Great Advice – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Passage –Mark 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20

Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25

Read “When Your Teen Says No – Part One” by Pastor Chappell

A great gettin’ up mornin’ to ya, fair ye well, fair ye well. And I hope you do fair well today. I don’t know if it’s just me, or not, but when I mount the pulpit to lead the congregation singing, all the cares of my world seem to melt away. And why not? I get to lose myself in singing praises to Jesus.

Psalm 100 says: “A Psalm of praise. 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.”

Looking out over the congregation, I can see some people clapping, some people swaying, most singing, but some not, and some being obedient to Psalm 100 and making a “joyful NOISE” unto the LORD! I think about the music David played on his harp and the evil spirit left king Saul. I think about Joshua and all Israel as they marched around Jericho and they shouted a great shout – they made a joyful noise, if you will – and walls came a tumblin’ down. What evil spirits has the Lord removed from your life? What walls has He torn down so that you could be free? As I look out at the congregation again, some are not singing, some look like they would rather be somewhere else. They are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work in them through the song. Dr. Lester Roloff said something like if you can’t sing songs in the night, don’t come to me with songs in the light. When you are going through the night, or times of trouble, God will give you a song to sing. Will you sing it? “It will be worth it all…”

Psalm 100 is a Psalm of praise. There are several instructions contained here that we should know about.

We need to make a joyful noise unto the LORD.

We need to serve the LORD with gladness.

We need to come before his presence with singing.

We need know the Lord who created us, and made us His people

We need to come before Him with thanksgiving and praise.

We need to be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Why?

Because the Lord is good.

Because the Lord gives us His everlasting mercy.

Because the Lord gave us His truth.

God’s goodness, mercy, and truth should be enough to give us the song in our hearts whether it be day or night.

And speaking of songs, I found a good one. I was flipping through the tv channels when I came to the Create Network. There was a show just coming on called Danny’s Guitar Shop. I wasn’t going to watch it, but this episode was about Gospel music. The church’s choir was practicing this song called Ride On King Jesus. I found the lyrics to it…

from « American Negro Songs »by J. W. Work, 1940

Ride on King Jesus !
No man can hinder him
Ride on King Jesus !
No man can hinder him

Jesus rides o a milk white horse
No man can hinder him
The river Jordan he did cross
No man can hinder him

If you want to find your way to God
No man can hinder him
The gospel highway must be trod
No man can hinder him

I was young when I begun
No man can hinder him
But now my race is almost run
No man can hinder him

Peace! (Revelations 19:11-16)