Today, we get a surprise. Out of the dark and despairing stories of Judges arises a song of exuberant thanksgiving. It’s a surprise, but it shouldn’t be. God’s people are created, compelled, and commanded to sing. Singing is a mark of belonging to God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 5:1-31
TITLE: A Song for the Ages
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Knowing our Savior has won the victory, we love God and one another with enthusiastic gratitude.

POINTS:
1. Praise the Lord for His People
2. Praise the Lord for His Power
3. Praise the Lord for His Purposes

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Judges 5 is a song. It’s a song about God’s people, God’s power, and God’s purposes. It’s a heart response to their salvation in the Lord. Three thousand years later, we get to sing this song with them.”

“Let the culture call us extremists. Let the neighbor give us funny looks. Let some around us feel uncomfortable. So what. Our Savior and His people are worthy of our affection and thanksgiving.”

“Last week, we saw that God desires participants, not spectators, in His redemptive purposes. God wants to use us individually and collectively to accomplish His redemptive purposes. Simply put—You matter in God’s mission. This song highlights that truth as Deborah and Barak sing about God’s people as they sing to God. They celebrate how the people willingly offered themselves to God’s purposes, and they praised the Lord specifically for them.”

“The phrase—Bless the Lord, means to magnify God’s greatness, goodness, and glory. That’s important because it acknowledges that God is the source of the people’s faithfulness and courage. …This is important because some people have this unbiblical notion that we can’t celebrate and acknowledge God’s goodness and grace through Christ in one another. Of course we can! We must! Paul celebrated Christ in people every time he penned a letter. And when Deborah and Barak considered the faith-filled courage of God’s people, they celebrated them in a way that praised God.” 

“Deborah and Barak could have sung about the greatness and power of God without ever mentioning anyone else. They would have been right because God is the hero. But as the old hymn goes, God works in mysterious ways, including accomplishing His purposes through weak and inadequate people that He loves. Why? So they get the joy of participating in a heavenly mission, and He receives the glory uniquely.”

“So the implication is serious for us. If God loves to magnify His goodness and greatness through the efforts of His people, then when we refuse to acknowledge and celebrate God’s grace in one another, we refuse to acknowledge and celebrate God in a way He desires.”

“Is there any more significant way I can love you than reminding you in intentional and specific ways of the abundant grace of God I see in your life?”

“We are prone to [explain things like this in natural terms] because we are naturally averse to the supernatural. But that denies the very nature of the Christian life. We are born of the Spirit (John 3:8). We are empowered by the Spirit (Eph 3:16). We do not wrestle with flesh and blood but evil spiritual forces (Eph 6:12). The Christian life is undeniably supernatural. If you struggle with that reality, you won’t thrive as you should spiritually.”

“the imagery here is powerful. God marched up from Sinai to fight for His people. The titles in 5—the One from Sinai and the God of Israel—are this YAHWEH, Israel’s covenant-keeping God. The one who delivered them from Pharaoh and his mighty chariots at the Red Sea, this one has come again to deliver His people from Sisera and his 900 chariots, just as He promised. On that day, God saved His people, and their response was to sing of His greatness in their salvation.”

“While we were still weak (Rom 5:6) and while we were enemies (Rom 5:10), our Redeemer didn’t come through an overwhelming storm, Jesus came down from the throne of God to a hill called Calvary, where he endured the storm of holy wrath, bleeding and dying for our forgiveness that we might live in him. By faith in Jesus, our great warrior, we have complete salvation. We have true rest. We have complete victory because God is our sovereign Redeemer!” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Thessalonians 5:14
Hebrews 4:14

APPLICATION:
- What comes to your mind when you think about your church's leaders and willing volunteers?
Make it a goal in 2024 to meaningfully thank and encourage every person serving you in this church.

-Do you find yourself in an impossible situation?
Don’t give up on God. Hold tightly to Jesus. You may say—I’ve believed God for so long, but nothing has changed. The Scriptures speak to you—Keep believing.

For the Christian, this is our song to sing. It’s the gospel song. It’s the only song we have to sing. We sing it together in love, unity, gratitude, and eager expectation for the day our Lord and Savior appears and our heavenly rest begins. 

Are you singing this song with your life? In your relationships? In your hardships? In your sufferings? On your best hair days and your worst hair days? You can and you should. God has saved you. He has made you part of His church. He is with you. He will never leave you. He is working ALL things for your good right now. He is sufficient for your needs. He has promised to come back for you.