got to know there's some stuff going on. Also

means there was something else happening. There

was something else critical going on in the man's

life. And he also brought me up out of a horrible

pit and out of the miry clay. Is that three different

things going on, a pit and clay? Also, I don't

know what all is going on in David's life. But

there's enough for him to wait patiently. And

to wait patiently indicates something to me that

between the incline and the herd and after the

comma, something of time. What are you trying

to tell me? I'm trying to tell you, you may be

at the comma, but hold on. Hold on. Don't panic.

You're just at the comma. The good stuff comes

after the comma. After the inclination and the

hearing. He also got me out of that horrible

mess. Also, he washed this mire off of my life.

Also, he put me on a rock. Also, he established

my direction. And not only that, he gave me a

new song to sing as I go in my new direction.

And the reason he gave me all that so that everybody

who was on Absalom's side, everyone who was part

of the rebellion are going to know that God heard

me. And not only did God hear me, but look what

all he has done. And I am now the better for

it. Somebody needs to know whatever the pity

is, whatever the also is, whatever the mire is,

it's not going to make you worse. When he gets

you out, it's going to make you better. Not bitter.

It's a choice on your part. Are you going to

sing the song of the delivering hand of God?

He took me up out of the pit. He washed me off

out of the clay. He put me on a rock, and I'm

going to stay. Going through the author of the

old hymn, Rock of Ages. Cleft for me. Let me

hide myself in thee. What was going on to inspire

that? The rock of life. The reality of the new

song is we're different. We're changed. As we

wait patiently for the Lord. We could go further.

We could talk about Ephesians 4 .24, the new

man. May 2. We can talk about Hebrews 10, 20,

talk about the new and the living way. 2 Peter

3, 13, there's the new heaven and the new earth.

It would be lovely to discuss that, wouldn't

it? Revelation 21, 5 declares that all things.

There's so much new that we can discuss. Acts

17. We could talk about a new doctrine. What

new doctrine? What are you talking about, Pastor?

I'm talking about when Paul is in Athens. He's

stirred in his spirit because of the idol worship

that's going on. Some scholars believe there

is as many as 30 ,000 deities worshipped. In

Athens, Greece. The heart of Greek mythology.

Paul walking through seeing all this is very

disturbed. So he goes to the center point of

the philosophers. He goes to Mars Hill. And with

the Parthenon in the background. I've got something

to say. You'll read the scripture and they're

always there itching to hear a new thing. Well,

he's about to give them one. He said, I've noticed

in my strolls throughout the city, I saw an altar

with the inscription, the unknown God. So as

that you don't offend any deity out there that

no one knows of. Him, I declare unto you. Because

it's obvious y 'all don't know him. And he begins

to preach the Godhead. All the way through. the

resurrection. What are you saying? He preached

the gospel. Some were converted. Some were puzzled

and some denied. Sounds a lot like today, doesn't

it? A new doctrine. It was new. But he declared

them. 1 John. You don't think the Lord speaks

to me at odd times and odd places. Bill envelopes

are handy. He gave them a new commandment. One

of the songs we sang earlier today mentioned

it. Talking about the light and the darkness.

Gave them a commandment of love. Told them how

to love. And then told them what not to love.

Not to love the world. It's 1 John 2. Go read

it. And if you love the world. The Father's not

in you. It's not my words, they're His. Question.

How many have your heart set on going to heaven?

We have to stay right and we have to stay ready.

Going through this world, we get a little onus

from time to time. That's why I say daily repentance.

Daily. When the trumpet sounds, I want to be

found without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. What's

that mean? That's church talk for sin, sin, and

more sin. I want to be found ready. And the reality

of the new song is this. You cannot sing the

new song without being reminded of the deliverance.

That's why the old songs remind me of the old

life. That's not the life I live now. So I got

to sing, I never shall forget the day. Or I'm

redeemed by love divine. Or there's going to

be a meeting in the air. Or I begin to think

about the goodness of God. Sometimes I remind

myself, don't get quiet. Oh, soul, don't get

quiet on me now. There's a lion inside of you.

Lift up those hands and praise the Lord. Why?

because I remember the pit he got me out of.

I remember the mud he washed off of me. And the

solid pathway that he's put me on. So I'm reminded

of the reality of the new song. He inclined and

he heard and he also. Father, I love you today.

Sister Dolores, you come on and get ready for

this prayer cloth. Father, I love you this morning.

Thank you for your goodness and mercy. Quickly,

this morning, if you're here and you do not know

the Lord Jesus and free pardon of sin, I invite

you to come. I want to pray with you. I want

to lead you in probably the simplest, most effective

prayer you'll ever pray in your life. is the

prayer of repentance and the acceptance of Jesus

Christ. It'll have more impact on your life than

any other prayer that you'll ever pray. It has

an eternal effect. So if you don't know Christ,

if you're backslid on God, what's that mean?

If you're back in the old way, come on. Come

on. He'll wash the mire off. He'll cleanse you,

get you back right, get you started, establish

you, and you got a new song. If you're here today

sick in body, we believe in the power. of divine

healing. The Word of God says, if any sick among

you, let them call on the elders of the church,

and them anointing them with oil, and a prayer

of faith shall heal the sick. And we always leave

off the tag. The tag is, and if they've committed

any sins, it shall be forgiven unto them. We

get nervous saying that. But it's not you or

I doing the work. Anybody else need to touch

anybody this morning for anything? We're going

to pray this morning. God's good. I need something

to help me. Come down and help me pray this morning.