SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 8/31/25
Psalm 96 falls in the middle of 7 kingship Psalms about God’s kingly rule over the world. These Palms invite us, call us, to wake up from our slumber and lethargy and sing to the Lord around one grand theme. THE LORD REIGNS. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 96
TITLE: A Grand Missionary Hymn
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: We celebrate God’s reign till God’s reign is celebrated by all peoples.
POINTS:
I. The Call to Worship
II. The Invitation to the Whole World
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
“Psalm 96 falls in the middle of 7 kingship Psalms about God’s kingly rule over the world. These Palms invite us, call us, to wake up from our slumber and lethargy and sing to the Lord around one grand theme. THE LORD REIGNS. But there is one major difference in this Psalm. I titled this A GRAND MISSIONARY PSALM, not because I’m smart and creative, but because Spurgeon is. This phrase, now our title of the message, captures what’s unique about this Psalm.”
“One of the great benefits of reading your Bible through in a year is you get to see, over a course of a year, some patterns you typically wouldn’t see if you read your Bible in smaller chunks.”
“One pattern you’ll see rooted in God’s Word is how people celebrate after a mighty work of God. God’s people experience an undeniable display of His character, power, and glory.” [See below for further study.]
“The pattern you see is that when God provides a significant victory, what follows is typically a significant song from God’s people. An appropriate song for the mighty work of God displayed.”
“Before we break down the structure of this Psalm, let me show you why this Psalm is unique and why Spurgeon would say this is a GRAND MISSIONARY HYMN. Nine times in this Psalm, the author speaks beyond Israel, way beyond your human situation or emotion, and addresses the vision of God’s missionary work.”
“Here’s how this Psalm is structured – there’s a triple imperative – a call for us to do something in V. 1-3 SING, SING, SING. Then, reasons are given for why we should do these things. The Psalmist repeats in V. 7-8 the triple imperative ASCRIBE, ASCRIBE, ASCRIBE TO THE LORD. Then in V. 10, it gives the reason why. Then once more in V. 11-12 LET THE HEAVEN’S; LET THE SEA ROAR, LET THE FIELD EXULT and V. 13 the reasons why.”
“V. 1 & 2 you have a triple imperative calling us to SING. Let’s all just admit that even today in our walk with the Lord, during weekly times of gathering, we can get lethargic. Worshipping can take on the posture of hands in our pocket, arms folded, sipping on some coffee, checking the box of my Christian call to gather with the saints. Complacent and casual while singing radical, life-transforming truths God has revealed to us.”
“So why the exuberant language here? There has been a significant event. There’s a reason to break out of their casual and complacent routines and celebrate the great salvation Israel has. What happened? The context is David bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. The ark represented God’s presence to God’s chosen people, Israel. The original promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 was threefold and easily remembered with three P’s. He promised Abraham a place, the Promised Land. He promised through Abraham that He would build a people for Himself. And He promised His presence. Place, People, and Presence.”
“David literally prepares a tent, prepares Levites and singers for the grand arrival of the ark. Once it arrives, David calls all Israel to sing this Psalm in the presence of the Lord. The ark has been returned to God’s people after 20 years of life without God’s presence among them!”
“God’s people are celebrating that ‘OUR GOD REIGNS’ yet there’s clearly a sense of getting back to God’s mission – ‘ALL THE EARTH.’”
“The LORD is to be feared above all gods …. the gods of the people are worthless idols. V. 5 says all the gods are worthless idols … in the original they are “no thing.” They are nothing.
God, through His Word, Holy Scripture, reveals the all-sufficiency of His name and at times will contrast it with other gods, idols Israel would make, and idols we create in our hearts. The OT idols - Baals, Beelzebub, Chemosh, Ashtoreth, Dagon, Molech & the golden calf created at Mt. Sinai. Have you noticed that the Bible many times will mock the worthless idols that man makes?”
“First, it says we are to ascribe to the Lord – then notice what it says immediately after that “O families of the peoples” – the invitation goes out beyond Israel, beyond individuals. The word there means more than one family but smaller than a tribe or nation. God’s invitation to ascribe glory and strength to Him is meant to be spilling outward, expanding.”
“The Psalmist doesn’t realize this, but God as the Author does…there will be a day when all the families of the people groups/all the nations will say, ‘the Lord reigns!’ That day is coming. But this Psalm also points to a day when the NT fulfills God’s promise to Abraham from Genesis 12.”
“The invitation to the families of the peoples/nations is mentioned here, but fully realized in Christ. THE LORD REIGNS in Christ and through His work on the Cross. When we say THE LORD REIGNS, we say Christ reigns because he has conquered sin and death. Our sacrifice, our offering, is now captured in Romans 12:1: ‘present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.’ 1 Peter 2:5, ‘you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’”
“I am afraid there are many people of faith who attend church each week, give regularly to God's work, know their Bible pretty well, and don't live overtly evil lives, but who aren't living with the glory of God as the primary motivation of their life.”
“THE LORD REIGNS – So why do I have all this trouble? Sure, the reality is that Satan goes around roaring like a lion, and sin is present, and we live in a fallen world. God in his wisdom chose to send His Son to “inaugurate” the kingdom of God. In His work of redemption, He will send His Son to complete that work. That’s coming in VV. 11-13.”
“The repetition of the words LET THE, LET THE anticipate God’s promise being fulfilled not just in His people but in all the creation! The HEAVENS/EARTH/SEA/FIELD help us to look forward. There’s a day coming when the heavens will BE GLAD, the earth will REJOICE, the sea will ROAR, the fields will EXULT! Why? Because what Christ did at the cross guarantees the redemption of His people AND all the earth.”
QUOTES:
Christopher Ash- “Ascribe means to acknowledge that these things are true and therefore to bow in worship before the covenant Lord.”
Sidney Greidanus - “For He is coming. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming to set things right, to make straight what is crooked, to restore justice.”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
A study of God’s people celebrating after a mighty work of God: Exodus 14-15, 1 Chronicles 16, Luke 1-2
God mocks our idols: 1 Samual 15, 1 Kings 18, Isaiah 40:18-19, Isaiah 44:9-17
Galatians 3:13–14
2 Corinthians 1:20
APPLICATION:
Q.What are your idols? Sex, fame, money, reputation, independence? In the NT, idols tend to be idols of the heart. Something that gets a hold of your heart … you crave it, lust for it, and it then controls you. Sometimes idols can start as good things – being a good parent, homeschooling, doing ministry with excellence, taking care of your body. But good things, good desires that get too big, become idols. They own us. These are the idols of NT believers. They make promises to us but never deliver. Why? Cuz they are a ‘no thing.’ They are nothing. They are worthless.
Let’s grow in a holy dissatisfaction – to live for the glory of our little world of family, work, or the next vacation, truncates the reality that God calls us to live for a kingdom far greater than going all out for our football team, our family, our career, or our next vacation. Living for the glory of God doesn’t mean we do something crazy, unrealistic. No, it means we approach daily life, family, work, and the next vacation in a whole new way. In all these scenarios, we live with a holy dissatisfaction till all the nations are invited to come into His courts, come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. THIS is why we get stirred and affected when we hear about people getting saved and added to the Church in Santa Ana or Bolivia. THIS is why we plant Churches around the world. THIS is why we put time and energy into the East Side initiative to plant a Church!
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Hope of the Ages
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Nothing That My Hands Can Do
Death Arrested
Sing
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 136
THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:
To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal