The Last Supper: Jesus sang!
Matthew 26:30. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Who sang? What did they sing? How do you picture this scene going down?
If you think about this do you picture a quick little song being sung or a lot of music being sung. Most people read about the Last Supper and never even think about what they read or what actually was going on at this Last Supper.
Actually what they sang was a Hallel. Before the meal they sang Psalm 113 and 114. The entire section from memory. After the communion service they sang the rest of it; Psalm 115 through Psalm 118. All of it from memory. Six whole chapters of the Bible were sung from memory.
Have you ever thought about Jesus singing and what kind of a voice the Lord had? Can you imagine Jesus singing! Jesus was a singer. Most people have not even thought about this at all. Most just do not picture that whole scene and what was going on. He probably sang in the carpenter shop as He went about His work. Can you imagine that? Can you picture the quality of the things that Jesus built in that shop and that someone actually got something Jesus had made with His own hands. How awesome is that.
The last thing He did before going to the garden was to sing. This was His very last song sang on earth. As Jesus faced the cross, He faced it with singing. Now, what does that tell you? Are you getting a picture of our Savior here? He did that so that I can sing in sorrow's darkest hours. Whenever you face trials through Jesus Christ you can have a song in your heart and just think that even though Jesus knew what was coming and how horrible it would be He still sang, He still had compassion, He still loved us.
Did Judas sing? Judas opted out of that song service because he went out after that meal to do his business. He needed to make some money so he could buy a tree to hang himself on later. He was not there for that song service. He lost his psalm and he lost his Savior. Think about that as well. Judas knew the Savior and for thirty pieces of silver he betrayed the Lord of Lords and the king of Kings. His heart was not right and although Jesus knew what He was going to do Jesus still loved Judas.
MATTHEW 26:26-30 THE SAVIOR’S FINAL SONG
• Judaism and Christianity are referred to as the “Singing Religions”
• We know the hymn Jesus sang - it was called “THE HALLEL,” the name of a section of Psalms (113-118) sung at certain festivals; so called because they begin with “HALLELUJAH” (113:1), which is Hebrew for “PRAISE YE JEHOVAH” (the English reads “PRAISE YE THE LORD”)
• Traditionally, the Hallel was written by Ezra the Scribe to commemorate the building of the second Temple after the captivity; Psalm 118 was the last and thus the most important part to be sung. The Hallel was read responsively, like THE GREAT HALLEL in Psalm 136
• “Historia Scholastica” says that verses 22-23 describe a literal stone that was discarded by the builders, until it was finally found to be perfectly fit for the most honorable place, coupling the sides of the walls together; this astonished the builders and Ezra chronicled the event
• Little did Ezra know he was writing prophetically! THE JEWS TRADITIONALLY SANG THE HALLEL AT THREE SPECIAL OCCASIONS:
1. In homes before (113-114) and after (115-118) the Passover supper
2. In the temple on Passover while the evening (3 pm) sacrifices were slain
3. In the streets on Pentecost after the morning (9 am) sacrifices were slain
• BUT IN THE YEAR JESUS DIED, THE JEWS MISSED THE HALLEL’S MESSAGE ENTIRELY:
1. Jewish Disciples missed it at the Passover supper
2. Jewish Priests missed it during the Passover sacrifices
3. Jewish Leaders missed it during the Pentecost celebration
• Imagine Psalm 118 sung from Jesus’ perspective! (v. 6, 10, 13, 18, 22-24)
• Exodus 12:8 gave instructions for Passover: “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.”
• Jesus served unleavened bread, but no lamb - only wine representing His blood
• Imagine the disciples singing Psalm 118:27 just before they leave
• But they didn’t realize that the Lamb of God was among them!
In the temple on Passover while the evening (3 pm) sacrifices were slain Jewish Priests missed it during the Passover sacrifices
• Jesus crucified at Passover. Pilate (John 18:39) said: “But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?”
• Paul took up this theme in 1 Corinthians 5:7 - “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
• Jesus died at 3:00 p.m. (the ninth hour), Mark 15:34-38 - 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? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
• As Jesus died and the veil was rent, the priests were offering the many Passover sacrifices AND SINGING THE HALLEL (118:22-24)
• A CORNER IS WHERE TWO THINGS MEET! Jews & Gentiles, Bond & Free, Law & Grace, Heaven & Earth, Mercy & Truth, Righteousness & Peace (Psalm 85:10 - Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.)
• IN HEBREW, “HEAD” (HEADSTONE OF THE CORNER) IS “ROSH” WHICH MEANS: head, chief, leader, prince, captain, point, top, first rank, best, highest, supreme, summit, sum, beginning, commencement, foremost, principal, source, zenith, total, most excellent, head cornerstone!
• MOFFAT TRANSLATION OF PSALMS 118:22 - “The stone the builders cast aside is now the building’s strength and pride.” In the streets on Pentecost after the morning (9 am) sacrifices were slain Jewish Leaders missed it during the Pentecost celebration
• Fifty days later, the people were in the streets just after the morning sacrifice, singing the Hallel in celebration of Pentecost; at the same time (9 am, or the third hour), 120 “spiritual drunks” stumbled from the upper room and filled the streets with their praise (Acts 2:15)
• Contrast the two groups: the Jewish leaders, with solemn faces, are merely singing the words of praise from the Hallel, while the disciples are experiencing them! (RITUAL VERSUS REALITY)
• EACH PSALM (EXCEPT 114) INTRODUCES NEW WORDS FOR WORSHIP:
• Psalm 113:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. (HALAL - to make a show, to boast, to be clamorously foolish, to rave)
• Psalm 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD. (BARAK - to kneel in adoration)
• Psalm 116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. (QARA - to call out, to preach, to proclaim, to cry unto)
• Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. (TOWDAH - a choir of worshippers with upraised hands)
• Psalm 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. (SHABACH - to address in a loud tone, triumph, glory)
• Psalm 118:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. (YADAH - to worship with extended hands)
• Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (GIYL - to spin around under the influence of violent emotion)
• Psalm 118:28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. (RUWM - to exalt, to extol, to lift up, to set on high)
THE JEWS MAY HAVE MISSED IT, BUT WE KNOW WHO JESUS IS ... SO WE WORSHIP HIM!
Illustration: The workers building the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan’s elaborate monument to his late wife, almost discarded her coffin among other refuse! We could be guilty of discarding Jesus in the church!
Psalm 113
The Majesty and Condescension of God
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD!
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may seat him with princes--
With the princes of His people.
9 He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 114
The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel
1 When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3 The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 115
The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
2 Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”
3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless those who fear the LORD,
Both small and great.
14 May the LORD give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 116
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
1 I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
12 What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 117
Let All Peoples Praise the LORD
1 Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 118
Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy
1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.[a]
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27 God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Just as the people in the day didn’t know everything that was going on in their very presence…we miss it as well. I encourage you to read over the words Jesus sang. Oh, I can picture Him singing with all His friends at the table and knowing what He was about to face. They didn’t understand it then. To them it could be no more than a tradition, but to Jesus it was about His life and He loved them. These words He sang were deep and meaningful to Him. He loves us and God placed these words there and told us that Jesus was singing at the last supper. It might have been tradition during Passover, but I’m positive these words Jesus sang with those He loved there were more meaningful than we can even comprehend. Oh, we need to get this lesson and really learn something from it. It was important enough to be put into the Bible so take it seriously. God never puts something in the Bible to take up space.. This was to benefit us and show us our Lord in yet another light. Let His light shine in you and take this all in. Study it, learn from it, and share it. Our Lord is Awesome! May He be our only example of total love we go by and may each of us repeat His love with others and care more for others than we do ourselves.
Matthew 26:30. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Who sang? What did they sing? How do you picture this scene going down?
If you think about this do you picture a quick little song being sung or a lot of music being sung. Most people read about the Last Supper and never even think about what they read or what actually was going on at this Last Supper.
Actually what they sang was a Hallel. Before the meal they sang Psalm 113 and 114. The entire section from memory. After the communion service they sang the rest of it; Psalm 115 through Psalm 118. All of it from memory. Six whole chapters of the Bible were sung from memory.
Have you ever thought about Jesus singing and what kind of a voice the Lord had? Can you imagine Jesus singing! Jesus was a singer. Most people have not even thought about this at all. Most just do not picture that whole scene and what was going on. He probably sang in the carpenter shop as He went about His work. Can you imagine that? Can you picture the quality of the things that Jesus built in that shop and that someone actually got something Jesus had made with His own hands. How awesome is that.
The last thing He did before going to the garden was to sing. This was His very last song sang on earth. As Jesus faced the cross, He faced it with singing. Now, what does that tell you? Are you getting a picture of our Savior here? He did that so that I can sing in sorrow's darkest hours. Whenever you face trials through Jesus Christ you can have a song in your heart and just think that even though Jesus knew what was coming and how horrible it would be He still sang, He still had compassion, He still loved us.
Did Judas sing? Judas opted out of that song service because he went out after that meal to do his business. He needed to make some money so he could buy a tree to hang himself on later. He was not there for that song service. He lost his psalm and he lost his Savior. Think about that as well. Judas knew the Savior and for thirty pieces of silver he betrayed the Lord of Lords and the king of Kings. His heart was not right and although Jesus knew what He was going to do Jesus still loved Judas.
MATTHEW 26:26-30 THE SAVIOR’S FINAL SONG
• Judaism and Christianity are referred to as the “Singing Religions”
• We know the hymn Jesus sang - it was called “THE HALLEL,” the name of a section of Psalms (113-118) sung at certain festivals; so called because they begin with “HALLELUJAH” (113:1), which is Hebrew for “PRAISE YE JEHOVAH” (the English reads “PRAISE YE THE LORD”)
• Traditionally, the Hallel was written by Ezra the Scribe to commemorate the building of the second Temple after the captivity; Psalm 118 was the last and thus the most important part to be sung. The Hallel was read responsively, like THE GREAT HALLEL in Psalm 136
• “Historia Scholastica” says that verses 22-23 describe a literal stone that was discarded by the builders, until it was finally found to be perfectly fit for the most honorable place, coupling the sides of the walls together; this astonished the builders and Ezra chronicled the event
• Little did Ezra know he was writing prophetically! THE JEWS TRADITIONALLY SANG THE HALLEL AT THREE SPECIAL OCCASIONS:
1. In homes before (113-114) and after (115-118) the Passover supper
2. In the temple on Passover while the evening (3 pm) sacrifices were slain
3. In the streets on Pentecost after the morning (9 am) sacrifices were slain
• BUT IN THE YEAR JESUS DIED, THE JEWS MISSED THE HALLEL’S MESSAGE ENTIRELY:
1. Jewish Disciples missed it at the Passover supper
2. Jewish Priests missed it during the Passover sacrifices
3. Jewish Leaders missed it during the Pentecost celebration
• Imagine Psalm 118 sung from Jesus’ perspective! (v. 6, 10, 13, 18, 22-24)
• Exodus 12:8 gave instructions for Passover: “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.”
• Jesus served unleavened bread, but no lamb - only wine representing His blood
• Imagine the disciples singing Psalm 118:27 just before they leave
• But they didn’t realize that the Lamb of God was among them!
In the temple on Passover while the evening (3 pm) sacrifices were slain Jewish Priests missed it during the Passover sacrifices
• Jesus crucified at Passover. Pilate (John 18:39) said: “But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?”
• Paul took up this theme in 1 Corinthians 5:7 - “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
• Jesus died at 3:00 p.m. (the ninth hour), Mark 15:34-38 - 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? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
• As Jesus died and the veil was rent, the priests were offering the many Passover sacrifices AND SINGING THE HALLEL (118:22-24)
• A CORNER IS WHERE TWO THINGS MEET! Jews & Gentiles, Bond & Free, Law & Grace, Heaven & Earth, Mercy & Truth, Righteousness & Peace (Psalm 85:10 - Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.)
• IN HEBREW, “HEAD” (HEADSTONE OF THE CORNER) IS “ROSH” WHICH MEANS: head, chief, leader, prince, captain, point, top, first rank, best, highest, supreme, summit, sum, beginning, commencement, foremost, principal, source, zenith, total, most excellent, head cornerstone!
• MOFFAT TRANSLATION OF PSALMS 118:22 - “The stone the builders cast aside is now the building’s strength and pride.” In the streets on Pentecost after the morning (9 am) sacrifices were slain Jewish Leaders missed it during the Pentecost celebration
• Fifty days later, the people were in the streets just after the morning sacrifice, singing the Hallel in celebration of Pentecost; at the same time (9 am, or the third hour), 120 “spiritual drunks” stumbled from the upper room and filled the streets with their praise (Acts 2:15)
• Contrast the two groups: the Jewish leaders, with solemn faces, are merely singing the words of praise from the Hallel, while the disciples are experiencing them! (RITUAL VERSUS REALITY)
• EACH PSALM (EXCEPT 114) INTRODUCES NEW WORDS FOR WORSHIP:
• Psalm 113:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. (HALAL - to make a show, to boast, to be clamorously foolish, to rave)
• Psalm 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD. (BARAK - to kneel in adoration)
• Psalm 116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. (QARA - to call out, to preach, to proclaim, to cry unto)
• Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. (TOWDAH - a choir of worshippers with upraised hands)
• Psalm 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. (SHABACH - to address in a loud tone, triumph, glory)
• Psalm 118:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. (YADAH - to worship with extended hands)
• Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (GIYL - to spin around under the influence of violent emotion)
• Psalm 118:28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. (RUWM - to exalt, to extol, to lift up, to set on high)
THE JEWS MAY HAVE MISSED IT, BUT WE KNOW WHO JESUS IS ... SO WE WORSHIP HIM!
Illustration: The workers building the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan’s elaborate monument to his late wife, almost discarded her coffin among other refuse! We could be guilty of discarding Jesus in the church!
Psalm 113
The Majesty and Condescension of God
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD!
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may seat him with princes--
With the princes of His people.
9 He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 114
The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel
1 When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3 The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 115
The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
2 Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”
3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless those who fear the LORD,
Both small and great.
14 May the LORD give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 116
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
1 I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
12 What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 117
Let All Peoples Praise the LORD
1 Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 118
Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy
1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.[a]
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27 God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Just as the people in the day didn’t know everything that was going on in their very presence…we miss it as well. I encourage you to read over the words Jesus sang. Oh, I can picture Him singing with all His friends at the table and knowing what He was about to face. They didn’t understand it then. To them it could be no more than a tradition, but to Jesus it was about His life and He loved them. These words He sang were deep and meaningful to Him. He loves us and God placed these words there and told us that Jesus was singing at the last supper. It might have been tradition during Passover, but I’m positive these words Jesus sang with those He loved there were more meaningful than we can even comprehend. Oh, we need to get this lesson and really learn something from it. It was important enough to be put into the Bible so take it seriously. God never puts something in the Bible to take up space.. This was to benefit us and show us our Lord in yet another light. Let His light shine in you and take this all in. Study it, learn from it, and share it. Our Lord is Awesome! May He be our only example of total love we go by and may each of us repeat His love with others and care more for others than we do ourselves.
I would love to share this lesson with you today and pray that if it is a blessing to you that you share it with those that could also be blessed by it.
I am not sure where to start this lesson today as this lesson blessed me so very much and it needs to be shared. Fused with Jesus. Just think about that. Like being poured into Him and blending ones life together. Fused…blended….molded together with the Lord.
Think a moment about the Christian walk. What is it? What sets us apart from every other religion out there? Let me show you what I mean.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Ephesians 2:8 says, “It is by grace you have been saved.”
But these two verses don’t shed all the light on what is the real Christian life. What matters to us is one thing, and what matters to others is another thing, but nothing compares to what matters to God. It is when we realize what is important to God that we will understand the depth of His love…or try to anyway.
I could read my Bible. I could pray. I could do works days on end, but as good as all that is…that is not what is truly important to God. Yes, it is important that we do for others, give, help, and all the rest, but the most important thing is not that. The Jews in Jesus’ day read the Bible what they had of it then, yet they didn’t get it. Luke 18:9-14 talks about the detailed prayers that were not even heard by God. So prayers without this don’t mean a heck of a lot. Praying is wonderful, but it is not what God seeks from us first. Isaiah 29:13 says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” Wow!
So what matters to God. Not the long prayers, the church attendance, the doing of works…and yet all of that does matter.
What about worship? We can go to church and have a great praise and worship team, cry all of the tears while we sing and praise and miss that too. John 4:23 says, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” It is not just the singing that matters to God. We can worship God but not be in worship to God. That blows my mind. All the times many of us have been praising at church and many times not being in worship to God. Many of us go to church and love the praise and worship there...wow...that was great music today...but it is not the music that counts...it is our praise to the Lord. Do you listen to the music and sing...but there is no praise in it?
So all the reading of the word, all of the singing of the songs, all of the doing of the works and so on is not what God is even looking at. What He is looking at is your heart. If you do all you do and are not truly seeking God and loving Him…all of the things you do are not truly important. What really matters is your heart and the relationship you have with Him. Just look at your closest relationship on earth. To have a great relationship you have to talk to one another, spend time, and care about each other.
Do you know that the Old Testament has over 600 commandments in it. That is a mighty lot of rules, and yet if we would do just the one that God seeks from us then all the rest would be fulfilled. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” People…..this is what God thinks is important. This is what matters to Him. All the rest will flow from this love. This is the foundational issue to God.
Think now about this: Rev 2:2-3 says, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” If God were to say that statement to us we would be on cloud 9 as it were, but this is not all God said. As good as this sounds, and if this was all that was said, we/they would be jumping for joy. The truth of the matter is more than this. It goes further to the heart issue. Rev 2:4 then says, “Yet, I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” Oh my gosh. If we would but get this. Grab hold of what God is really saying here. Yes, they had done deeds and persevered, and yes they had endured hardships…but their heart was not right. These people were Christians. They did the deeds but missed what was really important to God. Now don’t take this to mean that God does not care if you do good deeds as He very well does, and this does not mean to not belong and help at church. What I am saying is that God wants a heart of love for Him and then all of what we do with that heart of love will matter. Right now if we are doing all the things that a church should be doing such as: feeding the poor, praying for people, helping people in all the ways we know to be right and good and don’t have love, and don’t do it because we love God with all our heart, strength, and soul then what we did was not for God but for us. Rev 2:5 says, “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” That is a great mouthful here. I remember what I was taken from and what I felt at finding Jesus. How I couldn’t wait to share and learn more. None of us deserves salvation, but to those that have accepted Jesus it was given. What love He shed on that cross for me and you. That should be a great joy to your heart. Every drop of His precious blood was given for us. His love was so deep He endured that for you and me. How can we not love Him when He first loved us and we didn’t even deserve it.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “I can do all things that the Bible commands and yet if I don’t have love (for God and for others), I am nothing.” Wow! Nothing! Think about that. You can keep every commandment and if you don’t love God and others it is nothing. We need to wake up. So many people truly believe the deception that they are okay when they are not truly walking with God at all.
The message Bible paraphrases this: “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ectasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, ‘Jump,’ and it jumps, but I don’t love, I am nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, not matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” Please read that several times…pray on it, but let it deeply sink into your being.
All we do in life can be important things to do…but doing them without love for God gains nothing in them. We need the presence of God in us, working through us, for Him…not for us. It is not about us…it is all about Him.
All of us will get distracted from what is important. We can do so many good things even, or we can do not because we let the distractions of life keep us from God and a relationship with Him. It is not just knowing who He is…even Satan and the fallen angels know that…the demons know that. We can’t lose sight of the most important thing to God…love! Do we go through life doing and falling short…or do we get at the feet of Jesus? All of us are to blame. We all fall short daily. We find things to fill our lives and because we do some good deed or say some quick prayer feel that all is well when we are doing exactly what the church did back then and left our first love. Service is important and don’t use that as an excuse for not doing good. But priority is God first. Relationship with the Lord should be our first priority of every day. When we give Him our best He will show us His best for our life.
So what is important to God? Love.
John 17:20-21 says, “My prayer is…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you…” One, blending, us together. As God is in Jesus…He wants to be in us. Unity…Unity…Unity!
I want to add here. If we can't get along on this earth with people who are different than us, different races etc...why would God want us in heaven? We all bleed red blood and we are all His children. We better start learning that. I am not saying that life doesn't have issues good or bad...but if someone doesn't agree with you and you believe you are right...pray! Many people have been through horrible things, are going through horrible things, live lives they should not be living...but...pray for them and don't hate them. Jesus loves us and we sure don't deserve that either!
God saved us because of His love. God is love. But it is not just that He saved you….it is also what He requires of you each and every day of your life and walk with Him.
God has a standard. That standard is Jesus. Anything less is not good. Jesus is our measuring stick lets say. Our morals, our standard, our goal to all we should do. If we want to do right, if we want to accomplish what God has for our life, if we want our life to be all God wants it to be then we must daily make Jesus our measurement and standard of what we do. Matthew 5:48 says, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Well we sure fail that one don’t we? But our goal in life is to be perfect to daily walk in that and do things God’s way. We will not attain perfection on this earth, but that should be the goal we set. John 13:34 says, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Folks, it is all about love. We truly fulfill all the law when we love God and others, because if we do love…we will do what is right. All we do in life should be measured by the measurement of Jesus.
So if God gives us a measurement stick…and we can’t possibly be perfect what good is it? What matters. Whatever God gives us to do in life He gives us the means to accomplish it. Always! Jesus will tell us what to do and give us the means to accomplish it. He never walks away on that. The means of all things with Jesus…listen carefully here…is unity with Him. Loving Him. A relationship with Him. God in Jesus and Jesus in me. The circle of love. When we are one we are like a wedding ring with Jesus…connected…and never ending. Many people want to be rich and famous, but that gets you no further in eternity than the love the poor shows others. Love is everything. Make the choice to love.
Romans 8:29-30 says, “God in Jesus and Jesus in me.” When you become a Christian…not by your own means, but because the Holy Spirit has led you there….and until you are fully conformed to the likeness of the Lord….you need the intimacy of the relationship of love with the Lord. This relationship needs to be life changing…listen to that. You need to enjoy God, spend time with Him, learn of Him, and then when the relationship exists and He gives you thing to do for Him…then….then…..then….those things will matter so much more.
Jesus is not just the standard of what our life should be, but it is the measure of everything. Experience the depth of God in your life. Experience Jesus’ love by what He did for you for your eternal salvation. As Jesus has a relationship with the Father, that is what He wants for us to have also. Nothing on earth can take the place of God in our life unless we allow it to be more important. 1 John 4:8 says, Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” It is easy to love people in our family and all, but this love is so much more. Even unbelievers, sinners, and the wicked love someone.
I want to share this with you too. As God is love so we should be. God is all love. How do you really describe love? It is His nature and He can not be separate from this love. It is in Him. But the point here is also God cannot be love unless there is an object of His love. Stop a moment and contemplate that. God cannot be love unless there is an object of His love. If there is no one to love then can true love really be? By that I mean, if prior to creation and if there were no one (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to love…love would not be. I say that because to love…really love…one has to express that love somehow to someone/something. Love will never work without someone to share that love with or on. As God the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit love….we so can now love. God the Father shows His love in the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and they each show it in the other… They behold one another. They are one…and yet three. We are one also…singly but one with God. Romans 5:5, says, “As God poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy spirit, who he has given us.” 1 John 3:1 says, “ How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are.” Do you see that? Because God loved and loved us He has adopted us as His own children. We can call him Daddy. As Jesus called his Father in heaven, “Abba Father”…so can we. What God had with Jesus has now been extended to us. John 14:20 says, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you…He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” Fusion….read that again. We have been fused to God the Father. We have been fused to God the Son. We have been fused to the Holy Spirit and that is so awesome. Again, it is like a ring….fused…whole….a circle of love. We are part of that if we want to be. The Father, the Holy Spirit, the Son, and us. Wow! We didn’t deserve it, didn’t earn it, and many times have abused it…but God loves us. You my friend have been invited into a life with God. Your life should start showing that. You are now a son of God. He is your Daddy and as you can have a relationship with your earthly father…how much more can you have one with God? Earthly fathers can let us down just as others do...but God will never let us down or forsake us. At this I say, I understand that not all people have had this relationship with their earthly father and many were abused…stop! God is not an abuser of His children. He won’t leave you, desert you, harm you, and don’t believe it if someone says He will. He was there for your conception, your birth, your first steps and words…your first day of school. He has been there in the good and bad times. He will be there in the end. All others might fail you, leave you, and hurt you…but God will never do that. You can have an intimate relationship with God or just exist and think you do. You have the Spirit of adoption as a child of God. Don’t just be a disrespectful child…be a good child that craves that relationship above all else in the world.
In Revelation 3:20 it says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” I always thought that was for everyone. That He/God was inviting everyone in. Not so. Let me explain. What Christians don’t realize, and neither did I is that this invitation here was not to outsiders but to the church. It was not to unbelievers. It was about the church of Laodicea and was a model church….it was though at a point that Jesus was outside of the door, knocking….to be let in. I know this point here someone will disagree and that is okay, but read who, what, when, where, and you will get it. Yes, God doesn't want anyone lost, but this verse is about the church. Jesus stands waiting for the church to be church and let Him in. He is God...but He doesn't push His way in. He wants you to open the door and let Him in and have a complete relationship with Him.
Maybe you are like that today. Maybe you go to church and all, maybe you even do many things at church, are involved in lots of things. Maybe your life it seems is together and you are running along thinking all is well just like the church of Laodicea did. Yet the one thing you need, and I need…is Jesus. Maybe He is standing there thinking He wished you let Him in to His own church. He wants you to personally ask Him in again.
The Greek have a word for eat. That word is deipnon. It is the evening meal. It was the main meal of the day when your work was done and you didn’t have to be in a hurry. You could sit down and spend time with those you love and enjoy each others time together. It was not a hurry and run through a fast foods. People would truly spend time in the presence of one another and enjoy that time. Well Jesus wants that with us. When He says that He wants to come in and sup with us what He is truly saying is He wants to come and have a relationship with us and spend time with us at the best part of our day. Jesus is the lover of our soul. He is truly standing there waiting for you to invite Him in to sup with you. He wants to be fused with and to you. What an awesome God we serve. Fused together for all eternity and the choice is ours to call. Do you want fused to the Lord today? Tell Him.