Great Proclamations
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . ."
"that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . ."
"whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches. . ."
Recognize those "proclamations?" You should! They are some of the most powerful statements made by human leaders in the last 300 years. (OK, I'll tell you, but you should know this - the first, from the Declaration of Independence; the second, from the Gettysburg Address, and the third, from Winston Churchhill's WWII speech.) Proclamations are made to be heard, hence, the definition of proclamation, which is the formal act of making a public declaration. Proclamations are inherently important; they define, shape, and impact our actions and beliefs. When we proclaim a day to be a national holiday, it impacts us. No mail delivery. (That's usually how I know it's a national holiday) Federal offices closed. Schools close; banks close; Wall Street stops trading; Department stores hold big sales.
In verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 40 David becomes a corporate worship leader. Notice that he has switched gears in a sense from his own personal worship experience to suddenly being the worship leader for the "great assembly". (I want to know how many makes up a "great" assembly versus a regular assembly) And what does David do as worship leader? He makes a proclamation! Notice that twice his statements are positive - he proclaims in verse 9 and speaks in verse 10 - and twice his statements are negative - he does not "seal"his lips and does not "conceal' God's love and truth. All four statements are designed to do one thing - proclaim the greatness of God in a public forum.
Public worship, corporate worship, is all about the proclamation. What kinds of things should we be "proclaiming"? Let's start with the person of God. His attributes, his creative power, his sovereignty, his majesty, his love, compassion and mercy, and so on. There is enough material there to keep us going until He returns. Then let's move on to the acts of God. His creation of this universe; his guiding hand throughout history; his miracles and fulfilled covenants; and most of all, his redemptive work through the cross. What else? How about proclaiming the "day of the Lord"? How about proclaiming the call to repentance? How about proclaiming the the need for unity, for believers to abandon their petty differences and join in the battle against the evil one?
I've noticed that many believers, like the Israelites before them, tend to be whiners. They come to corporate worship wanting. And wanting, and wanting some more. I want God to bless me. I want God to heal me. I want God to protect me. I want God to give me a job. I want God to deal with my mother-in-law. And so on. We want, we want, we want. What's the difference between a child at Christmas and a mature adult? The child wants to want; the mature adult wants to give. Once we can move past the strong urge to "want" we can actually move towards the mature act of giving. Giving praise to God. Giving ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual act of worship, according to Paul in Romans 12:1. There is a place in worship for requests, for bringing our burdens to the Lord, and for finding comfort in the unity of believers. But for the believer, that should not overshadow the urge to proclaim. When you come to corporate worship, the first thing on your mind ought to begin just as the alphabet does - "a" for adoration. If you do that, you may discover that it takes you a whole lot longer to get to "p" for petition!
"that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . ."
"whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches. . ."
Recognize those "proclamations?" You should! They are some of the most powerful statements made by human leaders in the last 300 years. (OK, I'll tell you, but you should know this - the first, from the Declaration of Independence; the second, from the Gettysburg Address, and the third, from Winston Churchhill's WWII speech.) Proclamations are made to be heard, hence, the definition of proclamation, which is the formal act of making a public declaration. Proclamations are inherently important; they define, shape, and impact our actions and beliefs. When we proclaim a day to be a national holiday, it impacts us. No mail delivery. (That's usually how I know it's a national holiday) Federal offices closed. Schools close; banks close; Wall Street stops trading; Department stores hold big sales.
In verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 40 David becomes a corporate worship leader. Notice that he has switched gears in a sense from his own personal worship experience to suddenly being the worship leader for the "great assembly". (I want to know how many makes up a "great" assembly versus a regular assembly) And what does David do as worship leader? He makes a proclamation! Notice that twice his statements are positive - he proclaims in verse 9 and speaks in verse 10 - and twice his statements are negative - he does not "seal"his lips and does not "conceal' God's love and truth. All four statements are designed to do one thing - proclaim the greatness of God in a public forum.
Public worship, corporate worship, is all about the proclamation. What kinds of things should we be "proclaiming"? Let's start with the person of God. His attributes, his creative power, his sovereignty, his majesty, his love, compassion and mercy, and so on. There is enough material there to keep us going until He returns. Then let's move on to the acts of God. His creation of this universe; his guiding hand throughout history; his miracles and fulfilled covenants; and most of all, his redemptive work through the cross. What else? How about proclaiming the "day of the Lord"? How about proclaiming the call to repentance? How about proclaiming the the need for unity, for believers to abandon their petty differences and join in the battle against the evil one?
I've noticed that many believers, like the Israelites before them, tend to be whiners. They come to corporate worship wanting. And wanting, and wanting some more. I want God to bless me. I want God to heal me. I want God to protect me. I want God to give me a job. I want God to deal with my mother-in-law. And so on. We want, we want, we want. What's the difference between a child at Christmas and a mature adult? The child wants to want; the mature adult wants to give. Once we can move past the strong urge to "want" we can actually move towards the mature act of giving. Giving praise to God. Giving ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual act of worship, according to Paul in Romans 12:1. There is a place in worship for requests, for bringing our burdens to the Lord, and for finding comfort in the unity of believers. But for the believer, that should not overshadow the urge to proclaim. When you come to corporate worship, the first thing on your mind ought to begin just as the alphabet does - "a" for adoration. If you do that, you may discover that it takes you a whole lot longer to get to "p" for petition!
