Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Aug 12th, 2012 Open Your Big, Fat Mouth, and Praise God!

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 58 – 62 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Psalms 56 – 60; Proverbs 12)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4

“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem,which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,”(Isaiah 62:6)

Years ago, I attended a Thursday evening service at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, NJ. As Pastor Clark was leading the singing, he noticed that a few of the young people were not singing. He told them that if they were glad that they were saved, and happy to be in church they should, “open [their] big, fat mouth[s], and praise God.

The context of this chapter and many of the concluding chapters of  the Book of Isaiah is the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth. Things will be radically different in Jerusalem and on the entire planet during this period. There will be a new sheriff in town: one that will reign in righteousness and holiness. The people of God will no longer be a persecuted and oppressed people; and the land itself will be completely safe from any kind of danger.

The above verse tells us that the watchmen that God has placed upon the walls should keep not silence concerning the Lord. Verse 7 says, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The day is coming when the earth will be devoid of evil and filled with the presence and holiness of the Lord; but until that day comes God’s watchmen are to be shouting His praises and His principles from the walls.

I don’t think that I am doing the Scripture injustice by stating that today we ought also to be telling everyone that we can about the Lord until He comes back to bring His bride (the Church) up to Heaven with Him. We need to be proclaiming the gospel to the lost world around us. We are often guilty of keeping silent when God wants us to speak. We should not be ashamed of our Lord. This lost world needs to hear about our wonderful Saviour. The Scripture admonishes us,”Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”. Let’s open up our mouths boldly and proclaim the goodness of the Lord to the world around us.

This principle not only applies to our declaration of the Lord to the world around us, but also means that we are to not keep silent in our praise to the Lord in the church. Christians are often way too reserved in their praise for the Lord. The Lord has done so many awesome and wonderful things in our lives and we need to be very vocal about it. Keep not silent.

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” – (Psalm 100:1-5 KJV)

One last thought. We not only need to be vocal in our proclamation of the Lord to the lost world around us, and in our praise to God in the church; but we also need to encourage our preachers and teachers to “keep not silent” in their preaching and teaching of the Word of God. By this I mean that we should make it easy for them to tell us exactly what the Word of God says without holding anything back. Preachers need to have the liberty to preach the unpopular passages with boldness, and to give us the “whole counsel” of the Word of God. Preach the Word. Keep not silent!

Oh Oh! I just got another thought about this subject. I just can’t keep silent about it. We need to “keep not silent” in our prayers to God. God wants to hear us open up our big, fat mouths, and talk to Him.